ACL

What has happened to this company? All my local shops have dried up. Nothing left that I care to do.

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They have some stuff by me. Some restaurants, actually one one is a top tier steak place. I see the same 3 clients for them.

This company allows you to see 'levels' of shops dependant on your shopper score (that you are NOT allowed to see)
So it could be
1. They lost some clients.
2. Your score dropped and you can't see these clients anymore

@viv0412 wrote:

This company allows you to see 'levels' of shops dependant on your shopper score (that you are NOT allowed to see)
So it could be
1. They lost some clients.
2. Your score dropped and you can't see these clients anymore

Thank you for sharing. I was not aware of this. That might be why I wasn't able to see one shop that they emailed about.

For me, the shops available have still been pretty good. However, I haven't seen some of the more sought after clients that I was able to do last year. Lately, there's been a flood of shops where it's a smaller report. I think they use the term "pocket sized" report. But after doing so many different clients, I've crossed the ones that are too much work versus the benefit, or the reimbursement is not enough for the scenario.

Since most of these shops don't pay, I've been doing the bare minimum with the reports. I used to go into detail with the reports, but I would rarely get bonuses or see the benefit of going above and beyond. I guess I should I take it a little more seriously.

This is correct. There are 3 levels. One way to possibly see is if someone else can see certain shops that you can not.

@viv0412 wrote:

This company allows you to see 'levels' of shops dependant on your shopper score (that you are NOT allowed to see)
So it could be
1. They lost some clients.
2. Your score dropped and you can't see these clients anymore

a few months ago, sometime last year, I renewed my membership at ACL. I was greeted with an agreement that I must sign absolving them of any responsibility if I happen to get Covid while I am shopping. 3 years after the pandemic started, and the lockdown is no longer in force. Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I can't imagine a scenario where I would blame the MSC for me getting sick from a global pandemic. I argued, and I refused to sign it and therefore, I don't get work from them.

So if you can't imagine a scenario where you'd sue them for COVID, why didn't you just sign? Just curious about your reason. Not casting any aspersions.

@Morledzep wrote:

Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I can't imagine a scenario where I would blame the MSC for me getting sick from a global pandemic. I argued, and I refused to sign it and therefore, I don't get work from them.

My guess is that they have clearly been sued for this already, and are covering their bases.

I work from home most days and have very limited public exposure, but I also agreed to an airport shop that I do quarterly, and it involves actually getting on a flight and going somewhere. After my wife and I returned from a recent shop, she tested positive for COVID. We are 99.9% sure she contracted it during the shop, based on our exposure outside of the assignment being very limited.

I slept on the couch for a week and managed not to get it, but what if?....

If someone ended up in the hospital, or I could not work my regular job for a week, I could potentially have grounds to come after the MSC for reimbursement. That's why most of the bar assignments clearly state you are not required to drink liquor. If you get a DUI or run someone down in a drunken stupor after leaving the bar assignment, it's on you. We live in a very litigious society and the MSCs have to be careful.

Has anyone else had a problem not getting paid by ACL for a couple of months. I have found it impossible to get anyone to speak with via chat or on the phone.

@kannere2 wrote:

Has anyone else had a problem not getting paid by ACL for a couple of months. I have found it impossible to get anyone to speak with via chat or on the phone.

They did have an issue with their payment processor who went bankrupt and they've been sending out electronic checks for the last 6 to 8 weeks. If you go on their website, they have a whole bunch of information.

I can see all three levels and I'm in a major market. They lost many of their clients. I.used to complete lots of shops for them, but now only complete two or so per year. There are mostly storage shops near me now and a high end steak house.

How do you know what 'levels' you're able to see??

@Niner wrote:

I can see all three levels and I'm in a major market. They lost many of their clients. I.used to complete lots of shops for them, but now only complete two or so per year. There are mostly storage shops near me now and a high end steak house.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2024 03:35PM by Luv2Travel123.

Is this the same ACL that just wants to reimburse shoppers for meals instead of paying and reimbursing shoppers for their reports and meals?

You don't know.

@Luv2Travel123 wrote:

How do you know what 'levels' you're able to see??

@Niner wrote:

I can see all three levels and I'm in a major market. They lost many of their clients. I.used to complete lots of shops for them, but now only complete two or so per year. There are mostly storage shops near me now and a high end steak house.

There are ways to know.

Not much by me anymore. They used to have a furniture chain with a nice fee. That's gone. Once in a while they have easy photo audits for a mobile carrier but that's only about every 6 months or so. Maybe every 3 months there's a food wholesaler I can do. That's it unless I want to drive 50 miles to shop a pet supply store for $10, or have an Italian ice for $5 fee.

I'm pretty sure they lost some clients. It started a couple of months ago. One was a chain of restaurants in NYC that had healthier offerings. Other was a seafood boil place (also chain). I could be wrong and maybe I am banned from these shops. I did get mostly very good feedback for my shops. ACL is all good in my book. They don't pay 'fee' but their reimbursement is good enough for me.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2024 03:46AM by hksh1.

I know. They lost their big gas station client.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

I recently saw a new "smaller type report " client and starting last month they actually have some unfilled jobs on their list when I look now. For the past 9 mins or so every single job except one pub client too far from me that was always begging for shoppers was already filled for the next month and since I live in a mega city that was a long list.

I tried to sign up recently, and received a response that they are not taking new shoppers.

They’ve gone downhill since their founders left and a new CEO took over. He is awful. Got rid of 95% of their good people and sent editors and schedulers to be outsourced with a new company. Then hired back a select few when they left that company. I rarely do their shops now. It’s very disappointing.

I was able to complete a couple of good shops this past month. I don't think too much changed drastically in terms of my report quality. However, I have focused a tad more on quality and timeliness. I might have just been lucky,

I've been doing shops with this MSC for a little over a year now, and I believe I've gone through most of their clients now. It's funny, because before their migration to clarity, all I saw were pet food shops for the longest time. The company would always badger me about the shops, but now it's become one of my favorite MSCs (despite the majority of shops being no pay/reimbursement only shops). Got to try a lot of places, and found some good ones I would visit with my own money.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2024 11:26PM by Okie.

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