The Mystery Shopping thread - part 6

ThinkingOfLinking · 21 October 2008 at 3:48PM

Ironically I did just send an email and I did say I wish I had taken photos. I also said how much I like this chain of establishments; so much so that on a visit last month I gave someone the instant reward certificate and have been back twice as a regular customer. I do feel rather sick though. The lady was nice enough when she rang me about these queries but I could feel the aggression in the wording. They also must have gone throgh CCTV to see it was me as they made a comment about something I did with a napkin (nothing dodgy I swear!!). They also claimed to be busier than they were; how silly as the place has cameras and their H.O can also audit roll the till to see sales figs. Why on earth would I lie about things like those which could be checked? I complemented the food and the look of the place so it's not as if I was saying the whole place was awful and there was nothing to redeem it.

FraggleFan · 21 October 2008 at 3:51PM

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

I'm in shock!! I had a call from a MS company regarding a job I did for them, and the client actually used the words "Liar" about me. And the accusations are ones which I'd be insane to make up, such as a toilet with a broken lock and one without a seat. The aggressive attitude they have taken has just, I feel, proven my points that the service was not as great as it could be. Forget what I said in the report about "Maybe" I'd go back there. Never again.

Jeez! I've always wondered why on earth you'd lie on a report. If you were getting your own back on a company, it's a very long, convoluted process, with absolutely no guarantees you'd find a company which works for the organisation you had a vendetta against. Plus, of course, the hassle of getting a particular job. Better just to firebomb the place

Obviously I'm not condoning arson attacks, although I'd say this particular establishment would be very near the top of any list which is going around

Scaredy_Cat_3 · 21 October 2008 at 3:57PM

I can't understand why a company would pay someone to conduct mystery shops if they are then going to dispute anything negative. Isn't that the entire point of the exercise??? I thought the purpose of MSing was to have an objective person go and assess the service or facilities. If they're going to dispute it then they may as well not bother.

I think the client should have more faith in the MS company, and the MS company should have more faith in the shopper. God knows, this is an isolated sort of existence, you need to know you have the support of your 'employer'.

ThinkingOfLinking · 21 October 2008 at 4:02PM

SC, you ARE right but I don't think it's that the MS company doesn't believe me. Just that they have to be seen to be following disputes up. I don't have a problem with that or with them, after all I have been a retail assistany myself and at the receiving end of a MSer, so would want to put my point accross if I felt hard done by. Although I would never and did never lie either as a retail assistant or as a MSer. Incidentally, this was when I was in a clothes shop, that I got shopped myself, and it was on video.

ThinkingOfLinking · 21 October 2008 at 4:04PM

FF, I have never worked for ANY company I have ever shopped and I am more than happy for that to be checked out by any MS company for whom I work. And if I ever did have an axe to grind, why would I try and get some random person fired? That would be sick.

blindman · 21 October 2008 at 4:08PM

Scaredy_Cat wrote: »

I can't understand why a company would pay someone to conduct mystery shops if they are then going to dispute anything negative.

You'll probably find that the pub in question has dropped 'points' and the staff has missed out on a pay bonus.

They have the right to query the report and the MS company have to verify any queries.

FE I would just brush this off as one of those things. Unless your reports aways get queried by the client I wouldn't be too fussed.

Sugarhunny1 · 21 October 2008 at 4:09PM

Hi everyone

I have recently started to do mystery shopping and I now want to get registered as self employed but i am over whelmed where to start, a few questions.

Do I need to pay for a special tool to collate all my information on expenses?
This is a sideline to my main job, I already pay NI, Do i still have to pay more?
how do I work out what tax I have to pay and how do I pay this? I earn approx 10k a year through my main job.

TIA!

Sugar xxx

Scaredy_Cat_3 · 21 October 2008 at 4:09PM

I don't see how a comment about the toilets being in poor repair would get anyone fired anyway - unless they were found to have lied and said there was nothing wrong with them. I would have thought this was an innocent sort of comment that might actually result in head office getting someone out to fix the toilets. It's not as if you complained about the service.

I commented about a broken window in a report I did last month - should I be worried this will be disputed? At the time, I thought if I report this then maybe they'll get it fixed, it never occurred to me it might cause someone problems. Also, I thought if I don't comment on it they'll say I wasn't observant enough, so I felt I had no choice.

blindman · 21 October 2008 at 4:11PM

Sugarhunny1 wrote: »

Hi everyone

I have recently started to do mystery shopping and I now want to get registered as self employed but i am over whelmed where to start, a few questions.

Do I need to pay for a special tool to collate all my information on expenses?
Excel spread sheet

This is a sideline to my main job, I already pay NI, Do i still have to pay more?
how do I work out what tax I have to pay and how do I pay this? I earn approx 10k a year through my main job.

TIA!

Sugar xxx

You have read the first post haven't you

FraggleFan · 21 October 2008 at 4:18PM

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

FF, I have never worked for ANY company I have ever shopped and I am more than happy for that to be checked out by any MS company for whom I work. And if I ever did have an axe to grind, why would I try and get some random person fired? That would be sick.

Eeeek! I think I said something and it came out the wrong way. Sorry! I didn't think you had ever worked for any company you were now MSing, nor that you had an axe to grind. And I certainly didn't think you were sick. Sorry if that's what came across. I was just pondering why anyone would lie on a report, when there are so many checks in place, and my mind went down a strange route, as it is wont to do.

Huge apologies FE!

The Mystery Shopping thread - part 6

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