I have been a mystery shopper for over 14 years and have done plenty of assignments with this one particular company. However, they recently took on a new client of which I am not at liberty to say, but the scenario is to go in and send $20 to someone in mexico and other countries and supposedly we go back into the location a few minutes later and cancel the transaction and get a full refund. Well at a particular grocery store where these transactions occur, they told me that they are not authorized to refund the money back and that I have to go through (WU) to get it back. The problem with this is that it costs me $25 total to do the job (sending $20 and $5 fee to send it) and when I called the location they said that they will only give me $20 back and that they charge a $5 fee which is not refundable. I have done many of these assignments and have lost $125 on doing them because I have not gotten a satisfactory answer from the shopping company about my refund. I spoke to the scheduler several times about this issue and he stated that he was sorry about this issue and that he was waiting to hear back from (WU) on this matter. I sent another e-mail about this a few days ago and now I don't get a response back from the scheduler at all for the past couple of times that I submitted an inquiry about this issue. To my amazement, they are still posting this job on their website and needing shoppers to go and do them. He actually sent me an e-mail asking if I could do a local location for an extra amount added onto the regular job fee. I sent him an e-mail back stating that I no longer do these assignments because it cost me $125 that I have not gotten back yet and he did not respond back to this e-mail. Is it me that is doing something wrong on these shops and that is the reason that I was not refunded the amount I invested in these shops? I don't think so, because my shopper rating on these shops range from 8-10 on them all and I have been paid the shopper fee for the assignments just not reimbursed for the amount that I invested in the shops. Could someone please give me some input on this matter because this is the first time that I have had this issue with any of my shopping companies.
SW

I've been shopping with that MSC for 15 years and done 100s of shops for them (mostly prior to 2013). Those WU shops have been on my 10 foot pole list since I first opened an email about them. I have read other threads in this forum where shoppers have complained about these shops. I can't really give you any feedback on why you aren't getting reimbursed, but it doesn't sound like it's your fault. My only question is why you kept doing them when you lost money on the first couple of shops? It would only take once for me.

I got my full $25 back, but it took the store 45 minutes to process the refund. I'll pass next time.

I got my full refund back through the MSC, but it took MONTHS. The scheduler stopped responding to my emails and calls.

That scheduler and those shops are on my 10-foot pole list.

so you are saying you did 25 of these where $5 was not refunded? I would have stopped taking these shops until I was sure I was getting that $5 back or the pay was enough to justify laying out the money.

How much did they pay you per shop?

"took on a new client of which I am not at liberty to say, " but all through your post you mention WU. So what Cleint aren't you at "liberty to say"? if you are losing $5 on each transaction how are you making at money? You are spending "money chasing money".;S It looks like the MSC is making off with the goods and you are left holding the bag.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2016 05:22AM by sojo917.

The first time I did one of these, the total cost was $30 and it was promptly returned to me. I discounted the bad news on this Forum. The second time, the location no longer provided the service, and I got paid anyway. So, I accepted 5 more recently. The first one, the clerk called the client for me, and I got a "number" from them, but it was too short. We called back, same thing. I filed the report, asking for my $25 from the MSC. The 2nd one that day was out of order. I only do these in chain supermarkets and drug stores. No check cashing stores for me. The last two were in the largest (I think) regional supermarket. In both cases, they told me that I would have to call the client. At the moment, I am waiting for the MSC to refund the $75 plus the shop fees. I won't do any more of these until I see how this is all resolved. Supposedly the client wants to learn how the agents handle requests to cancel (refunds). They appear to be finding out.

Edited to correct an arithmetic error.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2016 03:56PM by myst4au.

Sounds like a real PITA to me.

I did 3 WU Dodd/Frank wire transfer shops. I will never do another. The $18 fee seemed attractive at first, but I had to return to each shop (making it in effect two $9 shops). The shops were all in run down neighborhoods, and English was not the common language spoken in the stores. The only employee in one store could speak no more than half a dozen English words. The greatest negative was that it was such a hassle getting the refunds. The client was gave me a refund number to give when I went back the 3rd time to each store, since the store employees did not refund on my second trip.

I discovered a secret to avoid going back to the stores again after the stores refuse to give a refund. Since they are WU transfers, just go to any MoneyTree store (They use WU), and you will not only get a prompt no-hassle refund, but the teller will also speak English, greet you, smile, ask if you need anything else, invite you to return, and wish you a great day.

Perhaps you can contact Western Union directly since you have the paperwork provided if you did not get a satisfactory response from the MSC.

Performed my first one in April. Did not send any money because at this time it was all questions and answers. I didn't get paid because the MSC said my questions identified me as a shopper. Went around the corner to do the next one. Got paid because there was no wire transfer office at that address. The third one was closed. By the time I got home i had an email saying that shop had been cancelled. This route did not require the send money scenario.
PS. Now its a Send and cancel senario. You are required to upload the transaction receipt(which you better copy as soon as you leave the store)which the agent will take when you get your refund. You won't get a refund receipt unless you have to call the main wire transfer office the next day and get a transaction number. This number you can take to any transfer store to get the refund. They HAVE to give you a receipt. Now you can upload this refund receipt and the transaction receipt that you had copied. In this case they will keep $5 which you put in your report and wait to get a number from the MSC to take to any transfer office and get your $5. In any case, you will need the refund receipt to finalize the report. Just write on a piece of paper "No Refund Receipt Received" and upload it. Believe me, the MSC knows what's going on because a lot of shoppers are not finalizing the report because they can't without 2 things to upload. That SCHEDULER won't give you a straight answer any way and the MSC has not addressed this problem as far as I know.
I have not been paid for 3 shops even though the completed reports have been sent and not accepted. I just gave up on them. I'm from a neighborhood where a lot of these stores are and don't like to do work and not get paid - if you get my drift!
Edited for composition errors.

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/2016 03:03AM by alparslan.

That was worse than contacting the MSC!

@catgrannyof5 wrote:

Perhaps you can contact Western Union directly since you have the paperwork provided if you did not get a satisfactory response from the MSC.

By contract, we cannot contact a client under ANY circumstances.

It was in the guidelines to do so.

And they wonder why folks are outed on this one... It is a trap.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/2016 04:08PM by CANADAMOMMY.

If you were to explain this job to a layperson, they'd never do it for the paltry fee provided.

Why in God's name do you people risk good money for such a minimal return? The risk / reward ratio makes no sense at all.

SoCal, the first time I did the shop, I didn't think there was a risk. I truly thought I would get a refund before I left.

HA!

That shop is the reason why I don't spend money on shops. Some I do, but it has to be a small amount for an MSC that I trust.

I did one of these shops at a checking place and had no problem getting all of my money back from the person at the counter. I did one last Monday night at a grocery store and had problems getting my refund. I had to call WU. I won't do these shops at another grocery store. Stick to check cashing places.

Thanks for the heads up. I love money transfer company shops! They are over in 5 -10 minutes and the evaluations are super easy! I have done 5 or 6 in the past month, but not any that required me to actually send money - that was going to be my next "move", but now I'll reconsider (or ask for a bonus.)

Any ideas for getting my money back from Western Union's Orlandi Valuta? The shop involved a failed refund on a wire transfer. Do I contact the Better Business Bureau? I assume the company thinks I'm just a regular customer so my complaint would be as a mere mortal instead of a mystery shopper.
The idea of me calling Orlandi directly is nightmarish because my original calls involved bad connections and their poor English skills.
My sad story is the same as everyone else's: It's been four months since the job. The shopping co. ignores my emails. Orlandi called me a couple of months ago. They said they were going to investigate the refund, which meant contacting the grumpy store owner, who is unlikely to cooperate.

I haven't done the ones where you actually send money, but I have completed the inquiry shops where you pretend you need to send money and give some sort of ridiculously scammy sounding reason to send it. The clerks are always shocked, or think I'm a nut case. Why on earth would I need to send Heraldo $2200 from his friend Leroy ... because Leroy doesn't want his name attached to the payment but won't tell me what it's for.. -_-

Try calling the WU refund line. Make sure you have your paperwork. You can find that number on their website.

@AuditAce wrote:

Any ideas for getting my money back from Western Union's Orlandi Valuta? The shop involved a failed refund on a wire transfer. Do I contact the Better Business Bureau? I assume the company thinks I'm just a regular customer so my complaint would be as a mere mortal instead of a mystery shopper.
The idea of me calling Orlandi directly is nightmarish because my original calls involved bad connections and their poor English skills.
My sad story is the same as everyone else's: It's been four months since the job. The shopping co. ignores my emails. Orlandi called me a couple of months ago. They said they were going to investigate the refund, which meant contacting the grumpy store owner, who is unlikely to cooperate.

It's on my 10-foot pole as well. I did it once and had a hell of time getting the report right and getting my money back. I was given the run-around and then the editor nit-picked me to death. For the fee, it is no way worth the headache or frustration.

I've done a few of these and have always received the fee back. It seems like the MSC does not cover the refund if refused. I'll avoid these in the future.

I just read through the wire transaction assignment. It says that you can also call Western Union to get a refund. Does that mean they've made it easier to complete this shop? It's been a while since I did one and I'm hesitant to do another.

The first few that I did were refunded by the FLA and they took care of contacting WU. When I ran into one situation where the clerk said I had to call. I did so at the location, but the phone number was not the phone I was using. I had to run out to get the other telephone to call them. They at first said they would only be able to refund the $20.00. But when I went to the clerk, I was given the full $20.

I've been suspicious of being able to remain anonymous. One FLA referenced one of my other transfers a couple of months ago.

I did one and won't do another unless it pays much better... I also had a terrible time getting my money back. The fellow at the shop was a champion and knew that it should be possible, but had a terrible time working with the client's customer service reps. My understanding is that this is exactly what the client is trying to fix. The client has promised to reimburse all shoppers who get burned, but I don't want to have to deal with that on top of the long shop.