Anyone done any work for this company? I just did a shop for them. Took over a week for the editor to get back to me. I was again asked about responses to questions that did not exist on the form and ended up feeling like I was the one being shopped rather than the employee. Don't really expect to be paid and most likely won't do anything for them again. I was just wondering if anyone's done any work for them. Thanks.

Yep, I did a shop for them back in Dec. and I think I was paid in Jan. but not positive as I wasn't doing my tracking all that well until starting Jan. 1.

I have not had any problem with reports for them but I'm off to do 5 shops for them today so we'll see what happens after I submit them.

They are tops as far as I'm concerned. I've only had them ask for clarifications on a few shops. The first was a super quick question which I was able to answer immediately. The job was approved less than an hour later and I was paid the following week. The other two were for the same client and did involve a lot since the form really didn't allow for a lot of elaboration. When I sent my answers I included a comment about the form making it difficult to report anything but the most basic, normal shop. I got a very nice e-mail back which thanked me and explained a bit about the shop and the client's mindset. I was also told they have to ask for some type of clarification on virtually all of these, but more important, it is never held against the shopper. How great is that!

Are you certain, Avitoots, you have the right MSC? The dilatory behavior you describe does not sound like the Feedback Plus I know.

Feedback Plus are my favorite MSC. I did a shop for them in December in which I was supposed to mail in the validation. I forgot (Christmas holidays and all) for a week, but they still approved the reimbursement even before I mailed it, and I received payment for both fee and reimbursement three days after I remembered to send it! I've done other shops for them on a Friday, finished entering the report past midnight (technically Saturday), and still received payment by the following Wednesday.

Feedback Plus makes me wonder, why can't all MSCs pay so quickly? Answer: They COULD. They just don't.

I jump on every Feedback Plus email I get with both feet. They're my favorite. I've had no occasion yet for any post-shop follow-up, but I imagine it would be as reasonable and straightforward and downright pleasant as all my dealings with them have been. I really wish they had more and more and more shops in my town. And I'm watching the calendar to see when I can reassign myself that December shop.

D'Agosto - Yep, it was Feedback Plus. I think I'd know which MSC was asking me questions. It wasn't the attitude so much as the questions. When the editor said that not getting an explanation of a feature of the product meant that I understood what the feature was, made no sense to me since my understanding of mystery shopping is to find out if an employee is providing the required and/or expected information about a product or service. Whether I understand what a feature is should be immaterial. As a matter of fact, at times I have to remind myself that I need to ask questions to get information I already know since I got the information during previous shops. Also, when I am asked to provide information that wasn't requested, i.e. being asked if questions were asked about my preferences when the survey question says needs (and, as far as I am concerned they are not the same) and I responded to the needs question, I wonder whether the editor is working off the same survey I answered or if they are working off of something different. It just makes so sense to me when I am asked follow-up questions for information that is not requested on the survey that I fill out for my report.

The editor did accept the report but it now has to be accepted by the client who is described as very nit picky.

Actually that was the client I was talking about. I've done numerous shops for FP and never heard another word. Every shop for this client has involved additional clarifications. Apparently the client is extremely picky which is the bad news. The good news is FP works hard to make sure these shops will be accepted and the shopper will be paid and almost everyone gets contacted. Personally, I'm finding the hassle of these too much and will skip them from now on. FP really is a shopper friendly company and I hope you don't let this experience prevent you from taking some of their other shops.

I have worked for them a few times and have nothing but positive things to say about them. I'm a little confused as to why you are upset, are you saying they are questioning why you weren't more familiar with the product before doing the shop? Many shop requirements want you to be familiar with the products a store offers so you don't stick out like a sore thumb, such as an average normal customer wouldn't go into a cell phone store and want to upgrade to a smart phone if they have no idea what they are and how they work. Also sounds like you are getting into semantics with the "needs" vs "preference" issue and even if you view them as seperate to not include "preference" responses just because it isn't specifially asked doesn't fly with most MSCs.

Brak -- First of all, I'm not upset just trying to understand the editing that I sometimes encounter, i.e., asking me about things that weren't asked on the survey. And, there is a big difference between needs and preferences. A need is something you must have, like UV protection, a preference is elective, like the shape or color. Either way, the answer was no was questioned. And, I was familiar with the product having done similar shops for another MSC and earning high ratings. My point is that it's the associate who must tell me about a product's features as part of their job which is what I thought was what I was required to evaluate.

Lisa -- I may not do another shop for this particular client because it is too much of a hassle for the amount of money they offer. Haven't seen anything else in my area from them.

I'm not familiar with this shop, but just in terms of payment, I can say that bi-weekly payments are like clockwork (made on the 8th and the 22nd, unless one of those dates falls on a holiday or weekend).

Generally speaking, I've had good experiences with this company, though there's one scheduler/project manager of whom I'm not fond.

Feedback Plus is one of my favorites. They pay very quickly. I have never had a problem with them.

Ditto. My current thinking about asking for additional info/ clarifications on a report. Just give them want they want and try not to worry about it. Just got a shop back simply asking for more detail. I have been doing this for a long time and used to get annoyed.
They did not tell me what needed to be added or anything. So I went back and added everything I could possibly think of (color of carpet, color of employees shirt, LOL and then repeated myself. Seemed to be fine. Just write, submit and move on...otherwise you will spend a lot of time concerned with stuff that could be better spent somewhere else.

Comments?

cynb -- I'm not obsessing over this. Just asked a question about it. The thing is, I wrote everything there was to write. I can't talk about questions that weren't asked which was the crux of the follow-up. It just seems that when the associate doesn't ask questions that should be asked and I report it as it occurred, I'm challenged, When that happens, I just wonder why. I told the editor I couldn't report on something that didn't happen and I wonder why they seem to question shoppers when they say an associate didn't do something. I thought that was one of the purposes of the shops. To find out what the associate is and is not doing. I put this up shortly after I was contacted by the editor, which, by the way took about a week, and every time I ask this kind of question, people seem to think I'm obsessing about it. The only time I think about it is when I see people's posts to the question.

I've only gotten one question on one report over the years. They pay very fast!