..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2013 06:46PM by lucky7s.

Good for you. Their loss.

Is it just the receipt that is the issue or photos too. Just asking because on the receipt...who cares if the time/day stamp is wrong. On the pics...can you fix the time/day stamp and turn them back in?

Anyone else notice that they sometimes send reports back to you telling you you didn't include a required pic or the receipt and want the info? You can't submit your report without all the required pics and can't even start it without something in the receipt box. My question is...if it is required AND the report won't submit until there is a pic in that box how can it be that it wasn't submitted? It can't. It this code for their software is not the best and the pics don't come thru?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2012 06:44PM by SecretAgentMom.

I am currently having this problem with one of their shops. There is a coupon for a free tire rotation and safety inspection that you are to use, so you don't end up spending any money. I uploaded a copy of the invoice for 0.00, and they said that the invoice was invalid. I contacted them about this, and specifically detailed my situation. I got a response saying that everything was fixed, but when I went back in to check on the status, I got the same thing I had been getting before.

I have done two other shops recently that got accepted, but this one has really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Well I took a gas station shop/audit. It had 14 pumps. One of my pump photos came out blurry. I took 2 photos of that pump and both were blurry. On site I could not tell it was blurry, it just looked dark because I was taking a picture into the sun. Now I will not get paid because one of my photos was not acceptable and they do not allow you to go back and take another picture.

I have a new pet peeve, needing to be a photographer and not being paid as a photographer. For this pump I needed to put the flash on for a bright daylight picture to get rid of the blur. Other problems in the field is getting a picture of the price sign, canopy, and building front when the location has trees and bushes blocking the view of the building from the street. My picture has the price sign, and row of bushes with the canopy above the bushes.

I need to not take any more of these assignments because they are too much work for the $17 pay and way too much work not to get paid for!

I know which shops you are talking about, and I stayed away from them. I just thought they looked difficult because I'm so new to mystery shopping.

I understand your point Galct. I am a freelance photographer & writer and just completed 2 audits where I had to take a fair number of photos. If we were able to get paid as photographers it sure wouldn't take many shops a month to make a great living. But I still turn these shops into positives. If the store isn't busy, I might try shooting product at an unusual angle, or use one of the color control features on the camera, knowing full well that the picture will never make the audit, but as a learning tool for me. I also use these shops to sharpen my skills in Photoshop. I'll shoot with the camera set for 16MP, then edit the files down to 1.5-2MP for submitting.

An added advantage, it keeps my equipment in use so things like shutter speeds and f stops won't get out of sync.

Update to my previous CORI problem.



They resolved my issue today. I had to contact them a few times about it, but they finally fixed it today.

I am actually really glad I picked up that automotive mystery shop because they told me that my left front control arm was going out (hmmm that's what that groaning noise was). I took it to my next door neighbor's local service shop, and sure enough it was pretty bad. Apparently, your whole wheel can snap off if you're driving it on the highway.

Yeesh!

Smart to take it somewhere else to be fixed. In the dozens of automotive shops I completed, my car had just as many different problems and it would have cost a few times more than the car was worth for all the repairs. Funny how when I took it to a dealer they only found one thing on that laundry list that was actually in need of repair.

lucky7s Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did 2 shops for Cori yesterday. I had not done
> any in such a long time as I have had
> communication problems with them. I sent the
> receipt and photos. They sent an email this
> morning saying "the receipts are unidentifiable or
> invalid." I resent the receipts twice and called.
> I spoke to Heather who was quite snotty on the
> phone. I asked what the problem was and she said
> the date/time stamp was wrong. Actually the
> date/time stamp is not needed for XXXXXX. They
> probably will not pay me now. I will shop for
> other people. I have no problem with STN,
> Sinclair, MFI or ATHPower, Pinnacle Ace or
> anyone..just Cori.


----
Why is it that sometimes people have a cow when people post the MSC and the client in the same post, and other times no one really notices?

I've noticed that a couple of times, too! Sometimes it just slips by completely unnoticed.

You answered your own question, sometimes it gets overlooked. Other times it gets pointed, but I'm not aware of anyone "having a cow" over it.

I've heard a little "moo-ing" now & then.

But it doesn't bother me ~ if it's a violation, moo away.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2012 01:27PM by StormCloud.

I usually don't bother to moo about the violations. I just use the "Report" button at the bottom of the post and report it as an ICA violation. We have great mods. The mods usually remove the violation promptly. I do the same with spam.

I'm too new to even know when to moo!

Galct, no one would ever accuse me of being a photographer, but I have a tip for you on the pics that are taken into the sun. When you're looking at the pump before you snap the shot, if the pump looks dark you need to make an adjustment. You can go two ways. You can use the flash (I don't). You can adjust the light level on the camera (I do). I don't get great pictures, but I get pictures that are acceptable.

Actual blur is a different problem, and is caused by camera movement when you snap the shot. I've figured out two different things I do that cause picture blur, and the problems are worse when I'm tired or when it's cold. First, I actually pull down on the right hand side of the camera when I snap the picture by pushing too hard on the button. Too solve this one, hold the camera firmly in both hands and maintain the camera position as you push down on the button.

The second error causing blur is pulling the camera off the shot before it's actually complete. You should maintain your camera and head position briefly when snapping the shot to be sure you're not moving the camera in the middle of the shot. It's like shooting a gun or shooting a bow. You don't want to interrupt your process. This problem crops up mostly when you're in a hurry. Take your time on each picture.

I never take less than three shots of a required picture.

You don't have to be a great photographer to make several thousand dollars a year on stations. They're not looking for art. They just want to see the pumps clearly. It's a learning curve and I encourage you to keep trying. You can practice your photography skills on your own until you get the hang of it. Taking digital pictures until you learn how is really cheap education. If you don't care for stations, then more for me but they can be lucrative in routes and work is abundant.

MDavisnowell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Galct, no one would ever accuse me of being a
> photographer, but I have a tip for you on the pics
> that are taken into the sun. When you're looking
> at the pump before you snap the shot, if the pump
> looks dark you need to make an adjustment. You
> can go two ways. You can use the flash (I don't).
> You can adjust the light level on the camera (I
> do). I don't get great pictures, but I get
> pictures that are acceptable.
>
> Actual blur is a different problem, and is caused
> by camera movement when you snap the shot. I've
> figured out two different things I do that cause
> picture blur, and the problems are worse when I'm
> tired or when it's cold. First, I actually pull
> down on the right hand side of the camera when I
> snap the picture by pushing too hard on the
> button. Too solve this one, hold the camera
> firmly in both hands and maintain the camera
> position as you push down on the button.
>
> The second error causing blur is pulling the
> camera off the shot before it's actually complete.
> You should maintain your camera and head position
> briefly when snapping the shot to be sure you're
> not moving the camera in the middle of the shot.
> It's like shooting a gun or shooting a bow. You
> don't want to interrupt your process. This
> problem crops up mostly when you're in a hurry.
> Take your time on each picture.
>
> I never take less than three shots of a required
> picture.
>
> You don't have to be a great photographer to make
> several thousand dollars a year on stations.
> They're not looking for art. They just want to
> see the pumps clearly. It's a learning curve and
> I encourage you to keep trying. You can practice
> your photography skills on your own until you get
> the hang of it. Taking digital pictures until you
> learn how is really cheap education. If you don't
> care for stations, then more for me but they can
> be lucrative in routes and work is abundant.


I'll add a couple of suggestions Galct. Most stations have more than one pump, and there are usually enough that you can fairly easily find one that is in "open shade" [i.e. under the canopy but receiving reflected light off the ground, etc.]. Those usually have enough light that the pump won't go dark. The second is to fill the entire picture with the pump, hold the shutter button halfway down [you've locked in the exposure], then step back until you have the view you want. The pump will be correctly exposed even though the background will overexpose and wash out.

Most of the CORI gas audits require pictures of every single pump, not just a representative shot. It is what make them somewhat of a PITA.

Lisa, while they do require every single pump, you can get into a groove and crank them out. It's an art, just like video is.

..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2013 01:45PM by lucky7s.

Great tips from GMooneyhan. I use that tip to focus and then move the camera upward when I take the overall shot of the station. I focus on the canopy area and then I move the station down in my viewfinder so that I have a nice shot with the station low in the picture instead of floating midway up the frame. The picture looks a lot better with the station positioned low in the frame instead of floating around near the top or midway up.

If something is obstructing the view, such as trees, shrubbery, or tanker or delivery trucks, I take pictures from two to three different angles and use the best one. I have the others as backups in case the MSP wants another view. If it's really hard or impossible to get a good overall shot, I'll take some extras of the building, canopy, and main ID. I don't want to go back.

I actually do them quite a bit and even with taking photos of every pump they take me around 20 to 30 minutes. It's just the requirement means we have to find a way to get a good shot regardless of lighting. I also tend to stick with stations I know are primarily compliant and clean. There are a number of them in this area that are not and still end up getting taken for $10 to $12. That is not enough money for even a clean station.

starblazr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lisa, while they do require every single pump, you
> can get into a groove and crank them out. It's
> an art, just like video is.

I have done over 1000 shops for CORI or STERICYCLE as it is now called, and have found all of the schedulers and editors I come into contact with to be very helpful, polite and have even shown a sense of humor at times. I call them my Angels . Terry, Kim, Heather and Jan, all very easy to work with.
As far as pictures go, I find that setting the pic reveiw time to its lowest setting makes taking pictures a little faster. I also find standing at the halfway point mark between pumps allows you to just turn around and snap the opposite pump, with this you get the whole pump top to bottom. With these few small tricks I have refined my time at these shops down to 5 minutes. Really.

Caution to beginners on Cori stations in my area:

It takes me more than five minutes to arrive, buy the required gas, go inside and make the first inspection loop, make a purchase, introduce myself to the cashier and get an LOA signed. I run from 20 to 45 minutes depending on the number of pumps, the condition of the property, and the guidelines from the MSC. This includes time to check my pictures and receipts before leaving the site. I've been specializing in stations for three years. I could trim a little off this time if I hurried or compromised by cutting corners, but if I wanted to work under those conditions I'd get a job. There are different ways to do everything, and no approach is necessarily right or wrong as long as guidelines are executed.

What I want to make clear to the beginner shopper who is thinking about doing stations is that they do require some time if you follow guidelines set out by the MSC, and in the beginning they will require more time than usual.

You did the right thing by bringing them to the attention of the other shoppers here in this group. We can avoid them and spread the word on their (in)actions as well.
I shopped for a company that did not pay for a legit shop. So ... I reported them to my State Atty Generals Office. Come to find out that they were not even licensed in my state. So, they got fined.. I laughed all the way to a calm night of peaceful sleep.
I (WE) should always do the very best job we can at all times. But when you have an experience with a dishonest comapny, DO contact your state atty Generals office and report them. Its not mean, its just.

Don

lucky7s Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did 2 shops for Cori yesterday. I had not done
> any in such a long time as I have had
> communication problems with them. I sent the
> receipt and photos. They sent an email this
> morning saying "the receipts are unidentifiable or
> invalid." I resent the receipts twice and called.
> I spoke to Heather who was quite snotty on the
> phone. I asked what the problem was and she said
> the date/time stamp was wrong. Actually the
> date/time stamp is not needed for . They probably
> will not pay me now. I will shop for other people.
> I have no problem with STN, Sinclair, MFI or
> ATHPower, Pinnacle Ace or anyone..just Cori.

I have 7 years of Mystery shopping experience. I do gas shops for other MSC and even a different brand at CORI. It was the requirement that the picture of the pump be taken head on, this one pump is special. (it is a diesel dispenser, it is gray and dirty) I went back and tried the picture again another day and had the same problem until I put the flash on.

I think they need to pay more for all the pictures that are needed for this audit. And I need to not do any more of the red and blue gas station audits.

I do not even do the picky pizza picture jobs for trendsource until they call and beg.

Gas stations are the main think I do for Cori. I go to really really high crime areas (as early as possible) because others won't go. I too have had feedback from Heather. She cancelled 2 shops when she only asked for pics from one. I work a regular job so I just didn't fight it. I have only been doing this for 4 months. I love it though. I signed up for a different company today. I was able to sigh up, do a shop and enter it easily. CORI's system suggest you use IE which is outdated. Kim has been the most pleasant for me.