IPSOS has jobs due tomorrow, signed up last night, Job not approved yet

(Mod note: Several posts deleted as per poster's request.).

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

More Discussions About Ipsos Mystery Shopping (All Companies)

If shops are not assigned in time to be completed, such as after the business as closed, it shouldn't count against you. Doesn't their platform allow for application to be deleted? With the potential for such a small window today, I would cancel the applications if the shops weren't assigned early enough to allow them to be completed.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

If it's the client I think it is, they don't want Saturday shops anyway. They will probably pull them and repost with new dates.

They have a lot of shops for one very large client which begin today (Saturday) and extend through the end of next week. I had one of six assigned to me in the middle of the night, the others are just sitting and I don't expect them to be assigned in time for me to do them today. Also - Monday is Martin Luther King Day and some businesses are closed, so watch out.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I am doing some authorized locations today, tomorrow, and on Monday since the stores are open. I wanted to do more, but they are sitting waiting to be assigned, as is one at the "main client." One closes at Noon today, another location closes at 3 PM today, and not assigned to me or anyone else. Such is life.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I had a set of main client ones on hold quite a while after the due date last round. The scheduler emailed explaining some kind of hold up in the number of jobs she could release. I eventually was assigned about half of them. This round, all my requests have been processed within about a day.

Great point about authorized locations being open Sunday and Monday.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2016 08:02PM by wwin.

I applied for 2 and got only one although there are still a lot left in my area and they do all start today. For anyone who has done these in a non main client location....can we purchase anything in the store or does it have to be the client's products? I am going to an office supply store so they have many other items. I have sent a note to the scheduler but I doubt I will hear back today.

The list of items makes sense if you go to one of the client's main locations, but for an office products store or an independent shipping store or an independent copy center, the list is not very useful. At the large box office supply store, do you have to buy the item while standing at the shipping center? If so, the only item which might be available is a book of 10 stamps (the listed book of 4 stamps does not exist anywhere). They don't sell stamped envelopes. I have asked the scheduler if I can buy something from somewhere else in the store. For an independent copying center, the choices of things to buy might be even lower. Some authorized locations are in drug stores. Can I buy a candy bar. This seems like a simple thing, but the guidelines were written for the client main locations, and simply copy and pasted to the authorized locations without IMHO much thought about what the purchase requirements mean for those locations. And since they don't reimburse for anything when they refuse to ship the package (at any location), I feel that I should be free to buy anything I want as long as I can supply a receipt.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I have not been reimbursed for whatever I buy when the HazMat shipment is refused. Spicy1 says, "They do reimburse for the items they ask you to buy." Have people actually been reimbursed? Meaning, you have received a payment for the shop and you were paid not only the fee but were reimbursed for whatever you got when the HazMat shipment was refused? If so, please let me (and others) know so that I can lodge a complaint. So far, I have done 12 of these. 4 were shipped and 8 were refused. Of those for which I have been paid, I have not been reimbursed for any of the "refused" POV purchases.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Spicy1, I have reported your concerns to the Moderators. In future reference, you can click on the ( ! ) and report the thread yourself. They will erase it for you. Or fix it if they can.

Lady Marius
Canadian Mystery Shopper

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2016 06:17PM by Lady Marius.

@myst4au wrote:

I have not been reimbursed for whatever I buy when the HazMat shipment is refused. Spicy1 says, "They do reimburse for the items they ask you to buy." Have people actually been reimbursed?

Myst4au, yes I have been reimbursed. I only did a few of these as my preference is the dim weight shops but I purchased stamps for both of them. In one case it was 4 stamps, in the other case I bought a bunch of 2 cent and some 10c stamps. It came to around $3.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2016 07:12PM by sandyf.

@myst4au wrote:

I have not been reimbursed for whatever I buy when the HazMat shipment is refused. .

I was just paid yesterday for all my reg. hazmat shops from last round. I was paid $1.96 for my stamp purchases on all of them. I remember double checking my work before submitting these reports and having to go back and change where I entered the stamp amount, but I don't remember why.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2016 07:20PM by wwin.

I have been trying to get to the bottom of what we are allowed to buy that is reimbursed "up to $10" as 4 stamps is a lot less money than that. I have only gotten feedback from the schedulers with a repeat of the same 4 stamps or an envelope. They have been nice about it but I would like to expand my possibilities as it sounds like we can purchase something for $9 or $9.95 but what? Does anyone have a contact either for IPSOS or for Summit who may be able to expand on the answer? I know I have received emails before from the manager/owner? of Summit but I do not remember which of the many Summit people that was.

@myst4au wrote:

... but for an office products store or an independent shipping store or an independent copy center, the list is not very useful. At the large box office supply store, do you have to buy the item while standing at the shipping center? If so, the only item which might be available is a book of 10 stamps (the listed book of 4 stamps does not exist anywhere). They don't sell stamped envelopes.

Yes, that was one of the issues on my first shop today; except only a sheet of 20 stamps or roll were available. All packing materials were in a different part of the store. I picked the 20 stamp sheet (since it was under the $10) and sent a note off to the scheduler. I'm putting all the rest of these shops on hold till I know what they want. I'm sure they'll get it sorted out, just a few bumps in the road.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2016 11:57PM by wwin.

My shop accepted my hazmat box so I am off the hook for now. I did send an email to Judith at summit so I will report back if I get a different answer. My office supply store only had one size of the flat rate boxes and nothing else. Since those were free it would not have generated a receipt. Perhaps they had stamps but I asked the clerk if they sold post office items and she said they had the flat rate packaging.

I got an email response from the scheduler (she said that she schedules just the HazMat shops) and that I will be reimbursed for up to $10 for the cost of stamps. This is a direct quote "You may purchase up to $10 worth of stamps, and that’s fine." I had asked about buying other items in the office supply store, and that was not addressed, so the answer appears to be to buy a book of stamps. I "know" that the earliest shops in November did not reimburse me when the package was refused, but I am going to check again before lodging a complaint. I have not yet reconciled the payment which I got yesterday.

Earlier this week, one of my two attempts to mail a package was turned down for a completely wrong reason. The other was accepted for shipping. 50%, but 0% if the work was required to be shown (right answer, wrong reason). Today, 4 attempts, 3 rejections (for the right reason) and one was accepted for shipping.

I noticed that one of the original scenarios is gone, leaving 3. I think that the "missing" one was just a little too convoluted, requiring that the clerk ask about the cooling medium. There is another thread where I explained via the ideal gas law and stoichiometry why specially trained personnel are really required to certify shipments containing that cooling medium.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

@myst4au wrote:

I got an email response from the scheduler (she said that she schedules just the HazMat shops) and that I will be reimbursed for up to $10 for the cost of stamps. This is a direct quote "You may purchase up to $10 worth of stamps, and that’s fine."

Thanks Myst4aU...I suspected this might be okay but never wanted to test the theory. It seems to me they are being purposely vague as they now have done a few months of these shops with only having to reimburse $2 for 4 stamps to most all the shoppers. I asked the question multiple times with different schedulers and never got my entire question answered but basically, yes you can buy 4 stamps or an envelope.
By the way, I think they would also need specially trained shoppers like yourself to do the cool scenario shop they seem to have abandoned. Now that I know your specialty I understand your name and will be less likely to leave off the a.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2016 06:12PM by sandyf.

Anyone know about the reimbursement for shipping on the approved ship shop? They want zone 5 - and I did 5 that went there. Of the ones that were accepted - it was over $10 to ship because I think some of these shops pad their rates. So will I only get up to $10 reimbursed?

@hackwid wrote:

Anyone know about the reimbursement for shipping on the approved ship shop? They want zone 5 - and I did 5 that went there. Of the ones that were accepted - it was over $10 to ship because I think some of these shops pad their rates. So will I only get up to $10 reimbursed?

Hackwid, there are several different scenarios for the shipping shops and each has different reimbursement limits and zone information. Whatever your shop said they will reimburse is the top amt they will reimburse and the rest is on you. I go over for the Hazmat shops but that is because I ship to zone 7. Make sure to weigh your item at home, measure your box and check the post office site for the postage with those measurements. You can stay within the reimbursement but you have to be mindful of weight and zone and box size.

There is no such thing as a "book" of four stamps as someone suggested upthread. They want you to purchase four stamps.

I have confirmation (and payment as well) that books of 20 stamps purchased as competitor locations will be fully reimbursed since that is all that they sell. At the main office, 4 stamps are what should be purchased.

Rates went up today. I reported this yesterday in another thread. Zone 5 went from $9 to $9.45 while Zone 1 went from $5.95 to $6.80 and I expect reimbursements will be at the higher rates without any issues. BTW, discounts for paying in advance on the internet (not permitted for shops, of course) seem to have disappeared.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I actually got confirmation from two different schedulers that I would be reimbursed up to $10 for my purchase when my box is not accepted as long as it is a postal item, so I am going to get a book of stamps and not 4 (and I am visiting a regular post office).

That stinks that the zone prices went up...

Actually reply this is not correct. She mentions an approved shipper shop. While it is true that for the actual client shop the $10 reimbursement is enough for zone 5 - for the approved shipper shop if you ship to zone 5 - it goes over the $10 reimbursement. The overage is $2-$6 for shipping to zone 5 - depending on the shipper shop used - one is definitely higher than the other - and IPSOS currently is not reimbursing over the $10. This is documented all over these boards.

The two (or three, depending upon how you count) Big Box shippers do not charge a surcharge over what the client charges. There are also Contract offices, and they are obligated to charge the same as the client. I now know to tread very carefully before accepted shops at other shippers who might add a surcharge. I had one with the previous MSC where a shipper charged me $27 (really, no joke) to ship a package would should have cost about $8 and I had the receipt and was paid. Guess that would not be true with IPSOS.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

What I don't understand is why the charges were paid with the previous MSC when they were just being subcontracted by IPSOS. They should have been administering the program according to policies dictated by IPSOS.

@myst4au wrote:

Guess that would not be true with IPSOS.

I think it's too soon to say. At least for this round, we haven't gotten paid yet, so how can we know. I've done one shop that went a few dollars over due to extra fees added by the shipper and the one shop not completed because the company hasn't told IPSOS if they want me to do the shop and pay the high charge (similar to your example with the old MSC, myst4au). Talking to my scheduler, I get the idea that they are stuck in limbo till they hear back from the company, telling them how to handle these and a few other issues.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2016 02:12AM by wwin.

Wwin - You are right. I was pleasantly surprised when I was reimbursed for the "Book of 3 stamps," so maybe they are on a learning curve. Hopefully shoppers who paid large overcharges will let us know how the reimbursements turned out.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I just looked at my paystub for last month, and for the hazmat shops, my purchase of a book of stamps was approved and paid (20-stamp book $9.80).

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

IPSOS has jobs due tomorrow, signed up last night, Job not approved yet

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine