Schedulers hold a lot of power over a mystery shopper’s paycheck. Schedulers can determine how many assignments you work by doling out assignments as well as by raising your lowering your shopper rating. They can reduce or eliminate your pay on an assignment you’ve already completed. They can also through great assignments your way if you fall into their good graces.
With so much power residing in the hands of a scheduler, it’s not hard to see why many mystery shoppers are reluctant to confront a scheduler when an issue arises. However, there are certain times when a confrontation is a must.
A Reasonable Outcome? Before you risk hurting your relationship with a scheduler with a confrontation over an issue, take a moment to think through the issue at hand. Is there a legitimate issue that has the possibility for a reasonable resolution? For instance, if you are upset over being discovered as a mystery shopper at a shop site, you may feel like venting to someone. But the scheduler has no control over what occurred at the shop site and is not the person to complain to. The scheduler is simply dealing with the fact that your identity was revealed.
If there is a feasible resolution to a dilemma, then ask yourself if the resolution falls under the power of the scheduler? For instance, if your scheduler lowered your shopper rating, it is feasible to believe that the scheduler can also raise your shopper rating. Or if your pay was reduced with little reason, your scheduler may be able to increase the pay to its original level.
A Clear Case. If you feel there is an issue that your scheduler can resolve for you, before you pick up the phone or shoot off an email, make sure you have a clear case to support your claim. If a quick revision of your report will resolve the issue, or if the issue at hand as a first-time offense for you, you may have a shot at winning your case.
However, if you have little evidence to support your case other than just pure emotion, or if you are a repeat offender of this same issue, you likely have little ground to stand on. For instance, if you have repeated occurrences of filing reports late, you likely are in need of a slap on the wrist. There is a time to take your lumps. So take an honest look at the events and see if you truly have a case worth pleading.
Keep It Professional. When you are ready to state your case, determine first if a phone call or email is a better format. If you feel the issue will require a lot of back and forth dialog between you and the scheduler, save yourself and the scheduler both some time and headache and pick up the phone. But be sure to keep your tone professional. Your best chance of countering your scheduler’s reasons for her actions is by listening to her state the reasons first before you jump into your own reasons for why she was wrong in taking the action against you.
If you are beside yourself with emotion over the issue and feel you cannot be professional in a verbal discussion on the matter, an email may be best. Often when drafting an emotional email, it is best to save a draft copy and then revise it to take some of the emotion out of it after you’ve calmed down a bit. Avoid firing off a testy email to the scheduler as you don’t want to burn bridges. You won’t get the outcome you’re looking for if you send accusatory or otherwise negative emails to the scheduler.
Keep in mind that schedulers are people just like we are. And just as we make mistakes, they can make mistakes, too. Give them the logical reasons why they should reverse their decisions and you might just find a happy outcome.
I took a job in January for Bare International…unfortunately, due to ice storm I could not complete..I let the scheduler know immediately that the weather would not allow me to do the shop…I let him know two days in advance..When I logged on a few weeks later I see that he had posted comment that I said it was bad weather, but whatever website he went to, said it was cool and breezy…I could not prove we had ice storms….very unfair. He lowered my shopper rating.
I did a shop for International Service Check, through Kern. I performed the shop at the appointed time. The shop was to take a test and fail. Which I did. As soon as I came home I filled out the shop form. That was May 6. I then got an email from Kern that I didn’t perform the shop and I was rejected. I went back to the person at Kern I was dealing with, telling her I fulfilled my obligation. It seems that the company is located in England and she would get back to them on Monday as they were closed. International Service Check said I didn’t perform the shop. Again, I went back to Kern, this time I scanned the first page. International Service Check had nothing; but check. Again I went back to Kern this time scanned the second page of the questionnaire form. After each page that you fill out it says save and next all together. I was willing to fax to Kern all 50 pages. Still no word, finally, yesterday I wrote to Kern and said that if International Service Check kept saying they didn’t have my questionnaire that that would leave me no choice but to report them to fellow mystery shoppers not to deal with International Service Check as from all indications the company is dishonest and doesn’t want to fulfill their obligation, despite the fact that I did. Low and behold when I just got on the computer today, there was a reply from International Service Check. I still feel it is my duty to report this dishonest company. Had I not kept following up and then saying I was going to report the company, I never would have received an answer.
I felt it was my duty to report International Service Check who, really didn’t want to pay for the mystery shop, which I did in good faith. You can be sure I will not performing any jobs with International Service Check.
On another matter, I feel that the representative from Kern should have been following up without my constant correspondence with her. After this, I will think long and hard in even doing any mystery shopping for Kern.
I am sorry that this has been so long and drawn out, but there is not other way to tell what happened to me.
Thank you for listening.
My Girl Sno
Wow, I am sorry that happened to you My Girl Sno! How frustrating. Just in the interest of balance, I must say that I have completed a few shops with International Service Check through Kern, and was paid promptly.
As for schedulers, most of the ones with whom I have worked have been prompt and fair if I have questions. I have attempted contacting a few with whom I have not yet worked to inquire about shop details and possible bonuses for completing shops that are a bit out of my area and/or have been on the boards for a long time, but for the most part I get no response from them (perhaps this is why some of those jobs don’t get filled?). In any case, I keep accepting work from the schedulers who I know to be responsive and on tiop of things. Not that I usually have reason to contact them, but it is nice to know that if I do they will respond.
-B
Perfect time for this write up! I am having a problem of not being paid for a shop because they company incorrectly linked the correct shop guidlines to the listing. I am trying to explain to them I should not be held accountable. I am interested in your opinion if you have the time
Wow – not sure if your experience falls into the same category as mine. Short version for my story is I did a job (through Kern, for a third party). I did the work, reported it promptly, again and again.
The third party website had a “virus” and kept loosing the reports. The contact with the third party was not a happy camper, having to work on the weekend to fix the problem, then to contact al the shoppers to have them resubmit their reports.
I entered my report twelve times! I kept my Kerns scheduler in the loop. I copied and saved each page, including the page with instructions to do the shop, to prove that I HAD entered the report. This information was emailed to both Kerns and third party.
After all was said and done, the third party came back to me and told me to re-enter the report for a thirteenth time from a different perspective (which did NOT match the instructions).
I sent an email to Kerns and to the Editing Manager (third party) saying I was concerned about them wanting to change my report. I could do it from a different perspective, but it could challenge the integrity of my report and I was uncomfortable with that. The instructions had CLEARLY said go in as a new customer, which I did. The third party told me to change the perspective to a “repeat customer”. (I copied and forwarded the instructions to both that showed I was to go in as a new customer.)
Neither responded to me.
I was not reimbursed for my expenses or paid for the job.
I can not change that experience. I feel that the Kerns scheduler should have been on my side and helped me get reimbursed and paid. I had the emails and the instructions that showed I was to go in as a new customer.
I feel that the third party should have reimbursed and paid. I clearly followed the instructions and written an excellent report (I have the email from the editor that says it was a great report, but change the perspective to a repeat customer).
What do you do? In this case, neither company would respond, follow through, or do what I feel was the right thing.
What do I do? I will not accept work from that Kerns scheduler or from that company. I still accept jobs from Kerns — most of the schedulers are responsive.
What I have learned — always keep the original email with the description of the job. Always copy and save the instructions from the report itself as well as any downloads. Always copy and save the actual report filled out. If you can, keep the schedulers contact information with the report.
Things happen. Mistakes are made. Sometimes people do the right thing.
All of you have legitimate reasons to be upset about the companies that did these deeds however i stopped International Service because from the start I didn’t like the sound of what the scheduler from Kern told me. She stated that in the event I had to cancel a shop don’t do it on their website so I did it anyway so as to cover my behind. I can tell you she was very upset~ Oh well! I got my funds minus the testing shop that I didn’t do,there was entirely too much to do for the amount of money that they were going to pay. I have had another problem w/ one of my favs though and that was my shops weren’t showing up as I did them and that made it difficult to calculate my pay. I worried the poor women to the point that she finally is paying me after all we are talking about like 80 shops at an average of $12.00 per shop. Needless to say she has posted all of my shops as she should have done from the beginning to save all the grief that she gets when she doesn’t hold up to her side of the bargain. The schedulers get paid for the initial jobs then they pay you on the range that is set,that is where the bonuses come from when they have a difficult shop to schedule. I usually wait for those shops because there is usually more money attached to those so check your options because there is always a way to make a better mouse-trap!! Shop ON!
I was interviewed for a job as a scheduler/editor for one of the mystery shop companies. I didn’t get the job but their salary starts at 15K and goes to 30K.
I realize the scheduler has a lot of people to keep track of, that’s what spreadsheets, files and the like are for. I also agree that the schedulers don’t usually go the extra mile.
I keep records of all emails, all correspondence and even my report. I also put it on a spreadsheet, including payment. Then shred the paperwork when I get the check. A lot of paper, but to me well worth it. I did a house check and it took 2 years to get the $20.
I feel that the mystery shopping companies sometimes treat us like a number and couldn’t care less about our problems without constant emails to the scheduler.
My Girl Sno