Immolatrix
1 year +1 Immolatrix 31
One thousand, eight hundred scans......really????

Kevin_15027958065114 @ May 28, 2023, 11:31:08 AM
Immolatrix @ Apr 4, 2023, 8:24:08 AM
I've never in my life been so grateful not to have a Costco membership :')
I have a Costco membership. Whats the issue?

The issue is that these Costco shops are a waste of time and energy, so luckily I don't even have the option of doing them since I don't have a membership.

Immolatrix
1 year +2 Immolatrix 31
If you're suspected as a shopper, do you still get paid?

I had an apartment shop where at the end of the whole thing the agent asked me if I was the shopper. Of course I acted like I had no idea what she was talking about but she said she was asking because she was expecting to be shopped and that I had called her office right after the MSP scheduler had called. This agent was pretty incompetent and unprofessional anyway (late to the appointment, named the wrong city we are physically located in, didn't know anything about rental statutes) so she could have just been asking everyone. If I report this incident am I going to be denied payment? Thanks for any help.

Immolatrix
1 year +6 Immolatrix 31
Forum Contributor badge?

Dennis_16448920383127 @ Jun 15, 2023, 1:40:43 AM
Jessica, I just gave you a delayed thumbs up. I don't check this forum very often!


Thank you!!

Immolatrix
1 year (Edited 1 year) +3 Immolatrix 31
Always being declined

Keziah_16134720671295 @ Dec 13, 2022, 6:37:59 PM
I just don't get it. Every single shop I request she always declined me. I'm about to be homeless. And advice?


First of all, you can't rely on this platform, or any secret shopping platform, to be your only source of income. There is a lot of competition and a lot of people wanting the same jobs, and also these shops require you to spend money and only occasionally reimburse you, with the pay and reimbursement coming weeks or months after the work is done and trickling in one job at a time.


If you're mostly requesting phone shops, those are very often declined. There is a huge demand for them because they don't require you to go anywhere or spend any money. Many people are requesting them, and they often go to the highest ranking requester who fits the demographic.


As others have said, make sure your entire profile is filled out. Make sure there are no spelling or grammar errors in your profile (you've made an error in the poll you posted as well as in your post asking about it; it's possible you've got other errors in your profile). Don't be rude to the schedulers -- threatening to go to their boss is not going to win you any favors. Finally, understand that the denials are automatically generated: the scheduler is not denying you personally.


Everyone has a self-assign limit; when you're new it's usually two. Self-assign the two you can, then do them, then self-assign two more, and so on, and eventually you will rise in rank and be able to self-assign more.

Immolatrix
1 year +2 Immolatrix 31
Secret Shopper and 1099

kisekiNecro @ Jun 21, 2023, 2:28:26 PM
Hi all

I am fairly new to this business and I have questions in regards to my tax filing

4) If I am required to make purchase on some of the jobs, would I be able to write them off as business expenses?


Yes you CAN write them off as business expenses, *as long as they are not reimbursed.* You know how the job will list both "compensation" and "reimbursement" -- as long as "reimbursement" is zero you can write off the expense, or you can write off any amount you spend over the reimbursed amount. The "compensation" is income and the unreimbursed amount is expenses, even if you have a net loss at the end of the year.

Immolatrix
1 year (Edited 1 year) +2 Immolatrix 31
If you're suspected as a shopper, do you still get paid?

Thanks, Martin. That makes me feel better.


Martin_Canada @ Jun 21, 2023, 4:34:08 AM
Don't worry about it. You should still get paid. If not, ask your MS company why the person did not do perfectly if they knew you were the shopper.


By the way, not only was my shop approved in the end, but the editor removed the part about the person asking if I was the shopper before sending it to the client! XD

Immolatrix
1 year (Edited 1 year) +4 Immolatrix 31
Grammarian badge: sabotaged!

I just had a shop report returned to me for more information, which was fine. While I was in the report, I decided to look over the rest of my answers to make sure they were sufficient... and I discovered MANY edits to my answers where they changed my correct writing to INCORRECT grammar and punctuation!! /o\ I know they were edited because they were all errors I would NEVER make, not just typos. It barely sounded like my writing at all. How are we supposed to get this grammarian badge if the editor is downgrading our writing??? Ugh, head ALL the desks! :'D

Immolatrix
1 year +2 Immolatrix 31
AMA I've done over 80 shops for iSS and multiple other secret shopping companies.

kiki2020 @ Jun 25, 2023, 10:53:45 PM
I'm wondering if paying to do the additional verification worth it? Does it increase the number of shops that become available to you? For the people that have it, what is the direct benefit to you, if any ? Less hassle? Better shops? Verification only shops? Bypassing people on the waitlist?


I didn't do it and I never have any issue with getting shops at all. I also don't get denied for any except a couple of phone shops that are in high demand. There's even fewer shops in my area than there are in other areas and I grab most of them within a certain radius.

Immolatrix
1 year 0 Immolatrix 31
What app do you prefer for audio recording?

When you have an in-person shop that requires you to audio record the entire shop, what app do you prefer? (Android only for me, please!)


Apparently I have to download an app of some kind, as my phone doesn't come with one already installed, but it's so hard to know which one to use, even after reading the reviews. It has to be one that saves it as a .WAV, MP3, or MP4 format, and one that allows you to easily access the recording after it's made - I see some of the reviews say they can't find their recordings in the app.


Give me your best recommendations, please and thank you!

Immolatrix
1 year +2 Immolatrix 31
Disgruntled Walmart employees interfering with shop

Peggy_15081269708028 @ Jun 30, 2023, 2:04:28 AM
I won't do them—too much hassle.

But a Ross location called the cops on a gal that worked in my town. I talked her into joining mystery shopping, and she called me freaked out. She did not have the LOA that was provided. I accepted a shop to get the LOA and ran it to her. They had her in handcuffs and were reading her rights. They accused her of shoplifting; I explained to the officer what she was doing and that it happens every month at this location. But they tried to say they had never heard of it, and the officer said, "Well, I need you to get so and so on the phone because if what they are saying is true, you two are in a sh*t load of trouble." They got the person on the line, and oh, the shouting happened when they were arrested for filing a false police report.


Something's fishy about this story. First of all, why did they arrest her, with handcuffs and reading her rights, if she was not concealing any unpaid merchandise? What exactly were "they saying" that would get you BOTH into trouble? And who exactly was arrested for filing a false police report? Normally in a situation like this, they'll just say it was a misunderstanding and they certainly don't arrest the complainant when it's a *business*, especially if the shopper actually did not have the LOA. There are definitely key details missing from this story.