Unscrupulous treatment claiming missed the deadline even though Editors delayed, no pay and flake citation! See the hero citation and juicy bonus on the senior living facilities? Forget about it unless you want to work hours and days for free! Keep in mind I have done these types of shops for several years for other firms, several dozen successfully completed with reputable companies.

Read the forum, I am not the only one that did the call, set the appointment, went there, evaluated the tour, submitted collateral and report. Waited the exact time for the follow up, evaluated follow up. Submitted report, waited to see if they would contact me. Then they had clarifications (even though the answer was already in the myriads of paragraphs for each section narrative, after narrative and I did those too. It has been said that IntelliShop outsources to foreigners who do not comprehend English very well. I still did the clarifications and rearranged the words, not much to add, reiterated then regurgitated it.

The weekend goes by and on Monday morning the proofreader says it was fine, but the Scheduler sends me an email that it is rejected because of the time frame. But we have emails along the way for progress and extensions granted due to appointment setting times and such. I wonder if they will be using our reports?

I have decided after years of service for them that this Scheduler will be off my active list. I got the same terrible rating as you got. That is simply uncalled for, especially on a project that has lots of phases to it. The request for clarifications if I am not mistaken was days later and I will have to check, but it was on the weekend. I have been reading on these forums that IntelliShop associates are not even working on the weekends! Intelli-Shop, Intellishop, Intelli-shop unreasonable and disrespectful, that is putting it mildly!

I am about ready to leave them completely. I will email my other Schedulers for this firm and let them know that this Scheduler gave me a 1 and give them a heads up. I will do this because they count on me to get their regular rotation of shops successfully completed every month. So that probably kills my self-assigning ability. There are less than a handful of Shoppers in my region and so I do several routes. I expect that these shops will now have to be bonused which will at least be good for someone.....until they get burned as well. After reading how many Shoppers have had similar experiences, I guess I knew it was a matter of time before they would screw me over. I have successfully completed at least 3 dozen of these types of shops and ones even more complex, so it is not the narratives. And to mark me completely as a flake is just downright rude and I will be taking this to the next level.

It is also about their Editors/Proofreaders who nearly always delay because they have questions, even though the answer is right in front of their nose most of the time. In 99% of the time IntelliShop asks for clarification, whereas tens of dozens of other MSCs ask me to clarify only 5% of the time. But meanwhile, other Mystery Shopping Companies do not dump the whole report or penalize for time when they are asking for the clarifications. I am just sick of being treated this way and have been concerned many times after reading about this type of treatment by IntelliShop towards my colleagues. But I thought that since I was still on good terms that I will still keep at it. I could beat myself up and say that I did not listen to my instincts about entrusting Intellishop with projects that have this level of complexity, as the report and guideline seemed okay, and did not come off as needing verbatim. But the clarification requests attempt to get every last detail (even though the Associate who gave the tour is vague).

I do not know why it was not good enough the first time around even though I explained every, no and yes answer and other areas. I gave 3-4 paragraphs IN EACH SECTION of details. Yet the reason I got a flake citation was because they said the deadline had past! Well then, Scheduler, I suggest you oversee your Editor/Proofreaders and when they want more clarifications that if you are that close to the deadline, you take responsibility. You look at the report and decide if you really need it sent back for more revisions. Sounds like you guys have a time management and comprehension problem with your Proofreaders!

In the future, I suggest to my colleagues to think hard and long about taking anything that has narratives from IntelliShop. I suggest you put this on your list of never to do projects and completely avoid them. But it is not because you as a Shopper do not know how to do a plethora of narratives, but because you will most likely have to answer multiple clarifications that have already been answered. Then you will need to reword it and be frustrated. But far worse than that, is they they will find a way to eliminate you. Then add insult to injury, give you an unfair rating (with very little if any communication). Is it really worth it, especially if their muck trickles down onto any other affiliate websites like JSP or MSPA ratings? I have heard that the vehicle test drive/sales shops have also been a nightmare. It will not be long before they lose their Clients because of the unreasonable way they treat Shoppers.

I hope that whoever is going to the next Shopper Conferences whether it be MSPA or the others that you will bring up these type of issues with the powers-that-be. I heard that there are other forums and even a large job board that has a way to rate Schedulers/Project Managers for their flakiness! I read that IntelliShop does not have a very useful phone number (busy or they never pickup or return calls) or Support system. Here on this forum at least has one where can give kudos to the Scheduler of the Year. Maybe one of these days someone will build a site that roasts Schedulers or firms. They can win awards for being the most unfair, the most archaic, the most annoying, the sneakiest ("fun" shops come to mind), the ones suspected of making excuses to steal the report without paying for it...etc.

Oh, BTW I will beat the smarmy colleagues to the punchline and say, yes it was my choice and that is why I am an Independent Contractor. So I can choose not to work for them and leave the bonused shops to them. (Ha HA HA, until you get screwed too!)

May be it's just that one scheduler? And you can continue to successfully perform shops for the other schedulers?

Best of luck.

I don't think it is the schedulers, the problems are with the editors. I did one of these shops for $70 and would not do it again if I had the same editor. I had to report the editor to the top, based on my bad experience. The editor had me re-write the narrative so many times, it didn't even make since to me. I was also called a liar, and this was placed in my log. After reporting the incident the entire report was excepted, I got a 7 (who cares) and all of her statements were removed. I saved all correspondents, emails, and I was glad I did. She/he denied what I stated. Too bad I printer her reports as soon as I received them.

@Shopper8: same experience, including the part about being accused of lying on a report. I was beyond insulted over this and have passed on their assisted living shops since then. I will not tolerate that level of un-professionalism and insults.Why this MSC keeps that editor on staff is beyond me.

I count myself lucky - while I was burned and called a liar by their editor, it was only a $7. shop. Thank God for this forum. I know to never, ever, accept the assisted living shop no matter how much they bonus.

I've done this shop for them in the past. I think it was easier for me to do the report. I was my mother's full time caregiver for 7 years. I used stories about her and her care. I think these shops are best done by people who have been involved in caregiving of a senior.

I avoided them because my mother passed away last year and it's still too fresh for me. I was sure I would break down and cry if I tried to talk about her as if she were still alive. Now I am just really glad I didn't do any of these and won't in the future, thanks to what I have read on the forum. Thanks for the heads up!

Did not matter. I, too, am an experienced eldercare provider, but this was more about endless narratives than anything.

JOHN974 I was also a care giver for my sister, my mother and I am an LPN. I used both scenarios and was well educated about the assisted living.
If Intelli reads this, which I hope they do, how could any editor call you a liar and still have their job?
The recorded phone call was what she called me a liar about. Her words were; "How could you remember word for word what the phone call was about?" RECORDED that we can listen to. DURRRRRRRRR!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2016 11:05PM by shopper8.

@shopper8 wrote:

JOHN974 I was also a care giver for my sister, my mother and I am an LPN. I used both scenarios and was well educated about the assisted living.
If Intelli reads this, which I hope they do, how could any editor call you a liar and still have their job?
The recorded phone call was what she called me a liar about. Her words were; "How could you remember word for word what the phone call was about?" RECORDED that we can listen to. DURRRRRRRRR!

I agree. There's no way to do some shops without recording them. These shops can take over an hour. How can your remember all the details by memory.

One more thing on shops that ask you "Exactly what was said?" How would any scheduler or editor know what was said during a shop? I'm sure some shops have video recording, but I highly doubt they record EVERY conversation.

I did one of these shops and had zero issues... I have received a few from Intelli editors asking for clarification or how I got a name when it was in the report the first time... and then after simply resubmitting it WITHOUT changes, it was accepted and given an 8... No response from the editor when I mentioned that the info was already there...

Overall, I don't seem to have the same issues everyone else has with them.

Johnb974 The recording was the phone conversation which is a requirement. I did not record the shop. I had to write the narrative for the phone conversation which is in the report for the editor and for me to listen to. That is why I answered the questions from the phone recording only.

I have done a number of shops for Intelli, bonused shops only. I have received 7,8, 9,10. The assisted living shop, which is the most time consuming is the only shop that I had this happen to. I have only shopped 25 shops for them over the years.

I did one (Senior Assisted Living) for Intelli-shop a couple of years ago where they wanted a complete audio recording of the entire shop...they gave instructions on when to turn on the recording and when to turn it off. I did exactly as they said, turning on the audio recorder before entering the building, and then turning it off when exiting. I then filled out the complete report. I mean, it was a GOOD (thorough) report. The report was rejected, and I didn't get paid. Why? Because the Einstein editor said there were too many gaps in the report with no conversation; that she could hear papers rustling or footsteps (I was on a tour!), but that she was not about to listen to the complete recording. I got her on the phone (finally) and told her about the specific instructions, which I also emailed her. What was the response? She said, "Too bad...we can't use the report. You won't get paid." Taking my complaint up the ladder (all the way to Brian Caldwell and Michelle Bostater) resulted in the same response...."We can't use your report...too late now....sorry..." i still have those emails and phone call recordings! That was the last time I worked for Intellishop, truly the most unethical MSC out there.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2016 05:59PM by winemaker.

@johnb974 wrote:

I agree. There's no way to do some shops without recording them. These shops can take over an hour. How can your remember all the details by memory.

More bad advice. It is illegal to record a conversation/interaction in two-party states without consent from BOTH parties. If you have short term memory, take the easier/quicker shops so you can write your notes within a short period of time. I perform many shops that take 45 to an hour and sometimes longer but I have a good memory and i can text without looking at my phone most of the time.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I avoided them because my mother passed away last year and it's still too fresh for me. I was sure I would break down and cry if I tried to talk about her as if she were still alive.

I did an Alzheimer's home shop shortly after my grandmother had been diagnosed. As (bad) luck would have it, I got the manager of the facility. However, I know I was completely convincing because I was blinking them back the whole time. She was amazing in her compassion -- but, for $5k a MONTH per person, she should be.

Hm...this is a very interesting thread, and I thank you so much for sharing.

I was an avid mystery shopper from 2007-2011. I had a baby in 2011, and stopped shopping for a while. I picked it back up about a year ago; but it's been quite sporadic. I'm not getting into it as much as I used to. I'm taking my time selecting shops and not becoming immersed in checking my email for shops several times a day. That has given me time and opportunity to go through some notes I kept regarding my experiences from years gone by.

As I was perusing some of my notes, I saw one regarding intelli shop, who I used to perform jobs for quite regularly...at least several times a week. One time, I had a car accident due to an icy parking lot and had to cancel a shop. I got a horrid comment on my profile and two flake awards for cancelling that one shop. As a rule, I never cancelled shops and only asked on a rare occasion to reschedule. I always received 9's or 10's on my reports. For years, I submitted on time and had great observations. Getting two flake awards for one shop really put a sour taste in my mouth for mystery shopping, and since I was pregnant and ready to slow down anyway, helped me make the decision to quit doing it sooner rather than later.

Now, as I am picking it back up again, I see that on my profile for intelli shop, I still have the two flakes and it just burns me up. I vacillate about performing shops for them. On one hand, I want to perform the shops and do a stellar job in hopes that other schedulers see the great track record; but on the other hand, I just want to wipe that company from my shopping list.

At the very least, this forum has given me an opportunity to vent

@johnb974 wrote:

@shopper8 wrote:

JOHN974 I was also a care giver for my sister, my mother and I am an LPN. I used both scenarios and was well educated about the assisted living.
If Intelli reads this, which I hope they do, how could any editor call you a liar and still have their job?
The recorded phone call was what she called me a liar about. Her words were; "How could you remember word for word what the phone call was about?" RECORDED that we can listen to. DURRRRRRRRR!

I agree. There's no way to do some shops without recording them. These shops can take over an hour. How can your remember all the details by memory.

I've never recorded a shop in 6 years. If instructions call for you to remember what was said, that is exactly what you have to do. Every day, I have shops where I have to remember a large amount of what was said, what was not said, how it was said, when it was said and if I was given the proper closing and what was said. I do all this with an awful memory but I learn my own tricks to remember things. That is what 99.9999% of our shops are about: "remembering what the associate said to us." during the shop.

I realize some shoppers have recorded video shops or are allowed to have recording devices. I personally think you need to master the shop without a recording device before using recording devices on shops (that's me) and as Sybil said, make sure you CAN legally record what is being said between you and the other person.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2016 12:15AM by SunnyDays2.

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

@shopper8 wrote:

JOHN974 I was also a care giver for my sister, my mother and I am an LPN. I used both scenarios and was well educated about the assisted living.
If Intelli reads this, which I hope they do, how could any editor call you a liar and still have their job?
The recorded phone call was what she called me a liar about. Her words were; "How could you remember word for word what the phone call was about?" RECORDED that we can listen to. DURRRRRRRRR!

I agree. There's no way to do some shops without recording them. These shops can take over an hour. How can your remember all the details by memory.

I've never recorded a shop in 6 years. If instructions call for you to remember what was said, that is exactly what you have to do. Every day, I have shops where I have to remember a large amount of what was said, what was not said, how it was said, when it was said and if I was given the proper closing and what was said. I do all this with an awful memory but I learn my own tricks to remember things. That is what 99.9999% of our shops are about: "remembering what the associate said to us." during the shop.

I realize some shoppers have recorded video shops or are allowed to have recording devices. I personally think you need to master the shop without a recording device before using recording devices on shops (that's me) and as Sybil said, make sure you CAN legally record what is being said between you and the other person.

People have to do whatever works for them. You do it your way, and others will do it their way.

@johnb974 wrote:

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

I realize some shoppers have recorded video shops or are allowed to have recording devices. I personally think you need to master the shop without a recording device before using recording devices on shops (that's me) and as Sybil said, make sure you CAN legally record what is being said between you and the other person.

People have to do whatever works for them. You do it your way, and others will do it their way.

More bad advice from johnb974. Basically he is telling people to break the law for those shoppers living in a two-party state. It is "shoppers" like this that give shoppers a bad reputation with MSC owners, schedulers and editors. Newbies, please don't take what johnb974 as gospel. Many of his posts are full of false information and outright lies.

There has to be an aggrieved party, anyway. So if you are going to publish direct quotes and use the name and title of the person in your Mystery Shopping Memoir, then hello fines and possible prison terms.

I have a flake citation as well, When I saw that I thought it was rude and completely unprofessional.

@MScat wrote:

I have a flake citation as well, When I saw that I thought it was rude and completely unprofessional.

Do they ever remove those flake citations? I have one from over a year ago. It's annoying, but as long as they keep paying, I'll keep shopping.

@johnb974 wrote:

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

@shopper8 wrote:

JOHN974 I was also a care giver for my sister, my mother and I am an LPN. I used both scenarios and was well educated about the assisted living.
If Intelli reads this, which I hope they do, how could any editor call you a liar and still have their job?
The recorded phone call was what she called me a liar about. Her words were; "How could you remember word for word what the phone call was about?" RECORDED that we can listen to. DURRRRRRRRR!

I agree. There's no way to do some shops without recording them. These shops can take over an hour. How can your remember all the details by memory.

I've never recorded a shop in 6 years. If instructions call for you to remember what was said, that is exactly what you have to do. Every day, I have shops where I have to remember a large amount of what was said, what was not said, how it was said, when it was said and if I was given the proper closing and what was said. I do all this with an awful memory but I learn my own tricks to remember things. That is what 99.9999% of our shops are about: "remembering what the associate said to us." during the shop.

I realize some shoppers have recorded video shops or are allowed to have recording devices. I personally think you need to master the shop without a recording device before using recording devices on shops (that's me) and as Sybil said, make sure you CAN legally record what is being said between you and the other person.

People have to do whatever works for them. You do it your way, and others will do it their way.

Other shoppers will do it their own way, as long as it's legal.

It is only illegal in a court, and then not technically 'illegal', but rather, inadmissable, and then only if one party objects to using the recording as 'proof'. It is considered 'normal' for phone calls to be recorded now....'training purposes', voice mail, etc. Recording happens as a matter of course.

Yes, citations can be removed. I waited for a hard to fill shop and told the scheduler if she could remove the citation, I would perform the shop. She responded that she indeed would have the citation removed, but only after the shop was performed. I trusted her and she held up her part of the bargain.

The citation was for a phone shop, which I totally spaced, ie. my fault.

That's exactly what happened to me. I recorded the session and typed verbatim and they did not pay me. I would never do a Senior shop for Intelli-shop again.

Intelli-shop has been very fair regarding my scores except for one senior living shop which I will never do again. I received my lowest score of a "6". I was chastised by a member of this forum who insinuated I wrote a poor narrative with incorrect grammar and spelling. Wrong. It was the editor who was a jerk. This shop is a lot of work and aggravation. Stay away.

Wow, that doesn't sound right to me at all. sometimes you just can't help the gaps. If the person giving the tour doesn't talk, I don't feel it is always my job to do hers/his by making conversation. I know I have a habit of talking to get them to talk more at times, other wise I feel I didn't do my job. then I got accused of leading the agent. So sometimes I just don't get it.
I like most schedulers its their editors that are trying to do a job when they need to sleep. My recent one said to take a picture of the meal before you eat it. I did... this is how it was served as I mentioned in the report...
And yes I do believe that some companies use the reports without paying the contractor, especially if it has been denied payment yet doesn't come back up on the board for it to be redone. I have had this happen with Maritz.