LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just another note regarding working with someone
> other than the editor. Schedulers are better to
> deal with in this regards because they have a
> vested interest in shops being completed.
> AlwaysAngie has explained that editors get paid by
> the report. If a report is rejected the scheduler
> now has to fill that job again and if it involves
> a bonus to the new shopper it could be coming out
> of the scheduler's paycheck. Let us know what
> happens. BTW Angie, not a slam to editors at
> all

Ha ha! Not all editors are great. I had serious issue with an IntelliShop editor a few years back who dinged me with a 6 and a 7 report because they were late. It didn't matter that I had contacted the scheduler and explained how my modem had broken. I said I could either submit the reports late or since the due date was not even past yet, I could go redo the shops. HER choice. The scheduler said to just enter the info in. My only wrongdoings on the reports were they were late. No big grammatical issues or lacking narrative. Even when I forwarded the editor the email from the scheduler, she refused to change them. Like OP I don't like getting a 9 either, so I was NOT happy about a 6 and 7! LOL

However, about rejecting shops, I don't know how it works for every company but if a shop is rejected, we don't get paid for the edit. ACE does have procedures set up so that we don't spend time editing a report only to have it rejected later. There have still been times I've edited something and then found a problem and have been out of luck. It's the way it goes sometimes.

EddyLee, I'm sorry for this. You're right that a negative shop is more often challenged. It's usually because there are things that stand out which cause alarm, where a positive one won't. However, in my experience, I've found more of the perfect reports were the ones to be falsified. Unethical shoppers think that giving everything rave reviews will make it so we don't look closely. Sometimes it works but there are pattern and the fraudulent shopper leaves trails they don't catch.

My guess is when you asked for the associate's name, he didn't want to give it because he was goofing off and feared that he'd get a bad report IF you were the shopper. I've seen this happen with reports I've edited. Either the associate will refuse to give his name (it's almost always a guy) and he'll give a manager's business card or after a card is requested, he'll throw in a few more comments about the products that will give him a better score if the customer was a shopper. LOL

I don't think getting a score of 1 and reprimanded is fair. I hope the supervisor who reviews your report is fair and understanding, especially since you gave a good description. I'm not sure what else you should've done outside of tackling him and demanding his business card or insisting other associates tell you his name. Neither would make you suspicious as a shopper, so why didn't ya? LOL

Glad you took my statement in the spirit intended! Actually your point brings up the question if the editor possibly glanced over the report quickly and after finding there was no name rejected it.

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Glad you took my statement in the spirit intended!
> Actually your point brings up the question if the
> editor possibly glanced over the report quickly
> and after finding there was no name rejected it.

That's always a possibility. But then the editor failed in not reviewing the comments to see if there was a name in the narrative or if there was a legitimate explanation, as there was in this case. Regardless, a shopper shouldn't be penalized when he got proof AND the associate flat out refused to give his name. To say he was identified as a shopper also, well, what do they think would've happened if he kept pushing for his name. HUGE neon sign flashing over Eddy's head. Something doesn't jive with his report being rejected. I hope the correct it for him.

I can not say what happened in your situation but I can say I have noticed a difference in the intellishop proofreading recently.

Intellishop seems to be running more slowly than in the past. I had a shop that was not checked for nineteen days after submission. Perhaps they are short of staff.

EddyLee,

Though I empathize with your situation, one needs to wonder why you would have the manager's business card in view. When I receive or pickup information I may be using for a report, I ensure I conceal it out of sight. Needless say you leant yourself to the situation. To go back now and attempt to explain the situation to a scheduler is nonexistant. To slam any company you work for is strictly taboo. A lot of the schedulers know each other and move around to other companies. I have worked with Intell and have had no problems.

Sincere good Luck in the future!

I also generally put the literature out of sight. In this case the 8 1/2" x 11" was stiff and could not easily be put out of sight. The business card was stapled to the literature.

I have stated that I have had excellent experiences with Intellishop. I have worked with them prior to and since this experience. I have never implied that Intellishop is unacceptable. I had one alarming, and unreasonable experience. I selected sharing it on this discussion forum. I believed this was a forum to discuss issues that arise during our work as Mystery Shopping contractors.

I have had some helpful suggestions and I have observed some attacks. I grow weary of the "it didn't happen to me, so it must be your fault" reasoning observed within the forum. It is not beneficial or realistic to think that you must personally experience the same issue for it to be a valid problem.

I have contacted the scheduler and have been informed the item will be reviewed by a supervisor. I am counting on this to lead to a resolution of the issue.

Hi EddyLee,

My comment wasn't meant as an attack...but if your managers card was so well hidden the sales person wouldn't have seen it. With more companies using Mystery Shoppers employees are always on the look out. WE ALL make mistakes and I admit I have a bit of advantage being a female I can carry a large purse with stashing all pertinent information as I go along.

Future good luck!

Jhofer

I did not say the card was well hidden. I said it was attached to a large, stiff piece of sales literature that could not easily be hidden.

EddyLee, try not to let the naysayers get to you. If you look at the source, you'll see that these are mostly newbies who don't really know their ass from their elbows, but like to tell the world that they do. Those of us who have been at this for a while can see how this could have happened and are able to sympathize.

I wish you the best of luck on getting this conflict resolved.

Thank you for the note. I so appreciate the insights from experienced shoppers.

Sometimes the forum posts remind me of a quotation from C. C. Phelps.

"There is danger when a man throws his tongue into high gear before he gets his brain a-going."

FYI! I am a well seasoned shopper bragging over 2500 shops over 4 years. There is never a reason to be rude nor show disrespect. May Karma not come back and bite you in the butt.

Regards

It's true that you can't judge a seasoned shopper based on his or her post count. I've been MSing longer than this forum has been around and longer than a good number of shoppers, I'm sure, but have only recently found this forum. I agree that we should all be respectful, though I understand it can be hard at times when provoked. I don't think Jhofer was trying to provoke but I don't know how pointing out potential flaws is helpful, especially when the company has agreed to review it.

I also don't agree that we should never say anything negative about a company. Sometimes discussing it is the only way to discover there's a payment problem or shops are being rejected for ridiculous things or that the company is awesome and this was a fluke incident. The most important thing is to be respectful and professional when doing it since this IS a business forum. Shoppers identities can be found and companies can and will deactivate those they find to be unreasonable, nasty, or unprofessional. Bad attitudes carry over and no one wants that reflected in their client reports or to have to deal with those negative types.

Anyway, what gets me about uncooperative associates who believe they identified the shopper is their idiotic insistence on being jerks. Um, excuse me, but if I was in his shoes and I thought EddyLee was the shopper, he would have had the BEST experience of his life. I would've treated him like a king, then laughed all the way to my secret evaulation. I certainly wouldn't isolate the customer, and thus myself from my employer. Duh!

I remember once hearing two associates brag about a woman they thought was the shopper earlier in the week and how they gave her a hard time. I would've loved to tell them how they screwed that one up because the location was only shopped once a month and that's why I was there at that moment. Regardless of customer or shopper, there is never a good reason to be obnoxious when it's your job to provide customer service. Shoppers are only doing their job that the associates' company hired them to do. We're pseudo employees, too.

jhofer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FYI! I am a well seasoned shopper bragging over
> 2500 shops over 4 years. There is never a reason
> to be rude nor show disrespect. May Karma not come
> back and bite you in the butt.
>
> Regards


Are you talking to me? Because I certainly wasn't talking to or about you when I posted. Read the thread. Your posts fell way under my radar.

Karma does have a way of coming around, you're right about that! Relax and get to know the forum (and its members) before you go getting your panties in a bunch

Who says I wear panties!

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If "reporting the issue" to them was just in your
> actual report and was seen and rejected by just
> the editor, you still should contact your
> scheduler. It's very possible the editor just took
> the guidelines too literally. Plus, if it was in
> the last week everyone was probably rushing to get
> things completed before the holiday. Look at it
> this way, unless somehow the job was already
> posted and completed by another shopper it may be
> quicker and easier for them to work out a solution
> so your report can be used. It's always worth a
> shot. You've already put in a lot of time.

I would contact the scheduler, I have never had a problem with Intellishop. When I do have a problem with the editor the scheduler intervenes.

People who use the word 'karma' in this context have no idea what the word means.

jhofer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FYI! I am a well seasoned shopper bragging over
> 2500 shops over 4 years. There is never a reason
> to be rude nor show disrespect. May Karma not come
> back and bite you in the butt.
>
> Regards

Eric in Tampa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @EddyLee I completely understand where you are
> coming from on this. I also echo LisaSTL's insight
> on contacting your scheduler today regarding the
> issue. I had an incident earlier this year where I
> put the wrong shop id # on the business card (my
> mistake), and as a result, I was graded at a 5 by
> the editor. I contacted my scheduler immediately
> and noted that I thought that this was extreme,
> given that the shop report itself was completed,
> edited and done to the letter given in the
> guidelines. My scheduler understood my honest
> mistake and graded it at a 10.
>
> Definitely give the scheduler a call today and
> explain your situation.
---------
I,too, have had problems with names. Many establishments do not have name tags for security reasons.
Most forms ask if the associate wore a name tag or how you were able to obtain the name. If you can't get the name, get a good description. If you let the scheduler know ASAP, he/she will help you.
I also do some merchandising work and the person who approved my work just signed the name and scribbled where it says "print". Usually, I would catch it. Other times, I have phoned the store and was told that for security reasons names can't be given over the phone. I let my scheduler know right away and my work was accepted.
The moral of the story is, keep your scheduler informed.

It may not always seem like, but scheduler's are our friends!

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It may not always seem like, but scheduler's are
> our friends!

+++++
I don't think that I have ever met a scheduler who did not help me when I asked. Last week, I had trouble uploading a photo to my report.
I was able to upload the photo to an email that I sent to my scheduler.
She graciously uploaded it to my report, sent me an email, and I was able to hit the "send" button.
Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for tech support after three inquiries.

I've had a lot of good support from the Intell-Shop schedulers and proof-readers. There are about four main companies that I check twice or three times a day for shops. This is one of them, because the schedulers and editors have been fair to me.The comments they provide about the shops help guide me so that I don't repeat some steps that coud ultimately make me lose a shop. They readily answer any queries I have about procedures. My experience is that they want the shop and the shopper to be successful with the task at hand.

Sometimes it is how we ask. I have asked in a quick or unresponsive way and stuck my foot in my mouth and walked away not achieving what I could have. I am stating that "I" have done this and not that you did. People will do anything you ask if you use the right and appropriate social tools.

I'd not worry as it is water under the bridge. Hurridly, move on to the next shop

Don, Laaaaaaas Vegas!


EddyLee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I completed a shop for Intellishop. It should have
> taken no more than 30 minutes on site. I spent a
> full hour giving the staff every possible
> opportunity to provide needed answers. The
> associates response when I asked for his name was
> to tell me I had a business card with the
> associate managers name and I did not need to know
> the associates name. I was given a "1" and the
> entire job was rejected because names were not
> included. This was likely the most negative shop I
> have ever completed and it was absolutely
> objective and honest. Now the company has no
> opportunity to correct the weaknesses observed
> with their lack of customer service.
>
> I am a gold level shopper who is upset if I get a
> 9. I have never before received such a rating and
> it was not deserved. I am appalled at the lack of
> professional respect given Intellishop
> contractors. I would be cautious in dealing with
> this company.

last car shop i got a 7 on... still got paid the $35...

roll with the punches...

bob and weave... duck and move...

I have been shopping for just over a year and shop for about 25 companies; 5 of them on a regular basis. I have noticed there have been significant changes in online forms, for the better, for many companies since I started. In one instance, I was having a real problem regarding "no" answers. I very, very politely asked the editor to clarify the problem so I would do better in the future. She was quite nice, but her answer made no sense! She wrote they wanted to be sure I meant 'no" when I clicked the radio button. They weren't very concerned about verifying I meant "yes" when I clicked the yes button. Currently, many of the reports I do require an explanation if you select NO. IMHO, the client would be much better served if I were asked to detail what was said or done when I answer 'yes" to ensure it complies with what the company expects.

By way of example, a question might read: Did the agent/sales rep/associate explain xxxx? Yes No N/A If I select "No" there is a narrative box to explain "No" or a "negative" (a yes could be negative given the situation) answer. I would write, "During the entire presentation the agent/sales rep/associate did not mention xxx." I just confirmed a no, but told the client nothing. Wouldn't the client be better served if, when I selected "yes," an explanation be required? The agent/sales rep/associate discussed "xxxx" when explaining how the product works and said it did "yyyy."

I have also received a high score on a report, but a "reminder" by an editor that "we only write in the past tense." This after I wrote in a narrative that stated "The [place I'm shopping] is [not WAS] located in the center of a parking lot and there is [not WAS] no landscaping." As opposed to the remainder of the narrative which stated "I arrived ... I received ... I was given ..." etc. I did not respond, simply made note, and will adjust my narrative for that company accordingly.

I want to point out, most of my shops are the $30 - $50 variety that, in addition to yes/no/NA answers, require extensive and detailed narrative. I am very comfortable with this as I was a senior tech writer in my previous, full-time life. In many cases, if an editor would have read my narrative they would have found out I meant no when I selected no. My suggestion is to first, and foremost, give the editor a break. Their job is not easy. Second, if you have a problem with a comment or question, try your best to resolve it politely, accurately and quickly. Also, tell them you LIKE working for them and you ENJOY the assignments and you want to do a good job, so any assistance above and beyond FAQ's would be greatly appreciated. I have yet to not receive a positive response (even if it doesn't always make sense!).

foxfyreutk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In one instance, I was
> having a real problem regarding "no" answers. I
> very, very politely asked the editor to clarify
> the problem so I would do better in the future.
> She was quite nice, but her answer made no sense!
> She wrote they wanted to be sure I meant 'no" when
> I clicked the radio button. They weren't very
> concerned about verifying I meant "yes" when I
> clicked the yes button.

There are reasons for this. First, the client expects that their employees are doing what they're supposed to be doing so a yes answer does not concern them. A no is a serious issue for them. This is why we need explanations for no answers. It verifies that the answer was correctly chosen--trust me, it's incorrectly chosen ALL the time!--and it tells the client what happened instead. All narrative should explain what happened instead of the no answers over simply restating the question, though in some instances it's a simple action and there would be nothing else to explain.

(Edited to add the following...)
Besides that, your narrative is supposed to be a step-by-step overview that explains to the client what happened, right and wrong, during your visit. The only difference with a yes answer is you don't have to explain every single one, but the majority of ALL answers should be explained in your narrative, regardless of yes or no. Of course, all no answers should still be explained.

> I have also received a high score on a report, but
> a "reminder" by an editor that "we only write in
> the past tense." This after I wrote in a narrative
> that stated "The is located in the center of a
> parking lot and there is no landscaping." As
> opposed to the remainder of the narrative which
> stated "I arrived ... I received ... I was given
> ..." etc. I did not respond, simply made note, and
> will adjust my narrative for that company
> accordingly.

People are all the time writing in present tense but the service, the food, the products available, or whatever is subject to change. You should not have gotten dinged for "the store is located in the center of a parking lot..." That's something that's never going to change. I would have preferred to see the landscaping in past tense because that is something that could change, even if it's by adding planters outside. However, I wouldn't ding you for that.

Writing the narrative as if it's happening as you're writing it...problem. I have to change it all to past tense, which is time-consuming. Like shopping, editing doesn't pay a ton of money. It's about quantity so when the quality is poor, the paycheck goes down.

> My suggestion is to first, and
> foremost, give the editor a break. Their job is
> not easy. Second, if you have a problem with a
> comment or question, try your best to resolve it
> politely, accurately and quickly. Also, tell them
> you LIKE working for them and you ENJOY the
> assignments and you want to do a good job...

THANK YOU! Editors need a break, seriously! A large number of assignments are from newbies who have no clue what's expected during or after the shop. They don't understand that proper grammar, details, and a professional tone are necessary. The grades and comments aren't to scold you but to let you know what needed to be corrected so you can work on it for future shops. This is beneficial to shoppers and editors. It obviously makes an editor's job easier and, as such, editors will be grateful and will give higher scores. Higher scores mean more work for shoppers as they'll be picked more often over other shoppers.

Not following suggestions after repeated requests will have the opposite effect, too. We want shoppers who complete the assignments correctly and on time, those who make our lives easier. Schedulers and editors are usually independent contractors who are paid a flat fee for each shop. Whether we make a decent hourly or whether we're scraping by with a couple dollars an hour depends on the shoppers. So guess who we'd rather have? LOL

Edited to add clarification above to explaining yes answers.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2011 04:39PM by AlwaysAngie.

some associate have atittude problem,when ask for help ;some just said that is not my department.they all to help anybody that comes throuh that door,instead of say this or that.

EddyLee, I'm sorry for the experience you had. I had something similar happen to me...(note I said similar, not the same). I was doing a shop and I got the Associate's name & a description. I got his name because he was wearing a nametag. However, after I was done with my report & had submitted it, I received an email from the editor asking me to clarify his name. So, I checked my shop report to make sure I didn't make a mistake & reported it back to them. The next day I received another email telling me that the name I had given wasn't working on the day I did my shop & the client refused to accept my shop! I was so pissed!! Maybe the associate had been wearing someone else's nametag because they forgot theirs?!? I don't know what exactly happened, and I probably never will. However, I didn't like the fact that they were implying that I had lied about the name & therefore refused my shop!

jhofer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FYI! I am a well seasoned shopper bragging over
> 2500 shops over 4 years. There is never a reason
> to be rude nor show disrespect. May Karma not come
> back and bite you in the butt.
>
> Regards


Wow, this is one of the most incredibly rude posts I've seen on this forum yet!

I so understand. It is a mistake for companies to hire us and then blame the messenger because they do not like the message.