GfK??? (Rejecting shops)

Is it just me or is GfK becoming "reject happy" lately? I did some cell phone shops for them that I never got paid for a few months back. There was a mix up in data and the scheduler Christy ignored my emails for weeks. I had the proof of visit as well as business cards and sent them to her. Still no payment or response. I let that go. Now they are trying to reject a shop because I didn't answer a question that wasn't mandatory (e.g. optional narrative). The question was not required in the last quarter and guidelines have not changed this quarter.

I like that they pay usually in 10 days but I feel maybe it is time for me to drop GfK. I'll admit when I've done something wrong but making me jump through hoops to get what I worked for is BS.

Anyone have a similar experience?

Silver Certified ~ Shopping all of Toronto and beyond

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

More Discussions About GFK Mystery Shopping (All Companies)

I just did my first two shops with them. We'll see! :-)

I have an experience. They canceled a shop because of a new requirement that did not exist before posting and assigning it. I thought it strange and unprofessional.

Happily shopping Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut

I have no clue what happened with gfk. They used to be a great company to work with and for. Then all of a sudden they became one of the worst. They have become an afterthought.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

BuffaloNY101 Wrote:

>They have become an afterthought.

Indeed.

------------------------------------------------
Plan the work. Work the plan.

I did a shop in June with GFK, and did not receive payment for it until 5 weeks later. They had been paying much faster, and on a regular schedule before that. I contacted them to inquire and received a response that the shop was in queue to be paid in the next payroll. It was a significantly bonused shop with a large cash outlay. I was not happy.

I received a frantic call from a scheduler this week asking me to do the same shop with the same bonus again. I told her I would.....felt bad for her. If they are late with the payment on this one it will be the last I do for them.

I've had trouble with them in the past too, so I made the decision to stop working for them. Any update from them Dixie?

Whoever is reviewing the cell phone shops for this area is a bloody nazi.. every shop I did for them recently came back either asking for a photo of the location or claims that I answered wrong.

"Did the associate mention ___________ (feature)?" I marked yes but he did not say much else about it. You know when someone just mentions a name or title but knows nothing about it? It was like that. Gfk returned the shop saying that everything after that question has to be atleast one yes. But the associate said absolutely nothing. Didn't mention any specifics at all.

Most of my shops have been approved but I will wait until the money is in my hands to believe it. A bunch of cell phone shops previously scheduled with other shoppers popped up a few days ago so I know I am not the only one.

Honestly, I regret bothering with this company. I signed up with them when I first started shopping and couldn't shop with them because I "failed" their test too many times. Finally this year I got with them but it's been nothing but a headache. The only good thing about them is that they usually pay within 10-14 days. After I get my money, I'm done.

Silver Certified ~ Shopping all of Toronto and beyond

I did my first job for them last month and it was rejected because I didn't shop late night, but I was NOT supposed to shop late night since this location closes early. And I MADE THIS CLEAR in my shop but it was rejected. I am not working for them again.

I don't like this msc. Not for me.

I'm so thankful for this board.

I've done over 30 shops for Gfk and have never had a shop rejected. They have always paid me within 2 weeks.

I stopped working for this company in 2012. I didn't like the wild goose chases to find closed/out-of-business cell phone stores to only be paid the small closed location fee. They lost their high-end client which paid almost five times what the cell phone shops paid. I actually forgot about them until I saw this thread.

I recently deactivated myself, I got tired of the daily emails.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2015 02:45PM by txguitar.

I'm ok with them overall. The cell shops pay decently for maybe 25 or 30 minutes of work total including upload time, provided nothing is powered down at the shop. They can be really picky though, and their communications aren't always very clear. Plus that video for the cell shops is hideous, eventhe schedulers think so, but apparently the cell parent company really wants them to use it.

If I didn't update here, the shop didn't get rejected. One of the editors was threatening to do so for something that was never required to be obtained before as described earlier. I got paid for these shops last here.

Also kudos to Dante for taking the initiative to try and see what he could do. It is not a problem anymore but I am still weary. If the bumps experienced with GfK are minimized in the future, they wouldn't be so bad to do shops for.

Silver Certified ~ Shopping all of Toronto and beyond

I only do the audits for them. After one cell phone shop and a bad salesman and the fact that I did not ask a feature question (which getting anything out if this salesman was like trying to beat water from a rock) ending in a rejected shop, I decided I was not going to do the cell phone shops anymore. Have not had a problem since. The payouts are not done in any recognizable pattern. Some times 7 days sometimes 20 days and sometimes somewhere in between. The new app for some of their shops is good in the manor that there is no additional paperwork or re-entry. Its still glitchy but the time saving factor is worth the occasional bug. Still the fastest paying of the MSC's I do work for and I try and max out my potential shops every month.

GFK is a good company, they pay quickly and Donna Goodwin is a gem!

I did not have a cell phone shop rejected, but received a score of 5! A 5 out of 10? I received an email requesting more detail on questions which were optional.

So are they optional or not?

I'm choosing other companies after that experience a few months ago.

Evaluating and mailing packages since 1994

Are you talking about the sales shops or the audits?

I feel your pain, RobinMarie. I did a few similar shops over the course of several months for them and always scored 9's or 10's. The last one came back as a 5 because I was questioned about who ordered a drink. I responded honestly and explained the server was a mess that night and may have assigned it to the wrong diner number. No response. Just a score of 5. That is and will be the last 5 of my shopper career.

I was done with them when they posted a bonus by mistake and then unassigned me.

I was done for good with them after a really bad experience with a scheduler. I never worked much with them anyway, as I found their pay to be on the low side too often.

I agree though, Donna Goodwin is the bomb.

not a "fav" of mine either

It appears many like this company and many do not like them.

We are all so different, huh?

GFK cell audits were okay but the pay should have been higher. After doing 3 I was offered an audit that was a flake with a $10 bonus. That should have been the starting fee based on the problems with the rover app.

@Puppysmoocher wrote:

I feel your pain, RobinMarie. I did a few similar shops over the course of several months for them and always scored 9's or 10's. The last one came back as a 5 because I was questioned about who ordered a drink. I responded honestly and explained the server was a mess that night and may have assigned it to the wrong diner number. No response. Just a score of 5. That is and will be the last 5 of my shopper career.

At least you got a 5...I guess.

I had one sore thumb 1(!) scattered into 9s and 10s in the ten shops I did before I canned them. and I thought that was the score for the wing restaurant itself (you know, half-hour wait for take-out wings and employees jacking around--hard shop to butcher and I loved how easy these shops were) before I read a bit closer!

After it was explained to me rather comically why I got that "1" (arrived too late....arrived too early..."I don't know"

, I was surprised they went to that length for me considering I have read elsewhere that that is not something they make a practice of very often at all (explaining scores, that is). I get why.

Times must be tough. I deactivated back in October and got an email last week begging me to do a bonus shop. I ignored it. LOL.

I honestly just keep them around because hubby likes the restaurant.

I took one of the cell phone shops last month to fill out a route I was doing. I regretted it as soon as I saw that form, but it turned out to be for nothing because the location was closed. I happily took my closed shop fee for that one. LOL

Yes. There seems to be an echo here.

Well... I completed a new application with them well over a week ago, and send a follow up email,
No reply to either.
Interesting when they say "we need shoppers in your area".
Based on the comments in this forum, I guess I don't need to follow up with them

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

GfK??? (Rejecting shops)

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine