Tell me what you think about this? Tell me about the error that they refuse to pay me. This guideline is misleading. The title say Will instead of MUST than they refuse to pay me...WTF

Shopper did not push for recommendation for refrigerators, only got mild rec for dishwashers and oven/range, shopper did not ask associate to narrow down options



Shop Details

Shop Type: Retail: Kitchen appliances

Days: Any

Times: Location hours

Requirement:You must call the location before going to ensure they are open and that they sell appliances!



Shop Overview:

You will be going to a store location that sells Jenn-Air kitchen appliances. You must immediately ask for help and actively try to find a salesman. You will pose as someone who is replacing/renovating their kitchen appliances (refrigerator, range, and dishwasher). During this period you will be evaluating many different aspects of the salesperson and your interaction with them (their selling style, personality etc.). The main goal will be to get the salesperson to recommend and narrow down their recommendations to one ultimate brand recommendation for each appliance (refrigerator, range, and dishwasher).




Notes:
Read guidelines and review report before completing

Reports are due no later than 12 hours after shop is completed

Somehow I managed to make my post show up twice. Sorry, deleted one.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2017 07:23PM by roflwofl.

@janeyhoang wrote:

Tell me what you think about this? Tell me about the error that they refuse to pay me. This guideline is misleading. The title say Will instead of MUST than they refuse to pay me...WTF

Shopper did not push for recommendation for refrigerators, only got mild rec for dishwashers and oven/range, shopper did not ask associate to narrow down options

You will be going to a store location that sells a specific brand of kitchen appliances. You must immediately ask for help and actively try to find a salesman. You will pose as someone who is replacing/renovating their kitchen appliances (refrigerator, range, and dishwasher). During this period you will be evaluating many different aspects of the salesperson and your interaction with them (their selling style, personality etc.). The main goal will be to get the salesperson to recommend and narrow down their recommendations to one ultimate brand recommendation for each appliance (refrigerator, range, and dishwasher).

I'm sorry you will not be paid and I don't mean to be critical of your performance, but since you posted asking what others thought, I will respond with what I think. I know it is upsetting to not be paid and even more so when you realize it is because you made a major error.

The guidelines sound perfectly clear to me. They do not sound misleading. A very significant sentence in the guidelines says "The main goal will be to get the salesperson to recommend and narrow down their recommendations to one ultimate brand recommendation for each appliance (refrigerator, range, and dishwasher)." If I am correctly interpreting what you quoted the MSC as saying, "Shopper did not push for recommendation for refrigerators, only got mild rec for dishwashers and oven/range, shopper did not ask associate to narrow down options," they are not paying you because you did not accomplish the main goal that was stated in the guidelines. This is a major error. I would not pay you if I were in their place. It does not sound like the report is usable.

edited to remove a little more of the OP's quoted guidelines because they may or may not have contained ICA violations.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2017 07:20PM by roflwofl.

I have to agree with JaneyHoang. When they specify the "main goal", it MUST be done.

The exact same thing happened to me... It was my first mystery shop ever and I think that I just wasn't as prepared as I should have been. Between that, and the fact that I'd never even considered buying a kitchen appliance before (I've always lived in rentals), I think it just wasn't the right shop for me. Maybe it wasn't right for you either?

@ark wrote:

The exact same thing happened to me... It was my first mystery shop ever and I think that I just wasn't as prepared as I should have been.

Kudos to you, ark, for accepting responsibility. I've done a shop wrong before and I didn't expect payment when I knew I'd done it wrong.

OP, my opinion is that the guidelines were very clear. The guidelines specifically told you the main goal of the shop and you didn't get it done. I'm sympathetic, because I know how uncomfortable it is to not get paid after doing a shop and writing the report, but accept responsibility and use this as a learning experience.

I have done many of these shops, but I have a lot of experience. I have remodeled my house three times and my son is a contractor. The only problem for me is that they don't pay enough for these shops. I have one very close to me that I have done a number of time for two times the pay.

It was a tough shop. I made sure to get specific recommendations, with prices and model numbers. I took home printed sheets. The shop took over 45 minutes in store and over twice that to report. I was not happy. Worth over double what it paid, live and learn. But in my opinion the shop guidelines were clear, just the advert for the shop was less than forthcoming about what it entailed.

I did this shop. I didn't find it too difficult. That being said, I have made a major oops in a shop. We just have to learn from the experience, and move on. I mean really, it's not like it was $1000, you know? I guess I wouldn't sweat it too much...

Is there any wood to knock on around here?

Oh yeah, and weren't those Jenn-Aire ranges amazing??? Wish I could afford one! I learn so much while mystery shopping!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2017 08:20PM by NotAFullTimeJob.

I did this shop once and only once following the guidelines. The salesperson made it kind of easy because she had no problem with making a strong recommendation. That said, I will never do this shop again because as someone above said it is wayyyyyyyy underpaid. I also got a complaint that my shop took too long (it said the shop should take an hour, mine took an hour and 10 minutes). What was I supposed to do, cut the sales person off at an hour and tell her I had to go without giving her a chance to get full marks? It also took me an hour plus to write the review. For $10 it's not worth the trouble. This shop is similar to some other shops I have done for this company in that it wants you to try and get a strong recommendation. I also think that Ishop does a really bad job giving you a heads up on how much work a job will be in general. I think they're afraid that if they do, people won't do it unless they up the fee paid. There's at least one job I know of that I think was underpaid in past months and for this month they lowered the fee which made lots of sense. It can only be done on a couple of specific days a month. Good luck to them getting it done.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/2017 03:08AM by sassymmmm.

janeyhoang I feel your pain. I find that kind of shop difficult, but I have learned to just come out and say, I need a recommendation to help me decide. Or something like that. Then I can say that I asked for it and it is on them if they didn't make the recommendation.

Right now, I am waiting to see if I will have a shop accepted that I missed an item on. Live and learn. And then learn again sometimes.

I recently wrote to the scheduler for this same type of shop for Jenn Air that the $10.00 for this shop was pitiful based on the guidelines and what was expected. If you are going to do a shop, and if you are new please be aware that $10.00 is PITIFUL for this type of shop. I would only do this type of shop if it was so easy that it could be done in about 10 minutes with a short report. The scheduler responded back to me that of course that I did not have to even have to apply for this type of shop. Please remember, that as a new shopper or even as an experienced shopper that you are running a business; this is not a job nor are you an employee. Ten dollars hardly buys the gas to get to the location to even do the shop.

After reading the brief description of the shop, I was stupefied to see they offered only $10 for all that effort. You have to discuss 3 different appliances, and depending on how the salesperson leads the conversation, you might have to discuss multiple manufacturers. That is 3 different shops. The shops are bonused now, $5, but still not worth. The individual shops are usually $15 each, so this is a minimum of a $45 shop.

ETA: another MSC is doing a similar shop right now, but instead of asking for a recommendation, you state which manufacturer you want, and don't ask about any others. It pays $15 base, which is still too little, but I never wonder if I won't be paid by this MSC. With Intelli, it's always a gamble.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2017 02:11AM by ChrisCooper.

I just did one of these bonused. I'm irritated because they sent me to the clearance place but the phone number is for the main location. I actually liked the location and the sales person, but I asked as soon as I made the phone call if I was going to the right place, <crickets> I finally did the shop today and I didn't notice that the business card didn't match the clearance location but had the main address until after I submitted. I did geoverify, so that should handle it.

I do think that I should have gotten a reply.

All in all it was a good experience and I know where I'm going the next time an appliance fails.

I was also irritated because they said no mobile phone / devices. Who shops anywhere these days without on. Though I didn't need it, the sales person printed everything out for me and handed it to.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2017 10:14PM by dulcew.

Totally worthless company. They can't even get the right store location on their sticky notes. When I emailed them to let them know there was no store at the location they sent me to, I got no response for over three days. Then, the proofreader sends an email with an address to a store I was never even told about in my shop instructions. Needless to say, waste of time, gas, and effort. When I went back to my shop log, they had changed the address to the one given by the proofreader. Do they really think people don't print the paperwork out? Still no response from anyone. Totally dishonest people. They are not worth the time or effort. Stay away.

Intelliishop is one one the most difficult companies to work with. I will still work with them until they mess with me. Once they do, they will be gone. This industry has changed since when I started in 2000. Every company will low ball the payments. I only will take assignments of $25.00 and above. This is FIRM, and I stand by what I will do as my goal. All of you who write on the FORUM need to really set your goals as to what you will accept from these MSC's, and what garbage shops you will accept. i de-active myself from companies all the time if they do not pay me enough. Have confidence in who you are and what you expect from yourself. If you had a regular job, you would expect to be treated with a fair salary above minimum wage per hour, and be respected by your employer. Why is it that you think you should be treated like a door mat in this industry. I simply do not understand? If you are new, maybe this is not the industry you need to work in.

I've never taken one of those because it's clear just from the couple of sentences used to describe it, that it is WAY too much work for $10. I wouldn't even do the mystery shop portion of it for that much less write a report. Not happening, not now, not ever.
Sorry that happened to you Janey, but as other have pointed out, use it as a learning experience. And look for better paying jobs. Good luck!

I get that newcomers do take these low paying jobs, I say take the lessons from it and hold out for more pay.

I took this shop, once reading the guidelines, I immediately requested more money or cancel the shop. Way too much work and sounded like a lengthy report for only $10. I told them I would not do it for less than $30. They cancelled the shop. That said, I have done a lot of shops for this company and really enjoy working with them. I think sometimes the requirements and pay of a shop are out of their control. I have a 9 rating with them so I am not perfect either.

I have done this shop in the past from another MSC which paid twice as much. I would not do this shop for $10.

@gbarnes wrote:

Intelliishop is one one the most difficult companies to work with. I will still work with them until they mess with me. Once they do, they will be gone. This industry has changed since when I started in 2000. Every company will low ball the payments. I only will take assignments of $25.00 and above. This is FIRM, and I stand by what I will do as my goal. All of you who write on the FORUM need to really set your goals as to what you will accept from these MSC's, and what garbage shops you will accept. i de-active myself from companies all the time if they do not pay me enough. Have confidence in who you are and what you expect from yourself. If you had a regular job, you would expect to be treated with a fair salary above minimum wage per hour, and be respected by your employer. Why is it that you think you should be treated like a door mat in this industry. I simply do not understand? If you are new, maybe this is not the industry you need to work in.

Please deactivate yourself from as many companies as you want! More work for others!! You never know when a company is going to land a contract that you like...... As I have said numerous times Intelli has a shop that I adore, I would say that I would do a few crap jobs to get one of my favs. Everyone is different but telling forum members that this is not the industry for them because they might be willing to take a low paying job is just rude and condescending. We all have our reasons for taking crap assignments. Don't be a jerk.

I'm with you, Lucky, I try to do one shop/week for companies that have a regular shop I like to do, either for the experience of the money.

I self assigned one of these shops and I thought for $10 it would be a simple interaction. After reading the guidelines I knew it was too involved for the pay and would take longer than 10-20 minutes which I feel is fair for a $10 shop. I asked the scheduler to remove it because I could not commit to the amount of time it would take to do the shop correctly.

The shop instructions seem clear to me. But I question whether it was ethical or even professional to copy and paste them on a public forum such as this. Something about that seems a little wrong I think.

I hope you still got paid for this though. Unfortunately I don't know of any MS companies that will let you know how long the assignment will take.

Okay so i did a shop for IntelliShop. I was to buy shoes. This was a new shop for me. The salesperson was absolutely terrible and didn't want to help me. I was to get a name and description. I wrote the name only and somehow missed in the report the part where i put the description. I was sent an email asking me to respond to a proofreader email and let them know of the description, which I did. I did not look at my emails later that evening. This proofreader email says it is unmonitored. I then got an email from the editor who said my report will not be used as I didn't update it in the report. I responded to her 6 times but she is now stonewalling me. I called the company and asked for her supervisor but no calls back or emails back. Anyone else found this confusing when there is a question? it says respond to: and lists and email.

@Maizy wrote:

Okay so i did a shop for IntelliShop. I was to buy shoes. This was a new shop for me. The salesperson was absolutely terrible and didn't want to help me. I was to get a name and description. I wrote the name only and somehow missed in the report the part where i put the description. I was sent an email asking me to respond to a proofreader email and let them know of the description, which I did. I did not look at my emails later that evening. This proofreader email says it is unmonitored. I then got an email from the editor who said my report will not be used as I didn't update it in the report. I responded to her 6 times but she is now stonewalling me. I called the company and asked for her supervisor but no calls back or emails back. Anyone else found this confusing when there is a question? it says respond to: and lists and email.

I'm sorry you won't be paid. You sound like a relatively new mystery shopper. This is a good learning experience. Anytime you get a request for more information on a shop report, it needs to be taken care of immediately. You should go to the report form, and, if it has been opened to you and is available, you need to update it immediately. If you also email the editor, fine, but the report needs to be corrected ASAP. Then you do need to look at your email later that evening to be sure that your additional information was sufficient. This is paramount to your shop being accepted. Having gotten a report returned for more information is a significant pending issue that needs to be followed closely.

Their proofreaders' emails are unmonitored and the emails say "Please reply to: proofreader@intelli-shop.com. Do not reply to the FROM address INSITE@insite.intelli-shop.com." So they do all say respond, which I've always thought a little odd, but then immediately say DO NOT RESPOND TO THE FROM ADDRESS. "Do not respond" means the editor will not receive responses. Why would you respond to the From address anyway? Instructions in the email give directions to update the report form. I am guessing you did not choose to update the report form because you had only written down the name of the employee and you didn't remember enough to be able to describe her, so you were unable to update the form.

The editor email is likely also unmonitored. You are probably not being stonewalled. The editor has probably not received your six responses. And by the time the editor decided not to use your report, the shop was probably scheduled immediately to another shopper and that shopper is the shopper who will be paid.

Thanks for the info. I did indeed have all the info on the description of the person. I am used to another mystery shopping company where the editor will ask for an update/question to be answered and I will then email them and respond to their request, and it is not possible to update the report. It was a sunday evening when the editor of Intelli-Shop asked me and I had alot going on that night. I thought because it said reply to: proofreader@intelli-shop.com then that is what they needed. I have an average rating of 9/10 on all my reports and usually get 10/10. This one was pure human error and i did not put the description. I have been mystery shopping for 2 years so this one stung. This has not happened before. In fact, any question that was asked, it was about 2 years ago, and i don't remember updating the report. I do so many shops for two other companies that in my mind responding to the editor (in this case the email that says proofreader@intelli-shop.com I thought I was doing what I needed). I went to bed after I responded and did not realize that I got an email back that says this is an unmonitored account. The next morning i got an email saying my shop will not be paid. I will return the shoes. I was surprised that you can't reach a person at the head office in Ohio as with my other companies I can. Intelli-shop doesn't seem to want to hear from people or explain things very well. Their website on FAQS does not clearly outline that proofreader@intelli-shop.com is unmonitored and the From was from a different email. I think they make this confusing hoping that some people get stung no?

@Maizy wrote:

I think they make this confusing hoping that some people get stung no?

I doubt it. When your report was not accepted after being scheduled, completed, and edited, it meant the shop had to be rescheduled. After another shopper completed the shop and reported, that report also had to be edited. So the staff processing costs for completing that shop were double.

Most of us are registered with 100 plus companies and easily work with anywhere from 20 to 50 on a regular basis. You have to know how each of your clients operate. There is no standard for MSCs because they are individual entities.