This thread is old, so no one may be reading it, but I'll post my thoughts anyway. I have been a mystery shopper for 3 years and love it. I shop for many companies and just like you guys, I get good ratings because I perform well on my shops.

Here's my point: Don't be so quick to dismiss a one-time poster. I was not aware of this forum or website and only found it by Googling "DSG Associates complaint." I was a shopper for them for 3 years and just revoked my name this summer. I had good interactions with all staff members and was considered a Hero shopper, until one day when a problem arose with a shop. I immediately called DSG to find out what to do and followed the instructions to the letter that I was given by the employee. However, he screwed up and told me the wrong thing to do. No one ever called me. They just assumed that I was wrong and unethical. I was blacklisted and was lied to when I kept trying for more shops and was told that I was in "rotation." Finally, I got a supervisor that was very rude and insulted me. I was very shocked. Long story short, all staff members, including supervisors that I talked to were rude and did not care that I had a 3 year perfect track record with the company. They backed their employee who was covering his butt. I was so offended and treated so rudely that I told them to take me off of their list. The minimal amount of money and/or free food that I get from DSG was not worth the horrible treatment. I was mainly hurt because I liked the company and staff and was shocked that I would be treated so horribly.

Anyway, I'm a first time poster that just found out about this forum and I am definitely legit and honest. So, don't dismiss the newbies.

I used to do Bank jobs for them, but they don't have jobs in my area....sorry you have had a bad experience, but, we all go through this with one MSC or another, not to minimize your problem, happens to the best of us, just move on.

I did not know they were still doing business. Don't worry about them you can pick up shops from someone else. They were your best friend when all was well but when they got got turned down for a shop they were miffed, very quickly, and would hang up on you.

I would have also been disappointed and disillusioned. Then, after sleeping on it, the realization would hit me that this was not the MSP I thought it was. Unfortunate, but good riddance.

Thanks for sharing, Hoop. Welcome to the forum.

Hoop Wrote:
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> This thread is old, so no one may be reading it,
> but I'll post my thoughts anyway. I have been a
> mystery shopper for 3 years and love it. I shop
> for many companies and just like you guys, I get
> good ratings because I perform well on my shops.
>
>
> Here's my point: Don't be so quick to dismiss a
> one-time poster. I was not aware of this forum or
> website and only found it by Googling "DSG
> Associates complaint." I was a shopper for them
> for 3 years and just revoked my name this summer.
> I had good interactions with all staff members and
> was considered a Hero shopper, until one day when
> a problem arose with a shop. I immediately called
> DSG to find out what to do and followed the
> instructions to the letter that I was given by the
> employee. However, he screwed up and told me the
> wrong thing to do. No one ever called me. They
> just assumed that I was wrong and unethical. I
> was blacklisted and was lied to when I kept trying
> for more shops and was told that I was in
> "rotation." Finally, I got a supervisor that was
> very rude and insulted me. I was very shocked.
> Long story short, all staff members, including
> supervisors that I talked to were rude and did not
> care that I had a 3 year perfect track record with
> the company. They backed their employee who was
> covering his butt. I was so offended and treated
> so rudely that I told them to take me off of their
> list. The minimal amount of money and/or free
> food that I get from DSG was not worth the
> horrible treatment. I was mainly hurt because I
> liked the company and staff and was shocked that I
> would be treated so horribly.
>
> Anyway, I'm a first time poster that just found
> out about this forum and I am definitely legit and
> honest. So, don't dismiss the newbies.

Chris Olson at DSG - You quoted a post and put in your contact information. Are you wanting comments? I want to make some, but I'd rather keep it on the forum and here goes.

I, too, had a disturbing telephone conversation May 2, 2011, with DSG in which I was told, prior to my first shops, "If this is too difficult for you, we can take them off the schedule".

I was contacted via email by your company about two particular shops. I was not familiar with your company, but I agreed to sign up and do both of them. Each shop required an outlay of money. On one of these, I was supposed to make a family meal purchase at the drive thru, reimbursable up to $20.00. I didn't care for and didn't want the food from either shop, and I surely didn't want to get the shops rejected and lose my money as well as my time. I was intent on getting this right and wanted to be certain I understood all requirements.

Instructions which I downloaded provided for an orientation call from me to DSG prior to the first shop. I made this call. On several issues, your employee told me the information I had downloaded and had before me in my hand was wrong. I stated the information I had downloaded couldn't possibly be out of date. He insisted it was. I asked if that were the case, why didn't the company update the written information. He became short with me, and this is when he said, "If this is too difficult for you, we can take them off the schedule". I considered myself thoroughly insulted, and told this person to take both these shops off my job board. I do not take pride in additional comments to this person, but I do not apologize.

It is unacceptable to provide conflicting verbal and written instructions, and it is unacceptable to suggest stupidity. I considered calling back and talking with another person, but decided this attitude and this remark had to run downhill from the top. Attitudes like this do not start at the bottom. Therefore, what I did on May 2 was send an email to my initial contact cancelling the shops and saying I would not be working with DSG.

I know this post is late. It should have been made in May.

It was not critical for me to pick up another MSC, and it was not critical to you to pick up another shopper. I hope this information on this sad situation will be of some use to you.

I signed up with them and received what appeared to be personalized emails regarding open shops in my small town. Both times I did as instructed and wrote their Shoppers@dsgai.com address as instructed in the email, and neither time did I receive so much as an auto-response. That really turned me off.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2011 03:51AM by TechSavvy.

I have done a lot of work for them and haven't had a problem. They are available by phone. I will not work for TNS. Their paperwork is too lengthy and they do not give accurate information like an address attached to the front of the assignment. I did get a ding from DSG only because I made a mistake but they called me and I got it corrected.

Wonder if they would let me back in. If they deactivated me I never got notice. I just told them I would call them back when I was ready to shop again and never tried to schedule anything after I got to feeling better.

I got an email three days ago from a scheduling person looking for shoppers for in certain areas for them. Did not reply because I do not run up and down the road like I used to.

I enjoyed working with them but sometimes there are bumps in the road and, for a while, my road was bumpy.

So is chicken still in their rotation are are they telling me otherwise?

I really liked working with DSG for the drive-ins. It was handy to pull away from the shop, call it in, and be done with it.

In my area right now, all they have are insurance. I know some people like the insurance calls because they are easy. In a house with two little kids, it is never "easy" to have a conversation with a sales agent, dig for data, and answer when they call back. I tried one last year and it was a total disaster. After a few attempts to get a target it was futile at my end.

Watch the insurance ones, it DOES make a soft hit on your credit report.

When I first started I was all thumbs. Not sure how to word things and didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings or have someone fired. I am so over that now. Being in retail management for many years besides customer service I know what it is like to have a co-worker not do the job when everyone else is holding their own. I hate giving poor reports but how is the employee going to learn if they don't have feedback whether it is negative or positive. The thing that bugs me about doing a report is that some companies and editors want you to use the name of the sales associate and some want you only to use the title.
I realized that giving a good solid discription is the key just as if you wre telling a friend about it in a phone conversation. Be very concise and descriptive. The editor is not there with you so they cannot guess at what you are trying to say.

Anyway, back to DSG. I think they are a good company and they pay fast.

I'm doing an insurance shop with someone else. I have to go to one agent, then to another. I hope it doesn't go on my credit report. I didn't even think about that. I have GEICO, and I'm very pleased with it. I get paid $30. Is that good pay? I hope it doesn't go on my credit report!

We only have Ins. jobs in my area, got the email, signed for one and never heard...I'm not crying especially since you get a credit hit. Glad I read this thread.

I too have recently done a Sonic shop that was rejected. I ordered a foot long c-c coney. When I got my order, it was missing a fork. I pressed the forbidden RED call button and asked for an eating utensil. The shop was rejected because I pressed the Red call button, even though the shopping instructions state that you can press the Red call button to correct an order.

I think that Sonic encourages the MSC's to reject any questionable shop in order to get a free shop!

That hasn't been my experience.

I actually think you are correct.
They had a fit when I was very short changed on a shop and reported it.
Their response oh it should not matter if they forget to hand you part of your change. WHAT?

edwood Wrote:
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> I too have recently done a Sonic shop that was
> rejected. I ordered a foot long c-c coney. When I
> got my order, it was missing a fork. I pressed the
> forbidden RED call button and asked for an eating
> utensil. The shop was rejected because I pressed
> the Red call button, even though the shopping
> instructions state that you can press the Red call
> button to correct an order.
>
> I think that Sonic encourages the MSC's to reject
> any questionable shop in order to get a free shop!

edwood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I too have recently done a Sonic shop that was rejected. I ordered a foot long c-c coney. When I
> got my order, it was missing a fork. I pressed the forbidden RED call button and asked for an eating
> utensil. The shop was rejected because I pressed the Red call button, even though the shopping
> instructions state that you can press the Red call button to correct an order.
>
> I think that Sonic encourages the MSC's to reject any questionable shop in order to get a free shop!

Welcome to the forum, edwood. We can try to help you figure out what went wrong with your shop. What do you think made your shop questionable? Did something go wrong during the shop? Was the report a negative one? Did you have timing issues? Pushing the red button to ask for something would not be near enough to get a shop disallowed. I've done many of these shops since 2008 and so far never had one disallowed although I've pushed the red button many times and I've given a number of bad reports. Since I've shopped them for 6+ years with no disallowed shops (except one for a different client - I shopped the wrong location!), I doubt that they reject shops in order to get a free shop. Even the shops I've done with big bonuses have been paid. If I were going to reject shops to save money, I'd reject those with the biggest bonuses but I haven't seen that. Tell us a little more about your shop and we'll see if we can figure out what went wrong.

I responded to the invalidation notice that I got about the shop, and cited the chapter and verse of the shoppers guidebook for doing Sonic shops, and that it doesn't make any sense not to ask for the proper eating utensil. I received a reply that it was under review by a supervisor. I later received an email that the shop was approved and they could submit the report to Sonic and I would be paid for my shop.

I think that the low level personnel who review the reports do not have any authority to do anything other than to follow the guidebook to the "T". When you question their decision, they will then pass it up the chain to someone who can make a more rational decision.

I think it works that way in most companies, edwood. For example, I work for a large state agency. A section of workers that reports to me makes determinations on the qualification for benefits of applicants. They make determinations and act on them. The vast majority are correctly handled without question. Problems and/or disagreements are elevated to a lead worker or supervisor. Sometimes we agree with their decision and sometimes we reverse it. It pays to request that a disagreement be elevated to a higher level for review.

Glad your shop was not disallowed.

I did a few retail shops for DSG and got screwed over every time. Not a good place to try and do MS for.

DSG was an extremely good company to work for up until they started outsourced their call center. I have shopped with them for MANY years and only recently have had to cut way back because they either don't have any jobs to do or what they have is very minimal now in terms of location for me. When I was able to talk to a person in their office, I got to know many and they got to know me. But now whenever I MAY get one of those outsourced calls, I don't even bother calling back because something is ALWAYS screwed up! It's a shame that a good company can go down hill because of the people they use to contact the people who get the work done for them to stay in business.

I wrote to Jennifer Mason, Director of Operations at DSG, about this. She responded quickly with an apology and acknowledged the problem. She said they can note in my profile that I don't want to be contacted by the outsourced call center, but only by their US staff. I encourage you to reach out to her about your frustration with the call center issues or other persistent problems you experience. Her email is Jennifer@dsgai.com (listed on their website) and she sounded open to shoppers.

Sounds like an improvement on the scheduling end. Did Jennifer happen to mention whether the reports are edited in the U.S. or somewhere else? I used to do some shops that usually required some clarifications and I'd get a call from the editor. I really enjoyed working with them when they were located in Southern California, but haven't done any shops for them since they outsourced to the Philippines.

We didn't discuss editors, Susan. They do still have a US crew, I gather, and they can note in your profile that you only want to be contacted by those stateside.

Thanks Tech. They currently have almost no shops in my area, but I'll keep that in mind.