Bonuses for shops (Food for thought/Shopper Rant)

I want this forum's opinion on a shop I recently signed up for. I will not list the company's name or client due to ICA reasons, but there should be some form of agreement between the company and the shopper and vis a verse. So here is where the issue started, I signed up for a shop that carried a nice bonus of $35, 4 days later I received a follow up email that didn't even give a reason as to why the bonus was reduced to $5. I proactively took to my email to followup with the scheduler, why the severe deduction. Their reasoning was 'system error', I asked myself two questions, wasn't it a human that entered those two digits, and why it took so long to follow up with an email to make me aware of this... I want your input on this, should I settle for the $5 or continue to demand more?

-The reason I bring this to the table is, the companies want us (shoppers) to get shop reports in within a certain time frame and follow up within a given timeframe for clarifications, yet it takes the company 4 days to follow up with a 'system error' due to a bonus issue. They should hold themselves to the same standards if not higher as they do us.

Thank you in advance

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2019 09:30PM by cheapstudent.

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

Already a member? Log In.

I would simply have withdrawn from the assignment, via email, due to the reduced bonus. And, I would have cc'ed the original bonus offer when sending that email.

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.
The scheduler was aware of the 'system error' because that was their reasoning after I followed up with their updated shop email...
I don't know if "demand" is the right word. I would ask once more (politely), stating that I was willing to do it for the higher amount but not for $5, explaining that if they were not willing to honor the original amount to please cancel the shop. Don't burn any bridges.
I agree with the previous comments. I will accept for the moment that it is a system error. When the amount was reduced from $35 to $5, I would have politely told them that I was willing to do the shop for $35, but not for $5. That would almost certainly be true for me. If it took $35 to entice me to do the shop, then $5 is not enough.

Airlines sometimes post extremely low fares by mistake. You can Google to find past cases. For instance, maybe a flight from San Francisco to London is normally $700 and it gets posted for $7.00 due to human error. Before the mistake is discovered by the airline, 350 people book the low fare. What happens next varies from airline to airline. Some honor the ridiculously low fare, benefiting from the goodwill and all of the media buzz that the $7.00 fare has generated. Some airlines just say, "Sorry. It will cost you another $693 or we will allow you to cancel without any penalty."

So, in my view, the MSC has two reasonable courses of action which parallel the airlines. 1) Honor the $35 bonus because one of their humans or their system caused the problem. 2) Allow you to cancel without any penalty. Both are IMHO honorable approaches, although as a shopper, I know which one I prefer.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
If I had completed the shop and then was informed of the error, I would not have backed down. This actually occurred on a job I completed for ath Power, with them claiming the scheduler erred. I ultimately received my bonus, but they never used me again. If, though, the problem were discovered before the shop was completed AND I would not have accepted the work without the extra money, I would have cancelled.

On a related note, I will burn a bridge without hesitation if I KNOW I am right. That action has worked for me in almost 55 years as a self-employed contractor. Have I ever regretted doing so? Not in the least, BUT, I have on several occasions wished the necessity had not existed.
@cheapstudent wrote:

should I settle for the $5 or continue to demand more?
Not just no, but hell no. Sets a bad precedent. Cancel the shop, even if it would still be worth it at the $5 bonus. Then watch the bonus go higher and higher.

"Let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you - and why?” ~Walter Williams
@cheapstudent wrote:

I want your input on this, should I settle for the $5 or continue to demand more?

Since the MSC let you know of the error before you performed the shop, it gives you the opportunity to decide if it is worth it to you. If it's worth it with the reduced bonus, do the shop. If it is not worth it to you, do not do the shop. I would make a decision and act on it, but I would not make any demands. I would simply do it or cancel, giving your reason for cancelling as the bonus being lower than you believed when you accepted.
Wow. You all have alot more patience than me. I would tell them. I wont do it for less than the 35 dollar bonus. This is unacceptable. Also there is one company Im aware of that posts hefty bonuses..then once your signed up..bonuses are dramatically reduced

Shopping Idaho and Oregon/Idaho border region.
I would not do the shop, thinking the bonus is 35.00, I signed up, now knowing the bonus is 5.00, no thanks...
the reason is not important, they went back on their word, and I wouldn't do it. I do think leading one on, they should have raised the bonus to say 15.00.

Live consciously....


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2019 11:36PM by Irene_L.A..
I would still ask if they could please honor the original offer bonus price (not demand).
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login