Well, this is pretty discouraging. I started out really liking this app and doing jobs for various clients. But no new clients are really showing up now. And since you usually have to wait a certain amount of time before doing repeat jobs for the same clients, I now have no work at all to do. I called one client to ask about the time period, and they informed me that I can do their jobs only once every six months. Another one says in their jobs that you must wait at least 3 months. This makes it really tough to earn any money. It would be OK if new clients regularly showed up. But that is not happening in my area. I checked the app every day and see no new clients that I can do any work for—this has been going on for over a month now with no fresh work for me. Does this happen to other people too? Is there anything I can do about it, or should I just delete the app and forget about it?

Judging by the dead silence here too... delete app and forget it. There are still no fresh clients, too.

There is no reason to throw in the towel. There are many places to find jobs. MSPA America's is a reliable and trustworthy source of information and training.

Lisa -

I would have responded sooner, but simply did not see your message. iSS only represents a small percentage of the mystery shopping opportunities available. If you live in a metropolitan area, there are certainly thousands of shops available to you - you just have to know where to look. This forum is particular to iSS, so you will not see a lot of information about companies outside of iSS here. Check out the MysteryShopForum. It is a discussion group that has a ton of information available about the rest of the mystery shopping world.

Hi Lisa,

You can try expanding the search of available shops on iSecretShop - if you want to see more shops, you can set the search distance filter (in the upper-left corner of the Available Shops page, above the map) to 50 or 100 miles, and click the search button (a small magnifying glass symbol in that same row) - that will show you the available shops in the wider area around you.

I hope this helps!

Don't forget adjusting the reference point for searching as well by entering a different zip code to shift the search radius.

If I were to pickup something bonused farther than I usually would go, I would use that function before leaving the house just to see if there is any job I could pick up and plan on in advance.

Spur of the moment searches when on the road are also easy using the Near Me pick box in the app. I am not sure if the the app default is always Near Me because of software app permissions or Near Home between the mobile and desktop versions. The app also has the Near Other pick box.

I believe the Default is always Near Me, unless changed in the permissions section of the Settings section of your phone.

Yes, awesome advice from CABZmom -- you can always check another locale (city and even state) by adjusting entering the zip code on the search radius field in the map. I have done that for several cities to ascertain its effectiveness. A-1++ in my book.

Hi Lisa! I agree with everyone's replies to your post. Don't get discouraged! Mystery shopping is a great way to make some extra money, and there's so many companies out there that have available work! Have you registered with other companies other than here? There's literally hundreds out there! Good luck to you!

Lisa_15211171227326 @ May 18, 2018 2:13:49 PM

Well, this is pretty discouraging. I started out really liking this app and doing jobs for various clients. But no new clients are really showing up now. And since you usually have to wait a certain amount of time before doing repeat jobs for the same clients, I now have no work at all to do. I called one client to ask about the time period, and they informed me that I can do their jobs only once every six months. Another one says in their jobs that you must wait at least 3 months. This makes it really tough to earn any money. It would be OK if new clients regularly showed up. But that is not happening in my area. I checked the app every day and see no new clients that I can do any work for—this has been going on for over a month now with no fresh work for me. Does this happen to other people too? Is there anything I can do about it, or should I just delete the app and forget about it?

---

Judging by the dead silence here too... delete app and forget it. There are still no fresh clients, too.

I would say wait it out, some clients may be seasonal, No need to just quit, especially if you enjoy this as I do.

Hi Jude,

Yes it can get discouraging at times with no new clients. However, don't throw in the towel. I suggest to continue working with clients you have done shops for. At least, you'll continue to enjoy shopping, gain more points, and increase your current badge rankings. These are all good things to keep in mind while waiting for some new clients. Hope this is encouraging for you. Thanks for reading.

I do not live in a metropolitan area. There are not “thousands” or hundreds or even dozens of shops anywhere near me. At the moment, there are all of 6 jobs within 25 miles. It’s almost always the same very small number of the same clients with jobs near me, and most of them will allow the same person to do a particular job for them only once every several months. So for the most part, I actually cannot keep working with clients I’ve previously done jobs for because of the limitations they impose.

I rarely go “on the road.” When I do, it’s usually on vacation with family, and as I’m sure makes sense, I’m not going to ditch relatives or drag them along while I do random little jobs.

Yeah, I can find a small number of new jobs if I expand the search radius to 100 miles, but they don’t pay enough to make it worth driving for 45 minutes+ one way and racking up tons of miles on my car. I did take a job 30 miles away that I had misgivings about, and I literally lost money doing it (had to buy things, and the “pay” didn’t even cover that expense not to mention mileage, gas, 2 1/2 hours of my time, and self-employment tax).

The few clients who appear on the job search list for me now are the same ones who appeared on it when I made my original post months ago. So yeah, I remain discouraged.