HORRIBLE HORRIBLE Company. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. THEY REFUSE TO PAY YOU. Once you sign up for a shop, they non- stop call, text, and e-mail you. You can't have another job or other obligations because you need to be able to answer asap or they will remove you from the shop, without pay. I completed a mystery shop last Saturday and completed all of the necessary steps they asked for. By the way, there are so many, you can't really enjoy your time there. I completed the whole assessment on Sunday and Monday. The assessments are due the next day, so you really can't do anything except the assignment and the assessment for 2 whole days. The assessment takes about 8 hours. On Tuesday, I relieved a call and I called back Thursday because I had been busy with work. At that time, they removed me from the assignment and said they won't pay me. WASTE OF TIME!! For the assessment you have to have all the names of employees, times, descriptions, features of everything and more and if your off just a little (even to the minute), they won't pay you. Also, if you don't call them back the day they called you, they won't pay you. I don't believe this is fair because of how much time I spent on the assessment. THIS COMPANY IS A JOKE. THEY CAN'T JUST NOT PAY YOU WHEN YOU WORKED FOR THEM AND SPENT OVER 24 HOURS DOING THE ASSIGNMENT AND ASSESSMENT. JUST HORRIBLE!! Does anyone know of any other mystery shopping companies that are ethically and reliable?

None that would be amenable to being yelled at and called out on a public forum because a shopper didn't follow the guidelines.

@ahazlett wrote:

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE Company. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. THEY REFUSE TO PAY YOU. Once you sign up for a shop, they non- stop call, text, and e-mail you. You can't have another job or other obligations because you need to be able to answer asap or they will remove you from the shop, without pay. I completed a mystery shop last Saturday and completed all of the necessary steps they asked for. By the way, there are so many, you can't really enjoy your time there. I completed the whole assessment on Sunday and Monday. The assessments are due the next day, so you really can't do anything except the assignment and the assessment for 2 whole days. The assessment takes about 8 hours. On Tuesday, I relieved a call and I called back Thursday because I had been busy with work. At that time, they removed me from the assignment and said they won't pay me. WASTE OF TIME!! For the assessment you have to have all the names of employees, times, descriptions, features of everything and more and if your off just a little (even to the minute), they won't pay you. Also, if you don't call them back the day they called you, they won't pay you. I don't believe this is fair because of how much time I spent on the assessment. THIS COMPANY IS A JOKE. THEY CAN'T JUST NOT PAY YOU WHEN YOU WORKED FOR THEM AND SPENT OVER 24 HOURS DOING THE ASSIGNMENT AND ASSESSMENT. JUST HORRIBLE!! Does anyone know of any other mystery shopping companies that are ethically and reliable?

speak up I cant hear u!

U R a joke. U R an IC not employee so if U didn't do shop right or answer calls/emails for 2 days I wouldnt pay u either.

No all MSC's are just like this. Suggest you don't apply to any others. There are no reliable and ethical companies.

(I'm not saying anything about another new shopper shouting and slamming a MSC after deciding not to follow the guidelines).

@ahazlett wrote:

On Tuesday, I relieved a call and I called back Thursday because I had been busy with work.

Yes, their assignments are difficult and leave you little time to enjoy the activity. But that's not the point. Most MSCs' general guidelines or contractual language states that a shopper must be available by e-mail or phone for a certain period of time after they complete a shop, in case they need additional information or clarification. No MSCs that I know of expect an immediate response. But not returning a call you received on Tuesday until Thursday a) probably violates what you agreed to in terms of availability, and b) it's just not professional.

I don't know what AA's time frame is, but I doubt any MSC would "give" you 48 hours to respond to a request.

You were busy with work 24 hours a day for two days? You couldn't e-mail them to let them know that contact by phone was difficult for you, and could they e-mail you what they needed? "Hi, I got your phone message today. It's really hard for me to talk at work; can you e-mail me your question? Or how late is someone there during the week; can I call after work hours?"

I don't do much work for them, exactly because the extraordinary detail they require means I really can't enjoy the activity I'm shopping. But they've always been fair, and have cut me some slack for failing to do something "exactly right."

I don't think you're going to find any MSC that will put up with you responding when you think you can, instead of when they need you to. Sorry....

I've done a few assignments for them and I do agree you don't enjoy much the activity as you're busy working on it. That's what they pay you for. And they pay you for a timely report as well. Put on your big boy (or girl) pants and stop throwing tantrums. By the way AA has been one of the most responsive companies I've worked with and their scheduler is great to work with.

Birdy thanks for quoting that portion of the original post. It really tells the story. The OP was busy with "work." What he or she fails to understand is the shop also qualified as work. I understand we have to prioritize. I also understand most of us would feel our main source of income is that priority. The OP needs to realize the shop was the MSC's priority and without it they do not get paid.

Let me get this straight....they called you on a Tuesday with questions, and you didn't call them back until Thursday? And you're upset with THEM? Am I missing something here?

Well most likely the OP is a fly by night I will say this
Amusement Advantage is not for most shoppers myself included but not for the reason of the OP. As most forum members no you have to expect feedback and check on shops for a few days or until they are accepted and respond to any inquires in a timely manner. I say 12 hours is fair and 48 is ridiculous and I wouldn't blame any MSP for not paying when it took a shopper that long to respond. As for there assignments most are tickets to entertainment places and maybe some reimbursements for required purchases. The reports are long and tedius and can take up to 4 hours but anyone who takes 8 is in the wrong business. I personally have yet to find the right job with them but maybe one day they will have one.

i get better results with places of amusement when I don't mystery shop them and just openly report them to consumer affairs when their machines are malfunctioning and they know it, but they leave them in service collecting money...which is illegal....that happened a few years ago....and now, when a machine breaks, it is taken out of service....

I was thinking the same thing DareWright. Most companies expect a response within 24 hours.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2016 04:12PM by pegleg2000.

>>By the way, there are so many, you can't really enjoy your time there.<<

I have worked for them for years. Scot is honest and a man of integrity. In all those years, I have had only one issue (miscommunication with the scheduler) which he quickly rectified. Their assignments require a great deal of detail and I'm not surprised that the first one took you eight hours to complete; you're probably not exaggerating there. Just like a high-end hotel or cruise, you should go into these assignments with the mindset that you are working so your guest can enjoy herself. You will likely have a good time, but you WILL be working for almost all of the time you're there.

Beware of threads started by unsuccessful shoppers who register on the forum so they can immediately start to bash a company. When the shopper did not complete the report with all the required information and didn't respond to the company's requests for additional information, they can't take responsibility for their own mess-up, so it is the company's fault and they want to make the company pay by telling the world the company is horrible, horrible.

I have done a few shops with them and have not found anything outrageous. Their pay timeline is relatively quick and the questions I get sent back from editors have been warranted.

@ahazlett wrote:

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE Company. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. THEY REFUSE TO PAY YOU. Once you sign up for a shop, they non- stop call, text, and e-mail you. You can't have another job or other obligations because you need to be able to answer asap or they will remove you from the shop, without pay. I completed a mystery shop last Saturday and completed all of the necessary steps they asked for. By the way, there are so many, you can't really enjoy your time there. I completed the whole assessment on Sunday and Monday. The assessments are due the next day, so you really can't do anything except the assignment and the assessment for 2 whole days. The assessment takes about 8 hours. On Tuesday, I relieved a call and I called back Thursday because I had been busy with work. At that time, they removed me from the assignment and said they won't pay me. WASTE OF TIME!! For the assessment you have to have all the names of employees, times, descriptions, features of everything and more and if your off just a little (even to the minute), they won't pay you. Also, if you don't call them back the day they called you, they won't pay you. I don't believe this is fair because of how much time I spent on the assessment. THIS COMPANY IS A JOKE. THEY CAN'T JUST NOT PAY YOU WHEN YOU WORKED FOR THEM AND SPENT OVER 24 HOURS DOING THE ASSIGNMENT AND ASSESSMENT. JUST HORRIBLE!! Does anyone know of any other mystery shopping companies that are ethically and reliable?

It's always hard to do a detail oriented job the first time. It sounds like you have another job and there were time problems. They give you until the next day?? Hmm sounds pretty good to me. I haven't had the chance to work with them yet, but they have fun assignments.

People are sometimes pretty evil in their responses. Yikes!

@greenwhite11 wrote:

People are sometimes pretty evil in their responses. Yikes!

What???? Evil? Because we've pointed out to the OP that he or she was in the wrong for not responding sooner? Yes, sometimes threads here get pretty nasty, and people aren't always the nicest in their replies. But I see nothing in this thread either nasty or evil--just people explaining why the OP isn't going to get paid.And for the OP to accuse AA of being "unethical" is really beyond the pale. Unethical because their shops are demanding and because they needed a response from the OP before two days went by? If you really want to get down to it, the OP can be considered out of line, not the people who responded.

I know see this from both sides. The shoppers who work very hard to do a good job so they can fulfill their obligation, and the new shopper who has now decided that the company is asking too much from her.
Complaining on the forum usually comes from a new shopper, not one who is an experienced.shopper.
The job that you have which took away from your response to new answers within 48 hours does not set precedent with AA.
I respond to schedulers all the time to let them know where I am either in the assignment or to ask questions or to respond to their requests. I usually respond sooner than 12 or 24hours.
If you took the assignment from AA, by now you know that you should have responded sooner. If you continue to be a shopper, and learn the ethics of being a shopper, then please write your schedulers and let them know where you are time wise or if you need more clarification about the shop.
This will always put you in a good communication space. If you cannot do this; please re-think if you really want to do mystery shopping.

I like working for AA. I also know that the shops are time consuming and fun. I have 3 in my area but because of weather and my time frame being tight I have not taken them. I do realize the paperwork involved. Having said that I cannot realistically take them right now knowing I cannot give it my full attention and spend the proper time to do the work. We should all read the paperwork involved and decide if we are able to complete it in the time frame required. I work for great companies and have great schedulers. I also know my limits. I have turned down many of shops because they do not fit in my schedule when it is needed to be completed. The MSC would prefer that you let them know that you may not be able to complete like needed and cancel with that said then either flake or do a bad job and talk bad about the company. As a shopper of many years I am an independent contractor and these companies are my livelihood and how I treat them is how they treat me.

stopfkn, did you crawl out from under your bridge and create this name just for this post or is your reply an example of how you submit a report to a MSC? Or are you the alter ego of ahazlett? Or one and the same?

Of course I'm saying this at the risk of being called evil by greenwhite.

I've never worked for this MSC, so I can't comment on their requirements.

I do on the other hand, try to keep my scheduler's up to date with my progress for a single shop or one of many for my day routes. I also do my best to answer any communication that may happen from the scheduler, editor or the MSC, while I'm on the road.

I've only been shopping for 3 yrs, but I have always thought it was a solid work ethic to stay in touch.

I have shopped with them for few years and have always gotten paid. They do not call me usually and just send emails if they have any questions. Yes the assignments are lengthy and probably you would not have a lot of time to enjoy your visit but I am usually doing it for my child to enjoy. Their scheduler is very pleasing to work with.

I have only done one shop for AA, but I very much enjoyed it. I was asked to shop an Arcade, and buy a $50 game card. The arcade gave me a $10 bonus for buying the $50 card. So I got to play $60 of games. I earned several points/tickets and was able to buy a Nerf Gun and a Pillow pet with those point. Plus I had an hour of fun. PLUS the $5 shopper fee. PLUS the $5 bonus for completing the report early. Yeah, it took a while, and I had to stay up late to finish it, but that's what they pay for. I did have a couple of minor mistakes and received an email the next day, but still got the bonus, because I had time to fix those mistakes before the early deadline. All in all, I enjoyed this job.

@ahazlett wrote:

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE Company. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. THEY REFUSE TO PAY YOU. Once you sign up for a shop, they non- stop call, text, and e-mail you. You can't have another job or other obligations because you need to be able to answer asap or they will remove you from the shop, without pay. I completed a mystery shop last Saturday and completed all of the necessary steps they asked for. By the way, there are so many, you can't really enjoy your time there. I completed the whole assessment on Sunday and Monday. The assessments are due the next day, so you really can't do anything except the assignment and the assessment for 2 whole days. The assessment takes about 8 hours. On Tuesday, I relieved a call and I called back Thursday because I had been busy with work. At that time, they removed me from the assignment and said they won't pay me. WASTE OF TIME!! For the assessment you have to have all the names of employees, times, descriptions, features of everything and more and if your off just a little (even to the minute), they won't pay you. Also, if you don't call them back the day they called you, they won't pay you. I don't believe this is fair because of how much time I spent on the assessment. THIS COMPANY IS A JOKE. THEY CAN'T JUST NOT PAY YOU WHEN YOU WORKED FOR THEM AND SPENT OVER 24 HOURS DOING THE ASSIGNMENT AND ASSESSMENT. JUST HORRIBLE!! Does anyone know of any other mystery shopping companies that are ethically and reliable?

idiot

I did two jobs for them and was paid quickly. I would love to do more but I am just too old or tired to go to most of the places they have. I have spoken with a couple of the employees and they were exceptionally nice and helpful.

I have only done one shop for them. I did not encounter any problems with any of the employees there. Pay was within the time frame that they said it would be. I personally just did not like doing this shop, so I have not done any more. But that's my preference, not anything bad about AA. Some folks like these shops, others don't. That is the beauty of being an IC- you can choose what shops you want to do.

I agree with Casper7776. I too have only done one shop for them, and that will probably be my only one. There was just too much detail involved. I had no problems finishing my report accurately, and was paid on time though.