I've just started doing the Chase Bank shops again after a long shutdown and I need to verify my understanding of something. The guidelines say I can make only five telephone calls per day. The guidelines do not establish a limit of how many physical bank visits I can do per day.

Am I correct that I can do unlimited physical visit portions of the Combo shops as long as the banks have been called a previous day? That's what I understood they told me, but I think I had a new person. Have any of you done more than five physical visits in a day and reported and been paid without issues?

I've done as many as 11 in one day but those were the ODP's. I don't like the Combos so I don't do many of them. I think they're trying not to overwhelm the center that mails out the stuff to you. The banks don't do it themselves. So they limit 5 per day for that reason. There's no particular reason to limit the visits. Once you make the call, you just have 2 weeks to get those done.

If your instructions don't say anything about the number of visits per day you should be good to go. (I have to hedge a bit because I haven't done any of those bank shops in awhile and I don't want to assume the instructions haven't changed.)

Thank you, D.

I have been doing these for just two+ months so you can take this answer for what it is worth. However, I did have similar and related questions.

It is my understanding regarding combo shops that:
1. You are limited to 5 calls per day
2. You are limited to 20 calls per week
3. You are limited to 60 shops per month.

What I could never get a straight answer on was:
a. Does the 5 calls per day include phone-only as well? So a total of 5 calls whether they are combos or telephone-only shops or both.
b. Does the 60 sixty per month include all kinds of shops (e.g., combo+odp+phone only+foreign language) or just combo shops

My guess is that the answer to "a" is yes and the answer to "b" is that the total includes all kinds of shops.

Junk, my understanding is five telephone calls per day total on all kinds of shops.
My understanding is there is a limit of 60 Chase bank shops per month including all the banks.

That would be my guess too, junk.

Junk, I have run into this issue with them. I had already done the 5 phone only shops for the day, when they gave me 2 combo shops. I talked to them and they verified that they are 2 seperate projects and I could make the 2 additional phone calls on the same day. The combo shops are not included in the limits they post. So, I have made 7 calls on one day and had no issues getting paid.

As for maximum number of shops, there isn't is max. I have done 16 branch shops in one day.

Diana, the Combo shops are limited to five telephone calls per day, per the published guidelines updated 2/27/14. The reference guide dated 2014 says the telephone only shops are limited to five per day. The person I spoke with told me it was a total of five telephone calls for all projects combined per day. Apparently the person I spoke with understood it differently than the person who helped you. I can't find anything written down that addresses whether it is a total of five for both projects combined or whether it is a total of ten for both projects combined. Perhaps there is also some confusion among personnel at the MSC.

MDavis, you are right, there is a limit of 5 combo shops per day. I was referring to the phone only shop limits when I stated they weren't included in the limits.

How are we suppose to understand the guidelines when the schedulers don't even agree?

FYI: the scheduler who helped me initially said it was 5 total across all shops, but then called me back and said that his manager said they were different projects and I could do more than the 5.

This might be a case for calling and telling them, "I'm getting conflicting information here. Can I talk to the supervisor for the Chase account?" and ask them to please email the answer to you so you can add the information to your shop instructions.

Mary,

Definately a limit of 5 calls per day and 20 per week. I'm not sure if that includes both combo and telephone - depends on the scheduler you talk to. Just to play it safe I don't consider each a separate project which would allow 10 and 40. Logically thinking, the same info is requested whether it is a telephone or combo project which is why I limit it to 5 and 20.

Definately can do as many physical visits as you are able per day. My tops was 13 or 14 with no payment problems.

They recommend that you start your phone calls on the first day of your project. However, some schedulers say it is OK to make your calls a day or two early (although that is un-official). I have done that with no problems until the end of July for August combos. The system would not allow me to enter the "addition info" because it was not the same month. Be careful.

It is my understanding that you can do 60 combos plus 60 ODP's per month. I'm not sure where telephone calls fit in. On three occasions I have scheduled 80 or 90 total shops and have gotten locked out of the available shops site. No one could tell me why. But as I started de-briefing completed shops it opened up again after a few days.

Nothing like flying by the seat of your pants, which is what old aviators did and old shoppers now do for this MSC.

ds,

It is my experience that supervisors for this MSC do not come to the phone to speak with shoppers. Either they are too busy or they feel they are too high up on the chain of command and our questions and problems should be handled by schedulers.

One thing that should be tossed into this salad is that the "phone only" shops are relatively new so how they coordinate in with the regular combo shops may not be as clear to the myriad schedulers who handle them. I think that's why there's a lot of uncertainty. Nobody has done enough of them to run into the limits yet.

I personally find them oddly pointless -- if the docs don't arrive, how will they know if it's because the bank failed to request them or because the mailing center didn't send them? But maybe they know something I don't know, or maybe a failed delivery gets checked behind the scenes to see if the request was sent and just not fulfilled. Of course the other variable in the mix is that the bank made the request, and the mailing center sent them, but the post office put them in the wrong box.

But if they want to pay me $6 to put all that in motion, it's their money I guess. And I'd rather do phone only and branch only than telegraph my upcoming arrival with a phone call. How many real customers are likely to call a branch that isn't in their neighborhood and ask for stuff to be mailed to them instead of going on line or stepping into a branch? I'll bet the handlers at the mailing center roll their eyes and say, "Here come the mystery shoppers" when they start getting requests for five sets of documents to be sent to the same name and address, several days in a row.

Good points ds but, as you point out, it is what the bank and MSC want. So I don't question - just make the phone calls (to areas where I won't make a physical visit). However, I prefer to do the combo shops because of the additional payment and the phone shops delay the combos for 2 months.

I don't question it either (not to the MSC, anyway). I've made a lot of money on those "pointless" shops.

Besides (MSC) do you know of any other company that shops Chase. There used to be three or 4 but those were PB shops and that got discontinued. Also wondering how everyone maintained their "secret identity" when doing the combo shops every month...Don't the banks start to recognize you?

Mod note: Linking the name of the MSC with the name of the client is a breach of Forum rules and possibly a violation of your ICA

Whoops, Emma. You might want to go back and edit your post and remove the name of the MSC in your first sentence. In fact, you'll probably want to just eliminate your entire first question. You see, it is a violation of the agreement you sign with every MSC as well as the rules of this forum to name a client and MSC together. For the same reason, no one will be able to answer your question.

There still are at least three companies, but you'll have to find them on your own.

If any bank recognized me on subsequent trips, they didn't let on.

LOL I like your signature line, Dspeakes.

I'm trying to think of something better, but I was feeling left out not having one.



(edited, the siggie line that was commented on just said, "Signature line.")

Thank you for the info I forgot to "follow" this link so I am jus tnow seeing this. My mistake on mentioning the company. It most definitely not happen again.

The last Chase shop I did the banker insisted that I give him a photo ID before he would give me any information about different account types. Then of course he put all my info in his computer and proceeded to tell me about the different accounts. So if that's now their policy how can you even do more than one in person?

ces1948 Wrote:
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> The last Chase shop I did the banker insisted that
> I give him a photo ID before he would give me any
> information about different account types. Then of
> course he put all my info in his computer and
> proceeded to tell me about the different accounts.
> So if that's now their policy how can you even do
> more than one in person?

I've done ones recently, and I don't think that that's their official policy. I'd suggest that you don't go to that branch again, at least for a year or so, and, at any other branch, just slap your pockets, or scuffle through your purse, and say that you must have left your wallet at home. If they still refuse, hmmm.... Personally, I think I'd risk the shop by just looking disconsolate, and saying, "You really can't give me any info about your accounts, without my ID, and if he says, "That's right", just leave and write up the report.

I will never give a banker my information unless the shop requires me to actually open an account.

Let's see.... how to answer?

Did you sit down with a banker? Yes.

Did he point out the checkboxes? No.

Did he explain about the fees? No. (you need to ask, on the ODP, what are your OD fees?)

Did he go over the examples? No. (On combo shop, Did he recommend a card to you? No)

Did he give you documents without your asking? No. Maybe ask him, "Do you have a brochure I can look at to decide if I want to come back with my ID?" If he refuses, report that he refused.

Did you get a business card? Grab one if you see it


I think you can force a shop out of him by disregarding his request for ID, and instead make your requests for the required information. Ask about fees. Ask about brochures. If he refuses to answer, say so on the report. Ask for a card. If he refuses a card, go to a teller window and ask for a card with the bank's address and phone number on it to prove you were in the bank.

Okay... that's what I'll do if this happens to me. After the report comes in with all "no" answers, he'll stop being an ass about it.

"What, so you guys can use the address on my ID and send me loads of junk mail for months, even if I decide not to open an account?"

I then remind them that I am not comfortable giving out my personal data until I decide to entrust them with my money.

They usually hem and haw and say "Oh, that's not why we ask for it, we would never do that, that's not our practice..." to which I respond "Okay, so then why do you need it?"

No answer. They then just leave it at that and go on with the presentation.

ces1948 Wrote:
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> The last Chase shop I did the banker insisted that
> I give him a photo ID before he would give me any
> information about different account types.