Who else is getting tired of the IPSOS BS?

I went to a (re-branded) gas station location. IPSOS did not inform me. My call to the store didn't yield the re-branding either....it was a Native American Reservation store... I informed Ipsos in the report...did I hear from IPSOS?...No. Crickets. Shop was excluded without pay after I asked why it wasn't paid....is it worth my time to fight for the 10 or 15 buck 1/2 fee? God, this is getting old....

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I'm re-doing a gas station tomorrow. In the past, they asked if signage was present (CA, NV and AZ only). If it was not, I could mark "No." Well today as I am entering reports, I see that I need to take a photo of no signage. Thank goodness 6 out of 7 had the signage. I get to re-do one of them. I'm annoyed.

I'm going to do a debrand on Monday, a station that I wouldn't suspect would change brands, and I was just there a couple weeks ago and it hadn't changed brands then. So I'm going to be very surprised if it has changed.

Ipsos posted regular shops for stations that I knew had rebranded several times last year. For the same station, same location, in one month there was a regular shop, the following month they posted 2 debrand shops for this same location, and then another month or two after that they posted regular shops, 2 of them, for the original brand again. Ipsos doesn't compare shops from one brand vs. another of their clients' brands, they schedule the shops they are paid for.

Stop making me defend Ipsos..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2025 06:51AM by Morledzep.

Simplest solution is to not accept gas station shops for locations you are not familiar with. Ipsos is not going to know what all the oil companies are doing and only going by the data given to them. I think it's unfair to the shopper who does the work, but at the same time, it's unfair to Ipsos as well.

So only do the locations you know and don't bother with the ones that you don't know.

Or in my case, don't do gas station shops at all. I only do the Chinese and Italian that was recently posted.

I don't know of any Ipsos gas station clients that don't pay anything if the station has debranded, as long as I submit the required "proof" photos. but then again I don't do all the brands.

It is not the gas clients who determine the shopper pay or lack of. It's Ipsos.

And yes, I'm tired of their BS. I've been tired for years. I would fight if they incorrectly denied any pay on a shop done per guidelines. And that is even more tiring. But they have at least 80% of all the shops in my area that I qualify for or want to do. The hatred grows.

@edithms wrote:

I went to a (re-branded) gas station location. IPSOS did not inform me. My call to the store didn't yield the re-branding either....it was a Native American Reservation store... I informed Ipsos in the report...did I hear from IPSOS?...No. Crickets. Shop was excluded without pay after I asked why it wasn't paid....is it worth my time to fight for the 10 or 15 buck 1/2 fee? God, this is getting old....

I've done some that were being remodeled. A big chain link fence around the site, etc, etc.
Therefore, I treated them as a closed location, did the report while on or near the site and later, received half the fee. In the question where you are asked if you were able to perform the shop, I said No. Then reported it was closed due to being remodeled. They wanted a good overall photo and that was it.
I believe in the same type of question (was I able to shop the site), there is an answer to tick off that the site is no longer the brand to be shopped. So, I'm assuming the same would be for a rebranded site - treat it as closed, do the report nearby in order to have the necessary photos and leave.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2025 05:59PM by French Farmer.

isn't there usually a question asking if you can finish the assignment, and you should check no on that, then they will ask you why you cannot finish the assignment, there you can fill in the reason and take pics as proof for half pay?

No one likes 1/2 the pay. But, one or two photos and on your way. It has always been like that. I just did a station that all the pumps were out of order. Mark as closed, 2 pics and leave.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2025 01:51PM by claabe.

There are shoppers so desperate for money, they must accept what Ipsos shovels out. I do not KNOW, but am guessing the 1/2 fee is covered in their contracting agreement. Personally, I would not have accepted the job if I knew 1/2 money were possible. When the need is great, though, one grins and bares.

The 1/2 fee is not know, until you arrive at the station (if closed or out of order) You can just let the shop fall off or get rid of it on your own. Mine, was a $30 stop. $15 was acceptable to me for 2 pictures.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2025 12:27AM by claabe.

That debrand I was supposed to do disappeared from my shop log, but I had to be there anyway to do a different shop across the street. The brand hasn't changed, I didn't think it would be. And it seems that someone else has already done the regular Consumer Experience shop at that location.

If you encounter a location that is no longer the assigned brand you typically report it as closed, post an overall site pic, and begrudgingly accept half-pay.

As for the unexpected ones, I just picked up debrand for a location I did numerous times for the Famous Hwy program. Very curious to see what they've changed to. The store was attached to a major travel center outlet. And it had a funky 1-sided MID...

Have synthesizers, will travel...

Farmer...That is exactly what I did....the shop languished on my log as "received" with no notation for about a month, and finally, I inquired as to why it had not been paid. I got a response saying that the shop had been cancelled (way after my shop date).....

claabe...that is what I thought was going to happen...it didn't.

Was it a Presto shop or Ipsos through Sassie or Shopmetrics ?
Very unusual for a canceled shop and no contact from them.

If you submitted them before they were canceled, then you should have been paid. Yes, that is BS. Is it worth fighting? That's up to each person. I probably would just eat it to avoid the added stress and time waste, but I wouldn't like it.

And sestra, yes there is at least one Ipsos gas project that still pays full price for debranded locations. I did a route recently where almost half the stations were debranded. I was a little upset because I thought my route would be a wash, but they paid them all.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/2025 02:44PM by mystery2me.

I guess they haven't gotten around to cutting pay on closed locations for that brand. In fact, if it's the same brand I'm thinking of, I thought I just got lucky when I had a debranded one but still got the full, but meager, pay.

One of the brands.. I don't remember which, still makes you buy all the same things, even at a closed location, if it's possible. At a couple locations that I know close early, they wanted the audit done at night, I got there shortly after it got dark, the pumps were still on, not lit up, and no canopy lights too, but the c-store was closed. So I was required to still purchase gas and take all of the outside pictures, with all of the station lights off. And at a re-branded station I had to buy something inside, and make my gas purchase too, but I just had to take a few pictures outside, not all the same pics required for the original brand. I'm fairly sure I still got paid the full amount for the closed locations..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/2025 04:57AM by Morledzep.

c...it was a regular Ipsos Sassie shop.....normally the photo suffices, and 1/2 pay ensues...not this time, and it was on ME to contact them, and the result was a cold and brief email telling me to go pound sand.

More...(GREAT name, by the way!)...I feel your pain....Two or so years ago I did a Red, White, and Blue gas station shop for Ipsos, where I arrived at 4:30 PM, and the station was closed. Posted hours in this elite community said that the station was supposed to open until 5:00 PM. I had already bought the gas, but, obviously, the convenience store was closed, so no purchase in there....I took time-stamped photos of the posted hours. Clearly, the station had closed early...now, isn't this JUST the kind of info that Ipsos is looking for?
Well, I got stiffed for the gas purchase, and the fee, and after two or three email attempts and one phone call, I gave up the ghost. Ipsos does that sometimes, you know? I am beginning to side with Shpper Bob on this...Ipsos is just not worth the aggravation.

Edith,

thanks. I won't argue about leaving Ipsos, they just don't work for some people, even with the quick payments. I hate defending them, but I always try to set the record straight, if I can.

@edithms wrote:

More...(GREAT name, by the way!)...I feel your pain....Two or so years ago I did a Red, White, and Blue gas station shop for Ipsos, where I arrived at 4:30 PM, and the station was closed. Posted hours in this elite community said that the station was supposed to open until 5:00 PM. I had already bought the gas, but, obviously, the convenience store was closed, so no purchase in there....I took time-stamped photos of the posted hours. Clearly, the station had closed early...now, isn't this JUST the kind of info that Ipsos is looking for?
Well, I got stiffed for the gas purchase, and the fee, and after two or three email attempts and one phone call, I gave up the ghost. Ipsos does that sometimes, you know? I am beginning to side with Shpper Bob on this...Ipsos is just not worth the aggravation.

If i remember correctly in the shopper guideline you are supposed to contact the gas station prior the visit to make sure they are opened?

Kise, most of the gas station shops are like that. They say to call and verify hours first. Mostly, no one answers the phone, or there is no phone number listed.

I found out the hard way that the only acceptable verification of hours on any shop is via the brand's corporate website, if they have one, or Google. Even though most guidelines say calling to verify is required, if your call yields different (more accurate) results than Ipsos online searches, the shop will be rejected. Google is their all-knowing, infallible god.

IPSOS can often be vague - on purpose, lax, inconsistent, and sketchy! I would not spend much up front on any project.

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