Shoppers Beware of MSC doing Oil service shop audits.

I had been assigned an Oil service audit this week. I was doing the 2-hour shop and using the oil shop WIFI and MSC app to do this shop. It kept asking for pictures for every question asked. I had to use a smartphone for I could not get the tablet to load up, my guess here that the WIFI was horrible. I answered the questions yes or no, I took the pictures as required, For one bathroom I had to give 12 different pictures, here I was using pass experience to give different pictures as to not get dinged for using the same photo twice. Halfway thru the report the pictures filed and taken in the app did not show up in the report. And it never fails battery was running out.
At this point, I quit the shop 2 1/2 hours into the shop. I canceled the shop. I text message them to cancel the shop and stated I was losing the pictures in the report. I have never had so much trouble from a company getting prepared to do this shop and when I realized that this shop was heading south it was the breaking point. They came back and told me they would double the pay ($ 130) but by this time I had left the shop and had told the manager I was having trouble, and that they would be sending someone else to do the audit. I came home and quit the company.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2021 08:02PM by bmttinman.

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@NinS wrote:

Thanks for the cautionary tale. You had gotten $65 and they offered another $65?
That is correct after I left the shop. I was offered double the fee so as I would finish the shop. I felt that I would have been there for another two hours just to get it done. I think this would have made the MSC look worst than have to send out another shopper. The manager said I was the third shopper she had seen. It makes you wonder why they weren't doing this one.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2021 10:02PM by bmttinman.
Should have kept it with the old MSC (or the MSC that bought them out). At least the job could be completed. I am now getting messages from the company that I haven't logged in since November (not true) and I have until Jan. 31 to log in. I think that is because I keep ignoring the emails asking me to do these for $25.
Funny, that MSC just emailed me today to warn me I was going to be de-activated for inactivity unless I logged into their site post-haste. Which I did, which I guess keeps me enrolled. But the only thing they have in my area are these audits. which I ain't going to do at that fee, no thankee.
@KokoBWare wrote:

Funny, that MSC just emailed me today to warn me I was going to be de-activated for inactivity unless I logged into their site post-haste. Which I did, which I guess keeps me enrolled. But the only thing they have in my area are these audits. which I ain't going to do at that fee, no thankee.

That email was comical. "Our systems have detected you haven't logged in since 2020 or earlier. Your last log in was December 30, 2020". Got that yesterday, so it was right on 30 days. Making it sound like it's been a long time. There were some grammar errors in that mail that were a real doozy.

I did log in to see how many of the 19 of the oil change audits that I did for $75 with the old MSC were still on the board. All 19. I applaud my local shopping competition. smiling smiley
Thank you all for the heads-up! I won't be touching them for anything less than $100 each
They are offering $25 per location by me and send multiple emails per day. I also got the "you have not logged on" email. There is no way I would do one of these and there are no other shops besides these from this MSC.
I checked on that and the having to take the vehicle to a before and after inspection stopped me from doing it.
I've never received an email prompt like this from any MSC I've worked for. (I am registered with dozens but, depending on the time of year and which contracts they handle, I may only do requests for them 1 month out of the year. I am curious if this is a new thing?)
I'm getting the similar email experience. Audits don't pay enough, so I don't accept anything. Then they let me know I haven't been active. If these are the only shops they have I may unregister.
I am getting emails and texts weekly, and then a phone call. I told the scheduler I would not do any of them. The next day, I got another text.

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~
GBW has been wild lately! Last week, I finally snapped when they called me 5 times in a row and I wasn't free. I just can't deal with them on the phone--conversations are too slow, I don't have my calendar with me all the time, etc. They've also texted me mid-audit (or mid-input) to ask for updates or corrections. Like, calm down, people, I'm working on it!!
@2stepps wrote:

I checked on that and the having to take the vehicle to a before and after inspection stopped me from doing it.

Different shop. This is a straight audit, no need for a car. Definitely not doing them for the fee offered. This should be at least the hourly fee. Expect to be there for 2-3 hours, more if it is the first or second audit done. Try not to go first thing in the day or you wont have the car observations needed. Usually people go for oil change in middle of the day or after work, and not early in the week. The locations always have extra hats on the top of stair going down, check both sides, just need shoes and glasses. Take photos on tablet or high quality on cell phone. Complete audit and then try to load them while at the place if you are at a far away location, using the location's wifi-. If you take a LOT of extra photos you should be OK.
They must be getting super desperate to get these done. They now offered $75-$100. Going to have to go higher than that to get me to do them! Just for the simple fact that you will NOT leave me alone! Two calls, two emails, and two text messages today and it's not even noon!
Phone call offered $200 and I still said no thanks to reading this topic.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain
Those "you have not logged in" messages usually come from schedulers who are hoping the email will encourage them to take the shops in their area.
Why? You may have a very different experience.

I did the Swedish furniture store despite the comments on this forum, and I loved it.

@MsJudi wrote:

Phone call offered $200 and I still said no thanks to reading this topic.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
They just called and offered me $75. It is listed (many of them) for $30 on the website including a $5 bonus. I said that it was not worth the risk to my life to be inside a building in times of COVID. He said that he understood.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
They emailed an inquiry without listing locations and agreed to $175. Then the locations turned out to all be 60 miles away. I countered with $225 and was turned down - they probably did me a favor.
@NinS wrote:

They emailed an inquiry without listing locations and agreed to $175. Then the locations turned out to all be 60 miles away. I countered with $225 and was turned down - they probably did me a favor.
If you see them still open after a week or two, they will come back to you. If it is 120 miles roundtrip definitely hold for that if not more. I would ask $90 for 15 minutes drive, and then calculate based on how far and how remote to get there. I got ~the amount you asked for similar distance but someone had cancelled the day before. Once they notify the location about 10 days earlier, then the audit needs to be done on the specific day unless a major disaster occurs, snowstorm, the building burns down, etc. After the first one they are easy, learning curve. I just go and snap photos of everything with my cell phone. Then complete the report on my laptop at the location if it is far away, and then upload the photos on their app on the cell phone. You can start uploading while doing the car timings. I am now to less than 3h including the report, in a relaxed pace.
I have done 2 so far. The first one took me 3 hours and the 2nd one took me a little over 2 hours. It’s really not that bad. I take pictures while I am there and submit report at location. I have 2 more left to do.
How are these audits going? Still have many open in my area. Was planning on telling them I would take the two closest to my house for $150 a piece, but would like to hear if there are more horror stories with regards to doing these.
@turfman wrote:

How are these audits going? Still have many open in my area. Was planning on telling them I would take the two closest to my house for $150 a piece, but would like to hear if there are more horror stories with regards to doing these.
I’ve gotten into a nice rhythm with them.
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