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

Dazzieboo

I got asked to do a job on Easter Saturday and was offered double the fee, I laughed and said for triple the fee, I wouldn't drive through the football traffic and struggle to park, we finally settled on 5 times the fee, because they were desperate for the job to be done and had been let down.

That was all done before I accepted the job, once you have said yes, you are agreeing to their terms, you can't then really turn a round and say you want more, it is like selling a car for £1000, then asking for an extra £500 !!!

A_little_stressed!!

I should have haggled, but this company has never rung me before, it caught me off guard. I feel so pressured when they ring and I feel sorry for them, it's SO stupid!
I'm waiting for a reply!

Geeves1980

A_little_stressed!! wrote: »

I should have haggled, but this company has never rung me before, it caught me off guard. I feel so pressured when they ring and I feel sorry for them, it's SO stupid!
I'm waiting for a reply!

I know what you mean, I would have probably said yes and then kicked myself after! Maybe next time (and they will ring you again seeing as you said yes straight away!) you will be a bit more prepared and know what you can get away with asking for.

Geeves1980

Just wondering if anyone has ever done any of the airline jobs on BARE? There are quite a few on there at the moment for April. I would really like to do one, especially as there is a business class to my favourite place in the world on there!

However I'm a bit nervous at the moment about doing it as have been doing this less than a year and it is a lot to pay out upfront to do it wrong and not get reinbursed! I'd probably try one of the cheaper flights first so if I got it wrong it wouldn't be so bad. I can't in April anyway as already going away but I would like to in the future.

Has anyone done them and feel happy giving me an idea what it was like?

samtastic7

A_little_stressed!! wrote: »

I should have haggled, but this company has never rung me before, it caught me off guard. I feel so pressured when they ring and I feel sorry for them, it's SO stupid!
I'm waiting for a reply!

i know what you mean i got a phone call on tues 2pm wanting me to go to york for something to eat,
i was in castleford taking kids to cinema, he kept offering money but i said its not about the money i can not physically do it today, but why should i feel bad i wonder what notes they make a bout you but we wasnt the one who let them dont last minuite

blindman

Geeves1980 wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has ever done any of the airline jobs on BARE? There are quite a few on there at the moment for April. I would really like to do one, especially as there is a business class to my favourite place in the world on there!

However I'm a bit nervous at the moment about doing it as have been doing this less than a year and it is a lot to pay out upfront to do it wrong and not get reinbursed! I'd probably try one of the cheaper flights first so if I got it wrong it wouldn't be so bad. I can't in April anyway as already going away but I would like to in the future.

Has anyone done them and feel happy giving me an idea what it was like?

I do them. Here are a few pointers.

These trips can actually cost you money as the exchange rate from Euros to £'s can work against you as can any bank charges you may incur for the transfer.

The cost of tickets can be in the £1000's if you fly business and even £400 if you fly economy :eek:
You need to plan the ticket purchase so that the credit card you use doesn't need paying before you get paid by BARE (25th of the following month).

Everyone wants the long haul flights so you have very little chance of getting one.
Good idea to ask for a 'naff' one (Leeds to Edinburgh?).

As you have to stay at least 4 hours at your destination if you do a same day return it can be a very long day for no fee.
Your expenses cover getting TO\FROM your originating airport. So if you leave the destination airport to say go shopping or visit friends etc, this cost is not covered.

The actual report is fairly easy , though it has about 60+ questions with tick boxes and then a few areas for free hand comments.

From where would you fly?

Geeves1980

blindman wrote: »

I do them. Here are a few pointers.

These trips can actually cost you money as the exchange rate from Euros to £'s can work against you as can any bank charges you may incur for the transfer.

The cost of tickets can be in the £1000's if you fly business and even £400 if you fly economy :eek:
You need to plan the ticket purchase so that the credit card you use doesn't need paying before you get paid by BARE (25th of the following month).

Everyone wants the long haul flights so you have very little chance of getting one.
Good idea to ask for a 'naff' one (Leeds to Edinburgh?).

As you have to stay at least 4 hours at your destination if you do a same day return it can be a very long day for no fee.
Your expenses cover getting TO\FROM your originating airport. So if you leave the destination airport to say go shopping or visit friends etc, this cost is not covered.

The actual report is fairly easy , though it has about 60+ questions with tick boxes and then a few areas for free hand comments.

From where would you fly?

Thanks for the point about the exchange rate, I hadn't thought of that.

I wouldn't necessarily do it for income purposes, more as a perk for all my hard work (I get no perks in my full time job!). I would take the option of staying over for a few days, would be an opportunity to go somewhere for a short break that i could deduct the cost of the flight from after. I took it from reading the brief that you were allowed to stay for up to a week so I take it it isn't wrong for using it in this way? Please tell me if I am wrong.

I would go economy, until I was so experienced and had the means to put a couple of grand on a credit card would I dare go for a higher class flight.

When you initially choose the job from the board though, do you only choose the outbound flight but book a return with the airline and get reinbursed for the cost of a return flight? I noticed on the job board they also had flights coming back the other way so wasn't sure if you had to book out both jobs, outbound and return to be able to claim both flights back as expenses?

Geeves1980

blindman wrote: »

From where would you fly?

I live in Essex so can fly Stanstead, Gatwick, Heathrow easily. However I would go from Manchester or East Midlands if it was for a destination I really wanted. For instance Las Vegas!!

blindman

Geeves1980 wrote: »

I took it from reading the brief that you were allowed to stay for up to a week so I take it it isn't wrong for using it in this way?

Yes, the maximum time is now 7 days. It used to be a month :rolleyes:

I would go economy, until I was so experienced and had the means to put a couple of grand on a credit card would I dare go for a higher class flight.

Trust me, it is worth juggling the credit card to be able to fly business class.
It is a totally different experience

When you select the job it is for a return flight from your chosen airport so for example MAN-LAS is outbound and return.

They also have flights the other way and there is nothing stopping you selecting the LAS-MAN flight (apart from the fact that you'd have to get to LAS first of course )

so can fly Stanstead, Gatwick, Heathrow easily. However I would go from Manchester or East Midlands if it was for a destination I really wanted. For instance Las Vegas!!

Join the (long) queue

Geeves1980

So when you select the job off the board is it not definitely yours? Does it let lots of people request and then choose out of the pile of names who will actually get it? There are a few long haul flights showing as available, I assumed (maybe naively) that once a person selected it, it was removed from job board and that person definitely had it?

Also what happens if once you've selected the job you are unable to book a flight for the specified day? (This is a case for some of the jobs for April. I noticed whilst being nosey about how much the flight would initially be). Will the MS company permit you to book the first available day, closest to the set date, if you contact them first?

Sorry for all the questions but I like to know what I'm letting myself in for before I commit and possibly come unstuck!