MYSTERY SHOPPING THREAD 19 - please don't mention client names or fees on here!!

sharpy2010

ljshopper wrote: »

As mystery shoppers we live for these moments.The chance to really stick the boot in to someone.

Get home,dip your pen in bile,spend an hour or two extra ramming home the point. Chuckling as you write.

The companies love it as well because they can charge the client extra and we get a small bonus for a bad visit experience.

Im off out in a minute,hoping and praying I get some miserable chimp with tooothache or emotional issues.

.

Really? Personally I think thats a bit sad.

A real-life Victor Meldrew, shall we say!

Also, doesn't look like you're the only one who thrives on others misery... People all out to get each other, what a shame

polythenegirl

sharpy2010 wrote: »

Very true, completely agree. Unfortunately, sometimes its just unrealistic to expect this of people: we are, after all, human beings and none of us is perfect!

I agree that no one is perfect but Mystery Shopping is a very effective way of monitoring staff to ensure that the company are reaching the high standards that they require.

If we took into account that the staff member may not be having a good day then we'd be biased and not subjective and wouldn't be doing our own job.

polythenegirl

sharpy2010 wrote: »

Thank you for the response, which I value :-)

So, lets assume you've gone to a shop, but actually you'll get a better deal down the way, and the member of staff advises you so... Aren't they just being honest? And by getting into trouble for it, and thus not advising of a better deal in the future, this is effectively turning them into not so honest people?

In other words, they get into trouble simply for telling the truth.

I also think that mystery shopping is a bit of a lottery in so much as you could be an amazing member of staff all day long, and just have that one moment where the service isn't awesome (perhaps the member of staff was desperate for the loo, and trying to get the customer sorted asap, and thus missed out some vital details maybe - it occasionally happens, and thats life)... this then results in a bad score/report, when it isn't so necessarily deserved.

I'm not saying I know of a better way, but I don't think mystery shopping is ideal.

I don't agree with that at all. The Staff Member's job is to sell a product for that company, not to give you the best deal. You know that when you go into that shop therefore you should not expect them to tell you the best deal elsewhere. They are losing the company money by doing that so therefore not doing their job

sharpy2010

polythenegirl wrote: »

I agree that no one is perfect but Mystery Shopping is a very effective way of monitoring staff to ensure that the company are reaching the high standards that they require.

If we took into account that the staff member may not be having a good day then we'd be biased and not subjective and wouldn't be doing our own job.

I think that perhaps this is the issue I'm touching on... I personally think that a one off experience with a single member of staff isn't totally indicative of the service in that establishment in general, and thats my main gripe with mystery shopping.

sharpy2010

polythenegirl wrote: »

I don't agree with that at all. The Staff Member's job is to sell a product for that company, not to give you the best deal. You know that when you go into that shop therefore you should not expect them to tell you the best deal elsewhere. They are losing the company money by doing that so therefore not doing their job

Again I agree with what you've said, but the member of staff on a personal level is telling lies. Does a company want to employ a member of staff who is capable of lies?

MSRyan

sharpy2010 wrote: »

Again I agree with what you've said, but the member of staff on a personal level is telling lies. Does a company want to employ a member of staff who is capable of lies?

Its simple you/the staff member are being paid to do a job, if you have problems outside of work, then you need to speak to your manager and discuss not going in or getting a less customer facing role, if at any point in the day you need to do the same, as they say the first customer should get the same experience as the first. When in the workplace you arent being paid to have problems, your being paid to be efficient and do what the employer stipulates. We are basically the eyes and ears of the businesses. If for example one of us has 'personal issues' and submitted a biased report we would get punished, at the end of the day you are being paid to provide good service and make the business more profitable, If your not doing that then I believe its fair for no bonuses to be paid out.

Becles

If someone is normally bright and chirpy, the management of the store will know this. If they suddenly get a report saying they were miserable and unhelpful, I would like to think the management will know this is a one off and will ask questions to find out what happened that day, and sort out any issues.

It's our job to report honestly and objectively what we find on the day. We can't make allowances just in case someone is having a bad day, as we're not paid to do that.

DebtHater

sharpy2010 wrote: »

I think that perhaps this is the issue I'm touching on... I personally think that a one off experience with a single member of staff isn't totally indicative of the service in that establishment in general, and thats my main gripe with mystery shopping.

I remember doing a glasses assesment for Tern about 18 months ago.

Whilst doing my visit, the person dealing with me was very polite and helpful. However, I kept on hearing a member of staff, who was nearby, being quite rude on the telephone to a customer. In fact, extremely rude. So I noted this on my report and sent it off. The next morning, I had a phone call from Tern asking if they could pass my phone number to the store, about 15 minutes later I had a call from the store manager who was asking all sorts of questions. Later on that day, another call from the manager stating that the member of staff will be called up for disciplinary - and hinted at dismissal due to this being a "common" thing for that staff member.

weeg

sharpy2010 wrote: »

Again I agree with what you've said, but the member of staff on a personal level is telling lies. Does a company want to employ a member of staff who is capable of lies?

No, the person is NOT telling a lie. They are merely not mentioning a fact which they happen to know and which is unrelated to their job.

Retail is a business. And, yes, all businesses withold facts that it is not in their interests to publicise - it is not unreasonable to expect employees to do the same.

Say, for example, we as mystery shoppers are employed to go to a store and buy all of a batch of a product because the manufacturer is unhappy about it. Should we call up the local newspapers and tell them? No - that would be unethical, unnecessary and lose us, the mystery shopper, the job.

Business is business. As Mystery shoppers we are employed to observe and report. We aren't unfeeling, we aren't out to get people, we understand the consequences. And we leave our bad days at the door and go out and do the work we are paid to do, as we are employed to do. Just like the people we assess.

I felt immensely sorry the employees of a now defunct shop who failed every single MS they ever had - because the toilets were assessed and failed, yet the staff of the shop had no authority to repair or clean the toilets as they were the responsibility of the coffee franchise within the store. But the MSers did the job they were asked to do and answered the questions they were asked.

System

sharpy2010 wrote: »

Can't help but think that people who do mystery shopping don't seem to realise they are messing with peoples lives.

Hell no, its just trying to improve the company.