Mystery shopping thread 26 *please read the op first**please no client names or fees

Catlin

hsa wrote: »

Anyone been paid by gfk? They are usually very reliable but what should be showing isn't yet...

On their home page there is an apology for the delay and says it will be tomorrow. Payment details are there.

Mr._Bigglesworth

shell_belle wrote: »

You are entitled to your opinion about naming and shaming however, the facts are that it is not just one shopper complaining about the tainted Arches. The fact that there are several who are all reporting the same issues is a worry for MS's. We worked in a non-regulated industry where we have to rely on the information other MS's share on this forum in order to gain a better understanding of the general trends in the industry.
The fact that we are also self-employed means that this area is the equivalent to the watercooler at work and the place we all come to share information, sound off and also give praise to company's who deserve it. Based on the majority of opinions being voiced on here, the Tainted Arches do not deserve any praise for the way that they are treating their workers.
I am glad that you have had a good experience with them (so far) but many have not. They deserve everything being said about them on here, which I for one believe is true based on my experience.
Also, why would so many MS's appear to have a proverbial axe to grind with them if none of this were the case?
I for one am happy to remove them from the front page if others wish me to do so as I would not wish working with them on my worst enemy.

I think its in the best interests of all those new and existing that they're removed from the front page. We may not be able to stop them mistreating mystery shoppers but we can certainly stop feeding them new ones.

Or perhaps it would serve a better purpose that we remove the link to their site but keep their name and say something along the lines of based on a number of complaints we do not recommend this company.

That would help for when we're deep into this thread or in fact when we move on to thread 27+ that newcomers are still warned about this company. We may not have much power as mystery shoppers, but with the power we do have we might as well make use of it!

Macadamia

[FONT=&quot]After being absent since before Christmas, I thought I would have a gentle catch up. I found a brand new thread 26 (Thankyou Shelle_belle) [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]And Wow! I have arrived midway through the sh*t storm of comments on one company.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Here’s my two happorth…..[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I had no serious issues with the very few jobs I did for them. But, while my feelings are neutral, I am grateful for those who have posted their experience. It is, in large part, helpful stuff. Forewarned is forearmed. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]In my view, removing the Co from the front page, while an option, should be avoided. The list is more useful the more comprehensive it is. And, although I do not always agree with them, I find the the little one liners that mark a company’s card illuminating….. e.g.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Good entry company, but fees are sometimes ridiculed by regulars here.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Some shoppers have reported issues with getting paid.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]At the moment the comments for the co in question say “This company has fallen out of favour with some of the regulars are the fees are lower than some other companies” Perhaps sub this with something like “While some experience no problems, other thread regulars have reported issues including failure to respond and unfair non-payment.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]As solo workers, some things are straightforward. We can each decide what gigs we take, when and who we work for, what fee to accept etc. I appreciate how this thread provides a community that helps with more complex aspects . It does a great job of passing on advice, helpful hints and the occasional warning. [/FONT]

Macadamia

enevel wrote: »

Interesting few days' worth of posts on here regarding AA (for whom I have never worked) and the industry in general. I think this highlights some serious issues which need addressing...

MSCs, in order to get the work, have cut and cut and cut their fees. That has seen all sorts of things happen: reduced payments, reduced (or withdrawn) reimbursements, cuts in company admin staff (making them more of a pain to deal with), the externalising (to shoppers) of some of those lost administrative processes. All of these have the impact of making the shopper's job more difficult or more poorly paid - because that is the only place the MSCs can see any 'slack' in the business.

........ (I have cut the post for brevity)

Interested in people's thoughts on this...

[FONT=&quot]Interesting and thought provoking post [FONT=&quot]e[/FONT]nevel. Makes me ponder your training and day job. Many who do Ms fieldwork are experienced, skilled, educated, and resourceful individuals, way beyond some of those commissioning. [/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]On the subject of MS firms cutting admin and costs here’s an example.. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The co wanted recorded ms booking calls to several hotel’s premium rate booking lines, results entered individually and then collated into an excel report, (fixing their format errors on the way) and presented as a final ‘dashboard’ image. Yes, I could do that – but no thanks, certainly not for the fee they were offering, which wouldn’t have even covered the cost of the calls. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Presumably they were counting on the work being done as what used to be called ‘a foreigner’ i.e. by someone using ([FONT=&quot]aka [/FONT]stealing) an existing employer’s phonelines and time. [/FONT]Even so - the fee offered was derisory.

[FONT=&quot]Shameful – but as I said, some companies appear shameless. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]And you are right – [/FONT]
“If shoppers avoided companies that employ the poor practices outlined here, it would be those companies that went to the wall - because at the end of the day, an MSC with no shoppers also has no clients.”

cte1111

I did a few jobs for the company that people are talking about and found the scenario rather unlikely but do-able. They then didn't pay me the rate that they had quoted and were very stroppy about it, e.g. how dare I claim they had offered me a rate that they never offer? Followed up with copies of the emails with said rate and after a few months eventually was paid. Didn't work for them again.

I rarely do jobs for less than £10. Having said that I did one for £8 today, as I was in the same street for another much better paid job so thought why not? I also tend to only do non-purchase jobs, unless it's somewhere I would go anyhow.

I do wonder why React are on a list above as low rates? I think they're fine. I've done cinemas, clothes, technology and home shops for them recently and had no issues with their fee or any queries. They seem like nice people and honest to work with, if getting a bit overly strict about not changing dates, which makes it difficult sometimes to schedule.

NB I know we're not meant to mention fees, but as I haven't stated who pays which fee, hopefully this is OK. I'm just saying what my personal 'rules' are.

skivenov

As far as logging milage goes, I just keep a little notebook in each vehicle. If I'm doing a business trip, I write the date, start mileage and end mileage, then add them up for the tax return. It only asks for a number, you just need to be able to substantiate if asked.

Big_Graeme wrote: »

Indeed, we'd be no better than those who used HSBC offshore...

I've changed my home address to Luxembourg, but now there are no jobs available in my area?

Big_Graeme

skivenov wrote: »

As far as logging milage goes, I just keep a little notebook in each vehicle. If I'm doing a business trip, I write the date, start mileage and end mileage, then add them up for the tax return. It only asks for a number, you just need to be able to substantiate if asked.

Anyone doing more than the odd job should have a spreadsheet that gives them a full P&L for the year, we only need to enter income and expenses and a single figure for each, the only time you need to back up the data is if you get an audit or if you are weeding out unprofitable work.

skivenov wrote: »

I've changed my home address to Luxembourg, but now there are no jobs available in my area?

Nice and warm here in Cayman Is but work a bit thin on the ground.

evelyns2000

cte1111 wrote: »

I did a few jobs for the company that people are talking about and found the scenario rather unlikely but do-able. They then didn't pay me the rate that they had quoted and were very stroppy about it, e.g. how dare I claim they had offered me a rate that they never offer? Followed up with copies of the emails with said rate and after a few months eventually was paid. Didn't work for them again.

I rarely do jobs for less than £10. Having said that I did one for £8 today, as I was in the same street for another much better paid job so thought why not? I also tend to only do non-purchase jobs, unless it's somewhere I would go anyhow.

I do wonder why React are on a list above as low rates? I think they're fine. I've done cinemas, clothes, technology and home shops for them recently and had no issues with their fee or any queries. They seem like nice people and honest to work with, if getting a bit overly strict about not changing dates, which makes it difficult sometimes to schedule.

NB I know we're not meant to mention fees, but as I haven't stated who pays which fee, hopefully this is OK. I'm just saying what my personal 'rules' are.

I agree. I like React too. I think they're reasonably fair and the jobs that aren't, I'm not interested in. They usually tie into things I'm doing anyway. Their clothing store is very popular with my daughters so I always pick something up for them and treat the assignment as a freebie.

MysteryMe

I agree with keeping AA on the front page with a suitable health warning, especially since we have yet another example of unacceptable behaviour.

shell_belle

How about forming a shoppers union alliance and serving them for all work not paid for/correctly lol - that would certainly send them to the wall :j