Let me preface this by saying I love my scheduler but I am over it with this company. The pay is way too low for the length of time it takes to do the report. To make matters worse, why on earth do they require you write a dissertation on a recorded phone call? You know the MSC and the client are going to listen to the call so what is the point? Just, ugh.

It all depends on what you are doing for them. Also take into consideration that doing some of the basic shops opens doors for some really cool ones. I particularly like the concert hall shops or the exclusive, private members-only restaurant shops that they have that reimburse quite nicely for a meal and drinks I would never otherwise have an opportunity to enjoy. And additionally, if you do a great job on your shops you get invited to do some of their promo shops which pay really well or reimburse really well. I recently did a retirement community promo shop for them that paid $80 with no out of pocket expenses. It took about 40 minutes onsite and about 2 hours to write the report. Well worth it.

With ACL a lot of it is the shop. I've done 3 high reimbursement shops this month that actually had decent fees as well. None of the reports too me 20 minutes. Then I've done other shops with low reimbursement and no fee that took an hour and a half. You have to pick and choose.

I agree in part as well. I like ACL but have gotten picky about what shops I take. I get a lot of offers for promos and many of those shops are worth it as mentioned above. Some of their shops definitely aren’t worth it to me when you consider the time and effort involved. There is one shop they always have in my area and it reimburses with an E-giftcard.. not something I want to be paid or reimbursed with so I never do it. I do love my scheduler for them for sure.

I actually like that shop. I can eat lunch for $15 and get a gift card that is worth more. It's a place I like (I actually ate there tonight) plus you can just keep recycling the gift card if you want. When I'm out on routes I eat there a lot anyway so it's free money almost.

I just want to thank OP for the refreshing title.

A "grump", indeed!

Sometimes it's a takeout shop and then I really love that shop!

@bgriffin wrote:

I actually like that shop. I can eat lunch for $15 and get a gift card that is worth more. It's a place I like (I actually ate there tonight) plus you can just keep recycling the gift card if you want. When I'm out on routes I eat there a lot anyway so it's free money almost.

I take several of their lunch shops that can be done solo and have very easy reports. I have a favorite that is a carryout shop with a $25 reimbursement. Wonderful, healthy food; huge amounts for that money; I can eat supper for 3 days without cooking and with minimal clean-up. Also, in the DMV area I have no fewer than 4 schedulers and they are all super nice and easy to work with. Oh, and I take every one of the hotel shops that I can grab; easy report, and reimbursement means that I get mega rewards points. Those ARE money in the bank as far as I am concerned. No hotel dinner included? Pack an in-room picnic supper and some wine; elevate feet; read a good book.

Thanks for the input, it is encouraging. I am a newbie so I'm not seeing the really good shops yet. I haven't seen the lunch or hotel shops yet hopefully as I work my way up some interesting things will come along.

It's true, they have an internal rating on shoppers that you will never see, so at first you only see the basic shops, but as your score improves opportunities become visible for you to accept.

They also frequently demote shoppers. So you will lose access quicker than you can gain.

@eyelove2shop wrote:

They also frequently demote shoppers. So you will lose access quicker than you can gain.

I have been with them for well over 5 years and they have never hassled me about the quality of my reports ever and I have access to all the shops in my area. They also have always paid me on time. What they do hassle me about all the time is bombing me with e-mails and phone calls trying to suck me into some $200 steak house shop or a 1200 dollar luxury hotel shop for no pay. I have done both those a few times for no pay at all. Not in the past 1 or 2 years though. No more charity for them out of me. They either pay me a fair price or they can take their begging act to someone who is in a more charitable mood.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2019 07:39PM by Sobrokeigot2dothis.

I am loving ACL right now. But it's mostly all reimbursement only stuff. With that said, it definitely improves my quality of life because I'm dining out and spending nights in hotels that I wouldn't be doing otherwise. I don't count on them for any of my monthly income from MS. Just a nice 'staycation' every month or so.

Not everyone gets demoted. I never did over the past 16 years i have been with them. In fact, they invited me to join their editing team--which I did back in 2006. I hated it. I still shop for them and they have asked me to come back to the editing team a few times since then...no way, never again!

@eyelove2shop wrote:

They also frequently demote shoppers. So you will lose access quicker than you can gain.

Didn't state everyone does.

I grudgingly shop with them, due to $0 fee. No doubt, they get a fee! I shop just enough to keep self-assign status, and see their promos. In my area, scheduler turnover is very high. There is little likelihood that I'll receive a response for a date change request in 24, or even 48, hours. By then, my availability has changed.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Not everyone gets demoted. I never did over the past 16 years i have been with them. In fact, they invited me to join their editing team--which I did back in 2006. I hated it. I still shop for them and they have asked me to come back to the editing team a few times since then...no way, never again!

@eyelove2shop wrote:

They also frequently demote shoppers. So you will lose access quicker than you can gain.

But since you were on their editing team you are aware that a shopper's rating is refigured every 3rd shop (at least it was explained to me that it was). So therefore if a shopper just has a crappy day and turns in a bad shop it is very likely their rating will drop until they are past their next 3 shop group.

@bgriffin wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Not everyone gets demoted. I never did over the past 16 years i have been with them. In fact, they invited me to join their editing team--which I did back in 2006. I hated it. I still shop for them and they have asked me to come back to the editing team a few times since then...no way, never again!

@eyelove2shop wrote:

They also frequently demote shoppers. So you will lose access quicker than you can gain.

But since you were on their editing team you are aware that a shopper's rating is refigured every 3rd shop (at least it was explained to me that it was). So therefore if a shopper just has a crappy day and turns in a bad shop it is very likely their rating will drop until they are past their next 3 shop group.

That's not really how it works - its the average of the past three shops, and it's a two tiered system... its set up so that you would need three shops in a row that were really crappy in order to actually change what you were seeing in terms of available shops. Or if you do something really egregious then the system can be overwritten but only a high level person (above editors) could drop someone using this method. Also, the editors have to seriously back up any decision to even give a low grading score to someone that had a good rating before that. Basically the editors have to really cover their *** to make any major changes in the shopper rating and any major downgrades have to be approved by upper management.

Of course, I was on the editing team back in 2005-2008 (which means JASFLAMT we probably knew each other!!) so things might have changed... but that's how it used to work.

Interesting. I had a scheduler give me a very basic run down once. She basically said your rating is reaveraged very three shops. Like I said it was a very basic explanation though so that could be her explaining what you just did but with little detail.

I do know mine used to jump up and down A LOT. It doesn't so much anymore but I also am pickier about what I take from them.

It's easy to feel this way about jobs that are reimbursement only. The minute life makes that shop inconvenient, it loses all value. I dragged a sick man out to dinner the other night. It was nice and he even felt better for a bit. Then he crashed hard and I felt like such a jerk. It was supposed to be a treat.

Yes, this is what I just told someone very recently, but my explanation was disputed as simply untrue. ACL works hard to keep shoppers (often to the detriment of their editors), and I doubt that anyone received an undeserved "demotion."

I am also a former editor, but not from your era.

@MickeyB

... its set up so that you would need three shops in a row that were really crappy in order to actually change what you were seeing in terms of available shops. Or if you do something really egregious then the system can be overwritten but only a high level person (above editors) could drop someone using this method.[i wrote:

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/2019 07:17PM by Threemom.[/i]

you are hoping they never go out of business before you spend that gift card

good luck

@bgriffin wrote:

I actually like that shop. I can eat lunch for $15 and get a gift card that is worth more. It's a place I like (I actually ate there tonight) plus you can just keep recycling the gift card if you want. When I'm out on routes I eat there a lot anyway so it's free money almost.

I have been demoted. My amazing scheduler doesn’t want to tell me so, but I got into it with an editor on their crappy pizza shops. The receipt time was wrong. She called me to clarify and I sent her time stamped pictures of my food photos and such. On the phone, she was pleasant and understood. She then sent me the snotty follow up email that all the editors do to smack you on the hand and let you know they are in charge. I was told they would “try to submit the shop, despite my not going to the location at the times listed.” I was also told I needed to “read the simple directions that clearly state the times”. I followed back up with her and also involved my scheduler and never heard back from either. I sent my proof that I did the shop at the correct time and again, stated the receipt time was way off. I now can only see a couple shops that are all in 90 day rotations, so I’m not eligible. All of this because I was accused of lying and I defended myself, because I wasn’t.

Also, I did a couple higher end restaurants for them. They said my ratings were high and it was unusual to receive such good service?!? Are you kidding? There is a reason I like to go to fine dining locations (on my own dime), because the servers treat you like you’re a princess and fall all over themselves to help you. I am also extremely polite and respectful to servers, so I get amazing service. I’m waiting for the block on the high end shops now because I said the service was spectacular, when it was.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2019 06:08PM by jellyfish.

This past month I completed two hotels, three fine dining shops, and glasses store. I'm really hoping to move up to the next level for promos soon!

I've only done one shop with them so I can't speak as much on the topic as others, obviously, but I had a great experience with them. For some reason, I didn't get the follow up email, even though I check my email a million times a day and after 24 hours, I got a call to check the notes from the editor. Everything was fixed, no problem and both the scheduler and editor were very pleasant. They paid on time and IMO a short time compared to some other companies I do work for. There's only a few shops listed for them in my area and not even really my area, it's about a 45 minute drive, but I'm excited to take my next shop for them.

I am a bit unmotivated to do shops where the reimbursement is for the purchase of the least expensive items on the menu (two entrees, an appetizer to share, drinks). The tip (which ACL specifies as 20%, and I appreciate this) is nevertheless on me to pay--it is not part of the reimbursement. The report takes a good two hours to complete, plus pictures of all the food and drink items. I agree that it's nice to go out to dinner, but after an evening meal that includes two alcoholic drinks per person, writing a two-hour report for no pay strikes me as wrong and, well, cheap. I shop for the money. My expertise in providing useful, objective observations about a business's food and service should be compensated by more than the meal and drinks themselves.

I personally just wish you had 24 hours to write these 2-3 hour reports. After some of these late night encounters (one at a bar/club) the last thing I want to do is write a report. I'm going to try sleeping on the next one and waking up early to write, but heaven only knows how successful I'll be!

I agree! I do some ACL restaurant reviews too, but not as many as I used do because I am feeling very under appreciated. It’s a lot of work and a big expense and you have to wait weeks for a reimbursement check via snail mail. Lately, they have been real nit picky too. There are other MSC that are more appreciative and pay promptly via PayPal.

Not a fan.....

Switch to ACL lunch shops! Many are carryout and/or can be done solo. Some of the carryout ones that I do yield a lunch and 2 light dinners! and the reports are pretty much a breeze.