What's with all the surveys?

Do you ever get tired of getting surveys everytime you buy something? Or constantly asked to please complete a survey because you patronized a business? I don't know about you, but I think it's getting pretty old. Also, I know the motivation behind the surveys from a dealership stand point, and that leaves a bad taste.
We know that good customer service makes us happy, but there used to be a time that people took good care of a customer because it was the right thing to do. Now, there's this carrot hanging over the service provider that causes them to behave in a forced and often false manner. I think that creating benchmarks and having incentive can be a good thing, but this 'mostly satisfied or completely satisfied' is asking for trouble. First we consider the fact that most of us will naturally never feel inclined to respond on the extreme end of a spectrum. If it wasn't for my direct relationship with surveys and knowing how they affect the worker, I would never give an absolute answer. So I think that this multiple choice standard for checking to see if a person is satisfied is too much. Just ask me yes or no. That's all. Then there's all the questions. Were you addressed by your first name? Did the representative wear the right shirt? Do you feel special? Would you recommend us to your second cousin, twice removed? It's a bunch of hype designed by companies that perform these surveys. They have convinced companies that without their proof that your company is good, you will fail. They insist that it creates an environment where the representative will try harder to create a great customer experience. Instead, it creates so much pressure on the representatives that they lie and fabricate information to help insure that the numbers gathered will show exactly what's required. 
So, I don't know who's at fault for creating an environment like this, but I won't have it in my company. If I want to know if your happy, I'll ask you. Hopefully, you'll tell me

in a simple 'yes' or 'no'. I believe that customer satisfaction is something you do, not something you try to find in a survey.