Can a company still use your report if they refuse to pay you?

Shops of $200 seem to only happen in hard to reach areas or require video equipment. I get many calls to do shops in my area. As you have seen on here, some MSC's do not have any integrity.

By the way, tell me which shops pay $200. I would like to know.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2019 03:37PM by johnb974.

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.

Already a member? Log In.

Why in the world would I tell you what shops I do that I receive $200 (or more) for? Or even which MSCs pay me that much? And even if I would tell you personally and privately, why in the world would I post it on a semi-public forum?
From Miriam Webster:

integrity: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.
hypocrisy: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel.

Anyone see where I am going with this? LOL.
@ceasesmith wrote:

Why in the world would I tell you what shops I do that I receive $200 (or more) for? Or even which MSCs pay me that much? And even if I would tell you personally and privately, why in the world would I post it on a semi-public forum?

Than you're making it up. You have no proof.
johnb974, I started this conversation because I was genuinely surprised that reports were turned in to companies even when there was a possibility the shopper might not get paid for it, and that led me to wonder if said companies would still use the report. I did not start this conversation to have people call other people liars, or challenge them to reveal their pay, the companies they work for, or anything else that is none of anybody's business, other than the person concerned.
Please be courteous, or refrain from posting. Thank you.
@mrf4321 wrote:

johnb974, I started this conversation because I was genuinely surprised that reports were turned in to companies even when there was a possibility the shopper might not get paid for it, and that led me to wonder if said companies would still use the report. I did not start this conversation to have people call other people liars, or challenge them to reveal their pay, the companies they work for, or anything else that is none of anybody's business, other than the person concerned.
Please be courteous, or refrain from posting. Thank you.

I asked for proof of a post. The person could not prove what they said, There's nothing wrong with that. If you cannot prove it, don't post it.
As a scheduler, who has to fill those locations again when they are NOT USED, I can tell you that I have not once worked for a company that gets paid for a shop but doesn't pay the shopper. It makes no sense to do that. They want to keep you shopping that location, so they will pay you if they can. If you screw up, they cannot use the report, so you will not be paid. Anyone can believe what they'd like about it, with zero proof they do it, but I have experience on more than one front here. It doesn't happen. Not if they want to stay in business.
@KSSPete wrote:

As a scheduler, who has to fill those locations again when they are NOT USED, I can tell you that I have not once worked for a company that gets paid for a shop but doesn't pay the shopper. It makes no sense to do that. They want to keep you shopping that location, so they will pay you if they can. If you screw up, they cannot use the report, so you will not be paid. Anyone can believe what they'd like about it, with zero proof they do it, but I have experience on more than one front here. It doesn't happen. Not if they want to stay in business.

I've had a couple of shops where I fixed a mistake and they still rejected the shop. That makes no sense to me, unless they planned on using the shop anyway.
Mrf, you're quite right.

I have had schedulers/editors tell me I screwed up the shop so much that they did not know whether the client would accept it. However, they always tell me this before they submit the shop, and after doing everything they possibly can to "save" the shop for me (and for the MSC).

So I can say, from personal experience, that yes, reports are submitted sometimes when there is a possibility the shopper might not get paid (because the MSC won't get paid).

And I can say that I have gotten paid when the client disputed and/or refused the report; specifically noted that "we are going to pay you in full, because you followed all the guidelines and did all that was required of you". In those cases, the MSC wasn't paid by the client, so it came out of their own pocket.

Johnb, believe me -- I have nothing to prove to you. There is a reason you may never see a shop that pays that much, and that I (and MANY other shoppers) regularly get offers like that. I do not think any of us have a snowball's chance in Hell of convincing you.

@mrf4321 wrote:

johnb974, I started this conversation because I was genuinely surprised that reports were turned in to companies even when there was a possibility the shopper might not get paid for it, and that led me to wonder if said companies would still use the report. I did not start this conversation to have people call other people liars, or challenge them to reveal their pay, the companies they work for, or anything else that is none of anybody's business, other than the person concerned.
Please be courteous, or refrain from posting. Thank you.
That confuses me as well, @johnb974, which tells me there's more to that story to be honest. I currently schedule for a company that at least once a month, sometimes more, they pay a shopper for a report they are not getting paid for, and I have to find a new shopper for that shop. I'm not sure what companies you work for, and it really doesn't matter. If they do what you claim they do, they will be out of business in no time. I know that of the 7 companies I have worked for, or scheduled for, not a single one of them reject shops, use them to get paid by the client, then don't pay the shopper. If they get paid, the shopper gets paid. Every single time.

Edited to add...

I can see cases like what ceases said happening, where the MSC tells the shopper ahead of time that they are going to try to get the shop approved, but then cannot. For the most part, mystery shop companies know if a shop will be rejected by the client, and they are not in the business of giving out free reports to their clients.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2019 05:52PM by KSSPete.
john, no one has the obligation to prove anything to you. Please stop with this. You want to share your experience, great. Anything other than that is out of line.
ceasesmith, thanks for helping me understand the rationale behind it. I would have thought, like KSSPete said, that they would just toss the report and get another shopper to do it correctly. On the other hand, the location was a bit out of the way, and it might have been a challenge to find someone.
In a case where it is out of the way like that, the client is usually pretty understanding too. If you don't mind me asking, what was the reason they gave you for rejecting it? You may have already said and I missed it.
They haven't rejected yet. I just got an email from the editor saying they might. Again, I was just curious as to why they would send it on if it was less than perfect. I do make mistakes at times, especially when I work with a new company and their guidelines differ from what I am used to. But I do everything I can to correct the mistakes. I have done very few shops for this company before, but whenever I worked for them, I must say they have been more than fair and accommodating.
When the shop is in a difficult area, I have seen the editors warn a shopper that it may not be accepted, but then it is because the client also realizes it will be difficult to refill. Really just depend on what the mistake was, and if they can overlook it that time.
Pete: so says the guy who I e-mailed photos to so he could put them in the report for me, because I couldn't figure out how to get them off my phone.

I'll never forget your going above & beyond, Pete!

Years later, and I still can't get them off my phone onto my PC. So I just use my digital camera, LOL!

And John, I've only done ONE video shop in ten years -- and it paid $400.
John says: "I asked for proof of a post. The person could not prove what they said, There's nothing wrong with that. If you cannot prove it, don't post it."

Hahaha. I COULD prove it. I CHOSE not to. And I was even kind enough to explain (sort of) why I refused to prove it.

Big difference.

LOL.
@JASFLALMT wrote:

Well that's not true, ceasesmith. I have emailed schedulers about locations that moved, went out of business, etc. knowing that I was not going to be paid for it and they were shops that were not assigned to me. I had nothing to gain other than just knowing I helped out the scheduler and MSC, with no expectations of compensation or a return favor. And I am sure we are not the only shoppers who have done this.

@ceasesmith wrote:


I do realize that other shoppers do not do this.

I'm weirder than hell.

smiling smiley

I too have done this. It always amazes me to see how few of them actually take the obvious step of removing the shop! Locations that I know to be out of business permanently linger for months, even after I'd emailed in the pertinent details.

I suppose I should just take the shops every month, snap a fresh picture of the closed sign (or eventually the new tenant's business sign) and accept their regular gift of half rate for "officially" telling them it's a closed store.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2019 03:32PM by JustForFun.
I've done it once or twice myself. Figured it was good karma.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Well that's not true, ceasesmith. I have emailed schedulers about locations that moved, went out of business, etc. knowing that I was not going to be paid for it and they were shops that were not assigned to me. I had nothing to gain other than just knowing I helped out the scheduler and MSC, with no expectations of compensation or a return favor. And I am sure we are not the only shoppers who have done this.

@ceasesmith wrote:


I do realize that other shoppers do not do this.

I'm weirder than hell.

smiling smiley

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
Now when I told you about yourself you reported me and said it was a personal attack, yet here you are. Talking about someone else attitude when you are BY FAR the rudest poster on this forum.

@SoCalMama wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

I have never had any shop offer more than $50, and that is very rare in my area.

That's what you think. Your behavior, if it is anything like what you post here, precludes you from doing many shops and working with many MSCs.
I do know of one company that states if your report is late they will not reimburse you for purchases. Their language is written to imply that if the report is usable they can use it. They provide you with tickets to events and you have to pay for F&B out of pocket. Maybe they feel as though your tickets are enough if you don't deliver on submitting a timely report?
eyelove2shop, when SCM was posting about John's behavior, it's regarding his posts about fudging shop times so that his shops will be accepted (because he entered the location earlier than the MSC and client guidelines stated), taking printed guidelines into the shop (even though it's against the client and MSCs rules), and more. These are all valid reasons why he could be unable to get shops, and he has openly posted about getting deactivated from some MSCs (though of course it was the MSCs fault and not his). The fact that he sees nothing wrong with violating MSC and client rules is disappointing, and him posting about it might encourage new shoppers who don't know better that it's really okay to do that.
It doesn't matter the reason. If it's against forum rules, it's against the rules. She has no authority to talk about anyone's behavior.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2019 07:01PM by eyelove2shop.
@eyelove2shop wrote:

It doesn't matter the reason. If it's against forum rules, it's against the rules. She has no authority to talk about anyone's behavior.
Perhaps you’d like to read the rules yourself?
Eyelove, so it's okay for anyone else to point out that going against the MSC's and their client's guidelines is improper behavior, but if SCM points it out, you pounce?
Jas stop don't be obtuse. You know exactly what she wrote and how it could've been written differently.
Eyelove, could you please take your arguments somewhere else, and stick to the topic on this thread? Thank you kindly.
@KSSPete wrote:

IF that is true, they won't be in business long.

Edited to ask what proof you have that any company has done this?

Pete, Sad to say that there are very many firms which think only for the moment without any consideration for the future. There are some in our industry as well.
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login