Feel Really Bad - I was DROPPED!

I recently signed up with SecretShopper. I failed to write my first shop on my calendar. I contacted them asking for a reschedule. Could not. All future shops cancelled and my account dropped. Think they might let me try again. I sure hope so. I felt really bad about missing it.

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I read some stats once from a scheduler about the percentage of missed shops from a first time shopper for a company. It was astounding to me. Unfortunately since it was your first shop that is all the history that they have to go on. They really haven't had the opportunity to see the wonderful job you can do. To them you are just a risk of flaking.

I don't know if or when they would be willing to reinstate you. That would have to come from the company. I know they keep information in their data bases for a long time, because I had cut back to the point I was only shopping for a limited number of companies for about 8 months and then took a year off with my only shops being a few times when a desperate scheduler called me begging. Even so, of the 120 companies I had signed up with only 2 did not allow me to just log in with old user name and password as a current shopper. All that information was still just there. That may be to your disadvantage because it is possible that they keep all your personal info flagged to prevent you from taking further shops.

All I can suggest is to send a note accepting your mistake and asking if you have any options. If they refuse, I would assume you might have to wait a long time before you would be allowed to shop again.
MsLynn - I'm sorry you got dropped, but don't waste your energy looking back. There are a lot of good companies, and there's lots of work. You can't do it all, anyway. Here's something I tell my brother: You can't buy all the guns and knives. And here's something he tells me: You can't do all the shops. So there.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.
I noticed before on their site they have a note saying if you have to reschedule or cancel your first assignment, you will be removed as a shopper.
MsLynn--There's another thing that you can do pertaining to your SecretShopper situation. If you have a scheduler/company that you are in solid standing with, ask if they will write you a rec letter to SecretShopper explaining how good of a shopper with them. Maybe that will do the trick.
Thanks Shelly,
I did send another note with further explanation of what happened and apologized profusely. I also made it clear if I am not given another chance I fully understand. I know it looks bad. And I mentioned some of the other companies "I successfully shop for" hoping that might help. We shall see. Thank you also for your encouraging words.
Shelly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I read some stats once from a scheduler about the
> percentage of missed shops from a first time
> shopper for a company. It was astounding to me.
> Unfortunately since it was your first shop that is
> all the history that they have to go on. They
> really haven't had the opportunity to see the
> wonderful job you can do. To them you are just a
> risk of flaking.
>
> I don't know if or when they would be willing to
> reinstate you. That would have to come from the
> company. I know they keep information in their
> data bases for a long time, because I had cut back
> to the point I was only shopping for a limited
> number of companies for about 8 months and then
> took a year off with my only shops being a few
> times when a desperate scheduler called me
> begging. Even so, of the 120 companies I had
> signed up with only 2 did not allow me to just log
> in with old user name and password as a current
> shopper. All that information was still just
> there. That may be to your disadvantage because
> it is possible that they keep all your personal
> info flagged to prevent you from taking further
> shops.
>
> All I can suggest is to send a note accepting your
> mistake and asking if you have any options. If
> they refuse, I would assume you might have to wait
> a long time before you would be allowed to shop
> again.
@ MDavisnowell, lisams901, and vanicek: Thank you all for the good advice! I like that, MDavisnowell, "don't look back." I don't think I will. Thanks. lisams901, kinda figured I might have missed that blurb when it happened. Lesson learned! vanicek, great idea, but I think I will accept their decision, whatever it may be. Makes me a better shopper, and it will be their loss. My daughter shops for them and when I told her she said, "really, not even a second chance!" Nope! She said, "well I better not make any mistakes with them." So she learned something too! lol
whereistina Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You need to be a robot in this field of part time
> work. No mistakes or you are fired.


If that were true some of us wouldn't be able to work at all! We are all human and the good MSCs understand an occasional problem.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
You don't need to be a robot, but you do need to follow guidelines. When I have made a mistake and quickly owned up to it and been in contact with schedulers, I have never had a problem. I have had to go back to a location because I failed to do something, but that error was on me.

I royally messed one up recently and there was no way to fix it on the spot. I was on an out of town trip. I called the company and apologized right away. I said I couldn't redo because of distance. He looked things up and we solved the problem by having me do another shop closer the home. The company really couldn't have been nicer about it.
Send a box of chocolates and a dozen roses to the scheduler. I did this once to get back some $7 shops. JUST KIDDING! Move on to another shop and apologize for for your failure.
Really? I will SAY THIS AGAIN. I
f they do not have shoppers they do not have a job. If they will not work w/you they are not worth working for. Please do not take it personally.There are over 400 MSCs out there. You can say sorry for the circumstances and move on. WE have to stand up for ourselves as no one else will. Let me know what you think.
cyn
Secret Shopper staff have been extremely rude to me, and I am proud to announce that I no longer shop for them. They offer terrible pay. Some of the assignments I've done for them caused me to lose money. They do not tell you this ahead of time, but when you follow the minimum requirements in the guidelines, it costs more than the reimbursed amount.

The biggest complaint I have about SECRET SHOPPER, however, is not the negative pay. It's the fact that on six different accounts, I was wrongly accused.

For example, we are to report whether or not the cashier checks the bottom of the shopping cart. In my report, I stated that the "Cashier did not specifically inquire about the bottom of my basket. However, the Cashier ask if 'that was all?'"

The editor emailed me saying, "You lied that the cashier did not check the bottom of the cart. If they ask for anything else, then that also means they checked the bottom of the cart."

Not only did they accuse me of LYING on my report, they also dropped my report and didn't pay me for this one little thing. If it were any other shopping company, not only would the editor fix the report, but also notify the shopper of this misunderstanding as well as CHANGE their guidelines. I followed the guidelines completely, 100%, and I was still wrongly accused and not paid. It cost me cash out of my pocket, and they still used my report, which is just wrong.

The above is just one of many examples. Another time, the receipt I received reflected the WRONG DATE. It was the receipt that was printed wrong, and once again, they told me that I "lied" about the date I did the shop. Once again, I was accused, and not paid for the shop.

The guys behind this company are not professional. I did well over 40 shops for them, and I have been a mystery shopper for more than five years, almost always bringing in a flawless 10 report. And I am SO proud to say that I quit shopping for Secret Shopper.

I am not the only shopper out there who feels this way. I have three mystery shopper buddies, and we perform assignments together. All four of us would highly urge you to boycott these guys. They don't treat shoppers with respect. You never get the benefit of the doubt, and worst of all, they are rude. If there ever is any question about your report, according to them, it will be your fault.

Fellow shoppers, there are plenty of other great companies out there. Let's support the ones that treat us with respect. That way, we can maintain our quality shopping experience and continue to enjoy what we do.

xox love to all smiling smiley
Are you talking about Secret Shopper? I did own up to it, sending an email, stating clearly what happened, admitting my mistake, and asking for a reschedule. But, I think in my case, it was my FIRST shop, so "to the guillotine and off with her head!" JK. But seriously, I do the same and it has always gone well. Not this time. Shelly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You don't need to be a robot, but you do need to
> follow guidelines. When I have made a mistake and
> quickly owned up to it and been in contact with
> schedulers, I have never had a problem. I have
> had to go back to a location because I failed to
> do something, but that error was on me.
>
> I royally messed one up recently and there was no
> way to fix it on the spot. I was on an out of
> town trip. I called the company and apologized
> right away. I said I couldn't redo because of
> distance. He looked things up and we solved the
> problem by having me do another shop closer the
> home. The company really couldn't have been nicer
> about it.
No sorry, It was in response to the you must be a robot comment. I have only done one shop with Secret Shopper as they don't have much around here.

They company I had a good experience with was Maritz.
TRY AGAIN- Contact the scheduler and beg for 1 shop- and do it perfectly. Communication is a biggy, if you can't do it-LET THEM KNOW ASAP and they won't hold it against you, often.

Will
Can I just say, as a scheduler, I found all this quite interesting. Here at BES we will lower a status with a new shopper if they do not complete their shop and will let some time pass before trying them again. An email or call from the shopper goes a long way with us and we do note these things on your profile. I would actually in-activate a new shopper for the following reasons:

A new shopper ignores our calls or our emails, has a bad attitude, is rude, is indifferent (couldn't care one way or another about completing a shop), has their priorities askewed (was invited out with friends so they didn't have time to complete the shop), does not complete the shop when given a second chance. (All this just on the first shop)

There are other reasons but you get what I am saying. I have re-activated shoppers with a poor history after hearing their promises and sob stories and then kicked myself later as I am in-activating them again. Live and learn. Good luck out there.

Emma A. Valdivieso
Project Manager
Phone: 888-300-8292 extension 209
Email: emma@mysteryshopperservices.com
Website: www.mysteryshopperservices.com
MY Hours: 8:00am – 5:00pm (PST)

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PO Box 507
Arroyo Grande, CA. 93421

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Emma, I think you have good reasons but I am concerned about one person having the ability to de-activate or reactivate without a process. The reasons can be so subjective sometimes or if a scheduler has a bad day they have the power to 'off with their head' so to speak. I've had some great experiences with schedulers and not so great. I've had schedulers who insisted I performed the shop on the wrong date, even after I showed them the confirmation emails proving my point. I don't think they should have the ability to deactivate me without a process/another person's review.

But I do get what you are saying.

Evaluating and mailing packages since1994
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