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"...I received my first check today (for an assignment I did a couple of weeks ago). I was very skeptical about this whole thing at first, but I guess the check is the proof" Gen, Texas
"...Thanks for your service. I have been doing mystery shops for some time now, and your new database really helps me increase my potential for more shops." Therese, Minnesota
"...Yesterday I went on my first assignment and it was great. I visited (omitted) and got a new wallet as instructed, and just submitted my report today. Let's hope this is just the beginning! Thank you." Nancy, California |
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Click one of the common questions below to view an answer.
Q. Who can become a Mystery Shopper?
Q. What is the job I will be required to do as a Mystery Shopper?
Q. How much can I really make?
Q. What information is required from the hiring companies when applying? Is it safe to complete the information online?
Q. Who, how, and when am I paid? Do I get to keep the items I purchased?
Q. Are you a direct hiring company? Do I become an Employee?
Q. Can I just take assignments in my area?
Q. What is the fee to join, and why do I have to pay?
Q. Is your payment page secure?
Q. I do not have a credit card to sign up. Can I pay using another method?
Q. What Guarantees do I have? How do I request a refund?
Q. Do I get immediate access to your database after I join?
Q. I just joined, but I cannot Login, OR I forgot my User ID and/or Password?
Q. Can I apply to multiple companies in your database?
Q. Can I be a mystery shopper anywhere? Even outside of the U.S.?
Q. Who is Paycom?
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Q. Who can become a Mystery Shopper?
A. Any adult (most companies require you to be at least 18 years of age), both women and men, can become mystery shoppers. No experience is required. The pre-screened companies in our database hire people of all types, with all backgrounds, and across the country and many internationally. After all, they need "real" people to provide "real" feedback. |
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Q. What is the job I will be required to do as a Mystery Shopper?
A. After you are selected for a particular mystery shopping assignment, the assignment instructions will detail exactly what products to purchase or services to look for, what questions to ask of the clerks or assistants, and what and how to buy the products. For instance, an assignment may require you to shop at a department store, purchase a pair of jeans, and ask various questions of the clerk assisting you. The assignment may be designed to report on how knowledgeable the staff is on their products, and the level of service and friendliness. Your job then is to purchase the pair jeans, go home, and complete a report (the forms are typically provided to you), and send it to the mystery shopping hiring company that gave you your assignment. You will be reimbursed for the pair of jeans, and in the vast majority of cases, you will get to keep them.
The process is similar at restaurants, where you will be asked to order a meal (which may be specified by the assignment), and your assignment will require you to report on the taste of your meal, the service, the atmosphere, even the décor. After you write and submit your review, you are fully reimbursed for the meal.
Remember, you are posing as a real customer and none knows that you are really working and inspecting them - hence, Mystery or Secret Shopper. The goal is to provide a REAL experience report so that retailers can improve their services. |
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Q. How much can I really make?
A. Obviously individual results will vary, depending on how much time you can devote to mystery shopping assignments, the assignments available in your area, and how aggressive you are in pursuing more assignments. Generally, however, there are mystery shopping companies that pay shoppers anywhere between $10 and over $100 per shopping trip. If you accept a "vacation" assignment for instance, your entire trip would be paid for, including airfare, hotels, etc. Please note, however, that you should not have any unrealistic expectations on how much you will make. If you are new to this industry and are expecting to get assignments from the start ONLY for high end boutiques and expensive trips, this is NOT for you. Like anything else, mystery shopping is a job, and if you work at it and learn the trade, the higher your chances of getting the assignments YOU want. |
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Q. What information is required from the hiring companies when applying? Is it safe to complete the information online?
A. Registering to be a mystery shopper with the hiring companies/agencies in our database is just like applying for any other job. This means that you will have to provide personal information including your name, address, etc. Most of the websites are secure, which means their registration pages are encrypted and information transmitted should be safe. If you are unsure and wish to check, follow these instructions: If you are using Internet Explorer: right click on the registration page, select "Properties", and you will see the terms "SSL" or "Encryption" in the Connection descriptor. If you are using Firefox, right-click on the registration page, then select "Page Info", then select the "Security" Tab, and you will see a short descriptor with information whether the page has a security certificate. If you feel uncomfortable in any way providing personal information over the web, you should contact the hiring company/agency directly over the phone and you may be able to provide this information over the phone. |
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Q. Who, how, and when am I paid? Do I get to keep the items I purchased?
A. The mystery shopping hiring companies you work for will reimburse you for all pre-approved expenses and items you purchase, and consume. Typically the assignments will detail the exact product or service you are required to purchase, or consume, and you are fully reimbursed for those items. In most cases, if not all, you get to keep the items purchased. Many will also pay you for your time and expenses in addition to reimbursements for the items you purchased or consumed. You are typically paid by check. Many also use direct deposit (ACH) to pay you. WHEN you actually get paid varies depending on the policies of the specific company you are performing an assignment for, which can range from a few days to up to a month. Please also note that each company listed in our database has its own policies on pay-outs, time and expenses, reimbursement methods, etc. We do not have any specific information on their policies. |
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Q. Are you a direct hiring company? Do I become an Employee?
A. No. ShopInvestigator provides a directory and database of our pre-screened mystery shopper hiring companies. Our mission is to simply facilitate your goal of becoming a mystery shopper and help you earn the most money possible. AFTER you register with any of the companies in our database and are hired by them, you will be sent on shops with specific instructions. Bear in mind, however, that most of the time you will be treated as an independent contractor, and NOT as one of their employees. THis means that your compensation will be based on a per-assignment basis, and you will be responsible for your own taxes. Please consult with your tax professional regarding independent contractors and tax implications. |
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Q. Can I just take assignments in my area?
A. Most, if not all of the companies pre-screened in our database have assignments nationwide - including big cities, suburbs and small rural towns. As such, you can specify where you can or are willing to take assignments. In fact, in order to maintain confidentiality of mystery shoppers, most hiring companies will "rotate" shoppers on a regular basis, which means that there is constant need for new shoppers, and that you will be provided with various assignments of all types. Unfortunately, however, we do not have any specific data on the actual number of assignments available in your specific area. You can contact the companies in our database directly if you are concerned that not enough assignments may be available in your specific area. |
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Q. What is the fee to join and why do I have to pay?
A. Our one-time fee is only $17.95. This is NOT a monthly recurring fee. This allows you life-time access to our database of over 100 mystery shopping hiring companies we have found and reviwed, PLUS FREE access to our exclusive 8-page ShopInvestigator guide. This fee helps us maintain our database and helps us cover the costs in setting up your account. You can find most of the companies listed in our database by searching on the web, but to find them, sort them, and research the hundreds (if not thousands) of them will take you at least a few days. So the question really is - how much is your time worth? For the price of about 1/3 tank of gas, our database saves you not only time, but money. In fact, becoming a mystery shopper is FREE. Beware of companies that ask you to pay a fee to become a mystery shopper, or charge you to apply for their assignments, or require you to share on your earnings. All of our pre-screened companies in our database will accept you as a mystery shopper applicant for FREE. If you come across any companies in our database that ask you to pay a fee, please email us and we will take them off our database immediately. |
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Q. Is your payment page secure?
A.Our sign up/payment page is secure. The page uses a connection using SSL 3.0, RC4 with 128 bit encryption (High); RSA with 1024 bit exchange. If you wish to check for yourself, follow these instructions: If you are using Internet Explorer: right click on the registration page, select "Properties", and you will see the terms "SSL" or "Encryption" in the Connection descriptor. If you are using Firefox, right-click on the registration page, then select "Page Info", then select the "Security" Tab, and you will see a short descriptor with information whether the page has a security certificate. |
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Q. I do not have a credit card to sign up. Can I pay using another method?
A.Unfortunately we do not accept checks or money orders (since it is difficult to track lost mail, etc.). The only other option is to pay via PAYPAL.COM. Our PayPal account is customercare@shopinvestigator.com. You can actually use your checking account as a payment method. Once you receive confirmation that you sent payment to our PayPal account, please be sure to email us with your preferred User ID and Password so that we can set up your account. |
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Q. What Guarantees do I have? How do I request a refund?
A. We offer a 100% full money-back guarantee. We are confident that you will be satisfied with our services. That is why we offer a RISK-FREE 30-day full money-back guarantee. Simply register with at least 20 of the companies in our database, and if you do not receive at least one paying assignment offer within 30 days, we will refund your fee in full. Why are we requiring that you register with 20 companies? Mystery Shopping is a serious business, and like any other job, you need to treat it seriously and give it a fair shot. We feel that if you register with 20 companies, you have shown that you are serious and you have done your fair share. If you are not serious about this opportunity, or if you do not think you can register with at least 20 of the companies listed in our database, please DO NOT sign up. We incur costs to set up your account and issue refunds, so please be sure that you are serious about this opportunity. Please be sure to keep copies of the registration confirmations or emails you will receive, as you will need them to request a refund. To request a refund, write to us at customercare@shopinvestigator.com, and attach copies of the registration confirmations (the ones you receive from the 20 companies/agencies you register with). You can either cut and paste the confirmations onto the email body itself, or cut and paste the confirmations onto a WORD document and attach it to the email. We will then issue your refund, and you should see it back in your credit card/debit card/paypal account, within 3-5 business days. |
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Q. Do I get immediate access to your database after I join?
A. Yes, as soon as you join, you can access our database, by entering your user name and password on our Member Login page. |
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Q. I just joined but I cannot Login, OR I forgot my User ID and/or Password?
A. Our login system is CASE sentitive, so please try inputting your User Name and/or Password with the proper CASE if you used any UPPER CASE letters when selecting your User Name and Password. If this still does not work, or if you forgot your user name and/or password, please contact us using our Contact form at the bottom of each page. |
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Q. Can I apply to multiple companies in your database?
A. Absolutely. In fact, we encourage it (since you will need to apply to at least 20 in order to meet our money-back guarantee requirements. But the more companies you apply for, the more assignments you will likely receive, and the more you are likely to make. You may notice that several companies listed in one of our categories also show up in other categories. That is because many of the companies listed in our database cover various industries. In such cases, of course, you need only apply once to each company listed. |
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Q. Can I be a mystery shopper anywhere? Even outside of the U.S.?
A. Of course. Mystery shopping is a global profession. Many of the companies in our database have assignments internationally. Please keep in mind that in the state of Nevada, mystery shoppers are typically required to obtain a special license/permit to go on assignments. If you are a resident of Nevada and wish to engage in mystery shopping, please be sure you obtain all required permits/licenses. |
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Q. Who is Paycom?
A. Paycom is our authorized payment processor, providing you with a safe and secure payment system. |
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