self assign and change

I have been mystery shopping for over 13 years and get very upset when you cant change the date of a shop online. We have had a horrible winter here in the northeast and had to change dates because of the snow and ice and some companies you have to talk to a scheduler instead of changing it online. I feel that they should not give you l date to do a shop but perhaps a range of 3 dates say: February 1-3. If something goes wrong over a weekend or at night who can you talk to. Any discussion on this? Some companys you can go on their website and request a change of date and it automatically pops up.

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Goodluck some of these companies gives the schedulers too much control what I cannot understand is don't the schedulers get a commission when the assignment is completed.The idea of having to apply for an assignment and then the scheduler does not even bother to reply is a real turn off.That tells you about the type of MSC right there.I have found that companies that have self assignment also have a more systematic payment schedule where you can see past assignments and if it has been paid or not.It is hard enough trying to do the assignment and completing and then submitting the form dealing with "hostile" editors adding a scheduler who expects you to kiss their ass to get an assignment is sometimes not worth it.

I had to reassign a shop due to weather and the next available dates did not work for me since I was already scheduled for other shops that overlapped in time. They marked it against me for cancelling the shop. But didnt keep me from getting others assigned. Think they may be a little desperate in my area.

Overall I try to avoid working for independent schedulers. All too often it seems to just add another layer of bureaucracy to getting the job done that I find as annoying as 'phone trees'--an expedient solution for the company but not for the user.

With few exceptions, the majority of the work I perform has a 'window' of at least 3 days. My absolute best companies give me a week to 10 days. Interestingly those companies are neither self assign nor do they take more than 30 days to pay. Their interest is in getting the job done and done properly. They are willing to pay appropriately for that and work WITH shoppers and they are selective about who they assign work to in order to have that happen. It is a different philosophy and business model than a whole lot of companies out there and they can do it because they screen so closely folks who apply to work with them.

Obviously the 3 day window is very helpful for scheduling work. I always try to do the work in the front end of the window if humanly possible since who knows what may happen tomorrow?

I beg to differ when it comes to screening applicants.Mystery shoppers are not the problem it is the MSC's.If I self assign a job I expect to complete it.Schedulers only complicate issues as far as denying extensions and then there are those editors who expect you to respond ASAP.Selective and sometimes discriminative screening has nothing to do with the assignment .If anything MSC's state that on the website to appease clients futhermore lets us not forget the goal of mystery shopping is to provide accurate and objective results.By you stating that only select people should get assignments means you are narrowing the "gene pool" and the same people doing the assignment and reporting the same results does nothing for the client.It is just easier on the MSC as you are their go to person how will the rest of us get assignments then if these are reserved for a select few?

What you state I am saying is not my point at all. I am discussing characteristics of the companies I like best to work with in terms of having flexibility of work schedule and not dealing with outside schedulers. I apologize if I confused you with other characteristics they exhibit.

Certainly self assign jobs are out there for whomever is signed up. Where they are handled in house they often are dealt with vis-a-vis schedule changes much better than when they are handled self assign but with independent schedulers.

Flash

Can you email me.I have some questions for u.
jweiser@wildblue. Net

Best to edit out your email address so you don't get swamped with spammers. There is an edit button in blue in the lower right corner of your post. Easiest way to reach me is to use the "Private Message" system usually referred to as a PM. Simply click on the name in blue at the side of my post and a window will open for you to select "Send a Private Message". And no, I don't do emails :^)

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self assign and change

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