Hi Connie
If you are using an iOS (Apple) device do the following:
Press the Settings app
Press on Privacy
Make sure you have Location Services is on.
Press on Location Services
In the list make sure iSecretShop has a While Using or Always assigned.
If you are using an Android (most all other) device do the following:
Swipe down from the top to get the device settings
Press on the gray gear wheel on the top right corner to active settings
Scroll down to the Personal section
Press on Location
Make sure Location is turned on.
Now start the iSS app and see if you get the same message again. The iSS app, like so many these days, wants to know where you are so that it can serve you the assignments close to you. It makes no sense to serve you a shop in New York City, if you live in San Francisco. This is good. But then again if you are concerned about your privacy then you may not want location services turned on, and thus you will be served less than accurate assignments. It's a trade off.
Hope this helps.
Reian @ Aug 4, 2017 12:38:24 PM
How do I add my paypal account?
Hi Reian
To add your PayPal account email go to the Extended Profile section of the iSS app, and fill it there. While you are at it, fill your profile for some more (or less) accurate demographically appropriate assignments for you.
Hope this helps.
Hi Walter
The reputation badge (unlike all other badges) has a range of 1 to 10. All others have 1 to 5. So the more successful assignments you complete the more reputation points you will earn, and that is good.
Now mind you, at times you will have to unassigne yourself from a shop for various reasons, and that will dig your rating. It has an automated process and I do not know if the human scheduling department may by pass this automated process and unassigne you manually so you do not get the ding.
I had accepted a shop only to see that the target was shopped back in December. I still got the dig.
Hi All
Usually Mystery Shopping Providers (MSPs) pay their Independent Contractors (ICs) AFTER they get paid by their clients. They want to make sure that they can afford the ICs. Now this is not truly legal nor ethical but that is for another discussion.
My policy is as follows:
When I set an appointment to perform the assignment shop on my Smartphone, and once all edits are done and my report has been accepted, then I will set a second appointment to remind me when to expect payment. As such if the date pass and I do not see my balance change, then I'll wait a coutresy 5 or 6 days before asking for payment status.
I am an Expert MS-Excel user programmer and I love spreadsheets. But the process I described here works great, for me.
Try it and let me know.
Hey Melissa
Welcome to MSing, this forum, and Life in general. I can feel your enthusiasm through your words. Way to go!
I fell into MSing in a unique way. A friend of mine was doing it for years and she always asked me to help, acting like her husband for assignments that required a couple. One day she called frantically asking me to read an email she sent me. It was about a need for a person with a handicapp to perform this particular assignment and it paid $75.00. I took it on, and my experience was eye opening. The associates at the establishment I visited, treated people with handicaps terribly and it took my report to change things. I saw the need and now I believe in the power of a good report. So I'm in, but kinda full steam since 2015.
Where are you located?
Hey Chad
Meghan's advice is spot on. When an Independent Contractor (IC) fails to full fill their end of the contract, then:
1) The IC does not get paid.
2) The scheduler, themselves maybe ICs, does not get paid.
3) The Mystery Shopping Providers (MSPs) need to work extra to get the assignment completed, thus their pay is lessened.
Now at times LIFE happens, and you have an assignment and you just can't make it. That is fine, just let the scheduler know, as soon as possible and let them refill the assignment with a different IC, vs. "eating" project time for no good reason.
Recently, I received a targeted video shop, that I had performed for the same target no too long ago. I told the scheduler and was very appreciative. The scheduler comes back to me with another assignment, but FOR THE SAME TARGET. I called again, and now I got dinged for refusing two assignments. So yes the system is not equitable, and scewed at times, but the MSPs need and rely on us the ICs so much.
And just to clarify things: there are basically two major ways you can be assigned a shop assignment. A) Self assignments and that is when the system allows you to self assign shops and the number of self assignments depends on your rank of reliability. If you have not yet established your reliability then B) the scheduler can assign you shops. In any case you will get a confirmation email with assignment details, and links to more information.
If you need help learning how to filter your emails so that you can find them quickly and not miss on these opportunities let me know what email you use, and I'll send you step by step instructions on how to do that. Or you can google for info. If you have a smartphone, get the app for your email, and when you are expecting an assignment that you asked for, kept checking your email until you get that confirmation email.
Hope this helps.
Hey MSers
Dora, OK welcome aboard and let the fun begin!!! I wish you all the luck you may need. But what table should we sit at, and what are we eating?
Jennifer, as a starter, and as HeatherAnnie eluded to, you will need to build your reputation as a reliable Independent Contractor (IC) and one that is done, you will receive all the assignments that you dream about. First I would suggest to take it slow, ask for one assignment, do your VERY best, write a WOWing report, be on time and then repeat that a couple more time and the schedulers will take notice, and start sending you assignments without asking. Remember you also need time to write (fill in) the report. So make sure you do not overwhelm yourself, this is what I am referring to. After you get the hang of things, then you can expand your horizons.
Also, remember that sometimes the shop requirements may be such that you do or don't meet them. Age group, Gender group, has an account at a certain bank, drives a luxury car, and if you were born on a weekday vs. a weekend all come into play. So if you ask for an assignment that requires a couple, and in your extended profile you stated that you were single, well you will be excluded. If the shop is an age verification where you go in to an establishment and buy liquor and see if the cashier asked for your ID to verify your age. Well if you are, or even look, older than the age group needed, you will not have a successful assignment.
The 3rd aspect of assignment scheduling is the complexity of the assignment. As a starter, for example, you will be passed over to a more accomplished IC when it comes to video, or route shop assignments. These are complex, and need strict adherence to the guidelines, and as an untested new IC, you may not have all that the scheduler will look for, so they will go for the tired and true ICs.
So, this is all so grim. I know, but remember we are all humble enough to remember the days when we all were "starting out" and look what happened, now I can self assign all the assignments that I care for. And one day you will be doing that too, believe me you will get there. It just takes your excellent attention to details, and great on time reports, and being helpful to the schedulers.
Now you go get them Girl, or Lady!!!
Oh I can't leave Meghan out, Thanks you too for being part of this forum, and sharing your insights. I hope to meet you in person at some MS conference.
Hey Eric
Its probably a longevity issue. If you had any ratings on the old system that did not transfer to the new system, maybe you can ask the ZenDesk staff if they could help you figure out if the ratings are/will be transferred to the new system.
The fact that you were able to log into the forum and post this message maybe a positive indication that you were not diactivated. You say that it's been a while, what are we talking about months, or years, or...?
Hey Adrian
As far as I know, these badges are controlled by the MSP, when they assign the shop a category badge. So, you can see some are for parking, some are for fine dining, and others are for retail, and things like that. If the MSP fails to assign a badge to a shop assignment then it might not got one.
Few badges are under the control of the forum administrators. Like the forum contributor badge, and possibly the reputation one.
Hope this helps.
Hi Judith
When you press on the Available Shops button, from the main app screen you will find 4 options that you can control:
A) Select Category, is where you can limit what assignments are displayed in the list based on the category you choose. For example if you choose category Parking Facility, then you will not see casual dining assignments. All that is displayed will be parking stuff. Mind you the category list is not alphabetically listed, so you may find stuff scattered around, and you will need to look for these throughout the list.
B) Near Me, I believe this option uses your smart device GPS settings to figure where you are, and serve you assignments in your locality at that time.
C) Near Home, I believe this option looks at the ZIP Code you used when you signed up for your iSecretShop account.
D) Near Other, and I believe this option uses a city, state or ZIP code that you choose. For example if you are traveling to a town, then you can use this option to see what assignment shops are in that town.
I think, and I encourage you, you should send a request to the iSecretShop folks, to add the functionality you ask for, that is let me see all assignments within a 40 mile radius from my ZIP code, or to add this functionality to options B, C and D. I think it is worth while to have that built into the app.
And while you're at it, ask them to sort the category list!