I did a mystery shop for NWLP at { ==edited due to ICA violation == please do not reveal the clients of MSCs ==== }and was supposed to have been reimbursed up to $35 for food/drink and tip plus another $10 shopper fee. I submitted my shop report within 3 hours of completing the shop and I was not contacted at all by NWLP with any follow up questions or concerns. Additionally, the shop required that I pay my tab in cash. The shop instructions said NOTHING about how to write in my tip. Altogether, my food bill plus tip came to $35.
There was nothing in the shop instructions specifying how to include the tipped amount, so I included it in my narrative, specifying that I left a cash tip as well. Fast forward to more than six weeks after the shop, and when I check my payment in PayPal, it $10 short! When I inquired about this, someone named Doug responded with 'the client has already paid us so there is nothing I can do'. He claimed that I should have written the tip on the receipt and in the header of my submission, but if that's what they wanted me to do then it should have been in the instructions as I am not a mind reader. I am not one to take 'no' for an answer just because someone wants to blow me off, so if they continue to refuse full payment I plan to file an online dispute with the Consumer Protection Agency. I would never do any shops for this company again since clearly they cannot be trusted to fulfill an agreement.

That's a bummer. I'm sorry you got caught in a lack of documentation that cost you money.

First, Doug is Doug Rector, President of NWLPC. He is also on the Board of Directors for the MSPA. He can be very abrupt, but he is a nice guy and honest and up-front. I've always found him to be helpful. I've worked for him since early 2009 with no problems. Doug frequently visits the forum and sometimes posts. You could reach him with a PM, but it sounds as if you two have already communicated.

You don't mention how long you have been mystery shopping, so I am wondering if you are relatively new to mystery shopping. It is pretty standard (with all the mystery shopping companies I shop for) to provide a receipt showing the *entire* reimbursable amount in order to be reimbursed. For example, if I eat at Chili's and my meal is $29.57, and my tip is $5.43, for a total of $35, I submit both the itemized receipt showing what I ordered, with the food total, and the credit card receipt showing my total paid with tip added. If I leave a cash tip (which I seldom do, for documentation purposes), I write on the receipt the amount of my cash tip. If it is cash payment only, the same applies - I submit the itemized check and write the tip I left on the receipt. This is necessary because the company submits the receipt to the client as part of the documentation to get them paid. If the MSC does not get paid, it's pretty likely that the mystery shopper will not be paid, so I try to be sure my receipts are very clear. When I submit a receipt, I expect to be reimbursed the amount shown on the receipt, up to the maximum reimbursement. If I have made purchases (or left a tip) that is not shown on that receipt, I would expect not to be paid.

Again, I'm sorry for the loss of the tipped amount. Hopefully, it will be a learning experience and you won't have difficulties with future dining shops. Always make sure the total you paid is shown on whatever receipt you submit in order to get reimbursement.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2014 08:35PM by AustinMom.

The instructions for this shop does say to write down your gratuity amount on the receipt. This was not done. This is to document the gratuity and so the client has a record. Also, nowhere in the instructions say you have to pay with cash. We do tell the shopper to upload their itemized receipt and not only their credit card receipt.
The reason this shopper was not paid the $10 she claims is due is because she did not follow instructions in documenting the gratuity on the receipt. Also, the gratuity was well over the 15% as is normal.

eyecandy, sorry for your loss but sometimes we make a mistake and have to suck it up. The tip should have been written on the receipt and the mystery shopping company is not responsible for pulling information out of the comments that should have been furnished elsewhere as directed. Additionally, I feel certain they are not allowed to change the receipt you submitted.

We all have these learning experiences as we go along, and based on my own experiences I assure you that you will continue to have learning experiences through the years. It is not reasonable for you to accuse the company of shorting your pay when that was in fact not the case at all. You failed to submit a proper receipt for the total amount due. Apparently they paid you the total of the receipt you submitted.

This post is not meant as a criticism of you in any way, but is meant as an encouragement to accept this as a learning event and to maintain your relationship with the company. To not continue to work with this reputable company would be a loss on your part, not on their part.

Thank you for sharing this experience on the forum. Certainly it is helpful information to anyone who might do one of those shops and not understand they have to write in the tip amount on the receipt.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2014 03:20PM by MDavisnowell.

sigh-- and Eyecandy you can not be trusted to fulfill your agreements either. You posted the name of the MSC and the client together, which violates your agreement as well. I trust Doug at NWLPC 100% on his answer that the guidelines say to write your tip amount on the receipt.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2014 02:42AM by seattleshop425.

Eye candy999...here is what I am reading from you. . You are shorted $10 which I think you are saying is your tip amount as you are saying your reimbursement is short and not saying you were not paid the fee. In order for you to be $10 short on your reimbursement in this way you would have had to have spent $25 or less at the restaurant and left a $10 or more tip to make it up to $35. There is no msc that I know that would reimburse for a tip of 40%+. In fact, even my most generous friends do not leave a 40% tip. And indicating you left such a tip on a small amount of expense sets you up for looking guilty from the get go if that is what happened. It sounds from further posts on this thread that what you were shorted on was the fee for not following instructions. If you still have access to the instructions look them over once again to make sure you read them correctly in the first place. Sometimes we mix up instructions from one job in our head with instructions from another. It is always a good policy to re read instructions before going out on a job.