GFK has always paid me the agreed to bonuses to do shops for a communication company, but they do not adequately vet the companies of assignment to determine if they are open and will pay a shopper only three bucks if a shop is closed, even if it is over 40 miles away. This has happen to me because at the time the shop owner never answered the phone since he was not there because the shop was closed. I had concerns about the no phone answering and notified GFK about this concern for the out of town location. Nevertheless, the scheduler told me to go anyway, and as a dunce I did. The shop was closed and I was paid 3 bucks! I also had a shop rejected because a product was not live on a picture I had taken, but I returned to the shop to obtain an error or live functioning of the product. However, I was told that it was the wrong picture and I knew that it wasn't. I was given a one and excluded from doing anymore shops, plus I was not paid anything. I decided to let it go because what goes around comes around for being crooked. I work for other mystery shop agencies and was not excluded for minor errors. Of course, I never made those errors again and learned from them. I did past the stupid test for this assignment and maybe that did not set well with someone of the GFK staff. I do not recommend this company for a beginner or a long timer mystery shopper such as myself. I am not going to call them any names because that would be unprofessional and unethical of me, but I will say that they have an element of crookedness and a lack of understanding and that will limit the number of reliable workers for GFK along the way and it will eventually hurt their bottom line.

Down to 3-4 clients I don't think they will be around much longer. I had a experience like the op about a kiosk fee. Because I questioned it despite great previous work and ratings they refused to give me anymore jobs. As far as I am concerned GFK can GFY. That big electronics retailer leaves them and they are done. The other one is a automobile maker they are trying to steal from Monterey. Oh don't think they will succeed in that one. And the last one a phone company with ever expanding questions that sit and sit. Bad polices and bad company that at one time was one of the best.

We really could use about 20 or 30 companies to drop their MS business. Way too many people fighting for a finite amount of business.

Has anyone else noticed the thin pickings on the job boards at GFK and a few others? I'm thinking that the MSC industry as a whole is in decline, due to the clients exploring other ways to gather the information that they need. Many of the shops I visit now invite customers to call a number, take a survey, and get a food discount in return. This strategy may be having an impact on the traditional MSC business.

slynn95,
You call them "crooked" and then say that you are not going to call them names because it would be "unprofessional and unethical." Errr, what am I missing here?

I'm not defending GFK, just wondering.

...crooked is an adjective not a noun such as crooks. I am describing their behavior, but I understand the confusion. GFK treats shoppers as if there are an infinite number of shoppers out there to be had and there are not. A video cam would have been a good idea, but I have other shops that do not do the rating and testing thing as they do. This is not to say that these agencies do not internally review and rate for integrity and accuracy....note: I called myself a name "dunce" not them.

In some areas GFK does have few offers, and the eatery shop that they offer I am not into although they offer bonuses. As an excluded shopper, I received a notice about traveling over 75 miles at minimum to do some shops for them...it was not specifically directed at me... because some shoppers had "flaked" on them. All I can say to this, what goes around comes around...they'll have plenty of more shoppers flaking on them.

@jilummer wrote:

Has anyone else noticed the thin pickings on the job boards at GFK and a few others? I'm thinking that the MSC industry as a whole is in decline, due to the clients exploring other ways to gather the information that they need. Many of the shops I visit now invite customers to call a number, take a survey, and get a food discount in return. This strategy may be having an impact on the traditional MSC business.

Some of that is true regarding the survey, but I think unique details on customer perspective, taped phone calls and an evolution to video shopping will keep mystery shopping strong. You just can't replace a really good spy.

Too bad GFK took this turn for the worst. I used to really like working for them. Haven't done any recently and now I think I will avoid them due to all the feedback here, which I appreciate. GFK has also moved into paid surveys. I get emails from them all the time in my paid survey newsletter.

While I understand GFK's closed shop fee because you are not
doing any work, I do not agree with their bonus reduction policy
if a location is closed. If you agree to a 50 dollar travel bonus
and the shop fee is 15 and the location is closed, you get a 3 dollar shop fee,
and only 70% of the bonus amount, 35 dollars. Last I checked, it doesn't
cost you less to travel there because the location is closed.
So your 65 dollar shop now became 38 dollars.

Excellent point, Techman. A travel fee should be paid at 100% of the agreed amount if you travel there.

Especially if they're going to REQUIRE a visit to confirm that the business is closed instead of calling off the shop because nobody is answering the phone at the location.

My experience with GFK:

I agreed to do a cell phone provider shop in Park City, UT (where I happen to live) on 1/16/2015 for a fee of $15 plus a bonus of $10.

The location is about a 20 minute drive from my home. I went to the location @ 10:15 am (their recording said that they open at 10:00).

It was in the middle of a snowstorm with the temperature of -7 (Park City is a mountain town where the Winter Olympics were held in 2002, btw). The store was closed and I waited a full 45 minutes until 11:00 and the store was still closed. I then drove home (another 20-ish minutes through heavy snow/ice, etc).

I documented this in my report along with a pic of the "closed" sign (date and time stamped).

Bottom line = I was paid $3 for a closed shop (figuring the driving time + waiting time + reporting time) = about $1.50 per hour.

I complained about the unfairness of the piddling amount of $$$ that was sent and I got back a copy of their policy regarding closed shops.

This is coming from an experienced shopper who consistently gets 9s & 10s from GFK's arbitrary editors.

I later found out (from another of the same cell phone providers in Park City) that the location that I tried to shop consistently has had numerous personnel changes for issues such as "not opening on time and unreliable associates".

And...they expect me to continue to shop for them? I think not.

And...they can't understand why their business is going into the crapper (partly, I surmise, because shoppers just won't provide the quality work that they expect because of their ham-fisted policies".

parkcitybrian -

I thought 'closed' shop fees were paid if the store closed permanently or moved from that location and moved elsewhere, not if the store was simply closed early for the day - and in that case, I would assume that they would ask you to return on a different day. Maybe the closed fee was paid because you couldn't go back and they rescheduled with someone else.

As far as closed shops - I always Google beforehand to see if there is any inkling. If a yelp review says "I miss this place, too bad it closed" or if there is a review from two weeks ago, its a pretty good sign they are doing business. Unless you are forbidden from doing so in the shop guidelines, which sometimes and sometimes isn't the case, I would call on a different day and ask them where they are located. When I worked in retail, I had calls like that all day long and would think nothing of it. Sometimes you just get a recording which states the same.

I looked back in my log when you guys said that GFK's clients are dwindling. I thought there were more clients, but from my log history, everything is a single client food shop or what looks like client and competitor shops and audits for a second company. I have never shopped anything else, so am not seeing the dwindle. I take that back - it looks like I shopped a third client a few years back.

Looking back at this situation, I would recommend printing out the email and putting it in your tax records. I would count the $50 as an unreimbursed business expense against your taxes.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2015 02:14AM by wintersilke.

What $50 expense? I seem to be missing something here.

Mileage to get there is an expense. Lack of revenue is not an expense. Maybe, maybe, it is an uncollected bad debt, and I even doubt that. Ask dspeakes.

I've been working for Gfk for several years now and have never had a problem until my last shop. It was difficult to get the scheduler to respond when I had questions and there were requirements not mentioned in the shop listing that almost knocked me completely out of doing it. Technically my report was late but I made a note about it being late because of the scheduler and it's been approved but not paid yet. I've always really like this msc. Hope they aren't having issues but it doesn't sound like that's the case.

im not with this co yet. if going out of biz probably not worth signing up.

I have done 27 shops for the already this year and would like to do many more. Please do not sign up, please refuse to do more work for them if you have signed up with them in the past.

@myst4au wrote:

I have done 27 shops for the already this year and would like to do many more. Please do not sign up, please refuse to do more work for them if you have signed up with them in the past.

No offense and please don't take this personally but...what a stupid posting.

I'm not at the point where I'm done with them yet. The credit card shops are great and I'll definitely do another if given the opportunity. I just hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Seems like a scheduler problem because the editor was very nice and helpful. Definitely proceed with caution.

Humor, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
I chuckled at your response, although I am not sure that you intended it as humor.

@parkcitybrian wrote:

@myst4au wrote:

I have done 27 shops for the already this year and would like to do many more. Please do not sign up, please refuse to do more work for them if you have signed up with them in the past.

No offense and please don't take this personally but...what a stupid posting.

tell me not to do something does not work. i will go ahead & sign up. where do you live so i can take all the jobs in your area.

@myst4au wrote:

I have done 27 shops for the already this year and would like to do many more. Please do not sign up, please refuse to do more work for them if you have signed up with them in the past.

Tongue in cheek anyone?

When I taught 7th grade, I was constantly dealing with upset 7th graders because one of them said something that was not true as fact and the rest believed it to be true.

In my area, GfK has audits and cell phone shops. Seems to be enough jobs on the board.

As they just lost my favorite shop RIP I probably won't do any shopping at all anymore for them. Last I knew the store audits had to be started in the morning which lets me out.

I have done only three shops for GFK. One was a food thing, one was a competitive analysis thing, and one was a cell phone shop.
The phone shop had way too many questions. The competitve analysis thing was okay.

I don't think they have the competitive analysis any more. Maybe that was a one-time thing.

I haven't seen a cell phone shop on their site for a while.

I don't do their audits because I make a ton of money doing mystery shops for a different MSC for the same retailer and it is not worth it to do the audits instead.

As to the food shops, I have found another company that does those same shops. Neither one of them pays much, but the people at the other location are easier to deal with.

I got caught with that reduction of bonus on a shop once. What made it galling was to be told "most" companies would have paid less. In my experience "all" companies would have paid the full bonus and "most" as in all but maybe three would have paid the full fee. The kicker, it was a really last minute shop on Easter Sunday. Before agreeing to take the shop I told the scheduler I would call to verify the store was even open that day. The phone was answered and the employee said they were open for their normal business hours. I notified the scheduler, went there a couple hours later and they had closed early. Her argument was they would have to pay another shopper to return the following day so the reduction in my pay was justified. Since when am I responsible for helping them pay their other contractor's?

LisaSTL - The OCD in me is waiting, just WAITING for you to hit that 17,000 mark! Can you just comment on everyone's posts today and just get there already?

As far as contributing to the thread, I have conducted one assignment for them with a hefty bonus. I was paid as committed and on time. After reading through this thread, I will be careful on future assignments with them to be safe. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread as well as all the others so we can work together, support one another, and most of all be successful in what we do.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2015 04:54PM by Mbrookes.

I wish they would answer a email in timely fashion