Schedulers crying wolf

I'm purposely not naming the company, but I've had six emails in the past two days where the scheduler informs me they had a shopper flake and they're DESPERATE to get the job done. (Sometimes they even use the word 'desperate' multiple times.) Could I please help them out? The *amazing* thing is that the fee is never more than the normal going rate.

I was sympathetic the first time I saw one of your messages, but that sympathy didn't last long. First of all, I DO know what the standard pay is for your job. If you need it done that badly don't you think you'd offer a bonus of some type? And, what kind of shoppers are you working with that they're bailing on you in such numbers?

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

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You could be describing about a dozen different companies.

I simply don't believe that anything is "desperate" or "urgent" until more cash is involved. If I have not taken assignment all month at a given rate, I'm not going to take it at that rate now either... And $5 is not likely going to make the difference.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

We are receiving the same email and I don't have a problem calling out ACL. If you want an apartment shop done, realize it will take more than $25 for a web inquiry, a recorded phone call and an onsite visit. I don't believe anyone flaked because I don't believe anyone took the job for that fee unless they didn't notice all it entailed.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

I keep getting the "we need our May shops completed; will you help us" e-mails about a luxury car shop. Well, I'm not doing them for the $20 base fee at the beginning of the month (or ever). Why would I do them for that same fee at the end of the month? Help ME out with a nice, big fat bonus, and I'll be more than happy to help YOU fill your May shops. Thank you very much.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

One scheduler said in the email subject that she was going to lose her job if the shops did not get done. Really?

RBG sends out multiple emails daily for their steakhouse shops. They don't get bonused until later in the month.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

You can always reply with what you would need the fee to be.

Been there, done that. ACL tends to think their base offers are generous.

I've gotten half a dozen emails from ACL this week about an "urgent" location they need done that is 1 1/2 hours away. A couple of the emails even mentioned "I know this location isn't near to you".....and yet they only added a $10 bonus to the last email for a reimbursement only job at a mediocre restaurant. No wonder they can't get anyone to take the job.

I hate these emails, they come 3 at a time and most of them say "urgent'. Why send the emails out almost everyday of the week ? Just send out 1-2 emails per week. And when the fee goes up, it only goes up by $1. Give me a break !

BTW - Enjoy your pizza shop tomorrow.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

One scheduler said in the email subject that she was going to lose her job if the shops did not get done. Really?

RBG sends out multiple emails daily for their steakhouse shops. They don't get bonused until later in the month.

I wish RBG was that easy around here with their steak and their pasta shops too. I never see them bonused. The only RBG restaurant shop I've seen last any length of time here is a take the kids pizza shop which I have 0 interest in.

What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/2018 01:35AM by sassymmmm.

These desperate emails tells me they are a lacking company and have to beg....glad I'm not with them, their pizza places are nowhere near me, so no emails for me . I like RBG but they only have upscale retail here, no eating places ..too bad.

Live consciously....

ACL has very low budgets for their schedulers, so it isn't that the schedulers don't want to offer you bonuses. They can only offer something like up to $1 average for all of their shops, so if a scheduler has 100 shops, their total bonus budget is only $100. So if they have 10 shops that they can't get scheduled, the max that they can offer per shop is $10.

ACL has a gas station and conveniece store shop with a very generous reimbursent. There is no fee. The scheduler gives me a small bonus for each shop I do. I am fine with that, because I'm not working for gas.

@Tbinns wrote:

ACL has very low budgets for their schedulers, so it isn't that the schedulers don't want to offer you bonuses. They can only offer something like up to $1 average for all of their shops, so if a scheduler has 100 shops, their total bonus budget is only $100. So if they have 10 shops that they can't get scheduled, the max that they can offer per shop is $10.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2018 09:30AM by HonnyBrown.

Preaching to the choir here, I know, but if MSCs would start their shops out at reasonable fees (what we consider reasonable, not what they do -- LOL), they just might get good shoppers to do them early in the month at base or a little higher, instead of scrambling at the end of the month and, in the case of some of them, having to offer huge bonuses to get them done.

Better pay upfront would, in the long run, benefit these MSCs. But so many companies think only in the short term, which is generally less efficient and less profitable.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

I like doing those steakhouse shops - easy report, but dinner for two is more than $35. We have to wait until 6 p.m., so we miss the early dine offers. I just can't afford to "eat" an additional $20-$30 for dinner. If they want the shops done early in the month, raise the reimbursement to cover the meal for two or add a significant bonus. I would do one every month.

ACL posted some of beauty salon evaluations earlier in the month that paid $40 and required a phone call and visit. Eventually I received a begging text from a scheduler and responded that I had recently done a similar shop for another MSC that paid $60. The scheduler responded that she didn't have that much in her budget.

@Tbinns wrote:

ACL has very low budgets for their schedulers, so it isn't that the schedulers don't want to offer you bonuses. They can only offer something like up to $1 average for all of their shops, so if a scheduler has 100 shops, their total bonus budget is only $100. So if they have 10 shops that they can't get scheduled, the max that they can offer per shop is $10.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

I am so thankful for a few of the schedulers that I have an established relationship. When they are in desperate need to have an assignment completed because someone flakes or it is the end of the month rush to reach her goal they up the bonus to almost matching the original fee or at least 80% and then include any transportation fees (such as mileage, tolls, parking, toll tags charge ...).

I don't have any problems with ACL upping her bonus to get me to help her meet her goal. Its way more than a buck too.

I was just commenting based on experience. The schedulers can ask for more money towards the end of the month but bonus money budgets are calculated based on individuals and teams, so if the team average is low, an individual scheduler may be able to get more money.... But trust me, it is HIGHLY frowned on, which is why they struggle to keep schedulers.

International Service Check is paying really good money today for shops. They aren't in remote areas either.

I am seeing no bonuses from ACL at all right now - so no shops for them.

I saw that email, and was sorry my day was already filled up.

@SoCalMama wrote:

International Service Check is paying really good money today for shops. They aren't in remote areas either.

I am seeing no bonuses from ACL at all right now - so no shops for them.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

@SoCalMama wrote:

International Service Check is paying really good money today for shops. They aren't in remote areas either.

I am seeing no bonuses from ACL at all right now - so no shops for them.

Roxanne is the best, she says this is the bonus Im offering, you tell me what it would take to get this shop completed

I got an "emergency request" email last week and I emailed right back, saying I'd get it done the very next day. This was for the company that does the high end Italian designer shops. Their reimbursements are always more than generous and I am happy to do them with or without a bonus. There are plenty of cheapie companies out there though - don't even respond to the 10+ emails they send out daily....

There are always shoppers who work for the bare minimum. I guess the schedulers are hoping to get them to fill the shops.

@BirdyC wrote:

Preaching to the choir here, I know, but if MSCs would start their shops out at reasonable fees (what we consider reasonable, not what they do -- LOL), they just might get good shoppers to do them early in the month at base or a little higher, instead of scrambling at the end of the month and, in the case of some of them, having to offer huge bonuses to get them done.

Better pay upfront would, in the long run, benefit these MSCs. But so many companies think only in the short term, which is generally less efficient and less profitable.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

@BirdyC wrote:

Better pay upfront would, in the long run, benefit these MSCs. But so many companies think only in the short term, which is generally less efficient and less profitable.

While this makes sense if the schedulers and editors are employees, in most cases they are just ICs like us and won't be paid until the job is filled. The MSC has no reason to care whether the scheduler can get the job filled in five minutes or has to devote 40 hours, they pay him or her the same.

Some say the key is to develop a good rapport with the schedulers, which I often do,...but I am also noticing a lot of turnover in schedulers... - a lot of turnover in the past month or so, so I wonder what's up out there. Was not able to get to the conference to see how things are going.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2018 02:42PM by BarefootBliss.

Incoming Vent: International service check like others stated have been flooding me with emails. I requested a particular shop at $20, $30, now $75 (amount offered in emails). I completed one earlier this week at $30 and then accepted a $10 shop the supervisor requested. This shop ended up having a hidden narrative. Between reading the previsit visit paperwork/visit/report, total time required was around 1.5 hours. I also saved them the cost for parking because I was already there for my regular job. Then I happened to be awake at 5:22AM this morning when I get another email begging to complete the particular shop Ive requested multiple times. Also, I had been told if it became available again I would be assigned. I responded by 5:44AM. They a)dont assign to me and b)even bother to respond to my email until I send another one following up. I mean the shop needed completion today, let someone know and dont waste their Sunday. I canceled my current scheduled shops which included another location for the low paying shop completed earlier this week. I was only going to do it because I had already committed, but clearly professional behavior is not recipricated. Have fun finding people to complete your below minimum wage, luxury brand shops.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2018 05:10PM by Want985.

marg, on my last shop, a couple beside me ordered one plate and split it. I thought it was a great idea to control portions. You could do the same to stay under reimbursement.

@marg704 wrote:

I like doing those steakhouse shops - easy report, but dinner for two is more than $35. We have to wait until 6 p.m., so we miss the early dine offers. I just can't afford to "eat" an additional $20-$30 for dinner. If they want the shops done early in the month, raise the reimbursement to cover the meal for two or add a significant bonus. I would do one every month.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

@marg704 wrote:

I like doing those steakhouse shops - easy report, but dinner for two is more than $35. We have to wait until 6 p.m., so we miss the early dine offers. I just can't afford to "eat" an additional $20-$30 for dinner. If they want the shops done early in the month, raise the reimbursement to cover the meal for two or add a significant bonus. I would do one every month.

Wow -- how expensive is your local steakhouse? There are lots of dinners under $15, including some steaks, on our local menu. We did one a few months ago and even ordering steak, I think we were at around $45, including tip. We didn't order an appetizer, but we had soft drinks and after-dinner coffee. We're doing one this month, and I might have ribs ($15) or one of the chicken dishes ($11 to $12). If you have your heart set on appetizers, steak, dessert, etc., sure it's impossible to stay under or at reimbursement. But, unless you're in an area where the prices are higher than average, I'm not sure why two people can't eat there for $35. You might go over with the tip, but I should think you could do it for $40 at the most.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

We have gone several times and are always around $50 - two entrees, soda and tip. I don't mind going over on occasion but, when I have a lot of restaurant shops, every overage adds up.

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