Is Shadow Shopper (ShadowShopper.com) A Scam?

1. 
   Rocio said on July 10th, 2008 at 7:37 pm

   Hi Eddy, I know of a sight that has a Huuuuuge free list of Mystery Shopping jobs, maybe you know of that sight as well. Wondering if I could post the name of it here?

   Reply
2. 
   eddysalomon said on July 10th, 2008 at 7:56 pm

   Hi Rocio,

   Are you referring to Volition.com?
   If not, feel free to post it.

   Thanks in advance.

   Eddy

   Reply
3. 
   Rocio said on July 10th, 2008 at 8:28 pm

   LOL Yeah I actually did a few mystery shopping jobs around 2 years back, II actually found their site very helpful, Im wondering whats your opinion on the site:)

   Reply
4. 
   eddysalomon said on July 10th, 2008 at 8:53 pm

   Am I Psychic or what? LOL

   No seriously it’s a great site for mystery shopping jobs. I tried to work out something with the owner so I could list the jobs found there on WorkAtHomeCareers.com and link back to their site but the dude wasn’t really interested.

   So that’s why I’ve never really bothered to include a link to their site. But since you brought it up, now it’s out there. LOL

   Thanks for sharing with us! We really do appreciate when folks are trying to help others work at home instead of complaining and calling everything a scam.

   So thanks Rocio!

   Eddy

   Reply
5. 
   Rocio said on July 10th, 2008 at 9:36 pm

   Sure no problem,:) the thing is you must be consistent for a lot of the Work at home jobs that are out there. Thats my problem though I start things and never finish them, (something I really hate about myself, Im working on it though lol) But there is gold in them tar hills JK lol So right now Im reading a lot of your articles and following your advice so Ill be tellin ya how Im doing!

   Reply
6. 
   eddysalomon said on July 10th, 2008 at 9:41 pm

   Hope you find something of interest to you.
   There is definitely a lot of ways to make money at home if people are open minded and willing to venture outside the box. I’m sure you’ll find something of interest in those articles.

   Look forward to hearing how you do.

   Eddy

   Reply
7. 
   Manda said on July 11th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

   I willingly paid the cash out for the website after letting a “free” membership sit long enough to fill my inbox with alerts of companies. I went ahead and paid it for a month, took the time to take down all the info the site has, get their certifications, and discontinued my subscription for the next month. It didn’t renew against my wishes, I never felt ripped off… I got good quality company leads and have been doing mystery shopping as a side job for 3 years.

   I also referred this specific site to a friend of mine, who was as skeptical as me about spending $20 for a website membership and she ended up doing the same thing I did… She lived in a city that provided more opportunities and did make as much as they say you can. She now does it for a living, full-time.

   People don’t seem to get it… They’re giving you leads to companies that are advertising needing shoppers. You still have to do the work, and if you don’t want to pay for a company to give you the leads, you have to find them yourself. I loved the convenience, though

   Reply
8. 
   eddysalomon said on July 14th, 2008 at 5:31 pm

   Manda,

   I hear what you’re saying. This is the dilemma I face when writing reviews or researching companies that everyone is calling “scams”. Most of these companies are selling information that is readily available for free if you know where to find it.

   If you know where to find the info then people view products like shadow shopper a scam because they’re in the know. But for someone that is brand new, who has no clue where to find the info for free and is looking for speed and convenience then it may make sense for them to buy these type of info products.

   So I agree with you, it all depends on the user and their situation. For instance people fail to realize that a lot of the information they pay for in newspapers, books and magazines they can get for free in the library or internet. But no one runs around calling their local newspaper a scam.

   But I guess because the work at home industry is so riddled with scams it just easier to call everything a scam when it requires a fee. lol

   In any event, thanks for your input Mandy.

   Eddy

   Reply
9. 
   Michelle said on August 8th, 2008 at 11:12 am

   I also used the shadowshopper service and I would have to say that it IS a scam. I paid for a 30 day trial ($5) because I could afford it and I wanted to see what they had to offer. I checked the box that said not to renew my membership automatically. The listings they provided only lead me to other websites where I had to register in order to sign up for jobs. All it did was basically provide me with mystery shopper websites that I could have found on a search engine for free. I wasn’t going to renew my membership at all.

   But, then I got a notice from my back of an overdraft fee and, it turns out, Shadowshopper charged my bank account $60 for a year membership which I DID NOT authorize. And, of course, Shadowshopper does not deal with customer problems over the phone, so I can’t contact them directly to try and resolve the issue. They don’t even have someone answering the phone. They only deal through email. How convenient. There is nothing on their website that allows you to check your billing status (which I tried to do before my 30 day membership expired) or billing history. I read other reviews that have dealt with the same issue and did not receive their money back. So I’ve filed a dispute through my bank on the charge. Hopefully that will resolve it. But I would never recommend the shadowshopper service to anyone after this experience.

   Reply
10. 
    eddysalomon said on August 8th, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    Hi Michelle,

    I’m sorry to hear about your experience with this ShadowShoppers.com. But you’re taking the right action. It’s always a good idea to pay for any of these work at home type products via a major credit card because usually your credit card company can and will reverse the charge when you provide a good explanation.

    Next I want to thank you for providing such a detailed report of why this company is a scam. Too often people run around calling any work at home company a scam and don’t provide any context as to why its a scam. So thanks for being so detailed.

    And finally almost any information products (ebooks, magazines, newspapers, etc) we purchase can be obtained for free if people know how to look for it. But for some people it’s just easier to allow someone else to do the work and pay for it. So to each their own. But in this case, the reason why this company is shady is because of what they did in terms of their billing practice.

    No means no!

    In any event, I’m happy you found our site. Please be sure to check out our scam section: http://www.WorkAtHomeNoScams.com/scams and follow the advice in the video to avoid any more scams. It has really helped many people out.

    I would also encourage you to read our articles:
    http://www.WorkAtHomeNoScams.com/articles

    I’m sure you’ll find legitimate opportunities right away.

    Thanks again.

    Eddy

    Reply
11. 
    Paula said on August 16th, 2008 at 10:12 am

    Shadowshopper is a scam. Please don’t spend your money on this scam. I have however found a place that you CAN make money at online that is NOT a scam. If you want to contact me and talk more about it please “…email email me: IPCsales@webchatting.com”

    Hope this helps,
    Paula

    Reply
12. 
    brista said on February 12th, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    So a couple weeks ago, I went to sign up with Shadow Shopper, stuck in my zip code and email address, then got to the next page where I saw it was a for-purchase membership club thing. Clicked cancel.

    I keep getting emails from them — “Don’t forget to finish your application!!” “We’ll give a discount!!” “Lots of great shopping adventures in your area!!!” “WE ARE DESPERATE FOR PEOPLE IN YOUR ZIP CODE SO YOU CAN HAVE FREE MEMBERSHIP!!!”

    Well, I thought…for free? Sure, I’ll give it a try…but let me just Google these people really quick…

    Glad I did. I’m not interested in 7-day free membership and while I guess some people don’t mind paying for leads, it was just something I was going to try once or twice when I had some free time, so I’m not interested in investing or anything like that.

    Reply
13. 
    Eddy Salomon said on February 12th, 2009 at 4:51 pm

    Hi Brista,

    I hear you. You really don’t need to pay companies for taking surveys, mystery shopping, etc.
    We list all that stuff for free. So if you’re interested in mystery shopping, then visit the following page:
    http://www.workathomenoscams.com/2008/03/20/mystery-shopping/

    Hope this helps.

    Thanks for sharing your feedback.

    Reply
14. 
    Steven said on April 28th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

    Hi Folks,

    I simply put my resume on shadowshopper.com, without paying for a subscription or particpating in any free trial; and within a week, I was contacted by one of their schedulers with a really great offer. At first it seemed to be a little shady, and I still am not 100% sure if I am going to be paid. But everything seems to be legitimate. Unfortunately, the agency has a 30 day wait for compensating for the contracted work. The work involved inteterviewing customers at a local restauraunt/travel plaza. I have worked 36 hours and I am suppose to work another 14 hours @ the rate of $13 an hour. It is great work, but I have a great concern about getting paid. Can anyone tell me anthing more about my circumstance?

    Thanks,

    Reply
15. 
    Jason said on May 4th, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    I’ve been working with Marketforce for about a year now. Not always consistent work, but it paid off with a secret shopper for income tax services. Not only did they pay for the preparation, but a nice extra for actually doing it as a shop! So far a great company, minus the fact that some times are better than others as far as number of shops they have in my area. It’s “extra money” for me and my family, so it’s all good. They pay once a month either by check or my choice, direct deposit.

    Reply
16. 
    Bruce said on June 27th, 2009 at 10:17 pm

    Good evening Eddy;
    Since I was feeling gabby I thought I would include this email I received that is supposed to be from Secret Shopper. I tried to contact them from their website asking if this was a real offer but have never heard back from them. The assignment is supposed to pay $200. per duty. Maybe I put them off when I told them it sounded fishy to me. Here is the copy of the email.

    Steve Allen

    “We have a mystery shopping assignment in your area and we would like you to participate”
    Secret Shopper® is accepting applications for qualified individuals to become mystery shoppers. It’s fun and rewarding, and you choose when and where you want to shop. You are never obligated to accept an assignment. There is no charge to become a shopper and you do not need previous experience. After you sign up, you will have access to training materials via e-mail, fax or postal mail.

    ABOUT US
    Secret Shopper® is the premier mystery shopping company, serving clients across America and Canada with over 500,000 shoppers available and ready to help businesses better serve their customers. Continual investment in the latest internet and communication technologies coupled with over 16 years of know-how
    means working with Secret Shopper® is a satisfying and rewarding experience. Secret shopping as seen on ABC NEWS, NBC NEWS, L.A.TIMES.
    Stores and organizations such as The Gap, Walmart, Pizza Hut, and Banks. One amongst many others pay for Secret Shoppers to shop in their establishments and report their experiences. On top of being paid for shopping you are also allowed to keep purchases for free. Secret Shopper® NEVER charge fees to the shopper. Training, tips for improvement, and shopping opportunities are provided free to registered shoppers. Mystery shoppers are either paid a
    pre-arranged fee for a particular shop, a reimbursement for a purchase or a combination of both.Secret Shopper® has available for immediate assignment an inspection of the customer service of any walmart in your area. You are to shop secretly and invest just a token. This fee will be paid upfront. During this shop you will visit the location and make several observations as regards the customer service.
    You will be required to interact with the shop clerk.
    You may conduct the shop alone or as a couple.
    The assignment will pay $200.00 per duty
    Kindly Fill Out the application form below and we will get back to you shortly with the assignment:

    PERSONAL INFORMATION:

    First Name………………………………………
    Middle Name………………………………………
    Last Name………………………………………
    Street Address ………………………………………
    City, State, Zip Code ………………………………………
    Cell Phone Number ………………………………………
    Home Phone Number ………………………………………
    Age…………………………………………………………..
    Current Occupation………………………………………………
    Alternate Email Address ………………………………………
    AVAILABILITY:
    Days/Hours Available
    Monday ………………………………………
    Tuesday ………………………………………
    Wednesday ………………………………………
    Thursday ………………………………………
    Friday ………………………………………
    Saturday ………………………………………
    Sunday ………………………………………
    Hours Available: from _______ to ______

    We await your urgent response.
    Thank you for your help.
    We look forward to working with you.

    Sincerely,
    Steve Allen
    Secret Shopper®

    “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

    Even though I’m new to the internet world someone asking for that much personal information in an email makes me wary especially after recent experiences and it sounds like a awful lot of pay for a secret shop. What are your thoughts.
    Have a blessed evening. Bruce the newbie.

    Reply

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