@HonnyBrown wrote:
Jenny, it's not that no one wants to help you, but the MSC's that have shops in my area may not have them in yours. Or we may not like the same types of shops. The best thing to do is to sign up with all the companies on the official list (bottom of this page).
Exactly this. I can understand why you might want to benefit from a veteran shopper's list. It would be a great shortcut - but only IF you found a veteran shopper in your area who liked to do the type of shops you like to do AND didn't mind giving you some of his business. I already have a lot of competition.
Because of the differences in the reasons we shop and our individual needs, I don't think it would work. It constantly surprises me that I read comments on the forum about "my least favorite" and "the absolute worst" ..... and it's one of mt top companies. And then I read posts about a wonderful company ..... and it's on my Never-Never List because, to me, it's the worst loser company in the bunch. Some of it is regional. Some of it is simply different tastes - we like to be treated in a different way. And some of it is the type of shop you want to perform. As a part time shopper, my likes and dislikes are very different from a full timer who wants to make as much money as he can. And my likes are totally different than those who video shop.
As for putting down a shopper's name as a referral, referral fees are almost nothing. The few times I have referred someone to a company, I haven't bothered making it official and collecting the referral fee. The fee doesn't justify the referral because for the couple of bucks you receive as a referral, you have given away numerous shops, perhaps long term. I am sure you are an excellent shopper, but I would need to know more: that you have a good work ethic, are detail-oriented, etc., and would do a good job. Most new shoppers do not last in this business and if I referred a short-timer who did not do a good job, I would feel compromised with the mystery shopping company. And......since we all post anonymously here, how might I or any other veteran shopper determine if a new shopper were someone I wanted to refer?