The Australian Mystery Shopping forum closed down it seems so I had to come here. I came here after I quit one of the 8 mystery shopping companies I am working for after absurdly-bad experience from the evaluator there on 4 separate occasions, while I had no bad experiences with anyone anywhere else left me believing that that company was well below the standard of other mystery shopping companies. While I've only done shops for 6 of the 8, as the other 2 keep rejecting me, I have noticed that they vary hugely, so I wanted to see if there are other people in Australia and if they feel the same way, and also if it is normal in the industry to have such variety. I am tempted to just focus on the higher-paying ones, as the higher-paying ones tend to be nicer too.
So, just to lay it all out here, this is the list of the 8 that I am registered with. Of note, there were actually 12 available to me, but 3 of them either rejected me or no longer exist, while 1 registered me but had a corrupted account. So these are the 8:
1. Personally Recommended
Basic shops: $17
Shops with reimbursement: $10
2. Shopper Now:
Basic shops: $26
Shops with reimbursement: $22
Special shops: $300 for 2-day/6-hour intercept work
3. Realise Now:
Basic shops: $12
Shops with reimbursement: $8 but effectively $3 as they don't reimburse the full minimum spend
2-parters: $16
Special shops: $30 for a full inspection
4. Human Experience:
Basic shops: $60
Shops with reimbursement: $40 with $60 reimbursement
2-parters: $70
Special shops: $120 to $300 for hotel reviews with overnight stays
5. Service Integrity:
Basic shops: $15
Shops with reimbursement: $15 but effectively $7.50 as they don't reimburse at all
6. Scouts Insight:
Basic shops: $25
Shops with reimbursement: $0 for $35 worth of goods
Special shops: $30 for photographing the whole store
7. Mystery Customer:
Basic shops: $75
Shops with reimbursement: $20 with $80 reimbursement
Someone else keeps taking the jobs before I get a chance to say yes to them. I suspect that once I get the first job it will be a lot easier to get more jobs.
8. Secret Customer:
Basic shops: $250
Special shops: $3,000
I have to do a survey for each job, and to date every time they said that I was not their target audience. One time I passed for a $3,000 job and was expecting the pet food in the mail, but it never came. Many of them want me to have children of a certain age, my marital status, gender, ethnicity, sexual preferences, where I live, how much money I earn, where I work, etc etc. I've done about 30 surveys now and only been judged as suitable once. But the pet food never came for that one. Once I get one I suspect that more will come, as that's how it always works.
I am also finding that the ones that pay more treat you better. Is that the case for everyone else too?
So, just to lay it all out here, this is the list of the 8 that I am registered with. Of note, there were actually 12 available to me, but 3 of them either rejected me or no longer exist, while 1 registered me but had a corrupted account. So these are the 8:
1. Personally Recommended
Basic shops: $17
Shops with reimbursement: $10
2. Shopper Now:
Basic shops: $26
Shops with reimbursement: $22
Special shops: $300 for 2-day/6-hour intercept work
3. Realise Now:
Basic shops: $12
Shops with reimbursement: $8 but effectively $3 as they don't reimburse the full minimum spend
2-parters: $16
Special shops: $30 for a full inspection
4. Human Experience:
Basic shops: $60
Shops with reimbursement: $40 with $60 reimbursement
2-parters: $70
Special shops: $120 to $300 for hotel reviews with overnight stays
5. Service Integrity:
Basic shops: $15
Shops with reimbursement: $15 but effectively $7.50 as they don't reimburse at all
6. Scouts Insight:
Basic shops: $25
Shops with reimbursement: $0 for $35 worth of goods
Special shops: $30 for photographing the whole store
7. Mystery Customer:
Basic shops: $75
Shops with reimbursement: $20 with $80 reimbursement
Someone else keeps taking the jobs before I get a chance to say yes to them. I suspect that once I get the first job it will be a lot easier to get more jobs.
8. Secret Customer:
Basic shops: $250
Special shops: $3,000
I have to do a survey for each job, and to date every time they said that I was not their target audience. One time I passed for a $3,000 job and was expecting the pet food in the mail, but it never came. Many of them want me to have children of a certain age, my marital status, gender, ethnicity, sexual preferences, where I live, how much money I earn, where I work, etc etc. I've done about 30 surveys now and only been judged as suitable once. But the pet food never came for that one. Once I get one I suspect that more will come, as that's how it always works.
I am also finding that the ones that pay more treat you better. Is that the case for everyone else too?