It's my own fault.....

Just accepted a job from the scheduler's e-mail, assuring me that the on-line survey is "yes/no questions, with no required detailed narrative".

Simple retail assignment, straightforward, interact with sales floor associate and cashier.

So I accept it. One of the FIRST requirements on the guidelines is "provide DETAILED narrative on complete interactions". So then I go to the questionnaire, check it out: FOUR 2300-character narratives required, plus one no character limit narrative describing the entire shop.

It's my first shop with this company.

Probably my last one.

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That's awful.

I'm beginning to think if a scheduler hasn't read the guidelines, they shouldn't craft a job posting or e-mail supposedly detailing the job requirements!

Can you contact the scheduler and informed them that you read over the guidelines and felt that you would not be able to perform the shop correctly? As a way to back out of the shop? Just don't confess that their report requirements were way too-detailed with the 2300 characters for the comments.

Personally, unless the fee justifies doing the shop, I would cancel it.

My posts are solely based on my opinions and for my entertainment, contact a professional if you need real advice.

When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson

The fee is $30. The shop is 100 miles away, but my anchor shop is a $160 assignment from another company literally within walking distance of this shop. I was thinking half an hour in the store, half an hour max on the report, the fee is doable. Then the actual guidelines is 4 separate interactions (sales floor associate, targeted department, service department, and cashier), with extensive narrative for each. Plus an un-reimbursed purchase as POV! Past experience convinces me I won't get 4 interactions completed in less than a full hour, and I certainly won't "zip" through the report in less than half an hour!

Like I said, my own fault....

I disagree that it is your fault. Based on your description of the email, unless you could have read the guidelines before applying, you were misinformed. Cancelling should be reasonable in this situation. I suggest that you reply to the initial email asking the scheduler to remove you from the shop, with no penalty, due to their misleading description of the requirements.

My posts are solely based on my opinions and for my entertainment, contact a professional if you need real advice.

When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson

I'm seriously considering doing just that; or asking for $90, which is more reasonable.

I like that idea. If you point out that there is more work involved than you were originally told, certainly you have bargaining power.

I hate it when schedulers are deceptive.

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

I do think they sometimes don't know that they are not telling you the truth.

Jasflalmt, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt. Always. Partly because sometimes I need to benefit from the same courtesy. I have written the scheduler and asked for clarification, as the guidelines specify in detail the required interaction in the targeted department, but say nothing about the other 3 departments. The scenario is specific to the targeted department, and is not transferable to the other required interactions. No reply yet.

If I don't have the needed info within 48 hours, I'll just politely write her and tell her I feel unable to complete the shop, due to not having the required information.

Oh, yeah, wouldn't it be cool if only one department had to be reported upon and the others could be NA?

I agree with Isaiah and Jasflalmt. Sounds like the scheduler sugar coated it to get the shop assigned. A yes/no survey with no detailed narratives is far different than four 2300 character narratives. And four interactions is double cashier and sales associate. You are negotiating from strength and I would definitely request a bonus pointing out the discrepancy of the original offer and actual shop.

Your post about "the benefit of the doubt" and "to benefit from the same courtesy" was a pleasure to read, ceasesmith. Far too often, in today's ultra-critical world, common courtesies are no longer seen as being "cool," or are viewed as a sign of weakness/subordination. I hope that your situation works out to your satisfaction.

ceasesmith, you are so tactful. People like me who lack it would benefit from some lessons from you. I am far too blunt and I work hard to temper it. Often I just can't come up with anything as nice as the things you say.

You are very kind.

Thank you.

Not your fault at all to trust a scheduler. I had something similar happen recently though not to that extent. Was offered three shops with no narrative; turned out two out of the three required a narrative. I did the shops and told the scheduler who apologized and told me he didn't know. One shop was quite nice though so it was okay.

I signed up for a MF phone shop today that IS my own fault. I was looking for a filler, and didn't realize that this particular location in inside a Best Buy. OY!

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

OY, indeed.

I gave the scheduler 5 days to respond to my e-mail. No response at all.

So I wrote this morning and told her that my failure to secure the additional information I requested left me unable to complete the shop correctly, and I asked her to unassign the shop.

We'll see what happens.

ROTFLMAO!!!

Her reply was that "guidelines are self-explanatory".

While it's nice to see a post not starting out with placing blame on a MSC and taking some responsibility, I gotta say agree with the others above that you are not at fault here, and also should not feel bad about cancelling the shop or asking for additional pay.

The practice of deceptive email offers needs to be called out. Kudos for being willing to step away from a poor assignment, though if you are cancelling, I would copy operations at the MSC so they know what transpired.

@ceasesmith wrote:

ROTFLMAO!!!

Her reply was that "guidelines are self-explanatory".

Oh, FFS...

Update: I received an e-mail from the scheduler. She assured me that narrative was ONLY required if I "graded" something below 4 on a scale of one to ten.

I accepted the shop and did it today.

She didn't know what she was talking about.

1600 words later, it's 1 AM. Narrative is DEFINITELY required for each and every interaction -- the survey wouldn't let me move on to the next section without the narrative block filled in.

I am really, really pissed, and will NEVER accept another assignment from this scheduler. Maybe not ever from the company. If you're interested, it was SEC (Service Evaluation Concepts). On my 10-foot pole list, permanently!

OK. That responsibility lands a bit on you since it was clear from the previous email that the scheduler was not forthcoming. You had a red flag and ignored it.

I would still forward the scheduler emails to the MSC management, even if you don't want to work for them in the future. Schedulers need to be held accountable for lying...and kudos to you for finishing the shop anyway.

I wish the OP had mentioned the MSC in the first post. Some shoppers could have given you better insight. I do not perform shops for that MSC anymore, probably 2 - 3 years now.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

OK. That responsibility lands a bit on you since it was clear from the previous email that the scheduler was not forthcoming. You had a red flag and ignored it.

I would still forward the scheduler emails to the MSC management, even if you don't want to work for them in the future. Schedulers need to be held accountable for lying...and kudos to you for finishing the shop anyway.

No, Steve, as mentioned above -- but not CLEARLY stated -- I received a 2nd e-mail from her that she had checked, and narrative absolutely was NOT required. I would need to explain in narrative if and only if I graded something as below standard (4 or below on a scale of 1-10). After that 2nd e-mail, I accepted the job.
I did not grade anything 4 or below, and narrative was required for every interaction -- the guy who escorted me to socks, both guys in the targeted department, and the cashier. PLUS an additional no-word-limit narrative describing the entire experience from parking to exiting!

And, yeah, part of the "I'm pissed" is at myself!

And I wish I had put the company name in the initial posting. The warnings here would have allowed me to cancel the shop without hesitation! The reason I added it, finally, was as a warning to other shoppers who might not be familiar with the company.

Thank you, ceasesmith, for sharing your experience with this MSC! Personally, I think you did everything within your power to ascertain the truth before doing this shop and still got burned by a less-than-honest scheduler. I would not beat myself up over this at all, since none of it was your fault.

After all, we, as ICs, only have the information provided by the scheduler, guidelines, and MSC to formulate an idea of what a shop entails. THEY have a responsibility to provide an accurate scope of work to be performed and we have a responsibility to do the work as outlined. If the scheduler or MSC lies to us, then they have broken their contractual agreement and should be held accountable. If they cannot be held accountable thru the legal system due to the low dollar amount in question, then they certainly should be held accountable thru the court of public opinion -- mainly our forum.

I, for one, will not do any work for this MSC based on your experience and I very much appreciate your sharing the experience with all of us!

"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl -- year after year..."

It gets worse. I was up until after 1 AM submitting that report, because the scheduler begged me to get it in before the mandated deadline as "the customer is waiting for the report".

As of 8 PM Thursday -- almost 4 days after I submitted it -- it's still in "submitted for review". Not "completed".

GRRRRR!

I actually received a reply this morning. They said the report was "never received" by them, but they "retrieved it" and it was a "great report which was immediately sent to the client" and thanked me for e-mailing them.

ROTFLMFAO!!!!

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