A scheduler called me on Monday to do a fastfood shop on Wednesday. I had way too much on my plate with midterms and family problems and obligations as it was, but they were able to approve an amount that was enough to make me add it to my over packed schedule.

So I went and did the shop. I checked the bag before pulling away. I had a drink, straw, napkin, fries, and sandwich, so I thought I was good. But once leaving the location, when I went to take my pictures, I noticed it was the wrong sandwich. I didn't know what to do about this, as the client wanted to know how they were fixing any mistakes that arise, so I was supposed to tell them if my order was incomplete or incorrect.

I realize that they didn't get to correct the order as the guidelines stated, but I also thought about how even customers who do check their orders before pulling away often still don't open/ unwrap their sandwiches before pulling away... they figure if it's in the bag, it's correct. So I took the pics, not knowing if the circumstances of the shop would be accepted or not.

That evening when I finally got home I emailed the help desk stating that I had completed the shop and taken the pics, but also explaining the issue that arised, and asking wether I should report the shop as it happened, or if it would need to be redone. IF they were not going to be able to use it, I didn't want to waste my time; or an editor's time reviewing it just to end up having to kick it out. I said that I would be happy to complete the shop on Thursday or Friday, if needed.

I received 2 auto responses to my help desk response. The regular "we got it" one, as well as another stating they were backed up with a response time averaging 24, not to email again, and that shops with help requests would not be penilized for being late.

Thursday morning I still hadn't heard from the help desk, but a scheduler (sounded like the same one) called asking if I could do a "(restaurant name) drive thru shop between (same dining hours as the shop i did on wed), at the same location, for either Thursday or Friday. I asked, "this sounds like the exact same assignment I did yesterday that I emailed the help desk about. Is it?" And I went on to tell her the details about it, including the fact that I had told the help desk I'd be happy to revisit on Thursday or Friday. So if it was the exact same assignment, that was fine and I would still do it... I was just trying to confirm that it was the SAME visit and not another one with the same specs. All she said was "oh well then just wait for a reply from the help desk. I won't assign this one to you, but let me see what else there is...." and the again at the end of the call she repeated "Just wait to hear back from the Help desk in regards to that other shop you did. They should get back to you soon and can tell you what to do."

It's now Friday morning. I still haven't gotten a response from the help desk at all. Of course the shop has been removed, as I suspected... but I'm extra ticked because I never got a response about my inquiry, and the scheduler couldn't even tell me if it was the same shop, but then decided not to bother to schedule it to me (even tho I never said no, and in fact explained that I had already offered to re-do it if needed).

So I've lost a lot of time in this shop, I'm out the $ (decent amount) that I was expecting, AND I'm out the $8.55 for a greasy meal that I would not have purchased on my own. I'm really quite ticked off, but after Emailing the help desk and speaking with a scheduler and getting no help from either, I don't even know who to complain to or anything.

I feel your pain. I have done a shop wrong for Market Force before and not been paid. I would have been glad to re-do the shop, but the shop went back on the job board. In fact, my brother did the shop, and he did it right. Score one for the brother, 0 for me. I have learned from talking to other shoppers that Market Force rarely allows a shopper who botched an assignment to redo it. Unless they are absolutely desperate, the shop is assigned to another shopper.

At this point, I don't think you can complain. You didn't quite make the requirements. They removed the shop. They don't want you to redo it. Checking your sandwiches before you pull away from the window is great - I always check to see that I have a sandwich, fries, drink. As a regular customer, I do unwrap the sandwiches/entrees before driving away, because I have gotten home with the wrong thing and it's annoying to throw away food I didn't want that I paid for. Most of my friends unwrap and check their drive-thru food, too. I usually do a quick check for all items, then pull away and unwrap. If the food is the wrong item, I get back in line or park and walk in. When I was a kid and my family ordered from a drive-thru, Mom would make us unwrap and check the order before we drove home. We may be unusual, though, and maybe most customers don't do that. When I am a mystery shopper, I definitely unwrap. And I take any required photos before I leave the location.

Sorry you aren't getting paiid, especially when it was a good bonus. I have to ask.; Was it the pork belly sandwich? If so, I did that shop, and I thought that was the worst sandwich I've had in a long time.

Well the frustrating part isn't "hey you messed up the shop, so you don't get paid." It's the fact that I got NO response at all from the help desk, and had a shop removed even though their auto response states that if you've completed a shop and submitted a question to the help desk, you won't be penilized by a late report submission while waiting on a response from the help desk.

Well I am still awaiting a response, and I have been penilized because the shop had been removed. They obviously didn't have a problem with me doing the re-shop, as I was still on the list of people for the scheduler to call to fill the shop.

My problem isn't even specifically that I'm not getting the payment; although I realize my post did make it seem like that was the case. I certainly can't blame MF for my error. My complaint is their lack of response and communication. Basically, I made an inquiry via 2 different channels, and have received no answer: no response at all from the help desk (not even an auto email saying the shop has been removed); and the scheduler couldn't tell me if it was the same shop (I can assume, but many locations are shooed by multiple shoppers during close time-frames to get a better pool of assessment, so we can't say for certain it was) And she couldn't tell me the status of my help request.

If at any point I'd been told "hey you screwed it up, and we'd prefer someone else does the re-shop," that would've been fine. I wouldn't have fern happy, but I wouldn't have anyone to blame but myself. It's just very frustrating when several MSC's expect us to drop everything and respond to them instantly; yet when we ask a question, we hear crickets (this hasn't happened often to me, but it drive me up the walk when it does).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2016 06:22PM by katioard.

i understand your frustration. Were you required to order a specific sandwich or is the issue only that you didn't get the order you requested and did not ask to have it corrected? If the latter, I would probably have submitted the report and then notified the help desk.

I think the shop she's talking about is the one I did. There is a required sandwich and you must order a side and a drink with it. Then you must take a picture of the sandwich. The required sandwich was the Pork Belly Sandwich, a thick slab of slimy, fatty bacon on a bun. You also have to take pictures of the restaurant's exterior. They have both drive-thru and dine in shops and assigned meal periods.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2016 08:18PM by roflwofl.

Is it possible your shop was removed and the scheduler was calling to give you the same denied shop because it came available again? (she not realizing it was the same shop you had denied?).

This is the shop where it is very important to have the employee correct the order, the wrong sandwich, in this case. They want to know how the employee responds. If you had said it was the wrong sandwich and they told you to "go pound sand" then you have your response to what they said about correcting your sandwich.

Thank god mine was the smoked turkey or pork belly and I was allowed to choose the smoked turkey. Who wants to eat a pound of mushy pork fat?

I'm a little confused. Do the guidelines require checking to make sure the correct sandwich is received, and correcting the order if necessary? If so, then you just needed to reschedule the shop if you didn't fix the problem. Weren't you able to just walk inside to fix the problem? I believe the guidelines do ask us to take the sandwich picture right away. That means park in the lot and take your pic.

at this point, I would think the shop was cancelled by MF because the report wasn't complete. I would go ahead and do the report best i could..because I know the help desk is not very helpful...the example I typically use is that when I asked a question about a grocery shop, I got a response about a movie shop

@isaiah58 wrote:

I'm a little confused. Do the guidelines require checking to make sure the correct sandwich is received, and correcting the order if necessary? If so, then you just needed to reschedule the shop if you didn't fix the problem. Weren't you able to just walk inside to fix the problem? I believe the guidelines do ask us to take the sandwich picture right away. That means park in the lot and take your pic.

The guidelines are very clear that if you are missing an item or given the wrong sandwich, side or drink, or given an extra item, you MUST report it to an employee so the client can evaluate if the location makes it right. The guidelines go on to note that this is *VERY IMPORTANT* to the Client. It is noted in large font and huge red letters and it tells you exactly what to do if you get the wrong item. It says specifically for drive-thru shops, to check your order before leaving the window and if you realize after leaving the window there is an issue, go inside and have it corrected.

A second issue with the OP's shop appears to be that she left the location without tasting. The guidelines say to "Pull over immediately to take a photograph and then check the temperature and taste of all items." If the OP left the location without realizing she had the wrong sandwich, she did not make an immediate photo and did not check the temperature and taste.

It is a shame that the OP is out a "decent amount" and the cost of the sandwich, but there is more than one mistake here.

I had accepted a shop for this client once and found out it was for the Italian sub, which is a sandwich I don't like, so I canceled it immediately. (Recently I did a shop for the Smokehouse turkey, which rocked ). Keep in mind that if you perform a shop incorrectly and realize it before submitting the report (which I and many other shoppers have done), it's best to reschedule the shop and do it over. Guidelines are guidelines and MF doesn't generally bend. The client wants a specific sandwich and no others are accepted. If it's a drive thru, I always pull into the parking lot and take my photos and eat immediately to evaluate the food while it's hot and fresh (besides the fact that fries, onion rings, etc. tend to not taste nearly as good when not hot). It's not uncommon for regular customers to order at the drive thru and eat in their cars. If it's a dine-in shop, I find a place near a wall or barrier to sit where I can't be observed taking my photos. Chalk this one up to experience and move on.

eh, I'd eat it, but not at a fast food place. Pork belly is bacon roast, and I love everything bacon.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Thank god mine was the smoked turkey or pork belly and I was allowed to choose the smoked turkey. Who wants to eat a pound of mushy pork fat?

@katioard wrote:

So I've lost a lot of time in this shop, I'm out the $ (decent amount) that I was expecting, AND I'm out the $8.55 for a greasy meal that I would not have purchased on my own. I'm really quite ticked off, but after Emailing the help desk and speaking with a scheduler and getting no help from either, I don't even know who to complain to or anything.

I would not complain. I would let it go. Sometimes when I don't have the time or the desire to do a particular shop, but I am tempted by a big bonus, I reluctantly work it into my schedule. When I'm reluctant, I find it difficult to focus and I have to fight the urge to just get it done fast and to half-ass it.

I think that reluctance and lack of focus was your downfall. You hurried through, checked to be sure you had an entree, drink and side, and took off. You didn't make the temperature/taste check and photograph immediately, figuring you were in a hurry and you would photograph later. I'm not sure how you could have honestly answered the temperature question, having left the location, but it was a moot point when you discovered the wrong item when you unwrapped to take pictures.

At that point, it was pretty clear the shop had missed the mark. The photos you had would document that you had not completed the request to fix the wrong order. It would also be obvious that you had not done a temperature/taste test on site. If possible, I would have rescheduled or canceled rather than contacting the Help Desk.

I've found that every company has a 'personality'. I have an aunt who coddles me, even at my age now. She gives hugs when I'm feeling bad and blames whoever I had my interaction with. That's like Trendsource (The Source). My uncle, on the other hand, tosses spending money at me but God forbid I have a relevant question for him or I'm in a whinny mood. He disappears behind the magic curtain. That's like Market Force. I don't get personalized service from MF and I just try to do the work accordingly, and deal with whatever problems arise with the Companies 'personality' in mind.

I've been in a similar situation with MF where I didn't follow the guidelines exactly. I submitted the shop anyway since MF's reports tend to be super easy. I emailed help desk explaining what happened. They never responded and the shop got approved. Next time if the shop is simple just submit it noting what happened in a comment box and send an email.

Hmmmm...I'm not sure that's good advice when you are supposed to take a photo of a specific sandwich. This particular shop is for marketing ourposes. I think your guideline breach must have been minor, Natalie, but for this shop the build of the sandwich and the sign/poster advertising the sandwich were the main focus of the shop.

i always follow the guidelines but let it be noted for the record that you don't have to actually eat the food. I taste it so I can evaluate it according to the guidelines and then 99% of the time it goes in the trash. I prefer not to eat fast food, I do what I was contracted to do and that is all that matters.

A bit unrelated as it's a different shop for a different company. I had a major brain malfunction and missed a major observation on a restaurant shop. I was supposed to take a picture of each dish. I remembered half way through the appetizer. I carried on thinking I would photo everything else and see what they decided. I remembered half way through the entrees. Okay at that point I decided I was buying myself supper.

I went home and fired off an e-mail about what happened and offered to re-shop. The next morning, just as I was leaving for work, I got an e-mail saying they wanted my report and did not want a re-shop.

So, I have decided I will submit all reports and send an e-mail when there are problems. Because then I had to explain I couldn't do the report until after work! They were gracious and I am feeling like I don't want to show my face around their job board for a while.

@roflwofl wrote:

@isaiah58 wrote:

I'm a little confused. Do the guidelines require checking to make sure the correct sandwich is received, and correcting the order if necessary? If so, then you just needed to reschedule the shop if you didn't fix the problem. Weren't you able to just walk inside to fix the problem? I believe the guidelines do ask us to take the sandwich picture right away. That means park in the lot and take your pic.

The guidelines are very clear that if you are missing an item or given the wrong sandwich, side or drink, or given an extra item, you MUST report it to an employee so the client can evaluate if the location makes it right. The guidelines go on to note that this is *VERY IMPORTANT* to the Client. It is noted in large font and huge red letters and it tells you exactly what to do if you get the wrong item. It says specifically for drive-thru shops, to check your order before leaving the window and if you realize after leaving the window there is an issue, go inside and have it corrected.

A second issue with the OP's shop appears to be that she left the location without tasting. The guidelines say to "Pull over immediately to take a photograph and then check the temperature and taste of all items." If the OP left the location without realizing she had the wrong sandwich, she did not make an immediate photo and did not check the temperature and taste.

It is a shame that the OP is out a "decent amount" and the cost of the sandwich, but there is more than one mistake here.

Yes! roflwofl is dead on correct! I try to find a gas station next door to the restaurant, pull out of site and into a pump lane and inspect and examine the sandwich, taking pictures quickly. If something is wrong with your sandwich you need to look at it before you drive away but if for some reason you can't look at it, you can pull over to the nearest place, look at the sandwich and if something is wrong, the restaurant is right there to get it corrected. That may not be exactly how they want it done (prefer you check it before driving away) but if you get back in line to get it corrected or go inside (not sure which because I have not had an incorrect sandwich yet) I believe "MAKING IT RIGHT" means getting it correctly ASAP.

I'm pretty sure the client would rather we shoppers aren't clogging up the drive thru and slowing down their line (they're so preoccupied with timings) and would prefer we pull into a parking spot to check our food.

I check my food order right when they give me my bag, when I'm not on a shop. I was at Burger King, not on a shop, going through the drive through. Thought I'd try the Whopperitto. I had a chicken sandwich. A guy had just gone inside saying he ordered a chicken sandwich and got a Whopperitto. We exchanged.

But on this shop, the guidelines say to pull over right away and check your sandwich and take the pics.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I'm pretty sure the client would rather we shoppers aren't clogging up the drive thru and slowing down their line (they're so preoccupied with timings) and would prefer we pull into a parking spot to check our food.

On a regular basis, I get stuck behind people checking their orders. If a shop requires a picture, in your vehicle right away, then just park in the restaurant lot and take it. I was warned for taking a picture on a table. I took it five minutes after the drive through because the instructions did say within 5 minutes and I work near by. Since then I take my pics right away, no one at the restaurant is going to even notice me.

@isaiah58 wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I'm pretty sure the client would rather we shoppers aren't clogging up the drive thru and slowing down their line (they're so preoccupied with timings) and would prefer we pull into a parking spot to check our food.

On a regular basis, I get stuck behind people checking their orders. If a shop requires a picture, in your vehicle right away, then just park in the restaurant lot and take it. I was warned for taking a picture on a table. I took it five minutes after the drive through because the instructions did say within 5 minutes and I work near by. Since then I take my pics right away, no one at the restaurant is going to even notice me.

I agree. Next door is fine, as SunnyDays suggested, or close by, as Isaiah sigguests. I pull away from the window and park in the parking lot. As long as the time that elapses is very short, allowing for an accurate temperature/taste test, and the distance is close enough to be able to return and go inside to correct a wrong order, this sounds fine. The problem with the OP's shop was that she left the location without making the temperature test or taking the photo, even though it was required, and by the time she opened the sandwich to photograph it, she was apparently too far away to return and/or too much time had elapsed to return it.