Hi - I'm somewhat new to the Mystery Shopping world, although in a previous life, I conducted shops in-person, but as an employee of the company.

My dilema is, I signed up with Bestmark three weeks ago. I indicated that I own and have access to 4 vehicles, all different makes. I indicated I would be open to almost any shop opportunities.

Over the first two weeks, I was only offered shops for vehicles I have no access to. There were no other shops within 50 miles of my home.

This week, I received an email from Bestmark to check out the shops. There were MANY! I tried to sign up for 17 of them, only to see a message on the side of the screen indicating "There are currently no eligible dates for you to perform this shop. Please contact your regional coordinator to find out more details about when the shop can be assigned. You can also check the system again in 24-48 hours as we do update available dates throughout the month."

Strangely, the list inidcates dates shop must be completed, but every single time I try to accept one, I get that stinkin message.

So, I emailed Bestmark, and asked for help. I received an email from the "Bestmark Team", asking if I wanted to complete a few dealership shops (new car buyer). I immediately replied and said YES. I've heard nothing since, and still cannot accept any shops. Still the only ones the site will allow me to accept are those(automotive service) that I still do not have access to the make and model.

I'm already starting to question the legitimacy of this company. (?) Or I'm doing something wrong?

Thanks!

They're legitimate, just squirrely sometimes.

Thanks Cettie. By Squirrely, do you mean the jobs page or their general response? I'm just anxious to get earning some $$ for my daughter's college education.

It's been a long time since I signed with them, but some companies will not allow you to self-assign your first shops.

They require a lot of reporting for the buck; no problems with getting paid.

I was in the boat..they arent going to give you all the shops you want not knowing your history...be patient..start with or 2 they will come..ive got 15 for feb.

Sign up with a lot more companies. There's lots of money out there, Bestmark doesn't have ALL the shops,

I would call them and tell them you are interested in taking some shops but they aren't being assigned to you. Perhaps you can get a scheduler on the phone. Once you have established yourself with them you can assign them to yourself.

They would not let me self-assign when I first signed up with them and still there are some shops that I have to call them about if I want them. I do a lot of work for them and have never had a problem getting paid for the work I do. I agree with itsasecret, there are a lot of companies out there. I have downloaded an excel calendar for my computer and keep my shops for the month listed there. It can get confusing some time if you work for multiple companies. Good Luck.

GAShopper

I think I had to assign my first two or possibly three shops by phone with them. I wouldn't be concerned, I'd just give them a call. I haven't worked with them in a few months but have always found their schedulers to be pretty friendly especially when you're calling with a YES

I would try just one shop with them first and see how you like it before committing to several. Their reports can be very detailed and take a long time to complete, and you may decide the pay isn't worth the time involved in it...

Bestmark is a good company in general. Reports are tedious and can be repetitive. I don't mind doing the oil change shops because I do the report on my laptop while I'm there (well, not the actual report, since I'm in the open - I do it in a Word file and then go back later and cut and paste).

You don't say what the 17 shops were. If service, I can see why you couldn't sign up. You're taking your car to a dealership, which is entered into the brand's database. They can tell if and when your car was serviced at another dealership. Since these shops are usually for oil changes and tire rotations, you can only do oil changes on each car 4 times a year (or every 3000 miles). If you go back too often it looks suspicious to the dealer.

Plus, Bestmark would probably restrict you from going back right away for a tire rotation, as that would probably mark you as a shopper. You have to act like a normal customer, who would probably get a tire rotation at the same time as an oil change (though as a shopper you can only do one service).

Same thing for auto sales. If all the shops listed were sales shops you can probably only do each location every so often. They put your name in a database, so they would know you're a shopper if you come back frequently.

The reason why those other car makes pop up on your list is they are hard shops to fill. Not many mystery shoppers own late model Caddys, lol! But you are allowed to borrow a car for a shop, so Bestmark lists them even if the car is not in your profile.

I would give them a call during the week. They have an Auto Study team, so just tell the person who answers that you are interested in doing a car shop in your state. In your case I think talking with them directly would be better than all the back-and-forth emails.

elvisnco my recollection is that Best does not allow self assignment to new shoppers. Call them and ask to speak to the Auto Team; you need a relationship with a scheduler. Don't give up; they are a legitimate company with a reliable pay schedule.

Pooch52 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> elvisnco my recollection is that Best does not
> allow self assignment to new shoppers. Call them
> and ask to speak to the Auto Team; you need a
> relationship with a scheduler. Don't give up; they
> are a legitimate company with a reliable pay
> schedule.


I agree, they were the first company that I started out with and if you can get past their narratives it is good training for other companies in my opinion.