They are asking me to do a shop with a very large upfront purchase and I have never worked for them before. Advice, please? thanks,

Carol

If you are talking about Mystery Shoppers, which sent out a global email yesterday for a $20 shop with up to $30 reimbursement for shipping, I haven't heard a bunch of complaints about them. I've been signed up with them for a long time and have never found a job in my area that I wanted to accept.

I looked at the job and decided I did not want to play because of the multi parts. I really didn't want to watch the shows to find an item in the price category. At one time I did watch the shows and was pretty uniformly disappointed in what I bought, so much of it was returned with no hassle.

Here, to me, would be the keys to this shop: Put the purchase on a credit card that has just had a closing date, that way with a return promptly processed, the purchase and the credit for the return would appear in the same payment cycle and cancel each other out. Second, when you send the item back, make sure you purchase both insurance and a tracking number. Then if something goes awry you have a claim for your loss. You are being reimbursed up to $30 for shipping it back, so probably could even send it by UPS or FedEx and have it properly insured. When I used to do returns of the stuff I always enclosed the original packing slip, so make sure you make a copy of any documentation that needs to leave your hands.

So theoretically all you would be 'out of pocket' is the shipping expense if the shop was rejected for some reason. If the item never arrived or was lost in the return, that would be a nuisance but an insured loss.

Carol, they don't have much in my area, but I've done two shops for them, including the one I think you're talking about. As for the company themselves, they pay promptly, as per their schedule. I didn't like the first shop I did for them, which was a purchase/return. However, my problem was not with Mystery-Shoppers, it was with the store, who processed the return at a snail's pace.

As for the large upfront purchase shop, If it's the same one, reimbursement was sent within days of them receiving the required paperwork, just as they promised. They also included the shop fee, which I didn't expect.

If they let me do that shop again, I think I would. Although the shop fee itself is small, there definitely has been an upside for me. If you have any questions, call them. They're very, very nice.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2011 03:59PM by nicelytwicely.

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you are talking about Mystery Shoppers, which
> sent out a global email yesterday for a $20 shop
> with up to $30 reimbursement for shipping, I
> haven't heard a bunch of complaints about them.
> I've been signed up with them for a long time and
> have never found a job in my area that I wanted to
> accept.
>
> I looked at the job and decided I did not want to
> play because of the multi parts. I really didn't
> want to watch the shows to find an item in the
> price category. At one time I did watch the shows
> and was pretty uniformly disappointed in what I
> bought, so much of it was returned with no hassle.
>
>
> Here, to me, would be the keys to this shop: Put
> the purchase on a credit card that has just had a
> closing date, that way with a return promptly
> processed, the purchase and the credit for the
> return would appear in the same payment cycle and
> cancel each other out. Second, when you send the
> item back, make sure you purchase both insurance
> and a tracking number. Then if something goes
> awry you have a claim for your loss. You are
> being reimbursed up to $30 for shipping it back,
> so probably could even send it by UPS or FedEx and
> have it properly insured. When I used to do
> returns of the stuff I always enclosed the
> original packing slip, so make sure you make a
> copy of any documentation that needs to leave your
> hands.
>
> So theoretically all you would be 'out of pocket'
> is the shipping expense if the shop was rejected
> for some reason. If the item never arrived or was
> lost in the return, that would be a nuisance but
> an insured loss.


Flash, you posted when I did. This is the other shop I did, with a slow-as-a-turtle return. Not Mystery-Shopper's fault. They paid exactly on time. Hopefully the client has gotten a little speedier since I did that shop last year!

The shop I think that Carol is talking about is waaay more expensive. But, I received reimbursement and pay in less than a week.

Yes, I noticed we were simultaneously answering :-) It has been many years since I purchased from TV so I would have no idea how quickly they process the credits. Thus my suggestion of using a credit card that had just passed its closing date because surely these guys don't take 3-4 weeks to do a credit for a return.

Yes, in this case especially, that is absolutely warranted. Generally, the returns I've done take just 2 to 3 days to process. In this case, between the shipping, return time via mail and posting the credit to the card, I think it was at least a month, maybe even more.

As a consumer, I would be on the phone if my return was not credited back within a week of the time I have proof it was delivered. And if a second call was required a week after that I would no longer be polite. I would, at that point turn the problem over to my credit card company to sort out, providing them with whatever proof of return they wanted. AMEX I have done that with in the past (not a shop) and they put the charge 'in limbo' while they sorted out the issue with the vendor.

Thanks, guys, no purchase and return here. Just BIG and I do mean BIG purchase for reimbursement and then shop fee.

Carol

Carol, I posted about that shop above. I'd bet money it's the same one you're talking about.

Indeed it is. $536.18 went on my credit card yesterday for which I will be reimbursed plus a $10 fee.

A bargain, LOL! Mine was more --- shipping varies, from state to state.