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Results 1 - 30 of 864

Re: Any issues with being permitted to do Shell shops at night? - 2 days ago

Since this project requires pictures of all of the pumps, I try to do them at times when the location is probably less busy. Night time definitely fits that profile. If you try to do these during a busy time of day, they can take forever.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: iSecretShop platform - 4 days ago

I think the badges are just a modern and updated replacement for the infamous "hero citations." I only do a couple of dozen or so shops on that platform a year. If the mystery shopping company and scheduler really need to get the shops done, they will assign them immediately after there is an application. I have never once missed out on a shop because I couldn't self assign a certain number.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: What's up with the Sassie emails with expired deadlines - 5 days ago

Periodically Sassie emails are delayed by days or weeks. This includes scheduling emails, assigned shop notification emails, and approval/return emails from editors. This is not the first time this has happened, and based on history, it won't be the last. Despite this being a legacy platform that has been around for decades, they still have not figured out how to stop this from happening. How
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Gas Station Inspection Pushback - 5 weeks ago

"If the owner/manager has not informed you of these periodic mystery shops and inspections, then I am guessing they are not particularly important. However, it is my understanding that the refusal of the inspection is an automatic fail. I am guessing they would want you to go ahead and allow the inspection. You are welcome to call, but I can't wait too long to get started. I am sorry that
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: RBG communication issues - 5 weeks ago

I always say to shop for this company and the schedulers at your own risk. You may have a good experience, but this kind of thing is not uncommon. About 10 years ago, I explained to them some of the dynamics of mystery shopping in a particular region where I was asking for a bonus. They told me that I was lying. When I showed them irrefutable evidence that everything I was saying was true, they d
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Gas Station Inspection Pushback - 6 weeks ago

I think some of the gas station shops specifically say in the guidelines that you're not allowed to accept anything for free from the location. Out of principle, I never accept any gifts from the location. I do not find it to be professional, and I try to be as professional as possible when I do these jobs.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: What would you do, C Impact. - 2 months ago

One common scheduling tactic, which is much worse with some companies than others, is to call to emotion. Like saying, "can you help?" Or "these shops need you!" We are contracted business people, and emotion should have nothing to do with our decisions. Companies are generally going to do whatever it takes to try to get their work done as cheaply as possible. In many cases, there's an infinite
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: IntelliShop fee shop in past now no fee report - 2 months ago

Recently, they have been starting most of their projects at lower pay than in the past. However, they will add a fee and increase the fee as necessary to get the shop done. For example, they started the insect related wireless company compliance reviews quite a bit lower than in the past. However, they are all at 25 to 45 dollars now. If they were able to get a bunch of them done for the low
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Green Dino Dilemma - 2 months ago

They are up to $25 now. If they need to get them all done, they are going to have to increase fees much higher than that. There are still hundreds left, mostly in remote locations. They are giving the "tight budget" explanation now. I don't think they have any idea how badly their budget is going to bet blown. Remember, for every remote location a shopper does for $25, another shopper is g
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Ipsos issues - 2 months ago

The MSPA is designed for one thing -- to separate money from gullible people. It has no other reason for existing.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Figuring your hourly wage - 2 months ago

It is true that we would have to drive to work if it was a regular job. However, that number of miles is usually quite a bit smaller than spending a day driving around shopping--especially for any jobs that are not local. I think it's a mistake not to count depreciation and maintenance for a vehicle. The newer the vehicle is, the more the depreciation will be.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: They disappeared the otter!!! - 3 months ago

It was a pygmy sea lion
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: New Presto app got me - 3 months ago

I have always found that the browser website for presto on my phone has worked better than the app. I will continue to use the website on my phone.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Now they want us to do surveys for free - 3 months ago

Not only will I not do them for free, but I will never do them for a chance at a prize or a gift card. Not only that, but I pass disdainful and haughty judgment on those that do it for even the chance at a gift card.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Intellishop slow payments? - 3 months ago

I received about 2/3 of my pay on 2/20 and the remaining 1/3 on 2/21
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Cooldown period, how is it even helpful? - 3 months ago

I understand that things happen in life. Sometimes something comes up and we can't do a shop by a due date. However, that should be a rare occurrence. I think the best course of action is to only grab a shop if there is every intention of getting it done by the due date. Major events that stop that from happening should be a rare occurrence and not something that happens constantly. I have talked
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Green Dinos on the move! - 3 months ago

They are lucky that they have shoppers like you that will bend over backwards and deal with all their stupid crap and horrible website for base pay shops. I don't mind jumping through hoops, but I am not going to go through all that nonsense and hassle until they actually start paying a decent amount of money. To each their own, however.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Intouch seams "out of touch" - 3 months ago

I used to love working for them under two different companies that they absorbed. With all of these changes, I pretty much stopped. The schedulers don't answer, and I didn't get proper help when I needed issues with a glitch in the shop date. I will occasionally do a shop if it just happens to be right in front of me and paying quite a bit. But I noticed that a lot of their shops don't get don
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Green Dinos on the move! - 3 months ago

I can't think of a worse platform to do gas station shops. I can't think of a more difficult way to actually find the shops and put a report together. Smart and experienced shoppers have tried these and apparently not done them correctly, and the instructions aren't clear. Apparently they don't edit these particularly fast. I can't imagine the disaster this is going to be for this mystery shoppin
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Green Dinos on the move! - 3 months ago

I'm glad I didn't bet on who the new mystery shopping company would be for this project. I would have been dead wrong. This would have been about the last company I would have guessed, and I agree that this is a terrible platform for this kind of work. (Honestly it's a bulky platform for any type of work, but especially gas stations.) Thank you for the hints. It will be interesting to see ho
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Green Dinos on the move! - 3 months ago

I'm trying to think of an ironically named mystery shopping company, but I can't figure it out. I'm definitely interested to know who got this contract. I think they have no idea what they're getting themselves into. This gas brand has the most remote and seasonally difficult to access locations of that I know of. I certainly welcome any additional hints on the new MSC.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: scheduler contact at CI - 3 months ago

Just remember, the longer that each location goes undone, the more work it's going to be when someone finally shows up. If the location is not merchandising their own items, then it could be a total disaster upon arrival. I would be cautious about taking these unless you have a decent idea that the location won't be a total poop show. Every month that goes by without merchandising increases the p
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Doing my first gas station shop - 4 months ago

I would be interested in any hints on to who the new MSC is for this gas brand.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Intouch Insight removed the bonus after a shop had been completed and approved - 4 months ago

In my experience, Seelevel and Alta were excellent companies to work for. The schedulers were responsive and helpful, they treated me fairly, and I never had any issues with payment or getting properly completed shops accepted. Intouch had always been a little shady to me in my experience. For a while, I still had a good experience with the projects and schedulers that were absorbed when into
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Payments - 4 months ago

by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Ipsos/Presto on drugs again! - 4 months ago

For the famous highway brand, there is a quota for each cycle. Only a certain percentage has to be done each cycle. If a location did not get done the previous cycle, then it does have to get done the next cycle, however. That's why some will be lightly bonused and allowed to go undone while others get insanely large bonuses at the end of a cycle. @CoolMusic wrote: @mystery2me wrote: The MS
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Dead Giveaways - 4 months ago

I think it's important that we always do our best to be discreet and present ourselves as a regular customer. However, the clients and mystery shopping companies set up the guidelines. They tell us what we should do, what we should observe, how we should order, what pictures we need to take, etc. They let us know if there's a rotation or a waiting period, and they assign the shop to us based o
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: A Closer Look - 4 months ago

I'm a strong believer that I should get paid for my work. They offer many jobs that pay absolutely nothing. They want us to work for free. Therefore, I do not work for them.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Re: Stilll owed for a shop - 5 months ago

The fact that it's been a week and you have not gotten a reply, and the fact that the scheduler did not properly apply your bonus, shows that this company is not professional or ethical. I quit working for them a long time ago.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Discussion

Re: Help - 5 months ago

ACL is the company that exists to service shoppers that do not mind working without pay.
by thunderdeacon - Mystery Shopping Company Discussion
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