Shops targeting a specific employee

I accepted a shop for an apartment building because the pay was boosted from $12 to $44. The scenario was to make an appointment to tour the building with a specific employee. It took several attempts to get this person on the phone. I talked with her for a while about the apartments. We set up a time for the tour. It took me 30 minutes to drive there, and just before I got there, she called to say she could not be there for the tour, but that she set it up with another employee.

Since I was just about there, I did the tour anyhow. Now the MSC won't pay me since it wasn't with the right person. It's a Catch-22 because I could have turned around and gone home, investing well over an hour, and still have not gotten paid.

So annoying! Has anyone else had experience with shops like this? Normally I wouldn't have driven that far, but thought it was worth it for the bonus.

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That happened to me, but the distance was not far. Since I was already there I did the shop. When I left, I emailed my scheduler stating what happened. I waited for a response before I did the paper work. She gave instructions on what to do. I would have hated to do the paperwork then not get paid. To me that's the majority of the work.

1) I'd worry about an apartment shop when the starting offer is $12 - especially with it being targeted.
2) With all the directions I've seen on apartment shops, if you show up and the target is not available, you still get paid. You might have to wait 30 minutes hoping a no-show returns, or do teh tour with another agent. However, if you make an appointment and make the trek to the complex expecting to do a tour, you should get your money.
3) With the agent cancelling while you were en route, things get dicey. I had that happen to me once, but I did not get the message until after I had arrived. I was paid for the visit.

I would put together a nice email to the project manager and explain the circumstances. If turning around the moment you got the message would have meant wasting an hour, you should have a good negotiation. However, see point #1.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

Agreed. I rarely do apartment shops, especially targeted ones, but every company I've done apartment shops for would have paid me for that shop.

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

$12 for an apartment shop?

For the apartment shops that I do, the target has to be shopped. There's no way around it.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

$12 for an apartment shop? I would maybe do a simple apartment call with no visit for $12. Bonused to $44 that is the absolute min I would do an apartment shop for. Base rate at $12 I would question that shop. OP I hope you can get paid.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

Not even a "simple" apartment shop for less than $45.

ETA: and that had better either be right down the street from me or along aday route that has several shops that pay well.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2016 12:30PM by walesmaven.

The only message I got back from the scheduler after I (nicely) told him that it was unreasonable to expect someone to put time into a shop and have it uncompensated due to no fault of their own is that the client wouldn't accept the shop. I was wrong, I think the shop would have paid $20 without the bonus.

@walesmaven, I live where you do, but clearly have not signed up with the right companies! I just do this on the side to help pay for my daughter's college.

The person to email is the project manager. The scheduler does not have the authority to override the editor. The project manager does have that authority. Will the client accept the shop? That's a good question. If I were a management company, I would want to know if my apartment managers are canceling appointment last minute with potential new residents - especially when they are coming in from out-of-town and already nearly at the site.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

Target shops, $12 no way! I get twice as much for a simple bank shop.

My thoughts exactly! Plus, I also wanted to note that I couldn't get into the building at all. The front door was locked and when I pressed the numbers noted for property manager's office and front desk, no one responded, and I had to call the office to find someone. I don't know who the project manager is, and they already took the shop out of my log, meaning likely that my recorded phone call has been deleted. I told the scheduler I will not be signing up targeted shops again, but got no response. Grrrrr.

barbalot,
You really need to sign up with more MSCs if you expect to find better paying shops. You may have to do some low paid ones for any MSC in order to start seeing better paid shops though. It's part of this business.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

I did a targeted shop for a storage facility, I only took it when it was bonused and then asked for another gas bonus. It was easy. I had to "shop" the manager and thankfully she is always there.

Well, now the shop is relisted. I hope the next person has better luck than I did.

Since the client has not mentioned, how about telling us which MSC? Maybe someone has a good contact for you. I am in agreement with all of the above who stated the original fee is absurd and your suggestion of $20 is even much too low.

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.

This is the reason I don't do targeted shops.

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.

I wasn't sure if it was OK to list the company. It's Intelli-Shop. They've been good for me otherwise, except for one rejected pizza shop for my photo, which looked like all my other pizza photos in the past.

Often Intellishop doesn't operate the way other MSCs do, hence the idea $12 is acceptable for any apartment shop when it is actually horrible for a walk in and reprehensible for a targeted shop. Even Ellis starts apartment shops at $35 whether they have a target or not. My advice would be to call them. You should be paid a trip charge at the very least. 877-894-6349

Who's the MSC?

Irrespective of the fee, I haven't run across an MSC whose guidelines do not allow for a "hand-off". Prior to the onsite, you speak with the target and set up a time to meet, you show up. Alas on site, the target has taken a powder, and you're handed off to another agent. The shop is completed, quirks are included, and the report is accepted. If otherwise, we would certainly appreciate knowing the MSC.

Use the search function for Intelli-shop. You will find that you aren't the first shopper they haven't paid. Head over to the [www.mysteryshopforum.com] Kudos board and find companies that other shoppers love. There's a reason that a search in that forum for Intellishop yields: No results were found.
Your search did not match any messages.

Time to find companies that value your time and efforts.

Now scheduling travel shops for the day after Christmas through mid-January.

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Shops targeting a specific employee

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