Found my mystery shopping pet peeve

I know i'm still pretty knew to this, but I officially found my mystery shopping pet peeve, slow schedulers. Oh goodness. I applied for a shop like 4 days ago after my email being blown up with "I'm desperate" and "Please apply for this shop" the shop was for this morning, nothing big at all like a 10$ shop but it is right next to where i'm going, so why not? Yup.. no response. And the shop is still on the job board. I have completed many shops with this company and this is my first time encountering this, but man is it annoying. I ended up deleting my application. I tried to help.

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Yes, that's very frustrating. Trouble is we don't know why it is slow. Is the scheduler off on a sudden illness? Are they looking for a specific demographic? Is your shopper score too low?

I submit that this is just the first of many possible pet peeves though!

As the window sticker says, "Keep calm and shop on."

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Mike T
Looking for shops in Western Canada

"Life is good because the alternative is forever "

That's what i'm wondering because iv'e done MANY shops with this company and they seem to schedule within hours of my applying for something, no matter if it's an accepted or an email saying it was scheduled with someone else, so i'm wondering if the scheduler is all right. Either way, I was very much looking forward to getting reimbursed for coffee this morning lol would have been a good way to start my mystery shopping morning

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LOL! I hear you about coffee. I'd love to do some of the travel centre coffee shops advertised in my area. Trouble is, they're at minimum 40 miles away.

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Mike T
Looking for shops in Western Canada

"Life is good because the alternative is forever "

It happened to me too and I even received a very nice citation from that scheduler before that. So lo and behold the shop was given to me on the very day it was due and I just arrived home. There was no way I could have done it that day. She replied the next day when it was now overdue and she told me that she received several messages from me but she just got back. She asked me when I could do it and adjusted the due date.

Let me guess... is this Kern scheduling? It's a common MO with them to have shops on the board, get no reply for days after you apply, and the shop just stays on the board. But if you go to the source (the company that hired KSS to schedule the job) the job won't be *there.*

Time to build a bigger bridge.

Kern and Shoppers view. Ugh.

My pet peeve that causes me so much anxiety is taking pictures of the interior of the store. Taking pictures of the display of, for instance the speaker system, is no big deal. You can always go around it and the associate may even help you take the picture himself. However, taking pictures of, for instance where the TV is located and the gaming table or the cash register. Come on, it is just so unnatural.

I feel your frustration. I have waited for a shop to be approved since it was in the area that I was going only to find it assigned after getting home - ugh.

I you cant get it assigned by contacting the scheduler by email or phone before leaving for the day, I will always cancel the assignment. Your opening yourself up to a flake if you don't cancel it when it gets down to the last day and they still have you in pending status.

Perhaps, leave the scheduler your phone number and let them know that if they call you before a certain time, you may still fit it in. Never just leave the application open past the point you cannot complete the assignment.

Like I totally now wat u mean!

Dat stuff really grinds my gears two!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2015 01:56AM by TNshopper123.

I've had this happen with a particular scheduler with a particular MSC and it really irritated me. It was for a kiosk shop at an Airport. The pay was pretty decent and since I was going to be in the airport anyway, i applied for the shop. I never heard back from the scheduler. I followed up with them a few days later with no response.

Keep in mind, I'm not a new shopper for this MSC. I do have a pretty good track record.

The real kicker for me was this same Scheduler sent out the jobs AGAIN while I was attempting to contact them about it.

Sometimes I truly cannot figure some of these people out.

I sat there looking at the kiosk while waiting for my flight to Orlando.

I am with you on this one. It seems that some of them are leaving the apps open when the jobs are filled to have a backup shopper until they have the report in hand. (this does not discount other reasons stated above). I had this very complaint several weeks ago. Good luck

I hope you get it assigned before the actual due date.

@jroby1 wrote:

I am with you on this one. It seems that some of them are leaving the apps open when the jobs are filled to have a backup shopper until they have the report in hand. (this does not discount other reasons stated above). I had this very complaint several weeks ago. Good luck I hope you get it assigned before the actual due date.

Yes!!! This has happened with me several times with the North Face store shops. My app status reads "pending" for weeks, meanwhile the shop is still showing as available. I was told that the msc does not until they actually have the report.

I have now found another peeve!

Scheduler sends an email telling me about a shop, telling me to visit the job board to grab them, and does not provide a link to the boards in the email. They instead provide a link to "Sign up to become a shopper."

Sigh. why not try to make things easy for people!

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Mike T
Looking for shops in Western Canada

"Life is good because the alternative is forever "

I had to email Kern Scheduling to get an answer on this a few months ago. It was explained to me that the KSS site is just for showing shops and that they hit quotas so sometimes they cannot assign all shops in one week through the MSC they schedule for. Something to that effect. I'm unsure why they can't state something saying that KSS Sassie is simply for show when they post jobs here on the forum.

I always write either way when applying to let them know the times I can do the shop and that I will only do the shop if it is assigned before such and such a time. Sometimes things come up so I try to be patient but it can be very frustrating. I stopped letting it get to me and just would shop with whoever has a good paying shop. You snooze you lose

Silver Certified ~ Shopping all of Toronto and beyond

Every time I see the subject of this thread it makes me think the OP should change it to "my first pet peeve." There will be sooooo many more

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.

To add to this thread .......
I am from the east and their scheduling is a mess. Yes I get email almost every other day from them. It is urgent. I really need your help yadiyadiyada ......
OK so I click on the link and make my pick. I don't get a a response for days. I even put it in the comments to please get back to me as I am in the area ...... no luck.
Also the fact that they are paying 60 days after a shop is completed also turns me off. Not that I need the money but it's just common courtesy. Technically if you complete a job at the beginning of the month, you will get paid after 3 months. Imagine your regular employer paying you 3 months after your job is done.
Also, the written works they required for the shops here is really bad. I don't have a big problem writing a big story from beginning to end under one section. They required the story to be broken down into different section. NO THANK YOU for the amount of remuneration.

@scanman1 wrote:

I you cant get it assigned by contacting the scheduler by email or phone before leaving for the day, I will always cancel the assignment. Your opening yourself up to a flake if you don't cancel it when it gets down to the last day and they still have you in pending status.

Perhaps, leave the scheduler your phone number and let them know that if they call you before a certain time, you may still fit it in. Never just leave the application open past the point you cannot complete the assignment.

I have done that several times in the past, but this one company doesn't update its board that often. I had deleted my application for one job the day before and the next morning it was assigned to me for that day. Luckily I could move a few things around and get it done.

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