I recently did a BP Consumer Audit, and got a rejection email from reviewer Jody Czarnecki, but am unclear on the reason why. I tried to email her to ask what did she mean in her rejection email, but she never responded. Does anyone know what she’s talking about, or has had any problems with her as well? Below is a copy of the rejection email she sent me.

“Reason provided by the reviewer:

Thank you for attempting to complete a BP Consumer Audit. Unfortunately, [Mystery Shop Company Name Censored] has directed us to reject this report for the following reasons: You completed your shop on 10/8 but didn't submit it until 10/9. All shops are to be signed into the Presto app before performing the mystery shop.

The Helios Guide states that you are to sign into the Presto app and then conduct the mystery shop and place your answers and photos in the survey as directed in order to complete the shop. We cannot accept any shop that the mystery shop has been completed prior to signing into the Presto app.

If you are interested in re-conducting this visit, please visit the Presto map and check for the available pin, but *do not reuse any of the photos from this report as your survey will be rejected. You must sign in to the Presto app before completing the survey. We don't care where you sign into the Presto app as long as you complete the survey that same day. Then you have 24 hours after completing it to submit it.

Please reply to this email if you require further details.
Sincerely yours,
Jody Czarnecki”

When she says, I am to sign into the Presto App before doing the shop, I don’t know what she’s talking about. From what I understand, when you sign into the Presto App, you remain signed in continuously unless you sign yourself out. So, I don’t see why it would be necessary to sign into the Presto App each, and every time you do a shop.

The data for the shop was collected on 10-08, and submitted on 10-09, within 24 hours. When I look on page 5 of the shopper guidelines, inside of a green box, in the bottom right hand corner, it says “Submit your shop within 24 hours of completion.” I thought that means we have 24 hours to do so then.

I tried emailing her asking about these things, and it appears she just ignored the email. Since then, she has rejected an additional 4 shops, while other reviewers have accepted work that was done in the same way. So, the part of the email that says "We can not accept..." seems untrue.

Because of this, it has costed me a $100 that I needed to pay my bills, and I don’t even have the benefit of knowing why because she won’t respond to the emails I send her.

Has anyone else had any problems with this reviewer, or know what she’s talking about?

You're not even checking in when you're at the location? I don't understand how you're doing the report without checking in while you're at the location. With every gas station, even on sassie, the first thing I do is open the report and put in the date and time. And on presto shops I check in, I always thought that checking in at the location was required, the rest of the report doesn't even populate until you check in.

I do not use the check-in feature on Presto while working out in the field, and never have since Presto has been around. I have a system for collecting the photos, and data that I need for my shops, that works even when I do not have a reliable cell phone signal. Such a system has worked well for me for many years, while traveling all over the country, sometimes to very remote places, and having done thousands of gas station audits this way. It has allowed me to do my work more reliably, and efficiently than if I were restricted to only doing it through the Presto App while out in the field.

So, no I do not use the check-in feature on the Presto App, and I do not use the Presto App to collect my data while out in the field. I use a system I have developed for collecting the data that I need, and then I later use the Presto website to submit it via my laptop. And this has never affected shop acceptance with me. As long as I get it done within 24 hours, I’ve always been good to go.

Even with this particular reviewer, she has never rejected my work in years past for this reason. It was only until just recently that she started.

Also, what I find puzzling is that the other reviewers that have been reviewing my work for this particular period have not been rejecting my work for that reason either. It’s just her, and I don’t know why.

This is interesting! So you check in on your laptop when filling the report out? I didn't even know that was an option since you get an error saying you are XX miles away. I always CheckIn on Presto, then take the pictures and upload them later on my laptop.

Either way, you could try to Appeal in Presto and you can forward your rejection notice to jenny.goldsmith and ask her to review it. Just point out that you have receipts and the photos are geotagged, so there is no question if you were at the right location, etc.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2024 10:23AM by Cassiespark.

In the shortened versions of the guidelines it states:


"Go back to your car. Get your safety vest and letter of authorization (LOA).
OPEN THE SURVEY ON YOUR PHONE to answer questions as you observe."

Yes, there is the proviso as part of the instruction "to answer questions as you observe". That does not specifically state the reason is to answer on your phone though. The first part of the statement is all in caps.
Why would you ignore it?

And, so, you unfortunately seemed to have the most "by the books" editor of them all reviewing your report. I don't see an easy way out of this.

That is interesting that you don't check in because I have had shops rejected because I was "too far away". I always thought the check in was a requirement.

Hmmmm... I try to book as many Magic! app shops as possible via the website while on my laptop in order to secure locations when putting together a route. Given the 5-mile radius it's way more efficient on a larger screen.

When I claim a shop, I have to check a box indicating I will complete the report on either an Android or iPhone.

Can't see how to get around that.

I ended up blowing off a nice-paying remote Mollusk gas station because I could not check in on my phone.

Circle K's on Presto sometimes get approved before I'm a mile away. They aren't truly a gas station audit though...more of the store audit, me thinks.

My opinion is that this company likes to find reasons to reject. Even though she states that you can email her for more details, she will ghost you and not respond. Try finding their page on facebook messenger and contact them that way. Maybe you will get a more solid answer.

I went through a similar issue and it took me 5 weeks to get a response.

I don't do BPs, so maybe it is different for them. But for every other brand, I usually do the same and fill in the report at home.

BUT I almost always open the report and click the "Check in" button while on site. When the shops first started going on the new app, there were a few occasions where I forgot to check in, and I checked in at home, and the shops were accepted. For these I had uploaded receipts as part of the shop. Maybe they had a grace period for checking in and it is over. Or maybe it is just that editor.

How did it cost you $100? Seems you did not follow directions. So sorry

Cassiespark, thank you for your suggestion to contact Jenny Goldsmith. I guess your previous post was deleted for having the domain name within her email address, but I got it anyway. Thank you.

@Cassiespark wrote:

This is interesting! So you check in on your laptop when filling the report out?

But to answer your previous question, yes, I check in on my laptop to submit reports after having done a group of shops within a day. So the check-in location, in my case, is not going to reflect the location of any given gas station. It’s going to reflect the location of either my home, a hotel room, a public library, or maybe a McDonalds, etc. They are still able to verify that I was at the correct location by looking at the address printed on my receipts, as well as how the photos are geotagged.

Once upon a time, we didn’t have the Presto App, and it was a different mystery shop company that had the gas station clients. Back then, they called their platform Virtuoso, and you were expected to print out several pages worth of mystery shop questions to answer while you were on site doing the mystery shop. I never did this because I found it to be hugely inefficient, and a waste of paper. What I did instead was develop my own system for collecting data and submitting it, and I found this to be much easier than doing it the other way.

Then the current mystery shop company acquired the gas station clients, from what is now the previous mystery shop company, and Presto was created. I didn’t stop using the system that I had developed in the past for doing things. I just made some modifications to it here and there to get it work alongside of the Presto platform.

A benefit of doing this, and using a system that does not require a internet connection over one that does is that you can do mystery shops anywhere, and it’s not a problem. I can be doing mystery shops out in the wilderness areas of West Virginia where there is no signal at all. It can be done in areas where signal might be spotty such as at gas stations near certain Indian reservations, or the ones near the Canadian border, or in various places in the “flyover” states to the West. So this is what I have stuck with over the years, and hadn’t had a problem with doing so – until now, with this one reviewer.

And that’s a problem with the Presto Check-in feature. It was touted as the greatest thing since sliced bread when it first came out, but if you are in a place where there is no signal, it’s not going to work. These situations used to be addressed within the shop guidelines for the gas station clients by saying that if you run into these situations, don’t worry about checking in, just collect the information you need, and submit it later. And then at some point that was dropped from the guidelines with it just not really being addressed anymore. But I have still done things the way I have always done them.

@mystery2me wrote:

.... Or maybe it is just that editor.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking...

Does anyone know what's going on within the personnel department at [Mystery Shop Company Name Censored]? I tried contacting Jenny Goldsmith but received the follow message:

The mailbox you are trying to reach is no longer active. Please contact Joshua Rawson (Email Address Censored) for further communication. Thank you

So I did that, and then I got this message:

The mailbox you are trying to reach is no longer active. Please contact Joe Kromer (Email Address Censored) for further communication. Thank you

I am wondering if it's going to redirect me to yet another email address in a few minutes...

I know that in the past Sanez Lee was the field coordinator for BP. I am not sure what might have happened since then.

I find the rejection letter confusing. It says to sign in to Presto and OP is correct, once you're signed in, you're always signed in. Unless you change phones or something.

So, does the rejectionist mean, "Check in?" That's a completely different thing. And if that is the case, they apparently don't know the difference.

And the "sign in" has to be done before the shop? Again, you're always signed in. But check in is not possible when there is no reception anyway.

Classic MSC double-talk without saying anything comprehesible.
"We don't care where you sign in," what does that even mean? The letter is full of contradictions. This editor must be drunk with power. Or without. That's how it reads, anyway. Escalate! On the shopmetrics page there might be that "Meet our team!" Stuff where you could find the project manager.

Also, I never even use the app. I just use the web brower site which gets stuck a lot less often ("Could not obtain image from device" being a constant issue with the app). I do only the simplest of reports onsite, if reception allows. Ones that have many photos go home with me to the laptop where I can work in comfort.

Walking around a gas station with your face in your phone looking at an app to tell you where to go next and what to take a picture of is just not safe. An excellent way to get run over. The MSC knows that, of course, but encourages it anyway.

This company finds new ways to piss me off every week. Obviously.

Okay, so I didn’t get a response from Jenny Goldsmith, Joshua Rawson, or Joe Kromer. I did get a response from the general support team, and they forwarded my concerns to Emily Barnes, of whom they say is the current project manager.

According to Emily Barnes, she “thinks” the reviewer meant “check-in”, and not “sign-in”. That as of this year, it became a requirement that we “check-in” prior to doing the shop. That means before buying gas, making an in-store purchase, etc. That would sort of explain how I was able to do so many of these in the past without checking in prior to the shop. Because I largely took a break from mystery shopping this year, with most of the shops I have been able to do without checking in first, were in years past.

I am still unclear on some things that she will hopefully answer. Such as do we have 24 hours to submit our reports or not? Because if you look at the guidelines, it sounds like we do, but if you look at the rejection email, it sounds like we do not.

I am also curious to see how she wants locations that do not have cell phone signal to be done, as it is only the most remote of locations that are in cell phone dead zones, and coincidentally, those can be among some of the hardest locations for them to schedule too.

Sitting on my hands because something doesn't smell right...

Sorry but Okie is right.

There is a simple answer to this:
Be assured that once a shop is placed on the Presto app the shopper must, not should, be using the "Check-in" function on their smartphone.
If you, the shopper, find that your phone signal has little to poor, to no phone reception, just perform the shop. Then watch for reception on your phone as you drive away. As soon as you see a decent signal, check in. That is a must.
Alternatively, if you have done these shops in the past and are aware of signal issues, check in as you near the site and have a good signal.
Note the problem with the Check-in function and (the report a problem function) and also in the report's comment section.
Your receipts will be your secondary verification of being at the correct address.

Is this the same MSC that offered $12.50 + $6 for Shell Oil visits that required, their verbiage, 25+ pics? That would be the same Shell Oil that has a market cap of 1/5th a trillion dollars and overcharges* their affiliates for the shop.

*I do not know this is correct, but it would surprise me if it were not accurate. That info appeared on a website.

Of all the businesses that have a shopping program, I opine that none are as needy as gas stations for the oil companies.

@ServiceAward wrote:

@mystery2me wrote:

Sorry but Okie is right.

I am sorry but you must have thought my comment to @Okie was an invitation for your opinion. I assure you it was not.

Then please learn to use the DM function if that is your position.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2024 05:11PM by mystery2me.

All public comments are an invitation for my or anyone else's opinions.

OP, Mr. JM, unfortunately your SYSTEM is no longer going to work. The shopper needs to conform to their (MSC) streamlined SYSTEM which consists of minimal or no contact from the MSC. It's my understanding that mobile check-in (usually using your own mobile data plan) has always been required for this particular type of shop. Yes, they should make it crystal clear and easily understood that you will need to check in (location) with your mobile device that has a data plan and is able to geolocate you. Your SYSTEM is no longer going to work. You must assimilate and join the collective, LOL. Relying on public use WiFi will not work. And as you already know, there are reasons why some shops have a high bonus. And eventually someone somewhere will be able to teleport with a sattelite mobile data plan and get the job done. I feel your frustration. It took me a while to get used to doing everything on mobile AND on-site. That was a few years ago and I'm often not working as quickly or efficiently as I'd like, especially for a shop that's new to me and previewing the questions is not possible.

Resistance is futile...