Well, I have been doing mystery shopping for nearly a year now and I got my first stiff. I repect rules and if someone agrees to the rules then they should play by the rules. At the same time, good business practices demand that there be fair play even if it means bending a rule occassionally...occassionally being the key word here.

I did a shop for Best Mark, I got a check for the "wrong" amount in the mail. I looked at the payment history on thier site and it popped up that there was a $4.00 dock against the shop. I immediately emailed the correct person, and queried it.

I got a phone call from some guy that said my shop had been late by two hours. I told him I would not dispute that (how am I going to prove otherwise?) but that I also would not do any further shops for them. I explained my reasoning, that I had done many many shops for them, they were always good reports, and that if in fact I was late one time, and they were not able to bend the rules for a good, reliable shopper, then I would not work for them any longer. He said fine, I can take you off our list (I went in and checked adn he must have removed me right then!)

What I didn't tell him is that I will be taking 4 other shoppers with me. I hope losing 5 shoppers is worth their 4 dollars!

No fuss, just no shopping for them....no problem, there are many other shops who pay better, and I have been doing this long enough now to know that.

Will welcome all comments from my brother and sister shoppers.

Hello Arizona - Thanks for sharing your experience. I've been docked before (not Bestmark) for being late, and I thought it was a lot better than not getting paid at all. Just my personal opinion. I'm still with that company. I am also an active shopper with Bestmark.

I fully support your decision to quit any company for any reason or for no reason at all. I support your friends and family if they want to follow you. We are independent contractors and we work "at will".

That said, I want to address how I see the effect of leaving a company. As more of us are affected by job loss and more boomers retire, the pool of available shoppers grows larger. The pool could be substantially reduced without seriously affecting overhead costs of MSPs. That's because the majority of us are part timers, and we could easily take on more work. A few shoppers more or less on a company roster can't possibly matter to the company.

What matters is our own individual circumstances. Even if fork tender done with a company, it may be better to ease off and leave future possibilities available. Companies sell. Companies merge. Companies change. Companies who may have been marginal for us open up big in our area. Companies pick up clients we want to shop.

I've personally trashed myself out with three companies. Would I do it again? Absolutely NOT! Do I want to shop for them right now? No. Will I want to shop for them in the future? I might, but I can't because that door is closed. And those company employees may move around. Have I closed other doors? I'll never know.

In hindsight, I would have been wiser to keep all lines open. There was no upside to shutting those doors because it seemed right and it felt good in the moment. Disputes, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings smooth out over time. Education goes on forever.

Again, thanks for sharing. I've been there, and I understand.

BestMark presumes that you NEVER loose an internet connection. That you NEVER get stuck in traffic. And that you NEVER have a problem! But they want their info RIGHT NOW!

There are a bunch of companies that seem to take that same approach. My preference is to work WITH companies rather than FOR them. Hope springs eternal that some of them will grow up and realize shoppers are neither the enemy nor sheep. So far very few have changed for the better.

Thanks for the great feedback and the support too! I have been late with other companies and if it has not been a habit I haven't been docked. They didn't even ask if I had a reason for being late. Plus because it was said to be 1 minute after midnight, I was docked for being two days late! I found that to be ooutrageous. The man I talked to was very polite and professinal, but it was obvious that the $4.00 meant more to him than keeping a good shopper. I know it is probably not going to make a difference to them. That is ok. I will not be treated with that kind of behavior, especially by a company that pays low to begin with.
I like what Flash said about working with a company not for them, because that is what IC's do. They provide a valuable service to the MC's. MDavis..you have a very good point and I will think twice about telling a company I want off their list as opposed to just not doing shops until I see or hear about changes. That is certainly the most prudent thing to do.
Still learning! I can say this much, that if every company did this, I would no longer do MS! Even MacD's doesn't fire you or dock your pay if you are late once in a while.

Two hours, I was docked for 10 minutes!

While I haven't gone so far as deactivating myself they are low on my list of companies and I've had several issues with them. They absolutely don't understand lost internet connections, etc. I once lost mine during an ice storm no less and was docked for that report. After explaining the circumstances which meant there was no option to go somewhere else to work on the report since driving was hazardous and anywhere near me would have also been without power I was told their policy is clearly stated on the website. The problem was the website had conflicting information, one place it was supposed to be $2 per day for a late report. The other was 10% if the shop was cancelled and reinstated. Mine fell under the $2, but I was deducted $8.50. I also stopped doing casino shops because of that craziness. I was asked to evaluate 2 additional employees to the original 8. By my calculations that should have been $16 a piece, but by theirs it was $8 a piece, at least until I made an error on one of them. You guessed it, the deduction was $16.

The only reason I'm still there is that on occasion I have gotten jobs with huge bonuses and they occasionally have oil changes at my dealership which are reimbursed and have a decent shop fee to boot. Since the only place I get oil changes is at the dealer it's a win win.

I got my knuckles rapped for a late submission. The report was due by midnight, and I thought it was due at 10 AM CT, as are most that I do for BestMark. It was my oversight, totally. I saw that I was being dinged $2 (danged, dunged?) I was upset, with myself mostly. But, I contacted the scheduler and apologized for being tardy. She gave me a pass - and my two dollars - with the understanding that if it happened again, there would be a deduction.

When a shopper knows that their report will be late, call the regional coordinator before the deadline, and they'll work with you.

I sympathize and can relate to the knee jerk reaction of distancing yourself. I would also recommend against burning bridges. Turn off your notifications with them.

Ha... Had a lot on my plate so I blew off bestmark shop... No worries they calculate shops loss per month... Perhaps I will go back perhaps not... But I agree it is important to leave communication open... Never know what can happen...

What I do not understand is that these companies expect us to deliver our reports on time; however, they do not proofread these reports quickly. I won't mention two companies, but I have submitted my reports on time, but they are still being reviewed. I completed the reports four to six days ago, and they are still showing complete status, but not received.

One time, a report was not finalized until two weeks later. It was sitting in complete status for the longest time, so I eventually sent the scheduler an email to remind her that my report was still sitting in complete status. She emailed me back to tell me that the proofreaders were behind, but that they will get to the report as soon as they can.

I have felt with a few MSPs that slow editing may be a ploy to delay payment. Bestmark is not one of them, by the way. They pay quickly.

When I get paid on time, even after a lengthy editing process, I'm good. Though I do worry about details not being as fresh in my mind if I'm questioned weeks after the shop and report.

BestMark doesn't pay well, but they are fast and have been liniment with me. For those big e-store, the instructions says you must interact with the associate wearing 'blue' shirt. In my shop the floor manager helped me. He was not in uniform (how can I say I don;t want you, I want the guy in blue), but BestMark let it slide.

That happened to me, too. It was a crazy tax free weekend and the store was jammed. Actually, they had a machine to pick a number for service in every department except games and CD/DVDs. I knew not to interact with vendors, who wore black shirts, in the gaming department. But all blue shirts were in other departments assisting the masses. I made every reasonable effort, and finally determined if I wanted to report the game department, there was only one way to do it, risky at that. The editor phoned me, I explained, and my report was accepted. However, that day the circumstances were extenuating.

The shops I primarily do for BestMark are reimbursements, which are sufficient.

I empathize and sympathize with you. Most MSC's can bend a rule a little bit if you are a good shopper.
I find Bestmark is unforgiving and rarely accept shops from them because of their low pay.
One time I had to upload a receipt, but it just would not be accepted. I emailed tech support and faxed the receipt. Next thing I know is that I was past my deadline and I did not get paid, so I no longer shop for them. (I tried phoning, but this was after hours - I live in California)

As an experienced shopper for over 35 years, there are dozens of good MSC's out there. I am glad that we as shoppers have a forum to let us know about an MSC before we get into trouble.

ArizonaShopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, I have been doing mystery shopping for
> nearly a year now and I got my first stiff. I
> repect rules and if someone agrees to the rules
> then they should play by the rules. At the same
> time, good business practices demand that there be
> fair play even if it means bending a rule
> occassionally...occassionally being the key word
> here.
>
> I did a shop for Best Mark, I got a check for the
> "wrong" amount in the mail. I looked at the
> payment history on thier site and it popped up
> that there was a $4.00 dock against the shop. I
> immediately emailed the correct person, and
> queried it.
>
> I got a phone call from some guy that said my shop
> had been late by two hours. I told him I would
> not dispute that (how am I going to prove
> otherwise?) but that I also would not do any
> further shops for them. I explained my reasoning,
> that I had done many many shops for them, they
> were always good reports, and that if in fact I
> was late one time, and they were not able to bend
> the rules for a good, reliable shopper, then I
> would not work for them any longer. He said fine,
> I can take you off our list (I went in and checked
> adn he must have removed me right then!)
>
> What I didn't tell him is that I will be taking 4
> other shoppers with me. I hope losing 5 shoppers
> is worth their 4 dollars!
>
> No fuss, just no shopping for them....no problem,
> there are many other shops who pay better, and I
> have been doing this long enough now to know
> that.
>
> Will welcome all comments from my brother and
> sister shoppers.

My first shop was for BestMark and they were very lenient with me.

I had forgotten to ask the associate a question regarding cancelling a membership and had to write "I failed to do this" on my report. I think it was a major question on the report and was worried it would cause the whole thing to be rejected.

Also contact noted some spelling and grammatical errors, plus they don't like narrations in one section to be broken up into paragraphs (which I think is a BestMark-specific quirk).

But even with all the problems they reimbursed and paid me in full. I had the check about 1 week after submission. I had to show it off to my family ("Look! I gots me some income!!")

SneakyGuy007 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...("Look! I gots me some income!!")


BestMark was the first MSC I shopped for, and I consider myself fortunate to have fallen into their lap. My regional coordinator/scheduler (I prefer the term "handler" because it makes me feel like a secret agent or something!) is great to work with, and the BestMark editors I've had any interaction with have also been helpful and kind. On the other hand, I've learned there are different divisions or groups within BestMark, and I haven't been overly happy with one of these groups. At least I now know to think twice ... or thrice?! ... about picking up one of *those* shop assignments.

I do not regularly shop for Bestmark because of low reimbursement and/or pay rate.
However, I do stay on its shoppers list as sometimes I need a filler for other assignments from other MSC's.
I think it is sometimes an insult to be paid only a reimbursement of one or two dollars plus a cash payment of $4. (Total amount is $5 or $6... That's below min wage.
I guess, as I have said many times, there are dozens of MSC's. Sign up for the ones that you are happy to do business with.

I have always had a good experience with BestMark. In fact, I helped a scheduler out not too long ago, on a Friday night no less, and he made certain that the requirement that I be done by 7 pm was extended. The report was due by 10 a.m. CT and I am an hour earlier. So it was a Sat. morning, I'd been up late partly due to that shop, and when they called for me, my husband said I was unavailable (because I told him no interruptions while doing that report that was close to being overdue). They told him they were wondering where my report was, he said I was working on it, etc. After I finished, I found an email that had been sent earlier saying my pay would be docked if they didn't get it on time. I replied saying that I had done this as a favor, it was far away and inconvenient, involving Fri. night freeway traffic, etc., and that if they docked my pay, I would no longer work for them. Turns out they paid in full, and the scheduler has been very nice to me about some other problems I've encountered. So far, full payments, on time, and they've been flexible. But I did tell them I'd no longer do age compliance shops because I dislike them and so does my daughter!

I've done a lot of jobs for Best Mark. I've never turned a report in late, but one time the editor called me with questions about my report. She said normally they dock $2 if they have to contact us with questions, but this time she would not.

My opinion is, if you know you are submitting the report late, contact the scheduler immediately to let them know. If you don't let them know, and you do submit the report late, at least they didn't totally reject the assignment. $4 seems a little steep but it's better than not getting paid at all for the assignment.

I did a few shops for Best Mark. When I got paid and tried to cash the check, I was told that they could not cash it because of identity theft and check fraud with this company. The check is small, but no one will cash it for me so I am sitting on a check for work I did and can not get the money.

It sounds to me like it is time to change banks! A check that is under $100 is unlikely to be the product of identity theft or check fraud, and certainly BestMark checks for me have always fallen in THAT category!

Deposit the check?

Edited to add:

If you don't have a bank account, you can contact BestMark to see if they have a suggestion.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2011 09:59PM by Mert.

I have never had a problem with cashing my checks. I can't see why they wouldn't deposit the check.

Are you trying to cash at a check cashing place or a store rather than a bank? I wonder if you will run into more problems that way because you will have a constant flow of small checks to cash.

I wonder how long after needing some cash those four less shoppers will become four more shoppers?

I never shopped for them because I do not like the forms they use.

whereistina

If you never shopped for them how do you know what forms they use?

Bestmark is one of the few I do "shops" for. I have gotten more into the merchandising and projects so we only do shops once in a while. So far they have been great about working with us to add my husband as a shopper on my account, to reschedule shops that can't go as planned and to offer mileage or bonuses for out of the way shops. They always pay on time and no issues depositing the checks. They also pay better than most others I have found.

ArizonaShopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, I have been doing mystery shopping for
> nearly a year now and I got my first stiff. I
> repect rules and if someone agrees to the rules
> then they should play by the rules. At the same
> time, good business practices demand that there be
> fair play even if it means bending a rule
> occassionally...occassionally being the key word
> here.
>
> I did a shop for Best Mark, I got a check for the
> "wrong" amount in the mail. I looked at the
> payment history on thier site and it popped up
> that there was a $4.00 dock against the shop. I
> immediately emailed the correct person, and
> queried it.
>
> I got a phone call from some guy that said my shop
> had been late by two hours. I told him I would
> not dispute that (how am I going to prove
> otherwise?) but that I also would not do any
> further shops for them. I explained my reasoning,
> that I had done many many shops for them, they
> were always good reports, and that if in fact I
> was late one time, and they were not able to bend
> the rules for a good, reliable shopper, then I
> would not work for them any longer. He said fine,
> I can take you off our list (I went in and checked
> adn he must have removed me right then!)
>
> What I didn't tell him is that I will be taking 4
> other shoppers with me. I hope losing 5 shoppers
> is worth their 4 dollars!
>
> No fuss, just no shopping for them....no problem,
> there are many other shops who pay better, and I
> have been doing this long enough now to know
> that.
>
> Will welcome all comments from my brother and
> sister shoppers.


I don't do shops for them much anymore either. They won't wave their time restraints for us West Coast shoppers yet they still want evening shops in at their central time requirements. They can well...

They blew it with me too. Got into a tiff with LL because she did not return my email and phone call. She claims she was sick - suppose that would work for me?. I apologized for being a bit rude (I had said I didn't have time to play games trying to get hold of someone because I needed to make a decision about a shop I had signed up for and would be in trouble for cancelling if I didn't get back to them right away) but she dumped me off their list of shoppers.
Don't piss off LL!

Curious, what exactly is it that you do re: "projects"?

Kris3065 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bestmark is one of the few I do "shops" for. I
> have gotten more into the merchandising and
> projects so we only do shops once in a while. So
> far they have been great about working with us to
> add my husband as a shopper on my account, to
> reschedule shops that can't go as planned and to
> offer mileage or bonuses for out of the way shops.
> They always pay on time and no issues depositing
> the checks. They also pay better than most others
> I have found.

CANADAMOMMY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BestMark presumes that you NEVER loose an internet
> connection. That you NEVER get stuck in traffic.
> And that you NEVER have a problem! But they want
> their info RIGHT NOW!

their website goes down more than any other companies' it seems too!