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Spouse Shopper?

May 25, 2019 09:14PM
Is there any reason that my spouse and I cannot both sign up at shoppers for the same companies and perform the shops with restrictions on frequency more often that way (e.g., restaurant shops that can be done every 60 days, I would do one month and he the next, but really we'd be going together once a month taking turns doing the survey)? I can't see anything that says this isn't allowed, but I don't know where to look to determine for sure. I did a search and didn't find an answer. Thanks in advance for the info!
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May 25, 2019 09:19PM
That will depend on which MSC, since they have different rules for such things.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
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May 25, 2019 09:33PM
Some MSC's will require you to use the same account. Some will not allow it at all. Some are fine with it.
Note that the reason for rotations on shops (such as restaurants) is that the MSC does not want you identified. Going more frequently because your spouse is now "the shopper" will undermine that purpose. You are better off finding more restaurants to shop.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.
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May 25, 2019 10:29PM
It depends on the MSC. I literally had one tell me to sign up my husband to get around the rotation. ACL will not allow it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2019 10:29PM by Niner.
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May 25, 2019 10:59PM
I've read posts from shoppers that were banned from MF because two or more people in the same household and with the same IP were shopping. I think MF thought that they were signing up as the same person under different identities. So if you want to do that with MF, better get their OK in writing first!
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May 26, 2019 06:24AM
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. My spouse a shopper???? That is the funniest thing I've ever heard. He could not do it and would not do it. LOL. Rotation goes out the window when it's the same two people visiting double time. Not a good thing and I am very surprised it was suggested as a way to circumvent rotation.
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May 26, 2019 02:56PM
Yeah, it violates the rotation requirements, unless the MSC has a specific policy. Even a scheduler recommending it seems shady. I guess they know that it’s unlikely you would be caught.

If a scheduler needs a shop filled, they can lift the rotation requirement.
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May 26, 2019 10:25PM
My husband used to mystery shop too. He only did shops that were done alone. Gas, fastfood, grocery store etc. That helped with rotation.

I don't know that it would be a good idea for restaurants.

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer
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May 27, 2019 09:59PM
I wouldn't do it to circumvent the rotations, but there's no reason to not have your hubby sign up for shops that don't involve that. I get emails all the time from one company that does high end men's shops that ask for you to sign up you husband, boyfriend, brother, (or ANY man in your life lol) basically begging for male shoppers.

Shopping the South Jersey Shore
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May 28, 2019 10:58AM
Perhaps someone can explain this better than I can but I have heard MF can deactivate you if you and your spouse are using the same computer and shopping for them.
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May 28, 2019 01:50PM
Am I the only one that initially read this headline as shopping for a spouse?

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
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May 28, 2019 02:23PM
My husband and I both used to shop. It wasn't about rotation as much as time management. Remember when there were multiple fast food joints that wanted you to dine inside and go through the drive-thru? He'd drop me off, I'd walk into "H" and he'd go through the "M" drive-thru. At a given time, I'd walk over to parking lot next door, he'd pick me up, we'd switch and I'd drop him off at "M" for the dining room and I would go through the "H" drive-thru. We checked our directions first and there was nothing wrong with briefly leaving the property. Technically we each did our shops alone, but with one car.
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May 29, 2019 06:25PM
It depends on the MSC, but like others have said, it defeats the purpose of a rotation if you two are going together every month.
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May 29, 2019 10:22PM
@KSSPete wrote:

It depends on the MSC, but like others have said, it defeats the purpose of a rotation if you two are going together every month.

Some companies - the only one offhand I can think of is Reality Based - believe that whether you go as a guest or whether you go as a shopper, the rotation applies. So, if you were shopping for Reality Based, and you and your husband would go together, it would not help to register him as a shopper because there would be a 3 month rotation regardless of which one of you was the shopper. There are some companies, like ACL, where if there is a 60-day rotation, you and your husband could go together every 30 days and him be the shopper one month and you be the shopper the next month. Be careful. Best to talk to the scheduler. Some companies consider if fraudulent In fact, Reality Based sent out something a couple of years ago listing "shopper fraud" and that was one of the items they considered "shopper fraud." I looked for it but can't find it.
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May 29, 2019 10:45PM
Alta360 BEGGED me three years ago to sign my husband up so a shop I was out of rotation for could be done. They bonused it for a total of $50. I think he did it again two months later for $30. Which was more than they'd EVER paid me. Harrumph. Then they lost the client for a time and now he won't do it for love or money.
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May 29, 2019 10:58PM
Still didn't find the Basic Reality Based Shopper Guidelines, but RBG puts this clause in most of its client's guidelines when there is a rotation:

"*Please note that you are only allowed to perform (or be a guest at) one Dine In, Bar, or To
Go shop at one XXXXX location every 90 days, as XXXXX's team members are on the
lookout for returning RBG shoppers. For example, if you performed a Dine In shop at
XXXXX in March, you could not perform a To Go shop at [same location] until June.
Bypassing rotation will cause your shop to be excluded without pay."
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June 07, 2019 01:02PM
For most companies it is not allowed to get around rotation. One high end chain watches the video every month. If rotation is 6 months and wife goes in January as shopper and then goes again in April as guest, she is still seen on the video twice which makes her memorable and likely to be banned from future visits and same goes for husband.
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