Canuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm new to this company and yesterday, saw a shop
> for a donut company. Pay was low, PLUS I was
> required to buy a dozen donuts, at my cost. I am
> not going to do this because it's ridiculous. Add
> that to my 80 mile drive. (I live in the boonies)
>
> I do not have any experience with them with a shop
> yet and hope all goes well when I decide to commit
> to doing one.
>
>

Well I wouldn't drive 80 miles for the shop but you know you are reimbursed for those donuts plus paid for the job (not a lot granted). I do it for the drive through occasionally because I get a dozen donuts reimbursed and I can share them with the kids in my life who really think it's a treat.

Liz

SunnyDays2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Savana23 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > A couple of months ago I would have been on the
> > band wagon of Hip, Hip Hooray for STN however,
> > lately they NEVER respond to email.
> Communication
> > is a must for me I cannot read minds. Payment
> has
> > always been on-time. However, I did an out of
> > state assignment (I travel a lot) and they were
> > renovating the store, so I mentioned they did
> not
> > have a fish market because of the renovation.
> > Well, they did not pay me because I did not
> talk
> > to the employee who was at the fish market. I
> > find that just dumb. They continually send me
> > these messages with 'great' bonuses of $1. and
> > actually expect me to reply. Negotiations on
> > bonuses were good, however, what did they do go
> > and hire from class of 2013 dumb, dumbs!
>
> Just a thought...I would have taken a picture of
> the "renovations" and sent it to them

Thanks Sunny, I really should have taken a picture.

There are MSCs I really like and then there are those I will take an assignment only when the bonus comes up. I stopped working for STN. In my area there are very few shops and they are usually very low pay, no communication, and when I do get a response it is a week later. At one point they changed over schedulers and well, it appeared to get worse. I think it is great some shoppers have had great experiences with STN, I haven't and really have nothing good to say about them. (Just my experience).

Question: I have seen STN on the list here on the forum, however, could not find them on MSPA. What makes a company join or belong to MSPA? Is there a criteria? Thanks bunches.

Savana: I just learned that it is good idea to have a phone # contact of the scheduler with you if at all possible. Here is my story: This week I completed a shop for Aboutface. I needed two proofs of visit. One was a picture of the front and the other was a printout from the facility. I got the picture but the associate at the facility said that she did not have the capability to provide me a printout. The guidelines said that the printout was mandatory. No exceptions. As soon as I left I called the scheduler and told her the situation. She said don't worry and just take another picture of the facility from a different angle. By calling the scheduler I was covered because I had informed her of the situation and she told me how to proceed. Today I found out that my report was accepted. Definitely taking a picture would have helped; but also trying to get in touch with the scheduler would provide extra support for you getting paid.

No problems here. They pay in a timely manner and the schedulers are terrific.

Thanks Jwolpert!




jwolpert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Savana: I just learned that it is good idea to
> have a phone # contact of the scheduler with you
> if at all possible. Here is my story: This week I
> completed a shop for Aboutface. I needed two
> proofs of visit. One was a picture of the front
> and the other was a printout from the facility. I
> got the picture but the associate at the facility
> said that she did not have the capability to
> provide me a printout. The guidelines said that
> the printout was mandatory. No exceptions. As soon
> as I left I called the scheduler and told her the
> situation. She said don't worry and just take
> another picture of the facility from a different
> angle. By calling the scheduler I was covered
> because I had informed her of the situation and
> she told me how to proceed. Today I found out that
> my report was accepted. Definitely taking a
> picture would have helped; but also trying to get
> in touch with the scheduler would provide extra
> support for you getting paid.

Regarding MSPA membership: many, many legitimate and reliable companies do not find MSPA membership worth the high cost of dues and do not join. Most of the video MSCs, as far as I know, are not members. Some MSCs even disagree, on pribciple, with some of MSPA's lobbying efforts. And, yes, MSPA is very big on lobbying Congress and trying to get its member MSCs to get their shoppers to write letters to Congress supporting MSPA positions, especially on taxes and employment law.

I actually forgot about them as they hadn't had jobs I cared to do....will check in and see if anything has changed.
they did pay, but The thing with the "perk" jobs is, if you need doughnuts and would buy them anyway, it's your gain. I'm taking my first pizza delivery, and having a couple friends in, but the photos are scaring the beegee's out of me.
I know I'm off subject, forgive me....

I've never had any problem with STN, and I have found the schedulers to be easy to deal with. They are just cheap as hell...worse than MF, so I stay away until heavily bonused, which isn't often with chicken little still around...ugh!

I checked yesterday and the donut shops are back again. They do not give you any money back for your purchases. Straight pay of $10 for walk-in and $15 drive thru. Just saying. If I'm in around that area, I might go for it, but not at the moment. I'm taking all your advice here on this forum and waiting. Maybe a few more bucks would make it worth it, n'est ce pas?

Traveliz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Canuck Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm new to this company and yesterday, saw a
> shop
> > for a donut company. Pay was low, PLUS I was
> > required to buy a dozen donuts, at my cost. I
> am
> > not going to do this because it's ridiculous.
> Add
> > that to my 80 mile drive. (I live in the
> boonies)
> >
> > I do not have any experience with them with a
> shop
> > yet and hope all goes well when I decide to
> commit
> > to doing one.
> >
> >
>
> Well I wouldn't drive 80 miles for the shop but
> you know you are reimbursed for those donuts plus
> paid for the job (not a lot granted). I do it for
> the drive through occasionally because I get a
> dozen donuts reimbursed and I can share them with
> the kids in my life who really think it's a
> treat.
>
> Liz

Canuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I checked yesterday and the donut shops are back
> again. They do not give you any money back for
> your purchases. Straight pay of $10 for walk-in
> and $15 drive thru. Just saying. If I'm in around
> that area, I might go for it, but not at the
> moment. I'm taking all your advice here on this
> forum and waiting. Maybe a few more bucks would
> make it worth it, n'est ce pas?

I don't have the donut shops on my board, which sucks. I've been craving those donuts.

The $15 flat fee doesn't bother me. The donuts usually cost around $9 so that's $6 in my pocket. Plus, I mean...free donuts.

I've never seen the donut assignment bonused in my area. Those go super quick at the $15 payout.

Just so y'all know, this Canuck lives in Texas and..the donut shops are awaiting on ya!

Just picked up another shop that STN use to have, I don't know if they have this company anymore; however, I took the assignment from another company for twice the pay. Same company, same scenario et al. I guess companies change up from time to time; or a MSC loses a company? Anyway, I am not doing any more for STN. Communication was one of my major peeves, especially when I call on the way to an assignment, leave messages on 2 different numbers (as someone suggested to me). And no response to the following day by phone or email. (I have an iPhone and a Notifier.) So I am always wired.

I recently completed a shop for STN in which I realized after I submitted the report that I had marked down the wrong scenario. I emailed the scheduler and also called their help desk. The lady at the help desk was very pleasant and was willing to help me. While I was talking to her I got a response from the scheduler. I can only say that I had no communication problem with them.

I am about to throw in the towel with them. I have not been able to do a shop for them because their information is not correct. One of the shops had to be in the County where the person was. I signed up for it because I was then they told me it was not for that county. Recently I signed ip for another shop and the person I was supposed to interview with cancelled the shop because they had to go out of town. I e-mailed my scheduler and he said OK then sent me a note the next day saying my shop was overdue. Duh!!! I wrote him back that I had emailed him when the guy cancelled on me. He said OK, just get it done today..OK, what about the guy is out of town and will not be backl until next week does this person not understand. Not worth the hassle and not sure with all the mess going on whether I would get paid or not so not sure if I'm going to complete this shop or not. To much confusion on Second to None's part.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2013 12:59PM by GAShopper.

That's the same amount as before....it's just straight pay now instead of a fee and reimbursement. It looks like STN is doing this with most of their shops now.

Canuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I checked yesterday and the donut shops are back
> again. They do not give you any money back for
> your purchases. Straight pay of $10 for walk-in
> and $15 drive thru. Just saying.

I agree. I did a shop for STN that involved a listening to a presentation. The requirements say you can't shop the same person more than once. When I arrived, I recognized the presenter as one I'd already shopped (this assignment was listed under his company name and the previous one had been listed under his name). I pretended I'd gotten a text from my daughter and excused myself to go outside to call her. I called the scheduler and told her it was obvious the presenter did not remember me, but that I'd shopped him a few months prior. She told me how to fill out the report to explain the situation and I got paid for it as if I'd stayed the entire hour. It was a good day...I had done the exact same type of shop for another MSC (with a really nice bonus) 2 hours earlier at the same location (a restaurant) with lunch in between.

jwolpert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Savana: I just learned that it is good idea to
> have a phone # contact of the scheduler with you
> if at all possible. Here is my story: This week I
> completed a shop for Aboutface. I needed two
> proofs of visit. One was a picture of the front
> and the other was a printout from the facility. I
> got the picture but the associate at the facility
> said that she did not have the capability to
> provide me a printout. The guidelines said that
> the printout was mandatory. No exceptions. As soon
> as I left I called the scheduler and told her the
> situation. She said don't worry and just take
> another picture of the facility from a different
> angle. By calling the scheduler I was covered
> because I had informed her of the situation and
> she told me how to proceed. Today I found out that
> my report was accepted. Definitely taking a
> picture would have helped; but also trying to get
> in touch with the scheduler would provide extra
> support for you getting paid.

Been with STN for about 8 years with no problems. But, I haven't ever been contacted for more information. Though I tend to check email several times a day, so even if that happened it wouldn't be an issue with me. Their shops don't always pay the greatest but if you hold out for bonuses it's worth it.

Over the years, I've done TONS of shops for them. In the beginning, everything was fine. Yes, the schedulers are nice. But then the editors started rejecting shops with no recourse. They would say that I entered a time on the report that was nowhere near what I had put in my notes. They promised that I would at least get reimbursed for the purchase. Never saw that. So I decided that the crap shoot of getting paid wasn't worth it. It's been a while since I did anything for them.

As far as them being part of the MSPA: When I went to a conference many moons ago, one of their people was a presenter. I've always assumed that they were.

At that conference, I told her about the problem mentioned above. She was very nice and listened carefully. That was on a Saturday. I got a letter in the mail by that Tuesday demanding that I return the equipment I used for those assignments! My only consolation is that I believe they lost that contract!

I like them. Initially I had difficulty but I think you have to get use to their system. Now, they have become a favorite. My biggest problem is I need additional companies. Good Luck

Canuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I checked yesterday and the donut shops are back
> again. They do not give you any money back for
> your purchases. Straight pay of $10 for walk-in
> and $15 drive thru. Just saying. If I'm in around
> that area, I might go for it, but not at the
> moment. I'm taking all your advice here on this
> forum and waiting. Maybe a few more bucks would
> make it worth it, n'est ce pas?

I would gladly do the walk-in one for $10. I did it once a long time ago before the pay structure changed. I didn't get anywhere near the reimbursement amount, so the straight pay works just fine for me. Plus, the visit was relaxing and the report was easy. Unfortunately I can never seem to catch the walk-in ones in time.

The drive-thru one for $15, on the other hand, looks neither relaxing nor fun. The added photo requirements (especially the on-site portion) are enough to keep me away unless a bonus is offered, which is highly unlikely.

I totally forgot about them, going to check them out, and yes, mistakes happen...don't blow your cool, everyone deserves
a second chance...work it out.

Very good company to work with, and pay on time always. Sad to say they lost one of their biggest clients and most
of what they have to offer is not very interesting and does not really pay enough. Great staff though, and they have always responded promptly.

I'm happy to report that I tried again to enter my SSN for this company, and this time they said it was valid. Last year their site was rejecting it as invalid, which meant I could no longer do any assignments.

However now I don't see any of the shops I used to do! Hopefully this is just because someone else has snagged them.
Did snag a drive thru donut shop, which upon reading the instructions could go either really bad or really good. But I want to try it out, and try the donuts out too!

Disneygirl, was the client lost, an electronics company?

I reduced my jobs with them. I was doing mainly one job that pays $8 flat fee with a purchase. Three times I did not get paid. Twice I did not get any email asking for clarification (which I could provide). Found out that they rejected the jobs after 2 months, when I saw they did not pay. The other reject (this one they emailed me immediately to say it was rejected) it was for a stupid thing of their guidelines. The employee asked me if I wanted a finishing for my product and I said yes please and asked the one from guidelines. STN said they rejected the job because the employee had to ask in detail the finishing as per guidelines (which I want to see it happen since it is a finishing in three parts that can have many variations). Just the employee offering a finishing would not meet the criteria (and from there I did not get any more finishing done, because no employees asked me finishing A,B,C).
I used to do all their shops in the towns around every month, now I do them very seldom and only if heavily bonused.

I was doing 4 or 5 shops a month, but they lost several clients, and I havent seen them come back. So now it's probably once a month. I do the inside donut shop quite a bit, but had never done the drive thru shop until this past month. Never again- it pays $15. The cost of the dozen donuts was more than that. So I received a dozen donuts for a reduced cost, but nothing for timeto fill out the report. 3 weeks later, I just received an email asking me to please clarify my "no" response to the question that asks if my receipt is accurate. Ummmm....please read the report. I very clearly stated that I ordered one chocolate iced and one chocolate iced with sprinkles, and was given 2 with sprinkles. So my receipt is not correct. No reply whatsoever to my polite reply. Used to love them.

Hello minuet00, the client lost was not an electronics company it was a lovely breakfast/lunch bakery cafe. Only in bigger cities, so you might
not have ever seen it. They did not pay a fee, but you could go by yourself, and I personally could walk to two different locations. Supper yummy, great coffee, and many healthy options too. Very, very sad that is went bye, bye.......there is nothing else like it that is being shopped.

Disneygirl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello minuet00, the client lost was not an
> electronics company it was a lovely
> breakfast/lunch bakery cafe. Only in bigger
> cities, so you might
> not have ever seen it. They did not pay a fee,
> but you could go by yourself, and I personally
> could walk to two different locations. Supper
> yummy, great coffee, and many healthy options too.
> Very, very sad that is went bye, bye.......there
> is nothing else like it that is being shopped.

I love that shop too and wish I knew which MSC has it now. That was a great shop although very difficult not to go over the flat fee.