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

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  • missymouse
    missymouse Posts: 946 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Yes. Good point. The fees are rubbish and if you need to pay tax on them.....

    TBH I think it is very difficult to make a living out of it. mine is an extra and I think it keeps my brain sharp.

    Did a nice higher end one in half term.
  • samtastic7
    samtastic7 Posts: 1,110 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    can anyone tell me please if Assosia are SE or not please
    Tia
  • square-pants
    square-pants Posts: 139 Forumite
    Do Abai have any clients left? I've been away from MSing for a few years and no jobs are coming up for any of their clients that I have.
  • MysteryMe
    MysteryMe Posts: 3,428 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    They changed to the Sassie system. The only ones I see are cafe type assignments in upmarket department stores which don't pay a fee only reimbursement which may or may not cover the cost of what you have to buy. They may have other clients, I'll unlikely be working for them again based on what they offer me.
  • Hi

    My wife and I were lucky enough to book the holiday of a lifetime to Hawaii this spring. Unfortunately we booked a year ahead - and the FX rate is now somewhat different so we're thinking of ways to reduce our costs while there.

    We've been doing mystery dining in the UK (thanks for the tips!) - does anyone know if there are similar agencies covering Hawaii, that are open to British citizens to join?

    Thanks
  • Hey everyone.

    Started mystery shopping in January and have been really enjoying it so far. I've found the fees to be generally good - with the exception of most jobs on Market Force, and the vast majority of companies are great to work for.

    I've signed up with GfK, React, ESA, Retail Active, PIP and Helion so far.

    I have to say, the staff at GfK and React are absolutely fantastic. If a problem ever arises, they are always polite and helpful over the phone and allow me to reschedule if need be.

    But I was just wondering, does anyone have similar experiences with ESA at all? I've found them extremely rude over the phone and via email, and when I ever ask if I can do a little job at another time their staff always seem to give me lectures about how rescheduling affects client deadlines etc. I know this may be the case, but their tone of voice and the tone of their emails is abhorrent. A certain person at ESA sent me a highly unprofessional email a few days ago which really put me off from ever work I for them again. I've never had anything like this from other companies.

    But anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying the work so far, in particular the phone shops and postal places for GfK. But I really don't want to consider any work for ESA right now due to the disgusting attitude of their staff.
  • missymouse
    missymouse Posts: 946 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Mr E, they are unpleasant. I also did a project for them with a team, never again. Like you say some very unprofessional practice. There are some nice staff though.
  • MysteryMe
    MysteryMe Posts: 3,428 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    There is no excuse for rudeness, I am sorry you have experienced that from ESA.

    I have the exact opposite experience I have to say and in fact I had cause to ring the office recently and they were very accommodating.

    Stick with them and hopefully you will come across more agreeable staff members. They are part of a massive organisation and have lots of different projects. Some of the MS assignments are not worth the hassle but others are pretty straight forward and report form is generally easy to complete.
  • mrs_lds
    mrs_lds Posts: 4,103 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker I won, I won, I won!
    Lots of jobs on quest
  • missymouse
    missymouse Posts: 946 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I did think about applying for a certain leisure activity shop on MF but when the brief told me I had to buy a full price item and not a sale one, I thought forget it. The reimbursement used to be more generous and it's quite a tricky assignment involving precise timings. You are not allowed to,buy accessories so,why should I be out of pocket buying an overpriced item of clothing?
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