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

Tolteca87 · 29 July 2015 at 1:56PM

MF is not showing at the bank yet.
React is showing for the 30th.
Bare's payment cleared today.

skivenov · 29 July 2015 at 2:49PM

MysteryMan00 wrote: »

Hi video shoppers

I'm fairly new to this side of things - I have the usual PV500 and BU13 kit. I bought it new a few months ago.

It's starting to give me some problems. I wonder if they are the kind that people on here sometimes mention re the BU13 - and was hoping someone could help me solve them.

I think it's cable issues.

The sound has started cutting in and out randomly - even though mic connection is taped in place.

Also, sometimes the unit says "no signal" but a (hard) jiggle of the connection into the camera solves it after 1 or 10 hard wiggles (that I worry will mess up its angle). It's pretty random - it will do it straight after being fine - ie when there has been no chance for the cable to move.

It's all annoying me and is going to cause a failure sooner or later. I've been lucky so far that the sound cut outs have not been while talking to someone.

Any ideas or hints or places I can get non Lawmate/better cables much appreciated!

Cheers

I don't get on at all with the BU13, mine just lives in its box. Most people I know use the older, analogue, BU18.

Larac · 29 July 2015 at 3:00PM

Did anyone else get caught on the Street Bees shambles? I applied for five jobs (was accepted) and was in the process of uploading the data to be advised they had reached their quota of shops and the project was closed. Looks like I am only going to be paid for two of them. Complete waste of a morning. The app is dodgy as I struggled to get a connection, using WIFI and 4G

I will be very wary of doing any form of circuit with them again. Hope others fared better.

Big_Graeme · 29 July 2015 at 6:23PM

Larac wrote: »

Did anyone else get caught on the Street Bees shambles? I applied for five jobs (was accepted) and was in the process of uploading the data to be advised they had reached their quota of shops and the project was closed. Looks like I am only going to be paid for two of them. Complete waste of a morning. The app is dodgy as I struggled to get a connection, using WIFI and 4G

I will be very wary of doing any form of circuit with them again. Hope others fared better.

Yep, I was 7 jobs in to a 20 job day when they pulled the plug. I started at the furthest away too as there was no mention of a quota, I could have done 10 or 11 quickly if I had known.

On the upside they have paid me for the ones I did do.

skyshadow · 29 July 2015 at 6:38PM

Moneysaver199 wrote: »

This depends on the ticket required for the job. Some are quite low value. The one I was going to do was about 25 miles on a very simple route so the upfront cost was lower than the fee. I did see some that were a hundred miles or so though, so I guess the ticket could cost quite a bit!!

As for the phone shops, I'm curious about those. One I looked at with a different company was to go in and take a contract and you could choose to keep the contract if you wanted, or not keep it (in which case you had to take a cheap handset). Now, I have to wonder how all that works, given that you've probably just signed up and given bank details. Now that makes me nervier than a train ticket, but perhaps the train tickets you looked at were of a more long distance sort. It may even be worthwhile looking at a bunch of them from a different city, maybe a city you could go and plan to do some shopping in anyway?

Another query from me...I've been tracking my shops, not many so far, so that I have something for tax. I'm deducting 45p a mile travel and 6p per printout. Quite often I have nothing left as profit from the shop, but obviously I'm just getting started at this. Some of the food isn't much good to me either, have taken a friend along to eat some of it too. Anyway, will I just track all the fees and deductions for tax purposes. I realise I'll need to do something about this within 3 months. I gather it isn't too difficult, although pulling the information together might be time consuming if I do lots or don't keep my spreadsheet up to date.

The phone shop in question no longer exists sadly but the jobs were enquiring about a new a contract then declining and seeing what the store offered. Very easy with no purchase and a great way of being paid to play with the latest phone and help me choose the best contract and handset...alas those days are gone.

Regarding tax, as I'm self employed anyways the paper work is no different for me to what I usually do. I tend to keep an annual Profit and Loss excel file and then do a monthly file to drill down into it. Using the trains as my sole method of transport makes expenses a tad easier and with season tickets it allows me to judge it all on a month by month basis for overall profitability. The best thing is being honest so you can see if its worth it or not

I tend to be a little anal with every spend or amount paid in having its own line item with columns of job ID and company so I can group and sort things a little better. I've done alot of the poor paid jobs as a way in to earn some brownie points with the companies so keep at it and you will get bigger and better jobs and see progression. I recently got a job with a company which I would not have got allocated had I not done so many low level menial jobs first

missymouse · 29 July 2015 at 7:57PM

Yes I think you build up a reputation for reliability etc.

Still confused about reimbursements e.g. A piece of clothing.

I was told by IR and MF only worry about the actual fee . reimbursement to me is not the same as cash. Dtms

if you need something for an assignment and the company reimburses you how does that lie with IR

Thanks

skyshadow · 29 July 2015 at 9:04PM

missymouse wrote: »

Yes I think you build up a reputation for reliability etc.

Still confused about reimbursements e.g. A piece of clothing.

I was told by IR and MF only worry about the actual fee . reimbursement to me is not the same as cash. Dtms

if you need something for an assignment and the company reimburses you how does that lie with IR

Thanks

The way I had it explained to me by an accountant was that reimbursements are like any expenses for any job. You pay it for work and get it paid back so the cash being paid to you isn't additional cash you otherwise wouldn't have.

The goods you get however are a bit of a grey area. Small items like a piece of clothing or a meal are technically a benefit as you've received a physical perk similar to a company car but generally speaking they are so low they not going to push you into the taxable threshold unless you are doing several visits everyday getting large amounts of luxury items.

Travel and accommodation are even more of a grey area as its not a physical thing, it's an experience which is hard to define in taxable terms. I keep a record of mine but cannot declare it in the monetary sense as I am no better off financially and have no physical product at the end of this.

missymouse · 29 July 2015 at 10:16PM

Thanks

So shall I just declare the fees as told

my worry is that say they audit MF and MF have paid me X amount but some of this payment is reimbursement Z so do I only declare fee part Y and keep receipts for Z and hope for the best

shell_belle · 29 July 2015 at 10:39PM

Larac wrote: »

Did anyone else get caught on the Street Bees shambles? I applied for five jobs (was accepted) and was in the process of uploading the data to be advised they had reached their quota of shops and the project was closed. Looks like I am only going to be paid for two of them. Complete waste of a morning. The app is dodgy as I struggled to get a connection, using WIFI and 4G

I will be very wary of doing any form of circuit with them again. Hope others fared better.

Went to start mine and they had been pulled. Luckily didn't drive too far but was getting ready to drive to the furthest point...what a total shambles!!!

shell_belle · 29 July 2015 at 10:47PM

Just updated the React information on the 1st page. If anyone else notices anything that's not up-to-date please let me know and I'll get it fixed. It appears that the info hasn't been for a long time.

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

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