We have all seen the discussions about the company who dropped a decent payment amount twice within the last year. At first I was upset, and voiced my concerns with the scheduler. While I am not really comfortable with the payment for the amount of work, I thought I would share my reasons for sticking with the company for now.

1. The client has been through some rough times, and I am still not sure how much of that is truly their fault. The client put this program into place because they wanted to do the right thing for their customers and pay a fair wage to all as well. They ran into some issues, and had to tighten up the purse strings. Each of the big changes was accompanied by some very public issues for the company. I know that it does not pay our bills, but they were trying to do the right thing and our pay decrease can be seen as a direct result.
2. The MS company has been trying to keep things fair for the client and the shopper. When I started doing these shops, they gave me a little wiggle room when I needed it to get the job done the right way. Even when I expressed my disappointment in the last round of changes, they stayed professional and di not "fire back". I did not get nasty, but they did listen and understand. The truth is, they are trying to keep the program afloat, and benefit both the client and the shopper.
3. The MS company did their best to reduce the required outlay amount, without reducing the quality of the report. While there has been a little added writing, and the outlay difference does not quite make up for the pay difference, the attempt was really made. They did not just slam the door and say "Take it or leave it!"

While I understand that a lot of this is the cost of doing business for both sides, I will stand with the MS company while their client goes trough their trials, for as long as I can make it work by adding other shops near the locations. The MS company gave me a break, and I will return the favor. The company was very honest about the profit loss being the reason for the reduction. I may be looking through rose colored glasses, but I think that the pay might return with the profits for both the client and the company. In the meantime, I will continue to do my best for them until I feel like it is just too much.

The CEO takes over $20 million in compensation.
I stick with profitable work.

He's the CEO. He deserves over $20M.

jroby, very well stated.

Loyalty is an underrated trait in today's world.

Good on ya!

Contrary to OP experience, this same MSC left me in the cold after asking a question of them, not so thing as a two way street.

IMO no CEO deserves to make over $20 Million when the people who are doing the "field work" have to take a pay cut. Loyalty is a 2-way street.

@JennyG wrote:

IMO no CEO deserves to make over $20 Million when the people who are doing the "field work" have to take a pay cut. Loyalty is a 2-way street.

I agree with what you are saying, but applying it to Independent Contractors is off-kilter. We are not employed by Chipotle. If I learn that the employees of Chipotle are asked to take a cut in salary while the CEO continues to make a high salary, I will be somewhat incensed. Chipotle has negotiated a new deal with the MSC that performs their mystery shops, paying a lower fee. Both Chipotle and the MSC have agreed to the new fee. Presumably, because of the lowered fee Chipotle has negotiated with its service provider, the MSC, the MSC is posting lower fees. Independent Contractors, who are contracting with the MSC, can continue to do the assignments at lower fees or choose not to do those assignments.

Sorry jroby1, the MSC is not loyal to its independent contractors and does have a "my way or the highway" policy. I've been a contractor with them for 4 years and have taken on numerous extra shops out of my way when the scheduler had a hard time filling them.

This month I respectfully declined my shops and was canned the same day. Where was my break?

Apparently the company has no intention of returning its fees otherwise I would have been kept, but that's the name of the game.

Never take a company's explanation for changes at face value. The victim mentality the MSC plays is a ruse to get to you to make an emotionally based decision instead of a rational one. If you feel the company's pay is inadequate, don't take the shops. If the con of being canned with no pay outweighs the negative of low pay, then by all means take the shops.

But whatever you do, don't make your decisions to shop by feeling sorry for a MSC that is using a facade.

I totally understand doing work that is not profitable or isn't really worth the time for what you're getting paid. I do it occasionally. What I don't understand is doing that kind of work when that kind of work is the only work that MSC has. That's not loyalty. That's lining their pockets with your money. When I do it it's because that company has taken care of me and I don't mind taking care of them as well.

@JennyG wrote:

IMO no CEO deserves to make over $20 Million when the people who are doing the "field work" have to take a pay cut. Loyalty is a 2-way street.

That's capitalism for you. It makes me sad when people are so blindingly loyal to their employer when they can be dropped on a dime if upper management can replace them with someone cheaper. Most CEOs and executives treat their employees as pawns who are a means to an end. We should have the same mentality about the companies for whom we work.

@jrwb6e wrote:

Sorry jroby1, the MSC is not loyal to its independent contractors and does have a "my way or the highway" policy. I've been a contractor with them for 4 years and have taken on numerous extra shops out of my way when the scheduler had a hard time filling them.

This month I respectfully declined my shops and was canned the same day. Where was my break?

Apparently the company has no intention of returning its fees otherwise I would have been kept, but that's the name of the game.

.

jrwb6e - You also told the MSC the following as per another of your posts:

"The company showed how much a bunch of d-bags the employees are. I declined my shops this month and said I would do them again if the fees returned. "

Since they don't intend to change the fees, I can understand them deactivating you. Why should they continue to offer you shops if you told them you would not do them. That would only cause extra scheduling hassles for them.

The CEO pay structure has gotten so out-of-kilter in the past 30-40 years or so. CEOs and other executives making millions upon millions in salary, bonuses, and golden parachute packages is simply highway robbery.

Up until the 70s or so, there was an unwritten rule of thumb that the CEO and other executives would not make more than 50 times the wages of the lowest paid employee within that company. Many used this as a benchmark of sorts when evaluating the health, morality, and execution of a company. By using this formula, in order for the upper management to make more money, they had to bring the employees along with them money-wise. I think the saying that 'A rising tide raises all ships.' is aptly appropriate in this situation.

Since then, greed has been the mantra and CEOs have become some of the worst when it comes to making insane amounts of money on the shoulders of shareholders and lower-level employees.

@kenasch wrote:

Since they don't intend to change the fees, I can understand them deactivating you. Why should they continue to offer you shops if you told them you would not do them. That would only cause extra scheduling hassles for them.

When did I say I expected the MSC to keep offering me shops for the new fee? You can keep someone activated in the database without having to offer them shops. That's the flexibility with independent contractors as compared to employees. If what the MSC said was true about "wanting to pay us better again when things improve", then I shouldn't have been canned. I was dropped the same day I declined the shops after four years of service.

Forgive me for being a little upset at the time.

@jrwb6e wrote:

Forgive me for being a little upset at the time.

A little upset sounds like an understatement .... and it sounds like you're still pretty upset.......

@roflwofl wrote:

A little upset sounds like an understatement .... and it sounds like you're still pretty upset.......

I really don't care how you think I feel.

I'm in a situation where I believe I have a good, respectful relationship with the scheduler. There have also been shoppers that are no longer available in my area. I let her know ahead of time if I am not available, and the scheduler often gives a heads up if there will be a change in the scheduling. I'm satisfied with the relationship for now.

@msimon-2000 - I really appreciated your well-thought post. You bring up good points.

I will continue to do these shops...for now. If they lower the fee again in the next year, I'm done. I have to weigh the pros and cons. Pros: they still pay better than fast food, and the food is pretty good. Cons: the report takes me 45 minutes (or more if there are a lot of issues on this visit), ordering one taco does not fill me up, some of the KQs are a nuisance (gluten allergy), and it involves making a phone call as well.

Did you see that the CEO makes over 1000x the wage of their lowest paid employee?

@msimon-2000 wrote:

The CEO pay structure has gotten so out-of-kilter in the past 30-40 years or so. CEOs and other executives making millions upon millions in salary, bonuses, and golden parachute packages is simply highway robbery.

Up until the 70s or so, there was an unwritten rule of thumb that the CEO and other executives would not make more than 50 times the wages of the lowest paid employee within that company. Many used this as a benchmark of sorts when evaluating the health, morality, and execution of a company. By using this formula, in order for the upper management to make more money, they had to bring the employees along with them money-wise. I think the saying that 'A rising tide raises all ships.' is aptly appropriate in this situation.

Since then, greed has been the mantra and CEOs have become some of the worst when it comes to making insane amounts of money on the shoulders of shareholders and lower-level employees.

Yes, I did. That was the whole point of my post.

@SoCalMama wrote:

Did you see that the CEO makes over 1000x the wage of their lowest paid employee?

@msimon-2000 wrote:

The CEO pay structure has gotten so out-of-kilter in the past 30-40 years or so. CEOs and other executives making millions upon millions in salary, bonuses, and golden parachute packages is simply highway robbery.

Up until the 70s or so, there was an unwritten rule of thumb that the CEO and other executives would not make more than 50 times the wages of the lowest paid employee within that company. Many used this as a benchmark of sorts when evaluating the health, morality, and execution of a company. By using this formula, in order for the upper management to make more money, they had to bring the employees along with them money-wise. I think the saying that 'A rising tide raises all ships.' is aptly appropriate in this situation.

Since then, greed has been the mantra and CEOs have become some of the worst when it comes to making insane amounts of money on the shoulders of shareholders and lower-level employees.

I agree that CEO pay for many companies is outrageous. Why would a company pay that much? Why do they ALL pay that much? And why do we pay sports figures so much? Outrageous. Did you know that NBA players are the highest-paid athletes in the world with the average player making $4.6 million in the 2014-15 season. Unbelievable. Why?

We have a society of "Haves" and "Have Nots." Some jobs are valued at huge salaries. Most are not.

Just as comparison, entry level requirement to be hired by Chipotle is at least 16 years old. No high school diploma or GED is required. In my area of the country, there is no requirement to be able to speak English.

@roflwofl wrote:

Did you know that NBA players are the highest-paid athletes in the world with the average player making $4.6 million in the 2014-15 season. Unbelievable. Why?

Because the NBA has large amounts of income. Prices to go to games keeps going up because people keep paying the prices. Cable prices keep going up because ESPN et al keep paying more and more for the rights. People continue to buy $200 jerseys with the right name or team on them. And the current collective bargaining agreement ensures that a certain percent of the gross receipts go to players. Since basketball teams are much smaller than football or baseball teams that means there's more to go around per player.

Sports figures are "worth" what they are paid because people continue to watch the sports that they play and do not seem to be concerned with how much they pay to watch them. It is the most free market economy of just about any business in the US.

@jrwb6e wrote:

This month I respectfully declined my shops and was canned the same day. Where was my break?

Apparently the company has no intention of returning its fees otherwise I would have been kept, but that's the name of the game.

Never take a company's explanation for changes at face value. The victim mentality the MSC plays is a ruse to get to you to make an emotionally based decision instead of a rational one. If you feel the company's pay is inadequate, don't take the shops. If the con of being canned with no pay outweighs the negative of low pay, then by all means take the shops.

But whatever you do, don't make your decisions to shop by feeling sorry for a MSC that is using a facade.

I respectfully disagree with you jrwb6e. If you declined your shops, after getting assigned them, you were leaving the scheduler on the hook to reschedule those shops. Now if you gave the scheduler advanced notice, that is another story. We were given' advanced notice of the decrease in pay. And it had been discussed in great length on here. So I would have canned your arse too, if you had left me on the hook, without giving me time to reassigned those assignments, before the beginning of February. Now if you did give advance notice, then that would be considered Respectfully declining to shop for the MSC. That being said, this MSC will erase your account, if you decline all your assignments, in consecutive months (not sure the number of consecutive months), thus they may have been, being proactive; you would have been canned eventually anyways.

I did a job last year for $60.00 which was more than fair and was 3 miles from my home. I was offered same job different location, 60 miles RT. for $30.00 just now. Excellent company but cutting pay in half for more time involving (travel). I want to do it, but not for 30 bucks. Don't get me wrong, I like this company, but 1 1/2 hours driving, 40 minutes at facility and another 40 for report = 2 hours/40 minutes is minimum wage if that. I asked for more and haven't heard a word, job is still sitting. I do these jobs well, having experience with my sister, it seems experience no longer counts for some MSC's.
I don't want to hear they have no money....I actually think the CEO should hire in house shoppers and pay
higher fees, getting quality work down the line. I for one am thinking of approaching the heads and offering myself (to work)......Sports figures are in a league of their own as are Rappers who now live in Bel Aire. Remember they have short work lives and suffer many disabilities as do fighters. They also have endorsements.

as for deactivation, MF is known to do that, personally except for them, I doubt they bother unless they have good reason.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2017 03:40PM by Irene_L.A..

@roflwofl wrote:

I agree that CEO pay for many companies is outrageous. Why would a company pay that much? Why do they ALL pay that much? And why do we pay sports figures so much? Outrageous. Did you know that NBA players are the highest-paid athletes in the world with the average player making $4.6 million in the 2014-15 season. Unbelievable. Why?

We have a society of "Haves" and "Have Nots." Some jobs are valued at huge salaries. Most are not.

Just as comparison, entry level requirement to be hired by Chipotle is at least 16 years old. No high school diploma or GED is required. In my area of the country, there is no requirement to be able to speak English.

Unbelievable?

Without those entertainers and athletes, which is a considerably small quantity of compared to the general population, those businesses such as the NBA will not generate BILLIONS of dollars for them. Since you used the NBA for example, the total players in the NBA right now is somewhere between 500-1,000 players. These players are the faces of the NBA and generate the billions of dollars. If anything, they are underpaid for the amount of money they generate for their respective teams.

As for us 'normal' folks? We're easily replaceable and do not create the demand these entertainers do. If mystery shopping companies are required to work with only select exclusively from a pool of around 1,000 to cover businesses around the world, then it would be likely we would be expected much higher pay.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2017 08:38PM by Tarantado.

@Lady Marius wrote:

I respectfully disagree with you jrwb6e. If you declined your shops, after getting assigned them, you were leaving the scheduler on the hook to reschedule those shops. Now if you gave the scheduler advanced notice, that is another story. We were given' advanced notice of the decrease in pay. And it had been discussed in great length on here. So I would have canned your arse too, if you had left me on the hook, without giving me time to reassigned those assignments, before the beginning of February. Now if you did give advance notice, then that would be considered Respectfully declining to shop for the MSC. That being said, this MSC will erase your account, if you decline all your assignments, in consecutive months (not sure the number of consecutive months), thus they may have been, being proactive; you would have been canned eventually anyways.

If one does not follow their Facebook page or this board regularly, then how is one supposed to know about the drop in pay until the first day of the month? I was very busy in January and did not check this board during that time. But congratulations to you on knowing the drop in pay in advance.

I established that I worked for the company for four years and went out my way to do extra shops as a favor to my scheduler when deadlines were approaching. I haven't been declining shops in the past.

Because I am an independent contractor and not an employee, there was no rational reason to delete my account if the company was sincere about returning to previous fees when times were better. Most likely the company had no intention of returning to previous fees and that they could get new people to accept the new price floor, therefore, I became expendable.

I will agree to disagree with you, and leave it at that jrwb6e. I am sorry you did not know about the pay decrease in advance. I am also sorry that you feel you were treated so poorly by the MSC. So far my experience has been different with this company. (My scheduler actually let me know by email about the decrease. I am uncertain why all the schedulers did not do the same for others.)

You would have been deactivated for inactivity, whether you believe that or not. Moving on. I have better things to do than agrue about an issue of which I have no part, or stake in.

Hope you have a pleasant day.

When I shopped for them I declined shops several times and never had a problem. The month shop assignments were offered to you first, there was no requirement to accept them and no penalty for not. Perhaps that has changed since I last shopped with them but if accepting whatever shop they decide to put on your board is mandatory then that makes their shoppers employees and not independent contractors.

Bgriffin, if you are responding to me. I was talking about declining ALL your assignments in consecutive months. We are all free to decline shops, with this MSC. I have heard from other shoppers (I do not know any personally) who have had their accounts deleted for inactivity. And all they did was decline ALL their assignments for awhile. Could have been due to lack of communication with the scheduler. (But can not begin to guess the MSC's motivation in deleted the accounts).

This MSC is not the only MSC to employ this method of purging their database of ICs which are not working with them currently. I am also not so sure that once inactivated a shopper can not be reactivated, especially if they have been a loyal, reliable and dependable shopper for 4 years. But I would only be speculating with that as well.

(And in case you do not know. This MSC sends out an email for each shop they wish to offer you for the month. And the shopper has to Decline of Accept them. This MSC does not have a traditional Job Board).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2017 10:30PM by Lady Marius.

It doesn't matter how many you decline or not. The shop offers at the beginning of the month are only shop offers. They are not an agreement between two parties until the offer is accepted. Deactivating a shopper simply for declining work however is a violation of independent contractor regulations.

Ok. I will agree to disagree with you as well Bgriffin. This MSC is not the only company to use inactivity as a reason for deactivation. Their definition of inactivity may differ from yours, but it appears that this MSC, at least partially defines Inactivity as declining ALL your assignments for a # of Consecutive months. (Once again I do not know what the magic number of consecutive months). Sorry but that is their perogotive. They can chose to no longer offer assignments, or to no longer have you in their database if they chose to.