I believe it's this:
When an MSC is thinking about using iSS, the iSS admin team sets up a fake shop for them so that they can fiddle with it and learn how to use the platform before they go live with a real shop.
There almost certainly are - especially if you are in an urban area. I don't tend to mention companies that are not a part of iSS here, but there is a large (200+) list of MSC's on the MysteryShopForum. That forum is not sponsored by any companies and so folks share very freely about anything/everything regarding mystery shopping.
Companies will give modest bonuses for referring folks when they do not have enough shoppers in an area. However, that may not be in your best interest: when there are not enough shoppers in the area, they have troubles getting shops filled and they then raise the compensation for their shops. In other words, if you refer other folks and they start shopping, you might get a quick $20, but they will pick up shops that you might have otherwise completed and potential saturate the market with shoppers, lowering your potential fees.
Kelley -
Intel360 says to contact them if you have not been paid within 45 days of the shop being accepted (not turned in). When you look up these shops on your "Payments" list on the iSS website, what does it tell you about the status of the payments? How many of these unpaid shops were performed before about 1/20? The company is legitimate and iSS will not keep MSC's around who do not pay shoppers.
A negative score will make it hard to get shops. You can only get such a score by cancelling shops, flaking on shops, or having shops rejected. iSS will likely prevent you from self-assigning (or maybe limit you to one self-assign shop?). When you apply for shops, schedulers will be hesitant to grant them to you.
The cameras themselves are simple You do have to doctor a shirt which involves removing a button and making a hole where the button had been. I have no skills as a tailor, but can do it in ten minutes with a pocket knife. However, my first time, I wasted a shirt trying to figure out which button should be removed for ideal camera placement...... Once the shirt is "prepped" and you know how to use the camera, it can be tricky to mount the camera such that the camera angle is good. You want the camera pointed almost perfectly horizontal. (I prefer to have mine *slightly* higher than horizontal so that I catch the target's head in the video.) It does take some time to learn to mount the camera so that the ideal angle is maintained throughout the shop. You will want to practice with the camera before using it on a shop. I use electrical and/or duct tape to secure the camera in place and angle it properly.
Christine - sometimes there is a delay between when the MSC processes payments and when PayPal processes them. Give it a few more days and, if it’s still not there, contactthe MSC.
It's the end of the quarter. MSC contracts with their clients are often quarterly. So, the only jobs remaining are those that are difficult to fill. More will be added in April. If you look for work outside of iSS, there are plenty of companies struggling to get their shops assigned and are offering healthy bonuses for shoppers.