I know this has been discussed before, and fortunately, I've had fewer issues with it over the last couple of years (maybe because I generally stick to shops I do regularly and usually don't need to ask questions about).

In the past couple of weeks, I've had to email two schedulers (three emails in all, two different schedulers, two different MSCs) with either a question or a problem with a shop or a report. In all cases, the scheduler didn't answer the question I asked and/or acted like I was asking a stupid question and/or made a comment that led me to believe he/she didn't believe me about a problem.

In the first case, I received a reply that didn't answer my question and felt like a generic response rather than one to the specific question. It didn't help me at all. In the second, if they had actually read the email, they'd have seen the question was legitimate, due to ambiguous guidelines. In the last case, the scheduler misread my comments and replied to a problem I didn't have. When I responded, stating that I already knew what she had explained in her reply but that my issue related to another section of the report (which I had already stated in my first email), she gave me a really weird response that seemed to indicate that she didn't believe that I had the problem that I had had. .

I know how busy schedulers are. So to try to save them time from having to dig through long paragraphs in long emails to figure out the question or problem, I list my questions/issues, if more than one, in numbered format as separate line items, in as brief a form as possible. I thought that would help. But it didn't. I know I can be long-winded, but I am capable of stating a question or problem succinctly! LOL.

It's just frustrating to often have to go through another round of emails to re-explain the question or problem. It's more efficient to handle it the first time. Again, I know schedulers are very busy, but taking time the first time to read and understand a question saves time by not having to do it a second time!

I got a generic reply when I sent an email letting them know that I had accidentally shopped the wrong location and realized it after I had submitted. They sent back something like "Thanks for contacting us" and that was it. I received my score on the shop and had a 10, but had done the wrong location. It was never corrected.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2023 03:23AM by Tvolgirl.

Yes, it's really frustrating when you have to deal with a bad scheduler or a scheduler having a bad day. Some schedulers really don't bother to read carefully. Some have poor reading comprehension skills. Even worse are schedulers who cop an attitude when shoppers have to send additional emails to get the answers we need to perform shops correctly.

There are a few schedulers I avoid due to repeated miscommunication.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2023 03:50AM by BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz.

@Tvolgirl wrote:

I got a generic reply when I sent an email letting them know that I had accidentally shopped the wrong location and realized it after I had submitted. They sent back something like "Thanks for contacting us" and that was it. I received my score on the shop and had a 10, but had done the wrong location. It was never corrected.

OMG. Sometimes I feel like I should let something go and see what happens in editing. But that feels like risking an outright rejection instead of being contacted so that I can explain the issue.

Sometimes you just can't win....

@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:

Yes, it's really frustrating when you have to deal with a bad scheduler or a scheduler having a bad day. Some schedulers really don't bother to read carefully. Some have poor reading comprehension skills. Even worse are schedulers who cop an attitude when shoppers have to send additional emails to get the answers we need to perform shops correctly.

There are a few schedulers I avoid due to repeated miscommunication.

I feel this one so much. I hate having to follow up and still not get the answers I need. Sometimes it is not their fault when the guidelines and the survey don't align but it does leave us without much help when our money and time is on the line.

I think I have been set to ignore by one scheduler. I have done numerous shops always with glowing reviews and I'll occasionally write and ask for a bonus for a far away location. He sometimes resonds but often does not. Once he assigned the requested shops but the bonuses were not applied to all of the shops. I wrote several times through the internal messaging as well as email and never got a response. I eventually wrote to the company and asked for help. At that point the scheduler wrote a somewhat kurt response telling me I should email him to request the shops to avoid this happening (which I had!). I just responded okay and thanks but I really wanted to point out that I had emailed.

It's kind of sad when the schedulers are the gate keepers but they are not communicative or responsive.

You just can't win with some schedulers. I have had instances where I forwarded the emails I had sent to the schedulers and they:

(1) claimed they never got the emails or they didn't see them, and
(2) told me I should have emailed them until they responded.

What the what what???

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

It's kind of sad when the schedulers are the gate keepers but they are not communicative or responsive.

And I have one scheduler who writes back when I ask a question regarding allowed items to order and asks me if I want to cancel my shop. This scheduler did not have this attitude a few years back. I get the impression it is a stressful shop for them with frequent queries about the rules. Now I start questions with an advisory that I do not want to cancel the shop.

I emailed one the other day, asked 3 questions. I even numbered them. Her response was, I don't think it will be a problem. Not one of my questions was actually answered. It is very frustrating.

@Datagirl wrote:

I emailed one the other day, asked 3 questions. I even numbered them. Her response was, I don't think it will be a problem. Not one of my questions was actually answered. It is very frustrating.

It seems like a kind of crazy system. The scheduler is the scheduler and sometimes gate keeper but it's not like they over see the projects that the schedule. I'm guessing it's frustrating on their end as they might not know (?) the ins and outs of all the jobs but they are still the ones who have to field all of the questions.

I'm not making excuses, because I have done the same thing as you with several questions, numbered, etc. and also gotten generic answers back. I feel bad for schedulers sometimes because I know I've asked many questions when a survey and the guidlines are vastly different. I've gotten the feeling from some schedulers that it's no big deal or x always supercedes y but it's a big deal when your time, money and potentially big reimbursement are on the line.

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@Datagirl wrote:

I emailed one the other day, asked 3 questions. I even numbered them. Her response was, I don't think it will be a problem. Not one of my questions was actually answered. It is very frustrating.

It seems like a kind of crazy system. The scheduler is the scheduler and sometimes gate keeper but it's not like they over see the projects that the schedule. I'm guessing it's frustrating on their end as they might not know (?) the ins and outs of all the jobs but they are still the ones who have to field all of the questions.

I'm not making excuses, because I have done the same thing as you with several questions, numbered, etc. and also gotten generic answers back. I feel bad for schedulers sometimes because I know I've asked many questions when a survey and the guidlines are vastly different. I've gotten the feeling from some schedulers that it's no big deal or x always supercedes y but it's a big deal when your time, money and potentially big reimbursement are on the line.

This is the most awesome thing about Servimer (from a shoppers view)
Servimer managers are scheduler, editor & client contact. So you only have one person from shop beginning to end.

@luckygirl0100 wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@Datagirl wrote:

I emailed one the other day, asked 3 questions. I even numbered them. Her response was, I don't think it will be a problem. Not one of my questions was actually answered. It is very frustrating.

It seems like a kind of crazy system. The scheduler is the scheduler and sometimes gate keeper but it's not like they over see the projects that the schedule. I'm guessing it's frustrating on their end as they might not know (?) the ins and outs of all the jobs but they are still the ones who have to field all of the questions.

I'm not making excuses, because I have done the same thing as you with several questions, numbered, etc. and also gotten generic answers back. I feel bad for schedulers sometimes because I know I've asked many questions when a survey and the guidlines are vastly different. I've gotten the feeling from some schedulers that it's no big deal or x always supercedes y but it's a big deal when your time, money and potentially big reimbursement are on the line.

This is the most awesome thing about Servimer (from a shoppers view)
Servimer managers are scheduler, editor & client contact. So you only have one person from shop beginning to end.

I just did one for servimer the other day, was a fantastic experience with communication and feedback. I almost feel like I have a personal relationship with her!

Servimer is one of the very best in terms of shopper/scheduler/MSC relations!

@sestrahelena wrote:

Servimer is one of the very best in terms of shopper/scheduler/MSC relations!

Everybody here seems to like them, but they rarely, if ever, have shops in my area. At least none that I've seen come up. I'll keep looking!

@Datagirl wrote:

I emailed one the other day, asked 3 questions. I even numbered them. Her response was, I don't think it will be a problem. Not one of my questions was actually answered. It is very frustrating.

Exactly.

All of this back and forth and both shoppers and schedulers getting frustrated and annoyed with one another could be avoided simply by MSCs making sure that the guidelines are clear and unambiguous and that the survey matches the guidelines. I don't understand why this is seemingly so difficult. If, for example, an instruction or observation changes, then just update both the guides and the survey! But right from the beginning on any project, they need to have somebody read through both pieces, not only for spelling and grammar (those aren't always the best--LOL) but to ensure that they match!

Maybe they don't want to spend the time and money--but in the long run, taking that time upfront will save time and money. Too many businesses fail to understand that and just want to take the shortest, cheapest route, not seeing the long picture.

Yep. A stitch in time saves nine.

I repeatedly have the same problem with a scheduler. Just short and curt emails. Sent me a payment invoice for a shop for 10 dollars instead of 100 dollars. Magically after me having the survey number and informing them of the project number, it was corrected. Though it was claimed they were 2 separate shops. I never got paid for the 10 dollar one. I let them know I would let it go. It is hard to be a jerk because the scheduler has lots to schedule in my area and I don't want to make them mad.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2023 04:35AM by Livsmarbs.

"Jerk" is not part of the equation. Asking questions and clarifying an invoice so that you don't get short-changed has nothing to do with being a jerk.

I mentioned this on another thread, but I had a grocery shop cancelled by the store because of a power outage. I emailed the scheduler the day before the shop was scheduled and the day of and never heard back. The day after, the job showed as withdrawn. Still haven't heard from the scheduler.

I worked with another one who asked me to do 12-15 shops over 3 weeks right at the end of the year. I wanted to get in the rotation for these shops and was glad to get the offer! He was communicative in sending me shops and answering my questions. At the beginning of the year I saw those shops on the board but when I tried to grab them it said assigned to another shopper. I emailed the assignor and asked if I could get in the rotation or at least be on the standby list. Crickets...

For one MSC, they may have shops with rotation requirements that do not seem to be taken - even with bonuses. So, they announce on the shop's job that "rotation has been lifted - contact the scheduler to have it assigned".
Sadly, when contacting the scheduler (especially so on weekends) to have it assigned, they do not respond or, are so late that the route planned to do it is no longer feasible. For heaven's sake, MSC, just remove the "contact scheduler" requirement and allow the shopper to self-assign. Use a metric like a minimum score or something like that. Your scheduler is an impediment.
As for that particular MSC, their other 2 platforms are such a PITA because of contacting schedulers, I just pass on them and look at my other MSCs for work.

Unfortunately, The scheduler does not feel that way.

Nothing makes me madder. Or the scheduler who you told you would be in the area to do another shop and would help do a shop they are desperate to fill every month. He declined my application. Ok, that is fine. The VERY NEXT day there was an assignment for the SAME dang store different scenario. I spoke with him on the phone. Could he have mentioned that!! I actually wrote the scheduler to let him know “I can’t help you meet your goals, if you can’t help me meet mine.” So frustrating.

Could you perhaps not qualify for the other scenario due to gender or some other reason?

It was an appropriate gender specific shop. I wish I could think of something.

My current pet peeve is applying for a shop along with a question about the shop. The question doesn't get answered but unbeknownst to me the shop is assigned.

@French Farmer wrote:

For one MSC, they may have shops with rotation requirements that do not seem to be taken - even with bonuses. So, they announce on the shop's job that "rotation has been lifted - contact the scheduler to have it assigned".
Sadly, when contacting the scheduler (especially so on weekends) to have it assigned, they do not respond or, are so late that the route planned to do it is no longer feasible. For heaven's sake, MSC, just remove the "contact scheduler" requirement and allow the shopper to self-assign.

Omg yes! Completely agree and you're definitely not alone with that experience!