MYSTERY SHOPPING THREAD 18 - please don't mention client names or fees on here!!

Robert_Roberston

weeg wrote: »

I've decided I really like Emma at Amber Arch. The last email she sent was really useful in a friendly non-patronising way (ie if you shop on deadline day, you only have until 8.30 next morning to submit, otherwise you have 24 hours). That's a good clarification.

Is that unlike the other emails she sends that are generally patronising and somewhat rude? :beer:

mysterious_girl

borders wrote: »

Not many jobs in my patch from these companies, so not a problem. Usually apply for them as fill ins when I've already got route in the same area anyway.

I do like that there is usually a decent timespan to do these jobs as it makes it easier to adjust routes and jobs to get a decent workload on the same day.

Yes, I find it really annoying! I apply for a car circuit about 2 to 3 weeks before it's due and then hear nothing until the day before they want you to start. It's just no good. I can't apply for them anymore because inevitably I will have to let them down. As much notice as possible please!!!!!!

I much prefer fastest finger first allocations. (Although it has it's down sides if there are loads of shoppers in your area).

At least then you know where you stand immediately and can work around them.

mysterious_girl

It would appear that some of the Helion calls have been allocated. :j

Becles

Did a shop at the weekend and had to take a photo after my visit. The store is next to the mall exit doors and has blocked in stairs about 8ft away from the store front. At the bottom of the stairs is a large Sky TV stand, so you have to stand almost right in front of the shop to get a photo.

When I left, one of the staff members was standing in the shop front (it's just open) staring out into the mall. I faffed about looking in another shop window for a while, then had a pretendy phone call, but he was still just standing there and I didn't want to walk up and take his picture! Had to give up and leave.

Explained it all in the report but have been told that if I do not supply a photograph, the whole report is invalid and it will have to be reshopped

Dunno why a photo makes so much difference considering the main points of interest are surely the report. It was a really poor visit too, so it's important that what happened is passed onto the store as they'll be horrified when they read it!

bylromarha

On Frontline focus- where on earth do I input my results?!

Last time I did it was 8 months ago and I can't find the client button on the website.

Thank you!

serendipity2706

bylromarha wrote: »

On Frontline focus- where on earth do I input my results?!

Last time I did it was 8 months ago and I can't find the client button on the website.

Thank you!

This is a totally stupid one, you have to do it in dialupdata on the first page

serendipity2706

bylromarha wrote: »

On Frontline focus- where on earth do I input my results?!

Last time I did it was 8 months ago and I can't find the client button on the website.

Thank you!

woops sent the reply too soon!

'united kingdom' goes in project ID and 'results' in the password

nehpets81

mysterious_girl wrote: »

Yes, I find it really annoying! I apply for a car circuit about 2 to 3 weeks before it's due and then hear nothing until the day before they want you to start. It's just no good. I can't apply for them anymore because inevitably I will have to let them down. As much notice as possible please!!!!!!

I much prefer fastest finger first allocations. (Although it has it's down sides if there are loads of shoppers in your area).

At least then you know where you stand immediately and can work around them.

Yeah, I feel your pain about the Bare allocations - ESA used to be like that too - they would allocate the day before (or even after sometimes) the first day and then wonder why I had to cancel some! I actually prefer that system though when it is used sensibly. React and Tern for example seem to be ok.

jen_br

Becles its because they put th photo on th report. I would tell them you got caught by security a lot of malls don't allow photography.

proshopper

mysteryshoppingninja wrote: »

RE are going to kill this industry. Is everyone else looking at other options right now? Lol

Well, I don't think Mary Portas has done us any favours!

As ninja points out, RE have jumped on the bandwagon: they have loads of free advertising giving them even more opportunities to sign up new clients and carry on fleecing their self-employed workforce. This, as well all know, leads to industry-wide implications.

RE have it all sewn-up. Their questionnaires are so long winded that (after the report has jumped all the proofreading hurdles) a project manager could write the final report as if he/she did the visit him/herself. Plus, add to that the glossy photographs in the report ...... SLICK!!!!! And all this for less than £3/hour at the nitty-gritty end. RE sell themselves on "real shoppers" doing the visits. The only reason they can do this is because of the reporting process (they try to leave nothing to chance). Other companies who use the reliable mystery shoppers credit us guys with a bit of knowledge and expertise! Have you ever wondered why RE don't ask new shoppers to take a test? They don't need to. They use a real visit as a test, and if this test goes a*se-up, some other mug will pick up the job and have a go. RE = short fieldwork periods + low fees + huge questionnaires. RE = get the visits done for minimal cost and maximum return.

I'm not giving up just yet. OK, so January 2011 has been my worst month ever in my many years of mystery shopping: I have only done about 50 jobs so far this month and I only have ten or so booked for the rest of this week/next week. February work is trickling in (18 jobs so far for the first week of Feb). As borders has already observed, who gets the calls for the dropped jobs/reshops? Who will Tern/Bare/React/AA/Helion/uncle-tom-cobbley allocate work to? Certainly not the 10,000 new shoppers who overloaded the RE system over the weekend!

Perhaps what we really need next is a Mary Portas-type investigation into mystery shopping companies?? Maybe we should get together and lobby her? Seriously, we are a professional workforce and we are perfectly capable of standing up for ourselves.

Apologies for the ramble.

PS congrats to Beccles!!!