A Closer Look - Rejected Shop

I've worked with ACL since 2008. My experience has been that they will bend over backwards to keep from rejecting a shop without reason. At times, even if the editor feels that you didn't follow the guidelines, they will forward the report to the client and let the client decide.

Be sure to closely read the questionnaire before performing the shop ALSO clarify any questions ahead of time via email. This cuts down on 95% of the issues that will cause a shop to be rejected. Occasionally there will be discrepancies between the first page guidelines and the general PDF file of guidelines. One set will supersede the other - be sure you know which one overrides the other.

I'm sorry your shop was rejected. If you have all of the facts straight, you can plead your cases by phone or email. They are a friendly bunch to work with. However, don't waste the time if you didn't follow the guidelines to the t, regardless of the shop being a carryout vs sit down.

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Mentor? Since when?

I was assigned one last July when I did my first restaurant shop for them.

Time to build a bigger bridge.

That was really nasty of the scheduler! I have done only 1 Restaurant shop and it went well, but I refuse to #1, come out of pocket for a shop and then have to wait for reimbursement and # 2, I can't afford for them to cause me to go spend MY money and then have them refuse to reimburse me what I spent or not pay me the shop fee.

Although I like and do work for this company from time to time, I'm dumbfounded by some of their shop offers. There's one high end steak house that has a budget of $90 and requires the shopper to go to the bar and order three courses. The shops are still being picked up, which is really amazing.

I have been in contact with ACL and they are working with me to resolve this, which is amazingly nice of them.

In the past, I had never really thought about out of pocket expenses, since I *knew* I would be reimbursed. Even though there is not usually a payment associated with this type of shop, I didn't mind exchanging a couple of hours work for a meal at a place I would not normally have sprung for. Fun stuff. (Until something like this happens)

This experience makes me seriously consider which shops to accept (not specifically with ACL - but with any company)

The risk factor was what I left out of my calculations. Lesson learned.

I had the same thing happened with another mystery shop company called GfK.the proofreader gave me a grade of A one and did not pay me I complained she said your report was late I told her I tried to email her that I could not log on to the website to login my report and she never replied.therefore the shop was late. I guess I was a good scape goat.I tried to email her back and discuss this but she never responded after several attempts it did irritate me though that I spent my time and effort doing the report and going to the store..if we are expected to communicate in a timely manner then they should also be held to the same standards.We all work together for the same goal.

Sure everyone should communicate. The reality is GFK was your client, not a coworker.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

Name calling is against the rules of this forum.

Who is name calling? Calling someone your client is NOT name calling!

I'm guessing she mistook the blurbs of my signature line for a comment. The two funnies below the broken line are part of my permanent signature which anyone can add through their Control Center. They appear on every post I've ever made and have nothing to do with my comments.

You could request a mentor? But you probably don't need one at this point.

My mentor went over the shop guidelines with me over the phone so that I wouldn't miss anything at the restaurant. It was helpf

@LindaM wrote:

Although I like and do work for this company from time to time, I'm dumbfounded by some of their shop offers. There's one high end steak house that has a budget of $90 and requires the shopper to go to the bar and order three courses. The shops are still being picked up, which is really amazing.

Linda I suspect the shops are being picked up because people want to dine there and they feel a $90 reimbursement is worth it to them even if it doesn't cover the entire bill.

I have done several restaurant shops for ACL and rarely do their reimbursements cover the entire check. But I'm ok with that because I like the restaurants that I get to go to and I get a nice meal for very little out of pocket.

I know not everyone approaches them this way but I suspect that is why they are all being picked up.

Just my two cents.

Lots of people buy Groupon, Living Social and Restaurant.com deals for restaurants that they want to eat at. The deal usually gives you a certain amount of "credit" towards your dining experience but anything over that, you are responsible for including tip. Those "credit" amounts are usually much lower than the reimbursement amount given by ACL and other MSCs but you don't have to write a narrative-heavy report when you are finished.

I think it is a very easy decision. Perform reimbursement-only dining shops if you like that restaurant or want to try something different and you don't mind the writing process. Buy Groupon, Living Social and Restaurant.com deals if you don't mind paying some money for a "discounted" meal without having to write a report. Or go to the grocery store, buy food, go back home and cook a meal yourself.

I understand the reasoning. I just hope other MSCs don't follow suit. Frankly I think sometimes they want a contract so bad that they skim the shopper by negotiating the reimbursement budget rather than sticking to their guns and promote their expertise and value.

@HeatherB wrote:

@LindaM wrote:

Although I like and do work for this company from time to time, I'm dumbfounded by some of their shop offers. There's one high end steak house that has a budget of $90 and requires the shopper to go to the bar and order three courses. The shops are still being picked up, which is really amazing.

Linda I suspect the shops are being picked up because people want to dine there and they feel a $90 reimbursement is worth it to them even if it doesn't cover the entire bill.

I have done several restaurant shops for ACL and rarely do their reimbursements cover the entire check. But I'm ok with that because I like the restaurants that I get to go to and I get a nice meal for very little out of pocket.

I know not everyone approaches them this way but I suspect that is why they are all being picked up. Just my two cents.

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A Closer Look - Rejected Shop

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