New car shop for $35?

No thanks.

I've been looking for more car shops, since I've already done the two Acura dealerships near me, and many of the other brands don't have dealers in my area. But for $35, I'll skip it. Can't imagine any car shop would be worth it, especially since this one says if you're offered a test drive you must take it. You don't have to ask for one, but I've rarely been to a dealer that hasn't offered the drive (on a shop or when really buying a car). Can't use the excuse here that you don't have time right now and will come back.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

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More About Car Dealerships

I agree. Car shops, or rather I should say car shop sales personnel, are beyond being a mere PIA. I have done enough car shops that I would be dreading a visit to any car dealership as a real customer if I were ready to buy a new car. $35 is not enough compensation for the rudeness, badgering, and lack of respect that generally accompanies a car shop. What makes it worse is that you cannot leave, as a real customer would, because you have to stay and endure so that you as a shopper get paid.

I don't know what is a fair compensation for enduring the treatment from car dealerships, but I'm sure it's beyond $50 since I always turn that down. I have done more new car dealerships over the years than I can count or remember, and I finally had enough. I have not done one for at least 3 years now. Definitely on the 10-foot pole list, I appreciate the shoppers who do them so that I don't get asked to do them.

Im thinking of taking a few higher paid ones to learn tips for negotiating. I will be buying a car in the next year. Do you think they help one to learn?

I feel fortunate in that the two car shops I've done were Acura shops, and they are very low pressure. By design, I think. And you do not have to negotiate price. So I didn't feel that typical "buy it now" pressure. But you do have to go on a test drive, and there are several observations to make. The report itself is fairly short and straightforward, but you do have to do the main report, then a follow-up one. These paid $50, and I'd say that they were worth that. I sure wouldn't do one for less, and if this were a negotiation shop, I wouldn't do one for less than probably $100.

Ltarplee, there's one car shop I know of that specifically is a "price negotiation" shop, where you have to ask three times (I think) for the best price. The ones near me pay $75, but they're not near enough for me to drive a distance plus go through all that nonsense. The MSC does a phone training first, I think, before you can do the shop. So it might be educational as far as when you go to buy a car in "real life."

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2016 07:15PM by BirdyC.

Just my 2 cents on the car negotiation shop is that its not worth it. They are painful and not worth the $75 offered. Also they require 2 visits to the dealership and they are very picky with the format which the car dealership offer comes in. Most people I know who do these shops feel that they end up blowing their ID as a mysteryshopper because of the requirements of the negotiation.

Oh yeah the phone training isn't that useful either. Its basically the guy saying... "car dealerships lie and you can't trust anything they tell you."

One question... most car shops I see list at $20-30. A few at $50... where are you finding car shops >$50?

Safe to say that you do not accept Bestmark's $14 or $21 luxurious car shops? Your paid almost triple what BestMark is paying, that's fair right?

A basic car shop, no negotiations, test drive. I would not do for under $50 if it is near me, or $70 a few towns over.

If the $35 is for Monterey, I actually don't have a problem with the fee. Their reports are quite easy so it usually ends up as 90 minutes or less invested in the entire process.

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.

I don't do them anymore because when I buy a car I'm the one doing the badgering. I LOVE to negotiate and love buying cars. I don't know what gets into me. Any other time I'm not that pushy with people. (Am I?)

There are two types of people in this world: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.

I agree with LisaSTL. I'll do the Monterey car shops all day long at $35 because the report is easy. And I'll do the luxury and supercar shops because the $150 fee makes it worthwhile...and the salespeople, for the most part, know that you're not going to make the decision on the spot...not when you're talking about an automobile that costs as much as many new homes.

"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." Edward R. Murrow

Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.--Branch Rickey

The $150 luxury sports car shops were the exceptions, but they did have a 360 day rotation requirements. I have found that the higher end dealerships, such as Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are more respectful and not as badgering, and I may consider one of those occasionally. The lower-end dealerships, such as VW, Cooper, Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Buick, Toyota, and a few others I probably missed are not worth the hassle.

One of the Mystery companies was looking for a Shopper to perform a Van shop for $150, that might put a smile on your face.

The Porsche and Mercedes Commercial Van shops are for males only. When I tried to apply for the shop, the system stopped me and stated it's for men only. Plus, Porsche wants to see a picture of the male applicants so they can pick the guy who best fits the profile of their clientele. (suit and tie kind of guy, mid 30s to 40s)

I know the $150 Porsche shops are for males only, but I didn't realize the commercial van ones were, too. There are van shops that started at $75 around here, but there's one left that is now $125, I think. But, for two visits, it's still too far away for me to go. And, too, there's that pesky problem of me being female.... Although I do have a business in which a small van would come in handy....

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

@BirdyC wrote:

... Although I do have a business in which a small van would come in handy....

Don't be silly, little lady. Women can't own businesses! Now could you please make me a pot pie. From scratch. In full hair, make-up, poodle skirt and heels, please.

Shopper in California's Bay Area

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

Don't be silly, little lady. Women can't own businesses! Now could you please make me a pot pie. From scratch. In full hair, make-up, poodle skirt and heels, please.

'
But of course! And I'll put on a cute frilly apron, too! And my pearls.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

I stand corrected on these shops; from what those of you say who have done one, it's worth the fee. There's one about 5 miles from me, and went I went to sign up with Monterey and apply for it, I see the fee is now at $30, instead of $35! Maybe they read this thread and decided they're paying too much--LOL.

Anyway, I also saw the $17 Intellishop car shops, so in comparison, the $35 doesn't sound bad. And I'm positive I won't be doing any of those $17 ones.

Do you think I should sign up with Monterey and ask about getting the $35 instead of $30? As a new shopper with them, I'm not sure if I should wait and see if they go back up to $35, or just be pro-active? I'm getting a lot better about asking for bonuses and such, but with a new company, not sure how it would go over.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

@BirdyC wrote:

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

Don't be silly, little lady. Women can't own businesses! Now could you please make me a pot pie. From scratch. In full hair, make-up, poodle skirt and heels, please.
'
But of course! And I'll put on a cute frilly apron, too! And my pearls.

Mrs. Cleaver, is that you?

Their cutting rates on car sales shops, electronics and fast food throughout the Mystery business World. Maybe they did read these forums and decided to reduce pay after seeing Intelli posting $14 shops, B-mark's $14 to $17 shops thinking their overpaying Shoppers by 100%. Are shoppers sabotaging their own jobs by allowing other M companies to see what their competitors are paying? When I started up with a tech firm, everyone who wanted a physical check had theirs given in envelops, we all were told "you will get fired if you tell your co-workers how much you make"! Personally its doubtful companies are patrolling shopper forums to evaluate what your willing to accept as payment. When a mystery company decides their rates they don't care until companies come calling for reports on stores they have not had shopped. That's when they decide to raise prices, not until the end of the month or a company feel's neglected because they hired a mystery company and their not getting important feedback you provide.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2016 06:46PM by Sanjay1992.

The reason employers make threats about disclosing pay is often to prevent employees being aware of illegal practices such as paying woman less for the same job.

Some of the Monterrey shops in my area (for one of the German manufacturers) are still $35, but others are $30.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

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