Business Observations canceling my shop for no reason?

Has anyone had this kind of experience with Business Observations? I scheduled through ISS my very first shop with them, an apartment recorded audio shop with them last Friday, with a shop date of next Tuesday (so, about 1 1/2 weeks in advance). Yesterday I receive an e-mail saying my shop was canceled, just standard automated e-mail, no explanation or anything. I checked the guidelines to make sure I hadn't missed anything (maybe I should have called the apartments way in advance or something I didn't see), but nothing.

They only provide a phone number and not an e-mail address. I'm pissed off and don't feel like talking to them since there was no warning, no previous contact, nothing. I'm not pissed off because they canceled - I'm pissed off because they canceled and took away points from ISS as if it had been my fault somehow. I'm also new to ISS so just starting to earn points, this dropped my points by half - this is just the rant portion, but I think I read they're really hard to work with? Any feedback? Is it worth talking to them to get my points back, or just a waste of breath?

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ISS is a worthless piece of crap. It denigrates the business by reducing it to some sort of game. I've heard stories like this before. Their game can have real world consequences for our businesses. It is time they revamp their concept to one that is professional and treats mystery shoppers as professionals instead of children.

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.

@ LisaSTL, Exactly!!!!!!!

I have to add my agreement. Lisa described exactly what I think of ISS. I love some of the MSCs who have, unfortunately, chosen to use ISS, but, sadly, I find myself shopping less frequently for them now.

These points are not your FICO score. They are points they give you and are used only with them. If they give you one million points, ...it doesn't matter. One great thing about mystery shopping, you do not have to put up with them. They are not your "BOSS". You just have to go in, do a great job, report accurately what you did and during the time frames understood. You get paid and life is great!!
Don't think twice as you toss them in the dumpster.

@Don - LOL, funny how you mention FICO, my first shop using ISS was for a credit reporting company. To be honest, I don't dislike ISS itself. While I also agree it takes a childish approach to it's "agents", the toolkit is easy to use, probably more than Sassie. My rant was more about Business Observations and their complete lack of communication before canceling a shop that's not due for a week more, and on top of that remove those "points" for whatever they're worth. I guess is simply my work ethic, I don't like being dinged or lose credibility for no reason.

I've been doing mystery shopping for over 3 years and am registered with about 20 companies, mostly as a hobby. I like the extra money or at least the reimbursement while doing things I may enjoy, but I make sure this fits in the time I have available from my day job. SO I'll take your advice and dump BO and forget about it. The $35 I was going to get are not worth losing any sleep over.

What I was addressing was the removal of points. It seems their system will automatically deduct them regardless if it was shopper error or simply a client changing their mind which is probably what happened to you. The issue is how those points are then used by the member MSCs and if it adversely impacts the shopper. Most ratings are for one MSC and them alone. In Sassie notes can be made explaining the situation and we know in the case of a client pulling shops no shopper rating would be lowered and if it was inadvertently it would be corrected. So what happens here if a scheduler from another company sees your lowered score and uses it as one of the factors when determining whether to award you or another shopper an assignment? While it may not be a big deal for a hobby shopper, it is absolutely a big deal for the professional shopper relying on all or a significant part of their income from this business.

@LisaSTL yes, that was the main reason for my rant. Regardless of it being a hobby for me, why in the world do they remove my points.... Oh well. Next...

Have you tried shooting an email to this?

Email: info@businessobservations.com

I'm not signed up for them, but what about looking for another contact on their Prophet site?

[shopper.businessobservations.com]

Then again, I understand your frustration. On the "email" iSS sends out to you when you sign up for the shop, does it not have some sort of email from Business Observations or its third-party scheduler?

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

Business observations in general is a poorly run MSC with one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing.
Aside from the fact that they GROSSLY underpay for the audio/video shops.
Seriously ??
$35 for a video recorded apartment shop with full written report
C'MON

The shop was probably cancelled because they could not distinguish the left from the right.

... more accurately, left paw from the right paw.

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