I did several shops for Mystique and it took forever to get paid. I thought I would give them a try again. I did one shop in the first week of August. Toward the end of the month, I got a email cancelling the shop.

I emailed the scheduler asking how can you cancel a shop that was already completed. I was given a story that someone I mystery shopped recognized me, which I am sure is not true. They are refusing to pay for the shop.

The schedule also has the nerve to email me asking me to do other shops. I keep emailing back, do not send me further requests until the August shop is paid

It is frustrating that you seem to have no recourse except to refuse to work with them further. But it sounds like a company that is doing nothing to support shoppers. It certainly gives bad precedent because any time in the future the client wants to contest a shop they now have the tool of 'we recognized the shopper'. The company won't get paid, the shopper won't get paid, the client gets a 'free shop' because obviously they saw it to reject it. Spineless companies are the pits.

Do you think that might be why the MSC ask for a physical description of you in your profile (height, weight, eye color, hair color, glasses, ethnicity)? So they can check it against a "recognized shopper" claim?

I agree, it sucks that they cancelled the shop after the fact.

I have only done a few shops for Mystique, but they did right by me. <----- That sounds so funny. They were fair and paid in a timely manner. For one round of shops, I started immediately, on the first available day to do the shops in the time period. I completed several, when I received an email saying to delay the shops. I emailed or called, I don't remember which, and the scheduler replied back to me that they would honor my shops since I had, in good faith with then current instructions, proceeded. They asked me to hold off on any other shops until an issue was resolved with the client. They did pay me for the ones done.

Of course you were contracted for the work with the specified requirements at the time you accepted the job. I don't think I have ever seen an ICA that requires you to change what you are to do after you have accepted the job. That is pure shopper cooperation and flexibility even though some companies seem to assume it is their 'right'. I have disputed with companies when they decided to disallow shops performed prior to the date they made changes. They know they are in the wrong and have always accepted the work, then offered more money to go back and 'finish' the job. I have always pointed out that I DID 'finish' the job I contracted for and going back to do additional work is being done as a favor to them. Any time a shop is put on hold before I perform it while they change the instructions I reserve the right to cancel the job if they add on a bunch of stuff that does not make the job worthwhile or that makes it no longer fit in my schedule.

And in this day and age of video cameras it would be all too easy to ID a shopper after the fact based on receipt time or specific purchases. This in no way detracts from the validity of the shop. One would hope that the self interests of the company would keep them from falling prey to an unethical client. But 'accommodating' the client is certainly more at the expense of the shopper than the company.

kittybratt, not the first time I've heard a story like this, and it's terrible. I did one shop for Mystique and had to badger them for payment. They only do one shop in my area, and I wouldn't even think of doing it again unless it was heavily bonused. The irony is, it always seems like they're desperate for shoppers! Gee, I wonder why that is...

Mystique has never had a thing in my area. Sounds like I'm not missing much.

Nothing in my area...very happy about that as well.

nicetwicely: I remember, we both emailed daily and finally got paid. I should have learned my lesson the first time around.