Anybody leaving free feedback?

I get these emails and receipt requests all the time. "Please send us your feedback from your recent shopping experience". First thing I delete, I don't even bother. If you want my opinion, you have to pay for it (well, the forum members get it for free)

It just seems like a way companies are trying to get around shoppers and get feedback for nothing. Probably an old topic, but just got a bunch this morning when checking my email.

proudly shopping in the D.

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Replying to such requests from places that we shop is generally barred by our ICAs and/or the terms of the specific assignment. (As some MSers have learned when their reviews appeared on open reviewing sites!!!)

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Yeah, I know that. These are usually form places I don't shop. Still, I'm not leaving feedback for free, or some BYGO coupon. If these store want feedback, they need to hire some MSC.

proudly shopping in the D.

I also won't reply to those Market Force surveys that pop up from time to time. You want me to spend 10 minutes for a one in a million chance at $50 Amazon card? Please.

proudly shopping in the D.

I get emails requesting FB from places I frequent and respond to SOME of them: Chewy and Home Depot, but I'm not MS'ing those places. Let me tell you, CHEWY is very responsive and customer centric. I had an issue with one of their promoted dog foods and left a review as such. They refunded the entire bag. One thing I noticed, though was that THAT review was not posted online for other readers.

@Monk-N-Nut, yes I suppose I am not categorizing product reviews with service surveys. The surveys are what I am really complaining about. We had a Black and Decker coffee maker that my wife broke the carafe for while washing. It was impossible to find a replacement. I posted a review on their website, admitting our fault, but disappointed we just couldn't buy a new carafe for an otherwise perfectly fine coffee maker. A customer service agent replied to me and sent a brand new coffee maker. Fine for us, but still a waste of materials.

proudly shopping in the D.

I don't often get any requests from places I have visited to complete any surveys (other than the ones on the receipt, which of course I know not to do if it's a shop), but I too hate it when Marketforce and Trendsource want me to complete a survey for free (or for a possible chance at winning a gift card). I won't do it.

OTOH, I bought some Smithfield bacon that was mangled and pretty much fell apart while frying it. That would have been fine if I was using it for soup or for an omelet, but I wanted BLTs! I left a message on their website and they sent me a $5 coupon.

@JASFLALMT, your bacon experience would fall into my category of product reviews. I'm all over letting people know when they sell me junk. I suppose this barrage of email is partly my fault. It seems to come almost exclusively from merchants I have rewards cards or apps for that give me discounts. I guess that is the trade off for the benefits. Still, I won't respond to the surveys.

proudly shopping in the D.

My local Dunkin Donuts is, by far, the worst I've ever been to. I only go there in an emergency (yes, coffee emergencies exist). Today I was looking at the survey on the receipt. It asked for feedback and gave a code that you enter to start the survey. The one thing it was missing is the URL that you go to in order to take the survey. There was literally no way of taking the survey that it told you to take.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

Most companies offer an incentive for feedback. Can be something free or a discount. Yelp, Google and other sites are full of freely provided reviews.

As a patron, many people see the benefit of providing free advice. They want the company to improve, it makes their experience better.

Expecting to be reciprocated for everything you do is both selfish and not natural. Most people enjoy giving as well as receiving recognition and gifts.

My posts are solely based on my opinions and for my entertainment, contact a professional if you need real advice.

When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson

I didn't see anyone post that they expected to be reciprocated for everything that they do. Many of us are anonymous philanthropists and give to charities and other entities. But, some MSCs (like Marketforce and Trendsource) offer such meager fees to their shoppers that I don't see any good reason for me to take their surveys with no compensation.

I will answer surveys for companies I do not mystery shop for but only if it is very easy for me. If I have to call a number and press 1 thru 5 15x for no compensation I will not do it. I do not see it as competition for mystery shopping at all. I spent a lifetime working in the research field and to me these little surveys are like, well not apples to oranges but apples to maybe a small bite of an orange segment. They do not accomplish the same thing and I do not fault a company at all if they are not interested in spending what is probably big bucks to hire a full fledged mystery shop company to do their surveys. I liken that attitude to the people who sell whatever door to door and come and try to sell me a $600 vacuum cleaner when I am perfectly happy to use my $200 one. Then they tell me how great their product is to convince me to buy one and how I can "afford" it by paying it off month by month. No I did not say I cannot afford it. I said I have no interest in spending the money for the product. I do not think every company in the world needs mystery shopping at every particular point in time...
I do think there is a place for it and believe it should be considered as an option.

I recently went to a Regal movie theater and they sent me a survey to take for a chance to win a gift card. The questions were almost exactly like the ones asked on their mystery shops.

Kim

I can't even remember the last time I took a survey "for a chance to win". I either really have something to say, or I want something concrete.

Getting paid to provide feedback is how I make my living. I am certainly not going to be my own competition by working for free!

@PaulinMI wrote:

I also won't reply to those Market Force surveys that pop up from time to time. You want me to spend 10 minutes for a one in a million chance at $50 Amazon card? Please.

I actually won one of the Amazon Gift Cards from MarketForce.
I also won an Expedition from Ford.
I also won a trip from E! Wild On Series. (I took the $2,000 cash instead of the trip.)
I win a lot of stuff.

Totally agree. Anyone wants my opinion, pay.

The results of one of their surveys made the news a few months back. It named WaWa as the best in some category. I thought that was pretty neat.

WaWa is a regional convenience store for those asking "What is a WaWa?"

@PaulinMI wrote:

I also won't reply to those Market Force surveys that pop up from time to time. You want me to spend 10 minutes for a one in a million chance at $50 Amazon card? Please.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

@AZwolfman wrote:

Getting paid to provide feedback is how I make my living. I am certainly not going to be my own competition by working for free!

Exactly! I usually think to myself when the clerk mentions the survey, "not unless you pay me"

WOW, SoCalMama !!! You are a lucky one

I have won contests before, but never anything from taking a survey.

I really miss my regional grocery store that provided lots of shops last year. They discontinued their mystery shopping program and now many of the questions pop up on the checkout screen (Was the store clean and tidy, were you greeted by an associate as you shopped today, etc.) I definitely don’t answer the questions!

Susie shopping the Columbus Ohio area and outlying communities.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I didn't see anyone post that they expected to be reciprocated for everything that they do. Many of us are anonymous philanthropists and give to charities and other entities. But, some MSCs (like Marketforce and Trendsource) offer such meager fees to their shoppers that I don't see any good reason for me to take their surveys with no compensation.

The OP clearly stated the expect to be paid for their opinion. They also identified the surveys to come from the businesses, not from the MSCs. There are many posts agreeing with the OP.

I see the surveys from the MSCs in a different light. They allow us to help the MSC to potentially improve in ways that will ultimately benefit us shoppers. Just like business surveys help improve customer experience.

My posts are solely based on my opinions and for my entertainment, contact a professional if you need real advice.

When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson

In my role “on the other side,” I view survey data completely separate from that garnered by mystery shopping. The audience is decidedly different, but then again so are the questions in our case. We incentivize with a drawing and I am always thrilled to be able to contact the winners. I take surveys often because I know how important it is for companies to hear directly from their customers. Mystery shopping is a more formal checks and balances, in my opinion. They both serve a useful purpose.

I'm not opposed to giving feedback but with no incentive I won't get around to it. That incentive can be giving an employee an attaboy or getting a free burger or whatever. "A chance to win" doesn't cut it.

You might have chosen different wording. Many of us enjoy giving, and will do so generously and often without expecting anything in return, but just are not into giving our opinions for free. Your insinuation that those of us who don't wish to do so "is both selfish and not natural" isn't very nice and actually is a bit offensive (to me). I love giving and doing nice things for people, even people I don't know, but usually companies who are turning a profit utilizing people's opinions in various ways aren't among them. Just because someone doesn't want to give their opinions for free doesn't make them selfish and unnatural. SMH.

@isaiah58 wrote:

Expecting to be reciprocated for everything you do is both selfish and not natural. Most people enjoy giving as well as receiving recognition and gifts.

Eh. I don't get that worked up about it either way. They make money off of me. I make money off of them. It's not the biggest crisis facing me or anyone right now.

I'm always torn by this. On the one hand, I work in an industry that does better if a company invests in a mystery shopping or market research program. I want to see our industry thrive. On the other hand, I worked in the custom service industry for years, and I know how important those surveys can be to the employees, particularly end-of-the-call surveys for call center representatives. I almost always do those.

Administrative Manager for Shoppers' View
p: 800.264.5677 | e: christinew@shoppersview.com | w: www.shoppersview.com

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I didn't see anyone post that they expected to be reciprocated for everything that they do. Many of us are anonymous philanthropists and give to charities and other entities. But, some MSCs (like Marketforce and Trendsource) offer such meager fees to their shoppers that I don't see any good reason for me to take their surveys with no compensation.

Add Ellis to the list.

At one job, I do not have the privilege, onus, or whatever of offering incentives for your participation. I may or may not persuade or convince you to participate in a survey with me. You may swear at me so loudly that I have to hold a hand over an ear for awhile before resuming my work. I may utilize a few or many tactics when attempting to persuade you to participate today or in future. For all I know, you agree so quickly because you are the mystery shopper of the moment who is paid to evaluate my work.

I get paid. Someone gets information. Decisions [good, bad, or otherwise] may be made based upon the aggregated data.

Does it matter to anyone whether your life may be impacted via a policy or legislative decision that is based at least in part on aggregated data? If so or if not, you always have the right and designated methods to express your views for your government's consideration. As far as I know, you do not get paid for expressing yourself to your government representatives-- unless you are a duly registered lobbyist or their friend, relative, or associate who gets a little somethin' somethin' later...

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

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