After 4 days of being ignored, I got this e-mail from IntelliShop:

Delivered-To: carlos@bazan.mx
Received: by 10.64.70.99 with SMTP id l3csp155613ieu;
Tue, 11 Mar 2014 06:23:14 -0700 (PDT)
X-Received: by 10.42.114.82 with SMTP id f18mr1611571icq.56.1394544194029;
Tue, 11 Mar 2014 06:23:14 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path: <jenna.lemle@intelli-shop.com>
Subject: RE: IntelliShop Evaluation Review - [Client name removed to prevent ICA Violation] (Rancho Santa Margarita (#133) Location on 02-26-14)

I've already told you that you will not be paid, as the client requested that we not use this shop because you inquired about services more than an hour away from the location you shopped.

Jenna Lemle | Field Staff Coordinator
419.872.5103
intelli-shop.com
[www.facebook.com]
[twitter.com]

---

The guidelines just state that "you must inquire about getting service at a location within the [Client] service area.", which I did. It does not say anything about distance to the store.

Jenna says that, "It is obviously not realistic to go into a location, and ask about services for a home more than an hour away from that location."

Obviously Jenna does not know and understand that in places such as Southern California people do commute more than an hour to their work place. If I would have lived an hour ago from my work area, I would most likely use the closest office to my workplace to so some kind of inquiry, since by the time I get home my local store could be closed. So Jenna & Intellishop don't take into consideration transportation patterns.

Anyway, now they have invalidated a shop that was part of a route, and which was bonused.

Intellishop now is saying that they won't pay me $20 because their client told them not to.

By the way, it is not the first time IntelliShop has invalidated me a shop. They've done it also with one of their $17 car dealers, with a $50 senior living community, and recently with one of their banking shops / the one where you have to open a checking account.

It seems to me as if
a) the distance thing should be in the instructions (the part you see before applying)
b) the MSP should not have let you sign up for a shop they knew you weren't qualified for. It's not like they just learned your address when you submitted the report. They had that all along.

I'm sorry this happened.

You are right @TeriW...

a) That is true, and it was never mentioned either in the instructions or the guidelines or anywhere else.
b) So true! And the scheduler knew I was doing a route away from home.

They even state that if you live outside of the service area, you can still shop the location, and "you must inquire about getting service at a location within the [Client] service area." So I did.

It seems schedulers/MSC are so well versed with Mapquest when it comes to payment, but not during the assigning phase...

My question to the OP is...why on Earth do you still work for Intellishop? This sounds like the fourth time that you have not been paid for a shop that you did for them. What were the reasons for the other invalidated reports?

@Shop2LiveinFL / It is the last time I've shopped for IntelliShop.

The other shop were invalidated with bogus arguments as well, for example, they invalidated a money wiring shop / the location was closed, and even though I send proof, thy said that they couldn't pay for it since I was not coached. By the way, I was coached by some Edgar guy.

I completed my first shop with them a few days ago. Did well, got a 10 and I'm assuming I'll get paid. The editor/proofreader actually sounded cheerful in her comments. I wonder if it was just an exception.

I'm very reluctant to take on more work with them because of all the negative things I keep reading about them. Like everyone here, my time is valuable too and I also want to be paid for the work I do without all the pain that so many shoppers seem to experience.

At this point I think I'll hold back and find work elsewhere until I start reading more positive stuff about Intellishop.

Unless it is a case of a company flat out not paying shoppers, I'd advise against writing a company off because of others experiences.

Everyone has different experiences with companies, I'd advise you to experience the various MSC's for yourself.

Flippitti Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I completed my first shop with them a few days
> ago. Did well, got a 10 and I'm assuming I'll get
> paid. The editor/proofreader actually sounded
> cheerful in her comments. I wonder if it was just
> an exception.
>
> I'm very reluctant to take on more work with them
> because of all the negative things I keep reading
> about them. Like everyone here, my time is
> valuable too and I also want to be paid for the
> work I do without all the pain that so many
> shoppers seem to experience.
>
> At this point I think I'll hold back and find work
> elsewhere until I start reading more positive
> stuff about Intellishop.

The more I read about this company, the more I stay away!

Of course, I have been very vocal about voicing my displeasure for Intelli-Shop; mainly for their low pay and their editors who can be a little on the stiff side when grading shops.

I will say however, the schedulers (the less annoying ones who don't have their emails automatically sent to my spam) I have dealt with are nice, and they pay according to their payment policy.

They're not my favorite MSC to do assignments for, but they are not my least favorite either.

If you listen to all the complaints on this forum about MSC's, you won't shop for 99% of them. That's why I recommend a person experiences each one on their own and make an informed decision.

Canuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The more I read about this company, the more I
> stay away!

I totally agree with Dante. I shop with Intellishop. Not often, because their usual shops with usual starting pay is lower than I do shops for. That said, they have GREAT bonuses sometimes, they have an oil change shop for my brand of cars, and the schedulers I deal with are nice. I've ALWAYS been paid.

I've never had a problem with payment after an email or three in all my years of doing this (10+) and thousands of shops.

I have completed over 30 shops for intellishop and have been paid for everyone. I never had a shop invalidated. My main reason for not doing more shops are the low starting pay. When the bonuses bring the pay to an amount that I feel is commensurate with the amount of work involved I apply for shops. Their editors leave a lot to be desired in terms of grading and feedback but I would continue to work for them for the right pay.

Intelli is a good company. I have always been paid, get good scores etc. For a company to not pay you for 4 shops, something must be wrong on your end. I would never rely on anyone else in the shopping industry, but yourself.

You must be not following the Guidelines. I have done most of these shops for years with Intelli. Always got paid.

shopper8, I oo have had no problems with Intellishop (over 200 shops completed), but don't negate someone else's experience. Each individual experience is just that--individual, and therefore different.

cabazan Wrote:

> Obviously Jenna does not know and understand that
> in places such as Southern California people do
> commute more than an hour to their work place.


Where I live, no one bats an eye at crossing a state line, crossing a time zone, or traveling 90 minutes for anything.... Any service workers in this area shop by county ... not by city alone... and they will cover several counties in their established areas.

Flippitti Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I completed my first shop with them a few days
> ago. Did well, got a 10 and I'm assuming I'll get
> paid. The editor/proofreader actually sounded
> cheerful in her comments. I wonder if it was just
> an exception.
>


Trust me... it was an exception

As someone above posted, the more I hear about this MSC the more I stay away. It seems its not just one person having trouble with them so I'm going to tend to take comments about this MSC more seriously due to this.

I've done a small amount of work for Intellishop the past few years and I haven't had problems, but that does not mean I don't believe someone else can have problems. Every experience stands on its own and I'm not disputing what posters say about the problems they've had with a company. However, if the negative experience is non-payment for a shop not accepted that's hard to evaluate on an impartial basis. Even if the MSC comes on the forum to explain, many times they're subjected to more criticism and teen-age type ridicule. You and I may not be the ones extending that ridicule, but if we tolerate it we are no better than the offenders. Are we all standing aside until the Nazis come for us?

That kind of treatment is not going to encourage any company leader to address issues here. Some say this forum is not for the schedulers or the companies but just for us shoppers. I say it's better to have open and courteous communication no matter what our personal opinion may be of a company or its officers. I have yet to figure out how I can do this job without all levels in the business. How would I get work? To whom would I report? Who would pay me? I stand in alliance with other levels to make this work for me. I depend on them to stand in alliance with me to make it work for them.

I've worked with Intellishop just shy of ten years and have always been paid unless I flat out didn't follow the guidelines. The only times I've not been paid have been when I've overlooked a major guideline and even then I was given the opportunity to do a re-shop if it was something I could do.

I have never had an issue with them. I've worked for them for over 15 years. I'v probably only done 100 shops for them total. That being said, I have almost completely stopped working for them the last few years. Their fees are so low, I can't even justify the shops that I am driving right past.

Oh, their editor comments are downright crazy if I am remembering correctly? (If not, I will come back and edit.)

I can tell which shop you did by the location and email repsonse. Glad that you posted. I've never been tempted to do this shop. Now, I never will.

I agree. I have done car dealerships for other companies who pay $25to $35 for them and the scenario and amount of narrative are about the same. I have done a few for Intelli when they have been bonused to $40 or more, but I just won't do one for $17! I have done a few phone shops for $9 that were easy enough, but lately I see they have been posting $5 phone shops, which I won't do. The amount of detail and narrative they require often doesn't warrant the pay. And yes, SoCal, some of their editors are a bit whack.

I have done jobs for this company on and off over the last 10 years. I have always been paid. Are they the quickest paying, no. They state the payment terms in the assignments. So far they have met their commitment. The one time there was an issue on reversing charges to a credit card, they got it addressed within a couple days of my bringing it to their attention. There are a lot of jobs I don't consider taking with this company and others because of the pay rates offered at the time. When I accept a shop, I know the rate and I do the shop. So far I have always been paid and yes they do give out 10s and they do give positive feedback for the most part.

I would work for them again and will do so when they have a job that fits my parameters.

> The guidelines just state that "you must inquire
> about getting service at a location within the
> service area.", which I did. It does not say
> anything about distance to the store.
>
> Jenna says that, "It is obviously not realistic to
> go into a location, and ask about services for a
> home more than an hour away from that location."
>
> Obviously Jenna does not know and understand that
> in places such as Southern California people do
> commute more than an hour to their work place. If
> I would have lived an hour ago from my work area,
> I would most likely use the closest office to my
> workplace to so some kind of inquiry, since by the
> time I get home my local store could be closed. So
> Jenna & Intellishop don't take into consideration
> transportation patterns.

If this is the shop I am thinking of, the guidelines say that you have to provide an address within the service area. For example, if you went to a city thirty minutes from where you lived, you would look up and provide an address within that city, NOT your own address.
Is this the same shop? If so, and you didn't provide an address from the area the location is in, I would think they would be justified in denying the shop.

cabazan,

I also live in Southern California and understand that we drive more than an hour each way to our jobs, however; it doesn't seem that they understand this.

Yes, in So. Calf you can live more than a hour from the service area and still obtain service. I have a home in Palm Desert and my service location is in Irvine, which is a 2 1/2 hour drive to the store and service location.

Go figure...doesn't seem that you will get paid for this, and its time to move on and not accept any more of these jobs.

Good luck!!!!!