Monday, December 2nd
2024 Mystery Shopping Company Reviews
About Face
- $10 to $50 per job
- Payment through PayPal
- Make a free account with no application
- Detailed tips about the process
- No payment threshold
- Accredited by the MSPA
- "A+” rating from the BBB
AboutFace is a company that's been around for over 20 years. Focusing on leading brands in North America, AboutFace hires independent contractors and allows them to control the shops they want to do. With a free account, and the ability to accept or decline assignments, AboutFace is a pretty standard site for mystery shopping. Accredited by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA), AboutFace is a trustworthy place to do your mystery shopping.
Personal shopper, researcher, and more
You can pick from a variety of positions at AboutFace. While mystery shopping is one of the main gigs, you can also earn money at AboutFace as a field researcher, survey panelist, focus group participant, or demonstrator for products. There are also positions for editors and quality control experts offered for those with additional experience.
See their jobs once you make an account
To see AboutFace's open opportunities for mystery shopping, you'll need to make an account. You'll be asked to provide your name, email, and phone number, and sign an independent contractor agreement that states that you understand that you aren't an employee or full-time team member. Then, once you're in, you can fill out your profile to start seeing jobs near you. You'll be asked things like what kind of digital camera you have and whether or not you have access to a scanner or fax machine. AboutFace will ask you how far you're willing to travel as a mystery shopper. You'll also need to upload a copy of your driver's license to proceed. Once you do, you'll see plenty of jobs in your area, and if there aren't any right away, you can either increase the area for mystery shopping or wait a few days. For us, we found two jobs available at the time of our review. If you want advance notice on jobs before other contractors, you can follow AboutFace on Facebook and X.
Detailed helpful tips
AboutFace offers a detailed page talking about how mystery shopping works and how they grade "evaluators” (their word for mystery shoppers). You'll be graded on how accurately you score the store, how quickly you start, complete, and submit your evaluation, the quality of your comments and the grammar, and whether or not you provide high-quality sources to prove your visit (photos, receipts). You can also access a variety of helpful details from FAQ pages to help you learn best practices for mystery shopping to make sure you're doing your best work. Each shop (job) also has particular details for how to complete the work, and these need to be accurately followed to receive payment.
Payment between $10 to $50
Details about payment are offered on each job when you receive it, but you can't see it before then. AboutFace promises to pay around 15% more than its competitors. According to details we found on third-party job boards, most mystery shoppers were paid an average between $10 to $50 per project depending on the individual shop. Payments are processed through PayPal only. So, you will need a PayPal account to work for AboutFace. There is no payout threshold (you don't have to make a certain amount of money to have your paycheck submitted to PayPal), which is a bonus for those looking to be able to get some extra cash right away.
No application or waiting period
The shops at AboutFace are "self-assign”. Once you see jobs on your dashboard, you can choose to accept or decline any time you like. However, these are first-come-first-serve jobs, so make sure you check your dashboard regularly to accept jobs before another mystery shopper. If you want to be more competitive, you can get a shopper's MSPA certification to be offered higher-paying opportunities.
Mixed reviews from former shoppers
AboutFace holds an impressive "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau, along with a full five star review average there. However, on third-party job boards and review sites, the reputation is a little more mixed. AboutFace has a 3.1-star rating on Indeed and only 1.4 stars out of 5 from sites like Sitejabber. According to previous mystery shoppers, they were frustrated at how irregular the work was. Contractors also complained that AboutFace asks for a lot more details and information from their mystery shoppers, and due to having an older website, filling out all the forms can be difficult.
An old standby, but it might need an update
While AboutFace used to be one of our top picks, the poor reviews and the difficulty seeing jobs until you've uploaded all of your personal information raises some questions. While we have no doubt this is a legit place to score some mystery shopping gigs, it may need a little updating to remain competitive with other similar sites. With a free no-application account available, you may still want to check out AboutFace, especially if you're not too worried about having a full workload right away. However, due to the negative reviews in recent years, AboutFace now earns just an average score in our review.
More Mystery Shopping Company Reviews
The 10 Best Mystery Shopping Companies
Where is the Best Place to Start Mystery Shopping?
Ever wonder how different companies check that their stores are running the way they should? While most of us immediately think of watching Undercover Boss, many businesses actually choose to use mystery shoppers. Mystery shopping is a particular job where normal people like you are hired by a variety of different companies to get in-person, real-time data on what's happening inside local stores or restaurants.
As a form of market research, mystery shoppers visit brick-and-mortar businesses to check out things like customer service quality, cleanliness, and the overall shopping experience at a particular store. Sound like something you would enjoy? It's easier to make mystery shopping your next side hustle than you'd think.
Mystery Shopping Company FAQ
Continued from above...
You'll need good written and verbal communication skills to help you tell the higher-ups what's going on when you're browsing, but otherwise, as long as you're curious and are ready to use your great attention to detail, mystery shopping will be a great fit for you. The best part? Making purchases is usually part of the deal, so whether you're reviewing a car wash or a luxury hotel, you'll typically get reimbursed for necessary purchases. Plus, you get paid on top of that.
Here's how it works. Generally, you'll get hired through a third-party provider that will post opportunities to evaluate stores and chains near you. (Helpful hint: legit mystery shopping companies will be approved and accredited by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.) Once a company approves your application, you'll be able to choose an assignment to start shopping.
You'll find restaurants, beauty salons, car maintenance shops, banks, makeup stores, and movie theaters (among many other stores) on the mystery shopper lists. Plus, many jobs let you do hotel stays or airline reviews, so you can travel without spending a dime. If you're someone who likes to explore your local area, try new things, and shop, shop, shop, you'll want to check out mystery shopping as your next side hustle.
The mystery shopping jobs (called "shops” in the biz) are usually listed on a job board on the particular website you work with. You'll be able to see the details like distance, job requirements, necessary purchases, and the reimbursement amount before you even accept the shop. Some gigs let you assign yourself (these are first-come-first-serve), and others require a little extra application to prove you're the right fit. These are usually high-quality or luxury shops that need that particular attention to detail. So if you keep up high quality services while you work, you'll be eligible for the good stuff.
But with so many places out there offering mystery shopping jobs, how can you pick the right one? If you've never applied for mystery shopping before, or you want to get a leg up on the competition, we've put together some factors that'll help you find the best fit for your shopping skills:
- Payment. The best mystery shopping sites offer solid payment and reimbursement for your services while shopping. Stay away from companies with startup fees, as these can be illegitimate sites. Pay can range from $5 per job to over $100 per job. Finding the right balance of good pay and solid opportunities that match your interests is a great way to pick between similar companies.
- Number of jobs. Hey, if you can't work, it's not worth it. Make sure the mystery shopping job site you choose offers a range of jobs in your area, so you don't feel like you need to be double-dipping or managing multiple sites to make enough to get by. Some job boards have almost nothing in some states, while others regularly offer hundreds of opportunities. When it comes to making some extra cash, having more options is always the better choice.
- Method. In this day and age, there are multiple types of mystery shopping. You can work with a company that offers all of them or go with a company that focuses on the area you prefer most. You can pick from in-person (the standard "going in and shopping” method), telephone (where you evaluate call centers), and hybrid (often used for hotels where you would evaluate all parts of your customer experience, from making the reservation to staying overnight). There are even some online companies that have you check websites.
- Reputation. Check out reviews from other mystery shoppers on sites like Glassdoor or Indeed. Make sure that you can trust a particular company to treat you right. Keep an eye out for sites that don't have a lot of buzz or feedback on job boards. These might not be the right fit for you. Look for services that are approved by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). These are always legitimate businesses. And, of course, check out the companies on the Better Business Bureau, for that extra layer of security.
To help you start making some extra cash buying the things you already love, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked today's top mystery shopping platforms. We hope this helps you get into your next side hustle, all while enjoying the things you love (like shopping, traveling, or visiting your favorite car wash!).
Compare Mystery Shopping Companies
Select any 2 Mystery Shopping Companies to compare them head to head
Mystery Shopping Company Articles
Trending Mystery Shopping News
Related Mystery Shopping Company Reviews
Since you're interested in Mystery Shopping Companies, here are some other reviews you might find interesting.
Newest Reviews
