Mystery Shopping Thread 25 *PLEASE READ THE OP FIRST**PLEASE NO CLIENT NAMES OR FEES

sparklysaver

MysteryMe wrote: »

Luckily there are very few assignments that will state no name no pay, obviously it's something that is regularly requested but most will factor in for partially obscured name badges or indeed if no name badge is worn, just get a really good description.

The only ones I've come across so far who won't accept the report without a name are some higher end RM clients. If anyone there isn't wearing a badge, I've just had to ask. I always feel awkward, however I phrase it, but needs must.

JohnnyG

skivenov wrote: »

Though to be fair, when I'm bored and the scenery's good, I probably am anyway.

Glad I'm not the only way who suffers from this sort of distraction

DevilsAdvocate1

Furnival wrote: »

I am hoping to purchase this camera kit http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/lawmate-mystery-shopping-kit.html within the next week or so. Could someone tell me if I need to buy anything else e.g. larger SD card?

Any advice would be appreciated.

I would forget about small SD cards. I had a couple of fails in the early days when my card ran out of space. I now use a combination of 16GB and 8GB cards. Even during a very full day of car dealerships, I find the 16GB is enough for one day's work (think it has around 8 hours recording time depending on the settings you use). I have 5 of these. I use the Sandisk Extreme cards and buy them from Play as they always seem to be much cheaper. Its around £15 for one.

I second the idea of another battery. I was advised to buy a larger battery and the one I have lasts for twice as long as the one the unit comes with. Think it was around £40 from Dogcam. I find that this battery will do a full days work from 9am - 7pm as well. However, I have on occasion put the smaller battery on for the last visit, just in case.

I also bought a separate hard disk which I plug into my USB port. I download my files onto this separate disk as I found that putting the files on my own hard disk slowed my computer down drastically.

I think at some point I will invest in a monthly dongle as I currently work away from home 2 nights a month. The internet in most hotels is very slow.

You might need to look at your broadband as well. We upgraded ours to a true unlimited for downloads / uploads. We are also on fibre optic which is very fast. Most companies are moving towards uploading via wetransfer or ftp rather than posting SD cards to them. A car dealership visit, taking around one hour, uses just under 2GB of space. So if you don't have true unlimited then you might quickly go over your limit.

HTH. Feel free to PM with any questions.

kst101

hayley11 wrote: »

Yes I have the right prescription, I'm just very short sighted. It's not unusual

I wasn't aware of the strict brief re: names when I accepted it, because they only sent me the brief once I accepted it.

But it's no bother now, my niece came and it was fine. I will check with this particular company in future if they are going to insist on names and not take jobs because I won't always be allowed/able to take somebody with me. Plus my niece is bugging me for part of the fee now :rotfl::D

I too am very short sighted (you will probably have a stronger prescription than me now of course but mine is about -11 and I can read name badges fine. Wouldn't feel happy driving if I couldn't read name badges tbh). Doesn't mean I always remember the names though - have sometimes had to have another quick look. :rotfl:

Big_Graeme

DevilsAdvocate1 wrote: »

I would forget about small SD cards. I had a couple of fails in the early days when my card ran out of space. I now use a combination of 16GB and 8GB cards. Even during a very full day of car dealerships, I find the 16GB is enough for one day's work (think it has around 8 hours recording time depending on the settings you use).

8GB IS a small card :-)

With the big ones you lose one card and you lose a whole days work, put one job on one card you only lose one.

DevilsAdvocate1

Big_Graeme wrote: »

8GB IS a small card :-)

With the big ones you lose one card and you lose a whole days work, put one job on one card you only lose one.

For small, I was thinking 2GB as this is what Tern advised me to use. I quickly realised that this was rubbish!

Well that's true enough. But if your card doesn't have to leave your unit then you can't lose it surely?

I have had a file corrupted before but I knew as soon as left the visit as it had stopped part way through. I did change cards then. I always have a few cards in the car just in case.

I had an 8GB card in once with over 2 hours left on it. I was in the dealership for over 2 hours, so the card ran out and I was not paid. So now I just use the 16GB cards.

Tolteca87

I'm another seriously short-sighted person. 12 and 13x eyes, but my glasses do let me read name badges, even if I use contact lenses to drive, so I've got full peripheral vision.

chinora

" I can see you've done this visit 4 us b4 could you do it again for us?
Its not in my area ( ive just done it when visiting) or I've only done if 4 an enhanced fee. Are you prepared to offer more? No" Really do they think were prepared to work for nothing I would b making a huge loss if I accepted all the out of t way assignments!!!!

hayley11

Tolteca87 wrote: »

I'm another seriously short-sighted person. 12 and 13x eyes, but my glasses do let me read name badges, even if I use contact lenses to drive, so I've got full peripheral vision.

I can't drive because of my eyes sadly, don't have much peripheral vision anymore. I'm on the cusp of partially sighted and being registered blind but luckily I've not crossed over yet!

hayley11

I did my first audit job today and my god what a faff, the staff were so unhelpful it wasn't even funny, the thing I had to find was damanged, I couldn't find two things because the warehouse was just crammed with a huge delivery they'd received. I was there for over an hour and they so did not pay me enough for this one! Got another the same one Thursday in a different location, I hope it's easier!