Shopper's Critique (SCI) has MERGED with Reality Based Group (RBG) over on Sassie!

Just logged in to my account with Shopper's Critique and saw this on their announcement page:

SCI is excited to announce we have recently merged with Reality Based Group (RBG), another prominent mystery shopping company. We will be moving everything over to Sassie and hope to accomplish that by April 1st. We will not be transferring shopper data from the current system over so we ask that you register with RBG so we can continue to use you for our shops. Go to www.realitybasedgroup.com and click the New Shopper Signup button.

So..........don't know if that's for good or ill....just wanted to let shoppers know....I'm registered already with RBG, but I've not done any MSing for them...are they a good Sassie company???

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2017 07:32PM by guysmom.

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I have only shopped restaurants for RBG, but have enjoyed working with them. I have never had any scheduling or payment issues with them. On the rare occasion I have had to reschedule, they have been reasonable. They are reimbursement only, but I like the food at both restaurants I shop and the reports are simple (there are narratives, but only a few and they do not require much length). I do a thorough job and never have questions from editors. They have also occasionally waived rotation requirements to fill a shop. My only complaint: 1) any rare bonuses they give are in the $3-5 range, 2) reimbursement rates do not seem to be keeping pace with price rises in the restaurants, although I can still manage dinners for 2 on their standard payments.

My experience is exactly the same as @linderruth. We can manage the restaurants under reimbursement with a little compromise, I have only received positive feedback from shops and payment is within a reasonable window.

OK, thanks. Good to know RBG is reasonable to work with. Because I don't do restaurant or FF MSing, I guess that's why I've never worked with them before. I have done 2-3 shops/year for SCI, so maybe, if those get transferred over to RBG, I'll get to do them for that company.

I do hope they keep the Shopper's Critique staff they are friendly and helpful, and I like that they answer their phone! I have only done 2 shops with RBG and liked one of the clients but they lost the account last year to the big one!

Oh, this explains a lot! I do shops for SCI, but wasn't signed up with RBG; however, recently I got an email and phone calls from RBG to do some shops. RBG created my account for me (!). At the time I couldn't figure out how they got my info and while the alarms were ringing in my head, they offered some bonuses, so I went along with it. It turned out well. RBG is nice to work with, the reports were standard-nothing crazy, and they pay on time.

I'm looking forward to working for the merged company. As was said above, I hope they keep the SCI staff, too.

I hope Dixie does not go anywhere. She is a pleasure to work with and always available.

Thanks for the postings, folks. I just checked the old link and it worked. I did have to click on the RBG login. The old website looks like the old clunky website with the logo and everything. It was not a Sassie platform.

I did a few shops for the old company and one earlier last year for RBG. My quibble with Shoppers Critique was that its clients were hard-sell, commission-sales companies. The pay was really low and the reimbursement minuscule. The reports were long on narrative that repeated all the questions. The big problem for me was that the point of the shop was to see how much clerks would try to sell you and how much cross-selling was done. It took a huge amount of resistance not to walk out with $50 worth of stuff (that I didn't need) for which reimbursement was $5. (It wasn't buy and return.) Maybe RBG will negotiate a better contract if they keep the same client list. I will keep watching.

Shopping SoCal and Maui.

Nooooo! Whyyyyyyy?! I have loved SCI and its clients. I have had issues with RBG and it's other acquisitions, so that I simply stopped working for them. Oh, the humanity!

*sigh!* I guess I'll give them another shot, if I get those shops I enjoy. Call me Gumby.

I also have worked with RBG. I have only done 1 of the restaurant shops. Would like to do more but by the time I get to my email it is picked up by another shopper and it is hard for my wife and to pick a date because of my work schedule.

I also miss their other shop that I used to do all the time. But I am glad that I get to do them with the other company.

Any problems with shoppers that do not have a MSPA code getting qualified to work with RBG?

Shouldn't be an issue.

RBG is at the top of my list. Great company.

Dixie is one of the nicest schedulers I've worked with!

I've been doing shops for RBG for several years and I like them a lot...never had a problem.

RBG is solid and reliable. Schedulers are easy to work with.

I was a long time SCI shopper. On the new site I'm able to self-assign. SCI didn't have that feature. The report deadline is now 12 hours instead of 24. The guidelines are the same--at least for the client that I worked with most often. I didn't recognize the scheduler's name. I hope the SCI schedulers are still on board with the merged company.
Edit to add that the pay is the same.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2017 10:44PM by ChrisCooper.

I third that Dixie is so nice and always available by phone!

I have a question about the new RBG...I'm used to the SCI job board (even though I hadn't been a "shopper" very long) & how everything was formatted. I think I got reregistered on RBG a little late to catch the shops that would've been available in my area...do the new available shops fall off the job board when assigned or have they just not been put on there? Sorry, I'm still new to this & I had JUsT gotten used to SCI! Didn't know if I should wait for the stores I'm used to, to show up or assume they've already been done...? I know their new shop schedule justnstarted over a few wks ago...(I think!) thanks y'all for any advice... I emailed RGB, but hadn't gotten a response yet...

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Shopper's Critique (SCI) has MERGED with Reality Based Group (RBG) over on Sassie!

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