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MSPA Certification?

September 02, 2016 03:44PM
Ohhh! Sorry, It's too early still for me. Didn't get in until 4am last night. 11am now. Didn't get much sleep

I see what you mean though.
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More About Certification
September 02, 2016 09:13PM
I received a very quick reply to the email I sent MSPA yesterday. The word "platform" is used several times in the response. I believe "platform" actually means "Mystery Shopping Companies."

Several MSC's have kindly manually entered my certification code. I will start using the approach Leah suggested and continue to ask MSC's to manually enter it for me.

"Hi xxxxx,

The problem is on the platform side for this. MSPA is working with all of the platform companies to update their database to remotely recognize the certifications, however until then, you will need to add it in the notes sections of the assignment and the MSP can manually verify it on the MSPA website.
If MSPs are using a platform that doesn’t recognize the certifications, they have been instructed to manually verify it on the website.

Thanks,

Leah Woods
Membership Coordinator"
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September 02, 2016 09:30PM
I just left my profile at MSPA. The words "Silver Certification" have been replaced with "Intro to Mystery Shopping." The six digit code that referenced my Silver Certification appears to now reference "Intro to Mystery Shopping." I do not know when this title change occurred. Looks like the MSC's need to drop their asking us to enter our Silver Certification codes.

It seems that the MSPA implemented a program change while failing to coordinate with their mystery shopping company customers.
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September 03, 2016 01:57AM
MSPA doesn't seem to respond to initial emails regarding the subject and it takes multiple emails to get a nonsense response which has proven to be inaccurate. I remember when some member of their organization came to the forums to discuss some kind of 'black list' which was made...rather arrogant...
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September 03, 2016 02:18AM
Thank you so much for that very useful information! I did not understand what the Silver Certification was, or where it was on the MSPA website. And now, myself and everyone else on here understands why the MSC's aren't accepting our codes. Thank you again for sharing that important info with us!
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September 11, 2016 11:30PM
I'll just add my two cents.
I wouldn't waste the $75 on a Gold Cert.
I did in the last two months join and do the Intro/Silver Cert. though. Why?
Two companies I had done 100's of shops for had a setting in Sassie that would not allow "self-assign" to anyone who did not have Silver.

I am thankful to both companies for taking the time to get my code manually input to their systems so I can be greedy and beat out other folks self-assigning.
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November 01, 2016 01:42AM
I too was turned down by Market Force. I got a very ambiguous letter stating that their requirements were secret and that they couldn't tell me why I was not accepted. I was a bit irritated. Still am.
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November 01, 2016 01:50AM
I was turned down by Gap Buster, but I was accepted by Market Force.

MegglesKat
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November 01, 2016 12:01PM
"Platform," typically refers to the survey reporting system that a MSC uses: Sassie, Shopmetircs, etc. The Shopmetrics platform has a place to enter MSPA and IMSC and other certifications (special video certifications, for instance) in its new version, I understand. I am told by some MSC personnel that MSPA has told its member companies that it wants them not to accept and certifications other than MSPA certifications. At least one MSC had withdrawn from MSPA membership over this issue, according to the company owner.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
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November 05, 2016 10:37PM
I have found all the SASSIE sites are unable to accept the MSPA Silver/Basic Shopping Certification due to a software problem. Both SASSIE and MSPA are aware of the software problem and I am told it is being addressed. I also have a problem with incorrect info pre-filled on some of my SASSIE applications which the profile update does not allow me to correct (income, education, et cetera). One site listed my primary language as Italian! I now email all MSCs on SASSIE, with my Silver Certification Number, corrected income information, and any other item on the profile that is incorrect and I am unable to update. Most items are correctable by the MSC administrator. The MPSA certification number is not and usually needs to be added as a note schedulers can see.

My MPSA certification number has been accepted on all ShopMetric sites. For some MSCs, I am not sure which platform they use. Some MSCs I emailed responded they do not track MSPA certification.
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November 05, 2016 11:23PM
KathrynD,

MSPA replaced Silver certification with "Intro to Mystery Shopping" many months ago.

Don't hold your breath waiting for the MSPA to get the certification mess fixed. They have been aware of this problem for a very long time and have been "addressing" it since about the time they changed the name of Silver certification. Their success in getting this fixed is a joke.
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November 08, 2016 02:40AM
CCC,

Nope. As I said, "MSPA replaced Silver certification with "Intro to Mystery Shopping" many months ago." Please go to their website and check it out for yourself.
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November 21, 2016 01:04PM
After reading all of the information about the MSPA it does not seem to make much sense to bother with this. It seems like a waste of money. Does anyone know if they have updated those Gold DVDs since 2008 when they first came out? I have been doing a lot of research and found this on another forum I was reading. [forum.volition.com]
I am new but since these are 8 years old it would seem they are a bit outdated.
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November 21, 2016 01:58PM
I don't know about the DVDs but 8 years ago, several influential MSPA members (Past Presidents) stated publicly that they would not support video shopping because it was something clients would not value highly enough to make it pay. So, yes, times have changed a lot in the MS world since then.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Reply
November 27, 2016 06:30PM
I'm looking for a phone number for MSPA. I was Silver certified about 5 years ago. After much encouragement, I paid the $75 to get gold certified. (I was assured that I would get better quality jobs and better pay.) I took and completed the test one Sunday morning on the 23rd of October. I've emailed MSPA several times asking for my code # and all I get is the automated response about how they receive way to many emails on a daily basis, blah, blah, blah. (We are in the business of evaluating customer service. MSPA's customer service is a big fat "F".)

Even though I have been shopping for more than 20 years, I recently started thinking about upping my game by getting certified and going to a conference. However, now I feel like a conference would also be a big waste of money if this is the way MSPA treats us.

Very frustrated and don't know who to turn to.
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November 27, 2016 06:36PM
Yes, that is MSPA, all the way. They have had years of problems with communicating certification results to shoppers and verifying certification so that shoppers can report them on MSC web sites. After 20 years of experience, that Gold Cert is probably not going to yeild an increase in your access to shops. Your history and rep are what count once you have established yourself, IMHO. Learning new and more efficient ways of doing shops and organizing routes and getting bonuses it what experienced shoppers need to know, and that just is not part of what MSPA courses aim for, IMHO.

IMSC is by shoppers, for shoppers and you will find their conferences two days packed with info from shoppers, schedulers, editors and MSC owners.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Reply
November 27, 2016 06:46PM
i have a silver certification and i've discussed this issue with many schedulers as well as mscs and their almost universal answer is..."it's a waste of $$$". they don't consider certification(s) when making or doling out assignments. their criteria is past performance (reliability, etc) as well as the time frame involved. short time frame = almost anybody who has a breath.
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November 27, 2016 08:32PM
@parkcitybrian wrote:

i have a silver certification and i've discussed this issue with many schedulers as well as mscs and their almost universal answer is..."it's a waste of $$$". they don't consider certification(s) when making or doling out assignments. their criteria is past performance (reliability, etc) as well as the time frame involved. short time frame = almost anybody who has a breath.

Then why do most companies ask for it on the application? Having Silver hasn't hurt me...just saying, no snarf here!!

Live consciously....
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November 27, 2016 08:38PM
@Irene_L.A. wrote:

@parkcitybrian wrote:

i have a silver certification and i've discussed this issue with many schedulers as well as mscs and their almost universal answer is..."it's a waste of $$$". they don't consider certification(s) when making or doling out assignments. their criteria is past performance (reliability, etc) as well as the time frame involved. short time frame = almost anybody who has a breath.

Then why do most companies ask for it on the application? Having Silver hasn't hurt me...just saying, no snarf here!!

hi irene,

i think perhaps that it might convey the impression that it might be favorable to a prospective applicant to have a certification.

but i don't know.

having silver hasn't hurt me but i don't think its helped me either.

if i had to do it again (knowing what i've been told by schedulers and mscs) i wouldn't bother.
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November 27, 2016 09:32PM
@parkcitybrian wrote:

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

@parkcitybrian wrote:

i have a silver certification and i've discussed this issue with many schedulers as well as mscs and their almost universal answer is..."it's a waste of $$$". they don't consider certification(s) when making or doling out assignments. their criteria is past performance (reliability, etc) as well as the time frame involved. short time frame = almost anybody who has a breath.

Then why do most companies ask for it on the application? Having Silver hasn't hurt me...just saying, no snark here!!

hi irene,

i think perhaps that it might convey the impression that it might be favorable to a prospective applicant to have a certification.

but i don't know.

having silver hasn't hurt me but i don't think its helped me either.

if i had to do it again (knowing what i've been told by schedulers and mscs) i wouldn't bother.

Live consciously....
Reply
November 27, 2016 10:45PM
@parkcitybrian wrote:


having silver hasn't hurt me but i don't think its helped me either.

if i had to do it again (knowing what i've been told by schedulers and mscs) i wouldn't bother.

You and I are in complete agreement, brian. When I started MSing in 2008, I got the Silver Certification because I thought it was required. It cost $15 then, pretty cheap, and the test seemed like third-grade level. I found out pretty quickly that the certification was not required. Within the next two years, two family members started MSing and neither has any certification. They see exactly the same shops I do. I don't feel I get any special consideration over them when I apply for shops; they seem equally likely to be assigned shops when we all apply for them.

Goodwill briefly (for about a year) required shoppers to have Silver/Gold Certification. It annoyed both my family members who had done the shop before the requirement, and one of them considered "buying" the certification simply to qualify for the Goodwill shops. He was glad he didn't because the MSC stopped requiring the certification for Goodwill shops. That is the only benefit I've ever seen to having Silver.

I don't think Silver certification has hurt me in any way, but I don't think it's worth much of anything. It's true that most companies ask on the application, but whether you enter a certification or not, the application is processed exactly the same.
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November 28, 2016 04:22PM
Leah Woods
Membership Coordinator

328 E. Main Street | Louisville, Kentucky 40202
502-574-9033 (main)| 502-589-3602 (fax)
www.mspa-na.org | lwoods@hqtrs.com
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November 28, 2016 04:52PM
It seems that most mystery shopping companies use one of a couple common platforms such as SASSIE. I'm just guessing but it may be that the Certifications box on shoppers' profiles may be a carryover from earlier times when the MSC's might have actually been interested in that information.

I do not know if there is a relationship between SASSIE and MSPA NA. If there was/is, the Certifications box on the shopper profile form might still be there as required or requested by MSPA. It would help MSPA's bottom line if new shoppers paid for training because they thought it would help them get assignments.

Finally, some MSC's might actually prefer using MSPA certifiied shoppers. That's not my personal experience in shopping for many companies,

This is not a huge issue. However, it would be a welcome development to see the Certifications box disappear from SASSIE's (and other platforms') profile form. There would be less confusion for new shoppers.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2016 04:55PM by shermb.
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November 28, 2016 05:02PM
Just found out that they don't answer their phone either.
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November 28, 2016 05:06PM
So for years I've heard that Gold certification is what you need but now I'm reading that it isn't really going to make an impact. I had hoped that with Gold, that more jobs would open up in my area. From what I have read here, that is not the case. I'm a good shopper; I have great ratings. When I joined MSPA it was because I had read somewhere that with certification, MSPs would open up better opportunities that they saved for the certified shoppers. Sounds like I just need to keep signing up for more and more companies.
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November 28, 2016 05:09PM
Arkyoutlaw,

Whoops, forgot that detail. In fairness though, I think I may have had one out of 5-10 calls answered. My telephone call and email experiences are similar. Responses are rare, often slow, and frequently of very little value.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2016 05:10PM by shermb.
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November 28, 2016 05:11PM
I just read another thread where someone said she has to have Silver to do certain jobs..could be Merchandising, not sure. I got mine so long ago (when I started) thinking it would be a foot in the door. Not much money then (15.00), so I actually like it to put down on their app., think experience helps more, but it does show your serious. I would'n tell anyone not to get unless the price has gone up.

Live consciously....
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November 28, 2016 09:00PM
There is definitely a relationship between Sassie and MSPA. Some think that is why Sassie will not accept any certifications other than MSPA ones, while other platforms are accepting certs from Video Pros, IMSC and other shopper education organizations.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Reply
November 29, 2016 07:28PM
I finally got through to a person at MSPA, by posting on their FB page. I'm officially gold certified, got my new number, etc. Now if I could just figure out what good it is. I was told that since there is a "glitch" that won't allow it on sassie platform shops, to enter the information under notes. The firs sassie shop I went to, did not have a notes box. Oh well... It was my personal goal and now I have it. On to working on video training.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2016 07:28PM by Arkyoutlaw.
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