I'm just curious.. what shops have you guys taken, completed and read the instructions and immediately regretted signing up for them? Either because the instructions/photos were too complicated or because the pay did not match what they were asking you to do. Did you complete it anyways or just cancel?

One bad one I had was CREAM. And Jamba Juice. The amount of pictures they want you to take. And the type of pictures they want you to take without being seen. And all for just a reimbursement. No thanks. I'll pay the $5 for my smoothie/ice cream myself with no headache attached

I'm curious to hear you guys' worse shops and if you went through with them or not.

Ikea

The first and maybe last assignment I accepted for intellishop. Usually their fees are way lower than I would accept, but I saw one for $15 that was for an online bank. Didn't think it would be that bad so I signed up, as that's a good fee. I should have seen the red flag in that the guidelines were well-hidden and not available until you accepted, unlike all their other shops. After reading the guidelines, I immediately emailed them to cancel. The instructions were ridiculous. They wanted close to 100 screenshots of the website, including EVERY drop down menu, every roll-over menu, etc. And not just any screen shot, they had to be precisely a set number of pixels wide and high. That would have taken me at least 2 hours, so I ran away from that. I should do myself a favor and just deactivate my intellishop account. I've never taken a shop from them and doesn't look like there will ever be a shop that's worth it.

IKEA

Intellishops paint shops, but I still did them. They are painful. Not only are they extremely boring but generally low pay however I needed some extra cash. An honest buck is still an honest buck.

Also Field Agent has a alot of LONG winded shops, spent an HOUR for 7 bucks never again. It said check prices but it was really brutal!

@MFJohnston and @Irene_L.A. How come?

@quovatis I've never done this shop but I have told Intellishop to deactivate my account for other various reasons lol

It took me two hours onsite, plus another three to do the write-up. Then, I had to chase payment when it did not arrive after four months... I did the shop about two months after I started mystery shopping, so I could probably do it more quickly now, but it was long enough that I would still not consider it for less than about $150.

@Mysteriousways yes i've tried those checks before.. signed up.. went into the store.. entered like 3 items and was like yeah nope. left the store, cancelled the shop never looked back.

@MFJohnston My goodness! 5 hours! How much was the pay if I might ask?

I did that shop for a $30 or $40 bonus - which made the total a whopping $70. From the description and seeing a bonus that about doubled the pay, I thought I was making out like a bandit. I was so wrong. So... very.. wrong.

@MFJohnston Yikes! Well we live and we learn

There's an MSC that does the big home improvement stores. Boy, do I hate those! I still do them, because they end up paying me a bonus to go to the boonies and do these shops. You have to order something on-line to pick up in the store, then do a mystery shop with interactions in 2 or 3 departments, pick up your item, purchase something else as POV (oh, and don't forget names and descriptions of every interaction, plus business cards!). Then go somewhere and wait a while, and go in and return your on-line purchase.

My biggest complaint is the stores are HUGE. I'm always inside for the first part at least 45 minutes, just because the store is so huge. Then I have to go back in and return the item.

I always think, oh, I'll pick up a quick fast food shop, USPS shop, make the day really worth it -- and the fact is, these shops are so exhausting to me, I never have the energy to complete another shop!

The nearest one is 100 miles away. They do pay me adequately for the drive and time. But I HATE these shops. To the point of I'll have nightmares about them as they get closer to due date.

I have regretted taking other shops after completing them, too. Like the recent change of MCP to HS Brands -- did my shops I used to do for MCP, then found out I'll be waiting 75-90 days for pay. No way, Jose!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2019 04:15PM by ceasesmith.

Ikea here in CA paid 45.00 for three long hours of work plus driving 40 minutes each way.....and waited months to get paid...enough said.

Many of the shops here in Los Angeles where you have to interact with someone, especially cell phone stores and also the paint shop at Home Depot. I have not done one but I have seen the rules and been to these places on my own where you always have to wait endlessly to speak with someone. Sometimes the wait is over an hour.That and the driving and parking hassles and the fact that the person you get at the paint counter is often not the target...well no. A big bonus when it happens is $2.

This wasn't a MS shop, but a business inspection. A car repo company. 10 page instructions, 25 page report, and about 50-75 pictures. 2 hours at the place and then another 45 minutes to put the report in. I did 2 this week and it will be my last. Not worth the pay.

@MFJohnston wrote:

Ikea

Same. I still have not been paid, even after sending email after email.

A shop at an entertainment center. It was to be completed after 6:00 on a weekend. 'Guest' an I arrived to be informed there was a four hour wait to bowl a few frames that was part of the evaluation. We went home and tried again the next evening. Same four hour wait. That was the only shop I ever had to contact a scheduler and let her know I was flaking.

I have tried various price audits, anywhere from 50-200 items. I have cancelled all of them. Most are poorly designed, and require too much input for too little pay.

@Kristylynnr wrote:

And Jamba Juice. The amount of pictures they want you to take. And the type of pictures they want you to take without being seen. And all for just a reimbursement.

You think Jamba Juice requires a lot of hard to take photos????

Ok.

Gas station audits when there are 20 pumps and it is busy with customers. If Jamba Juice paid more it would be worth it but too much effort for too little pay where I live. Same with Sbarro. Ikea was a no brainer once I read about it on this forum.

@teriraia wrote:

Gas station audits when there are 20 pumps and it is busy with customers. If Jamba Juice paid more it would be worth it but too much effort for too little pay where I live. Same with Sbarro. Ikea was a no brainer once I read about it on this forum.

I agree with both...Jamba Juice has menus that stretch all across the top. In order to get all of the menu you need to take it from far away but you need to be able to read the prices etc. Will Jamba accept only part of hte menu in the pic? Sbarro counter pic is illegal to take per my local Sbarro.

OMG those audits are brutal... I am standing around taking pics and fiddling with my cell for hooooooours and then get home and finish the paperwork. I am supposed to be discreet, is it business spy games? Standing in a grocery store for hours and buying nothing may get the cops on you in some areas. I was broke and desperate but geez. It was 7 hours of work for 80 bucks 3 months later. No paperwork to show a manager because your client works for the competition. Even when the app is on my phone there were black spots in the store where my cell didnt work well... just not worth it. It is better to go to 10 quick shops for 10 bucks each on a route and be paid via paypal in 3 weeks.

I do not like the " free meal thing" any more. Pictures, receipts, timings, names, and a 3 month wait for pay which is reimbursement and if it is not perfect they can choose not to pay. It is a 0 interest loan if you pay with credit card you are losing money. A 100 - 200 meal isnt as fun when you are constantly timing when the water bread meal dessert etc came... and then worrying about reimbursement nope I'll pass with rare exception.

@Mysteriousways wrote:

Also Field Agent has a alot of LONG winded shops, spent an HOUR for 7 bucks never again. It said check prices but it was really brutal!

The recycling audits are where it is at with FA. If you are driving thru a string of small towns and the store is right on the state highway you can make a few bucks with almost no effort. The ones where you click on it and it says 'up to 80 pics' for $6...not so much.

Every time I do a BP audit.
And any hotel from Trueguest.

A Closer Look cash-only, reimbursement-only food cart shops. We had to ask employees of the food cart their names. AWKWARD! Then I got food illness, I think from the proximity of cooked and undercooked chicken...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/2019 12:19AM by eodermatt.

Totally agree ! I hate it when the MSC say the meal is 'free' or 'on us.' We are doing work for it. I also refuse to do the over $100 dining shops if they are too involved with photos, descriptions, timings, write-ups. The meal won't be enjoyable if I'm working all the time.

@funwoman wrote:

I do not like the " free meal thing" any more. Pictures, receipts, timings, names, and a 3 month wait for pay which is reimbursement and if it is not perfect they can choose not to pay. It is a 0 interest loan if you pay with credit card you are losing money. A 100 - 200 meal isnt as fun when you are constantly timing when the water bread meal dessert etc came... and then worrying about reimbursement nope I'll pass with rare exception.

I won't do any more ACL food shops. They have in their shopper agreement that neither them nor their client can be held accountable if you get injured or sick during the shops. To me it isn't worth it for a few bucks.

Sorry to hear you got sick.

@eodermatt wrote:

A Closer Look cash-only, reimbursement-only food cart shops. We had to ask employees of the food cart their names. AWKWARD! Then I got food illness, I think from the proximity of cooked and undercooked chicken...

IKEA