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Optional really not optional?!?

April 02, 2019 08:24PM
I can see the $180 dinner shop in my state and also FL. As others have said, ACL is very shopper-friendly. They would not penalize you much for just a missed photo that was provided later. It would take a series of problem shops for them to downgrade you to the point of not accessing a tier of shops. You could reply to the editor and politely ask for an explanation.


@Niner wrote:

I actually found two photos of the "anything amiss" items. But, now I cannot see the same shops I saw a month ago.

Can any of you see the higher end shops for ACL? Steak house dinners, around $170? I can't see these anymore, regardless of the state. Either it's too early into April, or I can no longer see them. I checked FL, for example, nothing, whereas last month, I saw them.
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April 02, 2019 08:41PM
@7star wrote:

If you don't see the high end dining shops next month, ask them about the shops. At this point what do you have to lose by asking ?


@Niner wrote:

The optional not optional picture just got me kicked out of the "nice" shops- even with sending in multiple pictures of the issue when asked. Or, they still believe I went with more than one other person. I will never know.

I asked. This shop kicked me from those shops. I don't even know what I did wrong. I actually sent the pictures they asked for. The response was that some editors grade hard.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2019 08:41PM by Niner.
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April 02, 2019 09:42PM
If you did what you were supposed to do, they are being so petty. I haven't done a shop for them since they required shoppers to renew the ICA agreement, which stated that neither they nor their clients are responsible if the shopper gets sick during a dining shop. To me it isn't worth it.

It's their loss by not having you.
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April 02, 2019 10:09PM
@Niner No the bathroom photo was required.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2019 10:11PM by pegleg2000.
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April 02, 2019 11:50PM
Just do a great job on the next few and they will bump you back up.
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April 03, 2019 04:09AM
Niner, what led them to surmise you may have performed the shop with 3 people??
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April 03, 2019 11:34AM
I can't even imagine. I have no kids. We ordered for two. They could watch the video, they could contsct the restaurant. I'm kind of frustrated.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2019 11:35AM by Niner.
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April 03, 2019 02:24PM
Wow. How strange!
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April 03, 2019 03:44PM
I'm going to put it behind me and hope I don't get this editor again.
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April 03, 2019 04:35PM
@Threemom wrote:

As others have said, ACL is very shopper-friendly. They would not penalize you much for just a missed photo that was provided later. It would take a series of problem shops for them to downgrade you to the point of not accessing a tier of shops.

This is simply untrue.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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April 04, 2019 03:34AM
@Niner wrote:

We ordered for two.

Did the check indicate 3 guests? There is usually an area for number of guests and it can often be wrong. The server punches it in on a touchpad in most places so it's easy to get it wrong, and mine will sometimes say 1 guest when there were two of us. One one occasion it said "3" and they questioned me, but when I confirmed it was two of us and that matched the food order they dropped it.
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April 04, 2019 11:48AM
@SteveSoCal wrote:

@Niner wrote:

We ordered for two.

Did the check indicate 3 guests? There is usually an area for number of guests and it can often be wrong. The server punches it in on a touchpad in most places so it's easy to get it wrong, and mine will sometimes say 1 guest when there were two of us. One one occasion it said "3" and they questioned me, but when I confirmed it was two of us and that matched the food order they dropped it.

I just looked. The check listed two guests.
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April 05, 2019 07:52PM
ACL editors are extremely picky. I have learned not to mention an employee that I saw across the room doing something because they want a full description and name.
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April 05, 2019 08:22PM
Sure they will reject!! Did the BBQ dinner. Missed the soda refill. Service was slow it slipped my mind while waiting so long for staff to be seen on the floor. I abandoned the write up and advised them. Got cutesy call few days later, on 12/23 or so. Begged me to finish and just explain the missed item. I had finally bolted because of a bridge closing at 11:00 that would have cost me 45 mins EXTRA to get to my home on a peninsula. I finished the report as requested on a very busy day for me only to have it FLATELY REJECTED for failure to fulfill guidelines. My feelings about ACL changed that time. Made me wonder why I was so heavily pursued to complete the report when editor claimed flat denial.
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April 05, 2019 08:22PM
MF always rejects my report if I forget to take that hot dog photo. Just sayin....
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April 05, 2019 08:33PM
MF rejected a gas station shop because I didn't include the store and the pumps in the same picture (even though the guidelines don't say that's a requirement). For this particular station, it was a very strange layout where the store was behind another building. It was impossible to take a pic like they wanted, as the store was around the corner. I pleaded my case, but it was rejected. I think others have had the same issue because that one station is always on the board with a huge bonus. I'm never taking it again.
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April 05, 2019 09:55PM
So do you have to do the job again? I don't think that's fair, I wonder if they send it to the client anyway and just not pay you...
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April 05, 2019 10:22PM
I did the BBQ shop once and my neice and her boyfriend saw us on the patio and basically invited themselves to eat with us. It would have been really hard to get them to bugger off so I just did the shop as normal. No surprise, DECLINED! I was between a rock and a hard place with that one.

Kona Kathie
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April 06, 2019 02:54AM
I missed doing something that I should have, told the scheduler that I hadn't done it and apologized; she told me to send it in anyway, explaining that I forgot to do X, and by golly, they accepted it! Said it was always better to explain what went wrong than to cover it up, and they'd rather try to use the report than hunt for someone else to do it.

As for the photos, you don't have to take photos of stuff that is amiss, but if you mention it in the report, you need the photo. So, either take the photo, or don't mention it. I take a bazillion photos (love digital photography) and have sent in as many as 50 photos for one hotel shop. The first time I thought they'd object but they loved it. I don't use all the photos; sometimes there's something amiss on one floor that's also amiss on other floors, so I say here's a pic of the problem on floor X, it existed on X1 and X2 as well, photos available if you need them. They've never asked for the additional photos.
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April 06, 2019 03:19AM
I've never had to get a bathroom photo for ACL. Restaurant?
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April 06, 2019 03:49AM
Some ACL restaurant shops require bathroom photos.
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April 06, 2019 06:23AM
Went on a shop a few days ago, and they wanted pictures of all of the food and drink items before they're touched "if it can be done discretely". Then elsewhere they kept referring to them as required photos.

Well, Murphy's Law was in full force this night. The place was flat-out jam-packed, and the server put us at a table near the restroom entrance and on a direct line with the kitchen. so managers and servers are passing by about every 3 seconds. Also, both the GM and kitchen manager stop by just as \ after the appetizer arrives, asking how is everything, and watching us NOT try it! So, opps, no photo of appetizer.

Similarly, the after meal bar visit, where you MUST "belly-up to the bar. The only available spot is right next to the never vacant server-stand," traffic city." Again, ... no photo! We let the MS company know, and are still waiting. It's been "pending validation" now for days ... nothing else to do but sweat it out, I guess! Thoughts?
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April 06, 2019 07:20AM
About missing food photos, I uploaded pics and did the report. They contacted me and said I didn't turn in close-up photos of each food item. I had spaced. We gave it to the client, and it was accepted. They have given me a little slack.
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