I have been in tears today over a major MSC. I am nervous about mentioning their name because I am afraid to. But, I had to go to two small grocery type stores. My husband takes me because I do not drive. Well, I am injured with an open wound on my foot and I have to stay off of it. So, it created a problem with me going and walking into their bathrooms and checking each stall. I had to reschedule. I was honest about why. I will be in a wheelchair for some time now. I was told that due to that I could not go and that people in wheelchairs would be revealed as MS! I replied that I have seen people in grocery stores all the time and have never thought about them doing MS! But, I cancelled the shops like they wanted before I replied. I also stated that when I signed up to do an Audit for a major industry that works from now to spring mainly I read the directions that I had to be alone so I sent in an email to ask for help about this. I needed someone to push me in my wheelchair, my husband would and he would sign up with the company, he said he would, and just push me around. I never received a no you can't response. More than two weeks passed, and, two more came up close to my home and I added those. Suddenly, I should have known not to request those because of the guidelines. But, I was not told that was an issue when I inquired about how to deal with it. That is why I went ahead and did that. Now, I am told I can not do all five of those but I can keep the home improvement type store on my list and he can go along. Now, I will be in my wheelchair there and I will be talking about plumbing! But, that is not an issue to them and in their test and guidelines it states the employees are on the look out for being shopped? That I can do. Until I am no longer using a wheelchair I am to not apply for any shops unless they are from home using a telephone! I did not know they had phone shops. I seriously think I should stop and move to being a scheduler! I feel horrible and have all day. Please give me your input. Am I to sensative today? What about the people in wheelchairs forever? They eat, go to the bank, and all those other things. They don't set at home and talk on the phone only at least not where I live! I see them out strolling in their "wheels" everywhere. Do I have the poor me, eyeore attitude or am I right to be upset? My husband thinks I am getting the kiss off.

I'm sorry you are having to go through this. I agree with your husband to a point. I think you are being encouraged to not apply for shops until you are out of the wheelchair but that it is not necessarily a permanent kiss-off. I am understanding that the wheelchair is not permanent, am I right? Some MSCs believe that anything that makes you stand out as a customer (like being with small children, being in a wheelchair, not being the "right" customer demographic) makes you memorable and you will be remembered by those you mystery shop and therefore are more easily identified. That is probably true.

It sounds as though they want their shopper to go alone (not possible while you are in the wheelchair) and they don't want the shopper to be in a wheelchair. That's their choice. If I were in your place, I would take a break and concentrate on getting better before applying for shops again with this company.

They said I could do one other shop with them. I cancelled it. I had to. I can't go to another state for one small fee shop. I was doing a total of four shops. Three are with them and one with another. But, that one for a few $ just isn't worth the hassle and the report. I said, thanks but no. It appears I will be in a wheelchair for an extended time. I do know that I cannot repeat some shops or kinds of shops but, I have told all companies what has happened and this was the first and it shocked me I guess. I did have a specific company tell me I was limited to one so I would not be remembered.

I am not adding new shops but planned on doing the ones I have scheduled to not cancel out on them and get a mark against me. I do plan on healing as fast as I can. I am eating a lot of protein to promote skin growth. Thanks.

I know which MSC this is.... and I just had a bad experience with their contact personnel. I signed for a shop today that was dated for today. I signed for the shop because it was on the way to the city where I was conducting other shops. I get to the location for the job that I signed for today, and the location is closed even though this MSC made the shop available today.

Their contact person is telling me I can cancel or reschedule. Wait a minute. If I cancel, I get dinged. If I reschedule, I have to take off a paying job to drive to another town to do a shop. Why? Because I was offered and accepted a shop for today and the location is closed.

Why should I be dinged for cancelling a shop when the information wasn't put out correctly in the first place. The shopper doesn't get the details concerning closed locations until after they sign for the shop.

As always.... shoppers are dispensable commodities to this MSC. Apparently shoppers are a dime a dozen and easy to replace.

This is part of the dark side to MSers being IC instead of employees. I don't think the ADA would apply to an IC the same as it would to a "real employee." On the other hand I am sure there are shops out there where it is specifically desired that a shopper is in a wheelchair. The question would be where they are hiding, as I've never seen them on Jobslinger nor on the email blasts I get from all the MSCs I'm signed up with.

Sometimes these MSC people forget the human side of mystery shopping. People in wheelchairs go to grocery stores too. Personally I would be much less likely to suspect someone in a wheelchair...

What a missed opportunity! I wonder why stores/restaurants don't look for people in wheelchairs or using walkers to shop their stores to make sure they are compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. We are a ageing population, lots of wheels needed to get around. I would probably be looking for other MSC's to sign up with. If this one has no compassion in this circumstance, what else are they heartless about?

jpgilham Wrote:
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> Personally I would be much
> less likely to suspect someone in a wheelchair...

Same here. If I were on the lookout for a mystery shopper, I'd not be likely to suspect a woman in a chair being wheeled around by her husband!

I'm sorry you are currently incapacitated like this and hope you are up and about soon, and sorry you're getting a run-around from this company.

I think anger and sadness is an appropriate response.

All of those applications that ask something like,

"sometimes we need shoppers with certain physical disabilities...."

Now you know why.

The MSC's are free to use pretty much any type of discriminatory judgement.

If you still have any Kmart shops left in your area, they are always looking for folks in wheelchairs to do their shops.

Sadly, I have never seen a Kmart shop. I must be signed up with the wrong MSC or they are grabbed up like most in my neck of the woods. Anyway, I honestly think I am not signed up with that company, which surprises me.

Most of the Kmart's locally are closing. Any that don't own the building are going out. There is one very small one which will stay in the area. Another era passes, another one bites the dust.

We still have a K Mart, but it has not been on one of the MSC's assignment list for months. This particular MSC has either been losing a lot of clients lately or they are in contract negotiations for 2014. I had been doing K Mart, DQ, and Boston Market for them, but have not seen any of those shops in a couple of months. Wah, I want my Blizzard back.

Completely wrong on the MSC part, and I have been where you are now.

Personally, I don't think it is any of their business if you are in a wheelchair or not. The only exception would be where you
are specifically required to be alone, and you can't propel the chair on your own. As for the bathrooms, if they are not large enough to allow access to a typical wheelchair then they are in hot water. Why couldn't you wheel in and open a couple of doors? Ask me how I know, I have done it.

Otherwise, unless the guidelines specifically say you have to be standing up to perform the shop I don't think you should have informed them.

What if you had eye surgery and were wearing an eye patch. You could be considered memorable, but is it right to deny you as a shopper? No.

What if you broke your arm and had a cast on it, you could be considered memorable but people break their arms all the time. What makes that more likely that you are a shopper? Nothing.

In fact I think it would make you even LESS likely to be picked out simply because nobody would suspect you would go to the all the trouble of mystery shopping with an injury, or in a wheelchair.

The thing is you are NOT an employee. An employee would be obligated to inform their employer for reasons of insurance, liability etc. You have NO such obligation.

I suggest you just drop that company from your list. I would, if I were you. They do not deserve your time.
I am sorry that you are in this predicament.