Company review- Mystery Guest

       I am thrilled to be writing a positive review for Mystery Guest as they have had some of my favorite shops! I was waiting to get my payments from them to see how long it took them to pay before I wrote my review as I had heard some comments about them not paying very fast. I got my payments in a very timely manner, however, so I have no complaints. The shops are varied and though I do not see shops posted often, I really, really enjoy the shops that they do post. The shop instructions are clear and simple as are the evaluation forms. In my experience, they have not required a lot of detailed narrative and they do not seem to have overly picky editors as long as you follow their instructions and give the information they ask of you. The schedulers have also been great. I had one instance arise where I could not complete a shop on my scheduled date. I called and spoke with a scheduler who easily allowed me to choose a different shop date, no problem. This may be my new favorite company. I'm looking forward to my upcoming shops with them!

Company review- Market Force Information

     One thing I really appreciate about Market Force is that they constantly post new jobs. It is a site that I check at least a couple of times throughout the day if I am able. They have a variety of jobs in my area and the evaluation forms have been simple and straightforward in my experience. This company does not give any feedback on jobs as far as I have been able to tell. This company will offer bonuses for jobs that stay vacant long enough. I also see the many of the same shops pop up for multiple dates in a month so this company has plenty from which to choose. They have been great about paying when they say they will and I have had no complaints with this company. I plan to continue to shop for them.

Company review- National Shopping Service

National Shopping Service does not seem to have as many shops in my area as some other companies but they have been good to work with. Their pay is fair (in my experience it has been more reimbursement than commission) and they pay when they say they will (the last day of the month). Their schedulers have been good to work with. I have spoken with them over the phone and corresponded by email.  They do not send an email for every shop available but they will send one when it is not getting filled. So this is a site to check often if they have shops you want to grab.

Mystery shopping + Family= ??

My goal for mystery shopping is to add supplemental income without taking a substantial amount of time away from my family.  For me, this is working well so far. I usually search for assignments, take quizzes to become eligible for shops, and fill out reports while the kids are asleep and while sitting on the couch with my husband. Additionally, I primarily do "family friendly" shops where I can take the husband and kids along. Of course, some clients specify NO children are allowed to shop with you on a particular shop. Sometimes these may be in a mall where your husband could take the children in another store with him or sometimes you may want to get a sitter for the afternoon. I've actually had several shops that have come up that required me to have children of a certain age with me, so you never know what you might find.  At this point for me, I am enjoying "family friendly" shops and do not find that it is taking time away from my family time at all. Anyone else have a comment on this issue?

Company review- Corporate Research International

I have done several shops for CRI. The positives about this company are:1) Their fast and punctual payment schedule, 2) The ability the shopper has to self-assign all shops, 3) The variety of shops, 4) Straightforward feedback forms.
Probably the biggest negative about this company is the fairly low pay. The interesting thing about CRI is that the shop payments rise throughout the month. So, if you see a shop listed for a very low-paying amount, if you wait it out, you will likely see the pay rise at least a few dollars. In my experience, CRI does the same shops regularly (I see several of the same shop pop up monthly) so if you miss out once, you are likely to see it again later.
When you sign up for this company, you must watch a video and take a quiz to become an auditor. You must also watch videos and pass quizzes for each client you choose to do shops for. That may seem annoying at first but after that you are able to self-assign shops instead of applying and waiting to hear if you receive the shop or not.
CRI gives you feedback on your reports through a rating system. As long as you keep the minimum rating you can self-assign shops. If you have an even higher rating you can accept more shops at one time.
In my experience CRI does NOT email you about specific shop availability, though they do email about commission rises in your area (for shops that may or may not still be available), and occasionally will email about a client that has shops available (though they may not be in your area). So, you need to login frequently to see what shops are available.
Overall, taken into consideration the points I've posted above, I think this is a good company and plan to stick with them.

Company review- Feedback Plus

I have done several shops for Feedback Plus now and have been very pleased. Their expectations are very clear and in my experience the feedback forms have been relatively simple compared to other companies. They pay very timely twice a month and I find their pay to be on the upper end compared to companies that offer similar shops. They offer a variety of shops in my area and I like that they have the option to self-assign many of them. Overall, I highly recommend them and will continue to do shops for them in the future. Signing up with them is easy and, of course, free!