The Mystery Shopping thread - part 5

Blondetotty

Has anyone noticed that with the briefing notes for the hotel visits on RE, the letter from the Project Manager authorising a refund is attached and freely printable so even if you weren't going to do the shop, you could still try and blag a refund from any hotel:eek: as the letter isn't venue specific.

Not that I'm recommending this of course, but shouldn't RE have sent the authorisation letter AFTER someone had been allocated the job.

blindman

Blondetotty wrote: »

Has anyone noticed that with the briefing notes for the hotel visits on RE, the letter from the Project Manager authorising a refund is attached and freely printable so even if you weren't going to do the shop, you could still try and blag a refund from any hotel:eek: as the letter isn't venue specific.

Not that I'm recommending this of course, but shouldn't RE have sent the authorisation letter AFTER someone had been allocated the job.

I'm putting my copies on Ebay for £50 a time

(Discount to MSers on this thread :- £30

sinderella_2

Anyway, Blindman, has all that business class travel spoilt you for cattle class???

Or can you fly in style when you go privately due to the ff points you've earned on your credit card? I'd love to travel and turn left on the plane...never have yet.

Scaredy_Cat_3

And while I'm moaning - there was another company last month who allocated me a job that I wasn't even sure I wanted - I just emailed them to ask if it could be done 'mid-August', and they replied saying they'd given me it for 4th August. Since when was 4th classed as 'mid' month???

Anyway, they said it had to be done Mon-Wed but could be changed to Thurs-Sat if required. So, when I finally knew what date I was going to the town in question I emailed back and told them. It happened to be a Monday - so they changed the date... but not to the date I was going to town - but to the following Friday! They then said, sorry has to be done Mon-Wed - even though the original email had said it could be changed. I emailed back to point this out and haven't heard a dicky bird since. Don't you think they should apologise or something?

Another company actually rang me up to offer me a job - they left a message on my ansaphone - but due to me being a kids taxi service in the summer holidays it was half an hour before I was able to ring them back - and then it turned out they'd given the job to someone else.

Sorry for ranting but I'm just feeling a bit down about this. How do the rest of you cope?

Scaredy_Cat_3

blindman wrote: »

This is the problem with FF.

You did the professional thing in making sure you were suited for the job and claryfing the (usual) ambiguities of some job briefs.

However it is sometimes 'better' to accept the job and then if you find it is in fact ambiguous or not for you then reject it.
Obviously you can't do this a lot of times as you may get a bad reputation.
I have no qualms in doing this as I detest the FF method. It's a lazy way for the MS companies to operate IMHO.

Who was the company?

Can I say the company? It starts with a G but isn't Gyp!

tigergold

blindman wrote: »

1) Have a credit card with a 10K limit

2) Use a credit card that is either cashback, so earn money for all the expenses or in my case a credit card which earns x4 FF miles for every £ spent at XXX.....

I spent around £10K in expenses last year so earned 40K FF miles-Now if that was 1% cashback....

3) Time the purchases so that I get the maximum 56 day interest free period. By which time I usually have been paid

4) Always pay off the balance.

The "missing" £2.5K was paid on the 15th, I have to pay the credit card off on the 20th, so that was a little close....

these are all really great tips ! but take out client name

Blondetotty

blindman wrote: »

I'm putting my copies on Ebay for £50 a time

(Discount to MSers on this thread :- £30

Blindman, I'm way ahead of you and in true MSE fashion, ebay are offering multiple listings for the price of one... :rotfl:
Get that printer working!

blindman

sinderella wrote: »

Anyway, Blindman, has all that business class travel spoilt you for cattle class???

Or can you fly in style when you go privately due to the ff points you've earned on your credit card? I'd love to travel and turn left on the plane...never have yet.

Flying cattle class does not earn many FF even on the long haul routes and is of course a lot less comfortable than business.

If I'm putting myself out for MS flight jobs (no fee, lose on expenses etc) then I want to fly in comfort and be pampered if I can.
The scrag end jobs left on BARE now (they were there for August) do not appeal as they are not cost effective and the Russian destinations are not for tourists and require at least an overnight stay in expensive hotels.

On my last business flight the in flight meal was Caviar and unlimited champagne.
Now that's what I call travelling in style!

bimsbims

blindman wrote: »

I'm putting my copies on Ebay for £50 a time

(Discount to MSers on this thread :- £30

hi blindman!!!!!thanks for the info.
Can you tell me how to search for the weekend visits now?

Blondetotty

bimsbims wrote: »

Can you tell me how to search for the weekend visits now?

I think there is only one job left now and on the RE available assignments page, if you qualify, it will be listed at the bottom on that page under 'assignments available in other areas' unless of course Leeds happens to be the area you are in currently.