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

gastronomix

Can anyone who has done overnight stays which result in large reimbursements but no fee advise me on any potential tax implications?
Despite being told that payments and reimbursements are kept totally separate I'm a bit concerned that invoicing X for in excess of £200 could be problematic in the future.

whitelabel

Middy wrote: »

Did my open merchandise today. But when I completed it, all the checkouts went down. So all the managers and TLs rushed down to the checkouts. On the staff feedback, I just put down what the department manager commented on the display when he gave me some equipment for me to use and explained that the store turned into mayhem due to the checkouts going down.

Hopefully ACOMPANY YOU SHOULDNT MENTION understand.

im sure they will but you they dont like being mentioned , although they often are, so like many others its best to use a code word we can all guess and know who your talking about,...

whitelabel

gastronomix wrote: »

Can anyone who has done overnight stays which result in large reimbursements but no fee advise me on any potential tax implications?
Despite being told that payments and reimbursements are kept totally separate I'm a bit concerned that invoicing X for in excess of £200 could be problematic in the future.

Its all taxable.
Why else would you do a visit for no fee. No reason (in most cases) but to benefit from it so therefore its taxes as income would be at value, minus expenses as usual.

Im doing visits this week that are over £5k so far, but clearly im not doing it for that reimbursement, im doing it for the fee I get for doing it. Was I not getting a fee it would be taxable (on the whole amount) if I got to keep the items (but I dont). I and many others either dont do or rarely do reimbursement only for that very reason.

Big_Graeme

CrazyClum wrote: »

TNS losing that client?! Oh dear! To what extent? I know they do slow/fast and age checks so if its all three TNS may as well give up shop.

TNS/Kantar do a whole lot more than mystery shop for that client, they'll survive. There are also clients to pinch...

Middy wrote: »

Hopefully Associa understand.

That's a good one :rotfl:

HeavensDevil

Big_Graeme wrote: »

That's a good one :rotfl:

My thoughts exactly - good luck Middy!

cathshops

cathshops wrote: »

Sigh...so I just received an email from gfk - informing me that it "appears" I was identified as a mystery shopper and will not be paid for a bank job I went 20 miles out of my way to do on Friday... because I included in my report..."upon my query, the cashier immediately left the desk, went into the back, and came back a few minutes later with the manager...who was the same manager I mystery shopped with the same query 2 months ago in a town 40 miles away."

Argh.

Any recourse?

Well, guess my email hit them in the heart...I will be paid after all...
:T

but they really should change the scenario...

N.I.M

Big_Graeme wrote: »

TNS/Kantar do a whole lot more than mystery shop for that client, they'll survive. There are also clients to pinch...

I'm not sure they'll bother, its such a small amount of their overall revenue that I suspect its not worth the hassle, which is why they don't have more clients given the group is one of the 3 biggest MR companies in the world

Big_Graeme wrote: »

That's a good one :rotfl:

I did laugh when I read that, unlucky matey, your gonna get burned I'm afraid.

cathshops wrote: »

Well, guess my email hit them in the heart...I will be paid after all...
:T

but they really should change the scenario...

Don't hold your breath, also you'll never be allowed to shop the client again.

HeavensDevil

cathshops wrote: »

Well, guess my email hit them in the heart...I will be paid after all...
:T

but they really should change the scenario...

Glad to hear it - personally I think there should be a choice of scenarios, for cases like this. And whilst they warn that local branches sometimes share staff, I would hardly call 40 miles local! Although I probably wouldn't have mentioned that I had seen the manager previously unless s/he said something particular that needed to be noted.

amiehall

Similar things have happened to me, I have to say I just left it out. Why stir up issues by mentioning it?

Big_Graeme

amiehall wrote: »

Similar things have happened to me, I have to say I just left it out. Why stir up issues by mentioning it?

Because we give a true and accurate report on the events that happen on our visit, it is what we get paid for