Does anyone know anything about them? Thanks, Susan

Good company with decent shops, some even fun like movie theaters. They take forever to pay, though. 60-90 days.

They offer shops that pay well in my area.

pay is slow but does happen.

agree reliable. They have been around a long time. Only take shops if you can wait 60 or so days to pay.

I like the company, and they have good shops. As others have mentioned they do have a longer than average pay schedule, but they do pay on time. They aren't like some companies where you have to send an email just to get paid. They only have a few shops in my area, but I like to check out the entire country from time to time and they do have a ton all over the place.

Honestly, I'm not very happy with Mystery Sleuth right now. I took my first job for them on Wednesday, which I crammed into my schedule for them with less than 30 minutes notice. I was told that if I completed this shop, I would be given "priority" for a local theater shop.

I was stiffed on the theater shop and the other one I crammed in paid only $7.00 plus reimbursement up to $5.00. So much for trying to help a company out in a bind.

I don't think I will take another shop from them after this experience.

(Edit: It was Service Sleuth. Lack of sleep hits me; sorry)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2013 11:45AM by DanteInPA.

DanteInPA Wrote:
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> Honestly, I'm not very happy with Mystery Sleuth
> right now. I took my first job for them on
> Wednesday, which I crammed into my schedule for
> them with less than 30 minutes notice. I was told
> that if I completed this shop, I would be given
> "priority" for a local theater shop.
>
> I was stiffed on the theater shop and the other
> one I crammed in paid only $7.00 plus
> reimbursement up to $5.00. So much for trying to
> help a company out in a bind.
>
> I don't think I will take another shop from them
> after this experience.


I'm not sure if you're talking about the correct company or not. The topic was Service Sleuth, but you mentioned Mystery Sleuth. I know that a lot of Service Sleuth shops are scheduled by a scheduling company so if you are talking about Service Sleuth and it was a shop that was scheduled through the scheduling company, I would email the head of the scheduling company with your issue. I've seen other people post on here about issues with schedulers, and she has addressed the issues. I did have a scheduler tell me that I would get priority on a good location because I helped her out with a bad location and then I got stiffed to. I sent her an email and profusely apologized. I then got just about every shop I applied for. It has a new scheduler now so of course now I'm not getting anything. Back to the topic, the schedulers with the scheduling company will say just about anything to get their shops filled.

I took an oil change shop, when I arrived at the location I was told that they didn't have an oil filter for my car because it was too "new". I contacted my scheduler and she told me to go find an oil filter at an auto parts store and return for the oil change. My car is a new model and only 2 months old . The auto parts stores I checked did not have my oil filter stocked yet. My scheduler, "Samantha Wade," called me a flake and gave me a score of one. This low score disables my ability to even look at their jobs. I'll never do another job for Samantha Wade.

The oil change shops I have done for Service Sleuth always say to ASK if they have your filter in stock when you make the preliminary phone call to check their telephone customer service, not to just show up. Did your shop not require the same-day phone call?

You might have called a dealer for your car. The oil change place may have HAD the oil filter you needed, but it was too new to be on their specification charts. The dealer would know if the filter for the 2014 Subaru Forester happened to be identical to the oil filter for the 2011 Outback, for example (I don't know if it is or isn't, I just know the 2014 Forester is a different animal than the 2013). In that case the store may have had the right filter but had no listing telling them that, but the dealer would probably know it.

I'm sorry you had a bad first experience with them. Mystery shopping is a very precise undertaking, every detail is important, every instruction must be followed.

If that was NOT the case, and you were NOT required to make a call and ask about the oil filter, I would appeal this to Samantha, and explain that you followed the directions, and did everything you could to make the shop happen, but it isn't your fault your car was too new to get an oil change anywhere other than at its own dealer yet. Tell her you did not flake; the store was not stocked to handle all vehicles. Ask her to please remove the flake notation since you did everything you could to bring off the shop.

Who knows? Maybe she'll do it.

My gut (having just done one of these shops YESTERDAY) is to think you either didn't make the call, or forgot to ask about the filter and THAT was the reason for the flake notation, not the fact that your filter hadn't been invented yet. But I could be wrong if you weren't shopping the same chain I shopped -- your instructions could be very different from mine.

DO NOT mention the name of the chain you shopped -- it would be a violation of board policy to mention it connected to the MSC who has the job. Which is why I can't tell you who I shopped either.

A few posters called attention to this MSCs pay being slow. I well realize this could be a case of semantics, but, in my opinion, they aren't slow. They have always paid me as agreed through almost 200 assignments covering 7 yrs. and their fee terms are clearly stated .

I really like the movie theater shops. They reimburse for 2 tickets and quite a bit of food, and pay a little on top of that. I think they're very fair.

I have only done a few shops for them but they seem to be fair and they do pay well.

Big Ed

Mystery Shopping in the Great Smokey & Blue Ridge Mountain ranges of Southern Appalachia (GA, NC, SC, & TN)

Great company - I agree with Bob that the word "slow" as it relates to Service Sleuth's payment may be misunderstood. Service Sleuth has a longer pay frame than many companies, which they disclose very openly. They pay exactly when they say they will pay. They take longer to pay than many companies, but to me "slow payment" means payment not received when it was promised. This company does pay according to their stated payment terms.

Good company. Reports are fairly easy, but payment is slow.

I do very detailed casino shops for them. There's always something to fix. The editor is very nice and patient about the edits. I fix it fast and she gives me 10s. The reimbursement and fee is great, not to mention that the job is fun! I have actually gotten paid within 3 weeks on a couple of those!

I was not pleased with the editor who made a snotty, condescending comment about my theater shop. I'm gun shy on those now. But they're nice shops!

I just completed my first two shops for them so I can't speak regarding their pay schedule, but I've only had great communications with them so far.

I was concerned regarding one of the shops that I just completed because I was instructed - multiple times and in bold letters - to pay with cash, but the associate said that he was out of change (I was only paying with a $20, but it was the end of the weekend) and I had to pay with plastic. I finally paid debit, thinking that that might be more acceptable than credit. There were a few other weird things that happened during that same shop. I carefully detailed them all in the report, not knowing whether I would be paid. My shop was accepted with a 10!

I have another shop scheduled with them, and emailed the scheduler a question. She asked my question promptly, providing the information that I needed, and seemed very helpful and friendly. I think my questions could have been avoided with more detail in the shop descriptions, but they seem to be evaluating a new promotion, so might still be working out what shopper questions need to be covered for those of us doing multiple shops.

So far I'm happy with them and would like to do more of their shops.

yes, their pay schedule is slow, but I have no problem with them. Especially with the casino shops. If I have a question (while ON LOCATION no less) I have a number I can text and someone from the client almost IMMEDIATELY texts me back! Now THAT'S service.

They don't have much more than oil changes in my area. Those don't pay well. "Get a free oil change!" Why would I do that when another MS company reimburses me in entirety for my oil change AND pays me $20?

How do you cancel a job? Do I need to contact somebody?

Email the scheduler.

Ah OK, I found it. Thanks

robinhardage Wrote:
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> yes, their pay schedule is slow, but I have no
> problem with them. Especially with the casino
> shops. If I have a question (while ON LOCATION no
> less) I have a number I can text and someone from
> the client almost IMMEDIATELY texts me back! Now
> THAT'S service.

Yep! I've done that, too!

Is Sleuth known for upping the commission if its getting close to the deadline? There's one I got my eye on....

I have received bonuses from Service Sleuth.

PurpFash Wrote:
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> Is Sleuth known for upping the commission if its
> getting close to the deadline? There's one I got
> my eye on....


Not in my area they do not.

This MSC was reviewed in Issue 4 of the Mystery Shopper Magazine: [www.mysteryshoppermagazine.com]

I do their oil changes, however, their great burger place has a 45 age requirement. They pay slooowly.

I like their vitamin store shop, but they haven't been offered in Tampa Bay for about a year. Anyone else geting them?

sun&fun Wrote:
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> I like their vitamin store shop, but they haven't
> been offered in Tampa Bay for about a year. Anyone
> else geting them?

Yes, three in the last week.