INFORMA

July 18, 2012 02:18AM

Hi, has anyone done the INFORMA bank shops? They take quite long to do. I completed mine a few days ago. You also have to mail it out and do it online, anyone know why that's in place? It doesn't make much sense to me.

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July 18, 2012 03:21AM

Yes, I have. This particular bank was the only Informa shop that I've submitted by mail and on line. You're right it does take a long time and in my opinion not worth the pay.
I especially hated it because I lost it twice when entering it plus they kept writing me that they had not received the paper copy sent via FED-EX.Since they stopped writing, I presume that they got it. I would have preferred that they had the courtesy to let me know rather than having me guess, especially since I took the time to reply to them after each notice.That's seven minutes of my life I'll never get back!

July 18, 2012 04:32AM

Honestly, Informa is one of the very best MSPs I have worked with. I am a 5 year veteran: Informa is fair, easy to work with and generous with payments. Yes, that particularly bank visit can take a bit, but when you get the hang of it, they can be done faster and the compensation is abundantly fair. Send in the FedEx on time and all will GE good with the world. Give them a chance: good people and good work.

July 18, 2012 04:36AM

I think it's a love or hate relationship with Informa. I couldn't stand the process and inane questions I had to ask. Other people love the shops because the pay is decent. To each their own.....

July 18, 2012 07:51PM

My only complaint is the double reporting, where you have to print 20 pages on one shop just after answering the same questions on the online survey. Granted, Informa pays for the shipping but wow, does it kill your printer ink or what?

July 19, 2012 12:17AM

A shopper friend does the bank shops on site, and deals with the requirements. I like their phone shops.

Payment is fair and timely.

July 19, 2012 01:35AM

I do a couple of bank shops every month for Informa. I only have to upload my statements (all personal info blacked out of course); I don't have to mail anything in.

Silver certified with a PV-500
Shopping Michigan and beyond

July 19, 2012 03:55AM

Bocaraton100 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Honestly, Informa is one of the very best MSPs I
> have worked with. I am a 5 year veteran: Informa
> is fair, easy to work with and generous with
> payments. Yes, that particularly bank visit can
> take a bit, but when you get the hang of it, they
> can be done faster and the compensation is
> abundantly fair. Send in the FedEx on time and all
> will GE good with the world. Give them a chance:
> good people and good work.

Boca,,

if you are a representative of the company or employed by the company in question you are supposed to put that in your name description.

July 19, 2012 04:20AM

Bocaraton's post did not sound to me like she is employed by Informa. It sounds like she is a 5-year shopper who has performed shops for Informa and other companies.

July 27, 2012 11:32AM

Eric in Tampa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My only complaint is the double reporting, where
> you have to print 20 pages on one shop just after
> answering the same questions on the online survey.
> Granted, Informa pays for the shipping but wow,
> does it kill your printer ink or what?

Thta was my question. Do they pay the shipping up front or reimburse? Does printing the shipping label get te FedEx fee paid?

July 28, 2012 03:47PM

Warning: This User Has Been Banned or Is No Longer Active

I have had good luck with them so far. That said, I am still waiting on my pay from a bank shop I did back in May. Yes, I also had to do the report online and FedEx. I sent them an email, no reply so far. I hope I get paid. This was a $100.00 shop. Has anyone else been paid?

July 28, 2012 11:42PM

jimntx3, All of my May shop payments have been received and I've already received some July fees. However, I have not received payment for the on line/fed-ex bank shop, completed June 28th and my June bonuses.

Incidentally, Bocaraton, my hand printed shop was Fed-Exed, ON TIME.the same day as the in-person inquiry.Not that you are owed an explanation. No-one has criticised Informa. These are observations and not indictments. I too am a long time shopper for Informa and other good companies. I have completed enough shops to qualify for a 1099 and substantial part time income. Like others I am a business and not a not-for-profit organization. I personally like these posts and usually learn a lot from the sharing. I would have preferred to read your third post teaching us how to "get the hang of it"!

This was the first time I had to report a shop in two different formats, the FED EX fee was paid for by the recipient, no cost advanced by me, still, I found that legibly printing the form a time consuming chore and not getting a receipt confirmation, even with follow up e-mails an annoyance.

August 02, 2012 03:34AM

Today I got an E-mail from Informa which said that my June 28th bank shop was approved and payment effected. I should expect to receive it in received in 2-3 weeks.

August 02, 2012 07:12AM

Anyone have feedback on the teller shops? They look super easy but I've been fooled by easy looking shops before!

~FullSteamahead~

August 02, 2012 12:39PM

Great company and I think that the mail-in shops are well compensated.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

August 02, 2012 01:08PM

I too have completed many shops for Informa and they are very reputable and dependable. Typically, they will mail out checks a couple times per month. They are very fair with adding bonus if longer distances. Honestly in a year I have been doing shops for them I have never had to send anything in on top of doing it online. It must be isolated to that specific assignment. I especially like the Teller shops as they are very easy to complete. Typically, they consist of asking a question and noting the response a a brief questionnaire. In my opinion this company is one of the best to work with.

August 02, 2012 04:41PM

Eric,
They send you a prepaid shipping label via email when you submit the online report.

Others, here's a nice little factoid. You DO NOT have to fill out the narratives on the mail-in form by hand, regardless of what the (should be updated) instructions still say. I type up an addendum that references the event numbers and the question numbers for any that require a narrative. I cut and paste from that WORD doc into the online form and dubmit that. I then mark the mail-in form "see attacment" in the appropriate pages, print and attach the attachment and mail the whole thing off. I reconfirmed today with my scheduler that this is acceptable. Total report time, aout 65 minutes. On site time, 20 minutes. Driving time not counted because I had to go within one block of the site to do a personal errand.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

August 03, 2012 11:38PM

@walesmaven True, they absolutely do send the prepaid label. That's the easy part. My only issue with Informa is in doing the same report twice and printing 20-30 sheets of paper per report. If doing 2-3 shops per week, this just kills my printer ink. I just don't like going to Staples or Office Depot 2-3 times a month and paying $30 for a printer cartridge. Plus, doing the same report twice (2nd report handwritten)? That's just time consuming when I could be doing a shorter report for someone else, say EPMS. LOL.

August 04, 2012 01:06AM

Eric in Tampa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @walesmaven True, they absolutely do send the
> prepaid label. That's the easy part. My only issue
> with Informa is in doing the same report twice and
> printing 20-30 sheets of paper per report. If
> doing 2-3 shops per week, this just kills my
> printer ink. I just don't like going to Staples or
> Office Depot 2-3 times a month and paying $30 for
> a printer cartridge. Plus, doing the same report
> twice (2nd report handwritten)? That's just time
> consuming when I could be doing a shorter report
> for someone else, say EPMS. LOL.

If there's a Costco near you, they'll refill your cartridge for I think it's $9.

August 04, 2012 02:39PM

They pay quick on their bank shops. The only problem is when they offer you a bonus on a particular shop, it does not come with your check. You have to wait forever for the bonus part which i think is unfair and stupid.

August 04, 2012 08:38PM

Eric,
Please reread my post just above your last post. You DO NOT have to handwrite the narratives in the written copy.

Here's how to save on ink: get rid of your inkjet printer. For less than the annual cost of ink for my ink jet, I got a Dell Multi-function machine that is a true laser printer; it uses toner cartridge that lasts me more than a year. Check out Costco on line, resales on ebay, etc for deals. Mine is a model MFP 1851, a few years old. This is industrial strength printing. Save the ink jet for printing pretty pictures!

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

August 05, 2012 12:58AM

Buy.com often features (in its weekly deals) a black-and-white (usually Samsung) laser printer for $59 or less. Low-end, color laser printers cost less than $150.

August 05, 2012 02:14AM

Be sure that is true laser, needing a toner cartridge, not ink supplies. sometimes it is difficult to tell from the ads.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

August 05, 2012 02:39AM

Yep, true laser. I used to sell computers and accessories.

August 05, 2012 01:45PM

Busy,
That's great, since it means that prices for true laser machines have continued to decline.

I was afraid that we would see a decline in the supply of non-color lasers. Good to see that they are now abundant.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

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