I don't think jersey was being so much sanctimonious and condescending as tongue in cheek. She acknowledged that ratings can impact self-assign status which gives them more weight.

We've all had situations where the ratings don't make a lick of sense. I had 30 phone calls the same day for one company and the jobs were rated by 3 different editors. One gave me all 10's and the others gave me 8's and 9's for the exact same thing. I responded to the editor who gave me the 10's commenting on the lower grades and he just said he knew the other editors and wasn't surprised.

I don't dicker over 8's, 9's & 10's. I have taken up an issue when given a flake citation because the software I was required to download ended up being incompatible with my computer.

I received a hero citation and all I did was complete all 14 shops before I went to the hospital. It was not a big deal to me but the rating, as somebody above who is a teacher and proof-reader said about her grammar and syntax cited as reasons for the low rating gets to me. Why can't they pinpoint which one? I am personally insulted, sorry. To each his own. I am not apologizing for it but I have removed the company from my list.

I think there are some threads about ratings and editor's comments. You won't find anyone that disagrees about vague references to syntax, etc. doing nothing to educate and help us improve future reports. And my point was different editors looking at the exact same work still varied in their opinion. We've actually been lucky to have some editors posting here and have found that they are in the same boat as us and usually paid by the report. It's not they don't want to help us, they are really not given the time!

After a time you will find that the in order to keep your sanity it is best to "accept the things you cannot change." Pick your battles and let the rest go. If it something that will affect your pay or future status then go for it. If it won't move on

Thanks for both your posts LisaSTL

I started writing this long response because it bothers me that having an opinion somehow makes me sanctimonious. I am voicing an opinion, not being pious or hypocritical. But reading your posts reminds me to keep it all in perspective. I am getting work from the schedulers--even with the companies that have given me low ratings. I don't let the ratings bother me--and I suggest others do not let the ratings bother them. Anyone is free to disagree. If someone wants to worry, by all means...worry. I just don't think the ratings are all they are cracked up to be. And I am not going to focus on them, at least not to the extent I did when I was a newbie. Sorry if anyone took offense. None was intended. Maybe give my post a 7?

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think there are some threads about ratings and
> editor's comments. You won't find anyone that
> disagrees about vague references to syntax, etc.
> doing nothing to educate and help us improve
> future reports. And my point was different editors
> looking at the exact same work still varied in
> their opinion. We've actually been lucky to have
> some editors posting here and have found that they
> are in the same boat as us and usually paid by the
> report. It's not they don't want to help us, they
> are really not given the time!
>
> After a time you will find that the in order to
> keep your sanity it is best to "accept the things
> you cannot change." Pick your battles and let the
> rest go. If it something that will affect your pay
> or future status then go for it. If it won't move
> on

Yes, I have been doing this since 2004 and what I do to keep my sanity is to remove the company from my list and I did! There are plenty of them. If anything bothers me and they won't do anything about it, I do move on. And I have had some unpleasant experiences but more wonderful ones as a mystery shopper. I am lucky this is not my only source of income.

As in any job, it works both ways. We work to get their approval but they have to prove that they are worthy of that work. That is my policy in MS. Pay me for the agreed amount and I will do everything in my power to continue to provide the best service I can.\, if you show me that you respect me. If you are thanking me for the great job that I am doing and docking me for some superficial reason, sorry but I am not a shock absorber. I am not a charitable institution willing to provide free service, neither am I an ego fodder.

Just voicing out my opinion. Mutual respect is very important to me.

I had the exact same experience with that crop of shops. Got 10s and 7s. No 8s or 9s. I would love to say, ok...I got a 7, I learned what I did wrong, I made the correction(s) and I moved onward and upward. Unfortunately, my work was the same for all the shops. I never did learn what I did wrong, if anything. Finally, I stopped trying to figure it out. And I stopped taking those types of shops. I get so much other work from this MSC.

PS When I was teaching I learned early on, the best way to harm a child is to grade without a) consistency and b) explanation. Without a and b, there is no way to improve--except by sheer luck. The student has no sense of control or power. Same applies to older students and to us, as shoppers. Except,we're not as vulnerable as the little ones.


LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't think jersey was being so much
> sanctimonious and condescending as tongue in
> cheek. She acknowledged that ratings can impact
> self-assign status which gives them more weight.
>
> We've all had situations where the ratings don't
> make a lick of sense. I had 30 phone calls the
> same day for one company and the jobs were rated
> by 3 different editors. One gave me all 10's and
> the others gave me 8's and 9's for the exact same
> thing. I responded to the editor who gave me the
> 10's commenting on the lower grades and he just
> said he knew the other editors and wasn't
> surprised.
>
> I don't dicker over 8's, 9's & 10's. I have taken
> up an issue when given a flake citation because
> the software I was required to download ended up
> being incompatible with my computer.

My group of shops weren't with Intellishop. I just wanted to use them as an example since they have stood out in my mind. The reality is they were not even shops, just a quick call to some businesses to find out if they had received new marketing materials from a vendor and if they had been installed. The calls were all recorded.

Oh, mine were different. I had to look up some info on a website, make a call, keep track of when I got the follow up, and on and on and on and on. And on. Not worth it. But...now that there is a threat of icy rain every other day--which means I might not be able to get out--I would love more telephone shops.

My recent assignment was for a high-end shop and the report just had two summaries. I was docked for the summaries which were not more than 2 paragraphs because of punctuation/grammar. It had a complicated scenario and I would have understood if I was docked there. I sent my copy to ask where the error was and noone bothered to reply. Anyway, water under the bridge as I am not dealing with them anymore.

jersey07032 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> lordy people. you're still getting paid. I now
> laugh when I get an 8. usually it is from Bare,
> and the criticism usually points to a "problem
> with syntax." I once asked someone to explain and
> she couldn't. I read and re-read their directions
> and half the time they are grammatically
> incorrect. LOL But Bare continues to give me
> shops--lots of them--and they pay what and when
> they say they will. Since I don't change anything
> and get a 10 the next time, I don't let the rating
> bother me. I am less interested in getting a gold
> star than in getting my money. All these stories
> about calling someone and getting a rating changed
> tells me one thing: the ratings don't mean that
> much anyway. I actually did ask a scheduler about
> a rating. She told me she would be happy to change
> it because it didn't really matter. This was from
> a scheduler! I KNOW there are exceptions: I
> believe some companies allow shoppers with higher
> ratings to auto-assign some shops. I guess I would
> focus on my ratings with those companies because
> they do have a slight impact. For the most part,
> let's keep it in perspective, folks. We shop for
> money--not for ratings. If anyone disagrees,
> please send me your shopper fees. I will send you
> a 9 or a 10 depending on how much it is and how
> quickly you send it. I take payment in the form of
> checks, direct deposit, Paypal, cash, and gold.
> LOL


If these companies employ people to "score" reports then my work being scored is of importance. Your comments come across as if you don't care what others think about YOUR work long as you get paid. Some of us DO care about the quality of our work. Additionally, if others are being paid to "score" it, I care if they can't recognize quality when they see it.

I do care...used to care a heck of a lot more. but I have learned when there are inconsistencies and contradictions in the ratings, such as we have all seen, something is amiss. So, I take the ratings with a big grain of salt. I don't ignore them, but I don't dwell on them. When I get a critique, I always try to learn from it. As I have said, the problem I find with these ratings is they are often--not always, but very often--extremely subjective and arbitrary. I did ten shops for a particular project for Bare. Several of the shops got ratings of 7, the rest got ratings of 10. The shops were essentially the same. I still don't know why I got a 7 for one and a 10 for another. I have learned nothing. So, in this--and other instances--I find the ratings to be a whole bunch of hooey. I care what others think of the quality of my work--to an extent. However, I have learned in life that what others think of my work is of less importance than knowing in my heart I have done the best job I can. When I am sure I have given it my all, I am content--whether I get a 7 or a 10. Also--as I have said--I come from this from an educator's point of view, as well as a shoppers. As an educator, I would never give a student a C on one paper (a 7) and a A on another (a 10) for essentially the same work and/or if the rationale for the ratings wasn't consistant and justifiable.

Take what you like and leave the rest.

Jersey


vsorrentino Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jersey07032 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > lordy people. you're still getting paid. I now
> > laugh when I get an 8. usually it is from
> Bare,
> > and the criticism usually points to a "problem
> > with syntax." I once asked someone to explain
> and
> > she couldn't. I read and re-read their
> directions
> > and half the time they are grammatically
> > incorrect. LOL But Bare continues to give me
> > shops--lots of them--and they pay what and when
> > they say they will. Since I don't change
> anything
> > and get a 10 the next time, I don't let the
> rating
> > bother me. I am less interested in getting a
> gold
> > star than in getting my money. All these
> stories
> > about calling someone and getting a rating
> changed
> > tells me one thing: the ratings don't mean that
> > much anyway. I actually did ask a scheduler
> about
> > a rating. She told me she would be happy to
> change
> > it because it didn't really matter. This was
> from
> > a scheduler! I KNOW there are exceptions: I
> > believe some companies allow shoppers with
> higher
> > ratings to auto-assign some shops. I guess I
> would
> > focus on my ratings with those companies
> because
> > they do have a slight impact. For the most
> part,
> > let's keep it in perspective, folks. We shop
> for
> > money--not for ratings. If anyone disagrees,
> > please send me your shopper fees. I will send
> you
> > a 9 or a 10 depending on how much it is and how
> > quickly you send it. I take payment in the form
> of
> > checks, direct deposit, Paypal, cash, and gold.
>
> > LOL
>
>
> If these companies employ people to "score"
> reports then my work being scored is of
> importance. Your comments come across as if you
> don't care what others think about YOUR work long
> as you get paid. Some of us DO care about the
> quality of our work. Additionally, if others are
> being paid to "score" it, I care if they can't
> recognize quality when they see it.

I've tried to find out where or what the mistake was, but no could do. These companies are Kafka-esque! You've committed an error but we can't/won't tell you what it is!
Too many of Intellishop's point loss comments are based on "had to contact you". Most of us claim that the answer was there and agree that their request is arbitrary. As for Bare and others, I've given up trying to figure out the spelling errors as I do run their spell check, except that clerk is Clerk and so could it also be that adviser vs advisor dilemna ? As for the grammar, I can't learn what you can't/ won't teach me. Soooooooo, you'll have to take my word that I do want to do the best for you and me

marigaldm....couldn't agree more! Thanks