Which is it? ? ?

We recommend a camera that is capable of taking clear/sharp flash photographs.

Interior Photo Tip: Turn off your phone's sound and flash before going into the location so that no one will hear the camera sound or see the flash

Who writes this stuff??

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.

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Maybe "flash" means quick in this instance? Like, taking photos "in a flash," quickly, before getting caught. Nah, probably not.

It has to be written because some shopper has screwed it up in the past. I guarantee it.

@SoCalMama wrote:

It has to be written because some shopper has screwed it up in the past. I guarantee it.

I don't doubt that. Is the flash required or not?

A Dad shopping the Ark-LA-Tex and beyond.

Oh, my SIL does this when she goes out for a fancy meal (when other people are paying). It's so embarrassing.
Turn off the sound and turn off the flash. All millennials will thank you.

Its clear they want you to have a camera with a flash, but not use it. How is this different than most guidelines, which are absurd in nature to begin with?

I'm not sure what the problem is here, the guidelines make sense to me. Cell phones now have ISO and dark photo taking capabilities that provide clear, crisp photographs without the use of a flash. They are telling you they want good photographs, don't be an idiot and attract attention to yourself with the camera noise and flash going off. It's a good way to give yourself away as a mystery shopper.

A few of the hospitality centered MSC's used to have a guideline for hotel shops that said, "No phone photos allowed" on the pic requirements. Somewhere around the iPhone 6 I emailed the the specs for the phone camera vs. my stand-alone camera to all of them and the requirements slowly disappeared over the next year.

I'm currently on a campaign to get them to remove all references to faxing in hotel standards!

MSC's appear to be slow adopters of technological changes....

Oh I remember that. And you'd think that the hospitality MSCs would be more with it in advancements, given all the new apps and such that hotels are using, but geeze, they are practically like Maritz in many ways (other than they know how to use email).

All these types of rules really irk me due to the fact that some expect every mystery shopper to have the newest of equipment on a fee schedule that pays below minimum wage. I know the majority have all the bells and whistles anyway but if the msc want us to have up to date phones, computers, cars, and the list goes on, they should think about the low incomes they are providing. Yes I know there are lots of shops I can do without all the updated technology but their demands for such at $5-$10 an hour?

@sandyf wrote:

All these types of rules really irk me due to the fact that some expect every mystery shopper to have the newest of equipment on a fee schedule that pays below minimum wage.

I think this goes back tot he main argument we see here a lot. How is MSing supposed to fit in to the economy?

If you utilize it as a side-gig while having a full-time career, the demands are not unreasonable for the compensation-in-kind you may receive. If you are doing it for a main income producing opportunity, the technological demands may be overwhelming (not to mention the costs of attending conferences, training, etc.)

@JASFLALMT; The smaller MSCs do better at adopting new technology, I think One company I work for that's operating by a single individual was happy to have me divide my requests on a recent hotel assignment between calls and texts to the hotel texting service.

Many of the the larger hotel chains have apps where you can put requests in, and none of that is being tested. One company did a beta-test for the new digital keys that work through the hotel app and ended up abandoning it because the majority of shoppers didn't have phones that would work with the system.

Well I bet that's a bit disheartening that shoppers do not model the customers of the clients very well. The customers mostly have the technology but the shoppers do not?

@SteveSoCal wrote:

Many of the the larger hotel chains have apps where you can put requests in, and none of that is being tested. One company did a beta-test for the new digital keys that work through the hotel app and ended up abandoning it because the majority of shoppers didn't have phones that would work with the system.

For the hotels I shop, 95% of customers have the newest iPhones and iPads on them. You can submit a large portion of requests through the hotel apps, including room service and getting drinks at the pool.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Well I bet that's a bit disheartening that shoppers do not model the customers of the clients very well. The customers mostly have the technology but the shoppers do not?

@SteveSoCal wrote:

Many of the the larger hotel chains have apps where you can put requests in, and none of that is being tested. One company did a beta-test for the new digital keys that work through the hotel app and ended up abandoning it because the majority of shoppers didn't have phones that would work with the system.

That it exactly why there are demographic required for certain high end shops!!!!

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