I completed drive thru menu audits in August through Insula Research (Now Mystery Researchers owned, I know). I received my payment for these audits on September 15th, but did not receive the reimbursements for my required purchases.

I emailed the company and received responses from Pam Simons, stating that the reimbursement was included in the payment, however, I don't believe they were.

The following is the original email I received from the scheduler Katie Toney (with clients removed, per ICA):

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We are helping Insula Research find shoppers for their fast food pricing audits. You would need to enter your assigned location and take pictures of the menu board; a purchase is also required, for which you will be reimbursed (up to $1). Here are the addresses of the shops:

The shops pay $15 each. If you must travel a long distance, I am willing to bonus you to cover your gas and time spent driving. The shops must be completed and surveys turned in by midnight tomorrow, Tuesday, August 12.

Please reply if you are interested!

=================================================================

The email said, and correct me if you think I am wrong, that the shops pay $15 each and a purchase is required and will be reimbursed (up to $1). In addition, it said if I must travel a long distance, she would be willing to bonus me for time spent driving and gas.

I received no bonus for driving 70 miles round trip and I received no reimbursement for these shops. I provided receipts for these shops, turned the reports in on time and Mystery Researchers and Pam Simons is refusing to pay me for my reimbursements.

I already plan to not complete any further shops for this cheap mystery shopping company. I just wanted to make the community here aware of exactly how cheap Mystery Researchers is.

The pay for these shops was $14 plus the $1 reimbursement. I did about 20 of them and received all my reimbursements. I did some with the travel bonus too. This bonus was negotiated first and showed the bonus on the shop before I did them. Did they pay you $14 instead of $15? Did you get the travel bonus in writting anywhere?

I do believe from that email it would be an additional dollar but newer emails I have seen spell it out that fifteen includes the dollar.
Gas is never automatically included without a verification email. Cannot assume they will just approve. If you have that you can go after it. Having a phone conversation I need mileage is tricky without written proof.

This is from the email I received the other day.

Shops pay $15, which includes a $1 reimbursement for food. Travel bonuses may be available.

So, that $1 is included in the $15
Travel bonus MAY be available. If I was to take these shops, I would email them for the travel bonus and get it in writing.

Mystery Researchers is a reputable company. Something's not right here.

Outdated Post.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 04:21AM by Shop2LiveinFL.

My email did not state that it included the reimbursement. The only information I omitted was the client information.

I haven't had difficulty getting paid the agreed amount from this MSC. Dante, what agreement did you make with Katie before performing the assignment?

the original emails said they would pay 15 plus the 1 dollar reimbursement
however later emails corrected that and said the 15 includes the 1 dollar.

It's not my fault that the email was in error and I feel they need to pay me my reimbursements. This isn't about a measly dollar. In my eyes, the email said $15 plus reimbursement, so the reimbursement needs to be paid.

If our reports are inaccurate, we are not paid. If our reports are late, we are not paid. We get nickeled and dimed for any flaw in our reports or assignments. This is a matter of principle to me.

techman01 Wrote:
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> the original emails said they would pay 15 plus
> the 1 dollar reimbursement
> however later emails corrected that and said the
> 15 includes the 1 dollar.

Outdated Post.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 04:21AM by Shop2LiveinFL.

Edited for outdated info.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 04:16AM by Shop2LiveinFL.

Shop2LiveinFL Wrote:
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> I have never had an inaccurate report but every
> once in awhile, I receive an e-mail for
> clarification or maybe I checked off the wrong
> answer while working on reports late at night. I
> have always been paid.
>
> I have had a few instances where my reports were
> going to be late but I contacted my scheduler once
> I realized that they would be late. I have never
> not been paid for being late. I maybe had a point
> taken off but I still got paid. I think clear
> communication is key.


I agree. While it has never happened to me, I see a lot of complaints on here about it. Communication is key.

However, when a shop offer email says one thing and the company doesn't follow through, regardless of how big or little the amount or issue is, I feel it needs to be addressed.

I never received a corrected email.

the email did not say it was a correction, they just changed
the wording and the emails offering the shops.

To me they should pay the dollar reimbursement but at the same
time I couldn't be bothered arguing over a dollar with anyone unless
it involved dozens of shops I'd perhaps make the case. All you
need to do is show them the email and that should be it.
Best way to get a response is to carpet bomb them and email
every scheduler that has ever emailed you.

I did email them and called and left a message. I gave them over 10 days to correct the issue before I brought the matter public. It's not the point that it's a dollar per shop, it's the point that I did the work as specified.

In addition, I never received another email about menu board audits, so I am assuming I picked up the last ones in my area.

What did your shop survey form say? Mystery Researchers always has the shop fee, any reimbursement and any bonuses listed on the top left. If the shop form differs from the email I always check with them because the shop form is usually what they go by.

The email that I received for these stated that the shops paid $15, which included a $1 reimbursement for the required purchase.

However, it also stated a $1 "clean report" bonus, which you'd receive if all of the menu prices you input matched your menu board photos exactly.

I also took it as the shop paid $15+$1.

The reports were done on the Insula Research site. Had it been the Sassie site for Mystery Researchers, it would have been a lot easier to distinguish the fee and reimbursement.

If all else fails you can always take the $1 off your taxes as an "unreimbursed business expense".

It saddens me, because in my 500+ posts on this forum, I have never had to complain about not receiving full payment or reimbursement from any MSC. I was hoping it would stay that way.

How many shops are you talking about?

I think since you got an email from someone who was "helping" Insula find shoppers, it's likely the person who sent the email made an honest mistake (in other words, they're not trying to rip you off; you were offered something you shouldn't have been offered). As someone else asked, what did the awarded shop say? If the awarded shop matches the email, then they owe you the money. If you did not contact them and get a figure for how much travel pay they were offering, then they don't owe that to you; they have no reason to pay that automatically because for all they know the shops were within 5 miles of where you work, or your mother's house, or some other place where you didn't really have to travel. And they don't know how far it was for you anyway, since you could be anywhere in your zip code. (Cast Force thinks the Walmart that is 5 miles from me is 83 miles away because apparently they think all of Gila county is in Globe, which is 80 miles from here)

So, if you didn't ask for and get a figure for travel pay, they don't owe you travel pay. If you did have an agreement, pursue it.
If you accepted by email (replying to the email, not going to a job board, and they assigned it to you based on your email request) then they owe you what the email says.
If you accepted on the job board and the job showed $15 total, not $15 plus $1, then they only owe you $15 each, not $16.

Those pretty much are the options. Depending on how many jobs there were, plus the fact that they were *willing* to pay travel pay, they ought to be willing to at least give you the $1 reimbursements.

Only been doing the MS for the last few months and its a good thing that they state when you get paid up front. Still sucks having to wait till Dec to get paid for a shop I had done earlier this week. I mean what the heck this is 2014 not 1999 where they have to manually cut your checks.




****************************************************************************************

Ginger wants to change state to start

BBird0701 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The email that I received for these stated that
> the shops paid $15, which included a $1
> reimbursement for the required purchase.
>
> However, it also stated a $1 "clean report" bonus,
> which you'd receive if all of the menu prices you
> input matched your menu board photos exactly.
>
> I also took it as the shop paid $15+$1.

That is why I do not take pictures. The quality is in the eye of the beholder and when you are taking a picture of a Pizza it is never acceptable. You need a very good camera to take a menu board. A phone camera will not do it.

Piled Hip Deep, PHD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BBird0701 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The email that I received for these stated that
> > the shops paid $15, which included a $1
> > reimbursement for the required purchase.
> >
> > However, it also stated a $1 "clean report"
> bonus,
> > which you'd receive if all of the menu prices
> you
> > input matched your menu board photos exactly.
> >
> > I also took it as the shop paid $15+$1.
>
> That is why I do not take pictures. The quality is
> in the eye of the beholder and when you are taking
> a picture of a Pizza it is never acceptable. You
> need a very good camera to take a menu board. A
> phone camera will not do it.


I have a cheap Canon PowerShop A2300 16mp and it works fine for these. I have never had a menu board audit rejected, even on the locations where the menu board has that weird screen on top of the screen that creates glare.

My most common problem with menu board audits has been making sure I go at the right time to take the best photos. I've found that going when the sun is starting to go down is the worst time because that's what makes the most glare on those weird screens... but if I were to wait another hour when it's firmly dusk or dark, better pictures.

Edited for outdated info.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 04:14AM by Shop2LiveinFL.