MYSTERY SHOPPING THREAD XV - please, no mention of client names or fees on here

nearlyheadlessian

ukmonkey wrote: »

Regarding fees, one in particular that has shocked me recently is TNS - no longer paying a fee for the coffee jobs, disgraceful.

I don't think they've paid a fee for these for ages, but there is still "mileage". I'm happy to drop by them because there are plenty of them locally that I actually go past - I like coffee, I like free coffee even more. So I either take someone along and treat them to free coffee/cake, or the required items then stock up on biscuits or buy drinks with the rest to boost my loyalty card for more free coffee later. Obviously can't make a living off them, but I'm more than happy to visit them for the current reimburse.

ukmonkey

But it isn't free!

squidgeum

look_after_the_pennies wrote: »

Ah, that will explain why I saw some released jobs in our area yesterday then! I assumed someone had not opened the links to them and that's why they were there!

Yes that's why Pennies (Hi btw). It was a couple of supermarkets and a couple of diy shops. Oh and a pub that's not all that anyway!

I've enough hassles in life without them giving me grief about something I've done, or can't do, because they are not polite or efficient enough to reply to me. Their fees are pretty dire as well and the only reason I used to do them was because the reports are so simple. Also I would tie them in with something else in the same area.

Oh well, more for you and Miss Q, and the other ladies in our area .

proshopper

From alerts thread:

TractorGirl327 wrote: »

Fishy restaurants on RE. (You're welcome to them, I don't eat fish, bleugh!!!)

Gosh, TractorGirl, I'm not that picky! I'd buy a whole shoal of fish if someone needed me to. Pretty much as I buy burgers, cakes and sandwiches (not my favourite foods by a long way), clothes that aren't in my size, sports stuff (don't do any sports), all manner of medicines for fictitious ailments, cinema tickets for films I never see ......:rotfl:

nearlyheadlessian

ukmonkey wrote: »

But it isn't free!

It's not? Please do elaborate...

look_after_the_pennies

Just a heads up for those of you who are doing the clothes store visits for RE this weekend. The store has a sale on at the moment (online at the moment but hopefully in store as well) so it may be easier to find something within the reimbursement!

MoneySavingBecky

So sick o being on re probation
completed my first visit yestorday and they haven't had any queries yet so fingers crossed I can do some more visits soon!
sounds like there's loads of jobs on there at the minute!

Mags30

proshopper wrote: »

I'm not that picky! I'd buy a whole shoal of fish if someone needed me to. Pretty much as I buy burgers, cakes and sandwiches (not my favourite foods by a long way), clothes that aren't in my size, sports stuff (don't do any sports), all manner of medicines for fictitious ailments, cinema tickets for films I never see ......:rotfl:

But as the others were saying earlier the pay for mystery shopping is not very good. If you are buying loads of stuff you don't want that is taking a huge percentage off your earnings.

I prefer to only buy things that fit in with my lifestyle. I'm a regular visitor to coffee shops anyway so I'll do those visits. I wouldn't eat burgers all the time but now and again is ok. There's no way I would buy a meal and bin it just for the sake of doing the shop (ulnless the pay was high enough:D). If I do a cinema visit I'll go to the cinema.

There are loads of mystery shopping companies. If you are registered with enough of them you should be able to pick and choose your jobs to fit around what you might be doing anyway.

I have no interest in "free" things that I wouldn't use. It's not so much about being picky, it's more that mystery shopping is the sort of job that needs to fit in with your lifestyle.

Mags30

nearlyheadlessian wrote: »

It's not? Please do elaborate...

It's a lot of work for a free coffee or whatever.

You need to:

Register on the mystery shopping site by filling in a fairly long and boring application. Repeat around 20 times for all the different sites. Keep track of all the log in details, visit the sites daily to apply for the jobs, wait to see if you are accepted for the job, schedule a time for the job, maybe pay for parking or the bus/train to get to the job, might take half an hour of your time to get there. When you get to the shop for your "free" item you have to concentrate hard on observing and remembering things while being very discreet. Then when you get home you might spend another hour on the computer doing the report. Then you have to keep track of the payment dates to make sure you get paid.

That's an awful lot of work for a "free" coffee!

ditsyrascal

kman wrote: »

...and the client is paying a hell of a lot more than we get!

That is actually very VERY incorrect.
The fees clients pay have to cover a darn sight more then just the mser fees. Not to mention much how much cost is involved by those msers who constantly re-schedule & cancel visits.

The difference between what msers are paid and what the client pays is a very small margin (especially in a declining economy where agencies have to be more competitive and where clients budgets are being cut left, right & centre).

If agencies do not take into consideration the economy or the market then they will loose clients – normally to newer agencies who are trying to undercut their competitors and who will offer msers the same work and an even lower fee.

Also agencies are Businesses. If, as Businesses, they did not make any money they’d be pretty shoddy at their jobs, do you not think??!