Mystery Shopping Thread 21 *PLEASE READ THE OP FIRST**PLEASE NO CLIENT NAMES OR FEES*

N.I.M

I did a restaurant visit today but before I'd finished my meal I was... reacquainted with it. I got the food refunded and the staff also gave me a free meal voucher, which I'm unlikely to use after this experience but heyho.

2 questions,
First, given its the only thing I've consumed today so it had to cause it can I state this in a report or will I have to remove it? Anyone have any similar experiences.
Secondly, do I need to declare the free food voucher as a benefit in kind even though I'm not going to use it?

Boredupnorth

N.I.M wrote: »

I did a restaurant visit today but before I'd finished my meal I was... reacquainted with it. I got the food refunded and the staff also gave me a free meal voucher, which I'm unlikely to use after this experience but heyho.

2 questions,
First, given its the only thing I've consumed today so it had to cause it can I state this in a report or will I have to remove it? Anyone have any similar experiences.
Secondly, do I need to declare the free food voucher as a benefit in kind even though I'm not going to use it?

If its for RE make sure you tell them how it made you feel in graphic detail

N.I.M

Boredupnorth wrote: »

If its for RE make sure you tell them how it made you feel in graphic detail

Sadly its not, otherwise I would.

Flygirl767

HappyMJ wrote: »

I'll take the risk.... I do the work primarily for the hours. I must do 30 hours a week to get working tax credits. My main job is 16 to 24 hours a week so I need a minimum of another 6 hours per week. Doing the hotel job added enough hours that week to get me over the threshold.

As I said before the council gets my full line by line accounts and they have never questioned it and they pay out much more than HMRC could ever potentially lose. Anyway, even if I did not allow those expenses I don't think my overall profit would exceed £7,475 anyway. I declare a total annual profit of £2,000 with turnover of £16,000 over all business activities. That is the number I put on my tax return, the number I declare to tax credits, the number that I give to council.

Seriously, you don't think that claiming you only make £2k profit every year when supposedly working 30 hours a week won't ring any alarm bells with HMRC? Who in their right mind would keep a business going that only makes that little year after year? It is blatently obvious that you are milking the system to get the maximum WTC and housing benefit.

mysterious_girl

N.I.M wrote: »

I did a restaurant visit today but before I'd finished my meal I was... reacquainted with it. I got the food refunded and the staff also gave me a free meal voucher, which I'm unlikely to use after this experience but heyho.

2 questions,
First, given its the only thing I've consumed today so it had to cause it can I state this in a report or will I have to remove it? Anyone have any similar experiences.
Secondly, do I need to declare the free food voucher as a benefit in kind even though I'm not going to use it?

OMG!! You mean you threw up? At the table? Was it rancid? What was it?

N.I.M

mysterious_girl wrote: »

OMG!! You mean you threw up? At the table? Was it rancid? What was it?

I got to the toilets but yep, violently. I just had fish and chips but halfway through the second piece of fish something tasted wrong so I spat it out and then things just went wrong.

mysterious_girl

N.I.M wrote: »

I got to the toilets but yep, violently. I just had fish and chips but halfway through the second piece of fish something tasted wrong so I spat it out and then things just went wrong.

Oh no! Fish can be a dodgy one. Was this a visit to get you up to the next level?

N.I.M

mysterious_girl wrote: »

Oh no! Fish can be a dodgy one. Was this a visit to get you up to the next level?

Different company, it was a restaurant in a department store.

HappyMJ

Flygirl767 wrote: »

Seriously, you don't think that claiming you only make £2k profit every year when supposedly working 30 hours a week won't ring any alarm bells with HMRC? Who in their right mind would keep a business going that only makes that little year after year? It is blatently obvious that you are milking the system to get the maximum WTC and housing benefit.

How much profit should I make doing 30 hours a week mystery shopping?

mysterious_girl

N.I.M wrote: »

Different company, it was a restaurant in a department store.

That explains it. No properly trained chefs. The staff probably don't know the first thing about food safety. What a disgrace!