My latest shop was rejected by "the client" because I asked for sweetener for my iced tea in the drive-thru portion of the shop. There was nothing new in my paperwork to indicate that this was not allowed. I have been doing these shops for months with sweetener added to iced tea and never had a complaint until this last shop. I checked the October 2015 paperwork very carefully and there were no changes in the instructions between the first October shop and the one I completed on Oct. 30 which was rejected. Has anyone else encountered this problem?
I was given this shop with a bonus because it needed to be completed in October. Is this something new on the client's part?

Mod note: Edited title of post to delete ICA violation

Hi, skeptic, welcome to the forum. Please edit your post and remove either the name of the MSC or the client. Revealing the names of the clients of MSCs is a violation of the Independent Contractor Agreements (ICA) that we each sign when we register with the companies AND is prohibited by our forum's guidelines.

As for the rejection of your shop, did you order Sweet Iced Tea or did you order Unsweet Iced Tea and then ask for sweetener?

If you ordered Sweet Iced Tea, that is an allowable choice so your shop should not have been disallowed. If you ordered Unsweet Iced Tea and then asked for sweetener, I can understand why your shop would be disallowed. The shop's guidelines say "Do not make any special requests, such as no ice or light ice in your beverage or no salt on your fries."

This requirement is because timing is very important to these shops. Anything that may increase the timing is not allowed. Asking for sweetener would be a special request and it might add t the timing of your service.

The instructions I received when I took the shopper certification test include cream or sugar as one of the options for the condiment that shoppers are required to request. This may be different from the current guidelines, since I took that test 6 months ago. Or, you may have ordered sweetener AND another allowed condiment (ketchup, salt, pepper) and they counted it as 2 condiments and rejected it. Though, I take my coffee with both cream and sugar and have never gotten into trouble for it.

I ordered only sweetener, no other condiment. I never had trouble before this shop.

I've read both MSCs instructions, they are almost identical. Sugar/sweetener and cream for breakfast coffee is not the same as asking for sweetener (artificial) for your lunch beverage. If the sweetener was listed on the receipt, it becomes a special request. Same if you ask them to mix the teas, or mix coke with sprite, that's also a special request. I learned the hard way, I'd assume many that answer this have done the same.

[client name deleted] must be EXACT. You cannot order anything extra for the drinks with lunch/dinner. It may be different for coffee for breakfast. For Lunch/dinner the only request you make is for ketchup when you order or the exact special order option listed in the directions for a special order shop.. If you don't get it when you get your order, you keep your mouth shut and go on your way.

You cannot ask for ANYTHING when you get your order, unless an item (entree, side, drink( is completely missing.

It may be possible that you did that in the past and they missed it....I wouldn't bring that to their attention. I know I have realized I screwed up a small detail after the fact or just omitted a detail from the report and it was never caught.

You would think if you got your food, stopped the timing, then asked for sweetener it would be okay....but I could see that being rejected.

NOTE: I DID NOT VIOLATE ANYTHING..I ONLY LISTED THE CLIENT....ITS NOT MY FAULT THE OP HAD BOTH LISTED AND HAD NOT REMOVED ONE OR THE OTHER BEFORE I POSTED. IT IS NOT MY FAULT THAT WHEN IT WAS FINALLY EDITED THEY REMOVED THE CLIENT INSTEAD OF THE MSC.


I DID NOT VIOLATE THE FORUM RULES OR ICA


I WOULDN"T BE SO ANNOYED IF THE SO CALLED MOD WASN"T SO LAX IN ADDRESSING THE BULLYING THAT GOES ON HERE

Mod note: Edited to remove ICA violation and violation of forum rules

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2015 05:05AM by jmitw.

They missed it every time for at least six months

Here's how the pdf I have defines additional condiments:
Coffee -- Cream or sugar
Fries / Hash browns -- Ketchup, salt or pepper
Iced Tea -- Sugar

So the issue is that you ordered sweetener, rather than sugar, for your iced tea, I guess? I would have never thought they were any different, timing-wise. And probably most people didn't put it on the receipt, so it didn't get caught in previous shops. I did one shop where the person actually put the salt & pepper I asked for at the drive-thru onto the receipt with a $0 charge--usually they just say "OK" and then forget to add it to the bag.

If the instructions are the same as what alterego posted, I'd copy that back to them and argue your case.

Even MSCs can make a mistake. If so, the rejection can be overruled, if appealed.

I have experienced inconsistencies as well, and it is frustrating. I would email the help desk and ask for clarification. Past ordering experiences on accepted shops may not be a defense. I had something similar happen with hash browns. Same, but different, for my husband and honey mustard. We were sure to save the help desk's answer, so going forward, we have something as carved in stone as possible - unless of course, guidelines change.

I think if you must have sweetener and it would be a violation to order it, what about bringing your own sweetener and adding it to your tea?

Sunny, I like the way you think! Indeed, have your little packets of sweetener handy, and you'll never have another shop rejected for ordering sweetener (which is absolutely NOT the same thing as ordering sweet tea).

I read the guidelines from the main MSC, they do not include the information that @Alter_Ego provided. Pretty much, ask for salt and pepper with breakfast, ask for ketchup with lunch/dinner.

This means, ask for anything else and risk having your shop rejected.

@isaiah58 wrote:

I read the guidelines from the main MSC, they do not include the information that @Alter_Ego provided. Pretty much, ask for salt and pepper with breakfast, ask for ketchup with lunch/dinner.

This means, ask for anything else and risk having your shop rejected.

That is exactly what my guidelines show. I have never seen guidelines that show sweetener for iced tea as an allowed condiment.

The info on the condiments for the coffee weren't in the main directions, but rather in the actual paper report form at the bottom...it just says something about missing items and lists the coffee condiments

I just looked at the 1st set of guidelines I pulled from the pile....it mentions cream/sugar missing, but then talks about the cream/sugar for the COFFEE only (says to taste it to see if it was added). It seems to be implied that you can only ask for sugar for the coffee. It isn't clear, but as far as the MSC is concerned it is your problem, not theirs. There have been some bizarre situations people mentioned on here that were not covered in the directions, and the MSC puts the blame on the shopper for not guessing the right thing.

I think that is part of the problem, "guessing".

I actually withdrew from this company's shopper list this week because of way too many similar incidents. The latest was disallowing a shop due to one minor error which could have been corrected. Rather than notify me via email or other as other companies do, and permit me to correct it, they simply voided the shop entirely and said I wouldn't be paid. The excuse was that they are too busy to contact shoppers re. errors so they simply void the shop. Apparently other shopping companies are not too busy because the others are very good about sending emailed "heads up" re. the need to correct a report. Good luck if you stick w/ this company and "May the FORCE be with you."

Go read their new update:

"...
In this day and time with faster reporting times and reduced staff, we do not have the ability to correct your mistakes after the report has been audited."