The most fun I had on a shop was a test drive one. I test drove a new car. Who doesn’t like driving a new car? It is awesome. This is great for anyone that loves new cars. The salesman wasn’t too pushy and he made me feel comfortable so the shop was a breeze. The form that you filled out after your visit is simple. It pays to be a good writer and to be able to provide good details and descriptions. You don’t want to make your reports too personal or add any emotions or opinions to your surveys. I was in the market for a new car and it was fun to get paid to do what I had to do anyway. The test drive shops pay $22. The dealership I had to visit was about 2 miles away. You show an interest in a vehicle and ask if you can test drive it. You are not required to give them any personal information. You can tell him that you are still shopping and will get back with him if you decide on getting the car. It does not take long to complete this shop or the survey after your visit. It was $22 in my pocket for doing something I needed to do.

The college enrollment shops can be time consuming but they offer pay up to $80 and sometimes you can get some with a bonus added to it. For these shops, you are required to pay an enrollment of $30-$40 which is also reimbursed to you. “AboutFace” pays every 45 days from the date of the receipt of your shop. If you have any questions about a shop, you can email the scheduler and they usually respond quickly. You could also post a question on their Facebook page to get a quick answer. Most of the shops pay nicely. You can receive as little as $12 or up to $90 for completing a shop with this company. They offer in-home estimate shops that pay you $12 to $22 for not even leaving your home. A junk removal estimate requires that this company visit you at home and you get an estimate on having something hauled away. You don’t have to have it removed; you are just getting an estimate. If you are worried about using your gas, stay at home at get paid with shops like this one.

I find the best way to get a shop is to always be ready when the emails are sent out. I check my email daily and I also log in to see if anything has been posted. You are required to indicate how far you are willing to travel for a shop when you sign up. When a shop becomes available in your area, you are sent an email with the description and deadline for the shop. You can log in and request the shop yourself. Signing up is simple. Just go to the website and click on “new shopper sign in”. Follow the instructions and fill out the online application and submit. You will need a paypal account for payments and you have to also submit a tax id number or social security number. The application requires basic personal information like name and address. Demographic information is needed for the purpose of assigning shops. They ask for height, weight, hair color etc. I recently had to edit my weight status from a year ago. You have to provide the type of vehicle you drive as well.

I love the ease and the variety of shopping for “AboutFace”. I have worked in customer service for years and it is great to know that I am helping those that deserve to be rewarded with a chance for recognition. I also have had a secret wish to be a private detective and these shops are so much fun it feels like I am an undercover officer. When I get ready to do a mystery shop, I put my detective cap on and go have some fun. I also make sure that I read the guidelines and requirements for the shop thoroughly. If you do a shop incorrectly, it will affect your pay or you might not get paid at all. Shoppers are needed all over the country and no application is refused. Sign up today and get paid!

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.

Service Intelligence pays strictly by direct deposit at the end of the month following your assignments. On their website they have a printable invoice so that you can keep track of the jobs and payments for each by the month. Their pay scale is typical of most shopping companies and they rarely, if ever, offer bonuses. In fact, I received an email quite some time ago where they had to let a scheduler go because she was handing out unauthorized bonuses!

Although there are a great many companies that Service Intelligence lists as clients, both revealed and unrevealed shops, I’ve only shopped unrevealed convenience stores. These are easy 10-minute assignments where you can run in, make sure they are doing everything they are supposed to be doing, make sure the lot, store and restrooms are clean, make a small purchase, grab your receipt and you’re good to go.

Service Intelligence pays the average $7 plus $1.25 reimbursement for this type of assignment which may not appear to be too much money but if you grab a string of these (you can do up to 10 in a month), then that is $42 an hour which isn’t too shabby! The best part is that right now, they finally let you choose what you wish to purchase (with the exception of tobacco and lottery tickets) because you used to have to purchase a specific item each month (usually a cup of coffee) but this may change again.

Entering the report is as simple as their convenience store mystery shops because they are mostly multiple-choice with a short paragraph at the end to address any negatives. Service Intelligence isn’t quite up to speed where receipts are concerned as they still need to be scanned and emailed to them. This is sometimes hard to remember when you are used to simply uploading a receipt with most mystery shopping companies but without a receipt you will not be paid. I have never received any kind of feedback from Service Intelligence, good bad or indifferent. If I had problems or questions, they have a link on their website for help by schedulers but I’ve never received any kind of feedback on my reports. I get the feeling that this company is just so large that they only contact you if there’s a real problem.

You can apply to work for them here. Service Intelligence doesn’t use the typical Sassie or Prophet systems. Their’s is unique and unlike other shopping companies where your username is usually your email address and you can assign your own password, both of these are permanently assigned by the site.

Although I haven’t tried them out yet, they also have a sister site – it used to be strictly the Canadian shops but they are merging. You can sign up with them at this site. They have the same convenience stores listed (on a different rotation) but these are revealed shops where you basically check the same things but are letting the employees know that this is what you are doing and you don’t need to make a purchase. This type of shop pays $10 but I prefer the quick in and out and I like the anonymity (once you do a reveal, you can’t go back to the mystery shop).

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.

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.

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.

There are a few complaints on the forum from shoppers being deactivated, instructions not being clear enough to successfully complete shops, and a few complaints about day late payments. On the other hand, many praise this company for providing reliable income and unexpected bonuses on pay day.

If you’d like to form your own opinions about this mystery shopping company, your best bet would be to become one of their mystery shoppers. To sign up with Second-to-None, or STN as independent contractors call it, visit their website, Click on the “Become a Shopper” tab at the top right of the web page and follow the prompted instructions to apply. As a registered shopper of this company, you will have the ability to self-assign yourself to shops available through the shopper’s portal. Simply click on the “Find Shops” tab before entering your zipcode along with the amount of miles you are willing to travel to complete an assignment. Once the assignments in your area appear, you are free to choose the ones that interest you.

Second-to-None apparently offers assignments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They offer nationwide assignments pertaining to healthcare information, jewelry stores, restaurants, electronic stores, video games, sales events, mass printing, and doughnut shops. The pay range that I have observed from my geographical area is from about $7-$35 with occasional incentives.

Second-to-None has a payment cycle of 2-5 weeks. Shops done this month will likely be paid on or around the 15th of the following month. If my memory serves me correctly, I have always been faithfully paid by this company through Paypal by the 15th of the month. However, they also offer direct deposit payments. As I’ve mentioned before, some shoppers on the MysteryShopForum say that there payments are usually a day late with this payment method from Second-to-None so plan your expenses accordingly.

I would describe my experience with Second-to-None as average. They do not come second to none in my book, pun intended. They are not scream-from-the-rooftop worthy, but they’ve really never done anything to garner my dislike. I always appreciate companies like Second-to-None that are on a regular payment schedule rather than a “you’ll get it whenever you get it” schedule. Of course, I find their payments to be too low, but you can blame that on some of the other mystery shopping companies that provide bonuses for the same types of shops. Once another mystery shopping company has raised your expectations on what to accept as suitable payment for an assignment, you become spoiled. Still, I do have to admit that there $1 incentives irk me. If I did not want to roll out of bed to complete you assignment for $7 do you really think that I am about to jump for joy to complete it for $8. Not I said the fly!

NWLPC offers a variety of opportunities for mystery shoppers such as apartment, competitor, restaurant, retail, and integrity shops. Shops with this company are available in a handful of states in the US, with a high volume of shops available in the company’s home state of Washington. A limited number of shops are available internationally in countries such as Canada.

Typically, shop pay ranges from $10-15 per shop. Many restaurant shops include a modest reimbursement fee for food and drinks in addition to the shop fee.

Shop payments are made via paypal on the 20^th the month following the month that the shop was completed in. For instance, if a shop is completed in February, payment will be made on March 20^th. If the 20^th falls on a weekend or holiday, payments will be made within the next 1-2 business days. All payments are made via paypal.

NWLPC utilizes a Prophet system for their job board. Shops are posted and when opportunities are available in your area and an email notification is sent to you. You would then log on to the prophet system and assign the shop to yourself. Most prophet systems operate on a first come, first serve basis, so it is important act fast when you receive a job posting email, self assign and secure the job.

When reviewing MysteryShopForum.com, fellow mystery shopper opinion of NWLPC varies. The overall opinion is satisfactory. Regarding pay, shoppers express that NWLPC typically pays on time per their guidelines. Communication has a satisfactory rating. Some shoppers report that they have received curt and unfriendly feedback from Doug Rector, the founder of NWLPC, regarding their shop reports. This doesn’t seem to be frequent, but has been noted at least twice on the board from different shoppers. In contrast, several shoppers have noted that their dealings and communication with Doug have always been professional. Doug has a presence on MysteryShopForum.com and can often be found discussing NWLPC topics. Visit Northwest_Loss_Prevention_Consultants on the forum to review this company’s forum postings. There are currently 7 posts related to NWLPC dating back to early 2010.

I have had not completed shops for NWLPC as there are not many opportunities offered in my area. Therefore, I am unable to provide a personal account of any experiences with them.

If you are interested in signing up with NWLPC to become a mystery shopper, visit http://www.nwlpc.com/becomeashopper.asp and review the independent contractor agreement. This is the direct link to the mystery shopper sign up page. Once you confirm your review, you will be directed to the prophet system to register and provide your information to include your name, address and other demographics, paypal email address, as well as information regarding your shopping history. In addition, you will be required to share a recent shopping experience. Once you are approved as a shopper, you will receive an email notifying you that includes your username and password.

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, retail, and integrity shops. Shops with this company are available in a handful of states in the US, with a high volume of shops available in the company’s home state of Washington. A limited number of shops are available internationally in countries such as Canada.

Typically, shop pay ranges from $10-15 per shop. Many restaurant shops include a modest reimbursement fee for food and drinks in addition to the shop fee.

Shop payments are made via paypal on the 20^th the month following the month that the shop was completed in. For instance, if a shop is completed in February, payment will be made on March 20^th. If the 20^th falls on a weekend or holiday, payments will be made within the next 1-2 business days. All payments are made via paypal.

NWLPC utilizes a Prophet system for their job board. Shops are posted and when opportunities are available in your area and an email notification is sent to you. You would then log on to the prophet system and assign the shop to yourself. Most prophet systems operate on a first come, first serve basis, so it is important act fast when you receive a job posting email, self assign and secure the job.

When reviewing MysteryShopForum.com, fellow mystery shopper opinion of NWLPC varies. The overall opinion is satisfactory. Regarding pay, shoppers express that NWLPC typically pays on time per their guidelines. Communication has a satisfactory rating. Some shoppers report that they have received curt and unfriendly feedback from Doug Rector, the founder of NWLPC, regarding their shop reports. This doesn’t seem to be frequent, but has been noted at least twice on the board from different shoppers. In contrast, several shoppers have noted that their dealings and communication with Doug have always been professional. Doug has a presence on MysteryShopForum.com and can often be found discussing NWLPC topics. Visit http://www.mysteryshopforum.com/companies/?Northwest_Loss_Prevention_Consultants to review this company’s forum postings. There are currently 7 posts related to NWLPC dating back to early 2010.

I have had not completed shops for NWLPC as there are not many opportunities offered in my area. Therefore, I am unable to provide a personal account of any experiences with them.

If you are interested in signing up with NWLPC to become a mystery shopper, visit http://www.nwlpc.com/becomeashopper.asp and review the independent contractor agreement. This is the direct link to the mystery shopper sign up page. Once you confirm your review, you will be directed to the prophet system to register and provide your information to include your name, address and other demographics, paypal email address, as well as information regarding your shopping history. In addition, you will be required to share a recent shopping experience. Once you are approved as a shopper, you will receive an email notifying you that includes your username and password.

Their payment cycle is 90 days. The pay ranges from $7 – $35 and for the stadium shops it is the cost of the event which can be around $100. They use the INSITE mystery shopping system to sign up. It is easy and painless. You can sign up here.

The shops are listed on the job board. Some of them are Self-assign but some you have to apply and they will assign it to you. Everything is done by email so you do need a dedicated email address for this. They pay using PayPal.

The forums are filled with negative comments about the company. It has been ranked as one of the worst companies to work for. The major complaints against them are due to their unreasonably long surveys, low pay and unreasonable edits. There have also been some good comments about the company. Read all of the forum comments on the Intellishop page.

This also lists the official website of the company and a lot of feedback from other Mystery shoppers.

On a personal note, I have been doing assignments for Intellishop for a very long time. I have done oil change shops, big box electronic stores, stadium events shops, watch, car dealership shops and also sightseeing shops. I have found them professional and reasonable.

My personal opinion of the shop is extremely positive. They have a ton of shops to offer in my area and for me personally they have been very good with me. The pay is low for some kind of shops like the car dealership shops. The forms are tedious and they will come back with questions. It is annoying but they are just doing their jobs. I have loved their oil change shops as for a number of years I had 3 cars and the oil change was taken care of for all the cars. I have found there other jobs easy and I have always got 9’s and 10’s. Most of the time, I never hear back from them till I get my grading.

My suggestion would be to stay with them because they are one of the major players in the Mystery shopping arena and always have a load of jobs. If you feel the pay is low, wait and if you are lucky it will be bumped up. As with other companies, it is always a demand and supply situation.

Beyond Hello offers secret shoppers a broad base of shop opportunities. Typically shop pay ranges from $5-$25 per shop. Many shop opportunities offer reimbursements as well as shopper payment. These shops are typically for restaurants in which a meal must be purchased or retail shops that require an item to be purchased.

Payments to shoppers for completed shops are made at the end of the month following the month of the completed shop. For instance, if you complete a shop at any time in January, you will receive payment for that shop on the last day of February. Shoppers signing up with the company are required to have a valid paypal account, as this is the only way that Beyond Hello pays shoppers at present. Please note that the email address you use to sign up with the company must be one of the email addresses associated with your paypal account.

When mystery shopping opportunities become available, Beyond Hello schedulers send out an email to shoppers that include shop details as well as cities where the shops are available. When you sign up with Beyond Hello, you are asked to designate which area codes you prefer to perform shops in. Sometimes, that information is used to determine who the shop notification emails are sent to.

Once a shopper receives a shop notification email and determines they would like to perform the shop, they must apply. A shopper can utilize the links provided in the shop notification email that they receive which will take them directly to the shop application page. If a shopper is simply browsing from the Beyond Hello job board, they can click on the link beside the shop to apply. From here, a shopper must enter in their username and password as well as answer any required questions before hitting “Apply for this shop.” At this point, your application is submitted to the scheduler and also goes on the “My Apps” page of your profile.

If you are assigned a shop, you will receive an email notifying you of the assignment. In addition, the shop will show up on your Shopper Log within the Sassie system. If the shop is assigned to another shopper, you will also be notified by email that the shop is closed and the shop information will be removed from your “My Apps” page within the system.

Several shoppers who live in the same area that the shop is available in will get the shop notification emails. Who is assigned the shop depends on many factors. When assigning, schedulers use extended shopper profile information, shopper rating, client preferred demographics as well as your response when applying as to when you can perform the shop.

When reviewing the MysteryShopForum.com website you will find that fellow mystery shopper opinion of Beyond Hello is overall high. The company is very established and has a reputation for reliability. One important thing from the forum to note is that while payment can be 30-60 days from the time of completion depending on what day within the month the shop is performed, payment is always made on time per their guidelines. In addition, the company has an overall satisfactory rating in scheduler communication and shop report feedback. Some shoppers find the reports to be redundant for certain clients. Also, some shoppers have noted that the editors for lower pay shops sometimes rate more harshly than the editors for higher end shops or clients. Visit Beyond Hello on MysteryShopForum for more reviews and information from shoppers first hand on working with Beyond Hello.

Personally, I have worked with Beyond Hello as a mystery shopper for 2 years. It was one of the first companies I signed up with. I have performed retail shops for the company at furniture and fashion sunglass locations. The shop reports are easy to complete and I have not experienced any problems with submitting shop documentation using their system. The schedulers have been very communicative. I have received all payments on time. I believe that payment for shops at times can be a bit low, especially for the fashion sunglass shops, but the fact that the reports for these are very easy makes it doable. Editors some time take a while to review and provide shop feedback, but eventually it is sent. A bit of advice for working with this company is to ensure that your extended shopper profile is always up to date.

If you are interested in signing up with Beyond Hello as a mystery shopper, visit this link to sign up. This is the direct link to Beyond Hello’s shopper sign up page. The company utilizes the Sassie mystery shopping system which offers an ease of use as well as a high level of internet security. You can feel comfortable entering in your information as the site is SSL secured.

Mystery shopping jobs with Confero are available in all 50 United States, Guam and Puerto Rico. Confero has an international presence in Canada, China, Europe, Japan and Mexico.

Confero client companies range from the banking and finance, automotive, food and beverage, airport, and retail industries. Shops are offered in either an on-site or telephone format. Shop fees range from $5-30. Many shops require a purchase and a reimbursement is offered in addition to the shop fee. Reimbursement amounts vary from shop to shop.

Payments to shoppers are made via paypal. This is currently the only form of payment the Confero uses. All payments are made within 60 days of the shops. Payments are sent out bi-monthly; on or near the 10th of the month and again on or around the 25th of the month. For example, shops performed and submitted January 1-15 would be paid on February 25th. Shops performed and submitted January 16-31 would be paid on March 10th. When pay dates fall on a holiday or weekend, payments are made the following business day. Confero requires that shoppers use the same email address to register with their company that you use to sign up with paypal.

Schedulers use the Sassie system for assigning mystery shop opportunities. When registering, you provide certain demographics that are used to determine your eligibility for shops. If a search is performed and you are within the criteria, you will be contacted via email with shop details. At that point you will access the job board and apply or self-assign the shop if interested.

Once you have been assigned a shop, you will receive email confirmation of the assignment. The shop will show up on your Shopper Log in the Confero Sassie system. If the shop is assigned to another shopper, you will also be notified by email that the shop is closed.

MysteryShopForum.com has numerous discussion threads regarding Confero. The overall consensus is that Confero is a well established and reliable company. A long pay cycle is noted by shoppers on the forum but they also report that they are paid on time per Confero guidelines. Negatives about Confero include picky editors who at times provide unclear feedback or none at all and the occasional rude scheduler. Topics regarding the company are noted on the forum back to 2006. Visit Confero on MysteryShopForum to review threads and topics regarding Confero.

I have personally completed about 3 shops for Confero. My first shop was a popular grocery chain and the experience was not fun, to say the least. I found the requirements a bit extensive considering the measly $10 fee, but I was a newer shopper and wanted to earn my stripes. I earned a 7 for my shop report and vowed to think really hard before accepting one of these shops again. One other personal experience occurred when a local gym facility shop opened up. I was sent an email from a scheduler asking if I could complete the shop which had been bonused at this point. I agreed to complete the shop and it was assigned to me. The day before the shop, I received an email from another scheduler stating that “as I know” I had been assigned to the shop as a back-up in case the other shopper did not complete the shop and that they had in fact completed the shop, so I was not needed. I was not aware of being assigned as a back up as it was never indicated in my initial communication with the first scheduler nor was back-up indicated in my shopper log anywhere. Furthermore, the shop completion date was for one day and one day only. So, I’m not sure what happened, but I found it weird and didn’t appreciate being assigned a shop and then having it ripped from me for who knows what reason. Otherwise, I have always been paid on time by Confero, though they do have a longer pay scheduler.

If you would like to become a shopper for Confero, visit this link to sign up. The company utilizes the Sassie mystery shopping system which offers an ease of use as well as a high level of internet security. You can feel comfortable entering in your information as the site is SSL secured.