Hi, is Shopper's View a MSC or is Joe someone who sell's video equipment? Did anyone get the email from Joe asking if they want to buy equipment so people can earn a substantially larger pay scale? Can anyone here vouch for Joe and is he concerned about our financial well-being or selling Secret Agent video items? I have my own equipment so the email does not relate to my needs but others might want to boost their earning capacity?

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2016 12:46AM by GuyFawkes.

It was brought up on this thread.

[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

@LisaSTL wrote:

It was brought up on this thread.

[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

Sorry Lisa, I've been working with a tech company and missed out on some of the posts during that time frame. Thank you!

Hi GuyFawkes! I'm Christine, another scheduler at Shoppers' View. Joe is the head of our video shopping department. I've emailed him a link to this thread (and the thread LisaSTL posted), but he did not work this weekend, so I thought I'd post in the mean time.

Shoppers' View is indeed a MSC, and we have been in business for over 20 years. You can visit our website here: www.shoppersview.com. We are a member of the MSPA and the IMSC. We also have an A+ BBB rating (which you can view here [www.bbb.org]). We are a member of both the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.

The reason Joe is sending out information on purchasing video equipment is we have video shopping opportunities across the country. We're hoping that, by getting the information out there, we will be able to grow the video shopper database. Many of our clients are moving toward video shopping, very quickly.

So, if you're interested in starting to do video shops, let us know! Joe can answer any questions you might have at joer@shoppersview.com.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2016 06:48PM by ShoppersViewChristine.

Thanks for offering the opportunities to other shoppers stuck in the lower end of Mystery Shopping. I appreciate companies willing to address honest questions. We get our fair share of strange emails and requests on MSC. My post was to ask a question and you provided the closing answer, thank you again!

GF

Christine,
It might be best if the equipment Joe is promoting had both the audio and the hi-res camera that almost every video MSC demands included in the stated price. It seems that many shoppers who would be new to video are not at all aware of the difference. So, even if your company, for instance, accepts video from the lo-res camera that ships with that rig, others definitely do not! He/you is/are doing newbies no favors by not making it clear what equipment will actually open up many new possibilities. While I am confident that this is not intentional, it may well lead shoppers to buy equipment useful only for a small minority of video assignments.

IMO the problem getting video shoppers may have more to do with the requirements than anything. 2 visits to a pawn shop, with a mandatory purchase and return, for compensation on the same level as one visit w/no purchase requirements, is not profitable for most video shoppers. Sorry.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2016 02:56PM by SS4U.

I've been struggling with the information out there on video equipment needed for shops. I'm taking this coming week to sign up for as many companies as I can. I have not seen too many video shops in my area so far. I'm not interested in paying $1,000 plus training so I can complete the two $45 shops I've seen so far. But I'm free to travel so the struggle goes on to find the right equipment and training combination. I'm in the Southwest U.S.

No one is talking anything near $1000 for a state of the art video rig! More like $350 range. And, training is a good investment. Where in the SW are you located; that could make a big difference in how far you need to travel to make video pay. BUT there may also be big bonuses for shops that are remote from most video professionals, so it's worth checking out.

Also, most MSCs have no video shops, so you may be looking in the wrong places. And, most video MSCs do not have job boards. They email shoppers, or respond to shoppers' requests for jobs along a particular route.

Training tends to come separately from equipment suppliers! The BIG exception is the November IMSC conference, where video training will be free, with hands-on use of equipment, and a top equipment vendor will be on site with discounts for conference attendees. (Dan from Greyhawk.)

The dual visit pawn shop video jobs are, indeed, at very low fees for the time and travel involved. Most experienced video shoppers won't leave home for $45 unless it is a short, nearby shop with just one visit. I almost never do shops in that range unless I can get two on the same day, pretty much back-to-back, with short reports.

Some of the MSCs that are newly "into" video are not attracting experienced video shoppers who own their own equipment and produce quality video because their pay is not adequate. Their clients will soon learn that they will get what they are willing to pay for, instead of the quality and reliability that they envisioned. Similarly, new video schedulers who have not done a ton of video themselves are avoided like the plague by seasoned video shoppers. We expect reliable, knowledgeable, in-the-field support by phone when decisions must be made on site. Always ask a potential video scheduler how many video shops he/she has performed and with what equipment. One MSC that is trying video has a video scheduler who is not available by phone, at all, and who has never done a video shop in her life. That MSC is on a serious 10-foot-pole list for a ton of experienced video shoppers.

clap clap applause...BRAVO spot on post !!!!

I've been working with Joe to get set up with video equipment and shopping. He's been great - and very patient. the issues I posted about a while ago (no sound in my recording) is nearly resolved - I was sent a wrong part. Joe has been willing to postpone shops and wait for the error to be corrected.

The investment was $300.

Thanks everyone for the responses and the concern. I'll try to answer all the questions I can.

1. This is not a scam. Lawmate-Technology is a distributor of Lawmate cameras. Shoppers' View is a legitimate MSC.
2. Shoppers' View is accepting shops recorded with the PV500. We do not care which model. The SD model on sale comes with the items a shopper needs to complete a shop for us, but we suggest adding additional SD cards for backup.
3. Shoppers' View supports Dan at GreyHawk and value his relationship with the mystery shopping community. We refer hundreds of shoppers to him who are interested in purchasing/renting equipment.
4. The biggest issue we are having is that shoppers cannot afford to spend over $350 on equipment. So when we saw that the PV500 with the SD camera was on sale, we wanted to send out the message to our shoppers letting them know that they can use our discount code SVIEW to get an even better deal. This is in the hopes that they will have the opportunity to do shops with a camera that they otherwise would not be able to afford. Also, shoppers are welcome to buy one of the better models and can still use the SVIEW code at checkout.

Let me know if you have other questions!

So, maybe Dan can chime in with which PV500 model is the best model and accessories in total should I buy that will serve the most discriminating MSC?

Walesmaven mentioned the specifics, but you can also contact Dan directly. I'm not sure he visits the forum regularly so it might be quicker.

I have tried to contact Dan. He was busy with the show I guess. The camera in the link for $300 does not come with audio, for that you need to spend $50 more. And it is standard definition with standard definition camera. For high definition, the price is upwards of $1000 for everything you need from what I see.

1080P HD PORTABLE DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER $495.00 Lawmate™ PV-500EVO 2U Portable DVR
Built to work with the Lawmate HD cameras

1080P HD BUTTON COVERT CAMERA KIT $225.00

Extra SD cards, extra battery, etc. $1,000

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2016 03:16PM by spicy1.

I'm not seeing $1,000. The rigs on the website only go up to $700. In fact there is a basic kit for $529 that even includes a car charger and case.

Dan Thomas is the person you want to hook up with for your video cam. needs. He is knowledgeable, honest and wants to see his customers succeed. "[greyhawkvideosolutions.vpweb.com]; The cost s/b under 400.00 but talk to Dan.

the link does not work

Google Greyhawk Video Solutions.

Joe,

It's great that your company will accept videos shot with the low resolution camera. No other MSP that we are aware of will accept that resolution. It is not in the shopper's best interest to purchase a rig that will shoot video that is only acceptable to one company. I again urge shoppers to buy only the PV500 L3 with the BU18 Hi Resolution camera so they can do video shops for anyone. Greyhawk has the lowest price available on this rig and provides superior support to the shopping community. This is not the case with suppliers that are trying to sell to military and law enforcement.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2016 10:29PM by jeff406.

www.greyhawkgear.com

Dan Thomas is on Facebook, too. Or try Greyhawk Video Solutions. He also has an attractive lease to buy program. Do get trained, though.

You folks seeing the same Ad that I do at the bottom right side of this page? It's for lawmate-technology.com
Ironic? I don't know. Funny though.

Nope, I don't see ads at all anymore.

Hi everyone. This is Dan from Greyhawk. I HAVE GREAT NEWS ON THE LEASES!!!! also, I am not coming in to bang up my competition. I do want to let people know there is a ton of old equipment, knock offs, and all sorts of "problems" out there. I know. I have to fix a lot of the problems. Lawmate recently rebranded their packaging because of the fakes. The new package is a solid black box and a black sleeve with LAWMATE written in silver. There is also another box just hitting the market that is multi-color with tons of graphics. It is a lot harder to duplicate. I stand behind Lawmate and their equipment. I didn't use their name in my company name to avoid confusion. I am a video shopper myself, and I am a licensed Lawmate dealer. I am the preferred vendor for gear for IMSC, MSPA, Video Shopping Pros, and the majority of the major video shopping companies. Lawmate opens itself to a lot of confusion. You can have a table full of DVR's that you can call PV-500. There are quite a few variations and versions. I don't stock or sell anything to a shopper that is not the latest updated gear. The PV-500 L2 for instance, was and is a horrible DVR. There were a few good ones and a bunch of bad ones. I will not touch them. Lawmate also includes BU-18 on just about every camera they make. There are cheap ones, good ones, and high resolution cameras. I guarantee the DVR is the latest version. I guarantee that you get the camera every shopping company prefers. I only deal in the things that makes a shopper money. That is why you don't see key chain cameras, hat cameras, tie cameras, coffee cup cameras and a whole bunch of other cameras on my web page. I sell what makes you money.

I looked over the company listed. I have been doing this a long time and I was not aware of this company. From the appearance of the site, it looks like they supplied PI's and Law Enforcement. Without getting technical, the add copy they use to advertise the gear does not look like what I am supplied with. There is no such thing as an EVO-L3...Every Lawmate product that I sell comes with a 2 piece 8 GB SD card. Their site lists a 2 GB card. I have never seen a 2 GB card from the factory. They also claim you can get 2 hours of video on the 2 GB card. Shooting at the resolution required by the Mystery Shopping Companies, you should be getting around 30 minutes per GB.

The main reason for my post is to let the community know that coming this week, the LEASING PROGRAM from GREYHAWK is being redone and revamped. The lease is still going to be lengthy, but we are going to scale down the information and signature to one page. DocuSign is coming when we hit leasing goals. The BEST change is that we have worked out an agreement with an insurance agency. What that means is, we can DO AWAY with the $450.00 credit hold. You can rest easy when you lease, because the policy covers damage to the unit. My company will cover the bulk of the insurance cost. The shopper will wind up paying about $5.00 more per lease. Peace of mind is well worth that for the shopper. If you are a shopper that wants to try video, you can have new equipment in your hands for $80.00 plus one way shipping. A one month lease would be $155.00, with Greyhawk covering all the shipping. We still allow you to lease to own. Every dollar of your lease payment will be applied to the cost of the equipment.

My company strives hard to provide a great deal of service and value to every purchase. We don't just dump gear on you and run. We keep long hours to help shoppers with equipment problems. We overnight gear and have met shoppers to put gear in their hands to keep their route going. We have a very detailed video to guide you through every piece of gear in the box and every screen on the DVR. If you are a new video shopper, we can introduce you to the people that make it happen in the video world. We don't just give you a company list. We prefer to do an introduction email to you and the scheduler for the company. Just let us know you need help. Joe's company is one we recommend.

Kind Regards,
Dan Thomas
Greyhawk
www.greyhawkgear.com

Thanks for your questions and concerns. Shoppers should always do their research when it comes to the types of tools required for shops they would like to do. We’re simply notifying shoppers of the fact that there is a lower cost option out there for them right now. I will not discuss in detail the number of video shops we have, but in certain locations, we have enough shops to make back the money spent on a camera in one month. We cannot be responsible for equipment, routing, or training of self-employed shoppers. However, I am happy to answer any questions shoppers have and do what I can to ensure that a shop goes well for them, and do so via phone and email on a daily basis. Training for shoppers is available through the IMSC, MSPA, and other places mentioned in this thread. Any shopper who asks about training gets directed toward these sites. I also mention that if they rent from Dan at Greyhawkgear.com, Dan sends them a 45 minute video overview of the equipment with the rental.

Shoppers' View has been in business since 1993 and is a member of the BBB with an A+ rating. We will continue to support shoppers, as always.

Thanks,

Joe

*This response is also posted in another thread titled "video shop equipment".

Could you send me the list for video shops? I am wanting to do some and I live in southern Ohio.

@Dusty76 wrote:

Could you send me the list for video shops? I am wanting to do some and I live in southern Ohio.

Sign up with Shoppers' View, you'll see them... Depending on where in southern Ohio you are and how far you are willing to drive, there could be enough available to work to earn the money back right away.

I live in a different area, and bought the equipment at Joe's suggestion three months ago. I have earned the price back several times over - though not all with Shoppers' View.

Hi Dusty76! Thanks for you interest in video shopping. You can view the video shops that Shoppers View has available on our job board. You can view our job board once you register with us (which is free). Once you register with us, you will also receive emails notifying you when new shops become available.

Please visit [shoppersview.com] to register (scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Become a Mystery Shopper). If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know!