Not sure if this would be better in the MSC forum, or here?

And I hope it's OK to say "car shop" and name the MSC. I'm thinking it is, since I'm not naming the exact car client; it's just a type of shop. Right?

OK... I just got an email offering a bonus on one of these for a total of $35. I've never done a car shop for Intelli before, but I've read horrid things about the reports on these. Does $35 sound reasonable for the time involved and PITA factor?

I'm thinking *maybe*... it *is* double the starting fee. I'm just not sure since I've only ever done one car shop (for a different MSC, when I was new and stupider than now about the subject!) so it would almost be a new-to-me shop.

Worth it for $35 or $40, not worth it for $17 or $20......just IMHO....

I won't do them for their regular fee, but go for the $35.00.

Agreed.

For $17, there's no way.

For $30 or $35, totally worth it. Be prepared to write lots, however.

Thanks guys! I'll see if it's still available ~ and make sure it fits into my schedule. I just realized I hadn't checked the dates they want it done!

I'll let you all know what happens.

Agree - car shops should start at 35 to make them worth your time. At least when you get the experience you get a decent bonus for the stress : ).

The $35 could be okay but that depends on the Intellishop proofreader. They have some that want absolute perfection in the report and they nit pick all they can to prove to the company their service is needed. Some of the Intellishop proofreaders make the $35 not worth it at all.

I have shopped for this company and for the car shops. I agree I would not do the shops for $17. $35 to $40 or more.

Just be yourself about purchasing a new car. You don't need to know anything about it. I would go online first, look up the car they want you to test drive. Review all of the information and make notes as if you were looking into this car. I take a few notes in full view of the dealer. The price sticker on the car. ( They will ask for this amount. ) I get the brochure on the vehicle, write down the cost with discounts or rebates. Three things that are important to any buyer. Mileage, warranty and safety. These are normal questions. Additional features are on line or in the brochure, like: Satellite radio, Smart key, UVO which is an alarm system used with a Bluetooth or Smart phone. Sunroof etc. Make sure you know what vehicle you are looking at. Male or female we look for different things. The industry-leading warranty program is in the brochure. The salesman circled for me several things that we talked about. Don't act like everything is a secret.

Most important, go online and view the vehicle you are test driving.

Bring a notebook. I will do them in the $35 and above range. The dealership expects a serious buyer to ask questions, to take notes and to want papers to take with them. From that aspect, I find it the easiest as I can ask the required questions, take notes and generally not look like a shopper and, IMO, it is virtually impossible to give yourself away as a shopper in these. So they are low stress. Sometimes there are timing questions, but looking at your watch or phone in a car dealership lot is also not that notable...at least not the way it is in a restaurant...

Regarding the proofreading of the shop, I agree they can be a bit odd.

I did one of the fast food shops for this same client a while ago (my husband likes the tacos and it was a deal with a scheduler for a GIANT bonus on another shop) and I thought I was going to have to write an "Ode to the Taco" before the scheduler was happy with the info on it.

I just got an email for one of these 2 hours away (each way) for $70. Hit the delete button, didn't even have to think about it.

AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Worth it for $35 or $40, not worth it for $17 or
> $20......just IMHO....


I have been doing these shops for a few years & I have never seen one for $35. Sometimes they are bonused....for $30.

I have a question about the actual shop. When it says you do not need to run credit etc, do you have to go inside and do the hard sell bit? or are they asking about the way you are treated when looking and test driving the car?
Ive done two, both $30 2 different msc. One wanted the entire hard sell rundown, how many times did they go ask the boss to waive this, reduce that as part of their speil. The other wanted didn't have any questions beyond the usual parking lot interaction, how did they great, overcome concerns, did they relate the car to my family and needs or sound like they were reading the technical book to me.
I have avoided them since, because of the first instance, its impossible to get out in a reasonable amount of time. But I am a little cash strapped and there are a few more in my area, so I may need to go for them.

I'll do them for $30 or more, no questions asked. I'll even do it for $25 if it's on a route that I have planned and (A) I have the time available, and, (B ) I literally do not have to go out of my way...not even 1 block.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2014 08:52PM by James Bond 007.5.

But it certainly is possible to have wayyyyyy too many commas in your tag line. LOL

Interesting because I got an offer for the same amount of money and it is also two hours each way.

tlin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just got an email for one of these 2 hours away
> (each way) for $70. Hit the delete button, didn't
> even have to think about it.

nc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AustinMom Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Worth it for $35 or $40, not worth it for $17
> or
> > $20......just IMHO....
>
>
> I have been doing these shops for a few years & I
> have never seen one for $35. Sometimes they are
> bonused....for $30.

Make friends with the schedulers who have the shops. Be a responsive shopper when they reach out for the shops they need as an emergency. Shops in the higher amount are usually the ones they need done ASAP. And, if you have a good relationship with a desperate scheduler and you get the $30 shop email. Reply and tell them you are able to do it for $35. They may say no, but 9 of 10 times you get a "shop assigned" email in response.

Don't forget, once you accept a car shop at a specific location you cannot repeat the shop for at least one year. So if you accept at $17 you are really cheating yourself. Wait for the bonused shop at the end of the month. It's $30 and up.

worth it but watch out for the review of Intellishop they are overly critical.

Not worth it when you spend an additional 30 min. with editors. Time is money. My opinion.

As it turns out, I didn't do it. :/

For one thing, the date window was over a time when I already had shops scheduled, or already had personal/family plans; and it wouldn't fit in.

For another thing, I was trying to see if I could fit it in at the end of the window, but before i figured it out, someone else got it.

And then I noticed the detail about having a car worth at least $7000 to do the shop. My new (to me) car ~ that I *finally* just got a couple weeks ago after having been car-less since mid-January ~ is the nicest and newest car I have ever had, but it still misses the mark by a couple thousand. *sigh*.

But it's good to know people's opinions... I was thinking $35 might be what it's minimum pay should *actually* be... I had just been worried about some of what I'd heard on here over the past couple of years about excessive clarifications and almost impossible to remember details.

So... if they go up to $35 again, and it's nice and close to home like this one was (less than 10 minutes away), I just might give it a shot. If my car meets the criteria.

I'm almost surprised, in hindsight, I got to do that first (and only) car shop I did, back when I was really new to all of this... the car I had then was pretty much a pile of crap! And they never even asked about it, and I didn't think about it, either. I realized when I got to the lot, just how crappy it looked. I mentioned that I'd been saving up for some time, and finally had enough money.

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting because I got an offer for the same
> amount of money and it is also two hours each way.
>
>
> tlin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I just got an email for one of these 2 hours
> away
> > (each way) for $70. Hit the delete button,
> didn't
> > even have to think about it.

I'm also in STL. But I promise I only do this very part time and don't take low paying shops!

That's why I found it interesting. It just seemed like too big a coincidence. And good for you about refusing those low paying shops

I am fairly new. I did a couple of car shops for 30.00 and was dumb enough to accept for 17.00 this month. The form not to bad, the editors are like a whipping post. I did my research, you need to be extremely detailed and answer the the questions exactly. I type my stuff in word easier to see and better for grammar and then cut and paste. I got dinged for making paragraphs.

> I got dinged for making paragraphs.

I'm confused. They did not want you to make paragraphs? What did they want, a huge wall of text?

Another company that I work for gave me a "10", but also suggested that I break my comments into paragraphs.

Ishmael, you cannot win with the editors of Intellishop.

Very overcritical and demanding. One time they asked me to describe the engine. I stopped doing shops for them when they messed up on their end three times and took off points from me. They sent me to one dealership that was now a different dealership and took off points because they had to contact me about, it after I told them what had happened and sent a business card to prove it. The shops for Dealers to maintain your car are easy though and I never had a problem.


edited by Moderator for forum rules violation

Yep dinged for paragraphs they ding you for everything. Sometimes I wonder if they really read there own requirements.

I avoid the car sales shops at all costs, but Intelli contacted me directly asking me to do one for a substantial bonus. I recorded the interaction, and after I had answered all the questions, I basically transcribed the recording word of word, just changing up how I wrote the "he said, I said" parts of it. I got a nine on the shop with no questions. I guess I got the easy editor, but so far I haven't had any major problems with Intellishop. The very first shop I did with them came back because I didn't explain all the no answers, but that was just my inexperience at the time thinking that some of the no answers were obvious as to why, and I shouldn't need to explain them. Still got a 9 for that shop once I resubmitted it.

$35 is worth it, unless you have to drive way out of your way. Almost all the car shops I do are for IntelliShop. I can agree with the other posters about the proofreaders. They will critique you to death. I spellcheck and grammar check my shops in Word for these guys and they still give me 9's for "spelling and grammar corrections."
BUT..they don't deduct pay for a less than stellar rating so do your best and just let it roll off your back.
They do require narratives for each section, so expect to spend 30-40 minutes filling out the report when finished. Also, follow the shop guidelines to a T. Otherwise, the proofreader will return your shop and ask you to explain why you didn't. They won't accept the shop until they get your explanation.