Hayley -
How much mystery shoppers make varies greatly. It's all about what you put into it, your ability to travel, etc.
I work full time as a teacher and have largely taken the last three weeks off. So far this year, I've earned a little shy of $10,000, not including reimbursements and gambling winnings from casino shops. I have had individual months where I top $4,000 and weeks in which I've earned $2,000. I also recognize that I make more that most folks.
There are folks who do this full time as their primary income, but those folks are, by far, in the minority. Folks who do this full time do most/all of the following:
* Are signed up with 150-200 companies - most of which are not affiliated with iSS.
* Go on the road on overnight routes for days and weeks at a time.
* Purchase video equipment and do video shops.
* Attend conferences so as to get to know the owners of various companies.
Often shops that are advertised by email are picked up very quickly, so it could be simply that another shopper beat you to them.
PayPay periodically sends emails to your email address, even if you do not have any activity. Check all your email addresses and see if one is receiving email from them. If that doesn't work, PayPal should have an "I forgot my email address" option on their login screen.
This happened to me, too. I think there is a funny little bug in the system that does not allow your new reliability level register until you do one more shop. You can also PM Ivan on this site and he ought to be able to look into it. (He is a site administrator who frequents the forum.)
Angela -
I shop a tremendous number of apartments.
As somebody who is in the industry, you are likely going to find that your biggest struggle is "not saying too much." It is up to the leasing professional to lead you through the process and "sell" the apartment to you. It is up to him/her to qualify you, find the right home for you, take you on a tour through any amenities and the apartment, bring you back to the office and close. If s/he does not do those things, it is not your job to encourage him/her to do so unless specifically stated in the guidelines. If there is too much awkward silence and the leasing professional seems to be waiting on you to ask questions, chose something generic such as "How old is the building?" or " How many different residences are in the community." Otherwise, leave it to the leasing professional to lead the conversation. The client needs to know if the employee knows how to work with a potential resident, not if you do.
Of course, if you are asked questions, be prepared to answer them. Have a background story prepared so that you can answer any questions about your "family," etc. However, don't just offer it. Wait until s/he asks and then only offer the actual information requested.
It really depends on the MSC for which you are doing it. Overall, they are not complicated:
* Keep it objective. Simply narrate what happened. Reference questions that were asked in the survey. Keep your narrative on topic with that particular section of the report.
Narrative for Greeting Section:
"I entered the leasing office and a leasing professional (24-26 year old female, 5'6", average build, long straight brown hair) approached with a smile and asked how she could help me. I stated that I had a 4:00 appointment with "Rick." She smiled and said that he had stepped away from his desk for a minute, but would be right back. She then offered me a seat on a sofa in the back of the office and asked if I would like coffee or water. I declined. She then said that she would make sure that Rick found me when he returned. I thanked her and she walked back to his desk. Two minutes later a male leasing professional approached me with a smile, walked up to me and said, "Hi, I'm Rick. You must be Angela." He smiled and offered to shake my hand. He then invited me to his desk. As we walked to his desk, he started to make small talk, mentioning the weather and if I had plans for how to enjoy it that evening. When we arrived at his desk, he invited me to sit down and began to clarify the needs we had discussed over the phone."
Every company has its own payment policy. Read your ICA with the company for which you did the work and it should tell you. A two month delay is common.
I won't pay for either.