Do you usually respond to the e-mails you get from schedulers asking you to do a certain job? Some of them are very personalized and I am not sure if I should respond or not. What if I know the scheduler does that change the dynamic?

There is a certain chain of restaurant that I love to shop and go there even if not scheduled. Sadly, the last three or four times I had gotten sick after I had eaten there. Should I mention this in my reports or the schedulers? I think the client should be made aware if there is a health risk for their clients. My friend goes and eats there as well and she mentioned the same problem to me. How would you proceed? I did decline the last few invites to shop the restaurant.

If the e-mail is very personalized, Schedulers appreciate hearing back from the Shopper. It confirms you are active and reading their e-mails, even if you are simply declining a shop. It is most helpful when you provide a reason for why you cannot or do not want to complete a shop. If there is a specific reason you don't like completing a shop definitely let the scheduler know so that they or their Client can make changes, if possible.

In regards to something like food poisoning, I would suggest e-mailing the Scheduler directly and providing them with your feedback rather than putting it in the report. They can then decide whether it is appropriate to put the information in the report, e-mail the Client directly, or wait to inform the Client until they receive further feedback from other Shoppers. Often the reports that are being sent to Clients include many different levels of management so the Client may want to receive the information first.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2015 06:29PM by CCMonitoringInc.

You actually are posing several issues here, so lets look at them one at a time.

It is not difficult for a scheduler to send out an email to 200 shoppers and just have the software pick up the first name to plunck in the correct place so the email reads, "Hi Flash! I have some GREAT shops in your area!" Of course the closest shop 'in my area' is 500 miles away, but we will ignore that minor detail as I send the email to the trash. Then there is the, "Hi Flash! I thought I would let you know that you are in rotation for your XYZ and wondered if you were interested in doing it this month." That will get a response from me because it is actually personal and building and keeping relationships that have already begun is important.

To your second question. Without clinical evaluation it is hard to tell what has made you ill. I know that my system no longer handles really greasy foods and so will go into revolt if I do the onion rings and the fried fish and the fried etc. My system can deal with one of them and sometimes two, but at three it throws up its hands and sends me to the porcelain throne to remind me that it doesn't want to see that stuff. Is this 'sick'? Yes, but not the restaurant's fault, but rather the diner not abiding by common sense with her system. Many years ago I did have a full blown bout of food poisoning with the full gastric distress that wiped me out for about four days. Never, ever, ever do I want to be there again.

I have been in restaurants where what was served tasted and smelled "off". I was on a shop when the shellfish served smelled of ammonia and was returned to the kitchen. Not long afterwards the manager came out to the table, apologized and said that he had checked and although their supply only arrived that day, none of them were suitable to serve. He comped us an alternative menu selection. I have found that most restaurants seem pretty careful with what they serve because the liability for making someone sick is great. If the taste or texture is 'off', I won't eat it.

So before you decide whether or not to ditch that restaurant for personal or shop visits, think about it. My grease issues usually occur within a few hours. Depending on the pathogen, food poisoning can start as early as an hour after eating or be as long as ten days before it hits. It most frequently has vomiting, heavy cramping and diarrhea. For me such issues are usually around 18 hours after ingestion and my prime suspect is usually what leftovers I ate out of my refrigerator for lunch. Order things that need to be cooked fresh for you and aren't likely to be sitting around or aren't likely to be damaged if sitting around for a while. I usually go for something broiled and something like a baked potato.

Sofi,

Food safety issues are always a concern to restaurants and diners alike. Because your issues appear to have occurred on a shop(s) your ICA restricts client contact through the report or scheduler (even after the fact). You might send them a note and see what they say. Perhaps they will pass the information along or allow you to contact the client directly. Another view is that when the safety issue is serious enough, do what is necessary while ignoring the ICA restriction. I agree with that view. Because you are posting, I think you have decided it is serious enough to report. If so, the question becomes how. Do you report to the scheduler, client directly, or even health department? Your choice.

I hope that helps.

@sofi wrote:

There is a certain chain of restaurant that I love to shop and go there even if not scheduled. Sadly, the last three or four times I had gotten sick after I had eaten there. Should I mention this in my reports or the schedulers? I think the client should be made aware if there is a health risk for their clients. My friend goes and eats there as well and she mentioned the same problem to me.

Three or four times is two or three times more than I would have endured. I truly have had food poisoning which has sent me to the ER for dehydration and the lovely IV in the arm or hand (which hurts like hell.)

I am unclear if you always got sick while performing an assigned shop or if you were on your own time. If on your own time, I would immediately file a claim with the Health Department. As for the times it happened after performing a shop, it is too late to put it in the report but I would send a carefully worded e-mail to the original scheduler or project manager. There is a good chance that they will prohibit you from performing that shop in the future but it may prompt something to be done to help prevent this from happening to future customers.

You mentioned that your friend got/gets sick also. This is another red flag for me to steer clear of this shop. Was your friend a regular customer or mystery shopper? If regular customer, have them file the claim with the Health Department and it keeps you out of the mix.

Since you have not named the MSC, you probably should name the client. It might prompt more feedback from other forum members. And save some of us from getting sick!

P.S. The original post should have been two separate threads since they are two totally different subjects.

@CCMonitoringInc wrote:

Schedulers love hearing back from Shoppers they have e-mailed as it confirms you are active and reading their e-mails, even if you are simply declining a shop. It is most helpful when you provide a reason for why you cannot or do not want to complete a shop. If there is a specific reason you don't like completing a shop definitely let the scheduler know so that they or their client can make changes, if possible.

From glancing at your other forum posts, it looks like you might be a scheduler. It is a forum courtesy to name your position and which MSC you represent. I have good/great relationships with many of my schedulers. Early on, I learned that the majority of them do NOT need/want a reply to the GENERAL e-mail offers. They are way too busy to sort through all those unnecessary email replies. Many of their e-mails state NOT to reply to their message.

If the MSC is a small, boutique company, it may not be a real issue. But can you image the amount of emails that the larger MSCs and outside scheduling companies receive. There are complaints here all the time on the forum about schedulers not responding to emails. It is not excusing their behavior but I am sure the amount of emails become overwhelming at times.

@Sybil2 wrote:

From glancing at your other forum posts, it looks like you might be a scheduler. It is a forum courtesy to name your position and which MSC you represent. I have good/great relationships with many of my schedulers. Early on, I learned that the majority of them do NOT need/want a reply to the GENERAL e-mail offers. They are way too busy to sort through all those unnecessary email replies. Many of their e-mails state NOT to reply to their message.

If the MSC is a small, boutique company, it may not be a real issue. But can you image the amount of emails that the larger MSCs and outside scheduling companies receive. There are complaints here all the time on the forum about schedulers not responding to emails. It is not excusing their behavior but I am sure the amount of emails become overwhelming at times.

Thank you for letting me know Sybil2. I will state my position and the company I work for moving forward.

I agree that if the Scheduler is sending a general e-mail to Shoppers there is no need to reply if you are not interested in the shop. In regards to the very personalized e-mails sent to Shoppers, Schedulers appreciate a reply. If the Shopper does not respond, often the Scheduler will make efforts to call or e-mail again if they are having difficulty finding someone. In that regard it is good to know that the Shopper has read the e-mail and declines the shop. I have revised my original post to make that clear.

Director of Operations
Consumer Connection Monitoring Inc.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2015 06:32PM by CCMonitoringInc.

CCMonitoring, the easiest way to do this is to go to your name in the blue bar at the top of the page and click, then you can go to your Control Center and to the left is 'Edit Signature'. You can put in your title and affiliation and it will appear on all of your forum posts.

@CCMonitoringInc wrote:

Director of Operations
Consumer Connection Monitoring Inc.

Thanks for adding the signature line. I read that your company used to have late payment issues but recently switched owners, correct? Has the transition gone smoothly or are you still experiencing some adjustment pains?

@Sybil2 wrote:

Thanks for adding the signature line. I read that your company used to have late payment issues but recently switched owners, correct? Has the transition gone smoothly or are you still experiencing some adjustment pains?

Thank you Flash!

You are correct, Sybil2. We are now under new ownership, and the old owner is no longer affiliated with the company. The transition has gone smoothly. We have made many improvements and continue to do so.

@Sybil2 wrote:

Three or four times is two or three times more than I would have endured. I truly have had food poisoning which has sent me to the ER for dehydration and the lovely IV in the arm or hand (which hurts like hell.)

I am unclear if you always got sick while performing an assigned shop or if you were on your own time. If on your own time, I would immediately file a claim with the Health Department. As for the times it happened after performing a shop, it is too late to put it in the report but I would send a carefully worded e-mail to the original scheduler or project manager. There is a good chance that they will prohibit you from performing that shop in the future but it may prompt something to be done to help prevent this from happening to future customers.

You mentioned that your friend got/gets sick also. This is another red flag for me to steer clear of this shop. Was your friend a regular customer or mystery shopper? If regular customer, have them file the claim with the Health Department and it keeps you out of the mix.

Since you have not named the MSC, you probably should name the client. It might prompt more feedback from other forum members. And save some of us from getting sick!

P.S. The original post should have been two separate threads since they are two totally different subjects.

I would go to the restaurant as a shopper as well as a customer. My friend is not a shopper; she visits the restaurant separately from me. Reporting to the Health Department seems kind of extreme perhaps because I have ended up with stomach discomfort and lengthy visits to the restroom. Could this be caused by excessive use of garlic? Whatever I order it always causes me to burp with a garlic flavor, lol sorry.

I am not sure if I want to name the client as I like the companies that has them and don't want any trouble. The restaurant is shopped by two MSC that I am aware of. One of them pays a bit less than half in comparison with the other. The restaurant is one of those that you cook the food on the table. Hope that helps?

I did tell one of the schedulers when she called me to ask me to do the shop last time. She did not say anything else other than that she will make a note on my file. The other MSC e-mailed me asking me to do a shop and I responded with the issue that I had and they did not respond. One day later they were asking me again to do the shop.