The Mystery Shopping thread - VII

Scaredy_Cat_3

I was taking photos in an indoor shopping centre a couple of months ago. These were perfectly innocent photos of the shop front - purely to upload onto a review website. Anyway, I was approached by a security guard and told it wasn't allowed.

VERY embarrassing! When I commented on this to the review website people, they referred me to some link about photographers rights, but I can't remember the details.

I read in the brief for one of the MS companies that if you were approached by a security guard while taking pictures, it was ok to say you were working for x... but sadly I can't remember which company it was. Anyway, it sounds like ISC don't want you to say that, or they would have said so.

Hopefully you will be ok, especially if it's just the one photo. Hopefully you can snap it and move on before the security guard has a chance to approach you.

Loolabell_2

Scaredy_Cat wrote: »

I was taking photos in an indoor shopping centre a couple of months ago. These were perfectly innocent photos of the shop front - purely to upload onto a review website. Anyway, I was approached by a security guard and told it wasn't allowed.

VERY embarrassing! When I commented on this to the review website people, they referred me to some link about photographers rights, but I can't remember the details.

I read in the brief for one of the MS companies that if you were approached by a security guard while taking pictures, it was ok to say you were working for x... but sadly I can't remember which company it was. Anyway, it sounds like ISC don't want you to say that, or they would have said so.

Hopefully you will be ok, especially if it's just the one photo. Hopefully you can snap it and move on before the security guard has a chance to approach you.

They had said if i was approached and i am asked to delete it,(Worse case scenario) then i am to but i have to tell them... i will just go for it :rotfl:

mharzuk

Loolabell wrote: »

:rotfl: Good idea except my camera phone is s**t!!!!!! think i could try that with my digital camera and pretend i though that was my phone?? :rotfl: :rotfl:

You could put on a foreign accent and ask a passerby to take your picture with your camera as if you were a tourist and make sure you are placed infront of the visit location.

Remember to put in your assignment notes that they should disregard the grinning person dressed in traditional American Indian costume front of picture.........

skywalker83

i do that all the time! i went to a restaurant the other and there were alot of staff members outside... so i asked them to kindly take a snap with the restaurant name showing clearly so that i can remember the amazing meal i had

mezer3000

kman wrote: »

Have a look at the first post on this thread - it's fully explained there...

yeah I have - but thats not what my query is about.

Went and got the form from the tax office. The lady said that as I would have missed the deadline for the tax returns to be generated and sent, that i shouldnt worry about anything I earnt last tax year, and I should just register myself as self employed from the new tax year. Does that sound right?

nads

Loolabell wrote: »

Morning all,

I have a query i have a MS booked in with ISC next week, and after reading the briefing notes last night i found that they are asking me to take a photo of the place, which is fine as i have done this before, but this place is a concession inside a department store...with security guards etc....
I had sent them an email and they had said that they have done loads of these recently and it was never a problem?????? and just to try and hide in another concession.....

Do they want you to take a picture of specific area? Pretend your raking pictures so someone else can look at the item. Of course it's gonna be rather !!!! as you're not close enough but you can plead lack of photography skills.

Of course if you are arrested ensure that you are taken to a Thames Valley police station where you can kill two birds with one stonre and do another mystery shop at the same time.... http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/acc/newsevents/newsevents-news/newsevents-news-item.htm?id=63352

mezer3000

skywalker83 wrote: »

i do that all the time! i went to a restaurant the other and there were alot of staff members outside... so i asked them to kindly take a snap with the restaurant name showing clearly so that i can remember the amazing meal i had

that is brilliant!!!!! gave me a giggle this morning!

mharzuk

mezer3000 wrote: »

yeah I have - but thats not what my query is about.

Went and got the form from the tax office. The lady said that as I would have missed the deadline for the tax returns to be generated and sent, that i shouldnt worry about anything I earnt last tax year, and I should just register myself as self employed from the new tax year. Does that sound right?

I started MSing in February 2008 and had to do a tax return for last year for £27!

When did you start as self-employed and when did you register with the Tax office?

Noctu

TNS money in today

Timmne

mezer3000 wrote: »

yeah I have - but thats not what my query is about.

Went and got the form from the tax office. The lady said that as I would have missed the deadline for the tax returns to be generated and sent, that i shouldnt worry about anything I earnt last tax year, and I should just register myself as self employed from the new tax year. Does that sound right?

I meant to reply to your original message but forgot - sorry!

That's definitely not right in the slightest. I dare say she would be sacked if her superiors found out!

Ruthiejane and I discussed something about HMRC the other day - I'll say now what I did then, that if you ever get told anything by HMRC (verbally), GET IT IN WRITING!

I recommend you register as normal - the extra admin really isn't that painful...