What Would You Do?

I did a shop today that was 20 miles from my home. The criteria to be paid was to obtain a business card and submit it to the MSC. I shopped the same company in another city just six weeks ago and had to use my real name and phone number so I'm sure the computers were linked.

I think they were onto me as a mystery shopper and I was rushed with the shop; they didn't treat me as a valued customer, and the sales manager came up to shake my hand and thank me and I was dismissed! The salesman I was dealing with called another customer to his desk while I was sitting there and there was no opportunity to ask for his business card.

I have a shop nearby on Monday. Should I go back and ask for a business card or should I tell my scheduler what happened? The instructions said if you do not get a business card, you will not be paid. I do have his name and phone number written on a quote.

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You need to be honest and contact your scheduler right away. Since today is Friday, if you wait until Monday, your report will already be 2-3 days late which is unacceptable. Is this a 6, 12 or 24-hour deadline?

Contact your scheduler as soon as possible and explain what happened. It's in the scheduler's best interest to help you salvage the shop, so he/she will help you. However, every MSC is different, so what works for one won't necessarily work for another. But time is of the essence. Good luck!

I have submitted a photo the name and phone or other contact details from a copy of an invoice or quote if the salesperson had no cards (new employee or out of cards). I would at least do that and explain the situation. Frequently dealers for different products like cars, tire shops, jewelers, etc. are linked in computer systems. I give abbreviations, use PO Boxes and alternate phone numbers as much as possible to avoid this situation. But sometimes it just happens.

And there is no guarantee that your sales rep will be working on the day and time that you return to the store. I would have asked the manager or another sales rep (not with a customer) if I could have the other sales rep's business card.

I have to wait three days for the call back to tell whether or not the salesman made a follow up call which would be Monday. The offices of the MSC won't be open until Monday. I had to use my name and phone number because the salesman had to copy my license and he needs my number for follow up. I'm toast.

What made you so sure they had linked databases? Lately it seems most of our car dealerships are under just a few umbrellas. Ted's Auto World and Barney's Cars for Less may each sell Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Infiniti, BMW and Acura. They still operate as separate companies and Ted's Toyota doesn't share information with Barney's Toyota.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

I recommend you just contact your scheduler ASAP and explain the situation. Let them tell you what you can do to salvage the shop if anything. It's possible you'll lose the payment for this shop but you'll have maintained your integrity.

There are two types of people in this world: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.

For some reason I thought this was a cell phone shop.

It's a car dealership that has dealerships under the same name, but in different cities. They are all the same company.

I know some in Florida that were linked on a project I did last year. 11 of them over five different makes. I did not give my address unless asked and only gave a Florida address on the times I was. I had a series of phone numbers and gave a several different ones, along with different e-mails. Because I had to track follow-up I did have to use real e-mails and several google numbers, but I was only found out at one location and he did everything except the test drive. He declined to let me drive a car that I had already driven at a sister dealer a few miles away earlier that day.

This can be a fun, exciting and interesting job. After all the learning experiences.

Did the salesman not ask to make a copy of your driver's license? I couldn't use a fictitious name or address.

It doesn't sound to me like they were onto you. They would have bent over backwards to make sure you were well taken care of. I don't think you are toast. There are a number of reasons why you might shop one location one month, and then shop for a similar car at a different location. I might do that just to see if the prices or services are different at different dealerships. Don't lose sleep over it.

Mystery Shopper since 1998; Author of Make Money Mystery Shopping available on Amazon in the Kindle Store.

Lorrie, as long as follow up through snail mail is not required of course you can use a different name and address even if you give them your DL. You have recently moved and not gotten a new DL. Woman have a distinct advantage in the name department since we could be newly married or newly divorced. I often use both. My divorce is in the process of being finalized. Meanwhile, I've relocated and won't be updating the license until settling into a new house/apartment and the name change is official.

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lorrie, as long as follow up through snail mail is
> not required of course you can use a different
> name and address even if you give them your DL.
> You have recently moved and not gotten a new DL.
> Woman have a distinct advantage in the name
> department since we could be newly married or
> newly divorced. I often use both. My divorce is in
> the process of being finalized. Meanwhile, I've
> relocated and won't be updating the license until
> settling into a new house/apartment and the name
> change is official.

I would guess that nowadays that can also work for a guy. I do wonder when the first divorce for same sex couples is going to be asked for.

2stepps Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would guess that nowadays that can also work for
> a guy. I do wonder when the first divorce for same
> sex couples is going to be asked for.

It has already happened in Colorado in 2013. [www.usatoday.com]

Sure guys change their names. At this point in history a woman using the excuse does not raise an eyebrow while a man would be quite memorable.

If their databases are in fact linked (some are, some aren't), then I think it's much more likely they assumed you were either a chronic shopper that tests drives new cars because they're bored (yes, there are those), you were indecisive and that's why you've been to all those dealerships lately, or you're shopping around for the best price and they're not gonna make any money on you. All of those things reasons to get rid of you ASAP and not waste time.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

I think I'll change my name...to Archibald Harrington Nastyface.

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sure guys change their names. At this point in
> history a woman using the excuse does not raise an
> eyebrow while a man would be quite memorable.

.
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

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