Shopper's Pay$ 10.00
Bonus Pay$ 2000.00
Shop Expense Limit$ 45.00
Special Expense Limit

@2stepps wrote:

Shopper's Pay$ 10.00
Bonus Pay$ 2000.00
Shop Expense Limit$ 45.00
Special Expense Limit

Happy Shopping! ... jk....Is this a shop posted or did they send you a $2,000 bonus check?

Will you purchase the $45 reimbursed before submitting the shop? What ever you need to purchase, keep it to a minimum. While $10 and $45 are guaranteed the Bonus may not be. I for one do not want the OP to be upset with the MSC if they come back and deny the large bonus.

It's obviously meant to be $20. Still a decent bonus depending upon the shop.

@iShop123 wrote:

It's obviously meant to be $20. Still a decent bonus depending upon the shop.

Knowing how most of these MSCs give small bonuses, I honestly thought it was a $2.00 (TWO DOLLAR) bonus, and not twenty!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2017 03:33AM by guysmom.

If you get assigned and bonus shows that on shop log screenshot do asap and hold the msc to it. Not your fault they made a typo and then missed said typo a few times. I could see it supposed to be either a $2 or $20 bonus thou.

Oil change and I've seen a $30.00 bonus Usually it is the week after I get the oil changed in my car.two different MSCs one does bonus nicely and the other not so great.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2017 07:31AM by 2stepps.

@BuffaloNY101 wrote:

If you get assigned and bonus shows that on shop log screenshot do asap and hold the msc to it. Not your fault they made a typo and then missed said typo a few times. I could see it supposed to be either a $2 or $20 bonus thou.

Lol that's like us taking advantage of a typo on a retail ad. We all know how pricing mistakes turn out. Good luck trying to strong arm an MSC for this kind of bonus.

Generally, a corporation employing IC's is held to a higher standard (by the labor boards and courts) with its offers of jobs, than the print ad mistakes commonly seen which are directed at consumers...just sayin'.......

I'm guessing that if you seriously tried to strongarm a MSC who clearly made a typo, your reputation would quickly spread and you'd be finished in this industry. What kind of person would do that, anyway?

@winemaker wrote:

Generally, a corporation employing IC's is held to a higher standard (by the labor boards and courts) with its offers of jobs, than the print ad mistakes commonly seen which are directed at consumers...just sayin'.......

Fine. Want a better analogy? For my projects in my professional career, I sometimes receive typos regarding lead times or pricing too good to be true from the manufacturer or vendor. Should I have chained down those guys down to meet those typo'd quotes as well and likely renege when a purchase order is executed? Just sayin'.....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2017 06:28PM by Tarantado.

Actually, there is an exception under the law for an "honest mistake".

Even those who work at MSCs are human...and humans make mistakes!

Generally if an IC accepts a shop I believe they should fight for the posted bonus while being realistic. A $200 bonus can be more than reasonable depending on the circumstances. For that matter, so can a $2,000 bonus at times. Assuming this shop did not require last minute airfare and hotel in Europe, I would give them a break.

I would look at the bonuses offered for similar shops and see if there is a clear pattern of a typo. This will tell you what you realistically should expect. If you don't want to do the shop for that, contact the scheduler and see what you can arrange. You have some leverage if you accepted the shop with a monstrous bonus. If you don't want to do it for what they meant to offer, be ready to let it go. However, if they meant to offer $20 and you think $50 sounds reasonable, ask nicely for $100 and see what happens. You took the shop at $2000 and can recognize their error, but it very much opens a door for you to negotiate.

If you would be otherwise willing to do the shop for what they wrote, say nothing, document the offer and do the shop. If they contact you, be understanding, but negotiate. If they do not contact you, see what they pay you. If they don't pay you the $2000, contact them and ask why. Once you have done the shop and they have accepted it, you are in a very strong negotiating position. If they tell you it was an error tell them that you thought it was super-urgent and scooped it up. They will likely need to bring the bonus down, but will likely be as generous as possible with you. Taking a $100 bonus might feel really good to you - and make them view you as "wonderful" if you don't push too hard. Of course, if they do pay you the $2000, maybe you just got really, really lucky and found a score.

We should maintain the same grace towards MSC's that we would want them to maintain towards us.
Trying to hold them accountable on the technicality of a typo would be like them rejecting a report if we clicked the wrong year on the date drop-down menu, or reimbursing us $.10 instead of $10 if we misplace a decimal point. Typos happen for shoppers and MSC's. Sometimes they're humorous, like a $2,000 bonus.

@MFJohnston wrote:

Of course, if they do pay you the $2000, maybe you just got really, really lucky and found a score.

BuffaloNY101wrote:
If you get assigned and bonus shows that on shop log screenshot do asap and hold the msc to it.

I disagree. I think getting the money would leave a bad taste in your mouth. How could you feel good about taking a MSC for $2k?
A $10/$45 shop can't be billed to the corporation for more than a couple hundred So in essence, your asking the MSC to take an 1800 dollar loss. Is $2k worth your self-respect and a year's worth of revenue from an MSC?

If an MSC's yearly revenue is only $1,800 they have bigger problems.

@F and L TeleComm
You quoted me completely out of context. If you read everything I wrote, you would notice that I would not expect to get anywhere close to $2000. I suggested that, if the shopper is not willing to do the shop for what is being offered for similar shops, s/he should contact the company and discuss a price. It is very possible that that particular shop does have a larger bonus than others. (Though, yes, $2,000 seems extreme.)

However, I still stand by the statement: If you are okay with doing the shop at whatever is being offered for other shops, let the MSC call attention to it. If they pay the $2000, it has gone through multiple sets of eyes at the MSC and got approved. The last thing the shopper wants to do is contact the company and volunteer do the shop for less.

Not a year's revenue for the MSC, a year's revenue for the shopper from that particular MSC. I know we do contracts for a lot of different MSC's some better than others but still work is so limited I wouldn't want to give up any MSC's for a one time gig.

@MFJohnston wrote:

@F and L TeleComm
You quoted me completely out of context. If you read everything I wrote, you would notice that I would not expect to get anywhere close to $2000. I suggested that, if the shopper is not willing to do the shop for what is being offered for similar shops, s/he should contact the company and discuss a price. It is very possible that that particular shop does have a larger bonus than others. (Though, yes, $2,000 seems extreme.)

However, I still stand by the statement: If you are okay with doing the shop at whatever is being offered for other shops, let the MSC call attention to it. If they pay the $2000, it has gone through multiple sets of eyes at the MSC and got approved. The last thing the shopper wants to do is contact the company and volunteer do the shop for less.

I did read your entire comment. And I still say it sounds like you are condoning dishonesty and lack of integrity.That is just MY personal opinion.
In my primary company, (hence my name) there are tons of vendors with no integrity. When we relocated here, we made a commitment to provide 100% integrity and customer service all the time, whether we get paid for it or not. I still have clients who call us back a year or two later because they know they can trust us.
I stand by my original statement, you can't put a price on self-respect.

It's also worth that MSC's take losses on individual shops all the time. They make a pretty profit on most, which allows them to pay a premium to get some of the more difficult locations shopped. Sometimes, they do need to pay extreme amounts to get a last few shops done in order to satisfy their contract with the client -and thus keep it for the next quarter, collect full payment, etc.

I've been paid $250 for a $6 gas shop. I know that one MSC is thrilled to pay me $75 for a nearby video shop as they would otherwise be paying food, room, and transportation to bring in somebody from out-of-town. I likely could have asked for more.

Does $2000 seem extreme? Yes. However, it is within the realm of possible.

Integrity: You quoted me out of context and twisted my meaning.

How can you be certain that $2000 was not a real offer? I fully acknowledge that it seems unlikely. However, unless you are the person who put it there, how do you know? The fact is, we don't know. If the MSC calls and says that it was posted in error, I completely agree that holding them to the $2000 is not reasonable. However, there is nothing wrong with asking for more than they were hoping to pay, if you don't wish to do it for what they say.

@F and L TeleComm wrote:

@MFJohnston wrote:

@F and L TeleComm
You quoted me completely out of context. If you read everything I wrote, you would notice that I would not expect to get anywhere close to $2000. I suggested that, if the shopper is not willing to do the shop for what is being offered for similar shops, s/he should contact the company and discuss a price. It is very possible that that particular shop does have a larger bonus than others. (Though, yes, $2,000 seems extreme.)

However, I still stand by the statement: If you are okay with doing the shop at whatever is being offered for other shops, let the MSC call attention to it. If they pay the $2000, it has gone through multiple sets of eyes at the MSC and got approved. The last thing the shopper wants to do is contact the company and volunteer do the shop for less.

I did read your entire comment. And I still say it sounds like you are condoning dishonesty and lack of integrity.That is just MY personal opinion.
In my primary company, (hence my name) there are tons of vendors with no integrity. When we relocated here, we made a commitment to provide 100% integrity and customer service all the time, whether we get paid for it or not. I still have clients who call us back a year or two later because they know they can trust us.
I stand by my original statement, you can't put a price on self-respect.

Speaking of video shops, how do I find the necessary specs to know what to buy? I've found some wifi glasses which takes a sim card that I can afford, but I don't know the necessary specs to make sure before I buy them.

@F and L TeleComm wrote:

Speaking of video shops, how do I find the necessary specs to know what to buy? I've found some wifi glasses which takes a sim card that I can afford, but I don't know the necessary specs to make sure before I buy them.

That's a tangent.... Avoid the glasses - they are unlikely to have the resolution that is required. The standard has been a PV 500L3 button camera. There might be a newer version out.... I use my for apartments, new homes, and a variety of retail shops.

If the shop is one that you would otherwise do. Do it and keep your mouth shut. They will likely catch it, but it is also entirely possible - depending upon MSC - that the system is so automated that you'll get the $$. Unlikely, but possible.