Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Neither my father nor my ex nor my brother have
> been willing to wear wedding rings. I think you
> will find it is just not all that unusual. It
> simply was a matter of the rings not feeling
> comfortable and being unwilling to get them
> resized to fit.
>
> And of course whether you choose to wear it or
> not, whether you are married or having a 'love
> child' or anything else is personal information
> they have no right to.

then that's that. i don't even like to wear a watch.

Many folks don't wear wedding rings, why (you ask), because, 51% are divorced, many "carreer girls" in their thirties (my daughter) buy their own cars, and condo's as well. My ex never wore a ring including a watch, and various other reasons. Look at it this way, if only married folks could drive, there business would be pretty grim.....don't sweat the small stuff...

I always on the first trip say that I am going to price the car I am looking at on Edmunds and build it to see what I should be paying them for the car. Most dealerships will match edmunds price by building it themselves before you leave. You then on the second vist try to get at least another $500. to 800. off. These two tips have worked for me consistently. I have truly learned how to buy a car from doing these shops. It will save me mega bucks when I get ready to buy a new car.

I have found Lisa at this company to be rather rude and difficult to work with. Not sure I want to work with them as I don't like the auto shops and haven't had a good experience with her.

I like Lisa and do many Bank jobs for them...this dealership is a tough one, but I really like the company.

Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have found Lisa at this company to be rather
> rude and difficult to work with. Not sure I want
> to work with them as I don't like the auto shops
> and haven't had a good experience with her.

i've spoken with lisa only once, but it was brief. just a few sentences to confirm that a shop had been accepted. so i have nothing bad to say about her. this is really my favorite company, outside of a misunderstanding about why one of the editors was closing out my shops early before they were done.

i really like this company more than other companies, because the pay is good for such easy shops, and there are a lot of them. i had a bad experience with one of the editors (whom i've never met directly) who was closing out my shops before they were done, but i can adapt to that. it just sorta confused me a bit, because i didn't quite know how to react, but i think that it's worked out now. i just won't answer all of the questions until any narrative and business card upload is complete, or the shop will be closed out prematurely before it's done.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2011 10:28PM by vince.

Irene_L.A. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I like Lisa and do many Bank jobs for them...this
> dealership is a tough one, but I really like the
> company.

i'm still a bit afraid to do the dealerships, but i'd like to do them someday. i just never see shops for cars in the $30,000 range.

Your job is not to decide how much a car should cost. Just try one from Intellishop, all new cars cost over $30,000...don't worry about it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2011 03:38PM by Irene_L.A..

wjones777 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I always on the first trip say that I am going to
> price the car I am looking at on Edmunds and build
> it to see what I should be paying them for the
> car. Most dealerships will match edmunds price by
> building it themselves before you leave. You then
> on the second vist try to get at least another
> $500. to 800. off. These two tips have worked for
> me consistently. I have truly learned how to buy a
> car from doing these shops. It will save me mega
> bucks when I get ready to buy a new car.


On edmunds, the car that I'm shopping has a "true market value" of $47,410 and an MSRP of $50,975. Does the dealership match the true market value or the MSRP when you mention it? I'm asking because the vehicle that I'm shopping is $55k so I would imagine that bringing it down to $47,410 would be a big jump.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2011 05:37AM by AnonymousGirl.

They will ususally match the true market value.

Irene_L.A. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Your job is not to decide how much a car should
> cost. Just try one from Intellishop, all new cars
> cost ovcer $30,000...don't woryy about it.

i'm just concerned that i might not look the part for a more expensive car. i'd be driving in with a 1999 honda civic with 90,000 miles or a yamaha motor scooter 125cc.

I tried one of the car dealership shops and immediately cancelled it as soon as I got home. (Something I almost NEVER do) I've done a lot of car dealerships over the years, but this one totaly blew me away with the amount of intricate details I had to gather from a salesperson who would only provide general info. It was over my head and I was not afraid to admit it. The company removed the shop and apologized, and I continue to shop for them. Although the fee was attractive, it just was not for me. Perhaps this one was an anomaly, but I steer clear of them now. I would not recommend their car shops to a new shopper. The one I did was not really about the car. It was more about pricing and financing details and what was included...like every thing that was included in the cost and fees. UCK!!! I would imagine if the salesperson presented it all to you it would be easy, but the car was not on the lot and my salesperson only spoke in general terms. Asking so many detailed questions not only was suspicious, but unnatural to me. So, beware, unless you are into that sort of thing, don't even attempt it.

MsJudi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I tried one of the car dealership shops and
> immediately cancelled it as soon as I got home.
> (Something I almost NEVER do) I've done a lot of
> car dealerships over the years, but this one
> totaly blew me away with the amount of intricate
> details I had to gather from a salesperson who
> would only provide general info. It was over my
> head and I was not afraid to admit it. The company
> removed the shop and apologized, and I continue to
> shop for them. Although the fee was attractive, it
> just was not for me. Perhaps this one was an
> anomaly, but I steer clear of them now. I would
> not recommend their car shops to a new shopper.
> The one I did was not really about the car. It was
> more about pricing and financing details and what
> was included...like every thing that was included
> in the cost and fees. UCK!!! I would imagine if
> the salesperson presented it all to you it would
> be easy, but the car was not on the lot and my
> salesperson only spoke in general terms. Asking so
> many detailed questions not only was suspicious,
> but unnatural to me. So, beware, unless you are
> into that sort of thing, don't even attempt it.

i had signed up for some car shops once, but when i did the phone interview with the mystery shopping company, i realized that i was in over my head, so i cancelled with them. they gave me the option to cancel without a penalty.

This says alot for the company that they would cancel and keep you working after offering an apology. They are top notch, pay quickly and the one thing the insist on (Bank jobs) is you do report same day as doing job, not too much to ask for...

Irene_L.A. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This says alot for the company that they would
> cancel and keep you working after offering an
> apology. They are top notch, pay quickly and the
> one thing the insist on (Bank jobs) is you do
> report same day as doing job, not too much to ask
> for...

fully agreed. i basically complained to them, asking them to cancel my shops. they apologized and scheduled me again for more shops after i asked to schedule again. so i've just done three more shops for them this week. i just completed another shop for them tonight before writing this post. i'm not aware that any other company would do that.

When I first did these shops I screwed up the paperwork and actually had to call the dealership back and ask for the salesperson to give me some information I needed for the report. These shops are like any other detailed shop. Once you do a couple of them they are really easy and the paperwork becomes second hand. I have done almost 50 of them now and look forward to doing them every month. One of the benefits is that now I get most of the shops that are flaked on in Florida. I am a good back up and rarely now get the shops first. If someone cancels the scheduler pretty much automatically sends them to me for me to accept if I wish. Upom getting use to the paperwork I now love these shops. The first couple were hairy and I made mistakes but learned from them. I have NEVER not been paid for a shop. They sent the paperwork back to me until I got it right with the needed information. To be honest with you I made at least one mistake on the paperwork during the first 6 shops. Now I know exactly what to do and not do and the shops are a good paying pleasure.

In real life I just went from a 1996 Conversion van with 219,000 miles to a new Lincoln MKX so I think if dealers are smart they know situations vary.

Liz


vince Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Irene_L.A. Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Your job is not to decide how much a car should
> > cost. Just try one from Intellishop, all new
> cars
> > cost ovcer $30,000...don't woryy about it.
>
> i'm just concerned that i might not look the part
> for a more expensive car. i'd be driving in with
> a 1999 honda civic with 90,000 miles or a yamaha
> motor scooter 125cc.

vince Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i just got a 'shopper contact' email from the
> scheduler apologizing for any inconvenience. she
> said that she will talk to the editor about the
> surveys being closed early, because she says that
> such shouldn't happen. she cancelled my future
> scheduled shops upon my request, and mentioned
> that she would still like me to shop for rsg in
> the future.
>
> my initial reaction was rather stringent, but i
> wasn't sure how else to respond. these bank shops
> have always actually been my favorite shops to do.
> i just got a bit frustrated when the editor kept
> on closing out my shops before they were done.
> about a half-dozen of them. if i do these shops in
> the future, i may have to leave several questions
> unanswered if i'm going to save any work, or else
> the report may be closed out prematurely. i think
> that some editor may have been attempting to get
> their work done as early as possible, and
> routinely began closing out shops before their due
> time, whether complete or not.


There's no reason for an editor to do this, especially repeatedly when the report isn't due yet. I'd be mad if it happened to me and then I got an email complaining about the lack of narrative. Uh, yeah.

Sometimes shoppers forget they have to click submit for the reports to be available to the editors but a reminder AFTER the shop has gone overdue is usually enough to get it submitted properly. The only time we've ever submitted a report for a shopper is when it's overdue and the shopper isn't responding to emails. IF it looks like the report was fully written, we can edit it, send it off to the client, and approve it for payment. If not, it has to be rescheduled.

If you decide to do these reports again, I suggest writing a comment in the narrative section stating NOT to submit because you are not done with the report. Maybe that'll remind the editor to be patient and not overstep his/her boundaries.

Is the bank the main client for this MSP? Just signed up but and closest they have is an hour and a half way. Doing a search for the entire US returns mostly the bank with a dealership shop here and there. Thanks.

AlwaysAngie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sometimes shoppers forget they have to click
> submit for the reports to be available to the
> editors but a reminder AFTER the shop has gone
> overdue is usually enough to get it submitted
> properly. The only time we've ever submitted a
> report for a shopper is when it's overdue and the
> shopper isn't responding to emails. IF it looks
> like the report was fully written, we can edit it,
> send it off to the client, and approve it for
> payment. If not, it has to be rescheduled.

my assumption is that the editors thought that i had forgotten to submit the reports, even though such wasn't actually the case. i just like to frequently save my work in case i get a bad connection or something. who knows? it's sort of like when you post in a message board forum like this, click submit, but then the work is lost, so that you have to start all over again. i don't want to lose any work. time is money.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2011 03:00PM by vince.

AlwaysAngie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is the bank the main client for this MSP? Just
> signed up but and closest they have is an hour and
> a half way. Doing a search for the entire US
> returns mostly the bank with a dealership shop
> here and there. Thanks.

mostly bank shops. they are fun shops. no complaints. try again at the beginning of the month, and you should get some closer to home. you have to sign up for them quick as soon as they become available by about the 1st of the month, or the ones in your immediate area will get taken by other shoppers. then you will have to complete them all in the first week of the month.

Yes, in my area, always the bank and a dealership ...banks are easy, but, you can only do one a day. They paid me the next day for three I did that week. I might add, they never bug you for more information as the reports are not repetitive for their banks.

AlwaysAngie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is the bank the main client for this MSP? Just
> signed up but and closest they have is an hour and
> a half way. Doing a search for the entire US
> returns mostly the bank with a dealership shop
> here and there. Thanks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2011 03:43PM by Irene_L.A..

I recently did my first and last shop for this company. It was a price negotiation shop at a car dealership. They told me that it required a mandatory 45 minute telephone orientation, plus two visited to the dealership on non-consecutive days.The total pay was $75. The phone orientation wound up lasting an hour and 15 minutes. The moderator (Rich Koster) was extremely arrogant and dictatorial.
I wound up doing the shop and entered the report on the Sassie form. There was nowhere on the form to indicate where you submit the business cards. So, I then sent the scheduler a separate email along with copies of the business card of the salesman, one for each visit. The day after completing the shop, I saw that I conpleted the shop and will be paid the $75. Now, over two weeks later, I received an email from them advising that my shop had been cancelled. I called them to find out why, whereby the told me that I neglected to submit the business cards. They told me that I would need to re-enter the entire report, as it was erased and assigned to another shopper. They wound up giving me the shop back and I re-submitted the information. They then rejected this and told me that I will not be paid.
I have been a mystery shopper for over 20 years. Other than being ripped off by Restaurant Evaluators, this is the biggest shlock outfit I have ever dealt with. I am going to register a complaint with the BBB.

There is a correct email to send business cards, although I do that often, and my scheduler handles it for me, then sends me an email saying she uploaded card for me. This shouldn not have happened, try sending it again...to the right email. I'd think this would be overturned, this company is top notch.

Since there was nowhere on the form to download the business cards, I did send them to the scheduler on a separate email. They did not accept my report because I did not have all of the numbers correct when I entered the report a second time. How in the world do they expect for me to remember all of that information over two weeks later after they deleted my original report?

Whenever possible, save a PDF or screenshots of your reports. It's for such circumstances as these that those archives are invaluable.

A lot of the problems with the car shops are that egotistical nasty Rich Koster who is with an outside editing company hired by RSG for the car shops,and yes he is an sob.

Send a complaint about him to the Scheduling company Lisa Van Kesteren (spelling) at RSG as it wont be the first time she has heard about him.

Lisa Van Kesteren herself is a very nice, decent,fair and understanding person.

If there are problems with editors or schedulers who work for her, e mail her directly.


PS. RSG has other kinds of shops besides car and financial, and as a matter of fact I just did two others for them 4 days ago.........AND GOT PAID FOR THEM TODAY!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2012 12:22AM by shoppinalong.

Lisa actually owns RSG. If I remember correctly, she has shopped herself and totally understands us and what we go through.

Hmmm, that explains why I got a snotty reply from Rich when I dared to email asking a question about the car shop. I did do the 45 min phone call before I emailed him. I ended up cancelling the shop because he was so rude in his reply. Lisa was very nice and told me that this would not preclude me shopping with RSG in the future.

After notifying Lisa about the problems that I encountered regarding the car negotiation shop, she informed me that they are going to pay me for the shop after all. To those other shoppers that wrote about Lisa being fair and understanding, I wholeheartly agree. Therefore, I would encourage other reliable shoppers to register with RSG.