I keep searching to see if someone has actually done one of these but get no results.
Has anyone done one at the $10 rate that they STILL have up?
I requested some with PAD as I was going to be going by on another shop (that did pay PAD) and was told that they were new shops and they would not pay distance pay yet, but it is going on 2 months now and all the same shops are still there so yeah ...

I was thinking I had seen someone comment on these shops, and discussing how difficult they are, especially for the low pay the MSC is known for. What concerns me more though is I have been getting a lot of Applebees RESHOP emails, which usually tells me they were completed by someone but the jobs were rejected for some reason or another.

$10? A no reimbursement shop for $10 at Applebees? NO.. I did one that was $30 with a $10 bonus, and I still had to spend money out of pocket to meet their ordering requirements. I'll do that once, but I won't make that mistake again. I saw there were more available for $30, but I won't make that mistake again.

Well it isn't a sit down meal shop, just photos. Should be super fast but since I see nobody is taking these I am going to skip them for now. Interesting that still NOBODY has said they have done one.

There was a thread regarding these awhile back. I've done the pancake house ones, and they are a ton of work. They are not super fast. You'll be shooting pictures of everything from entrances to artwork, to mouldings, to restrooms, booths, railings, walls. They take a lot of time. I'm assuming it's similar. I won't touch one for under $50 and then probably not.

I don't know about posting the link to the other thread because it names the MSC. Try searching "restaurant photo shops" or go to the Mystery Shopping Company Discussion section, and you'll find it. The last post was on April 24th.

There is no purchase requirement at Applebees. All you do is take photos. It is an announced photo audit. If it was next door to me, I might do one if I was totally bored. I will not travel 1 mile without PAD to do this shop.

@Morledzep wrote:

$10? A no reimbursement shop for $10 at Applebees? NO.. I did one that was $30 with a $10 bonus, and I still had to spend money out of pocket to meet their ordering requirements. I'll do that once, but I won't make that mistake again. I saw there were more available for $30, but I won't make that mistake again.

that's one of those restaurant audits like the ones I used to do at IHOP years ago in CA. $10 ain't enough.

myst4au: what is PAD?

i think there are two applebees shops going on at the moment from two different msc’s. one is a meal for two people, $10 pay + $45 reimbursement. the other is a photo audit with $10 base pay.

that might clear up any confusion in this thread.

PAD is the acronym that one of the large MSCs uses that allows you to ask for additional money to complete the shop. The PAD request is done online. PAD is an acronym, but I don't remember what it stands for. All that matters is that it is a request for more money. I based my request on the miles I drive at the IRS mileage rate plus money for the time I spend driving. Other people have other systems for setting the amount of their PAD request. I can't tell you the name of the MSC since the client is already mentioned in this thread. There is only a single MSC that uses the acronym, PAD.

@big_sky_thunder wrote:

myst4au: what is PAD?

I think someone on the site said they put "irrelevant" when the reason for asking for PAD comes up when requesting it.

I usually do what myst4au does. I figure out time spent driving and miles driven. And if I know the shop will take longer than the.MSC estimated, I'll add what I need so doing the shop makes sense for me to actually do it.

For instance. If people here say the shop will take 2-3 hours and I need at least $20/hr for doing it, I would ask for $50 PAD plus mileage.

My guess is they don't care very much if these get done given how long they have been on the board. But on a brighter note, the several times daily emails have stopped. Maybe someone took them all ????

PAD is Pre-Authorized Distance pay. I often type simply "distance," but for locations where the flying-crow distance is considerably less than the actual driving distance (because there are mountains and/or rivers with few bridges between me and the targeted location), I'll explain the number of miles round-trip and/or estimated travel time round-trip. This MSC automatically inputs just flying-crow distance.

I have done a few, when I was going to the area anyway. I tried asking for PAD and got crickets.
But the photos are not that bad. After a couple, I could do them in about 1/2 hour.

@MsJudi wrote:

There was a thread regarding these awhile back. I've done the pancake house ones, and they are a ton of work. They are not super fast. You'll be shooting pictures of everything from entrances to artwork, to mouldings, to restrooms, booths, railings, walls. They take a lot of time. I'm assuming it's similar. I won't touch one for under $50 and then probably not.

I had one of these for the Pancake house. I showed them the LOA they didn't care....the manager refused the audit. He told me "if the company wants an audit done, they have to clear it through him first" That's what I put in my report. I don't think it went well for him. I got paid anyway.

I keep getting emails about the photo audit at Applebee's but I won't do them, simply because I semi-regularly do the mystery shop at Applebee's for the other MSC. If I show up saying I'm doing an audit for the one MSC, then I think my cover is blown with the other MSC.

Thanks, I will do that. Nothing comes up in a search under the brand name.

Pre-Authorized Distance (pay). Basically a travel/time bonus to the shop fee. I make sure that it equals at least $1 x the mileage one way ( equalling 50c a mile total) - or more if it is in either a very remote location where there will be no other work - OR - a dense suburb where the travel time is going to be double/triple what I would normally have.
Many of my PAD requests get declned as they find someone closter or who will do to it cheaper - but many of them do get approved because I am willing to go to remote locations that they apparently have no shoppers/auditors willing to go.

@charleybuddy wrote:

i think there are two applebees shops going on at the moment from two different msc’s. one is a meal for two people, $10 pay + $45 reimbursement. the other is a photo audit with $10 base pay.

that might clear up any confusion in this thread.

AH yes, I remember those! Were they awful? I don't recall. I think I took it because there were SO FEW shops in my area at that time (very few chain locations) and I had never seen this one before.

@wrosie wrote:

For instance. If people here say the shop will take 2-3 hours and I need at least $20/hr for doing it, I would ask for $50 PAD plus mileage.

Not sure how you would do that as they do not pay mileage. Your PAD request would have to encompass the mileage.

@kattyk wrote:

I tried asking for PAD and got crickets.

@kattyk wrote:

SAME! I even asked why none were being considered and the scheduler told me because they are "NEW". Apparently they expected them to get scooped up at $10 ... not. They are ALL still on the board, months later.
PS - I got a text message offering PAD to do one - BUT - the fee was reduced to $5 WTH??

@shopnyc wrote:

I keep getting emails about the photo audit at Applebee's but I won't do them, simply because I semi-regularly do the mystery shop at Applebee's for the other MSC. If I show up saying I'm doing an audit for the one MSC, then I think my cover is blown with the other MSC.

Even mystery shoppers have to eat.. and they honestly don't remember folks from one day to the next, most times.

Even if you did a photo audit and also do mystery shops at the same place. I'm not sure they would put 2 and 2 together-that photo audits and mystery shops are done by the same shoppers. They are so different.

I believe that I do what Wroise is advocating.
Step #1; Calculate round-trip distance and multiply (currently) by $0.67 per mile = x
Step #2: Determine the total driving time and multiply by $20 per hour (or whatever number you choose) = y
Step #3: Guestimate the time to complete the shop and multiply by $20 per hour (or whatever number you choose); subtract the base "pay" offered, but do not go lower than $0 = z
Step #4: Calculate the required PAD = x + Y + z and submit your PAD request to the MSC

@Boutique wrote:

@wrosie wrote:

For instance. If people here say the shop will take 2-3 hours and I need at least $20/hr for doing it, I would ask for $50 PAD plus mileage.

Not sure how you would do that as they do not pay mileage. Your PAD request would have to encompass the mileage.

Okay get a text for a reshop at a location about 20 miles from me stating there's less pictures required. They calculated 14.5 as the crow flies.

I sign in and look at it and the shop fee for driving to the location and taking an outside picture is...

$3 yes $3, because there's less pictures required for a reshop!

New locations they've soliciting me to do are still at $10 and between 6-30 miles from me. The pay doesn't even cover gas.

I submit PAD based on distance and the time to drive there and back. I get nastygrams telling me that they cannot approve PAD requests that high. Then stop sending me repetitive text messages pleading with me to submit a PAD request for locations up to 50 miles away (using their as-the-crow-flies methodology). Or state the maximum acceptable PAD. A $20 PAD covers 30 total miles of driving if I value my time at nothing.

Been working for this company for 15 years. I have NEVER had any PAD's denied !!
I do not receive these "low ball" texts or claims of not being able to pay the requested
PAD. Just completed two RE-SHOPS (PAD offered was $50 each, with a pay of $10 each) and a Regular photo shop, (Pay $20 and PAD $30). Don't know if it is "my history" with them or what.
******************************************************************************************************************
My base pay to do work for anyone, is .70 a mile. My VW gets 35-40 mpg, so even
doing 5 gas station's ($2 gas, over a 1/2 gallon each = 85 miles at the minimum)
40 miles round trip for the 5 gas shops at the base pay of $12 = $60 in pay and bonus fuel of 45 miles to use towards my next drive./// The 3 Applebee's in total was 107 miles (total pay and PAD was $170. 50 minutes total onsite for all 3) I found two gas shops, with 2 gallon purchases, which paid for the fuel distance and gave me a +33 miles towards my next drive.
*******************************************************************************************
Don't know why you guys are struggling with this company, I feel for you !
I highly recommend getting a car with great gas mileage, it makes this type of business so much easier and a lot more money in your pocket.