HORRIBLE experience with Spot Check Services mystery shopping

[countryfan35]

Just a note to follow up. The owner did indeed spend the time and money to resolve the issue. I a impressed and I hope the rest of you with legitimate issues have them solved as well. Good luck to you all.

[prism1]

Anyone else have feedback about this company??

I have performed over 20 shops for them with no problems. Today, I get an email saying a shop I did (restaurant shop, 50 bucks out of pocket expense) was rejected and subsequently I am deleted from their database and do not get paid.

I actually called to get clarification to the Manager, and she basically said that even though she did not read my report she would not do anything. She could not even clarify for me what had happened. I'm totally pissed as I worked for 1.5 hours PLUS paid for my meal, came home and spent a hour filling out a report and no one has the decency to treat me like a human being and explain what I did wrong. I've had 22 shops with them, and 4 times out of all of those I was asked for clarification on something (usually things like, describe what the sales person was wearing). Never any warning about bad report writing or anything. I don't think it's fair to remove someone from their database with no explanation with no warning system at all. I mystery shop with 4 other companies and have never had this sort of treatment. Definitely would not recommend you sign up with them unless you are willing to risk getting rejected with no explanation and being out of $$.

I have done hundreds of shops for Spot Check and have never had a shop rejected. If I had missed seeing a pool table and that was a requirement to look for I would expect the report to be rejected.

[kaymor2]

So I guess I’m not the only one who has been badly treated by Spot Check services!!
The quick reply is - if you are an honest Mystery shopper stay away from wasting your time doing any shops for this company!
I had done mystery’s shops for them for over 6 years and then one day I went to log in to check something and couldn’t . When I contacted them I was told that I couldn’t log in because I had been deleted as shopper from their shopper base!. So not even the courtesy to tell me at all.
When I asked for a reason ,I was told that I had three rejected shops which was their criteria to dismiss a shopper –when I argued that I had not had three rejected shops in the last entire year let alone in the last little while and that they had made a mistake, they finally agreed to send me a copy of the notes on my shopper file. Well to my total shock the so called “three strikes” were spread out over the entire time of the more than 6 years I had worked for them!!!!
Also all three strikes were under extenuating circumstances that had happened at a shop/during shop that I as a shopper had no control over. I recalled all three situation vividly because they were so unusual and I had sent copious notes in explanation of what had happed during each situation at the time of my reports. However the really upsetting thing was that the so called unbiased reviewer of the shops didn’t include a single word of any explanations etc. from all the notes I had sent extra for each situation and in one case they has even insinuated I was lying and in that specific case I even had pictures and a digital voice recording that I offerd to them to use to prove what I had reported was true. That situation was a total loss for the business involved as there was definitely something “funny” going on with the staff and “reliable” video surveillance at that retail location. I replied to the manager and sent her all of the detailed information and extenuating circumstances for the three so called strikes but I never got the courtesy of a reply!
So all in all if you are an everyday normal human and from time to time have an oversight or make a mistake then don’t waste any of your valuable time even signing up as a shopper for this company. In addition to holding small mistakes and the occasional oversight against you from Day One which in my case was over 6 years, the pay is low, there is constant losing of receipt submissions [and they required you mail in originals ] so the shoppers does not get paid, reviewers who consistently leave out important information when extenuating circumstances arise and a manger who simply doesn’t care ! I really feel bad for that one retailer that never got the facts as I know it “cost” him and could still be costing him!
This company is always looking for shoppers so your all now know why! Your time and mystery shopping skills are valuable so offer them to other mystery company's who not only will have realistic expectations of performance but don’t ’t allow their report reviewer to insinuate you are lying without telling you and whose mangers doesn’t refuse to read and/or listen to evidence of the facts when you have it –it will save you and the companies you mystery shop from grief and loss .

Ps -still waiting for final monies they owed me for shops I had done the previous month and I never have seen it show up in my bank account

---

[virgonomic]

I've been shopping with this company for 12 years now. I once had a shop rejected when my guest ordered an appetizer as an entree. You have to read the instructions carefully and pay attention to detail. The only other issue I recall was not being paid for a shop where I was certain I sent them the receipt. I ended up buying a roll of receipt paper and printing my scanned receipt on it. Payroll thought it was a photocopy but still accepted it.

Last year I forgot to send in a receipt. They accepted it 6 months later but warned me they would not do it again. I check my payment status regularly now.

I've probably completed 60 or 70 shops for them in that time.

[Consumer Connection]

Hi: This is horrible news for the entire MS industry! The correct thing to do would been to have paid you, then provided you with additional training for next time. Sorry to hear about your experience.

[virgonomic]

Hi: This is horrible news for the entire MS industry! The correct thing to do would been to have paid you, then provided you with additional training for next time. Sorry to hear about your experience.

Get real.

Mystery shopping companies don't get paid for an unusable report. If they don't get paid, how can they pay the shopper?