Has anyone done work for Reality Based Group?
I did a few shops for them last month and although tedious, I was able to finish them and get a score of 10 for each one. Yesterday, I was scheduled to do a retail shop, and I called to verify their Sunday hours. When I got there, it turned out that they had different hours and I was unable to proceed. I emailed the scheduler and even sent photos of the location to prove that I was actually there. I asked if she wanted to move the shop, but she asked me to submit my report. I don't know how, since there were no 'N/A' options and without having actually done the shop, filling out the report would have meant answering questions inaccurately. I emailed her that I would prefer to just go back. Next thing I know, she grades my shop with '1 out of 10' and a sidenote that the grade is a result of the shopper failing to submit report or correspond! I am so angry right now. I wasted time driving to this location and spent a good deal of time communicating with this scheduler, and she ends up giving me a crappy grade that lowers my shopper score and lying about my 'failure to communicate'. I woudn't have bothered being so diligent if I had known it was going to result in this. Any similar experiences?

When I encounter a shop that is closed or doesn't exist (like some recent Medicare shops for a different MSC), I pick whatever answers allow me to get through the report the fastest and write in every available text box that the location was closed and the questions do not apply. In the final text box, I write a longer explanation. If a photo is possible, I attach one, otherwise, I just note that one is available. This approach has worked for me for 15 years.

digikiss -- My experience with them has been mostly positive but not entirely. I've found they're very easy markers on the reports if you can conduct the shop without an incident like you experienced, get it in on time and it's pretty much a sure 10/10. I've never had a payment issue with them, either.

However --

I once got dinged on them for their restaurant client, I took one during winter once and a major snowstorm hit my area that day, the storm ended about 4 hours before the restaurant was to close, so I figured what the heck and tried to go (only 3 miles away). Roads were still in bad shape and I was hating myself for even trying but I got all the way there and what do you know, the parking lot had a few police cars with lights flashing and practically no civilian cars. I figured the heck with it and left. I explained the sitch to them and I got a 1/10 anyway.

Since then, they have taken on a scheduler formerly with another company who, let's just say, has been discussed here a lot. She sent out an email at the end of November basically leaning on shoppers not to cancel for any reason. With a new Covid surge possibly bearing down on us, that didn't sit well with me.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2021 05:03AM by KokoBWare.

RBG is fine. One of their schedulers is definitely not.

I avoid dealing with that scheduler.

One of the two RBG schedulers gave me a score of 1 when I had to cancel an out of town shop because a tree fell on my car while I was there. I had to call my Dad to come pick me up and give me a ride back to my town.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2021 10:12AM by mjt9598.

Yes, RBG is fine except for the one scheduler. She happens to be my main scheduler for their restaurant shops.

She also works for at least two other MSCs as a scheduler. She has no empathy for shoppers or what we may experience. She'll give you a 1 with a citation in a heartbeat. It wasn't you.

I have a problem with this. The attitude of that scheduler is that the job we do is not appreciated nor does she understand that currently there is a limited number of shoppers. She should be fired…from all MSPs. She eventually will run out of shoppers who will not do work for her. Her MSPs will soon see they have shoppers who won’t work for them because of her. When shoppers don’t call these schedulers out for bad behavior we are part of the problem because we set our peers up for failure. Call a nut a nut people. You don’t have to be mean, but if someone is unprofessional we should let everyone else know. Some don’t have an issue calling out a MSP for failure to pay. This scheduler is costing people money. She should be called out too.

After completing in excess of 100 shops for Reality, it appears I was outed; I was no longer able to apply for the steakhouse. That is business. I contacted the scheduler to be removed from her mailing list, but she either misunderstood or was not pleased with my letter and deleted my account. Again, that is business.

You were braver than I would have been. I used to live up north and I still remember driving on black ice and having my car spin out of control. The scheduler should encourage shoppers to stay safe above all else. I agree that in this covid world, pushing shoppers to complete shops is unethical. I don't understand how any scheduler can be so unreasonable, but a few shopper complaints to management can take care of it. She has no right to go against CDC guidelines and common sense.

I'm filling an app out for RBG..if it all possible, could you tell me the scheduler you prefer working for?

is her initials CH?

I do the steak shop every now and then. If the job was done correctly, I always got paid on schedule. After a few of those, I understood exactly what they are looking for in the report.

Not the one I'm thinking of.

C.H. is ok. Not great. Not terrible.

I'm thinking N.A.

@gene wrote:

is her initials CH?

@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:

Not the one I'm thinking of.

C.H. is ok. Not great. Not terrible.

I'm thinking N.A.

@gene wrote:

is her initials CH?

I think N.A. as well.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2021 07:33AM by KokoBWare.

Yes, she works for other MSCs. More than two. She sent out a nice mass email months ago, telling shoppers she was leaving one MSC. She had already been scheduling for other MSCs but that was her right. Then, she changed her mind about quitting the MSC I most associated her with and she is still scheduling for multiple MSCs. AFAIK, her scheduling for RBG for the steakhouse chain is a recent development. I am sorry that she is your main scheduler.

I do not totally refuse to shop for her but I ignore almost all of her shop postings. It's just not worth it for me to have to deal with her in case she has one of her unreasonable/nasty bouts.

I actually don't have much of a problem with a scheduler that gives a score of "1" on one shop if a shopper does not complete the shop AND if the scheduler had given fair warning. My main issue with this scheduler is she has a history of punishing shoppers even without fair warning and without justification.

Because of how she treats shoppers, I do not want to do anything to help her do her job as a scheduler. If she happens to have a shop that is really appealing I will consider it. I am fortunate that I shop in areas where there are plenty of more enjoyable and profitable shops than what she has to offer. There are more shops than I can handle.

I do many shops for other scheduelrs that I would not do if N.A. were the scheduler. There are also a few schedulers that I would shop for even when their shops are stinkers because their goodwill piggy banks runneth over. It's not ALWAYS about profit. I'm happy to help some schedulers out when they have a history of being kind and decent to shoppers. I am just one shopper but I will do what I can because I want the good schedulers to succeed.

@wrosie wrote:

Yes, RBG is fine except for the one scheduler. She happens to be my main scheduler for their restaurant shops.

She also works for at least two other MSCs as a scheduler. She has no empathy for shoppers or what we may experience. She'll give you a 1 with a citation in a heartbeat. It wasn't you.

N.A. is not a truthful person, and she has been hired/fired by soooo many MSPs. In any other industry, she’d be out. It’s baffling to me how she still hangs on.

I didn't know about her not being truthful but I am not surprised. I have known her to give citations for no reason and to otherwise punish shoppers who don't deserve it. She abuses her powers as a scheduler.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

N.A. is not a truthful person, and she has been hired/fired by soooo many MSPs. In any other industry, she’d be out. It’s baffling to me how she still hangs on.

Robin Myers has been my scheduler for many RBG shops. She is responsive to emails and will help when issues arise. I have found her to be very fair and easy to work with and I would be happy to do more shops for her.

That is our Cindy

What a shame!!! I have shopped for them many times with no problems whatsoever.

I worked with Robin for well over 10 years. When the MSC used the apply manner of obtaining work, I sent her an E-letter requesting a variance for shoppers over 65 completing bar shops; that restriction was soon thereafter eliminated.. I rate Robin "3 Thumbs Up!"

On a related note, I was surprised to receive a notice from Nikki today concerning available shops at the eatery. She must have not completely purged her list.

The scheduler everyone is talking about seems to have a split personality. I had very pleasant dealings with her recently on a fairly complex shop in which not all of the instructions were clear. She was very helpful, and we had professional as well as friendly email communications.

However, several months ago, I had to cancel a shop due to my son's significant health condition. (He was OK one day and not the next; it was unexpected, as we thought he was past the worst of it.) She was OK about canceling it (as in, didn't fuss about it), but gave me a 1.... Maybe that was justified; I don't know, but I don't like the tone of some of her eblasts out to all shoppers, and many years ago had some less-than-pleasant dealings with her.

I had a similar situation with another MSC earlier this year in that I had to cancel two out-of-town shops I'd piggybacked on to each other, and there were no "markdowns." My son had had a TBI and had a relapse of symptoms requiring an emergency visit to the specialist, and I truly appreciated the MSC's understanding. They were great about it.

OTOH, one of the other schedulers mentioned in this thread as highly regarded was quite curt with me over a shop issue recently and basically refused to explain the ambiguous shop guidelines. I was left to "figger it out" on my own.

I guess schedulers have both good days and bad, like shoppers. Some seem to be chronically rude, some usually polite and professional. But there are exceptions to everything.

I wonder if it is the same scheduler doing this or if the MSC makes it a company practice to do this. Giving someone a score of "1" on a shop instead of honoring the shopper's request to cancel it is going to damage relationships with shoppers. Was the scheduler a woman with the initials E.R.?

@mjt9598 wrote:

One of the two RBG schedulers gave me a score of 1 when I had to cancel an out of town shop because a tree fell on my car while I was there. I had to call my Dad to come pick me up and give me a ride back to my town.

N.A. gave me a 1 when I asked to cancel the restaurant shop the same day I had taken it. My route changed.

The shop had sat on the boards for days if not weeks and I figured I might help them out by taking the shop and me out by getting a reimbursed meal. Didn't quite work out that way.

N.A. had a custom-made desk made from wood reclaimed from slave cabins. And she boasted about it on some Facebook groups years ago. It was about the worst, most tone-deaf thing I’d seen on social media.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

N.A. had a custom-made desk made from wood reclaimed from slave cabins. And she boasted about it on some Facebook groups years ago. It was about the worst, most tone-deaf thing I’d seen on social media.

Yikes.

Not sure if it's more dismaying that someone would brag about having such a desk, or that someone is making money building them.

Yes, it was E.R.

@MSF wrote:

I wonder if it is the same scheduler doing this or if the MSC makes it a company practice to do this. Giving someone a score of "1" on a shop instead of honoring the shopper's request to cancel it is going to damage relationships with shoppers. Was the scheduler a woman with the initials E.R.?

@mjt9598 wrote:

One of the two RBG schedulers gave me a score of 1 when I had to cancel an out of town shop because a tree fell on my car while I was there. I had to call my Dad to come pick me up and give me a ride back to my town.

I haven't seen anything from Robin Myers for years, I think. She was great, though.

@KathySueLM wrote:

Robin Myers has been my scheduler for many RBG shops. She is responsive to emails and will help when issues arise. I have found her to be very fair and easy to work with and I would be happy to do more shops for her.

Since more than one scheduler for this MSC have assigned a "1" to shoppers who cancel assignments, it seems like this is an accepted practice at the MSC. This is not a good or proper method for dealing with cancellations, and it has the potential of backfiring on the MSC.

WTH unless N.A. had an ancestor who was enslaved???

@ColoKate63 wrote:

N.A. had a custom-made desk made from wood reclaimed from slave cabins. And she boasted about it on some Facebook groups years ago. It was about the worst, most tone-deaf thing I’d seen on social media.