What do you think of completing a shop with your own money, not to mention time, then the Scheduler said the client refused to pay for some silly minor error? Well.....they already got the written report with all the comments that they can use to improve their business. They have all they wanted. So, even if they pointed out the one minor flaw in your report, they got your report for free. Sometimes I wonder if it's the Scheduler or the client who refused to pay.

One example is a valet shop for a long time MSC. I uploaded the receipt which shows the Claim Ticket number. I could not upload the claim ticket because the valet refused to give it to me. I did a well-written report, but was not paid a fee or reimbursed for $23.

Sometimes they asked me if I want to redo. Redo? And spend another $23? Not to mention time, gas and time to write the report. No, thanks.

Did you ever have a claim ticket? I know the shops I have done state to take a picture of the claim tiket before picking up your car. It would be standard procedure to not get it back.

ShopperFun99 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What do you think of completing a shop with your
> own money, not to mention time, then the Scheduler
> said the client refused to pay for some silly
> minor error? >>>> > > Sometimes they asked me if I want to redo. Redo?
> And spend another $23? Not to mention time, gas
> and time to write the report. No, thanks.

In an agreement with Shelly.

The scheduler or editor sees "our" report before the client. It may well have been the Scheduler who refused your report. If the Client wants a copy of the claim ticket and the receipt, then we must oblige. What is to be a silly minor error on your part, it is also cost you the shop.

Be sure to read, read and re-read your shop instructions/guidelines. There are times when the survey or report will leave out something but if it is in the guidelines, we are responsible for it.

Unless it was a pre-pay where you do not get a ticket, you would have to have been issued sort sort of a claim ticket. Without it, how would you have reclaimed your car? Part of the reason they want the picture of the ticket is to check the valet's integrity - what type of ticket is being issued, are they pocketing money, etc. When I did valet parking shops, I would take a picture of the ticket as soon as I was out of the valet's line of sight so I wouldn't forget. The one time I did forget, I called the next day and said my accounting department needed a copy so I could be reimbursed, saying that I had parked there for a "conference." I was able to get it that time but I don't know how much time has passed since yours. Anyway, I agree with the other two posters - no matter how long you have been MSing or how long you have been working with a particular MSC - read and reread your guidelines, as they can change without notice.

Sorry you didn't get paid. Rest assured it has happened to all of us and it sucks. Think of it as a $23 lesson learned.

I agree with the above posters, ShopperFun, but I've just re-read your post, and the valet shop for which you were not paid is only an example you were using to illustrate this happens regularly to you.

If it happens too regularly, you need to question whether you are reading and understanding the directions and properly preparing before you complete your shops. In over six years, I've had only one shop disallowed - a fast food - and it wasn't a "small" error - totally a no-brainer - I shopped the wrong location. Getting a disallowed shop (my own fault!) encouraged me to pay more attention. As ICs, we don't get paid for showing up, we get paid for results.

You may need to step up your game and do more preparation before the shops to guard your fees and ensure payment. Writing a good report is important, but equally important is reading and understanding the guidelines and performing the shop correctly. It's a three part thing.

Unless we know everything about the shop and client it is difficult to say what is a minor error or something the client considers critical. I also don't believe quality MSCs refuse a shop and still pass it along to the client. When a shop is refused at the client level it becomes murkier. Yes they have the data, but if they have a legitimate reason to kick that shop back it means the data is flawed in their collective minds.

The ticket number was on the receipt, as the valet showed it to me. He said I don't need the Claim Ticket back because the number was on the receipt.

But if the directions specifically said you needed the claim ticket image, the company may be cross checking to be certain that the right claim number is on the receipt for integrity purposes. I know the valet and parking shops I have done have always said to get the image before giving the ticket to the attendant as you will not get it back.

It makes perfect sense to not give those tickets back to the customer.

I don't necessarily agree with you not being paid, but unfortunately the way this business model is set up puts a lot of risk on the shopper's shoulders. In 5.5 years, I have not been paid twice. One I disagreed with, but did make what I considered a minor and the other was for Freeman, so obviously not my error in any way.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2013 06:01AM by Shelly.

Obviously he didn't understand WHY you needed it back. Our point is, you should always take a picture of the ticket before handing it back to the valet.

Or he did understand why and had a reason to be sure he kept the ticket

ShopperFun99 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The ticket number was on the receipt, as the valet
> showed it to me. He said I don't need the Claim
> Ticket back because the number was on the receipt.

If the valet stated the receipt had the claim number on it------->would it surprise or embarrass you, if you had taken a picture of the ticket and compared it to the receipt, and the two numbers were different? I don't know what is in the clients mind. But I am aware the Client is doing this valet as a mystery shop. The valet shop has integrity to live up to also.

In your original post----->"Sometimes they asked me if I want to redo." REDOs are seldom asked more than once. Unless you are making countless errors, then your integrity comes into questions. "SOMETIMES" is not in a shoppers vocabulary. If this happening regularly, then like the other Shopper posts----->"step up your game and do more preparation before the shops. "

We do many parking shops throughout the US. This particular shop was not our client but I can tell you the most of the time, depending on the client, the ticket number on the receipt is not the same as what is imprinted in the ticket plus there is usually additional information on the ticket that is not on the receipt.
When the parking company does their audit they also check to make sure the ticket is turned in with the detail. There is a reason why the original claim ticket and/or ticket is required.

I take a photo. Of everything. I photograph the purchase receipt before the return if I am doing one of the rare purchase and return ones, as I try to avoid those. I take a photo of the outside of the building. Had one today that the location is undergoing renovation and they are in a temporary location. In the fitting rooms, there is no carpet. Took a photo of the floor and of the original location that they are doing work on that is across the street. I photograph my car in the parking lot if it is particularly dirty there and I know the shop wants a report on the exterior. I have been known to photograph the tag on the merchandise I purchased. I ALWAYS photograph my food in restaurants, even when the shop does not require it.

Where I am going with this is if it is unusual, handed to me and I may have to give it back, or could cause question, I take a photo. I love the "posting photos of things on FB" that has become so popular as it is the best excuse ever for taking a photo if someone wonders what the heck I am doing.

There was one time when I did a shop for a local pizza place (not one of the horrible pizza take out shops) and reported that the pizza was burned. The client protested this. I got an email from the MSC stating that the client questioned that the pizza was burned and if I was being too picky. I sent back the photo of the burnt to inedible portion. Client stopped questioning.

epic!

3 yrs ago I did a Chipotle shop... it's not cheap - $17.. to date, never got paid.. why? b/c of one MINOR issue on my FIRST, and ONLY job w/them !

pb

007Bunny Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I take a photo. Of everything. I photograph the
> purchase receipt before the return if I am doing
> one of the rare purchase and return ones, as I try
> to avoid those. I take a photo of the outside of
> the building. Had one today that the location is
> undergoing renovation and they are in a temporary
> location. In the fitting rooms, there is no
> carpet. Took a photo of the floor and of the
> original location that they are doing work on that
> is across the street. I photograph my car in the
> parking lot if it is particularly dirty there and
> I know the shop wants a report on the exterior. I
> have been known to photograph the tag on the
> merchandise I purchased. I ALWAYS photograph my
> food in restaurants, even when the shop does not
> require it.
>
> Where I am going with this is if it is unusual,
> handed to me and I may have to give it back, or
> could cause question, I take a photo. I love the
> "posting photos of things on FB" that has become
> so popular as it is the best excuse ever for
> taking a photo if someone wonders what the heck I
> am doing.
>
> There was one time when I did a shop for a local
> pizza place (not one of the horrible pizza take
> out shops) and reported that the pizza was burned.
> The client protested this. I got an email from
> the MSC stating that the client questioned that
> the pizza was burned and if I was being too picky.
> I sent back the photo of the burnt to inedible
> portion. Client stopped questioning.

I could not agree with this post more.
I photograph everything too.
I got lucky on my $200 dinner in Vegas. MSP wanted a desription of the plates (not the food), two weeks after the dinner. Seriously, seriously. I had photos on my phone still. I was wondering if they were trying to get out of paying me. We were still hungry after that $200 dinner too. Pretty, but not filling.

I usually take a photo of the itemized receipt when I am dining in case it doesn't come back with the processed credit card receipt. About 90% of the time, it comes back, but 100% of the time, I already have it.

peanutbutter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> epic!
>
> 3 yrs ago I did a Chipotle shop... it's not cheap
> - $17.. to date, never got paid.. why? b/c of one
> MINOR issue on my FIRST, and ONLY job w/them !
>
> pb


How minor is MINOR? As forgiving as the MSC shopping Chipotle is, I can't imagine a truly Minor mistake causing a shopper not to be paid. Sometimes a mistake seems minor to an unpaid shopper who is shocked that it justifies nt being paid but seems major to the MSC and the client. Can you explain?

I'm with AustinMom. The MSC that handles Chipotle knows its reports can be very daunting the first few times. So their editors are pretty generous, and if you make a "minor" mistake, they'll often tell you what it was and how to correct it. I'm surprised they'd reject a first-time shopper's report for a minor error. Just about every reporting point is covered both in training and in the notes, sample report, etc. Sometimes there are things that aren't totally spelled out or are confusing, but I don't think those would get a shop rejected.

Even experienced shoppers can get frustrated with these shops, but the MSC is easy to work with. If you have a question while doing your report, you can e-mail your scheduler (since they give you 24 hours to get it in), or even post a question on their Facebook page. Somebody usually knows the answer and is happy to share.

PB, we might be able to give you some insight if you can share with us the reason you didn't get paid. It won't help with that, of course, but maybe you won't be as upset or bitter about it if you understand why.

peanutbutter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> epic!
>
> 3 yrs ago I did a Chipotle shop... it's not cheap
> - $17.. to date, never got paid.. why? b/c of one
> MINOR issue on my FIRST, and ONLY job w/them !
>
> pb

$17 for Chipotle??? I used to do those shops monthly and the most I ever spent was under $11. And I live in a very large metro area.

I also never had a shop rejected by them. That MSC is a great company to work with. I wish they had other clients in my area.

I was thinking the other day, Starbucks would be an excellent client for that company.

I think that everyone makes mistakes and that should be considered by shopping companies--and some companies are more forgiving/flexible than others. I prefer companies that will still pay you a reduced fee for things such as turning in your assignment a bit late, making minor mistakes, etc. I'm not talking about huge mistakes or mistakes in which you cannot prove you even did the shop, but sometimes I get frustrated. For example, can anyone tell me why it is such a big deal if I paid for an item (purchased as part of the shop) with a debit card or cash? I'm not talking about a shop in which the client has a major concern about cash handling procedures/theft either. There is not one question on the survey about whether or not I was charged the correct price or given back the correct change. I did everything right on two shops and both were denied due to not using cash. I've done many of these shops and pay frequently with my debit card--this is the first time the shops was denied for that reason.

P.S. I also wonder if the shopping companies will use a report if it has a minor mistake, but still not pay the shopper due to that mistake???

AustinMom, by redo's, I did not mean I get it all the time. How dare you assume that and chastised me to step up my game.

Some of these frequent posters on this forum are insufferable. How did they assume such incredible superiority complex is beyond me. Reading their post on this and other subjects, their name come up again and again, and yes, I can tell by their writing style. It totally infuriates me that I have left the Forums for a few months.

HUH?

ShopperFun, usually when someone comes on the forum with a problem, we're able to help. Your reaction is really unfortunate, because it may result in others not being willing to step up and offer you counsel in the future. Perhaps what you really wanted was sympathy and we misunderstood you completely. We thought you wanted help. Sorry, our mistake. Probably won't happen to you again here.

The opening line to the OP's post was "What do you think..." and people wrote their thoughts on the subject. Hmmm. Don't ask people what they think if you don't want to hear (read) it. And one could not possibly think that not following the MSC's guidelines is a "silly minor error." If it was a longtime MSC, I would guess that they would pay you if they could. They probably could not use the shop because the client rejected it without the claim ticket.

As far as the MSC who does Chipotle goes, I know for a fact that they are veeerrrry forgiving. When I first started shopping for them, if they needed information or I made a mistake, the editor contacted me for additional information. Once I lost my receipt and they paid me anyway because I knew how much I spent and all the information I gave was good; they just gave me the benefit of the doubt. That is highly uncommon and forgiving for an MSC. In later years I became an editor for them, and I know there were times that a shopper would not complete the shop properly (such as forgetting to ask the knowledge question or asking the wrong question, or shopping out of the timeframe for the shop). We accepted the shop and they got paid. It went into a notation on thier internal shopper file. With that MSC, one would have to leave out a lot of information on the shop and refuse to fix it to not get paid. Unless, of course, you took your food to go when you were supposed to sit in the dining room to complete your observations. But that's not a "minor" issue, that would be blatantly not following the guidelines.

On Chipotle: a few years ago $17 would cover food for two people. I still can take my husband with me (you are allowed to take one person) and with a bag of chips, two entrees, and 2 fountain drinks it comes to about $19. It was nice of the MSC to raise the shop fee in accordance with menu price increases. Also very nice of them that they let shoppers keep the remainder amount after reimbursement. I know there are lots of companies who have the policy that if you don't spend the full amount you don't get to keep the change.

Actually, if you get the smaller size drinks, $17 might still cover food for two at Chipotle around here ($6.25 for chicken or veg burrito).

Hi Squash,

Maybe in some areas, but we always get the smallest sized drinks (why not when there is a fountain for refills?) and it still comes out to over $18 for the two of us after tax unless I get water. Good for you that the prices have not gone up in your area yet!

In forum language, I often find that "What do you think" usually translates to "Agree with me". This seems to be the case here.

While I am not a new shopper, I am new to this forum and AustinMom has been nothing but supportive and helpful to me, even taking time to answer a question that I posted as, I am guessing, somewhere around my 20th post to the forum. So, OP, I personally find it a little offputting that you are so rude to her. Just saying.

Bunny, you and others are very clever in taking photos of everything! It took me years to figure that one out, and I still do not do it everytime. I should follow your lead on that!

It is just easier. If I forget what store is on the left, well, I took a photo. I take them right when I get there and when I leave, so if I somehow lose the time I was there, I have time stamps. If the MSC asks me something random, I probably have a photo. And, in the case of the pizza, the client swore up and down that there was no way. The MSC sent me an email stating that the client was disputing my shop and I was not going to be paid as they were refusing to pay the MSC. So, I sent burnt pizza photo. All of a sudden, client was silent.

And, it has gotten easier over the years, as everyone photos everything to put on FB so no one even thinks it is noteworthy when you photograph a pizza.