Company Overview: JM Ridgway has been in business since
1924! While they don’t claim to be the oldest mystery shopping
company, if they’re not, they’ve got to be right up there. According to
the company’s “
About JM Ridgway,”
the “core management team” of CEO Frank Kneisley and President/Sales
Manager Scott Ridgway have a combined 80-plus years’ experience in the
mystery shopping industry.
The company’s website states that they’re a member of the Mystery
Shopping Provider’s Association. No mention is made of a BBB membership
or accreditation; and when I searched the BBB online, I was told that
no match could be located. Oddly, the MSPA website was not searchable
to confirm membership of any mystery shopping provider company; not even
from the “Member Companies” tab of their website.
The only complaints about JM Ridgway I found via websites such as
ripoffreport.com or complaintboard.com, were regarding spammer’s
fraudulent use of the JM Ridgway name and not the company itself.
This company uses the SASSIE system to schedule and report shops, and pays via PayPal or check. According to their
“Shopper FAQ”,
the stated payment schedule is “no later then the 45th day after the
completion of a shop”. However, it says to allow an additional five to
seven business days after that, for the payment to arrive regardless of
payment method. The page advises shoppers of who to contact within the
company, with email address provided, if payment is not received by the
52nd day; and what information to include in your payment inquiry.
It also lets shoppers know that shops are paid in two separate
payments: shop fee and reimbursements. This is a little different than
other mystery shop companies, but not a big deal — just an oddity to
note. Interesting is this inclusion: “Please do not inquire about why
your shop doesn’t show as paid in Sassie. It will be eventually. There
are several reasons why they aren’t marked paid for awhile that we are
not going to take the space or time to explain, nor is it necessary.
Again, they will be eventually. Thank you.”
For a time, this company suffered quite a bit from a reputation among
shoppers of poor payment practices. The stated payment schedule used
to be 90 days, and almost without fail, shoppers reported having to
email someone at the company to “remind” them that payment was due. But
in the last more-than-a-year, JM Ridgway has made vast improvements in
this department: They’ve not only shortened the stated payment schedule
as outlined; but most importantly, they’ve started paying shoppers on
time, every time; without being “reminded”.
General types of assignments & geographic regions in which assignments are available:
When I looked through the job board, I found jobs listed for 26
states. There’s an option to search Canada and Ireland, along with the
American Territories and Armed Forces; but I couldn’t find any jobs
currently listed for any of those places.
Anyway, the jobs I found right now were:
* furniture stores — one predominantly, but also a second;
* two different mattress stores;
* alcohol compliance and integrity (currently only in Arizona);
* casual dining (currently only in California);
* a party supply store (but only in Maryland);
* storage facilities (currently only Georgia and Michigan, although I’ve seen these in other states as well via shop emails);
* apartments (currently only Louisiana and MInnesota);
* grocery stores.
I’ve also received job emails for jewelry/accessory stores, and recently started getting emails for BBQ grill mystery shops.
There’s a page on the company’s website of client case histories
which include some other clients, including fitness facilities,
jewelry repair, a transportation company (apparently buses), a “Major League
Sports Franchise”, and a few clients identified only as “Specialty
Retailers”.
One interesting job I found in a few different states, places the
shopper undercover, working alongside a “head delivery and installation
technician” to deliver and set up bed frames and mattresses in
customers’ homes. This is referred to as a “Mystery Helper”, rather
than a “Mystery Shopper”. For this job, you are paid on an hourly basis
by the client for your training time and labor, as well as paid by JM
Ridgway for a report of your observations while on the job. Qualifying
for these jobs is a multi-step process including a background check and
screening by both JM Ridgway and the client. The client will then keep
you on call for future assignments of this nature.
The company’s
“Client Services”
page relates that aside from “normal” mystery shops, such as those
mentioned above; they also provide services in phone shops, video shops,
video surveillance, background checks, worker’s comp fraud
investigations, “undercover operatives”, and “ALL investigations
needed”. They also provide “Direct Customer Feedback Programs… gain
feedback from customer and employees”. This page also includes examples
of the types of reports clients can expect from the SASSIE reporting
system.
The company’s
“Shopper Resources”
page informs us that not all jobs get posted to the job board online.
Shoppers are encouraged to email schedulers with their location, to see
if there are any non-posted jobs available in their area. Besides
checking the company’s job board, shoppers are also able to sign up for
shop notification emails like with most SASSIE-based companies.
Unlike many mystery shop companies, in my experience at least,
reviews of or grades for completed shops/reports are seldom received.
Shoppers will be contacted, of course, if there are questions or if
clarifications are needed; but otherwise most of the time there is no
post-shop communication. You are able to save a PDF copy of your
completed reports via the SASSIE reporting system.
Shop guidelines are generally well-written and non-redundant, but
could be formatted with more white space for easier reading. Included
are all of the steps you’ll need to know to complete your shop, example
scenarios, and advice of how shoppers can handle “off-script”
occurrences (such as not being able to find an associate in a particular
department). Sample narratives are typically provided, including how
to report odd circumstances. Be sure to check not only the “Guidelines”
link, but the printable version of the questionnaire — it often
includes additional information. (It would be nice to have everything
all in one place.)
Shops themselves, in my experience at least, are pretty
straight-forward. Nothing too weird is expected, like the way some
shops have various requirements that scream “Hey! Look here! I’m your
mystery shopper today!” One of the grocery shops I’ve done for them
does require two questions of the associate — one for product knowledge
and one for product location to see if they escort — but it’s easy
enough to pull that off.
Pay is very fair and reasonable for what’s required, both during the
shop and for the report. Bonuses can get pretty decent for shops in
difficult-to-fill locations.
All of the reports I’ve done are are well laid-out, in a logical
order, with little to nothing in the way of repetitiveness or redundancy
like some reports for other companies. JM Ridgway want a reasonable
amount of narrative, but nothing crazy.
Per shop guidelines, reports are always due by 9 AM on the day
following the shop. (Although I just found out while putting this
review together, that the ICA states 24 hours, so… ???) However, on a
couple of occasions when I’ve needed an extension due to all-day routes,
the scheduler has lengthened that 9 AM deadline once I explained the
situation
