My first toggle in a long, long time.

At first, I couldn't find it, but there it was. At the top. CLICK.

I'm done here.

Have a good one.

I'm doing my banking now. Oooh...got paid again. Yeah. Love this. See ya.

I would find it funny (comical, humorous, a chuckle) if you complained about their payment schedule to the point it actually caused a delay in your payment. If you post here that your payment was late, I'll laugh. Poetic. "I have trouble catching on" means I don't understand why you don't understand you are damaging yourself with the MSC/MSCs. But, the good news is I've changed my mind. I no longer care that you don't care.

Canuck, I toggled this shopper a long time ago but when this thread started and I saw what it was from the answers, I thought maybe I could turn the thinking. Yeah, I'm toggling again. Can't make a difference here. Moving on.

Have a good one folks!

You reached for the toggle, and I grabbed the popcorn...


Canuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My first toggle in a long, long time.
>
> At first, I couldn't find it, but there it was. At
> the top. CLICK.
>
> I'm done here.
>
> Have a good one.
>
> I'm doing my banking now. Oooh...got paid again.
> Yeah. Love this. See ya.

Low cal for me. I'm on a diet thanks to all the FF shops, hahahah.

I don't want to get involved in the argument and consider my two comments to just be food for thought. (Admit that's funny on a thread about grocery shopping.)

"It is their business how they set their payment dates. Definitely not our business and it's their business what they do with the money, not ours." To me anything that affects my business is my business. So what they do with the money while they hold on to it is of no difference to me while waiting on it is.

"You are not receptive to my idea that encouraging a few people to take a stand won't make a difference." What will never make a difference is if nobody ever takes a stand. That's just my general philosophy on life since in regards to this matter I really don't give a rat's patoot

OK, I'm going to put in my 2 cents here............



HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

That's it, I'm done, I will continue to get paid on a schedule that the MSC provides and I agree with....

Carry on...

To all of you with such negative comments:

I am uncertain why you wish to be that way. As I stated numerous times now, when the scheduler E-mails, calls or texts me, I shall simply ask that I do not wish to accet the shop unless the reimbursement time is shorter. I encourage others to do the same.

Why does my time making a comment such as mine become a personal issue? Why do you wish to change my mind? Does it affect you in any way? Perhaps because I go against your passive thinking?

I find it sad that rather than being a wee bit optimistic and encouraging, many of you feel the need to be mean, sarcastic and downright nasty.

As for MDavisnowell, I understand you felt the need to toggle me and shall not read this comment. However, your comment about "damaging" myself with MSCs seems to be a puzzle, even a conundrum. In one comment you say that MSCs do not read this forum, yet in your latest you say I am "damaging" myself.

How so? If they do not read this forum as you state, then there can be no "damage". If you refer to my asking the scheduler to hasten the payment time is "damaging", then you, my dear Mary, do not understand the art of negotiation.

Lastly, if those of you who have "toggled" me, comment, then I do not think you have actually "toggled" me.

Tatjana Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To all of you with such negative comments:
>
> I am uncertain why you wish to be that way. As I
> stated numerous times now, when the scheduler
> E-mails, calls or texts me, I shall simply ask
> that I do not wish to accet the shop unless the
> reimbursement time is shorter. I encourage others
> to do the same.
>


I am curious to know if this has ever worked. Have they said they would give you the shop with faster pay?

Techman stated early on everything is negotiable. Not all the time, not for every company, but you would be surprised what might happen when you just ask.

@Kathee70: "I am curious to know if this has ever worked. Have they said they would give you the shop with faster pay?"

At this point, I've not been E-mailed, texted or telephoned. I do note that the initial E-mails have been sent out and when reviewing the available shops for this MSC, they remain not taken. I'm assuming that the scheduler shall send out her missives (as such) later in the month. Perhaps the scheduler has recognised my name from reading this forum and shall not, knowing my response in advance. I shall report back the response.

@LisaStl: "Techman stated early on everything is negotiable. Not all the time, not for every company, but you would be surprised what might happen when you just ask."

You are a breath of fresh air (as is Techman)! That was all I was saying. I shall simply endeavour to negotiate a quicker reimbursement. Perhaps it shall be for nought, yet it is worth the try, is it not?

Cheers!

Hello,

Yes, many mystery shopping companies do keep track of mystery shopping boards. And sometimes we do respond!

First, just some background about payment terms. As noted, we do clearly stipulate our payment terms so shoppers can evaluate the terms before accepting shopping assignments. For many of our projects, payments are made during the last week of each month for any shop performed the previous month. (Although other projects have bi-monthly payment schedules.) One factor behind these policies is the time it takes our people, and our client to carefully evaluate each shopper report and validate the results. Many times, our clients send us follow-up questions concerning mystery shopper reports 5 to 10 days after actual completion. These questions could be a response to an inadvertent error, an oversight, or merely additional information. Our staff then contacts the shopper to ask for additional information. Normally the corrections are made and accepted by the client, however, other times the questions highlight areas that were not performed up to standard, or had missing or inaccurate information. In those cases, we cannot accept the reports, and thus cannot pay the shopper for the report. We obviously only want to pay shoppers for reports that are 100% complete and accurate. Keep in mind even a very small error or omission may cast doubt on the entire report. The clients take these reports very seriously!
As projects get streamlined with our clients, many will move to the bi-weekly payment schedule; a schedule we actually prefer.

We noticed that during the dates of above discussion, payments for shops were distributed on schedule as promised- a fact that was omitted from the discussion.

In regards to the amount of detail needed for the mystery shop, that is the point of mystery shopping, and what keeps all of us in business - including the shoppers. If surveys were diluted to only the most basic information, then an online customer satisfaction survey would be much more economically feasible to our clients.
The benefit of a mystery shopping report is the amount of detail that is possible which is not available to the client by using other data gathering solutions. Although I realize from a shopper's perspective, easy shops are obviously preferable, keep in mind the selling point for mystery shopping is the detail provided to the client, not the ease of completion.

That being said, over the past 22 years in the industry, we strive to keep shopper payments fair and equitable. We believe we have one of the highest per shop payment averages in the industry. But we also have high expectations for detail and accuracy. We keep track of similar payment amounts in the industry, and know that there are similar assignments out there that pay less than half of our payment amounts. We try to establish realistic payment terms based on our high standards, while still staying within the budget of our client.

As shoppers, we know that you have a choice of accepting assignments in your area. We try to answer all shopper inquiries via email, and we believe we have some of the best schedulers and editors in the industry. We will always strive to treat shoppers in a respectful and fair manner.

Thank you to all the loyal shoppers out there - keep shopping, especially in grocery stores & restaurants!


Best Regards,

Elaine
Reality Check Mystery Shoppers

"In regards to the amount of detail needed for the mystery shop, that is the point of mystery shopping, and what keeps all of us in business - including the shoppers. If surveys were diluted to only the most basic information, then an online customer satisfaction survey would be much more economically feasible to our clients."

So true about the detail. Can you imagine a customer survey providing the same thing? The detail isn't just in the reports, it is also in the observations of so many facets of the business a regular customer will not be noticing during any given visit. However, there is another argument for a good mystery shopping program, objectivity. The average customer survey is going to be based on their emotions. It will be used to either reward a good visit or punish a perceived slight. Hopefully our reports will be devoid of subjectivity unless a request for our opinion is included as part of the assignment.

@RCElaine:

Firstly, thank you for the response! It was my expectation that there would be more positive comments with regard to my remarks. I did not wish it to denigrate but rather to generate objective opinions.

As you note, Reality Check clearly stipulates the payment terms. You have explained why in great detail as to the reasons for the lengthy period. I understand this.
However, I take issue of the length of the period. Whilst other MS companies have a swift turn-around with regard to payment (2 weeks to 30 days), yours, IMO, is overly lengthy and to me, unacceptable. Therefore, as I have stated, I shall no longer accept the payment terms.

That is my choice and my right, is it not? I simply encourage others to do the same in order to elicit change. Tilting at windmills? Perhaps.

With regard to payment amounts. Your comment about highest payment per shop average in the industry is not completely true. True, there are other shops that have similar payment amounts. However, the reports are not as detailed and time-consuming.

Quite frankly, with the amount of detail and exactness in grammar and succinctness, requiring exact note-taking of the shop itself and then further, the detailed report to follow requiring a lengthy period of time, your payment amounts are not at all in accord.

They are, at the least, minimum wage (or less) when considering the accompanying costs of simply doing business that every mystery shopper incurs. Of course, these costs are spread across the total mystery shopping business model. However, one does wish to make a profit, not a loss. With my model, I find your shops are leaving me at a repayment below minimum wage.

With regard to the payments not received as scheduled, I never stated that payments were later than the scheduled dates, simply that they were excessively lengthy (yet in accordance with the terms).

As I have said before, the terms have become unacceptable (to me).

Lastly, in my past working experience, I was employed at the corporate level dealing with others (customers as well as company employees at levels above and below my station within the company). Whenever I spoke or wrote E-mails or letters to others, I included my complete name and position within the company.

Whilst mystery shoppers should not be able to be identified, a corporate spokesperson should.

You have not. Hence, for me, that casts doubt upon your representation of Reality Check.

Sincerely, Tatjana.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2014 01:13PM by Tatjana.