Mystery Shopping Companies

In these days when customers mean everything to businesses more than any other era or time, these multinational and also small companies are willing to pay agencies to check how their business are performing in regards to customer services. That is when mystery shopping comes into picture.

As the words clearly state, a mystery shopper is a customer who is paid by an agency to investigate a certain business. The agency will cover the cost of the purchase whether it's a meal, a trip, a visit to a hotel, or anything alike and usually an extra a fee is also paid on top of the expenses.

Some assignments do not even require buying anything at all. Those can be simply a visit to a bank branch or a local job centre to enquiry a specific question.

All it is needed is that the person undertaking such a task, must act as a normal customer, not draw too much attention, never reveal who he or she really is, and finnaly report to the agency in detail (mostly via its websites) the experience and feedback of the visit by answering a set of questions which have been previously prepared before the task.

One thing to take into account when considering becoming a mystery shopper is of the fake companies or scams that exist and pretend to be genuine mystery shopping agencies.

Take into account the following aspects when judging what is real from what is a scam:

• A real mystery shopping agency never will sell you links to true mystery shopping companies.
• A real mystery shopping agency never will ask you a fee or money to join.
• Joining a real mystery shopping agency is therefore for free.
• A mystery shopping agency never will ask you personal details such as credit card numbers or pins, although it may ask for bank account numbers and sort codes for payment purposes only.

If you carefully follow these basic points, hardly you will be deceived when trying to join a real mystery shopping agency.

Mystery shopping assignments can range from £10/$20 to up £350/$600 or more depending on the job.

So if you have no illusions of becoming rich but simply happy to make a few hundred extra pounds a month and have some available time, mystery shopping might be something appealing to you.

I have a list of the most known and reputable mystery shopping agencies in the UK and some in the US but which sometimes survey on Europe as well.

The links below are mystery shopping companies which have built a reputable presence in the market and which are free to join. Take a look and feel confident in applying to any of these if you so wish.

ABa ABa Quality Monitoring Ltd, 6 Riverview, The Embankment, Vale Road, Heaton Mersey, Stockport SK4 3GN Tel: 0161 431 1234 Apply online here (S/E)

ABA: Research Counter Intelligence ABA Market Research, Chaucer House, 4 ? 6 Upper Malborough Road, St. Albans, Herts AL3 4LX Apply online here (S/E)

AMTI Services Limited - Email: contact@amtiservices.com. Contact telephone numbers: 01274 586166 / 0771 296 5711.

Arvato Loyalty Services Ltd (formerly Navigator/Direct Excellence) - Globe House, 1, Chertsey Road, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 1LR Tel: 0208 843 8750. Contact: jill.berry@arvatoloyalty.com

Assosia Ltd Suite 3, Ripon House, 35 Station Lane, Hornchurch, Essex RM12 6JL

Tel: 01708 444840 Apply online here. Shopper email queries to shoppers@assosia.com. Website: http://www.assosia.com (S/E)

Bare Associates International (BAI) American company with a growing number of assignments in the UK. Apply online here (S/E)

Bestmark American based company with occasional opportunies for UK shoppers. Apply online here (Payments by Paypal) (S/E)

Blue Apple Tel: 01933 316149. Shoppers can apply online here. (S/E)

Business Blueprints Ltd 27 Richmond Place, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 9NA Tel: 01273 670700

Centre for Customer Awareness (CCA) 2 Hunter Street, The Village, East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, G74 4LZ Tel: 01355 237260. View website here

 Corporate Research International American company with limited MS work in the UK. Apply online here (S/E)

Coyle Hospitality GroupUS company specialising in high end hospitality clients. Apply online here.

Customer Perspectives Ltd Room 9, Golf House, Horsham Road, Pease Pottage, West Sussex, RH11 9SG. Tel: 01403 230650. Web: http://www.customerperspectives.co.uk. Apply online here.

DQM Group/Data2 DQM House, Baker Street, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP11 2RX Tel: 01494 435 426. Email: rosie.clayton@dqmgroup.com. Apply online here! (PAYE)

Edigitalresearch 2 Berrywood Business Village, Hedge End, Hampshire SO30 2UN Tel: 01489 772920.
Apply online here (S/E)

ESA Market Research Ltd Ziggurat, 25 Grosvenor Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 3AW Tel: 01727 847572 Fax: 01727 735449. Apply online here

Fake Bank Statements
FieldStar Details here!

Frontline Focus International Apply online here. Inexperienced shoppers preferred! (S/E)
FS Marketing UK 01494 794401 Focused Sales Marketing, Focussed Sales Marketing House, Chartridge Lane, Chartridge, Bucks HP5 2SH (Call for application details)

GAPbuster Apply online here - Fax: 0800 028 0459 (S/E)
Grass Roots Group 0800-515832 OR 01442-829400 Pennyroyal Court, Station Road, Tring, Herts, HP23 5QZ (S/E)
Headcount 01932 560650 email address: fieldmarketing@headcount.co.uk

Helion Research (based in Belgium, global company specialising in UK and Benelux) - Contact: Max Aben. Tel: +32 (0)3 298 62 16. Visit Website

Impact Mystery Shopping - Email: agents@impactmysteryshopping.com Mobile: 07884 161 461 Office: 08448 008846. Shopper Applications

Insight Retail Consulting Ltd (formerly SISIM UK) 0117 930 4536 16 Orchard Street, Bristol BS1 5DX. Email: info@insightretail.com. View website here

Intelligent Marketing Solutions (IMS) Ltd The Innovation Centre, Ten Pound Walk, Doncaster, DN4 5HX Tel: 0870 701 0866. Apply online here (S/E)

International Service Check German based company. Email: servicecheck@multisearchweb.com Apply online here.

JKS Mystery Shopping - 11 Beaumaris Crescent, Shepshed, Nr Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 9PW Tel: 01509 561399 ShopperApplications

Kerry CRM - Tralee, Co Kerry, Ireland. Apply online here (Northern Ireland and Ireland shoppers only please)

Lodge Service/React Surveys 01285 644144 15 Gosditch Street, Cirencester, Glos GL7 2AG (PAYE)

Maritz Virtual Customers 01628 495756 Globe Park, Marlow SL7 1YW (PAYE)

MarketChecker Ltd 01928 735375 Suite C4, Frodsham Business Centre, Bridge Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 7FZ. Apply online here. (S/E)

Mystery Customer Evaluations (MCE) Summers House, Musselburgh Business Park, Musselburgh, EH21 7PQ. Email: info@ mysterycustomerevaluations.com

Mystery Outsource Project Management, Allocation, Editing and Reporting Services for mystery shopping companies. Shoppers - apply online here or email shoppers@mysteryoutsource.co.uk. Tel: 0208 123 3982 or email info@mysteryoutsource.co.uk for general enquiries. Recruiting in the UK &
Ireland.

Mystery Shoppers Ltd International House, Waldon Way, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 6HL Tel: 01409255025 Apply online here.

NOP/GfK King Charles House, Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1JD. Tel: 0800279 6979 (field helpline). Apply online here(S/E)

OB Services Altrincham, Cheshire. E-mail info@obmysteryshopping.com for an application form.
On-Site Research Email applications to fieldteam@on-siteresearch.co.uk Tel daytime - 07747805898, evening - 01494 539973 (S/E)
Optimum Contact 166 Northwood Way, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 1RB Tel: 08709 502560 Apply

online here (S/E)

Power Information Gathering (PIGS) Apply online here (S/E)
PrecisionResearch 1st Floor Bank House, Gatehouse Way, Aylesbury HP19 8DB. 0845371 6116. Roger's direct line is 0845 372 2277. Email: rogerprecision@aol.com (S/E)

QDOS Mystery Shopping Apply Online here Email: fieldops@qdosmysteryshopping.com (S/E)

Quaestor Anglia House, Holly Park, Calverley, Leeds Tel: 0113 205 7000. View website here.

Research International 0151 933 2707 Research International Ltd, 6/7 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7SH (PAYE)
Retail Eyes 01908 328000 Mount Mill Farm, Stratford Road, Nr Wicken, Milton Keynes MK19 6DG (S/E)
Retail Maxim 0845 900 5005 (apply online) (PAYE)
Retail RapportLtd 020 8325 8974 Nand House, 1 Chatterton Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 9QW

Service Practice, The - 29-33 Lower Kings Road, Berkhamstead, Herts HP4 2ZS. Website is here!

Service Scan 0115 958 4727 Westminster Buildings, Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 6LG (S/E)

Service Science 07000 560170 P.O. Box 22, Stafford ST20 0ZX Email: enq@servsci.com Apply online here!

Storecheckers 0161 941 2040 228a Stockport Road, Timperley, Cheshire WA15 7UN

TNS Research International Sterling House, Station Road, Gerrards Cross SL9 8BT Tel: 01753 481800. Contact: contactus.mshop@tns-global.com. Apply online here
Tern Consultancy 01939 235555 69 High Street, Wem, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 5DR (S/E)

TRS: Total Research Solutions, San Diego, CA, USA. Apply Online: http://totalresearchsolutions.com/

Two Islands Customer Service Consultancy - Covering the UK & Ireland. Potential shoppers can apply via http://www.twoislandscsc.com

 

Good Luck!