I have never paid for a job nor do I ever plan to. My question is this. Does Shadow Shopper give you a money-back guarantee? If not, why not? Most people don't "pay" for their jobs. Either they qualify for them or they don't. If a company feels that you are a "risk", they can always ask that you be bonded.
Seems to me that Shadow Shopper is making you pay for what is otherwise free.
What benefits do they offer? None. If anything happens to you during the assignment(i.e. car accident or purse stolen)do you think they will offer any assistance? Not at all. They couldn't care less. And you would "pay" to work for a company like this???

Tthere to meney good mystery shops out there to pay for them.u jt. got get on the net and start looking u can find enuff to make $150.00 a day if u realy want to.

I need a job very bad!I signed up with Shadow shoppers also for the free thing,and like some of you,WHAT'S FREE? They give you nothing and I really don't have the money to buy information to get a job.I have been a retail merchandiser of 18 years and done some mystery shopping so anyone out ther can help me out I really would appreciate it.I can work the Augusta Ga or South Carolina areas.Please contact me at kdbishop@peoplepc.com...........Thanks

I joined Shadow shopper in May 2006 and paid the $99.00. I get ap-roxmately 80 to 90 jobs a month. I have already signed up 4 people who also are very busy. I am a gold member and get tons of good jobs in my area. This is my sole employment and sometimes I am too busy. The best thing I ever did was to sign up with Shadow Shoppers. I work for about 25 companiews through them and am signing up with more companies every week. Shadow Shoppers is a great outfit and well worth the money.

About two years ago I signed up with ShadowShopper for the free membership . I didn't get any jobs descriptions because I didnt pay for that service. .I kept getting invitations to join for $20.00 for a month and I didn't do anything about it.Later they sent me another offer I didn't accept it either.Then they offered me the program for $10.00 for a month and the next day after I had given them a BIO I got so many offers that I found it impossible to accept theme all so I had to make a decision to check it out and I found that it is worth what I put in it.After the month was up I stayed with them and I've made more than what they charge for the three months($39.00)Just this small amount is nothing compared to making over $400.00 for one company(I worked for other companies at the same time as I did this one) that sent me shops that people turned back in and the company gave me a bonus to do what the other shoppers given back to this company.I now do just a few shops a month.I've retired from being an active member of shadow shopper.I don't pay for their services anymore ,but I have a few that continue to send me openings that I do just to keep busy and to make a few bucks.I know that Shadow Shopper has been good for me and I recommend it to anyone but you have to make the decision for yourself.It's been fun and profitable for me,I've done shops for rent a car,new homes,cell phones(most of these are to much work for the little money that they pay so I just leave these alone).I've done new car dealerships that pay a fee of $125.00 but you have put up $500. for the down payment to make the it look good when you shop the car shops.If anyone would like contact me here's my address and I can tell you how well I did on most of the jobs and some where I made a mess.

This is my second round of using Shadow Shopper and I've made my fee back with each of my rounds by the time I did my first shop. I've recommended many friends who also paid there fee and I received referral fees towards my re-enrollment. I have been very pleased with the results they have provided and have landed many different assignments and good money to complete the shops they have provided. I have been very satisfied with shadow shopper.

shadow shopers a rip off

I have used them and several other companies to try and get started Mystery Shopping for my self and my family, because our lives have changed so drasticly and we needed to pay our bills. I decided to become a myserty shopper full time so I sign up with an Organization and I went through the lists they displayed and we have had so many jobs I have also given jobs away to others and they too have made money, but you have to work at it yourself to continue getting jobs. If you write an informative BIO & you add your phone number the different companies will contact you for the jobs and you can then you sign up with the different companies and you have to continue looking all the time for different companies give out different kinds of assignments.
I have yet to find one that has paid for any money for the miles I traveled? I will have to take that off of my taxes when I do them this year. You are allowed to take off business costs off of your incomes tax return as a cost for doing your jobs for the year.
IF YOU WANT THE WORK IT IS OUT THERE, BUT YOU HAVE TO ACTIVELY WORK AT IT EVERY DAY. IT'S THE REPORTS THAT TAKE UP YOUR TIME AND THAT TIME DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TIME THEY WANT YOU TO SPEND IN THE STORE. You have to ask yourself is all the time worth the money you are making? (But include the time you spend at home writing the reports & fixing them, because they will take off money for grammar or your misstakes)
If you don't write well I would go into the merchasndising part of the business instead of mystery shopping.
But shadow shoppers is a good jump off point to the business of mystery shopping because they do know who the companies are that are asking for help.

Dated: December 13, 2006 11:10 AM

So make sure you write a interesting BIO w/Phone Number and Check out the other Organizations that also have a list of Companies who are looking for Mystery Shoppers

After reading what everyone has said, I think a little clarification would help regarding Shadow Shopper. You all are correct; you never have to pay a company to sign up as a mystery shopper and get offers. The difference with Shadow Shopper is that companies go through them as a middle man to you, and the offers you get when you have paid a fee are different jobs than the offers when you sign up for free. They are higher level with a higher level of pay. Having done this for so long, I noticed the level of difference immediately, and again, it could be location, location, location. Where you live has a lot to do with what shops, and what type of shops will be available to you. As I said in my previous response here, mine payed for itself in the first month; I was lucky. Don't get discouraged; you can always go into Volition.com and sign up with the hundreds of companies in there for free, or any other venue you choose.
Good luck !!

All you have to do is use the free trails to get the company names.Then go to the site to sign up on your own. I don't like shadow shopper. I used the trail offer and they offer me a 15 day free. The only way I could get the 15 days is put my credit card number in. I did and they charged me on the 1st day.

This is one of the worse company to sign up with. I signed up for a trial membership. I applied for several asignments, received 1 offer to go to a location that was 2 hrs away from me. I did not request this location. My request was for my area. Without notifiaction, they charged my credit card for $59.95 for continuation of a 1 yr membership. Why would I would to through money away? I email them and they flat out refused to refund me. They suggested that I take more asignment to recover. What asignments?

It's a rip off company.... did not get any job from them.... I'm just satisfied without them with most companies even calling me on my cell phone when needed.

Please sign -up on free companies only.

I found Shadow Shopper a valuable lead resource. No one is going to give you a job, but based on their guidance, tools and resources, I created a profile that has lead me to be contacted by several mystery shopping companies, as well as a merchandsing job that pays me $200 per month for a few hours of work one weekend per month! All as a newbie to mystery shopping. That was well worth the investment. I received job leads, and found the resources/connections to those companies that search through shadow shopper in days that would have taken me much longer. I still get contacted by companies that have seen my profile on Shaddow Shopper. As a busy working professional in marketing and sales, and as an home business owner/independent contractor/business analyst (mystery shopper) I know the value of a good lead resource. It is part of expense of being in business and completely tax deductible.

Sure, you can get information on line for free, but that takes time, and for me time is my most valuable asset, so if I can procure the services of anyone who saves me time and makes me money - it is a well spent investment.

I have applied for the free trial of shadowShopper.com I also got a sneek peak of shops that were in my area. I never paid them because I read that you didn't need to. I did get a lot of assingments for shops from other free companys but I never did them because not only do you have to take a test for the company which has always been standard, but now you have to take a test for every place you shop who has time for that! Don't know if that is standard or only in San Diego back in the day I never did that. Now even the company I use to shop for is making me take it. ????

my problem with shadow shopper is i tried the trail & after the trial they charged me 99.99 even though i cancelled the account

I joined shadow shoppers and have not recieved one job.I join back in june. I've tryed to get my money back and i get nothing. I still have no jobs just e-mails saying i have to be a gold or silver member to work .... i just want my MONEY BACK.Fat chance of that.Someone help.....brattella2nj@yahoo.com or tell me what i'm doing wrong ....that i 'm not getting the jobs.

What about shopping and not getting paid?
hummmmmmm.........RIP OFF!! SCAM!!

I found the same thing that most are saying about Shadow Shopper. I was getting so many offer's a day that it was filling up my e-mail however you could only see a portion of the message. So the only way to get work with them would be to pay for the Gold. I do not feel that if I am looking for a job that I should have to pay to get it. That is why I am looking for work is because I need the money. I have been having financial problems & this past few months, I have been getting a number of offers for mystery shopping with the Bank of America. I have not taken it as it sounds like something that I would not want to do. Also job offer's for a shopping job where you are requesting information for membership into a health club membership but not to actually join. Also offer for getting an oil change which will pay up to $50 but you have to get an oil change & what ever else you need done but they will only cover up to the $50. I have not had to pay for any of these assignments. For me personally I was tempted to pay for the gold & that is when my daughter made the remark to me that I was trying to make money, not to spend money & that if I had to pay for it that it wasa scam. So I did not do it.
I to would like to say that Jacob Jan's has been a big help to me as well. He is always sending good information & as he told me the more companies you sign up for the more job offer's you will receive. I am 69+ so do not want to work every day, (even though I need the money) but do receive enough to keep me going & always try to schedule several for one day so I am not just doing one a day & having to burn gas to go to one place when I could schedule several in the same area for the same day. Much better for me financially. I would like to get some offers for dining places but have Never received anything like that. If anyone know's of companies in the St.Louis area that are doing that I would like to hear from you. codybird7@charter.net
Again thanks, Jacob Jans.

I do not agree with having to pay to get work. I did sign up for a free membership with ShadowShopper and they did send me a couple of *possible* jobs - I KNOW FOR SURE that one was bogus because it was supposed to be in a town that I KNOW is a ghost town - not one single business there, and only 1 family! I think it's a joke!

With some research you can find the companies that work out of your area and join them for free... some pay better than other's, but you find out pretty quick which ones work for you.

I did join Shadow Shopper 3 months ago. In the first month it paid for it self.I turn down approx.90% of the jobs that are offered me. I have no regrets joining. Im signed up with 62 different companys but only 10 e-mail continuously. I believe that it was worth it for at least the first year.

I tried shadow shopper when i first got into mystery shopping.I purchased a silver membership and got my first 3 jobs after that I got an e-mail from j. Jans and signed up with many of the companies on the list now i get enough shops to keep me busy. i no longer need shadow shopper. i think it was a good way to get started but is a waste of money to stay with them.

I also took a free trial membership. I believe it was for 90 days. On the last day when I tried to cancel, they had already billed my credit card and said I was too late. After a few e-mails back and forth, I was told they would make an exception and credit my account which they did. I was told I had to cancel the day before the trial expired. I did get a few leads from Shadow Shopper, however when I would go on the site it would say there are all these jobs available but a lot of them were not up to date. I also do not feel comfortable paying for this service and I feel I do better on my own and just keep signing up for the free sites. I am not making a fortune, but I have enough jobs to help supplement my part-time job. On my days off, I can work around my kids school schedule and be home in time for them. Unfortunately with companies deadlines, it does not always work out when you can schedule several jobs in the same area. It's not always worth it with the price of gas. I noticed someone said that Corporate Research is a good company. I agree and do a few jobs for them, however I feel they are one of the lowest paying and many of their clients expect alot. One day I was in Kmart for at least an hour, got paid $5 plus $1 reimbursement, and then had to submit the online report. Not worth the effort, time, and gas.

I joined shadow shopper about 2 years ago,and find it a good resource. It is a job referral service. They send about 30-40 emails a day to my email for possible mystery shop jobs, (I live in NY so there are many shops always available). They are a good source of jobs and I find it worthwhile. I think it is a good way to get started. I typically don't have enough time to do all the shops I am offered. My experience is probably very different because I live in NY. I don't know how it is for the people in the small towns, or rural areas.

Even if you don't want the assignment a MS company is listing with Shadow Shopper, you can use the hyperlinks to register with the MS company for any future assignments.

For the people who haven't gotten assisgnments through shadow shopper, (maybe you didn't respond quickly enough). The MS companies post ads on shadow shopper that they haven't been able to fill through alerts to their known shoppers. It is a last ditch effort for them. The jobs may get filled by shoppers already known to the company by the time the shadow shopper ad gets out.

My experience with shadow shopper has been positive.

I receive a monthly e-mail from Shadow Shopper that states that they are desperate for shoppers. Initially I would send the e-mail back to them with a reply that I did not have to pay for shops when I was shopping for free.

For me the key has been to register with as many companies as I could find. I started Mystery Shopping at the end of March, and have completed close to 300 shops, for about 40 different companies. I Mystery Shop very part time around my schedule.

I have not had to pay to locate shops. The companies that I am registered with send me the postings. If I get to the posting quick enough, I can either self-assign or apply for a shop.

I will never pay Shadow Shopper. There are enough companies availabe to register with and I have taken Jacob's suggestion to heart. If I have the time available, I try to register with a few companies per month.

I join the ShadowShopper.com
Date: Dec.17,2006 3:08AM

I paid 99.90 and I did get some jobs but was not paid for the assignment I did
and try to cancelled my subcription but they will not let me cause they say its in the contract for a year.so I just have to deal w/ them for a yearI pray them they will do everything to help and be paid for the jobs you have done cause anyway we paid a big amount of money.

I paid the initial fee and found many mystery shopping companies that I applied directly to. I did not get any jobs from Shadow Shopper directly, but it was a good source for companies with jobs in my area. After I got working for a few of them, I cancelled my Shadow Shopper memebership. So, yes it was worth the trial membership.

I paid the 9.99 for one month trial, next thing I knew they charged my card for 99.99 for one year. They put in the small print they will automatically charge you for a year membership at the end of the 30 days. I still have yet to get a descent job from them and have been in it since august. Still have time to find out but so for not so good.

Yes you can get jobs with Shadow shopper without paying. I payed up front for a silver membership and they send all kinds of e-mails. The reason you don't see the whole e-mail is because if you are interested you actually have to click on the link in the e-mail which takes you to the Shadow Shopper link. I am always logged in so when I click on the link I can read the rest of the job description right away. They are a SCHEDULING COMPANY that has LEADS to other COMPANIES YOU APPLY TO! You are also directed quite often to apply to the companies suggested by Shadow Shopper in the JOB DESCRIPTION! AH HAH!!

GET IT?

I signed up with Shadow Shopper for the free tier. I have had 4 companies contact me and have been very busy with those companies. I do not feel you should have to pay for referals. I believe that Shadow Shopper has given me the connections to these other companies.

I had join SS for the $4.99 trial membership. The trick is to disable the automatic renewal so you don't get billed on your cc. They sent me lots of jobs that I went on. In the meantime, I found Jan Jacob's website and applied to 250 companies that Jan published. It took me a couple of weeks. Then I cancelled SS. I am now sent about 10 jobs a day to my inbox so there is no reason to be a member of SS anymore, but the jobs I went to did pay for the $4.99 trial membership.

My advice to anyone who is new to MS, sign up with SS at first on the cheapest trial membership, make a note of all the companies that they send to you, whether you sign up for a shop or not, and then cancel at the end of your term and you will have a nice list of companies that you can apply to for free