The Mystery Shopping thread - part 6

josie

Hollypear wrote: »

No Ltd it was the sneaky wording of Dear ****** also known as *****. I did 3 pharmacy visits this week and got a phone call yesterday querying something ( how unusual !!!) saying Hi ***** the name I am know by which is how I sign my name on PM's as they don't appear on the forum. It could be one of the RE staff post on here and purposely PM'd me way back when I did thousands of PM's in response to an appeal for tips.

Guess what their pharmacy jobs have suddenly changed. This week you could spend £5 on anything you wanted ..now you must buy a cold remedy.

Cheers

Hi HP,

Would love to know who the mole is :mad: , but guess they don't actually post on here - just PM people to try and catch them out, by the sound of it!

I've noticed the different jobs on the pharmacy assignments, but it seems that it's not so much that they've changed, more that some of them are purchase anything up to £5 and some you have to buy a cold remedy.

I've done a few buy anything ones, but none of the cold remedy ones, but both types are showing for me here. I wonder if it was a trial to see if one lot will go quicker than others, if it has anything to do with location, or the scenario being tested?

I live in a smallish town and the ones here and in nearby smaller towns are buy anything and the ones in a city nearish to me, are all buy the cold remedy.

I can see how the scenario works, in that they want to test whether the pharmacist will sell you something alongside your cold remedy, when they're not allowed to, so this is more understandable than the previous lot of hayfever scenarios. If that's what they want to test, then I guess they have to state which product to buy, otherwise you might choose one that isn't in conflict with the other - if that makes sense?

Whereas the other scenario is testing something else entirely that wouldn't conflict with a purchase anyway. Maybe they'll rotate the scenarios, so that next time the other ones will be purchase anything. I'll keep an eye on the ones near me to see and report back later.

Just for info - you can only do 4 of these pharmacy jobs, it seems.

I thought I might actually make a trip to do some a bit farther afield and it would be worth my while as there were 3 quite close together. I had already done 3 of these, but as soon as I accepted my 4th the other 2 disappeared! So decided to decline this one - oops! 2 points off for me :rolleyes: , still have never been bothered about my points anyway - just as well, eh?

josie

pebblespop wrote: »

did my first job today with re - it was a pharmacy one. i checked the notes yesterday and it was still saying i could buy anything. i was very embarrased as i had to ask a silly question - i am sure some others on here had to do it - the pharmacist looked shocked when i told him the probem had been going on for two weeks!! i am surprised he didn't call an ambulance!!!

it was quite fun but the questionaire took ages!!!

I'm not suprised he looked shocked! I said it had been going on 2 hours, but happened last week! Just about to complete the 3 questionnaires - wish me luck!

Becles

pebblespop wrote: »

did my first job today with re - it was a pharmacy one. i checked the notes yesterday and it was still saying i could buy anything. i was very embarrased as i had to ask a silly question - i am sure some others on here had to do it - the pharmacist looked shocked when i told him the probem had been going on for two weeks!! i am surprised he didn't call an ambulance!!!

I did a few of them but I said it was my husband with the problem. When they were shocked at the two weeks, I just said with rolley eyes "you know what it's like with blokes and doctors, they just ignore these things and hope it'll go away." That got the sympathy back and the ladies were saying things like "oooh you'll have to nag him till he makes an appointment" :rotfl:

I'm really happy today:
Sunderland 2 Newcastle 1 :j :beer:

leila1

ruthiejane wrote: »

Back in January when I first started MS I registered as self-employed. I've been keeping all my records. I've not had a self-assessment form from the tax office yet for 2007-2008, though my oh who has been self employed for years has done his. Should I phone and see what has happened, or would it not have arrived yet?

The self assessment forms (for 2007-2008) have been sent out back in April. You should have had yours. The deadline for paper returns is the end of Oct, but you have till the end of Jan for online assessment.
To register for the online assessment you need a unique ref number that is sent to you after you register with the pack (which included the guide and a CD). I would chase them if I was you because there is a penalty if you don't send your return in time.
Anyone starting after 5th of April 08 will not have to fill in the returns till Oct 09.

Scaredy_Cat_3

I remember filling out self-assessment type forms for my husband many years ago when he did some part-time photography work. It was a nightmare. It's easy enough to keep a record of your income and expenditure - but what I really hated was having to list any interest we had earned on savings accounts. It meant any joint accounts I had to tot up the total interest and then divide it by two, and then I had to list interest on accounts he had in his own name, and I'm talking less than a pound here, but it all had to be listed. The worst of it was that I would be all ready and anxious to get the thing done and dusted, but then had to wait months for the various banks and building societies to send statements showing how much interest he had earned.

Is it still this much hassle?

PS I never never got the hang of depreciation.

ruthiejane

leila1 wrote: »

The self assessment forms (for 2007-2008) have been sent out back in April. You should have had yours. The deadline for paper returns is the end of Oct, but you have till the end of Jan for online assessment.
To register for the online assessment you need a unique ref number that is sent to you after you register with the pack (which included the guide and a CD). I would chase them if I was you because there is a penalty if you don't send your return in time.
Anyone starting after 5th of April 08 will not have to fill in the returns till Oct 09.

I haven't had a pack either. Guess I better phone the tax office on Monday!!

flutterbybutterfly

I phoned the tax office about something the other day and mentionned I never received a tax return form - good job I'm planning on doing it online. He said that they don't always send out a paper copy now - guess it's all part of the go digital drive!

pebblespop

Becles wrote: »

I did a few of them but I said it was my husband with the problem. When they were shocked at the two weeks, I just said with rolley eyes "you know what it's like with blokes and doctors, they just ignore these things and hope it'll go away." That got the sympathy back and the ladies were saying things like "oooh you'll have to nag him till he makes an appointment" :rotfl:

I'm really happy today:
Sunderland 2 Newcastle 1 :j :beer:

when i told my husband what i had to do, he was like, no one has that problem for two weeks!!! the look on the pharmacists face was a picture!!
why did they say two weeks - it is so unrealistic!!

josie

pebblespop wrote: »

when i told my husband what i had to do, he was like, no one has that problem for two weeks!!! the look on the pharmacists face was a picture!!
why did they say two weeks - it is so unrealistic!!

They must have taken that bit out now then, because it doesn't say on mine to say how long it lasted. I did wonder why you'd said two weeks! :rotfl:

As a Boro fan, happy enough with 2-1 to Sunderland as you have to chuckle at where Newcastle are:rotfl: But prob would have preferred a draw!

dilewis

do you know which company does the whitbread pubs :beer: now or who does any pub meals as the only meals i can find are the fast food ones for GAP
also any hotels:rotfl: /supermarkets done by which companys
i am fed up od doing just banks and garages