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

wensie

82much wrote: »

Thanks Wensie. You are obviously a 'busy bee'!!
I'm looking forward to having a go, hopefully something will come up in my area.

I wish I was!! :rotfl::rotfl: Well, on a more serious note. Sometimes I can't get a foot on the ground because I'm so busy. And then there are times when it's dead quiet. For starters I'd recommend that you sign up with the companies mentioned in the first post of this thread ... the rest you will find out later.

The better companies are harder to find - but they are somewhere out there!

Hazzanet

Geeves1980 wrote: »

Well I've got a bee in my bonnent about this one as it's absolute bull****. It's not worth putting it through a small claims court as the amount they owe me is less than what it would cost to file the report. but this is really what I want to do.

I'm sitting here fuming about how to get my money or them back!!! I did these shops in good faith, but their whole business is a fake!

I'd answer them truthfully, explaining that there's no affinity with the company, and the reports have been filed honestly and in good faith. If they ask you to describe yourself, I would refuse, but state that if they wish to submit a screen-capture from their CCTV of who they think the MS is, you will confirm or deny that it was you.

After 14 days following the day you expect to have been paid, I would then submit a statement from your accounts package along with a letter by recorded delivery stating that the amount is now long overdue. Give them 21 days to pay, and state that failure to pay within this timescale will result in a summons being issued by the county court. They'll probably pay rather than go through the hassle.

Note that if you do this, your services will probably be dispensed with though.

HTH

moi

Quentin wrote: »

Eventually their Clients will realise what is happening, and either give up on mystery shoppers altogether, or move to a more reputable agency.

Doubtful with clients of McBurgers calibre. They probably just want the cheapest/fake statistics so long as they can claim excellent service timings etc.

Hazzanet

moi wrote: »

Doubtful with clients of Greasy Burger calibre. They probably just want the cheapest/fake statistics so long as they can claim excellent service timings etc.

But then it's a false economy - we're here to give an honest and unbiased opinion of the service received at a given point vs a set criteria provided by the MS company. Most of the stuff we assess is common sense, and if the service providers aren't meeting these criteria the punters will vote with their feet and hand over their readies elsewhere.

I'm a firm believer that if you have completed a brief to the letter you should stick to your guns and put them in small claims if they refuse to pay. After all, by saying that you are lying they are a) tarnishing your good name, and b) potentially committing libel.

wantmorejobs

I know there has been a few tax q's lately, just one regarding my scenario.
I have done MS for over a year, and so did my tax returns last September for the previous year. Because I am a student, I don't have a full job so earnt less than £4500 (ish)-whatever the tax bracket is. I have just got a full time job and so by next year I will be paying tax.

With regards to MS money, I will claim for all possibilities to reduce fees, and I should imagine if this is done properly not many people actually make a paper profit (although the perks make it worthwhile). It is legitiimate to submit a paper loss to HMRC without being queried?
Furthermore, if a small amount is technically earnt, how do you pay the tax? I read somebody mentioned if coming out of your PAYE for main employment, is there no way you can just send them a cheque when they infrom you?

Last request, is it possible for someone to post a definitive guide to claims for tax purposes. I know mileage is 40p per mile. Can somebody inform on the printing, broadband, how much % of computer costs can be claimed? The only reason I ask is I know a self-employed computer person, and he repeatedly purchases new computers and simply off-sets it from his tax so is effectively getting it free.

Thanks

Dazzieboo

beccabee wrote: »

oh ok, it says on the website:

"We process our shopper payments fortnightly - on the 15th and 30th of each month. Here's an example of how our payment works:

1. If you shop between the 1st-14th of a given month your payment will be processed by the 30th of that month.
2. If you shop between the 15th-31st of a given month your payment will be processed by the 15th of the following month. "

They're trying to confuse me! Should I expect payment for all jobs in March to be paid in April then?

I have worked for GAP for almost 8 years and I have never been paid twice a month and can't even find the above quote on their website. As far as I am aware, their payments for the UK are processed on the 20th and payment into our banks should be around 4 days later as long as there are not any bank holidays in the way.

wensie

I rather get sacked by a company - or sack them myself - than falsifying the results of mystery shops so that the client is happy. It never ceases to amaze me why they pay for mystery shopping when they can't accept the truth.

TractorGirl327

Oops what a shame I just "accidentally on purpose" got the screening questions wrong for greasy burger and chicken shops so they won't show up on my results any more!

josie

TractorGirl327 wrote: »

Oops what a shame I just "accidentally on purpose" got the screening questions wrong for greasy burger and chicken shops so they won't show up on my results any more!

Great idea! Why didn't I think of that?!? :j

redcurlypanda

Hi

Please forgive me if I'm not doing this correctly, only as you can see from my number of postings I am not that active as member of this site (a reader more than a writer).

Anyway GAP and I parted company in January of this year after I had highlighted that they had underpaid me by over £100, which is still owing. During my time with them I did many jobs including audit work and always got paid for them all (apart from the missing money!). Below is an example of an email I sent to them when I had a similar problem as yours and I hope that it might help you to get paid.

I submitted all the information I received from the employee concerned in an attempt to complete the assignment. Whilst I can appreciate that this was quite limited in some areas, there are only so many leading questions that you can ask and if I had have been a genuine customer then I would not have asked any at all.

As I was mystery shopping this establishment to assess the customer services that members of the public receive I feel that it is very unfair that I should be penalised for highlighting the failings of this particular employee.

To the contrary I thought that this was the whole idea of mystery shopping to point out the areas which need improvement both to the employer and the employee.

I would therefore ask that the decision to withhold payment be reviewed and that the employee concerned should have further training rather than me not being paid.

I would appreciate a prompt resolution to this matter.

Best of luck.