So what would have started out as a 5-star service rating, turned into a NEGETIVE 5-star service rating. I did an oil change evaluation, and while the evaluation seemed perfect 10s, it was the moments after I left when they lost their 5 stars. I just completed my 2nd mystery shop and was about to start my 3rd when my truck did not start! I called the company that changed my oil and spoke to the person who assisted me. He first said to find someone to jump my truck, and I told him that my car was running great without an issue all this time until I had my oil changed. So he sent a shuttle driver, not a mechanic, to jump my truck. The driver had no idea how to use a charger as he only left it hooked up a few seconds, and when my car didn't start, he said I needed to tow it back to the shop. I said I wasn't taking my truck back there. When it was apparent he couldn't help, he left. I had to wait (I'm 8 months pregnant and ready to pop and I had my 3 year old with me) from 1:30pm all the way until after 4, almost 4:30 for my mom to show up after work and use her tow service. The tow truck driver showed up, looked at the battery and saw it was less then 2 years old, looked at the paperwork from the oil change, and then said he knew the problem. "You can't get a good battery reading from loose terminals." Apparently when my truck was serviced, one of the mechanics loosened the terminal cables and it gave a bad reading, and caused the cables to "pop". The tow truck driver cleaned up the terminals and tightened it then charged my battery and my engine started up right away! No issue! So I got a written excuse from the driver explaining I now have to replace my terminal cables. :-( To add to the insult, when I got home exhaused at 5:30ish, I read the work order. I was charged more then the quote and given LESS oil then verbally quoted, and my tires were not rotated because the mechanic felt it "unsafe", and suggested I replace all my tires.

Oh, I also had to cancel my mystery shop to that baby store I have been waiting all week to shop. And we all know the penalties for canceled shops. Not to mention my husband being livid with me for accepting shops outside our hometown, so he had the "I told you so" attitude. I now am not allowed to shop outside our hometown and I am not allowed to fill out surveys when he is home. If I mystery shop, everything has to be completed before he gets home. It's just too stressful on him.

Fun times.

Let me start with the oil change. They beg me to do those and I am not going to trust my vehicle to an unknown for any amount of money.

Now to your husband. Seriously? You and he do realize women have the right to vote now.

I hope you are billing them for the cost of fixing it;
and make sure their corporate office is aware of the
situation.

Tell your husband not to be so anxious when you are
away from home for a few hours doing shops...everything
will be alright

I informed the company about the client's employee, and also included a picture of my battery and note from the tow truck driver who gave a temp fix to my battery. Am I allowed to request more money for this? In the survey where is says "comments for [MSC]" I gave a detailed explaination of what the client promised for reimbursement, what the quote for my truck would be, and what I actually was charged. I explained the details of my truck breaking down and being forced to cancel my 3rd MS, etc. I just hope whoever reviews my survey isn't a sosiopath. I also hope the client takes my report seriously and tries to do something about it.

Honestly, times like this I am glad I am a mystery shopper. If this happened on my own time, then yelp would be the only place I could vent, and big businesses don't consider yelp a valid place for information.

Lisa,

LOL we know! but he is concerned for my safety since I am 8mo pregnant and he spends all his time worrying about me driving on the interstate. He also doesn't think the few dollars are worth it.

I actually hear that a lot about one spouse thinking MS is too time consuming and not worth it, but once they see the money that comes in, they start to relax a bit. I am sure when it comes to tax time, he will be very glad I am doing this as an at home business.

The two times I incurred unexpected costs while on assignment, the MSCs bonused or made up the difference.

The first instance was when my vehicle was damaged going through a car wash. The client paid for the cost of the repairs, and the MSC gave be a bonus to compensate me for the hassle factor.

The second instance was one involving an optical shop where I was trapped literally in an exam chair while the optometrist kept adding on more charges for bogus tests. The MSC fully reiumbursed me for my new eyeglasses, although the original reiumbursement was for far less than the whole cost.

So hopefully your MSC will do the right thing by you, Keskandari.

It was the word "allowed" that jumped out for me. With you being so close to delivering, worry is justified. I'm also unimpressed by the stress your mystery shopping reports cause him. He needs to understand you are attempting to start a business while raising his child(ren) and have your own stress

We had an oil change problem awhile ago. The oil change company ended up paying our repair costs. It outted my husband basically as the shopper but too bad. We don't do those shops anymore either.

Now as for your husband...he needs to calm down. Not sure if his work ever stresses you out or if he ever talks about it but you know the day may come (as it has for many of us) where the mystery shopping income is needed income and it would be a shame that he will have closed that door for you.

Liz

Thanks! I hope I get fully reimbursed. I guess I will find out once they finish reviewing my file. If they don't correct it, then I will not patron them even as a MS.

LOL, brings new meaning to the cliche, "I won't do it even if you paid me!"

Wow! You have been through a trial by fire and survived with strength to tell the tale and photographic and written evidence of the insults and injuries to your truck and your budget. That's quite a lot for a rookie shopper. You kept a level head so that you could gather and report all that evidence. Sounds like you are going to make a terrific shopper!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2013 07:31PM by walesmaven.

I also have voice record. LOL I voice record my shops from the iphone because I worry I will forget something important.

Anyway, I got an email asking me to do the same shop in a different city, and I politely decline. He responded with, "How about a tire rotation?" Well, I blew up and gave him a few paragraphs of my bad day yesterday and envited him to read the report I submitted this morning. hahaa

My only concern is they might pour salt on the wound and find an excuse to not pay me. I spent almost $70 yesterday for gas and an oil change and that is a lot to gamble with.

I am sure everything will be fine. By Monday I will be over it and back to MS other places. I just have to spend the weekend cooling down.

I stopped doing the Jiffy Lube (not naming the msc) after one shop did not close a filter computer and my car sputtered, then stopped. Luckily, it was on a busy street and I was able to pull into a bank parking lot. The bank security guy got another customer and they pushed my car to a parking space, away from drive through traffic. I called JL and the manager came with a mechanic. They figured out the problem immediately and got my car running. He explained something about the air getting into the hose, due to something not closed properly by them.