In general, a $10 deduction would only be taken for a shop that is 2 or more days passed the submission deadline. The other reason for a deduction of this size would be a shop that required extensive editing before it could be published. I can't say for certain what occurred without knowing the specifics of the situation.
The only reason an editor has for returning a shop is to ensure the report is accurate and complete before it is sent to the client. About 30% of shops submitted to our company require some type of clarification which results in the shop being returned or shopper contacted by the editor. There is no incentive, financial or otherwise, for an editor to return a shop.
Our standards, which we refer to as "Ready to Publish" (RTP) are common for the industry. RTP is described as follows:
"The shops you submit to should be Ready To Publish. They should be able to be released to our client after a quick review by one of our editors. Ready to Publish shops are submitted before the deadline specified in the assignment guidelines. These shops are written in complete, spell checked sentences. The narratives are thorough and detailed and do not contain opinion or conclusions. The answers to questions in each section should be consistent with the narratives.
We understand legitimate obstacles might come up during your assignment and that an occasional grammar or spelling error is going to be made. Our schedulers are always available to assist you with these problems.
It is important you review your shop before you submit it to ensure that it meets the assignment guidelines and our quality guidelines. Shops that are submitted late or contain blatant and/or excessive grammar errors, opinion or narratives that are inconsistent or poorly written may be subject to a deduction of the assignment fee/reimbursement or they may be rejected.
If you have any questions about the content or quality requirements of this assignment, contact your scheduler for clarification."
Fee deductions that are assessed relating to the quality of the shop as assess judisously and are usually $1 - $2. In most cases, we do not asses the fees for shoppers who are new to our company.
Thanks
Dave Agius