A few days ago I accepted a phone shop targeting a particular employee - for a senior living facility. I called and left the target a vmail. I waited 24 hrs and called again. The target answered and was not friendly and told me that she didn't know how I got her name but she was going to have Anna call ddme Bc that's Anna's job and not hers

Anna calls me and is so friendly and nailsthe call. She invites me for a tour. I have all this recorded. I do the report and. . .

I get an email back stating that I am not getting paid Bc I didn't speak to the target . I did and its on the recording. She then proceeds to tell me that I didn't mention about assisted living when it said nothing about assisted living in the first place. All it said was speak to the target. I'm ticked

The editor is Rebecca's Bennett

July 30 -
I got an email today saying they were going to pay for the shop due to the error on their end. Thank you MCP!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2012 06:47PM by Shoptilyoudrop.

please mention IN THE TITLE the name of the MSC

also please post here the name of the editor or schedulewr who just screwed you over.

Other shoppers need to know who NOT to work for.

or they may tell you of their experience.

someone might even tell you who and what number to call who will get you paid.

but no one can help unless you givwe the name of the MSC and editor/scheduler

X2. Post the info so we can help...

Boy, I just finished these targeted assisted living shops and they were a total pain. One thing I did get out of it however, is a possible place for my dad to stay. He is 93, fell and broke his hip.

I have completed these shops. Guidelines are straightforward. It is a non-reveal, targeted shop, in which no more than 3 attempts to reach the target are made. Guidelines state the timings, and what-ifs. "If employees or the target attempt to steer you to someone else, tell them you were referred by a friend or co-worker and that you want to speak to them. If they are not available, you should leave a message (either through the receptionist or the voice mail system) with a call back number, and note the time." Guidelines go on to instruct what's next, in this event, and finally "Failure to follow these instructions will cause the rejection of your shop."

When Anna (obviously the client didn't want her shopped) called you back, you should have made an excuse to immediately end the call, such as 'the door bell is ringing'. Discussing the facility with her, and then reporting her spiel, was unfortunately, a waste of your time.

Sorry about your rejected shop, Shoptilyoudrop. The devil is in the details.

I guess I should have just reported that the target was unwilling to speak to me, which I did and left it at that. I created extra work to report my findings. Now I don't get paid.

Shoptilyoudrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I guess I should have just reported that the
> target was unwilling to speak to me, which I did
> and left it at that. I created extra work to
> report my findings. Now I don't get paid.

@ SHOPTILYOUDROP

Don't give up so easily.

Measure CP is a good company.

But they are using outside schedulers now.

e mail David@meaurecp, the exact info of his email address is in the email they sent offering you the shop.

email or call him and respectfully explain what has happened. Explain how many shops you have done for his company and always received good ratings. You like working for his company. That now there is a problem: you did the shop with the person the target connected you to because the target refused to talk with you for whatever reason she gave. You did get all the information, (and if you still have saved a copy of the completed shop, you can attach it for David to see. ) The editor refused any payment but you did complete the shop after the target refused info and connected you with someone else....

I have always found them very nice and reasonable, and accomodating if they can be.

Give it a try. David may make accomodation and if he does you can be grateful and owe him if they are in a bind in your area,,,,if he cant help, just say you understand . I would continue working for them, though since they have grown tremendously , and fairly good paying shops, and are decent to shoppers.

ps - I never heard of this Rebecca Benett, - dont mention her name until he asks you who the editor was....then let him tellyou whether she's inside or outside or he may tell you he'll get in touch with you - whatever he says, I'd just go with it.

So give it a try.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2012 04:05AM by shoppinalong.

I started a thread on the difficulties I had with these shops. One, the target no longer worked there. I didn't know what to do with that one, whether or not they would accept it. I was told to shop whomever they connected me to in the sales dept the next call.

Also, Mert, they are revealed, at least mine were. I feel stupid calling back and saying, "oh by the way, I won't be coming in for the tour, you have been secret shopped." Today I forgot to record the call that revealed and called Measure to find out what to do. Call again was the reply. Ok, now feeling completely like an idiot, because I had just spoken to her and told her I was a mystery shopper, I asked for her voice mail. (Scheduler said this was okay). She picks up anyway, and I have to state again, just so you know, you have been mystery shopped. I think too much work for $9.

See Frustration to the Max......... on mystery shopping discussion for more details regarding my experience with these phone shops

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2012 04:15AM by 57carol.

57carol, MCP has targets, non-targets, non-reveals and reveals. Shoptilyoudrop posted she had a target. To my recollection, for these shops, targets are non-reveals. If hers was a reveal, I absolutely could be mistaken regarding guidelines, as I don't do reveals, and don't know their guidelines.

Does not sound at all fair to me. Was going to apply for some, but I think not.Some guidelines that I have read say not to use any professional lingo like assisted living and let them suggest. When the target does not want to talk to you really, you have done your job.

Mert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 57carol, MCP has targets, non-targets, non-reveals
> and reveals. Shoptilyoudrop posted she had a
> target. To my recollection, for these shops,
> targets are non-reveals. If hers was a reveal, I
> absolutely could be mistaken regarding guidelines,
> as I don't do reveals, and don't know their
> guidelines.


Yup, these were my first reveals. Felt very uncomfortable.

It was a targeted non reveal shop

I'm a happy camper now

Shoptil,
Can you tell us what turned you into a happy camper, or did I miss a post??

walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Shoptil,
> Can you tell us what turned you into a happy
> camper, or did I miss a post??


She edited her original post to show that they said she will be paid due to their error.

I was going to take one, but thanks to reading these posts-I'll pass. There are easier jobs out there. I find that inevitably, targeted phone shops are stressful.

I do phone shops on a daily basis for MCP and they contacted me before this project began asking me to take regular shops. I did, for a week, but have stayed away from them. The company is fabulous, but these shops just seemed like a pain in terms of knowlege. I am not knowledgable about assisted living or memory care, and so I researched and discovered all the things a child of such a parent would say. I guess I did it too well, because with every call I made, on the reveal portion (these were reveal shops) the target would say, "I thought this might be a mystery shop." I couldn't figure out how to dumb myself down enough to stay incognito but smart myself up enough to sound like I was really legit. I gave up. Plus, for a while, they had a crazy requirement of having a different Google Voice number for every shop you did. Don't know if they dropped that one.

Well I think I might have some advice here. I have done assisted living shops b4. As unlikely as it may sound they want you to play REALLY dumb and not mention any key words, such as assisted living. Just give them a very short scenario re the person's current condition and let them ask the questions.
I am not going to do many b/c of the issues you mention.
Yes you like me are a good researcher, but in this case, does not pay off.

Thanks, cynb, that makes sense. Still hard for me, though. They ask so many questions and I want to be prepared. I had the hardest time with the memory care ones- I felt like I spent hours research Alzheimers and the symptons so I would create a reasonable character. I see the point of playing dumb, but I think for now, I'll just stick with the other phone calls I do for them, and call it a day. Interestingly, my husband just started his last year of internship for his PsyD program and has decided he wants to devote his career to elder care. He's working at a memory care center (not for the company shopped) so I guess I have a great resource to tap- honey, what DO people say when they call you? <blinks eyelashes innocently>

In that situation , if a person doeswn't reserch aqssisted livng or retirement homes they would have to be either uncaring or an idiot.

I would have answered this is my grandmmothe/aunt/sister whatever and I think it wise to go on the internet and research all you can about these places so you know the right questions to ask. That would have been the person in her place.
for "are you a mystery shopper" ?

I''m serious.

OK bob you can research all you want, just don't tell them what you know or you will be (dare I say) found out, game over. It is not about what you would do in areal life situaltion it is just that the client wants you to ask few questions so the employee has to do the informing. The whole deal is to find out what the employee offers in the way of info to the caller. Am I clear now?