I had a Chase credit card shop late last week that I attempted to complete...I arrived about an hour before closing time and the (one) Banker had a customer in their office. I waited 15 minutes and then one of the (two) tellers told me I would need to make an appointment for another day because that banker would be busy until closing. I asked for a number to call and make an appointment, and the teller gave me a card. I asked if he was the person on the card, and he confirmed he was (Branch Manager). I told him my question probably wouldn't take too much time and I'd rather wait than return on another day, but he shut me down and said they were required to provide lots of disclosures with any information they gave out so they couldn't do it that day, plus I could find everything I needed online. I am thinking the Branch Manager could have met with me since there was another Teller, but he didn't volunteer to. I checked back 5 minutes before the branch closed, and the banker was indeed still with the same customer. I submitted to the MSC, and today was asked if I could go back since the shop was not completed. I let them know I could, but would expect an extra amount to cover my return trip to the branch. They declined to add anything extra, and I won't be paid anything since I did not meet with a banker. I'm a bit miffed because I think I should be compensated something since it was by no fault on my part that I did not meet with a banker. The Branch Manager basically shooed me out of the Branch...

What do y'all think? Is there a way to escalate at this MSC? Is it worth escalating in you opinion?

What do your instructions tell you to do if no one is available? That should be your guidelines for what comes next. Whether the person who handed you a business card is the CEO of Chase or the janitor, they were not willing, ready and able to handle your inquiry.

I believe if we can't do it the first time we are to try again - without extra pay. I know you went an hour before closing, but in the guidelines it states not to go 30 minutes prior to closing and I think the problem you had is the reason why.

Yes, the guidelines state to go anytime between opening and up to 30 minutes before closing. They also state to wait for a banker and if you cannot wait, you must go back to meet with one. In my circumstance, I was able to wait, but was told no one would be able to help me. It is definitely a grey area...

Then contact them and ask how they want you to handle it. Tell them what you told us here. They may want you to report, they may want you to reschedule. If they want a reschedule is a good time to ask for more money.

I use to do a lot of the Chase shops but have cut way back. The banks have gone from 4-5 bankers to 1 banker. So the wait is way too long. If I am doing a few of them in a day I am spending a lot of time waiting, watching my hourly rate go way down.

Exactly what pegleg said. These used to be great filler shops during my lunch break or on a route. But I agree that with the lack of proper staffing, the wait times have become outrageous, Even if you are there when they open at 9 AM if another customer has made an appointment and there is only one banker, you still have to wait, I now only take them when they are bonused and within walking distance of another shop.

I too have seen that chase has cut down to 1 banker at most branches. I also don't think the msp wants us making an appointment so these shops are no longer worth it IMHO. used to be easy as hell 5 to 10 minutes for the shop and quick report. I could do 8 to 12 a day. Now 4 is pushing it.

@Flash wrote:

Then contact them and ask how they want you to handle it. Tell them what you told us here. They may want you to report, they may want you to reschedule. If they want a reschedule is a good time to ask for more money.

Thanks Flash, that is what I did today, and they called me back and left me a message that said they weren't going to pay any extra to go back to the location again. I was originally doing it for $20 and it fit between other shops in the area. I have no other shops in that area this week and told them I would go back if they added $10 more which I thought was quite fair since they added another $5 to the remainder of the monthly shops today. They did not approve my request.

Guess I will have to write off this one, although I still think it's pretty crappy of the MSC to not offer anything.

I agree with the other comments here...it seems like Chase has really cut back on the Bankers, so the wait time is really making these shops not worth taking unless they double the initial pay rate. Oh well.

I would push back a bit if I were in your shoes. Re-iterate that you did speak with someone who could help you- the Branch Manager- and they refused to do so. Therefore you should be paid something. It's not like you sat around then up and left.

I don't think pushing is going to do it. They want you to talk to a banker and if you can't see one you have to go back. I think it states that in the guidelines. I don't do them anymore without a bonus attached.

@pegleg2000 wrote:

I don't think pushing is going to do it. They want you to talk to a banker and if you can't see one you have to go back. I think it states that in the guidelines. I don't do them anymore without a bonus attached.

I agree. Bank rep staffing is way down. I do not do these shops unless they are bonused a lot AND I can be there early in the morning to be the first customer. Otherwise, the wait is potentially too long. And the guidelines specify that you must either wait IF THEY ARE BUSY or return at another time. Does that mean if there are customers in front of you or if there are no visible customers in front of you but they SAY they are busy and can't help you, then you must return at another time? That's my interpretation.

The guidelines also say you can't perform the shop within the last 30 minutes of the operating hours. So if you get there an hour before closing and you wait 30 minutes, you reach the last 30 minutes, so you can't perform the shop even though you waited.

The guidelines say "Available shopping hours are from branch open to 30 minutes prior to close. Allow for and wait an appropriate amount of time for service. Please visit the branch no later than 30 minutes before closing. If the branch is busy and you choose not to wait then you must come back at another time to complete the shop. "

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2016 03:31PM by roflwofl.

I've had it happen to me, and I did not get paid. I stepped out the door and called them when it was clear I would not be helped, and they said they could either remove the shop from my log or I could go back another day. I chose to have it removed because going back was not an option. However, I consider it one of the potential flaws in shopping that happens from time to time and I don't let it bother me. I've done bajillion tons more Chase shops since then although like everyone else I have begun to wait for bonuses due to extended waiting times.

I have not done the Chase shop but from the clients perspective: "They did not get the whole ball of wax with their Banker." They got that he was tied up and you needed to make an appointment or come back the next day.

If you DO go back, you need to be compensated for both shops.. It was not your fault. You said you arrived one hour before closing? ...

If the banker had just sat down with another customer and then you needed to do "your" scenario... it seems there would not be enough time to do both. The REAL problem is that they were short-handed and another banker (if they had one) should have stepped in to help you.

@SunnyDay2, they do not operate like that anymore. Usually one, maybe two bankers but many times not. The MSC/client will not pay for a return trip. They actually encourage you to cancel the shop if you can't reschedule. They would rather look for another shopper than pay the first shopper twice.

Some of these shops are in remote locations and a return trip is not an option -- even if the shop was bonused in the first place. This policy puts a shopper in a very awkward, and money-losing, position. Many MSPs will pay a no-show fee if the shopper submits proof of the visit .... in this case the branch manager's business card and a photo of the front of the bank would do it.

I know this MSP will not pay for a failed visit for Chase shops. What kind of company sends people to do work in good faith and then simply doesn't pay them a dime when all of their predetermined variables don't fall into place just so?

Back when I was a newbie I did a shop for the brown bank. The banker never showed up (running late or some such problem) and I waited 45 minutes and the teller said the banker would not be coming in at all! . So I had sat my butt down on that chair for 45 minutes ....no banker and I had to leave....and then the scheduler said she wanted me to go back and try to shop the banker again. I told her I would only do it if I got paid for both visits.

I perform several of these shops a month. The key is that you HAVE TO SIT DOWN WITH A BANKER. Well sometimes you don't have to sit but that's rare. (Once). There is a clause to wait no more than 30 minutes and then return another time or day. The upside to these shops are that they can take no more than 10 minutes. The downside is that it could be a 39 minute shop given the circumstances. October has been closer to 10 minutes with my longest time being 22 minutes.

For me, it's the 10-15 visit and easy report.

And did they pay you for both visits?

Sybil2 has it spot on. They didn't want to pay me any extra to go back & would rather reschedule with another shopper. The jury is still out as to whether I will get anything for the first visit, but it is looking bleak as the MSC has not returned my call. Plus I no longer see any other Chase Shops on the job board, so maybe they removed me from the whole program?!

I know the shop is to check that the correct documents are given out, but really, I would think the Client would want to know that a branch may not be able to assist and/or is sending walk in customers out the door. IMHO, that's also valuable information.

I have been told by several Chase bankers that Chase is moving away from "in bank" services. That soon there may not be branches as we know them today. The electronic age.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2016 02:59AM by COMystery.

I agree with COMystery that Chase banks as we know them will be a thing of the past. In several regions, tellers are being replaced by "super ATM's". You walk into a branch and all but one window is now blocked off with an advertisement board or something. You see rows of empty desks/cubicles with one maybe two bankers. The machines are taking over. I foresee this client or the mystery shop as we know it will also disappear.

The guidelines for the Chase shops do not stipulate being paid for an attempt, and never had at least as long as I have been doing them, which is three years. It states wait 30 minutes, and if you do not sit down with a banker come back later. I have always taken that to mean I have to meet with a banker.

I called once when I had waited an hour and they told me to either wait until I could be helped or go back another day. After this happened, I called when I had completed the shop and asked them how long I was required to wait, in order to get paid, and the reply was...."...as long as it takes." So, I realized on these shops, they either had to be completed or you did not get paid, regardless of the reason why.

When I see that there are other people waiting, I usually ask them how long they have been waiting. If there is a greeter, I ask them for an approximate wait time. If I am told 30 minutes or longer, I walk out, get in my car and call Team 1 to cancel the shop. I usually do not have the luxury of waiting a long time or returning another day.