Fast Food shop, right after a kitchen fire UPDATE

I had a drive-through fast food shop a couple of days ago. Once I pulled into the parking lot an employee came up to my car and told me they had just had a kitchen fire! He said that they were still serving drinks and ice cream but that there regular menu was not available. At this point I wasn't sure how to proceed as the location wasn't technically closed but it was certainly no longer operating as usual. I decided to go ahead and go through the drive-through and order a drink as POV and evaluate what I could.

I am hoping that I at least get a go-fee and maybe my purchase reimbursed but I guess I'll just have to wait and see if the shop gets accepted. Unfortunately this was only my second shop for this MSC, hopefully I don't get dinged for circumstances out of my control.

Has anyone else ever had a situation like this? Would you have handled it differently?

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I would've abandoned the shop, if I could not reach someone from the msc. Does the msc pay if a location is closed? If so, I too would've ordered a drink as proof of my visit. It really depends on the msc, I think.

Since you have not named the client, if you tell us which MSC, you might get better/more accurate responses. Do NOT name the client though once you name the MSC,

I would not have continued with the shop. I would have taken a pic of the scene with my cell phone, driven to an adjacent parking lot and call/text/email my scheduler right away to explain the circumstances.

Were there hot firemen on scene? That is worth the time to take the pic right there!

MSC was Quest for the Best, the shop was self-assigned and I didn't have a name or number of a scheduler. I also didn't have an info number for the MSC with me, I had been communicating via email.

After I left I thought I should probably have taken some pics but from outside I really couldn't see any evidence of the fire.

No hot fireman unfortunately

lol

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2016 05:22PM by Spanishtulip.

I had a bank shop last year. When I arrived, there were police cars everywhere and yellow crime scene tape surrounding a large section of the parking lot. There was a car smashed into a tree and what appeared to be a body underneath a tarp. I quickly took some photos as POV and booked it out of there before the cops saw me.

Later on, I found out that the bank had been robbed. The driver of the getaway car was shot and killed and three others got away. I don't think they ever caught them.

I was paid a half fee for the shop and offered the choice to go back in a week to actually complete the shop at full price. When I hesitated, the scheduler offered me a bonus. So I made a total of almost three times the original shop fee and I had some excitement to an otherwise mundane day.

Quest is a great company to work for but you should have called them right away. They actually have people who answer the phone. They are willing to work with the shopper when weird things happen.

@Sybil2 wrote:

Quest is a great company to work for but you should have called them right away. They actually have people who answer the phone. They are willing to work with the shopper when weird things happen.

A learning opportunity I think. This is the first situation anything like this that I have run into. From now on I'll try to carry contact info for MSC's with me.

@Sybil2 wrote:

Were there hot firemen on scene? That is worth the time to take the pic right there!

And definitely get many shots from different angles/and perspectives with good lighting.

And action shots of them working the hose!

@Sybil2 wrote:

I was paid a half fee for the shop and offered the choice to go back in a week to actually complete the shop at full price. When I hesitated, the scheduler offered me a bonus. So I made a total of almost three times the original shop fee and I had some excitement to an otherwise mundane day.

Lucky you! Something similar happened to me where there was a shooting in the area so the the whole mall and vicinity were cordoned off. One died and crime scene investigators were all over. The scheduler just told me she would reschedule it for the next week and that was that.
I took pictures but they were wasted.

It so depends on the company you are working with. I do like the idea of getting a drive-thru receipt of some ilk to prove you were in the right place at the right time. You may be out the price of a soda but it gives greater credence to having attempted the shop.

For one company I was working with, when I arrived at a gas station it had police and crime scene tape because it had been raided for counterfeit goods, weapons and drugs. My scheduler set it up for full pay based on a site photo even before I sent links to the story on that night's local news. She also rescheduled it for me to do once the hubbub had died down.

@Flash wrote:

For one company I was working with, when I arrived at a gas station it had police and crime scene tape because it had been raided for counterfeit goods, weapons and drugs. My scheduler set it up for full pay based on a site photo even before I sent links to the story on that night's local news. She also rescheduled it for me to do once the hubbub had died down.

Besides photos of the scene, I have also sent links to the news clips. It is funny dealing with an "older" scheduler from the Midwest or a small quiet town. They freak out when they see my pics or watch the video footage.

I had a convenience store/gas shop earlier today. When I went into the store to get the restroom key, I found myself alone in the store. Two minutes passed before three employees came in. It seems they were shutting down the gas pumps because their computer system had locked up. They were unable to sell anything from the store or pumps so I got no receipt for my visit. I got the name of the employee and pictures of the closed pumps. I am unsure if I will get payment but I documented the heck out of the visit.

Some days you just have to create your own sunshine.

I learned early on to take all the contact info you can get. Take their phone number, email and text if available. I recently had one where the shop was new and no business cards had arrived yet. So the guidelines say get a brochure and have them write their name and number. Well, too new, no brochures either. I finally told the guy who helped me that I knew my husband would want to talk to him and we would need the (more expensive) family plan for us and all the kids. He pulled out a blank piece of paper and wrote his name, the store name and the phone number on it. I emailed the MSC, said I was still in the mall if this was unacceptable, what else do you want me to go back and grab. Said I would be there a little while longer while I bought my lunch. Within about 10 minutes I was told the blank sheet of paper would be enough. Just write down in the report what I was told about the business cards and the brochures. The shop was paid.

I would have taken exterior shots and got what I could with observations and left the property. I would not have went through the drive-thru, mainly because you are required (assuming it were the chicken place) to get a entree, side and drink. I would have contacted the scheduler and asked if they could have me re-shop it when the store was fully open.

I had a situation where I had a drive thru shop but the drive thru was being remodeled so I took pictures of the menuboard and other observations. As I was driving around the front, I noticed the inside was open. Part of me wanted to go inside but I did not. I came home and reported. The scheduler said I did the right thing by getting pictures and leaving.

You might get a full fee or a closed location fee. Not sure how this one will be paid.

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

I would have taken exterior shots and got what I could with observations and left the property. I would not have went through the drive-thru, mainly because you are required (assuming it were the chicken place) to get a entree, side and drink. I would have contacted the scheduler and asked if they could have me re-shop it when the store was fully open.

Well it wasn't the chicken place but I was required to get an entree, side and a drink. I just went through the drive through because I wanted irrefutable proof of the visit. I don't even mind being out the cost of the drink if it can help me stay in the MSCs good graces.

In hindsite I do wish I had tried to find a number for a scheduler to call and taken more pics. This was my last stop of 7 that day that I had had to drag my five year old to. At that point I was more concerned with getting home sans melt-down than with anything else.

I got a nice note from the MSC today thanking me for the detailed report I made about the gas station shop. The editor also said I would get paid. Whew!

Some days you just have to create your own sunshine.

I just wanted to post a quick update:

Kudos to Quest for taking care of their shoppers. I was paid for last months shops and it included the fee for this shop AND reimbursement for the drink I purchased as POV. I am very impressed that they stood behind the original contract even though it is unlikely that they were able to get much usable information for their client. I look forward to working with them more in the future.

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Fast Food shop, right after a kitchen fire UPDATE

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