I hope this is the right place to post this. Has anyone else had any experiences with their shopper rating being completely dropped down ridiculously low by SCM? I have only been shopping for them for 2 months but in that time I have completed 19 shops. None of them have been late and none of them have come back for any kind of clarification or correction. I should have had a perfect rating with them. Unfortunately, last night I had a shop to do with them but I was in bed sick with a 103 degree fever. I canceled the shop (and hated to do it too as it was one I was looking forward to) and emailed the rep to let her know why but today when I got up to check for new shops, there was nothing available. I normally wouldn't think much about that but there were shops there yesterday that I know were not all snatched up.

So, I called them and the receptionist said that because of my canceled shop, my rating had been dropped to a 44 and it needs to be an 80 to self assign. Really?? A 44??!? I have never had any other issues with this company and they drop my rating that severely? Would they have preferred I do the shop that ill, not on my game and infecting everyone around me?

I'm pretty upset as I really liked working for this company but that seems a bit harsh to me. Anyone else had any experience similar and was there a way to rectify it? Luckily I have several shops pending and the receptionist said if i complete them I MIGHT be able to raise my rating enough. It just seems overly punitive to me.

I had a similar experience where all available shops were removed from the job board. As for how to rectify it, I have no idea. I have been calling since June and can not get anyone who "knows". I always get "I have no idea, but here is this person's extension number." I still can not assign shops (except for when they are desperate and call to see if I will do a shop) and my rating is over 95%.

Realize that Sinclair (and some other companies) have "late" and "LATE" deadlines. Sinclair's new "late" is more than 5 hours after shop completion, I believe, while their "LATE" is the 12 or 24 hours or whatever it is final deadline. When I do a shop for them, it is the first shop I report when I get home to make sure I have the highest possible rating as "late" lowers it and "LATE" obviously wipes it out. Judging by how fast their jobs go in my market, they obviously don't need to bother with anybody who is even "late".

Also Sinclair give you a date range for work (as do many other companies). I always try to take the earliest possible date so that should something unexpected come up (such as illness, vehicle breakdown, weather disaster), I can request that the shop be rescheduled a few days later rather than cancelled altogether. And should the unexpected be something that will keep me from realistically meeting a later date (hospitalization, etc.) the scheduler will still have time to find someone else and meet the overall deadline.

The schedulers I work with on various of their shops have always been agreeable to rescheduling for me, if needed. I don't know if I get dinged or not. How do you find your rating?

Mert Wrote:
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> How do you find your rating?

I don't think it is shown on the site. When I called to see why I could not schedule assignments, I was told mine.

Sinclair was the first company I worked with before computer reporting. I called in or faxed my answers. I have done several assignments with them in recent years, but haven't lately because they are either in the next county or my bank is suspicious I'm their mystery shopper. So I can't help you. Sorry. I didn't even know they had a rating system. What they did does sound punitive to me.

I had to cancel my very first shop with them. As I was getting prepared to do the shop I noticed on the clients website that neither the store number or street address matched what was on my paperwork. Turns out the store had moved a few blocks down the same highway and in the process was given a new store# and address.
I was tempted to just go to the new location but was afraid that I wouldn't get paid if I shopped the "wrong" location.. My rating went down the tubes but after several e-mails and explanations it was decided not to ding my rating.
I've several shops since then with no problems.

How do you find out your rating....I'm not getting jobs I used to do monthly. Site says, no jobs available, but I never heard from them as why. I liked them as well, and wonder why this has happened.

Irene,

I called them to find out why I wasn't seeing any shops available when I knew there had been some available earlier and was told it was because my shopper rating had been dropped. Then I asked what it was and was told. I don't think there's a way to find out without calling them.

As a followup to this, I was able to get the situation corrected and my rating restored though. Whew!

Yes, Sinclair is very unforgiving like that. I had done over 60+ shops for them since I started shopping and then I kind of flaked on one. It was a very strange situation because I went to the location and just could not find the store. I did not have a phone number on me and I search and searched and even asked people around and just could not find it. This was far away enough from home that I wouldn't want to return to the location the next day. So I did not do the shop and they had to find someone else to step in for me. Since then, I am unable to see any shops online. They all say "Unavailable". Although I agree this one was totally my fault, I feel like after 60+ shops done without a glitch, they could have given me one strike. It's a pity, I really liked some of their shops.

Sinclair does not post shopper ratings, it's all internal. I can't remember the number, but you start with a certain rating, and the number of shops and performance on each are factored into future calculations. I've only found out my shopper rating when speaking directly to a scheduler. As far as self-scheduling, I can ONLY see shops when I go to the link in their emails. If I just sign in through the main site, I see nothing.

I called and had their rating system explained to me. It appears that it is not just completing or not completing shops that affects your rating. You are also graded by their Editors on how well you enter your information online (grammar and spelling and content). And you also lose points if they have to contact you for more information on a shop.

That is certainly reasonable enough. I think all companies do that in some form or format, whether they share it with the shopper or not.

I guess the real problem is that once your shopper rating falls, you have no way of bumping it back up. You login, but you don't see any available assignments. So unless you start e-mailing and asking, "Is there anything in my area? Can I do it?", there is no way for you to request assignments. Basically, decreased rating means they no longer want to work with you.
I did get a call from a scheduler and she gave me one shop, since I was "blacklisted". But apparently that wasn't enough to bring my rating back up, because I still don't see any shops online.

Can you see anything to sign up for as a backup shopper? While few folks flake on their jobs it might establish a record of being interested and willing to help.

I see there are a lot of issues being reported on Shopper ratings. Sinclair as most mystery shopping companies have some type of rating in place. This weeds out flakers and bad shoppers. It's a business after all. As an Independent Contractor, you are selling your shopping services to the Mystery Shopping company. If they accept you as one of their Shoppers, you have to be professional and take the shop as a job, not a mystery shop. It's what you are being paid for. You are self employed as far as they are concerned. And being self employed you are responsible for meeting your obligation if you take a mystery shopping assignment. I get sick also, but I have to tell myself, I need the work, and I can only get work if I do a job right and on time. If I enter a report wrong, should I get subjected to possibly not being paid, yes! Why? Because I did not follow their report requirements. Think of it this way, if you sent in a report for your regular job full of errors, do you think that company would accept it? They would second guess themselves. Asking are you the right person for the job, if you can't fill out a report. All these shops do have deadlines, and if you cannot meet that deadline, then yes, it should affect your ability to pick up future shops. Shoppers need to take responsibility for their actions and every action has a consequence to it.

Flash Wrote:
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> Can you see anything to sign up for as a backup
> shopper? While few folks flake on their jobs it
> might establish a record of being interested and
> willing to help.


Under the Available Shops tab, there is a section that will allow you to list yourself as a back up shopper.

Gina, I am not saying you are wrong. You are right that shoppers do need to be held accountable for how they do their job.

Your message would hold a little more weight though if you did not work for Sinclair.

[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

Your rating is on the bottom rigt side in a green box.

appearingday Wrote:
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> Your rating is on the bottom rigt side in a green
> box.


On what page? I didn't see mine.

Well, it seems like I have been reinstated somehow. It must have been that one shop I did after having been downgraded and that probably brought my score back up. I am really glad it worked out. I like several of their clients in my area.

Another way to get more shops is the automated emails they send out. When my score dropped, I was still getting the emails, so I called Sinclair and asked them what shops were available. I was able to get scheduled and work my rating back up.