The Mystery Shopping thread - VIII

AndyInYorks

Hi,

I haven't applied for a bank job, because in real life I work for a bank (not one that's being shopped though). I used to work for one of the other banks that is being shopped though (in a branch not a call centre but probably the same policy). If someone told us they were in financial difficulty, we had to record details of the conversation on the account. This note would stay active for 6 months, and meant that if you applied for any credit during that time, your application would be manually reviewed rather than being automatically credit scored.

You may wish to bear this in mind....

On the other hand - it is a requirement of the banking code that banks deal with financial difficulty in a positive and sympathetic manner - maybe this shop is to test whether they are doing that?

jdan9

AndyInYorks wrote: »

If someone told us they were in financial difficulty, we had to record details of the conversation on the account. This note would stay active for 6 months, and meant that if you applied for any credit during that time, your application would be manually reviewed rather than being automatically credit scored.

That is very interesting. I'm even more against doing these jobs now then! *sigh*

mysterious_girl

jdan9 wrote: »

That is very interesting. I'm even more against doing these jobs now then! *sigh*

Glad to see I made the right decision after all! There goes £19.50. Oh well.

AndyInYorks

jdan9 wrote: »

That is very interesting. I'm even more against doing these jobs now then! *sigh*

I didn't mean to put anyone off, and of course not every bank will work the same way, and some call centre people will be too lazy to add the notes anyway.
However I do think the scenario is a bit silly, and personally I wouldn't be keen to do it either. Hopefully, enough people will cancel and they'll see the error of their ways.

Out of interest, has anyone ever had a bank mystery shop job asking how long cheques will take to clear when they're paid in?

jdan9

AndyInYorks wrote: »

I didn't mean to put anyone off...

I don't think you have - I was already very put off, as were a few others it seems...

Edit: Never done a cheque MS, no.

MikeLB

Hollypear wrote: »

Mike I was once asked to fly to one of the islands go to the post office, enquire about premium bonds etc. Now coming from an island originally and having been back working in Tiree for a year a few years ago I told the MS'ing company not to be so daft. As soon as these planes leave Glasgow everyone on the island knows who is on the plane. They would obviously wonder why you had flown from Glasgow to Stornoway to go to a post office,

My mum tried to surprise me by coming up for my birthday. Someone flagged me down as I was doing my calls ( I was the island nurse) and said "Hi HP your mum is on her way she is on the plane. Should have seen her face when I was at the airport to see her coming off the plane.
I love these flights. None of this checking you have your seatbelt fastened. You just put it on if you feel like it. Sometimes you get tourists who say where is the toilet. There ain't none. A tourist once asked me where the hole in the wall was. I said the gents toilet. Another asked what time the pub shuts. I said when the last customer leaves. No locking your door, house or car. Everyone waves as you drive around.

You have made me all nostalgic now.

To be honest its becuase of the flights that I love doing these as loss leader jobs - I love Loganair pilots approach to flying these routes - Inverness to Stornoway - Follow A835, Turn left at Ullapool. Kirkwall, follow A9 to Wick then bear right. Campbeltown just leave Glasgow Airport and head west for 20 minutes. They are priceless. But you still get your pastry in the morning with coffee and a wee tipple on the return flight as well - You dont find that often nowadays!

I invented a little game too - I can now tell wether the plane is being flown by a male or female pilot just by the take off process. Hoestly, never wrong now!

My main job does cover my MS work quite well as I always have a 'good' reason to be somewhere on the islands. But like all these remote MS jobs, they eventually know you and vie versa, but you keep each other sweet and eevryone is happy.

My funniest one is one current client on an Island, the store manager used to be one of my own senior managers when i worked in a certain shop 10 years ago. He is managing the place for a year and of the 8 times i have flown out to do a shop job in his store, we ended up on the same flight 5 times and had a good old chin wag on the way - you couldnt make it up!

KSG1970

AndyInYorks wrote: »

I didn't mean to put anyone off, and of course not every bank will work the same way, and some call centre people will be too lazy to add the notes anyway.
However I do think the scenario is a bit silly, and personally I wouldn't be keen to do it either. Hopefully, enough people will cancel and they'll see the error of their ways.

Out of interest, has anyone ever had a bank mystery shop job asking how long cheques will take to clear when they're paid in?

You haven't put anyone off I had already made my mind up when I read the actual notes and was a bit shocked as I did remember that it initially only involved a call asking for a balance. I will not tell my bank I am in financial difficulty (especially when I am not and they can clearly see that from my account). I do hope they get a lot of people cancelling as the whole scenario is ridiculous for many of us. I haven't done a MS asking about how long cheques take to clear. I wish I had, that would be easy compared to this one !

mysterious_girl

AndyInYorks wrote: »

I didn't mean to put anyone off, and of course not every bank will work the same way, and some call centre people will be too lazy to add the notes anyway.
However I do think the scenario is a bit silly, and personally I wouldn't be keen to do it either. Hopefully, enough people will cancel and they'll see the error of their ways.

Out of interest, has anyone ever had a bank mystery shop job asking how long cheques will take to clear when they're paid in?

Yes I have. I have done that one twice where I have had to ask how long it takes for a cheque to clear into my bank account - same MS company and client. Why do you ask?

System

AndyInYorks wrote: »

Out of interest, has anyone ever had a bank mystery shop job asking how long cheques will take to clear when they're paid in?

Yes I've done that visit and it was fine. Though the cashier was clueless and couldn't help :rolleyes:

MikeLB

TractorGirl327 wrote: »

Dear TNS

I am doing the supermarket questionnaire.

You ask me to "Comment Fully" and yet you only give me 255 characters. Do you accept txt spk?

Regards,
TG

Which is no worse than what the limit is for the Green Supermarkets on GRG either.

Honestly TG, after 2 or 3 they are an abasolute doddle. The fees are better than the Green Supermarkets on GRG, there are far more stores and the scenarios rotate every 3 months or so. But the basics are always the same with each one.