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Bestmark

March 22, 2010 05:37AM
Anyone shop for them? I initially signed up because I heard they had casino shops and I'd love to do a casino shop. There are no casinos in Texas, but I have family in Louisiana where they do have them, and I go over there frequently. I've never seen any jobs I wanted to take. Just got an e-mail about open jobs - a new car dealership shop - $11??????? I've been doing car dealership shops all over for several companies at $25. Is Bestmark kidding? Will someone do a car dealership shop for $11?
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More Discussions About BestMark (All Companies)
March 22, 2010 05:44AM
They pay the same for them here, too, AM. At least they did before I deactivated myself recently. I couldn't believe it. I know you like the car shops, but I really hate going to dealerships. I was thinking to myself, "All that pain for $11? Are you kidding me? I'd sooner take a $3 gas shop!" :-)

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“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
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March 22, 2010 06:30AM
The car shops around here go for $14. Heck, my husband did a car shop and got over the $65 I was offered for it. He made $80 or $90 for another MSC. The rest of BestMarks shops are really low in pay and very high in narrative. I do them only when I have nothing else on the horizon.
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March 22, 2010 07:43AM
The Bestmark car shops have a new report that is speedy, speedy. They are $14 here but bonussed in Boonievilles (not by much) and if you do a route of them they pay mileage. The reports are quick but you have to hold them 48 hours to see if the sales person calls or contacts you.
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March 22, 2010 11:45AM
iblessyah, I've gotten emergency calls from BM about a few of these (offering bonuses). I haven't done a car shop so far, but I may give it a try. I've read about the horribly long reports, so it's good to know that's not the case.

I don't like the idea of the credit check though, even if it's just a soft pull.
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March 22, 2010 02:44PM
The car shops may pat low (they are $14 here plus some are bonused), but the reports require VERY little narrative now. They used to, but they changed them recently. The report is now one page long with just yes/no/multiple choice questions.
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March 22, 2010 11:49PM
I'll bet they'll never bonus them here in Austin, too many shoppers, jobs don't usually stay around long; even the real dogs get snapped up. I do like the car shops, but mostly because I can take my son and he really gets into it. It's a fun thing we can do together, usually right before or after we go out to lunch. He has done a couple of motorcycle but mostly he sticks to fastfood and restaurant shops. I've had pretty good luck with salesmen contacting me one time and then not again, BUT I did a Volvo dealership and had a female salesperson who did not really do a stellar job at selling, told me almost nothing about the car, but has e-mailed me 12 times now and continues to call.......... wonder how long before she realizes I'm not interested......
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March 23, 2010 12:13AM
AustinMom, do they do credit checks during the shops?
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March 23, 2010 02:28AM
nicelytwicely Wrote:
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> AustinMom, do they do credit checks during the
> shops?


No, I've done about ten car dealership shops for Bestmark in the past couple months and none have even mentioned a credit check.
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March 23, 2010 05:37PM
I've done a casino shop for Bestmark -- it was 119 pages long. The longest dang report of my life. I took a laptop with me to do the shop, but I couldn't access the second page of the form on the website. (There's the first problem -- only two "pages" of their form was 119 pages when I printed it out. It was a nightmare to navigate up and down through all the questions!) They dinged me $50 for not submitting within 48 hours of leaving the casino. I worked until 1 am three nights in a row trying to finish, and couldn't have been happier when I finally submitted it. I'd rather lose my own money at the casino than do that ever, ever again.
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March 23, 2010 06:50PM
119 pages? That's one mean report. That's about 69 longer than my grad thesis. I sure hope they paid for EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING from the second you left home till the second you returned.

**********************************************************************
“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
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March 24, 2010 02:48AM
They paid for everything, but it was horrendously long and detailed ... in all I had to review 40-some employees (cashiers, security, service personnel, valet, front desk, massage therapists -- oh that part was rough -- bus drivers, pool attendants, bartenders, dealers, and so on) for all three casino shifts.

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Candie
Gold-Certified Shopper, San Diego Area
www.factsaboutmysteryshopping.com
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March 24, 2010 03:03AM
I have never done a car shop for Bestmark - and probably won't if they pay only $11, I've been getting $25 from Intelliquest and Monterrey for car shops. But none of the car shops I've done have had a credit check. I talk a little to the salesperson, sometimes meet the Sales Manager, take a test drive, talk a tiny bit more, get a business card, and tell them I'll think about it and call them. None of the shops have required me to negotiate and/or get a quote so I have not done that. The salesperson usually asks for my e-mail or phone number (they already have my name and address, because you have to show them drivers license and proof of insurance before the test drive and they make a copy of it). Then some call or e-mail in a day or two, some don't.
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March 24, 2010 07:03AM
I've not had to do a credit check. My experience with the Bestmark car shops opened up car shops with another company now though. I'm getting $35 for one on Friday that doesn't require a test drive but uses a digital recorder. I did two of those last week for $20 each. Bestmark car shops don't require the test drive either anymore. I set an appointment to come back later that evening with someone for test drive and then don't show up. Gives the salesperson a chance to follow-up faster so i get the report off my desk. The appointment is part of the shop now so you have to make one.
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June 09, 2010 12:38AM
I have minimal experience with Bestmark. They called and asked me to do the electronics store shop, nicely bonused if completed within 24 hours. I agreed. Their site instructed to use I.E., which I did. My question is how to save a copy of the completed report. I tried saving the page or frame to my Bestmark folder, but when I opened it, the pages were blank and weirdly disjointed. When that didn't work, page by page, I did the select all/copy/paste to Word and got the guts of it, but it's not pretty. It was also time consuming. After completing my shop, I didn't see a way to view or save as a pdf. Did I miss something?
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June 09, 2010 01:01AM
I've only completed one shop for them -- I really don't recall but there might not be an option to save a PDF. I DO remember not being keen on their unique platform!
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June 09, 2010 04:36PM
I have never done a car shop for Bestmark, but do them for another shop that pays 25.00. Just re-activated with Bestmark and did one shop for them, easy mobile. Want to find their great restaurants (which I heard they have). I keep getting restaurants in locations I won't go too. Problem with them is they hold the great shops hostage, I hate that!!! I do like Cory....

Live consciously....
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June 13, 2010 08:04AM
Bestmark gets on my nerves when I do road trips and include them in. I have to have reports in before 10 am the next morning and if I'm 5 minutes late with a receipt, they dock me $2. I've told them if they want me to do anything for them out of town, they must give me an extra day to get the report in. I'm going to insist on that in writing before I go any extra miles for them anymore. They already took away the $1 reimbursement for electronics shops and that irked me too. I did buy a gift card and add to it for each one I do, but it's the principle of the thing. Some of those electronics shops can keep you tied up for a while if you have to wait for a person in the shopped departments.
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June 14, 2010 04:13AM
I do auto dealershop for Intellishop for 25.00...11.00, say it isn't so/

Live consciously....
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June 14, 2010 12:17PM
Monterey also pays $25 for auto dealerships ...... $11? No way......I was appalled by seeing that.........
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June 14, 2010 01:41PM
The Bestmark auto shops in my area are $14. That is a bit less than the others, but the report also takes about 1/3 of the time that the others take to fill out.
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June 14, 2010 02:49PM
While I'm doing a report, I don't mind spending a little more time to make more $$....the dealership is a stress at best.

Live consciously....
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June 15, 2010 05:51AM
Their reports require a lot of work for very little pay.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2010 05:53AM by trollydoll.
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June 15, 2010 03:20PM
trollydoll Wrote:
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> Their reports require a lot of work for very
> little pay.


Not the auto shops. Those are some of the shortest reports I've seen. Now the cafe reports, those are a little lengthy for the pay involved.
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June 15, 2010 08:08PM
Reports are short, but the calls to my cell phone by car salespersons just quit after not doing a car shop for about 2 months. Sheesh. I don't like having to give out a real contact. Email would have been just fine!
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June 24, 2010 08:42PM
I only do the Electronic Retail provided it is on my route to other MSC assignments. I try to be short and crisp on my narrative, only $6 worth of narrative.
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June 26, 2010 04:18PM
Bestmark is not getting on my good side these days. The dinging of $2 thing is really getting to me. I was almost finished with a report a couple of weeks ago when it vanished and I had to go back and retrieve it. I hit submit at 10 minutes past deadline and zinggggg it took $2. Another roport this past week was sent on time with the receipt at the same time. They said they didn't get the receipt in time. Zingggggg another $2. Paired with the lack of ANY reimbursement at the electronics stores, it's really getting to me. I'm still going to do five of them this month because I'm stocking a gift card for that laptop dream. Can't spend the money elsewhere that way and it's like having a huge discount on the laptop because all it is really costing me is the time for the shop. If they keep dinging me though, I'll go do something else with that time and then go put that money on the card. grrrrrrr
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July 02, 2010 01:43PM
BestMark pays in a timely fashion but their pay rates are not competive! Gas alone cost more than $8 or $10. Some other mystery shops pay car dealerships shopper $25+
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July 03, 2010 05:40AM
I like BestMark as it was the first company I signed up for. I do have a hard time with a scheduler e-mailing me many offers and instructing me to ask for them via the site, because they are not posted there at the site.
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July 03, 2010 06:26AM
To Austin mom: I've done $20 - $25 auto shops for a company that lately I swear doesn't read the evaluation and bugs me to include /clarify what is already included and clear ie I was on the lot for 5 min and in the showroom for 25 before I found help. So yes, I would do an $11 shop if the report wasn't more than 5 minutes. However, I've heard one bad thing about them re: a restaurant shop.
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