The Mystery Shopping thread - part 5

josie

Congratulations l-t-d (belatedly) & Ellie :grouphug: & also welcome back HP :wave: - it's been quiet without you on here!

I've been mystery shopping for a couple of years now and I've just been spending a wet Sunday morning trawling through MS companies to review who I've applied to and not heard and who it might be worth applying to etc., and have some queries that I'm hoping peeps on here might know the answer to.

I've been signed up and registered with Mystery Customer Evaluations, Mystery Outsource & JKS for a few months and can't view any jobs on their sites even when I select the whole of the UK. Is it just quiet and I need to persevere or should they email me jobs? They all seem to use Prophet 4.7 software, so all look very similar, but I do have separate log ins for each.

Secondly, I've been signed up with CCA & React Surveys since Apr & May respectively and also not heard anything - despite saying they'll be in touch - any thoughts on these companies?

3rdly, I've applied to Retail Rapport about 4 times, but they say no vacancies at the moment, can anyone put me forward, or again is it just perseverance?

Any help much appreciated folks!:beer:

cookinmummy

josie wrote: »

Congratulations l-t-d (belatedly) & Ellie :grouphug: & also welcome back HP :wave: - it's been quiet without you on here!

I've been msytery shopping for a couple of years now and I've just been spending a wet Sunday morning trawling through MS companies to review who I've applied to and not heard and who it might be worth applying to etc., and have some queries that I'm hoping peeps on here might know the answer to.

I've been signed up and registered with Mystery Customer Evaluations, Mystery Outsource & JKS for a few months and can't view any jobs on their sites even when I select the whole of the UK. Is it just quiet and I need to persevere or should they email me jobs? They all seem to use Prophet 4.7 software, so all look very similar, but I do have separate log ins for each.

Secondly, I've been signed up with CCA & React Surveys since Apr & May respectively and also not heard anything - despite saying they'll be in touch - any thoughts on these companies?

3rdly, I've applied to Retail Rapport about 4 times, but they say no vacancies at the moment, can anyone put me forward, or again is it just perseverance?

Any help much appreciated folks!:beer:

Hi Josie,

I am with MCE, JKS and Mystery Outsource and I have not seen any jobs come up in my area at all for the second two. MCE I have had jobs come up, but I always select to search outside of my 'area' as they call it as sometimes there are jobs listed that are only 10 mins down the road. Having said that I think you need to check the site on a regular basis to check there is no work because it goes really quickly.

I too have not heard anything from React either - so you are not alone there either. Now CCA I have done a few for and they are a good company to work for if you can get it and the staff are really helpful - definitely one of my favs.

stardoman

I think that some companies stop recruiting when they have enough assessors in a particular area. This is good, because if you do manage to get in the work is regular. I work for React and get assignments every month. However, I have not yet managed to get in with CCA. I know they shop companies in my area as I have seen them asking for people already on their books to mystery shop near here. On one occasion they posted several messages and I did reply saying that I was not on their books but could do the outlet they were trying to fill. She never got back to me.

Retail Rapport recently got in touch and offered me a job. I must have registered with them 3 years ago, so quite a long wait!

Mandy.

sinderella_2

stardoman wrote: »

I have done a reshop where the previous mystery shopper had become so drunk they threw him out of the pub! They realised somehow that he was the shopper and contacted the mystery shopping agency. Now the brief has changed to say no more than 2 alcholic drinks per person.

Mandy.

I guess that's a prime example of a shopper who should take it more seriously. :rolleyes:
I think we need to remember that there are peeps who do this for free food and pocket money and others who have a full time and well paid career from some of the high end jobs. It's inevitable that we wouldn't all see eye to eye on how seriously we take msing.
I also think that if I had done it as a teenager I would have been prone to acts of irresponsibility like the one highlighted above, but maybe that says more about me at that age than it does about some of the current teen shoppers, so no offence intended! These days I take a pride in what I do and wouldn't submit falsified pay claims, but that's my choice - I agree we are not always treated well by the various companies. Again, I would say, if you don't like them, don't work for them.
By the way, stardoman, I would like to know who had your picture - I know of one chain that does this and would like to know your info too, cos the one thing I like about the work is being undercover...don't ask me why, maybe it's the scorpio in me! I wouldn't want to shop where they play guess the mystery shopper! I think this is also why I'm not mad on doing open audits.

sinderella_2

....and welcome back to you Hollypear!!!:beer:

ruthiejane

ellie9ellie wrote: »

Just to let you all know baby Rebecca Paige was born at10:24am on Friday 3 October 2008 weighing 8lb 7oz - only a week late!! Back home this afternoon feeling a bit battered and bruised but all OK. No jobs for a while but will keep updated xx

Congratulations!!! Lovely name too.

Yorkielass

congratulations Ellie :T

I mentioned last week how I'd done a pub job and water started pouring through the ceiling, we were evacuated and in the end couldn't finish the job (did get my money refunded by company at the time) phoned RE next day, they asked me to reshop the following week, gave me the fee for the first shop too as I had started it (I had to ask but didn't have to argue for it) and they offered to refund drinks too as we'd had those - but I was honest and said the pub had refunded us already. Went and reshopped this week and it's all gone fine so I'm pleased with them.

josie

sinderella wrote: »

I guess that's a prime example of a shopper who should take it more seriously. :rolleyes:
I think we need to remember that there are peeps who do this for free food and pocket money and others who have a full time and well paid career from some of the high end jobs. It's inevitable that we wouldn't all see eye to eye on how seriously we take msing.
I also think that if I had done it as a teenager I would have been prone to acts of irresponsibility like the one highlighted above, but maybe that says more about me at that age than it does about some of the current teen shoppers, so no offence intended! These days I take a pride in what I do and wouldn't submit falsified pay claims, but that's my choice - I agree we are not always treated well by the various companies. Again, I would say, if you don't like them, don't work for them.

I agree whole heartedly with your first comment about the drunk. What I have a problem with is people who seem to think that just because some of us do this for pocket money or free meals out, that we don't take the work seriously. I take a pride in my work as a mystery shopper as much as I do in my full time job.

It just gets on my nerves sometimes when people (not you, I hasten to add sinderella!) think we just mess about with it for a laugh, simply because it's not our first source of income. The reasons some of us do this might differ quite widely, but it doesn't mean to say we aren't diligent in our visits and report writing in the same way as people who actually make a living out of it.

I think someone who'd falsify a claim is the sort of person, who would do it regardless of whether it was their living or a side job - they're just that sort of person. I'm sure we've all heard of people getting sacked for falsifying their expenses in our various other jobs, not just in mystery shopping.

It just comes across as a bit high and mighty to me that the people who do it for a living are somehow better than people who do it for pocket money.

OK, rant over!

pink68

Little_Chicken wrote: »

Maybe in the same branch that Stebiz got stuck in:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: no wonder banks are so slow if people are spending time on such ridiculous snooping missions:rotfl:

charming! :T it was actually part of my job to dissect the MS replies. I wasn't front line staff so it had no impact on customer service.

but when i do banks now i try and be as detached as i can be, which isnt always easy when i start to remember the stress the staff are under. but at the end of the day if the MS is a bad one then it at least gives the staff a chance to explain to their HO what they are up against. One of the bank ones i did in the summer involved the customers threatening the staff with a sit in if they didnt hurry up! there was only two staff and they were working flat out, poor things. :rolleyes:

homeworkgirl

Grrrrr.... has anyone else had probs entering reports for Gap today? I know they had a planned system down last night and it was still not up and running this morning when I last looked, but I though all was ok now and have spent nearly 2 hours trying to report on a burger job. It won't let me send receipt and wont tell me if there are any errors in my report, also when trying to send enquiry, it wont let me send. Really fed up now as I want to get to bed but got e-mail from them saying if report not received today it might get cancelled.