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

ukmonkey

Littleoldme wrote: »

I have just picked up an urgent couple of crisp jobs to be done tonight and wonder if anyone has any advice to me on how to do them. I have got letters of authorization for both stores, however am I as well to try and do them covertly for speed? I can either use my Blackberry or a proper camera, any advise on which one is going to be the best if i am trying to do them covertly?

Overt is quicker IME. *HOWEVER* If you try and do it overtly and are refused, that's it, game over. Doing it covertly and get caught you can just make up a story...I'm a marketing student at uni or some other bull.

Your call, but I do but two of mine overtly.

Fiver29

Well I think that might have been my first and last petrol for GAP. The toilet was disgusting, the service was terrible, the guy only spoke to tell me the price. So that's petrol and burgers that've had bad reports this week

pinklady07

Littleoldme wrote: »

I have just picked up an urgent couple of crisp jobs to be done tonight and wonder if anyone has any advice to me on how to do them. I have got letters of authorization for both stores, however am I as well to try and do them covertly for speed? I can either use my Blackberry or a proper camera, any advise on which one is going to be the best if i am trying to do them covertly?

I prefer to do mine covertly now. I did them overtly at first, but it takes so much longer - getting permission, signing in, taking pics, going back to take visitors badge back. I just take a trolly with a product in it and head for the crisp aisle and click away. I also just use an ordinary camera and mostly flash. Never been bothered yet!
Thats just my view.

Becles

squeaky1055 wrote: »

On the way home I was phoned by my bank only to be told it appears someone has been using my card details all over the weekend and purchasing online this morning! My card is now stopped...and cut up and my account has been temporarily frozen!!

Oh no! Hope you get it sorted out.

It happened to me when I was on a short break in London. I went to draw cash out and noticed the account was empty and then the machine ate my card!

Rang Smile and they said someone had been spending loads in Hong Kong on my card and had emptied the account. I explained it wasn't me and I was now stuck in London with two small children and no money. They were fantastic and arranged a big temporary overdraft so my direct debits didn't bounce, and then arranged for me to collect cash at a nearby Co-op bank branch. Sorted it out when I got home and got all the money back.

So much for a quiet week! Ended up going out doing an urgent cafe job at lunchtime, doing an urgent super shop tomorrow, an overt auditing job to be done sometime this week, plus some more edigi stuff.

It was a station cafe and I don't travel by train so I didn't know you now need a ticket to get through barriers to get onto the platform. Had to ask the man nicely if he could let me through to do a mystery shop and he said to wave when I was finished and he'd let me back out

MoneySavingBecky

I think something is wrong with RE...
did a pub meal last week and forgot to get an itemised receipt. Just was given one with "steak well done" on it and no prices or anything..stupid me forgot to check! They obviously quieried it and I just said that was all they had given me. But they're paying me anyway!!!! I'm so surprised, I presumed they'd just release it from my account since I have no proof of how much I'd spent but today its in my payments! Crazy, but THANKS RE i take back every bad word i've said...for now :P

mimi1234

I'm new to ESA. I have seen the pharmacies they have on at the moment. It sounds a bit complex with the 3 part enquiry pallarva. Has someone done these before? What are they like? Cheers my dears.

Littleoldme

Littleoldme wrote: »

I have just picked up an urgent couple of crisp jobs to be done tonight and wonder if anyone has any advice to me on how to do them. I have got letters of authorization for both stores, however am I as well to try and do them covertly for speed? I can either use my Blackberry or a proper camera, any advise on which one is going to be the best if i am trying to do them covertly?

Just back and did them both by signing in, I guess over time you might get better at doing them but found it easier just to know I was "allowed" to be there.

I am about to upload them all but I am not sure if I need to name them anything specifically. I have checked the email I got and it does not say anything but just wanting to double check. At the moment I have just called them the store name.

Fiver29

pinklady07 wrote: »

I prefer to do mine covertly now. I did them overtly at first, but it takes so much longer - getting permission, signing in, taking pics, going back to take visitors badge back. I just take a trolly with a product in it and head for the crisp aisle and click away. I also just use an ordinary camera and mostly flash. Never been bothered yet!
Thats just my view.

Are you supposed to sign in? I just went to the customer services and said 'I'm gonna take some photos' and they just nodded and off I went :eek:

ukmonkey

Littleoldme wrote: »

Just back and did them both by signing in, I guess over time you might get better at doing them but found it easier just to know I was "allowed" to be there.

I am about to upload them all but I am not sure if I need to name them anything specifically. I have checked the email I got and it does not say anything but just wanting to double check. At the moment I have just called them the store name.

No, you don't have to rename them these days, you did in the early days, but the system orders them automatically now.

Littleoldme

ukmonkey wrote: »

No, you don't have to rename them these days, you did in the early days, but the system orders them automatically now.

Thank you...

One more question and I promise that is me for the night :rotfl:

As I used my camera the photos are really high quality - 1.5 to 2M each, I assume I should reduce them before uploading them but do they have any minimum or maximum size?

Thanks