This is a warning that has been passed to me from a very well-respected mystery shoppping agency....
We have been hearing a great deal about a company called the UK Mystery Shopper Employment Agency that have a sponsored link on Google. We suspect them to be a scam as they charge a registration fee of £29.95 which then gives you access to a list of mystery shopping companies. These are mostly American and Canandian companies, as well as a few UK ones. This information can be obtained from Google at no cost at all. They don’t have any contact information on the website, your only form of contact with them is by email but even then you are just sent automated responses back. Reputable mystery shopping companies do not charge a fee to register.
It highlights the dangers of scammers on the internet who are targeting mystery shoppers.
No reputable mystery shopping agency will ever demand a joining fee from you, so go to their individual websites and join direct (there will always be a link somewhere on their home page).
And what about the Mystery Shopping Guides that promise the details of hundreds of mystery shopping agencies if you buy their ebook? Well, personally I don't think there's anything wrong in buying a manual if it genuinely teaches you something you want to know - when I wanted to change a bath tap and didn't want to pay a plumber's exorbitant rates, I bought myself a DIY book that showed me how to do it, and when my wife wanted to try cooking Peking Duck she bought a cookbook with step-by-step instructions. In both cases we needed specific information and we were happy to pay for it.
HOWEVER (and it is a big "however") I have purchased some of these mystery shopping guides myself in the past (the sales pages are very persuasive!) and found each one a complete waste of money. Whilst they do indeed contain details of hundreds of companies, as mentioned in the warning above, most are in the USA and have little or no work in the UK, and many others are retail auditors or market research companies with no mystery shopping work at all. It looks to me as though these lists have been produced by simply googling "mystery shopping" and then taking the resulting agencies regardless of how relevant they may be. And the information isn't even current - the last one I bought did have some UK agancies listed but several of them had moved from the addresses shown in the guide several years previously (I know because I regularly work for the agencies in question). And in any event, no-one needs hundreds of mystery shopping agencies - it would be impossible to keep track of hundreds of applications, and a logistical nightmare trying to co-ordinate the resulting job offers.
To turn mystery shopping in to a profitable (and fun) job you only need half a dozen or so top quality contacts. I know, because I did it - and am still doing it.
Monday 17 May 2010
Saturday 15 May 2010
Imagine being paid to drive a car like this. I was. On many occassions. I'm not telling you this to impress you, but to impress upon you the lifestyle that is on offer with mystery shopping.All the forums I have found are full of people who seem to treat mystery shopping as a hobby - simply a way of earnng a bit of pin money or getting a free burger. Well it's true, there are lots of mystery shopping agencies out there that have a huge volume of poorly paid assignments, however there are also some excellent agencies that offer premium assignments - you just have to know where to look and how to register with them.
How To Become A Mystery Shopper
I know from experience that it can be very difficult to get started in the business.
When I first started out in this industry I struggled to find constructive information on websites and forums. All the websites I found were geared up to the US market, and the forums seemed full of people who just saw mystery shopping as a hobby – a way of earning a bit of extra “pin money”. And so I struggled along on my own. But over the years I made some very valuable contacts that enabled me to turn this “hobby” in to a full-time career.
The Mystery Shopping industry is desperate for new mystery shoppers. How do I know this? Well, every month I am bombarded with requests from agencies asking me to undertake mystery shopping visits on their behalf, and I end up having to turn down at least half of those offers of work because there simply aren’t enough hours in the day for me to complete all the work that I am offered. So I know that there is enough work out there for newcomers to take a slice of the pie – you just have to know who to contact and how to apply. You need to be able to sort out the reputable companies from the scammers and you need to get registered with as many as possible so that you can hit the ground running and start earning.
When I first started out in this industry I struggled to find constructive information on websites and forums. All the websites I found were geared up to the US market, and the forums seemed full of people who just saw mystery shopping as a hobby – a way of earning a bit of extra “pin money”. And so I struggled along on my own. But over the years I made some very valuable contacts that enabled me to turn this “hobby” in to a full-time career.
The Mystery Shopping industry is desperate for new mystery shoppers. How do I know this? Well, every month I am bombarded with requests from agencies asking me to undertake mystery shopping visits on their behalf, and I end up having to turn down at least half of those offers of work because there simply aren’t enough hours in the day for me to complete all the work that I am offered. So I know that there is enough work out there for newcomers to take a slice of the pie – you just have to know who to contact and how to apply. You need to be able to sort out the reputable companies from the scammers and you need to get registered with as many as possible so that you can hit the ground running and start earning.
Why Become A Mystery Shopper ?
The beauty of this business is the flexibility it offers. During the school holidays I am able to select jobs in seaside locations allowing us an “expenses paid” family holiday. When the children want a trip to the cinema, or a meal at their favourite pizza restaurant, I just search for the relevant mystery shopping jobs. After the visit all I have to do is complete a short questionnaire about the service we received and I get the cost of the cinema tickets and the meal reimbursed AND I get paid too.
Imagine taking your partner to a top-class restaurant and it not costing you a penny…..or enjoying a family trip to a theme park for free…..or taking a top-of-the-range sports car for a spin and getting paid for the privilege.
In fact, only last week my wife and I stayed in a top London hotel - the bill came to over £280 and not only was I re-imbursed the full amount, I was paid a substantial fee too.
Imagine taking your partner to a top-class restaurant and it not costing you a penny…..or enjoying a family trip to a theme park for free…..or taking a top-of-the-range sports car for a spin and getting paid for the privilege.
In fact, only last week my wife and I stayed in a top London hotel - the bill came to over £280 and not only was I re-imbursed the full amount, I was paid a substantial fee too.
Who Can Become A Mystery Shopper ?
Most assignments require the mystery shopper to be over the age of 18.
The work is extremely flexible making it ideal for……
Mums with young children
Students
Retired folk who wish to top up their pension
Those with a full-time job looking to earn some extra cash
However there is also an elite band of professional mystery shoppers, like myself, who earn a very lucrative full time income from mystery shopping – between £500 and £1000 per week.
No formal qualifications are required, however an eye for detail and a good standard of written English are necessary. In addition, a successful mystery shopper should be organized, honest and reliable with an ability to follow a given brief and work within specific deadlines.
The work is extremely flexible making it ideal for……
Mums with young children
Students
Retired folk who wish to top up their pension
Those with a full-time job looking to earn some extra cash
However there is also an elite band of professional mystery shoppers, like myself, who earn a very lucrative full time income from mystery shopping – between £500 and £1000 per week.
No formal qualifications are required, however an eye for detail and a good standard of written English are necessary. In addition, a successful mystery shopper should be organized, honest and reliable with an ability to follow a given brief and work within specific deadlines.
What Is Mystery Shopping ?
Mystery Shopping is essentially just market research carried out by large companies. They want to find out whether their staff training has been effective, how their staff are performing, how their customers feel about the service they receive, and what can they do to improve customer satisfaction.
It is used by nearly all the major high street retailers, pub chains, fast food outlets, cinemas, hotels,car dealerships and leisure outlets. The company employs a mystery shopping consultancy and they in turn hire people like you and me to pose as ordinary customers and assess the service received in any given situation.
In my time as a UK Mystery Shopper I have been paid to drive top-of-the-range sports cars, eat in fine restaurants and stay in top class hotels, as well as shop in some of the country's most exclusive stores.
It is used by nearly all the major high street retailers, pub chains, fast food outlets, cinemas, hotels,car dealerships and leisure outlets. The company employs a mystery shopping consultancy and they in turn hire people like you and me to pose as ordinary customers and assess the service received in any given situation.
In my time as a UK Mystery Shopper I have been paid to drive top-of-the-range sports cars, eat in fine restaurants and stay in top class hotels, as well as shop in some of the country's most exclusive stores.
Mystery Shopping in the UK
Hi. Welcome to my Mystery Shopping Blog.
I'm the Mystery Shopping Ninja - obviously not my real name, but in this business it's important to be discreet and protect your identity.
I have been working as a freelance Mystery Shopper in the UK for over five years and now regularly earn £3000 - £4000 per month. In the current economic climate I have been receiving more and more requests from family and friends asking how they too can earn extra money by becoming a mystery shopper. It made me think that there must be lots of other people who may be interested in this line of work and so I decided to write this blog.
I'm the Mystery Shopping Ninja - obviously not my real name, but in this business it's important to be discreet and protect your identity.
I have been working as a freelance Mystery Shopper in the UK for over five years and now regularly earn £3000 - £4000 per month. In the current economic climate I have been receiving more and more requests from family and friends asking how they too can earn extra money by becoming a mystery shopper. It made me think that there must be lots of other people who may be interested in this line of work and so I decided to write this blog.
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