Glad to hear it is worked out, soccer_chik.

Intellisara did your company underbid the contract
for the gas company project you have or are you just
grossly underpaying shoppers when shoppers were paid
double the fee to do the same work last time the project
ran.

I am not backing down. I am not going into to I shop for xyz and you shop for abc.... No thanks.
I am not in high school.

mariuche Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Called you out and you backed down. You should
> have at least answered her after you scolded her.
> Why can't you respond about companies you like and
> why?

I just got my payment in Paypal for Intellishop and it was the exact amount. I haven't had any problems with them and have done quite a few shops this month. I hope I get all the money I worked for.

bgriffin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> stilllearning Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > CANADAMOMMY, I am asking because, to me, it
> seems
> > that you have strong negative feelings about
> everything
>
> fixed it for you.
>
>
>
>
> Edited to add. NO STILLLEARNING DID NOT ACTUALLY
> SAY THAT I MANUPULATED HER QUOTE IN AN ATTEMPT TO
> BE FUNNY

I seem to remember the last time you did that it was a SHAT SHOW!!!!
(although I did find it funny then, and I find it funny now)

Why do you think I added that all caps disclaimer? Although let's be honest, stilllearning is no dspeakes.

mariuche Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Called you out and you backed down. You should
> have at least answered her after you scolded her.
> Why can't you respond about companies you like and
> why?



I would not give the names of the companies that I like.... here is why.......


Ishmael wrote:

Okay, I'm far off the original topic, but I decided to take a look at my records. I've been doing mystery shopping for a little more than six months now. I would say that I've been treated honestly and paid according to stated payment dates by TrendSource, Marketforce, Certified Field Associates, Bestmark, Maritz, Service Sleuth, Reality Based, Ath, Service Check, Intellishop, Service Excellence, Kinesis, JM Ridgway, DJC, GFK, Marketing Endeavors (aka White Clay), National Shopping Service, Dynamic Advantage, and Measure Consumer Perspectives.

I am willing to bet you looked at that list, check out and signed with the companies (at least in your area) if you were not already signed.

I for one am praying that you are not in my shopping area to take the jobs from these companies that I worked hard to find and sign for by doing research. No one ever gave me a list.

However, I am always impressed by a person from the company coming in and commenting on a post. This gives them a good standing in my book. And it is my book.

I am also glad that this forum has yet again made possible a resolution to someone who needed it.

The point I think though was not in trying to get a list of all of CANADAMOMMY's good shops or companies. The question was asked because CANADAMOMMY only complains about companies and never has anything good to say. I think stilllearning was simply trying to find out if there really are companies that she doesn't have a complaint about.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2014 02:40AM by bgriffin.

If someone was to ask me I would "talk shop" but not out in the forum. I did a lot of work for the list I have now. A lot of research, signing and even help from the forum members. We all see the posts "which company shops this or who pays the most and fastest" blah blah.

I just would not give out the information. I said it before and I'll say it again, I want the shops I have in my area for the price I get them now. I am selfish like that....





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2014 03:05AM by Kathee70.

I don't think it was an attempt to find her "best" companies, just ones that she's actually worked for that she doesn't have a complaint about. I would not give my best companies out either, in fact my absolute favorite company I refuse to even join discussions about. They're mentioned rarely and when they are I don't reply. There are a couple of others that I will answer direct questions about but I keep them to myself also. At the same time, let's take Sinclair. They're a company most people know about, I do a few shops for them, probably average less than 1 a month, it's not a big secret and if someone asked for a company that I don't have any complaints about it's not going to hurt me in the least bit by saying "Sinclair." I'm not giving anybody big information there. What's the harm in her giving a list of 2 or 3 of those type companies?

There is nothing wrong with recommending a company if a shopper wants to do that. I've often recommended Maritz, Bare, Market Force, and in the past Corporate Research, as good companies. They are among my favorites. I also work for Sinclair, New Image, Shoppers Critique, Informa, ICCDS, Technology Store, Circle of Service, Business Resources, Intellishop, Sentry, Feedback Plus, Jancyn, MSI Trendsource, Strategic, Ritter, Quest, and many others from time to time. That's not a complete list and no one is left out intentionally; these are the ones who come to mind at this minute.

I do not consider that I "discovered" or "found" any of these companies as they are all discussed openly on the forum and can readily be found listed on the internet, both individually and on the many lists of companies available. I have never come across a secret company; they all seem to be aggressively promoting themselves and seeking new clients and shoppers. Only on one rare occasion have I been seriously mistreated and that was by a scheduling company and not by a mystery shopping company. It is natural for new shoppers to ask for guidance in selecting companies. It is equally natural for experienced shoppers to guard their work sources and I can understand how they feel, but I do not share that feeling. I am an elderly person born too soon for computers and possessing few technical skills. If I can find these companies, anyone can find these companies. No big deal.

It is regrettable that individual shoppers have isolated negative experiences with MSCs but most of those can probably be worked out with patience. Of course there will be rude and uncaring schedulers and company associates just as there will be rude and uncaring shoppers. We are all of us in this together, and if we cannot cooperate and make it work then perhaps we would be happier doing something else.

I will join in discussions about companies and give my experiences, good, bad, whatever. I just will not give a list. I am not saying that I have some sort of Bat Phone that allows me to get some super secret company that pays $1000 a shop and deposits in an hour. (I do wish there was one of those on my list tho.)

However, when I started out I looked to the MSPA list and went down every single company on the list and signed all that would allow me to.

Only through that was I able to create folders of shops that I liked, didn't much like, seasonal, out of area, etc. It took months for me to straighten my system. Let us all keep in mind that I have a certain, ridiculously sustained level of OCD when it comes to this business so what took me months to get a comfortable system would maybe not be average for a non anal person.

I also started this business and had it up and running with a comfortable cash flow and now am able to pick and choose the shops I want and even take time off. This was my ultimate goal.

So am I a bit over the top in worrying about new shoppers coming in. Yes, and I feel that if I list the companies I like to work for they will grab that list, sign and take jobs (as they should, I don't dispute that, this is a competitive business.) My issue is then I will not have the jobs I so enjoy and make money with. I will have to go back to jobs I don't like as much for less money meaning I have to work more for the same amount of money.

However, if they research and that includes others that list their companies on this board (it's there, by golly, use it,) find the company and grab the jobs themselves... Kudos and best of luck. I just am not going to help them do it.

"I am not saying that I have some sort of Bat Phone that allows me to get some super secret company that pays $1000 a shop and deposits in an hour."

I can PM you the company. Be forewarned, the phone costs $1,500.

I think you are perhaps too hung up on the word list.
stilllearning wasn't asking for a "list" per se. She just wanted examples of companies that CANADAMOMMY has nothing negative to say about.

I understand that it was mostly the

mariuche Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Called you out and you backed down. You should
> have at least answered her after you scolded her.
> Why can't you respond about companies you like and
> why?

that got me fired up....

Meh, I'm over it now. Thanks for letting me vent a little.

IntelliSara, first of all I commend you for participating in this forum. Your posts are positive and informative, and you always seem to want to help folks who are having a specific issue with Intellishop.

However, I have to say that your comment about ripping through emails and making honest mistakes really rubbed me the wrong way. I realize that your point was that payment errors are just that and are not intentional or malicious, but the majority of us here on this forum also gets dozens if not hundreds of emails a day as well. We are expected, both by MSCs and ourselves, to do quality work no matter how busy or overloaded we become. Your comments are especially ironic since your company has the unfortunate reputation of having the pickiest and most critical editors. Furthermore, I have experienced many payment issues with Intellishop myself, and I can tell you from experience that your payment errors take at LEAST one more pay cycle and several emails to resolve. The worst issue for me was when I had to write to the scheduler several times; the error was acknowledged and an apology issued BUT I had to wait until the next pay cycle for correction (huh??) and then guess what? You guessed it, still no payment. At least at that point, I was issued a "special" payment about a week later. These days, whenever I see my payment from Intellishop, I hold my breath and check it against my spreadsheet, just hoping I won't have to go down that long, frustrating road.

I don't want to have to make a phone call. If there is an error, I want my inquiry in writing so I have a paper trail if and when I have to follow up again.

Our job is to submit quality, error-free work. Your job is to submit error-free payments.

When we make a mistake, you expect us to respond and correct it in a timely fashion. Understandable.

When you make a mistake, we expect you to respond and correct it in a timely fashion. Also understandable.

No matter how many emails you are ripping through.

First, I would like to apologize for giving a bad number. In my defense, I have never had to call myself and I know the phone tree can be difficult. If you've ever having trouble getting us on the phone, just call 866-23-1423. Dial 2 and then dial my extension, 315. It will go right to me and if I don't pick up it's because it's after office hours, I'm getting a cup of coffee or already on the phone.

chigirl777, I am going to reply to your post open and honestly. As a shopper, you have the choice to pick up a shop or not. We blast you with emails, I get that, but it's the most efficient way for us to fill shops. You also have the luxury of simply deleting an email if the shop offer doesn't entice you--you don't even have to open up the email!

However, I have to read and respond to *every email* I receive. Many times, I have to go into the software and my past sent and deleted emails to cross-reference exactly what the shopper is trying to say and get that shop filled.

I also have to sit and juggle the exact deadlines and requirements that the client has set for me in addition to making sure that shops get turned in on time, the shopper followed the guidelines, did the shop correctly, if it wasn't done correctly, find another shopper to pick it up. I currently have about 2,500 shops on my plate that I have to watch to make sure they come in on time and are completed successfully.

Sometimes typos and mistakes do happen. You guys fill out and submit 4 reports in an hour, I at times assign and unassign 150 shops, take four phone calls and respond to 90 emails in an hour. I have to work extremely quickly if I want to get shops filled, answer all the questions my shoppers have and meet my deadlines.

Your job is to accurately fill out and submit a report, you are correct. You are also right in saying that it is our job to assign the shop with the correct pay listed. However, sometimes we have a typo and put that decimal point in the wrong place. However, all it takes is an email saying, "Hey Sara, my shopper fee isn't correct in my shop log," and I can go back in and fix that within a half hour of you being assigned the shop--all before you even leave to go do the shop.

It is always so much easier for us to fix the payment and reimbursement amount before the payments go out. After your shop has been finalized and before you are sent the payment, your shop log will tell you EXACTLY how much you are going to be paid, including shopper fee, bonus and reimbursements. So if things aren't showing up correctly in the shop log, shoot us an email before you're supposed to get paid so that you don't have to wait until the next pay period to get everything you're supposed to get.

I hope this helps, and again, if anybody has any questions, feel free to PM me here, however, I'll respond to you MUCH quicker if you email me at sara.petersen@intelli-shop.com.

Were you a shopper before you were a scheduler? And if so, were you the equivalent of full time?

you didn't answer my question intellisara

There are many questions Sara does not answer. But unlike us, she has a real job and little time to dilly dally on the forum. After all, we can fill out 4 reports in an hour. Assuming of course they are not Intellishop reports. We certainly don't spend our days planning routes, promoting our businesses, taking care of bookkeeping, answering emails and phone calls, and maybe actually performing some shops and submitting reports.

I now have even more respect and admiration for Sara, for her bravery in posting on this forum. Personally, I don't interpret her comments as demeaning to shoppers, but instead as an honest attempt to explain why things don't work as smoothly as they should. I am fairly confident that "responding to forum questions" is not in her job description, yet she does, even though she's not required to do so. Her posts appear as an honest attempt to be helpful. How can we fault her for that? I personally do not wish for her to stop posting.

(heart)

PS
Correction: The number for Intellishop is 866-234-1423.

(heart)

Holy wow. Lotsa drama here today.

Glad everything worked out with the Intellishop payment. It was the first company I started working for a decade ago and I have never had payment problems. I agree with many that the fees aren't the best, but they aren't the worst, either. Many of the same jobs are on the board, for exactly the same shop fee and reimbursement as a decade ago, and now they want photos. Maybe I like coffee just a little too much because if a $2 reimbursement can be a heaping helping of caffeine on the way home from somewhere, I am a happy camper.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2014 08:28PM by heartlandcanuck.

stilllearning, I applaud any representative from a mystery shopping company visiting and offering insight. This is not the first time Sara has put forth the idea she knows what our lives are like and it made me curious if she had ever been on this side of the fence. If she doesn't really know and is just speculating, understanding things from our side will make for better working relationships all around. I have never claimed our jobs are hard while a scheduler's is easy, far from it. I respect schedulers and understand their jobs are hard and would like the same consideration.

They just posted the many many food delivery shop pics shop, free food, No shop fee.

Am I the only one that still takes offense to the statement that "I have to read and respond to *every email* I receive?" Perhaps her requirements are different from other Intellishop employees because as previously discussed, I have sent multiple emails to Intellishop employees that have never been responded to. They might be required to, the are probably supposed to, but obviously they don't always do it.

I would be willing to bet that Sara reads and responds to every email she receives. Do you take offense because her co-workers apparently don't share her work ethic and obviously aren't brave enough to post on this forum? Maybe she is alone in taking her job seriously....

Just suggesting...

(heart)

Yes but she has stated several times on this forum that they are all required to do this, and they absolutely positively do not do it.

Edited to add:

Admittedly sometimes things that other people never notice or care about irritate me to no end. A friend of mine swears I'm a virgo (I'm not). For instance, it really ticks me off that Strategic Reflections says they process checks on the 30th and yet it's 9th every month when I get the email that says the checks have been mailed. If you're gonna pay on the 9th, say you're gonna pay on the 9th and be done with it. I personally would not be irritated and might do more work for them. Just like if you're supposed to read and respond to every email say that instead of saying that you do, because sometimes people don't. Sure it just may be semantics but for some reason I find it annoying.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2014 10:33PM by bgriffin.

And you're saying that includes Sara?

(heart)

bgriffin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A friend of mine swears I'm a virgo (I'm not).

And what exactly is wrong with being a Virgo? My Sun, Venus and Mars are all in Virgo.

cindy55 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bgriffin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > A friend of mine swears I'm a virgo (I'm not).
>
> And what exactly is wrong with being a Virgo? My
> Sun, Venus and Mars are all in Virgo.


It all becomes clear.