I have done well over 100 shops for an MSC and have enjoyed a great working relationship with them over the past 8 years. I see from the forum that they are well respected by many of us. I noticed that in the past couple of years, a few of the schedulers have left the company, (and they wrote to tell me it was great working with me.) I don’t know many of the new schedulers.

I received an email from one of these new schedulers who contracts with this respected MSC. I don’t want to mention the company as I don’t want to sully their name, especially if I’m wrong. In the subject line, the shop was listed as paying $50. I applied and was accepted. I expected the shop would pay $50 as promised: I pasted in the email subject line below (minus the client’s name.)

“$50 _____ of Greater New York Mystery Shop (Invitation to MSPA Certified Shoppers.)”

When payment was sent to my Paypal account, I noticed that only $40 was deposited. When I asked the scheduler about it, she replied that $10 was for transportation (subway or train) or parking expense, and since I drove instead of taking the train or subway (which is not even an option,) she stated I was not entitled to the $10. After a few emails back and forth in which we both remained pleasant to each other, she said the project manager also said I was not entitled to the $10. The scheduler said I should have read the instructions more carefully to see that the $10 was for transportation or parking costs. Below, I have pasted the reference from the guidelines regarding the pay plus the bonus plus the transportation expense.

"Shopper Payment: $20 + $20 BONUS Parking, Subway, Etc: $10"

I would not have accepted this shop for $40 as I drove over 100 miles round trip to do it. However, that’s not my point. Aside from the fact that the “Parking, Subway, Etc” quote that I pasted above does not qualify what “Etc” means, my main beef is the subject line. The subject line in the email advertises the $50 payout as what the job pays, but truly, it lumps together the transportation expense with the pay. In the past, this company has never passed off transportation expenses as part of the income in their email subject line.

I asked the scheduler if she could please give me the email address of the project manager so that I could tell her how the subject line is perceived, but she ignored my request. I pleasantly asked her again, and she pleasantly responded, “I’m sorry you see it this way,” but still did not give me her project manager’s contact info. She may just be following protocol. I just want to tell the project manager that I feel the email subject line should have read, “$40 plus $10 Transportation expense for ______(client’s name) shop.”

I called the MSC’s receptionist and left 3 friendly messages asking for a call back either from the project manager or the email of the person handling this project, but none of the three phone calls were returned. I’m afraid to pursue this any further as I don’t want to ruffle any feathers and make myself look like a nag. I don’t want to tarnish the good reputation I have with this company, but at this point it’s not about the $10, it’s about wanting to alert a company I respect about what I feel are misleading emails. I hate to see a great company lose good shoppers over misleading emails, (And yes, I also want to get the full $50 pay I felt I was promised—I guess it’s that old principle thing.)

I’d really appreciate your feedback specifically about:
1. Do you think the initial email was worded appropriately?
2. Do I drop the whole thing, or do I pursue contacting the project manager, and if so, how?

In answer to your questions:

1. Yes, I agree with you that the subject and details about the payout were worded in way that is misleading. It's very possible this was deliberate but who knows for sure.

2. Since you never received misleading emails from this MSC before, it was probably the new scheduler you worked with on this project that chose that wording. It wasn't fair, but if I was in your shoes I'd take it as a hard lesson learned and not keep pressing this matter. Calling the MSC receiption and leaving three voicemails is already going way too far IMHO. You're not getting that money. Move on and avoid shops that are being offered by this scheduler in the future.
The scheduler knows you were suckered in by her misleading email and that you didn't appreciate it. Hopefully she learned her lesson too and will be more straightforward with the shoppers she works with going forward.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2016 04:50PM by N-TownShopper.

I agree that the subject line in the e-mail was misleading. There's a lot of that going around with a lot of companies. I see a misleading one often with many. I often think it is deliberately nebulous, but you never know, it could be simple incompetence.

The guidelines do say $20 payment + $20 bonus which to me means the guidelines are saying you will be paid $40. Parking, Subway, etc $10 say that an additional $10 can be provided for parking or subway. If I had been mislead by the e-mail subject line and accepted a shop because it was $50, and the $50 was important to me, on reading the guidelines I would have been either asking for the $10 or canceling the shop BEFORE I DID THE SHOP. The subject line of their "fishing" e-mail is unclear, the guidelines are not.

1. Yes, I think the e-mail was worded inappropriately.
2. Yes, I think you should drop it. Sometimes an e-mail says something much different than the guidelines. It's important to read the guidelines and question BEFORE the shop. You can much easier negotiate before you do the work.

I agree with AustinMom, if you had noticed this before doing the shop you could have explained the distance you were traveling and that the $10 should be compensation for your gas--and if you were driving 100 miles round trip, you might have been able to get more. I personally would not travel that far for $40. Not pointing this out before doing the shop gives you shaky legs to stand on. Just drop it.

Emails titles are misleading all the time. What about the ones that say the pay is $75 or whatever but when you read the body of the email or the guidelines, it is $75 if you complete all three locations? What about the email titles with the words "easy" and "fun" in them? They usually end up being the complete opposite. Never accept a shop just by an email title. Get all the details before making the commitment.

Frankly, I would get my $10 by adding it to the next shop for this company. I would ask for travel pay or bonus money, whichever is appropriate. And if asked why, I would tell them "because I should have received travel pay for the shop I completed at XXXXX on xx/xx/xxxx."

But, that's just me.

Once I read the shop guidelines that said "Shopper Payment: $20 + $20 BONUS Parking, Subway, Etc: $10," I probably would've realized that the payment was $40 plus $10 if I needed to pay for parking or bus. But, I would have then asked if the $10 could be added to the shop as a travel allowance. "Etc." seems to indicate that other types of transportation expense qualified for the extra $10. I think you'd have had a good case to make based on the distance you were traveling. But I also think the time to address that would have been prior to doing the shop.

Yes, the e-mail subject line was misleading, but I think the guidelines were fairly clear. Other than the questionable use of "etc.," which you could have used to your advantage.

Thanks so much, each of you, for your great feedback. You each have valid points, and I do know better than to assume that a scheduler and I are on the same page. Just to make this a little more complicated, I had emailed the scheduler prior to doing the shop verifying that the shop paid $50 (as I had read in the guidelines that the shop paid $40 plus $10 for transportation.) She assured me it paid $50 and that the previous scheduler had forgotten to add the transportation. So I assumed (like I should not have) that she would "take care of it" knowing that I was driving a long way to do this shop. I was also embarrassed that I had already hounded her twice before for clarification on conflicting job instructions. I learned a lesson the hard way. Ask, ask, ask and keep asking until you know 100% what the job entails and what it pays and what constitutes transportation expenses.

Thanks again! You guys had wonderful suggestions and answers.

Do you still have her email stating the shop paid $50?

I wish I had thought to save the email from one of those misleading emails. I thought I would end up with a $20 bonus. Turns out that wasn't what it was. I did the shop because it was the professional/ethical thing to do, since I did contract for the job.

I haven't shopped for that MSC since that misleading email. I live in TX, so I get that schedulers don't have a clue, but the $20 total wasn't worth the traffic jams.

This business does bring up the fact we need to be careful and if it sounds too good to be true; it probably is. As far as that particular shop is concerned, it wasn't that big of a deal. It's the principle of the matter.

Oh, randamcdonald, that does put a different spin on things. However, since your several emails and calls thus far have been unfruitful, you should let it go. I know it's hard to do.

@randamcdonald wrote:

Just to make this a little more complicated, I had emailed the scheduler prior to doing the shop verifying that the shop paid $50 (as I had read in the guidelines that the shop paid $40 plus $10 for transportation.) She assured me it paid $50 and that the previous scheduler had forgotten to add the transportation. So I assumed (like I should not have) that she would "take care of it" knowing that I was driving a long way to do this shop. I was also embarrassed that I had already hounded her twice before for clarification on conflicting job instructions..

Given that additional information, I'd say, then, that you are due $50 and not $40. I hate to say it, but it sounds as if the scheduler was purposely being circumspect.

I know I hate to keep contacting schedulers with clarifications, but the longer I do this and the more I read from fellow shoppers, the more I think we have to keep asking until we have 100% clear, unambiguous information. Which sometimes (more like "often" ) is like pulling teeth. But I guess we have to get over feeling like we're "bothering" people. If it's not clear what's being said or offered or instructed, it's the fault of the MSC or the scheduler. It's not our fault, and we have to cover our butts!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2016 01:21AM by BirdyC.

Could her promise of $50 be buried in quoted previous correspondence in the emails you exchanged?

so i think you should have read more carefully, but 100 miles round trip figure at least 3 hours and you felt that 50 bucks was a reasonable amount?

I am always interested in how much people will do for what amount, I know different parts of the country have different pay scales and opportunities for extra money.

But if I figure in the time there and the report I figure 4 hours total so you made 12.00/hr, in Denver I can get a new car shop for 50.00+ and those take about 2 hours total.

People doing a favor with low paying or distant shops are helping no one but the scheduler.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Frankly, I would get my $10 by adding it to the next shop for this company. I would ask for travel pay or bonus money, whichever is appropriate. And if asked why, I would tell them "because I should have received travel pay for the shop I completed at XXXXX on xx/xx/xxxx."

But, that's just me.

I have done just what ceasesmith is suggesting . Every time I do the same job that I got shorted on after promised reimbursement I ask for a bigger bonus than I used to accept and I tell them why. And they give it to me. So I have made up the shortfall.
As others have mentioned...I constantly see ads for jobs that say xxx pay, big bonus and then it turns out the big bonus of xxx includes the original pay amt and the reimbursement amt so the big bonus turns out to be $1 or $2. You need to read and clarify everything and save those emails til you get your money in your hand.

Heartland, yes, I do have all the emails that the scheduler and I exchanged, and I could probably get my $10 by going over her head, but will I be person non grata with the MSC after having done that? Also, I feel like a little pebble bouncing off the side of an airtight spaceship (uh-oh, I'm watching too much Star Wars!) as no one is returning my calls requesting a call from the project manager. (I did not disclose the problem in my messages, I only asked for the project manager's email address so I could shoot her an e-mail, and the other two calls, I asked for a return call from him/her. It's unusual for this particular MSC to behave in this way as they have always returned my calls and emails, so that's what makes me think I have crossed a line somehow.

Thanks, JAS! I think you're right. However, it doesn't stop me the next time I do a shop with this MSC to politely request a $10 bonus (and mentioning why) at that time as Ceasesmith suggested.

Yes, Tech, the emails do reflect that she promised me $50, especially when I wrote back to her and asked for clarification on the pay, but she can argue that and say that it included Transportation expenses. It's not 100% clear, and I can see how she could interpret the emails in her favor. After all, in her defense, other companies misrepresent the pay in various manners, like many of you pointed out. I assumed when I shouldn't have, even though this is a trusted company, and she was wrong to misrepresent the pay.

What I believe happened is that she was a new scheduler. Judging by her email address, she does not work for the MSC, but contracts with them. She did not uphold the company's values when stating the pay of a shop. I noticed she was defensive over small things. When I asked for clarification on pay and then later clarification on job instructions, she blamed "the previous scheduler" both times. I tried to appear as nonthreatening as possible, but I just have to wonder if she panicked and said something to the project manager that I was going to call him/her and made up some story??? Maybe that's why the MSC is not answering my calls? Who knows?

The good news is that she posted the same shop yesterday and today. The transportation is not included in the subject line disguised as part of the pay. Maybe she has learned something....hopefully. In the meantime, as much as I want to point out that I was wronged, I have a heart for newbies....integrity, for me, has come with age. I was a 22 year old newbie once (a long time ago-lol) and made plenty of mistakes, too. I still want my $10, though--lol.

@komondor wrote:

so i think you should have read more carefully, but 100 miles round trip figure at least 3 hours and you felt that 50 bucks was a reasonable amount?

I am always interested in how much people will do for what amount, I know different parts of the country have different pay scales and opportunities for extra money.

People doing a favor with low paying or distant shops are helping no one but the scheduler.

Komondor, yes, that sounds wierd driving so far for only $50.....I normally wouldn't do that, but I love that part of the island. It's quaint and historic, and it's a special treat for me to go, so when I get a shop or two that pay a minimum of $50, I feel justified going out that far. Aside from that special exception, my rule of thumb is that I have to earn at least $1 for every mile I drive. So, if I drive 104 miles, my shops have to equal at least $104.

I’d really appreciate your feedback specifically about:

1. Do you think the initial email was worded appropriately? Yes. It's a pretty common way to word it.

2. Do I drop the whole thing, or do I pursue contacting the project manager, and if so, how? I would drop it and be more careful. You don't want to be memorable as being a pain or you will only get a job if you are their last resort. I know this because I used to schedule and schedulers do talk to each other. Do you really want to put yourself in a mess like that over $10? You will make up the $10 soon enough.

My opinion only; If I drove 100 miles to do a shop I would have contacted the scheduler ahead of time and asked if they payed mileage instead of parking expenses. There is no job that I would travel 100 miles for $40 or $50.

I agree the wording is very confusing and I would have expected the shop to pay $50 also. I also understand that you didn't think to contact the scheduler about the amount because you clearly saw $50 so there was no reason for you to think otherwise. Whether or not anyone else would drive that far for $50 is not the point because you saw the posting for $50 and that amount was acceptable for you.
What disturbs me most about this situation is the poor customer service you received trying to resolve this issue from the MSC you completed a mystery shopping assignment for. As mystery shoppers what type of feedback would we give the MSC on their customer service since they haven't returned your phone calls or tried to resolve this issue.
Is $10 worth losing a reliable mystery shopper?
Mystery shoppers are expected to write clear statements and summaries so why shouldn't we expect to be provided clear direction from MSC's? If MSC's had to constantly contact us for clarification on our reports we would be penalized.
I think I would drop all efforts trying to get the $10 because you've already tried much harder than you should have had too to resolve this. If you like the company, other than this situation, I would keep working with them because from now on you will make sure to get clarification on anything that is even slightly questionable. If not you have tons of other MSC's to work with.

Too late now, but the solution looked something like this:
"Oh, I just remembered I did pay $10 for parking. Let me send you the receipt."

I would've thought it would've been stated somewhere in the shop instructions that a receipt was required to get the $10 for public transportation or parking costs if it was separate from the total pay.

I live in NYC and I've never seen a shop initially advertise they'd pay for transportation by subway or bus. I've gotten paid for it a few times by 2 MSCs. Mostly I've seen offers to reimburse for parking and/or tolls and don't consider the public transportation fees, which are high in NYC ($5.75 for a round trip on a regular Metrocard). Unless you buy an unlimited monthly MetroCard for $114.00 and can justify that expense, you lose a lot for not having a car. At least you can deduct mileage from your taxes.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2016 05:22AM by nycrocks.

I sure hate sneaky schedulers. I had a pizza delivery shop email this week that said "BONUS $5 TO $15". I may be reading it wrong but to me, it sounds like the bonus went up from $5 to $15. After I accepted it, I found out the bonus was only $5. The scheduler said that only in some areas is it $15. This email didn't list any other areas, so to me that was very misleading. He offered to cancel it, but I told him I could still do it. But it sure made me realize how sneaky they can be and to confirm first if it's that important. Luckily, this shop is easy since it's delivery so I don't really care what the bonus is!

Unfortunately this seems to be the newest way of grabbing your attention. I am seeing it in more and more of my emails, a title that says one thing and then the shop details that says something else.

How many of you have seen these:
EASY $20 (name) Health and Wellness Retail Shops!!
QUICK and EASY!! $20 (name) Health and Nutrition Shop!!

But once you look at the details, you see it is only $10 pay, and up to $10 for a required purchase.

Why do schedulers think they must mislead shoppers in order to get the shops done? Is it because they know the pay is a joke and that most shoppers may not look at an email that says "Easy $10... shop"

This grates at me almost as much as "Grab a FREE meal-get paid"! The definition of "Free" is "Without cost or payment"! Unless I am wrong, if we must do something in order to get something it is not free, it is compensation. Getting a reimbursement for up to $10 for a meal you are required to purchase (and usually something specific) and then file a massive report about the experience is not getting something for free, it is being compensated for work performed!

In the retail world, this is called "False Advertising", but in the MS world, it is acceptable!

So yes, there are a lot of "sneaky" emails being sent, and it is up to us to ensure we fully understand what will and will not be paid and/or compensated for.

[RANT MODE OFF]

IMO, that's what is wrong with this industry. You're being told to "let it go" because it's "only" $10. You confirmed that you would be paid $50, and you were only paid $40. So, you deserve to have your $10! I don't think it should be "oh, don't pursue this because then you'll lose work". That's basically saying that the schedulers and MSC companies can do as they please and we must accept it. Well, I don't accept it! If it's wrong, it's wrong! And, if it's wrong, something should be done to rectify it. If I experience an issue with a MSC or scheduler, depending on the size of the issue, I stop doing work for them. As shoppers, we have to tolerate so much nonsense, unfairness, and unpredictability. And, yes, I understand being a shopper is a choice. I refuse to be willingly taken advantage of; even if it's only $10.

1. I agree that the wording of the email title is misleading. I'm glad that you clarified with the scheduler! I'm not glad that you unfairly didn't get your full payment.

2. I would pursue it. Had you not clarified the amount of the payment with the scheduler, then, I would not purse it.

I'LL KEEP IT REAL SIMPLE EACH TIME THEY OFFER YOU A SHOP ESPECIALLY IF IT IS A DEADLINE ASK FOR 10 DOLLARS MORE OVER WHAT THEY ARE OFFERING OF COURSE I WOULD DO THIS FOREVER NOT JUST ONCE........ ITS CALLED GETTING EVEN........

Your caps lock key is stuck.

Wait until someone misses a shop and they are desperate, then get your money. Either that or blow one off yourself at the last minute and ask how she liked not getting paid. I would only do the latter if she was a jerk, but it sounds like that was the case.