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Shows you how cheap some companies are

June 28, 2015 05:15PM
Now an unnamed MS company e-mailed me, and 9 out of 10 times they do and it's to the delete bin with their e-mails because they don't pay for assignments. Except this time it was about some bikes, and yes I am a cyclist (spend $200 at another shop just for the annual repairs and tune up on the bike, and I spent way more than that when I bought it), but I digress.

Now my bike could use a brake a brake job, so their offer got red flagged by my little hamster and I checked it out. They are so cheap they will only pay for HALF the repair job your machine needs. I mean I know companies are always looking to lower costs, but common, can't they at least pay for a complete repair job?
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June 28, 2015 06:32PM
For many companies and shoppers, the short-term objective is to maximize profit, hoping to maximize long-term profit.
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June 28, 2015 11:48PM
That's akin to a fine dining shop that doesn't reimburse enough to pay the dinner tab. If it's something you need (or want) anyway, half price isn't a bad sale. (If you think the shopped company would do an adequate job. You don't want the brakes to fail when you're flying down a big hill.)

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
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June 28, 2015 11:53PM
Same concept as a coupon but then no report with a coupon. I would goggle the business for an app coupon or online coupon.
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June 29, 2015 10:32AM
How about Intelli-Shop lowering the fee on the coffee travel center shops again? They are now down to a $3 fee.

Arguing with fools is like playing chess with a pigeon...
...No matter how good you are, the pigeon will s@^t on the board and strut around like it won anyway.

Not scheduling for ANY company.
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June 29, 2015 12:32PM
What's the value of a brake job? If it's $100 and thus they're paying $50, then it would be of interest to me.

.
Mike T
Looking for shops in Western Canada

"Life is good because the alternative is forever "
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June 29, 2015 02:33PM
The coffee shops start at $3.00. I did one last week for $15 plus reimbursement and then hit the road for the rest of my day. If someone wants to do them at $3.00 plus their morning coffee I'm good with it. I don't think I'd do the report for $3.00 but then the regular inflow of mystery shopping funds makes me not as frugal as I could be. The main point in saving money is not letting it get away from you. That said, $3.00 and a 24 ounce coffee are worth $5.00. That's not a bad deal IF I have nothing more lucrative to do with the time involved. It's a plus $3 instead of a minus $2 plus I get the coffee.

I'm not critical of companies who start their fees low and then raise them through the month. That's their plan. I'm not critical of others who shop for less than I would accept. Who am I to say they don't need that shop?

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.
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June 29, 2015 02:39PM
There's a shop where I live for a swanky 'Reading Glasses' store. No shop fee and *if* you want to make a purchase, they will reimburse 50% up to $80... They got me on the phone and I told them that I don't need reading glasses and thus, I was not willing to do the shop. The scheduler acted like I called her a naughty name...
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June 29, 2015 04:43PM
While I don't find the concept of partial reimbursement for a larger ticket item I actually need to be insulting, having a scheduler not understand the concept burns me. What would be our point in going out of pocket for something with absolutely no value to us?

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.
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June 29, 2015 10:02PM
I keep receiving emails with larger and larger bonuses for an oil change where they will only pay a portion. Even with the shop fee and now larger bonuses, it still might not cover the oil change fully. They can't seem to fathom why I won't do it even after telling them I shop for another company that pays for my oil change, fully and pays a shop fee, often with a bonus.
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June 29, 2015 10:40PM
I would definitely do a $100 job for half the reimbursement if it was a reputable shop and the form was short and easy and I needed the work done anyway. I would not necessarily compare to a fine dining shop where the msc considers the reimbursement a coupon and the report takes two hours to do. I would think of this as apples to oranges. If I need a brake job and the fees vary little from retailer to retailer and I can have a short report and save myself $25+ fee dollars on the job I would be a happy camper. If I do fine dining and spend 2 hours on the report and have to pay attention to timing and every word uttered I have no interest in out of pocket expense.
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June 30, 2015 01:21PM
I work for cash not coupons. We are vauled as an additional profit source for the big guy at the top of the pile. At least I'm being nice and not saying what it's a pile of.

Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain
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June 30, 2015 04:43PM
The profit margins on glasses is so high that they are making money when you pay 50%. IF you were gong to buy them anyway, the getting a discount is reasonable. But IMHO, you should check out Walmart and Costco and even mail-order first.
@guanadu wrote:

There's a shop where I live for a swanky 'Reading Glasses' store. No shop fee and *if* you want to make a purchase, they will reimburse 50% up to $80... They got me on the phone and I told them that I don't need reading glasses and thus, I was not willing to do the shop. The scheduler acted like I called her a naughty name...

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
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July 01, 2015 01:45PM
I figure it's $50-$80, since only the rear brake pad needs replacing. This is for a machine that retails for north of $2k.

It's usually a 5 page report, and while I admire how detailed it is, it's just not worth it for 50% of the job to be paid.
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July 01, 2015 03:15PM
It sounds like you have made up your mind. Let the job sit on the board and watch it. If your not down to the rivets and squealing yet, you should wait it out. If nobody else decides it's a good enough offer, it will be raised.

Perhaps, next week they will decide to bonus it to $75. Then you can rethink the offer one more time.
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July 02, 2015 11:03AM
@scanman1 wrote:

It sounds like you have made up your mind. Let the job sit on the board and watch it. If your not down to the rivets and squealing yet, you should wait it out. If nobody else decides it's a good enough offer, it will be raised.

Perhaps, next week they will decide to bonus it to $75. Then you can rethink the offer one more time.

Scanman,
I have an old policy, I am here for profits, not for payback. Since as nice as that "free meal" is or that "Great X is." they don't pay the food, fuel, and shelter bills.
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July 02, 2015 03:19PM
At the very least, you will still have to purchase the brake pads and take the time to install them, so that is real money that your savings. If a reimbursement is something that you would have to spend real money on if you didn't do the job, than I would consider that "real value" .

When I go to a $100 reimbursement only shop and use gift cards that I saved 18% to pay for the meal and use a credit card with 2% cash back, I made 20% profit on the shop. I will eat a meal I would never prepare at home. Enjoyed the company of the person I took with me. This person may reward me in ways that are not measured in cash for the nice meal out.

Everyone has to weigh the benefits of a shop based on what works for them. I'm doing a reimbursement only dining shop four times this month. I like to eat out with good table service once a week and will trade the report for it.

When times were better, this was what I would normally do and just pay for it.
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July 02, 2015 05:07PM
@OldDog wrote:

@scanman1 wrote:

It sounds like you have made up your mind. Let the job sit on the board and watch it. If your not down to the rivets and squealing yet, you should wait it out. If nobody else decides it's a good enough offer, it will be raised.

Perhaps, next week they will decide to bonus it to $75. Then you can rethink the offer one more time.

Scanman,
I have an old policy, I am here for profits, not for payback. Since as nice as that "free meal" is or that "Great X is." they don't pay the food, fuel, and shelter bills.

.... But the nice meal at the very least pays for some food, including prep time, cook time, shopping time, commute to the grocery store, clean-up, etc.

Very infrequently shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado these days.
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July 03, 2015 06:33PM
One company has an ongoing shop which defines the word cheap. For $15 this msc wants you to go to an apartment complex and place door advertisements on 160 units. This requires a lot of walking and in some cases in a bad neighborhood. If the msc offered $50 I might take it but $15? Give me a break!!!
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July 03, 2015 09:13PM
It seems to me that Intelli-shop has lowered the payment on most of their shops. The pigtails and the frosty are now paying $4. The papa is now reimbursement only. I am not doing shops for the food but rather look at the food as a bonus.
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July 03, 2015 09:17PM
I use my bike as one of my main modes of transportation. Mine too needs new brakes, and probably some other tuning up as well. Part of the reason I use the bike so much is because I can't really afford public transit or driving (just pushes up the pressure to maximize profit in a day because my costs are higher. I don't like that kind of pressure, and the exercise is good for me. So I probably would not question getting a discount on bike repairs, assuming I could trust the workmanship of the shop.
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July 03, 2015 10:44PM
Luckily, there are no $3.00 (or less than $15) shops in my area. If there were I'd move to another area of the state/country.
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July 04, 2015 03:28PM
The one thing that really annoys me is there is a company that does dining shops. Sometimes, the restaurant has valet parking. The company REQUIRES that you use the valet if it is offered. However, they won't spring for the tip for the valet. How incredibly cheap is that? And then I look like the bad guy for not tipping the valet person. If you're going to require using the valet, at least cover a $1-2 tip for the valet person.
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July 04, 2015 03:38PM
Besides the fact that the fee is taxable and the reimbursement isn't.
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July 04, 2015 05:45PM
The coffee is not drinkable in my opinion.
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July 04, 2015 08:44PM
Why wouldn't you tip the valet? You know in advance it will be a requirement and have the option to turn down the shop. I regularly take a car wash shop near me. While I know they don't reimburse for the tip, and certainly wish they would, it comes out of my fee. I wouldn't feel comfortable stiffing someone who relies on tips for a portion of their income.

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.
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July 05, 2015 09:01PM
I personally think they have the best coffee out of travel centers, however, when I started doing these shops, they paid $6 base plus reimbursement for the coffee. My wife did one the other day for $15 and in the past I have got $50 plus reimbursement. They're just not worth it at $3.00... I'll use my Keurig if they want to be that cheap.

@Swilli wrote:

The coffee is not drinkable in my opinion.

Arguing with fools is like playing chess with a pigeon...
...No matter how good you are, the pigeon will s@^t on the board and strut around like it won anyway.

Not scheduling for ANY company.
Reply
July 05, 2015 10:07PM
I pick these up at a bonus or not at all and I'm always a happy shopper when I get one. Their coffee is hot and fresh and that's the extent of my requirements.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.
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July 05, 2015 10:07PM
Oh, I forgot, and it's not $4.00.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.
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July 05, 2015 10:12PM
LisaSTL 10k 3y NewJuly 04, 2015 04:44PM
Why wouldn't you tip the valet?

You're not asking the correct question. The MSC requires to use the valet service if it's offered. The correct question is why is the MSC not paying for the tip since they are the ones that require using the service. This is the correct question to ask.
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