Video Piracy Work: Has a new group picked up Robert Taylor’s (R.I.P.) projects?
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Oh, man, I'm so sorry to hear of that! He was the consummate professional.
However, he never told me who the MSC was that I did those highly-paying (and rapid paying!) jobs for. (Yes, I know; ended the sentence with a preposition, but I don't feel like rewriting it, and the meaning is clear enough. Back off, Grammar Nazis, LOL!!! )
However, he never told me who the MSC was that I did those highly-paying (and rapid paying!) jobs for. (Yes, I know; ended the sentence with a preposition, but I don't feel like rewriting it, and the meaning is clear enough. Back off, Grammar Nazis, LOL!!! )
I thought your buddy Moretti was doing them?
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
Yes, he was fantastic to work with.
It wasn’t a mystery shopping “company” that he represented (he had a 72-hour payout for completed work, lol! That should have been your first clue!) but rather a different kind of entity.
I sent a sympathy card with a brief note about what a pleasure he was to work with to his street address in NJ, where we sent the required written material. You could probably do the same, even though it has been a while. His family would probably appreciate the gesture.
It wasn’t a mystery shopping “company” that he represented (he had a 72-hour payout for completed work, lol! That should have been your first clue!) but rather a different kind of entity.
I sent a sympathy card with a brief note about what a pleasure he was to work with to his street address in NJ, where we sent the required written material. You could probably do the same, even though it has been a while. His family would probably appreciate the gesture.
The guy from Chicago that was doing them. Or rather, he was skimming off the top as a middle man. I thought you were big buddies, guess I was mistaken. My apologies.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
@bgriffin wrote:
The guy from Chicago that was doing them. Or rather, he was skimming off the top as a middle man. I thought you were big buddies, guess I was mistaken. My apologies.
Are you talking about Joe Rossetti?
He and I both worked as ICs for Robert Taylor.
“Skimming off the top as a middleman” is a bizarre and wholly incorrect description of our function with respect to the type of work we performed.
Jeez, it’s hard to believe that some people make money in this industry as paid observers... LOL
Edit: autocorrect
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2020 07:21PM by ColoKate63.
Maybe I got the names mixed up? I think Moretti is the shitty Italian beer. I have no clue how I could have gotten them confused.
I'm fairly certain at one time he was hiring ICs under him to do this work and it was my understanding that he was being paid a higher fee by one or two of the companies that also market(ed) this work directly to shoppers and paying his ICs a lower fee. I absolutely could be wrong though! Wouldn't be the first time. If that's not "skimming off the top as a middleman" then I dunno what is. But you're way more knowledgeable that I am so I'm sure you can correct the parts where I'm wrong.
I'm fairly certain at one time he was hiring ICs under him to do this work and it was my understanding that he was being paid a higher fee by one or two of the companies that also market(ed) this work directly to shoppers and paying his ICs a lower fee. I absolutely could be wrong though! Wouldn't be the first time. If that's not "skimming off the top as a middleman" then I dunno what is. But you're way more knowledgeable that I am so I'm sure you can correct the parts where I'm wrong.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
I just thought he might be a good resource for you to maybe find out where the work went. Again, my apologies.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
Bgriffin,
I’m not a fan of going down rabbit holes on Internet forums. It’s pointless for me to go off-topic with irrelevant chit-chat when I posted a simple question about finding work for 2020 and increasing my profitability.
If you’ve got information about the topic at hand, thanks in advance. Otherwise, there’s folks here with plenty of time on their hands and tens of thousands of posts to show for it who will engage you in banal off-topic conversation.
Enjoy your Sunday.
I’m not a fan of going down rabbit holes on Internet forums. It’s pointless for me to go off-topic with irrelevant chit-chat when I posted a simple question about finding work for 2020 and increasing my profitability.
If you’ve got information about the topic at hand, thanks in advance. Otherwise, there’s folks here with plenty of time on their hands and tens of thousands of posts to show for it who will engage you in banal off-topic conversation.
Enjoy your Sunday.
And again...…..
@bgriffin wrote:
I just thought he might be a good resource for you to maybe find out where the work went. Again, my apologies.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
Cease, that rule went out a few decades ago.
@ceasesmith wrote:
Oh, man, I'm so sorry to hear of that! He was the consummate professional.
However, he never told me who the MSC was that I did those highly-paying (and rapid paying!) jobs for. (Yes, I know; ended the sentence with a preposition, but I don't feel like rewriting it, and the meaning is clear enough. Back off, Grammar Nazis, LOL!!! )
Bizarre is right. I paid $25 more for referrals. $50 more for leads. The same amount for the job itself.
For someone who flips a biscuit by anyone even mentioning their name, it sure seems wild they are wholly comfortable making stuff up that isn't even remotely close to being accurate.
For someone who flips a biscuit by anyone even mentioning their name, it sure seems wild they are wholly comfortable making stuff up that isn't even remotely close to being accurate.
CEO The Mystery Shoppers Depot
US Wide route shopper with 12k+ shops completed over 48 states and 6 countries.
Airbnb host based in Chicago and 10% discount if you mention this forum
US Wide route shopper with 12k+ shops completed over 48 states and 6 countries.
Airbnb host based in Chicago and 10% discount if you mention this forum
So you are saying you paid $25 or $50 more than you were getting paid? That doesn't even make sense.
It was my understanding that you were getting paid $x for the jobs, you were then paying other ICs $x-some amount of profit to do the work. Is that not true? We're you not making a profit? If you weren't then that is really bad business. If you were then that is the very definition of skimming off the top as a middle man. The only way that wouldn't be true is if you were contracting directly with the video rights holders. But it was my understanding that you were not. You are free to set the record straight if I am incorrect, but considering you won't and only complain about me I am going to assume I am correct.
And yes, this forum does not allow for identifying people's full name if they do not offer it. You can just get over it if you don't like it
BTW, I don't care one way or the other if you were skimming off the top. Knowledge has value. At the same time if it's true, it's true.
It was my understanding that you were getting paid $x for the jobs, you were then paying other ICs $x-some amount of profit to do the work. Is that not true? We're you not making a profit? If you weren't then that is really bad business. If you were then that is the very definition of skimming off the top as a middle man. The only way that wouldn't be true is if you were contracting directly with the video rights holders. But it was my understanding that you were not. You are free to set the record straight if I am incorrect, but considering you won't and only complain about me I am going to assume I am correct.
And yes, this forum does not allow for identifying people's full name if they do not offer it. You can just get over it if you don't like it
BTW, I don't care one way or the other if you were skimming off the top. Knowledge has value. At the same time if it's true, it's true.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the risk of going down a rabbit hole, let’s discuss who is REALLY “skimming off the top:” the MSPs.
I did a video shop in 2019 that had a base pay of $60. Because it was urgent, I negotiated a $50 bonus. Total pay= $110.
I was extremely happy for that fee, as it was a relatively quick assignment.
Until.... I got offered a seat in an office where a member of upper management was working. Atop the paperwork on the desk was an invoice for THE EXACT TYPE OF VIDEO SHOP that I was doing.
Guess how much the MSP was billing for $60 base pay video shops?
Anyone? Anyone?
$355 per.
I was the one doing 80% of the work, taking on 90% of expenses (this was during a multistate route) - and if I hadn’t negotiated a bonus, I’d have gotten 17% of the pay. Seventeen percent.
The MSP acted like it was a BIG DEAL to give me that bonus. A BIG DEAL.
So... let’s talk, please, about who is “skimming.”
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2020 07:06PM by ColoKate63.
I did a video shop in 2019 that had a base pay of $60. Because it was urgent, I negotiated a $50 bonus. Total pay= $110.
I was extremely happy for that fee, as it was a relatively quick assignment.
Until.... I got offered a seat in an office where a member of upper management was working. Atop the paperwork on the desk was an invoice for THE EXACT TYPE OF VIDEO SHOP that I was doing.
Guess how much the MSP was billing for $60 base pay video shops?
Anyone? Anyone?
$355 per.
I was the one doing 80% of the work, taking on 90% of expenses (this was during a multistate route) - and if I hadn’t negotiated a bonus, I’d have gotten 17% of the pay. Seventeen percent.
The MSP acted like it was a BIG DEAL to give me that bonus. A BIG DEAL.
So... let’s talk, please, about who is “skimming.”
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2020 07:06PM by ColoKate63.
Again, this discussion has seriously gone off course. I simply thought your buddy might be able to help you out and suggested him. I apologize for my role in this happening.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
@bgriffin wrote:
Again, this discussion has seriously gone off course. I simply thought your buddy might be able to help you out and suggested him. I apologize for my role in this happening.
It’s cool. It’s cool.
I just had to blow off a little steam, and burying that tidbit about the $355 invoice in a thread served it’s purpose.
My buddy Joe has the potential to blow up a thread endlessly (I’d say this to his face) so I guess that I’m just going to request the mods lock this thread. There’s no good answers coming from the community about the original topic forthcoming, and it’s been a week.
Adios, safe travels.
I'm guessing you would have less steam to blow off if it didn't take 90 days to get paid that $110 
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
This wasn’t for one of *those* MSPs, but from a 45-60 day MSP.
Still total B.S., though. And, months later, I’m still pissed. Good thing I bided my time, because I’d have thrown some bombs if I’d posted on that topic immediately after.
Still total B.S., though. And, months later, I’m still pissed. Good thing I bided my time, because I’d have thrown some bombs if I’d posted on that topic immediately after.
Lest anyone think Katie was exaggerating with her post, back in 2008 I inadvertently overheard the owner of an MSC mention he was charging his clients $295, but only paying the shopper $50. Being self-employed and free to accept or reject all offers, that did not bother me, but it surely would some folks.
@shopperbob wrote:
Lest anyone think Katie was exaggerating with her post, back in 2008 I inadvertently overheard the owner of an MSC mention he was charging his clients $295, but only paying the shopper $50. Being self-employed and free to accept or reject all offers, that did not bother me, but it surely would some folks.
It bothers me - a LOT. (Ha ha, can you tell?)
I only mentioned it here because Robert Taylor (may his memory be a blessing always) paid his ICs 50-55% of the total fees - AND within 72 hours.
Seventeen percent is bull crap. No WAY are they doing enough work to be justified in keeping 83% of the take.
Editing to add:
It would be incredibly helpful to the hardworking shoppers out on routes if we shared information like this - about fees, about slow pay companies, crappy schedulers, and about bonuses- among ourselves. I try to do my part, but damn if there aren’t a TON of bootlickers out there making excuses for the MSPs. They frustrate me. I wish they’d go away already.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2020 08:08PM by ColoKate63.
Back on topic, but I have already received the info and signed up with the current crew.
Thank you, JRossetti!
Now, back off topic: This is BUSINESS. Independent groups that schedule nurses (RNs) bill the client in excess of $100 an hour. The nurse gets about $30. Visiting Angels (non-RNs, home assistants) bills clients close to $50 per hour -- and pay minimum wage to their employees.
They have 100% of the expenses -- overhead. Advertising. Employee taxes, worker's comp, all that good stuff. They do ENORMOUS REAMS of paperwork to make sure they are legal with the state, local, and fed governments. The paperwork demands STAFF -- often highly trained, expensive staff.
Rule of thumb in this business: Bill the client approx. 2 1/2 times the cost of the IC.
Looks like that's been inflated to between 5 and 10 times -- but they are in business to make a profit. JUST LIKE WE ARE.
Thank you, JRossetti!
Now, back off topic: This is BUSINESS. Independent groups that schedule nurses (RNs) bill the client in excess of $100 an hour. The nurse gets about $30. Visiting Angels (non-RNs, home assistants) bills clients close to $50 per hour -- and pay minimum wage to their employees.
They have 100% of the expenses -- overhead. Advertising. Employee taxes, worker's comp, all that good stuff. They do ENORMOUS REAMS of paperwork to make sure they are legal with the state, local, and fed governments. The paperwork demands STAFF -- often highly trained, expensive staff.
Rule of thumb in this business: Bill the client approx. 2 1/2 times the cost of the IC.
Looks like that's been inflated to between 5 and 10 times -- but they are in business to make a profit. JUST LIKE WE ARE.
@ceasesmith wrote:
They have 100% of the expenses -- overhead. Advertising. Employee taxes, worker's comp, all that good stuff. They do ENORMOUS REAMS of paperwork to make sure they are legal with the state, local, and fed governments. The paperwork demands STAFF -- often highly trained, expensive staff.
Rule of thumb in this business: Bill the client approx. 2 1/2 times the cost of the IC.
Looks like that's been inflated to between 5 and 10 times -- but they are in business to make a profit. JUST LIKE WE ARE.
Why are you comparing apples and oranges?
Of COURSE a home-care business employing CNAs and RNs would have massive overhead. There are professional obligations that they must fulfill in order to meet state oversight. Ditto for restaurants and brick- and- mortar retail. Lots of overhead, for maintaining inventory, equipment, etc.
In video mystery shopping?
Give me a BREAK.
Apples and oranges.
Bootlicking and excuses.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2020 08:38PM by ColoKate63.
I would approach these jobs with extreme caution. Unless you make a purchase, there is no legit reason for you to be in the facility. I know of one person who was threatened by the police with a trespassing arrest. Yes, of course this was at a place that was pirating the game.
@Sandy Shopper wrote:
I would approach these jobs with extreme caution. Unless you make a purchase, there is no legit reason for you to be in the facility. I know of one person who was threatened by the police with a trespassing arrest. Yes, of course this was at a place that was pirating the game.
I don’t think you have the correct information.
And I don’t think you read the original post, either.
I was not asking for opinions on the ease or safety of type of work; I successfully completed scores of piracy gigs for Taylor and Associates with zero problems.
I wanted to see if another company picked up the work, since over a year has passed.
See the difference?
What I see is an unnecessary snarky comment. I did not address you specifically. I stated a fact about these visits.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2020 12:16AM by Sandy Shopper.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2020 12:16AM by Sandy Shopper.
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