I wrote a post yesterday in which I complained about my issues with Intellishop. As a new mystery shopper, I have a lot to learn. This site is helping me with that learning curve. From what I read in response to my post, and from what I've read concerning other companies, I gather that each company is different and has its quirks. I need to be very careful when reading guidelines, and I need to lower my expectations of the company's editing process and communication. In other words, stuff is going to happen and it's all a part of the biz. Thanks for all the feedback.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/2016 04:33PM by CLfromTexas.

Most seasoned shoppers would advise you not to deactivate an account with any MSC. Just don't apply for their shops. Your favorite shop could end up with the MSC you deactivated!

As for the rundown, CL, you did miss an important guideline on the Call/Visit auto shop. While I can understand missing something, it was not done according to what they wanted. Regarding the, "Spanish Only" shop, I've found numerous MSC's do not provide complete information on locations. Many make it the shoppers responsibility to check. It does not surprise me. I have been doing closed locations shops at the same address for several MSC's for the same client for the past year. I incorporate them into my on the way to other shops, I can make an easy $6. Regarding grading, welcome to the club. Intellishop nitpicks, so I've learned to accept it.

Here is my experience with Intellishop. They low ball their shops. I wait. I have performed $60 auto visits that are normally $17. I occasionally do $12 pizza carrryout/delivery shops that normally pay no fee. I add a shop because I can self-assign so if I need to add a shop or two for a route I can generally find one on their job board.

Yeah, they can be a pain. But I've made good money. I don't advocate burning bridges. Deactivate yourself so that you can re-activate if you change your mind.

I actually would not deactivate at all. Just wait it out. If you deactivate you might miss that email for a great shop. I do maybe one or two shops a year for them, and they are always nicely bonused. There are many other shops I get emails for that I am not interested. I read and just hit delete.

I won't regret because they are cheap.

Cheap? Yes. Absolutely. Don't take their shops. But don't @#$%& about them and don't deactivate. You can't know what's coming down the pike.

Let them deactivate if they want. It leaves more options for the rest of us.

I've advised for years not to deactivate. Understanding that you need to keep your options open is a major tactic in this business. Believe me, they don't care if you deactivate. The only one you hurt is yourself.

They are cheap, but they offer great bonuses. Like JAS said, you may miss out on something great if you deactivate.

Client mentioned. Only take the bonused shops at eom. Highlight the guidelines as you read them, that's what the new merchandisers do so they don't get lost, lol. Sounds like you made out alright with the idioma Espanol. If I found myself in a desperate position, I would work for them more often. I'd probably try donating plasmas or eggs first though.

I have never seen a bonus on there shops, used to work a lot for them and I got pissed over a dealership,.they were unbearable, I deactivated myself, figured if they wouldn't pay 17.00 for a well done difficult (dealership) they'll find reason not to pay for a high end job (which I've never seen). I do agree with everyone, but morally, just won't work for them. I don't really think my loss will be great, and you can always hit the re-activate button.
I don't my de-activating...I went on there site and they are still open to me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2017 11:21PM by Irene_L.A..

Their bonused shops get picked up very quickly! There was a $17 car shop that paid $100. A QSR shop that paid $60 plus reimbursement. Those shops are why I stay with them.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Their bonused shops get picked up very quickly! There was a $17 car shop that paid $100. A QSR shop that paid $60 plus reimbursement. Those shops are why I stay with them.

I understand, however, here in L.A. never a bonus..jobs stay on the board until someone takes them, usually a newbie that comes on here and complains.

Good luck to everyone!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2016 08:22PM by CLfromTexas.

I deactivated myself from a MSC after doing a miserable report and I did regret it. Since then I do not deactivate but just don't take certain shops that I know will frustrate me. As far as Intellishop goes I have been registered for about 3 years but have never taken a shop, just heard too many horror stories and there are plenty of MSC's who pay better with less headache. I watched a friend do a car shop for Intellishop and I swear it took her 2 days to complete the report. Then they kept asking for more information and delaying her payment. She finally did get paid but really I am not about to jump thru those hoops for $17 or even double that.

I take a car shop about from them once every year or two for $42-$75, No less than that. I do their casino shops once or twice a year--I get $300 or more in reimbursements and $50 to $70 for a shop fee. And it's fun!

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I do their casino shops once or twice a year--I get $300 or more in reimbursements and $50 to $70 for a shop fee. And it's fun!

HA! So you've actually got one of "those" FUN shops, eh?

Only if you like gambling, LOL. But yeah, the scheduler doesn't advertise it as such, but it really is. I have to do a bar visit, a comedy show with food and drink, 2 cocktail service interactions, and a separate dining outlet visit, plus play 3 slot machines--the cool thing is you have to put $75 in each of the 3 slot machines and play for a minimum of 30 minutes, but whatever comes back out is yours to keep! A few times I have gotten more than my $75 out of each machine, so not even including reimbursements I have ended up making over $300 in a day with my shop fee added. And the food and comedy shows were pretty good, too.

@bestofbothworlds wrote:

Most seasoned shoppers would advise you not to deactivate an account with any MSC. Just don't apply for their shops. Your favorite shop could end up with the MSC you deactivated!

I waited several years and still nothing I like, pay too low..for those who get bonus, more power to you.
Each situation is different, and probably 95% of the time, don't de-activate, I'm in the 5% with this MSC...
Bottom line, follow your gut, do what's best for you....for me, I can't kill a dead horse.

Yeah, I hardly ever get shop notifications about anything I like. Usually it's underpaid car dealership shops ($17, ugh, never in a million years).

Intellishop is one of my favorites.I can only think of one thing I had a problem with them. An auditor insinuated I lied on on something and that made me very angry. Long story short I had my shop reevaluated and I was satisfied with the outcome. I like shopping for them because the pay is fair and they pay regularly.

I understand your position, Irene. I am registered with a MSC that I will never work for again for a number of reasons. I won't deactivate my account however since I don't want to get a negative rep and see no reason to deactivate. My refusal to apply for or accept their jobs speaks volumes on its own.

They pay great bonuses, they dont beat you up if you are a day or a few hours behind and they have a vast array of shops. They are one of the few that are my bread and butter, may want to hang on to them.

@bestofbothworlds, great words of wisdom! I deactivated a MSC once early on before I knew better. After I deactivated with a particular MSC, I started seeing all these great paying shops from them that I could not accept since I had chosen to deactivate. Now for some MSC's, I just don't accept any assignments. I love Intellishop they are a great place to learn some really good habits. The Editors can be particular and that's okay you will learn to appreciate them. I remember when I got my first Score of a "10" from them, I was so excited because I had to work hard for it. Now i do so many shops that sometimes, I am just as happy with a score of "9". You also want to be kind and courteous to the Editors and Schedulers.

@bestofbothworlds wrote:

Most seasoned shoppers would advise you not to deactivate an account with any MSC. Just don't apply for their shops. Your favorite shop could end up with the MSC you deactivated!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2016 11:49AM by succeedin2.

Last October - December I did so well with them financially! My experience was different I did several comparisons for $60 and I've even completed a couple that paid $90. They are easy to work with and if I have an issue, I can get someone on the phone.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Yeah, I hardly ever get shop notifications about anything I like. Usually it's underpaid car dealership shops ($17, ugh, never in a million years).

Just my 2 cents about intellishop.. I took a comic book shop from them. It was the first one I had ever did. I was damn sure I followed all the guidelines. They claimed I didnt inquire about both comics. I clearly did. I emailed them several times with no response from them ever. They gave me a shop rating of 1 and have never assigned me a single shop since. I personally think they aren't worth it considering how cheap they are.

Look, many MSC, like MFI start low and work up high. It is a business model. They are the pros. They are in business. So one month I made a boat load from MFI bonused shops. The next, bupkus. I take a low ball shop to fill in my dance card. I've made mistakes with MFI and Intellishop. They have forgiven me. This is about delivering a good product and making money.

Whosear You Better Preach!!!! After all we are our own Brand.

@whosear wrote:

Look, many MSC, like MFI start low and work up high. It is a business model. They are the pros. They are in business. So one month I made a boat load from MFI bonused shops. The next, bupkus. I take a low ball shop to fill in my dance card. I've made mistakes with MFI and Intellishop. They have forgiven me. This is about delivering a good product and making money.

Don't quit. I have had good shops from intellishop. Since you are new, remember the reviewers can be different. As with any job, mystery shopping has it's ups and downs. You will have more ups. Goodluck!
From Gweniepie

Stage Mom and succeedin2 ...What...are you speaking about Intellishop? You do not need to look far to see how many times they have had conflicts with reliable Shoppers. I would warn against their senior living shops. The pay may seem good but there are numerous narratives. Which their editors are constantly asking for clarification even when one has covered all the negatives and positives plus matrix list (comprehension /language barrier?).

It may take over a week to complete the 3 phases: pre-call, appointment, tour then wait more time to see if they follow up. Then a week later on a Friday night they email you wanting clarifications immediately or within 12 hours, even though they may only work 9-5 M-F. Come Monday the proofreader says it looks good, but then you get an email stating it is unusuable due to time frames. It makes one wonder, since they are not open on weekends. Will they really not be using your work since it is not even the end of the month? So it is hard to deal with that treatment since their survey takes more than a hour and a half, plus more time if they cannot seem to follow along. Or if you get a sales associate who just can't seem to do the checklist and you have to state, no they did not do xyz. Most people may take hours on end to do these narratives.

Having done dozens of these senior living and apartment shops, I have worked with several MSCs over the years. Ninety Eight percent of them will work with you on the deadlines because they know the time invested and complexities. My first mistake was thinking that IntelliShop would have such a reasonable attitude. There are very few shops I will do for them anymore unless I know that it is a cut and dried report and depending who the Scheduler /Editors.

Hope this helps...sometimes it is not just that they are very picky. It is more about being unreasonable about requesting for clarification over the weekend.