With the new school year among us, the Aero shops stand out like an eye sore. The latest round has me thinking back to a conversation I had with some coworkers several years ago. They knew I did mystery shopping from time to time and one of them happened to be a former employee of this client. I don't know how the conversation came about but I remember her saying that the same guy shopped all of the stores in the area. Absolutely believable because back then just about every store within twenty miles would get snagged the moment they became available. She told me that he would always give them good reviews. Clearly something is off here. It certainly raised some eyebrows finding out about this.

Obviously, having been so long ago I don't recall exactly how this came to my knowledge. But I'm pretty sure at least part of the ICA was broken in obtaining the information. Knowing this key fact, would you tell the MSC about the possible false shop reports being done?

No. First of all, my understanding is you had this conversation years ago so it's history. Second of all, just because he gave them good reports doesn't mean the reports were fabricated in any way. I did one of those and there were no issues so they got a great report, all of it true. Turning in a person based on what someone else said years ago will not have a good outcome for you. On the contrary, I believe you will cast yourself as a busybody and a troublemaker. Please do yourself a favor and forget you heard this.

I would not say anything. What you heard is hearsay anyway.

MDavisnowell Wrote:
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> No. First of all, my understanding is you had
> this conversation years ago so it's history.
> Second of all, just because he gave them good
> reports doesn't mean the reports were fabricated
> in any way. I did one of those and there were no
> issues so they got a great report, all of it true.
> Turning in a person based on what someone else
> said years ago will not have a good outcome for
> you. On the contrary, I believe you will cast
> yourself as a busybody and a troublemaker. Please
> do yourself a favor and forget you heard this.

I agree with MDavisnowell 100%. It's years ago.... How accurate is hearsay?

Even if you heard it firsthand, you are going to be sticking your nose in something that is not applicable. The client would want "fresh fraud" something that just happened so he could do something about it (still don't condone you wanting to tell) but from the clients perspective, this happened two years ago. How accurate can it be? What form of punishment can you extract from ancient history?

Don't be ridiculous, I'm not talking about reporting something from the past, that's just an example. There is no way any company could look back that far.

I meant if you were to find out about something that happened in present day but were obtaining the information by violating your ICA.

And to say there were no issues with your recent shop, how is that relevant? Unless of course these employees also knew you were the shopper...in which case of course they wouldn't screw anything up in your presence.

I would definitely not report any violation or other misconduct to an MSC that I heard second hand.

Ouch!

His report vs my report. Which one is fabricated? I will be reporting as much of the truth that is possible with the CCTV backing me up. If they chose to falsify their reports, I think enough of his reports will eventually tell on him.

No, I would not tell on another shopper. I don't have time for "he said, she said".

Hearsay is just that and not good enough to risk another ICs status. I have heard all sorts of things about other shoppers during revealed audits. Was some or any of it true? Probably because stories were consistent from one store to another, but similar stories could also come from employees talking to other stores on the same chain.

110mama Wrote:
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> Don't be ridiculous, I'm not talking about
> reporting something from the past, that's just an
> example. There is no way any company could look
> back that far.
>
> I meant if you were to find out about something
> that happened in present day but were obtaining
> the information by violating your ICA.
>
> And to say there were no issues with your recent
> shop, how is that relevant? Unless of course these
> employees also knew you were the shopper...in
> which case of course they wouldn't screw anything
> up in your presence.


I make it a habit of minding my own business. I answer what they ask and write my narrative. Unless it applies to my shop I don't get in contact with an MSC in order to tell on someone else.

There was an interesting thread a half year ago or so about "tattling." My sense then was that it was about 10 to 1 in favor of not reporting another shopper based on client employee anecdotal sharing.
I did report a shopper once for verbal abuse of client employees after said employees began adopting defensive and, in two instances, outright hostile postures towards me, which when questioned yielded the same accounts of the same shopper yelling at them, belittling them, and threatening them with outrageous consequences in his reports. I had been consistently encouraging them to simply call the number on the LOA, but after hearing of outright name calling from two female employees and getting cussed out by a lividly irate male owner who told me he had told the client's corporate office (not the MSC) to never send a shopper again, I decided to make the call.
Never heard about that shopper again during future shops.
The MSC lost the contract at the end of the year.

I think it would have to be something pretty egregious before I'd consider saying anything, and then I think it would be something vague like, "I really think it would be in the client's best interest if they asked the employees at this particular unit if they have had any problems with a mystery shopper that they would like to tell them about. I overheard (or was told) something very disturbing that, if true, I think the client should hear about."


If they care, they'll follow up. If they don't care, that's their decision (or maybe they already heard about it).


I worked supervising 18 clerks once who once they came to trust me started telling me of abuses (discrimination, disrespect, unfair actions) perpetrated by my boss (the department manager) that had gone on for five years before I came to work there. I went to her boss and did not repeat any of the things I had been told in confidence by the clerks but suggested it might be a good idea to call all the clerks in one by one to get to know them a little and see what they had to say to him. Three clerks into the process he called me in and asked if I felt confident enough to do her job. They transferred her out of the department and gave me her job. I don't even know what they told him. But I'm sure he got an earful.

So it's not always necessary to repeat the gossip, just give them a chance to hear it on their own.

Sorry, your own scenario presented that you were talking about reporting something from the past. If you completely change your mind about a post, you can simply delete the whole thing with an edit and a "sorry, post deleted". To accuse those trying to help you of being ridiculous is a stretch.


110mama Wrote:
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> With the new school year among us, the Aero shops
> stand out like an eye sore. The latest round has
> me thinking back to a conversation I had with some
> coworkers several years ago. They knew I did
> mystery shopping from time to time and one of them
> happened to be a former employee of this client. I
> don't know how the conversation came about but I
> remember her saying that the same guy shopped all
> of the stores in the area. Absolutely believable
> because back then just about every store within
> twenty miles would get snagged the moment they
> became available. She told me that he would always
> give them good reviews. Clearly something is off
> here. It certainly raised some eyebrows finding
> out about this.
>
> Obviously, having been so long ago I don't recall
> exactly how this came to my knowledge. But I'm
> pretty sure at least part of the ICA was broken in
> obtaining the information. Knowing this key fact,
> would you tell the MSC about the possible false
> shop reports being done?

Honestly I don't see how you know any ICA was broken...I read this as they "knew" "thought" figured out who the mystery shopper is and he gave them a good report each time. Pretty much sure that one of the ones I did always had a good report and pretty sure at least the manager had me figured out but nothing was ever said by me or her. I am sure the managers talk and they had this all figured out.

Under these circumstances there would be nothing to report.

Liz

110mama Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With the new school year among us, the Aero shops
> stand out like an eye sore. The latest round has
> me thinking back to a conversation I had with some
> coworkers several years ago. They knew I did
> mystery shopping from time to time and one of them
> happened to be a former employee of this client. I
> don't know how the conversation came about but I
> remember her saying that the same guy shopped all
> of the stores in the area. Absolutely believable
> because back then just about every store within
> twenty miles would get snagged the moment they
> became available. She told me that he would always
> give them good reviews. Clearly something is off
> here. It certainly raised some eyebrows finding
> out about this.
>
> Obviously, having been so long ago I don't recall
> exactly how this came to my knowledge. But I'm
> pretty sure at least part of the ICA was broken in
> obtaining the information. Knowing this key fact,
> would you tell the MSC about the possible false
> shop reports being done?

generally speaking if there is a pattern of
inappropiate behavior or misleading reports
the msc and/or client will eventually detect it.

Usually no one respects or likes a tattletale. Stick to honesty in your reports and let the MSC and their client figure other shoppers reports out.

bestofbothworlds Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Usually no one respects or likes a tattletale.
> Stick to honesty in your reports and let the MSC
> and their client figure other shoppers reports
> out.


There was a girl at work whom everyone seemed to hate. I was brand new and decided to lay low around her. Sure enough, she would come out of her little room and say things like: "That is so WRONG. I am going to tell the boss!" She would shout the bosses name and go on a hunt to find him.... After she left his office, her face had a look of satisfaction on it. But the employees wanted to string her up and hang her for being so vicious.

She was one of the laziest workers but she had no problem pointing out that others were lazy, late, not doing their jobs correctly, constantly getting in arguments with other employees.

Nobody and I mean NOBODY liked this girl..

Nobody and I mean NOBODY liked this girl

Well, based upon no one liking her, she must be a real POS *eyeroll*

I agree heartily with the others about not reporting hearsay regarding shops that were done several years ago.
I, also, completely endorse what MDavisnowell said, in pointing out that your original post referenced the "old" shops. Review your original post before you jump on another poster for referencing your original comments!

The only time I have reported another shopper was when the manager of a location where I was doing a reveal pulled out a file of shop reports that could have been a pdf of shops I had submitted. He showed me a report where the shopper indicated that the cashier was a woman (he hired no women at his gas station) and the photos of signage on the lot were of the gas station across the street where they DID have women cashiers. I reported a 'wrong location shopped' to my scheduler and was assured that they had already realized and rectified the error.

No.. What are we in kindergarten? Hearsay should never be reported because you don't know if there is any truth to it.

Unless I see something with my own eyes, or hear it with my own ears, I keep my yap shut. Even if I did observe it directly, I would be hard pressed to say something. Let people dig their own graves; eventually they will bury themselves.

You have no proof of fraud or wrong doing. So what would you be reporting, that shops got good reviews? That might reflect more poorly on you than the shopper in question. You could get labeled a trouble maker.