Incorrect invalid shop

Hi Forum! I am relatively new shopper (~1 month) and I have just received my first invalid shop. I was instructed to have my cash in hand so I could pay immediately - which I did. However, after handing over my cash the employee asked if I had exact change. Because I looked for an provided the change, the shop was deemed invalid.
However, nothing in the instructions said what to do in the event of the employee delaying the shop. I, personally, did not know if asking for the exact change was company policy or not, so I proceeded as if I were just a regular customer. The company is saying that the delay incurred was my fault, and that I should have just refused to look for change.
To me, this seems like a very unfair practice: nothing in the guidelines said what to do in this instance, and I was doing my best to remain as much like a regular customer as possible.
Because of this, the company is refusing to pay AND reimbursement for this shop. Do any of you shoppers have precedence for this sort of situation? What do you recommend I do? Is there any way I can get my 12 dollar reimbursement? This seems like a seriously unfair practice!

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When cash is required it is an indication speed of service is a primary consideration for the client. If asked for exact change I would have said no. In all likelihood it would have been the truth anyway since the only time I pay cash is when the shop requires. My preference is my credit card so there is a record.

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I also would not have given the exact change. I'm sorry this happened to you though and I can understand your frustration. No, I don't see you getting the price of your purchase back if they have rejected the shop.

The instructions for the shop try to cover the basics but they can't cover every possibility so we have to use our best judgment (as you did) and sometimes we are wrong. You just have to chalk it up to a learning experience.

Nothing to add to the above. Great answers from Lisa and jp.

Most regular customers would just say no. If a customer is holding a $5 bill to pay to $3.47 tab and the employee asked if they have exact change, I would be not many would rummage through pockets and purses to try to come up with the change. If I didn't have exact change in my hand, the answer to "do you have exact change?" would be no.

And this is pretty normal. If a shop is invalid, the MSC must send another shopper to do the shop. That's who gets paid. Invalidated shops usually mean no pay and no reimbursement. Sorry you got stuck with that. It's a learning experience.

Thanks for the replies. It's just too bad, because I would never have spent my own money on that shop!

This won't make you feel better, but we have all been there. Murphy's Law guarantees it will be something we didn't want to buy and never would have spent our hard earned money on:/

Just to throw out an alternate opinion. From the sound of this shop, I am guessing the timings are from when you get in line, when your total is given, and when you receive your food. Giving the cashier exact change should not have impacted the timings as that would have occurred AFTER the timing for when the cashier gave the total. Considering the client standard during peak times that shops occur is to have a separate person gathering the orders and giving them to the customer, the time the OP spent at the register should not have impacted that time either.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

What did you actually buy? If it was at a retail store and not a food/drink item or services rendered, you could always return the item to the store and get a refund. Normally you can not do that for a shop but since your shop has been rejected, why not return the item?

$12 does sound more like retail than fast food. If it's something that can be returned, do so.

Time to build a bigger bridge.

Bgriffin: my line of logic, exactly! However, MSC argued that the delay in getting change caused delay in receiving order, thereby making TP3 excessively late.
I had to to Drive Thru and Walk In (12 total, 1 hour of my time - ugh)

You won't win that argument, but I think you have a valid one.
I'm also guessing that this is not with the larger of the two MSCs that have this shop.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

Part of the shop is to pay in cash with bills under $20 and to get change and count it. They do this to make certain that the register is stocked to make proper change. You say no and then if they have to go ask a manager to get change from the safe or to get change from another register will make the shop still valid. This is one of the most rigid shops out there. Don't change lines to an empty line unless you are called over by the cashier either. Stick to the shortest line when you entered the location.

When I get home, I always take all my change and throw it in a milk jug. BOA will take as much loose change as you provide them for only $5 and place it in a heavy duty bank bag and seal it in front of you and send it to an internal center and it will be deposited in your account in about five days. This is a much better deal then using Coinstar or other coin counting retail machines that take a % of the money. I will wait until I have two one gallon milk jugs full before I bring it in.

as a regular customer..i use my debit card....i have had the same cash in my wallet for about 3 straight months!

@scanman1 wrote:

Part of the shop is to pay in cash with bills under $20 and to get change and count it. They do this to make certain that the register is stocked to make proper change.

They do this to make sure they GIVE you proper change.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

There are also times when the MS company "rejects" a shop to get out of paying you and the client makes money off the shopper. I've been down that road too.

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Incorrect invalid shop

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