So I got an email from a scheduler asking me to do a shop that's out in the country. He said a bonus and that it would be between him and I and that he'd send me a seperate check in a few weeks. This bonus will not appear on my shop log.

Is the scheduler paying me out of his own pocket to get a job done? Is this legit? Anyone else ever had a bonus "between us"?

Yes, it happens.

I am assuming you are working with an 'outside scheduler' rather than a scheduler working solely for the one MSP. Their pay, if I am understanding correctly, is based on getting all the shops done. It is to their advantage to give you a bonus themselves if the MSP is not willing to bonus and they have a choice of making a whole lot more phone calls or pay you.

I have never seen a scheduling agreement so I would have no idea whether the behavior is disallowed, but I have had it happen a few times.

I know of a scheduler who works for a scheduling company and she offers money out of her own pocket.

I had this happen recently with a scheduler for QAMS. I did have to remind him when the payment did not arrive, but after the reminder, I did receive his personal check for the bonus amount.

Nooooo!

What proof do you have, if he only "verbally" tells you he is going to give you a bonus?

Others have suggested he operates differently, more independently. They know their schedulers and trust what they are telling them...... unless he had a proven track record of giving you promised bonuses, I would be a little leary.

I did a demo for my scheduler and she offered me $20 out of her pocket for gas. Demo was 30 miles away and she was desperate. Because I trusted her, I agreed.

It took me many months to get the money back. Not blaming her, she had serious family issues at the time.... I'm just saying some schedulers might promise something in "desperation" but the trust factor needs to be there for them to back up what they promised I always ask for a verification email of the bonus...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/2014 05:37PM by SunnyDays2.

AustinMom hit the nail on the head. I have the email the scheduler sent me to back it up. If it turns out this isn't on the up and up, it's a learning expensive. I would have done the shop anyway, but since it's a good 30 minute drive of backroads, the bonus just spurred me on to accept the shop.

Sounds like the scheduler is paying out of her pocket. Personally, I would put this arrangement on my 10 foot pole list. But that's just me.

I've had a scheduler buy me game tickets as a bonus. He wanted me to do a mini-circuit of eight severely overdue but severely out of the way shops and I didn't want to do them at all, let alone over my birthday weekend.

I have had to remind schedulers of promised bonuses or bridge toll reimbursements promised that didn't show up with company payment and was surprised to see money in my PayPal account soon thereafter showing the scheduler name as the sender.

I would hold onto the email in your saved file if you need it for later on as proof.

I also keep hard copies of certain things btwn a co and me.

Wow, QUAMS has NEVER OFFERED ME any sweet deals! The only thing
I get are these really cheapo $7 jobs! boo hoo

It is a cheapo $7 shop. I've done about 8 of them. LOL. All stocked up on car care. Offered me $20 on top of the board fee to go.

Come to think of it, I did have that offer. She was one of my favourite schedulers and I had not heard from her for a long time. Suddenly I received a call from her. She was asking me to help her out and complete an out of town shop. She told me that I was highly rated by her MSC and read many positive citations written about me within the company. She offered a substantial bonus and actually said I could name my price. I was too embarrassed to even ask for any amount. I could have done the shop even without a bonus as it was my favourite shop. The only negative thing was it was out of town. So I said I would do it. And I did, at some personal cost to me in time and money.

I completely forgot about it. Then came the pay and my bonus was $5! But I found out that the citations were indeed true. So, I presumed she had intended the amount to come from her pocket but ended just following company limitations.

Then I remembered she also promised some bonus a while back when the client changed its scenario after I had completed a shop. I redid it and it was an upscale store, so heavy on cash outlay. She said she herself would give me a bonus because she never got stressed when working with me. But, lo and behold, come to think of it, I did not get that, too! So, never again sweet talk me. I maybe your company's 'go to' but enough is enough.

If you trust her, it is all up to you. But make sure you see it in writing.

That really stinks, risinghorizon, and is a good heads up for each of us to remember to ask for everything in writing - even from those we think we know and trust.

I received that same email and at first I thought I'd take it but after thinking about it I decided it wasn't worth risking anything including driving to that shop and then never getting that bonus. Just didn't seem ethical to me but maybe it is.

I'm going to chime in here now due to the thinking that this may not be ethical...not sure where that came from but here is my real life experience as a former scheduler. I did on occasion offer an out of my own pocket bonus to shoppers to complete a shop for me. I was an independent contractor for a scheduling service just like I am when I mystery shop and was free to run my scheduling as I wished (within the parameters of the contract I signed).

Here is why a scheduler might offer a bonus...Scheduler has a project with 1500 locations and the project is not done until all 1500 locations are completed (meaning scheduler doesn't get paid either until project totally complete). Scheduler has 1499 locations done and has rescheduled that 1500th one 4-5-10 times (seriously has happened) and it hasn't gotten done. Scheduler is getting paid 3.00 per completed shop but not until project is completed....MSC is only willing to bonus 3.00 on the shop SOOOOO instead of scheduling it 4-5-10 more times Scheduler offers a heftier bonus that is coming out of her pocket (can also be a business expense for her).

Bang! Whole project done!

Nothing unethical about it..maybe a shame the MSC wouldn't be willing to bonus more but honestly that is just the way it is for schedulers.

That said, I always paid the bonus right away (as soon as the shop came through completed) via Paypal so there was no waiting for a bonus from me.

Liz

-30-



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 04:47AM by Shop2LiveinFL.

Thanks Traveliz for that explanation. Really makes sense. Next time I just might jump at it.

Shop2LiveinFL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great explanation, Traveliz. Thanks for taking
> the time to show us the scheduler's side of
> things.
>
> So if a project is not completed, does the
> scheduler get paid anything? Or is it an all or
> nothing deal?


Well eventually you are paid for the shops completed but there is a very strong expectation to get all shops completed in the project as that is what the contract calls for with the scheduling company. Sometimes clients are willing to get a certain percentage but sometimes they want to hold the project open to get the shops all done. But for the scheduler there is no pay until the project is deemed over. And at the end of a long hard to schedule project it is well worth the out of pocket bonus to be done and over!

Liz

Thanks for the explanation from the scheduler viewpoint, Liz.

Thank you for the explanation, Liz. What got my head spinning was, by successfully scheduling 1,500 shops, a scheduler stands to make $4,500 that month. Nice!

Assuming my calculations are correct, as attractive as the money sounds, I am confident I wouldn't make it through the first month without losing it.

(heart)

PS
But I no longer feel sorry for the scheduler offering the money out of his or her own pocket.

StillLearning, they are not all that attractive. My favorite phone shop scheduler told me that he only gets .45 per shop scheduled. My favorite hotel scheduler gets more... she schedules for two different chains for an MSC and gets $12 for one project, $15 for the other. Then again, she has far fewer shops than most schedulers. Those are the only ones I've dared been comfortable enough to ask what they make.

Keep in mind a 1500 location job might be for a quarter so it wouldn't be a monthly take home of 4500.00. Also there is a large variance in what schedulers are paid per project. Liz

Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification, Liz. It's very interesting.

(heart)

I got an e-mail from a scheduler offering an out of pocket bonus just a couple of hours ago. Without Liz's explanation I would have had to shower as I thought it felt slimy. Thanks for the info, Liz!

I know who some of you guys are talking about because when I used to do a particular shop that was scheduled by KSS but with QAMS, this person paid me out of pocket for the project he was working on (unfortunately these shops aren't in the Chicago area anymore with this company)....relatively easy shops but there was a time there where I did one shop 2-3 months in a row (and I felt uncomfortable doing it after awhile because the same people worked there each time I went).