I wanna be a mystery shopper - anyone know how? (merged)

hollydays

nads ,thats the mystery.

nads

that's not a mystery I particularly like.. .grumble... grumble....grumble

heatherw_01

If I register with someone like NOP do I get my travel fares back and do I have to accept all assignments?

Becles

Some companies pay travel costs and some don't. NOP do.

You don't have to accept all assignments offered to you. They don't mind if you decline them when offered.

If you can't do the job for any reason, like illness or something, give them as much notice as possible so they can find someone else to do the job. I've been on the receiving end of desperate phone calls, where a company has been dropped in it by the shopper not doing the job

Poppycat

Pimping your site is not allowed as it is advertising. Reported to abuse.

sukey13 wrote:

OK - for ease of use I have started a Mystery Shopper Jobs - Mystery Shopping blog...

http://www.pimpmysite.blogspot.com/

I will update it with any recommendations for companies I receive from people that have actually worked and received payment. There is no point listing ones that are hopeless.

sammysmum

Actually it is hard work for little reward financially. There is an awful lot of paperwork involved and very lean spells/ Most companies are cutting fees and the freebies people seem to think appear, rarely do. Sorry to paint a black picture but that is the reality of it all. It does have it's own rewards though, especially if you are prepared to work very hard and it offers a degree of flexibility that other jobs do not. You will never be a millionaire if you do MS but it is possible, with a lot of hard graft, long hours and lack of social life, to make a good living out of it.

silverfoxdude

I've just started as a matter of fact . I had two jobs with a highstreet shop and they were fairly easy, lot of paperwork like already been said. Then they wanted me to do one in a bank where I was to ask about mortgages. I had to turn it down as I didnt feel comfortable at this early stage in my 'career' to lie. I've just done a supermarket one and it was tough, but ok.

Becles

Don't post company names and clients. It's against your confidentiality agreement with the company that employ you, and can lead to problems.

OP - have a search on the site for previous threads on mystery shopping. It's been covered quite a bit in various threads.

Like any job it has it's good points and bad points. I like the flexibility as I have young children and I like being able to pick and choose what I do, within reason. The worry is that it's not regular work - sometimes you are turning work away because you haven't enough hours in the day, next minute you haven't got enough! Many jobs are on a self employed basis, so you have to keep a set of accounts and file a tax return. I don't enjoy the record keeping, and you also need space to keep mountains of worksheets in.

hollydays

I found bank visits very boring,thats all a certain company offers me.A few years ago this could be lucrative.Make sure the fee is worth the amount paid for parking and the petrol.If thet ask you to do a visit at short notice 1 or 2 days,dont seem too keen,you can usually up the expenses if you say its not a great fee.

hjb123

There is already a few threads on mystery shopping, a couple of them here:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=3846&highlight=mystery+shopping

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=154042&highlight=mystery+shopping

I am (or was until went on Income Support while appealing Incapacity Benefit decision) mystery shopper with Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) - their website is at https://www.tns-global.com/mysteryshopping