Stores giving receipts with wrong dates and times

June 10, 2013 05:45AM

Mostly I just read, absorb and learn from this great forum. It is almost like eavesdropping but today I think I finally have a problem worthy of putting out there to the learned and experienced.

I did a beverage shop for Corporate Research International. I asked for a receipt and watched the employee print it off. The receipt he handed me had the wrong date and time on it. I didn't stop to read the receipt while I was at the location but I sure did message the MSC when I was home and entering the report. It's the week-end, so no Live Chat.

The Editing Department has now contacted me. The report is unusable they tell me. The reason? You guessed it. It has the WRONG date! Duh!

I've now emailed the scheduler, copied the message I had to leave at Live Chat and have my fingers crossed their left hand communicates with their right hand.

Lesson learned? Walk around the corner and read your receipt. But somehow I think I would still be exposing myself as a shopper if I marched right back to the employee and said, "Hey! This has the wrong date on it."

Suggestions? Advice? Both are welcome. Oh, and thanks for listening.

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June 10, 2013 07:26AM

I'd love for you to ask the MSC what you should have done, and share with us their answer. I've had receipts that were off time-wise, but not any that were THAT much off.

June 10, 2013 08:41AM

great post! I've said to the cashier that my boss is a control freak, and since , and she pays for my lunches, my receipts HAVE to have a time that matches my lunch clock out so she doesn't think I'm stealing her time. They look at me like i'm nuts, and I state, yeah, I know she's crazy and we laugh about it.
Thats the best I could come up with as to TRY to not expose myself as the shopper. Sometimes, they will hand write the date/time and intial it. I have then emailed the scheduler with that information and submitted the receipt. I have never had this experience with CORI, so I'm waiting to see if that would work for them too

June 10, 2013 10:52AM

First and firstmost we are CUSTOMERS, whether we are MS or not. I have learned to read to look at my receipt b4 I leave the register. How many times have you been charged for something you did not buy or overcharged. Most MS shop does not equate the cost of reimbursement so why do you have to go to the corner to look at your receipt?

If there is a problem with the receipt being date or time, go to guest services. And let them know the problem or return the items to get a current receipt. I have done that on a few shops because I did not want to have the shop rejected.

I find being a Customer out ranks the SHopper frame of mind. You are not bring attention to yourself-------->you just want the wheels of shopping to go smoothly.

June 10, 2013 01:16PM

Very good lesson learned. A good habit is to check each invoice at the register.
I just did a purchase and return and my return turned out to be an accidental purchase, not refund. Another trip to the store. Painful lessons are learned well.

.
Mike T
Looking for shops in Western Canada

"Life is good because the alternative is forever "

June 10, 2013 01:32PM

That happens to me once in awhile, and all I do is make a note somewhere in the report. It doesn't hurt to email the scheduler either.

I've never had a shop rejected for that reason.

June 10, 2013 01:45PM

Every single Conoco Phillips gas station in my area has the wrong time on their registers. It varies between 15 and 90 mins
I hav'nt had a problem so far.

June 10, 2013 02:00PM

WOW! I'm amazed the flood of responses I received from you very savvy shoppers. Thank you for taking the time to reply, all with excellent suggestions.

I checked this morning and so far no response from Message at Live Chat or my scheduler. I will definitely keep you posted as to how I fair. I should have mentioned in my post that this was a heavily bonused shop and the beverage I had to purchase was nothing I would ever order. So I really need this shop to be accepted.

Thank you again and I will keep you "posted".

June 10, 2013 02:02PM

I had a receipt recently from a gas audit in which the address printed on the receipt was incorrect, i went to the correct location but instead of 34th street it listed 35th street. If it was 35th street it would have put the shop in the lake instead of the lst street on the shoreline.

Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain

June 10, 2013 02:10PM

Even if you did notice and asked for a receipt with the correct date and time. I don't think most of the employees would know how to reprogram the date and time on the register.

June 10, 2013 02:39PM

this happened to me once but with a different MSC and they totally refused to accept it...I no longer shop for them.

June 10, 2013 03:29PM

To everyone who took the time to respond to my plea for advice: I thank you. I know how busy you are and I truly appreciate your feedback and insight.

I am pleased to report that I just received an email from the MSC stating "Everything has been okayed." Phew.

Now onto another day of whirlwind shopping. Thanks again - you shoppers are awesome!

June 10, 2013 04:30PM

Another tip: if the date/time is way off, I snap a picture of the location. The properties of the pic will detail the actual correct date/time.

_____________________________________________________________________________
"Between stimulus and response, there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
~Viktor Frankl

June 10, 2013 04:41PM

All things considered, a relatively quick resolution. It is not a surprise the editor contacted you. Many of them seem to work on weekends and late at night. They also aren't privy to communication with your scheduler until the scheduler forwards the message.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

June 10, 2013 05:59PM

Always, always, always put the discrepancy in your report. In one of or any of the little text boxes I always type, "Receipt time/date incorrect for time location was shopped." Never, ever had a problem or a contact when I do that, only if I forget is there ever an issue.

Glad it was resolved quickly.

June 10, 2013 09:06PM

I just finished inputting my reports for two gas stations of the same brand for CRI. At the first one, the times on both the store and pump receipts were off by about 3 hours. At the second station, the store receipt had the date but was missing an entire strip of printed data that probably included the time. I noted both these situations in their respective reports.

The instructions state you can't use the same debit/credit card if you're doing two of this brand's stations on the same day. When I went to use a credit card at the second station, it wouldn't accept it. Who knows why. Another guy who was selling something outside finally got it to work. The first station accepted my debit card with no problem.

These were both old stations needing cleaning and maintenance attention inside and out. How they get away with their high prices is beyond me when there are so many newer, cleaner, nicer stations very close by with lower prices. (Sorry, off the subject, but it amazes me why people put up with it.)

June 11, 2013 05:47PM

Often when time changes (daylight savings) the receipt does not reflect that.

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Stores giving receipts with wrong dates and times

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