Hi,
An MSC should not be punishing you for something out of your control. If you follow the directions correctly and contact your scheduler when something like this happens, you should never have points deducted. From what you have shared, the scheduler is in error.
If this were to happen to me, I would ask a question such as this, "Hi, so that I can continue to improve myself, how should I have handled the situation?"
You will get shops in time. New folks have trouble getting shops at the end of the month as MSC contracts are up and schedulers desperately need to see shops completed correctly. The end of June and December are especially rough as they mark the end of quarterly and semi-annual contracts. A high percentage of folks either blow off or screw up their first shops, making schedulers wary of them until they have completed a few. You should have better luck getting assign shops now that we are into January and new shops are announced. Once you have established yourself a little, you'll get much more work assigned to you. Pretty much all of us start off slow.
Not all can be self-assigned. Each MSC makes the decision as to whether or not to allow self-assign on each shop. You find out when you attempt to self-assign and can't - unless the MSC specifically states it in their overview of the shop - which they usually do.
If your shop is declined, there is something significant wrong with the way you conducted the shop. The data is considered unusable to the client and tossed. The MSC then hires a different contractor to redo the shop. Nobody gets paid for your work when the shop is declined.
It's easy to success on your first shop as long as you take the time to read the guidelines and follow them carefully.... I would start with a shop that is similar to what you already do so that you can better anticipate how your interactions are going to go. (Don't choose a bar integrity shop if you have not been to a bar in a decade. However, if drive and frequent gas stations, a gas station shop might make a lot of sense.)
@Casey -
On iSS, I believe self-assign is controlled systematically by your rank, so you can't get your self-assign limit increased here. (Outside iSS, each MSC does their own thing.) However, if you are at your self-assign limit, you can always request more shops and each MSC can decided whether or not to assign more.
MSC's do favor folks who write clearly and well. However, they also value folks who will reliably get work done on time and accurately. Very few MSC's don't value giving the client accurate truthful information. Those who have pushed back on my reports (which is rare) have generally done so because the client believes their employee over me. It's not the MSC, it's the client. Of course, having a back-up audio recording of a shop can be really helpful in those cases...
It is also true that some shoppers falsify reports and and cut corners. This is exactly why MSC's are demanding more and more detailed proofs of visit. Eventually, these shoppers get caught and are quickly thereafter removed from shopper roles. They hurt the industry as a whole. As a shopper, my ability to report truthfully is everything.
@Casey -
I always tell the truth and I always follow the guidelines. When I have had to improvise a little, I keep as close to the guidelines as possible and explain any deviations thoroughly in my report. I have done thousands of shops and only not been paid once - which was a silly mistake on my part. Never lie in your reports.
Hello Carmen and Megan!
Carmen - did you get it figured out? I used the website when I signed up a few years ago and it was pretty easy....
Megan - It's pretty simple. Locate a job you want to do on the "available" list. Request it. When you are assigned, read all the guidelines. Go do the shop, adhering to all the guidelines. After finishing, fill out the online survey. A few weeks later, you will be paid - usually through PayPal.
Raynell-
i will give you a full response later. I don’t have time right now. There is far more mystery shopping than this.
Raynell-
It takes time to establish yourself, but folks do make a living doing this. I work full time and still made close to $25K + reimbursements mystery shopping last year. It would have been over $30, but I took it really easy the last three months. I know I could make at least $60K if I were to do this full time. You won't get rich doing this, but you can support yourself.
If you want to make a real "go" at this...
- You need to sign up with about 200 companies.Only a fraction of them are in this site.
- You need to get into video shopping. Video shops can have half the work and twice the pay.
- Never flake on assignments. Always do great work.
- The best paying shops are not published on job boards. When you establish yourself (see #3), MSC's will find you with the best opportunities.
- Be ready to travel. Folks who do this full time will often spend weeks on the road shopping. Me? I'll drive 400+miles in a day - if the pay is right. Last summer, I flew to San Francisco for five days, had one day to play "tourist" and returned with a profit of just less than $2,000.
- Learn the art of building routes. Don't leave home for a $15 shop across town. Heck, don't even leave home for $15. Instead, group five $50 shops that are along the same route. so that you can knock them all out before lunch. Those $15 shops? If they happen to be right next to your other shops and are pretty quick, yes, add them to your day. (I don't leave home unless my travel time, shop time plus report time doesn't come out to be $40/hr. Those who do this full time will say $60/hr.)
- Patience. You are not going to get the bigger shops this week or next. I started getting them about six months into my shopping experience - that was a little less than three years ago.
- As you get going, join forums social media groups, etc.
- Drive a car that is very reliable and has fantastic gas mileage. My 2016 Elantra has $85,000 miles on it...
- Reimbursements don't pay rent. If you want to make a living, you won't do by reimbursed for eating out. If you want to do a fine dining restaurant with a three hour report for a reimbursed meal and a $15 fee, go for it. But, do it because you want to go to the restaurant for a great dining experience. Consider:after a two hour meal and a three hour report, you are only making $3/hr - less it it is a drive.
- Reimbursements, however, have their place. I never have to pay to have my oil changed, for instance - and I do need my oil changed every two months. This weekend, I did an oil-change video shop. I will be reimbursed $44 and paid an additional $55. I was on site for 25 minutes.
Good luck!