Question: Do MSC companies actually know what areas are like that they send shoppers to?

Example. I did a shop for a casino that was scheduled for the hours of 4pm to midnight and was 2 hours from my house. I told them I could not start until I got off work at 5pm. 3 of the positions were offsite in the middle of nowhere, 2 of those closed before 4pm and one closed at 7pm. One of the positions was 7 miles up a mountain road in the middle of nowhere that had just recently gotten 36 inches of snow. My scheduler knew about this situation, however, the editor told me I could not assume they were closed I should have driven out there to confirm they were in fact closed. I called before I ever left the office to check their hours. The email I received came across like she was reprimanding a petulant child. I am so upset I am reconsidering working for this MSC again even though I enjoy the shops. I wrote the editor back and told her I did not do anything without the scheduler's knowledge and by their own scheduling, there was no way 2 of the positions could get done. I also told her I did not appreciate being treated like I did something wrong when everything I did was approved way before I ever left the office.

Hi!
Several things strike me as odd here....

* Casinos tend to be open very late - 3-4AM. Many never close. The editor is correct to question whether or not the casino is, in fact, closed.
* As a general rule, we are expected to verify hours of operation before we make a visit. This saves us the trip if they are closed. After all, if you had made the drive and found the casino to, in fact, be closed, would you have been paid? It can't go both ways: If you have to make the drive to determine if a site is closed, you musts be paid. If you are expected to verify hours before the trip, don't expect to be paid if it is closed.
* I work full time a well, so there are times when a business's hours of operation make visits difficult for me. This often means that I don't take shops. I'm a little confused about your description, but it sounds like you were signed up to make visits to locations that closed before you got off work? When I contact a scheduler with an issue like that, we simply un-assign me. It should not have been an issue.
* No, the editor should never treat your poorly.

The folks in an MSC are people, just like us. Your scheduler is likely in charge of assigning shops nationwide and may have zero understanding of your local geography. It is up to the shopper to know his/her area and only take jobs that s/he can reach in order to do a shop.

Thanks for the response. The part they questioned was not at the casino. It was a tribal tourist site miles from the casino. The scheduler knew all about the issues its the editor whi sent the email acting like i broke the world by assuming they were closed without driving there first. Apparently calling wasnt enough. I dont think they understand how Indian nations work. You dont just drive to one of their savred sites after hours for the heck of it unless you plan to spend some time visiting with the local tribal police.

I still don't understand something: Why would they allow you to be scheduled to visit a location that you were only able to visit after they closed? Whether on tribal lands or not, if the placed is not open during my availability, I don't get to shop it? This is usually remedied when working with the scheduler.

No idea. One of the position inside the casino was a coffee shop. On their own descriptions it states it closes at 4pm. My guess is it was end of the month and they needed some of the positions shopped

Has the editor responded to your comment that you did everything as communicated with the scheduler? I am guessing that you are not getting paid from the sounds of this?

No response. They already said they were .not payong for the 3 positions not evaulated and i was ecpecting that. I am just upset over the tone of the email and the complete lavk of respect

Since you didn't mention the casino name, could you tell us what MSC it is?

Can we say the name of the MSC

@MFJohnston wrote:

Hi!
Several things strike me as odd here....

* Casinos tend to be open very late - 3-4AM. Many never close. The editor is correct to question whether or not the casino is, in fact, closed.

@MFJohnston wrote:

The casino shops I have done have been for a particular shift, day, swing and night. The casino shifts were not the normal 7-3, 3-11 and 11-7 or 8-4, 4-12 and 12-8.

You will not be violating any ICA by doing so. However, you need to use your judgment: Are you okay with the MSC reading what you wrote and calling them out? It is very likely that somebody involved with that MSC will see your message and take note - especially if you name the MSC.

deleted

How very odd. It does not seem strange to me that so many businesses were bundled together as casino shops often have many parts, but one part was half a mile away and another seven miles away? Is this common?

@cindycribbs wrote:

Here are the complete details of the shop and the interaction afterward.
.

Ok, you can tell us the name of the MSC. And you can give details. But when you put in the name of the clients, you've just violated the Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA) you signed with the company. You should probably edit your posts.

For this particular casino yes. They also shop their golf course is in nowhere near the casino.

Sounds like the scheduler was desperate to get it scheduled and did not communicate with the editor. I'd be pretty unhappy, too.

I am reading this and scratching my head. I do not do Casino shops nor do I drive to the middle of nowhere but even in my large city I am aware that most msc's I shop with will only pay a very small fee if the place is closed. Unless that place is a few blocks from where I will be it is not worth it in my mind to drive out there for a few dollars.
Hopefully you pointed out the time frame posted for these jobs and official closing time posted for these casinos when you contacted the scheduler. If there is any question in your mind that something sounds like it will not work out it is important to point it out to the scheduler and not just assume they know. I would also suggest clarifying by email or text what your fee will be if you get there and discover the place is closed. If you did do that and have an email or text trail to prove the conversation then you should send that on to the editor.

I live in Southern California in a well known to the world city and I have often gotten a call to go to a job for a few dollars that is in Northern California. I would think most people in this country know how large California is and that the San Francisco area is not a 15 minute drive from the Los Angeles area. But evidently some do not. Always get any out of the ordinary clarification in writing from the scheduler.
That said, there is no call for the editor or anyone to be rude to you.

LOL! I'm in Nebraska -- our official state designation is "NE".

Many people seem to think that means "North East USA".



(Stopped at the Mexican border once, the border guard -- on the AMERICAN side -- asked me what country Nebraska was in.)

Had stopped for a bite in Michigan, about an hour West of Detroit. Still had Canadian plates, and overheard some people walking past my car... "Ontario? What state is that in?"

@ceasesmith wrote:

LOL! I'm in Nebraska -- our official state designation is "NE".

Many people seem to think that means "North East USA".



(Stopped at the Mexican border once, the border guard -- on the AMERICAN side -- asked me what country Nebraska was in.)

I live in Ontario, CA (California) people think its Canada.

Long story short, we had to ask some people at work what NE stood for. They responded New England.

@ceasesmith wrote:

LOL! I'm in Nebraska -- our official state designation is "NE".

Many people seem to think that means "North East USA".



(Stopped at the Mexican border once, the border guard -- on the AMERICAN side -- asked me what country Nebraska was in.)