The Mystery Shopping thread - part 5

Scaredy_Cat_3

Must admit, I've wondered why they are that bothered about the seconds. If you're waiting 10 minutes for a seat does it matter if it's 10 minutes and 10 seconds or 10 minutes and 20 seconds???

That's why so far I've gone with the type of assignment that asks about quality of service rather than petty stuff like seconds.

Why are burgers different?

Mind you, I'm still a bit down on Gap anyway. They gave me a job I hadn't asked for (was only enquiring about the date and they just went ahead and assigned me it), then they messed me around with the date so I had to cancel it. Even though I sent them a copy of their own email saying x date was ok, they said it wasn't etc etc. And I've seen comments on here about them dropping people for no reason, so I'm really not sure if they're worth bothering with.

(sorry - too slow typing and now people have put other posts in so this doesn't make sense! I was replying to Josie - does that make sense?)

sinderella_2

Scaredy_Cat wrote: »

(sorry - too slow typing and now people have put other posts in so this doesn't make sense! I was replying to Josie - does that make sense?)

Of course it makes sense Scaredy Cat - and if you ever want to be sure then use the quote button to begin your reply! This luddite will be brought up to date yet! (no insult intended, though I've not used the quote button on that I can assure you you said it first!)

Honestly, you're not expressing anything radical or confusing about Gap, loads of people moan about the parallel universe that is Gap...;)

Scaredy_Cat_3

sinderella wrote: »

Of course it makes sense Scaredy Cat - and if you ever want to be sure then use the quote button to begin your reply! This luddite will be brought up to date yet! (no insult intended, though I've not used the quote button on that I can assure you you said it first!)

Honestly, you're not expressing anything radical or confusing about Gap, loads of people moan about the parallel universe that is Gap...;)

No argument from me! I'm perfectly happy to be known as a Luddite (sort of proud, actually!)

Thanks for all the advice - and it's nice to know I'm not the only one who is disappointed in Gap! Have to say, they've got a cheek to be so demanding about seconds - have you seen their spellings of some of the towns when you scroll down the list looking for jobs??? Some of them are probably typos, but if they are going to demand precision from us then I think the least they can do is lead by example!

Paul_Varjak

I had a call from GAP today. They wanted me to do a job tomorrow. I said I would do the job once they had paid me for a disputed job some weeks ago.

I repeatedly told him that I would only work for GAP again when I was paid for the previous job but he just did not want to take NO for an answer. In the end I had to be rather abrupt just to get him off the phone.

GAP has the worst pay in the mystery shopping business and they seem to have so many queries after a report has been submitted. I work for other companies who may occasionally query a report but people at GAP just cannot be reasoned with.

I know I write good reports. Other companies never have any complaints. If I make a mistake I let the companies I work for know and, in general, they are very sympathetic, sometimes even offering to still pay me for the job! But GAP seem to work differently to everyone else - trying to find fault in correctly written reports. They don't seem to appreciate that some questions do not have YES/NO answers. If you try to explain why, they simply do not understand!

OK, if you want to drive 25 miles to get a 'free' burger and barely enough money to pay your fuel costs then, by all means, mystery shop for GAP; but if you need to put food on your table each day or just supplement your income, then give GAP a miss!

Hollypear

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

I had a call from GAP today. They wanted me to do a job tomorrow. I said I would do the job once they had paid me for a disputed job some weeks ago.

I repeatedly told him that I would only work for GAP again when I was paid for the previous job but he just did not want to take NO for an answer. In the end I had to be rather abrupt just to get him off the phone.

GAP has the worst pay in the mystery shopping business and they seem to have so many queries after a report has been submitted. I work for other companies who may occasionally query a report but people at GAP just cannot be reasoned with.

I know I write good reports. Other companies never have any complaints. If I make a mistake I let the companies I work for know and, in general, they are very sympathetic, sometimes even offering to still pay me for the job! But GAP seem to work differently to everyone else - trying to find fault in correctly written reports. They don't seem to appreciate that some questions do not have YES/NO answers. If you try to explain why, they simply do not understand!

OK, if you want to drive 25 miles to get a 'free' burger and barely enough money to pay your fuel costs then, by all means, mystery shop for GAP; but if you need to put food on your table each day or just supplement your income, then give GAP a miss!

Paul I award you the post of the day award. I renamed them Gyp after the way they messed me about then didn't pay me. I would only consider doing something where there was "something" in it for me like petrol reimbursement.

I wonder if people stop and consider what that meagre rate they pay works out at per hour. Fair enough if you actually want a burger and are going anyway...might as well get paid for it. But getting a cheap burger and asking for a receipt is tosh as is the stopwatch bit. You might as well get a t-shirt with I AM A MYSTERY SHOPPER printed on it.

At least the more reputable companies always say don't make yourself visible as a MS'er.

sinderella_2

I've only done a couple of gap jobs and I am not as passionate about this issue as PaulVarjak and HP but I was perplexed to have my first 'proper' gap job queried by phone. The first ever job was a competitor job, so maybe it doesn't count in terms of the commisioning company wanting to see that everything was perfect, but this second job was finished with a less than perfect report - I had not been approached within x minutes, the sales person didn't chase a sale or ask all the right questions, blah blah - and I was phoned up so that I could repeat these points, which were already recorded in the report. What is the point?

Hollypear

sinderella wrote: »

I've only done a couple of gap jobs and I am not as passionate about this issue as PaulVarjak and HP but I was perplexed to have my first 'proper' gap job queried by phone. The first ever job was a competitor job, so maybe it doesn't count in terms of the commisioning company wanting to see that everything was perfect, but this second job was finished with a less than perfect report - I had not been approached within x minutes, the sales person didn't chase a sale or ask all the right questions, blah blah - and I was phoned up so that I could repeat these points, which were already recorded in the report. What is the point?

I know I am probably a bit OTT about them but I was so cheesed off at them giving me an assignment in a mobie shop. doing it to the best of my ability to come home and find it had disappeared from my assignments and another in its place. Then not to get paid for it either or an explanation.

Didn't you feel Sinders like saying Which part of the sentence...I was not approached within 3 minutes or whatever do you people not understand.

RE do that too. Phone up with naff questions.

Funny the 2 companies who pay the least do that yet the ones who pay well don't query your reports. Baffling that one. I did a MS for one of the really good companies a few weeks ago. Took me about 15 minutes and only 1 mile away. Report only took me another 10 minutes yet I got £45 for that one and no daft queries.

sinderella_2

I'm not saying that you're OTT at all, HP (well, not when it comes to Gyp!) I suppose I meant I hadn't personally been burned like you and Paul have. Yes you're right, 'which part of no they didn't approach me...' is exactly how I felt. Glad you're getting some good jobs though!

Paul_Varjak

I agree that RE also do call with rather silly questions! But, at least, they seem to realise that the questions they are asking are ridiculous!

For instance, RE called me to say that the client did not want to be marked down when I answered NO to a question about signs being displayed outside a shop. I qualified the report by saying it was a very windy day, so signs could not be on display outside. So, what did RE expect me to do? Did they want me to say the signs were on display? That is the problem with MS companies that want everything to fit a YES/NO scenario, but why complain to me when it does not?!

I have done less than six jobs for GAP but everything about the company puts me off - from the photo of the woman holding up a shopping bag to promote themselves to mystery shoppers, the somewhat lengthy video training sessions for each new type of job you do and, for some jobs, you need to buy a stopwatch with multiple memories that does not beep when you press a button!

I don't do many jobs for RE either as I do not frequent the types of establishments they want me to visit and never drink alcohol. Also, their pay is often poor as well.

My two favourite companies to work for are Optimum Contact and BARE. At least with them I always get to speak to a Project Manager. Optimum Contact has good rates of pay and, as BARE pay in Euros, its fees have effectively risen as the value of the pound has fallen.

Hollypear

I like OC too Paul. Presumably they charge clients a similar fee as say RE do. So is it to pay for the loads of staff they have or are they just greedy.