Mystery Shoppers



Frequently asked Questions
	What is a mystery shopper?
	How do I sign up to be a mystery shopper?
	What are some of the requirements to be a mystery shopper?
	Once I am signed up, how soon will I receive a shop assignment?
	I am already registered with Sassie for another company. Do I need to reregister for you?
	What is Shopper Certification? How do I get a certification number?
	I have already received my certification number from MSPA. How do I register this number with your company?
	I do not have a computer. Can I mail you my application?
	Why do I have to pay $29.95 or any kind of fee?
	I paid a fee to sign up to mystery shop with your company and I want my money back.
	How do I find out about available shops?
	How do I apply for these shops?
	What if I apply for this shop and don’t get the job?
	What happens when I am accepted, how much will I be paid and how do I report my shop?
	What if I have to cancel my shop?
	When can I expect payment after I have completed a shop?
	Why is my account deactivated?
	How can I be reactivated?
	I need to update my information. My e-mail/address/phone number has changed? What do I do?
	My password doesn’t work. What do I do?
	I have forgotten my login and password. What do I do?
	What makes a good report?
	What do the shop ratings that I receive mean?
	What are some things that can help me to get more shops or keep me from getting shops?





What is a mystery shopper?
A mystery shopper is someone who poses as a legitimate customer for a business and rates customer service or products for our clients. It’s almost as if you are going “undercover” to evaluate products or services. Each shop is different in that different clients are looking for certain information. You then fill out a detailed report that evaluates different areas of the business that the client is interested in getting information on. It is free to become a mystery shopper and you will be paid to shop for us if you are chosen for an assignment.
How do I sign up to be a mystery shopper?
Click on Application on the home page of our website at www.mystery-shoppers.com and follow the instructions. We also use Sassie, the on-line reporting system. Please click on the link to Sassie and include your profile information there too. You must be registered in our database and Sassie in order to shop for us.
What are some of the requirements to be a mystery shopper?
You need to be able to write a good report. Good reporting skills are listed below. You need to be at least 18 years of age. You will need to have a computer. Always be sure that you can do a shop that you apply for. Check the specifics before you decide to apply to do the work.
Once I am signed up, how soon will I receive a shop assignment?
If we have shops in your area, it could be within a few days or weeks. If we do not have shops in your area, then you might not receive any offers. We do suggest that you register for other companies at mysteryshop.org to make sure you have a chance to get more work.
I am already registered with Sassie for another company. Do I need to reregister for you?
Yes. Sassie is a software program that is used by several mystery shopping companies. Each companies that use Sassie operate independently so you must sign up for each company if you wish to shop for them.
What is Shopper Certification? How do I get a certification number?
The shopper certification is something that is offered by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association of which we are members. Since you are considered an independent contractor, we can not officially train you as a shopper. As an organization, they can train you. That is why the program was started. It is purely optional and will not cause you not to be a mystery shopper for our company. It does however, help in getting jobs. If I have a choice of two shoppers, then I will usually pick the certified one over the non certified one because I feel they have some training in what to do as a shopper. If you should choose to do one of the certifications, it is at www.mysteryshop.org We receive no money from this program and certainly encourage people not to pay to mystery shop except we do like this program. When you take the test, you will be assigned a number.
I have already received my certification number from MSPA. How do I register this number with your company?
There is a place on our form to accept this number. It will only accept numbers from the MSPA certification. You may change your number by following directions for updating information above.
I do not have a computer. Can I mail you my application?
We do all of our shops on the Internet, so you must have computer to shop for us. It is also the way we notify you if we have shops in your area.
Why do I have to pay $29.95 or any kind of fee?
There is never a fee for shoppers to pay in order to shop for us. There are scam artists who ask shoppers to pay a fee and then only provide a list of mystery shopping companies that a shopper can access on-line for free. Again, we never charge a fee to shoppers.
I paid a fee to sign up to mystery shop with your company and I want my money back.
You are contacting the wrong people. We never ask for money for you to sign up to mystery shop for us. I am afraid you have been taken by a scam that is all over the U. S. People advertise that you will make big bucks mystery shopping if you will only send them your money. Actually you can get the same information free at mysteryshop.org You can also check there for jobs in your area. Your only recourse at this time is to complain to the postal service and the newspaper if you got the ad from a paper. If you got if from the Internet, then you are pretty much out of luck. I am really sorry. We have tried without avail to stop these people, but there isn't much we can do. None of them are actually in the mystery shopping business and it gives us and mystery shopping a bad name. Be sure that you have registered at our site and at other mystery shopping companies and maybe you can get some jobs to help you get back some of your money. You can look at our website at www.mystery-shoppers.com and see that we have a disclaimer that we do not take any money to have you sign up to shop for us.
How do I find out about available shops?
We will send you e-mails regarding shops that are available in your area. We do not use the job board on our site or on the Sassie site.
How do I apply for these shops?
Reply to the e-mail that you are available for the shop advertised. If you are unable to click on a shop, it probably means that the shop has already been assigned.
What if I apply for this shop and don’t get the job?
Sometimes that happens. We have many shoppers in one area applying for the same job. You may not get the shop this time, but you may be chosen the next time a shop is available in your area. We do not always have shops in your area, even in the big cities, but we may at sometime.
What happens when I am accepted, how much will I be paid and how do I report my shop?
You must confirm that you are assigned that shop. You will receive an e-mail plus you must visit www.sassieshop.com/2mysteryshoppers to review the shopper instructions. Make sure you verify the address and visit the correct shop. Once you have completed the shop, you must log on to our database on the Sassie website, go into your account and the report will be there for you to fill out. Remember, when you accept an assignment, you have agreed to do the shop and report it by the deadline. The report will be sent to the account manager or editor where it will be reviewed to make sure all of the information the client is looking or is in the report. Payments vary on each shop/client, so you will know how much you can expect to make on that shop when you receive the e-mail posting the shop and when you accept it. Many shops also require that you send in documentation such as a card or receipt along with your report. We must have that documentation before you can be paid.
What if I have to cancel my shop?
Occasionally, shoppers have emergencies that call for a shop cancellation. If that should occur, just e-mail your scheduler and explain your situation. Many times an extension is granted. If a shopper accepts a shop and cancels numerous times, a note will be made in the shopper’s profile and that shopper may be deactivated.
When can I expect payment after I have completed a shop?
All checks are cut at the end of the month following the month the shop was completed. For example, if you complete a shop in October, your check will be sent at the end of November. Checks will be mailed to your home. We do not use PayPal.
Why is my account deactivated?
Many times a shopper will accidentally deactivate himself by clicking on the wrong button. If that is the case, then send us an e-mail with your name, home address and e-mail address that you registered with and we can reactivate you. Sometimes shoppers are deactivated for not completing reports on time, not responding to e-mails asking for updated information on a report, poor writing skills or numerous cancellations of shops already scheduled.
How can I be reactivated?
Just send us an e-mail explaining your problem and our staff will review it for consideration.
I need to update my information. My e-mail / address / phone number has changed? What do I do?
You must go into your shopper profile on our website at www.mystery-shoppers.com and change the information. This website generates e-mails to you that advertise shops available in your area. You must also change the information in you profile on Sassie, which is what you use to report your shops. Go to www.sassieshop.com/2mysteryshoppers/ to change your information there.
My password doesn’t work. What do I do?
Be sure that you are trying to log into the correct mystery shopping company’s website. Many of shoppers work with more than one company and many mystery shopping companies use the Sassie system, so make sure you are using the correct login information for our company.
I have forgotten my login and password. What do I do?
Simply e-mail us a request by clicking on the appropriate link on the Shopper Login page. We will then e-mail you the information.
What makes a good report?
• Follow all instructions. • Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. • Each sentence should begin with a capital letter. • Do not use abbreviations such as & and apt. • Make sure each sentence is a complete sentence. • Make sure all of your comments match your yes and no answers. • For required narratives, be sure that you have written a good paragraph with plenty of details. Make the reader feel they were there. • Be sure to try to state things in as positive a way as possible. • Be accurate, fair, and tell the truth. • Do not give opinion, just state the facts as to what happened. Avoid such statements as “I felt” and “I think” • Avoid most I statements. • Never cut and paste comments from another shop. • Never reveal yourself as a shopper unless you have specifically been told to do so. • Do not take any paper work in with you to do a shop, unless perhaps you have it concealed in a pocket or purse. • Fill out the shop immediately upon leaving the establishment to ensure that you do not forget any details.
What do the shop ratings that I receive mean?
We score shops on a 1-10 rating scale with 1 lowest. If you follow all instructions, write good complete narratives, and your reports do not need much editing, then you will probably get a 10 score. The more work an editor has to do on a report, the lower the score.
What are some things that can help me to get more shops or keep me from getting shops?
• Always write good reports-see above. • Do shops before the due date. In most cases, the sooner you get the shop done, the more shops you will receive. • Punctuation is important, even in filling out your application. An application filled out with all small caps can keep a scheduler from even considering you for a shop. • Shopper certification helps. • Never accept a shop unless you are sure you can do it. • Communicate well with your scheduler. Be sure you confirm a shop that you have accepted. If you have any problems with the shop, let your scheduler know as soon as the problems arises.