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

look_after_the_pennies

mysterious_girl wrote: »

Oh that's just wonderful. Abai have dropped their cat shop one visit fees! Where do these companies get off?! Don't they realise there has been a petrol increase and that it now costs us more to do these visits? :eek:

I noticed that. Won't be doing any of those visits myself.

boyoboy1986

robodude789 wrote: »

ive got a couple shops available on GAP, but have heard some pretty rough things on them, shall i actually bother doing them?

Follow their instructions to the letter and you should be fine. If it's a burger job you might even be treated to the free cabaret that follows the request of a receipt.

serendipity2706

boyoboy1986 wrote: »

Follow their instructions to the letter and you should be fine. If it's a burger job you might even be treated to the free cabaret that follows the request of a receipt.

If it's a drive thru chicken PM me as there is a mistake on the questionnaire, I phoned them the other day to get it clarified

beckybrianie1973

Sheesh, at least an apologetic email was sent out when ABAI put the fee for the yellow shops down, and that was only a small reduction. Can't believe they've pretty much halved the fee for the cat shops and not actually mentioned it. Wonder if it's just the jewellery ones or all of them?

jen_br

Sorry for the cat shops its 2 visits and so not worth my time... not going there anymore!

** It doesn't help that at least 2 other companies do these visits..for the same company all though their fees are higher**

bylromarha

Anyone else read the brief of the RE pharmacy visits? That is a heck of a lot to do for the small fee.

Maybe the 10,000 new shoppers can pick them all up and help them to realise MSing isn't just a walk in the park.

twinklie

The non purchase ones? I'd do one because I always need snot reducing things and also I want info about giving up on the puff puffs - leflets etc because my mate is doing my heading saying she just doesn't know what help is out there. So it kills two stones for me. I can't do one I might add because the one that was in my area was taken.

Got my GAP timer this morning...is it wrong I'm VERY excited about this?

borders

There's certain jobs that I've done that I'm in no hurry to do again. The two visit cat jobs I've only ever done if I could do another job in between the two visits. Even then I dont rush to do them. The other quicker visit was my preferred choice but now the fee has dropped I will only be doing them as fill ins when I'm in the area anyway.

I've been recalculating how much some jobs are worth to me and there's plenty of jobs that just arent worth it. Increased fuel, parking, reduced fees. Leaves you working for well below the minimum wage. I know some folk will still be desperate for anything they can earn but I'm not doing it.

yonk

For various reasons, I've not ever rushed to do lower fee jobs, mainly location as the time driving tended to make them un-viable and parking in Edinburgh can be a nightmare and the train is expensive. However, I have never worked my costs out properly.

But someone mentioned the fuel cost Google map thing and so we had a bit of a chat about costs last night. My fuel is working out at £0.13 a mile before any other transport costs. My time is somewhere between minimum wage and £15 depending on how much the job benefits me in other ways and I spend a lot of time on reports and prep, so really this does add up & it does make you think.

borders

It's the travelling time thats my main factor. I have to travel to do work and I need to include that when looking at costs. Even when the company is willing to pay extra mileage for a job, it doesnt always cover an hour or two's travelling time.

ESA is another company that I feel is starting to push it a bit. Like the egg shops. They put the fee down, then put it back up but wanting you to do more work. Take photos, ask another question. Not a lot for one job maybe but if you're trying to do a large circuit for a good payday, then the extra time adds up. Maybe means that you have to do a job or two less to make it fit in.

Anyway thats my grumbling over. I've already decide that this year I only do local jobs that I'm near anyway, an occasional large circuit/payday when I can get it, and maybe a job or two to cover costs/fuel when I'm going someplace for the day.