Mystery Shopping Thread 20 **PLEASE DO NOT MENTION CLIENT NAMES OR FEES ON HERE**

jen_br

Thats odd with Tern Deactivating you like that... if you did the reports etc i woudl complain to them.

cheekychipmunk

NotSoNiftyAtBeingThrifty wrote: »

Hello and apologies in advance if this really obvious. I think I have asked about this before and was told to ring the helpline but well, I'm not good with officialdom.

I am not employed elsewhere as I am at home looking after kids at the moment. Starting MS again.

Although I will qualify for NI small earnings exemption, if I fall pregnant over the next year, and have been paying the NI contributions for 26 weeks of the 66 week test period, does this mean I will be eligible for the higher rate of Maternity Allowance even though my mystery shopping earnings probably won't be more than £30 a week?

Do I need to try to earn the £30 a week averaged over any 13 weeks in the test period? This is mentioned on the govt. website as a qualifying factor.

Thanks.

Hi. I would also recommend double-checking with someone at the DWP. However, when I was pregnant with my second (in 2007) and in posession of a small earnings exemption certificate, I was advised to back-pay my NI contributions for the qualifying period and this meant I was entitled to the higher rate of maternity allowance. No-one ever asked what I had earnt during this period and I think the rate of MA you get is just dependent on whether you have paid the NI contributions or not.

But as said before, I would check in case the rules have changed.

hth

StacFace

jen_br wrote: »

Thats odd with Tern Deactivating you like that... if you did the reports etc i woudl complain to them.

I have done, but they've just said they've emailed me 3 times and texted twice, and they can't have shoppers on their books who they can't contact, whether that's through the shopper just not responding or some sort of fault along the line meaning they don't receive messages sent to them.

I find the whole thing suspicious not only because they've apparently sent all these messages which haven't arrived but secondly because they started off the call saying it was because I didn't respond to their report queries and then someone else I was passed onto said that I didn't even put the visit date in when asked and nothing was entered at all!

MS_Bex

Hi all, I've got my first two assignments today! The first one is a phone shop with GfK (very nervous about this one - so much to remember!), the second is a burger one with GAP, which sounds much simpler.
Wish me luck!

squeaky1055

MS_Bex wrote: »

Hi all, I've got my first two assignments today! The first one is a phone shop with GfK (very nervous about this one - so much to remember!), the second is a burger one with GAP, which sounds much simpler.
Wish me luck!

Good luck....just remember whats to the left and whats to the right! Relax and go with the flow...:)

misssarahleigh

Just reading my notes for the pub meal I have.

Says order drink and meal

Nowhere on the notes does it say you are/are not allowed to take others.

I'm sure i've done so before. *Confused*

boyoboy1986

squeaky1055 wrote: »

Good luck....just remember whats to the left and whats to the right! Relax and go with the flow...:)

And opposite with the GFK phone shops. I always forget that bit and end having to search for it on the web

StacFace

misssarahleigh wrote: »

Just reading my notes for the pub meal I have.

Says order drink and meal

Nowhere on the notes does it say you are/are not allowed to take others.

I'm sure i've done so before. *Confused*

If it's for RE then click to continue with the assignment as if submitting results and see if there's anything written about being able to take a guest or not in the information on that page (the one before you say you have attempted the assignment). If there's still nothing then I would assume you can take a friend but they won't be reimbused.

Are there any questions in the report about timing how long food takes to come out or anything else where if you did take someone it would disadvantage the pub (e.g. with timing the meal it could take longer to do an extra meal).

System

StacFace wrote: »

Can't believe the cheek of Tern! Did 2 visits last week for them and submitted the results. A week later I log in and they've removed the jobs and deactivated my account. I've rang them and they claim they've been trying to contact me all week through email and text and they haven't. I've had the allocation email and the email telling me to set the date and that's it, just gone back and checked every email in my inbox from the past couple of weeks to make sure. And I've never had a text from them ever!

Report them to the police

misssarahleigh

StacFace wrote: »

If it's for RE then click to continue with the assignment as if submitting results and see if there's anything written about being able to take a guest or not in the information on that page (the one before you say you have attempted the assignment). If there's still nothing then I would assume you can take a friend but they won't be reimbused.

Are there any questions in the report about timing how long food takes to come out or anything else where if you did take someone it would disadvantage the pub (e.g. with timing the meal it could take longer to do an extra meal).

umm, nothing on that page. Just a bit wary with RE as it doesn't say either way. Nothing in the notes about timing. Will risk it for a biscuit lol