Out of Order

The out of order survey disposition is used in telephone surveys when the telephone number dialed by an interviewer is nonworking or not in service. Although each local telephone company in the United States handles out-of-order telephone numbers differently, most companies in urban and suburban areas include a recording on these numbers that says something like, "The number you have dialed is a nonworking number," or "The number you dialed is not in service at this time." Some telephone companies in rural areas also include these recordings as standard practice. Thus, interviewers dialing out-of-order numbers in these areas may hear nothing, or the number may ring and ring, making it difficult to determine whether these numbers should be coded using the out of order disposition ...