Mystery Guest

This co has had problems paying their shoppers for the past few months, and they're now offering only gift cards as fees for their restaurant shops.

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I had heard noises about that. They don't have anything closer than about 30 miles from me and those aren't particularly enticing places anyway.

Ironic that the ad next to my post says "Eat for Free."

I did one shop with friends this summer at that very nice place with the cake. But for a gift card, forget it.

I have done shops for them that I got paid for, and they are still offering cash for October shops for a local restaurant here. My guess is that the GC might have been initiated by the restaurant, not the MSC, but I could be wrong. The noises about non-payment are making me cautious, though...

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“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton

I saw the noises about non-payment on the Volition board. The GC was for the Processed Milk Cake Manufacturer shop. They have that other restaurant client, but none here. Look out for this MSP to go under.

wish I had read these when I first started shopping in November. I did one shop for Mystery Guest in November, my first week, and have yet to get paid. There is no contact and it is very hard to get in touch with them. By e-mail, they finally told me the check would be mailed 6-8 weeks after the shop was performed. It's now almost 16 weeks and they are still saying it will be mailed 6-8 weeks later ???1!!?? Meanwhile, they keep sending me notices of the month's shops and encouraging me to go in and pick one out for myself. No thanks. I'll stick with companies who respond and who pay.

When they send a solicitation to do jobs, respond back saying you 'really can't until you are paid for your previous job done on ___________.' That kind of response will frequently get an MSP's attention.

Unfortunately, when they send the solicitation, it says "do not respond; this is an unmonitored e-mail address." I did log in and look at the BBB in Florida but decided to contact the company again before filing. I e-mailed on 2/17 the company e-mail address (which never answers me) and cc'd Jane Newnan, President. I got an immediate response from Ms. Newnan, who assured me they would pay that week. Unfortunately, I did not receive the check. Now, 3/6, I just e-mailed Ms. Newnan one more time, forwarding her previous e-mail. If I don't get the check within a week, I guess I will file with BBB. Obviously something is going on; their BBB rating has gone from A+ to B- in a matter of months.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2009 02:53PM by AustinMom.

AustinMom,

Google mysteryguest, listing of corporate officers/email addresses, I had similiar problem with payment (I've shopped them for years) I sent the female President an email .. sure enough I received phone call from her at home and two weeks later a handwritten check.

Too bad we have to put so much effort into receiving payment!

It is the female President, Jane Newnan, that I've corresponded with twice now. She responds very quickly but I still haven't gotten any money. Her last e-mail said she would check the mail log because she knew the check had been written and couldn't understand that it had not been mailed. She has not responded back to let me know what she found out when she checked the mail log, if in fact she did. I figure I will wait one week after her response about checking the mail log, just to give her an opportunity to issue the check. If I don't receive it by March 16th, I will file with BBB. And I continue to receive solicitations for jobs! No way will I do any more shops for them!

Another shopper had same problem, she didn't receive the courtesy of a call from Jane Newman or a handwritten check BUT she did receive a computer generated check from them roughly 3 weeks after twice calling Jane Newman's office.

Not a way to treat shoppers when you run a company that relies on shoppers - companies that are loyal to us we return the loyalty!

Today I received a check after two e-mails to Jane Newnan and responses from her, 4 months after completing the shop and report. Having been burned, I know better than to work for them again. I am still getting solicitations. I'm thinking they are having financial problems; their BBB rating has gone from an A+ a year ago to a B- now. I did appreciate that both times I contact Ms. Newnan she immediately responded to me. And I appreciated getting the check. I sent her an e-mail thank you to let her know the check had arrived.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2009 04:43PM by AustinMom.

I have not signed with Mystery Guest, but received an invitation from them. Maybe they got my name from a database swap. I've researched them a bit but am wondering if anyone has recent experiences to share. A year ago, reviews weren't positive and the future seemed iffy for MG.

I have heard nothing since the comments last year that they were 'paying' for shops with a gift card for your next visit to the same location. They have nothing near me but I do note that their web page has been updated to 2010 so I assume they are still in business.

They are still in business. I am regularly getting invites so I think they must have several new clients in my area. I have not accepted anything because I don't want to lay out money to eat and then be "paid" with a gift card. Also - - the last shop I did for them was for payment rather than a gift card ....and it took months and many e-mails to their accounting group and finally three e-mails to their company president to get paid. I had worked really hard on the shop and the report and I thought payment was reasonable .... but after spending months and many communications to get paid, I felt payment was NOT reasonable considering the amount of time and effort I spent after the fact just to get my money. No more Mystery Guest shops for me.

I will NEVER shop for Mystery Guest again. I did the restaurant shop for cash and EVENTUALLY received my money. But, I had to fight hard for it. I called, emailed, and filed a complaint with the BBB. I eventually got my money & they later switched to paying with a gift card. Personally, I work for CASH and NOT gift cards.

I noticed that one of A Closer Look's clients in my area is now also paying with Gift Cards. Fooey! I won't do those shops either, even though I've had GREAT LUCK with ACL. A different thread...probably. But the gift card thing made me think of it.

Thy never have anything close to me, Santa Barbara is the closest, and that's miles...glad I never worked for them.

Live consciously....

Just got an email from them, saying they received my name from another MS company...I am registered with them. The word would be NOT to work for them, right?

Live consciously....

Correct. Unless you like the gift card thing at a restaurant
who desserts you happen to love.

They also have another restaurant by us, Irene, which also pays with a gift card.

The cards seem to come in a timely manner these days, but don't fully cover a decent meal at either location, IMO.

The forms are simple though, so if you are a regular at the restaurants and want a significant discount on the meals, they can be worth it.

I have been reimbursed cash at all the locations in my area in the past by Mystery Guest and then noticed that they were only giving out those gift cards. I like the locations that are shopped, so I am alright with accepting the gift card. ;-0

Steve...now I'm curious to why I have never seen this restaurant...could be you always get it...LOL. Hint pls.

Live consciously....

I stopped doing the restaurant shops when they moved to gift cards.

They show up under the self-scheduling for me, Irene.

It's a BBQ restaurant with a bunch of locations on So Cal and one right by you.

I shop their restaurant shop about every other month and always get paid via gift card about TWO WEEKS after completing the shop. I also did a retail shop for them and received a check 7 weeks from the shop date. Although 7 weeks was a bit longer than I expected, I have had no trouble getting paid from this company.

I used to do restaurants for reimbursement for them. I had to contact them every time to get paid. I am so uninterested in paying out my own money to get a gift card that I can only use when I visit the restaurant on my own time. If I want to do that, I will just dine there, and skip the report, as easy as theirs are.

It's my understanding that you can use the gift card on future shops, so you put out the $$ one time and just keep using the cards to shop if you like the restaurant.

I used to get paid like clockwork back when they reimbursed and paid a fee. Never had to bug them for payment. I guess milage does vary...

Steve, since I have never done a shop for them, I guess I don't see them under self-schedule...suggestions, yet I have seen the one in Santa Barbara, go figure.

Live consciously....

They're still sending me emails about the Dessert shop. I'll repeat it, NEVER AGAIN for Mystery Guest. The company SUCKS and they have little respect for shoppers. I will never chase another payment from them. They LIE. You may not have had to chase a payment from them YET, but eventually you will.

Shouldn't the companies that give us gift cards negotiate a little harder on our behalf? In what other industry are independent contractors paid with gift cards?

Joytron Wrote:
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> Shouldn't the companies that give us gift cards
> negotiate a little harder on our behalf? In what
> other industry are independent contractors paid
> with gift cards?

Funny that you should mention that. In most work place applications people become independent contractors because they earn more as an independent than working for an employer.

I remember that I had a responsible job before the birth of my kids. I wanted to be a stay at home mom with them. Employed, I earned $X per year for 50 40-hour weeks per year. During my first year at home with newborn twins and using only a small subset of skills from my previous work, I was earning three times as much per hour as an independent contractor and ended my first year having earned a little more than $X for the year working mostly during the babies' nap times. Year two there were play groups and work while the kids were awake, and my income went to about $2X. I was doing well enough I literally could not afford to going back to being an employee. Obviously independent contracting mystery shopping has neither the opportunities nor the pay to achieve that kind of scenario.

Joytron, the thing is, not all MSCs define evaluators equally.

Mystery Guest is very clear in their shopper agreement that evaluators are "volunteer consumers", and there is specific language that explains you are not an IC or employee. If you assigned yourself the shop, you agreed to this.

The concept with this MSC is that you perform the evaluation as a volunteer and the client provides the card as a gift of appreciation.

Is this most likely just a way to skirt potential IC legislation? I think so.

At least they are upfront about how they operate.

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