1. Forums
  2. Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

A Closer Look

April 02, 2026 09:42PM
The last 5 emails came from Indian/pakistani looking names. Definitely farming out editing. Email received 3 am edt. Yeah, business hours in Asia.

I just did an upscale shop for a new shop with them. They required a photo of the complimentary bread. I remembered to take it but forgot to attach it. They sent me an email asking for the missing photo. And of course send a text to make sure I saw the email. I responded within two minutes of the text “sent” and they replied thank you. It took nearly 3 full days from that point before they finished the edit. Then my review came from a different editor (also an Asian sounding name) and had to slap my hand for forgetting the photo. Seriously? Normally you do not need photos of items you do not pay for. Even when I thought about it later, I thought about it again as to including drinks, app, entrées and dessert photos. Bread? Did not even enter my mind. Maybe they need to put a checklist on the photo page to make sure we remember… After all, it is hard to recall after finishing a lengthy report whether they need restroom photos or exterior photos. I take them out of habit just in case they ask.
Reply
Log In
x

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.

More Discussions About A Closer Look (All Companies)
April 02, 2026 11:59PM
This is NOT a political post. But seeing the small nuances of language and conversation that are misunderstand on such a minor subject as buying a sandwich, I fear the dangers of having CDL drivers who have little understanding of our written language or culture. Point of fact: Many years ago I was driving with a middle-Eastern male passenger and I came to a 4-way stop where I did not have the right of way. My passenger insisted that I should go first as I am a woman and the other driver was a male.
Reply
April 03, 2026 12:30AM
@catmom23 wrote:

The last 5 emails came from Indian/pakistani looking names. Definitely farming out editing. Email received 3 am edt. Yeah, business hours in Asia.

I just did an upscale shop for a new shop with them. They required a photo of the complimentary bread. I remembered to take it but forgot to attach it. They sent me an email asking for the missing photo. And of course send a text to make sure I saw the email. I responded within two minutes of the text “sent” and they replied thank you. It took nearly 3 full days from that point before they finished the edit. Then my review came from a different editor (also an Asian sounding name) and had to slap my hand for forgetting the photo. Seriously? Normally you do not need photos of items you do not pay for. Even when I thought about it later, I thought about it again as to including drinks, app, entrées and dessert photos. Bread? Did not even enter my mind. Maybe they need to put a checklist on the photo page to make sure we remember… After all, it is hard to recall after finishing a lengthy report whether they need restroom photos or exterior photos. I take them out of habit just in case they ask.
To be fair, the photo of the bread is the second required photo listed in the guidelines. However, if it makes you feel any better, I received the final email with a hand slap for a single missed comment among the pages of narrative I provided. The editor originally sent me an email with six questions to clarify some "No" answers (I had a lot for this upscale shop, at least 20+)...five of the six questions I had already answered in my narrative and replied with my comments verbatim...the sixth question was about folding the napkin, but I forgot to include a comment on that. The final email had no apology for wasting my time on the other five questions that they missed...just the hand slap to make sure I include comments for No or N/A answers in the future.

To follow on, a few days later I did a casual restaurant and received a comped drink on the receipt. The editor asked why it was comped. I replied with five different verbatim comments from my narrative as to what happened with the drink, which clearly explained why it was comped. Fortunately, the final email included no hand slap.
Reply
April 03, 2026 02:42AM
That is why I quit doing essay jobs. I did some apartment jobs for someone years ago. They paid well, but asked the same damn question multiple times in a slightly different way. It got old to me real quick.

When I was spending an hour on the job and 2 or 3 entering and writing stories, a 60-70 fee got real small, real fast.
Reply
April 04, 2026 06:03PM
I have noticed that ACL pays much faster now...seems like 2 Fridays after the shop date. I did a shop on 3/14 and received the direct deposit on 3/27. I did a shop on 3/22 and received the direct deposit on 4/3
Reply
April 06, 2026 09:56PM
I just did a "Pocket Shop' for them for a mattress company. Very few questions, no photos, and it paid well.
Reply
April 08, 2026 06:22PM
I got asked a question that I had never been asked before, after about two dozen shops for the same client. The guidelines did not state that the name was required. The employees at this location rarely, if ever, have name badges...
Reply
April 10, 2026 12:26AM
I did the same upscale restaurant, and got asked questions that weren't on the survey (did I order any after dinner drinks), and I had already written in the narrative that we weren't offered any after dinner drinks or coffee. I had also marked N/A on the "crumbing of the table without interrupting" since crumbs were not swept away at any point as there were no crumbs, and i was asked if crumbing of the table was done without interrupting the meal. I don't know how I'm supposed to comment on how something was done that WASN'T done. And I know exactly what I wrote because I download copies of the higher-value shops. But I'm not going to argue when there's $300 at stake. And then I got the hand-slap email. LOL
Reply
April 10, 2026 12:30AM
@mysterioso412 wrote:

I did the same upscale restaurant, and got asked questions that weren't on the survey (did I order any after dinner drinks), and I had already written in the narrative that we weren't offered any after dinner drinks or coffee. I had also marked N/A on the "crumbing of the table without interrupting" since crumbs were not swept away at any point as there were no crumbs, and i was asked if crumbing of the table was done without interrupting the meal. I don't know how I'm supposed to comment on how something was done that WASN'T done. And I know exactly what I wrote because I download copies of the higher-value shops. But I'm not going to argue when there's $300 at stake. And then I got the hand-slap email. LOL

We made lots of crumbs. So we were crumbed. I thought it was a surprisingly easy report for the reimbursement amount. But who knows what next round will be. These were special “timing blitz” ships. But yeah, I am so tired of restating N/A responses. I’m doing a report for Coyle right now (as in this is my break before I wrap it up) and they make you explain the no and n/a responses in the top sections. So why must I restate in the narrative. There were still no guests under 30 to ID at the dang bar!
Reply
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login