How do you know when or if there's a citation on your account? A scheduler has told me through email that she was putting a citation on my account. I couldn't complete a shop because I was in a car accident and my car is in the shop All the companies have been very understanding except for one So how do I know if they did indeed put a citation on my account? Is it visible to us shoppers or is it something schedulers just see?

Depends on the company. Which MSC is this? If a scheduler wants to label someone a flake over a car accident, we all need to know.

It was North Fork Research, I just emailed her asking for a later date and about the car accident and I told her that I should have my vehicle back tomorrow, there's just more wrong with it than they originally thought, so it would be another 24 hours. and she emailed me back saying she would put a citation on my account and removed the shop. This is my first citation or threat of a citation so i dont know what to look for on my account...

What I would look for would be another company to shop for. Why would you want to continue shopping for someone like that?

I have two more shops scheduled that I want to complete because the pay is very good and it has a bonus, sadly I really do need that money But after these two shops I'm done with this company. I'm not sure if this scheduler just doesn't believe me or what but all my other companies have been WONDERFUL with this situation so I was really confused when I received that email from her.

You don't need to work for a company that has so little regard for your situation.

I think that scheduler should be removed from the company.

I didn't expect it to be that company since they are normally great. With the end of the month looming, schedulers are under a lot more stress, not that it's a good excuse. Citations often show up on the shop log page on Sassie which would make it easy to address. Since this company keeps shopper ratings a secret it's possible they do the same with flake citations. Was the date you requested within the original time frame for the shop? Are the other shops with this scheduler or another one?

I am shocked to hear it is North Fork. They are very accommodating.

newmom, even though the flake citation has already been issued, please make an effort to reconcile with the scheduler so that you can continue the relationship with the company. I don't have the same scheduler so I don't know exactly what you're dealing with.

If you find that you're unable to work this out, you'll know you made every effort. If that's the case, put it behind you and move on. By moving on, I mean either continue to shop for the company or after you finish your commitment do not seek future assignments, at least for a while. Whatever you decide, don't dwell on this negative experience. There is no reason to cut your self off by deactivation. You can just slip away and work elsewhere. If you ever change your mind you wouldn't be locked out.

It's unfortunate this happened and I regret it. Been there, dealt with it (not North Fork). Best wishes for tomorrow.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2015 04:27PM by MDavisnowell.

Not to defend the scheduler but it is the end of the month of a short month which falls on a weekend so maybe the stress of early deadlines got to her. I would have emailed her a photo or two of the damaged car and a copy of the police report and/or repair bill showing the date of the accident. If she is unresponsive, I would go over her head. Having a flake citation on your account is not a good thing.

Also if this scheduler works for an outside scheduling company, the flake citation could affect your status with other MSCs that she schedules for. I'm not saying it is right but schedulers are human.

ETA: Damn you, LisaSTL. Get out of my head. We cross-posted with similar advice.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2015 04:32PM by Sybil2.

I'm not sure if the date I requested is within the time frame or not.. I requested an extension for this Saturday, since I will have my vehicle back by tomorrow. My other shops are not with this particular scheduler. Will a citation for this company be visible for my other sassie companies? Because I have a very good reputation with everyone else that I work with and not being able to find work with anyone because of a car accident would really be a bummer.

I just read the comment saying I should send her my police report, do others agree with this? Because honestly I really thought about it..

I can't imagine why a scheduler would be so unforgiving under the circumstances. That does not sound reasonable to me by any means. Are you new to them and this was maybe your first shop so they didn't believe you (still no excuse)? How long have you shopped with them? How many previous shops have you had to cancel for whatever reason?

@newmom wrote:

I just read the comment saying I should send her my police report, do others agree with this? Because honestly I really thought about it..

Having good schedulers means they trust your word

I get the impression that newmom is also a new shopper so she may not have had the opportunity to build long-standing relationships yet with the her schedulers. Do you know how many excuses schedulers receive on a daily basis? Yes, many of them are valid but many are made up by shoppers who just didn't feel like working that day.

As far as the police report, you could just show a portion of it with the date if you don't want the scheduler to have other personal information. Then again, she has access to your SS# and birth date through the MSC.

I would send some sort of verification of the accident, and ask if the citation could be removed.

Uh, it sounds to me like the accident didn't happen on the day the shop needed to be done. The accident was previously, the car was in the shop being repaired and was not done in time for the shop.

So she asked for an extension until Saturday (why not Friday?) and since that is the very last day of the month, the scheduler couldn't take a chance that there would be a further delay so they pulled the shop from OP and gave it to someone else.

Devil's advocate here ... it wasn't a great idea to schedule a shop for the day after the car was supposed to be done in the first place. Ever hear of Murphy's Law? Maybe you've never had a car repair before, but delays are common because sometimes you get into the job and -- oops, that thing over there is broken too -- so now they have to order another part.

did you have no options for borrowing a car, renting a car, taking a bus, or any other way to get to the shop? Or did you just figure, what's the big deal, it's another two days?

Does your insurance not provide for a rental car during repairs?


I'm just trying to get you to see what the scheduler was thinking when she decided you were a flake. An accident is an emergency; the repair of the car after the accident is not.

The car was supposed to be done on Tuesday, that was the quoted day so when scheduling I didn't think it would be a big deal. And no I couldn't rent a car, there's no other transportation, I have no family in the area, just recently moved so don't no anybody to borrow a car no friends here, literally no other way to get the shop done. And I don't mind the scheduler taking the job off my log, I get that, no problems there, I just was asking how do I find if there is a citation now on my account. And I have never had a car repair before I have never been in an accident before. I didn't ask for the due date to be friday just in case they were to once again to delay the process of giving me the car back. I have never cancelled a job before, never flaked, and never submitted a report late. While I am new to mystery shopping I have completed over 70 jobs so far. I am not upset at all about her removing the shop because I understand that they have a deadline for the client. I am concerned because of the citation and I dont know how that works. I don't know if my other Sassie companies can see it, I dont know how to locate it if it is on my profile. With the suggestions that I have read so far, I am sending her a copy of the report so at least she knows that I'm not making excuses, i'm just really out of a car.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and hopefully by sending her this report I can at least find out if there's a citation on my account, or get it removed or whatever the case maybe

As a scheduler, I try to be understanding because we all know life just happens. I have kids and know that kids get sick, cars break down, and family members pass away. All of these things are unexpected and we have little control over our schedules when they do.

With that said, you have NO idea how many times per day we get the car accidents/kids sick/someone died excuse. Of course there are plenty of times these are valid, but there are also plenty of times that they are not. When I first started scheduling, I was pretty surprised to see some shoppers reporting deaths and car accidents multiple times in one year. I'm sorry you are stuck without a car and needing to rearrange your schedule. Just offering a different perspective as to why the scheduler may have reacted that way. Sometimes it's really difficult to tell who is being truthful and who is not.

Lauren,

I completely understand that and I sent her my info for proving the car accident happened and the car ia in the shop. Would you be able to tell me if she still does put a citation on my profile, is that visible to other companies? Or just to this company? That's all im really trying to figure out at this point

No, we cannot see your rating/citations for other companies. We use our own system/job board though. I'm not sure if all companies who use a system like Sassie can? Maybe another shopper with more experience with Sassie can weigh in.

If it's any consolation, one flake citation doesn't ruin you. Most of us are willing to give shoppers second (and third and fourth! chances. I hope you find a good resolution.

I think citations are visible on the SASSIE platform when you log in.. Sorry that happened to you either way. Did you offer to shop on another date? Sorry if you answered already but I am curious. Schedulers are usually understanding but some will issue citations if you don't keep in touch or offer to reshop (even the date isn't available on your end).

Ok that was my main concern because I have good reputations with other sassie companies and I didnt want this one circumstance to ruin me. Thabks for clearing that up for me!

Yeah its only seen by the MSC you have the flake citation with. Be mindful though that some schedulers work for more than MSC so..

Working with Ath, they gave me a "10" citation (meaning a reward-"good citation" for doing some banks for them) which was visible every time I went on my job log.

I can't help but wonder if you had another scheduler, if you would have gotten a different result

It's unfortunate that they took this approach (gave you the flake citation). I'm afraid as the scheduler above suggested, you are the innocent victim of all the other shoppers who lied about their situation, thus making this scheduler suspicious of your emergency and unwilling to cut you the slack that was justified.

It's tough being in a new place with no support system in place to help you. i moved to a town where I didn't know anyone but my realtor 10 years ago. It's a real helpless feeling when something goes wrong and there's nobody to help you.

Op any citations for sassie will appear on your shop log above your shops. As for Northfork Research they don't rate at least openly and therefore the citations have no wait. There is one scheduler who is high and mighty over there and likes to give out flake citations. Other MSPS can't see them. Overall I love Northfork and do a lot of work for them. I have 2 flake citations with them over a non flake issue. I also have a hero citation which probably helps cancel it out. Hope this helps answer what you were looking for. It may not hurt to see if either the scheduler who gave you the flake will remove it or if you can go over their head and have it removed.

Don't count on them not having weight. While they don't utilize the Sassie ratings visible to shoppers, they do have an internal rating system.

Do you have any other contacts at NorthFork? If so I would reccomend e-mailing them and/or asking if you can speak with someone higher in the food chain. I was able to get a flake cination removed recently, the scheduler never returned the multiple e-mails I sent them before the shop date, so sometimes raising a flag with someone else can help.

Did me the same way and I even emailed her and told her that I could not complete the shop because my granddaughter had to be rushed to er, after she put that citation on my profile, I emailed her and told her I emailed her about it but she never responded. If it is the same one that did me, she is something else and doesnt read her emails apparently!! I have never missed a shop, and I think it was very rude of her to not even take the time to email me and try and fix things. I know she got the email saying I had to reschedule, it she just would rather issue a citation for being a flake instead of figuring out what happened. It was funny because a few days after that, I got an email from them wanting me to do the same shop, I did if, but I shouldn't have!!