thanks for the information about bestmark i wouldnt have been happy wasting my time and gas money.how do you know who is legit,it seems like all of the companies ive tried are out to rip you off frustrated in ohio.

is bestmark a good company to deal with? I really need to get sommething going to make a little extra money so any help would be greatly appriciated, Thanks

Bestmark is a legitimate company and does pay. Depending on your area, they may or may not have some rewarding jobs.

They are legit -

But,

In my area, they routinely hold hostage, and don't post certain shops ~ ~ ~ "If you can help me out with this xxx shop, I will give you some easy phone call shops worth $6 each, and since I will give you at least 5 of them, you can make an extra $30 total . . .! I will assign you these shops at the same time I am setting up your xxx shop so that you can see all your shops on the website."

Bah.

Most of the companies that appear on the "Official List..." are legit. However, their business practices can vary.

where do I find the "Official List..." that beatlesfan1964 references

Scroll to the bottom of any page.

Hi have two question for you. Still trying to get to know what companies are legit.

Have you ever heard or shopped for:

Jobs2Shop.com

I just got an email from them but I do not know if they are legit or not, do you?

Where do I find the pay cycle for companies. I have signed for some and I do not when they pay.

Thank you

They aren't a mystery shopping company, just one of those places where you sign up for "free" trials. Use the list here and apply to those companies.

Companies post their payment terms in different places. As you sign up with companies, be sure to read the Agreement that they ask you to sign. Yes, the usually LONG, boring agreement with a confidentiality clause and all kinds of other legal stuff. Many times that contains their payment terms. Some post payment terms in a payment or a history area on their website. Be sure you know what the payment terms are for a particular company BEFORE you accept a job .... once they owe you money you are somewhat locked in.

For example:

1. Second to None pays through PayPal and direct deposit. They charge you a fee to pay you through PayPal but direct deposit is free. To me, the choice was simple: I'm cheap; although I prefer PayPal, I went with direct deposit.

2. ACE pays only one way: PayQuicker (similar to PayPal). They have no alternative payment method, so if you shop for ACE, the only way to get paid is to open a PayQuicker account. PayQuicker is relatively new and has no reviews from any financial expert. In addition, you are required to provide a lot of information to PayQuicker (more than that required by PayPal). I am not willing to open a PayQuicker account yet. As they get more established, I may become convinced and open one, but not now. So, although I like ACE, I currently do not accept assignments with them.

Each company has different payment methods and` time frames.

Thank you!

I did not pay attention to the terms of payments and I cannot find them now. So I guess I am going to trust.

You could go to the website of each of the companies and look for the payment terms. Most of the companies post their payment terms somewhere on their site. It's a different place for each company and you just have to look around for it but in most cases it is there. And many times if you have questions about the ICA that you signed with a company, you can access it and read it. After awhile you will get used to the payment of the companies you work for, though, and it won't really matter so much. Waiting for the first payment the first time you've worked for a company is always uncertain.

would like to know who is legit servicing the Minnesota area.

Hi, welcome to the forum. See the blue link at the bottom right of the page, Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies, for a whole bunch of legitimate and reliable mystery shopping companies to sign up with. You will register online on their websites, providing your SS# and personal information, and they will require you to sign a confidentiality agreement. Some will ask for a writing sample or request that you take some tests. Once you are accepted as a shopper, you will be able to search their job boards to see which of them have jobs in your area.

Richard - Only Minnesota shoppers would be able to help you with what is going on in Minnesota, and the chances are slim they will share jobs and information with you because of the competition for jobs. Also, we sign agreements (called ICAs) that we will not reveal the clients of the companies we shop for.

Not to be less than helpful, but you're going to have to figure this out on your own. I suggest you sign up some national companies first to get started and then add a few more companies each week as you can. I gave you some national companies (Corporate Research, Bare, Maritz, Market Force, and Bestmark, and also check out Circle of Service) in response to your introductory post in another part of the forum.

Welcome to the forum, and I hope you do really well with this. Mary