@bgriffin - Great explanation; I'd never heard of it before.

I skimmed through the replies so maybe this has already been said. I password protect my phone. i don't want anyone to get my info if I lose it, it's stolen or grabbed by a dumba$$ sales person. To me it's worth the hassle to have to constantly unlock it since I use it for everything...banking, mystery shopping, etc.

I leave it in the car and tell them it's dead and plugged into the car to charge. Then I can use short battery life as a believable excuse for wanting to try something new.

Wow!

If he opened my phone, he would see:

Tons of "Burger" pics,

"Cell Phone store" pics ....(likely HIS!),

Panda Express Pics.

And he would likely say, "Hey, you have some strange pics here of food and cell phone stores!"...lol..

Not to mention if he read my texts: "Tall, female, blonde, glasses, 5'8,"

Tip from a new shopper, vets: This could never happen to me. I take all of my pictures with my digital camera and keep all of my shopping files on my laptop and my digital camera and a WD 4TB Personal Cloud Storage External Hard Drive which I can access from anywhere. No photo of a chili cheese dog, no Panda express 2-entree meal, no store front is stored on my phone. What happened to the OP won't happen if you don't use your smartphone to upload your receipt images to iDrive. What happened to the OP will rarely happen to a male shopper. I'm taller than most of the associates I interact with when I do a bonused smartphone shop and I'd expect what happened to the OP, when it does happen, happens 99 females to 1 male. Some clerks are aggressive, Type-A's and if they suspect they are being shopped by a small, harmless looking older (than they are) woman some will react the way this clerk allegedly did.

Now back to shopping my route through the great western states of the USA.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2014 02:41AM by aggiejim72.

SunnyDays2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If he opened my phone, he would see:
> Tons of "Burger" pics,
> "Cell Phone store" pics ....(likely HIS!),
> Panda Express Pics.

No toilets? No overall photographs of the fueling station? I'm disappointed.

I was given the opportunity to get the shop back and say that I had been outed and didn't like that rather than explaining how to do it, he just grabbed my phone and started doing it himself and looking. I am working with the MSC, but I think it might be a lesson for both. I think I can still shop the client, just not that location...I am working with the MSC right now. They are completely understanding of the situation...and I think it was a unthought-of of risk to go in and say something like "how do I store things on the cloud"...when you need to have a phone of that nature.

mysteryshoppinggurl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "how do I store things on the
> cloud"...when you need to have a phone of that
> nature.

You might like the privacy that comes from storing your files on your own personal cloud--I use the WD 4TB Personal Cloud Storage External Hard Drive. They can be purchased at Best Buy.

Omgee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SunnyDays2 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If he opened my phone, he would see:
> > Tons of "Burger" pics,
> > "Cell Phone store" pics ....(likely HIS!),
> > Panda Express Pics.
>
> No toilets? No overall photographs of the fueling
> station? I'm disappointed.

I can't take "feces pics" without gagging

I stopped doing the gas stations after a bad experience!

I used to be a phone rep. I would never have taken someone's phone without their permission. Always password protect yourself. That experience sounds horrifying!! I had a bad experience at a shop recently. But, it was more of a situation with the service. If it wasn't a shop I would have left the store and contacted corporate to advise of the type of activity going on at the location. I always take my phone to record, but my story is that the phone is at home since it's useless anyway (the reason I'm in looking at phones). I empathize with you. I can only imagine how violated you must have felt. Shop or not, the rep was wrong. You can't plan for everything, but now you can plan for that possibility with another shop scenario.

Wow! So sorry to hear this!. You know I almost did one of these Samsung shops myself recently but something happened at the last minute where I couldn't. It occured to me to be a rather stupid requirement to make you take your phone with you. I recently did a shop where you merely had to say you had a particular type of phone. It seems to me if it is a simple enough question, they can just explain the procedure to you , without them having to do a demonstration on your phone.Seems very risky.
Candace

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2014 07:08PM by candace_in_jersey.

I just tell someone candidly that I keep my phone tucked into my bra and I'm not about to take it out here.

Um, for some of us, they could look down and see that was a lie. Unfortunately, I have to stick to the 'password protect'.

(heart)

I currently have 3 phones for this reason.
I dont have folders for my emails, passcodes or anything,I just might have to take that extra caution ... and learn more about my phones.
If an assoicate snagged my phone from my hands, I think I would be more or less to smack them, as if they had just called me a horrible name. I find that rude, unacceptable along with unreasonable.
If someone even thought about looking through my images, emails, videos.. etc I would flip out. I wouldnt care if they knew I was shopping them. To be rude enough to take the time to look at MY stuff, even if I did ask for help with the issue. There is no reason at all for them to be snoopy, nosey or prevertedly creepy. I dont think some of the younger generation understands privacy.

Cettie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just tell someone candidly that I keep my phone
> tucked into my bra and I'm not about to take it
> out here.


What if he said, "Let me take that phone from your hidden place."

I haven't done phone shops of this kind, but all my mystery shop stuff is hidden . . . wait for it . . .


. . . on the second page of my Games folder.


Look all you want, buddy, you'll be bored before you ever figure out where my Shop It is. As for my email . . . I'm on a lot of activist mailing lists. I really hope you like sorting out SASSIE mails from Humane Society mails. (My non-SASSIE shops are all on my other email. No worries there.)

I tend to agree that the employee had no business taking your personal phone and going through it. That is a violation, pure and simple. As shoppers we try our best to be anonymous and this just seems to be an "outing" that shouldn't have happened. (period) I hope you find a way to "out" the employee to his employer, not for revenge, but for future customers who may feel the same way - violated. Just my two cents.

I remember this cell phone shop, where the salesman asked me about my phone? He asked about a specific feature in my phone and then he said, "Let me see your phone" I was nervous and froze a bit, what reason could I give for not handing him my phone?? While I was contemplating on "stalling" him, boom, he had my phone in his hands. Before I knew it, he was scrolling through my phone and looking for this feature.

I prayed he would not look at my pictures! 99.99% of my pics were shop-related!

After that experience, I made SURE nobody could get their grubby hands on my phone.

The way he acted was way out of line. Mystery shop or not this needs to be brought to the attention of the managers. Did you check with your scheduler and relay what happened?

W....T....F!!! That's unbelievably rude and nosy. I will admit it, I keep way more sensitive stuff than shop emails in my phone. I always keep it locked and would go nuts on someone for trying to touch it.
You should have broken his hand when he didnt give that phone back!

I have done several Verizon shops where the sales associate wanted to enter their contact information. Don't have a business card, too bad, write it on a piece of paper. I don't want your number, and you are not touching my phone.

I could be wrong here but I believe that even the police cannot look at your phone without a warrant.

You are correct Canuck. That ruling was recently handed down by SCOTUS. I believe there is an exception in the even of immanent danger to life or property, but they had better be on rock solid ground in that case.

pattim Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The way he acted was way out of line. Mystery
> shop or not this needs to be brought to the
> attention of the managers. Did you check with
> your scheduler and relay what happened?


Yes, I reported everything that happened. I don't know if he got into trouble for it though...

Agree with you wholeheartedly!
bgriffin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Um. The guy should be fired for looking at
> personal items on your phone. Mystery shop or not
> I would be seriously complaining to the management
> of the store.

Completely out of line for him to have done that. He was being an arrogant show-off and needs to be reprimanded by the store manager. You should write up the report and try to get compensated for the shop. He would never do that again to any customer after you give him a scathing review!

That guy certainly had no business looking through what was on your phone.

For cell phone shops, I've always, minimum, turned off the ringer so the phone wouldn't risk being heard ringing as I claim I don't have my phone with me. Other times, I've left the phone in the car. I don't know how quick I'd be to react if someone grabbed my phone right out of my hand, although I might be inclined to grab it right back once the first app was opened and being scrolled through (like my e-mail -- I can't imagine why the salesperson needed to do that outside of just being nosy).

REMOVED because of non-helpful responses.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2014 05:09AM by pchambley.

I had a different experience in being identified as a mystery shopper.

I was scheduled to do a Papa John's shop at a location near me. Since I am not in the delivery area it was to be a carryout shop. As I was getting things together to do the shop, I was called by one of the schedulers and asked if I could do an additional shop at that same location. The additional shop was for their new Pulled Pork Pizza. I agreed to the shop since I was going there anyway.

When I called the PJ location to place my order, the Order Taker asked if I wanted to try their Summer Special and get two large pizzas (plus extras) for $24. I said that I would like to do that an ordered one of the standard pizzas for the scheduled shop. Then I told him that I wanted to try the "Pulled Pork" pizza. He said that their delivery truck had not left the ingredients for that particular pizza, so would I like to try something else. I told him no, instead I would just take the standard pizza that I ordered and not take the Summer Special. He asked for my telephone number and confirmed the order.

The next day I received an email from the Quality Control person at the MS company telling me that I had been identified as a MS, so I could no longer do shops for PJ's. I figure that the only way they could have identified me is the fact that I have done about 3-4 shops at that particular location, they had my name and phone number, I asked for a pizza that was new to the company, so they put two and two together and identified me as a shopper.

You try to do a favor for a scheduler, and because they have not done their homework, you get nailed! What a Bummer!!

Have a great week,
Ed Wood