jersey07032, sorry to say you are nuts!

If there are folks ready to take $2 and $5 dollar shops, you think the MS company will care. They will move on.

What I fail to understand after reading all these posts - why does everyone blame the MS company? This is a Capitalist society and it all depends on demand and supply. If you can get someone to work cheaply, why should they pay more? Arn't we all guilty of doing this?

My advice -stop whining and don't take those cheap shops. Before taking a shop - think what 'am I getting out of it? Maybe there is a small percentage here who does it for the thrill of it, for others it is plain money.

My other advice would be don't burn your bridges with any MS company. They may come back with a new client or worse get your favorite client from another MS company. Think about it.

Have a great weekend everyone and happy Mystery Shopping!

sbrahma

to each his/her own.

as many have said, any one can get a MS job. No experience is necessary. And apparently no experience helps.

MSCs don't care about being fair.


I am not whining. I am taking action. For myself. For my own sanity. I have been jumping through hoops and otherwise acting out of fear. I am no longer willing to do that.

I will not get paid for this jewelry shop. I know that. But I have a smile on my face today. I haven't smiled (re: mystery shopping) in a long, long time.

Capitalism is more than supply and demand, at least in theory. It only truly works when all parties are operating on an even playing field and with full knowledge of the terms and circumstances.

And call it what you will, I am no longer willing to be a victim.

Jersey - you are totally right. We shouldn't ever allow ourselves to be victims. Good for you for taking control of your own work.

jersey07032 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sbrahma
>
> to each his/her own.
>
> as many have said, any one can get a MS job. No
> experience is necessary. And apparently no
> experience helps.
>
> MSCs don't care about being fair.
>
>
> I am not whining. I am taking action. For myself.
> For my own sanity. I have been jumping through
> hoops and otherwise acting out of fear. I am no
> longer willing to do that.
>
> I will not get paid for this jewelry shop. I know
> that. But I have a smile on my face today. I
> haven't smiled (re: mystery shopping) in a long,
> long time.
>
> Capitalism is more than supply and demand, at
> least in theory. It only truly works when all
> parties are operating on an even playing field and
> with full knowledge of the terms and
> circumstances.
>
> And call it what you will, I am no longer willing
> to be a victim.


Exactly! Since I decided to change my attitude about mystery shopping, I feel much more relaxed and productive. I fight the kind of battles that will preserve my self-respect. Other than that, I have no qualms about burning the bridges with MSCs that are not worth my time. Arrogance or hand-holding? To each his own. As I have said before, I have to want to work with a company, whether as an employee or as an IC. It has never been a one-way street with me. Once you have established a good record, it is up to them if they want to value your work. If not, there are other MSCs who are worthy of your time. I always believe that I must respect myself before expecting others to respect me.

Oh btw, the pet food are actually not as cheap as people think. Many human can food are actually cheaper. ;

jersey07032 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> qpone
>
> I agree. But
>
> 1. I was not aware when I took the shop I would
> be required to send something back.
>
> 2. I did not realize I would be dealing with a
> cash equivalent.
>
> 3. I have just HAD it with the fear and the
> uncertainty associated with MSC. When I started, I
> figured I would go through a period of
> insecurity--just as with anything else--and the
> insecurity would go away when I learned how to do
> my job--just as with anything else. Instead, I
> have become fearful to the point I am seeing a
> doctor to treat a skin condition she says is
> related to an underlying infection that is
> triggered by STRESS.
>
>
> I did a shop for Ritter for which I was not paid
> because the one person worked at two different
> sites and I was spotted (and this, after the
> scheduler told me not to worry and the editor
> originally gave me a 9 on the shop. I spent two
> hours on that gig, for which I will not get paid
> due to circumstances beyond my control. I have
> had to fight for months (almost 6) with GfK to get
> full payment. I have worked on endless "easy"
> reports that took twice or three times as long as
> anticipated, not because I am dense or slow but
> because the MSC was misleading. I did a shop for
> a really good company but am only get half pay
> because there was no mortgage lender at the branch
> I had to shop. Same time, same distance, same gas,
> same report, But only half pay.
>
> All of which is to say. Right, probably not the
> smartest thing to do, changing the terms. And I
> don't believe the MSCs will give a hoot. But, I am
> taking care of my mental health. And that is
> worth more than $15.
>
> Again, I am sure the cosmos will provide me with
> plenty once I overcome my fear. I have faith in
> the universe.

Okay Jersey,

Now let's talk here. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.
In the case of the American Express Card, and mailing it back - there is a thing
called a signature card at the post office, where the receiver of the mail has to sign. I think it costs $1.50 or something . If you cant use that send it certified mail which is cheaper $2.50 or something and advise the scheduler they will have to add that to the pay bonus or fee. If that's the $15.00 shop that's a good amount. You tell the scheduler you want to do the shop but the certified mail will cut into your profit, so please send the money for mailing the item back certified to assure it wont be lost in the mail, or some individual at the company doesnt receive an uncertified letter, take the card and spend it.

Simple.

If it's a good company, negotiate with them instead of throwing the company away.

And start being more choosy about the shops you pick, when you see it's terrible
just say no.

The companies that haven't paid you?

Go to Flash's thread about Chem Dry - and more or less repeat the letter he has sent them threatening to bring legal action, etc etc. His wording was excellent.

But calm down. And post every company who refused to pay you and why on this forum
each with a new heading using their name," DO NOT WORK FOR ________" so that they will see it, and shoppers will see it. You might even get paid in a hurry.

Well here's a good one. I told you all I read everything.

I was just filling out a MSC application and I came to the agreement - which by the way was printed in such a way as you could add your demands as a shopper to the agreement..but I didn't. It wont do any good until thousands of us do it..and the only way to get thousands of shoppers to make demands is to bring them to this thread from other forums.

Meanwhile here's the two paragraphs (and there were other paragraphs demanding other things that the shopper do) that made me erase everything I had filled in.

>>>>-You agree not to solicit, harass, or slander _____ Inc., any Inc. client, or any ,____ Inc. client representative or associate for any reason, and you agree that if you do so you are liable for a minimum of one thousand US dollars in monetary damages per incident and any additional damages or claims that arise out of said action

-You agree not to contact any ____Inc. client, or any _____, Inc. client representative or associate regarding dispute resolution, payment issues, or to disclose any contract details or happenings for any reason without the expressed written consent of , Inc., and you agree that if you do so you are liable for a minimum of one thousand US dollars in monetary damages per incident and any additional damages or claims that arise out of said action<<<<

In other words, if you complain or call up to ask where your check is, they want you to pay them $1000 for asking for your pay.

WTF ! That's really over the line. I dont think it's legal or would past muster in a court, Whatever happened to free speech ?- but I wouldnt sign it anyway.

some advice:READ ALL OF THESE CONTRACTS - JUST DONT CLICK ON EM AND AGREE

By the way, the name of the company is IMYST.
DONT SIGN UP WITH THEM.

Guess they're telling us right off that they dont pay and dont want you demanding your pay.

anakin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "I can tell you with assurance that the majority
> of shoppers applying for assignments cannot
> compose a paragraph at what I would consider to be
> an acceptable level for a high school graduate."
>
> That I agree with you. Also, you are too generous.
> Isn't it a fact that bulk of the high school
> graduate can't read and write above 6th or 7th
> grade level?


I think it was Sbrahma who said "anyone can do this job and apparently the MSC's are taking anyone"

I dont agree.

Anakin who I quoted above is right.

Not anyone can do those reports, and the kids out of highschool wont have the patience to do them or spell correctly or think, or remember. There are going to be a heap of returned shop reports -
sure they can get bodies to sign up - but they have clients who expect written English that makes sense. Those kids wont stick around for long, the MSC's wont find them acceptable and they wont find the Mystery Shopping so much fun either - especially when they dont get paid. lol

The shops which require some thinking and effort also pay handsomely. For 90% of the shops any idiot (including me) can do it.

As with anything else in life, once you have done a shop a couple of times, it becomes easy (even the dreaded IKEA shops!).

Think what you are worth and take shops accordingly. If you are getting stressed doing these shops, maybe this is not something you should pursue. Not worth spoiling your health for a few dollars.

I KNOW the shops I do and take are worth my time. I enjoy doing these shops. I may do shops for less for a scheduler if I have a good relationship with them.

I live in an area where there more shops than I can personally handle. I am sure that may not be the case in other areas so my thinking may be biased.

Don't know which post to respond to first.

So, here is my response to all in quite a mish mash fashion.

1. For those who have been supportive directly or indirectly, THANK YOU!

2. I sometimes post in a heated fashion, but when I am dealing with the MSCs I am nothing but professional. I have dealt in public relations, customer relations, sales, etc. and have learned how to deal with idjits.

3. I try to reason with/negotiate with/work with the MSCs. If I post about an MSC it is either because I am truly stumped...I really don't know what to do next... and/or I have tried working with them and have had no success.

4. I am taking back my power. Somewhere along the line I became fearful...afraid I was going to do something wrong and not get paid. Then instead of being more confident I read all these posts and became afraid I might NOT do anything wrong but will still not get paid. And recently, I have run into too many situations where just that has happened. (And have read of even more abusive situations experienced by fellow shoppers.)

5. My paradigm of the world tells me if I ask in fear, my response will be based on fear. I believe by taking back my power, I am going to encounter more productive situations in my life. Maybe mystery shopping is not for me. In which case, something better will come along. Or, maybe I have been so fearful I have been getting mystery shopping crap and better shops will come along. In either case, I am not going to allow myself to be victimized by these MSCs. MSing is not something I dreamed of doing ever since I was a little girl. If I don't MS again, so be it. I am still taking back my power.


6. I believe stating the truth is a defense against charges of slander.

I also have a shop for a company that wants me to do a reveal shop at a jewelry store. I have to give the Sales Rep a $50 American Express card. I just received the card today and cannot do the shop until the card is activated--by the scheduler. She sent a letter with the card saying I was 100 % responsible for the card and it must be returned to the company if the SR does not win it. I emailed the scheduler saying I would only do the shop if they sent me a stamped self addressed envelop and something with delivery confirmation. I am only getting paid $15 for the shop and I am not going to incur out of pocket expenses.

Of course, she will tell me where I can stuff it. And I am sure I will not be doing the shop.

If anyone is still following along.

I sent out a second email to the scheduler asking her to please get in touch. This was an hour after the first. I explained I would not be able to do the shop if I did not hear from her soon as I had another appointment at 4:15. I asked if she wanted me to do the shop on another date. She called me 40 minutes later, when I was on my way to my appointment. She began the conversation by asking me what my problem was. She asked if I knew they were on the Pacific Coast and that it was barely 1:30 there? She told me she did not get my first email and did not really believe I sent it. When I tried to speak, She told me she needed me to stop talking. I asked her to stop talking to me like I was a five year old. She eventually hung up on me.

Sorry folks, but this is just BS.

Jersey,


What company and what's the name of the scheduler...she accused you of lying...........
sound like a real b_____ !

Good on you ! for telling her off.

Hold onto that card til she sends you $2.50 for certified mail, return receipt and signature required to send it back. You have no reason to trust her.

She could be the type that you send the $50 card back and she says you never did.

If it was me I would go over her head even to the president of the company but that's just me...I always try to go to the supervisor or the person in charge of that person..to tell them "what your problem is" with her !

and your emails shoudl be save3d in your sent file. They will have a date and time of when you sent the email.

The nerve. And that's acting and speaking professionally on her part???

Absolutely, post her name and the company.

The scheduler is Laurie Hines at Secret Shopping Service. For some reason, in the past, I had them as Summit..not sure where that came in. ANYWAY. I have done several shops for this company without incident (just want to be honest and fair about this). It is this one scheduler who has been condescending etc. The 1st experience I had with her was quite awful, but I let it pass. This time, when she hung up on me, I realized I cannot "win" with her.

And yes, I agree. I don't trust her to save my life. I can just imagine her claiming I never sent the Amex back. She accused me of lying over this email (yes, REALLY) so I don't put it past her to lie about the card.

I am re-reading the letter.

At the bottom it says "The shoppers who complete the shop per the guidelines and follow through with the shop will receive a "HERO" citation on their log. This is saved for only themost trust worthy shoppers and we don't give these out lightly....We consider our HERO cittions the highest possible compliment and ....

OMG Look at what I am giving up!!!! LOL

When I started shopping (2008) I would do jobs for $6.00 with reinbursement for 3.00 of gas a 2.00 inside the store purchase. It didn't take long to realize that the longer the jobs stayed on the board the more they paid, so then I wouldn't take a job without a 10.00 minimim payment. Now I don;t take anything less the 15.00 with full reimbursment. In order to maximize profit I always select jobs in the same areas sometimes I can get 3 or 4 shops on the same street. This makes it possible to do 4 jobs an hour that is 60.00 an hour which is pretty good.I can do 12-15 shops a day and be home by 1:00 PM. Another trick I have discovered is Nuance Dragon Dictate software ,you speak your reports it types them ,It can cut report subbmission by 75%. The software can be had at online stores like Comp USA and Tiger direct for under 50.00 .

bxb21 I wish I had the same geographical set up you do. Very rarely can I get two shops in the same town, let alone on the same block. I have shopped in larger cities where sites are close together in terms of mileage, but it always seems I get caught in traffic and a five-mile ride takes 20 minutes. LOL.

So....I am either shopping where everything is relatively relaxed but assignments are sparse....or where it is hectic and congested but assignments are plentiful.


Thanks for the suggestion of Nuance Dragon Dictate software. I might look that up. Might help.

BXB - question regarding the Dragon software.

DH and I were looking at getting it for my dad at Christmas. He has Parkinson's and cannot type, so we thought he would enjoy using it. We were also going to get it for ourselves, mainly my husband who has a very difficult time writing his survey narratives.

BUT, I had read some reviews and noticed that some reviewers said when it comes to different spellings of a word - too, to, two, there, their, would, wood, pool, pull, etc... it does not pick up the difference or the word you really mean. So, basically they said you still had to go back and review everything; and it's very easy to miss the words especially because you don't have the squiggly spelling error lines. **Did you find this to be true??**

(Hope that made sense.. LOL)

I find out I personally would actually type out my narratives faster than speaking them though. I'm not a super fast typist, but "stories" just flow for me very easily.

*Edited because dummy me forgot to put my question in there! Duh!*



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2012 06:09PM by r@inyDayZ3.

I will not even consider a shop for less than $10.00. Like many here have said not worth my time! I feel CORI and others put the $3 shops out there because THEY CAN get a lot of them filled for this amount which puts more money in their coffers to offer larger amounts in hard to fill areas. Good business sense on their part. However, it does hurt us as shoppers, like others I wish no one would take these low fee shops. If no one took them it would force the MSC to pay more but the sad truth is there are those that will take them. I feel as the price of gas goes up it will make taking the lesser paid shops not worth the time of these shoppers, just my guess though. My husband is disabled and I can’t work so mystery shopping gives us some extra money but I am not desperate enough to take a $3 shop when gas cost more than that. No profit in that so I too would like to hear the reasoning behind taking these shops.

r@inyDayZ3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BXB - question regarding the Dragon software.
>
> DH and I were looking at getting it for my dad at
> Christmas. He has Parkinson's and cannot type, so
> we thought he would enjoy using it. We were also
> going to get it for ourselves, mainly my husband
> who has a very difficult time writing his survey
> narratives.
>
> BUT, I had read some reviews and noticed that some
> reviewers said when it comes to different
> spellings of a word - too, to, two, there, their,
> would, wood, pool, pull, etc... it does not pick
> up the difference or the word you really mean.
> So, basically they said you still had to go back
> and review everything; and it's very easy to miss
> the words especially because you don't have the
> squiggly spelling error lines. **Did you find
> this to be true??**
>
> (Hope that made sense.. LOL)
>
> I find out I personally would actually type out my
> narratives faster than speaking them though. I'm
> not a super fast typist, but "stories" just flow
> for me very easily.
>
> *Edited because dummy me forgot to put my question
> in there! Duh!*


Raineydayz3
I have been using it for about 6 weeks now and every time I use it it learns more about my phraseology,so the more you use it the better it gets
When I first got it I read chapters of a book I was reading to it.

bxb21 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I started shopping (2008) I would do jobs for
> $6.00 with reinbursement for 3.00 of gas a 2.00
> inside the store purchase. It didn't take long to
> realize that the longer the jobs stayed on the
> board the more they paid, so then I wouldn't take
> a job without a 10.00 minimim payment. Now I don;t
> take anything less the 15.00 with full
> reimbursment. In order to maximize profit I always
> select jobs in the same areas sometimes I can get
> 3 or 4 shops on the same street. This makes it
> possible to do 4 jobs an hour that is 60.00 an
> hour which is pretty good.I can do 12-15 shops a
> day and be home by 1:00 PM. Another trick I have
> discovered is Nuance Dragon Dictate software ,you
> speak your reports it types them ,It can cut
> report subbmission by 75%. The software can be had
> at online stores like Comp USA and Tiger direct
> for under 50.00 .


BXB

thanks for sharing good information.
Just out of curiosity, because there are so many shops in your area (not in mine)
what state are you in. How wonderful to be able to do that many shops in one morning ! And $60 a day is a good payday for this. $5.00 shops ?

gigishopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have taken the $3 convenience store shops when
> they are the exact location of a convenience store
> I go into regularly anyway and the shop is in no
> way out I my way.

Yep, I also pick up some cheapies when I'm going to be someplace anyway - I figure it pays for my gas.

shoppinalong Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bxb21 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > When I started shopping (2008) I would do jobs
> for
> > $6.00 with reinbursement for 3.00 of gas a 2.00
> > inside the store purchase. It didn't take long
> to
> > realize that the longer the jobs stayed on the
> > board the more they paid, so then I wouldn't
> take
> > a job without a 10.00 minimim payment. Now I
> don;t
> > take anything less the 15.00 with full
> > reimbursment. In order to maximize profit I
> always
> > select jobs in the same areas sometimes I can
> get
> > 3 or 4 shops on the same street. This makes it
> > possible to do 4 jobs an hour that is 60.00 an
> > hour which is pretty good.I can do 12-15 shops
> a
> > day and be home by 1:00 PM. Another trick I
> have
> > discovered is Nuance Dragon Dictate software
> ,you
> > speak your reports it types them ,It can cut
> > report subbmission by 75%. The software can be
> had
> > at online stores like Comp USA and Tiger direct
> > for under 50.00 .
>
>
> BXB
>
> thanks for sharing good information.
> Just out of curiosity, because there are so many
> shops in your area (not in mine)
> what state are you in. How wonderful to be able
> to do that many shops in one morning ! And $60 a
> day is a good payday for this. $5.00 shops ?

These are late in the month shops and they average 12.00 to 15.00 per shop. most of my shops are in Massachusetts,New Hampshire and southern Maine.and that is 60.00 an hour not a day.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2012 01:02AM by bxb21.

Depends on the reimbursement and location, than the payment for me. I've done quiet a few upscale dining shops with $80+ reimbursements for no pay because there was often so much food that I basically had 2 meals for free when you counted the leftovers.

I've also been known to snatch up relatively low paying shops if there's 2-3 other shops in the same area. (There's about 2 companies I shop with that constantly have shops at a local mall, so I can literally walk from one shop to the next.)

Though I mainly shop locations I like as opposed to doing it just for the $$$.

Why do I keep getting shop listings for shops that are already scheduled?
What's the best way to see shops available before getting an email with shops already scheduled to other MSs?

Log in more frequently to look for shops. In most cases (not all) the shops are posted to the board before the e-mails go out. So many times, if you are in an area of a lot of shoppers where shops go fast, someone has either already self-scheduled or already requested a bunch of the shops before the e-mail goes out. There have been lots of times I have checked on my favorites and scheduled them .... and then seen an e-mail go out about my shops later in the day or the next day....... I figure working full time at a day job (where I can't use the computer) keeps me from getting a lot of shops. They are out on the boards after I go to work and gone before I come home.......

It seems to me that the pool of mystery shoppers is dwindling. Yesterday, I received four e-mails indicating that there is a cooperative effort between several MSCs and I should register with them (BTW they all are 'good' MSCs in my book).

Are you able to somehow discreetly share who these MSCs are?
Could you email me off post?

I would have thought the opposite, anakin. I seem to be tripping over new shoppers here, grabbing all my shops, and the number of shops seems to be down......sigh.....

UnderCover Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Are you able to somehow discreetly share who these
> MSCs are?
> Could you email me off post?

No need for secrecy. Sales Quality Group, Pinnacle, Shopper's View, and Sinclair

Thank you.
My wires must've gotten crossed. I thought company names were not to be posted. Ugh.



anakin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UnderCover Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Are you able to somehow discreetly share who
> these
> > MSCs are?
> > Could you email me off post?
>
> No need for secrecy. Sales Quality Group,
> Pinnacle, Shopper's View, and Sinclair

I'm new to MS so what I see is that shops are snatched up quickly... unable to determine if there are more new shoppers or just plenty of seasoned savvy shoppers.

AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would have thought the opposite, anakin. I seem
> to be tripping over new shoppers here, grabbing
> all my shops, and the number of shops seems to be
> down......sigh.....

UnderCover Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank you.
> My wires must've gotten crossed. I thought company
> names were not to be posted. Ugh.
>
Undercover, mystery shopping companies can be named but the clients of mystery shopping companies cannot be revealed.