I HATE it when I get dinged for "minor editing." It kills me because I always do my narratives in MS Office first, check for grammar and word usage, and triple check my punctuation. It makes me think they must be jealous because some shoppers write better than they (the editors) do. What else can they do in revenge but to ding a shopper's score? I've been so irritated that I fire letters off to the editor that's given me a 9 for what I know to be an excellent report. Sometimes it changes to a 10 and sometimes not. All I ever want to know is just what in the heck they objected to!

What really drives me nuts is when I see the various typo and/or word usage errors on the survey forms we print out for shops. It makes me wonder "Are these the Bozos editing my work?" It would explain a lot!

rosemarie1955 Wrote:
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> What really drives me nuts is when I see the
> various typo and/or word usage errors on the
> survey forms we print out for shops. It makes me
> wonder "Are these the Bozos editing my work?" It
> would explain a lot!

I have to admit, that annoys me too. I recently received an email from an editor telling me to add some info to my narrative, but also saying I had a few typo's.

I went back and checked the report over and over several times. I then checked it over with Spellcheck and found no spelling errors. However, the email the editor sent to me had several typo's. That really got to me for some reason.

My work is clean, but MSP's is not, nor is their critique of my work. They've dunned my work, resulting in a lower, undeserved rating. I could request clarification of 'errors' they found in my work and/or highlight their errors and send it back. I'd spin it so as not to be too negative.

What do you think?

I've done that Mert. I average about 70 shops a month, and my average score for most of the MSC's I work for is a 10. That's what makes getting a 9 so frustrating.

Maybe only once every 3 months will I get a clarification for a grade '9' report. Like lisams901, I check over my work thoroughly (I always save my report narratives) to see what the editor could possibly be objecting to before I fire off a letter. I'll find mistakes once in a while, and then of course I don't say anything. But when I know I've written a thorough, grammatically correct report that addresses every issue in the survey, only to have it inaccurately critiqued, I get angry. I want to argue with the editor about what they found, because I've found nothing.

What I've also done in the past is point out grammatical errors I've found in the editors' writing. I'll explain what the error is and why it's an error. I can't help myself - I'm an English major teaching middle school. Grading content is one of the things I do.

I think that's why I get so irritated. I grade writing for cryin' out loud! Not only that, when writing reports I go out of my way to avoid using the same words repeatedly eg. "said, asked, noted, observed," etc., only to receive a 9. I sometimes think when the editors encounter words they're not familiar with, or a turn of a phrase that's not common, they deduct a point out of spite. I don't know ... I just get really frustrated.

And while I'm on the subject, you know what else kills me? Editors have complete anonymity! They know who we are, sometimes we're even addressed by name! But we don't know who the person is who's grading our work. Why should they get to hide behind the ubiquitous "editor" or just "editor@MSC.com/do not reply to this message?" We don't hide who we are from the MSC! Why do they get anonymity? It just drives me nuts.

Yes, I'm venting. Thanks for listening. And now I've got to go do reports!

I have made a few inquiries about 'errors' and really have gotten no answers. I have pretty much written off trying. And correcting their mistakes gently or not? Nope, I won't go there. If they didn't care enough to put the effort into getting it right in the first place I don't need to make them hostile now

I'm with Flash on this one. The only time I will engage an editor is when the action they have taken may affect my pay on a particular shop.

An 8, a 9, a 10... I'm sure some big mystery bean counter in a glass tower somewhere cares, but as long as I am offered the jobs I want and able to maintain a steady stream of work, what difference does it make in the big picture?

None to me, that's for sure.

JayTee Wrote:
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> I'm with Flash on this one. The only time I will
> engage an editor is when the action they have
> taken may affect my pay on a particular shop.
>
> An 8, a 9, a 10... I'm sure some big mystery bean
> counter in a glass tower somewhere cares, but as
> long as I am offered the jobs I want and able to
> maintain a steady stream of work, what difference
> does it make in the big picture?
>
> None to me, that's for sure.


I agree. If the jobs keep coming, then my goals are being met. :-) Some editors are more picky than others; some give usable feedback, some don't.
I only ask when I feel what they dinged me for was already in the report, and then I ask nicely for clarification. Sometimes I receive a response, sometimes not. I would say I might do this only about 2 times a year, if that.

The problem you've had is just the reason why I don't work for the big mystery shopper companies anymore. I've found that I can made a lot more money working independently. Believe me clients are not hard to find if you know where to look.

I have only been doing this since 9/09 and some here will say "pay your dues" before you speak out.

What does it really matter if you get consistent 9s instead of a mix of 9s and 10s. Does it really affect your ability to get jobs?

To me, these editors, in one respect, are like building inspectors. They have to find something wrong to justify their existence.

Not all editors find something wrong. I rarely hear from any about my shops. Some always will. But, with MORE EXPERIENCE, you will be able to see whether it is the editor being too nitpicky or you not being nitpicky enough. Like any other job, it takes time to learn to do well. Would you expect to walk into any other job at day 90 and have the same results as someone who has done it for a year or more...As an ex-HR director, I can say your employer expects you will not, and pays accordingly.

popgreg Wrote:
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> I have only been doing this since 9/09 and some
> here will say "pay your dues" before you speak
> out.
>
> What does it really matter if you get consistent
> 9s instead of a mix of 9s and 10s. Does it really
> affect your ability to get jobs?
>
> To me, these editors, in one respect, are like
> building inspectors. They have to find something
> wrong to justify their existence.


Speak out to whom? Members of this forum, or the MSP? If it's the MSP, speaking out could be necessary to a new shopper, depending on the situation. It's not cut and dried. But, trying to reinvent the wheel with an MSP is not something that any shopper should attempt, in my opinion. Not what we contract for.

Does it matter if we get 9s consistently, with all MSPs? Does to me. I don't think 9s will keep me from getting shops, but if there's criteria I haven't met, I would appreciate being advised of where I fell short, so I can improve. Judging from what editors, past and present, have posted, they have their work cut out for them as much as the rest of us.

Actually, speaking as an English teacher, contractions are strongly discouraged in formal writing. I would have hit you with a point deduction for that, as well.