Judging Mystery Shopping Companies (Ask The Coach)

Question:

What do you think of company (XYZ)?

Answer from Coach Melanie:

If I had a dime for every time someone e-mailed me with this question, I'd need a Coinstar machine! I'm generally not one for giving opinions on specific mystery shopping companies because a company I like to work with, may be one that another shopper does not have a good experience with and vice-versa.

I cringe when I see shoppers commenting on particular companies in chat rooms because of this-—unless it is to get the word out about the rare company who is not paying shoppers or merchandisers on a regular basis, and not just due to a one-time disagreement between the shopper and the company.

The best way to judge a company you are considering doing an assignment for is to see if they are professional and easy to work with—-the way they offer you a shop, help you with your questions (or not), make it easy for you to provide your report (or not) and if their pay appears fair for the work being offered, create a pretty good impression of what to expect. Also, always check out a company with the Better Business Bureau at http://www.bbb.org. While this is not a guarantee of a solid company, any problem reports on a company are sure to be cause for concern).

Have a great day and happy shopping!

“Taking the mystery out of professional mystery shopping”—Melanie Jordan
http://www.mysteryshoppercoach.com

Copyright 2005 Melanie R. Jordan E-Publishing