A new scheduler introduces herself to my area and asks us to reach out for October shops. I asked for a higher end dining shop that I've done close to 20 times at various locations, including tomorrow. She emails me back that she can't assign it because of my history of unresponsiveness and dropped shops, and that I will have to do other shops for other clients to regain their trust. Um what? I've never not responded, ever, and I've never been accused of dropping shops. If I'm so horrible, why did another scheduler assign me the same shop, different location, for tomorrow? This new scheduler hasn't answered my email, I'm so annoyed. Is this just a way to strong arm me into conducting the undesirable pizza shop? I'm so tempted to cancel tomorrow night and be done with them.

Sounds like a horror story. I have yet to do my first shop for them, I am leery. How bad is the pizza shop? It seems to sit here.

There's a new scheduler in my area that is trying to get her shops assigned. She sent out a message without a subject. I replied and informed her that there wasn't a title in the email. She asked me if there was anyway she could delete the email. I suggested that could try to recall the message but if the recipient already opened it, it will be fruitless.

Same scheduler sent out a max text showing some people's numbers about a different shop. I replied and told her the shop requires military base access, she asked if I was sure. I didn't reply. I don't even know why I responded.

OP, maybe she confused you with another shopper? I would definitely try to get it sorted out.

OP here: so she emails me back and says sorry for the confusion, but I need to complete 3 shops before she'll assign me the different locations for the client that I requested. She suggested that I do the pizza shops to get the 3 shop restriction out of the way. I emailed her back to tell her if there's a restriction, how is it that I'm assigned the high end client for tomorrow night? I'm so irritated.

It sounds like another ruse to get the pizza shops done and the most underhanded one yet. You wouldn't suddenly have a three shop restriction if you have completed almost 20 successfully.

And I'm scheduled for the high end "restricted" shop for tomorrow!

@RobG wrote:

Sounds like a horror story. I have yet to do my first shop for them, I am leery. How bad is the pizza shop? It seems to sit here.

I did the pizza shop with them Friday (my first shop with them - it had an added bonus) and it wasn't too horrifying....the timing requirements were not my favorite, but I just took screenshots displaying the time (with seconds) and my shop was accepted yesterday.

I like to do the pizza shop as a carry out-fewer timings, and less to remember. Last week I completed one and met my husband at a park close to his work for lunch. The report was accepted less than eight hours after I turned it in.

Isn't the real point we should all be doing what we like and not being coerced into doing what we don't? Regardless of how easy the pizza shop may be, it is reimbursement only so only benefits a shopper who finds value in the product. The idea a scheduler is spouting non-existent policies (i.e., lying), is troubling. Many shoppers have been unhappy with the MSC holding popular shops hostage to get unpopular shops completed. While not exactly a great motivator, at least that is honest.

I agree with you Lisa, it is very troubling and it makes me think twice about the MSC.

Right? I thought that coercion stuff kinda goes against being an independent contractor. If an MSC is getting into forcing shops on ICs, they may as well start forking out salaries! If Certified had just salaried me decently enough, they wouldn't have had to play those "make an offer" games or call me at 8:15 in the evening for a six hour install across town because nobody else thought $35 for that was worth it...and I'd be doing installs still!

The pizza shops near me have an $8 fee and are sometimes bonused. But, they are usually paired with C-store shops, which I never do and are no where near the pizza place. If the pizza shops were independent shops, I'd do more, but I'm not doing a C-shop in order to get a pizza shop. ACL is shooting itself in the foot by pairing mismatched shops.

Just a quick FYI. Those shops are no longer reimbursement only and haven't been for several months.

Has anyone ever been told by ACL that some shops are "reward shops" for IC's that do more assignments? Kind of demotivates me to try and work things in with them.

@Jere96 wrote:

Has anyone ever been told by ACL that some shops are "reward shops" for IC's that do more assignments? Kind of demotivates me to try and work things in with them.

Yup, I got a reward shop this last weekend... thank you ACL.

Oh, did I forget to tell you, with a follow-up email asking me to do an less desirable shop next week....lol...

Yes, their emails mention reward shops. Here's the thing, what do they consider a reward shop? Their higher end dining shops? I consider them a punishment. So, there is no incentive for me to work with them, either. If I take the shops that no one else wants, how about saying "yes" when I ask for a bonus? I'm not a fan of their match-making approach to scheduling.

It's strange that she would lie like that. Fortunately my ACL scheduler has always been very kind and professional. She's never tried to harass me into anything.

I actually like the pizza shops and have never even tried to take one of the high end shops since the ones I've seen don't allow children. With the pizza shops I can take my son and husband out for lunch, or sometimes my son and mother.

@Alx517, let us know if there is any update, please. It's a strange situation.

I emailed her asking for clarification as to how there can be a restriction if I'm scheduled to go tonight, and she never responded. I then emailed the scheduler who scheduled me for tonight and she said I should go. I'm concerned that after I go someone's going to come back and me and tell me that I shouldn't have gone because of the "restriction" and won't be reimbursed, so I'm not sure what to do for tonight and I'm wondering if I should just deactivate myself from this MSC since it's more annoying than it's worth.

I am having the same problem with ACL. I emailed my last editor requesting my status and the editor NEVER responded. I am tired of pizza shops and barbecue shops with TERRIBLE food.

ALX 517, I think you should go tonight, I would not be concerned. At least don't deactivate yourself until later.

Join the club. This is why I don't shop for A Closer Look anymore. I've performed over one hundred shops for them over the years, and yet now I can't do certain shops unless I do the pizza shop that is over an hour away. I have moved on, there's better jobs out there that actually pay in addition to reimbursement.

@Phoebe70 wrote:

Join the club. This is why I don't shop for A Closer Look anymore. I've performed over one hundred shops for them over the years, and yet now I can't do certain shops unless I do the pizza shop that is over an hour away. I have moved on, there's better jobs out there that actually pay in addition to reimbursement.

As noted in this thread, the Pizza shops now offer payment in addition to the reimbursement. However, unless it's bonused or linked to another shop that I really want, I will not accept them. The report takes too much time for me.

ACL- wow.....I have not shopped for them much because their basic philosophy is that they do not pay the OP for the OP's expertise and observations..it is a 'reimbursement model" only. At the end of August I did a set of four shops for them which required no expense out of pocket, but 100+ miles of travel in heat to a remote area. I completed the shops...submitted them, and had to make decisions "off the cuff" when no one at ACL responded to my frantic emails and calls regarding posted lunch hours being different from what ACL listed. Bottom line, I am getting paid for 3 of the 4 shops. The other one just went "poof" (Don't you hate that?). Never, ever, again.....I am reliable, I write well, and my observations skills are good (So I think!!! Smirk!!!) They don't need me except, er, well, when they are desperate, and then I get treated like dog dung.

I miss Mabel. Don't know if she moved on or moved up, but she was the best one at ACL. I never hear from her any more.

I have been lucky, I guess. Only once was I sent an email trying to get me do that PITA pizza shop by offering the reward of another shop. Otherwise, no issues. I have been really happy with them over the past few weeks because I did 5 grocery stores shops that paid $28 each and 3 nights ago I did a pizza shop place where I got a good pizza and 2 salads, which fed me for 3 days (including tonight). I am doing two more restaurant shops in the next couple of weeks for them...with my husband being out of town it saves me from having to cook and I don't mind working for food.

One thing that I think may be different about ACL is that their contracts with their clients may not be as draconian about not having sites shopped every month. For example, Marketforce seems to be required to get all of their client locations shopped every month, and will pay big bucks to get them done. I have been paid $150 for a fast food shop, $100 for a gas station, and $200 for a wireless shop that had to be done on the last day of the month. It seemed to me that it would have been a huge deal to not get the client shopped if they are throwing around that much money.

I have found that ACL will not go over a $20 bonus for their client locations here in Oklahoma. I checked the board at 8 pm on 8/31/17, the last day of the month, an there were still 10 client locations that were available to be signed up for, and the lunch shops had been all changed to dinner to accomodate possible late sign ups. I know that all of those locations did not get signed up for after 8 PM on the last day of the month. I asked for a $40 bonus to do a casino restaurant that is 60 miles from my house when I was texted by the scheduler. The scheduler stated that they couldn't go over $20, and the shop didn't get filled. So, I guess we don't have as much leverage with ACL, because they don't have any issue keeping client location shops un-shopped. I am at the point now that I will only do hotel shops for them, because I love hotel shops. I am not going to drive to the middle of nowhere for a $15 reimbursement only shop at a crappy restaurant just for the chance to do a slightly better reimbursement only shop at a slightly nicer restaurant. And I like to bargain with leverage, and with ACL's cavalier attitude about simply not having shops completed removes the vast majority of that leverage.

I love hotel shops too, but I want a fee in addition to the reimbursement. I have not seen those types of shops with ACL.

I thought this thread might be about emails. Does anyone else get blasted with the same shop emails? Every. Single. Day. Overnight once I got 7 different emails each with a small grouping of available shops - these seem to be automatically generated as they were sent at 2am. Then, during the day, I get emails from the scheduler for the same shops with catchy subject lines like "YUMMY steaks, burgers..." Maybe this is just the regional scheduler in my area....or is this the new normal? I will just continue to hit delete at this point, but someday may reach the point where I inactivate my account entirely.