1.26.2009

Shopper Pay

This post is in reference to a previous question regarding shopper pay. Elaine Buxton of Confero (www.conferoinc.com) has offered this response.

Thank you for asking such an important question! When you are offered an assignment by an MSPA member company, you will be told up front what is required during the mystery shop visit. In some cases, you will need to pay for an item and be reimbursed for it. This is usually the case for a restaurant shop in which you would pay for your meal and then are reimbursed after submitting your shop report. It is also typical for convenience stores, grocery stores, or other consumer environments which offer small-dollar purchases. In other cases, you may be asked to purchase an item and then return it to the store. Many retailers use this type of shop to evaluate the selling process and then return process. This also allows for the shop to include the purchase of a higher-value item, so this purchase-return set up is common for higher-end retailers. If you are asked to make a purchase, you will be told the approximate amount of the required purchase prior to the shop. There are some mystery shops for banks for which you would be sent money in advance. Those are usually shops involving opening a checking or brokerage account. Banks want to check the process of an actual account opening and to see if associates are mentioning other services offered by the bank. Typically, these freshly-opened accounts are closed the next day by the bank so the shopper does not have an unneeded account and the bank gets its “seed” money back. The shopper is then paid a fee for the shop performed. For these highly-specialized bank shops, shoppers almost always have experience performing shops for the mystery shopping provider, so that the MSP trusts the shopper with the funds.

There are more types of mystery shops than can possibly be mentioned in this post, as shops are conducted for an almost endless list of services such as healthcare providers, automotive services, carpet cleaning, residential cleaning, real estate agencies, apartment leasing and most any type of consumer service. What is important to remember is that MSPA member companies will clearly inform you as to what is required during the mystery shop and when you may expect payment for your shop assignment. It is always a good idea to check with the mystery shopping company to confirm their payment polices before you perform any assignments for them.

Please exercise extreme caution when working with a mystery shopping provider who is not a member of the MSPA. There is a scam that involves you 1) receiving an unsolicited cashier’s check, 2) being asked to deposit it into your personal account and then 3) wiring the money to someone through (typically through Western Union or Moneygram). These types of shops are SCAMS and are not conducted by the reputable companies that are part of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. Sometimes, though, the scam appears to come from an MSPA member company, as the names of legitimate companies are sometimes falsely used in the scam. Unfortunately, these scams seem “real” since it appears that the company is sending you the money in advance. In the end, these scams involved worthless cashiers checks which the bank would come back to collect from the shopper. To avoid these scams, find the official website of the MSP you wish to contact and follow their online procedures for securely registering your interest to mystery shop. Do not send your personal information via email.

8 comments:

HSCW said...

Does anyone know if "WA Surveys" is a legitimate Mystery Shoppers Company? They claim they are however, there are scam reports about them on the internet.

Anonymous said...

what can you tell me about the public opinions inc. in new york,ny? 100 avenue of the americans is the address given along with an unsolicited check in a substancial amount; wanting it deposited in my account,then western unioned or money grammed a large amount to one of 3 agents listed ,offering me an enticing salary already included in the submitted check ..allowing 1 week to be completed and 2 days for the check to clear in the bank ; which; banks have at least 10 days hold on non gov or payroll checks. i myself believe this is a scam .what do you know about this company? I did read your article involving situations like this.

Anonymous said...

what can you tell me about the public opinions inc. in new york,ny? 100 avenue of the americans is the address given along with an unsolicited check in a substancial amount; wanting it deposited in my account,then western unioned or money grammed a large amount to one of 3 agents listed ,offering me an enticing salary already included in the submitted check ..allowing 1 week to be completed and 2 days for the check to clear in the bank ; which; banks have at least 10 days hold on non gov or payroll checks. i myself believe this is a scam .what do you know about this company? I did read your article involving situations like this.

Vikki (MSPA) said...

If you receive a check in the mail with a letter asking you to wire money after depositing it in your bank, that is a scam. You can find more information on this scam at: www.mysteryshop.org/shoppers/Warning.html

The company names that the scammers use are not real or they are stolen from legitimate companies.

Thanks,Vikki

Unknown said...

I responded to an ad on craigslist and had provided my home addres and contact number. They have e-mailed me asking me to evaluate Western Union - they will send me a check that I would have to cash from my bank and then wire them the money. At first I said I would be willing to do it but after I sent the e-mail I emailed them again telling them I'm not interested after all. Should I be worried that I provided them my address and contact number? And what do I do if they do decide to email me the check anyway?

Vikki (MSPA) said...

Julie Anne,

Thank you for your question. We are not aware of anything coming from just providing your name and address. They probably will still send the check to you. Please follow the instructions provided in this link if they do, in fact, send the check.

www.mysteryshop.org/shoppers/Warning.html

Thanks,

Vikki

Anonymous said...

I thought I was cautious, but I actually did cash the money order and send the money via MoneyGram. Now I guess I owe the bank when they find out. I was just trying to suppliment our income and now our financial situation is even worse.

I didn't know what this scam was called, so in researching the company, didn't really come up with a whole lot. Now that I know, I have come across tons of precautions and warnings! The company is Continental Evaluations.

anieb said...

This is one of the best posts that I’ve ever seen; you may include some more ideas in the same theme about Mystery Shopping Company . I’m still waiting for some interesting thoughts from your side in your next post.