Wow. The MSCs make a lot of money so my cheating is okay. The MSCs and a lot of shoppers are dishonest so my cheating is okay. Today's second verse is the same as the first.

It's nice to know you also believe "once a criminal, always a criminal." What if everyone reading about your fraud takes the same attitude about you? How many other times do you cheat?

Mystery shopping has way more problems than whether I change the pepperoncini from a 2inch to a 1inch one. I do not consider fraud what I am doing. You are entitled to your opinion, as I am entitled to mine.

As for my references to the criminality of people involved was only because some people think that this is a hobby, or income producing for others, and everything is kosher in the industry. Oblivious like those stating that this website is a place "full of vitriol and hate," while a particular other website is great because "there are no mod there so posts are not deleted or checked for proper content which is very important to me." I almost felt on the floor laughing reading it. But it is very interesting this attitude about my belief that "once a criminal, always a criminal." An owner of an MSC and other senior members who have changed their name, an owner who was a federal fugitive for years and one nice day the federal marshals showed up at the MSC's office, an owner who has many aliases, has done time in federal prison for fraud using his daughter's social security name, or that the MSC was sued by the "partners" for contract violations, and these are the same individuals that we entrust with our social security number, personal data, should be given a pass. Or should not I care for whether some shoppers have a criminal past, especially that I was supposed to pair up for a gig with an active gang member who was actually arrested just a year ago?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2016 01:51AM by KateH.

Wow. I just went through this whole thread and also can't believe the lengths someone will go to justify unethical behavior. I'm not perfect by far and I can't say I have never done unethical things. But at least I don't say I'm proud of it and if confronted with it I wouldn't have an excuse, I would just say "Yes I screwed up, and I'm sorry for that."

@KateH, all of your postings in this thread are absolutely abhorrent. Rather than arguing it's ok to do what you do, just keep it to yourself. On the other hand, thanks for educating us on the things the unethical bunch does.

Thread has been sent to client. im sure they wont be happy w/Kate.

I am absolutely no sorry for anything I have done, or I will do. I am an adult and know the consequences of my actions. Confrontation? Even though some people consider this website that is full of people who love a food fight, I see just individuals expressing their opinion. I do not have to everything that everyone says. Everybody is entitled to their constitutionally protected right to to express their opinion. I sleep very nice every day and I have no qualms about swapping the pepperoncini with a smaller or larger one. That's what is important to do for myself and the fiscal needs of my family. We just happen to have different values and needs in life. Each of their own. Again, I do mystery shopping full time, to make money to provide me not just with my daily needs, or subsidize my main job income, but to make a nice chunk as if I was working a regular 9-5 steady job. So I will do everything to protect my identity as the pizza shop provides a good total payment. I do not plan to be the holy martyr who would be outed by the papajohn eager beavers, but who will be able to say what a goody goody honest person I am. I do not find my behavior unethical, sorry!
MSCs regularly read these boards, especially when it mentions one of their current, former, or prospective clients. But please, I do enjoy all the "ethical" goody goodies expressing their opinion in the thread. BTW, do not forget to send it to all three MSCs that shop this client right now.

no need to sent to mscs. sent directly to client.

That's even funnier than I thought. You contacted Mr Pizza directly because someone in a forum that you like to hang out, since in 6 months you made as many comments as I did in 4 years, a complete stranger who might be just talking for fun stated that she swaps the pepper from a large to small so the franchise's employees do not discover that she is the shopper? The peppers that Mr Pizza sends to the franchise? ROTLF!!! BTW, is not it some violation of ICA that you are not supposed to contact the client directly?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2016 03:20AM by KateH.

I can't imagine them giving $20 or $30 to shop the one I shop....but, maybe yours is different somehow?

@spicy1 wrote:

I can't imagine them giving $20 or $30 to shop the one I shop....but, maybe yours is different somehow?

Spicy1, I shop multiple, unrelated, geographical areas during the year and the starting fee and shop requirements are exactly the same. Based on the number of shoppers in an area, how isolated the specific location is, geographical or socioeconomic obstacles in the area, the local economy where more shoppers are willing to take a shop, the payment can increase to the sky is the limit. In some areas $3 is considered a great bonus, in others a non end of the month bonus should be at least $10. Just to mention the well known example of the Best Buy audits. Continuous severe snow storms around the country caused the MSC to pay $500 per shop, regardless if it was a small or large location, each month. Another time a scheduler was going to go on maternity leave and wanted to finish everything early so she paid $40 bonuses per shop to a few shoppers to clear her remaining assignments, within the first week of the month. An MSC may be paying $5 for a shop to the same shopper every month, but when that shopper leaves that area and there is nobody else there available then that same location might be bonused $30 every month. Just as the introduction of a new shopper reduces the payment of the bonus, if any. In my area, a parent and his child were getting $150 bonus per shop for tobacco, until my kid decided to overcome fears that a classmate might be around and see my kid buying cigarettes. Then the bonus dropped to $90 per shop. We also did the tobacco id shops when we went for vacation to another state, but the bonus there was only $20, same MSC.

I was recently identified as the shopper and can no longer complete the location by my home. To be honest, I think they knew I was the shopper a long time ago. I have done this shop almost every month for the past 3 years. Sometimes my pizza would arrive in under 20 minutes and the drivers always said those awkward things like "I got your pizza here in 25 minutes."

I will miss the $15-$20 bonuses but I won't miss the pizza. In fact, my husband is super excited because he is sick of it. I usually would bring the untouched pizza to work the next day. I haven't eaten any sick there was a dead maggot on my pepperchini. I can't get that image out of my mind,

I don't mind maggots myself. It's just a little baby fly.
But I got stuck in a little village in Oaxaca for 4 months once because of the rains.
I don't mind a whole lot of things since that experience.
Wow, $15-$20 bonus. I'm undone.
I understand the bonus system thoroughly, ty, but I never imagined the one I'm doing would ever get to that kind of bonus.

@KateH wrote:

That's even funnier than I thought. You contacted Mr Pizza directly because someone in a forum that you like to hang out, since in 6 months you made as many comments as I did in 4 years, a complete stranger who might be just talking for fun stated that she swaps the pepper from a large to small so the franchise's employees do not discover that she is the shopper? The peppers that Mr Pizza sends to the franchise? ROTLF!!! BTW, is not it some violation of ICA that you are not supposed to contact the client directly?

its even funnier that u think I contacted client. i didn't have to lift a finger. its even funnier that u think I hang out in forum. ive got much better things to do when nature doesn't screw w/my plans.
so u think it is fun to just make up crap on forum and lie in reports? That is so sad. U need to get out more. Big world out there. U don't need to rely on peppers to b your friends.
Its even funnier that U are now worried about me breaking my ICA. I laughed so hard when i read that. who said that i do work for that client or any of mscs that have that client. u can't break an ICA that doesn't even exist. ROTLF!!!

@ Ninja, you do not have to troll behind every post that I make, in every thread. Yes I find all this holiness very funny. You really do not strike me as working for an MSC. As you wrote yourself, you just started shopping a year and a half ago. Just a few posts above you wrote that you contacted the client directly. May be you do not read your own posts? I did not say that I lied on what I have posted in the forum. I commented that someone might just be making stuff for fun. Never believe everything that you read online, in an anonymous forum. As for the MSCs who shop the client, you have posted in other threads about shops you have done for these MSCs, so you clearly have signed their ICAs. Do I worry whether you have broken your ICA? You are the signatory party, so you are responsible for the legal violations. All this talk about the peppers have made me so hungry, I had two orders of fried pickles tonight as I was doing an event audit at a bar and reading the delightful comments in the forum.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2016 05:03AM by KateH.

If my Pizza man got $2 or nothing, I would hope he would out me as the Secret Shopper and find someone else who feels he deserves enough money to buy food. The Pizza Men and women hate cheap tippers, they rejoice they outed you because their time is to them is looking for someone like me who is not afraid to give them $6 as a tip or more if I drink. You can't take all the blame, its your MSC who does not leave much room for you to make anything, you are better off without them. Now you want be getting the Evil Eye from all Papa John's Pizza employees as being the "No Tip Man" or $2.00 Tip Man. I never made money on the Papa's jobs because I passed the huge $6 for pay back to the driver each time. The outrageous price of the pizza compared to Dominos is crazy, I would rather not do the shop and by a 3 top dominoes Mon-Thur for $6.99 for a Large!

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2016 08:24AM by Akbar.

@Akbar wrote:

If my Pizza man got $2 or nothing, I would hope he would out me as the Secret Shopper and find someone else who feels he deserves enough money to buy food. ...I would rather not do the shop and by a 3 top dominoes Mon-Thur for $6.99 for a Large!

One of the MSCs who shops this pizza also does rounds with competitors in each area, including Dominos. As for very high tip, you do not want to be cheap, but you do not want to be great tipper as you will be memorable too. If there is snowstorm, or snow I give $5, good weather slow day $3 in suburbs, $2 good weather in major city but I am 8 minutes drive from the store.

@KateH wrote:

@ Ninja, you do not have to troll behind every post that I make, in every thread.

what? r u drunk?

@KateH wrote:

because someone in a forum that you like to hang out, since in 6 months you made as many comments as I did in 4 years,

sounds like u r the troll keeping track of me. that is just plain creepy.

@KateH wrote:

You really do not strike me as working for an MSC.

where does it say that i am working for an msc?

@KateH wrote:

Just a few posts above you wrote that you contacted the client directly.

U need to work on reading comprehension. I said that: Thread has been sent to client. Where does it say that I sent to client?[/quote]

@KateH wrote:

As for the MSCs who shop the client, you have posted in other threads about shops you have done for these MSCs, so you clearly have signed their ICAs.

it is so sad to know that u have all this spare time to go thru every post of mine & figure out what companies i do work for. You really need to get a life beyond fried pickles and oversized peppers. no ICA broken since I wasnt one who contacted client. but i know who did.

I've been away from this thread for a few days, but to better clarify my reasoning in my original post:
In college (about 10 years ago) I worked for Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, and a local pizza place, as a driver for all 3. At that time, all three places gave the delivery fee to the driver. At the time it was like 50cents for Pizza Hut, $1.25 for papa johns, and $1 for the local place. This is the reasoning behind my original post, but as I stated, it was 10 years ago. I don't claim to know 100% what the practice is now. I'm just speaking from ancient history personal experience.

For OP, or anyone who has been ID-ed, how did you find out you were IDed? Did the MSC just come out and tell you? Or did you inquire with the MSC? I haven't seen any locations posted lately within a 15 mi radius of me. But I did also notice that the last time I got a pizza, they had a flyer in the box saying "submit a pic of your pizza for $5 off your next order." I'm curious if I've been IDed and that's why I'm not seeing the posts, or if my area is trying a cheaper method of obtaining similar info.

Oh, wow, $5 off your next order flyer.
Sometimes this pizza is a step up from the $5 hot 'n ready but not always.

If not for this program, I would not otherwise buy this pizza; for loads of reasons.
And if I was ID'd, I wouldn't cry but I'm running out of things to put the toppings on so I can toss the crust.

When I tried to select the shop on the job board, I got the message that the shop was unavailable. I emailed the scheduler and asked about this and she told me that I was identified as a shopper at that location.

Thank you for the info tostresh. I'm just not seeing locations at all near me (not in email blasts, a search on the MSC site, or jobslinger), so maybe there just really isn't anything here now. I guess I'll wait it out longer before I worry lol

For some reason Papa John's loves to out their shoppers, I can't understand it because I had given a glowing report and was outed. Any where else that suspects just does what they should. I died laughing doing a regular buy somewhere that has shops. I could tell they thought I was a shopper. There are some companies on the list here that do other pizza companies.

I have not performed one of these shops without a bonus. I've pulled off some interesting scenarios like having the driver deliver the pizza to my table at the Starbucks inside of a grocery store. At the time there were three companies offering the shops. One would call me to do the local shop. After the third time I received the best pizza I've ever seen from this chain. The next one was delivered next door with a different name. Back to normal.

I like it when employees think I'm a mystery shopper. I had another customer tell me that the cashier's at a grocery store thought I was one. So when I was not doing the weekly shops I would do my shopping during the times. After a few weeks they stopped going out of their way. I guess my actions were not matching the reports.

@catlassy wrote:

ANOTHER ISSUE: Instead of delivery guys just giving you your change they ask- "how much change do you need back?" or "do you need change back?" I call that "tip hinting".
I think PJ is going overboard on hunting down shoppers.

I have had that happen to me before and I tell them that I need it all back. Then I tell them that the tip will depend on the proper pizza being received and the freshness of it. Have done two of these with the wrong Pizza being delivered. both times the wife got the pizza before I did.

@spicy1 wrote:

Oh, wow, $5 off your next order flyer.
Sometimes this pizza is a step up from the $5 hot 'n ready but not always.

If not for this program, I would not otherwise buy this pizza; for loads of reasons.
And if I was ID'd, I wouldn't cry but I'm running out of things to put the toppings on so I can toss the crust.

Currently doing the Hot-n-Ready shops have 4 this weekend at 4 times the base rate. Well, two yesterday and two today. Still have a pizza and a half from yesterday's shop. Seems like there is a lot of red headed people working in the pizza business.

Wow! I go out of town for a couple of days and it looks like drunken trolls have taken over parts of this thread. Oh, well, what else is new?

Really classy Sybil

@spicy1, why are you obsessed with me? Don't you have better things to do with your life? Did I call you a drunken troll? Why are you being so defensive? Hmmmm? Time for you to have a glass of warm milk and go to bed, dear.

Yea, well, as I'm sure I've said before, either say it to my face or don't speak to me.
I just think you could be a little less cantankerous.

I understand when two, or more, people get into a heated discussion on these forums because they have a chasm of a difference of opinion.

But when someone comes on and just insults people randomly, maybe not even a specific person or identity, or maybe a group in this case is/are not named, like you do, all the time, I feel like someone needs to say

ENOUGH ALREADY!

@spicy1 wrote:

Yea, well, as I'm sure I've said before, either say it to my face or don't speak to me.

Are you going to threaten me again to a low-level street brawl? Real classy, spicy1. If you don't want me to "speak" to you then don't address me specifically in a public forum and not expect a response. It is basic common sense which you appear to be lacking. {handing spicy1 a glass of warm milk. Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep.}