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

spender

If somebody does a lot of Mystery Dining then tax must be paid on these meals, I suppose mileage can be deducted but it has made me rethink the actual benefits of these. I think I will just accept one meal a month or thereabouts. I see it as a treat but if I complete them regularly then by the time I pay tax on this benefit I might just as well eat out somewhere of my own choice and pay.

This is what I can not understand that if people are enjoying meals and hotel stays how they at the end of the year have a tax rebate!

Surely they can not write off so many expenses that year after year the tax man owes them. I would be so worried that my accounts would be scrutinised.

marvellousaunt

The job notes for the specific brand representative in the electronics store in RE are quite bizarre. If the X-brand rep isn't available (which you have to confirm by directly asking for him/her), you should then continue the enquiry, but they state to not specify the X-brand initially, then later on say 'Oh, what about X-brand? They make good products right!' ... how on EARTH are you supposed to not mention that brand when you've just asked for the brand rep specifically?! Are they having a laugh!?

It's quite something else when there's a contradiction in the job notes. Not done one of those specific ones before, they look relatively straightforward but I'm not about to go out at 4-5pm today and make a special trip just for this when I've only just seen it on the site... sorry, I can't be bothered, and I have a roast dinner to cook! Ah, the joys of being self employed...

yonk

Monkeynut wrote: »

I was wondering about this, as I've discovered that the print on my bus tickets apparently seems to magically disappear after a while!
They have all been kept in an envelope in a closed folder thing, so it's not that they've faded, but I recently found I just had an envelope of plain bus tickets?!?
Just have to cross my fingers that they are never needed. Don't often use the bus, but still!

Take a pic of them.

Monkeynut

yonk wrote: »

Take a pic of them.

I have now started scanning them in when I discovered it
Obviously just doesn't help with past ones.

CupcakeLisa

so am i right in thinking if i do a job where i have to spend £3 then i get reimbursed what i have spent, if i have no other expenses i have made £3 profit? And if i spent £4 and got £3 reimbursed I have still made £3 profit because the job only required me to spend £3?

Also I if i earn £5200 in my other job I can make profit up to my personal limit before I am taxed?

Monkeynut

spender wrote: »

If somebody does a lot of Mystery Dining then tax must be paid on these meals, I suppose mileage can be deducted but it has made me rethink the actual benefits of these. I think I will just accept one meal a month or thereabouts. I see it as a treat but if I complete them regularly then by the time I pay tax on this benefit I might just as well eat out somewhere of my own choice and pay.

That said though, this is probably one of the companies where you would have the best argument that you were not doing the job for the free meal / hotel stay etc, but rather to climb their little status ladder, as they do have some fee paying jobs.
Not saying I agree with this argument, but just putting that side out!
As has been said a million times before, it's one of those things that is not black and white and just depends on what you are prepared to argue should this ever be necessary.

On a different note - the project for those who cannot be named that starts tomorrow (the one where they have sent out fleeces!), is there any specific time that it needs to be done that anyone has seen? I've read through things, but have been known to miss something blatently obvious like that! Obviously I wouldn't do it at a silly time, like the middle of the night etc even though the store is open, as there is probably not the right managers around!
But just wanted to check I'm not missing anything obvious!

HeavensDevil

Monkeynut wrote: »

On a different note - the project for those who cannot be named that starts tomorrow (the one where they have sent out fleeces!), is there any specific time that it needs to be done that anyone has seen? I've read through things, but have been known to miss something blatently obvious like that! Obviously I wouldn't do it at a silly time, like the middle of the night etc even though the store is open, as there is probably not the right managers around!
But just wanted to check I'm not missing anything obvious!

I spoke to the woman at the company on Friday and she said it was fine to go at any time that the store is open. Do you know how important the fleece is? I only accepted the job late on Friday afternoon and would like to go tomorrow morning. I didn't realise about the fleece until I received the confirmation email. I emailed her back to ask if I could go without one if the postman didn't come in time, but she mustn't have seen it before leaving the office for the weekend.

sunnyjasmina

HeavensDevil wrote: »

I spoke to the woman at the company on Friday and she said it was fine to go at any time that the store is open. Do you know how important the fleece is? I only accepted the job late on Friday afternoon and would like to go tomorrow morning. I didn't realise about the fleece until I received the confirmation email. I emailed her back to ask if I could go without one if the postman didn't come in time, but she mustn't have seen it before leaving the office for the weekend.

I haven't got my fleece either so looks like quite a lot of us will be without it tomorrow. Would be interested to get a pm from others doing this job, both from regulars of this work and newbies , it always helps to compare notes and experiences!

Monkeynut

I'm sure it won't matter desperately.
I've done a fair bit for them before, different client projects but in the same supermarket, and never had a fleece!!
The manager etc I wouldn't imagine would know we are going to have them or meant to have them, so it's not like they're going to question it!

Hopefully will be quite straightforward really. The data entry form is dead simple, but just hope it won't be one of those things that when you turn up and go to actually do it, it turns into a '!!!!!!?!? job' (Think measuring crisps shelves last year anyone?!?) :O

sunnyjasmina

Monkeynut wrote: »

I'm sure it won't matter desperately.
I've done a fair bit for them before, different client projects but in the same supermarket, and never had a fleece!!
The manager etc I wouldn't imagine would know we are going to have them or meant to have them, so it's not like they're going to question it!

Hopefully will be quite straightforward really. The data entry form is dead simple, but just hope it won't be one of those things that when you turn up and go to actually do it, it turns into a '!!!!!!?!? job' (Think measuring crisps shelves last year anyone?!?) :O

Yes I remember it well !! fingers crossed