I don't think anyone disagrees that you are 'straightforward'. You are definitely unambiguous. But straightforward doesn't mean you have to say every snarky unpleasant thing that crosses your mind, and it doesn't mean that common courtesy or compassion are disallowed, as you seem to think. One can be straightforward and encouraging or kind or pleasant at the same time.

I am not trying to start anything but in what other field when you make a mistake do you not get paid? yes it depends on the mistake but a simple mistake? I'm sorry I think it's ridiculous that we don't get paid at all when a simple mistake that really doesn't effect the over all report and I am surprised that so many are willing to just take it, everyone is entitled to believe what they want but in this profession it is so slanted on the companies side and several times I have had to fight with the same company for my pay even when I correctly did the report and did end up getting paid but I get tired of fighting for the pay that I earned, Before anyone suggest that if you don't like it then you can just quit, for myself, for the most part I enjoy doing this but you can't always just quit because they you the money, why should people have to quit because the companies or MSC doesn't like what you wrote in the report or someone else is having a bad day and decide to take it out on a shopper?

@harleymutt wrote:

I am not trying to start anything but in what other field when you make a mistake do you not get paid? yes it depends on the mistake but a simple mistake?

I hear what you are saying, and I agree that it is much easier as pertains to payment, to be a direct employee of a company. When you are an employee, you get paid no matter what. If you goof, you still get paid for showing up and trying. If you goof too much, you get fired, but that's usually well down the road because you get several chances.

It works different with an independent contractor. I like to compare us with other independent contractors, like painters, plumbers, or yard maintenance workers. I have contracted with many over the years. When they do their work according to my specifications, I pay them. When they do not, I do not pay them. If a yard maintenance worker cuts down the wrong tree in my yard, he does not get paid. If he knocks down my fence in the process of cutting down trees, he will owe me money for my fence. If my painter paints the wrong color on my house, I don't pay him. If my plumber is unable to fix the water line, and I must then hire a different plumber to do the job right, I don't pay him. And, yes, all of those things have actually happened, and I did not pay the independent contractors. I also did not reimburse them for the expenses they incurred in doing the job wrong (why would I pay the painter who painted the wrong color for the wrong color paint that he bought?) And, actually, none of those contractors argued - they expected not to be paid because they did not do the job according to the specifications and they agreed that they had not and that the job would need to be redone.

There are many benefits to the profession that we have chosen: running a small business as an independent contractor working for multiple mystery shopping companies. One of the downsides is that you have to do it right to get paid. You don't get paid for showing up and trying. And sometimes things go wrong, and it isn't necessarily our "fault." but it prevents us from doing the job right. Downside. An independent contractor needs to consider whether the benefits outweigh the downside.

I have done way to many of these shops and MF can be understanding about mistakes but MF also expects the reports to be done correctly. I scanned a receipt that did not match the amount paid. I was quizzed about the discrepancy but was paid after I explained the reason.

two weeks later & the same bitchin & moaning about FF really? maybe it is time to spread your wings & try other kinds of shops. it is a big world out there.

jeez...enough, already. let it go already. make a nice cuppa chamomile tea, already.

i don't think this is chamomile tea group of people.

@MSNinja wrote:

two weeks later & the same bitchin & moaning about FF really? maybe it is time to spread your wings & try other kinds of shops. it is a big world out there.

As the original poster here, I'm actually quite amazed that this thread is still alive and kicking!

I wasn't sure if you were referring to the abbreviations used, but these are two that are commonly used:

FF = fast food
MSC = Mystery Shopping Company

Some others I see used are:

OP = Original Poster
MF = Market Force

@Donald Belcher wrote:

FF? MSC? How is anyone going to avoid problem situations if we don't know who the heck you are talking about??

Donald, I understand your frustration. If you were familiar with the shop you would recognize the client and the MSC. Probably 90% of the shoppers on the forum are familiar with the shop. The MSC demands a contract that prohibits linking client and mystery company. The poster chose to honor that contract. If you shop, you sign similar contracts and have a similar obligation. I do not understand why you continue to not understand this.

The poster could have chosen to reveal the client and not the MSC. The poster could have chosen to reveal the MSC but not the client. The poster made the decision to post without revealing either the client or the MSC. Every poster gets to make this decision and does not have to answer to other forum members for whatever they decide.

The forum contains a wealth of information that is helpful to all of us and we are lucky to have this forum and its members. I accept each post and thread for what I can get out of it and/or what I can contribute. Nobody owes me information they don't want to provide. To all who tell me anything I can use (that's most of you), I say Thank You!

@Donald Belcher wrote:

FF? MSC? How is anyone going to avoid problem situations if we don't know who the heck you are talking about??

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2015 04:05PM by MDavisnowell.

I did not read through the entire thread, so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before. But it sounds like most posters seem to believe that the report was never submitted to the client. However, in my opinion it MUST have been submitted, and the client checked the video footage and rejected the shop. The way the timing works and the times are entered into the report, the MSC could not have known that the shopper did not spend 15 minutes inside after receiving their order. It could only be confirmed via video.

@Kenzie wrote:

I did not read through the entire thread, so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before. But it sounds like most posters seem to believe that the report was never submitted to the client. However, in my opinion it MUST have been submitted, and the client checked the video footage and rejected the shop. The way the timing works and the times are entered into the report, the MSC could not have known that the shopper did not spend 15 minutes inside after receiving their order. It could only be confirmed via video.

There seems to be an error in your thinking. The Client has hired the MSC to preformed a certain shop with TIME factors. If the Shop is not preformed right, why would the MSC submit it to the Client? Most MSC has qualified editors and schedulers that can read, add, and subtract. And the requirement for the shop says---->"You must spend 15 minutes in the dining room after receiving your MEAL."

The OP posted--------->................ FF shop and.............returned..........invalid. Reason being that I did not stay at least 15 minutes in the store AFTER receiving my meal. I admit to my fault as I had understood I should stay 15 minutes total in the store, not 15 minutes AFTER receiving my meal. It's a shame because I did stay longer than 15 minutes................".

On the Report, we have a TIME in and a TIME out. QC must have found an error in the time. QC probably questioned the OP about its time. And Still the Client has not seen the report. The error exist with YOU, KENZIE, the MSC COULD calculate the timing and figure out the shopper did not spend 15 minutes after the meal. Video confirmation comes about time, when the Manager questions the Shopper report. It seems like the TIME issue was discuss with the OP and MSC.

As long as I get paid I don't care what a MSC does with a report.

@Kenzie wrote:

The way the timing works and the times are entered into the report, the MSC could not have known that the shopper did not spend 15 minutes inside after receiving their order. It could only be confirmed via video.

I agree with sojo. The MSC certainly could easily have figured out that the OP did not spend 15 minutes after receiving his order, because the way the timings are entered into the report told would have told anyone who has simple math skills. The receipt submitted shows the time of the internal purchase. The shopper reports the time from receipt total to receipt of food. Then the shopper reports what time he left. No video needed to figure out it hasn't been 15 minutes. ?????

Receipt times sometimes differ from standard, measurable times. One MSC actually instrusts the shopper not to rely on the receipt time as the time of anything in the shop.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2015 03:04PM by Shop-et-al.

Sure, but it sounds like if the MSC contacted the OP and said, hey, did you spend 15 minutes in the dining room *after* you received your order? The OP likely would have said no. Just a guess on my part, but I think it's likely based on the way the OP framed the original post.