I'm wondering if this forum keeps MSCs honest. I'm thinking that it undoubtedly does. I have only been shopping for about 18 months and a member of this forum for the same amount of time. I haven't read too many posts from pre-2013, but I have read about some MSCs not paying shoppers in a timely manner or not at all. I'm just curious about the fees prior to 2013, which MSCs have gone under, and which have cleaned up their act due to this forum.

I've never had a problem with any of the MSCs I'm shopping for and I guess I am fortunate that way.

I believe they're honest. I don't understand why a company wouldn't pay if the work was done properly. It's definitely not good for business, especially with the huge MSCs.

I trust my MSCs. So far, so good.

rsglenn, I think you're way overestimating the influence of this forum. Just my opinion, I know. The MSCs who honor their obligations do it because it's good business and they're here to make money. I believe that in most cases when an MSC is not honoring their obligations as agreed it's the result of a lack of cash rather than shady ethics. I don't believe any of them go into business intending to fail. Sometimes a business failure can look like a deliberate scam if you're the one not getting paid, but generally a business failure is not deliberate. Nobody wins in a business failure; everybody gets hurt.

The best thing about the forum is that it's a place we can talk to one another, share experiences, ask questions, get advice and comments. The information we share with each other helps us as shoppers but doesn't make much overall difference to MSCs as to the way they conduct their businesses. Considering how we sometimes treat them when they try to participate, it's easy to understand why they wouldn't want to exchange with us here on the forum.

I know the Freeman episode is often cited to support the importance and influence of this forum, but that company was unfortunately and unwillingly shutting down. Any action taken by the forum or by the MSPA could not have turned that tide or made a difference in what happened. The best possible (in our dreams) outcome there would have been for the company to become solvent and pay all shoppers all money due before closing their doors voluntarily. Reality prevented that outcome.

The value of the forum in that episode was that members became aware there was a payment problem and had an opportunity to minimize their losses by disengaging from the company. How many continued to shop for Freeman after the first indications of a payment problem, not wanting to give up the (hoped for) stream of income and counting on the company catching up? How many of us made our own situation worse even though we knew that continuing to shop for Freeman was risky? I never shopped for the company myself as they did not offer the kind of work I do, but I gather from the forum that many continued to work for them even after being warned off. Who's responsible for that?

I regret everyone's losses from MSC's who have gone under. I regret everyone's losses from reports that were not acceptable, whether the result of poor guidelines or poor execution by the shopper. This forum is enormously helpful to us as shoppers because, if we pay attention, it keeps us on top of what's going on. To say it has major influence in the mystery shopping/auditing community is a stretch and it just isn't so. It's a major influence among the shoppers only.

Apparently the forum started out as a shoppers only forum. Nothing says it can't be expanded to be more inclusive, and if it becomes more inclusive it will be more influential. If it becomes more inclusive and influential, it will be much more important.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2014 04:15PM by MDavisnowell.

Some businesses don't care what people write online. Half the world either doesn't know what MS is or thinks it is a scam. I have much respect for MSCs that go above and beyond by interacting with Shoppers on here, especially when there is an issue. It is not something they have to do.

rsglenn,

I am pretty new here. Aside from some well thought out and informative complaints....

My observation has been that a majority of the complaints are misguided and/or too full of the OPs feelings to be objective. Many do not provide substantial information. I find myself thinking, if this is the level of detail and objectivity the OP is displaying when they are filling out their surveys, no wonder they are having trouble understanding their relationship with the MSC.

rsglenn Wrote:
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> I'm wondering if this forum keeps MSCs honest.


Perhaps the focus of your comment should be more on the shopper rather than the MSPs.

Information shared in this forum has kept me from taking shops from MSPs that are slow (behind their stated payment schedule), in bankruptcy (Freeman), and anywhere in between. I run my business choosing MSPs based on a variety of factors. When I have more jobs available than I can possible perform it is easy to exclude some MSPs because of payment issues reported here. By educating some shoppers, the forum may have helped keep the companies honest.

However, there were plenty of shoppers posting here that they were aware of late payment issues with Freeman and other MSPs and were continuing to take shops from those MSPs. I agree with Marydavisnowell as she stated above the greater value of the forum is shared information (excluding ICA prohibited information of course). This forum is one of the very few places shoppers can share relevant information about MSPs. That information can be from advice about how to conduct a particular shop, to how easy or difficult narrative are for a certain MSP, or other mundane information about how certain MSPs operate. So keep sharing and use the information here to help your business.

The sad part is someone on one of the facebook mystery shopping groups said this forum was about dead. I informed them that it is very much alive and well... lol

Canuck Wrote:
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> I've never had a problem with any of the MSCs I'm
> shopping for and I guess I am fortunate that way.
>
> I believe they're honest. I don't understand why a
> company wouldn't pay if the work was done
> properly. It's definitely not good for business,
> especially with the huge MSCs.
>
> I trust my MSCs. So far, so good.

It is obvious that the MSC's are taking advantage of evaluators. I did similar work in my professional career before I retired.
As a mystery shopper the "dispatcher" is sending me to a scene or the attorney is sending me to a scene or the client is calling me into a situation.

The shopper at times is asked to play a role. I arrived at the scene observed the reality and interacted with the people and was paid a lot more than mystery shopping. I was paid by my employerI from the time I left the office. I often had to make a report and was paid for my time. I got employee benefits. As a consultant I structirued my fee to include my time and expense and the people paid me for my value.

The MSCs are foutunate the economy is poor. When I did bank shops offices in upscale counties where locals do not mystery shop I was paid a bonus to cover the expense of getting to those locations. The MSC was still saving money as they do not pay the time on my clock between shops.

Some Mystery shoppers figure they are passing the door or going there to shop and treat the money like money found on the street. Bend over and pick it up. Some people do reports on the beach instead of crosswork puzzles after they take a shop at a conveniece store and buy a sandwich and beverage while doing a shop.

Canuck Wrote:
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> I believe they're honest. I don't understand why a
> company wouldn't pay if the work was done
> properly. It's definitely not good for business,
> especially with the huge MSCs.


In theory, yes. Of course, get an MSC that's pretty cozy with their big client who probably has shops with other MSCs as well and a bad shop will get rejected at the evaluator's expense. I'm not up for having money taken from my pocket for doing my job correctly.

With a crusty economy, most folks just hope for the best and that they don't get burned and life goes on. A gal pal of mine got her "arches" shop turned down because it was laughably poor and she had enough practice to know what she was doing. Admittedly, I kept on trucking because I've never done those shops and wasn't overly concerned, but I've already booted two MSCs this year for jamming me on poor shops (*cough* MF *cough* GFK *cough*).

tl;dr As long as someone is there to get kicked around, it's all good. Now you understand.