I have found if a company can decline your report for any reason they will. I had one where I was talking to a person I was to shop for an apartment shop. We lost connection for no reason. I was docked $10.00 for that. When I asked for an explanation for something I had no control of, there wasn't one. I was totally shocked that I was blamed for something I had no control of. Marilyn Smith

I totally agree with you. I know one company that will do that. I read the requirements for their apartment shops and I thought no way will I do a shop for them. I would rather do the 15.00 retail or cell shops where they dont deduct any money and they have easy reports.

The answer is easy...just don't shop for that company anymore.

Maybe if they start losing all of their experienced shopppers, they'll "wise up".

Also, don't be afraid to "name names" (just NOT with the client's name too) on forums like this so that OTHER shoppers know what your experience with them has been before they register with and do a shop for them.

You may also learn from others who shop for them how to "resolve" an honest mistake or isolated incident. It DOES happen. OR, it just may be a company you and others want to avoid.

I never shopped for this company, I read the guidelines first and when they start talking about deducting 5.00 here and there, I wont shop for them. I have learned my lesson about naming companies. I get tired of people on this forum saying that its against the rules and so on about naming companies. So I stay far far away from that subject. I try not to even post that much on here anymore.

I understand, but, let me say, I hope that you don't let the opinions of a few keep you from sharing your knowledge and experiences with the many.

FYI, (for everyone) you can legally post EITHER the name of the MSC OR the name of the client. You just CAN'T post BOTH in the same thread as this could violate your ICA and/or your "confidentiality" agreement.

You can even give clues as to whichever one you DON'T name. You just can't NAME them both...only one or the other.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2007 08:17PM by nwazshopper.

Msing is a very competitive business. It is not a rule about NOT naming clients along w/ms company names, it is part of an INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AGREEMENT that shoppers sign w/ms companies.

MS companies do not want other companies to find out who their clients are and possibly steal them away. Sometimes you can contact a restaurant and ask them who mystery shops them and they will freely tell you the name of the MS company but that is entirely different.

Lots of people read forums and public boards including schedulers, ms companies, etc. and to protect yourself you NEVER disclose client and ms company name.

That said, NWAZ is correct that you can name one or the other. So you could say I do grocery shops for XXXXX company. Or I shop Fred Meyer for a ms company.

I usually like to speak of the general type of shop w/ms company name versus actually naming the client. I would say big hamburger chain vs. McDonalds while conversing about a shop I did.

So if someone on a forum warns you about naming a client, they are really trying to protect you from getting into trouble. Shoppers have been deactivated by companies that have seen postings on forums where a shopper inadvertently named a client and ms company on a thread.

I wanted to bring this up to the 1st page...it is a very good thread

I DID A SHOP FOR "SHOPNCHECK" WHICH ALSO BOUGHT "BENCHMARK"; ABOUT 8 WEEKS AGO..THEY SENT ME TO **** IN MY AREA...I HAD PROBLEMS W/ THE ENTERING OF THE PRECISE TIMES THEY REQUIRE. I ASKED FOR HELP SEVERAL TMES TO NO AVAIL...THEY SIMPLE STATED "WE CAN'T USE YOUR REPORT, SO YOU WON'T GET PAID"!.....I THINK THEY ARE OUT TO GET FREE SHOPS WHENEVER POSSIBLE! MY FRIEND GOT BURNED DOING AN "APPLEBEES" TOO. THEY SAID SHE DIDN'T PROVIDE ENOUGH INFO. OR DETAILED ENOUGH. I THINK THIS IS TOTALLY UNFAIR AND UNPROFESSIONAL...SO BEWARE. THE SHOP ONLY PAID $7 OR 8 AND REIMBURSEMENT WAS THE SAME....BUT THEY QUESTIONED EVERY LAST ITEM AND DETAIL. NEVER AGAIN!!

P.A. ADAMS -

Just an advisory, but, as posted above, you might want to edit your post so as NOT to name BOTH a client and the MSC in the same thread. It could be a violation of the ICA/Confidentiality Agreement that you signed.

My name is KAthy. I still look for mystery shopper companynot agency. I learn that agency just rip off the shoppers. Agency has much more pay then they ofer to shopper. Please ! if anyone know the company to hire the mystery shopper direct let me know
Thank you
Kathy

*

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2008 10:49PM by nwazshopper.

GUSKA (Kathy) -

There is a great and free list of MS companies right here on this Forum. Check it out on the Mystery Shopping Discussion page (link can be found the topic of "How to get started as a Mystery Shopper" sticky).

I am looking for reputable mystery shop companies in the Northern California area.
I want to narrow down who e-mails me. Any suggetions?

Thank you so much for these lists, they have been a big help and I'm signing up for as many as possible. I even sent some to my oldest daughter who wants to get into mystery shopping herself.

Hey Can anyone tell me about good paying mystery shopping companies that I have shops in Northern CA. I need advice on which companies are the best in CA.Thank you

I truly believe that we as Mystery Shoppers should let people on the Forums know who these companies are that do rotten things like not paying you for something you have no control over. I will tell you when I first started doing this which has not been too long ago it was really wonderful, and I enjoyed it and I still enjoy it but these Schedulers that come back with the report did not have this or that which is ridiculous. If any of that business ever happens to me, and I know it was out of my control, I am exposing the Schedulers, and it will not bother me a bit. Petrol is too expensive to be going to these places and not getting paid it is like you work for nothing. I have spent most of today reading different Forums and on everyone it is almost the same thing about companies and the way they do not pay you after you have done the job. It has got to be heart breaking to a person it really makes you afraid to do a job because you expect the worse and who wants to go to work in fear you will make mistakes then. In this area we only get the cheaper jobs like $10.00 or $ 15.00, and you have to go nearly fifty miles so what good is it going to do a job, and you get a disappointing notice like that. I really think if a lot of Shoppers get together and challenge these companies they would not work American people for absolutely nothing, and it was their time and petrol. It is just so depressing to hear what happens to people about these jobs. When I do a job I focus on every aspect of it, and once I know that I have done my best I am satisfied because I know my heart and when I work for what that Client wants, I do the best job I can. I really think that we all do work at this and granted there will be some mistakes made but to cut your pay like, they did is horrible. I believe in fighting for my rights and do not care who I have to go through to get it right. Schedulers and their Clients make mistakes every day because they are human just like the Shoppers are. Whether they like it or not they have to be exposed so Shoppers can stay away from those companies and prevent other people from wasting their time and effort. Please, people tell who they are so the rest of us do not get caught up and do not get paid, please tell the name of the Schedulers or Companies it is only fair as a human being to do this. I truly believe that Jacob is a wonderful honest person, and he keeps us well informed, and we love him for that his advice has never let me down and I have not heard anyone else complain about him and his reports or the advise he gives us. There is only one Jacob and we all appreciate him and also Cathy Stucker her advice is right on the "MONEY" believe me get the book she wrote and believe me it is money well spent to just do as she says, and you will be alright, or at least I hope they (Schedulers or Clients) do not come up with any thing else to throw a monkey wrench in the game to get people to work for nothing as has been reported in all of the Job Forums. I just firmly believe in telling the truth about Companies like the ones that kept the Shoppers money. There is only one perfect person and we all know who that is. I hate to see people get to hurt like that we love doing this but who wants to work for nothing. I am going to find out a few things about this situation all that I can dig up, and I will put it on the Forum. I use to work for the Federal Government and believe me it was Military Intelligence but to me Intelligence is Intelligence whether it is Military or Civilian, we need to be informed through someone on situations like this one. Just read a lot of the Forums because everyone is complaining about the same situation, and it makes you wonder. It wasn't like this a few months ago but now all I read was a lot of stories where people were underpaid because of a situation it is so many I cannot remember and if yu don't believe me just sit down like I did and just go to he Mystery Shop Forum, and they have been several please read them.

I am shocked to see so may of you falling for the deposit this check for us
scam. Before anyone starts mystery shopping, they should go to the Federal
Trade Commission website and read up not only on mystery shopping, but on
computer internet scams as well. The scammers know we are active, out and
about, and looking for extra money. We are a target group for them.
Remember one thing, no one is going to send you, a perfect stranger,a large
check to deposit and trust you to give back part of it. Would you ?
What we should all do is accept every offer, take the check and deposit it,
but never send anything back. Sure the check is no good, but look at all the
extra work they had to do. Once you have done it to them, they take you off
the mailing list.

Oops, you don't want to deposit it or you are likely to be charged fees for depositing a worthless check. I'm not sure that all banks do that, but enough do that you are better off just destroying the check or turning it over to authorities to follow up and hopefully prosecute the scammers.

has anyone worked with Applause Evaluation Inc. I checked the company out on BBB but I don't see on the list above and the BBB report was not good. so I don't want to start and get ripped off.

I am signed up with a few other companies listed from this list so thanks.

The list here and the list on Volition.com generally are companies that shoppers have dealt with successfully. While there are always new companies starting up and older companies dying off (that may damage shoppers in their demise), the lists are probably the safest way of finding companies that are not fly-by-night. I have never heard of these guys (which proves nothing) so with a BBB poor report I would just pass them by.

I would like to correct a person which stated that you do not have to file taxes if you do not earn more than $599.99 from each company. If you are audited for any reason by the IRS, and the fluctuation of income shows more than $599.99 for the entire year, you will be liable for the tax, you most likely be fined and penalized. The $599.99 only applies to the total income for the year for all subcontract income.
Your costs are deductable. Please keep track of your start and ending mileage for all shops, your internet expenses (which would include a portion of your phone bill if applicable). Keep all expense receipts wether you are reimbursed by the shopping company or not. Other items to keep record of: car payments, insurance, repairs, maint., computer, internet, home phone (if applicable), cell phone.
Mystery/Secret Shopping is a business, you are not being hired as an employee, you are a subcontractor, like any business you can deduct your business expenses from your business earnings.

I am the owner of an accounting service business. I also work remotely, so if you have innitial tax questions - the first session is free. Please email: wmoutsourcing@wildblue.net and put "shopping tax question" in the subject line.

Good Luck and Happy Shopping.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2008 05:50PM by wmout.

Thanks wmout. You are absolutely correct that mystery shopping is a business and that every cent must be claimed on a Schedule C so it only is common sense to keep track of every cent of expenses to offset the income. The wording of statements from some of the MSPs when they announce that they will not be issuing 1099s to shoppers who have earned less than $600 with them for the year is what confuses many shoppers into the wishful thinking that they don't need to claim their earnings.

I have always figured it was more likely for a Mystery Shopping Company to be audited than me personally. If their records show that I earned $550 from them and IRS then decided to have a conversation with me, I certainly wanted to have full and complete records of all jobs--for them and any other MSP--showing just how much of the money received was fees and how much was reimbursements for required purchases. If we keep good records of our expenses our "business" is unlikely to show a substantial taxable profit anyway, so why risk not claiming it?

I have foud that the 48.5 cents per mile they allow you for your car wipes
out any tax liability for what little a part time shopper makes.

And the good news is that for 2008 that per mile deduction has moved on up to 50.5 cents per mile, John.

bujer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i agree CRI pays low and they expect a lot. A lot
> of papers that have to be downloaded. And this
> cost a lot on ink for the printer. They don't pay
> for your gas but if you are ask or requested by
> them to do a job for them, they might increase
> your rate by 1 to 2 dollars. Then it is up to you
> if you will take it or not. Shopnchek would ask
> if you spend on tolls or parking, they will
> reimburse that. Thank you for all the old and new
> shoppers who share their views here. It helped a
> lot.
YES, They do ask alot of you, this was my first mystery shop company i've worked for. I guess because of this most of the other mystery shops are a breeze for me. One good thing is that they do pay on time. Has anyone worked with Pros? Do they pay on time?

I have done some shops for PROS and they paid fine.

I really would like to find hotel or motel shops to go along with the amusement park shops. Anybody have any luck with hotel shops?

Someone needs to open a thread about dumb schedulers who have no idea what your e mail said. I can say the same about those who review shops.

I had one the other day fail to respond about two shops in an area where I was
traveling. I wanted to see if I could do them a different day when I would
be traveling in that area. She moved four other shops of mine to the day about
Which I asked,The job numbers were in my e mail, but she wrote back and asked which shops they were. I had a battle getting the shops moved back where I had them originallly.

I had a shop put on incomplete status.There were a whole long series of unaswered questions when I reopened it. They said I did not answer them, but later questions including those requiring narratives were answered. Their software will not go to the next page until all prior questions are properly answered. Had this shop checker ever done and submitted a shop in their system, she would have known
that their software would have prevented me from making the errors that occurred.
will not go to the next

I have been doing mystery shopping now since 2006 and after awhile you get the same jobs to do over again and the companies tell you to try next time.
I do my pet sitting more now and just a few shops a month. I would like to know where those people are who make over a thousand a month because I tried to get that for over a year and never made it and I am signed up with lots of companies. It is all right for extra money and can be fun but hard work if you have to live off it.

So much of it depends on where you live and what kind of competition you have from other shoppers. I rarely try for $lk in fees in a month because I really don't want the taxation (any net profit of the business over $400 per year gets hit with social security and medicare taxes to the tune of more than 20%). But between useful reimbursements and fees a thousand dollar month is not unusual.

And yes, you do see the same jobs over and over and it is too easy to get sloppy and not note that there are changes in them from time to time. And no, I would not want to live off it.