Okay, this is what OP actually asked us:
"Besides the obvious of "get the photo," what would you have done/do? Had it not been a shop I would have demanded a refund. If the shop is ultimately rejected should I still attempt to do that? Should I have done that even if it was a shop? Should I fight with the MSC to get the shop accepted if it is rejected? Or should I just chalk it up to @#$%& happens and it's just a cost of doing business? Or something entirely different?"
I think we've been focusing on the "get the photo" aspect. The only thing different time management might have accomplished would have been to give him the time to get the photo he forgot while rushing to leave.
So, my thoughts about what you actually asked: If the shop is rejected I would argue to at least get the room reimbursed, because that would have been granted to any guest who might have missed an important meeting because of being essentially held hostage by the hotel due to the lock problem. So it is reasonable to expect and demand at least reimbursement for the room.
If the MSC won't reimburse the room, then, assuming you're willing not to work for them again, I would say it's fair game to write a letter to the hotel's corporate headquarters and say something along the lines of "Due to the lock problem, I was unable to complete a job I had to do and as a result of not completing the job, my client (the MSC is your client) refused to reimburse my room expenses. I don't think I should be out the cost of the room because your lock failed, so I would appreciate a reversal of the room charge." This does not reveal you are a mystery shopper, is the truth for the most part, and is a reasonable request that most hotels should willingly grant with their apologies.
That's what I think I would do, but balance that against any future work with that MSC because contacting the client directly is generally a no-no. But in the case of a rejected shop, at that point you're not really a mystery shopper any more, you're a dissatisfied customer.
You can mention, to explain the time lag in asking, that your expense check just came with that item unpaid, and that you had hoped they would reimburse it anyway since it wasn't your fault you couldn't leave the hotel on time.
It's a fine line here, but these are extenuating circumstances that threw you off your game. Pity you didn't slip down to the lobby during the incident and get a pic with your cell phone, but I can understand not thinking about that in the stress of the moment. (Hindsight is 20-20. I once had a shop that was derailed by the employee, causing me to make a fatal error. I realized later I should have done something differently but I didn't have time to "think outside the box"; I was lucky the MSC accepted my logic and paid me, although they have blocked me from that particular shop since.)
Anyway, maybe this would be something to think about trying if they spike the shop. I still hope they pay you. One small error in a shop with unexpected turmoil should not be enough to kill the shop. I'm sure they know what their own lobby looks like.
Time to build a bigger bridge.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2014 04:48PM by dspeakes.