I am sure at one point in time you've been asked to share your view about your customer experience while shopping, visiting a bank, etc. Did you know you can get paid to do those things anonymously? Well, websites like Bestmark.com claim to help you with this. But you are probably wondering if this is the real deal and have gone through a couple of Bestmark Mystery Shopper reviews.
Well we're here to answer that very question. So wonder no more and read the shocking review below.
What is Bestmark?
Bestmark.com is a market research company headquartered at 615 Grisworld Street in Detroit, Michigan. Bestmark was founded in 1986, although information about their founder(s) ironically is a mystery.
How Does Mystery Shopping For Bestmark Work?
Fortune 500 Companies and other small companies hire companies like Bestmark to learn more about the true experiences of customers in their stores or facilities. In turn Bestmark will hire people like you and I to act as mystery shoppers. After shopping, you will then be required to fill out a detailed survey based on your experience. This feedback will give the companies valuable data on what's actually going on in their stores from a normal customer's standpoint. This can then be used to improve product quality or the service the company provides to the general public. As a mystery shopper, you will then be offered incentives for the service you provide.
How Do I Become A Bestmark Mystery Shopper?
To join you will have to fill out an online application form. The whole application process will judge you based on your attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines, report writing skills and ability to honor commitments. However, there are a few minimum requirements, including the following:
- You must be age 19 or older
- You must have a reliable means of transportation.
- You must have good verbal and written communication skills.
- You must have unlimited internet access.
Once you get approved you can browse through available tasks within your area. Once you pick an assignment you will have to accept all the terms and conditions that will include details of your assignment. Every submission is done online, including surveys and reports. The company appears to operate in the USA only.
If you don't get approved your application will be reviewed when an opportunity comes up. If you hate having to go through an application process to start making money online, you can start earning right away for free at Swagbucks.com, SurveyJunkie.com, Fusioncash.com.
How Much Does A Bestmark Mystery Shopper Make?
How much you make depends on the actual assignment, your level of experience on how many deadlines you can meet. According to the website, beginners earn anywhere between $7 and $20 an hour. Depending on how well you perform, you can earn better pay if you are assigned special tasks. In fact, it is possible to earn up to $10,000 a year. However, this is all based on how good a mystery shopper you are.
If this doesn't sound like enough money for your needs, you may want to consider My Best Work At Home Recommendation to earn significantly more in time.
How Does Bestmark Pay You?
The payment methods will depend on the mystery shopping assignment. You can get reimbursed for money spent on a purchase, get paid cash on the spot or a combination of the two. Some assignments will require payment through mailed check. Currently Bestmark does not pay through PayPal or direct deposits. It can take up to four weeks to receive payment.
What we like about Bestmark
Positive BBB
If a positive better business bureau report is a must for you, you will be happy to know Bestmark has an A+ rating at the time of this review. SurveyJunkie.com, Swagbucks.com and Fusioncash.com also have positive BBB rankings as well!
Good Times
Some jobs are actually fun, especially if you are passionate about the store you're shopping in
The opportunity to work full time
If you are really good at what you do, apparently Bestmark may approve you for special mystery shopping tasks. If you have CSI-grade observation skills you can be signed up for better paying gigs. These are the special assignments which pay well above minimum wage.
Better pay than the industry average
Because they are a market leader, Bestmark has better pay than some other mystery shopper services like Secret Shopper.
Bestmark Mystery Shopper Complaints
We've covered all the good stuff about the company. But now it's time to get into the complaints against Bestmark.com. It's not all sweet as you may think. So let's get into it.
You need money to make money
Most of the time when you accept assignment to go shop incognito, you have to use your own cash. Then after you've submitted your report you will receive reimbursement afterwards. However, that means that sometimes you will have to buy something you won't even use. If this doesn't sit well with you, there are websites like Swagbucks.com, SurveyJunkie.com or Fusioncash.com where you don't need to buy anything to make money.
The pay is not that great
The chance of you making well over $1,000 a year as a mystery shopper is slim. Remember mystery shopping is based on available assignments which can vary greatly depending on your location and skill level.
If you would prefer to be in more control over your income, you may want to check out My Top Work At Home Recommendation.
”Me? Work for free? I don't think so”
Users have complained about Bestmark using dubious ways to make you work on something that wasn't part of your original assignment for the day.
More Complaints Against Bestmark
”No work with in my area”
Joining and being approved by Bestmark does not guarantee you work. Again, your work will be based on supply and demand. And unfortunately the supply of available assignments doesn't meet the demand of mystery shoppers like yourself that want to make money consistently.
Attention to detail is a must…
For certain assignments you might have to remember the tiniest of details. If you don't it can cost you. Mystery shoppers mentioned having to remember what clothes people wear, what food they ordered or even what time the restaurant itself was packed, while writing their feedback.
You don't get reimbursed for some costs
The cash you spend on gas or any other costs is not paid for. So you have to make sure its worth your time since you are only getting cash back for your purchase. Don't take an assignment that pays you $5 if you'll spend that much on gas or getting to the shop.
So Is Bestmark Mystery Shopper Jobs Legit or a Scam?
Bestmark Mystery Shopping is not a scam. You can make money as a mystery shopper. However, the complaints are hard to ignore. You're not paid for additional expenses you incur to do the shop. There is no guarantee that you will have enough mystery shopping assignments, especially if you don't live near a major city. You need to front your own money to make money for some shops. So all in all, Bestmark Mystery Shopper may not be for everyone.
In a nutshell, based on the complaints and what members have to say about Bestmark Mystery Shopper, it is good if you want a little extra income on the side. But I wouldn't solely depend on it. That's why it's important to have multiple streams of income. So I would look to add other options to your income mix such as Swagbucks.com, SurveyJunkie.com and Fusioncash.com where you don't need a cent to start earning real money. At the same time, If you are sure you want to start making full time or even part time income online, you may want to check out My Best Work At Home Recommendation as well.
That's my view on Bestmark Mystery Shopper. Do you have your own? We would love to hear about it in the comments section right there below!
Thanks for your time!
Eddy with a Y
Just got a text message from some scammer claiming to be Bestmark… the grammar used was a bit confusing and the amount promised was too high… after becoming immediately suspicious of the msg, I began doing my research. I came across this article and am happy I did. Between reading this and a few other google finds- I am certain that I was correct in my assumptions.
Thanx for doing this piece. Also, one of the biggest clues to my situation being a scam was that I found out through reading this, the actual website address of Bestmark. I was not approached by Bestmark.com… but instead asked to fill out an application at Best Mark with a link
https://bestmartsurvey.wixsite.com/site
They didn’t even try to spell it correctly!!!
Anyway, thanx for this post!
Received a postal money order to do shopping as a mystery shopper . Do I turn into authorities or just file a complaint? The envelope has a return address in Houston Texas.
You can do either. Just don’t cash or deposit it.
YALL ARE A HUGE SCAM!!!! SHAME ON YALL!!!!😡😡😡😡
Please enlighten us on why this is a huge scam and they should be ashamed.
It sounds like you feel for the real scam they warned against here.
I have a question, I received a cashiers check to become a secret shopper. Is it a scam? I filled out all the online questioneers and they told me i was eligible to become a secret shopper at krogers, office depot, food lion, and a few more. Somebody please let me know if it’s a scam before I try to deposit this check???
DO NOT TRY TO CASH THIS CHECK> It’s not from BestMark. Read the other comments.
I read alot of the comments, but mine doesn’t say the things the other people have said. Like the best mark company site said they’d never ask somebody to deposit money into an account, I wasn’t asked to do that. They said they wouldn’t give money orders, I got a cashiers check. A letter I received said congratulations you received your first secret shoppers job pkg and thank you for filling out our surveys. I’m so confused.
There is nothing to be confused about. Do not cash these checks. The real bestmark mystery shopping company discusses this here.
I was told the money order you me was not good is a scam
BestMark doesn’t send money orders. Scam artist will use well known companies name to fraud people into cashing checks and such
https://www.bestmark.com/scam_alert.htm
Do NOT attempt to work for these people! They are thieves of the worst kind! I find positive reviews highly suspect, after my experience, which could have been devastating had I not called the bank on which the check I received was supposedly drawn.
I received a check for $2340, along with a page of instructions . I could hardly believe that it could be legitimate….there was nothing on the check saying “for services rendered,” or such like, so I could have just cashed it and stuck it in my pocket. As I said, I called the supposed issuing bank and explained my concern . The agent took the check number, investigated, and returned to tell me that it was fraudulent. I’ve read that BestMark is a legitimate company, in business since some time in the ’80’s. I feel sure that if they had been scamming people all this time, they’d have been caught. Maybe a new owner thought this would be some quick cash. It astounds me that BBB has given them such a high rating. I don’t know what that is based on, but BBB admits that the negative reviews have nothing to do with the rating. I urge anyone else who has been duped by this company to find out how to file a complaint that could hopefully lead to these creeps getting caught and thrown into jail!! I intend to do just that!
Hey Judy,
I think you were contacted by scam artist posing to be Bestmark. A lot of them use trusted companies names in the scam to make you less skeptical. But fortunately you did your research.
I too received a wonderful check for $2,335.00. The instructions I received was to cash the check, keep $300.00 for my “benefit for doing the shop” and to use the rest for the shop. I read some of the reviews about Bestmark, and read a review written by a person who received an assignment similar to mine. She called the bank printed on the check and found out this was a scam. I proceed to tear up the check. The thing that threw me off was this assignment was sent to me via registered mail! I guess scammers will go to any lengths to seem legit. BEWARE. Don’t fall for this scam. If you do, you will be on the hook for a lot of money, If seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t.
Thanks for sharing your experience and warning.
I have been a secret shopper for under a year. It has been quite rewarding for companies such as Bestmark, Intellishop, Customer Servive Experts and Jancyn. However, JM Ridgeway is a different story.
I am writing to you to express my disdain for J M Ridgeway and report a potential fraud. I am also writing to you to warn others. This company and the crash test dummies associated with it rank as the most unprofessional and inconsiderate individuals of which I have ever had the displeasure of working. They sent me to the wrong address that was 6 miles away. They are imbeciles and I called them such. If their feelings were hurt, that falls into the category of too bad. To add insult to injury, they lied and said they called the company to see if the address was correct. They said it was. When I arrived, it was a 7/11. They also threatened to lie on me to other secret shopping companies. My shopper ratings are stellar; thus I am not intimidated.
Hey Lauren,
I’m happy to hear you had a positive experience with Bestmark which is what this article is about. I’m sorry to hear about your experience with that other company but this probably isn’t the best article to air your grievance with them since we’re not even discussing that company here.