Mystery shopping is a real thing! I have completed 56 mystery shopping jobs in 2010 and been paid for more than forty of those job. There is often up to a two month turnaround to get paid for some shops, which accounts for the discrepancy between jobs I have completed and been paid for doing.
The first thing you need to know about mystery shopping is this: DO NOT PAY ANYONE ANY MONEY TO BECOME A MYSTERY SHOPPER! Would you pay your employer to work for them? Reputable mystery shopping companies will not charge you any money to become a shopper. I am easily signed up with 30 different companies and have never paid any money to shop with any company.
I was reading the classifieds in our local paper and came across this which immediately sent red flags:
I decided to call the company to get the scoop. The lady at Shopper Systems asked for my first and last name, zip code, if I had transportation, if I had a credit or debit card, and if I was employed. She then told me that there were professional companies such as Macy’s, Wendy’s, CVS, and Supermarkets to be shopped in my area. After I completed the training I would have access to the job listings which would pay around $50 and take 15-20 minutes of my time. She said that since I was a first time mystery shopper (hmm, if they are going to lie to me I can lie to them) that I would have to pay a $2.95 registration fee. I told her I had to think about it.
I did a little research on both the phone number and name of the company. There were so many “beware” posts that it was crazy! Here is one of the many.
A mystery shopping service will NEVER tell you who their clients are upfront like that. That is confidential information. It really is none of her business if I have a credit card either!! In fact, some jobs I have completed mandated to be paid for in cash to determine if the change was called correctly and was accurate.
Without being a mystery shopper who uses video equipment I can almost guarantee you that no job will pay you $50 for 20 minutes worth of work. If you have done any jobs like that send me an email and let me know which company to sign up with! 😉 While I am wishing, if you have ever shopped for Macy’s or CVS I would also like to know where to find those shops. (A girl can dream, right? It is 100% against the Independent Contractor’s Agreement to share that information.)
Run the other way if you are ever asked to pay money to become a mystery shopper. Run fast and do not look back. You are, one hundred percent, making the right decision.
Lesson (and rant) over. Now I am off to email my little newspaper to tell them that they are running a scam ad.
If you are interested in learning more about mystery shopping see our posts under the Mystery Shopping tab or click here.
Leandrea is a married mom of two girls, ages 13 and 12, living in Atlanta, GA. She is passionate about helping people save money one coupon at a time. Read more
I, too, am a recent signer-upper with BestMark! I actually heard about them because I received a scam check to wire money somewhere and looked further into MS companies. I found this article helpful in figuring out how to find legitimate companies: http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Legitimate-Mystery-Shopping-Company . We all know that there are tons of scams going on right now and it’s best to do your research before you sign up for anything!
I haven’t had any problems with BestMark; my state scheduler is awesome and the reports are easy and the pay is decent. I am also signed up with MarketForce but they don’t have many jobs around me. If you guys want to try a legit company I would definitely suggest visiting http://www.bestmark.com
I am a new follower and appreciate this post! I joined BestMark mystery shopping after getting confirmation from a friend that they are legitimate. I also researched the site and even looked on the Better Business Bureau website to confirm. One tip: Make sure the company has full contact information available, including an address. Best Mark is located in Minnesota close to where I live, so I was comfortable giving my info. They don’t require any “signup fees” or anything, and I have already done one mystery shop at a sub shop. It was a small task and I was just reimbursed for up to $20 of food that I purchased.
I’m your newest Monday follower! Please follow back at http://www.onelittlemister.com/
Thanks!
Nicole
I would love to hear more about which companies that you use that you have actually been paid by. I have always been a little weary of mystery shopping. I’ve signed up for two different companies, but I haven’t completed any shops for them.
Also, are you supposed to claim that kind of stuff on your taxes?
I’m making friends today!
Lisa