INDEPENDENT CONTACTOR QUESTIONS

GENERAL
  1. What mystery shopping is and is not
  2. How do I reset my password?
  3. How do I change my personal information?
  4. I recently received an e-mail/text asking me if I want to be a mystery shopper. Is this a scam?
  5. How do I get an assignment?
  6. Shopping in Nevada

CERTIFICATIONS – All Certifications and Pricing available here.
  1. Is certification required?
  2. Am I guaranteed more opportunities or higher pay if I am certified?
  3. How do I find my certification number?
  4. I have always been told, “Do not pay to shop.” Why is this different?
  5. What if I fail?
  6. Are the certification courses expenses tax deductible?
  7. Once I am certified, how do I notify the companies?

GENERAL

1. What mystery shopping is and is not
Contrary to what you may have heard, mystery shopping is not a quick way to make a lot of money, nor is it a way to “get paid to shop.”  Mystery shopping is a serious enterprise intended to gather information about the customer experience in a specific environment.  It requires time, attention, and effort.  Mystery shoppers are in business for themselves; while they get paid for the work they do while posing as shoppers, they are not paid to shop; they are paid to gather data.
 
(If you are asked to pay to become a shopper, you should be EXTREMELY leery of the offer… there are thousands of opportunities to do mystery shopping that do not require the shopper to pay anything!)
 
In some cases, the shopper may be expected to purchase an item (or a meal, theater ticket, etc.), in which cases the shopper is likely to also be reimbursed for that item, within the stipulations given by the shopping company when the shopper accepts an assignment. In every case, the shopper should strive to ensure he or she fully understands the scope of the shop, the anticipated time required, and the benefits, if any, that will result from doing the shop.
 

2. How do I reset my password?
When you attempt to log in, click on “Forgot your password? Click Here” and then enter your login ID which is your e-mail address. A link will be sent to your e-mail to reset your password. If you don’t see it shortly, be sure to check their spam/junk folder for this e-mail.

3. How do I change my personal information?
Click the “Edit My Information” link from your Member Profile. From there, you will have the ability to update your profile.
 
4. I recently received an e-mail/text asking me if I want to be a mystery shopper. Is this a scam?
By signing up for an independent contractor membership with MSPA Americas, you are not registering to be a mystery shopper. You must still register with mystery shopping provider companies to be a mystery shopper. MSPA Americas does not hire shoppers directly. We connect you with our member companies who can post assignments online and we offer certification to increase your potential as a mystery shopper.
 
If you have received checks or communication recently concerning conducting a mystery shop for which you purchase products and send them to a specified address or wire money from checks that were sent to you in the mail, it is a scam and we strongly suggest that you do not waste your own time and money carrying out the illegitimate assignment. We also share scams that we hear about at https://www.mspa-americas.org/scam-alerts/.
 
You will also not receive solicitous emails requesting personal information or promising payment for jobs that have not yet been completed. For a listing of all of the member companies, go to www.mspa-americas.org/member-companies. If you have received correspondence from a company that does not appear on this listing, please proceed with caution as we are not affiliated with this company and do not have information concerning their business practices. If you’ve received correspondence from someone that seems like it could be a scam and they are claiming to be affiliated with a member company, further research the person’s email domain and the member company’s website. 
 
5.  How do I get an assignment?
MSPA Americas does not hire independent contractors directly. We connect you with our member companies who can post assignments online. We offer certification to increase your skills but you do not need to be certified or an independent contractor member of MSPA Americas to get assignments. You can also search our member companies and search for assignments by visiting the Independent Contractor Tool Box section of the website and click on the Opportunity Board link. By joining the independent contractor membership of MSPA Americas, you are not registering with a company. You must still register with companies to get assignments. 

6. Shopping in Nevada
ATTENTION NEVADA SHOPPERS! – Nevada law states that you MUST be an employee of a private investigator if you are going to perform shops in Nevada. It is illegal for you to perform mystery shops as an independent contractor. Mystery shopping companies and shoppers caught shopping illegally face fines of $2,500 per instance and more. While we still encourage you to educate yourself by completing the MSPA Americas certifications, we want to make sure you are operating legally as well. Current MSPA Americas members that are licensed to shop in Nevada can be found by clicking this link.
 
We encourage you to contact these companies and let them know about your certification status. 

CERTIFICATIONS

1. Is certification required?

No. MSPA represents more than 400 mystery shopping companies worldwide. We do not know of any company who will not hire you (assuming you are qualified) if you are not certified. However, each company has the right to do as they see fit. If you are a good shopper for a good company, the MSPA does not see you losing shops because you are not certified. However, it may help you get your foot in the door with other companies and expand your business.
 

2. Am I guaranteed more opportunities or higher pay if I am certified?
No. However the certification may give you an edge with some companies. Imagine two shoppers in the same town, with the same experience and work performance. One is certified and one is not. All other things being equal, the certification sets one shopper above the other with some companies. If the same scheduler has a reliable shopper who has done excellent work in the past, we would expect the mystery shopping company would give that reliable shopper the job over a person who has never done any work for the company but is certified. Again, the difference is if all candidates have the “same” qualifications, the certification may give you an edge with some companies. Also, note that some certifications carry more “weight” than others.  The Gold Certification is much more in depth. Also, job-specific certifications will help you stand out. For example, the Fine Dining certification can help you gain more fine dining assignments.
 

3. How do I find my certification number?
MSPA no longer uses individual certification numbers. Instead, we are creating a system that will recognize all of your certifications tied to your MSPA Account Number. This system creation is still in-progress and all IC members will be notified when it is online. In the meantime, all MSPA member companies can see and validate your earned certifications by searching your account in the IC Database.

When completing a certification, please allow up to one business day for your certification to post to your MSPA profile.

 
4. I have always been told, “Do not pay to shop.” Why is this different?
We agree with that. You are not paying to get more shops, you are paying to learn more about an industry that is changing every day. You may learn some tricks to help you work smarter and do your work in less time. You may not book more shops but you may take less time to do your current shops. Time is money as well.
 
5. What if I fail the test?
Currently, a passing grade is 80% but if you fail the Intro to Mystery Shopping Certification Course, you are able to take it again.
 
6. Are the certification course expenses tax deductible?
Since you are an independent contractor, any and all expenses directly related to your business including seminars should be tax deductible; always consult with your tax advisor to ensure you address deductions appropriately. Certification only strengthens the case that you are running a business. 
 
7. Once I take the test, how do I notify the companies?
Email a scheduler and let them know you are certified. They can search your profile in the MSPA IC Database.