Ardent

@Rousseau wrote:

@ChrisCooper wrote:

Janalou, I had the same problem. When I tried to place my order online, it would not allow me to proceed without entering a credit card. I was trying to order as a guest. I had to create an account in order to bypass the credit card.

Just change form of payment when CC comes up on the screen. The last option is pay in store.

The "Change form of Payment" link only shows up when you are signed in with your account. If you are ordering as a Guest, then you can't get past the CC prompt. An account is necessary for this shop.

Mod note: Name of account removed to prevent breach of Forum rules about linking clients and MSCs.

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More Discussions About Ardent Services (All Companies)

I had the same problem logging in. So I went and checked my emails and apparently I did sign on with them like two years ago. They invited me for training back then but the nearest one was 7 1/2 hours away . Seems a bit crazy to me because their client has shops in nearly every town between here and there and beyond, is this training really not available online? I am certain nobody has made a 7 1/2 hour drive to take training for such a little reimbursement

It is nuts to think you'd go 7.5 hours for training. The training involves seeing the food in the pans with a detailed discussion about preparation and ingredients and eating it. Can't do that online, obviously.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2017 02:17AM by JASFLALMT.

I suppose that makes sense, but don't seem to have any trouble doing shops for countless restaurants without an in person training. Just wish I could do one here locally, its not like I live in some small town in the middle of nowhere or anything, just that Texas is really spread out

I am getting the same error and there is no place to sign on to be a new shopper?

I went to apply, but that's where I found that I was apparently already registered.

@tbudmum wrote:

I am getting the same error and there is no place to sign on to be a new shopper?

If you are getting an error message that your email has already registered, then you have already registered. Ardent allows registration to become a shopper, but you are not accepted as a shopper until they contact you and you attend a training class. If they don't need any shoppers in your area, there won't be a training for a long time - or maybe never. They do not have a Job Board and their shops are offered through email to their trained shoppers every month, so it would not do you any good to be able to log in if you have not attended the training..

@roflwofl wrote:

They do not have a Job Board and their shops are offered through email to their trained shoppers every month, so it would not do you any good to be able to log in if you have not attended the training..

Yes, the primary way shops are handed out is by email at the first of the month. However, there is an "orphan list" from which one can request shops as well which is functionally the same as the job board at most MSCs. (This was added in the new software rolled out in early 2015.)

@DrSquash wrote:

@roflwofl wrote:

They do not have a Job Board and their shops are offered through email to their trained shoppers every month, so it would not do you any good to be able to log in if you have not attended the training..

Yes, the primary way shops are handed out is by email at the first of the month. However, there is an "orphan list" from which one can request shops as well which is functionally the same as the job board at most MSCs. (This was added in the new software rolled out in early 2015.)

Of course, it is true that there is an Orphan List and TRAINED shoppers can request orphans, but an un-trained shopper would not be able to be assigned a shop, so I still think it would not do an un-trained shopper any good to be able to log in.

I'm EXTREMELY happy with Ardent. Pay is always on time. If you don't like that month's guidelines, decline the shop. I only started with them in April so do not know what the pay or requirements were before. Even with June and July guidelines, I still net more than my expenses. And I've not had any issues with online ordering and pay in store option although it seems to be a sticking point for many from what I've seen on the various forums.

Samshopper, my daughter lives in New Orleans so I have looked at the job board there once in a while. I thought there was only one of their restaurants in NOLA...perhaps a few in the surrounding cities though. In any case they may already have enough shoppers for the one location around there. So unless another few locations open up or one of their shoppers drops out it might be a while before they have training there. Should they have further away locations that you eventually get invited to train at you would be eligible to do the shop in your NOLA location after training elsewhere.

@samshopper wrote:

I am very interested in shopping with Ardent as well, I signed up last month and haven't heard anything. Maybe they don't need shoppers in the New Orleans area yet.

sandyf is on target as usual. I visit New Orleans frequently and they do not have a need for new shoppers in the New Orleans area right now. There are several shoppers that take turns shopping a location.

@zillesh wrote:

I'm EXTREMELY happy with Ardent. Pay is always on time. If you don't like that month's guidelines, decline the shop. I only started with them in April so do not know what the pay or requirements were before. Even with June and July guidelines, I still net more than my expenses. And I've not had any issues with online ordering and pay in store option although it seems to be a sticking point for many from what I've seen on the various forums.

Good luck....don't depend on them though.

Thru training and thru the scheduler I was told you are only allowed a few declines and you are out. Playing the I don't like this month requirements does not work.
In areas where shoppers are limited that game does not allow the orphans to be completely chosen.

@zillesh wrote:

I'm EXTREMELY happy with Ardent. Pay is always on time. If you don't like that month's guidelines, decline the shop. I only started with them in April so do not know what the pay or requirements were before. Even with June and July guidelines, I still net more than my expenses. And I've not had any issues with online ordering and pay in store option although it seems to be a sticking point for many from what I've seen on the various forums.

I like the "senior discount" question. I used to ask something more complex such as how far ahead should I order catering for a Sweet 16? About half the time, I would get a lengthy response with lots of details. All I wanted was a simple three-days or 24 hours and thank me, please, for calling. The senior discount question is a good one. That should get a simple "yes," "no," and "see you soon. Thanks for calling."

Shopping SoCal and Maui.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2017 05:41PM by PuaM.

@CANADAMOMMY wrote:

Thru training and thru the scheduler I was told you are only allowed a few declines and you are out. Playing the I don't like this month requirements does not work.
In areas where shoppers are limited that game does not allow the orphans to be completely chosen.

This is complete news to me. Then again, it explains why when I declined the shops I was offered last month, I wasn't offered any until I requested a couple of orphans.

If we are expected to accept every shop offered regardless of the month's scenario to remain active, are we really still independent contractors?

@DrSquash wrote:

This is complete news to me. Then again, it explains why when I declined the shops I was offered last month, I wasn't offered any until I requested a couple of orphans.

If we are expected to accept every shop offered regardless of the month's scenario to remain active, are we really still independent contractors?

Sure you are still IC's. They prefer their IC's to continuously take on work, just like on-going projects such as at the airports where the MSC's also prefer shoppers take on shops month to month.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

@DrSquash wrote:

This is complete news to me. Then again, it explains why when I declined the shops I was offered last month, I wasn't offered any until I requested a couple of orphans.

If we are expected to accept every shop offered regardless of the month's scenario to remain active, are we really still independent contractors?

I have never been told declining shops will keep me from being assigned future shops. I have many times declined both their major clients and it has never affected my getting assigned future shops. The Asian place is not in my location so I don't shop the third client. I always let my scheduler know if I will be out of town or unavailable, so I don't get scheduled at the wrong time, but I sometimes don't like the ordering requirements or the KQ and I decline.

Are you saying that you declined shops on August and 1st and no September shops were assigned? But then
September Orphans were available? There are never any orphans in my area. They are assigned at the first of the month and if anyone declines, the scheduler immediately reassigns them. I only want 2 a month for client #1 and 1 for client #2, but apparently a lot of shoppers will take as many as they can get.

I went thru training years ago and was told they really want you to do at least one shop per month but if you skip a month infrequently it is okay. I usually get assigned two shops per month and do them. But if you find you are getting 3 or 4 per month and always rejecting at least one I would think they would not be happy. They just want their shoppers to be fairly dependable. The only month in all these years that I did not like the assignment was years ago when we had to order a chicken quesadilla. The rest of the time the ordering has been basically the same for food and occasionally there is a small window to get there. Those I always decline except for the location a few blocks from my house as with traffic in my city I can never plan a 10 minute window. I explain that and it has always been okay. And I have never found the KQ to be difficult. If you are stymied by a KQ just ask for suggestions on here of the best way to handle it.

@roflwofl wrote:

@DrSquash wrote:

This is complete news to me. Then again, it explains why when I declined the shops I was offered last month, I wasn't offered any until I requested a couple of orphans.

If we are expected to accept every shop offered regardless of the month's scenario to remain active, are we really still independent contractors?

I have never been told declining shops will keep me from being assigned future shops. I have many times declined both their major clients and it has never affected my getting assigned future shops. The Asian place is not in my location so I don't shop the third client. I always let my scheduler know if I will be out of town or unavailable, so I don't get scheduled at the wrong time, but I sometimes don't like the ordering requirements or the KQ and I decline.

The Asian concept, if it's the one I'm thinking of (same ownership as the MSC's major client), was shuttered some time ago.

@roflwofl wrote:

Are you saying that you declined shops on August and 1st and no September shops were assigned? But then
September Orphans were available? There are never any orphans in my area. They are assigned at the first of the month and if anyone declines, the scheduler immediately reassigns them. I only want 2 a month for client #1 and 1 for client #2, but apparently a lot of shoppers will take as many as they can get.

Yes, that is what happened: I took nothing for the month of August and then had to "go fish" from the orphan board for September.

Ardent posted on their Facebook page that as of yesterday, one of their main clients has cancelled their mystery shopping program. I know their stock has been down lately, but I'm honestly a bit surprised by this news.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2017 02:55PM by roxygirlie1021.

But I can expect that soon or later..

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009

@roxygirlie1021 wrote:

Ardent posted on their Facebook page that as of yesterday, xxxxxxxx has cancelled their mystery shopping program. I know their stock has been down lately, but I'm honestly a bit surprised by this news.

Even if Ardent's main client is cancelling the program, it is still against forum rules to name the client. Roxie, you be been a forum member for 6 years, you should know this.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2017 02:18PM by JASFLALMT.

Like how they waited until 8 hours before shops to be released to announce.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

@roxygirlie1021 wrote:

Ardent posted on their Facebook page that as of yesterday, xxxxxxxx has cancelled their mystery shopping program. I know their stock has been down lately, but I'm honestly a bit surprised by this news.

Even if Ardent's main client is cancelling the program, it is still against forum rules to name the client. Roxie, you be been a forum member for 6 years, you should know this.

Fixed my post. That was a total rookie mistake. I blame it on the 3 hours of sleep my 18 month old let me get last night. Thanks for the reminder on that!

Canadianmommy, we have no idea how much notice Ardent got about this. It may have been just as little notice as we were given! Or maybe Ardent was in talks with the client, trying to work out another way, but those talks went no where, and Ardent finally had to give up in defeat. We have no way of knowing when Ardent was informed of the decision. I like to believe Ardent was taken by surprise by this as well, and they gave us as much warning as they could!

Ardent had most of their Eggs in One Basket, this news is going to hurt them way more than any one Ardent Shopper. And it is going to hit the Schedulers, and the Editors hard as well. (It is going to have a huge inpact on Ardent, they may not survive it!) And I for one am Saddened by the news. I will move on, I will survive to shop another day. Ardent may not!

Lady Marius
Canadian Mystery Shopper

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2017 03:03PM by Lady Marius.

Ardent was wonderful to work with, and I am saddened that they lost their largest client. I see that they have a burger shop in my area....how do I sign up for it? On my Ardent page it reads "Choose Company" but it only shows that large client.

Send your scheduler an email. I am sure that she can help. I am fortunate to also shop for one of their other regional clients, as Ardent is my favorite MSC. They have the greatest schedulers and are the nicest company to work with.

@DareWright wrote:

Ardent was wonderful to work with, and I am saddened that they lost their largest client. I see that they have a burger shop in my area....how do I sign up for it? On my Ardent page it reads "Choose Company" but it only shows that large client.

You have to be trained for each client. I was offered training for their other client earlier in the year but could not make it due to a conflict.

Doubt it was 8 hours..... Personally, I do not care. Was not at all my favorite food by any means. And the amount of food illness out of the restaurant, in general, is scary. And they went to receipt surveys MONTHS ago. The handwriting WAS on the wall.

@Lady Marius wrote:

Canadianmommy, we have no idea how much notice Ardent got about this. It may have been just as little notice as we were given! Or maybe Ardent was in talks with the client, trying to work out another way, but those talks went no where, and Ardent finally had to give up in defeat. We have no way of knowing when Ardent was informed of the decision. I like to believe Ardent was taken by surprise by this as well, and they gave us as much warning as they could!

Ardent had most of their Eggs in One Basket, this news is going to hurt them way more than any one Ardent Shopper. And it is going to hit the Schedulers, and the Editors hard as well. (It is going to have a huge inpact on Ardent, they may not survive it!) And I for one am Saddened by the news. I will move on, I will survive to shop another day. Ardent may not!

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