Wait for 40 minutes are they nuts?

Our friends at mf now require you to wait up to 40 minutes for assistance at a cell phone shop before you can leave and claim you weren't helped. A whopping $8 fee. They must have been getting too many "I wasn't assisted within 10 minutes" reports.

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I just did some but only needed to wait 20. I think I have some of the others coming up. I usually get helped right away though.

Originally the requirement was that you could leave if you weren't assisted in 10 minutes.

Maybe a little off topic... but along the lines of ridiculous cell phones shops. My first shop for a new company, and very early in my shopping. I'm supposed to shop a kiosk and target a particular brand. Well, the sales guy kept going to another brand. Completely uninterested in talking about the brand I was there for.

Reported what happened. REJECTED! Client isn't interested about their competition, they only pay to hear about their service/product. Ummm...wouldn't they be interested in finding out that sales rep isn't promoting them at all?!?!?!?

The waits are sometimes ridiculous. I just did a shipping where I left after the 15 minutes. I did two other shops for the same provider and those were accepted right away, while the shop I did first and waited on sat there forever waiting to be accepted.

Even in my fairly small city (50,000) there are so many places to go get a cell phone that I can't see anybody waiting that long. Even when not mystery shopping I do value customer service. I can't see anyone waiting that long for service, unless they were already committed to the company and in need of assistance.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2011 02:33AM by Shelly.

If you drive to do this shop and wait for 40 minutes then leave and go home to do the report for the sum of $8 guess how much you're working for.

Bank shops that have a long wait requirement to talk to a platform banker about new accounts--i.e. BECOMING a customer--strike me as dead giveaways. If I went into a bank to start a relationship I sure as heck would up and leave after 10 minutes thinking this was not a place for me!

I think a lot of us are rethinking the price per hour issues lately.
Most of us do not want to work for free.

I simply won't get stung more than once again. I won't drive over five miles each way for $10 for a single shop. I have to have a string of shops to get me to travel unless I'm in an area of town on other business where I would have spent the gas money anyway.

On topic, I did a bunch of those "super easy 5 minute" bank shops and averaged 20 minutes onsite with some taking up to 50 minutes of wait time plus getting the banker to shut up. I won't do them anymore either. And I even paid my daughter to do the scanning for me.

The amount made per hour needs to be a reasonable amount after deducting your expenses. My only exception is if is a restaurant where I will enjoy the meal and would maybe have gone there anyway. On that type of shop, the price of my gas has to be less than I would have spent. An extra report every once in a while for something I enjoy is OK. Getting shafted or I should say...letting my self be shafted is no longer an option. After the gas route fiasco, I won't get stung again. Once shame on you....twice shame on me.

Today I Will Choose Joy!

"Finally, whatever things are good, true, noble, lovely, of good report...if there be any virtue, if there be any praise...think on these things." ....It's a command, not a suggestion!

Iblessyah, I did 58 of those "I wish were 5 minute" banks already this month and all I can say is never again. I do my last 7 that I committed myself to tomorrow. I don't want to even look at banks! Oh and the scanning..uggh not fun.

cahilove-they are allowing more than one branch a day for blue bank?

Let's see

- Average drive: 15 mins
- Average wait: 10 mins
- Drive back: 15 mins
- Fill out report: 10 mins

Total 50 mins. (with out a 40 mins wait)

$ pay = $9.60/hour. You are over the minimum wage. (sarcastic remark).

**** Action Stations, Launch All Vipers *******

'Why yes, I've been standing here waiting for 40 minutes to ask a question that is clearly answered in several places in this store by rate plans both posted prominently and available for me to take home. No, I don't want to purchase anything but do you have a business card I could take? Great, thanks."

Yeah... I loved doing those shops. Those were a blast.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2011 05:42PM by CourtneyH.

I cancelled a phone shop that the evaluation was six pages. Just getting there, in a high traffic area, was a nightmare. I was called and asked to do it and it did not sound bad until I had 12 pages of regs to print then the evaluation had 2 pages for just the outside of the store. The rest of the evaluation covered the store display and the associate interaction. The detail in the evaluation seemed over the top. I decided the headache I was going to get over the whole thing was not worth the $10.

CANADAMOMMY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cahilove-they are allowing more than one branch a
> day for blue bank?

Are we talking about the same assignment? There are no limits on the 5 minute ones. There is a limit of 60 per month with the 10 minutes ones though. Maybe we are talking about different companies?

dkk5685 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe a little off topic... but along the lines of
> ridiculous cell phones shops. My first shop for a
> new company, and very early in my shopping. I'm
> supposed to shop a kiosk and target a particular
> brand. Well, the sales guy kept going to another
> brand. Completely uninterested in talking about
> the brand I was there for.
>
> Reported what happene d. REJECTED! Client isn't
> interested about their competition, they only pay
> to hear about their service/product.
> Ummm...wouldn't they be interested in finding out
> that sales rep isn't promoting them at all?!?!?!?
From what you have indicated this is totally unethical, Go after them. Since you did not mention the client can you share the MSC?

I quit doing bank shops for Ath because of the low pay and time requirements. After my continuous complaints about slow pay they removed me from eligibility. No loss.

ces1948 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Our friends at mf now require you to wait up to 40
> minutes for assistance at a cell phone shop before
> you can leave and claim you weren't helped. A
> whopping $8 fee. They must have been getting too
> many "I wasn't assisted within 10 minutes"
> reports.

I'd look elsewhere for my shops. That is a silly request.

Don in Vegas

Yes, they are nuts and they are hoping the shopper is, too!

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