I don’t post often, although I read the forum quite a bit. I’ve had a disturbing thought that is still troubling me, and I was wondering what the general thinking is. This isn’t an isolated practice with MSCs, but it seems not to be really common either. I was interested a job that I had never completed for any MSC, and I wanted more information before I requested the shop. What was provided was just a sketchy idea of what the shop was about. I asked, and was told they would provide me with the guidelines, but not the report form. When I got the guidelines they said very little more than the initial description of the job had told me.

When I apply for a shop and it is assigned to me, that is a tentative contract (I think) and if I am then penalized for dropping the job as soon as I have read the full requirements of the job, it seems like I have been required to sign a contract without reading it. I guess the MSCs are entitled to require that if they choose, but I think it would be a substantial error on my part to comply. I would much rather skip that job than to apply for it and risk a bad mark on my record. So I am free to refuse to sign that contract without reading it, and to not work for that MSC.

I’m not sure what my point is anymore, but it seems like a waste of a lot of serious shoppers who protect their reputations as mystery shoppers, and severely restricts the size of the pool of shoppers that MSC can draw from. Am I worrying too much or over-thinking the situation?

Anyway, anyone else have any thoughts on this subject?

Charlene

In the case where there are requirements that are revealed only after you have accepted the assignment, many (I dare say, "most") of us consider it entirely okay to promptly ask for the shop to be unassigned when we see unexpected and unwelcome requirements in the details.

The key here is to read the details immediately once the shop is assigned, so that if you must withdraw, the scheduler can reassign the shop and still be able to meet the client's deadlines. It is essential to do this via email, so that you have a record of stating your timing, the reason for withdrawing, and that you expect this to be "without penalty." That way, if a scheduler does not act promptly, you could go back to the project manager if you were unjustly penalized.

If any MSC penalizes a shopper for propmtly declining based on new information, shoppers need to know. This would be the place to report that, if it happened.

You may have been over thinking this, but it is a reasonable and common question for relatively new shoppers. Good for you to have sought advice instead of stewing.

I asked a scheduler for the guidelines before accepting the shop. She emailed them to me and after reading them, I didn't apply for that shop. I don't think I've ever had to cancel a shop because I didn't like the guidelines/instructions.

Very informative

Thanks for the response. I understand better now.
Charlene

Also, I have seen some shops in which the guidelines were really long and appeared to be complex. Then the report was extremely easy. I am thinking of some of those Market Force gas stations for this.