Hi there! I'm a newbie to mystery shopping and this forum had been great.I've been shopping for about 3 months now and the wealth of information here is amazing.

I'm looking to accept a couple of shops but I'm not sure how difficult they are and would like some feedback and tips. It's for a parking garage but you have to take pictures and the questionnaire has about 55 questions. That seems like a lot of questions. The problem is I can't see the questionnaire until I accept the assignment. If anyone knows which MSC and shops I'm talking about, I'd very much appreciate your advise. Thank you.

Yappy4

If these are for the company that has the option of submitting the report through an iPhone App then they are not all that hard. I just find it tedious to have to wait around the required time since they are never in an area where I can really take advantage of having my parking reimbursed.

Since you haven't posted the name of the client, you can post the name of the MSC.

I did one parking garage shop for Ann Michaels (I think).I have blocked it out of my memory. However, the reasons it was so horrid were unrelated to the MSC or the report. The shop itself sounded simple enough. Park my car. Observe certain things. Interact with the attendant (ask for directions, etc.) and maybe a couple of other things.

BUT. Everything went wrong. 1.There was no address on the building and when my GPS told me to turn right, I turned into the wrong garage. It was extremely tight and someone had to help me back up and turn around. extra time. 2 I found the correct garage and had to drive up a very narrow lane with cars speeding by in the opposite direction;I almost got hit a couple of times. I almost banged into a couple of cars trying to avoid posts and obstacles. 3. I could not find a number of things I needed for the report. Extra time. 4. When I took a picture of the receipt, my camera was on video. I had to get my son to help me take a screen shot so I could submit it. EXTRA TIME. By the time I got home I was a mess. I will never do one of these shops again. Too much aggrevation for little money.

However, in a different locale it might have been the world's easiest shop. Garages in my town are a piece of cake to park in. So....

The MSC is Ritter.

I know mine was not Ritter. So, can't speak to the particular shop. Sometimes 55 questions are a cake walk and 5 questions are just hell. If you are parking in the garage from hell (my scenario) the report doesn't matter. For me, what could have been easy peasy (park the car, go somewhere for coffee for 20 minutes, make my observations, yada yada) turned out to be a time-sucking nightmare.

Also, I have done one shop for Ritter. Not a mystery shop. I was supposed to hang a poster at a doctor's office. Everything arranged ahead of time. When I got there, however, I was told the doctor didn't want the poster after all. I was SURE Ritter would tell me I was SOL. However, they were cool about it. That was about a month ago and I haven't seen a paycheck yet, but they told me I would be paid.

The ones from National Shopping Service are a breeze to imput. Those are the ones that they Fed-EX you a ticket to look like you have been parking for a few days. All you have to stay there is for around 30 mins and then imputting takes around 10 to 15 mins.


Dr D

yappy4 ~ I like working for Ritter. The reports are a bit longer than some other parking shops I do, but you will most likely "N/A" at least 1/6 of the questions (depending on your scenario), and of course there is no lengthy narrative involved. The most difficult thing to remember with a Ritter shop is to TYPE IN ALL CAPS! (That makes me cringe every time I do it.) Unless the garage is closed, I have only had to take photos of the parking ticket (front & back) and the receipt. In my area the pay rises slowly and steadily on open parking shops with Ritter, so I typically wait until mid-month to start picking them up.

Ritter parking shops are great, but wait for the fee to go up. I like the automated ones. Nothing is easier. I do seem to remember some narrative, but that might have been with the company that had the same ones before Ritter. Take your camera since you need a photo of the ticket.

Yes, there is a little narrative, but nothing lengthy.

My son's best friend works at a parking garage. He says they can always tell the shopper because they look at the name tag rather than his face.

The guys at the garage play spot the shopper and have the routine scripted.

yeah there is a lot we do as shoppers that no real consumer would do.


kalfini Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My son's best friend works at a parking garage. He
> says they can always tell the shopper because they
> look at the name tag rather than his face.
>
> The guys at the garage play spot the shopper and
> have the routine scripted.

Msishopper.net has parking garage shops, some of which are valet.

kalfini Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My son's best friend works at a parking garage. He
> says they can always tell the shopper because they
> look at the name tag rather than his face.
>
> The guys at the garage play spot the shopper and
> have the routine scripted.

I've gotten in the habit of reading the name, looking in the eyes and thanking by name even when not shopping ! Where is this parking garage? I'd love to go just to bust their bubbles! On the other hand they must give good service knowing they're being shopped.

Thank you so much for all the feedback. I'll give the shop a shot if it'a still available. Everyone on this forum is great!