Anyone shop with GBW? If I wasn’t scammed, it is at best a horrible company.

I did my first shop with them last week. I received a text asking me if I wanted to do a shop, but it was the same one I did last week. I responded that I already did that one last week, and she said apparently it was rejected because I didn’t conduct a portion of it (which I certainly did)! Now the person won’t respond back to me. Is this a scam?

Ugh, I just found this on the internet. [www.trustpilot.com] I found them on the MSPA website. ????

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2019 07:36PM by Ercokat.

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

More About Scams

No. I don't shop with GBW, Gapbuster Worldwide. I did a little research and decided not to sign up. You can google "GBW+mysteryshopforum" or use the search function here.

How did they "scam" you and why is it a horrible company? What kind of shop was it and what was the pay? Maybe I'm glad I didn't sign up. Or maybe I will, LOL!

From what you've described and from my previous research, it sounds like "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" at GBW. Is there a shop log you can look at when you sign in that shows completed/approved shops? If it's been approved, I wouldn't worry about it until it came time to chase payment. If not approved, I'd email them.

Please keep us updated.

I haven't done shops for them in several years. I didn't have any issues getting my shop accepted and paid at that time. I had heard that some shoppers in other countries had problems getting paid in the past couple of years. I don't need the hassle and they don't have anything in my area, so...I wish you the best and hope you get paid.

They said I didn’t perform an aspect of the shop, and I did. The survey was lengthy and I provided them tons of information. I gave them everything they asked for and performed the shop more than adequately. I’ve never had a shop not accepted. I only found out that they were not accepting it when they asked me to accept the same shop again (not realizing I had done it already the previous week).

They sent me many clarification questions for items that weren’t included in their survey questions, and I gave them all of that information as well. When I initially read the clarification questions, I could tell that there was a language barrier because I had already included much if this information in the initial survey.

I’ve since read that many are not getting paid, so I’m wondering if perhaps they rejected their shops and didn’t even tell them (like they did with me). I feel that maybe the company is using perfectly acceptable reports, telling shoppers (or not) that they are rejected, and simply not paying.

I did a few shops for them about three years ago, and they paid after reminding them what I was owed. they are a European company and do things slower and differently, but they're not a scam. good luck.

Live consciously....

They are not a scam but they do screw up more often than many shoppers are comfortable with.

Just because an MSC is an MSPA member does not mean that shoppers should assume anything about the company's treatment of shoppers. MSPA is largely the lobbying arm of the member MSCs. Many very good MSCs do not belong to it. You are better off researching each MSC here on the forum to find out how they treat shoppers. Just be sure to ignore posts from members who show up only to rant about an MSC without providing any explanation or support for their claims. .

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

They actually rejected my shop and weren’t even going to tell me! They said I didn’t do one of the shop requirements and I did. I think they don’t like how the negligent employee behaved, because it wasn’t the reaction they were looking for. How can I possibly control that? I went back to the original e-mail with clarification questions and asked the editor how he/she could say I didn’t do that aspect of the job when I certainly did, but no response as of yet. Very disheartening. I’ve previously done a shop that had a time limit, and because I was with the salesperson the entire time I couldn’t look through the store for a certain display, and they didn’t refuse to pay me. All I did was explain how it happened, and it was fine.

Hopefully it was a shop where there was no purchase requirement. Walesmaven gave you sound advice, do your research and sign up with more companies. Just move on and forget about GBW. Just be glad it wasn't for a couple hundred dollars. I had a company years ago that folded and I did not get my reimbursement for the carpet cleaning job I did for $288. Sigh. At least I had a clean carpet!

Based on the feedback here, I no longer shop for GBW. Payment is extremely slow. I believe they are based out of Malaysia, at least for scheduling purposes.

I got paid after 90 days and at least six emails asking for them to pay me. I have another shop that I am still waiting on.

I also just got paid, for a shop I did in June. I sent numerous enquirers through their system. Seems to be standard procedure for them. I have never been paid on time or without asking for it.

There is a level of risk for all of us doing this. The editor has a lot of power.

They've only had two clients in my area. They lost one of them. I have shopped the other a few times. It gets bonused regularly. Otherwise, there would be no appeal to me. Honestly, I don't know what their stated payment terms are. Payments to me have been direct deposit in about 60 days. I've not had to chase any payment.

I've had no questions, so can't speak to replies from them. Sometimes, they'll email a 'gentle reminder' about requirements. The email must go to all shoppers who have completed, or are scheduled to complete, the project, as they don't pertain to me.

Back in the old days, when they had obtained the major fast-food chain, there were a lot of glitches, especially communication internationally. It eventually got worked out, they paid well and things ran smoothly. They lost that client but more recently I have had cell phone stores where the client apparently does not know where the stores are located. The job would consist of an address, a brand and instructions that if the store is not located at that address, shop the closest one. More than once, I was not paid because I shopped the closest one. The reason? I did not shop the address that I was given. And now they would have to schedule someone else. My question, schedule someone else for what? The non-existent address? Or the location I just went to? I went back and forth with them for a few rounds with this but eventually just gave up. It's not worth it. I had also accepted high paying retail job where, once I opened the instructions, found that the high pay was actually almost all reimbursement for shoes that I didn't want or need. I canceled that one and explained to the scheduler the difference between pay and reimbursement. I think they still have that client but I won't get fooled again.

I had trouble getting employees to wait on me. I would ask a question, and I couldn’t get a recommendation. I finally pointed to something and she was like “yeah, that would work”, and then walk away. I yelled to her “wait, I can’t find my size”, and she reluctantly came back and handed it to me, then she walked away again. It was more a self-serve type of store, and because I couldn’t get the employees to stay with me while I looked, they are trying to say I didn’t perform that aspect of the shop. If I had acted any more desperate for help they would’ve questioned if I was a shopper. It’s unfair, and I am returning the item I purchased that was supposed to be reimbursed, and I won’t do another job for them. They only have 1 client near me.

I performed a few of their high end vehicle shops, and though the questions were a bit tedious, the shops were approved and I was paid. The issue I had was that I would get calls and texts from their overseas schedulers and support staff regularly, asking me to shop the same locations I had previously shopped in a relatively short time span. I asked for help coming up with new shticks so as not to be revealed to this high tech client, and they could not. The shops would then show up in my assignment page and I would have to track them down to have the assignment(s) removed. More texts and calls. Rinse and repeat. Finally I deactivated.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Anyone shop with GBW? If I wasn’t scammed, it is at best a horrible company.

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine