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

ms_night_ryder

Read the title.
Good luck.

Kick up all the fuss you want, there are others that will gladly accept the jobs you won't.

whitelabel

Macadamia wrote: »

Good evening.

Can I ask those with experience of sending goods back to buy back companies what sort of fees are usually offered for the (not insubstantial) work involved in arranging a courier's pick-up, packaging, posting, tracking etc when this was not included in the initial brief.

I am about to kick up a fuss, but before I do I just want to understand whether what I have been offered (£2 a parcel plus packaging costs) is 'usual.' It seems far too little to to me.

Thanks in anticipation.

imo youre lucky to be offered anything
its a risk you take some times you have to send back, some times you have to dispose, some times you get to keep
fee covers all the above... and given length of time it takes for the job, pro rata per hour even sorting out a return its more than most mf/esa jobs

Big_Graeme

enevel wrote: »

If you've recently done anything for Coyle, can I recommend you take a very careful look at the payments you have received. Two of my recent jobs were paid incorrectly owing to 'errors' with exchange rates. In one case I was paid a quantity of Euros which should have been the same quantity of Pounds. And last week I had a long and frustrating discussion with their accounts bod about why a £30 expense would not be covered by a reimbursement of $31.60 (they were adding the exchange rate, rather than multiplying by it). Given the size of some of their jobs, these discrepancies (if left unchecked) could leave someone £100s short.

Yup, this is where immaculate bookkeeping and being on top of it works wonders, I now save EVERYTHING connected with a job until I've been paid and its correct then the junk gets trashed and relevant recipts and notes filed.

Macadamia

Waaahh!

It seems I have asked a question when the regulars here are in the midst of a job they all know about, and have assumed I am referring to.

Not all of us hunt in packs.

I have bought some delicate but flawed hardware items, which the brief said I would, eventually, smash then dispose of. The co has changed plans. What they are now asking me to do will take much longer than ten minutes, and the compensation offered is not in line. I was hoping to use this thread to understand normal custom and practice.

Maybe I am misjudging poster's intentions, but I was depressed to see two rather snappy and hostile replies.

There seems to be an undertone that anyone MS-ing should be grateful to work for a quarter of the minimum wage.

Kick up all the fuss you want, there are others that will gladly accept the jobs you won't.

Some contributors, maybe unintentionally, post as if they have a financial interest in the MS companies.

Thanks Whitelabel for a more helpful and informative answer.

Larac

Macadamia wrote: »

Waaahh!

It seems I have asked a question when the regulars here are in the midst of a job they all know about, and have assumed I am referring to.

Not all of us hunt in packs.

I have bought some delicate but flawed hardware items, which the brief said I would, eventually, smash then dispose of. The co has changed plans. What they are now asking me to do will take much longer than ten minutes, and the compensation offered is not in line. I was hoping to use this thread to understand normal custom and practice.

Maybe I am misjudging poster's intentions, but I was depressed to see two rather snappy and hostile replies.

There seems to be an undertone that anyone MS-ing should be grateful to work for a quarter of the minimum wage.

Some contributors, maybe unintentionally, post as if they have a financial interest in the MS companies.

Thanks Whitelabel for a more helpful and informative answer.

I am assuming you may be talking about company 'A' who don't like being talked about on forums. I am now a bit wary of what jobs I accept from them as I have been caught out in terms of time it takes to do a job and fees. My rule is only to do jobs which are very local as if they do want you to go back (which sometimes happens) it wont be a major issue. In my experience they offer the same rate whether you do one or a large number, so best to pick those that you can easily do.

Wizzbang

Can anyone spot what I have put wrongly? I cannot get past this stupid bloody test on GFK. I have tried every different combination! Makes it not worthwhile when you have to waste this much time not even on the assessment itself.

Please answer the questions below. If you are unsure of any answers then refer to the briefing notes. All the questions must be answered correctly to pass the test.

1
What social media site should you post to?
Twitter.
Facebook.
YouTube.
Any social media channel the company is present on.
This will be specified on your coversheet.
2
How long should you wait for a response to your post?
10 working days.
24 hours.
2 days.
2 working days.
3
When should you start data entry?
You should data enter Section 1 as soon as you have posted your enquiry then wait the specified time before completing the rest of your questionnaire.
After 2 working days but partial data entry is not required.
After 2 days and you should partially data enter.
You should data enter Section 1 on the day you post your enquiry and then wait 3 working days for a full response.
4
What evidence of assessment do you need to provide?
You do not need to provided evidence of visit.
You should provide your social media log in details to GfK so they can check you have done it.
You must provide a screenshot of your post/conversation to the GfK Helpdesk.
You must provide a screenshot of your post/conversation to the fieldwork email address provided.
5
How many times should you post your enquiry?
You should post your enquiry twice.
You should post your enquiry once only.
You should post your enquiry once but post again after 3 working days if you have not received a response.
6
How many times should you send GfK a screen shot of your post?
Once as soon as it is on the page.
Once after 3 days have passed.
Twice, once as soon as it is on the page and also after the 3 days have passed.
7
Should you check that any links to website or other users are working correctly?
You should only check links that are provided.
You do not need to check them - GfK will do this as part of their checking process.
You should check all links and @ handles provided to ensure they work.
You only need to check these if you have done a Twitter assessment.
8
For the timings on this project, which of these are classed as working days?
Monday-Thursday.
Saturday-Tuesday.
Monday-Friday including Bank Holidays.
Monday-Sunday.
Monday-Saturday.
Monday-Friday but not Bank Holidays.

Big_Graeme

3 - You should data enter Section 1 as soon as you have posted your enquiry then wait the specified time before completing the rest of your questionnaire.

Wizzbang

Big_Graeme wrote: »

3 - You should data enter Section 1 as soon as you have posted your enquiry then wait the specified time before completing the rest of your questionnaire.

It still doesn't work. Do they have a phone number? I'm losing my mind with it now. I was supposed to send this morning!

Big_Graeme

Wizzbang wrote: »

It still doesn't work. Do they have a phone number? I'm losing my mind with it now. I was supposed to send this morning!

Missed 5 - You should post your enquiry once only.

skintsocks

Number 3 and number 5 and 6 are wrong. It's as BG said for question 3. For question 5, you only post enquiry once. For question 6, you have to give them a screenshot twice (once now and once after job finishes).