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informa

November 29, 2011 03:36AM
LisaSTL Wrote:
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> No wonder they have to bonus the jobs. Writing 2
> reports, one of them by hand! What a total waste
> of everyone's time.


The shops I was talking about had a single, online report that maybe took 10 minutes to complete. No narrative, one photo proof of shop.
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November 29, 2011 03:37AM
raisitup Wrote:
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> zlinedavid Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > In the last 2 months, I've done 8 bank shops
> for
> > Informa. All were $15 base pay. 2 had $5
> > bonuses, 2 had $35 bonuses, 2 had $50 bonuses
> and
> > 2 had $85 bonuses.
>
> Wow, I gotta pay attention a little more to them.
> Do the bonuses post on the site or are they
> email/phone relayed?


All email. If you get the email regarding the bonus, you have to contact the scheduler once you self assign to get the bonus.
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November 29, 2011 04:13AM
zlinedavid: I am jealous...

these posts got me thinking about those shops I did. I know I got paid $150 for one or more of them. It was a lot. And a lot of writing!
zlinedavid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> LisaSTL Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > No wonder they have to bonus the jobs. Writing
> 2
> > reports, one of them by hand! What a total
> waste
> > of everyone's time.
>
>
> The shops I was talking about had a single, online
> report that maybe took 10 minutes to complete. No
> narrative, one photo proof of shop.
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November 30, 2011 12:43AM
Just got an email to take a survey about a non-profit, no pay...done by a UCLA student. Think I'll pass, seems to be for a good cause, anyone taking it?

Live consciously....
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November 30, 2011 05:09AM
Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I have dozens of e-mails with thread updates because I've not been on so much over the holiday weekend and all.

I was shocked when I saw that $135 bonus, sure didn't have to think twice about it. They've also paid $60 and $85 bonuses. They've always been announced via e-mail, like others said here.

This month, they're not bonusing individual shops. They're only offering a $30 bonus overall if a shopper completes five of them. The thing is, the bank doesn't allow shoppers to do more than one per day, and these places are spread out all over creation. I don't typically shop my local bank because it's too awkward, so that leaves the locations that are at least an hour's drive from me, sometimes twice that.

When the big bonuses come, I make the drive.

Another MSC is calling me trying to get me to do a different bank in a little podunk burg that has one stoplight. Their bonus is a whopping $3 on top of the $15 fee. I just keep reiterating how long it takes to drive there and asking for more. No cigars!
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November 30, 2011 05:26AM
Color me jealous, Informa only has one CU in my area and all the locations are too local to be bonused I guess.
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November 30, 2011 05:45AM
don't be jealous. last year I was going grape nuts over informa shops. this year, nada.
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December 08, 2011 01:22AM
I normally don't complain about too many MSCs, but this one has me scratching my head. I updated my profile to my new address and kept my old address as part of the jobs search radius. Keep in mind that my old address is still in the same state, and 12 miles away.

Weeeeellll, for some reason, my email account gets BOMBARDED with jobs in cities that are between 1000-1200 miles away! Before I updated my profile, I was receiving jobs that were 500 miles away.

I can understand that there may not be jobs in my area, yet jobs completely out of my region are quite another thing. And receiving 30 emails a day is a little bit overkill, in my opinion.
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December 08, 2011 07:39PM
TechSavvy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't typically shop my local bank
> because it's too awkward, so that leaves the
> locations that are at least an hour's drive from
> me, sometimes twice that.
>
> When the big bonuses come, I make the drive.
>
> Another MSC is calling me trying to get me to do a
> different bank in a little podunk burg that has
> one stoplight. Their bonus is a whopping $3 on top
> of the $15 fee. I just keep reiterating how long
> it takes to drive there and asking for more. No
> cigars!


Just all depends on your local area, I guess. There are 6 locations of this bank within a 10 mile radius of me, and 28 within a 30 mile radius. Plus, my fiancee's sister lives in the next closest metro area to us. Tack on another 20 locations within 30 miles of her.

Too bad Informa doesn't shop them all.
M
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December 13, 2011 07:26AM
Nutley NJ, home of Martha Steward (sp?) drives me nuts with their lack of posted street names. As a matter of fact, many other towns in NJ have the same problem.
I've needed to call into Informa to get help, which I got and was spared miles of driving. You gotta love NJ's department of transportation! Metal poles topped w/ parking rules every ten feet but no street names!
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December 15, 2011 04:28AM
jersey07032.

I love your sense of humor. Thanks for the laughs!
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December 15, 2011 05:07AM
you gotta have a sense of humor to survive jersey. fuh-gid-about it!
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December 27, 2011 09:20PM
Has anyone else been waiting...and waiting for their bonus money from Informa? I suspect my scheduler dropped the ball when I sent the "reminder" to enter my bonus after my last shop. My $15 fee arrived within a few weeks of the shop, but I am still waiting for the bonus. Wish they'd automate the process. What other MSC requires their shoppers to remind them about entering a bonus for payment? That should be done at the time a shop's assigned. This business of two separate checks for the same job is very frustrating, too.
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December 27, 2011 10:34PM
TechSavvy, they say you get separate checks for the fee and the bonus but I have not found that to be the case. Because I have had to go back and ask for my money so many times, I shop Informa only when they bonus (I figure for a bonus I'm willing to ask for my money). About 70% of the time the bonus and shop fee come on the same check. About 30% of the time, only the fee is received - no bonus - and I have to ask for it. I have also found it kind of ridiculous: After taking a bonused shop, you must e-mail the scheduler after doing the shop so he/she can "put you in for the bonus." Then about a third of the time they still forget to put you in for the bonus. Very nice folks but payment is unorganized.
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December 27, 2011 11:30PM
Exactly. They owe me $135 in bonuses. I really do think the scheduler forgot to enter it even after I did my part and sent the reminder. Like you, I only do them when they have big bonuses because they're too far flung to be worth the drive otherwise. Now they're no longer doing this client, anyway. I wonder who they will have after the beginning of the year.

AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TechSavvy, they say you get separate checks for
> the fee and the bonus but I have not found that to
> be the case. Because I have had to go back and
> ask for my money so many times, I shop Informa
> only when they bonus (I figure for a bonus I'm
> willing to ask for my money). About 70% of the
> time the bonus and shop fee come on the same
> check. About 30% of the time, only the fee is
> received - no bonus - and I have to ask for it. I
> have also found it kind of ridiculous: After
> taking a bonused shop, you must e-mail the
> scheduler after doing the shop so he/she can "put
> you in for the bonus." Then about a third of the
> time they still forget to put you in for the
> bonus. Very nice folks but payment is
> unorganized.
Reply
December 29, 2011 04:42AM
Still in a holiday mindset , I answered a phone request and agreed to do three bank shops for Informa. Short story short, round trip would be 112 miles according to Map quest.The gas alone would be over $30 and the pay $ 37.50.

As much as I like the company I can't afford them. No bonus was offered and I didn't remember to ask.

Has anyone successfully negotiated retroactively? The shops would be due tomorrow!
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December 30, 2011 10:51PM
Ouch, not counting the costs ahead of time can land you in a pickle. I've done the same thing. They said in every e-mail this month that they weren't going to offer bonuses except a modest one ($15 total, I think?) to those who did five or more shops. Sounds like you just need to bite the bullet and do it.

marijaldm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Still in a holiday mindset , I answered a phone
> request and agreed to do three bank shops for
> Informa. Short story short, round trip would be
> 112 miles according to Map quest.The gas alone
> would be over $30 and the pay $ 37.50.
>
> As much as I like the company I can't afford
> them. No bonus was offered and I didn't remember
> to ask.
>
> Has anyone successfully negotiated retroactively?
> The shops would be due tomorrow!
Reply
December 31, 2011 09:43PM
I couldn't afford to lay out $30+ gas money so I called, got an answering machine and cancelled from my shop log. I got a call back and an offer to compensate for the 112 miles, which I accepted. Got up at 7am, did the shops, got home at 12:30 pm and had the shops entered by 1:15 PM EST. Request for bonus, CC to payroll, e-mailed by 1:30PM.

Moral of the story: listen & put brain in gear before you agree, speak up and only rely on yourself to be first to do the right thing for you.
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