Glitches plague rail survey

Apparent technical glitches in a recent automated phone survey aimed at gauging support for Hono­lulu’s rail project have left some residents — and phone customers with Hawaii area code numbers — seeing red.

On various websites devoted to complaints about unknown callers and telemarketers, Hawaii residents and several people living off-island reported last week receiving as many as five calls a day from the same Los Angeles-area number. When they answer, most of the callers reported silence on the other end of the line — and no messages left on their machine.

"This number keeps calling and does not leave a message. Very annoying," commenter "annoyedfromHawaii" wrote July 21 of the 323-388-5832 number on the website callferret.com. Commenters on at least four other telephone sites also expressed frustration at the persistent, silent calls dating back to at least to July 16. Many of them used saltier language than annoyedfromHawaii to voice their irritation.

Several callers did report getting a message — one asking for their opinion of the planned elevated rail system. Commenter "JP" on the website 800notes.com said their family in Maryland got a recording "asking to what degree I support the ‘Honolulu Rail Transit Project.’"

"I’d have to say they’re barking up the wrong tree," JP added.

"It’s a survey about THE RAIL," Kensandra, also commenting on 800notes.com, wrote on July 23. "I am getting really irritated (be)cause I am also on the do not call list."

It’s not clear who’s responsible for the automated survey, or its size and scope. Officials with the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, the semi-autonomous agency overseeing the project, said they did not conduct the automated survey and that they didn’t know whose it was.

Additionally, representatives of the pro-rail group Move Oahu Forward and anti-rail group Honolulu­traffic.com said they did not conduct any such survey.

Pacific Research Partnership, a pro-rail consortium of carpentry and construction contractors that worked last year to help defeat anti-rail mayoral candidate Ben Cayetano, said in a statement: "From time to time, PRP engages in public opinion research. When we do, the information is used for internal purposes only."

A spokesman for PRP declined to say whether the group conducted the rail-related survey.

As of Thursday, commenters were still complaining about silent calls.