Maximising income - Mystery Shopping? Surveys? (Part Three)

loopydonna

What would you do in this situation?

I am friendly in a "natter in the playground" type way with another mother at school. We don't socialise away from school. She has said she works in finance before, but never mentioned her employer or exact job role. She knows I do a bit of mystery shopping, as I was telling her about it one day.

I went into a bank to do a job this afternoon. The welcome desk person was sitting at the personal bankers desk and they were having a chat about personal stuff. As they were not welcoming customers, I joined the cashiers line to make my enquiry instead. There was a gap in the screens around the personal bankers desk, so I glanced through just to check that they were employees and I had got my facts right. I was horrified to see that this lady is the personal banker!

Do I need to report this to the mystery shopping company? I would feel very uncomfortable writing a report with this lady in, especially if she has noticed me in the branch and works out it was me who wrote it.

nighty29

You can't MS places if there is someone who you know, works there. You should have aborted the visit and told the company. If the link is discovered, your report will be invalid anyway and you will not be paid. Sorry!

loopydonna

Thanks. I wouldn't have taken it had I known in advance that the lady works there. I know not to do it for next time.

I kept going with the visit as I thought that looked less odd, than doing an about turn at the head of the queue and walking out without being served. I hate it when jobs go wrong and you have a second to decide what to do next in. You never know if you are doing the right thing or not.

Paul_Varjak

jayneuk wrote: »

Anyone do the phone surveys for optimum contact? Just wondered what they are like to do?

I have been doing these for three days. The main problem is getting hold of the people you need to answer the questions. I found most people quite amenable once I got hold of the right person.

You also really need to get unlimited free calls from your telephone provider and use 18185.co.uk (or one of the other Finarea companies) if you have to call mobiles.

Try to practice with a friend before you do your first survey and read the instructions carefully!

Remember, your work will be audited!

Paul_Varjak

Many Mystery Shoppers will (no doubt) qualify for Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit (CTC). I am no expert on these but I can say how these benefits have helped me...

I had been on Incapacity Benefit for 12 years due to a disability. I could earn up to £20 pw on top of my Incapacity Benefit of £81 pw.

As I am disabled, single, aged over 50, no children and working 16 hours per week I now get £101 pw in Tax Credits. I can now earn (on average) £100 pw with affecting my entitlement to Tax Credits.

If I was to work at least 30 hours per week I would get £140 pw in Tax Credits.

It is also still possible to get Council Tax benefit and Housing Benefit whilst on Tax Credits but the income from Tax Credits is taken into account when calculating entitlement to these benefits.

To work out entitlement to benefits you can visit these sites:

http://www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/Qualify/DIQHousehold.aspx?pro=workingtaxcredit&cre=article

http://www.entitledto.co.uk/

I suggest that you also pay Class 2 NI contributions!!

A_little_stressed!!

loopydonna wrote: »

What would you do in this situation?

I am friendly in a "natter in the playground" type way with another mother at school. We don't socialise away from school. She has said she works in finance before, but never mentioned her employer or exact job role. She knows I do a bit of mystery shopping, as I was telling her about it one day.

I went into a bank to do a job this afternoon. The welcome desk person was sitting at the personal bankers desk and they were having a chat about personal stuff. As they were not welcoming customers, I joined the cashiers line to make my enquiry instead. There was a gap in the screens around the personal bankers desk, so I glanced through just to check that they were employees and I had got my facts right. I was horrified to see that this lady is the personal banker!

Do I need to report this to the mystery shopping company? I would feel very uncomfortable writing a report with this lady in, especially if she has noticed me in the branch and works out it was me who wrote it.

I had a similar experience on one of my shops, it wasn't the person that served me, but someone else (staff) said hello. It was someone I vaguely new from years ago, we don't know each others names, and the only place I see them is in that shop & all we say is hello! Does that count as knowing them....really?

jobbingmusician

loopydonna wrote: »

Thanks. I wouldn't have taken it had I known in advance that the lady works there. I know not to do it for next time.

I kept going with the visit as I thought that looked less odd, than doing an about turn at the head of the queue and walking out without being served. I hate it when jobs go wrong and you have a second to decide what to do next in. You never know if you are doing the right thing or not.

I would do the following. (This assumes that the person you wrote your MAIN report about is not your 'friend'). Write the report, and report accurately on the main transaction. Somewhere in the report (probably in the last section, but depends on the layout) tell the company about the receptionist not being available, what happened, and that you realised the personal banker was known to you. Submit the report, THEN telephone or email the company. I don't agree that it is necessary to abort the visit, unless you feel that your 'friend' has noticed you and realised that you are MSing, and tipped off the person you are actually writing the main report on.

We are all bound to come across situations sometime when we meet someone in a shop who we know, who may affect our MS experience - I'm sure the companies are experienced in dealing with this!!!!!

mimi1234

Do BARE payments show up as ADVICE CONFIRMS on bank statements? Got a payment from the above which was more or less what BARE owed me.

nighty29

jobbingmusician wrote: »

I would do the following. (This assumes that the person you wrote your MAIN report about is not your 'friend'). Write the report, and report accurately on the main transaction. Somewhere in the report (probably in the last section, but depends on the layout) tell the company about the receptionist not being available, what happened, and that you realised the personal banker was known to you. Submit the report, THEN telephone or email the company. I don't agree that it is necessary to abort the visit, unless you feel that your 'friend' has noticed you and realised that you are MSing, and tipped off the person you are actually writing the main report on.

We are all bound to come across situations sometime when we meet someone in a shop who we know, who may affect our MS experience - I'm sure the companies are experienced in dealing with this!!!!!

Trouble is if they want to dispute the report, this could be used against the MSer. And also all companies always say - "please confirm that you do not know anyone in the place you are going to".

loopydonna

jobbingmusician wrote: »

I would do the following. (This assumes that the person you wrote your MAIN report about is not your 'friend'). Write the report, and report accurately on the main transaction. Somewhere in the report (probably in the last section, but depends on the layout) tell the company about the receptionist not being available, what happened, and that you realised the personal banker was known to you. Submit the report, THEN telephone or email the company. I don't agree that it is necessary to abort the visit, unless you feel that your 'friend' has noticed you and realised that you are MSing, and tipped off the person you are actually writing the main report on.

Thanks.

I don't even know if the lady saw me or not. She's a really extrovert person - one who goes round and talks to everyone in the yard. I'm sure if she had seen me, she would have done her usual big bubbly hello!

The counter person was behind glass so in a different room. There is no way they could have known I was a shopper and due to the layout, no way she could have gestured or anything to let them know.

Once I spotted her, I turned and kept my back to her. I had a black wool coat on, and shoulder length brown hair, so from the back I probably looked like thousands of other people out there!

My only worry was if she noticed me after the transaction and then told the counter person they had just been mystery shopped.