Second To None

August 10, 2017 12:11PM

I just started shopping and I am working with BestMark and Secret Shopper. Both have been great to work for. I also joined Second to None I did my first shop with them and got one part incorrect as I only purchased one item for $5 and I was supposed to get 5 items for $5 so they did not pay me anything,so I email them and asked for communication about the issue as I did a really detailed shop and spent money on another receipt. I think that they just kicked me out of their system. I wonder if they treat other shoppers the same way, I would like to call the Corporate office and complain to them (the actual store that I shopped) to see if they turned in my work without paying me a dime. They could have deducted from my pay at least the money reimbursement or something, but they just lost a good detail oriented shopper. Anyone else have issues with them.

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August 10, 2017 12:36PM

If you fail to follow instructions you fail to get paid. We have all made mistakes. It is part of the learning process. I am sure you won't make that mistake again. STN has always treated me fairly.

August 10, 2017 12:41PM

@TomCat2 wrote:

I just started shopping and I am working with BestMark and Secret Shopper. Both have been great to work for. I also joined Second to None I did my first shop with them and got one part incorrect as I only purchased one item for $5 and I was supposed to get 5 items for $5 so they did not pay me anything,so I email them and asked for communication about the issue as I did a really detailed shop and spent money on another receipt. I think that they just kicked me out of their system. I wonder if they treat other shoppers the same way, I would like to call the Corporate office and complain to them (the actual store that I shopped) to see if they turned in my work without paying me a dime. They could have deducted from my pay at least the money reimbursement or something, but they just lost a good detail oriented shopper. Anyone else have issues with them.

Why would you call Second to None's client to complain because you did a shop wrong and didn't get paid? That would be plain dumb. You signed an Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA) with Second to None in which you agreed not to contact the clients directly. Contacting the client would violate the agreement you signed. Second, I understand that you are unhappy that you spent time doing a detailed shop and will not get paid, but you already know why you didn't get paid: " got one part incorrect as I only purchased one item for $5 and I was supposed to get 5 items for $5." You are an Independent Contractor and you are in business for yourself. If you do it wrong, you don't get paid. Compare yourself to the Independent Contractor who gets hired to paint a house. blue. He paints it yellow and doesn't get paid. Should he complain to the paint company? Whose mistake was it? Take responsibility for your mistakes and learn from them.

August 10, 2017 12:45PM

TomCat, first, welcome to the forum.

Sorry the shop with Second to None didn't work out. If guidelines aren't followed to the letter, a shop will be rejected by any and every MSC. If the guidelines weren't followed, and you say as much in your post, then the MSC cannot present your report to their customer. The MSC isn't getting paid for your report, which is why you're not getting paid. Plus, the MSC now has to find another shopper to do the assignment at the last minute. They'll have to pay that shopper a higher fee because of the quick turnaround. As annoyed as you are at not getting paid, it's even more of a headache for the MSC that they can't use your shop.

Part of your ICA with the MSC states that you cannot contact the customer directly. It's a bad idea in general because the customer doesn't want to hear your complaint; that's why they outsourced mystery shopping in the first place.

There's a learning curve for every new endeavor. Consider it the dues we pay as newbie shoppers. Accept that you made a mistake and move on. Start with shops that have fewer requirements, such as wireless shops or oil changes. Remember that the guidelines have to be followed exactly. There is no partial payment for a shop gone wrong.

August 13, 2017 10:43AM

Let me ask you this- if you hired an employee to do something and specified what needed to get done.The employee only did 1/2 of what you required. Will you pay that employee for doing 1/2 the work? Do you think the employee deserved getting paid for the full or partial payment or none at all? Just learn from your mistakes. A lot of the newbies believe that they performed the shop to a t, submitted the correct report, etc. Come to found out, there were missing info, incorrect grammar, and did not follow guidelines. New shoppers believed they are entitled for payments for something they did not rightfully earn.

August 15, 2017 10:39PM

I have done over 1500 shops for different companies in these two years (Most of them web and phone shops). I have had a few rejections. You learn and move on. When you sign their contract, you agree to follow all the guidelines. A look at the sample questionnaire also helps to see what is exactly required. Don't feel bad. Just be careful the next time. When you get some experience, these shops get easier. Good luck!

August 15, 2017 11:26PM

jainsuchi, Good advice!

August 16, 2017 05:47AM

@TomCat2 wrote:

joined Second to None I did my first shop with them and got one part incorrect as I only purchased one item for $5 and I was supposed to get 5 items for $5 so they did not pay me anything,.

I see your problem Sounds like a tex-mex shop of some sort. Kind of hard to think on the fly when you order and keep it down to a certain price. Have done several luckily I only had to do the first one over to get all five wasn't allowed to count the two desserts as two even though it came as two. Receipt only showed four not
five.purchases.

August 24, 2017 05:14AM

I have had the same problem with the company Second to None. Other mystery shop companies communicate with you and let you attempt to fix whatever was incomplete but Second to None never even lets you know that the shop wasn't accepted. You only find out when you start investigating why you weren't paid that they "rejected" the shop. They don't give a reason why and how do I know that they didn't turn in the shop and get paid for it and just didn't pay me. I had 3 shops that they didn't pay me for. They really give mystery shopping companies a bad name. With all the scams out there if it was a reputable company they would pay the shoppers or give them a good reason why they are not. Just because someone is an independent contractor doesn't mean they don't deserve to get paid.

August 24, 2017 02:11PM

Inappropriate post deleted. Forum guidelines include "add a positive contribution to the community". - Mod

August 26, 2017 09:33PM

I like STN and do a fair amount of work with them. They have always been fair and reasonable with me and I consider them a great company. I know the shop the OP is referencing and the guidelines are very clear that you need to buy at least 5 items totaling $5 or more. If you don't follow the guidelines, you cannot expect to get paid.

"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl -- year after year..."

August 26, 2017 10:50PM

They have a couple shops i do and never had a problem....follow instructions in the future and chalk this up to newness, it gets better.

Live consciously....

September 16, 2017 04:21AM

Their instructions are very clear and they are one of the easiest companies to do shops for. You screwed up. Take is as a lesson learned.

September 17, 2017 03:10PM

I have done quite a few shops for STN over the years and have never had any problems with them. Now that you understand that you need to follow the guidelines exactly and not communicate with the client, I hope this experience will help you become a better mystery shopper.

September 17, 2017 04:35PM

I'm pretty sure I know what shop OP did for Second to None as I have done probably half a dozen of these ones in the past 2 months. And I messed up on two of them. I offered to make the first one right by going back, but unfortunately their schedule didn't fit my schedule and so it was a loss for me. The second one we figured out together how to make right. (In neither instance was it the same mess up as OP's mess up, however).

But here's the thing - instead of complaining about how I wasn't getting paid because *I* messed up. I felt bad because I had let *my* client - the MSC down. I knew the scheduler had been trying to get these shops finished out for the reporting period, so I got online and found a couple that I could do. I probably wasn't going to make money, but I'd at least break even (factoring gas, etc..).

September 18, 2017 12:38PM

@parkcitybrian wrote:

Inappropriate post deleted. Forum guidelines include "add a positive contribution to the community". - Mod

hmmmn...just came across this. anybody have any idea what my posting contained that the mod found objectionable?

September 18, 2017 05:30PM

@parkcitybrian wrote:

@parkcitybrian wrote:

Inappropriate post deleted. Forum guidelines include "add a positive contribution to the community". - Mod

hmmmn...just came across this. anybody have any idea what my posting contained that the mod found objectionable?

Who knows for sure the Mod probably doesn't remember it either. but sometimes all it takes is for a snowflake to complain about something. They do not seem to realize that they are owed exactly ZIP, BUPKAS, NADA, NOTHING.

September 18, 2017 05:32PM

@2stepps wrote:

@parkcitybrian wrote:

@parkcitybrian wrote:

Inappropriate post deleted. Forum guidelines include "add a positive contribution to the community". - Mod

hmmmn...just came across this. anybody have any idea what my posting contained that the mod found objectionable?

Who knows for sure the Mod probably doesn't remember it either. but sometimes all it takes is for a snowflake to complain about something. They do not seem to realize that they are owed exactly ZIP, BUPKAS, NADA, NOTHING.

yep...thanks for the note, tho.

September 19, 2017 02:46AM

The first shop I did with STN got rejected because I misunderstood the guidelines. I do think the guidelines are a little wordy/confusing until you get used to them. I have since done over 200 of these shops, they are my bread and butter (literally because I get a lot of my groceries from these shops). I would keep at it. They are a great company to work for. The pay is never late, scheduler for this client is very nice and responds very quickly. I have been able to reschedule when needed and even schedule shops after the closing date for that period.

September 19, 2017 02:51AM

@Brianneb1429 wrote:

The first shop I did with STN got rejected because I misunderstood the guidelines. I do think the guidelines are a little wordy/confusing until you get used to them. I have since done over 200 of these shops, they are my bread and butter (literally because I get a lot of my groceries from these shops). I would keep at it. They are a great company to work for. The pay is never late, scheduler for this client is very nice and responds very quickly. I have been able to reschedule when needed and even schedule shops after the closing date for that period.

agreed, they are.

September 29, 2017 02:34AM

I did a shop for them a while back and I did not have any problems.

September 29, 2017 02:40AM

They were one of my first companies. Here I am over 15 years later and still shopping for them, just not as much as I did back then because they lost the major bagel client I used to do for them. Bagels are so much better than donuts.

September 29, 2017 04:20AM

When they actually have something that is great, but all I'm seeing is nee 13 to 17 year old for a shop. Finally got one to urinate in a cup that isn't halfway across the state.

November 28, 2017 04:00PM

Yes, there is an almost total lack of communication with their employees, or rather it is one-directional, they ask the questions and you answer, they won't answer your Q's. When they reject a shop they don't even seem to feel the need to tell you it was rejected, and why, you just eventually notice a lack of pay. Also, when they ask a Q you must respond in 12 hours, which is just about insane. I've had them ask Q's in the middle of a holiday, too. It's like they are trying to find a reason not to pay.

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