Sentry recently sent me an e-mail soliciting feedback on their new website and I took time out of my day to log in and poke around and provide what I thought was some constructive criticism. I was honest, and yes blunt, saying it was not user-friendly and pointing out specific examples including mis-spelled words (I got docked a $7 shop fee by Sentry for the same thing oddly...) I was truly amazed at how unprofessional the website looked compared to those of other companies, after Sentry claimed it was "new and improved" and switching from the Prophet system.

So what did owner Dave do? He DEACTIVATED my shopper account!!!! Very professional. Guess this is what happens when you have a small, independently-owned shopping company with one guy at the helm who solicits feedback but takes it personally when you provide it. I noticed he corrected the mis-spellings, but he "didn't like my tone". As a seasoned shopper (since 1998), I was amazed at all the bugs in the new website, which did not claim to be in Beta version. Besides the column headers with mis-spelled words, I found the site to be cluttered with things like friends lists, avatars, moderator options and things I personally would never use. I'm sure other shoppers may have differing opinions, but hey, Sentry ASKED for my feedback!

Sentry's new website also froze my computer EVERY time I opened it, and I had to reboot. I got repeated error messages saying "scripts on this page are causing your browser to run slowly...stop running scripts?" And trying to get support was unproductive and difficult to find the right form or "ticket" for a problem. There's one page for payment problems, another area for shop or tech issues. How about just having one "Contact us" link? I finally gave up and had the nerve to call Sentry trying to speak with a human, but got an endless loop of recorded options and then got disconnected! I called back and finally pressed the "prospective client" option, got voicemail again and hung up. Well then owner Dave called me RIGHT back using caller ID, hoping to get a new client I guess. I told him I was a shopper trying to find out why my account had been deactivated, and he told me to go online and fill out a ticket! Thanks for nothing. Apparently, prospective clients take precedence over dedicated shoppers.

Sentry also takes a long time to pay (over 2 months in my experience since 2010 when I started shopping with them), and their massage shops can leave you out of pocket up to $100. More than once, I have stepped up and accepted a last-minute shop for them when they pleaded with shoppers to help out, even promising quick payment to get the shops filled. Why can't they pay in a timely fashion ALL the time?! Based on other forum threads, this has been an issue for years. In addition, they offered a $7.50 shop fee for a massage shop I conducted in May. After submitting it, I got a prompt "shop accepted, payment pending" e-mail from the editor, and THEN... my shop fee was later deducted... right about the time Dave deactivated my account, claiming "spelling errors" in the report. Mind you, the report is LONG and requires lots of detailed narrative and is divided up into little boxes making it tedious to copy and paste from Word to spellcheck. I once had a report returned by Sentry for some minor fine tuning and the shop fee wasn't deducted. This time, I had NO complaints from the editor.. hmm.

In addition, prior to unveiling their new website, Sentry was one of the MSC's using the Prophet system where you can only view shops in your home city or 1-2 additional zip codes you have to manually enter on your profile. If you travel frequently and try to find shops in other cities you get the message "You do not qualify for these shops...". On the Sassie system you can search the whole US with one click! Not to mention that Sassie offers one-click spell-check and receipt uploads on their user-friendy, one page surveys. I was unable to find ANY search function on Sentry's "new" website, only a "Notifications" tab where I guess local shops appear when they are available in your home zip code? I'd check to see if this has been remedied, but can no longer access the website. Thanks Dave!

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2012 01:39PM by shopper1964.

Well.

Well, sounds like you have a big complaint - and you only posted one time. You'll find that while some others may also have complaints about this company, that when a "newbie" comes to the forum and just posts 1 huge complaint - we kinda take it with a grain of salt.

That said - have you read the discussions regarding Sentry here on the Forums? IF you do come back, underneath your post is a link that says, "More Discussions About Sentry Marketing Group". Click that link. Dave is a pretty frequent poster here on the forums.

As far as the Prophet System - I actually happen to love that form! I've had no problems finding jobs in other cities. The only complaint about the Prophet system is there is no "reason" for that "You do not qualify" comment that appears.

Good luck!

I'm currently having a problem not only with receiving payment, but getting them to follow-up with me for a ticket opened on the new website. I contact them through Facebook, and they mentioned they would "check with the bank" but it has been almost a week since that message. You're not alone.

I have done the massage shop and there is not a problem with copy and paste from MS Word. The report is not difficult or redundantly long. It actually flowed well. Not everybody can write hotel, fine dining and spa shops. I take as many of these shops as I can within rotation. Sentry's report is a piece of cake, with frosting, compared to a $10 reimbursement only healthy FF shop from another msc.

Amy

I received your ticket this morning but we are currently experiencing an issue with our ticketing system and am unable to reply via that system. Please contact me directly at dave@sentrymarketing.com and I will look into your issue.

Thanks

Dave

amystern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm currently having a problem not only with
> receiving payment, but getting them to follow-up
> with me for a ticket opened on the new website. I
> contact them through Facebook, and they mentioned
> they would "check with the bank" but it has been
> almost a week since that message. You're not
> alone.

We are an MSPA member and have been for many years. The MSPA logo can be found under the Affiliations link on the bottom of our homepage.

Our fees and reimbursements are published and available prior to a shopper accepting an assignment. So are sample forms, assignment instructions, payment timing and other information.


Fee deductions are assessed when a guidelines are not followed or a shop requires extensive editing. These deductions are rarely assessed for shoppers who are completing their first few shops for us.

We use a ticketing system to process issues so that we have the opportunity to full research the issue and respond promptly to the shopper. Clearly, we have not lived up to this standard in Amy's case and will work hard to rectify her issue.

I think it's interesting that you left out the detail that you've complete eight assignments for our company since 2010.

I deactivated your account for several reasons. The tone and content of your communication was just one factor.

shopper1964 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They take forever to pay and their massage shops
> leave you out of pocket up to $100... for months!
> In addition, they offered a $7.50 shop fee for a
> massage shop and then deducted it because of some
> spelling errors in the report. Mind you, the
> report is LONG and requires tons of detailed
> narrative and is chopped up into little boxes
> making it impossible to copy from Word or cut and
> paste or spellcheck easily.
>
> In addition, they are one of only a handful of
> MSC's still using the wretched Prophet system...
> you know, the one where you can ONLY view shops in
> your home city and if you travel frequently and
> try to find shops in other cities you get the
> error message "You do not qualify for these
> shops...". What a joke. GET ON THE SASSIE SYSTEM
> ALREADY... ITS THE 21ST CENTURY!!!!
>
> So Sentry unveils some horrible "new" website that
> I think a neighborhood kid created for them. It
> freezes my computer EVERY time I open it and I
> have to reboot. I get constant error messages
> saying "scripts on this page are causing your
> browser to run slow..." NIGHTMARE! And trying to
> get support is ridiculous... impossible to find
> the right form or "ticket" for your problem. One
> page for payment requests, another area for shop
> or other questions... I finally gave up and called
> and got an endless loop of voicemails and got
> disconnected!!!
> Finally pressed the "prospective client" option
> and then hung up. Well, what do you know... owner
> Dave called RIGHT back using caller ID, hoping to
> snag a new client I guess. I told him I was a
> shopper with a problem and he told me to go online
> and fill out a ticket!!!! Thanks for nothing
> Dave.
>
> They recently sent me an e-mail soliciting
> feedback on their horrible new website and I was
> honest, saying it was not user-friendly and
> pointing out examples including mis-spelled words
> (I got docked a $7 shop fee for the same thing
> oddly...) so what do they do? They DEACTIVATED my
> account!!!! Very professional. DO NOT SHOP FOR
> THIS COMPANY!!! This is what happens when you have
> a small, independently-owned shopping company with
> one guy at the helm... and the reason why they're
> NOT affiliated with MSPA Im guessing????



edited to make the post easier to read.

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2012 01:13PM by Sentry Marketing.

amystern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm currently having a problem not only with
> receiving payment, but getting them to follow-up
> with me for a ticket opened on the new website. I
> contact them through Facebook, and they mentioned
> they would "check with the bank" but it has been
> almost a week since that message. You're not
> alone.

Amy,

It looks like the check we sent as payment cleared last week. I've sent you a copy of the front and back.

Please let me know if I can provide any additional assistance.

Dave

I know that complaining newbies are taken lightly on these boards...however I do not approve of judging neither newbies or oldies...only eacn one us knows the experiences we come from and which actually drive us to post on these boards.

To me it appears that when we just underestimate others' experiences, just because they come from a complete newbie, we are to say the least, lacking compassion and are being quickly judgemental towards that person. We have no right to do that, and this attitude does EVERY SHOPPER more harm than good. When MSC's who read these boards see that we are not united, and that we do not support one another on this, we would be conveying the wrong message to them; that it is OK to continue wronging us; they will not be caught just because complaining newbies have no say and are not capable of changing a thing!


herer@inyDayZ3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well.
>
> Well, sounds like you have a big complaint - and
> you only posted one time. You'll find that while
> some others may also have complaints about this
> company, that when a "newbie" comes to the forum
> and just posts 1 huge complaint - we kinda take it
> with a grain of salt.
>
> That said - have you read the discussions
> regarding Sentry here on the Forums? IF you do
> come back, underneath your post is a link that
> says, "More Discussions About Sentry Marketing
> Group". Click that link. Dave is a pretty
> frequent poster here on the forums.
>
> As far as the Prophet System - I actually happen
> to love that form! I've had no problems finding
> jobs in other cities. The only complaint about
> the Prophet system is there is no "reason" for
> that "You do not qualify" comment that appears.
>
> Good luck!

Point taken and understood.

Let's hope that the OP is not a "hit and run" - and see what else he/she has to offer in a "calm, cool, and collected" manner, instead of the initial tirade.

Clearly from Dave's message there are points that the OP is not telling or explaining, or simply distorting the truth because he/she is venting. (ie: MSPA association: [www.sentrymarketing.com] )

I've always heard.. there's 3 sides to every story: Yours, Mine, and the Truth.

However, I DO agree with what you said, and I was wrong in posting the first sentence to the OP.



sportofficial Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know that complaining newbies are taken lightly
> on these boards...however I do not approve of
> judging neither newbies or oldies...only eacn one
> us knows the experiences we come from and which
> actually drive us to post on these boards.
>
> To me it appears that when we just underestimate
> others' experiences, just because they come from a
> complete newbie, we are to say the least, lacking
> compassion and are being quickly judgemental
> towards that person. We have no right to do that,
> and this attitude does EVERY SHOPPER more harm
> than good. When MSC's who read these boards see
> that we are not united, and that we do not support
> one another on this, we would be conveying the
> wrong message to them; that it is OK to continue
> wronging us; they will not be caught just because
> complaining newbies have no say and are not
> capable of changing a thing!
>
>
> herer@inyDayZ3 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Well.
> >
> > Well, sounds like you have a big complaint -
> and
> > you only posted one time. You'll find that
> while
> > some others may also have complaints about this
> > company, that when a "newbie" comes to the
> forum
> > and just posts 1 huge complaint - we kinda take
> it
> > with a grain of salt.
> >
> > That said - have you read the discussions
> > regarding Sentry here on the Forums? IF you do
> > come back, underneath your post is a link that
> > says, "More Discussions About Sentry Marketing
> > Group". Click that link. Dave is a pretty
> > frequent poster here on the forums.
> >
> > As far as the Prophet System - I actually
> happen
> > to love that form! I've had no problems
> finding
> > jobs in other cities. The only complaint about
> > the Prophet system is there is no "reason" for
> > that "You do not qualify" comment that appears.
>
> >
> > Good luck!

While agree that a complaint should not be discounted just because someone is a newbie, I do get tired of people who only come here (or any other forum) to bash a MSC when they don't like they way they were treated, with a goal of harming the MSC.

The OP is clearly venting and the post is not rational or accurate, so in the end I take it with a grain of salt anyway. The problem is that a post like this clearly affects Dave's business, while the poster gets to hide behind a screen name and not have their business affected. That sucks!

If a poster can put inaccurate and slanderous info about a MSC online for all to see, the MSC should be allowed to post the name of the shopper so all schedulers know to stay away from that shopper. Again, I find myself pointing out that it's this sort of behavior that gives shoppers a bad name and keeps us from getting the respect/pay we deserve.

If there's a lesson to be learned here; Read the instructions and look at the examples before you take a shop. The requirements for the massage shops are very clear, as are the cost and pay cycle. Second, if you can't afford to be out the money, don't take the shop. You are NEVER guaranteed a paycheck and things can/do go wrong. That's the nature of the business.

Hi Rainy,

You were not wrong about the first sentence at all. What you said is very true. You were opening the newbie's eyes to certain facts about these boards. Your statement was also a generalized one , you did not point your fingers at any poster in particular.



r@inyDayZ3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Point taken and understood.
>
> Let's hope that the OP is not a "hit and run" -
> and see what else he/she has to offer in a "calm,
> cool, and collected" manner, instead of the
> initial tirade.
>
> Clearly from Dave's message there are points that
> the OP is not telling or explaining, or simply
> distorting the truth because he/she is venting.
> (ie: MSPA association:
> [www.sentrymarketing.com] )
>
> I've always heard.. there's 3 sides to every
> story: Yours, Mine, and the Truth.
>
> However, I DO agree with what you said, and I was
> wrong in posting the first sentence to the OP.
>
>
>
> sportofficial Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I know that complaining newbies are taken
> lightly
> > on these boards...however I do not approve of
> > judging neither newbies or oldies...only eacn
> one
> > us knows the experiences we come from and which
> > actually drive us to post on these boards.
> >
> > To me it appears that when we just
> underestimate
> > others' experiences, just because they come from
> a
> > complete newbie, we are to say the least,
> lacking
> > compassion and are being quickly judgemental
> > towards that person. We have no right to do
> that,
> > and this attitude does EVERY SHOPPER more harm
> > than good. When MSC's who read these boards see
> > that we are not united, and that we do not
> support
> > one another on this, we would be conveying the
> > wrong message to them; that it is OK to
> continue
> > wronging us; they will not be caught just
> because
> > complaining newbies have no say and are not
> > capable of changing a thing!
> >
> >
> > herer@inyDayZ3 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Well.
> > >
> > > Well, sounds like you have a big complaint -
> > and
> > > you only posted one time. You'll find that
> > while
> > > some others may also have complaints about
> this
> > > company, that when a "newbie" comes to the
> > forum
> > > and just posts 1 huge complaint - we kinda
> take
> > it
> > > with a grain of salt.
> > >
> > > That said - have you read the discussions
> > > regarding Sentry here on the Forums? IF you
> do
> > > come back, underneath your post is a link
> that
> > > says, "More Discussions About Sentry
> Marketing
> > > Group". Click that link. Dave is a pretty
> > > frequent poster here on the forums.
> > >
> > > As far as the Prophet System - I actually
> > happen
> > > to love that form! I've had no problems
> > finding
> > > jobs in other cities. The only complaint
> about
> > > the Prophet system is there is no "reason"
> for
> > > that "You do not qualify" comment that
> appears.
> >
> > >
> > > Good luck!

@Steve,

I heard that the schedulers DO have their own exclusive forum and they DO defame shoppers by speaking ill against them , mentioning them by name. Unfortunately, we are at a disadvantage here. Schedulers,editors and MSC owners have every right, not only to browse but to defend their reputation on OUR shoppers' boards, and as long as they too provide accurate info about how their company works, just like Dave of Sentry is doing here, I find that healthy, but as for shoppers, we cannot even read what they write on their boards!



SteveSoCal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> While agree that a complaint should not be
> discounted just because someone is a newbie, I do
> get tired of people who only come here (or any
> other forum) to bash a MSC when they don't like
> they way they were treated, with a goal of harming
> the MSC.
>
> The OP is clearly venting and the post is not
> rational or accurate, so in the end I take it with
> a grain of salt anyway. The problem is that a
> post like this clearly affects Dave's business,
> while the poster gets to hide behind a screen name
> and not have their business affected. That
> sucks!
>
> If a poster can put inaccurate and slanderous info
> about a MSC online for all to see, the MSC should
> be allowed to post the name of the shopper so all
> schedulers know to stay away from that shopper.
> Again, I find myself pointing out that it's this
> sort of behavior that gives shoppers a bad name
> and keeps us from getting the respect/pay we
> deserve.
>
> If there's a lesson to be learned here; Read the
> instructions and look at the examples before you
> take a shop. The requirements for the massage
> shops are very clear, as are the cost and pay
> cycle. Second, if you can't afford to be out the
> money, don't take the shop. You are NEVER
> guaranteed a paycheck and things can/do go wrong.
> That's the nature of the business.

Thanks for straightening everything out, Dave!

i do not discount what the op had to say. while they may be a newbie and may only be venting, i have had similar experiences with Sentry Marketing.

I quite agree, some of us are very much not newbies and have had less than stellar experiences with certain MS companies.

Snuffy - I would be happy to discuss whatever issue you have with my company or I in detail. Because I don't know who you are, I can't comment on your situation. It's your prerogative to remain anonymous, but I can't speak to your issue with our company without having more details.

As far as the op, I am not certain what issue they had. This shopper was paid for their work according to the assignment and company guidelines. Our payment terms are published, as is our policy regarding fee deductions.

We don't provide phone support for payment issues. Payment issues require research, sometimes reviewing multiple sources of information, in order to provide an accurate answer. These issues are very important to us, which is one of the reasons that we put the ticketing system in place.

amystern followed our process and did not get a prompt reply. That's on me. She was pleasant and professional to deal with and I hope that she continues to complete assignments for our company. The op handled things differently and there was a different outcome.

I didn't care for the tone and content of the feedback that this shopper provided on our survey. I found her comments unprofessional and based on this and other factors, I deactivated their account. In that same spirit, any shopper can unplug from any mystery shopping company at any time. The difference is that I am not coming on this forum, publishing the shopper's name, and publicly discussing the quality of the work that was submitted to our company. I'm not starting threads in public forums which are titled "Beware, don't user shopper John Smith."

In a previous thread on this forum or another, I wrote that shoppers who are pleasant and professional to deal with typically have a good experience with our company. Those who act otherwise usually don't. Of course we are not perfect and we make our share of mistakes. We also work hard to correct any errors and we strive to be a company that is pleasant to work with.

I am happy to answer any questions about this issue or any other. My email is dave@sentrymarketing.com






Snuffycuts99 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i do not discount what the op had to say. while
> they may be a newbie and may only be venting, i
> have had similar experiences with Sentry
> Marketing.

I give props to R@inyDayZ3 for the public apology even though I agree with her for the most part. ;-)

And even bigger props to Dave for posting classy responses and using his company's name as his forum name and not hiding behind a fake/vague name. :-D

I don't think I ever registered with Sentry Marketing. I think I need to rectify the situation.

Shop2 - I think you're going to like Dave and Sentry. All good experiences here.

.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2012 12:16AM by shopper1964.

I have been a mystery shopper since 1998 after a Wall Street career and am registered with over 100 companies, most of whom use the Sassie system. I have performed numerous shops for Sentry and with the exception of one last minute bonused shop where they "promised to pay quickly" as an incentive to take the shop, my other shops have ALL taken over 6 weeks to pay. Funny they can cut checks quickly when they need to to get a shop "picked up". I'd love to go on the website to check the posted pay dates, but once again it FROZE my compter twice and I had to reboot. The new website issues are real and numerous. I frequently perform high-end hotel, cruise and fine dining shops and get 9's and 10's on a regular basis.

My account was not deactivated because of a shop survey OR my post on here, but prior to that and in response to my response to a survey about the company's new website. Don't solicit feedback and then take it personally. I found the website to be not user-friendly and said so... and my account got deactivated. I didn't use profanity, just pointed out mis-spelled words, etc... you know, the SAME thing I was docked a $7.50 shop fee for, but oddly, my May 6th report was accepted and forwarded to the client (my only still-unpaid shop for May, of 35 shops) I also don't appreciate that Dave used caller ID to call me back when he thought I was a prospective client, then dismissed me when he found out I was "just" a shopper. This "newbie" stands by my original post with the exception of the MSPA reference. I found an old post on here from Dave saying they were not affiliated with MSPA. Guess that's changed. I stand corrected.

Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2012 12:22AM by shopper1964.

Shopper1964; If you perform high-end hotel and cruise shops, why are you complaining about a $7.50 deduction?...and which company do you do cruises for? The one I know that offers them grades out of 20 so a 10 doesn't mean much in that case.

Seriously though, If you have been doing this since '98 you gotta know that Sassie is not the only shopping platform, and most high-end shops I do are not offered through a sassie system, so I find your claim to be somewhat suspect again.

SHOPPER1964

Please don't go away. Perhaps some of the posters who skimmed your post too quickly didn't see that you were canceled for truthfully answering that the new program sucked. Not a very good recommendation for that particular MSC. A case of "you asked, so I told".

Additionally, you will find that there are people here who love certain MSC's obviously, and others who wouldn't touch the same MSC with a 10 foot pole. There are numberous threads on this particular MSC and they are not all love notes, so you are not alone in your complaints.

Being affiliated with MSPA means nothing since we all know that they continue
to carry ads for shoppers for a notorious non payer of shoppers - the carpet cleaning in home MSC. The MSPA has told shopper complainants that that is none of their business. So let's get that straight. MSPA is an organization for MSC's and as long as the MSC pays their dues, MSPA will carry their ads for shoppers, knowing the shoppers will never be paid.

We shoppers come here to discuss evaluations, MSC's, schedulers, editors and good treatment we have received or bad treatment we have received. Not everyone is or should be so quick to discount a shopper's complaints whether new or old. especially in a case where there have been many similar complaints. Many of the replies to Shopper1964,and some seemed like attacks, I'm sorry to say I find inappropriate.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2012 01:37AM by shoppinalong.

Hello shopper1964 - You've been shopping fourteen years. Welcome, and where have you been? I'll bet you have a lot of positive information you can share that will be helpful to others. It would be great to have you active on the forum on a regular basis. I'm always willing to hear about anyone's problems (I've had some dandies of my own) but there's not much that anyone can suggest or do after it reaches the deactivation stage. That's pretty much the end of any hope for resolution and reconciliation.

I regret the website froze up your computer. I didn't have that experience, but I caught on that the ticketing feature isn't working. I'm sure it's in their best interest to get it up and running as soon as possible. I don't have a ticketing problem. I was checking the feature because of posts on this forum.

The problem about the welcome wagon not being rolled out to a shopper calling on the client line is not surprising. Sorry, but I can't criticize Dave for taking exception.

Thirty five shops is a pretty good run, but if you've been shopping for Sentry since 1998 that's not very many per year. I've done a few shops for them and I'm sure I'm not way up on the ladder considering how little I've done.

Nevertheless, I've been treated well even though they had to get back to me on a shop recently to get information I failed to provide in accordance with guidelines. I turned in a substandard report (no excuses), but they were courteous and professional in their multiple inquiries. It's a fact they had to work at it to get what they needed from me, so I would be understanding if the full payment didn't sail through.

We all have problems from time to time and when we can settle them and maintain a relationship, it's all good. When we can't, it's best for everyone to move on. Stating that there was a problem and what the problem was is helpful to the forum members. I don't think I've seen any problems actually settled here. That happens one on one between the shopper and the company. It's good for forum members to be made aware there are problems, but beyond that point not much can be accomplished by going deeper and deeper into the problem.

You stated your problem clearly and that was very helpful. Everyone could understand the problem and comprehend the issues. There are others who post who just say they had a problem(s) but they never say what the problem was. I don't know what that's about. It can't be a request for help, so it has to be reduced to a negative slam. That's sad, because it doesn't do anyone any good and we don't even know what the problem(s) may have been.

Anyway, thanks for posting, and especially thanks for your following edits which stepped back a little on the tone. I hope we'll be hearing from you a lot now that you've started posting. I'm always happy to see a new poster on the forum.

Thanks shopinalong. I'm a little surprised myself at the hostility from fellow shoppers. I've never posted on here before because I've never had cause to complain about a MSC. My "docked $7.50" was as aside to my deactivation rant. No worries, I'll be back on the forum. This experience gave me cause to peruse the site and actually see some interesting and helpful threads and feedback. I have plenty of positive feedback to leave regarding the MSCs that I love.(Trendsource and Albatross pay VERY quickly, sometimes within a week or two.) Perhaps my initial rant was not the best ice-breaker... I'm still befuddled by the reference to my "hiding" behind my screen name. Plenty of posters on here use generic screen names, no? Next time I'll sign up with my SSN and a photo I guess ;-)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2012 03:20AM by shopper1964.

@MDavis... to clarify, I have only shopped for Sentry for 2 years (8 shops?), because they have a one year rotation on the shops I do and limited locations in my town. They have waived the rotation on occasion when they were desperate to get me to perform a last-minute shop for them. My May 6th shop report was approved quickly, and I got a positive e-mail from the editor, but then saw a month later it had been "docked" the shop fee despite the fact that it was never returned to me and I was never contacted for ANY clarifications/corrections? The shop reimbursement I'm waiting on is $82. Ive got almost $1,200 in shop purchases on my credit card from May/June, and every payment is eagerly anticipated. Now that Ive been deactivated by the owner, I cant even check the status. Guess they can find another shopper to help them out next time they're desperate.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2012 03:32AM by shopper1964.

Hello again Shopper 1964 - I think you misunderstood that reference to hiding behind a fake name, and I don't think it was aimed at you at all. Recently on the forum, someone from one of the companies posted some information under a fake shopper name and one of our resident gurus figured it out. It's always appreciated when the MSC's and their reps post under a business byline so we can tell who they are. We consider that type of posting by an MSC to be courteous and professional. When they don't do that and get outed, it's not pretty. My shopper name is almost the same as my real name - Mary Davis Nowell. I know that's not smart, but I must be too dumb to control myself.

So, you see, sometimes we read a post and we think it's all about us, and it's not about us at all. This has happened more than once, and I've seen some delightful and entertaining tiffs result. So much fun!


OOPS! I reread the thread and yep, one poster did say you were hiding behind a screen name. I know what that's about. It's because you used a screen name, and you jumped an MSP and named the company by name, with that original "Beware of Sentry" lead in. I can see that's somewhat different from generally posting with an assumed name. I still don't think the other poster was necessarily referring to you. Anyway, getting responses that weren't what you hoped for is just part of the deal. I've had a bunch of them. You'll get over it, and it'll be OK.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2012 02:23AM by MDavisnowell.

I have no issue with any post about about an MSC that does not perform up to spec, but I think it's well understood that there are certain 'politenesses' that members expect from newbies on ALL public forums...not just this one.

Shopper1964; Welcome to the forum, but take a moment to introduce yourself, look over the existing feedback and perhaps establish some rapport before blasting a company for things that dozens of other companies also do.

Alternate reporting platforms, buggy websites and sole-owner/operators are common in the MS industry. If you have an issue with Prophet and how it functions, that can be up for discussion. If you have an issue with MSCs that take over 30 days to pay, there's a thread for that as well. IF you feel you were unfairly deactivated, you will find others here to commiserate with.

One thing I always take issue with is the entitlement concept of, "MSC A gave me a 10 on my sassie report, so how can MSC B have an issue with my reporting?" Not all MSCs are created equal, and not all have the same policies or grading scale. As I stated before, the qualifications for the shops are well presented on Sentry's site, IMHO, as is the pay schedule, so if you don't like the rules, you did not have to take the assignment.

Now the OP has been edited and toned down, it may be a bit easier to stand by. My comment about hiding behind your screen name was based on the fact that you showed up and blasted this MSC with items that did not seem appropriate or entirely factual. I'm not asking you to divulge your identity, but realize that another persons livelihood rest on the success of this company, so perhaps an open discussion about the issues would have been more appropriate than a title that claimed, "Beware..."

I have said before that I have to give props to Dave for showing up here, taking the heat and engaging each shopper that has a problem with him. What other company will do that?

Stevesocal - So spot on.

Shpper1964

Dave posted his email up above somewhere for Amy I think.
You could always use that email to ask when you will receive the $82 payment.

I won't work for a particular MSC anymore because they didn't keep their word about when I would be re-imbursed and paid the fee. That was the first and last time I laid out money for an MSC; now I won't at all.

If its a long long time past when you should have been paid the $82, you'll see again and again where people advise shoppers to contact the Better Business Bureau, complaint forums,and some send certified legal letters before they take the MSC to small claims court. One person who wasn't paid a small amount won a judgment of $400 for a small unpaid fee because the MSC never showed up in court.

I understand it's not the $7.50 but the principal of having spent your time, gas, and expertise in good faith expecting good faith back.

Shoppinalong

Well Steve,

I think a title that begins "BEWARE" is perfectly okay and I appreciate the warning,

On the other hand when one person begins every post with XXXMSC SUCKS ! its a bit much.