I have been a shopper with “AboutFace” for about 3 years now. It is a great company to mystery shop for and they offer different shops from the other companies I have worked with. You can shop retail stores, bicycle shops, colleges, in home junk removal companies and test drive a car. They offer shops in all 50 states and Canada. Their headquarters are located in Atlanta, GA. When you sign up, they will email you opportunities within a certain distance from your home. You can choose how far you want to travel. I usually keep within a 20 mile distance and it depends on the pay they offer. Some shoppers will look for shops when they travel to a different state from where they live. You have the option to search for shops anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. Read more

I started mystery shopping for Service Intelligence about two years ago. If you’re new to mystery shopping, you may think that mystery shopping is also new because it’s in the media now more than ever, but Service Intelligence began in 1992 in Alberta, Canada and in 2003 opened an office in Atlanta, Georgia. Consequently, they offer jobs throughout the USA and Canada.

This company makes you take 10-question exams (and refreshers when things have changed) for each of their clients. The exams are pretty straightforward and if you really pay attention to the helpful hints and guidelines, you can usually pass the first time through. I have had problems with pictures displaying correctly on their website, however, if I use anything other than Mozilla Firefox as my browser. Once you’ve passed an exam, you are on your way to their job board and selecting assignments. This company has just started using schedulers as I am starting to get emails about shops that need to be filled but since most of the jobs on their job board can be self-assigned, I prefer to just go directly there at the beginning of each month then to wait for a scheduler to get back to me. Read more

I started mystery shopping almost three years ago and one of the very first companies I started working for is Service Check. If you’re new to mystery shopping, you may think that mystery shopping is also new because it’s in the media now more than ever, but Service Check has been around since 1993. Their home office is in California but they offer shopping jobs nationally.

Service Check uses the typical Sassie system so if you’ve ever completed one of these enrollment forms before, you’ll breeze through this one, right here.

Service Check uses schedulers so if you sign up to be notified, they will email you every time there’s available jobs in your area. They also offer a Job Board so that you can browse and select the jobs you are interested in applying for. I strongly suggest doing this each month if you like the types of jobs this company offers because if you wait for their emails, the best locations may have already been assigned. Most of the time, you need to apply for the job you are interested in and then wait for a scheduler to assign it to you, but some of them are self-assignable. Their schedulers are very flexible and can work with you within reason around availability dates. Sometimes there are emails at the end of the month where the scheduler is desperate to get a location filled so you can get lucky and score a bonus but since this company really pays better than most, I wouldn’t suggest the waiting game if you really want the job. Payment for all shops is processed in the second month after the shop date, usually by the 15^th of the month. Payment is strictly through PayPal but it’s free to use and you can easily transfer money from them directly into your bank account.

I perform at least one shop per month for Service Check. They actually pay better than most companies for the same types of shops. For instance, they offer oil change shops that pay $12 and reimburse up to $45. I’ve seen the same shops through a different mystery shopping company and they only pay $5 and reimburse up to $30. The report for this shop is fairly easy but it does require a complete written scenario of everything that happens from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave. This report also requires a receipt but they have an easy receipt upload program.

Every month I try to do at least one convenience store/gas station shop – they only allow a single shopper to perform three of these in any given month. I think the secret is finally out about how well Service Checks pays because I used to be able to schedule the maximum three shops per month but now they’re harder to come by. Where most companies usually only pay between $5 and $10 and reimburse up to $2, Service Check pays $12 and reimburses up to $2. These shops have time frames that they need to be completed within – usually 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. This report is basically a checklist so it’s really quick to complete and since it isn’t typical for these locations to give out receipts, they don’t want you to ask and give yourself away as a shopper so there isn’t any receipt upload.

The third shop I’ve done for this company is for a teenage apparel shop. These shops seem to pay the average mystery shopping wage of $10 plus $5 reimbursement but they’re still very popular and hard to come by. Funny how this type of shop demands more time in the store, more interactions, a longer report to complete, and less pay but I think that’s pretty typical.

Service check uses a scoring system of 1 – 10, where 10 is a perfect score. Soon after completion of your shop, you will receive an email with your score and any feedback from their editors. I believe that if you can follow basic instructions and complete the job on time then the editors are very fair and you will grow to love Service Check as I do.

Customer Service Experts is a mystery shopping company that is the epitome of what their name describes. If you don’t agree with these sentiments, then you may not be human. They are experts in customer service. If you’ve ever had to contact this company by phone, email, or smoke signal (don’t knock it till you try it), you would know what I am talking about.

This company conducts different assignments nationwide. They offer mall gift card shops, health shops, and airport assignments. To become a shopper for Customer Service Experts, visit their website and select the “Become a Mystery Shopper” link located at the bottom of the webpage. Choose the “Apply To Shop With CSE!” option and you will then be directed to turn in a writing sample and accept their independent contractor agreement. If you get through that portion of the process, you will be directed to register on their Sassie website. In order to conduct a shop with Customer Service Experts, it must be assigned to you. Browse the job board and apply for as many jobs as you wish or are allowed to apply for at one given time. If a scheduler thinks you meet the requirements, you will be assigned to the shop.

When shops are successfully completed you will be provided with a score of 1-10, one being the lowest and ten being the highest. These scores are based on your ability to follow instructions and complete the written evaluation to the acceptance of the CSE team. The higher your score, the higher the likelihood that you will receive the shops you apply for. Once a shop has been successfully completed, you will be paid through PayPal.

Customer Service Experts, is one of the fastest paying companies I have ever dealt with. I once completed a shop that was paid within 5 days. Yes, 5 days! It is regular practice for Customer Service Experts to pay shoppers on the 1st or 15th of each month depending on when your report was completed and approved.

Take a look at what independent contractors have said about Customer Service Experts by visiting Customer Service Experts. Some of the complaints include that the editing standards are too high and that the company sometimes takes too long to respond to its shoppers. The positive comments acknowledge this company’s fast pay, the fee amount associated with their assignments, and approval for the type of assignments they offer.

I have only completed health shops for Customer Service Experts and I enjoy them. I agree that their report is not the easiest and the comments are redundant as they expect shoppers to touch on every question in the evaluation. Thankfully, the quick and sufficient pay seals the deal for me every time so I have nothing, but praises for this mystery shopping company. As a new shopper, I have had to call this company to clarify instructions on a shop. I’m usually nervous when working with a new company and reluctant to even call in fear of them labeling me as bothersome or incapable of completing their assignments. However, when I called this location I spoke with a bubbly receptionist who transferred me over to an even bubblier scheduler. I got off the phone feeling like my business was appreciated and I didn’t even have to buy anything! It is great to find a mystery shopping company who respects their shoppers and treats them with the same level of respect and professionalism that independent contractors are expected to demonstrate when out in the field. Truly refreshing! Still, there is always room for improvement so in case you’re reading this Customer Service Experts, I would love you even more if you raised the pay and shortened the narratives.

Monterey Mystery Shopping is often referred to as the car mystery shoppers, or maybe I’m the only one who calls them that. Anywho, this company appears to mainly shop motorcycle and car dealerships. They pride themselves as being the “premier mystery shopping provider for the motor vehicle industry.”

To complete their sought after auto shops, this company requires that you register on their website, sign their independent contractor agreement, and then also register on their Prophet website in order to self-assign shops. Remember that these are auto dealership shops. Therefore, Monterey Mystery Shopping does have an age requirement. Most, if not all shoppers, are required to be at least 25 and, of course, you are expected to have a valid driver’s license. Just in case you weren’t planning on thoroughly reading their independent contractor’s agreement, this company requires that you have and maintain auto insurance with at least $100,000 coverage for both personal injury and property damage.

On their Prophet website, Monterey Mystery Shopping lists different countries in their drop down menu where they supposedly conduct assignments. This is difficult to confirm because when selecting a country besides the United States, a message appears stating that I am not eligible for visits in those cities. However, Monterey Mystery Shopping does conduct nationwide assignments. You can select shops by choosing your desired state, selecting your city, and then accepting the assignments highlighted in green that are readily available to be completed.

Monterey Mystery Shopping pays $25 for each successfully completed dealership shop. From Georgia to California, the pay seems to be the same. This company is known for its quick payments. According to details provided by shoppers from the forum, it typically takes around two weeks to receive payment, and Monterey always pays within 30 days of a successful shop completion. Payments are made through the PayPal website.

This company only has a few discussions on MysteryShopForum. Check them out at the forum. Just to give you a heads up, the discussions are mainly positive. One thread was started by a disgruntled shopper, but others in the forum chimed in to add that they have not had anything but good experiences with this company. The majority consensus seems to be that Monterey Mystery Shopping is fair, responsive, and a quick paying company.

Though I have been signed up as a shopper with them for quite some time, I have never actually completed an assignment for Monterey Mystery Shopping. Mainly because by the time I realize that an assignment is available in my area, I can only select it as the back-up shopper since some opportunist has already beat me to the punch. I have browsed through the guidelines and forms for the dealership shops and it is no surprise why these shops disappear so quickly. The reports look very easy! Plus, I think that $25 to ride around in a car that you probably can’t currently afford on your mystery shopping income is a great way to dream BIG. Granted, I did say currently. The 20-minute test drive you took in that red Mercedes-with the top down and the seats so far back you could have drowsed off to sleep-may be just the motivating factor you need to step up your mystery shopping game to make that dream your reality. Hey, it could happen.

Information gathered from their official website states that Second-to-None is a mystery shopping company that has been in business since 1989. Being around for such a long time, this company has gained its fair share of independent contractor critics and admirers. There reputation with current mystery shoppers seems to be neither excellent nor atrocious, but rather bordering on satisfactory. Luckily for you, they are one of the fifteen most discussed companies on the MysteryShopForum, which means there are a Read more

Northwest Loss Prevention Consultants (NWLPC) was started to aid small businesses with loss prevention services. The Renton, Washington based company expanded and now offers loss prevention as well as pre-employment background checks and mystery shopping services to many small businesses and franchise companies nationwide. NWLPC is an active member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) and many local Washington state commerce and business related groups and organizations.

NWLPC offers a variety of opportunities for mystery shoppers such as apartment, competitor, restaurant, Read more

IntelliShop is a Mystery Shopping company based out of Perrysburg, OH. They cover most of the US and offer a variety of shops. They offer oil change, car dealership, senior housing, comics, watches, big box electronic stores and some wonderful big stadium events including games and concerts. I live in the Tristate area but they offer shops all over the US. They a wide variety of assignments. Read more