Removed

I can understand why you're seeing red.

But perhaps the best course is not to bash someone here.

Hope you didn't travel a long distance to complete the shop, and lose a really nice fee.

(I recently managed to get a business card on a shop, and it did not have the salesman's name on it at all. When I asked him, he gave just his first name. When I asked for his last name, he only said "no one can spell it". LOL!!! But this shop was 300 miles from home, and I HAD to get a last name! I explained to the MSC that I was spelling it "phonetically", because he would not spell it for me!)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2019 03:14AM by ceasesmith.

Removed

I have found that many car dealers have websites the show the photos and names of all of the salespeople. Even when someone leaves, the names sometimes linger, they also linger in Yelp reviews. On the other end of the timeline, the websites often are out of date so new hires may not appear.

It seems to me that a "true professional" would not call someone else despicable.

Although sometimes venting is constructive.

@moesale wrote:

removed the quote of moesale's OP because it contained attacks on a MSC editor and our moderator removed the original post

She doesn't sign something so she's a coward. So she gets bashed on the internet while the basher posts anonymously. By the same logic, might that be considered cowardly?

It would have been a simple thing to say, when she provided her first name, "What is your last name?"

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2019 11:41PM by roflwofl.

Maybe Sophia is the salesperson???

It's not very clear who is being called a coward and who is despicable, the salesperson or the MSC rep.

Whenever I have done car dealership shops, I was required to obtain a business card and the salesperson's first and last name. It's pretty standard. If they were new or didn't have their own business cards for some other reason, I asked them to get someone else's card from the dealership and write down their name on the card. I never had the experience of someone not giving me both the first and last name, but I would have asked if they didn't give me the last name.

You also could have called the Dealership and asked, seems easy to find out a name...as for cards, Dealerships have them, he could have written full name on any Dealership card, lesson learned.

The best thing to say to any salesperson on commission is: Could you write down your whole name so I can be sure to ask for the right "Sophia?" or whatever their name might be, so I can ask for you the next time I come in? They've already worked with you and ideally, they want to get paid.

Byrd, what's yours.

I called the dealership, the person I spoke with didn't know her last name. I pressed her and she said it could be this or that. I relayed that information and was never contacted back that it wasn't sufficient. The sales associate did write her name on a blank card and I did ask for her last name. To remain anonymous I didn't ask a second time.
The problem for me is, if it wasn't enough information when I responded to your request, you should have notified me in a reasonable amount of time. It has been 11 weeks since the project was done. The project was done 4/23, the request for the name was on 6/10, I responded and received another message, on 6/19 asking for the information I already provided. I received another request on July 2nd and I gave the same information. I inquired about the payment on the 9th and the same day is when I got the response.
This is about integrity and truth in advertising. I need what was asked, I replied to your request, I replied again to your request, each time never receiving a response letting me know that you weren't satisfied. And how am I supposed to get the name of a person who no longer works at the dealership and to boot, they don't know her last name either, and still remain anonymous!
Just sayin'

Hi there, just clearing up a couple of things here.

Sophia is the editor, and she is just doing what she is told. Following strict guidelines doesn't make her someone who should be called names, and yes that is very unprofessional. Also because she was assigned the shop to edit on that day does not make her responsible for the delay in time, there are other forces behind the scenes at work here. So let's keep some perspective.


This is copied from the shop guidelines, so you clearly were made aware of the importance of the last name before you did the shop. Just because it was several weeks before you were asked AGAIN does not absolve you of this.

To obtain and provide a photo of the dealership’s service customer lounge, date and time stamped. This is the area where you normally see the coffee, refreshments, television and seating available in a service lounge environment and a receptionist desk or sitting areas in the showroom. You are also required to collect the Sales Consultant’s Business card and provide a photo of this as well. Do not pick up a business card on your own. You should only accept a business card from a Sales Consultant who has clearly introduced himself, first and last name. If they do not provide one to you on your own, ask for one. Please see example photos below. They must be labelled properly and uploaded in the correct orientation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2019 02:55PM by Summit Scheduling.

Well now that we know the OP was calling the editor a bad name (for just doing her job), the original post should be edited. To the right of the posting box it states pretty clearly "no personal insults". So if you don't want to change that, OP, I will just report it to the mods and let them handle it. Tsk tsk.

I think the OP should be paid. Sometimes it's hard to get a name. Sometimes they don't want to give a name or a business card. The client can easily verify the salesperson last name.

Just wondering...did you finish your shop and come back immediately and communicate this issue? Were ALL other requirements met??? Were ALL guidelines adhered to???? I have done thousands of these shops and managed them as well. I would never attempt to provide a shop report with only a first name when the guidelines say you must have first and last??? Even if guidelines did not say it, I would have made sure I had both. With that being said, there are instances that occur where a shopper is not give a BC. I would have made sure I had the first and last name before I left. Been there! It could have been written on another employees card, the manager's card, a quote, a brochure, etc. As mystery shoppers, we have to think quick on our feet. Might I make a suggestion...When the SC shook your hand and introduced himself and asked for your name, if he/she only provided their first name, I would have replied, "My name is Sue Brown. I am sorry, I did not catch your last name? This way, I would have had this info should there be an issue with a business card, etc. I am confused. Are there clients out there who really accept reports and evaluations without pertinent info such as names?

Sophie is excellent at what she does and I work with her daily. She edits our reports. Her job is to see that guidelines are adhered to and reports are done in a manner that will meet clients expectations. Kudos to her. Thank you Sophie. If one understood the flip side of this, there are a lot of things behind the scenes that keeps everyone on their toes. Most shops revolve around the employee, facility, processes, etc being shopped. How can you go to a client and tell them you do not know who you shopped?

Again, Thanks Sophie!

@eyelove2shop wrote:

I think the OP should be paid. Sometimes it's hard to get a name. Sometimes they don't want to give a name or a business card. The client can easily verify the salesperson last name.

I would agree with this if the shop were a grocery store, clothing store, or some business with hourly employees who are not paid on commission, like a Best Buy. At some businesses, employees are more or less interchangeable, so you wouldn't necessarily need to phone them back for anything, any employee who answered the phone could help you. So some employees are hesitant to give their names, especially if they don't see any reason to provide a name. However, this was a car dealership shop, where the subject might have made a good-sized commission if moesale had purchased the vehicle she was shopping. This means asking for the salesperson's full name would have been expected behavior from a serious car customer and would not have outed the shopper as a shopper. Actually, I think NOT asking the last name would have outed the shopper if the shopper's report with no last name had been accepted. If I were a car salesman with a serious customer, I would expect to be asked "No business cards? Okay, writing on paper is okay, but what is your last name? Write that down, please. And please write your phone number so I can reach you." Walking away from a car dealership with only a first name and a scrap of paper is almost an announcement that the customer is not serious and won't be back.... or if he comes back, he won't return to the same salesperson. The guidelines very clearly said a first and last name were required, along with a business card (which is the requirement for all the car dealership shops I have done with multiple MSCs), so this requirement should not have been a surprise to moesale. She surely knew when she completed the report that she had not met the guidelines and an immediate call to the dealership would likely have yielded the name. Weeks later when moesale called the dealership, the person answering the phone wouldn't have had a clue and wouldn't have cared about an inquiry from a not-serious car shopper from weeks ago. And moesale should not have had to wait for the editor to TELL hers he missed one of the guidelines and needed a last name, she already knew that when she submitted the report. Why would she have submitted the report that way when she could have asked for the name while she was there, or made the call that day before filing the report?

Since the salesperson no longer works there, I'm inclined to believe the OP when he/she states they were being difficult. It appears the salesperson already knew they weren't going to stick around much longer so didn't see a need to share those details with the OP.

I totally believe the OP when she states she asked twice and the salesperson repeated only her first name. My point is that the OP called the dealership to ask her name weeks later when the editor reminded her that a last name was required by the guidelines. But the OP knew the last name was required and could easily have called the dealership the same day before completing the report rather than waiting to be told again that the guidelines require first and last names. We've all had assignments that were more or less difficult. I hate to see a shopper not paid, but the guidelines simply weren't followed here.

@eyelove2shop wrote:

I think the OP should be paid. Sometimes it's hard to get a name. Sometimes they don't want to give a name or a business card. The client can easily verify the salesperson last name.

I have never, in my entire life of buying cars, window shopping cars, or mystery shopping car dealerships, not been proactively offered a business card by a salesperson and I've certainly never had one not want to give me their name.

Are you sure you got an actual sales person and not some random person hanging around impersonating a salesperson? Seems likely if the dealership wasn't aware of who you talked to lol.

Heck, I've been in car dealer service departments before and had sales people leave me their card just in case I got ready for a new one.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2019 07:59PM by bgriffin.

Someone may have already mentioned this (didn't read the whole thread) but sales websites often have pages listing the sales associates with photos and names. That would have been my first go to had I not been able to collect a last name. I certainly wouldn't have tried to submit the report without it.

Even with the original post removed, this still turned out to be an interesting thread. And now that Warrant song is stuck in my head!

???

@JASFLALMT wrote:

???

There's an 80's metal band called Warrant that had a hit called, "I Saw Red." I would link a video, but anything I have linked here in the past has gotten removed.

Heck yeah @Niner @meanviking I had that Cherry Pie album (1990, I remember because I was a sophomore in high school and I'm pretty sure they played the entire album at my then boyfriend's junior prom) lol.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2019 11:36PM by Jenny Cassada.

I do not do dealerships because (1) I feel bad taking their time away from maybe a serious buyer (and money in their paycheck) and (2) It is stressful enough to buy a car myself that I don't seek other opportunities to do it several times a month! I don't care how much they pay!

I agree with @lbtweety47 that shopping a dealership is stressful, so I only do it when the pay is enough to be tempting to me. I have a different take on the idea of taking the salesman's time away from maybe a serious buyer. I do try to shop early in the day when they are usually not busy and there is less chance of taking their time away from a serious buyer, but I think mystery shopping the salesmen is beneficial to the salesman as well as the dealership. If the salesman is doing perfect, he gets recognition from his dealership. Sometimes this means a bonus or some treat or reward. If the salesman does bad, the mystery shop identifies problems and shortcomings and gives him the opportunity for re-training, giving him a better chance to survive in a very competitive market. There is a huge turnover of car salespeople because they can't make it.

I remember Warrant, the hair band, not exactly what I'd call metal, lol. I just didn't know what song you were referring to. I was more of a Metallica, Megadeath, Queensryche kinda gal.

@Niner wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

???

There's an 80's metal band called Warrant that had a hit called, "I Saw Red." I would link a video, but anything I have linked here in the past has gotten removed.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I remember Warrant, the hair band, not exactly what I'd call metal, lol. I just didn't know what song you were referring to. I was more of a Metallica, Megadeath, Queensryche kinda gal.

@Niner wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

???

There's an 80's metal band called Warrant that had a hit called, "I Saw Red." I would link a video, but anything I have linked here in the past has gotten removed.

We just saw Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. I used to listen to everything from Testament and Slayer, to Poison and Tesla. My last cat was even named Slayer.

I used to represent death metal bands and guitar companies, when I was a lawyer, before switching over to trust and estates.

I never cared much for Poison, Rat, etc. but I did like Slayer. I also like Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails...Marilyn Manson is okay. I would go to a show if someone gave me a ticket but I wouldn't pay to see him (even though he is from a city about 20 miles from my home).

I also like Mozart, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Eric Clapton, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Prince, The Beatles, Amos Lee, Smoky Robinson, The Temptations, Simon and Garfunkel, Dave Matthews, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and many, many more.