@newlight wrote:

I nominate Consumer Service Analysis for WORST of 2015. I have been shopping for them for years, and have an average grade of 8 or 9, always. I accepted a shop to evaluate a beach gear rental kiosk at a four-star hotel, about an hour from my home. They deposited $300 in my acct., and told me to buy three passes @$99 each. I asked what to do with the two others, and was told I could ask that they be "held" for future use, but the "they may not issue passes for someone who isn't there." The first time I went, the attendant insisted upon comping me, as the weather was windy. The second time I went, I purchased only one pass, as the two other people were "not there." This shop was also refused. I was asked to repeat the shop a third time, which I did, purchasing two passes for the remaining balance in my acct. This shop was refused, AND MY MONTHLY PAY WAS DOCKED $300!!! No appeal or explanation was offered. Also, the six hours travel time, and the parking, were ignored. They wanted me to pay for the third pass out of my own funds (an impossibility). HELP! I want to appeal; how?

The "golden rule" applies. He or she that holds the gold makes the rule. You could litigate but for $300 it will cost you more than it is worth. I thank you for the head's up.

I am not happy with Market Force ...audit of a tax preparer that was $30 in 2013 is now $10. I made a rule for myself last year not to consider anything under $15, and that has taken several companies completely off my radar. Without decreasing my income . If it pays that badly odds are good you're not breaking even.

Some of the shoppers do not need the money they are doing this just for fun and they don't seem to realize or care for some of us, we need this income and when they take the shop for 7.00 they are helping to keep the pay low.

I would have to agree with your comment in regards to Market Force. They are the 2nd fastest company that pays me, first one I did for them I was paid within 2 days. I still nominate Cirrus Marketing 360 for worst MSC.

what is considered old? I am too old to do a certain chicken shop - why? I do understand some restaurant/bar shop age restrictions - but I am old enough not to want to go in them anymore.

@Monica L wrote:

@iamloved1 wrote:

Maritz's $2.50 "incentive pay" and A Closer Look for reimbursement only. What peeves me is that many MSCs, including Intellishop, offer a starting fee of $17 then, when no shopper will stoop that low, they are now begging for shoppers to do the same shop for $90. I'd like to see the starting fee much more reasonable, especially if they had an extra $73 that they were going to pocket. I realize that cuts into their profit margin, but $17 to read all guidelines, drive to location, spend an hour with a salesman, remember all the points the salesman brought up VERBATIM and write up the report -- come on! And you want people with impeccable grammar, too??? To All MSCs: Please consider paying us more to give you professional work. Take a note from Harland Clarke and Sales Quality Group. Thank you.

Thanks for the heads up on these two MSC. I applied to both just now.

Did anyone even notice a shopper or two lying about their age when registering for companies? I have found the age restrictions are not so limiting. For every one shop I can't do, there are usually two or more I can. I am frequently too old for some and too young for others. I'm not afraid to ask if the restriction can be waived and it can more often than you might think.

results soon, verrrry soon

Well it's way more than just Mystery Shoppers that do not demand the fair value for their time and talent!! Since my official retirement from Market Research in 2001, I cultivated my skills and talent as a glassblower and sculptor. I invested tens of thousands of dollars in my education, my tools and more. Simultaneously, I attended the Art Institute where I earned my Bachelor's degree in Fine Art Photography. I supplement my income now with Mystery Shopping and Auditing because it is so very difficult to sell one's art at a fair market value when there are countless other artists who did NOT put the effort into perfecting their craft. Artists who rent a public studio and make the same tchotchkes imported from China and then sell them in bulk at prices so low they don't even compare to what I sell as unsigned seconds.

The quality and craftsmanship doesn't hold a candle to my work, nor are the pieces comparable in nature. (Can one really compare a glass sculpture independently valued in the thousands of dollars to an off-center, confetti-colored blob of glass that's supposedly going to water your plants for you? Of course not. But when we're all competing for the same customers in an art fair, it's much easier for a hack to peddle the $10 item to the masses than it is for a qualified artist to have his work appreciated for its artistic value...much less the skill and talent it took to create it.

Follow this same philosophy to your nearest WalMart or other Big Box retailer that somewhere in its past put countless small business owners out to pasture by underselling them on an inferior product, mass produced for pennies on the dollar. ..but there is one common thread we all seem to overlook!

None of these companies--the WalMarts, the Discount Importers, and even the crafty hacks peddling their handicrafts--could stay in business if WE AS CONSUMERS refused to buy their products. If WE AS CONSUMERS realized sometimes--most of the time--cheaper isn't better...it's just cheaper. I gladly pay my butcher--yes, butcher--several cents more per pound on any given meat he purveys. Because I support the efforts and the rewards of a qualified, specialized small business!

Well at least they are paying 12.00 my record for the lowest paying evaluation offered was one company that "While you were at your local grocery store shopping" wanted you to check off on a list and report back to them if they carried certain brands and products. Mind you they actively notified you there was no pay in exchange for the service you provided. Now you have to brass ones to ask people to work for free !! Oh I think I saw those advertised the other ones which are really being offered with inadequate pay are the postal shops where you have to prepare a package of certain weight and size, drive to the location, inventory their packaging supplies, lay out money to post the item and then do a report. I did one and immediately inputted it and then cancelled the other two I had signed up for. Now that I offered my two cents I will focus my efforts back on my options trading strategies.

@Piled Hip Deep wrote:

@newlight wrote:

I nominate Consumer Service Analysis for WORST of 2015. I have been shopping for them for years, and have an average grade of 8 or 9, always. I accepted a shop to evaluate a beach gear rental kiosk at a four-star hotel, about an hour from my home. They deposited $300 in my acct., and told me to buy three passes @$99 each. I asked what to do with the two others, and was told I could ask that they be "held" for future use, but the "they may not issue passes for someone who isn't there." The first time I went, the attendant insisted upon comping me, as the weather was windy. The second time I went, I purchased only one pass, as the two other people were "not there." This shop was also refused. I was asked to repeat the shop a third time, which I did, purchasing two passes for the remaining balance in my acct. This shop was refused, AND MY MONTHLY PAY WAS DOCKED $300!!! No appeal or explanation was offered. Also, the six hours travel time, and the parking, were ignored. They wanted me to pay for the third pass out of my own funds (an impossibility). HELP! I want to appeal; how?

The "golden rule" applies. He or she that holds the gold makes the rule. You could litigate but for $300 it will cost you more than it is worth. I thank you for the head's up.

Small claims court filing fees are $15 in NYC for amounts under $1000. I'd say it's worth it if Newlight doesn't care about working for the MSC anymore. I don't know what small claims court filing fees are where Newlight lives, but I would imagine it's comparable. With small claims court you must agree to be bound by the arbitrators' decision and cannot appeal. You would not hire an attorney for a $300 dispute.

Yeah but generally you have to file in the state/county where the defendant is located and the filer will have to appear in court, so if the shopper lives in NY and the MSC lives in another state, or even on the other side of NY, that presents a bit of a problem.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Yeah but generally you have to file in the state/county where the defendant is located and the filer will have to appear in court, so if the shopper lives in NY and the MSC lives in another state, or even on the other side of NY, that presents a bit of a problem.

True, but the costs are recoverable if the decision is in favor of the plaintiff. The biggest problem with small claims isn't winning judgments. It's collecting them. So it may or may not be worth it to the out of state plaintiff to file. Newlight can report the incident to the MSPA (if the MSC is a member), but I'm not sure how much weight that would carry.

Never shopped @ WALMART in my life, and never would!

Here's the deal on Maui, where I live:
D. The court rules provide that the claim
shall be filed:
1) In the division where the defendant
resides;
2) If the defendant does not reside in
the judicial circuit, then in the division
where the claim for relief arose, or if
the claim for relief arose outside of
the judicial circuit, then in any division
where the defendant can be found;
and
3) If there are defendants residing in
different divisions, then in the division
where the claim for relief arose, or if
the claim for relief arose outside of
the judicial circuit, then in any division
where any defendant can be found.

So, I can file here for $35, and they would have to reply here. That's a plane ride away, as they're on Oahu. Seems worth it, as this is the SECOND time I've lost money for rep's incompetence. The last time, it was $58.21. Think I'll include it in my suit!!!

I agree AA has too many questions. I only did one shop for them and that was enough.

I saw that postal shop. They had so many in my neighborhood that I was going to do them. I am glad that I did not apply for them.

Unfortunately, I was seduced into doing several IPSOS postal shops; definitely NOT WORTH your time! I send Priority mail packages every month for $18. With them, I had to send NOT Priority, i.e. paying retail. So, the same package would be twice the price, and less than the reimbursement. Delete, for sure.

IPSOS has various types of shops for what is being discussed here. The key is to read the 'i' info so you know in advance which shop you are picking up. The 'i' information clearly tells you what is expected.

@newlight wrote:

Unfortunately, I was seduced into doing several IPSOS postal shops; definitely NOT WORTH your time! I send Priority mail packages every month for $18. With them, I had to send NOT Priority, i.e. paying retail. So, the same package would be twice the price, and less than the reimbursement. Delete, for sure.

no offense, but...guess you didn't read the instructions/guidelines, pal. i suggest you seek another line of work or whatever you seem to be doing because at the rate you're going this type of work does not suit you well.

just sayin'

@Orrymain wrote:

IPSOS has various types of shops for what is being discussed here. The key is to read the 'i' info so you know in advance which shop you are picking up. The 'i' information clearly tells you what is expected.

yep...when will they ever learn? shoppers who rant/vent without merit and spew forth misinformation are shoppers who have picked the wrong type of endeavor to get involved with because they cannot follow rather simple instructions/guidelines, etc. the shops that are being discussed here contain simple and direct information as to how packages, etc. are to be shipped and if the shopper doesn't follow these straight-forward guidelines than so sad, too bad.

the envelope please (don't know how to play/make a drum roll)...

5. SENTRY (there are a few sentry-type MSCs but the MSC "sentry" was mentioned many times

4. MARITZ aka MARITZCX

3. MARKETFORCE

2. INTELLISHOP

and the winner for "Candidate for the WORST MSC BEGGING FOR SHOPPERS for year 2015" is...

1. TRENDSOURCE


NOTES FROM THE TALLY-ER (if such a word exists and if not deduct several points)...while the vote difference between #'s 1 & 2 was not terribly great congrats (in a perverse way) to TRENDSOURCE for "winning" this contest.

i received 262 responses (and they are still rolling in) from this site and my personal email with MSC names and/or general scenarios (without naming the MSC) and they are figured into the tally numbers. I even tallied those responses from chronic whiners but i did not tally MSCs or scenarios whereby the respondent obviously did not follow the guidelines/instructions from the MSC which negated his/her shop as those transgressions were not the fault of the MSC. there were other issues dealing with the schedulers for the MSCs and i did tally those as the schedulers are representatives of the MSC and i figured that the MSC should be impacted if their scheduler is crappy.

i had several comments sent to my personal email from schedulers who wanted their vote counted for the MSC that they schedule for.

respondents who posted a few times using the same screen name were only counted once.

here is a short list of "honorable mentions" which came very close to being on the list (in random order)......

Bank shops that require a scenario of having an income of $70,000 (no MSC named)

Tanning shops that are pimped to us as "healthy" (no MSC named)

CIRRUS MARKETING

GFK

HERO CITATIONS from ANY MSC

Western Union shops (no MSC named)


ANOTHER NOTE: comments are always welcomed but...please don't violate this forums' rules specifically any comment which mentions/links an MSC with the name(s) of their client or visa-versa.

This endeavor was more labor-intensive than was imagined and thanks to all who contributed to it.

I'm embarrassed to say that I did take the $17 audit from TS. When I got to the location, I was scared to death. The shop wasn't completed. TS deactivated my account. It did not bother me because I signed up with 20 more companies.

Your correct about this. I stopped doing these shops last year. It took me 6 months to admit defeat but there was always something wrong with the pictures, slices, etc not to mention the pay.

Thank you for your tally and your intense pursuit of the list, parkcitybrien. I find most things I start are far more complicated than I imagine they will be in the planning stage. Giggle! While planned a nice simple chicken pin for my best girls this was proven. It nearly turned into a two-season affair and ended up being fantastic, but much more labor intense than my pea brain thought it would be. I forgot I would need to climb a ladder to attach the wire on top, I don't like climbing. Anyway, some lightness for you to smile at. Thanks again.

@newlight wrote:

Here's the deal on Maui, where I live:
D. The court rules provide that the claim
shall be filed:
1) In the division where the defendant
resides;
2) If the defendant does not reside in
the judicial circuit, then in the division
where the claim for relief arose, or if
the claim for relief arose outside of
the judicial circuit, then in any division
where the defendant can be found;
and
3) If there are defendants residing in
different divisions, then in the division
where the claim for relief arose, or if
the claim for relief arose outside of
the judicial circuit, then in any division
where any defendant can be found.

So, I can file here for $35, and they would have to reply here. That's a plane ride away, as they're on Oahu. Seems worth it, as this is the SECOND time I've lost money for rep's incompetence. The last time, it was $58.21. Think I'll include it in my suit!!!

Good for you! Go for it!

I am not aware of any IPSOS shops which do not require shipping by Priority Mai. There is a limit on the maximum reimbursement which limits Scenario A to Zone 4 and below and the HazMat and DimWt shops require Zone 5 or higher (and the HazMat shops actually are designed so that they packages should not be accepted for Priority in which case you don't ship it at all). What Scenario did you do that required "NOT Priority" - the only way I can see that happen would be if it was a HazMat shop and you incorrectly accepted standard mail.
I complete as many IPSOS shops as I can. I already have 9 scheduled for next week, with more requested.

@newlight wrote:

Unfortunately, I was seduced into doing several IPSOS postal shops; definitely NOT WORTH your time! I send Priority mail packages every month for $18. With them, I had to send NOT Priority, i.e. paying retail. So, the same package would be twice the price, and less than the reimbursement. Delete, for sure.

Yeah, and how is NOT sending priority more expensive? Priority Express and Priority are the most expensive generally, right? And how did newlight get paid if they didn't send priority per the guidelines? As far as I know, all scenarios call for Priority.

@harleymutt wrote:

Some of the shoppers do not need the money they are doing this just for fun and they don't seem to realize or care for some of us, we need this income and when they take the shop for 7.00 they are helping to keep the pay low.

If I Mystery shop for fun or because I am retired and made mystery shopping a hobby I still must get my money.I leave a lot of the offers on the table for the unfortunate. I care about people less fortunate than I.

Shame on the the companies that offer less than a reasonable amount for my time and effort. They only get my professional services when they bonus the shops.. The companies that feed on the plight of the unfortunate will get their just rewards. If they offer a small amount it is not hard to give them their money's worth. They do not appreciate anything more or they would pay more.

I was mentored to find my value that I could offer. That value was helping people, "partnering" with the people I served to create a mutually beneficial relationship. I served people cheerfully , intelligently and with integrity as people do not wish to be abused, mislead or cheated. I was mentored a young age. At 4 years old I was taught there is no free lunch.

Those people who are enslaved by companies who do not hire employees but rather hire human resources to be used until their value diminishes are unfortunate. Their employer will discard them rather than reward them for their service. Some employers make their EMPLOYEES MORE VALUABLE by continuing their education and their mutual beneficial relationship.

People who not have an entrepreneurial background to teach them there is no free lunch are often disappointed as other people want a mutually beneficial relationship all "give" and no "get" becomes irritating.

Then there are those people who do not want a mutually beneficial relationship but want to be wealthy by cheating and abusing people. A person must earn the trust of the people they serve both in business and personal relationships and give value or they will spend their life replacing those they have abused.where those that maintain a mutually beneficial relationship will have life long happy relationships.

I mentored people who, if they followed the philosophy faithfully and was not tempted to make a quick buck became trusted and successful. They want to "pay back" and "pay forward" for the mentor ship they received. It is common sense that people will keep you as a partner who will supply them with a value and they will recommend you to others in an effort to pay you back for the value you give them.

Some of the people I mentored contacted me and asked If I could "do them a favor". They had a client who needed my value. They did not wish to or could not offer that value. They placed a dollar amount on that value and offered it to me. Before I knew it I was "doing favors" to the point it grew into a business I had no intention of starting. Those I mentored wanted me to help people who needed my help and I enjoy helping people.

If you are an "independent contractor" there is an organization that can help you;. I am not affiliated with that organization but I know their value
www.score.org SCORE Free Small Business Advice. We offer How-to Resources, Tools, Templates and even Mentors to help your small business succeed.
You should not be competing with people who are destitute.and taking your opportunities for $7.00.

Quit bellyaching and become a PROFESSIONAL independent contractor (one who makes money offering the value they have). It is NOT "old fashion" to be a business person who is cheerful, intelligent and has integrity, it is COMMON SENSE. People desire a relationship they can trust rather than a relationship they must worry about and constantly be on guard that they will be cheated and abused. If you had your preference which relationship would you like. Offer it to others, Cheerful., intelligent, with integrity..It is common sense.

Do not be misguided by people who call you crazy and tell you. "that will never work." When people told me that I heard, "wish I thought of that first". How many times did you wish you thought of that first.