Character limits in shop comments

Character limits in shop comments - Madness!

Am I the only shopper who is frustrated with this? We are told to provide detailed comments using grammatically correct complete sentenences. There is a 550 character limit. We type, we "submit" and get the famous "OOPS". So we go back to the report and find that we are 324 characters over the limit. Snip, shorten comments, "submit", OOPS, edit .... finally we are within the 550 character limit! Why doesn't the system count down the characters as we type them to let us know we are nearing the limit? Madness! Sometimes this editing takes longer to do than the actual shop!

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

Wow you are doing a lot of writing. I don't think I have come close to the character limit but I do like to keep it short and sweet. Just facts and observations. I have more problems with not doing the minimum characters and then have to add a bit but that is easier than trying to edit my own reports. As you write more reports you get a better idea of what is needed and what is just fluff.

I guess I try to err on the "too much" side given the comments and grades from some editors. I take it literally when the instructions say give detailed info. about what the Associate offered, said in response, etc. Sometimes an editor markes me down for quoting in the comments sections. Really, how else am I supposed to report what the Associate "said"? Anyway, I just wish that the character count down was a feature.

There are websites out there that will give you charcter counts if you want to us something like that.

diana615, Not sure you understood my post ... or maybe I don't understand your reponse. Either way, I am referring to the reports submit on the MSC site after completing the shop. Can you explain how your suggestion will help? Thanks! Appreciate it.

I think the complaint is one that I have, which is that there is no hint of a character limit, until you've written this fabulously detailed narrative and hit "submit", then surprise! Aargh!

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

Stilllearning - Spot on! What is the point of taking copious notes during a call and paying special attention to what is said (as per the guidelines) so that we can accurately report what transpired when we aren't given the ability because of limits?

Exactly my thoughts! If we simply had a heads-up, before we started painting this beautiful picture, that it was only a 5x7 instead an 8x10, there would not be that wtf moment.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I have the problem with marketforce, I use Word now for a count.

If you do the narrative in a word processor and then cut and paste you can get the count as you go along.

2stepps, obviously, you have not been initiated. To clarify, you do not find out that there is a character limitation until after you've spent more time than you want to admit, painting this beautiful bucolic scene. It is not until you proudly hit "submit" that you find out that the livestock and corn fields have to go.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/2014 12:43AM by stilllearning.

stilllearning Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 2stepps, obviously, you have not been initiated.
> To clarify, you do not find out that there is a
> character limitation until after you've spent more
> time than you want to admit, painting this
> beautiful bucolic scene. It is not until you
> proudly hit "submit" that you find that the
> livestock and corn fields have to go.

>
> (heart)

Okay, Okay, I get it. Since I trained in a technical field, I try to keep the writing short and as simple as I can.

Doing service calls were fun, especially when they plug the power strip into its self and it doesn't work. Or the time I got a panicked call that the PC just shut down for no reason at all. Check the power plug and make sure it didn't get kicked loose. I can't see the power plug; why not. The lights are out in the building and looks like a couple of blocks as far as I can see out the window. That is when you really feel like telling them to box it up and return it to where ever you got it. Don't forget the note inside telling them you are too stupid to operate modern machinery.

This is where I feel like that customer. Haven't looked at corn the same since that movie children of the corn came out. Cow's just give me the willies.

If it makes you feel better, I'm the one with the loose power cord.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I have never done the shop where there is a limit. And like I said I like to keep it short. One time they emailed and said that they needed more details. So I expanded on it (By that time I was steamed because I wound up late for work) and they sent me an email after saying too many details. So I emailed them and asked what the Goldilocks was wrong with them.

I also keep it short. Just the bare information they require and then I move on.

I told one msc that they should give us more room for our narratives.

I told them, that if the client wants to know what's going on, give us the space to tell you.

I find it frustrating too.

The other day, I had to leave out a lot of information that I thought was important.

I can't stand being limited by character numbers - totally feel ya!

Yep. Once the instructions asked for me to comment on what the associate said about a certain thing, so I quoted what was said. The editor dinged me and said, "In the future, please do not use quotes in your comments." Really? So I guess I just adlib rather than follow the instructions? Or, how about instructions that ask for detailed comments then the editor dinged me for being too detailed. Hmmm. Wish my crystal ball worked better - or better yet, maybe the editors for all the MSC should get together and adopt similar standards?

I had this happen on a sub shop. I have had a few shops early on ask me to write longer more detailed narratives so I now keep to that style. I wrote what they said was over 1000 characters because it was in the comments section where you call out your experience. From ordering to paying I did what was normally expected for other shops with MSC' then it was the Oops comment you referred to. So I then spent several minutes deleting comments and words to make it shorter. the character limit didn't feel justified to account for a quality report we are used to producing. But the shop was accepted with high remarks, so now I know for when I do it going forward.

Visit my blog:

[mysteryshoppinggurl.wordpress.com]

I was just saying that once you know that there are limits (and assuming you do them in rotation), using a tool like that might help. I always type my narratives in word and copy and past into the reports. I have found your same frustration with Bestmark and CRI, it's maddening sometimes.

You need to go work for A Closer Look. They love detail in the reports. I dont think there is a limit on how much you can ramble on. Some narrative box says something like "At least 8-10 sentences."

I used the same style of writing they want with another shop who only wanted short answers and ONLY no questions tersly answered in the narrative and the editor dinged me down to a 7 and removed 3/4 of the information I provided. They wanted a post card and I wrote them a letter.

If I shop this customer again, I will put much less work into it next time. I tried to acknowedge great service. They don't care about that. Just the NO's.

I actually don't mind the limit in characters just for one simple reaso

I have found that service sleuth can be a nit picky MSC as well. Sometimes the editor will be ok with my narrative, and I will do the same quality as before that I got a perfect score and suddenly I am getting a returned shop because they want longer narratives...so going forward I just give great narratives...till I hit the sub shop...

I think it also depends on what the shop question is. When they ask for a outly of the visit, sometimes the limit isn't long enough to highlight what happened even just calling out the standard procedure is tight so highlighting excellent or negative becomes a challenge.

Visit my blog:

[mysteryshoppinggurl.wordpress.com]

I totally agree. They give us no information on what the length of the narrative should be. I do it, spell check, check my grammar, etc etc., only to find out it is too long. Then I start deleting and trying to use shorter words...invariably, the narrative then sounds rediculous and "choppy." I miss a spelling correction or punctuation error. Then I get dinged!!! Frustrating!!!

I've experienced the infamous oops for being too verbose also, but my all-time favorite was just the opposite. The instructions said to write a direct quote of what the employee said. So I wrote, "THANKS," and it came back saying there was a 250-character minimum. Seriously?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2014 02:12AM by tracyvp.

Try this:

The one and only audible reply that I actually and sincerely heard the Caucasian, five foot ten, dark haired, unbelievably lazy, very poorly trained, sadly uneducated, average or below average, roughly teenaged or very young immature adult, obviously uncaring, needing a new job, employee say was, "Thanks."

That was 261 characters . . . will that work?? :-D

If I write a long narrative, some editor has to read it, grade it and pass it along to their client. They want short? Works for me!

I'm elated when there is a character limit on narratives.

My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me.
Benjamin Disraeli

Paraphrase.

Maritz actually has a character count on the form as you type, at least for some of their clients.

.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Character limits in shop comments - Madness!

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine