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Bare seems shady

September 13, 2023 04:01AM
My sister got me into mystery shopping and told me to stay away from Bare because she encountered countless problems with their scheduling system. I should've heeded her advice. I applied to do a shop on Friday night for the following day (Saturday) but never heard back. Didn't think much. Figured I didn't get the shop and that was that. Except when I logged on to to my email on Monday night, I discovered Bare had assigned me to do the shop that day. I sent an email right away explaining that I applied to do the shop on Saturday, not two days later on Monday, and I had only seen the assignment that night. No response. This evening...a flake citation showed up on my account. What jerks. I was warned about Flake happy Veronica so I shouldn't be surprised but this is some major league BS on their part.
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More Discussions About Bare Associates International (All Companies)
September 13, 2023 04:41AM
BARE is one of the better MSCs. Clear guidelines. Friendly and responsive schedulers. Fair editing. And senior management which is accessible.

Professional shoppers know to keep track of their applications and monitor them. Unless one has a really damn good excuse - for example, death of a relative no further distant than oneself - failing to complete a shop as scheduled results in becoming known as a flake.
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September 13, 2023 02:16PM
@Rousseau well, no. It sounds like they assigned it to her on a fully different day than she applied for. I would be very upset about this as well.
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September 13, 2023 03:05PM
Clearly, you did not read my entire post, Rousseau. Competent readers will read an entire post before responding.
nolimitem, thank you for actually reading my post. That's EXACTLY what happened. I can't find anything on their site that says they can reassign me on a different day and give me a flake citation for not doing it. I can't do shops on Mondays and would never sign up for a Monday shop. It's bullshit and I'll be filing a complaint with the BBB. I should've stayed away as I was warned to.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2023 03:06PM by whataboutpromblaine.
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September 13, 2023 04:29PM
@whataboutpromblaine wrote:

Clearly, you did not read my entire post, Rousseau. Competent readers will read an entire post before responding.
nolimitem, thank you for actually reading my post. That's EXACTLY what happened. I can't find anything on their site that says they can reassign me on a different day and give me a flake citation for not doing it. I can't do shops on Mondays and would never sign up for a Monday shop. It's bullshit and I'll be filing a complaint with the BBB. I should've stayed away as I was warned to.

I think what Rousseau means is you should have deleted your app on Saturday when you didn't get the shop. The fact that it was still pending indicated to the schedulers that you were still willing to do it even though it was a different day.
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September 13, 2023 04:50PM
@foodluvr wrote:

@whataboutpromblaine wrote:

Clearly, you did not read my entire post, Rousseau. Competent readers will read an entire post before responding.
nolimitem, thank you for actually reading my post. That's EXACTLY what happened. I can't find anything on their site that says they can reassign me on a different day and give me a flake citation for not doing it. I can't do shops on Mondays and would never sign up for a Monday shop. It's bullshit and I'll be filing a complaint with the BBB. I should've stayed away as I was warned to.

I think what Rousseau means is you should have deleted your app on Saturday when you didn't get the shop. The fact that it was still pending indicated to the schedulers that you were still willing to do it even though it was a different day.

I think that's a stretch. The scheduler should have contacted the shopper to confirm availability instead of just automatically assigning it. A Closer Look is good about doing that. I always put my name in on their "wait list" and they confirm with me what dates I can do it before assigning.
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September 13, 2023 06:37PM
I had to laugh at them a week ago. I said I would complete a shop for $X. This is the amount I was paid before. Got a phone call back saying after having it approved by a superior I could do the shop, but this is a one time offer at this price. HUH?
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September 13, 2023 08:32PM
Three points:

1-I THINK I would have progressed as did the OP. I have experienced similar situations and that was how I handled the matter.

2-I accessed four definitions of professional and I seem to fit the description, although I am considerably part time.

3-Rousseau stated what Bare "IS." Of that I have zero knowledge, but as to WAS, I am quite familiar. I completed my first shop for them in the spring of 2006; it was such a frustratingly unpleasant experience, Bare was the first MSC I terminated. When a male from their company contacted me a few yrs. later concerning a re-establishment of our relationship, I refused to discuss such a possibility. I have never, in the slightest, regretted my decision to sever the connection.
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September 13, 2023 08:39PM
The flake citation is unnecessary. They should understand that when dealing with contractors, our availability is fluid.
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September 13, 2023 11:36PM
My two cents:

1. If the application process required the OP to pick a specific day to do the shop and the OP picked Saturday, then BARE was wrong in assigning the shop for Monday and BARE was also wrong in issuing a flake citation. The OP is not a flake for not doing a shop on a day the OP never agreed to perform the shop. An MSC does not have the right to demand a shopper to do a shop on a different day. Shoppers are independent contractors.

2. Shady? Yes. Major league BS? No. Complaining to the BBB? Inappropriate and a waste of time.

3. I don't know how long the OP has been mystery shopping. When I was a newbie, I did not know I should monitor my applications and cancel them if necessary to avoid unpleasant surprises like this. I know what to do now but it was not my fault that I did not know what I did not know. There is a learning and growth process even for professionals (new or established).
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September 14, 2023 01:52AM
Bare is on my ten-foot-pole list, and it has been for a while. My dealings with them have not been that great, and I just plain don't like fooling with them. I totally love some of the others that other folks seem to hate, so it all balances out. Or something.

How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg?
"Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."
-- Abraham Lincoln
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September 16, 2023 04:21AM
Just coming by to say that I find it interesting how we can all have vastly different experiences working for the exact same companies. I wouldn't hesitate to work for Bare. I have found their integrity to be among the highest in the business.

Keep in mind that when dealing with Bare, their schedulers and other people are employed by the company rather than as independent contractors. As such, I have found it less likely that I will get a response outside of regular business hours. I also will remove applications if they go pending for too long. I don't need confusion, and neither do they.

Ultimately, a little common sense goes a long way.
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September 17, 2023 09:57AM
"I also will remove applications if they go pending for too long." How do I do this?
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September 17, 2023 11:15AM
Go to the my apps tab and delete in SASSIE.

My experience has been that they will eventually disappear. Not the day after but eventually without you having to do anything.
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September 17, 2023 02:45PM
Not my experience with one of the longest-standing MSC's. I work for them regularly. While I personally have some issues with how questions in one of their reports are deployed, management has always been quick to respond whenever any issues pop up.
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October 06, 2023 02:35AM
Over the years and 100s of assignments with bare I have had only a handful of issues. I remember 2 that stick out. Not paying a full rate for a shop that was done the best it could be as the representative was not at the store during the scheduled time as supposed to. The less than half I was paid was bs but I got back increasing my rate to do a future assignment. My 2nd one was one of those money transfer shops which I was never able to get the refund and despite bares reassurance was never refunded my $20. I think I still made a few bucks despite losing $20. I also added that $20 to a future assignment negotiation. I won't take any money transfer shops with them after that.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.
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November 04, 2023 04:23PM
Shady? I don't think they are, but I'm careful with my dealings with them. They use schedulers who are located in India (grrrrrr) and don't understand when you try to explain something in plain English.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown
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