HORRIBLE experience with Spot Check Services mystery shopping

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 $$.:rant:

I am sorry to hear about your experince!

welcome to SC

sounds harsh

Sorry to hear about such a bad experience.

I would pursue this case - honestly. They should have a reason behind why they rejected it.

I was be so peed off if this had happened to me especially since you took the time, drove, paid $50 and they cant even explain why.

I am not too clear on how the mystery company's work, but is this like a contract you sign with them and then they call you to go mystery shop somewhere? Well, even if you didn't sign a contract you were legally employed by this company, were you not? If so, aren't you entitled to get your money back? They sent you to shop for them, correct?

Or do I have this all wrong and you are liable for these expenses and it is at the company's discretion if they pay u for your time and expenses?

This sounds very ridiculous and I am appalled that they do not have the decency to let you know what went wrong. I would never do any mystery shopping if the "contract" is so vague and they are not clear as to how they pay their employees for their time. I also would not put myself out-of-pocket for a company.

Hope this clears up for you. :)

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Originally Posted by Lynfan

I am not too clear on how the mystery company's work, but is this like a contract you sign with them and then they call you to go mystery shop somewhere? Well, even if you didn't sign a contract you were legally employed by this company, were you not? If so, aren't you entitled to get your money back? They sent you to shop for them, correct?

Or do I have this all wrong and you are liable for these expenses and it is at the company's discretion if they pay u for your time and expenses?

This sounds very ridiculous and I am appalled that they do not have the decency to let you know what went wrong. I would never do any mystery shopping if the "contract" is so vague and they are not clear as to how they pay their employees for their time. I also would not put myself out-of-pocket for a company.

Hope this clears up for you. :)

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Thanks for the feedback everyone!! It definitely made me feel better.

I didn't sign a contract but an agreement (http://www.spotcheckservices.com/shopperagreement.htm) so I was an "independent contractor" and there is a clause saying they can reject reports if criteria aren't followed, even though the criteria I failed to follow wasn't explained. I don't think I can do anything legally...

I did call to pursue this and talked to the manager who refused to let me speak to one of the "Quality control" people who rejected the report (she did not actually see the report).I am thinking of filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and maybe even contacting the restaurant chain and telling them about their Mystery Shopping company's unethical practices.

I think the least they can do is explain themselves. Call again.

Keep calling until you get a answer. If you bug them enough, you'll get a answer.

That is awful. Keep us updated...

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Originally Posted by Ricki911

Sorry to hear about such a bad experience.

I would pursue this case - honestly. They should have a reason behind why they rejected it.

I was be so peed off if this had happened to me especially since you took the time, drove, paid $50 and they cant even explain why.

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:top:

i agree with the others, they must give you a good reason....

about these "shoppers companies" in FAQ they say , you are NOT their employee

you are autonom worker

hope this helps

please keep us posted

I see that they're a BBB accredited business and have a high rating of A+.

Maybe you should try contacting this person that is listed before filing a complaint:

Customer Contact:Mr. Brent Poole, PresidentEmail Address:[email protected]

I see that they're a BBB accredited business and have a high rating of A+.

Maybe you should try contacting this person that is listed before filing a complaint:

Customer Contact:Mr. Brent Poole, PresidentEmail Address:[email protected]


SMART IDEA.

I would also check out Survey POlice http://www.surveypolice.com/

I often refer to their site to check on companies. Spotcheck is not on their list - yet!

BBB ratings are useless sources of information. They are easily manipulated, btw.
Good luck.

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Originally Posted by princessjen

Keep calling until you get a answer. If you bug them enough, you'll get a answer.

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I totally agree with this. What does it hurt to call everyday, they already released you as a shopper.

Go Shawshank on them!:cheesygrin:

Hi to all on this post, particularly to the shopper that had their assignment supposedly rejected without reason.
My name is Brent Poole, President of Spot Check Services Ltd.. After going through the comments about my company, I was severely disappointed in the way this issue was addressed. I personally would like to investigate this situation further. Our policies regarding rejections include the following: When a report is rejected for any reason, a rejection notice goes out to the shopper detailing why this action was taken. The notice gets attached to the report, for future reference if, and when, needed. That way the shopper can contact Spot Check Services, and that information would be available for clarification. If any shopper called this company and received a response that in any way resembled what was described in this post, I would greatly appreciate a heads up on that.
I would like to invite (and greatly appreciate) this shopper to please contact me directly either by phone or email, or even in this post; that way everyone can observe the outcome.
Thank you in advance.
Brent Poole
President
1-877-780-7467 ex222
Cell 306-596-2160
[email protected]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spotcheck

Hi to all on this post, particularly to the shopper that had their assignment supposedly rejected without reason.
My name is Brent Poole, President of Spot Check Services Ltd.. After going through the comments about my company, I was severely disappointed in the way this issue was addressed. I personally would like to investigate this situation further. Our policies regarding rejections include the following: When a report is rejected for any reason, a rejection notice goes out to the shopper detailing why this action was taken. The notice gets attached to the report, for future reference if, and when, needed. That way the shopper can contact Spot Check Services, and that information would be available for clarification. If any shopper called this company and received a response that in any way resembled what was described in this post, I would greatly appreciate a heads up on that.
I would like to invite (and greatly appreciate) this shopper to please contact me directly either by phone or email, or even in this post; that way everyone can observe the outcome.
Thank you in advance.
Brent Poole
President
1-877-780-7467 ex222
Cell 306-596-2160
[email protected]

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Hi Brent,

Thanks for the reply.

I received an email saying my report was rejected for inconsistent details, and there was a screenshot from the survey showing 2 questions (assuming they were the sections I failed in) . Also it said I was rejected from their database. I didn't really understand why my report was rejected and wanted to clarify the inconsistencies, so I called the Shop Manager and I asked for clarification for the rejection from her and she listed a one or two instances were my reports had issues, but these issues were never ged to me (one was not noticing a pool table, and I can't remember the other one). I asked if I could speak to Quality Control for more details about the specific shop rejection and she straight out said no. I ended up finding the number off the website for Quality Control, and after making a fuss about it I finally received a detailed summary of what I did wrong and a lot of legal quotes of the terms and conditions of Spot Check illustrating I can be removed from the database for any reason, at which point I just dropped it.

The removal from the database was super harsh considering I had never had bad feedback from the numerous previous shops I did with the company. I would have been fine with the shop rejection because in the end I realize what my mistake was (indicated I was in a rush) if it was properly explained from the get go.

I still won't be recommending this company as the manner the Shop Manager treated me on the phone was horrible, I was actually on the verge of tears. Really not sympathetic and treating me like I did something horrible! Also it made me really mad, leading me to post on the forum and making threats like going to the BBB and such (which I would never do, FYI).

I shop with other great companies and have never had any issues like this.

Hope this clarifies. Thanks for your concern.

Well... wow. All I can say is, I've been in their database for years and have never had a problem like you've described. :(

Dear shopper,
After further investigation, and talking with the Shop Manager, your report was rejected by the client due to not seeing the pool table. The client felt that since the pool table was missed, other less obvious required criteria could also have been missed, or overlooked, during the shop. When a shopper misses required elements in a report, or enters inaccurate information, the integrity and creditability of the report is jeopardized from that point on. Also, please be aware that you have not been deleted from the shopper database. Missing something on a report would not be grounds for removal. Removal from the database would occur when a shopper submits multiple reports that contained errors that were shopper-related. However, the client can request to have a shopper removed from their account; this has not happened in this case. When you called, you were not transferred to QC dept. as it was explained to you why the report was rejected by the Shop Manager. The QC dept. would not have had any more detail then what was already explained to you.
Your account has been locked out for some reason; this will likely happen if you tried to login multiple times using the wrong username or password. This is an automatic security feature to protect your account. If you would still like to be a shopper with us, please call the office and we’ll be more than happy to have the lock removed.
While I can understand your frustration, I sincerely hope this helps you to understand what has transpired with your report, and why things were executed in this manner.
To all the other replies to this post, please remember there are always two sides to a story.
Best regards,
Brent Poole
President, SCS Spot Check Services Ltd.

This is why I don't do mystery shopping, they can turn down your report for almost any reason and then not pay you.

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Originally Posted by tobybennett

This is why I don't do mystery shopping, they can turn down your report for almost any reason and then not pay you.

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Same :(

http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/mad/mad0034.gif http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/mad/mad0034.gif http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/mad/mad0034.gif

Wow! I was debating on getting involved with mystery shopping but I'm terrified to now as I can't afford to lose even a penny... Hope things turn around for you!

There is also Volition.com and the MSPA website you can check out and get feedback

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Originally Posted by pepangels

Wow! I was debating on getting involved with mystery shopping but I'm terrified to now as I can't afford to lose even a penny... Hope things turn around for you!

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Yup, there is no way I will involve myself with Spot Chek ever again after reading this horror story. I can't afford to lose my own money like that.

I hope everybody does the same.:rant:

pepangels - I've done mystery shopping for more than ten years now and never had a report rejected, it doesn't always happen. However, it is NOT a way to make very much money. By the time you go to the store, do the assignment, go home, do the paperwork... it's break-even or less most of the time.

I look at it more as a way to get a discount on something I was already going to buy anyway, an excuse for a night out, that kind of thing.

I don't take assignments that are going to COST me... right now there's one out but by the time I find someone to take my kids, go there, do it, come home... I'd be in the hole by $20. No, thanks.

If you want to pm me, I can refer you to some legit places to get you started if you want.

Spot Check did the same to me, TWICE.

In excess of 20 assignments successfully completed without report preparation issues, until one dining shop that was rejected for the following reason:

"the appetizer I ordered (from the appetizer menu) was probably not the best choice", even though I had made this same selection on numerous occasions without a problem nor were there any restrictions in the instructions as to which appetizers are not to be ordered. When I calmly, reasonably and professionally challenged this illogical reasoning I was simply told that "I do not know how to respond to that" but would not reconsider. I was out $80.00 for dinner (in a restaurant I dont really care for), my report preparation time and report fees.

Shortly thereafter I was assigned another restaurant (lunch) assignment with a generous allowance of $100.00. I beleived I was granted this shop due to the previous negative experience. After many hours of completing their report in attempt to adequately explain how horrible the service was, it was rejected for the following reasons: 1. out of 248 questions in the report I had 1 typo (salada rather than salad); and 2. they concluded that as the waitress was so unpleasant to us that we must have given some indication when we requested the bill that we were in a hurry violating instructions given. Note: no such comments were made during the shop and how can they claim I indicated I was rushed after a 3 1/2 hour lunch. In this instance I was out $140.00 for lunch (again at a restaurant that I knew and didn't care for), my report preparation time and report fees.

After serious thought I have concluded that as Spot Check has a limited number of clients and locations, that once shoppers have performed many of those shops their usefullness to Spot Check runs out and rather than conducting themselves professionally they take financial advantage of their contractors.

I did notify the Canadian and American MSPA's of my experiences with Spot Check.

A friend of mine sent me this link as she is appauled by Spot Check's conduct and would like me to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, not only to warn others but because the BBB works with the complaintant for cost recovery.

I have been mys shopping for many years and they only thing I had happen to me was I didn't complete one section of a report (it was a question I had to ask and I forgot to) and the company emailed me to tell me that, and said my report was rejected and i wasn't going to get paid (this was a big shop, and I lost $100 of what I had already charged to my credit card as purchases for this shop, plus of course the shop fee). But they didn't delete my name from their database and I have completed many other shops from them since then!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spotcheck

Dear shopper,
After further investigation, and talking with the Shop Manager, your report was rejected by the client due to not seeing the pool table. The client felt that since the pool table was missed, other less obvious required criteria could also have been missed, or overlooked, during the shop. When a shopper misses required elements in a report, or enters inaccurate information, the integrity and creditability of the report is jeopardized from that point on. Also, please be aware that you have not been deleted from the shopper database. Missing something on a report would not be grounds for removal. Removal from the database would occur when a shopper submits multiple reports that contained errors that were shopper-related. However, the client can request to have a shopper removed from their account; this has not happened in this case. When you called, you were not transferred to QC dept. as it was explained to you why the report was rejected by the Shop Manager. The QC dept. would not have had any more detail then what was already explained to you.
Your account has been locked out for some reason; this will likely happen if you tried to login multiple times using the wrong username or password. This is an automatic security feature to protect your account. If you would still like to be a shopper with us, please call the office and we’ll be more than happy to have the lock removed.
While I can understand your frustration, I sincerely hope this helps you to understand what has transpired with your report, and why things were executed in this manner.
To all the other replies to this post, please remember there are always two sides to a story.
Best regards,
Brent Poole
President, SCS Spot Check Services Ltd.

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Brent - your account is incorrect. The Shop Manager did not explain to me what I did wrong at the rejected shop when I called her and admitted she had not seen my report but QCs word was good enough. She did say there were a few instances where I missed information on reports or cancelled causing me to be rated down as a shopper. The shop manager told me I was permanently removed from the database and indicated Spot Check did not want me to shop for them anymore. The way she did this was in a rude and disrespectful manner. This is the core of my frustration. After finding QC's email from the site and repeatedly complaining (and threatening!) was a detailed account of why my report was rejected shared with me.

I will not be shopping with you guys again, and from the sounds of it, so won't be other Smart Canucks members.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by [email protected]

Spot Check did the same to me, TWICE.

In excess of 20 assignments successfully completed without report preparation issues, until one dining shop that was rejected for the following reason:

"the appetizer I ordered (from the appetizer menu) was probably not the best choice", even though I had made this same selection on numerous occasions without a problem nor were there any restrictions in the instructions as to which appetizers are not to be ordered. When I calmly, reasonably and professionally challenged this illogical reasoning I was simply told that "I do not know how to respond to that" but would not reconsider. I was out $80.00 for dinner (in a restaurant I dont really care for), my report preparation time and report fees.

Shortly thereafter I was assigned another restaurant (lunch) assignment with a generous allowance of $100.00. I beleived I was granted this shop due to the previous negative experience. After many hours of completing their report in attempt to adequately explain how horrible the service was, it was rejected for the following reasons: 1. out of 248 questions in the report I had 1 typo (salada rather than salad); and 2. they concluded that as the waitress was so unpleasant to us that we must have given some indication when we requested the bill that we were in a hurry violating instructions given. Note: no such comments were made during the shop and how can they claim I indicated I was rushed after a 3 1/2 hour lunch. In this instance I was out $140.00 for lunch (again at a restaurant that I knew and didn't care for), my report preparation time and report fees.

After serious thought I have concluded that as Spot Check has a limited number of clients and locations, that once shoppers have performed many of those shops their usefullness to Spot Check runs out and rather than conducting themselves professionally they take financial advantage of their contractors.

I did notify the Canadian and American MSPA's of my experiences with Spot Check.

A friend of mine sent me this link as she is appauled by Spot Check's conduct and would like me to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, not only to warn others but because the BBB works with the complaintant for cost recovery.

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Whoa, you definitely had a worse hand than I did.. I would have :shock: if I was out of 220$!!

One thing I noticed working with them is my reports were ALWAYS questioned if I had a negative comment about service, etc. Seems like they are biased towards making the client sound better than they are. I question the work of their "QC" department as well as their request for clarification sometimes made no sense.

I hate how they don't give you feedback about your reports either. All the other companies I work for have some sort of grading scale.. The way mystery shopping companies make you write reports all differ so that is a good way to see what is expected. If they had a feedback system it would be a lot fairer to the shoppers too. They rejected me from the database saying there were records of me missing information in past reports but I was never informed (even though I question their perception of my missing info).

I was thinking of complaining to the BBB, but so much effort. It sounds like a few people have had negative experiences with them so we should document it for others to see.