That's why I'm looking to streamline any which way I can, and ignore a whole lot of the emails, now.

I want to move to a less expensive state,eventually, and I figure that this and my online sales are portable income streams, so I'll have something to get me started in a new place.

I'm on Long Island and the cost of living here is out of control. I tried driving into Pa, once for an interview, The cost of gas and the toll bridges alone was close to $60.00, to find out I wasn't going to like the job. I can't afford to do that for a maybe. It would cost the same to drive off this stinking island, regardless of where I headed out to.

MDavis, wow $166 in one day! How the heck did you manage that? I assume you must live in an area where there are a lot of jobs available. I simply don't see how that is possible. I look on these job boards, including jobslinger, and see a couple of $4 shops available in my area. Then when I look up reviews for some of the companies (major companies) that offer these jobs, I see nothing but negative feedback on here. Just about every company I look up in the "reviews", folks are saying they have been stiffed on pay, dropped for no reason even with high ratings, or have really picky admins who will refuse to pay at all because something was left out. Therefore, I feel the person who started this thread asked a really good question......what are the best companies to work for? If you make $166/day, and they actually pay you, then please share what these good companies are, because I see nothing but negative reviews for all of the major companies on this board. I figure there must be a few really good companies with friendly reps, always pay on time, and have simple/easy shops worth doing. I have yet to find them on here though. However, do see many claim they made a lot of money on a given month doing shops. Please note, I have also been doing online surveys for several companies and can easily tell you which conpanies ALWAYS pay and have fast and easy surveys. From what I read on here, there is no such thing as a good mystery shopping company like this.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2015 12:45AM by Bharri333.

Bharri, all companies have shoppers who don't like them. Today I did six shops for five companies. These were not local to the nearest town but were easily reachable on a day route. Let me tell you about these companies one by one and you will see the misinformation you encounter by believing everything you read on this forum.

Company #1 is widely reviled as giving people the axe for absolutely no reason, for being picky about details, and for cheap shops. From their job board, with no negotiation, I picked up a breakfast shop that paid $14 plus reimbursement for a dine in breakfast and a drive thru breakfast. I dislike the lunch and dinner meals at this client but I love the breakfast and think it's first rate. The coffee is really good.

Company #2 is widely disparaged for being ignorant of current technology and for paying "peanuts" on its shops. I did one that paid $17 in fee and useful reimbursed items. This was base pay on this shop.

Company #2 again, I did a shop on which I negotiated a $15 bonus for a total of $32.75 in fees and useful reimbursements. That's $49.75 today on two shops from this company which pays "peanuts". I'll take it.

Company #3 always has one or more posters on the board complaining about this and that, they don't pay anything, they're hard to deal with, the platforms are screwy, just not worth it, will never work for them again. $15.00 for twenty minutes feeding my face plus write up a report. Okay then. Count me in.

Company #4 seems to generate little criticism although I do see some. I did a negotiated job for them today for $30.

Company #5 probably gets the best treatment on the board. I did a negotiated job for them today for $57.00 in fees and usual reimbursements.

Useful reimbursements = gas or something I can eat or use.

I've been with all these companies a long time. I can negotiate a reasonable bonus if they need something done because they know I'll do it. If and when something goes wrong I don't rat them out on this forum and we settle it privately and professionally as we should. I treasure the relationships I have with all of them.

Tonight I negotiated a bonus on two shops of $125 for both plus the regular base fees with one of these companies. Yeah!

I want to assure you that although $166 seems like a good day to you and I'm entirely happy with the pay for what I did, many shoppers who are on this forum wouldn't walk out of the house for $166. You can build your business if you work at it. All of us have different opportunities because we are in different areas with different amounts of competition. It's not the same everywhere. Only you can figure out what's available and what works in your area.

Answering your question, that's how I did it today.

Thanks for answering my question. I am getting the feeling that many others on this forum are very negative people and perhaps don't explain the whole story why they were really dropped or maybe were actually paid by these companies, and just didn't notice their direct deposit went through. So, therefore, besides Market Force, what are some good conpanies I should sign up for to get my feet wet? I am not interested in companies that primarily have long reports or have a reputation for stiffing folks on pay. I am a school teacher and looking to try out some mystery shopping this summer during my free time.

Bharri, most of us are reluctant to share our companies and you are asking the wrong question. The right questions to ask are those questions about how to learn to do it on your own. Sign up with the companies in the list at the bottom of the page (see the blue link). That's what all of us have done. I've already posted many times to sign up first with the most talked about 15, which are shown in the list. There is a wealth of useful information which has been generously provided by shopping members who have contributed their time and expertise. Use that information instead of trying to get the forum members to tell you which companies to sign up with. The correct answer is: All of them.

In answer to your Q above about needing a scanner for Market Force, I scan my receipts. I believe you could also photograph them and upload the photographs instead of the scans. You should check this with Market Force. When you have a question about what a company will or will not accept, the source of the correct information is always the company.

What you are doing here is starting a business. When you take a job, someone supervises you and gives you the needed information to do the job. Then, if you make a mistake you get paid anyway. Here, you organize your own work, search out your own information, create your own relationships, and manage your day to day operation on your own. You'll like this. No politics. No co-workers. No hassle.

Well, the most talked about companies tend to have terrible reviews both on here and other MSC forums, so I don't know what to think. I refuse to go out of my way to do a shop and be stiffed on reimbursement and pay. Maybe I'll just stick with my trustworthy survey companies. Also, unless you live in my immediate area, there is no way I can hurt your so-called "business" by recommending some of these reliable companies you work for. It would take months or even a year to go through every single company on the list.

Bharri333, MDavis has been more than gracious to you. I find it EXTREMELY rude that you called her business "your so-called business." Get off your lazy arse and do the work yourself! How hard is it to click on a link and register with a MSC? Geesh!

@Bharri333 wrote:

Well, the most talked about companies tend to have terrible reviews both on here and other MSC forums, so I don't know what to think. I refuse to go out of my way to do a shop and be stiffed on reimbursement and pay. Maybe I'll just stick with my trustworthy survey companies. Also, unless you live in my immediate area, there is no way I can hurt your so-called "business" by recommending some of these reliable companies you work for. It would take months or even a year to go through every single company on the list.

That sounds like a good plan, Bharri. Mystery shopping means building your own small business, and it is very time-consuming in the beginning. Anyone who is not enthusiastic about it will probably lack the ability to put in the time and stick to it while researching and signing up with multiple mystery shopping companies. And, if you are interested only in "doing simple gigs in which the report basically just asks you for yes/no answers," they are few and far between..... and the ones that DO have reports that are that simple also primarily have low fees. Not much training is available, because mystery shopping is a very solitary enterprise and individuals "train" themselves. I typically recommend mystery shopping to highly motivated individuals who are self-starters, work well on their own, and have excellent writing skills. It doesn't sound like mystery shopping is for you.

Bharri - How insulting. No loss, though. Other new shoppers will use what I've written.

Considering the time it took you to write that lengthy, detailed and helpful post that is a great positive response.

@MDavisnowell wrote:

Other new shoppers will use what I've written.

$166 a day working 5 days a week 50 weeks a year is $41600. But wait this is only a "so called business."

Also I am one of those people whom she was referring to when she said some of us won't walk out the door for $166 a day. I guess I have a "so called business" too.

And I recall several threads about good survey companies so I guess we're all set.

This is what I have gathered so far from these boards. You do not like to help newbies out because most of you are too selfish to share precious information. Therefore you should have another forum rule prohibitting any positive talk about a MSC, so no one else joins and "takes your jobs". It is NOT your business. These companies are the actual businesses along with the companies that you shop. Unless you actually started your own msc from scratch, it is and never will be your business. Now, I apologize to the few on this board who actually may be friendly and helpful folks who would like to help a newbie out. If that's the case, please feel free to send me a PM and perhaps someone can help me sign up with these so-called secret companies that actually don't stiff on pay and have easy assignments for quick money. Just for the fun of it, I tried to check out a local shop on Market Force and couldn't even located the instructions! It first asks you a series of questions. Then sends me to a screen with an error code on it. So, I just don't get it and no one seems to want to help on here.

Good morning, everyone. How did this experience make you feel? Check all applicable answers: Valued. Appreciated. Respected. Surprised. Amazed. Incredulous. Puzzled. Misunderstood. Criticized. Accused. Done.

Certain aspects of this work are tedious and there really is no shortcut. If you search by company name on this forum and read what people discuss about various companies you will get some idea about the type of clients they have. But that changes. Clients change companies. You can go to the company's website and see what they are advertising to clients, they mention the type of work they do. But I have seen a mention of a particular client on their promo page long after that client went to another mystery shopping company. It is almost less tedious to just sign up and check the job board from time to time until you get a feel for what they have in your area.

Type a good narrative and save it. It can be used in many of the applications.

Good luck to you

@Watching the Wheels wrote:

I understand that, truly I do. I'm trying to figure out something a bit more efficient. I HATE THE TEDIOUSNESS OF CERTAIN ASPECTS.

One of the reasons why this type of work appeals to me is the wandering around and talking to the various people in the shops I do. I have NEVER been a desk work type of person, because TIME STANDS STILL!

If my back wasn't toast, I'd still be doing more physical labor types of jobs. A lot of these can be very lucrative.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2015 01:23PM by prince.

Bharri, I think you may be more frustrated that there really is no quick and easy answer to your question. You've actually gotten a wealth of good advice on here, and have responded by calling your benefactors "selfish."
I have bad news and good news for you: as stated above, the best-paying jobs that I've seen require some narrative (or hidden video, which is a different animal entirely). I'm afraid MSCs don't shell out top dollar for someone to just check boxes. The good news is that I think you would be fine. You're much more well-written than the average person, and seem to be able to express yourself with only a few spelling and grammatical errors. You probably have the skills to knock out a decent narrative without a lot of trouble.
Leading to my next point: I wouldn't be too paranoid about getting stiffed, having reports rejected, etc. MSCs don't like to just throw reports out the window because then they've lost valuable time getting a report they can't use. It's my belief that many of the posts you've read complaining about this were probably people whose skills weren't up to par and were expecting big money for little to no effort. Yes, some experienced shoppers do vent on here about their difficulties with a specific company, but those are the exceptions to the rule. I've never had a report rejected without pay; I've had a few returned to me for minor corrections or clarification, and the editors who did so were always very polite and friendly.
You're right: signing up with all those MSCs does take months. I'd been doing this for some time and had basically taught myself the business before I discovered this forum. I'm signed up with about 100 companies and am slowly making my way through the list of companies on this website. On my last full day of mystery shopping, I worked about 12 hours and cleared $195, plus a free meal at one of my favorite restaurants. It was a good day.
And just in case I'm one of the "negative people" who doesn't help, I'm going to explain my "sigh" in response to the OP's question.
I was in a helping mood, and had just written a lengthy post to that same forum member on another thread, explaining the payment process of most MSCs and why it often takes quite a long time to get your money. After that, I opened this thread and saw the same member asking what has come to be the most redundant question of all time on this forum. They have five posts and if they had really been shopping for 2 years as they claim, they would probably understand that there is no real answer to this question. There are no shortcuts.
If you DON'T live in my area, I can't tell you what the best companies are because I don't know what a particular company offers where you live, or what kinds of shops you're interested in doing.
If you DO live in my area, I'd be shooting myself in the foot by telling you about my most lucrative job opportunities.
*sigh*

Pinchers, thank you very much for your feedback. I am starting to understand the business better. I have spent this morning searching through several MSC reviews on this forum, yelp, and other forums and made several notes. It seems that there are many companies that actually do have very positive reviews for the most part (I just wish that someone could've just told me on here, so I didn't have to look through all these links to see how these companies are in terms of on time payment (most important to me) and have an easy application process with some simple jobs. I am not looking for high paying/long narrative jobs. I am only looking for fun, fast, easy, check the box companies that pay on time! My largest source of income comes from my full time job, so I would not be much of a competition problem for any of you. I apologize for using the word "selfish", but I just found it aggravating that I had to search through all of your reviews myself because many of you couldn't give me a simple list of positive, fast paying, easy gig companies right here.

Remember when Minnie said this: (I'm quoting it from the thread stickied in the new shoppers area.)

If you're just getting started, welcome to the wonderful world of mystery shopping. New shoppers often come to this forum and within a short time of joining, they ask for a list of the best mystery shopping companies (MSCs). They get surprised when they're not immediately provided with what one called "the best of the best of the best." There are multiple reasons.

First of all, many experienced shoppers have spent years researching, tracking and researching some more to compile a list of what they consider the best companies. This list is a valuable resource that they've worked hard to create. If you ask that it be handed to you with no effort on your part, it's the equivalent of you getting out of a taxi at the 25th mile of a marathon and expecting someone who's run the entire race to carry you to the finish.

Second, you must be prepared to work hard and spend a lot of time reading, searching and keeping great records. If you're not prepared to do this, you should know up front that you will not succeed at mystery shopping.

Third, even if a list of the "best" companies was given to you, it wouldn't necessarily be a list of the best companies for you. MSCs can be regional, national or international. They may have no jobs in your area. Shoppers may prefer MSCs with a certain type of client, and you may have no interest in that same client. They may take three months to pay, which some don't mind and others do.

There is a link to a list at the bottom of each forum page that will direct you to legitimate MSCs. Experienced shoppers recommend that you sign up for a minimum of 100 if you want to get a good idea of what types of jobs are out there (and who offers them.)

This forum really has a wealth of knowledge. Please read the New Mystery Shoppers section and use the forum's search function if you have a question, because it probably has already been answered.

Maybe there's a business opportunity here. Those who are unable or unwilling to do their own research and work to set up their business could pay someone else to do it for them. PM me if you want to hire me, Bharri. I did all my own research and startup planning. If you pay me, I'd be willing to do some of yours. Of course, I don't work cheap.

It's really sad that a so-called teacher finds it aggravating that he has to read and research all the FREE information provided on the forum so he can make money. It should be handed to him, right? This is what we have teaching our kids?

Bharri, you're a decent person and it can be overwhelming and frustrating when you get started. I have a full-time job as well and like to do this on the side for the perks. I considered quitting when I was about a month in, and am very glad I stuck it out.
Someone on the previous page mentioned InTouch Insight, and I agree that they're a great company with very simple reports. If you use direct deposit, they are also the fastest payer that I know of. I believe they're owned by Service Intelligence.

I was thinking if they are finding it hard to find instructions for a MarketForce shop perhaps they should stick to surveys. Even the people who hate MF would probably agree that their reports are one of the easiest to complete. Didn't MF say once their only requirement of shoppers is that they are breathing?

Oh by the way...I only have 2 shops scheduled for today - I got some other things going on. One is to "stuff my face" (borrowing that from Mary) and the other is to get my car washed. Both things I would normally do. But they are paying me $45 plus reimbursement. Thanks to Mary and all others here who taught me to grow my business!

Thanks again Pitchers.....I will look into that company. Jay, you're obviously one of the selfish ridiculous folks on here. Seriously......hiring you to give me a list of good companies? You're full of crap! Forget you and don't even bother posting on this board. I would think it is against forum rules to even try to solicit money from someone just to provide MSC information. Shame on you!!

Regarding MF....i have no idea what's going on. I try logging in just to view assignment details in my area and after answering those dumb yes/no questions, it takes me to a screen that has error codes. I tried on the computer and my phone. This is definitely not ignorance on my end. Either something is screwy with their site or my computer and smartphone both don't have the ability to view that screen.........perhaps due to a compatability issue. Yet, I have no problem accessing anything else on other sites. It just seems they intentionally want to drive shoppers nuts (in which I have seen others say in its reviews).

@kimmiemae wrote:

I was thinking if they are finding it hard to find instructions for a MarketForce shop perhaps they should stick to surveys. Even the people who hate MF would probably agree that their reports are one of the easiest to complete. Didn't MF say once their only requirement of shoppers is that they are breathing?

Give it time. I'm sure Bharri333 will be back here complaining how he/she had a MF shop rejected and will not get paid. Then a little more time and he/she will be back complaining how MF deactivated them.

And then sign up with multiple screen names and well, you know the rest.

It's like they can't read. WE DON'T KNOW WHICH COMPANIES HAVE SHOPS IN YOUR AREA. For example, I have a friend who shops and lives in a different part of the country. The company I get the majority of my shops from has nothing where she is. That's how it works folks. If your so lazy that you can't sign up with multiple companies, maybe mystery shopping isn't for you. It's definitely for people who are self starters. Not for those who need to be told something a hundred times to get it.

@Bharri333 wrote:

Jay, you're obviously one of the selfish ridiculous folks on here. Seriously......hiring you to give me a list of good companies? You're full of crap! Forget you and don't even bother posting on this board. I would think it is against forum rules to even try to solicit money from someone just to provide MSC information. Shame on you!!

Bharri333, YOU are the selfish ridiculous ungrateful new member to the forum and you are making such a good first impression here. Since you are too thick to understand the concept of running your own business (YES, this is a business; just ask my accountant!) and too thick to understand sarcasm, I think you need to stick with your online surveys and let the MS'ing door hit you on the arse.

I fear for your students' futures from the attitude you have displayed here.

@Bharri333 wrote:

If that's the case, please feel free to send me a PM and perhaps someone can help me sign up with these so-called secret companies that actually don't stiff on pay and have easy assignments for quick money. Just for the fun of it, I tried to check out a local shop on Market Force and couldn't even located the instructions! It first asks you a series of questions. Then sends me to a screen with an error code on it. So, I just don't get it and no one seems to want to help on here.

Thanks for coming in today, we really appreciate the time you took to interview with us. We'll let you know in a few days whether you got the job.

On a serious note, I'm really hoping they'll start paying teachers more so school districts will be able to stop hiring idiots.

I found the perfect MS'ing shop for Bharri333...

$2 Cash Advance Phone Shops! No Narrative Required!