I had a gut feeling that I could not report the facts of bad customer service to the (anonymous small MS Company). However, I proceeded to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Sure enough the shop was rejected.

It is harder to report a negative feedback, than a good one. Do not want to throw someone under the bus as it seemed.
Though, now, to protect myself, and guaranty my pay, do I just soften the blow and make the bad customer service as a neutral report?

What do you guys do in this type of business, to avoid losses of time, energy, and compensation? $$$$$

I report as objectively and truthfully as I can. If an MSC or client wants something other than that, then I wouldn't be able to shop for them. In your situation, I'd email the MSC and ask them what happened. They owe you an explanation, and you may be able to convince them to accept your report. If not, I'd certainly publicize which MSC this is.

Some companies don't like the truth and there are also those who say the shop was rejected in order to get out of paying you for it.

Both positive and negative facts need to be reported in neutral, objective, language, with clear examples of the act or situation being reported. If you did not stray from that guideline in your report, they owe you an explanation of just what they think made your report unseable. I have written plenty of reports with findings of poor service or food or conditions, or all of the above, and never had such a report rejected in 10 years.

As Joe Friday said "Just the facts".

See if you can get the MS company to tell you exactly why the report was rejected and go from there.

Without being able to read exactly what the OP what he/she wrote in their report, it is impossible for us to determine if they were unbiased or what type of language or tone they used. Just from reading posts in this forum, I get the impression that many shoppers would be better suited for fiction writing as opposed to just stating the facts and staying unemotional.

MSCs and editors are not obligated to give you a reason for a rejected report. The OP referred to the MS company as small so there is a better chance of actually getting an answer from them. Keep us updated.

Recently, I was supposed to find an out of stock item and seek help. I did. She said that they were out - without checking. But she did tell me that the item was also stocked in another part of the store. I went and checked and there wasn't anything. Two days later, the MSC called and wanted me to re-do the shop, saying that there was, in fact, one of the product somewhere in the store... I had just gotten off a flight and would not be back in town for 5 days. But, my point to the MSC is that their client should want to know that the person I spoke with did not do what she was supposed to do. Finally, they accepted my report. Isn't this why companies hire us? To let them know if their employees are doing the right/wrong thing?

I have also found that some of the franchise owners of a fast food chain like to argue with the facts that shoppers give them. Yes, it really took 8 minutes to get my order... Yes, the person who served my food was NOT wearing a name tag. But some franchise owners just don't want the truth going to the corporate office...

@Sybil2 wrote:

MSCs and editors are not obligated to give you a reason for a rejected report.

I disagree. When we accept a shop, we have entered into an agreement with that MSC that we will do the work in exchange for an agreed upon fee. It's wrong to just drop one end of the bargain with no reason. If we do, we're called flakes and will be out of business soon if we keep it up.

Others have compared us to other ICs like plumbers. If you were a plumber and agreed to fix a leaky pipe for $150 and finished the job, would it be acceptable for the homeowner to say they're not going to pay you without saying why?

We shoppers need to share the name of MSCs who routinely do business this way the same way they share the names of flaky shoppers.

@guanadu wrote:

Recently, I was supposed to find an out of stock item and seek help. I did. She said that they were out - without checking. But she did tell me that the item was also stocked in another part of the store. I went and checked and there wasn't anything. Two days later, the MSC called and wanted me to re-do the shop, saying that there was, in fact, one of the product somewhere in the store... I had just gotten off a flight and would not be back in town for 5 days. But, my point to the MSC is that their client should want to know that the person I spoke with did not do what she was supposed to do. Finally, they accepted my report. Isn't this why companies hire us? To let them know if their employees are doing the right/wrong thing?

I have also found that some of the franchise owners of a fast food chain like to argue with the facts that shoppers give them. Yes, it really took 8 minutes to get my order... Yes, the person who served my food was NOT wearing a name tag. But some franchise owners just don't want the truth going to the corporate office...

a point of this shop was to see what the associate does when the product is not anywhere in the store.....but this does present an issue as you could have gone to the spot it is normally stocked, seen it was empty (with a tag on the shelf indicating the product), and rightfully assumed it was in fact out of stock. It is not reasonable to expect a shopper to search every inch of a store in case they decided to stick it somewhere else......yes the employee did not do exactly what they were supposed to do, but at the same time you had the bad luck of choosing a product that was stocked elsewhere...and therefore could not accurately assess what an employee does with an out of stock product...

it sounds like the employee honestly thought it was actually stocked in the 2nd location even though it was out in the regular location..and therefore didn't need to look it up on the computer...


thinking about it, sitting comfortably at home monday morning quarterbacking, if i ever do any out of stock scenario I will always make sure I know 2-3 items that should be out of stock in case this ever happens to me...so if it turns out the 1st one is in stock, i can re do it on the spot.....thats a good thing about forums like this....I can learn from situations others ran into before they happen to me..

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/2015 11:15PM by jmitw.

<<" I had just gotten off a flight and would not be back in town for 5 days.">>guanado

When you entered into an agreement with your mystery shopping company, you agreed to be available for up to 72 hours or longer, to respond to their emails. Not trying to be mean, but if you take a shop, you should have the mind-set that you "could" be contacted at any time and need to respond within 12 hours.

The MSC can't wait "5 days" for you to get back from your trip....The client gets that report usually within a few hours of you reporting it. You need to be available or have internet, wifi, etc. if you do a shop and take off on a trip (assuming this was a trip)...

When I plan a trip, I plan it around my shops. I try not to take many shops right before I go, but when I do, I take my paperwork, laptop and whatever other essentials I need, to answer their question PDQ! (pretty darn quick)

No offense Sunny, but since when do clients get reports within hours? We often see them sit in the editing process for days and days. The shop was completed 48 hours before the OP left on the trip. For some MSC contracts that is the designated period we are to be available although it doesn't stop them from waiting nine or ten days and giving us 12 hours or less to respond. From what I read the OP was available to answer questions, just not available to reshop the location. Since a reshop really should not have been necessary, and apparently wasn't since the MSC relented, that was reasonable.

there is a difference between being able to respond to emails and being physically able to reshop in the next couple days.....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/2015 07:51PM by jmitw.

I was available, I took their call, I had my Smartphone and laptop with me. So you're saying that if I'm going out of town, I should not accept shops for three days prior? That is silly and you take this 'job' WAY too seriously. I was not available to GO BACK TO THE STORE - if I had screwed up, I would have gone back - if I could have. The test here was in how the employee handled the out of stock issue. She did not look it up on the computer but she did tell me where else to look. I did look there. If someone picked up that one lonely product and decided that they did not want it after all, left it with the potato chips, How. Exactly. Am. I. Supposed. To. Find. It?!

Several times I've been doing personal shopping in the big box hardware stores and can't find things on the shelf. When I ask someone they look on their computer and tell me there should be some there (once there 'should' have been 15) but darned if the employee knows where they are!

@LJ wrote:

@Sybil2 wrote:

MSCs and editors are not obligated to give you a reason for a rejected report.

I disagree. When we accept a shop, we have entered into an agreement with that MSC that we will do the work in exchange for an agreed upon fee. It's wrong to just drop one end of the bargain with no reason. If we do, we're called flakes and will be out of business soon if we keep it up.

Others have compared us to other ICs like plumbers. If you were a plumber and agreed to fix a leaky pipe for $150 and finished the job, would it be acceptable for the homeowner to say they're not going to pay you without saying why?

We shoppers need to share the name of MSCs who routinely do business this way the same way they share the names of flaky shoppers.

Of course you disagree with me. I wouldn't expect anything less. Plumbers and other ICs aren't paid all the time. Sometimes they get a reason, sometimes they don't. The IC can then report the homeowner for refusing to pay for services rendered. They go after them to get paid, not to get a reason for nonpayment.

The part you quoted says: "MSCs and editors are not obligated to give you a reason for a rejected report." I never said that shoppers should NOT share the names of MSCs. The OP decided to not share the name of the "anonymous small MS Company." That is his/her choice and I have no control over that.

@LisaSTL wrote:

No offense Sunny, but since when do clients get reports within hours? We often see them sit in the editing process for days and days. The shop was completed 48 hours before the OP left on the trip. For some MSC contracts that is the designated period we are to be available although it doesn't stop them from waiting nine or ten days and giving us 12 hours or less to respond. From what I read the OP was available to answer questions, just not available to reshop the location. Since a reshop really should not have been necessary, and apparently wasn't since the MSC relented, that was reasonable.

I have talked with Market Force scheduler and been told sometimes the clients have gotten reports within two hours. As soon as I have submitted, the receipt is accepted (scanned) sometimes accepted minutes later, sometimes a few hours, (checking receipt status.) and I was told via help desk, it was sent to the editor and then on to the client.----- I tried to correct or do an addendum to my report and the help desk said, "Your report has been submitted and accepted and is being sent to the client." (it was a situation where I wanted to add something about the time difference..) I have been told by Market Force, the sooner you send, the sooner they can be edited and sent forward to the client. I can't speak for all the different clients, just a few that do get the reports and the process can be quite fast. You have to remember, I am relying on what the help desk has said or from conversations on the phone with the scheduler, as far as how fast it can be edited and forwarded to the client.

And as for being available, I had one shop, pictures of a de-branded gas station, (not Market Force), but 10 days later the client wanted more pictures. 10 days later... I had to dig through the files and find the photos for that particular shop. So, it can be as little as 2 hours or as long as 10 days and they contact you, wanting something more...(although 10 days is very rare).

I took OP's post as she left for a 5 day trip and was unable to respond via email. I stand corrected.

@guanadu wrote:

I was available, I took their call, I had my Smartphone and laptop with me. So you're saying that if I'm going out of town, I should not accept shops for three days prior? That is silly and you take this 'job' WAY too seriously. I was not available to GO BACK TO THE STORE - if I had screwed up, I would have gone back - if I could have. The test here was in how the employee handled the out of stock issue. She did not look it up on the computer but she did tell me where else to look. I did look there. If someone picked up that one lonely product and decided that they did not want it after all, left it with the potato chips, How. Exactly. Am. I. Supposed. To. Find. It?!

Seems like you did what you were supposed to do, what more could you do?

Marketforce doesn't show if the report was submitted or accepted with the customer. I wish they would do that, like several other MSC's - where you can see that it was submitted and/or accepted, and on a lot of Sassie companies, you can tell when it's accepted when they state a payment and the date of payment.

Marketforce is very quick to ask more questions and they do edit very quickly. The shop I was talking about was not a Marketforce shop. It was a shop for another MSC that I do a lot of work for and never have any issues. But, in the end, I think they figured out that the spirit of this mystery shopping is really to assess whether or not the employees are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

@Sybil2: Sorry if I offended you in some way. Your response seemed a little angry. I didn't mean to offend you by disagreeing with you.

Not offended or angry at all. Just stating the facts, ma'am.

Okey dokey, Pokey.

@guanadu wrote:

Marketforce doesn't show if the report was submitted or accepted with the customer. I wish they would do that, like several other MSC's - where you can see that it was submitted and/or accepted, and on a lot of Sassie companies, you can tell when it's accepted when they state a payment and the date of payment.

Marketforce is very quick to ask more questions and they do edit very quickly. The shop I was talking about was not a Marketforce shop. It was a shop for another MSC that I do a lot of work for and never have any issues. But, in the end, I think they figured out that the spirit of this mystery shopping is really to assess whether or not the employees are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Was it the one that recently merged with another company?

I had a shop where I was to wait to be assisted, then try on an article of clothing. Well...........I waited....and waited.....walked by the clerk who didn't acknowledge me......walked back by her and dropped an article of clothing, which she picked up but no words spoken.....and I waited. I walked up to her and asked for help, she told me they didn't carry my size (YES, THEY DO). I made my required purchase with the non moving cashier and reported my shop. It was rejected because I didn't try on clothes, which took the floor clerk's attention in order to do so. Sometimes, you just HOPE they do their job!!

Twice I've been required to use a dressing room, but was unable because they were locked. I followed the procedure to get them unlocked, by pressing a button and waiting. Both times, I waited for over 5 minutes, and pressed the button multiple times. Both times, no one came to unlock the dressing room.

I reported the facts as they occurred, and was paid with no problems or questions.

@Ribbit wrote:

I had a shop where I was to wait to be assisted, then try on an article of clothing. Well...........I waited....and waited.....walked by the clerk who didn't acknowledge me......walked back by her and dropped an article of clothing, which she picked up but no words spoken.....and I waited. I walked up to her and asked for help, she told me they didn't carry my size (YES, THEY DO). I made my required purchase with the non moving cashier and reported my shop. It was rejected because I didn't try on clothes, which took the floor clerk's attention in order to do so. Sometimes, you just HOPE they do their job!!

Did you specifically ask to use the dressing room?

I recently completed a shop where the associate didn't do anything he was supposed to do. I felt badly that I had to write a negative report being the associate was ill that day. I felt as if I was throwing the guy under the bus, but I had to remain objective. Not to say that I didn't feel badly all day.

I once reported a slightly dirty bathroom. The very next day I received an email stating that the manager was claiming that I never entered the restroom and I was lying. I had to give a description of myself, what I was wearing etc.. so they could get the video footage. It was a complete nightmare, but I finally did get paid. Now I get nervous every time I have to report something negative.

It may be uncommon, but it is certainly not unheard of for the client to reject a negative report, fabricating a reason for rejection, in order for the true negative citations disappear.
I objectively and dispassionately reported that the toilet had overflowed in the restroom, dirty water had spread under and out the door, into the short hallway, and was being tracked by foot traffic into the aisles of the convenience store. My report was rejected because the store manager said that he had checked the video and my timings were inaccurate at the register.
I asked the MSC if the manager had provided a description of me. No.
I asked the MSC if they had seen the manager's video. No.
I asked the MSC if they would like the recording that I had made which proved the timings. No.
The report was rejected by the client, and the MSC would not pay me. Period.
They did, however, offer me three more locations to shop. This is an odd thing to offer a shopper who fabricates timings.
The MSC lost the contract at the start of the next year, and as of this year, the client is no longer shopped by any MSC.

That's why I take pictures of everything, just to support my case in case a client or editor disagrees with something.