Hi All ~ I’m a seasoned mystery shopper who has been burned by Ipsos one too many times. I’ve read many of your complaints and it’s become apparent to me that I’m not the only one who has been cheated. I’m a logical, analytical thinker who can admit fault when I make an error. I’m willing to learn from mistakes and compromise when I don’t live up to job pay standards. I’m a perfectionist by nature and as a result get 10 ratings for shops I perform across the board with a variety of companies I’ve sub-contracted with over the years.

What I’m not willing to accept is when I perform a shop to the letter and it gets ‘returned’ for reasons that are not included in the company’s own guidelines for the shop. I’m also not willing to accept when a shop is being blocked from submission, then later reported as late and expunged from my portal with no proof it ever existed. I’m also no longer willing to accept the stonewalling that follows, from a shady, phantom company who hides behind the bullies they employ who lay false blame in order to cheat their shoppers of their rightful pay. As many of you are aware, there’s no way to reach their corporate offices to report abuse or theft of service.

I’ve been treated like a sucker for putting my faith in this company. I’m disabled and have to find ways to support myself in preparation for an upcoming surgery. My life is hard, but I always show respect and kindness in dealing with people. When I get kicked in the teeth, as I have with this company, a part of me wants to fight to ensure that the abuse, fraud and treason will end with me, and not be visited upon the next unsuspecting person. Not fighting a monster emboldens and them to continue this kind of behavior.

Although there are numerous complaints about this company all over the internet, most people don’t have the will or resources to combat the injustices perpetrated against them. I believe together we can create something this company least expects if it’s done the right way, with the right legal representation. It could amount to an unexpected windfall for us victims, as it has with others who have been able to expose these ‘fat cat’ companies who think they don’t have to follow the rules.

I’ve opened this thread to brainstorm with other like-minded shoppers who have been cheated and defrauded of pay that they have rightfully earned. If there are enough responses I will provide info on what can be done collectively to take action. It can be a multi-prong approach that includes complaints to government entities, local courts and a class action lawsuit if there are enough participants. Verbal testimony is often accepted as proof, especially when your complaints go into a ‘company contact’ email vacuum. Many of us have saved our proof which collectively can reveal patterns and trends they use to falsely reject shops, refuse to pay, refuse to respond, etc.

Hoping people will share their experiences, however small or complex. No need to reveal personal info. This is our forum to vent thanks to the auspices of this website. Let’s do it!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2024 09:32PM by Minime.

For a class action, 1 potential plaintiff has to find a law firm to take the case then the plaintiff and law firm find the victims and certify the class. Unless you have done the 1st step in the process, complaining here doesn't do a lot.

If you intend to pursue this, you need a law firm to take the case. Law cases are very, very expensive. Most Class Action lawsuits are taken by companies on contingency. The law firm "sees" a pile of money and agrees to front all of the costs in exchange for 1/3 or 1/2 of the final settlement. They either have to identify millions of people who are each owed $10 (and in the end, each of them will probably get $0.50 as a member of the class), or they need a smaller number of high-value cases. I believe that only a fraction of all shoppers are on this Forum. The "good news" is that if you find a law firm to take this case, they will eventually be able to force IPSOS to identify all potential members of the class. The first step is to find a law firm (it has to be a big one to have very deep pockets and to be willing to work on contingency) that will take the case.

Rather than trying to collect all sorts of information on this forum, I suggest simply asking each prospective participant how much they think they are owed by IPSOS. We don't even know how many total shoppers are on this Forum, so projecting the results to the entire class is not going to be easy. 694 members (including me) have said that they shop for IPSOS. How much might they "owe" each of us? How about $100? Then they owe all of us a sum of $69,400 if every one of us wishes to join in. How many total shoppers does IPSOS have? Since they are a publically traded company in France, you might be able to guestimate this. For now, let us assume 100 times as many as are on this Forum. That would mean 69,400. At $100 each, that means a potential pool of $6,940,000. Let's round up to $7 million. But I doubt that there are 69,400 shoppers IPSOS shoppers in the US.

So, how many of the 694 shoppers on this Forum want to be part of this Class?

Thanks for the basic info about what a class action entails and who should seek out the victims. I would be lost without it. Well done.

I have been a recipient of three sums from a class action suit. In the first, I was to receive $100 minus the lawyers cut. My check, which I did not cash, is for $2.74. The second sum was for a stock manipulation of $27,000+; I received four checks totaling $1,422. The third was from Wells-Fargo for $69; I do not recall the details.

I was contracted with Ipsos for approx. a decade, completing no more than two dozen shops. When the relationship had deteriorated to the point beyond repair, I simply terminated. This is business and there will most definitely be disagreements. Unless for some reason a shopper is unable to move on*, that is the easiest manner by which a bad situation can be handled.

*Last week, I read a post that easily could have been from me in the 1960s. It dealt with a considerable NEED and the stress that was caused by working for a pittance. I mention this because there are occasions when all must "bite the bullet."

I don't have a problem with Ipsos. They've always paid me for the work I've done, with 2 exceptions where I made mistakes. A large number of complainers on this forum, somewhere in the course of airing their grievance, admit to a guidelines violation. I'm not saying nobody had a legitimate gripe, but I think you can cut in half the number of potential plaintiffs if the deserved rejections are factored in.

As for a class action suit, those are a joke. The plaintiffs get $5 apiece and the lawyers get the rest.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2024 01:41AM by panama18.

Class action suits usually result in very small denominations and so not worth the effort. They do have a corporate office and there are contacts. I have reached out a few times based on the advice of others in this forum. I pleaded my case and I got paid. This has only happened maybe twice but the outcome was in my favor. Some editors need to be called out for what they do. Sometimes they are just plain wrong.

Sorry but this thread was intended for people who have been burned by Ipsos, not hawks for them. Class action lawsuits are not 1 dimensional. Damages aren’t solely based on the dollar amount of the loss. Unless you know the inner workings of how the valuations are calculated, best not to comment. The amount you received has everything to do with who won the case. The law firm takes the percentage they signed up for and do all of the work. People are compensated by the extent of their loss and their participation. If you do nothing, don’t expect the world.

I cannot imagine any law firm taking such a case. The number of potential victims in quite small - probably in the 1000s - and their losses aren't huge, probably in the $100s each. Lets imagine large: 10,000 victims with average losses of $250 each. That's only $2.5 million. Hardly enough for the legal effort, especially considering complications in the text of the ICAs. I also doubt that shoppers would make poignant victims in any jury's eyes. Oh, and if a class is formed, the moment the class list becomes public record count on each and every MSC to stop doing business with anyone who has agreed to join the class. Pipe dreams.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2024 05:25AM by Rousseau.

Ipsos is nearly impossible to appeal an issue. I have had a couple issues where they were definitely in the wrong, and I moved on. I will never do a similar shop for them in the future, but I continue to take shops where I haven't been burned. I will not tilt at windmills because the energy required is not worth it.

@Equine24 wrote:

Ipsos is nearly impossible to appeal an issue. I have had a couple issues where they were definitely in the wrong, and I moved on. I will never do a similar shop for them in the future, but I continue to take shops where I haven't been burned. I will not tilt at windmills because the energy required is not worth it.

I've only appealed one issue. The green editor actually moved my issue up the chain when I asked her to "Please elevate this matter." The program manager agreed with me and I got paid.

I've only shopped for IPSOS on the Metrics side, and have never had an issue with the shops or being paid on that side.

They owe me $0.

What boridi said.

My #1 vendor for 3 years running, by a long shot.

Never an issue getting paid in a timely fashion*, never any issues with shops I have submitted, even when I've made errors.

*Even when they blame a late payment on PayPal they are still the fastest pay in the business, something I appreciate immensely.

Try the Freelancer's Union. Membership is free, and they can help you with short term (getting paid) and long term (changing the way MS companies operate to the detriment of shoppers) strategies. For example, they have helped pass "freelance isn't free" legislation in various regions.

Some MS companies take advantage of vulnerable shoppers, and others have such badly organized systems, including everything from weird guidelines to penury pay, that it has the same effect as taking advantage. Freelancers Union can help with that.

[freelancersunion.org]

Ah! Time to toggle!

@Minime wrote:

Sorry but this thread was intended for people who have been burned by Ipsos, not hawks for them. Class action lawsuits are not 1 dimensional. Damages aren’t solely based on the dollar amount of the loss. Unless you know the inner workings of how the valuations are calculated, best not to comment. The amount you received has everything to do with who won the case. The law firm takes the percentage they signed up for and do all of the work. People are compensated by the extent of their loss and their participation. If you do nothing, don’t expect the world.

I can't say that I'm a big fan of Ipsos. I don't like the way they have come to treat their IC's. I don't like that they have almost completely eliminated their schedulers in favor of their "Ishopfirst" program. But as Cool said, most of the mystery shopping work I do is for them, and when I do the job correctly, I get paid, and I don't have to wait 2 months for it like most other MSC's. Ipsos definitely has their drawbacks, slow to bonus shops that used to be bonused quickly, the bonuses that have decreased dramatically. The schedulers that are slower to respond, and less likely to be helpful, though I'm sure this is an Ipsos problem and not a scheduler problem.

I have made mistakes, and I have not been paid for the mistakes that I made, and I deserved it more often than not. I have some shops that I didn't get paid for with absolutely no explanation, and no notification on Shopmetrics, I don't know why, and I never got any explanation. But we're talking about a total of less than $100 over more than 10 years. Nothing worth losing the ability to work for them completely.

@boridi wrote:

They owe me $0.

Cringe.

@Minime wrote:

Hi All ~ I’m a seasoned mystery shopper who has been burned by Ipsos one too many times. I’ve read many of your complaints and it’s become apparent to me that I’m not the only one who has been cheated. I’m a logical, analytical thinker who can admit fault when I make an error. I’m willing to learn from mistakes and compromise when I don’t live up to job pay standards. I’m a perfectionist by nature and as a result get 10 ratings for shops I perform across the board with a variety of companies I’ve sub-contracted with over the years.

What I’m not willing to accept is when I perform a shop to the letter and it gets ‘returned’ for reasons that are not included in the company’s own guidelines for the shop. I’m also not willing to accept when a shop is being blocked from submission, then later reported as late and expunged from my portal with no proof it ever existed. I’m also no longer willing to accept the stonewalling that follows, from a shady, phantom company who hides behind the bullies they employ who lay false blame in order to cheat their shoppers of their rightful pay. As many of you are aware, there’s no way to reach their corporate offices to report abuse or theft of service.

I’ve been treated like a sucker for putting my faith in this company. I’m disabled and have to find ways to support myself in preparation for an upcoming surgery. My life is hard, but I always show respect and kindness in dealing with people. When I get kicked in the teeth, as I have with this company, a part of me wants to fight to ensure that the abuse, fraud and treason will end with me, and not be visited upon the next unsuspecting person. Not fighting a monster emboldens and them to continue this kind of behavior.

Although there are numerous complaints about this company all over the internet, most people don’t have the will or resources to combat the injustices perpetrated against them. I believe together we can create something this company least expects if it’s done the right way, with the right legal representation. It could amount to an unexpected windfall for us victims, as it has with others who have been able to expose these ‘fat cat’ companies who think they don’t have to follow the rules.

I’ve opened this thread to brainstorm with other like-minded shoppers who have been cheated and defrauded of pay that they have rightfully earned. If there are enough responses I will provide info on what can be done collectively to take action. It can be a multi-prong approach that includes complaints to government entities, local courts and a class action lawsuit if there are enough participants. Verbal testimony is often accepted as proof, especially when your complaints go into a ‘company contact’ email vacuum. Many of us have saved our proof which collectively can reveal patterns and trends they use to falsely reject shops, refuse to pay, refuse to respond, etc.

Hoping people will share their experiences, however small or complex. No need to reveal personal info. This is our forum to vent thanks to the auspices of this website. Let’s do it!

I’m all for it. They’ve been doing ICs dirty for years. Ipsos was at one point the best MSC out there. Ever since they brought in the GfK crew, they’ve completely wrecked Ipsos’ reputation.

@Minime wrote:

Hi All ~ I’m a seasoned mystery shopper

So, I guess you remember G3, Infotel and National Shopping Services?

Your passive aggressive reply to myst4au is uncalled for. This shopper is one of the brightest and most knowledgeable people on this forum.

Seasoned shopper/new participant....Hmmmm......

I agree. I see they’ve infiltrated this site and I’m not the least bit surprised. The attempts to pick fights and their know it all’ attitudes are so telling and don’t interest me in the slightest.

Ipsos lets their obsessed schedulers get away with murder, bombarding shoppers email accounts with multiple duplicate emails every couple of hours. That becomes a zero sum game if you complain about it. They’ll ghost you if your inquiry about a shop doesn’t involve making them $. That’s unacceptable.
They recently tried to pull a grift on me where their ‘editor’ rejected a shop that took me very far from home on a treacherous road trip - based on something that wasn’t even in the guidelines. The decision was reversed by a higher up but it took all day. That becomes a time stealer for me that I don’t get paid for. When I asked the supervisor to point to the specific reason for the return she didn’t respond - because there wasn’t one. They test people in that way to see what they can get away with. No doubt they’ve found that many are desperate enough to accept it. There’s so little oversight that they could be keeping the unpaid $ for themselves. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they still use the shops they reject and expunge from shopper accounts. Outsourcing will be the next step to make up for workforce loss of their backbone - the ICs. I’ve seen this kind of corporate money grab occur before with companies on the verge of ‘jumping the shark.’ I predict massive layoffs in the US within 2 years.

@Minime, I know this may be difficult for you to accept, but there really isn't a conspiracy with them or any other MSC out there. You are essentially saying they falsify records. That's what they would have to do, if they use rejected reports. That's a serious allegation. Now, I like to see proof for any allegation. Where's yours? I'd say I'll be waiting before commenting further, but then I would be waiting for a LONG time. I think I'll go ahead and comment further.

You say you're a seasoned mystery shopper, whatever that means. IPSOS hardly bombards multiple times a day with the same e-mails. While there are a handful of schedulers at other MSCs that do this, I can't think of one at IPSOS that does. Certainly not on a routine basis. In fact, I find the IPSOS schedulers to be very pleasant and easy to work with. That goes for most schedulers. Many of them work from home, too. Some have other jobs, including mystery shopping. You say they've infiltrated this forum. While I know that @KarenSchedulesForIpsos is here and there may be some others, I am quite sure they have better things to do than surf these forums and engage in an argument with you. For starters, they have to deal with complete dumba** shoppers who don't know what they are doing, can't read, can't follow guidelines, and flake off. How do I know that? Because I see some of them post here from time to time.

Do their editors get it wrong sometimes? Absolutely. Some of them are dumba**es as well. Those are mainly the ones who work for a large editing company. Not all of them by any means, but there are some.

Sometimes I'm the dumba** that messes up. Sometimes they take my mess-ups, when I probably wouldn't, if I were the one editing the report. Now and again I get a report rejected. Only one can I think of where I believe they were completely in the wrong. I fought it, but it didn't cut my way. Sometimes that happens in IC work. It is definitely the exception, not the rule. If it is the rule for you, then you are probably the problem, not the MSC.

If you don't like this company, don't work for them. It's not really that difficult. It's one benefit to being an IC. I decide what projects I want to do and which companies and schedulers for whom I want to work.

You say you are disabled and are preparing for a surgery. I sympathize with that. I have a disability, of sorts, and had surgery recently. It's not easy. I'm grateful for the work I get. Why would I want to sue a company who has been a lifeline for me? No, thank you. I wish you luck in your endeavor.

@ServiceAward wrote:

@Minime, I know this may be difficult for you to accept, but there really isn't a conspiracy with them or any other MSC out there.

No kidding!

I have done 1400 shops for IPSOS. 4 have been rejected.
0.29% rejection rate ($70 fees + reimbursement)
So, 99.71% went through and got paid.
Not bad.

@ServiceAward wrote:

If you don't like this company, don't work for them. It's not really that difficult. It's one benefit to being an IC. I decide what projects I want to do and which companies and schedulers for whom I want to work.

Here Here. For many of us this would be the advice we would give. In the time it takes you to even begin to pursue your plan you could have done a few shops elsewhere, earned back what you lost and quit this company you dislike so much.
But then you do not seem to be looking for advice.

One more thing. I spent 15 years in an industry where I worked my way up and made six figures. You want to talk about getting screwed? Believe me, I was screwed over every which way in that industry. But I made 6 figures, that's what counts, right? I was miserable. A year ago I turned down the opportunity to dip my toes back into that industry again. I'll take the IC work that lets me work for myself, gives me time to care for my elderly mother, and gives me time to grow my online business. I work as hard now, but for pennies on the dollar at times. But, I'm happy. That's something I could not say for a long time.

If you feel cheated by IPSOS, go work for other MSCs. If you sue IPSOS, don't be shocked if you are blacklisted in the industry. What will you do then? You might have a couple of bucks from your lawsuit, and maybe some hollow satisfaction that you stuck it to the big guy in the room, the bully as you put it. As someone who successfully sued the government and won two appeals, it sucked the life out of my marriage and my morals. I was right. I knew I was right. I spent years fighting, and won, as I said. I got a decent paycheck out of it, but I didn't know the man in the mirror by the time it was over.

Challenges abound, no matter what work you do. The grass is not always greener. Sometimes the other side isn't grass at all, but quicksand. A snare, as it were. Get your health in order - and move on. That's my contribution to this brainstorming (and mind perplexing) exercise.

Again, this post and topic was intended for people who have been burned by Ipsos. Not really interested in free advice from hawks looking to downplay my experience and label it a ‘conspiracy.’ Why are you commenting if you don’t have a dog in the fight? I don’t need your advice, thank you. It comes off as an obvious attempt to choke out other voices. If my account and experience upsets you, why don’t you ‘walk?’ Isn’t that what veteran ICs do?

I am, and have been for many decades, a fan and follower of adages. The one I consider appropriate for this thread is "one person's meat can be another's poison." My primary reason for terminating Ipsos was the company being, according to my definition, a bottom payer. In the ten yrs. I was contracted, their board showed ONE shop with an excellent pay and a few where the fee was acceptable. Secondly, it was my opinion their guidelines were ambiguous and clarifying communication was zilch.

I neither criticize Ipson for their business model of, what I consider to be, poor pay and lack of communication nor shoppers for whom the company is acceptable; obviously, the MSC "floats your boat." It, does not , though, "hold water with me."

My compliments to prior posters. both pro and con, for stating their positions in an articulate manner.

Removed

@ServiceAward wrote:

@Minime wrote:

Why are you commenting if you don’t have a dog in the fight?

Because this is an open forum and I have a right to comment whenever and on whatever I please. If you want privacy, send DMs to people.

@Minime wrote:

I don’t need your advice, thank you. It comes off as an obvious attempt to choke out other voices.

Actually, the solution to a free society is more speech, not less. More speech does not choke out other voices. Chocking out other voices would entail removing posts in support of yours. That would be impossible, since it is evident you have no support here.

@Minime wrote:

If my account and experience upsets you, why don’t you ‘walk?

Don't give yourself too much credit. Your idiocy and ignorance does not upset me.