I am so angry right now. I posted about 6 months ago that all my confirmed shops on the Confero job log had been canceled. This is being done by a scheduler named Robin. That amounted to over a dozen shops.

Today, I received an email from Robin stating that a shopper had canceled a lot of shops that are due tomorrow, August 26th. She asked me if I could work them. These shops are about 40 miles from my house one way. I asked her for a bonus because of the time and gas involved. I told her that I could work 5 of them. I told her to let me know as soon as possible because I would need to reschedule a dental appointment that I had scheduled for tomorrow.

Robin accepted my offer and added the shops to my job log. I accepted and confirmed the shops. I called and rescheduled my dental appointment for another date. A few hours later, I receive an email from Robin canceling one of the shops. I emailed Robin and asked her why the shop was canceled. I had confirmed another shop that was close to this location. This left me driving 80 miles round trip for one shop. I told her to please cancel this second shop because I couldn't drive that distance for one shop.

Now, I am down to 3 shops instead of 5. I had accepted one of these shops without a bonus because it was close to one of the other locations. Never again will I trust this Robin. She is not reliable and I am considering contacting Elaine about the matter. I have the emails from Robin to prove what she did.

Has anyone else had this problem with Confero? I believe that Robin is emailing shoppers asking them to accept shops and also posting them on Presto. Even though she confirms our shops, if someone on Presto accepts the shop, she cancels our confirmed shops. I emailed Robin and asked why she had canceled the confirmed shop. She told me that it was a mistake and someone had just worked it.

This is highly unethical and I no longer trust anything from Confero. I have a 9 or 10 rating with every mystery shop company. I have mystery shopped for over 25 years and have worked all my assignments. How are we supposed to work a route and plan our weeks when a company can cancel shops that have been confirmed?

I have had the complete opposite experience with Robin. She bends over backwards to help me. She has always been there to help me. I am sorry to hear you are having issues.

I must admit, I found your recent feedback quite disappointing, as I genuinely value the strong relationships I maintain with my shoppers. I was looking forward to your response to my email regarding these shops in September.

Managing communication for various shoppers can be a complex task, and timing does not always align perfectly. Regrettably, I cannot offer a shop that has already been completed, and I may not be aware of its status until much later. I made every effort to communicate with you as soon as I had relevant information.
Hopefully we can keep in contact via email regarding assigned shops and any issues you may have with scheduling instead of a public forum. I'm happy to continue this conversation with management involved to resolve anything that is unclear.

I would gladly post your emails to me and get management involved. You assigned all 5 of the shops onto my job log. I confirmed the shops. Then, you start canceling them. Several months ago, you cancelled shops a whole month of shops that I had confirmed weeks before. Maybe if you can't handle scheduling shops, you ought to find another line of work. It seems to me that you favor certain shoppers.

*grabs popcorn*

I am unable to directly comment on the subject matter of the Confero scheduler. My intent is to state my experience with the MSC.

This Dec., I begin the 21st yr. of my association with Confero; in that time, I have completed 49 jobs. We all have areas of importance; for me, it is money and an avoidance of aggravation. That being stated, I do not work through a cell phone nor have I spoken with any scheduler with an MSC since Strategic Reflections* was sold in 2021. I am satisfied with Confero.

*I completed approx. 650 shops for SR over a 13 yr. period. An 800 number was available, but I do not recall ever experiencing any problems.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2025 02:57PM by shopperbob.

To the original poster, this is unfair treatment and unfortunate. You did your best to work with them, and you didn't even request outrageous fees since they are clearly getting close to their deadline.

The right thing to do would have been to increase the pay on the other shops so that you could still make your route work. They did not do that. For profit companies and commissioned workers rarely do the right thing if given the opportunity to do the wrong thing to make more money. You were a victim of this mentality.

All of that said, this company, and this scheduler specifically, had already shown their true colors to you. They had already shown that they did not respect your time, efforts, or plans. They entered into contracts with you to get work done, and then they breached those contracts. They have shown that they lack business ethics, and they lack respect for their contractors. Then, when you chose to give them a second chance, they did it again. It's a cliche, but it has to be said. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2025 10:52PM by thunderdeacon.

@Robinscheduler wrote:

Managing communication for various shoppers can be a complex task, and timing does not always align perfectly. Regrettably, I cannot offer a shop that has already been completed, and I may not be aware of its status until much later. I made every effort to communicate with you as soon as I had relevant information.

The shopper stated that five shops were assigned and confirmed. If the above quote is true, and the shops were later canceled hours later, was the shopper a contingency or fallback plan if the shops were not accepted "until much later?"

Snippet from the Confero website - an interview with Robin titled ‘A Day In The Life Of A Mystery Shop Scheduler.’

???? Finding the Right Shopper for the Right Shop
It’s part strategy, part intuition. I maintain a mental map of who’s reliable, who prefers certain locations, and who’s available on short notice. Using our internal tools I will search by location and experience, but I also rely heavily on personal connections. I might remember that a shopper in rural Texas is willing to drive an extra 30 miles if I give her a heads-up early enough.

She forgot to mention that she will burn a shopper *that she solicited and assigned the shop to* if a ‘personal connection’ or a ‘rural shopper’ is willing to take it for less.

We all work in ‘real time’ and the status of shops is no different for the scheduler than it is for the shopper. There would be no excuse for the shop to be ‘already completed’ if she was keeping track of who she assigned it to. It’s hard not to keep track, because once it’s assigned it’s automatically put in unavailable status, so there’s nothing to keep track of - it’s done. Therefore there’s no excuse for why this scenario would come about. It would have to be cancelled in order to be assigned to another shopper. If it’s gone entirely, then that’s what happened, period. If she claims that she ‘may not be aware of the status until much later’ - that’s a problem. What company operates in this manner, esp. the ones that have a ‘self assign’ feature?

It’s easy to say ‘it was already completed’ to shirk responsibility for the betrayal, much harder to find another reliable shopper to replace the one she just lost. The one’s she has found can’t do them all the time. She will jump ship when she runs the MSC into the ground and will be onto the next one without anyone being the wiser re: her (or ‘our’) ‘internal tools.’ If the MSC endorses these methods, then they should be banned by the shopper for devaluing them and causing them harm. They should know that any shopper would find her reply insulting, even if she’s not cognizant of it herself.

There needs to be a union. I would pay $10/mo for someone to call these people out on their BS. That’s all they have to do, and then rate them based on shopper complaints.
All we have now are forums to air our complaints - which they do read.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2025 03:09AM by Minime.

Minime opines--There needs to be a union.

Bob disagrees--I am a free market capitalist. If the business were ever unionized, I would definitely terminate any involvement in shopping.

Added as an afterthought. I am in complete control of my shopping. At any time I deem a situation unacceptable, and after attempting to resolve the matter, if I fail I have merely to terminate the relationship. When, though, it is I who was terminated, I simply move on with life. I do understand being independent affords me those options.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2025 05:12PM by shopperbob.

@shopperbob wrote:

Minime opines--There needs to be a union.

Bob disagrees--I am a free market capitalist. If the business were ever unionized, I would definitely terminate any involvement in shopping.

I think you have misinterpreted my suggestion. It wouldn’t be the MSCs that unionize, it would be for ICs only, who can form their own union and pay dues IF they want to join. Judging by the number of ICs out there it wouldn’t take much to cover the cost a couple of mediators and a full time data specialist.

Not everybody in this community has a complaint. Many will back up and defend their schedulers knowing that they’re giving others the shaft. These shoppers, such as yourself, would have no need or reason to join. A union could create a website for complaints ONLY. Each complaint could be open and posted on the site in the same manner as they are here, only organized better for user access and data collection.

There are sites like this one that form ‘fellowships’ and one’s like the BBB which encompasses all forms of business complaints, which IMO bites off more than it can chew. Trust me it would be the worst case scenario for the MSCs, esp. Ipshitz, which is well known for violating minimum wage requirements due to lack of oversight by the states, and by lobbying the feds, who certainly don’t care if we live or die. Rest assured they certainly wouldn’t be gunning for you in any event.

As with any relationship, low standards manifests poor outcomes. If anyone should know that it’s you, SB. If everyone set high standards for themselves and wanted that for others, we wouldn’t have the kind of BS that’s going on now, which drives many ICs away. In this business you’re considered naive if you trust their word - or actions - b/c they can renege on both with no consequences. Lame excuses like the one above ^^^ would result in a lack of participation, which would ultimately result in higher pay. That’s the role that the unions have, and most cases they win.

The path to forming a labor union made up of independent contractors would be difficult unless there was a basis for misclassification as independent contractors instead of employees.

While mystery shoppers would not form a professional society with a public interest component, the closest thing to a trade association is MSPA Americas. Its effectiveness for shoppers is debatable.

I found the excerpt below from Intellishop's website. It had some interesting points about why a mystery shopper would not want to be classified as an employee. A full-time mystery shopper in Nevada once shared his full-time salary. By my standards, it was not good.


[intelli-shop.com]

Why would I want to be a considered an independent contractor instead of an employee?

While being considered an employee might sound attractive, the reality is:

Your mystery shopping income would be subject to immediate state and federal withholding.

The increased fees for running a mystery shopping company with shoppers as employees would result in lower shop fees (for you) and higher fees for companies who use mystery shopping services which means fewer mystery shops for all.

You might not be able to work for more than one mystery Shop Company–very few mystery shopping companies would feel comfortable employing a shopper who was an employee of another company. There are too many conflict-of-interest issues.

You might get no work at all-there would be very few mystery shopping employee positions available. The state of Nevada, for example, requires all mystery shoppers be employees of a private investigation firm. As a result there are only a few hundred mystery shoppers in the entire state, shutting out thousands of people who would like to be mystery shoppers there.

While mystery shopping is not the intended target of this legislation, it is in danger of getting caught up in this unless action is taken from all sides. This is why mystery shopping companies are giving preferential treatment to shoppers who support keeping the mystery shopping industry as free as possible by declaring themselves as mystery shopping professionals running independent businesses.

Texans...is this you?

@terrys wrote:

The path to forming a labor union made up of independent contractors would be difficult unless there was a basis for misclassification as independent contractors instead of employees.

While mystery shoppers would not form a professional society with a public interest component, the closest thing to a trade association is MSPA Americas. Its effectiveness for shoppers is debatable.

I found the excerpt below from Intellishop's website. It had some interesting points about why a mystery shopper would not want to be classified as an employee. A full-time mystery shopper in Nevada once shared his full-time salary. By my standards, it was not good.


[intelli-shop.com]

Why would I want to be a considered an independent contractor instead of an employee?

While being considered an employee might sound attractive, the reality is:

Your mystery shopping income would be subject to immediate state and federal withholding.

The increased fees for running a mystery shopping company with shoppers as employees would result in lower shop fees (for you) and higher fees for companies who use mystery shopping services which means fewer mystery shops for all.

You might not be able to work for more than one mystery Shop Company–very few mystery shopping companies would feel comfortable employing a shopper who was an employee of another company. There are too many conflict-of-interest issues.

You might get no work at all-there would be very few mystery shopping employee positions available. The state of Nevada, for example, requires all mystery shoppers be employees of a private investigation firm. As a result there are only a few hundred mystery shoppers in the entire state, shutting out thousands of people who would like to be mystery shoppers there.

While mystery shopping is not the intended target of this legislation, it is in danger of getting caught up in this unless action is taken from all sides. This is why mystery shopping companies are giving preferential treatment to shoppers who support keeping the mystery shopping industry as free as possible by declaring themselves as mystery shopping professionals running independent businesses.

@ArkLaMissshopping I am not @Texans

The subject of unions was brought into this discussion. I wanted to further expound.

I’m sorry you’re going through this.

This is not the only MSC that has perpetrated costly betrayals upon high performing independent contractors.

Some have personnel that may be newly promoted with dysfunctional relationships with power. Others may have shoppers they have “preferred” connections with. Others may just be overtired or their wires get crossed jugging work and family with demanding deadline-driven 12-hour-day positions that don’t pay much more than they offer us.

Others are unconscious (or arrogant) enough to think they can damage others with impunity with or without premeditated intention.

As non-employees in an “at will” economy favoring corporate power, we have choices, vulnerabilities, and the power of our voices.

I’ve felt your pain and travelled the long road to recovering the earnings removed from an agreed upon queue of assignments.

If we advocate for ourselves, someone up the ladder may make things right. Others will allow the hatchet wielders free rein, which ultimately …bites them all in the bottom line later as the word gets out.

Thanks for sharing your experience so others can tread more carefully.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2025 05:56AM by SBP.

I did notify management about my cancelled shops and forwarded the cancelation emails to them. I believe there were 10 or 11 of them for May of this year. These were all shops that I have worked for Confero for years and were not bonused shops. These shops were then put back on the job board for May. For some reason, the system would not let me again self-assign them. ( Were they in the process of being assigned to someone else?) I contacted Robin about all my shops being back on the job board but I couldn't self-assign. She responded that they were for June and May shops had been assigned. This made no sense since June shops had already been assigned and they were posted for May. I asked Robin if they were not working any shops in May.
I lost a large amount of money because of this and this is why I went public with my post. These shops had all been confirmed for a long time. By the time she cancelled all these shops, most of the good assignments with other mystery shopping companies had already been assigned. I worked very few shops in May.
I believe a lot of shoppers have had the same experience with this scheduler as I have had. Shoppers hate problems and are afraid the mystery shopping company will quit using them if they complain.
But, this week, this scheduler reached out to me for help with shops that needed to be worked the next day. She accepted my offer and I confirmed the shops. I had to reschedule a dental appointment that I had for that date. It was about an hour after I confirmed the shops, that she again cancelled one of them. I do believe that another shopper offered to do it with no bonus so she cancelled my assigned shop. This led me to telling her that canceling that shop had left me only one shop in an area over 40 miles from me. Even with a bonus, I wouldn't be making any money. I had her take this shop off my job log. I normally don't ask for a shop to be removed, but I didn’t feel like I owed her any favors. This only left me 3 shops instead of 5.
Like I said, I have mystery shopped for over 25 years and have excellent ratings. In all these years of mystery shopping, I have only had a company cancel a couple of times. These were always for valid reasons like a store closing or an extreme snow storm. I did feel like this issue needed to be addressed.

Can anyone attest to how their pay works? If they work on commission and get to pocket the difference, this would make sense. It would also make sense if they get some sort of bonus for completing all shops within a certain budget. If the latter is the case, I highly doubt upper management gives a squat about us. It’s all about the bottom line these days.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2025 12:23PM by Antipopbritt.

@ArkLaMissshopping wrote:

Texans...is this you?

@terrys wrote:

The path to forming a labor union made up of independent contractors would be difficult unless there was a basis for misclassification as independent contractors instead of employees.

While mystery shoppers would not form a professional society with a public interest component, the closest thing to a trade association is MSPA Americas. Its effectiveness for shoppers is debatable.

I found the excerpt below from Intellishop's website. It had some interesting points about why a mystery shopper would not want to be classified as an employee. A full-time mystery shopper in Nevada once shared his full-time salary. By my standards, it was not good.


[intelli-shop.com]

Why would I want to be a considered an independent contractor instead of an employee?

While being considered an employee might sound attractive, the reality is:

Your mystery shopping income would be subject to immediate state and federal withholding.

The increased fees for running a mystery shopping company with shoppers as employees would result in lower shop fees (for you) and higher fees for companies who use mystery shopping services which means fewer mystery shops for all.

You might not be able to work for more than one mystery Shop Company–very few mystery shopping companies would feel comfortable employing a shopper who was an employee of another company. There are too many conflict-of-interest issues.

You might get no work at all-there would be very few mystery shopping employee positions available. The state of Nevada, for example, requires all mystery shoppers be employees of a private investigation firm. As a result there are only a few hundred mystery shoppers in the entire state, shutting out thousands of people who would like to be mystery shoppers there.

While mystery shopping is not the intended target of this legislation, it is in danger of getting caught up in this unless action is taken from all sides. This is why mystery shopping companies are giving preferential treatment to shoppers who support keeping the mystery shopping industry as free as possible by declaring themselves as mystery shopping professionals running independent businesses.

I could pick through Intelli-shop’s reasons one by one and debunk all of it, but I’m not going to waste my time. It looks to be an old entry that they forgot to remove, or they want to continue to spread misinformation. To rely on them or any other MSC as a source of information about ‘employee’ status is a mistake. They’re clearly threatened by the prospect of that and a union as evidenced by the threatening undertones and misinformation. Consult a tax professional regarding your tax responsibilities - not them.

Any trade organization can form a union, it’s just a matter of getting it off the ground. I’m not sure why you think it can’t be done in this case. As it stands now we are considered employees of these companies whether we like it or not. It came to pass yet all of the threats they made never materialized.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2025 03:51PM by Minime.

It was some interesting points to consider. I am skeptical about the effectiveness of a union for mystery shoppers.

To further add, through research, due diligence, and luck, rarely has there been an instance where I required the assistance of a mystery shopping trade association or union. However, I do understand that I may be the exception.

Regarding taxes, the tax benefits of being classified as an independent contractor far outweigh the benefits afforded to me by being classified as an employee of said MSC(s).

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2025 05:08PM by terrys.

@terrys wrote:

It was some interesting points to consider. I am skeptical about the effectiveness of a union for mystery shoppers.

To further add, through research, due diligence, and luck, rarely has there been an instance where I required the assistance of a mystery shopping trade association or union. However, I do understand that I may be the exception.

Regarding taxes, the tax benefits of being classified as an independent contractor far outweigh the benefits afforded to me by being classified as an employee of said MSC(s).

I’m not sure how you would report your income as an employee for several different companies on your return, so I’m not sure what you mean.

As a very part-time, situational, and opportune shopper, it would not be ideal nor beneficial for me to be classified as an employee for tax purposes. If I were a W-2 employee with multiple employers, I would report wages received from all of my employers. I would rather be classified as a self-employed business owner and be able to deduct my business expenses. I do not need nor require the benefits an employee would receive from an MSC in an employer/employee relationship. I accept or reject each assignment based on the terms presented. In this regard, I do not have an employee mindset, nor do I expect to be treated like an employee. I am independent and solely in business for myself.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2025 06:57PM by terrys.

I am doing only small portion of MS with Confero. The shops they bought from Nancy Draude. I never ever had the exprrience you desctribed above.

@Terrys - Another slice of OKIE under yet another name?

Polar bear drink guy, what is a slice of OKIE?

I am not fooled and you are not funny in the slightest.

I wasn't trying to be funny. I am trying to understand your question. To be honest, your name is foolish.

Okie was a frequent poster to this forum. I don't think I've seen any posts by him in a while. I guess purp thought your post was Okie-like.