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

ryandj

toshkininny wrote: »

Hi, does anybody work (on the inside) for a mystery shopping company?

I just wondered what checks they do to make sure a mystery shopper actually did carry out their assignment? I was thinking that anybody could pretend to do a "job" and then get paid for making it up!

There are lots of ways they check up on you...i have not done a shop for a while, but in most cases they ask that you...

Describe staff members
Describe the location of the shop - whats next to it
Submit a receipt


And usually the shop you shopped will get to see the mystery shop report, and they would probably remember you coming into the shop, failing that most places have CCTV.

I once did a visit to a well known burger 'restaurant' and said that I did not like the service or something, I got all kinds of additional questions and then also ended up with them talking to the people in the shop who gave a description of me. So they knew I had been in there!

So it is quite difficult most of the time to scam it.

Some visits for example to just make enquiries at eg banks, car forecourts, opticians, I suppose if you were dishonest you could not do the visit and make it up.

But realistically, these mystery shopping companies have lots of experience at running the mystery shoppers so can usually spot a fake.

josie

learning_to_drive wrote: »

LOL Gap have temp banned my account until I ring them to explain why I put the phone down on them 3 times (once because I was driving) the other two times because I awaiting urgent news on jobs etc.

I dont understand why they ring so frequently to offer assignments, my argument is that they have an online booking system for that very reason, and they offered me jobs that were miles away half the time.

Gap have never rung me, but don't think I gave them my mobile number as didn't want them ringing me whilst at work.

TNS have only rung twice and again don't have my mobile number, but similarly to previous posters have always been very friendly, polite and pleasant.

josie

leila1 wrote: »

Aha!!! They must be keeping some of these a secret then! I wonder if they do the same with the toy shops and the green supermarket jobs? or do they just get picked in the early hours of the morning!!!

Yes whenever I look at the supermarket ones there never seem to be more than about a dozen available at any one time, when there are bloomin' hundreds of the actual shops out there.

Well, am about to give up and go to bed, so no doubt the jobs will start appearing in the next half hour!

Timmne

PurpleMunchkin wrote: »

Just had an interesting call from The Gap. They were wanting me to do a greasy burger breakfast assignment and rather than offering me a premium payment i have been offered an extra petrol assignment - think that works out better than £2 extra they usually offer.

Just in time for needing my car filled anyway :j

I had this too, a while ago when I did the burger and chicken jobs.

I had a mini argument with the guy though as he said "We'll give you £xx of free petrol" - I thought great, until I realised what he was doing was giving me ANOTHER job with no fee!

I almost turned both down as I couldn't get him to realise that the petrol wasn't free as I had to then come home and spend another 20 minutes filling out a report and submitting a receipt!

Although I'm grateful to have a bit of extra, paid for petrol in my car, I really resent it (you'll notice this from my posts!) when a MSing company think they're doing you a favour by giving you "free" stuff without fees when they forget you actually have to work for it! It's like my boss saying he gives me free money when I go to work, I just have to do some accounts for it!

The petrol and supermarket ones are the only ones I do for GAP now, I've told them they don't pay me enough to have a heart attack from their fast food jobs and the pay on the phone shops is rubbish too!

ilean

Hi
Have bar visit for 1 adult under 50:


To be done between 9-11pm

Increased fee paid
Drink purchase required-refunded


Oxford

To be done 18th or 19th Jan



Anyone interested and available please drop me a line


Eflaherty1@yahoo.co.uk

TractorGirl327

Timmne wrote: »

I had this too, a while ago when I did the burger and chicken jobs.

I had a mini argument with the guy though as he said "We'll give you £xx of free petrol" - I thought great, until I realised what he was doing was giving me ANOTHER job with no fee!

I almost turned both down as I couldn't get him to realise that the petrol wasn't free as I had to then come home and spend another 20 minutes filling out a report and submitting a receipt!

Although I'm grateful to have a bit of extra, paid for petrol in my car, I really resent it (you'll notice this from my posts!) when a MSing company think they're doing you a favour by giving you "free" stuff without fees when they forget you actually have to work for it! It's like my boss saying he gives me free money when I go to work, I just have to do some accounts for it!

The petrol and supermarket ones are the only ones I do for GAP now, I've told them they don't pay me enough to have a heart attack from their fast food jobs and the pay on the phone shops is rubbish too!

I don't mind the fact that you don't get a fee for the petrol ones. I'd have to buy petrol whether I was doing an assignment or not, so as far as I'm concerned, it's definitely a bonus.

I also quite like doing the Phone shops, especially if I'm doing other jobs in that area on the same day. I've done them so often I know what I'm doing and can get it all done in about 15 mins, £6 for quarter of an hours work isnt that bad.

jobbingmusician

Timmne wrote: »

They will do your NI too as you'll be employed - NI on employment income is a different type (class 1 instead of class 2 and 4 which are self employment).

NI is not likely to be featured though as you need to be earning over £435 per month to pay any, and this goes for each employment.

Small earnings exception is not linked to employment - only self employment.

Thanks for this, Timne, lovely and clear.

Only one query, though. I thought once you had exhausted your NI 'free' allowance of £435 pm you should pay NI on all earnings - TNS know I have a full time job but none of their payments attracts NI. I have a suspicion that quite a few MSers may be racking up an NI debt. Is this true or have I got it wrong? :rolleyes:

Timmne

jobbingmusician wrote: »

Thanks for this, Timne, lovely and clear.

Only one query, though. I thought once you had exhausted your NI 'free' allowance of £435 pm you should pay NI on all earnings - TNS know I have a full time job but none of their payments attracts NI. I have a suspicion that quite a few MSers may be racking up an NI debt. Is this true or have I got it wrong? :rolleyes:

Luckily you have it wrong!

You get the £435 per month in each employment - this means you could earn £435 per month in 100 jobs and you'd still not pay any NI....

I guess TNS pay you less then £435 per month? If so, then you shouldn't be paying any NI.

Now you can go and spend your accumulated NI saving, providing you've saved up for it!

jakita

Hi, just a quick question, I'd like to get the opportunity to choose a few more jobs as they seem to be pretty thin on the ground - is it worth uploading my picture to R.E, will it make any difference?

kingkongkirk

What a wonderful informative thread. Best i've ever seen on any subject anywhere. :money: Spent ages looking at it last night and thought i'd better join.

How does the petrol station, mystery shopping work? And which companies are the best ones to find these kind of jobs?

Is it you fill the car right up with petrol, (no matter what the total) and they dont pay you a fee? or do you fill it up a fiver' worth and then they give you a fee.?
Any tips will be thoroughly appreciated.