Hello!

Just thought i'd bring my contribution to this forum. I've been doing mystery shops for the past 3 months, and I must say it's been quite an experience...I began with small shops, and yesterday I did my first upscale restaurant shop in Beverly Hills, so it's been a nice evolution and i'm looking forward for more !

I had my first bad experience with IntelliShop - I had heard horrible things about them on the forum, but it had never happened to me before - now it did!

I applied for a <money wiring business> shop, where they ask you to go and tell the person behind the counter that you want to send money for your business of "counterfeit bags and watches". I attended a phone call coaching, did everything according to the guidelines. It was a creepy creepy part of town in LA, and the employee I was shopping did not seem to care for anything I said whatsoever. I put all the details in my report, and then a month later (!), I realize on my shop log that the shop has been rejected! It simply says, "This was not done properly so it cannot be used". And a score of 1/10. No explanations, no emails, nothing!

I do understand that there might be something wrong with the shop, but it's not very professional to say "it was not done properly" without giving any details! Did anyone encounter the same problem?

I tried to contact the scheduler and the <money wiring business Shop Coordinator, but of course, none of them has answered so far....

I guess it's part of the learning process - but i'll never apply for a <money wiring business> shop anymore, that's for sure!



Moderator note: Hi, Charlhenri! Please, in the future, do not give the name of the client when you've named the MSC in either the body or subject of your message. Thank you!

It seems all of Intelli-shops fees or reimbursable amounts are dropping in my area. I'm thinking it's so they can toss a few bucks on at bonus time and bring the shop fees and reimbursements up to what they initially offered a couple of months ago. No thanks!

I find Intellishop annoying, but I've never had a really horrible experience with them. They appear to hire their editors very cheaply, so they may be getting a lack of experience and maturity, which might account for the lack of rational comments to accompany their ratings when shops are graded.

Have you re-read your shop guidelines to see if you can figure out what you might have done incorrectly? Since it has been a month since the shop was rejected, it is probably too late to do anything about it. The location has almost certainly been re-shopped by another shopper, so it is probably too late to offer additional information or volunteer to re-shop it. You might continue to try to contact the scheduler and the coordinator, just so you will understand what was not done correctly.

Intellishop sends an e-mail to give feedback at the same time as they put the comments into your Shop Log. You might check your spam folder to see if their e-mail is there. They also grade their shops very quickly compared to many other MSCs. If I don't get an e-mail containing my feedback from Intellishop within a day or two of doing a shop, I go to the shop log to check. If you miss an e-mail but see right away from your Shop Log that there is a problem, you will be able to try to fix the problem, and, hopefully, get paid. A month later is likely too late.

I have yet do a shop for them. I'm kind of scared to. Plus none of the amounts are worth it yet. They do have 2 sporting goods stores near me that I would do if they ever get to paying a real fee instead of $3.

I've done a handful of shops for them and I find the schedulers to respond promptly and be personable. If you plan to do more of the some shops, it never hurts to reach out to the editor and ask where the guidelines were not met so that you are prepared in the future.

I got a 1/10 because a call got erased on their recording system. No returned e-mails. I had asked the scheduler if the shop would simply be removed from my log, and she said yes, which was not true. She gave me an unjustified 1. I called and visited an assisted living home- and I am haunted by them cuz I'm on their mailing list, lol. I'd love to not receive mail from them. I was required to give a real phone number and address- not fun.
The shop took hours in preparation. I'll be very choosy when doing shops for them. There was no need for them to mark me a 1. Not getting paid was enough of a blow.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/2013 09:49PM by jillmarie13.

jillmarie13 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I got a 1/10 because a call got erased on their
> recording system. No returned e-mails. I called
> and visited an assisted living home- and I am
> haunted by them cuz I'm on their mailing list,
> lol.
> The shop took hours in preparation. I'll be very
> choosy when doing shops for them. There was no
> need for them to mark me a 1. Not getting paid was
> enough of a blow.
> I don't like them.

I understand being upset about not being paid for a shop, and I'm sorry thkat happened to you. I would be upset about that, too. But .... seriously? There was no need to mark you a 1? The shop was not accepted and you were not paid. What grade would you believe a shopper should be given for a shop that was not accepted and not paid?

charlhenri Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I had my first bad experience with IntelliShop -

> I applied for a XXX shop, where they ask

> I tried to contact the scheduler and the XXX coordinator,

> i'll never apply for a XXX shop anymore,

charlhenri -
Welcome to the Forum.
Please edit your posting to remove the name of the client. Forum policy and our ICAs prohibit identifying the names of MSC clients.
Thanks!

do not expect any replies. they are unprofessional like that. i had a shop cancelled and was given a grade of 1. i was issue a citation for not completing the shop. keep in mind that I contacted them 5 days before the shop was due and keep forwarding the e-mails saying "hi, i've e-mailed you xxxx number of times. i cannot do this shop and am asking to be unassigned." I guess they want more than give days noticed.

don't expect them to contact you about not following a shop as assigned. i contacted them too and it took two weeks to find out what happened. turns out it was something that could have been fixed in a minute had they bothered to call or e-mail me. she said there was nothing that they could do because they could no longer use the shop and didn't get paid from the client. again, not my problem because they could have been paid had they contacted me.

as shoppers, we make mistakes sometimes when submitted report, just as they make mistakes when they choose to ignore our e-mails for five days when the shops could have been reassigned in that time period.

It doesn't seem right that jillmarie was given a 1 on a shop because a call got erased on Intellishop's recording system! How is that her fault? Unless she erased it or caused it to be erased, which doesn't seem to be the case....

BirdyC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It doesn't seem right that jillmarie was given a 1
> on a shop because a call got erased on
> Intellishop's recording system! How is that her
> fault? Unless she erased it or caused it to be
> erased, which doesn't seem to be the case....


It doesn't seem fair to me that she did not get paid if a call was erased. Of course, we have no way to know how the call was erased. There is a feature to be able to listen to the call and be sure it was properly recorded and is clear before submitting the report. I care almost not at all about a score but I really care about getting paid. If I were jillmarie I would not be complaining about the score given on a shop that an editor thought she flunked. If I truly believed I made the call and that it was not my fault that the call was erased, I would be complaining about the lack of payment.

Once burned twiced learned with this company.....not interested anymore....

AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BirdyC Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It doesn't seem right that jillmarie was given a
> 1
> > on a shop because a call got erased on
> > Intellishop's recording system! How is that her
> > fault? Unless she erased it or caused it to be
> > erased, which doesn't seem to be the case....
>
>
> It doesn't seem fair to me that she did not get
> paid if a call was erased. Of course, we have no
> way to know how the call was erased. There is a
> feature to be able to listen to the call and be
> sure it was properly recorded and is clear before
> submitting the report. I care almost not at all
> about a score but I really care about getting
> paid. If I were jillmarie I would not be
> complaining about the score given on a shop that
> an editor thought she flunked. If I truly
> believed I made the call and that it was not my
> fault that the call was erased, I would be
> complaining about the lack of payment.

Ah, I see--it's not the grade that would have you concerned but, understandably, the lack of payment. I'd be upset about both!

YES ...... greedy girl that I am, it's all about the money for me ....... if I wasn't getting paid, that would totally overshadow the grade!

Voicezilla "erased" the call and they made no attempt to retrieve it, though I asked. Voicezilla sometimes does not show up as recorded, and there are glitches with it sometimes. I know because I do a ton of phone shops.
It was a difficult shop, and I'll never do another assisted living shop with them again.
Other companies, like Shopper's View, had this happen, and asked me for the phone # I called from, the time of call, name of person I spoke with (it was like a mystery shop within a mystery shop, lol) and retrieved the call for me, and they were nice and professional about it.
I would have liked the money for all my trouble, and the unjustified "1" was just a low blow. Everytime I get an email from that scheduler with an assisted living shop- I would love to write back "Are you KIDDING me???" but don't of course. LOL.

I appreciate the supportive responses, and we should all be supportive of each other.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2013 10:57AM by jillmarie13.

I did an assisted living/memory care for them last May. It was a very depressing shop. It's back and they're offering $5 less for the shopper fee. No thanks. No way. Not worth the lasting emotional impact for $25.

I did a car dealership assignment for them almost two months ago. I was first given an 8/10 when the report was reviewed. Then just last week I receive a message stating I did not follow procedure and I would not be paid for this assignment. I witnessed something while doing the assignment that made the company I was shopping not look good at all. In fact, had there been more customers there and they saw what I did, they would have left instantly. The employee also did nothing he was trained to do. I spent a couple hours filling this extremely long report out for a very little pay. I find it very odd that almost two months ago I had a 8/10 review for this assignment, and now all the sudden I will not be paid for it because the dealership rejected it? I did my job, and went above and beyond to make sure it was done correctly. I will never shop for this company again. I also plan on fighting on my pay for it.

Bailey2013 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did a car dealership assignment for them almost
> two months ago. I was first given an 8/10 when the
> report was reviewed. Then just last week I receive
> a message stating I did not follow procedure and I
> would not be paid for this assignment. I witnessed
> something while doing the assignment that made the
> company I was shopping not look good at all. In
> fact, had there been more customers there and they
> saw what I did, they would have left instantly.
> The employee also did nothing he was trained to
> do. I spent a couple hours filling this extremely
> long report out for a very little pay. I find it
> very odd that almost two months ago I had a 8/10
> review for this assignment, and now all the sudden
> I will not be paid for it because the dealership
> rejected it? I did my job, and went above and
> beyond to make sure it was done correctly. I will
> never shop for this company again. I also plan on
> fighting on my pay for it.

I did a car shop with them and it was beyond tedious. Why the rating switcheroo? Stuff that that irks me- so unprofessional. That's happened to me too. I hope you get paid. Did you hold on to the e-mail with the 8 rating?
I stay with them because I did a home store shop that was fun- if a bit ridiculous with long narratives- and had a different, and better scheduler that time. I love my new doormat

One of Intellishop's editors posted on a thread about Intellishop - and it's interesting reading. It might make it easier to understand the inconsistencies and lack of maturity we see in the company's editing. [www.mysteryshopforum.com]

In another post, this editor comments that she works 28 hours a week at minimum wage and most of the Intelli editors are college students or grads who make minimum wage. That is also interesting reading [www.mysteryshopforum.com]

It explains a lot.

Thanks everyone for your comments/feedback. I guess I am annoyed that the shop got rejected as it's the first time it happens, and I always pay a lot of attention to my work! But hey, it's part of the learning process...

And yes, sorry, I will make sure not to mention names anymore

I'm really enjoying this forum, thank you guys so much!

I love Intellishop.

I feel for the OP. It's frustrating to do all that work, not get paid, and not even know why. I sure hope OP gets some answers.

However, because people read these threads when evaluating whether or not to work for an MSC, I must chime in and say that I've had great experience with Intellishop. Yes, their picky editors can be annoying. No, the ratings are not consistent. But most of the schedulers that I've worked with have bean great. I've made a lot of money through this company.

If I was trying to find out what I did wrong on a shop, I would contact the original scheduler. If that didn't produce an answer, I would contact one of the other schedulers that have been great at communicating.

So, as much as I'd love for y'all to avoid Intellishop and leave all their shops for me, I feel compelled to say a word on their behalf.

And again, OP, I hope you're able to get some answers.

charlhenri Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks everyone for your comments/feedback. I
> guess I am annoyed that the shop got rejected as
> it's the first time it happens, and I always pay a
> lot of attention to my work! But hey, it's part of
> the learning process...
>
> And yes, sorry, I will make sure not to mention
> names anymore
>
> I'm really enjoying this forum, thank you guys so
> much!

They are the only company and first who have ever rejected one of my shops also. All the other shops I completed for them were rated 8/10 or 9/10. I just do not understand how my shop was accepted with a high rating, approved, and then they come back almost two months later to say I will not be paid? It makes no sense to me.

AndrewTX Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I love Intellishop.
>
> I feel for the OP. It's frustrating to do all that
> work, not get paid, and not even know why. I sure
> hope OP gets some answers.
>
> However, because people read these threads when
> evaluating whether or not to work for an MSC, I
> must chime in and say that I've had great
> experience with Intellishop. Yes, their picky
> editors can be annoying. No, the ratings are not
> consistent. But most of the schedulers that I've
> worked with have bean great. I've made a lot of
> money through this company.
>
> If I was trying to find out what I did wrong on a
> shop, I would contact the original scheduler. If
> that didn't produce an answer, I would contact one
> of the other schedulers that have been great at
> communicating.
>
> So, as much as I'd love for y'all to avoid
> Intellishop and leave all their shops for me, I
> feel compelled to say a word on their behalf.
>
> And again, OP, I hope you're able to get some
> answers.

I'm glad you have had good experiences with them. There was one scheduler who was awesome and I got a 10 on that shop. That was reason to stay- I am just very choosy now- no accepting any car or assisted living shops.
Also, I was set to do a car shop, called, and the salesperson was a client of mine. They tried to talk me into doing it anyway. No go. I would have gotten no pay for sure in the end.Glad I told them sorry, I'd be biased, can't do it.

Got 1 and a rejected shop from them too Made several phone calls to the different locations of the same client. It was a mystery shop where I had to reveal myself at the end of the shop. One of the locations that I spoke with decided to transfer my call in the middle of our conversation so as I can get more information. My call was transferred to someone who I spoke few minutes earlier when called to a different location. Of course the person recognized me and for this reason I got a score of 1 and won't get paid. It sucks because I did follow the guidelines and it was not my fault that I was transferred to the same person. Sent an email to proofreader but of course nobody replied.

Plusha Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Got 1 and a rejected shop from them too Made
> several phone calls to the different locations of
> the same client. It was a mystery shop where I had
> to reveal myself at the end of the shop. One of
> the locations that I spoke with decided to
> transfer my call in the middle of our conversation
> so as I can get more information. My call was
> transferred to someone who I spoke few minutes
> earlier when called to a different location. Of
> course the person recognized me and for this
> reason I got a score of 1 and won't get paid. It
> sucks because I did follow the guidelines and it
> was not my fault that I was transferred to the
> same person. Sent an email to proofreader but of
> course nobody replied.

Wow- that was so not your fault. I, too never heard back after even calling them (their # is on the bottom of their website) and asking them to please take the 1 out. I didn't want to not get the home shops with them (that I never see anymore anyway) because of an unfair bad rating.
That person shouldn't have just transferred you, and that was quality control if anything.