Chili's

@Threemom wrote:

but the rating itself is partially to protect you. It ensures high-end shops go to shoppers who are likely to be successful with them. Otherwise, many people would end up eating the cost of their rejected shops.

I think the kids would call this a "hot take"

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

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It's no different than a company who starts you out with a 5 rating and requires an 8 or higher for certain shops. You perform a relatively easy shop with a small cash outlay. If you do well your score goes up and you gain access to harder shops that put more money on the line.

I know the sore spot is that they don't reveal the scores to you, and I really don't understand why that is.


@bgriffin

I think the kids would call this a "hot take"[/quote
wrote:

The problem with this argument is there is a hotel brand that actually pays a fee and is available to their lowest rated shoppers and there are food shops the reimburse $20 that are only available to their highest rated shoppers.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
Big data breach reported today. If you used a credit card at Chili’s in March or April of this year, you need to keep track of your credit card charges.
@SoCalMama wrote:

If you used a credit card anywhere at any time, you need to keep track of your credit card charges.

Fixed it for ya winking smiley

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
Removed.
Moderator Note:

Post removed as it breached the Forum guideline which states, "Do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies". Additionally, it is usually an ICA violation to name both the MSC and client.

@bgriffin wrote:

@SoCalMama wrote:

If you used a credit card anywhere at any time, you need to keep track of your credit card charges.

When I did my Chils shop last month I paid with cash. When I did my TRH shop last week I paid cash.

When I go out to eat fast food before work or after work, I either cash or my debit card. It is very very seldom I use my credit card any more.
@MickeyB wrote:

@bgriffin wrote:

Control.

Disagree. It's so the editors - who handle a lot of shops (remember, this is a quantity MSC, they have a TON of shops moving through there every month) do not have to spend time talking to shoppers about "why did you mark me down" and "why didn't you give me a higher grade" ... instead the editors can focus on giving helpful information to shoppers to improve the quality of their shops/reports instead of debating over rather or not that should have been a G1 or G2 score.

While every MSC has their issues, I truly believe the two owners of XXX are two of the most genuine, kindest people I have ever met and "control" is the last thing they are trying to do.

But they don't give quality feedback. And your rating changes for reasons besides report quality.

There were actually 3 owners, the 2 who started the company and 1 who came in a few years later as their systems guy. They no longer own the company as of 2 weeks ago today when it's sale to a venture capital company closed.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2018 05:20PM by bgriffin.
I did the bar shop and my total bill was $37 even with an extra beer and a guest. It's possible to come in under the reimbursement. It's a super easy narrative, so I'd do it again. One of the easiest shops I've done.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2018 05:06PM by quovatis.
BGriffin....so you are saying the msc was bought out? Not Chili's? It would be interesting to hear any other news you might come across about this. Probably this will mean some changes...good or bad for shoppers we will find out sometime in the future I guess.

There were actually 3 owners, the 2 who started the company and 1 who came in a few years later as their systems guy. They no longer own the company as of 2 weeks ago today when it's sale to a venture capital company closed.[/quote]
The MSC was purchased by a venture capital firm two weeks ago today. Two of the owners retired and the third one stayed to run the company. They say there will be no changes.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
@bgriffin wrote:

The MSC was purchased by a venture capital firm two weeks ago today. Two of the owners retired and the third one stayed to run the company. They say there will be no changes.

So still extorting pizza for other shops. Business as usual. Nice.
They were asked that question directly and they talked around it.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
I can report that pizza shop in under 10 minutes I don’t see what the big deal is ?
I am now getting emails begging someone to help with the Chilis shops in New Mexico claiming they are so easy. I thought about it until I read the guidelines and said no way. How do you take photos discretely when you have to basically stand up to take the pictures of the entire table? And $35 with no payment no thanks. My time and reports are worth something. Besides I have done a few shops for this company and no matter how you do the report and how much information you give they ALWAYS come back and want more.
I did two of them and the report was painless. They did not ask me for more info. The pictures were easy and no one noticed me. You can quickly stand and even a slight angle of the table is acceptable. Sign up for the rewards program for even more value.
Ok, I’ve done this shop twice. The first time I took the photo from above. The second time I took it seated at an angle. Both shops were accepted. For the first shop, they asked for more info. I made sure to include what was missed from the first shop the second time, and they said it was perfect. I had fun taking my kids and having one on one time with them, so I might do it again in the future.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2018 10:41PM by ladymacleod.
@cindycribbs wrote:

I am now getting emails begging someone to help with the Chilis shops in New Mexico claiming they are so easy. I thought about it until I read the guidelines and said no way. How do you take photos discretely when you have to basically stand up to take the pictures of the entire table? And $35 with no payment no thanks. My time and reports are worth something. Besides I have done a few shops for this company and no matter how you do the report and how much information you give they ALWAYS come back and want more.

If you are receiving emails from the editor, it means that your narratives were not clear and did not address ALL the points in the multiple choice. I rarely receive an email requesting more information, sometimes only when it is a new shop that I haven't done before.

Typically, I write my narrative by restating the multiple choice questions and providing additional clarity. It takes a little longer and some scrolling, but it saves the surprise email and having to respond in a timely manner.
I did one shop for CHili's a few months ago and put a fair amount of narratives. The pictures were all done properly and the shop was accepted.
How much narrative are you actually doing for the shop?'
Doing one tonight so I am curious as to the amount of narrative.
About a week after I did the lunch one, I received a text asking if I could do the supper one.

I texted back and said what are the requirements. A few minutes later she said that I could not do it because I did the lunch one the week before.


Hopefully I can do it again when it is my turn
Just did the dinner bar version of this shop. It seemed even easier than the dining room visit. I wish all reports could be this easy and straight forward. Pictures of the bar top were no problem. It was happy hour so the reimbursement went even father.
Shoot, got home and realized my dinner after picture was a touch blurry, everything else was perfect, and I am pretty sure they guessed I was a shopper, because no one else was getting up to take pictures of their table. Also, the amount of attention I got after doing it from the manager, lead waitress, and multiple random folks who were not my waitress made it seem obvious that they knew what that picture meant. The dinning room is wide open, and very bright, not sure how anyone takes a picture without at least one server seeing it when they do these shops. Good thing I don't care, no skin off my back, as long as they don't out me I will still judge them based on the service I received.

Orlando - lightly shopping NC
@macrophage wrote:

@cindycribbs wrote:

I am now getting emails begging someone to help with the Chilis shops in New Mexico claiming they are so easy. I thought about it until I read the guidelines and said no way. How do you take photos discretely when you have to basically stand up to take the pictures of the entire table? And $35 with no payment no thanks. My time and reports are worth something. Besides I have done a few shops for this company and no matter how you do the report and how much information you give they ALWAYS come back and want more.

If you are receiving emails from the editor, it means that your narratives were not clear and did not address ALL the points in the multiple choice. I rarely receive an email requesting more information, sometimes only when it is a new shop that I haven't done before.

Typically, I write my narrative by restating the multiple choice questions and providing additional clarity. It takes a little longer and some scrolling, but it saves the surprise email and having to respond in a timely manner.

On some shops, if they fail to meet the timing requirements, the editors are required to send you an email to follow up and confirm.

I used to do a beauty store shop. The cashier was required to point out the product of the month. I would write, "The product of the month was XXXX. It was signed and displayed at the register. The cashier did not suggest or mention it." Every month, I got a phone call or an email to confirm that it was not offered. Sometimes, it is a client requirement to confirm something, even if it was clearly written in the narrative.
I recently completed one of these shops. The report was extremely easy. I have completed other restaurant shops for them that were ten times the work. Chili's has a three for $20 promotion now. You can absolutely eat there for $35.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2018 08:37PM by Niner.
@Niner wrote:

I recently completed on of these shops. The report was extremely easy. I have completed other restaurant shops for them that were ten times the work. Chili's has a three for $20 promotion now. You can absolutely eat there for $35.

I just heard back, they are going to send my report on but my one slightly blurry picture from after will probably sink the report. Oh well....the pictures in an open bright restaurant are a dead giveaway that you are shopping them. No one takes a picture of the entire table AFTER you eat for yelp or facebook or whatever, so I rushed mine. Still a good meal, and worth the money I spent if I don't get reimbursed. Don't sweat the small (or blurry) stuff, right?

Orlando - lightly shopping NC
I like having my phone with a second lens for wide angles. It lets you take pictures of things much closer and it's easier to act like you're just texting or looking at something on your phone. I usually do the bar visit for this shop, and I can easily get the table in the frame without even standing up.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2018 02:12PM by quovatis.
What kind of phone do you have that it comes with lens attachments?? Mine is just a normal phone with the camera built into the back of it (Android).

Thanks.

@quovatis wrote:

I like having my phone with a second lens for wide angles. It lets you take pictures of things much closer and it's easier to act like you're just texting or looking at something on your phone. I usually do the bar visit for this shop, and I can easily get the table in the frame without even standing up.

Orlando - lightly shopping NC
It's not a lens attachment, it just has 2 cameras on the back, one with a wide-angle lens. This is becoming more common these days. My particular phone is an LG V20.

@oteixeira wrote:

What kind of phone do you have that it comes with lens attachments?? Mine is just a normal phone with the camera built into the back of it (Android).

Thanks.

@quovatis wrote:

I like having my phone with a second lens for wide angles. It lets you take pictures of things much closer and it's easier to act like you're just texting or looking at something on your phone. I usually do the bar visit for this shop, and I can easily get the table in the frame without even standing up.
deleted
Moderator Note:

Post deleted as it breaches Forum rules to ask, either in public or PM, which MSC is associated with which shop (and vice versa).

marks5, because mystery shoppers are required to sign Independent Contractor Agreements (ICA), which almost always contain strict confidentiality clauses, anyone signed up with the company that shops {the company you asked about} cannot answer your question. In addition, because of confidentiality requirements, our forum guidelines state "Do not reveal the clients of mystery shopping companies."

We do have a list of mystery shopping companies to sign up with: [www.mysteryshopforum.com]

Many posters here are signed up with at least 50; some have signed up with all or most of the companies on the list. The more companies you sign up with, the more opportunities you will see.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2018 01:44PM by roflwofl.
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