What's going on with IPSOS's Appliance Shops?
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@BlueMoose wrote:
@GJT wrote:
Here we go again. This morning Wednesday 7/20 at 12:18 AM, I received an email from IPSOS with about 35 listing for Refridgerator shops at $15 each. I immediately logged on and looked at the listings. There were around 60 listings in a 30 mile radius. I applied for 4 of these. I was done at at around 12:35 AM. At 7:30 in the morning of 7/20, I logged back on to IPSOS and my applications were gone and all of the $15 Refridgerator listings were gone. This is getting old.
Maybe they need shoppers who know how to spell refrigerator?
correcting one's spelling is juvenile/immature and really not conducive to the having of constructive dialogue. i try to stay above that kind of bullying.
We know you do cupcake
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
@ChrisCooper wrote:
I applied for 5 of the washer and refrigerator shops at $20. I got 1 shop and the other 4 apps were deleted. This is an easy shop. Five pictures, 16 questions, very little narrative, and you don't have to check off the other brands the store carries. Took 13 minutes for the shop and about the same for the report.
Thanks for the post. I just signed up with IPSOS and they have these appliance shops in my area. Will do one and report back.
@BlueMoose wrote:
@GJT wrote:
Here we go again. This morning Wednesday 7/20 at 12:18 AM, I received an email from IPSOS with about 35 listing for Refridgerator shops at $15 each. I immediately logged on and looked at the listings. There were around 60 listings in a 30 mile radius. I applied for 4 of these. I was done at at around 12:35 AM. At 7:30 in the morning of 7/20, I logged back on to IPSOS and my applications were gone and all of the $15 Refridgerator listings were gone. This is getting old.
Maybe they need shoppers who know how to spell refrigerator?
Thank you for your constructive criticism. Now I know never to post again so that everyone like you will not be offended by my inadvertent mistakes.
@GJT wrote:
@BlueMoose wrote:
@GJT wrote:
Here we go again. This morning Wednesday 7/20 at 12:18 AM, I received an email from IPSOS with about 35 listing for Refridgerator shops at $15 each. I immediately logged on and looked at the listings. There were around 60 listings in a 30 mile radius. I applied for 4 of these. I was done at at around 12:35 AM. At 7:30 in the morning of 7/20, I logged back on to IPSOS and my applications were gone and all of the $15 Refridgerator listings were gone. This is getting old.
Maybe they need shoppers who know how to spell refrigerator?
Thank you for your constructive criticism. Now I know never to post again so that everyone like you will not be offended by my inadvertent mistakes.
jeez snowflake, if you're looking for a 100% completely civil, non-snarky, non-sarcastic, non-profane, non-insulting blog, etc. then definitely this ain't for you. but...those aforementioned comments are in the minority (and, in full disclosure i'm a sometimes culprit) and a lot of info can be gleaned and imparted by "putting on your big boy pants" and just chill. hopefully you're not one of those "kids, get off my lawn" people.
@GJT wrote:
@BlueMoose wrote:
@GJT wrote:
Here we go again. This morning Wednesday 7/20 at 12:18 AM, I received an email from IPSOS with about 35 listing for Refridgerator shops at $15 each. I immediately logged on and looked at the listings. There were around 60 listings in a 30 mile radius. I applied for 4 of these. I was done at at around 12:35 AM. At 7:30 in the morning of 7/20, I logged back on to IPSOS and my applications were gone and all of the $15 Refridgerator listings were gone. This is getting old.
Maybe they need shoppers who know how to spell refrigerator?
Thank you for your constructive criticism. Now I know never to post again so that everyone like you will not be offended by my inadvertent mistakes.
Shrug. It's not unreasonable that a client hiring a MSC to do appliance shops would at a minimum, expect the shoppers to at least know how the spell the name of the appliance. You misspelled and mis-capitalized the word "refrigerator" not once but twice in your post, indicating that you mistakenly believe that is how the word is spelled. Misspelling it once can be a typo, but twice is not an "inadvertent mistake".
If I were an MSC editor, I would not be able to accept your shops due to this, because the client would reasonably wonder what other careless errors were contained in the report.
Sorry if you are "offended", but shoppers must use precision and attention to detail to be successful in this industry,
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2016 08:15PM by BlueMoose.
It's very nice that you are gifted spellers and writers. I'm an advocate for disabled students and have a writing disability. These limiting views of what type of person that can successfully take part in the MS industry are BS. There are lots of different levels and types of mystery shopping, some more written report heavy than others. People of reasonable ability can be successful even with extensive narratives as long as they put in the extra effort to check their report before submitting (something I"m not going to do before posting this reply). I choose my asignments carefully and assume work harder to complet a narative than you. The editors are giving me 10's, occasionally complimenting me on my naratives and I'm being offered a few repeat jobs due to my ability to describe complex situations (even if they have to correct a few gramer and spelling errors). Also, the assumption that one puts the same effort into typing a note on a discussion board as into a report is pure silliness.
Pot, meet kettle
@BlueMoose wrote:
You misspelled and miss-capitalized.........
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
@wwin wrote:
People of reasonable ability can be successful even with extensive narratives as long as they put in the extra effort to check their report before submitting
The key is your statement above, with which I totally agree. No, not all people have the same level of ability as others--whether it's in writing or in other things. But recognizing that one faces challenges in a particular area, and taking care to double check details in those areas, is crucial. Your post highlights the importance of proofreading narratives in order to ensure they're as accurate as possible. Not perfect, but the best they can be. I imagine that not all shoppers are as conscientious as you are. (I can't type very well, and make a lot of typos, so I make sure I proofread my reports with a fine-tooth comb to catch typos.)
Unfortunately, when people are careless with their social-media postings, nobody can tell whether that's from just being in a hurry, not caring if their grammar is correct, trusting spell-check, not being a good typist, or--in truth--from really not knowing what's correct.
In the absence of context, people judge based on what they see in front of them. Everybody does it. "We" (collectively) jump all over, for example, a shopper who screws up an observation or a timing, or messes up something else other than grammar. But, if "we" make any comment (even light heartedly) about a poster's grammar, people get so offended. Using incorrect grammar in a report is no different than screwing up any other aspect of a shop. Writing a narrative with correct grammar and spelling is as important as making sure we make all of the required observations, get our timings correct, take the necessary photos, etc. It's part of the job requirements; I think most, or all, MSCs state to use correct spelling and grammar in narratives.
Having said all that, I "get it" about not correcting people's grammar in posts here. But one wonders sometimes if those posts reflect the grammar used in reports. When people come on here and whine that they "did everything exactly right," but their reports were rejected, could it be that their reports were so poorly written that light editing couldn't fix them, and the MSC simply couldn't send them to the clients? As far as I can tell, MSC editors aren't supposed to function solely as copy editors; they're also reviewing reports for many other things.
(And, yes, there may be typos in this--since I don't proof my posts the way I proof my reports!
)I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2016 04:27PM by BirdyC.
I think you touched on a couple of important points. This is a form of social media. Due to the nature of our business we have higher standards regarding posting than FB or Twitter, but shouldn't expect posts to be to the standard of a mystery shopping report. That would turn what should be fun into a drudge.
When someone tells us they made a mistake in timing or an observation the automatic reaction of most members is not to jump all over them. When a shopper doesn't take responsibility or blames the MSC because it is a "small" mistake members are more likely to take them to task.
Two times I can see grammar coming into play with posts. Someone writing so poorly they cannot easily be understood, such as relying on text speak, or someone complaining about lower scores which are most likely due to poor writing skills. Even then it doesn't hurt to couch comments by saying something like "IF that is your standard writing it might be an issue." Several months ago I said something similar and the OP came back with some well written posts. He explained the original post was done in haste so it didn't reflect the level of care of his reports. He was understanding and not at all insulted.
Most of the time small grammar/spelling errors here should be ignored for the reason stated in my first paragraph. A lot of us are here for some camaraderie and fun, not to worry if we left out a comma or mixed up there, their, theyre.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2016 07:11PM by LisaSTL.
When someone tells us they made a mistake in timing or an observation the automatic reaction of most members is not to jump all over them. When a shopper doesn't take responsibility or blames the MSC because it is a "small" mistake members are more likely to take them to task.
Two times I can see grammar coming into play with posts. Someone writing so poorly they cannot easily be understood, such as relying on text speak, or someone complaining about lower scores which are most likely due to poor writing skills. Even then it doesn't hurt to couch comments by saying something like "IF that is your standard writing it might be an issue." Several months ago I said something similar and the OP came back with some well written posts. He explained the original post was done in haste so it didn't reflect the level of care of his reports. He was understanding and not at all insulted.
Most of the time small grammar/spelling errors here should be ignored for the reason stated in my first paragraph. A lot of us are here for some camaraderie and fun, not to worry if we left out a comma or mixed up there, their, theyre.
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2016 07:11PM by LisaSTL.
@LisaSTL wrote:
...Due to the nature of our business we have higher standards regarding posting than FB or Twitter, but shouldn't expect posts to be to the standard of a mystery shopping report. That would turn what should be fun into a drudge.
Most of the time small grammar/spelling errors here should be ignored for the reason stated in my first paragraph. A lot of us are here for some camaraderie and fun, not to worry if we left out a comma or mixed up there, their, theyre.
I agree with most of this. I don't expect posts here to be written to the level that we (should) write our reports, and everybody makes mistakes. OTOH, when people constantly murder the language in the same way(s), it might be fair to assume they include the same error(s) in their reports. Which might explain why they complain that they get marked down. E.g., constantly mixing up it's and its, or their/there/they're.
I don't criticize people's posts here on grammar, except in one or two cases in which I honestly couldn't understand what someone was saying. And I try to be tactful (as both you and I were recently vis a vis discretely/discreetly). But even when someone here makes a friendly joke about grammar, people seem to get freaked out. Based on reading this forum for more than two years, I think that many shoppers just don't think grammar and spelling are all that important. And, they take a burn about it. In the end, if a shopper doesn't take the time to proofread her/his work, and doesn't care about grammar mistakes, that's his/her right. But then, don't complain about being "unfairly" graded or not getting a 10 on a report. We make a mistake--of any type--and we should get marked down.
I do disagree that "we" (collectively) don't jump all over people for making mistakes. Granted, that usually happens when Shopper X comes on here and complains about a rejected shop, then admits to making an error and still expects to be paid. But I've seen cases where a shopper relates something he or she did, and people border on being nasty about it. Or sometimes are nasty.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2016 07:49PM by BirdyC.
Exactly.@wwin wrote:
. . . Also, the assumption that one puts the same effort into typing a note on a discussion board as into a report is pure silliness.
@ChrisCooper wrote:
Exactly.@wwin wrote:
. . . Also, the assumption that one puts the same effort into typing a note on a discussion board as into a report is pure silliness.
Sure, but if I wrote the following sentence here on the board, would you really believe that I used the correct variations of "they're", "there" and "their" in other correspondence?
"They're are many ways to get their, but there directions were wrong"
Then again, there are those times (probably all too frequent) when a shopper's report is written properly, and an editor who doesn't have a good command of the language changes something that was correct to something that's not. And then marks the shopper down for "grammar mistakes." That's truly unfair, and worthy of complaints!
(And, again, I do realize we don't write our posts here with the same level of attention to detail that we "should" write our reports. But sometimes you do wonder if a shopper's reports are being written the way she/he writes on here....)
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2016 08:33PM by BirdyC.
(And, again, I do realize we don't write our posts here with the same level of attention to detail that we "should" write our reports. But sometimes you do wonder if a shopper's reports are being written the way she/he writes on here....)
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2016 08:33PM by BirdyC.
@BlueMoose, my posts and reports differ a lot, and I bet that's true for many posters. If report writing is an issue, then it's the MSC's job to say something. At that point, the poster might come to the forum and ask a different question.
Switching topics: how did the $20 appliance shop go?
Switching topics: how did the $20 appliance shop go?
Do people understand that the way English is spelled is not logical? Here's the question. I have a fridge. I have a refrigerator. Why is GJT's spelling considered wrong, but the dictionary says "fridge" is correct? Why is the name of the appliance not spelled the way GJT spelled it?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2016 03:21AM by alannajm.
"Evolve thyself and lose all hate...." Orphaned Land
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2016 03:21AM by alannajm.
@alannajm wrote:
Do people understand that the way English is spelled is not logical? Why is GJT's spelling considered wrong, but the dictionary says "fridge" is correct? Why is the name of the appliance not spelled the way GJT spelled it?
No, English isn't always logical. At all. But, I'm going to guess that since "fridge" is spoken "shorthand," it's spelled that way to capture the proper consonant sound (d) that people add into it. It's informal written English that follows informal spoken English. If you wrote "frige," there's no way anyone would pronounce it correctly! At least I don't think so.
But "refrigerator" is the proper spelling and "came first." When the refrigerator was invented, I imagine the written word was devised first. And only as time went by did people shorten it to "fridge."
I haven't looked up the etymology of the word, but I assume that the root word doesn't have a d in it, and that's why it's spelled as it is. So, "refridgerator" is wrong, but "fridge" is correct. I don't see anything terribly confusing in that specific example. Except, probably, my guess as to why these are so.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2016 11:50PM by BirdyC.
While all the comments about grammar are intriguing, wasn't this thread about IPSOS' appliance shops?
@tidedancer wrote:
While all the comments about grammar are intriguing, wasn't this thread about IPSOS' appliance shops?
it's kinda/sorta obvious that you are a newbie, eh? (and nope, i'm not even close to being a canuck).
i speak snark fluently, tho.
I'm guessing tidedancer hasn't found out that we're a bit ADHD when it comes to staying strictly on topic!
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
@BirdyC wrote:
I'm guessing tidedancer hasn't found out that we're a bit ADHD when it comes to staying strictly on topic!
umm..."...we're...". i would appreciate your not speaking for me. amirite?
thanks and i shall show myself out now.
When the forum starts paying me for perfect grammar, I'll start editing all of my posts.@ChrisCooper wrote:
Exactly.@wwin wrote:
. . . Also, the assumption that one puts the same effort into typing a note on a discussion board as into a report is pure silliness.
idk y peeps get so po'd abt msgs on this blog. u shd chill.
tnx
tnx
@Crickettt wrote:
idk y peeps get so po'd abt msgs on this blog. u shd chill.
tnx
yep and...the "tnx" was boss, 2
Can't we all just get along? Please? There's enough antipathy in the world. I want to play nice. Would everyone play nice along with me? Pretty please with love on top?
Play nice? Here? Seriously??
"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
@proudlyshopping wrote:
Can't we all just get along? Please? There's enough antipathy in the world. I want to play nice. Would everyone play nice along with me? Pretty please with love on top?
sorry your sensibilities have been disturbed, snowflake. a nice cuppa chamomile, your 3 cats all nice and cozy in your snuggie and binge-watching "the sound of music; mary poppins; snow white" and if you're feeling a little risque maybe "narnia" will take care of your "whittle hoit fweeelings".
Oh, so you wanna play it that way, parkcitybraindead? I happen to have two dogs who will rip you to pieces as soon as look at you. I drink coffee, the super strong stuff made by killers in Colombia. I binge-watch Godfather movies and Game of Thrones episodes. And you can come here to New York for an old-fashioned beat-down. You don't want peace, I'll give you war! ;-)
sorry your sensibilities have been disturbed, snowflake. a nice cuppa chamomile, your 3 cats all nice and cozy in your snuggie and binge-watching "the sound of music; mary poppins; snow white" and if you're feeling a little risque maybe "narnia" will take care of your "whittle hoit fweeelings".[/quote]
sorry your sensibilities have been disturbed, snowflake. a nice cuppa chamomile, your 3 cats all nice and cozy in your snuggie and binge-watching "the sound of music; mary poppins; snow white" and if you're feeling a little risque maybe "narnia" will take care of your "whittle hoit fweeelings".[/quote]
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