The Mystery Shopper’s Manual

An email turned up in my spam mailbox this morning. The subject was MYSTERY SHOPPER!! and it came from someone claiming to be in the UK. Lots of things did not seem right about this email.

In addition to an abundance of grammatical errors, there are several other clues that should get your spidey-senses tingling. First, let’s take a look at the email itself then I will tell you some of the other clues that should alert you to a possible scam. …continue reading Another Mystery Shopper Scam

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This question comes up a lot. Shoppers want to know if it is acceptable to take their children, spouse or friend along when they do a shop. Why not? After all, they often accompany you when you are not mystery shopping, right?

The main reason not to take anyone with you is that some clients and mystery shopping companies do not allow it. Their biggest concern is that having someone with you will distract you. Even if your three-year-old is the best behaved child in the world, having him there while you are doing an assignment will make it impossible to focus all of your attention on getting names, timing transactions, and all the other details you must manage on a mystery shop. …continue reading Mystery Shopping with Others

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There are a number of scams out there that masquerade as mystery shopping. They may involve wiring cash out of the country, signing up for “trial offers” that result in monthly subscription payments, or just paying a fee for a useless service. There is also the danger of giving out personal information (e.g., bank account Social Security Numbers) that can be used to steal your identity or drain your accounts.

Look out for these signs that you are about to get scammed: …continue reading How to Spot a Secret Shopper Scam

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Many employees believe they can always spot the mystery shopper. Often the things they think give away the shopper are things that a shopper would never (or at least should never) do.

As shoppers, we are sometimes concerned that be required to ask what we believe are “stupid” questions will give us away. My answer to that is that real customers do dumber things than anything we do. Want proof? Check out this site: http://notalwaysright.com/.

At The Customer is Not Always Right, people who work in sales, tech support, food service and other customer service positions share horror stories of stupid and difficult customers. Anyone who has ever held a job dealing with the public will experience flashes of recognition. As secret shoppers, we have probably observed some of these types of interactions. However, if you see yourself as the customer in any of these stories . . . uh, there may be a problem.

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I have been involved with the mystery shopper certification program offered by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) since its inception, and I recommend MSPA certification to secret shoppers who are serious about their mystery shopping careers. Although it is not necessary to be certified in order to be a mystery shopper, certification can make a shopper stand out in a competitive field and it can definitely repay the time and money invested.

In addition to MSPA certification, other certifications have sprung up. The sponsors suggest that getting certified through them will help shoppers to get more jobs. Although there may be a few legitimate training programs available in addition to the MSPA certifications, many are not worth the paper the certificate is printed on.

One California man was recently indicted by a federal grand jury for offering worthless training and certifications in mystery shopping and bartending. Although the certifications were worthless to the “students” they were not worthless to the scammer. He is believed to have collected at least $6 million from his victims.

Here are some questions you should ask before handing over any money for a training or certification program. …continue reading Mystery Shopper Certification Scams

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“Good Morning America” recently did a story on mystery shopping. They followed shopper Tammy Turner as she shopped, and interviewed Turner and Game Film Consultants president, Renee deSantis.

ABC presented a positive and realistic view of mystery shopping. They showed what shoppers really do (although they focused on the shop, not doing the report later) and said that shoppers can make $100 or so a week. Of course, it is possible to make much more than $100 a week, but it is not likely that new shoppers will make that much.

What did you think of the story? If you missed it, you can see it here.

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Secret shoppers evaluate the services provided by stores, restaurants, banks, florists, and all kinds of service providers, including government agencies. But should doctors be immune to check-ups by undercover patients?

Medical mystery shopping is not new, but the American Medical Association (AMA) recently took up the issue at their annual meeting. The AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs recommended that members officially endorse the use of secret shopper “patients” as a way of evaluating and improving patient care. The issue was voted on during the annual meeting earlier this month.

Many doctors object to the practice, saying that “fake” patients can interfere with access to care for those who are truly ill. However, there are doctors who see the benefits of using mystery shoppers to evaluate medical services. …continue reading Should Doctors Be Mystery Shopped?

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