I have been having trouble with several companies lately with what there guidelines state versus what they actually want done. Is it just me?

One company - Visit xxx address upstairs to conduct a visit at xxx.

I complete the report. Company declines shop for not visiting the correct location. There were two stores at one address and "upstairs" was the indicator that I was to visit one over the other. Except you have to go upstairs to visit both.

(After several emails I was paid.)

Another company - Order only ONE item, if your receipt has more than one item you will not be paid.

I order one item on the receipt and a few minutes later I order another item. Company says you were only supposed to order ONE item.

For how long for an hour, 24 hours. I thought the receipt was an indicator of time, but...

Another company - Call or go online to verify store hours before conducting shop. If the store is closed when you arrive, but you can still do x, complete the shop.

Phone number is disconnected, but the website gives me the hours. I arrive the store is closed, but I can buy x so I complete the shop.

Company says, "You didn't visit during business hours. You are supposed to know that it wouldn't have been open, the hours on the website are for the x purchase." (even though the website didn't say that)

How do you deal with these guidelines?

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2019 08:22PM by Flyy1220.

I agree. I don't have an answer for you though. I am doing a shop where I could not find information in the survey but the scheduler said that the instructions were located there. I went back and said that those instructions were not on my copy. How does that happen, especially info very relevant to the shop?

Yes and its usually the editors that have something to say. So your professional job is to edit written documents, but you can't edit your own to make sense.

I had an issue with location a few times. Sometimes it can be remedied by calling the store/kiosk to find out exactly where they are located (e.g. if there are a few kiosks/stores from the brand/company in a mall). In one instance, there were 3 kiosks in the mall and I was required to shop 2 of them. No phone number was provided and the instructions did not give me enough information to determine which of the 3 kiosks I needed to visit. The MSC was unable to give me any additional info so in the end I declined both shops as I have been burned in the past for visiting the "wrong one".

I think with some companies, especially those that contract out their editing and scheduling work (which is most of them), the editors and schedulers are trying to interpret the guidelines as much as you are. So the scheduler tells you one thing and the editor believes something else. The MSC isn't approached for clarification until there is a conflict that can't be brushed off. Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often and after doing the job a few times the shopper figures out what the MSC wants.

Usually the first step is to contact your scheduler unless you get an email from the editor and then you would deal with them on whatever the issue is first. There is not enough information in your post for me to make suggestions as I have never seen an instruction that is so vague.
So for your first issue generally when there is a job in a shopping mall where there are two locations of the same store they give you the suite number you should go to. The one I have seen often with 2 locations is a sun glass store. It can be difficult to know which is which as in the malls around here the stores do not have individual addresses on the door. If there were two locations they should have let you know that. Fortunately you did get paid for that one and your effort hopefully will help the next shopper if they add pertinent info into the instructions.
Your issue with the restaurant...How do they even know you ordered something else? Did you send them two receipts from your first and your second order? Or perhaps they looked at a video tape. But generally IF it is okay to order more than what they ask you to order the instructions will tell you that. This job specifically says only to order one item or you will not get paid so while on this particular shop it sounds as though you should not order anything else.
In any case if anything at all sounds iffy it is best to contact the scheduler before you shop and get clarification. If you can get it in writing then you will have back up to show if they reject your job. I have in the past sent an email clarification from the scheduler to the editor and they have approved the shop based on that.

Thank you for your tips.

Flyy1220 I'm not sure where you are shopping, but a kiosk and a store are two different places. I used to own a kiosk, free standing in a mall. You ordered two items on a receipt that stated one item? I don't understand that you ordered another item later on the same receipt. This is not just a receipt about time. I also don't understand about the closed shop.

I am still trying to understand what happened. You ordered an item, paid for it, got a receipt. Then later, you ordered a second item, paid for it, and got a second receipt. If that is what happened, how would they know that you ordered a second item unless you submitted (for some reason) a second receipt.

The only other thing that I can imagine is that you ordered one item. Before paying, you ordered a second item. You paid for both and got a single receipt. If that is what happened, then you didn't follow the instructions because the receipt has two items on it.

@Flyy1220 wrote:

Another company - Order only ONE item, if your receipt has more than one item you will not be paid.

I order one item on the receipt and a few minutes later I order another item. Company says you were only supposed to order ONE item.

For how long for an hour, 24 hours. I thought the receipt was an indicator of time, but...

@Flyy1220 wrote:

I have been having trouble with several companies lately with what there guidelines state versus what they actually want done. Is it just me?

How do you deal with these guidelines?

I immediately put that shop on my "DNS" (Do Not Shop) list and never shop them again.

I just had an experience where the guidelines stated "you can order whatever food and beverages you wish" and did not place restrictions on the types of things you could order and the editor responds to my report and says "next time order an entree." I'm annoyed that it directly conflicts with the guidelines that they are so repetitive in telling you to review. Especially if you don't follow the guidelines these companies are quick to deny payment. No harm since she approved the shop anyway but still annoying.

Not enough information.

It sometimes baffles my mind why people try to talk in circles. I had to do a and b but a and b couldn't both be done. Why not just say what a and b are so we don't have to sit here and try to figure out what you're doing? I mean I get it if we're talking about shops that aren't available to the general public but 95% of the time it's not a big deal.

I can't tell what you did vs what the guidelines say. Like maybe there's a building with a Five Guys downstairs and a Wendy's upstairs and you had a Five Guys shop but went to Wendy's because it was the one upstairs? I dunno. That's what I understand but I could be wrong?

Was the second one a restaurant shop? How did they know you ordered the second item? If they're concerned about timing then what if you ordered a burger and then went back and ordered fries and they assumed that you're a normal person who would want your fries and burger at the same time so they waited until both were done? I dunno. You didn't give enough information.

How can you buy something if the store is closed? Did you break in? Was it a vending machine? Why not give enough information?

It's been my experience that sometimes guidelines are poorly written. It's also been my experience that when you point out the problems to a good company they will fix the issue. Much like ndp1234's example, a good company would pay you and then fix the guidelines to say you can order any entre you want.