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

JohnnyG

Defo Douglas Stafford. Great blokes down at Pompey, excellent comms and always pay on time.

polythenegirl

JohnnyG wrote: »

Defo Douglas Stafford. Great blokes down at Pompey, excellent comms and always pay on time.

Big vote from me as well for DS!

Ruby_Ruby

First Tracking, not much work, but they always cause confusion

skivenov

Digressing. I know it may sound a little silly on the surface of things, but can anyone else see this requirement for private investigators to be licences inadvertantly affecting our trade? I think if the rules aren't written specifically around us, then we could legally be in a tricky situation in years to come.

Try defining what methods a private investigator employs, then list it against the things that a mystery shopper does.

skivenov

JohnnyG wrote: »

Defo Douglas Stafford. Great blokes down at Pompey, excellent comms and always pay on time.

Utterly. The only complaint that I could possibly make is that payment takes a while compared to most (end of next month), but it's always correct and on time and they're great people to deal with.

whitelabel

skivenov wrote: »

Digressing. I know it may sound a little silly on the surface of things, but can anyone else see this requirement for private investigators to be licences inadvertantly affecting our trade? I think if the rules aren't written specifically around us, then we could legally be in a tricky situation in years to come.

Try defining what methods a private investigator employs, then list it against the things that a mystery shopper does.

No we are fine as it's market research... and employees will have in contract's they will be Ms'd so they give consent by accepting the contract, direct from horses mouth of the sia...

According to the Act you will need an SIA licence if you are involved in any surveillance, inquiries or investigations that are carried out for the purposes of obtaining information about a particular person or about the activities or whereabouts of a particular person; or if you are involved in obtaining information about the circumstances in which, or means by which, property has been lost or damaged.

The following activities will not require a licence:

activities exclusively for the purposes of market research;
activities exclusively concerned with a credit check;
professional activities of practising solicitors and Barristers;
professional activities of practising accountants;
professional activities of journalists and broadcasters;
activities exclusively relating to reference to registers which are open to the public; registers or records to which a person has a right of access; and published works;
activities carried out with the knowledge or consent of the subject of the investigation.
Schedule 2, paragraph 4 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (as amended) provides full details of non-licensable activity.

JohnnyG

skivenov wrote: »

Try defining what methods a private investigator employs, then list it against the things that a mystery shopper does.

I'd like to think we don't illegally hack mobile phone voice messages, answer machine phone messages, etc

skivenov

Cheers Whitelabel, there's a load off if they keep it that way.

Jonny - True, but then they don't either, well not officially, so they have no licence to do those things which are illegal. We use hidden cameras, interview people under false pretences, record phone conversations without notifying the other party, report on people who don't know that they're being observed....

whitelabel

skivenov wrote: »

Cheers Whitelabel, there's a load off if they keep it that way.

Jonny - True, but then they don't either, well not officially, so they have no licence to do those things which are illegal. We use hidden cameras, interview people under false pretences, record phone conversations without notifying the other party, report on people who don't know that they're being observed....

as mentioned, other than for competitor visits, which has always been a grey area, employees will have given consent to be recorded, reported on, interviewed etc through their employee contracts...

enevel

skivenov wrote: »

Digressing. I know it may sound a little silly on the surface of things, but can anyone else see this requirement for private investigators to be licences inadvertantly affecting our trade? I think if the rules aren't written specifically around us, then we could legally be in a tricky situation in years to come.

Try defining what methods a private investigator employs, then list it against the things that a mystery shopper does.

Yup. And way beyond that. Journalists doing a proper job of keeping the government and big business in check will also be in the frame. Now why would a big-business-funded, incompetent, and morally bankrupt government have any interest in seizing a modicum of tangentially-linked public outrage to outlaw such things? Eh?