Which? Car Survey Which? Car Survey FAQs Dec 2011

FAQs about the Which? Car Survey answered

The annual Which? Car Survey is your chance to tell us about your experiences with your car. We use the information to help other consumers find out what to expect from specific models, and also to encourage carmakers to fix issues where necessary.

If you haven't filled in the survey before, you may have some questions. So below are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Which? Car Survey.

Q1. How do I access the survey?

This year's survey is now closed.

Q2. When does the survey go live, when does it close and who is it open to?

The survey is live from 12 December 2011 and will close on 12 March 2012. Anyone can complete the survey (you do not have to be a member of Which?) but you do have to access the survey via a legitimate link, for example, through the url printed in the January Which? magazine, through Facebook/Twitter/ Which? online/Which? cars homepage/footers on staff email addresses. You can also call the Which? customer service centre to access the survey and can fill it in while waiting for the customer service centre to reply to their query.

Q3. How long will it take to complete the survey?

The time it will take to complete the survey depends on how many cars you want to tell us about and how many faults/problems you have had with your car(s). We estimate the average length of time to complete the survey will be 12-15 minutes.

Q4. Why isn’t there a postal questionnaire this year?

Over the past few years response rates to the postal survey have fallen significantly.  This, coupled with inherent process inefficiencies associated with a postal survey, have prompted a review of the methodology used to collect the data. We have been successfully running an online survey alongside the postal survey for the last couple of years.

Moving the survey completely online has enabled us to report on even more brands than before, making the car guide more relevant to more people. By running the survey online, we can identify a vehicle via its number plate, which tells us the exact details of the car. This improves the accuracy of our survey results. In addition, we also know that nearly nine out of 10 Which? members now have access to the internet (from the latest membership survey, Oct 2010).

Q5. I don’t have access to the internet, how can I complete the survey?

You could ask a friend/family member who does have access to the internet to let you use their computer to complete the survey, and ask them to complete it too! There is also good internet access in public libraries.

Q6. How do I complete the survey?

The survey will be advertised in a range of places, including Motoring News in Which?, on the Which? Cars website and in many of the emails that go out to members. It is also open to the general public and links to it will be placed on various social network sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. Each of these places will host a URL that you need to click on to access the welcome page. 

The welcome page will tell you that you MUST know your car's registration number to complete the survey. You will also be told that the survey will ask you to supply the month/year their car was first registered (you can find this information in the registration documentation (V5) of your car) and approximate costs for a service you have had in the last year (if applicable) and mileage you have covered in the last year and since you’ve owned their car. The welcome page will be a holding page to give you time to gather this information if you so wish (you can estimate service cost and mileage), as once you click through to the survey you cannot return to it at later stage.

Watch our 'how to' guide for filling in the 2012 Which? Car Survey below.

Q7. Why do I need to enter my contact details at the start of the survey?

You need to fill in your name, telephone number (with no spaces in between the numbers) and email address to be entered into the prize draw of £10,000. You must complete the survey for at least ONE CAR to be entered. Entry is free and we will only use your details to contact you if you are the winner. Which? reserves the right to feature the winners’ names and locations in Which? / Which? Car magazine.

Q8. Why do I need to enter the registration details for my car?

We need this information to ensure we have accurate details about the make and model of the car for our analysis. By entering the registration number, we are able to pipe through the details of the car into each survey question, so it means the survey is personalised to you. It also helps remind you what car you are answering questions about if you are filling in the survey for two different cars. The registration details will be used for this purpose only.

Q9. Do I need to fill in different surveys for two different cars?

No – the survey is designed so one person can complete the survey about two cars during one sitting. Answering the survey about two cars does not increase your chances of winning the prize draw. The survey cannot be completed about the same car twice. This is why you NEED to know your car's registration number to complete the survey (this question is forced to avoid duplicate entries). You must complete the survey for at least ONE CAR to be entered in the prize draw.

Q10. If the survey times out or I lose internet connection, do I need to start it all over again?

The survey needs to be completed in one sitting. If, for any reason, a person closes the window of the survey before they finish, they will need to email nina@whichconnect.co.uk and she will send a link back into the survey so it can be completed. In this instance, the two sections of the survey will be joined together after the survey has been completed and will count as one entry to the prize draw.

Q11. Who should I contact if I am having technical difficulties?

Please send an email to this address: carsurvey@whichconnect.co.uk. Which? Connect is the name of our online survey community.

Q12. Does the survey give an acknowledgement upon completion?

You will be thanked for your entry at the end of the survey, but it won't give an acknowledgement via email or any other method.

Q13. I’ve seen the survey is open to people who aren’t Which? members, why is this?

This is the second year that the survey has been open to the general public as well as Which? members. There are three reasons for this.

Firstly, allowing non-members to complete the survey means we can report on even more car models than before. Secondly, the survey has come under criticism from the car industry in the past for not being representative enough of car buyers overall. While we have always been confident in the robustness of our data and our methodology, this will make us even more influential when we talk to the industry that we represent the views of all consumers. Lastly, as Which? Car magazine is now sold on the newsstand, in various retail outlets such as Sainsbury’s, it’s not just our members views that should be taken into account.

Q14.  Why are you offering a prize draw?

We recognise that we are asking for a lot of detail in the survey and we want to encourage as many people to complete it as possible. This is a way of showing that we appreciate the time and effort that it takes to complete the survey.

Q15. Do Which? members need to know their membership number to complete the survey/be entered into the prize draw? Can anyone receive the prize draw?

Which? members do not need to know their membership number. We asked this question last year and it caused lots of people not to complete the survey. So this year we have simply inserted a yes/no question asking if you are a member of Which? As the survey is open to the general public, anyone who completes the survey about one car by 12 March 2012 is eligible to enter the prize draw (entry is free). However, those who receive points, prizes or monetary reward for completing the survey through a third party survey provider and all Which? employees, their immediate families or anyone connected with Which? are not eligible for the prize draw.

Q16. Can you still complete the cars survey and enter the prize draw even if the car is over 8 years old?

Which? wants to collect data on all cars irrespective of their age, however, we will only report data on cars up to 8 years old. We may still quote what drivers of cars over 8 years old have to say about what they love/find most frustrating about their car, but we don't include reliability data for older cars because it would prevent any comparisons being made year on year. Anyone who completes the survey about a car older than 8 years will still have the opportunity to be entered into our £10,000 draw.

Q17. Can I fill in the survey again – I’ve made a mistake?

If anyone wants to do the survey again (if survey crashes, respondent has made a mistake etc) please email:   carsqueries@whichconnect.co.uk. The person will then be given a new link and they will be taken to the last incomplete section. The person will need to email their registration number and let us know where they have got to in the survey e.g. completed one loop for their first car.

Q18. The survey won't accept my registration number

This may happen because the registration details are not in our database. In this instance, the person should select “my car is not listed” to continue with the survey.

Q19. The survey won’t accept my mileage

Mileage must be entered as a number between 1 and 100 for miles in the last 12 months and 1 and 300 for total mileage. The survey will not accept blanks or commas, but will provide an error message describing what the person has done incorrectly and reminding them of the range of numbers they can enter.

Q20. The survey freezes while filling it in

This could be due to many things including slow internet connection. The person will have to start again by emailing carsqueries@whichconnect.co.uk and they will be provided with a link which they can sue to start from the last incomplete section. Normally down to the person’s internet connection running slowly.

Q21. Why is there no back button?

The start of the survey states that it must be completed in one sitting. There is no back button or progress bar tracker due to complex structure of survey. Respondents should never use the browser back button if they want to go back to a page they have just submitted. Instead they should email carsqueries@whichconnect.co.uk and will be given a new link which will take them back to the section they last completed.

Q22. What happens if my computer keeps freezing or crashing, and doesn't retain the details that have already been inputted?  

A computer may freeze for a number of reason and we are able to retain previous entered data as there are no cookies on this survey. If the person wants to start the survey again they should email carsqueries@whichconnect.co.uk and will be given a new link which will take them back to the section they last completed.

Q23. What if the time it takes to complete the survey expires?

The survey has to be taken in one sitting and it usually takes around 15 minutes to complete. Sometimes there is a short lag between sections of the survey but this should not take too long and the survey should not crash.

Q24. What if a person entered a registration number and answered some questions but wanted to come back to the survey and compete it at a later stage?

The survey will not allow a person to enter the same registration more than once – even if the person did not fully complete the survey first time round. The survey has to be completed in one sitting. If the person has entered a registration number and then left the survey before completing, they need to email carsqueries@whichconnect.co.uk who will send them a new link so they can complete the survey again. The person will be taken back to the last incomplete section e.g. the second car if they have completed the questions relating to their first car.

Q25. Why is it not possible to state your location in greater detail?

The respondent has to pick a code from the specific destination list provided (unless they live outside the UK when then need to tick ‘other’ AND enter the location in the empty text box). We are collecting data by region hence the reason why we are not asking respondents to specify a particular location.  

Q26. Can I complete the survey on an Iphone or Ipad?

The survey is very complex and detailed and for these reasons we advise against completing it on an iphone not least because some of the survey uses hover text and it would be difficult to read this text on a small screen. The easiest way to complete the survey is by using an ipad or PC/desk top computer.

Q28. Will non members have access to the full results from the 2012 Which? Car survey?

Non members of Which? can read the full findings from the 2012 Which? Car survey by purchasing the 2012 Which? Car Survey magazine (available in August 2012) in a range of shops and newsagents. Which? members will receive a free copy of this magazine with their August 2012 copy of Which? Only Which? members will be able to access the full results online.

Q27. Where can I find out more about the terms and conditions of the prize draw?

The terms and conditions governing the prize draw are available at the bottom of the survey. In case any questions arise concerning these – they are included below for information:

Which? Car Survey 2012 Prize Draw Terms and Conditions

1. Entry is free and is open to anyone who submits a completed survey about at least one car by 12 March 2012, excluding those who receive points, prizes or monetary reward for completing the survey through a third party survey provider and all Which? employees, their immediate families or anyone connected with Which?
2. Only one entry per person is permitted.
3. Only entrants who have completed a survey about at least one car and the ‘General information about you’ section of the survey are eligible to be entered into the prize draw.
4. One winner will be chosen at random from all completed surveys received by the closing date. The prize is £10,000.00 in cash.
5. The winners will be informed by email or by telephone by 13 July 2012 using contact details supplied at the time of entry.
6. To claim the prize you must contact Which? within 14 days of receiving verbal or written confirmation of the win to arrange an appointment to attend the Which? office and collect the prize or to arrange for the prize to be posted to your home correspondence address.
7. Which? takes no responsibility for entries delayed or lost due to technical reasons or otherwise.
8. Which? reserves the right to publicly display the name and location of the winners in any Which? publication.
9. The winners details are available by emailing carsurvey2012@which.co.uk quoting ‘Car survey prize draw winners 2012’.
10. Which? reserves the right to revise the closing date or extend the period for accepting entries.
11. The copyright in all completed surveys will belong to Which?
12. The decision of Which? is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
13. If the prize is declined, unclaimed within 14 days or if any of the winners forfeit the prize under these terms and conditions, then Which? may at its absolute discretion draw alternative winners.
14. The prizes are as stated and there are no alternatives.
15. The promoter’s full name and address is: Which? Limited, 2 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 4DF.
16. All information on the survey detailing how to enter this draw forms part of these terms and conditions.
17. By entering the prize draw, entrants will be deemed to have understood and accepted the above terms and conditions.

Car reviews by class

• Superminis
• Medium cars
• Large cars
• Luxury cars
• Estates
• 4x4s/SUVs
• People carriers/MPVs
• Sports/convertibles