...the questionnaire doesn't let you answer the question the way the interaction occurred! I just submitted a shop in which there were four choices for a question about what the cashier did. Only two choices were applicable (yes, I got the item--but there were two options for how). I answered the one that, on its face, was exactly what happened and was the correct answer. But, the system wouldn't accept it, and forced the response that wasn't, to my mind, accurate.

And this survey had no place to make comments, so I e-mailed the scheduler explaining what happened.

I wish these MSCs would let outsiders read these surveys over before they go live with them. An external POV could be very helpful in crafting guidelines and surveys with minimal ambiguous and contradictory language.

I hate it when what happens during the shop is just so ridiculous that you're sure the MSC won't believe you.

I hate it when....the answer to the question is "no," but the software won't let me proceed until I say "yes." And then because I said "yes" I'm required to upload a picture.

@JohnieQ wrote:

I hate it when what happens during the shop is just so ridiculous that you're sure the MSC won't believe you.

I had one store that I was visiting that was so filthy that I was certain that neither the MSP nor the client would believe me.... Thankfully, I took pictures.

@MFJohnston wrote:

@JohnieQ wrote:

I hate it when what happens during the shop is just so ridiculous that you're sure the MSC won't believe you.

I had one store that I was visiting that was so filthy that I was certain that neither the MSP nor the client would believe me.... Thankfully, I took pictures.

Yesterday I was doing a tobacco compliance check, when I tell the cashier I don't have my ID she covers her name tag with her hand, says don't look at my name and not to tell anyone, and then she sells me cigarettes. I still can't believe it happened.

Another thing that happened with a company I just started working with 2 weeks back. Last Thursday I did a dining shop and our waiter forgot we ordered dessert and then disappeared for half an hour. It took a fun 45 minutes for dessert to come out. This Tuesday I did another dining shop, after we were seated it took us 20 minutes after being seated for our waiter to introduce herself to us, and she only realized we were there (and the tables on each side of us), because we grabbed another waiter and asked where our waiter was. That question "did your waiter introduce themselves within 2 minutes" that was...yeah. The fact that our waiter just forgets about us twice at two different restaurants for a new MSC of mine was just like, wow.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2016 04:49PM by JohnieQ.

@JohnieQ wrote:

I hate it when what happens during the shop is just so ridiculous that you're sure the MSC won't believe you.

An editor called me once to talk about one of my reported "Cettie stories", she said they print out the stories from my shop reports and post them on their bulletin board.

I had a similar experience on an upscale hotel/dining shop. The MSC required me to pay for all meals in cash, but our server assumed we were doing a room charge since we were staying at the property. Twenty minutes must have gone by before she finally returned. She also gave us not one, but two free desserts (prior to the check debacle), which also caused additional questioning from the editor since he was concerned I had mentioned a special occasion (which was specifically forbidden). Honestly though, I hated reporting on it because she was one of the friendliest and most personable servers I've ever encountered. But I guess that's just how it goes!

I've had an issue with Shoprite...it asks if all associates handling ready to eat food wore gloves....sometimes they aren't handling ready to eat food at all...no matter how many times I pass. You an answer no and it prompts you to answer if food was handled, but i could never find any combination of answers that would actually indicate that an associate was not wearing gloves because they were not engaged in activity that required gloves...

and usually even when handling food not ready to eat they are also wearing gloves...if i remember correctly ..they just want you to answer yes..no matter what as long as they weren't not wearing gloves while handling ready to eat food

@Cettie wrote:

@JohnieQ wrote:

I hate it when what happens during the shop is just so ridiculous that you're sure the MSC won't believe you.

An editor called me once to talk about one of my reported "Cettie stories", she said they print out the stories from my shop reports and post them on their bulletin board.

You should write a book.

@PasswordNotFound wrote:

@Cettie wrote:

@JohnieQ wrote:

I hate it when what happens during the shop is just so ridiculous that you're sure the MSC won't believe you.

An editor called me once to talk about one of my reported "Cettie stories", she said they print out the stories from my shop reports and post them on their bulletin board.

You should write a book.

I'm in the process of doing so.

You are given something in lieu of a business card and the msp takes forever to review the shop. You are then stuck checking the status everyday for x number of days or weeks.

I hate it when the food you ordered took forever to cook. I did a Black Bear diner shop and the MSC questioned me about my timing. I took my son with me on the shop. We both commented to ourselves that the kitchen must be on back order since our meals took over 40 minutes for us to receive it. We did not make any special requests and ordered straight from the menu.

hey cettie, care to share one of your "interesting shop" stories?

@catgrannyof5 wrote:

hey cettie, care to share one of your "interesting shop" stories?

Sure, how about this one-----

I was shopping a post office and noticed that customers were getting antsy and the line wasn't moving. There were 9 people ahead of me and a total of about 14 or so before we were able to budge. It seems than an elderly Jehovah's Witness of about 85 years was trying her best to convert the people in line, including the postal clerk. This was a very small location with only one clerk on duty and a total of 2 stations. As she worked her way down the line she finally met up with one interesting soul who responded to her question of "Do you know the Lord God Jehooooooovah?" with "I'm sorry m'am, I worship Satan". This individual them began growling and making some rather strange noises as though possessed. The woman who needed her cane to walk around through the lobby definitely didn't need her cane to run OUT of the post office. She grabbed it up like a baton and hauled freight out of there, jumped into her car and drove like mad away from the location. As I went back to my car in the parking lot, a woman called over to me asking what happened in the post office because that lady ran out of there so fast. I told her that it seemed that the devil had made an appearance in the post office and I nonchalantly ambled away.

Cettie, dang. that's a wild one. Couldn't stop laughing. Mind if I asked which city this happened in? When you have your book written, can the MSers participate in naming the title of the book?

I'm doing a heavily bonused video shop and, when I get home to write up the report, realize something happened with the equipment and I didn't get a recording at all.... I hate it even more when I am doing three in an evening and all three recordings fail.

I hate it yet more when I still have the "test" recording I made before setting out.

#$?!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2016 01:16AM by MFJohnston.

I hate it when... your shop requires inquiring about an uncommon item that is only available online. As soon as you track someone down to ask about it, there are associates all over you, asking what they can do to help, adding extra cashiers.... Think they know that the mystery item shop of the cycle is a bright orange thingamajig?

When your shop requires asking the associates about the store brand generics. Is there really a customer who doesn't know?

When the guidelines are not organized, the requirements are confusing, and the answer options don't cover your experience.

When the job postings don't tell you what the job entails, and you don't get the details until you sign up.

I hate it when I am in line at the grocery store (for a shop) and the customer behind me only has 1-2 items. Normally I would let them go in front of me but can't do it with the timings. I had one customer stare and glare at me but what can I do?

I hate it when... the guidelines use terms interchangeably that aren't interchangeable, such as brand and model. I spent a lot time getting the model numbers when all that was needed was the brand.

I hate it when I am having fun on this forum reading stuff and have to go get dressed to go to my shop LOL!
Have a great day, smile often people will wonder what you are up to!!!

I hate it when. . . there is an issue on a shop and I can not reach the MSC. I did one shop at a gas station 85 miles from my home. I arrived to lights on under the canopy, lights on in the store, and an "Open" sign in the front window of the store. I pumped the required gas but did not receive a receipt at the pump. I left my car at the pump and went to the C-store to get a receipt only to find the door locked and no one inside. I spent 30 minutes trying to reach the MSC, ultimately finding out they did not open for another hour. I had three other shops to do, some of which had to be performed at a scheduled time, and it would take me well out of my way to return to this location on the way home. I took a picture of the price window on the gas pump in lieu of receipt, and completed all the observations/pictures I could on the outside. When I filled out the report I answered in the negative for all observations needed inside the store. I explained in detail the circumstances of the shop in the comments section, including the fact that I had a picture of the address posted on the window of the store and had used GeoVerify to show that I was at the correct location. I was never contacted about the shop and was not paid for it either. I am in process now of trying to reach the MSC for a re-evaluation of payment on this shop, but I am not holding my breath.

I hate it when the MSC requires a comment on your experience and limits the amount of characters you can use. Sometimes 300 characters doesn't paint the entire picture. It's also frustrating and time consuming to have to keep editing down your thoughts.

@rrudick47 wrote:

I hate it when the MSC requires a comment on your experience and limits the amount of characters you can use. Sometimes 300 characters doesn't paint the entire picture. It's also frustrating and time consuming to have to keep editing down your thoughts.

I like it when it doesn't say there is a limit, then you write 1000 characters, click submit, and they're like surprise 250 character limit, then you have to cut down what you wrote and throw away all the details.

I hate it when against my better judgement I do another shop which I don't particularly like, for the same MSC, just to go back to last shop rating '10' and get the very same editor whose highest rating is '9.'

Oh, please share one of the stories for us to read.

I hate it when I agree to do a shop for a huge bonus and I know that I hate that particular shop. I accept it and kick myself during the entire process. I do this over and over. Guess I like the bonus $$$. I use my part time mystery shopping money to help me pay extra on my student loans.

I hate it when the listed start date of the shop is after the listed due date and you don't get a really fast clarification from the MSP...

@JohnieQ wrote:

I like it when it doesn't say there is a limit, then you write 1000 characters, click submit, and they're like surprise 250 character limit, then you have to cut down what you wrote and throw away all the details.

And I hate it even more when the MPS asks a clarifying question about one of the details you hand to delete....

When there for a revealed audit, I dread it when the employees are angry and mass together.

I dread it when the audit site is a mess, because I feel sorry for the manager who is being trashed by the backwoods society or the local druggie neighborhood.

I dread it when I have to put in more information on an already submitted report.

I really dislike it when Company A sublets a contract to Company B that is having a difficult time filling all the shops, so they offer an amazing bonus, but I'm not allowed to self-assign to make a bonus of $100. Instead, I have to apply and maybe get one shop? Not happening, not twice anyways.

Edited for grammatical corrections.

Update: In a nutshell, I don't like it when there is an Internet outage.

I really dislike it a lot when it's late and I've put off doing an easy, but detailed report, and I think I've clicked something by mistake and the entire report goes away.

I am getting really unhappy when I've almost completed the report the second time when the report goes away. I feel very done when the entire Internet connection goes down.

I'm very close to hate, when I have to call the company to leave a message because it's way after hours and I have to be...concerned...all freaking night worrying if I've left the message in the right phone voice message box.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2016 09:19PM by Robin2.

I hate it when the explanation for the error in pay was--- I wrote the wrong amount in the report. It made me wonder if I had Alzheimer. Why would I write the wrong amount twice in the report? But in the absence of proof, I always blame myself. Was I asleep? Should I make an appointment with my doctor? If it was a typo, why did I do it twice? What happened to the receipt? Did they just ignore the amount on it? The receipt was very clear. But I was told I wrote the lower amount twice. So they went by it in my pay. Holy Moses!