Hero Citations with Intellishop?
Remember when you were in kindergarten and the teacher gave you a gold star?
@Liz36 wrote:
I'm getting emails advertising a shop with a fee and a certain number of "hero citations". What is a hero citation?
I have had a scheduler on the phone offering a hero citation. I told them, "I can't pay my electric bill with a hero citation." and stood my ground on my slightly higher counter offer for the job. They caved and agreed to pay me the not too unreasonable fee. If not, I would have been better off not leaving the house that day.
Yes! Just like the Happy Face the kindergartens get stucked on their foreheads when they were extra nice. What fun!
A hero citation is a MSC's way of getting suckers to do undesired jobs for the same low pay.
A gold star at least is a tangible item that can be placed on one's forehead.
A gold star at least is a tangible item that can be placed on one's forehead.
But do THEY claim a hero citation is worth anything? I responded to an email with a counter off and never heard anything.
I have a slew of "hero citations". The only good thing I know about them for sure is that they are better to have on your record than a flake report!
This means you did the right thing and did not devalue yourself. If the job does not pay enough, then you lost nothing. If everyone had this additude, the overall rate would increase. It's all a matter of supply and demand. In rural areas, some can really clean up. In many metro areas, the competition has driven the payment below minimum wage for well known MSC's. This is when you don't work for them unless they call you and there is a bonus.@Liz36 wrote:
But do THEY claim a hero citation is worth anything? I responded to an email with a counter off and never heard anything.
I shopped for some companies at a loss, doing each assignment once to prove I could do it well at each location and then ignore them. When they do call me, they are literally at the bottom of the call list and we both know it.
Now they know they will need to pay me what the job is worth and the negotiation dance begins.
As a scheduler looking for shoppers, a hero citation tells me that you are a reliable shopper.
So definition of "reliable shopper" - one who will take, at the last minute, a shop they never would have wanted, still don't want and did it for way too little money.
Also a shopper who follows directions and completes the shop on time.
I don't see where being reliable has anything to do with accepting a last minute shop for no bonus and going out of your way for a promise of a future shop assignment at base pay. Most reliable shoppers know the value of dropping everything to do a shop for a scheduler and will only do it if they are compensated accordingly. This is how I run my business. If you think some gold star on the website has value to the shopper and convince them of that, then your doing your job very well.
Perhaps we should hand out 'hero citations' to schedulers who are responsive, assign shops requested in a 12-24 hour period and let those of us who were NOT assigned know promptly. Then if there are questions, they get back to us in a reasonably prompt manner and if there are issues getting paid, they will follow up for us with the company. I can think of a handful of schedulers who meet these criteria for me, and those are ones who, surprisingly enough, don't offer me a gold star when they urgently need a shop done--they find the bonus needed or have recently enough worked with me that we have an ongoing great relationship.
Edited to add: There are a whole lot of us who complete shops in a timely fashion, following instructions completely and amazingly enough we do it without 'hero citations'.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2015 06:31PM by Flash.
Edited to add: There are a whole lot of us who complete shops in a timely fashion, following instructions completely and amazingly enough we do it without 'hero citations'.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2015 06:31PM by Flash.
To be fair, this shop has risen to over 3x its original offer but given the amount of work it requires, it's just not enough to tempt me yet. Also the original offer was ridiculous.
I just love to scour my emails and the job boards for jobs with Hero Citations, so I can prove myself to all those Mystery Shopping Companies, and parlay that into future work opportunities!
... said no shopper ever.
... said no shopper ever.
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Could I have a receipt please?
Could I have a receipt please?
The shops the OP is referencing do take a considerable amount of time between the visit and narrative heavy report. I will only take them if I have a free day and they are heavily bonused. I've gotten to the point that I can get the report done within an hour, so that helps. I don't care about the "atta' girl", I do this to make money and I have very clear guidelines on what I will/will not do for this job. Hmmm.... maybe that last part should be under the thread about perks of being an IC - I don't have to take a job if it doesn't meet my goals....
However, along the same lines, I recently took a job with an MSC I had never worked with before. The shop paid well (base pay was commensurate for the work involved), and the scheduler was awesome with responding to inquiries. I was completely shocked when I received a personal email this weekend from the scheduler who said she was blown away by my report and wished all her IC's did such a great job. I didn't receive any Hero Citations, but that scheduler did just offer me a heavily bonused job that she is having trouble getting completed. I'll take that kind of recognition any day!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/2015 02:44PM by KimRod.
However, along the same lines, I recently took a job with an MSC I had never worked with before. The shop paid well (base pay was commensurate for the work involved), and the scheduler was awesome with responding to inquiries. I was completely shocked when I received a personal email this weekend from the scheduler who said she was blown away by my report and wished all her IC's did such a great job. I didn't receive any Hero Citations, but that scheduler did just offer me a heavily bonused job that she is having trouble getting completed. I'll take that kind of recognition any day!
I used to see a life coach pretty regularly.... back when they were called bartenders.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/2015 02:44PM by KimRod.
Well, now you can get FIVE hero citations! Better hurry before they're all gone! 
@Liz36 wrote:
But do THEY claim a hero citation is worth anything? I responded to an email with a counter off and never heard anything.
A hero citation is like a high five essentially.
IntelliShop has their bonus caps for each of their clients. Once you're aware of this and they're also comfortable taking the risk, they'll reward you the bonuses. Don't ask how I know.
Very infrequently shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado these days.
A hero for a company like Intellishop is kinda like being a hero for telling someone their shoe laces are untied or getting a gold star from the teacher for not failing "this time."
@rasky wrote:
A hero for a company like Intellishop is kinda like being a hero for telling someone their shoe laces are untied or getting a gold star from the teacher for not failing "this time."
Right on! I've been a mystery shopper for 16 years, MSPA Gold Certified---I say without hesitation that Intellishop wins a citation for most disrespecting their evaluators, having the most inept editors and in essence, not appreciating those of us who not only do what is asked of them, but who go that proverbial extra mile. Keep your "Hero citations", Intellishop!
Well the biggest bummer (for them) is that they are now offering what I asked for but now my weekend is booked and I don't have time (or desire) for this shop. I've only completed a handful of shops for them so I guess I may not have "proven" myself yet but I have gotten good scores on the shops I have completed and have never flaked. Seems like that should have counted for something...
This just seems so typically intelli-shop. If they could get people do things for free they will. Their reimbursements just seem to be getting smaller and smaller and their requirements more ridiculous. I was often a bonused shopper with intelli-shop because I stood my ground and asked for what I needed, but ever since they stiffed me on a $25.00 pay out to send money to Mexico so we could see their refund process, I just don't trust them anymore. And my scheduler wouldn't contact me to tell me how or when I was going to get reimbursed, but it was supposed to be in 20 minutes and I think it was about 5 weeks before I finally got my money and even then it was hard to do because the instructions for getting the money was garbled.
Shopping til' I drop, no joke here!
I totally agree, I dropped them as a company that I shop for, if enough people would do that and tell them why they would have to change their evil ways.
Shopping til' I drop, no joke here!
the instructions for those cancellation type shops can be garbled. Anybody know how we are supposed to get a cancellation receipt?
I agree. One of the most difficult MSC's to work with. Some of their requests are truly outrageous.
Since their shops are always so narrative heavy, like scanman, I always stand my ground until they meet my slightly higher counter offer. I'm always amazed at how quickly they cave and agree to my demand for 10 hero citations. Not to brag, but so far, I think I'm batting 100 percent! Not sure what I'm going to do with all of those hero citations just yet. Any suggestions?
(heart)
(heart)
I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
but, wouldn't the shopper's rating be available on their shop log anyway ?
I say, pony up with the money as an incentive. Money talks. Hero citations are hokey.
I say, pony up with the money as an incentive. Money talks. Hero citations are hokey.
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