I have. Never a problem. Here are some examples (I have done hundreds, so these are rare but actual events):
1) no hamburger patty at all on sandwich
2) grease stain on sidewalk
3) stopped up toilet. I actually told the store manager since I wanted to use it. She said, "We know." Never even went to look.
4) every table and floor dirty

[Edited to correct typos]

@wrosie wrote:

Just try to submit a negative 5 Guys report. It doesn't happen when i try.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2025 04:37AM by myst4au.

I didn't say I don't have a blue dress, I just wasn't wearing it that day. Lol. Yes, I know what you are alluding to.

The reports I've had kicked back have all been about the food preparation. And I commend rhem for it.

@mystery2me wrote:

Yes, I don't like those for two reasons. As you say, the reports can be a pain, as you must explain things in more detail. I don't necessarily worry about the business disputing my report, but I do worry about the extra details and unusual circumstances causing me to be outed and unable to shop there again.

Getting outed has happened to me twice but other than that I have never had any bad experience with a bad report. The two outed situations occured when the manager got involved in what went wrong. One time it was a situation where they had made a substitution in the menu item with a cheaper replacement. I was instructed on that visit to let them know if my order was incorrect. I seem to remember they subbed out blue cheese and used cottage cheese instead. With only one or two tables taken the manager came over and plopped himself down at my table and told me his life story in addition to the fact that yes, they had stopped using blue cheese (which has a distinctive strong flavor). I did not dwell on the cheese issue in the report but since I was one of only two or three customers that afternoon he was able to remember who I was..
The other time it was the opposite. The restaurant was overwhelmed evidently with a very large party that arrived without prior reservations and took up half the place. I was there for a pick up order from my car. The guidelines said not to go inside. After almost an hour and several calls to the inside the manager was the one taking care of the phone calls . My report mentioned how long I had to wait to get my order. Again the manager read that and figured out who i was. We never met in person but I was banned.

It's always important to report honestly your interaction with employees even if it takes more time for you to write out the report. Remember, this is really the only way that employers know whether or not their employees are learning what they need to learn and offering excellent customer service.

As for the managers, some of them actually do something about it and others don't. Some managers take it personally when a negative report is filed and trust me there is nothing worse than a ticked off manager, but I don't care if they get mad at me. I just am honest when I go into a place and sometimes it's great and other times it's absolutely horrible. I've been doing this for more than 10 years and I've only had one manager that wanted to fight me for the report that I put in and I don't take it personally everyone has their own opinion when it comes to what's right and what's wrong.

Worse is when all is said and done, the client comes back stating some lie about you that their staff told. I was told once that at a storage company visit, I left kids in the car while I was inside. Nope. Had no kids at the time. Same MSC, ask me regarding a gas station MS if I brought kids inside that caused the mess at the drink station, per the photograph of the mess I included. Nope, again, no kids at the time.

The MS was polite and professional but reminded me the locations have surveillance. I challenged them to produce it to prove I had said kids. I was in view of the cameras at all times. I always report exact times and take random shots throughout my visits to cover myself, including my vehicle before and after. UGH. They apologized and said each one misidentified me. LOL. Wasted my time and got under my skin.

Revisited this and was reminded of a negative shop that got me booted from the client.

It was the dry cleaning gig. I think BAI administers them now, but I forget which company it was back then.

I received zero acknowledgement from the dour-faced employee on both the drop-off and pick-up visits. Prices were crazy expensive, and there was still an issue with one of my garments, so I reported as such.

My report was accepted and I was paid/reimbursed, but I was informed I would no longer be able to do future assignments.

Some companies want accuracy when they engage an MSC, and apparently others want puffery.

Could it be some manager's bonuses are somehow tied to our reports? Just wondering out loud.

I think at McDonalds they were, back when they were shopped.

@wrosie wrote:

Could it be some manager's bonuses are somehow tied to our reports? Just wondering out loud.

I'm pretty sure 5guys mgt bonus is tied to the report.

Just report the facts. It's both our sword and shield.

I will submit a picture of extra things if I'm going to report on them. That usually prevents any pushback since there is photo evidence. You can submit more photos on a 5g visit than just the 2 receipts.

@Deedeezthoughts wrote:

@wrosie wrote:

Just try to submit a negative 5 Guys report. It doesn't happen when i try.

I have. I kept it factual up until the question about why I might not return based on the visit. I explained that struggling to find a clean table to use makes me question their commitment to cleanliness. Especially since the restaurant was not busy. They had time and staffing to correct the problems but I didn't see any effort to do so during my visit.

Accepted without pushback.

I shall never forget one time when I toured a luxury apartment complex that included speciality restaurants, sports club, and more — of the fanciest places I’ve ever toured actually. Anyway, when I reported that the agent did not take me to the fancy restaurant during the tour, she had a reason. The agent told them that the reason she didn’t take me was because I was not dressed appropriately, and I was wearing blue jeans. I don’t even own a pair of blue jeans ha ha ha. I basically dress the same all the time — business casual. I wear my sleeveless black dresses and a nice blouse on top all day long. No matter where I’m going — it’s my uniform! I informed the MSC about how I dressed for the tour. I never heard back! Check the video, people!

I was asked to rewrite a report by an editor after an exceptionally unprofessional experience with a targeted manager.

I supported the facts I’d stated truthfully and refused.

Next day I got the same request from the scheduler. I asked if truthful reports were only encouraged if they were positive.

No reply. I did not rewrite the report.

I was not paid, and I won’t do another assignment for that company.

I was asked to rewrite a report by an editor after an exceptionally unprofessional customer service experience with a targeted manager.

I supported the facts I’d stated truthfully and refused.

Next day I got the same request from the scheduler. I asked if truthful reports were only encouraged if they were positive.

No reply. I did not rewrite the report.

I was not paid, and I won’t do another assignment for that company.

If I get outed after submitting a negative report, I just say, "If they knew I was the mystery shopper, then why didn't they do their job?"

@Deedeezthoughts wrote:

@Madetoshop wrote:

I dread writing impending reports when things go awry….

The thing that makes it worth the pain of slogging through extra work is when you see change on a subsequent visit. I had one guy who probably didn't realize his body language was conveying the wrong message. The last time I came across him, he was behaving as if he'd had an epiphany. I had been asked to explain his behavior and I had taken time to give details. Guy still likes to cross his arms but he was smiling and engaging and that can't be an easy change for him. And no, it wasn't just for me, he was making the effort with everyone. I stopped and chatted a minute to make sure he got positive feedback for his efforts. Good manager, good associate, it makes all the difference.

Totally agree. We had a server who was somewhat aloof. He was good in terms of general service, but this restaurant usually had very friendly servers and he felt like he was going through the motion. I put that comment. About two years later we got him again. He was so changed and was delightful. We ended up having him a couple more times over the next few years. He remembered us as he remembered other past guests (observed greetings) and was outgoing and friendly. He ended up getting a big promotion within the company. I like to think that my report might’ve had something to do with that.

I reported a terrible manager at a 5G and it was accepted with no question. The manager was berating and being very unkind to an employee who clearly did not speak English very well. The employee was in tears. If the store has video, I am sure it was captured. It made me feel very uncomfortable as a customer.

It's good to hear that this situation was reported.

Your opinion that the efficient service was enough that you didn’t mind the employee not maintaining the service standards is not objective and should not be reported. The employee clearly failed to support the loyalty program and not walking the purchase around the counter is also a violation of procedure.

Including your opinion that it was acceptable to you that the employee failed to include endorsing the loyalty program and failing to follow the procedure of walking the purchase around the counter were not appropriate comments.

Last week I had two back to back bad shops. Surprisingly one was a TRX where I received the wrong order and my daughters steak was way overcooked because the big rib eye was cut way too thin. Even the replacement steak they brought was still cooked too much but at least better. The manager was rude and it took me forever to do that report because i wanted to be specific. It was accepted without an issue.

I did a 5G the next day, what a crap show that was. Only 3 people working, tons of online orders coming in, 15 people waiting for food, my fries were undercooked, there were hardly any in the bag, the guy handing out orders was rude AF. I waited 15 minutes for crappy food. That location is always a crap show though, I guess that is why it was bonused. The one closest to my house is the absolute best. Great manager and staff, never wait there. Of course that one is never avaialable. Someone scoops that one right up.
I am amazed that report was accepted, they don't like negative feedback.

Some reports have a section for you to voice your opinion. They WANT to know what you think, not just exactly what happened.

I've written before that I enjoyed the employee not being pushy and letting me shop on my own.

@emm2131 wrote:

Your opinion that the efficient service was enough that you didn’t mind the employee not maintaining the service standards is not objective and should not be reported. The employee clearly failed to support the loyalty program and not walking the purchase around the counter is also a violation of procedure.

I so get this..Lately I’ve experienced bad service or and low quality food at a trendy sushi shop, a steakhouse & fast casual. I tell the truth & point out positive elements. The report does take longer to explain the details & l don’t like getting anyone in trouble. Mostly l enjoy dining out with my sweetie, l dislike spending more money than what the shop pays when it a negative experience (l’m happy to overpay $20-30 on a good experience).

Paying oop on a bad shop is the worst. I have argued repeatedly for reimbursement for tips based on the full check after items are comped for non-service issues. So the kitchen screws up. You have to return my food and serve it again but because it is comped, I am not supposed to tip on it at all???

I had a terrible shop where drinks and dessert were comped. So I added $6 to the tip since the problem was not a server issue. They refused to reimburse me. I argued that they got more valuable info since I documented handling of the situation and it is unfair to penalize the server and also unfair to penalize me for treating him fairly. No go. So crap shop followed by crap MSC. In a shocking twist, the GM was so embarrassed about our meal (she was off that night) that she asked for our address (thru msc) to send an apology. We got a gift certificate (yes, paper certificate!) for nearly the full amount of all food & drink ordered on that visit, including the value of the comped items!

Chiming in late and apparently writing a novel. Bar none, this was the most negative shop I ever had to write up and I've never told the story publicly. I can't resist!

About 15 years ago I did an eat in shop at a hot meat sandwich place that was part of a small local chain. The requirements said I had to be there within five minutes of opening because they wanted to know if all menu items were available right at open. I was the only customer for quite a while. It is a tiny hole in the wall storefront and I was seated kind of around the corner, not in their direct line of sight, so I honestly think they forgot I was there.

OMG I got all the tea. The dirty, lowdown tea. I'm talking affairs, timesheet theft, employee bathroom adult shenanigans, cash theft, the works!

All alleged:

• The married manager and a young female employee were having an affair and hooking up in the employee bathroom. She got the best shifts because of it.
• The manager only showed up 10 to 15 minutes a day but clocked eight hours.
• The owner of the chain was an alcoholic and cheated on his taxes.

Not alleged, but fact:

• Employee X was training new Employee Y on the register. Sounds fine, right? Nope. He was walking her step by step through how they skimmed cash from the till, even bragging about the average take per shift.
• Employee Z reminded her it had to be split four ways, them plus the manager, and not to worry about getting caught because the manager did something with the receipts that made it impossible to trace. “Besides, who do you think taught us?”

Holy @#$%&.

It was a narrative shop, so I wrote it up carefully. I said employees were loudly discussing internal drama but didn't include the dirty specifics. I did fully document the cash register “training" though. In the internal section for the MSC, I included about 20 word for word quotes plus the exact step by step theft method and let them decide what to share with the client.

I don't know if they sent the word for word quotes or not, but about a week later the scheduler called. The manager was aggressively disputing the report. I asked her how could I know any of this having never worked there? Why would I make it up?

Joke was on the manager, though! At that time I used a micro recorder for all my shops for notes and timings. If I couldn't remember if they had offered the special or said whatever corpo thing they wanted employees to say, the recorder was my reminder. So yeah... I had everything on tape, loud and clear. Being female helped because it was easy to hide, tucked in the top of my bra, under my shirt. I ended up sending the full audio file to the scheduler, who forwarded it to the owner.

Not only was the report accepted, but a few months later the owner sent me a $200 gift card with a thank you note via the MSC. I have been shopping since 1994, back when everything was snail mail, and I have NEVER before or since received anything from a company being shopped. Considering sandwiches were around $6-$8 back then, that was a lot of sandwiches. I can only assume that this was how he finally found out he was being fleeced by his own manager in cahoots with the employees.

Final Outcome: I know that the manager was arrested for the theft but only because I just happened to randomly see a snippet in the local paper, but I was never contacted about it by the police or DA or anything like that. I don't know the outcome of the case or if the other employees were arrested too. They did install cameras not that long after all this too.

I'm happy to report that the chain is still open and it's still just as delicious.. I had a quick dinner there just a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, i live in a rural town, only 2 small chain stores here. Every shop, it's ALWAYS something incorrect. I am very careful, b/c I don't know IF another customer HAS used the restroom... if not, I could be outed. One of these stores, the mgr doesn't talk.. she POINTS, so, I can't say that. Last mon, my adult kid came in after me. When I asked for something, I was told where it was. My kid caught up to me & whispered, "someone told another, go show her b/c she could be a mystery shopper." Now I'm even more careful about WHAT I ask for.

But, when you USED the GC, wouldn't you be outed? I mean, these places don't send these out frequently.

sounds like a horrible job at a now defunct CO steak restaurant. One side of steak, pencil thin and black, the other raw side was very thick. No wonder they went out of business.

@amberelliott wrote:

But, when you USED the GC, wouldn't you be outed? I mean, these places don't send these out frequently.

Assuming you are asking me? The answer is no. It was a plastic gift card, not a certificate. They have them for sale right in the various locations.