normally pile is used for objects that are heaped on top of each other, often messy. Hence expressions such as "a pile of work", "a pile of sh+t" etc.

,

They are asking them to place the 'aspects' together in a group. One pile for one aspect, another pile for another aspect and so forth. HTH.

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Note added at 2005-08-18 14:46:47 (GMT)
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One pile for things they would like to encounter, one pile for things they would expect to encounter, one pile for things they\'d love to encounter and one pile for things that are not of value. Pile = a group, heap or collection (in one spot) of objects.

cluster of aspects

Literally, at any rate. What exactly are the objects used to represent these services etc.? Are they some kind of physical 'token', in which case they could quite lietrally mean a stack; or are they pieces of paper (in which case, the same word applies, though as another answerer has suggested, that could imply some kind of 'in tray', for example.

Or are these responses to an electronic questionnaire? In which case, this might be a 'virtual' pile, a place where you can drag-and-drop icons repreenting these services etc....
Another synonym for 'pile' might be 'heap', though that often suggests something untidy, whereas I suspect here they are talking about a neat 'stack'

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Note added at 25 mins (2005-08-18 15:01:17 GMT)
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In the light of Asker\'s added context, I would confirm my suggestion, though here it is clearly a \'virtual\' pile (think of Windows waste basket), and presumably the items from this list can be \'dragged-and-dropped\' onto it

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Note added at 6 hrs 9 mins (2005-08-18 20:45:34 GMT)
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In reply to Flipendo\'s point:

The way I read it, this is a \'LISTING of various aspects\', and it is in fact the \'list ITEMS\' that can be \'placed\' on the \'pile\' --- and I repeat, my entire interpretation is based on the assumption that all this is \'virtual\', and that \'placing\' = \'dragging-and-dropping\' (for example); if not, then of course, clearly I\'m way off the mark!

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Note added at 6 hrs 18 mins (2005-08-18 20:54:27 GMT)
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Yes, I think it IS possible to \'encounter an aspect of service\'; but I do agree that the English throughout is inelegant and of dubious quality.

I can imagine myself in a restaurant saying \"I have never encountered such bad service!\" -- and surely the quality of \'badness\' is an \'aspect\' of that service? I still feel that \'find\' would have been a simpler word to use, or even, at worst \'experience\' -- I think you can \'experience\' a service, can\'t you?