Well my fellow shoppers this really happened. I was doing a business verification shop for that company we all know so well famous for its EIN requirements and dollar shops need I say more. I called the client as is normal procedure and scheduled my appointment. The gods were against me and I could not make the appointment and called the client shortly after the appointment was due to begin to reschedule for the following day at the same time. The client was ok with it and I thought all was well little did I know. Here comes the scheduler who after speaking to the client and being informed that I did not show up pulled the assignment and gave it to another shopper. Well this shopper called the client to schedule the appointment and the client refused saying they did not want this shopper as they had already rescheduled with yours truly.The scheduler called me and said that the client had refused to reschedule and I explained that I had made a new appointment.She said since I had not told them I could not proceed and I said ok. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to listen in on the conversation between this scheduler and the client . I am not blaming the shopper who had to pick up my slack and get rejected by the client it is just a buyer beware for all you shoppers with this company they check up on you behind your back as if some of this reports can be done with out actually showing up. This scheduler was trying to teach me a lesson but she had to cook up quite a story and explain to the client why another shopper was doing the assignment. Am sure she said I was too sick or even dead the level at which some of this schedulers will stoop is unbelievable

Sorry you experienced something like that.

Your post was very difficult to read. A few paragraphs to space your thoughts, makes it easier to read.

I had no problems with this company for my BV. The target did not show up and I was PAID in full within 3 days.(Direct Deposit).

I am sorry but I am confused, perhaps because I don't work for this company and don't know the requirements for this assignment.

"She said since I had not told them I could not proceed and I said ok."

Were you required to tell them?

How was this scheduler malicious?

I'm not saying she was not. I just don't have enough information to form an educated opinion.

Thanks.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2012 01:06PM by BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz.

When someone comes to this board and, two posts in, tells a tale of woe, we have to wonder if there's more to the story than we're told. The local client location with whom you spoke may have been fine with having the shop done later, but the scheduler may have had a deadline from the actual client paying for the verification.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2012 12:53PM by TechSavvy.

I've done many, many BVs. One of the first rules is that you have to document and record everything. The guidelines state what one needs to do if one cannot make the scheduled appointment. Seems silly but there it is.

In your situation, you should have contacted the MSC when you noticed you couldn't make the appointment, before the scheduled appointment not as it was due. Then, the MSC could have put in a note and accepted the later assignment. These assignments usually need to be done within 3 days of being assigned. By changing the date, you may have changed the scheduling, making it fall outside the acceptable range.

I don't get where they're "checking up on you". They called the client to confirm your no-show. They gave the assignment to another shopper because you did not show up on time then called to reschedule after you were supposed to have started the BV. To a scheduler, that looks like a flake. Had you called earlier, posted your unavailability earlier, etc. you would probably still have the assignment.

Recheck the guidelines to know what to do if you can't make a scheduled appointment.

I'm sorry it turned out like this for you but I totally disagree with your thread title. I don't believe the scheduler was malicious. From what I understand, you did not follow the guidelines.

You needed to contact the scheduler before re-scheduling, or you flaked.

I've been doing some of these BV's and as I understand the instructions, all contact with the client has to be documented. That means every time you speak to the client, including rescheduling the visit, must be reported. You also must let the MSC know.

Schedulers arent in this business to be malicious. From reading your post, it sounds as if she was conveying the client's requirements and that the client disagreed with your request.

I agree that you were a no show. What was the scheduler supposed to think? You called AFTER your scheduled appointment. That's no-showing. You should have called the scheduler immediately.

It was difficult to understand your post due to your lack of punctuation. It would also help if you were to leave out embellishments when you are trying to state the facts.

txmedia Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry you experienced something like that.


Our new favourite "venter" is the only one sympathizing. He is allowed.

TechSavvy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When someone comes to this board and, two posts
> in, tells a tale of woe, we have to wonder if
> there's more to the story than we're told. The
> local client location with whom you spoke may have
> been fine with having the shop done later, but the
> scheduler may have had a deadline from the actual
> client paying for the verification.



There we go again. Two posts so suspiciouns abound.
It's a wonder Jacobg's sight has grown so large the way the oldbies
treat any newbie who dares to show up.

I would agree that some posts are harsh, but on the other hand if you start a post trashing a scheduler (mailicious) or saying that you will never shop for this blank co again without following instructions, that is probably what the result will be.

This site hasn't come close to that of the V site and Cynb makes a legit point. People will be honest here. Being openly honest isn't the same as throwing punches just because you can and they're new.

I agree with TechSavvy. In addition, although I no longer accept BVs due to, what I consider, an unacceptable work:pay ratio, the instructions are clearly stated and all contacts are required to be listed. The scheduler was merely conducting business according to the wishes of his/her employer. If this poster isn't a fake playing online, in my opinion, he/she lacks the temperament for self-employment.

I think at times new shoppers are angry at losing an assignment or not being paid for a shop performed, many times not realizing that their actions caused the lack of payment or caused the shop to be paid. When a poster (regardless of how many posts he or she has) posts angrily about their outrage, I think that simply agreeing that the scheduler/MSC is "bad" when that is not the case does not help anyone and provides bad information. Pointing out that a poster did not follow the shop guidelines is a kindness, at least if they hope to improve their performance. If they do not hope to understand and improve their performance, what is the purpose of posting here? I think it is the right of any new or long-time poster to post whatever they want but it is also the right of all other posters to respond with their thoughts. Compared to other forums I have seen, the comments here are reasonable and not abusive, but posters here certainly keep it real.

My assumption would be that probably 90% of initial posts would be negative because the post believes that something bad happen, so they went hunting for an shopper site. I don't think newbies should be called out just because a first post or two is negative in nature. If they are new to MSing, they probably don't have a lot of advice to offer.

That said, I definitely do agree that the scheduler doesn't sound malicious. The times for completing these are supposedly pretty tight. Many companies frown heavily on rescheduling even with the best of excuses. If you are new to the company and they need it done missing the first date looks bad. Schedulers here excuses all day long and it is tough to tell the legitimate ones from those that are lying.

My assumption is just that the scheduler called the client and said you would not be able to perform it and someone else would be coming without any grand explanation or lie. Since you should have no ties with the company you are going to evaluate, they probably don't care who comes, but only want one person to come.

I agree with Shelly on that one. I think the only reason the client refused the new shopper's appointment was that he believed he already had an appointment. I doubt it was difficult at all for the scheduler to let the client know the OP was no longer on the assignment.

Don't be naive. There are Malicious schedulers out there who have threatened to fire me, taken assignments away from me, and have treated me downright rude. Well EXCUSE me but I will not take these wheelings and dealings hands down. Many of you stated that the whining shopper was not doing his/her job was at fault. How do you know? We need to stick together and stop stabbing each other in the back as we hungrily jump at open assignments and greed overtakes us.

Map

I sincerely hope that your reports are more objective than your post.

thanks for the heads up. I don't want to be involved with this forum there is to much negative interaction that I don't want any part of. Signing off....

I have been secret shopping since 1988. In that time, I have only run across one scheduler that I truly believe was malicious.

The Reader's Digest version: She had misunderstood or failed to read my email stating that I was available to do the following shops but could only make myself available on specific days, which I listed. She assigned some of the shops on days I was not available and when I drew her attemtion to the fact that I was not available on those days, as previously stated, she threatened to take all of them from me. Since I keep emails and responses until jobs are completed and paid, I simply referred the matter, with history, to someone else within the company.

IMO, most schedulers just want to get their jobs done correctly and get paid, just like most shoppers. The less hassle, the better the shopper follows directions, and the easier a shopper is to work with, the better.

Sometimes people lose it! I know I have. But in reality this is a business. In the work place you are expected to leave the baggage at home and perform - period!!!! It's no different for all of us, both schedulers and shoppers should be behaving in a professional manner. That being said - we all have behaved poorly on one occasion or another. Get over it. If you want to make money in this biz you need to suck it up, be FAST and be ACCURATE. READ everything and FOLLOW THE PROTOCOL. Schedulers don't need to be nasty or nice - they just need to get the job done.

I actually had a scheduler go freakin' manic on me once. I referred a girlfriend to be a shopper and she freaked on her too on the same day. I'm nervous dealing with her now but she seems totally embarrased and grateful that I didn't make a big deal out of it.

Just another day on the MS planet.

Ein company will NEVER accept it when the business checked declines your visit.
Not my fault they do not want me or anyone to come check on the business. EIN says go anyway. No, not if they say no.

-

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2012 07:44AM by vince.

Soy nuevo en este negocio, pero pienso que las buenas relaciones humanas entre los programadores y los compradores debe ser esencial para desarrollar una trabajo conjunto, agradable e inteligente, no creo que sea necesario pasarse la vida discutiendo o molestandose por cualquier cosa, es importante ser muy profesional, estudiar bien todas la directivas, tanto del cliente como de los programadores, es la unica forma de desarrollar un trabajo eficiente que redunde en un mejor conocimiento de lo que sucede en la tienda y de las buenas o malas soluciones que pueda dar la compania s lo que los shoppersecret informen

edel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Soy nuevo en este negocio, pero pienso que las
> buenas relaciones humanas entre los programadores
> y los compradores debe ser esencial para
> desarrollar una trabajo conjunto, agradable e
> inteligente, no creo que sea necesario pasarse la
> vida discutiendo o molestandose por cualquier
> cosa, es importante ser muy profesional, estudiar
> bien todas la directivas, tanto del cliente como
> de los programadores, es la unica forma de
> desarrollar un trabajo eficiente que redunde en un
> mejor conocimiento de lo que sucede en la tienda y
> de las buenas o malas soluciones que pueda dar la
> compania s lo que los shoppersecret informen

uumm, every one of your posts since you joined this forum has been in a foreign language. don't you think that this might be a problem? we are not going to run every one of your posts through a translator, if you are not going to do it yourself.

After the extensive application process I went through with the company in question, I was sure I remember the guideline of contacting the scheduler if there was a problem making the scheduled appointment. It was to determine if you were to proceed with the shop or not, and the scheduler made that determination.

I would have to go back over the video provided to be absolutely sure I am stating it correctly.

TechSavvy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When someone comes to this board and, two posts
> in, tells a tale of woe, we have to wonder if
> there's more to the story than we're told. The
> local client location with whom you spoke may have
> been fine with having the shop done later, but the
> scheduler may have had a deadline from the actual
> client paying for the verification.

I think we've established that picky shopper didn't follow the shop guidelines and the scheduler was not malicious in assigning the shop to another shopper.

While I agree simply because a poster writes a complaining post on his first or second post does not mean the complaint is not legitimate, I think it seems suspicious to the longtime posters when:

1. A first or second post is a complaint rather than an introduction of the poster to the forum (is he not bothering to introduce himself because he doesn't plan to stay? Probably.)

2. Multiple posts are complaints and no "good" posts are made.

3. The poster does a lot of name-calling rather than simply stating the facts - the scheduler is "malicious" or the MSC is a scam or a rip-off.

4. The language is very flamboyant with a lot of emotion and little fact or reasoning.

5. The poster never returns after dumping a little dirt.

In this case, I think it's irrelevant - the picky shopper left immediately after maliciously dumping on the "malicious" scheduler and never returned to see any of the responses to his/her post.

I think a broad term for this shopper's actions would be "insubordination." I'm 99% sure that within the guidelines for the verification of the MS job would read to contact the scheduler if any problem arises. I'm pretty certain that the shopper should not ever contact the business directly. That's why the scheduler has a job.

Back in my past, as a store manager for a small retail company, I once had to write up an employee for "insubordination" when I went on vacation and my asst. manager decided to make major changes to the store layout and, literally, "hid" about a third of our clothing in big boxes in the stockroom because she "didn't like them." Much to her dismay, (stupid, stupid,stupid employee) I had to inform her that she would have to pull all of the merchandise out of the boxes, sort and inventory them, then, price them down for clearance because it was the end of season.

When you are accepted for a job, that is because your superior gave you the job, not the client. Never, ever assume that the client is your employer. The MS company is your employer.