Mystery Shopper FAQs
Since all payments are processed through PayPal, PayPal issues 1099s when necessary. You should only expect to receive a 1099 if you made more than $600 in the year.
Yes, as a shopper you will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement when registering online.
There are many reasons you may not be assigned a shop you applied for. It could be that there are many shoppers in the area, that your shopper rating/history is not high enough, or that you do not meet the rotation requirements for that specific assignment. Do not be discouraged; persistence is key.
For over 20 years, Pinnacle’s Peak Performance Measurement programs have assisted financial institutions improve their service and sales quality, thereby promoting both customer satisfaction and retention. We are a proud member of the MSPA and are A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau. We do not charge any fees to become a Mystery Shopper.
For general inquiries, please call 800.741.7758 ext 145, ext 146, or ext 149, Monday ‐ Friday 9 a.m. ‐ 5p.m. EST. Or e‐mail info@pinnstrat.com.
If you are a current shopper, it is best to contact the specific Account Manager for the assignment in question. This information is provided in the guidelines for your shop. You can also use the Help/Contact link in your shop log.
If you are a current shopper and unable to complete a scheduled assignment, you are required to IMMEDIATELY notify your scheduler by phone or e‐mail even if our office is closed. You may contact your scheduler by clicking on the Help/Contact link. Failure to contact your scheduler immediately will result in a reduction to your shopper grade.
We pay once per month on the 10th via PayPal. Shops completed and submitted by the 20th of a month, will be paid via PayPal on the 10th of the following month. Shoppers will be notified via e‐mail that a payment has been made to their PayPal account.
The shopper guidelines and instructions found within each survey will provide you with specific instructions on how to write your comments. Requested commentary will include a summary of the entire visit including: initial greeting, types of questions asked, products mentioned, sales efforts, courtesies extended, closing the interaction and a short observation of the facility and grounds.
Our clients use your feedback to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses for targeted “coach and reward” training programs. Therefore, as a shopper with Pinnacle, your responsibilities are to report on the facts rather than opinions when evaluating services. We are looking for individuals who:
- Accept full responsibility for completing a project on time, including timely responses for corrections or clarifications
- Pay attention to detail and are observant
- Read all instructions and surveys in advance and question their scheduler on any unclear points prior to conducting the shop
- Keep the “mystery” in “mystery shopping” by not taking notes during the shop, not divulging their identity, and not bringing any unnecessary or unusual attention to themselves
- Communicate clearly and effectively
- Are comfortable with email communication and are responsive to email notification/requests
- Read, understand and practice the spirit and intent of their IC agreement
Your Shopper Profile is your basic contact, location, and demographic information and your Extended Shopper Profile is an extension of that. Both profiles allow Pinnacle to get better acquainted with you and also allow us to find shoppers who meet specific shop requirements. It is imperative that your information is kept current.
Your Shop Log shows all of your current and past mystery shopping assignments. It provides all details needed to complete your assignment including instructions, survey, location, due date, and pay amount/status. Learn how to use your Shop Log here.
To view all of your applications, click My APPS at the top of the page. Next to each application is a status: Assigned to you means that the shop has been assigned to you and can be viewed in your shop log and Pending means the scheduler has not assigned this shop to a shopper yet. If the shop is assigned to another shopper, it will be removed from your Apps page.
The specific and legal attributes of an Independent Contractor are fully disclosed in the Independent Contractor’s Agreement that is included in the shopper registration process. In order to register as a shopper, you must click “I agree” to the contents of the Agreement. It’s important that you read that Agreement in its entirety. View the Independent Contractor Agreement here.
We encourage you to learn more about being an independent contractor by visiting It’s My Business, an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of independent contractors. The website can be found at www.itsmybusiness.com.
Each assignment has a Shop Start Date and Shop Due date. This means you can complete the shop ANY time BETWEEN/ON the start and due dates (during the location hours).
Each in‐person shop requires a Proof of Visit. Your POV could be a business card, teller receipt, etc depending on the assignment type. Correct/acceptable POVs will be outlined in the shop guidelines. Pinnacle prefers that you upload the POV directly into your shop. However, you do have the option to email it to the scheduler or fax it to 1‐800‐330‐1304.
Log in to your shop log and view the start date, due date, and location address. Next, click on Guidelines to read through the shop instructions. Once you’ve thoroughly read through the shop instructions, refresh your shop log by clicking GO. You will then select View/Submit to read through the survey. Once you’ve read through the Guidelines and Survey and noted the shop dates and location address, you are ready to complete the assignment. If you have ANY questions, please contact your scheduler immediately.
We encourage shoppers to become certified through the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). Visit mysteryshop.org to learn more about certification programs. Certification is well worth your time and investment! Our Account Managers give preference to Silver and Gold certified mystery shoppers.
Surveys are due within 12 hours of completing the mystery shop assignment. If there is an emergency and you are unable to meet that deadline, please contact your scheduler.
Your shop will be processed through our Quality Assurance process. If anything requires clarification, an editor from Pinnacle Financial Strategies will contact you. After submitting your report, please check your e‐mail and your shopper log daily to ensure that you can provide us with a timely response to any questions or requests for documentation that may arise. You will be asked to maintain your shopping notes, receipts, business cards, etc., for up to sixty days. It will be your responsibility as an Independent Contractor to provide such information if needed during that time period.
Pinnacle Financial Strategies only pays shoppers via PayPal. We do not issue checks or use bank transfer.
You are required to IMMEDIATELY notify your scheduler by phone or e‐mail even if our office is closed. Pinnacle Financial Strategies is open Monday ‐ Friday 9 a.m. ‐ 5 p.m. EST. You may contact your scheduler by clicking on the Help/Contact link in the 2nd column of your shopper log. Failure to contact your scheduler immediately will result in a reduction to your shopper grade/the addition of a negative citation to your profile.
Many mystery shopping companies use Sassie as their web based reporting system; however, you must be registered with each company’s Sassie system separately. Please register with Pinnacle’s Sassie site to begin completing our shops.
Your contact information should be updated immediately if you have a change in your home address, phone number or e‐mail address. E‐mail is our primary mode of correspondence. We utilize e‐mail for questions regarding your shops and/or last minute assignments. A shopper who does not maintain updated contact information will not be eligible for future assignments.
This depends on where you live, your shopper rating, quality of shop reporting, etc. It is possible that ongoing Teller assignments are available in your area; please contact your scheduler.
Remuneration varies depending upon the assignment. For example, in‐person shops pay more than telephone or web shops. Payment details are provided in our postings, giving shoppers the opportunity to review and decide before applying for assignments. Typical pay is between $4 ‐ $75 per shop depending on the assignment type.
If you would like to remain active but prefer to search the job board and not receive emailed shop offers, you can mark your account as DO NOT EMAIL. This can be done from your shopper profile or account status page. From your shopper profile you will select OFF next to Get Shop Offer Emails. Or you can select Change next to Account Status and then check the box for Do Not Email Shop Offers and then submit.
Once the assignment is complete and you are ready to fill out the survey, log in to your shop log and select View/Submit. You will fill out and submit the survey online. It is important that you save the survey every 20 minutes or so to avoid losing your work.
To sign up as a mystery shopper with Pinnacle, please create an account through Sassie, the platform we use to manage our shops. Use the following link to get started: Register on Sassie.
Visit PayPal.com to sign up. Select Sign Up and then choose Personal Account before selecting Continue.
Note: the e‐mail address that you use in your PayPal account MUST be the same as the e‐mail address in your Pinnacle Financial Strategies shopper profile. If the e‐mail addresses are not the same, your PayPal payments from Pinnacle Financial Strategies will be rejected and the funds returned to us. PayPal can hold multiple email addresses, but your Pinnacle Profile can only hold one!
If accepted for a shop, you will be notified by e‐mail and the shopping assignment will be added to your shopper log. If the shop is awarded to another shopper, you will be notified by email. Your shop log is the most current record of shops and shop dates; when in doubt, check your Shop Log!
There are several ways that you can request your funds from PayPal: [1] PayPal can mail you a Check; [2] Funds can be transferred from your PayPal account to your Bank Account; [3] You may request a PayPal Debit Card that will enable you to withdraw funds from an ATM (For this option you must sign up for the PayPal Debit Card); [4] You may spend your PayPal funds by shopping online from thousands of merchants that accept PayPal payments.
If you are no longer interested in Mystery Shopping, you can simply deactivate your shopper profile. This can be done by logging into your shop log and selecting Change next to Account Status: THIS ACCOUNT IS ACTIVE in the top, yellow box. Once your account is deactivated you will no longer receive emails from Pinnacle. You will follow the same process for reactivating your profile.
Schedulers post new shops on our Job Board daily. Depending on the settings you selected in your shopper Profile, you will receive shop offers via email. You should check your e‐mail daily for correspondence from Pinnacle Financial Strategies, and for last minute shop offers. You also have the option to log in at any time and search our job board. Once you are logged in to your shop log you will click on the Job Board icon at the top of the screen. From the job board, you can search for assignments in your area, read about them and apply for any you are interested in. You may only apply for shops that you are certain you would be able to complete by the stated deadline. Learn how to use the job board here.
Your shopper log consists of nine columns.
1. The 1st column, Status/Job ID, reflects the status of each shop and the Shop ID. Always include your Shop ID with any faxed or e‐mailed correspondence or supportive documentation.
2. The 2nd column, Actions, contains links to your survey, shop guidelines and a HELP area in case you need to contact your scheduler.
3. The 3rd column, Shop Due Date, shows the date your shop is due to Pinnacle Financial Strategies. You should check the due date each time you accept an assignment and advise your scheduler if you feel that you cannot comply with the time frame.
4. The 4th column, Survey Submit Date, shows the date you submitted a shop.
5. The 5th column, Don’t Shop Before, reflects the date that you can begin the assignment.
6. The 6th column, Company Survey Location, shows the name and address of the location where your assignment is to be conducted, as well as the name of the shop type.
7. The 7th column, Shop Fees, shows the payment that you will receive for the shop and if payment has been made to your PayPal account for that assignment.
8. The 8th column, Shop Rating, shows the grade that you received on your specific assignment. The highest possible grade is 10 points.
9. The 9th column shows any correspondence sent to you through the Sassie system.
The Reviewer Comments will permanently remain in your shopper log to keep a record of correspondence.
Shoppers may not have more than one account with Pinnacle Financial Strategies. Your account must be unique to you. Multiple accounts will be flagged and affect your ability to shop for Pinnacle going forward.
Absolutely! We encourage shoppers to seek out other mystery shopping firms. You can find a list of reputable mystery shopping companies on the MSPA’s website: mysteryshop.org.
No, all shoppers are self‐employed Independent Contractors.
Pinnacle Financial Strategies is a proud member of the MSPA. The MSPA ensures that its members are reputable mystery shopping companies. For more information on Mystery Shopping and how to avoid being scammed, please visit mysteryshop.org.
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Applying for Shops
To apply for shops, please visit the Pinnacle Mystery Shopping portal where you can log in if you have a profile. Once you are logged in, click on the Job Board icon [...]
