ACL is pulling more tricks from its sleeves

Just wondering what others think about ACL's new changes that are designed to force the pizza shops on its loyal shoppers. Thoughts?

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

Since many of us have been unwilling to take the pizza shops, I think it's smart for them to use any negotiation tactic they can. Of course, for myself, the answer will still be no. It's all about negotiation. They are free to offer a bonus, to phone shoppers daily like Maritz, to beg, to text us incessantly, and to offer better shops only if we do the dog shops. We are free to ask for a bonus or a date change. Negotiation. They can say no. We can say no. In the case of the pizza shops, I'm still saying no ....... unless they offer me so much I decide it's worth it to me ..............

I think the regional scheduler model is pretty smart: knowing the local shoppers in an area that are reliable and submit good, timely reports can only improve the overall efficiency of getting shops done. If @roflwofl's scheduler knows that @roflwofl doesn't like the pizza shops but really really needs a pizza shop done, then the scheduler will know he or she has to make it worthwhile. I think it's probably a time saver and the best shoppers will all decide if it's worth doing the less popular shops in order to get bonuses or plum assignments.
I predict that this will make ACL a better company to shop for, but we'll see if I'm right.

Shopper in California's Bay Area

Received a phone call from a "new to me" regional scheduler today. I was very irritated by the conversation to say the least. The gist of the conversation was: "I will not assign you the requested shop XYZ unless you do a shop ABC first". If I was a new shopper that needs to prove itself to the company I could understand. If we had a long standing relationship I would be willing to hep out. A first, introductory call and a "blackmail" wording: not appreciated.

Time to get in touch with the scheduling manager?

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

@walesmaven wrote:

Time to get in touch with the scheduling manager?

Not to be sarcastic, because I'm all for the honest shopper, but what recourse do we have? Aren't we at the whim of the msc? If we escalate, don't we risk being blackballed by the msc? That is the choice we all make, what is it worth to us?

It's the scheduling management that made these changes. This is their brilliant solution for getting the pizza shops assigned--not to bonus them but to make them a prerequisite for doing other shops. I requested shops that I could previously self-assign and was told by the new regional scheduler that preference would be given to those who agree to do a pizza shop. The shops I requested are not even fine dining. I think this is going to backfire on them. They need to just bite the bullet and add a fee to the pizza shops. A $10 fee would probably do wonders for getting them off the boards.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2017 08:00PM by MSF.

When was this change made? Why are the pizza shops not desirable?

@7star wrote:

@walesmaven wrote:

Time to get in touch with the scheduling manager?

Not to be sarcastic, because I'm all for the honest shopper, but what recourse do we have? Aren't we at the whim of the msc? If we escalate, don't we risk being blackballed by the msc? That is the choice we all make, what is it worth to us?

I think the best recourse is simply not to allow ourselves to be strong-armed into taking the pizza shops. If we don't play their games, they will be forced to do away with the indecent proposals.

@mahemj wrote:

When was this change made? Why are the pizza shops not desirable?

The change was made beginning with the May shops. The pizza shops are less desired by many shoppers for a host of reasons: they require several elaborate timings down to the second during the ordering process, you have to note the names and descriptions of each employee on the line making your pizza, you have to "discreetly" take pictures of the underside of the pizza while there, the reimbursement only covers the cost of the shopper's meal, and there's no fee with most of them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2017 08:16PM by MSF.

I don't do a lot of shops for ACL anyway because they rarely have a fee, and it's rare that I find something I want to do for reimbursement only. It looks like I'll be doing even fewer now. I agree that a small fee (or even just reducing the number of times the stores are shopped) would probably help their pizza problem. I give them credit for creatively trying to address it, but I don't think I'm going to play this game.

wales, I got in touch with the scheduler manager for a different MSC. Things were decided in my favor, but the scheduler blackballed me with all the other schedulers. When I brought it up to the manager, she did not have my back.

@7star wrote:

@walesmaven wrote:

Time to get in touch with the scheduling manager?

Not to be sarcastic, because I'm all for the honest shopper, but what recourse do we have? Aren't we at the whim of the msc? If we escalate, don't we risk being blackballed by the msc? That is the choice we all make, what is it worth to us?

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

what did u do wrong to get blackballed?

This is just wrong, on so many levels. If they're having trouble filling them, they should make improvements to the shop to make it more desireable, not blackmail their good shoppers to do it.

Kona Kathie

For years, there has been grumbling about reimbursement-only ACL. This assignment/client is a blow back for ACL, a first in my memory. Still, not holding my breath that anything will change. As long as shoppers are willing to complete ACL's shops for no fee, or give in to tactics, so it shall be. Competition would pay a $10 to $15 fee for this assignment. Assignments would fly off the board. Shoppers would be willing to complete them, with no arm twisting.

@MSF wrote:

you have to "discreetly" take pictures of the underside of the pizza while there

I've seen this requirement for a different mystery shopping company that has a pizza client and always reject the shop, because it's an impossible requirement in my eyes. Maybe not impossible, but super hard to do.

Just lifting a pizza up like that could make all the cheese and toppings slide off to one side if it's uneven in any area. But then lifting it taking a picture in a restaurant with customers and staff is just frankly a bit silly. It's not a very smart requirement and I've been meaning to email the company's representatives to inform them of the bad shop requirement. The client should know it's an unreasonable request and they could get more takers if they just removed it. That one requirement automatically made me ignore those shops (but with a diff. MSC).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2017 02:53AM by shoptastic.

This is an interesting topic.. I received an email from my new regional scheduler and she was very nice and assigned me 2 shops that aren't the pizza shops with no issues or even mention of the pizza shops... I have actually never done one of the pizza shops for ACL but never even attempted because of the bad things I have heard of them. Maybe it depends on the scheduler you are assigned?

A fee for these shops would be very nice indeed. But I would also like to have the cost covered for 2 pizzas at the very least and if they could get rid of the rule that you cannot step back in line yourself for the 2nd pizza if you shop alone that would be great. This shop is a lot of work for only one pizza.

I think that would make you stand out. I don't know of any pizza shops that pay for two pies, anyway.

The ones that get me are the ones that don't pay a fee and also don't reimburse in cash, but instead pay with a gift card for the chain. No thanks!

@sandyf wrote:

A fee for these shops would be very nice indeed. But I would also like to have the cost covered for 2 pizzas at the very least and if they could get rid of the rule that you cannot step back in line yourself for the 2nd pizza if you shop alone that would be great. This shop is a lot of work for only one pizza.

These pizzas are thin crust individual sized pizzas though.

@TechSavvy wrote:

I don't know of any pizza shops that pay for two pies, anyway.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2017 01:27PM by MSF.

The pizza schedulers change every single month of not more frrequently where I am. I cannot be bothered to keep track.

The shop is easy. Finding time to go out of my way for a pizza at a specific time and specific date for a $5 fee is not.

I actually don't mind the pizza shops. But now that I know the MSC has so much trouble filling them, I'll be sure to demand plum assignments in exchange for them every month. I hope the MSC has lots of plum assignments... enough to entice shoppers to get all of their Pizza shops done.

Shopper in California's Bay Area

7star makes a very good point. The MSCs hold nearly all of the aces and the trump cards, and when shoppers complain, they are very likely to be "put on the list," if not indeed completely blackballed. The same holds true with the "Make An Offer" than is so enticing to so many shoppers. You can bet your last dollar that the MSC documents each and every offer that is presented, and they keep track of which shoppers conduct only heavily-bonused assignments. When it comes time to cull shoppers from the ranks, you can rest assured that those shoppers who conduct only such heavily-bonused shops are scrutinized very closely, as opposed to others who may take some of the lesser-paid shops.

@shoptastic wrote:

Just lifting a pizza up like that could make all the cheese and toppings slide off to one side if it's uneven in any area. But then lifting it taking a picture in a restaurant with customers and staff is just frankly a bit silly. It's not a very smart requirement and I've been meaning to email the company's representatives to inform them of the bad shop requirement. The client should know it's an unreasonable request and they could get more takers if they just removed it. That one requirement automatically made me ignore those shops (but with a diff. MSC).

u go ahead & do that. let us know what they say or do.

The scheduler gave me the wrong bank name for the location I was shopping. I asked for clarification. He didn't respond, so I did the inquiry shop.

When I got back to my car, he had blown my email up with a hissy fit! I don't respond to drama, so I called the manager. I asked for clarification, and did not mention his tantrum. She saw his error, and paid me on the spot. The following week, he put a note under my name saying that I was difficult to work with and should not be assigned any shops. He tried contacting me through FaceBook, but I don't accept FR from people I don't know personally. He sent very nasty emails to me from his non work account. I blocked him.

It was a mess. But luckily, he was the one with the malfunction, not me.

@MSNinja wrote:

what did u do wrong to get blackballed?

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

So...how do people actually lift a pizza and take a picture of it without the cheese and toppings sliding all to one side/off? And how do you do that discreetly in a restaurant?

Do you need to take a picture of the entire pizza's underside or just a majority of it?

@shoptastic wrote:

So...how do people actually lift a pizza and take a picture of it without the cheese and toppings sliding all to one side/off? And how do you do that discreetly in a restaurant?

Do you need to take a picture of the entire pizza's underside or just a majority of it?

u overthink way too much. just do it. who gives a whatever what people in pizza place might think. do yhey really have impact on your life? just do it then eat pizza & chill out. have a beer or something.

@shoptastic wrote:

So...how do people actually lift a pizza and take a picture of it without the cheese and toppings sliding all to one side/off? And how do you do that discreetly in a restaurant?

Do you need to take a picture of the entire pizza's underside or just a majority of it?

People take pictures of food in restaurants all time now. You only look suspicious if your mannerisms prior to it give you off as about to do something sneaky. Pretend you are about to send a picture to your best friend on instagram and you will look like anyone else. There is nothing unusual about it. If you do this shop, take the picture and eat.

In my area they get some massage shops and some higher end restaurants.

These pizza shops seem to stay on the board forever around here, even with a few dollar bonus. I've never taken one. The location closest to me is in a downtown area and requires parking fees and other hassles. Also the requirements are strange in my opinion. Two pizza reimbursement but two receipts? I don't know, the whole shop seems weird. For a $15 fee, I might consider it worth the hassle. Until then, good luck. Don't take a lot of ACL shops anyway because of the reimbursement only and lengthy reports, so whateves.

proudly shopping in the D.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

ACL is pulling more tricks from its sleeves

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine