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

SavingforDiamonds

I am registered with Frontline Focus and do a regular assignment for them once a month. I am always paid the following month without fail, and have never had any problems with them. The assignment I do is at a food outlet I really like and isn't difficult to get to (and I have no travel costs), and I get refunded for my purchase plus a small fee for doing a 5-minute survey. I really enjoy working for them and would really recommend them, they are very professional (which can't be said for some other MS companies I have signed up with in the past).

snakefollower

I have done several mystery shopping trips since the start of Feb this year. I registered with three companies, but found one gave more local opportunities.

I did four branches of a discount shoe store and was given £10 fee and a £10 spend allowance towards shoes. Bear in mind the time it takes to get from home to the shop, even if it's local, it can still take time, to park etc... Then you have to spend a reasonable amount of time in the store, observing the displays, window displays, remember the name and characteristics of the person who served you and the staff behind the counter and the manager. While waiting in the queue you don't just daydream, you have to remember if the place is clean or if it's clean apart from under a display rack... Then immediately in the car, I'd make a few notes about the number of people in the shop, the names of staff etc. Then I cannot wait to get back and start the report.

I cannot possibly envisage anybody would do the reports in 10 minutes. I find them time consuming with several questions wanting narrative and descriptions, and a narrative of the visit.

I would advise travelling to other cities and counties, stay within a reasonable distance of home. Sometimes I have been able to ask for mileage, sometimes not. Even with mileage or parking covered, there isn't much in it for you travelling a long journey just for a £10-20 profit!

I honestly feel it's a way of paying under minimum wage. The idea is that you'd be out anyway, or it's a way of building up your wardrobe is a bit of a myth to me.

I have been paid £8-15 for the jobs I've done.

Once I had to go to a shop, buy something and then at least 40 minutes later, go back and say I had changed my mind. I went for a hot chocolate and got the bulk of my report done on their WiFi. Otherwise at least I wasn't spending my own money that day.

I also did a care home one. I had to phone to pretend I have an elderly relative, as if I'm asking about my relative going to the home. The first time I reached answerphone. The next time the girl said I'm best off speaking to the manager and just as she wa about to write down my number, I got cut off. I phoned straight back and a guy said he tripped over the phone wire. We got the conversation going that I was looking for and I said I'd go for a look around the next day. He said that I could expect the manager to call me at around 14:00. 14:45 no call back, so I called the mystery shopping company, and she agreed I'd waited long enough and record it as no call back...

The next morning I was looking on Google street view and I could have sworn the marker was further down the road and I couldn't just see the building. So rather than risking getting lost, driving up and down, I phoned up. Then the manager called to say she wanted me at 15:30.

So bear in mind that is quite late on in the day. It actually went well and it was a pleasing experience speaking to the manager and being shown around the home. I felt I was being thorough with my report and remembered things well. From my perspective it was all good. Yet as I got back late afternoon, it was then tea. After tea I finally finished my report at 21:30.

Therefore all this working for £10-15 most certainly do the time justice. It's not just a bit of time in the shop, it's the time it takes to do the report.

Plus I find there is a lot of chasing, asking about things which adds to it, but I feel that's the nature of freelance and self employed.

You often have to spend your own money, to claim it back when you get paid. Once I had to query £4 which I got paid a few days later.

If you do two in a day, you'll obviously have to be careful not to mix the facts up.

Overall I feel mystery shopping has a short shelf life for people. While you wouldn't expect to get rich, I would expect a bit more money than £10-15 out of it.

So perhaps people would do this for a limited duration due to the pay.

Plus there is a rule about not going back to the same place within three months. That's OK until you see the same clients' jobs appear within three months. You spot local ones and realise you cannot put your name down as you already did it. So perhaps it gets limited on those grounds too.

Plus if you end up combining a few, you really will spend ages doing the reports!

skivenov

Snakefollower - It might be a good idea if you take the monetary amounts, brief specifics, and shop results out of your post.

But yes, part of the nack is learning to count the small sums up into a respectable one with as little outlay as possible.

Deanied

Snakefollower, you make it sound so negative, my experience is very different. I count it as a hobby. I do mainly restaurants, clothes shops or other high street shops. I figure I've got to eat so why not eat out for free. Last week I ate out 5 days in a row for free. Okay I had to complete the report, but if I had cooked at home I would have had to have spent time cooking and washing up anyway.

In the clothes shop I consider it a big discount on the ticket price and when I can buy household stuff like toiletries that I would have to buy anyway I consider the money I saved as a bonus to buy myself a treat else where.

I guess it depends if you're trying to earn a living with it or just score some handpicked freebies.

Maybe we shop for different companies, but one company I work for offers a triple figure pay for about two hours work. That's defo an hourly rate way above minimum wage! Admittedly you can't do jobs like that every week, but when you do it's easy and and I find it enjoyable.

Dupin

MO2 wrote: »

Just quick question regarding Gap- Fast Food Restaurant (Burgers)
can I use a voucher when I pay for my meal. Could not find anything to suggest otherwise. I got a special offer voucher for this restaurant from a local newspaper. . Thanks

No you can't. From the instructions: "You must pay for your meal using CASH or CHIP/PIN".


Also, someone on here (I can't find the post) was having disputes with them about the timings within the shop timeframe. They've now added guidelines saying you must enter after the timeframe starts and must leave before the timeframe ends.

Larac

skivenov wrote: »

Snakefollower - It might be a good idea if you take the monetary amounts and brief specifics out of your post.

But yes, part of the nack is learning to count the small sums up into a respectable one with as little outlay as possible.

Agree - you need to consider time and distance and get circuits up is fairly key. Doing one job here and there in different locations for small fees is not worth IMHO. Fine if you are tripping over the door step on the way to something else. Also you get to learn avoid certain jobs as the they are a complete 'mare' eg the blue and yellow torture chambers :eek:appear every bank holiday and are not worth the time or effort

Tolteca87

TNS paid today. React are showing the bank for tomorrow.

Booboo44_2

Tolteca87 wrote: »

TNS paid today. React are showing the bank for tomorrow.

Hiya have just started doing jobs with React so not expecting to be paid this month however was wondering how you know what you are being paid, eg with MF you can see your payments due and dates on your home page.

Thanks

genetic

Booboo44 wrote: »

Hiya have just started doing jobs with React so not expecting to be paid this month however was wondering how you know what you are being paid, eg with MF you can see your payments due and dates on your home page.

Thanks

Lots of people can see it as a"pending" transaction when they do their online banking. As far as I know, there is no way to tell from the mystery shopping company's website.

Tolteca87

You can add up the totals on each Received job on any SASSIE site. Or just add sum it on your spreadsheet. Or wait for the Remittance form they send out each month they pay you for jobs in which will also tell you.