From the general guidelines of an MSP:

"We charge a late fee of $10 or more if all results are not submitted by 10 PM the day following the shop. If more than one day late the fee is $20 or more."

Who? I actually read my contract agreements, and have a free lawyer provided by work look them over since I'm so paranoid, but I've never seen that.

Penalties for late shops are written in for several companies. It is laughable when you see companies where the penalties are larger than the fee + reimbursement amount. I haven't worried about it much.

This is in the general guidelines. I suppose it might be repeated in the contract, if I re-read, but I've forgotten who the MSP is. LOL. Will let you know if I spot it again. It's one I haven't worked for yet.

I've seen the penalty for a late shop in an assignment but I don't think I've seen one more than the shop and reimbursement. :-)

A fellar could end up owing them money if that's the case.

And we do pay to shop in a sense. First we have to buy something out of our pocket. Then we have to wait 30-60 days to get paid. Then ya got to throw in the cost of gas. So are we paying to work for some shops? Definitely.

I'm trying to keep from doing the "reimbursement" shops as much as possible. I've done very few this month that required a purchase.

I just did a pool shop that was absolutely stupid. They only reimburse $1, but there was nothing in the store for less than $3 (that I could find). So your proof of MS would cost you $2 out of pocket. Since the shop only paid $6 to begin with....... I emailed the MS company and told them they needed to change that, not that they will. I only did it for the experience and because I was already by there. I will not do it again unless they raise the reimbursement and fees.

Gosh, you must have done a Leslie's I got suckered into that one once. The cheapest thing in the place was $4.99 for a really cheap little tool set made in China that no self respecting flea market would sell for more than $1. There were no "mark down toys" and such that the instructions indicated would be available for the small purchase. I ended up getting a floater for the spa that I could but bromine tablets in. $10. Two weeks later I saw the floaters at $5 at the grocery store where they were clearing them out.

I did see that penalty in a contract for a shop I just completed. I got the job in on time, was awarded the bonus as well, and am awaiting payment. I'm not sure it's ethical to post the name of the company but lets just say it is an MSP that offers shops for many "fun" activities.

PS: The payment is more than $100.00, mostly reimbursement for expenses.

Initials AA.

For anyone doing the "Pool Supply" shops. I have found on several of these that there is a small, palm sized squirt gun that is consistently $1.59. Also, if you check the spinning rack with all the little tiny replacement parts, you can often find a single or double pack of rubber washers for $.59 or $.69. I'm sure it looks suspicious as hell, but I don't feel any responsibility to make a "non-suspicious" purchase I won't be reimbursed for.

I actually think it's kind of funny from the employee's perspective. "Hmmm that guy just came in with no idea how to get sand off the bottom of the pool, but he just went and bought a $.79 replacement gasket for a pool vacuum he doesn't have."

LOL..

For the record though, I don't do this shop till it his $10.

Well, Amanda,
Your IC contract didn't say that, but did you read the criteria for working for the company? Read the "fine" print. Most companies charge for having to edit your shop, if you are late, and other "small" things. Just do the job right and you won't have that problem.

When I do a Leslies, always at the end of the month when the fees go up, I always buy batteries. I would have to buy them anyway, and so I am out nothing. I have sent letters to top people in that company about this shop; nothing happened.

Amusement Advantage is the one who charges you if your shop is late. But otherwise they are easy to work with, and did not charge me when my mother in law died recently, and I had the shop half entered when I heard, and couldn't finish. Careful, their reports are INTENSE.

Welcome back,gentle. BTW--I heard editors make $1-3 for most shops. Do you still wannabe?

Yes I have learned from reading "The Cancelation" part of my contracts it can cost you more then the job pays....READ THE FINE PRINT PEOPLE...yes shouting, this advise goes right up there with "If Its To Good To Be True....blah blah....ahhh thanks I feel much better :}
dee
cedar city ut.

Hmmm, its curious that the item that started this thread was for a MSP that gives large fees/reimbursements in the order of $65-$110 for most of its shops (at least the ones in my area), so a $10 reduction would still leave a good amount.

I'm still looking for any shops that leave the shopper owing the MSP as the subject line suggests.

Anyone?

Any time you do a reimbursement only shop you stand a chance of paying the MSP to have done the shop if they reject your report. Perhaps you aren't sending them a check, but your out of pocket, printing costs, travel costs are real. And there are companies that on a reimbursement only shop have requirements that can not possibly be met with their reimbursement. Their philosophy is that you are getting some benefit from the reimbursement, but this only works if it is money you would spend anyway. I remember painfully a terrible restaurant with horrid service and completely mundane food that we were offered a $40 reimbursement for a lunch shop. Well, to meet their requirements we ended up spending around $60. We had never been there before and would not return even if it was full reimbursement plus a fee. My reaction is that I paid around $20 of MY money for that piece of trash job!

Great scencio Flash. Yrs ago when I did MS I don't remember "just reimburstment shops" didn't take but one MS shop job for me to realize the fees have dropped drasticly since I have done this sort of work and I refuse to do reimburstment only jobs, hopefully if enough of us refuse these it will change but part of me feels there will be those who will continue to accept these which is bad for the rest of us. Yes my time,my ink and my knowledge is worth more then a lousy reimburstment fee.
p.s. sorry vlade I am happy to report I have never ended up paying the MSP.
dee
cedar city ut.

Reimbursement only is no worse than fee only if the reimbursement is something you want or would do anyway. Ultimately it is what the job is worth to you. We like to eat out about once a week. It has been our habit for the years pre-shopping. It is sort of our 'date night' where I get to see my sweetie cleaned up rather than in his grubbies shovelling down dinner. It is a time when we can have dishes I don't prepare well enough to bother doing them or foods I don't prepare because both of us don't like them. It is a time when we are sitting close, face-to-face while waiting for courses and can talk without the phone ringing or the TV blaring or some other nonsense. We have done enough of these that making the required observations for a shop is hardly an interruption.

Most restaurant shops are reimbursement only. Without the shop we would be going to restaurants where we were out of pocket $30-40, so a shop that meets the purpose of our 'date night' means we are doing it on someone else's dime. I figure that the report is a substitution for cooking and cleaning up if we dined at home or a substitution for the out of pocket if we went without it being a shop. A few pay a small fee, but it is hardly a big enough fee to be considered as a 'fair payment' in and of itself for the work involved in a report.

What is noxious is when the reimbursement does not cover the required purchases.

Yes, I suppose the "noxious" ones where the reimbursement does not cover the required purchases does qualify as a shop where shoppers really do pay to shop. I have noticed this on some restaurant shops where they want a minimum number of items purchased for a two person shop. I look at the menu and find there is no reasonable way to keep the cost under the reimbursement amount. I have refused so far to do those, but enough people do accept them, so it looks like that will continue.

I miss the Friendly's shops - the reimbursement was more than enough for a meal for one - great for times when I'm out shopping.

I respect highly one company that states up front that the dollar amount of the reimbursement is enough to cover the shopper but not the guest. Yet there are two adults required for the shop with different entrees and you report on all items ordered. One of the cheapest entrees on the menu also happens to be my sweetie's favorite, so by the time the dust settles it is a nice dinner with $5-7 out of pocket. But the report is super fast and simple.

I was looking at a fine dining today where I can't tell if the reimbursement would start to cover requirements because the restaurant does not post prices with their on-line menu. Reviews on line are talking about the top-of-the-line specialty dishes so you can't really judge from that. Guess I need to call the restaurant and find out their price range for appetizers, entrees and desserts. I certainly don't want to be out-of-pocket $40-$50 meeting requirements and have the place turn out to be a big disappointment.