I recently did a North Fork superstore shop where you have to interact with two employees, giving them the chance to escort you to an item you have asked them about. One of the employees did not escort me and did not offer to escort me. So I just got a follow up email asking me if the employee offered to escort me and did I turn her down? Um, no. But I am wondering if she is saying that to whoever followed up with her. I replied politely that she did not offer. I also stated that I would never turn her down as that would impair her ability to score well.
I'm not really concerned as I have done quite a few of these shops and this is the first issue. But it made me wonder if an employee can actually lie and get away with it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2017 06:37PM by CoffeeQueen.

I'm sure they will lie. Whether they get away with it depends on the client, the shopper and the MSC.

As an outsider, I see a wee opening for a small question with explanation. Is the employee telling the truth as they remember it? Did they escort someone (not you) and remember that as the interaction in question? Is the employee mixing one day up with another? If the employee knows who you are, you are outed. If they have been human and mixed up one person with another, you might remain undercover.

Did you answer no AND mention it in your narrative? They came back once because I forgot to mention it in my narrative.

Hopefully the employee think it's someone else. jasimon1, yes I mentioned it in the narrative. I always double check the no's and make sure I've commented on them.

I do a lot of these shops. Sometimes the employees are very good at helping but some of them just can't be bothered. I see a lot of averted eyes and pretending they don't see me when I'm standing inches from them - that's body language lying in my opinion! I try to give them every chance to extend good customer service but I just have to write what I experience.

I have been lied on before. I toured a la-de-da apartment complex/community that offered many on-site stores/restaurants. The sgent was supposed to offer me a tour of one of the exclusive restaurants, and she did not. Well, the editor came back to ask me what I wore. I told her a dressy casual outfit which conisted of a black skirt, blouse, dress shoes, etc. I looked quite appropriate. The agent said that she did not take me because I was wearing BLUE JEANS. Ha!!! joke was on HER. I don't even own a pair of blue jeans! I do not wear blue jeans! I was like... "Check the tape." hehe

I did a shop at a very small branch bank, years ago. I was told that there was no one by the name of the teller that I got from a brass nameplate at her teller window. Six months later I had another shop there, with the bank manager, in his office. I said, "Gee, that teller looks familiar. I wonder if she also works at a different branch." His reply, "Oh, no. She has worked here full time for many years." I suspect that the branch manager threw me under the bus on the first shop because I had reported that the teller had missed ONE mark. (btw, I was, eventually, paid for that first shop because I had a complete description of the teller in question.)

Another time, I was asked to do an emergency re-shop of a financial planner at a very large, international bank. The first shopper's report was being disputed. The scheduler let it slip that the re-shop was super important because the target's very hefty potential quarterly bonus, and thereby also the branch manager's quarterly bonus, hung in the balance. If my observations on the re-shop were anything like those on the first, disputed, shop, it was not going to be a happy bonus time for that target and for the branch manager. So, yes, someone really tried to throw the original shopper under the bus. Fortunately for them, the MSC and the client, were willing to pay a rather large bonus to have a re-shop done with only a couple of days to spare in the calendar quarter. Actually, it was fortunate for the client that they found out that there was not only poor performance, but also lying happening at that branch.

I have been (making wine and!) shopping now for 20+ years, and before that owned restaurants (just listing my bonafides). Almost always...the employee will lie to keep their job. Blaming the inaccurate reportings of a unknown 'shopper' or 'spotter' is the easy way out. Let's face it, clients have a lot of reasons for hiring MSC's, but a big reason is "a check in the box" - or - making investors, board of directors', and/or senior management feel like something is being done.
Unless the IC is a licensed private investigator, disciplining or terminating the 'subject' of a shop because of that shop, is just not admissible evidence in a court/labor hearing, etc. In the last 15 years, MSC's have all gone away from the PI model to the faceless, internet, almost zero training model. Clients just don't want to pay $4-500 for a really accurate report done by a PI, and the result is sometimes lying by employees and weak reports. If any MSC tells you that some employee is not going to get bonused, is going to get terminated, or is going to be impacted negatively by your report..then you know the MSC is probably fibbing, too.
One final point - employees we shop don't remember us at all if we try to be "vanilla". They may think they do, but they almost always don't!

Well they gave me a pretty good bonus to do this shop again so apparently they believed me. I am quite detailed in my observations. The shops pay well so I give them their money's worth.

@walesmaven wrote:

I did a shop at a very small branch bank, years ago. I was told that there was no one by the name of the teller that I got from a brass nameplate at her teller window. Six months later I had another shop there, with the bank manager, in his office. I said, "Gee, that teller looks familiar. I wonder if she also works at a different branch." His reply, "Oh, no. She has worked here full time for many years." I suspect that the branch manager threw me under the bus on the first shop because I had reported that the teller had missed ONE mark. (btw, I was, eventually, paid for that first shop because I had a complete description of the teller in question.)

Another time, I was asked to do an emergency re-shop of a financial planner at a very large, international bank. The first shopper's report was being disputed. The scheduler let it slip that the re-shop was super important because the target's very hefty potential quarterly bonus, and thereby also the branch manager's quarterly bonus, hung in the balance. If my observations on the re-shop were anything like those on the first, disputed, shop, it was not going to be a happy bonus time for that target and for the branch manager. So, yes, someone really tried to throw the original shopper under the bus. Fortunately for them, the MSC and the client, were willing to pay a rather large bonus to have a re-shop done with only a couple of days to spare in the calendar quarter. Actually, it was fortunate for the client that they found out that there was not only poor performance, but also lying happening at that branch.

That wouldn't be Wells Fargo, would it?

I had shopped a bank branch and the MSC stated that the employee did not work there. She was there the day I arrived. I called the branch on my own and asked for the teller. I was told she was just covering for someone on vacation. On a rare occasion I have called a branch and stated that I thought I left my eyeglasses and wanted to speak with the teller that was at such and such a window and described her. Works great for me. I have also forgot the name when I get to my car, go right back in to the teller and read her name or ask her and say, "I think I left my sunglasses here." Than I say, "Oh, here they are, put them in the wrong place." Has saved me a few times. I have shopped about 2000 branches in 10 years.

2stepps,
No it was
NOT Wells Fargo.

Are we writing in haikus now? ^^

Great idea. You should start a haiku thread in General Chat.

@ChrisCooper wrote:

Are we writing in haikus now? ^^

I did a Bed B and B shop in Phoenix when I first started out. Got paid for the shop but 6 months later I was terminated from the MSC for the associate claimed sexual harassment against me. I finely got an explanation from the MSC.

@ChrisCooper wrote:

Are we writing in haikus now? ^^

I'll leave the haikus to Walesmaven. I can never remember the rules...

@bmttinman, that is pretty scary. How did you find out the employee made that accusation?

Maybe videos too.

I've had an issue with a luxury watch shop who disputed my evaluation. The customer service was very poor and although I documented in great detail, the manager disputed the report. As a result, the editing went on for over 2 weeks as I was asked for additional detail and clarification on literally every negative point. And I had been meticulous in documenting the poor service. It was clearly the case of an employee lying in relation to their conduct and it cost me an outrageous amount of time.
I've never shopped that location again...