I have been shopping for about a year now and I take pride in earning 10's on reports. Well yesterday I got an e-mail saying I did not include the year of the car I drove to the dealership for my auto shop I did a week ago. This is true I missed it and only put make and model of my car. I fixed it within the hour. Now mind you this was a fairly long report with a lot of narrative. So, today I get an email saying I earned an 8 because they had to contact me. Well maybe I am wrong but does that seem fair? It takes them a week to score and basically I am docked from an A to a C for missing a small detail which I fixed immediately. I am a little annoyed!

A lot of us have felt your frustration, Kathie. Whether the edit was due to an omission on our part or a needless clarification requested by the editor, it still is annoying to have your rating dinged because you had to be contacted. Trust me, it will happen again in your future if you continue mystery shopping.

Try, when your blood pressure settles down, to remember that as long as you are still a qualified shopper these ratings don't mean a heckuva lot. And use that 'delete' button!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2013 04:12PM by CAscotch.

An "8" is not a "C." It may be a "B" to "C+" though. IMO, the editor could have given you a "9" or an "8" and still be reasonable or "just."

For example, the editor could have used a scale similar to:

"10" = absolutely perfect report; equivalent to A+/A
"9" = almost perfect report or slight tardiness; the editor did not need to contact the shopper for clarification; A-/B+
"8" = good report; tardiness, some mistakes, or the editor needed to contact the shopper for clarification; B/B- or perhaps even C+
"7" = fair report; multiple or significant mistakes or other problems; C+/C/C-
"6" or below = bad report; D's
"1" = excluded/rejected/unacceptable; "F"; no pay/reimbursement

Bear in mind the grades they give us are arbitrary, some MS companies use them as a way to deduct money from the already low fees and others have no impact on the fees at all. There are also those companies who will tell you they are rejecting your shop and you won't get paid, then use the report anyway, as I found out from someone at the fast food place I shopped. At the end of the day the shop grade really doesn't matter much.

Thank you all. I have since calmed down and let it go. I think it was a bit of a pride thing really. I still think it is wrong but at least it was not a pay cut in which case I would still be here yapping. Thank you for listening!!

If it is the msc that I think it is, they autmatically do an 8 if you have to be contacted no matter what. BOO

I care as much about grades as I do about Snooki's recent activities.

I agree, I haven't cared about grades since college.

In my experience, many MSCs will deduct just on the basis of having to come back to you, period. That said, on the basis of it being TWO points for such a minor exclusion and fast correction, I'm pretty sure I can make an intell-igent guess as to which company it was.

cynb Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If it is the msc that I think it is, they
> autmatically do an 8 if you have to be contacted
> no matter what. BOO


Many companies seem to have that policy, the minute the editor took the time to contact the shopper, even when
the info was right there in the report and the editor just missed it. I used to really be bothered by it but I have calmed
down. I recently just got a 9 just because the editor contacted me on something that she admitted she misunderstood,
but of course, blamed it on something else. As long as they don't go lower than 8, I think, you will still be qualified to do
the shops that required a higher rate.

I worked for an MSC for a few years and did a lot of shops for them. One of the editors was always bringing me down from 10 to 9 until I got sick and tired of her power trip and ended the relationship.

One time, an editor accused me of not reporting on the restroom in my narrative. I say "accused" because of her word choice and tone of the email.

I had kept a copy of my report and therefore had proof that the editor was wrong. After I responded (politely, professionally, and without negative attitude), she responded that she must have missed it because it was buried in my narrative.

I didn't bother to respond again after that. My description of the restroom was at the end of one paragraph in my report. That paragraph was dedicated to describing the physical conditions (such as cleanliness, neatness, stock level, etc.) of various parts of the restaurant.

The same editor had read many of my reports for the same client. Although I did not copy and paste from one report to another, I did follow the same, general format. Therefore, the editor should have been familiar with where to look for descriptions of the restroom. Alternatively, she could have also done her job competently and read what was written.

This editor had also erred several times before and tried to downgrade reports without just cause. I enjoyed these shops too much to quit doing them because of her. However, whenever I see an email from her, I get an unpleasant feeling before I open the email, and a sense of relief if the grade is just another "10."

That is a very intell-igent answer nicelytwicely!!


nicelytwicely Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In my experience, many MSCs will deduct just on
> the basis of having to come back to you, period.
> That said, on the basis of it being TWO points for
> such a minor exclusion and fast correction, I'm
> pretty sure I can make an intell-igent guess as to
> which company it was.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2013 03:33PM by kathie28.