The Mystery Shopping thread - VIII

josie

AndyInYorks wrote: »

The problem is that some people think a free microwaved meal and half a pint of beer is worth spending 45 minutes writing a report. Personally I can only assume they just spend 10 minutes on the report instead of doing it properly. Thus of no use to the company at all.

Yes, I know what you mean - I'm somewhere in the middle tho - so will do the pizza jobs for instance for the "free" meal with OH, but I draw the line at the RE pubs as the meals are pretty dire for both chains they do. One chain was even on that restaurants from hell or whatever it was so defo not going there!

Similar to the burger jobs tho - the client isn't going to tell the company that their mystery shops aren't worth the paper they're written on. But you know the old adage "you pay peanuts...." perhaps the problem is tho that I bet the clients don't pay the company peanuts, it's us at the end of the chain that gets stuffed!

josie

Been away most of the week, so just catching up.

I got an invite from Helix Shop on Facebook too, but it was a genuine friend invite via Facebook.

One of the initial posts is one sentence and has two errors in it already - a "trail" for a new company and they've got "exiting" jobs!

Apparently they're based in France and lots of people asking where they got their email addresses from and they say they bought them from various companies.

kitchpoo

josie wrote: »

Similar to the burger jobs tho - the client isn't going to tell the company that their mystery shops aren't worth the paper they're written on. But you know the old adage "you pay peanuts...." perhaps the problem is tho that I bet the clients don't pay the company peanuts, it's us at the end of the chain that gets stuffed!

Strange how the old premium payment system used to show how much they were willing to pay for some burger jobs when the deadline approached! The MS Co. has now changed this and would rather offer out other jobs as a persuader than a bonus payment.

kitchpoo

josie wrote: »

Been away most of the week, so just catching up.

I got an invite from Helix Shop on Facebook too, but it was a genuine friend invite via Facebook.

One of the initial posts is one sentence and has two errors in it already - a "trail" for a new company and they've got "exiting" jobs!

Apparently they're based in France and lots of people asking where they got their email addresses from and they say they bought them from various companies.

Try page 130 ish - Quite a few MS'ers got the invite and a few were asking probing questions as to where their database info came from.

Chris357

AndyInYorks wrote: »

The problem is that some people think a free microwaved meal and half a pint of beer is worth spending 45 minutes writing a report. Personally I can only assume they just spend 10 minutes on the report instead of doing it properly. Thus of no use to the company at all.

Companies like RE and TNS are taking the michael so I no longer put any effort in the reports. Everything is reported as wonderful even if it is not. That way you get no come back and the report is done super quick. This is not the way mystery shopping should be done but why should I care as they obviously do not. As for the TNS pizza jobs - no fee, no mileage, NO TIP! Next thing you know they will advertising for kiddies to do the jobs with the reward of one jellybaby if they are good. Or how about getting some more illegal immigrants on the books?

cte1111

Just been for a meal out for RE. Only problem was the service was so slow that we didn't have time to stay for a dessert. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes to get the first 2 courses, so I had to get back for the babysitter but am now worrying that they won't pay me, and it cost quite a bit.

FatMan_3

A few weeks ago I was doing a mystery shop for my favourite mystery shopping company that involved the inspection of a holiday site. The inspection should have taken around 8 hours.

After 5 hours, I noticed a lump in my tummy and, realising it was probably a hernia, I abandoned the mystery shop - I did not want to risk getting a strangulated hernia.

I made an appointment with my GP the following day and, within 3 weeks, I was on the operating table. But things did not go well. After the operation I suffered a severe haemhorrage, requiring 8 units (about 7 pints) of blood. Two more operations followed to repair a broken artery.

For the next four days I was in intensive care and I spent 11 days in hospital. My GP has signed me off work for 6 weeks (even though I only asked for 4 weeks). He said it would take at least 3 months to feel really well again, because of unmeasurable effects of the experience!

I have never really been ill since childhood and this close shave with death has been a real eye-opener! I am mortal after all and doctors do make mistakes! I had prepared well for my operation - except for one thing - a failure to update my Will! I am now busy re-writing it!

I guess I am now stuck with the more sedentary mystery shopping jobs in future! Ah well, that is life!!!

jdan9

I presume you told the MS company all this? And they still aren't happy with you? :-(

owlet

Chris357 wrote: »

Companies like RE and TNS are taking the michael so I no longer put any effort in the reports. Everything is reported as wonderful even if it is not. That way you get no come back and the report is done super quick. This is not the way mystery shopping should be done but why should I care as they obviously do not. As for the TNS pizza jobs - no fee, no mileage, NO TIP! Next thing you know they will advertising for kiddies to do the jobs with the reward of one jellybaby if they are good. Or how about getting some more illegal immigrants on the books?

Sorry, but I disagree with you. If you don't like the fee or lack of fee, then don't do the job! It is no good reporting that everything is wonderful just to get the report done in two minutes flat. :mad: If you choose to do the job then you accept the terms that accompany the job. Ok, so some aren't as good as others. Be selective with the jobs you do instead of giving all MSers a bad name. You will get caught out one day when others give genuine bad reports and yours is the only one which is glowing.

I had a phone call from an MS company about a pub job last week, where there was no fee and only two choices of food and two drink options - with no fee. I simply said "thanks, but no thanks" and explained why - EASY.

From what I have seen on this forum, the vast majority of us do the job to our best ability. If we do pick up a job which turns out to be not worth the effort, we still submit an accurate report but won't do any more. I for one wouldn't dream of making up rubbish to make it easier.

missymugwump

I don't do it for the money,I don't live in a big enough town to get lots of work
I do it because I like to think it will make a difference to the service people receive in the future
Also as my OH has been made redundant it is our social life we have eaten out at some lovely places and had meal's that we could not have ever afforded at the moment
ie... today we get sunday lunch for 2 on a day we would of had cupboard leftovers !

Just clicking yes or ok is wrong it gives false feedback
Just don't do ms'ing if you don't like the fees or say no as suggested