OK, so what do you call it when a Green and white gas station turns the canopy lights OFF over an hour early. The shopper was able to get one picture then they cut the canopy lights off. Assuming that the location was closed the shopper submitted it as a closed location, but upon pulling up to the location realized that the pumps were still on and the C-store was still open. However, they had just submitted it as closed. Then the editor arbitrarily threw the shop out saying that the location was closed. However, upon pulling away from the location a call was placed by the shopper to the store which confirmed that the store was still in fact open. (Merchant stated verbatim, in my hearing, "We are almost closed". This means that the shop should actually be returned to the shopper to be resubmitted as an open location with the lights OFF! I really have a problem with the editor just throwing the shop out because we are supposed to be given half pay (which we may not have disputed) if the location is closed during darkness hours. So what are you supposed to do when the location cuts the lights off over an hour before closing? This location is over 2 hours away from us!

1. I wouldn't have submitted the shop without going up to the door and trying to go in. Were the store lights turned off too?
2. I would have photographed the hours sign on the door (if it was posted) and the door anyway to show it wasn't posted and screenshot of the hours posted online.

Therfore, if the location was really open I would have figured that out before submitting it as closed.

The editor is probably unable to return the the shop once they finalize it. You would have to go through someone else.

Have to agree with luckygirl. I would never submit a shop as closed during posted hours without taking half a dozen steps to make sure the error is not mine.

The store lights were on and the open sign on in the C STORE picture! This shop does not require a purchase or a reveal. The shopper took a picture of the pump being ON! There were MULTIPLE lighting infractions under the canopy. Multiple pictures taken, including a screenshot of the hours online AND a screenshot of the call log showing the phone call to the location. A dispute has been filed. The issue isn't the WAY the shopper inputted it incorrectly (fixable via editing), the issue is the arbitrary way it was rejected!! So if you drive TWO hours to do a shop and they decide to close HOURS early they are saying they don't have to pay you squat!!! F the shopper!!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/06/2023 06:21PM by F and L TeleComm.

Was there a comments section where you could include notes on the situation with the initial report? I do this when a situation might be questioned or unclear. A editor once told me when I was explaing a sitation on a shop I submitted "we are not mind readers."

I totally get driving 2 hours and then not getting paid is super frustrating. But they aren't evaluating reports based on how far we drive. Its based on the information they have if a shop was completed correctly.

Hope the situation gets resolved to your satisfaction.

It was not rejected for not being completed correctly. It was rejected because the location was closed. Which is totally out of the the shoppers control!!

I'm not really totally understanding this. You submitted the shop on the app as soon as you saw the lights go out? Then pulled up to see that the store was still open? Not sure, seeing as how you drove two hours to do the shop, why you would pull the trigger so quickly. If you were going to pull up closer anyway, why not wait to submit the shop until you've done so?

OTOH, if you're supposed to get half-pay for a closed location, then I'm not sure why the shop was simply rejected.

No we were on the site and got a couple of pictures with the lights ON. Then a customer left and we drove towards the canopy for the hellos picture when he cut the lights OFF. it was not within 30 minutes of closing. It was over an hour till close! We drove accross the street to look at the app, guidelines. Saw the option for closed during open hours. Took more pictures from across the street and then drove back to take closed pictures. We didn't realize that technically he was STILL open until leaving and calling the store. The issues are two main ones, a) the correct way to input yes but THE MAIN question is why does it NOT PAY HALF PAY FOR CLOSED WHEN ITS SUPPOSED TO BE OPEN. WHY IS IT AUTOMATICALLY REJECTED WHEN ITS NOT THE SHOPPERS FAULT IF A STORE CLOSES!!!

So you messed up & are mad the company won't let you fix your mistake?

If the guidelines state that closed locations pay half the fee, then the editor should not have thrown the shop out.

However, you messed up and should not be paid for false data. If the editor returned the shop to you and you made the necessary corrections before the deadline, then you should be paid fully. If the shop is never returned to you, you should not be paid at all.

@F and L TeleComm wrote:

OK, so what do you call it when a Green and white gas station turns the canopy lights OFF over an hour early. The shopper was able to get one picture then they cut the canopy lights off. Assuming that the location was closed the shopper submitted it as a closed location, but upon pulling up to the location realized that the pumps were still on and the C-store was still open. However, they had just submitted it as closed. Then the editor arbitrarily threw the shop out saying that the location was closed. However, upon pulling away from the location a call was placed by the shopper to the store which confirmed that the store was still in fact open. (Merchant stated verbatim, in my hearing, "We are almost closed". This means that the shop should actually be returned to the shopper to be resubmitted as an open location with the lights OFF! I really have a problem with the editor just throwing the shop out because we are supposed to be given half pay (which we may not have disputed) if the location is closed during darkness hours. So what are you supposed to do when the location cuts the lights off over an hour before closing? This location is over 2 hours away from us!

OK; got it! It's a mystery why they wouldn't just give you the closed fee. Bizarre!

I believe one of the biggest oversights in is when an out of the norm situation happens typically it is handled with shopper not being paid therefore job not submitted to client. The client needs to be aware of these early closings or other unusual situations.

If it is the lighting audit (which it seems from comments) I believe there is no pay for closed locations. (I didn't print/save the guidelines, so just going from memory)

I did a lighting audit at a station that was no longer branded. I was paid $5 instead of 1/2 the bonused fee. Not happy about that, but whatever.

I did a gas station convience store shop and the franchizee had put the wrong address in the system so it showed one of his stores that was 10 miles away. I submitted my google maps location and everything but they wouldn't pay me for it. Almost like they didn't want to know the problem existed. Oh and it wasn't Ipsos.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2023 02:37PM by jazzzyjd.

A year or two ago I saw a bonused dark audit basically an hour away. I immediately assigned it. Then I looked it up and it said it closed before dark. I emailed the scheduler and told her. She told me that it still had to be done AFTER DARK but the fee would be reduced by half. I decided it was not worth two hours of my time for half pay so I let it drop off my board. When the next round of daytimes came I discovered that I was blocked from that service station. I had to write several people to get unblocked. Because of this I SPECIFICALLY know that closed locations are supposed to pay HALF. PER scheduler. I did not drive two hours to do a 26 dollar dark I am not a fool I had a whole route in the area and the dark was 20 minutes off of my route. However, if a location closes early, I know for a fact per the original scheduler that the shop should have paid HALF. The editor has no way of knowing whether or not the store is open/closed etc except via our report. If the shop had been rejected because I reported it incorrectly then it's on me. The shop was not rejected because I submitted it incorrectly. It was rejected because as the editor put it it was closed. Why would ANY shopper want to do any dark audits any more unless on their route if they may or may not be paid? Based on the comments I'm getting (which agree with f the shoppers time and efforts in my book!) if you drive up to a dark and they happen to be closed or lights out you should drive away because the MSP is saying they are under no obligation to give the shopper a DIME!

email me at karen.holland@ipsos.com please and i can head you in the right direction if you haven't gotten hold of anyone

My 2 cents:
At many, if not most, of the gas stations I have been doing (multiple states), there are "Help Wanted" signs out front and inside in the restrooms as well as at the counter.
AAMOF, for the "Yellow" stations that say "Open 24 Hours" on their store window, there are signs on the door that advise the current store hours are 5 AM to 10 10PM.
Some of the (I assume) store managers have told me that they just do not have enough employees to keep the site open in accordance with their typical posted times. They do not have anyone applying for their open positions.

I do not believe this labor shortage is a local or regional circumstance, but rather a national problem for these stations.

The editors should be aware of this issue and account for it accordingly.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2023 07:58PM by French Farmer.