Email error lands agency boss in hot water

UK-- A research agency boss found himself in hot water after an email discussing a possible fieldwork deception was mistakenly sent to the client commissioning the work.

Market Research Northern Ireland (MRNI) managing director Alan Leitch has been suspended from the Market Research Society (MRS) for a year for sending the email, in which he talked about passing off face-to-face surveys as telephone interviews.

MRNI had been approached by an unnamed research organisation about carrying out the telephone project and was asked to submit an estimate for how much the project would cost.

On 28 January last year Leitch emailed the organisation requesting confirmation of the project specification. They replied, but later that day they received another email from Leitch, although this had apparently been sent in error as it was addressed to the chairman of MRNI.

In his email, Leitch wrote: “If we got this they want to start early next week and have it turned around within a few weeks so I'm not sure we could do it on our own CATI even with 4 machines due to the time to set up etc.

“We could do some on CATI to get it established and put a lot more out face to face then get [an employee] to punch them and not let on to [the research organisation]. Alternatively I could offer a cost to [the research organisation] for face to face instead of telephone.

“What do you think?”

The research organisation complained to the MRS that the email indicated an intention to deceive them. Evidence was put before a MRS disciplinary authority tribunal on 16 February this year.

The tribunal found that when Leitch wrote and sent the email “he acted in a way which might bring discredit upon the profession, the MRS or its members”.

“Accordingly,” the tribunal said, “he was in breach of rule A8 of the MRS code of conduct.”

Author: Brian Tarran