Mystery Shopping Thread 24 *PLEASE READ THE OP FIRST**PLEASE NO CLIENT NAMES OR FEES

StabiloBrillo

Oh jeez, this feels like the death of MS, can't find any work. Please say I'm not the only one.

whitelabel

StabiloBrillo wrote: »

Oh jeez, this feels like the death of MS, can't find any work. Please say I'm not the only one.

where are you based... ? must only be a regional thing, there are lots of visits (many not great pay mind) from all the usuals that I can see in the midlands
or the companies dont like you

mysteryshopper2

Hi everyone, just wondering does anyone know the exact rules on working for clients of MS companies? I don't currently but I have an interview for one and was wondering whether I should stop shopping for just that client, just competitors or all clients of that MS company and also what about clients of other MS companies (competitors and those in different industries)? I also don't know if/when it would be appropriate to re-start shopping if I don't get the job and if there are some it would still be appropriate to shop now but not if I got the job. Can anyone help?

whitelabel

mysteryshopper2 wrote: »

Hi everyone, just wondering does anyone know the exact rules on working for clients of MS companies? I don't currently but I have an interview for one and was wondering whether I should stop shopping for just that client, just competitors or all clients of that MS company and also what about clients of other MS companies (competitors and those in different industries)? I also don't know if/when it would be appropriate to re-start shopping if I don't get the job and if there are some it would still be appropriate to shop now but not if I got the job. Can anyone help?

unsure if this 1st post is a joke or not but
You cant MS a company you work for and for some jobs, their competitors.

if you dont get the job what does it matter

mysteryshopper2

whitelabel wrote: »

unsure if this 1st post is a joke or not but
You cant MS a company you work for and for some jobs, their competitors.

if you dont get the job what does it matter

Why would it be a joke?

Ok so I can keep shopping all clients for all companies unless I get the job and then I just stop shopping that client and their competitors where it's stated? Wasn't sure if having an interview and/or being rejected for a job constituted a 'conflict of interest'.

whitelabel

mysteryshopper2 wrote: »

Why would it be a joke?

Ok so I can keep shopping all clients for all companies unless I get the job and then I just stop shopping that client and their competitors where it's stated? Wasn't sure if having an interview and/or being rejected for a job constituted a 'conflict of interest'.

Due to the fact this was your 1st post ever, with no introduction of your experience etc and most if not all mystery shopping briefs explicitly stating you must not know anyone who works for that client.
I was assuming if you have experience of mystery shopping thus "stopping" and as such you had "started" you would have read a brief before and known this.

mysteryshopper2

whitelabel wrote: »

Due to the fact this was your 1st post ever, with no introduction of your experience etc and most if not all mystery shopping briefs explicitly stating you must not know anyone who works for that client.
I was assuming if you have experience of mystery shopping thus "stopping" and as such you had "started" you would have read a brief before and known this.

My question wasn't about shopping places where I know people working for the client though, I know that you can't do that and it's made perfectly clear that you can't do that. I was asking if it's ok to shop for:
- the client when I have a job interview with them
- the client when I've recently been rejected for a job with them
- the client's competitors at the same MS company when I have a job interview with the client
- the client's competitors at the same MS company when I've recently been rejected for a job with the client
- the client's competitors with different MS companies when I have a job interview with the client
- the client's competitors with different MS companies when I've recently been rejected for a job with the client
- shops in other industries with the same MS company when I have a job interview for one of the MS company's clients

If any of the 'recently been rejected for a job' points applied I then wanted to know how recently 'recent' would be. I didn't want to write it all out like that though as it would make the post massive (like this one) and people would be less likely to read and therefore less likely to respond with help.

That's also why I didn't say how long I'd been shopping for etc plus it's not really relevant to the question as I assume if there are any rules on this then they apply regardless of how long you've been shopping. It's only been a few months though to answer the question.

The exact wording of rules seems to vary and I've seen some use the phrase 'conflict of interest' which isn't a very clear term, I thought someone with more experience might be able to tell me which of these situations it would/wouldn't apply to. I was also worried it might be not allowed because I've seen that you can't have worked somewhere in the past/in the past x amount of time for some of the companies/clients and whilst I can see it being unlikely they would enforce the same timeframe before working for the client they may not want people shopping who are actively seeking to work there? Then there are MS companies who say you can't have worked for any of their clients in the past x amount of time to join and even do shops for unrelated clients, which combined with the last point is why I wondered about the last scenario.

It might just be because I'm relatively new to it but it seems like a grey area to me and I don't want to mess things up and do something I shouldn't and risk losing money on any jobs I do because of it. At the same time I don't want to not take jobs just in case because to be honest I do need the money especially if I don't get the job or another one soon.

MysteryMe

Oh dear, Assossia hit new levels of crassness. Any reputable business worth their name would have a) ensured that the contract with XYZ was drawn up so it was clear who would bear the cost of abortive visits and b) not expect the completely innocent party to suffer considerable loss.

No doubt those that are not willing to take a pay cut after the event will find their future work opportunities with Assossia somewhat reduced.

PeteW

You shouldn't posting the client name or the fee, but personally I don't think that's acceptable from the MS. If you followed the assignment instructions, they need to pay what what was promised. I would tell them that if the client wants a discount, it needs to come out of the MS' cut, not your's.

mimi1234

StabiloBrillo wrote: »

Oh jeez, this feels like the death of MS, can't find any work. Please say I'm not the only one.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with you. Almost all the companies I work for have lost at least one client each and I think it's more or less the beginning of the end (sorry to sound so dramatic!). The number of clients I have mystery shopped in the past that now have "customer satisfaction surveys" or are now closed is freaky. The fees are also dropping like it's no ones business. And the worst thing is people are picking up the awful super low fee'd RE supermarkets as soon as they go on. I have never seen the bed shops swiped that fast either! Eeeeek.