Who and how do you report, inquire, get clarity or correction for an unjustified negative score resulting from a declined shop. I responded to an email from the company We noticed that your score is in the negative - but don't be discouraged! We would love to help get you back in action - and able to assign shop opportunities with ease!

To quickly (and significantly) increase your shopper rating, please visit XXXX.com and complete the certifications offered there. They don't take long, are informative and helpful, and award a lot of points upon successful completion.

In addition, you can earn points by logging in to XXXXX and/or the XXXXXXX iPhone/Android apps and answering Opinion Poll questions.

Finally, if you see opportunities you are interested in, please Request them - schedulers are always looking for interested shoppers and completing assignments brings your points up fast. Once you are back in the positive, you can self-assign - and the higher your score, the more self-assigns you can take at once.
When I responded to this email by following the instructions provided above I never received a response. I fear that they scheduler who declined my shop will respond vindictively and affect my ability t get assignments from this particular company, which I really enjoy working for and wit

First, is the MSC on the list of legitimate MSCs that you will find at the foot of this page? If not, that should raise a warning flag.

This is a VERY peculiar message from a scheduler. Earn points for doing surveys? Sounds like one of those online scams that have you ending up paying for items or experiences in order to gain access to more "shops." That is NOT MS as we know it.

Other poster, please chime in here if you have experienced this sort of thing from a legitimate MSC !!!

We cannot help much without knowing the MS company (MSC). If you prefer, please PM me with that information and I shall take a look.

iSecretShop is a platform not an MSC. That is an auto-generated email.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2018 05:59PM by TroyHawkins.

Thanks for the clarity.

You need to sign up with real MS companies, not platforms or scheduling companies.
PLEASE go to the New Mystery Shoppers area of the forum and read, read, read the top dozen or so topics pinned to the top of the list there. Those will answer many of your questions as well as many questions that new shoppers would not know that they need to ask.

At least one of my preferred companies only assigns through iSecretShop

@walesmaven wrote:

You need to sign up with real MS companies, not platforms or scheduling companies.
PLEASE go to the New Mystery Shoppers area of the forum and read, read, read the top dozen or so topics pinned to the top of the list there. Those will answer many of your questions as well as many questions that new shoppers would not know that they need to ask.

Double post.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2018 02:34AM by prince.

@prince wrote:

At least one of my preferred companies only assigns through iSecretShop

The only one that I miss is Dynamic Advantage, and it's not a huge deal to me.

They are trying to take your money and information. That is totally wrong.

I have never had any issues with any company working through iSS. You are also active on the iSS forum. Why not PM Ivan and directly ask him about the concern? He tends to be responsive to such contacts.

I'm unclear from your initial post what you complaint is. It sounds like you had a shop rejected and got a negative score from having it rejected? However, you believe that your report should not have been rejected? Is this correct?

I agree that clarity would help in our understanding of what is of concern here.

It sounds like the OP signed up with isecretshop and accepted his first job with one of the companies that uses the isecretshop platform. Then he canceled the shop. That would give him a negative score. isecretshop starts with a zero score and increases each time a shopper successfully completes a shop. It subtracts each time the shopper cancels, changes the date, or performs an unsuccessful shop. The auto-generated notice of negative score from the ISS platform doesn't give any relevant information to the particular situation. We would definitely need more information in order to provide a helpful response.

For example:

1. How long have you been registered with isecretshop? Have you reviewed the website and do you understand how ISS works? Go to Resources for more information or to ISS Prep for testing information.
2. Have you performed any shops on that platform?
3. Was the shop you declined the first one you assigned yourself?
4. Which company did you accept the shop with?
5. What were the circumstances of you declining the shop?

I get something similar to the op's email fairly often but not including the last few paragraphs. You start out with a negative score. I have never cancelled a shop.
I am wondering if the op applied for a shop and did not get it (was declined) or actually did a shop that was declined. If the application was rejected it might just be that someone more qualified applied. If the shop itself was rejected after It was done I suspect the op got the above automated email about negative scores randomly but the timing of the receipt of this auto email was such that it seemed to be about the particular shop.
OP if you had an issue with a shop you actually did you need to contact the msc you did it for and not the scheduling platform.

@roflwofl wrote:

It sounds like the OP signed up with isecretshop and accepted his first job with one of the companies that uses the isecretshop platform. Then he canceled the shop.

I read this as the OP having done a shop and having it rejected (declined), but I think your take is probably more on point. Hard to tell with the information originally posted.

I never stated that it was ISS. I am unclear as to why I would contact IVAN. Although I am on the ISS forum, I have inquired directly to IVAN as to whether he was a shopper or in anyway affiliated with ISS. his direct response to me was no. Calling out companies, schedulers ... is something that I am not comfortable doing for fear of the retaliation from schedulers who apparently are active on the forum. But if this is the only way to get to the bottom of an issue and to avoid it all together, being transparent seems to be the only option.

After corresponding with the schedule after I completed the assignment and being informed that my shop would be declined for failure to complete an instruction, this is the email that I sent, requesting clarity. BELOW is the email that I sent where I did not receive a reply or response

I was assigned a shop and sent my scheduler an email at 6:31 pm for clarity, after a half an hour I had not received a response I proceeded to complete the assignment. While at the shop I sent another email that
stated that there was a problem with the staffing at the location and I could not complete one of the elements which instructed me to order from the lane and please advice. I did not receive a response so I proceeded and completed the shop. I received an email the next morning apologizing for the delay in advising me how to complete the shop and was informed that my shop would not be accepted if the shop was not completed as instructed. Livid I thanked her for updating me because I was literally organizing, labeling and uploading my photos to complete the evaluation. The next morning I received a message that my shop was overdue. Baffled I sent a message asking how my shop was considered overdue when I was already informed that it would not be accepted. After replaying the incident, interaction and information I sent a message to my scheduler asking how I could have executed a step that could not be complete based on the circumstances that I had no control over, specifically how could I order from lane service if lane service was not available? I counted it as an unfair and unjust disregard for my time and my expenditures and proceeded to leave for Germany to visit my mother for Mother's Day. Later I received two emails one which instructed me to complete the assignment and explain thoroughly why I could not complete the lane service as instructed, followed by an email that said that the shop had been canceled. To score me negatively when I did everything to communicate and seek to advise on how to proceed given the unforeseen circumstances of the location that impeded me from completing the shopper the instructions baffles me.

@ALLFORtheSMONEY. The email message in your original post is the email iSS sends out when shoppers have a negative rating. Some of us recognize it as such, since we get the exact same email. You also said you replied to that email. We are trying to tell you that the email was not from a scheduler or MSC. Since you’ve already been communicating with the MSC regarding this shop, that’s who you would need to follow up with about any negative rating on iSS.

I do not shop through ISS. Have been a member for over 4 years now.

Do you mind me asking why you do not shop ISS

Missed out on that HUGE score of coffee beans if you don't do shops that list on the iSecret Shop job board. What a wonderful family. I hope they grow so much they are desperately looking for growers!

OP
If this is the bowling shop which I assume it is a few things.
Read the instructions each and every time as they change and flip flop requirements all the time. One bowler or two required. One game per bowler or two games per bowler. Order from lane service or order from snack bar. Order any food item at snack bar or order a prepared food item at snack bar or order a prepared food item but not this or that. Order one alcoholic beverage that can be upsold like rum and coke. Now it says order two alcoholic beverages. You can use coupons or groupons or you can't use coupons or groupons or you may only use certain coupons. Honestly I think they are trying to get out of paying the shopper but still being able to get paid by the client and using the report.
All this said it has always been if there is no lane service available order from the snack bar. If there is no one available at the bar order your drink at the snack bar and if no one their order from the bowling counter.
I have done many of these shops and despite the hassle if you look thru the instructions carefully they pay decent.

Thank you so much. Now that I know that this is a practice for this assignment I will proceed with this in mind. I will take the loss as an expensive lesson in both time and money.
How could I have better handled the situation, I did everything to communicate with the scheduler and to keep them abreast of the situations as it unfolded? When situations differ from the script and you reach out to ​receive advice and or direction and to no avail, there is not a timely response what should you do?

Thank you

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2018 02:43PM by ALLFORtheSMONEY.

TRYY Total Respect yes YOU.

If I think I may need help with an assignment I dont do that assignment. If I look at an assignment and there are any "what ifs" I call the MSC and ask. If I cant get ahold of them right then, I dont work for that MSC. Thats why, even though they have some one-off goofy shops, I can reach someone immediately at Confero or Shared Insights so I will always do their assignments. Not so much at Measure Consumer Perspectives or others.

I'm sorry; I don't know how to get into the discussions of Dynamic Advantage. I really need to know if they are a scam or not. My friend and I both received a priority mail envelope. Inside were directions and a check for $1,986.11! We both are to deposit the check in our accounts and shop at any Walmart.It sure seems like a scam. I saw online that some said it was a scam; others, here on your forum said they liked it. Please respond.

If you read positive comments about Dynamic Advantage here it is because we were talking about the REAL Dynamic Advantage.

Scam artists often us the names of real companies to make it more believable. If you had not asked the question, you would have read these great reviews and thought everything was fine. Those checks are far from fine.

You need to either take those envelopes and their contents to the local authorities or tear them up. If the scam artists contact you again, do not answer the phone and do not respond to emails. When you don't send them money they may resort to threats. Don't be alarmed. Many of the scams originate halfway across the world. Those idiots aren't coming after you for the fake check. They will just try to intimidate you. Don't let them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/2018 12:06AM by LisaSTL.

This is a complete scam. The checks will bounce, but only after the funds are initially made available and you have spent the money.

There is a real MSC called Dynamic Advantage. They will never send you money before you do work.

@Prinny18 wrote:

I'm sorry; I don't know how to get into the discussions of Dynamic Advantage. I really need to know if they are a scam or not. My friend and I both received a priority mail envelope. Inside were directions and a check for $1,986.11! We both are to deposit the check in our accounts and shop at any Walmart.It sure seems like a scam. I saw online that some said it was a scam; others, here on your forum said they liked it. Please respond.

What do you think, @Prinny18 or @prinny04? Do you think it is real or do you think it is a scam? What do you have to do for nearly $2k?

Prinny18 was here just long enough to post. He/she will likely never be back.

Much like the other 100 "Is this a scam? I was sent a check for $5,000 and all they want me to do is test Walmart's Western Union compliance. Keep $2,500 for yourself and send the rest to the FBI Headquarters in Nigeria."