You could have sent me a PM if you wanted to avoid questioning me openly. At least others have confirmed that ACL sometimes reopens reports for corrections.

What is missing from this thread is a response from the OP to several questions about their response.

@EileenS wrote:

I have shopped for ACL for about 16 years and yes, over the years I have had to clarify or correct a few reports. I have always received an email or phone call from the editor and I don't think in the 16 years, they have ever re-opened a report and had me go in to fix it.

There is really no reason for you to be calling me out! My thought was that maybe you were mistakenly referring to ACL and perhaps you meant another MSC. Relax; life is too short!

@EileenS wrote:

@isaiah58 wrote:

Have you ever had to fix an issue with ACL? Are you questioning my post stating that they re-opened shops of mine to address issues? I have no reason or motive to make a false statement

@EileenS wrote:

I don't think ACL re-opens the shop after it is in "submitted" status. The editor phones/emails/texts, gets the point clarified and takes care of it.

@roflwofl wrote:

@RCrecelius wrote:

I don't even know where to start. There's a big difference betwee ..When I found the company, I originally applied for two jobs. One of these was an Editor position.]

You did an excellent job roflwofi with your response to RCrecelius. I was thinking of writing something but you have done it for me. Thanks. Sandyf

I am new to this forum but not to mystery shopping. I have never had an issue with ACL. In fact, I did a restaurant shop for them this past weekend. The editor called me today because I failed to mention a "no" response in my narrative. She called my house (I was at work), emailed me, and called my cell phone. I answered her over the phone and she was very polite. She also sent me an email after thanking me for taking her call and clarifying my answer. Again, I have never had an issue wit ACL.

Some of us have been with certain companies for a very long time and have never had issues. But all it takes is one miscommunication/technical snafu and then, someone does have a problem. I too have never had a problem with ACL, and have been with them since 2002...but all it takes is one person and one issue and then there's a problem...for that person. I can't discredit or discount the OP's circumstance.

ACL has always addressed me by phone or email if they need clarification or additional information. I have found when writing your narratives, address and comment on every question asked regardless if it is a positive or negative response. Although this seems redundant, ACL wants detailed and confirmed reports. Once I began reviewing every question in my narrative, I had no more questions about my reports. Be professional and complete. You won't get rich with ACL fees, but you will be eligible for some very nice shops if you do your job well. ACL gets A plus in my book.

I do a lot for them because I like to eat out. My experience has been that their fine dining reimbursements are very generous and I can usually order pretty much on the menu that I want without going out of pocket. My biggest issue is that I like to be sure I spend it all - I hate leaving money on the table. Their casual dining shops tend to be a little cheap on the reimbursement, usually covering only the bare minimum and the lowest-priced menu items. Add, for many of their casual dining shops, they are starting to require multiple photographs. I am not willing to do as many of their casual dining shops because there are so many dining shops for multiple companies that I don't usually bother with shops that will put me out of pocket.

I have noticed that there has apparently been some pushback from shoppers and ACL seems to be rethinking many of its casual dining shops. I noticed that one shop, which required 5 photos, including bathroom photos, has been cut back to 3 photos. Another shop, which required 2 beverages, a side, and 2 entrees, and had a reimbursement that did not cover the cost of all items, has been changed to required only 2 entrees and 1 beverage. I might accept that shop now.

I have never had problems with ACL. They are nice folks, easy graders, and willing to work with the shoppers. They will do almost anything to help the shopper complete an assignment and report so they can use the shop. Usually, shops are edited almost immediately, even on weekends. I've never e-mailed them and not received a response. They answer the phone when you call. This company is very reachable and communicative.

I have always found ACL great to work for and never have they been anything but upfront and fair. One of their scheduler Bree Decare, always goes out of her way to help a shopper. ACL is one of the very best MS companies!

ACL can get on my nerves, they always have follow up questions no matter what, however, when answered they are satisfied, they call you to remind you of a shop and send reminders. One of the more organized companies.

I actually had the client ask me questions after my report was submitted. I had shopped a local restaurant and noted the bathroom was dirty and needed remodeling. Pictures were not required for this shop but I took some of the bathroom. The client asked questions regarding the bathroom and I sent the pictures. The next time I went to the restaurant, the bathroom had been updated.

The client contacted you directly?

A special note: I was a journalism major in college. The first thing I learned as a college as a cub reporter doing a regular beat on the college campus was who, what, when, where and how. I was also introduced the little booklet that has been the vanguard of newspaper editors and reporters; Strunk and White, The Elements of Style. If you truly want to write the best reports, buy a copy of The Elements of Style. If you don't have the money or you don't want to wait for the book to arrive. There is an online version of the PDF version Struck and White, the Elements of Style

[faculty.washington.edu]

If you don't really have the time to download or bookmark the page for reference, print it out, the use one of the 18,800,000 bookmark search results found in Google, Use Microsoft Word to check your spelling, and to check your grammar.

When working as a cub reporter on the college newspaper, nothing would drive my editor up wall more than to have to do a rewrite of my syntax, punctuation, and description of what I was reporting. (Spoiler Alert: Your reviewer will not correct your punctuation, your syntax nor will they try to second guess what you missed in the report.)

Most of the time, the schedulers will not see the report you submit. Most of the time when you hit the submit button the report is sent directly to the reviewer. The reviewer probably has more reviews to do than yours, and if your report is over twenty-four hours old it becomes a SNAFU. If your report is forty-eight hours old it becomes FUBB. And finally it becomes SUSFU if your report is over seventy-hours old.

I'm going to guess that some of you may have had military training. Usually when you get a report that is returned that you thought was the best thing since Ernest Hemingway, you say to yourself; Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

(if you're not sure what these acronyms mean, use Google. If you are ex-military then you already know what these acronyms mean.)

Consider your reviewer as an editor of newspaper. They want accuracy, they want descriptions. I use Dropbox for all of my reports. Every one of my Mystery shops has a folder. If I have XYZ mystery shop as that folder, I will have ABC Restaurant. In the UVW Mystery Shop, I will have DEF Restaurant in that folder. It doesn't matter if it is a text file, a PDF file, a JPEG file, all those files will be contained in the mystery shop folders.

And finally, never, ever let your report go twenty-four hours old. I make it a point to sit down and write my report two or three hours after the shop and use MS Word for each block section of the report. I have MS Word read it back to me so it sounds right. After MS Word has shown punctuation and syntax errors and I have edited both, I will copy and paste it into the proper report box and save the MS Word file with the shop number and comment line of the report in case a SNAFU does happens. .

If you let your report go twenty-four hours, you're asking for a SNAFU, if you let your report go for forty-eight hours you have a FUBB. If your report is over seventy-two hours old it's a SUSFU. And then the the mystery shop thinks Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, and considers removing you as a shopper.

I was a was a sales man for a number of years and I apply the law of thirds. Like Planck's constant, it is a constant in sales and customer service. If you have twelve reports sent there is a possibility that three will be returned for further review. Always remember that.

Always remember, the scheduler always has someone over them, usually the reviewer. The reviewer always has someone over them, usually the client.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2016 05:16PM by windmillchaser.

Not to be funny, but best of luck to you in trying to start a class action lawsuit against ACL for possible reimbursement under $50. Would love to see how this turns out.

No, after ACL submitted my report, I got an email from ACL stating the client wants more information.

I've had that happen on a few occasions except it was an inquiry by phone rather than email. I suppose if I hadn't answered the phone they would have written. The call came a few days after I had gotten my notice that the shop had been sent on to the client and I was impressed that the client cared enough to ask for more information. My gut feeling was that it was home office that wanted to know rather than the location trying to in some way discredit a shopper.

@windmillchaser wrote:

A special note: I was a journalism major in college. The first thing I learned as a college as a cub reporter doing a regular beat on the college campus was who, what, when, where and how. I was also introduced the little booklet that has been the vanguard of newspaper editors and reporters; Strunk and White, The Elements of Style. If you truly want to write the best reports, buy a copy of The Elements of Style. If you don't have the money or you don't want to wait for the book to arrive. There is an online version of the PDF version Struck and White, the Elements of Style

[faculty.washington.edu]

If you don't really have the time to download or bookmark the page for reference, print it out, the use one of the 18,800,000 bookmark search results found in Google, Use Microsoft Word to check your spelling, and to check your grammar.

When working as a cub reporter on the college newspaper, nothing would drive my editor up wall more than to have to do a rewrite of my syntax, punctuation, and description of what I was reporting. (Spoiler Alert: Your reviewer will not correct your punctuation, your syntax nor will they try to second guess what you missed in the report.)

Most of the time, the schedulers will not see the report you submit. Most of the time when you hit the submit button the report is sent directly to the reviewer. The reviewer probably has more reviews to do than yours, and if your report is over twenty-four hours old it becomes a SNAFU. If your report is forty-eight hours old it becomes FUBB. And finally it becomes SUSFU if your report is over seventy-hours old.

I'm going to guess that some of you may have had military training. Usually when you get a report that is returned that you thought was the best thing since Ernest Hemingway, you say to yourself; Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

(if you're not sure what these acronyms mean, use Google. If you are ex-military then you already know what these acronyms mean.)

Consider your reviewer as an editor of newspaper. They want accuracy, they want descriptions. I use Dropbox for all of my reports. Every one of my Mystery shops has a folder. If I have XYZ mystery shop as that folder, I will have ABC Restaurant. In the UVW Mystery Shop, I will have DEF Restaurant in that folder. It doesn't matter if it is a text file, a PDF file, a JPEG file, all those files will be contained in the mystery shop folders.

And finally, never, ever let your report go twenty-four hours old. I make it a point to sit down and write my report two or three hours after the shop and use MS Word for each block section of the report. I have MS Word read it back to me so it sounds right. After MS Word has shown punctuation and syntax errors and I have edited both, I will copy and paste it into the proper report box and save the MS Word file with the shop number and comment line of the report in case a SNAFU does happens. .

If you let your report go twenty-four hours, you're asking for a SNAFU, if you let your report go for forty-eight hours you have a FUBB. If your report is over seventy-two hours old it's a SUSFU. And then the the mystery shop thinks Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, and considers removing you as a shopper.

I was a was a sales man for a number of years and I apply the law of thirds. Like Planck's constant, it is a constant in sales and customer service. If you have twelve reports sent there is a possibility that three will be returned for further review. Always remember that.

Always remember, the scheduler always has someone over them, usually the reviewer. The reviewer always has someone over them, usually the client.

tl:dr

There is a way to get even with companies that screw you financially. Going forward I squeeze them every time they offer me a shop I ask them for travel, fuel and toll monies. If they deny it to me then I tell them reschedule it to another shopper. BTW I don't openly say its for last time I was stepped on I tell them it is way out of my way.
I did a auto test drive shop and I was summoned twice for additional information This is the "I" company I only mention it because other companies are performing these as well. So next time I get offered one I will add in what my additional time is worth and stand my ground on it. I don't think any scheduler wants to know, they having a willing and competent shopper on the line and they have to start all over again at square one to try and get this scheduled. Also those dealership evaluations for 35.00 fee are not financially viable. They are 90.00 shops masquerading as 35.00 "fun" shops. There is nothing fun about them there is a great deal of information exchanged and you have to mentally recall what was said and pointed out to you, about the vehicle, as well as what was said prior to the test drive, during and after. Anyone who performs one is making about 6.00 dollars an hour given the commute, fuel, test drive, interaction narratives and follow information requests.