Vague

Pet peeve, or, what the hell is this shop ?

Dear MSC's,
For years you have been posting shops that I would like to perform for you, but alas I cannot. In the Sassie system the client is listed as "Hidden." Let me ask you Why would I apply for a hidden job ? The sign up page guidelines gives vague information about the job and I don't glean a clue to the type of shop.What if I apply,get accepted, and discover that the job requires trying on a bra or eating something that bites back ? Than what ? I'll have to cancel the job ! Now that's going to make me look like a scalawag. I'll get demerits, my "hero awards" will be revoked, and I'll have sleepless and/or nightmare filled nights. So please let me see the client or at least the type of shop.

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Hahah, not sure what site you're talking about exactly, but I've noticed things like that.

And yes they are a pet peeve, because I too do not like to cancel a shop once assigned so I like to know exactly what it is I will be doing, before I agree to do it.

There are a number of sites that do that and their numbers seem to be increasing. I certainly do NOT take 'pig in a poke' jobs if I don't have some reasonable way of determining what is entailed, especially when offered by a company that has burned me before (either direct burn--like slow pay or absurd editing/follow up--or slow burn--such as reimbursement that does not cover, instructions that are absurd or shops seriously misrepresented as to complexity for the fee). There are companies that are consistently fair enough that really all they need to do is give me the dates of the shop needed and I will accept and figure out the where and what and fee later, but these are few and far between. But when you have had a few pig in lipstick shops with a company, that trust is not there for future blind shops.

This annoys me too. Seriously, if the intention is to prevent letting their competitors see their client lists -realize that if anyone was really serious enough to get the competitor list by signing up as a Mystery Shopper, they probably would also be serious enough to apply and accept a job to see the "hidden" client list.

Moreover, half the time while they have it "hidden" in one spot, they have the client name/address in another place - making it easy enough to figure out the client but you still don't know what the shop entails or rather or not it is worth applying for.

Ugh.

Yea, unless these pay well enough that what is asked is not going to be an issue for me, if I can't google the address and figure it out AND figure out based on my past relationship with the MSC whether I am likely to end up on the happy or unhappy end of the bargain, I just ignore these.

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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

When there's only a zip code, I won't consider it. Occasionally, some are tempting. Last year there was a nice-paying shop, $65, and the only detail given was that it should take no more than an hour on site, and an hour to report. Like others here, I have every intention of completing a shop if assigned. So, I emailed the scheduler asking if he could share anything. I wasn't told the exact address or store name, but the information he provided was that it was a purchase/return/integrity shop. Nuff said. I was no longer interested.

It seems unlikely to me that shops are posted in the blind to protect information from competitors. Maybe it's an attempt to rope a conscientious shopper into an objectionable shop.

And certainly distrust of a company comes from just such practices. I recently agreed to help a scheduler out with a shop. The time on site and the nature of the shop, "It is just a couple of . . ." was a far cry from the instructions and their estimated time on site, to say nothing of the requirements. A shop promoted as, "About a half hour" turned into a 3 hour ordeal. Will I trust her in the future? Had she been honest and up front, I would not have taken the job because it paid much too little. As it is, I just flat will not work for her again. Perhaps that trade off was worth it for her. (And yes, sweetie, your name is now next to my phone, so don't bother calling!)

I do know that one MSP posts blind to protect information from leaking to a client. Or at least that is what they said publicly. They have always done this and I do honestly believe that it is their intention - although do not believe that it actually works.

I really do not think that MSP are posting blind to trick shoppers into yucky (that is the antithesis to yummy right?) shops. That serves them NO purpose. I can see an independent scheduler doing this - or being purposely vague - with a particularly lousy shop. The scheduler hopes that they can get the above-bar shopper agree to it and complete it "Just this once cause they said they would," the scheduler gets paid - and she/he can worry about tricking someone else next month. But a MSP having this as a stated policy for all of their shops? No, I just can't see it.

....have you noticed when you sometimes get an e-mail from the scheduler and the subject line says "FUN" and "EASY" .... and rather than tell you about the shop or what the client is, they tell you how fun and easy it is? Has anybody besides me noticed that these are sometimes the crummiest shops around?

Austin Mom: You are so correct. I accepted a fun and easy cell phone shop that would have been so much work. I didn't like to do this but I just canceled it.

AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ....have you noticed when you sometimes get an
> e-mail from the scheduler and the subject line
> says "FUN" and "EASY" .... and rather than tell
> you about the shop or what the client is, they
> tell you how fun and easy it is? Has anybody
> besides me noticed that these are sometimes the
> crummiest shops around?

I hate the "Fun and Easy" subject lines. I don't need something to be fun and easy. I don't mind earning what I am paid.

AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ....have you noticed when you sometimes get an
> e-mail from the scheduler and the subject line
> says "FUN" and "EASY" .... and rather than tell
> you about the shop or what the client is, they
> tell you how fun and easy it is? Has anybody
> besides me noticed that these are sometimes the
> crummiest shops around?

YEA! Its is a cue for send immediately to the delete folder of email.

I see them, but sometimes actually know the shop...just a regular shop, I think Mickey is right.

Live consciously....

I also dislike when I'm not told the name of the store where I'm heading. Just like the MSC want me to be as precise and detailed as I can for my report, I expect the same kind of details before I accept a shop.

I had a strange experience this week. I get one of those emails with "fun and easy" in the wording. It's for an apartment shop and, having done a few, I tell the scheduler I want the shop. Go back to their website and I've been assigned 2 shops - one for the original amount and another for $5. When I questioned the scheduler, she said the $5 was for translating my report. Apparently, I was expected to fill out an entire report in English then translate the whole thing into French for a measly $5.

Yeah, that's not gonna happen. If they want 2 reports, they will have to pay for 2 reports. I can only imagine what would happen if my translating skills are a bit lacking and there are any kind of discrepancies between the reports.

I do translating work sometimes and the very least I charge is $0.10/word - their $5 is not cutting it.

Meanwhile, that shop is still not taken as I get an email about it every few days. Gee, wonder why there were no takers?

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