Mystery Dining

Retail Active is at the forefront of UK mystery shopping and brand auditing.  We already provide an insightful and powerful mystery dining service to our clients in the Hospitality industry and the Dining sector. We check customer service, guest satisfaction and quality, as well as providing key information to support marketing and operational decisions.

Just like all of our mystery shopping programmes, all of our mystery dining programmes are bespoke, client focused and designed to allow our clients to drill down and interrogate our innovative and objective reporting.

We know your industry; we’ve spent our lives working in it.  A Retail Active mystery dining programme could help to accelerate sales, motivate, train staff and turn complaints in opportunities.  From fast food to fine dining, every company needs to know where their service could improve and they deserve to know where they are excelling – information that mystery shopping companies like Retail Active can provide.

Our mystery diners are reliable and dedicated.  Before being allocated dining and hospitality mystery shopping jobs, they are trained and vetted to ensure they have the skills necessary to provide accurate feedback.  Our mystery shoppers can provide a objective report only hours after visiting a location and our Quality Assurance Team are online daily and at all hours, to ensure the reports are sent to you on time and the information is accurate. 

To learn more about the prestige mystery dining services we offer, please call us on +44 (0)1235 856575 or contact us via email; info@retailactive.com

If you are interested in starting to mystery dine with us, you can apply online via our Shopper Academy at www.retailactive.com

View previous, “Why choose Retail Active?” posts on;

Automotive Mystery shopping
Hotel Mystery Guest programmes
High Street Mystery shopping

Welcome to Mission Control

 

Retail Active is a fast growing business and at long last we have moved to our new dedicated office aptly named, ‘Mission Control.’

Having dedicated office facilities has enabled us to develop our own, special culture further.  Working as a close team gives us a feeling of pride and a deep sense of mission.

Here’s what some of the team have to say:

“The team are becoming stronger.  We are working together so much better now that we are in one building, rather than split across several offices.  We support each other at every stage of the way!”
Jo – Completion

“The updated technology is a real bonus – we now have the same Wi-Fi that NASA use and we still have great facilities being installed, like the Video walls.  We were restricted by our office before; now the sky is the limit.”
Michelle – Quality Assurance

“It has meant that we now have increased visibility across our business.  Our back of house and scheduling teams can now understand our client’s perspective and the Account Managers have a greater awareness of our Mystery Shopping community.”
Charlotte – Operations

To find out why we are one of the UKs fastest growing Mystery shopping companies and ask what we can do for your company email info@retailactive.com.  

If you are looking to join us as a Mystery shopper, you can join online via our Mystery Shopping Academy at www.retailactive.com

The Scope Of Mystery Shopping...

One of the questions that we are asked all of the time, both by clients and by mystery shoppers, is if we just go to retail shops.  Mystery shopping is a field with tremendous depth and there are a myriad of different applications that some never consider so the answer every time, is a resounding NO!

So, what else is there but retail shops?

•    Telephone services – we can access helplines, contact lines and customer support services via our state of the art call recording system.
•    Hotel mystery guests – we have mystery shoppers who are always available to stay away from home and to give impartial feedback on their experiences. Click [here] for more information.
•    Websites – you can request one of our trained and accurate assessors to look over your company website and test your facilities.
•    Mystery dining – our mystery diners deliver reliable and valuable customer feedback on a range of venues and menus across the UK.
•    Experience and recreation – from Theme Parks to Spas, it is often difficult to gain an impartial insight into performance.  We have mystery shoppers who are experienced in every sector and will be able to provide an unbiased judgement according to specific requirements.
•    Transport and Logistics – logistics and transport companies engage mystery shopping companies like Retail Active to measure performance, customer service and compliance.

And beyond...
There are innumerable different products and services provided across the world and if it’s not something we have, “Shopped” before, it is safe to say that we would be very interested in having discussions to see what we can do for you.  We are a, “Can-do” company and we encourage blue-sky approaches and if you can provide it, our mystery shoppers can access it.

If you are interested to see what we can do for your company, please email info@retailactive.com or you can call us at our new offices on 01235 856575.

We always have a variety of mystery shopping jobs available for reliable, dedicated mystery shoppers.  You can apply online via the Mystery Shopping Academy of Great Britain at www.retailactive.com.

Why Choose Retail Active – High Street Mystery shopping

Competition on the high street is fierce. Not only do high street retailers have to compete with their neighbours, they also need to ensure that their products and services can rival those available online at the click of a button. In a world where convenience is often the determining factor in customer’s decisions, the high street is often overlooked.

It is no surprise that service is what makes customers return to high street stores. When you can get the same product online for a similar price, the personal experience is key. Here at Retail Active, the UK's leading and most innovative mystery shopping company, we strive to aid help clients improve service standards and customer experience. Our mission is to help them become the leader in their field – the brand customers think of first.

Our unique team of mystery shoppers are vetted and trained, before being allocated assignments and mystery shopping jobs. Our Quality Assurance Team are online at all hours of the day to receive reports, ensure that reports are delivered accurately and on time; and that our standard of excellence is maintained.

Considering all options for mystery shopping companies, we are large enough players that we can accommodate any number of stores across the UK and further afield but we have a small company mentality which values client relationships. We are always hands on and we maintain a personal, genuine interest in each of our clients.

If you wish to enquire about the services Retail Active can provide, please email info@retailactive.com or call us on our new number; 01235 856 575.

If you are interested in becoming a mystery shopper with us, you can apply online via our Shopper Academy at www.retailactive.com

View previous “Why choose Retail Active?” posts on;

Automotive Mystery shopping
Hotel Mystery Guest programmes

Comic Relief Bake Sale

For Red Nose day, we decided to do a bake sale at our Head Quarters.  We manned a beautiful stall piled high with sweets and treats, smiling with pride over the fine baking skills of Retail Active employees.  Thank you to all of our bakers, helpers and customers – we were so happy to have been so popular and sold so many baked yummies!

We were all still wearing our deelieboppers whilst scheduling mystery shoppers, waiting for the final figure to be announced.  We are immensely proud to announce that we raised an impressive £216.78!

You can keep up to date with our office activities and upcoming mystery shopping jobs at www.twitter.com/retailactive or by searching for Retail Active on Facebook.  We have 3,000 Likes and getting stronger every day.

You can join the team online by clicking through to www.retailactive.com and learning about our Mystery Shopping standards and techniques in our Shopper Academy. Retail Active is one of the leading Mystery Shopping Companies in the UK.

Thank you to all of our Mystery Shoppers

Retail Active is the most innovative of all of the UK’s Mystery Shopping Companies, but we know that a lot of our great reputation is founded on the hard work of our mystery shoppers all over the globe.  With this in mind, it’s that time again – time to say a brief Thank You to our star Mystery Shoppers.

Thank you to Keith from South Lanarkshire:
Your help, at the last minute, on our most recent new project has been greatly appreciated throughout the scheduling team.  You’re a star!

Thank you to Natasha from London:
You’ve only recently joined the team and you’ve already completed numerous visits, most of which were hard-to-allocate visits.

Thank you to Justin from London:
You always go above and beyond to be a great help ... especially with our new VM check project!

Thank you to Robert from Stockton-on-Tees:
You’ve been a shining star in an area that is hard for us to allocate visits in.  Thank you for trekking out in all weathers for us!

Thank you to William from Limerick:
You’ve been a great help with our recent project in Ireland.  Thank you, William.

Thank you to Sarah from Limerick:
As always, you’ve been happy to travel across the country for us, picking up visits en route.

Thank you to Nicola from Belfast:
Travelling far and wide to complete visits for us, you have been a great asset over the past month.  We are delighted to have you on the team, and now your husband too!

Last but not least ...
Thank you to all of our secret shoppers – you help to make Retail Active the leading British mystery shopping company.  You can find out what we can do for your company, or join our mystery shopping team at www.retailactive.com

Devon - Mystery Shopping Opportunities

We are looking for conscientious, articulate and reliable secret shoppers to join us for mystery shopping jobs in Devon.

Following the success of our weekly mystery shopping in the Republic of Ireland, we are running a similar programme in Devon so we are looking to expand our current team. We’re going to be having some really exciting opportunities in the coming weeks, where you could be paid to shop and enjoy products and experiences from your favourite brands.

Retail Active is a market leading Mystery Shopping Company in the UK and we are still growing fast. Our clients employ us to report back on the services provided at their hotels, restaurants and stores. Mystery Shopping is a huge part of our repertoire and our mystery shoppers help us to help our clients improve customer service and experience in their businesses.

If you are looking for mystery shopping jobs and interested in joining the team, please visit www.retailactive.com or telephone 01235 428413 for more information.

Service Hero of the Month - December 2012

Retail Active is the leading British brand auditing and mystery shopping company and we like to recognise service excellence not just by providing clients with our acclaimed mystery shopping reports, but from accepting nominations for our Service Hero award.

We are delighted to award this month’s Service Hero to Sharon, a valued colleague at the Glossop branch of Wickes.

Sharon has been nominated for recognition as a Service Hero due to her excellent Customer Service skills, noted in a recent mystery shopping visit.  She takes the trouble to explain the services that Wickes can provide and does so at the right level for her customers to understand. 

Our mystery shopper said, “I felt that she was interested in my needs, not just in a sale, and as a result I felt a valued customer and would have been more likely to buy as a result.”

If you want to nominate someone for our Service Hero of the Month, please email shoppersupport@retailactive.com with your nominee’s name, the company they work for and the reasons for your nomination.

The nomination doesn’t have to come from one of our mystery shopping visits or brand audits.  The nominee could work at your regular coffee-stop or supermarket – we are happy to receive all recommendations.

Please include your contact details in the email, just in case we need to get in touch for more information with regards to your nomination.

If you’re interested in seeing how we can help you to improve Service Excellence and Customer Experience within your business, please email info@retailactive.com for more details.

Happy New Year from all at Retail Active

New Years Day is a time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future.  2012 has seen our business grow and it has been a pleasure helping you reach your goals.

To all of our clients, employees and our worldwide panel of mystery shoppers, auditors and interviewers, our success in 2013 depends on all of you.  Thank you and we wish you all and your families our best wishes for happiness and prosperity in 2013.

Happy New Year!

Service Hero of the Month - November 2012

We are pleased to present this month’s Service Hero; Charlotte, a valued member of Boots, who works at their store in Leeds, United Kingdom.

Charlotte has been nominated as a Service Hero due to her personal and excellent Customer Service, noted as going out of her way to ensure that Boots' customers are happy and have everything that they need.  In a very busy location, Charlotte makes time to engage every customer as an individual and always has a smile to share.

We are always on the look-out for nominees for Service Hero of the Month so if you have experienced extraordinary Customer Service, whether during a Mystery shopping visit or at any other time, please email your nomination to shoppersupport@retailactive.com along with the reasons for your nomination, your nominee’s name and the company they work for.  Please include your details so that you can be contacted regarding your nomination for further details if needed.

To find out what Retail Active can do for your company to improve Customer Experience, please email info@retailactive.com.  If you are interested in becoming a Mystery Shopper, please visit www.retailactive.com. 

12 days of Retail Active

On the first day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
An email – “Welcome to the team!”

On the second day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
A local meal on my lunch break,
And I’m happy to be on the mystery shopper team!

On the third day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
Coffee on my commute,
A local meal on my lunch break,
And I’m happy to be on the team!

On the fourth day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
All of my Secret Santa presents,
Coffee on my commute,
Catching up with the girls on my lunch break,
And I’m happy to be on the team!

On the fifth day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
AN EXTRA PAY DAY!
All of my Secret Santa presents,
Two hour-long commute,
Did twenty visits on my lunch break,
I’m far too busy now I’m on the team!

On the sixth day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
Some make-up for the missus,
AN EXTRA PAY DAY!
All of my Secret Santa presents,
The coffee went cold in the rain,
Did twenty visits on my lunch break,
I’m far too busy now I’m on the team!

On the seventh day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
Toys for the children,
Some make-up for the missus,
AN EXTRA PAY DAY!
All of my Secret Santa presents,
Forgot to even pick up coffee,
No time on my lunch break,
And I’m happy to be on the team!

On the eighth day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
A much-needed night out dancing,
Toys for the children,
Some make-up for the missus,
IT’S ALL BEEN SPENT ALREADY?
I don’t even know James from Accounts,
I NEED CAFFEINE!
No time on my lunch break,
And I’m happy to be on the team!

On the ninth day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
A romantic meal for two,
A much-needed night out dancing,
“Barbie is SOOO last year!”
“Don’t you love me as I am?”
Another mid-month pay day,
How was I to know he was vegan?
THANK YOU for the coffee on my commute,
The local meal on my lunch break,
I’m so happy to be on the team!

On the tenth day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
My Christmas presents paid for,
But they messed up our order,
I trod on his toes,
What do you mean, you don’t like Barbie?
NO, YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL WITHOUT THE MAKE-UP!
IT’S ALL BEEN SPENT ALREADY AGAIN?
Had to re-wrap all of the presents,
Spilt the coffee on my commute,
Rescheduled the meal on my lunch break,
But I’m thankful I can get out of the house!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
Work to get me out the house,
My Christmas presents paid for,
“That’ll be to take away”,
Quick dash to the Pharmacy for plasters,
Thank goodness for gift receipts,
How is red the wrong colour?
How did we get through all this money?
Mixed up all of the gift tags,
Didn’t even get a chance to enjoy the coffee on my commute,
Christmas makes me crazy,
But I’m delighted to be on the team!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Mystery Shopping gave to me;
A perfect Retail Active Christmas,
Some time to myself,
All the presents under the tree,
The turkey is in the oven,
Enjoyed our night out dancing,
Finally some peace and quiet,
You look gorgeous with that lipstick,
Every minute working was worth it,
Everyone’s happy in the end,
Drowned in a large glass of Bucks Fizz,
I love Christmas really,
And I’m delighted to be on the team!

If you would like to be a mystery shopper, Google mystery shopper jobs, or visit retailactive.com

Welcome to the team, Kimberly!

The UK’s leading Mystery Shopping and business intelligence company, Retail Active, is proud to announce the recent Client Account Manager appointment. 

Kimberly Morgan, from Oxfordshire, has been in the industry for over five years with more than two years in Account Management.  She has a background in finance and marketing and an MBA from the University of San Diego. Working with us for some time, she has impressed us to make recent developments in her role and this important appointment due to her deep, grass-roots understanding of the industry.

Julian Chamberlain, Director of Retail Active, adds, “We are very excited to have yet another brilliantly conscientious and client-focused individual on the team and I’m sure that Kimberly will delight our clients just as she has us at Retail Active.”

Retail Active is one of the leading and fastest growing Mystery shopping companies in the UK and now is a great time to join us.  See what we can do for your company by clicking here, or ask us at info@retailactive.com.

We are always looking for brilliant and driven individuals to join us as Mystery shoppers and you can via our Shopper Academy at www.retailactive.com.

Jet Setting with Retail Active

We always look to soar above and beyond expectations for Mystery Shopping companies and sometimes, we need to take that literally.  We are looking for Mystery Shoppers who are frequent flyers and would be available to complete secret shopping visits at airports worldwide.  We have regular air side visits available for many interesting, varied clients.

Retail Active are the UK's leading Mystery Shopping and Brand Auditing company and being one of our growing panel of secret shoppers you can reap its rewards;

•    Get paid for shopping with the best Mystery shopping company out there.
•    Eat in the world’s finest restaurants and stay at the world’s best hotels.
•    Improve Customer Experience and service through our innovative reporting process.
and...
•    Earn some cash for your holidays, whilst you’re in the Departure Lounge!

We have visits available at all main UK airports, so if you’re already a Retail Active Mystery shopper, please do let us know if you’re a frequent flyer by emailing shoppersupport3@retailactive.com.  If you’re new to Mystery Shopping, we would love to have you on board; please sign up at www.retailactive.com .  Air side visits are available online but if we know you are a frequent flyer, you can be offered Airport Mystery shopping jobs direct to your email without waiting for notifications!

Proofreaders Required

We are currently searching for experienced freelance proofreaders to expand our highly regarded Quality Assurance team.

Retail Active is the leading British Mystery Shopping and Brand Audit Company and as one of our proofreaders, you would be working closely with us to resolve any identified queries in an accurate and timely manner.  You will report to our Quality Assurance team leader and work with our Head Office team to sense-check and proofread reports generated from our mystery shopping jobs.

Our perfect proofreader would have meticulous attention to detail and an excellent understanding of the English language.  In addition, you should be available to work a minimum of 12-16 hours per week.  Our flexible working hours means that you can fit work in around your schedule, but we are currently prioritising those that can work full-time office hours and those that are available weekends or evenings.

The key responsibilities of our freelance proofreaders include:

•    Amending secret shopper reports to conform to our ethics policy.
•    Working with the Quality Assurance team to bring any queries to resolution.
•    Diligently proofreading mystery shopper reports and validating visits.
•    Working with the Operations team to ensure that any recurring problems are brought to light and resolved.

Retail Active is one of Europe's leading mystery shopping companies and we are looking for honest, accurate and reliable people to help us make a real difference.

 If you have the experience and skills to join us as a Freelance Proofreader, please contact Michelle by email at shoppersupport@retailactive.com for further information.

Retail Active Supports Movember

Being a Mystery Shopping Company we have a lot to say to our clients about how to engage their customers. We believe that a customer who is engaged and invested in your business (and this is basically true no matter what business you are in), is a customer who will stand by you. We don’t just mean that they’ll keep purchasing your product either; a good customer is like a good friend, and if you’re good to them they will move heaven and earth to help you, not because of what you’ve done for them but because they believe in you. So of course we hope you feel like we’re doing right by you, because no matter whether you’re a client or a Mystery Shopper you are incredibly important to us, we couldn’t do what we do without you.

Of course you might be justified for asking “What’s with the sudden love in?” well let me tell you. We’re about to talk to you about our beliefs, feelings, and a sterling cause which really knows how to engage you on a personal level. As a mystery shopping company what we tend to talk about is Mystery Shopping, Brand Audits, customer satisfaction surveys and the like. We really don’t talk about our beliefs and passions, we don’t know about other Mystery Shopping Companies (or indeed other companies generally), but talking about our beliefs always seems a little odd. Isn’t it something for the individual rather than a large company? Well of course it is, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t pull together to make a worthwhile difference, and throughout Movember we’re going to be trying to do just that.

For those who don’t know, the Movember Foundation is a charitable initiative aiming to raise funds and awareness for men’s health (specifically prostate and testicular cancer). During November each year they are responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. Each participant (a Mo-Bro) starts November clean shaven and grows a moustache over the course of the month. They essentially becoming a walking talking advertisement for Movember (talk about knowing how to use word of mouth to engage your audience). You can find more about them on their website. Here at Retail Active we’ll be getting together to support Movember and hopefully gather a fine collection of distinguished moustaches. So whether you come to us for Mystery Shopping Jobs, to keep your customer service in tip-top shape, or have just stumbled across this blog, we hope you’ll keep following us through Movember and perhaps even join us as a Mo-Bro!

Retail Active IT Development

Here at Retail Active we believe that reliability is at the core of our Mystery Shopping business. From every aspect of our work at the office, the vetting process for those applying for Mystery Shopping Jobs, and the hard work of our Quality Assurance team, we know that we’re giving the right results 100% of the time, a fact that is well received by our clients. Of course our approach to the technology we use to support our Mystery Shopping is exactly the same; we know its good (probably the best of any Mystery Shopping Company around) but because we rank reliability over quickly adding the bells and whistles we don’t get to announce exciting new features all that often.

The focus is always to keep our quality high, and almost all of development goes into new ways to improve the delivery of our core business (Mystery Shopping, Brand Audits, etc).

However, once in a while it’s good to give a nod to the extremely hard work of our IT department, recently they have been working flat out to release a load of updates which make certain aspects of our system quicker and easier to use but have probably been overlooked by most of our users. They’ve also been working on some big changes behind the scenes. All of this is in preparation for some big new features that we’ll be releasing over the next few months which we think everyone is going to be pretty pleased with. They don’t have bells and they certainly don’t have whistles, but we think that they’ll make such a difference to our clients that you’ll soon wonder how you ever lived without them.

We’re really excited about these releases and are confident that other Mystery Shopping Companies will be looking to emulate them. But at the end of the day nothing can emulate the extremely hard work of our IT department that has gone into making our system the best and most reliable Mystery Shopping system around.

Service Hero of the Month

Retail Active is the leading British brand auditing and mystery shopping company and we like to reward brilliant customer service and service excellence where we can.  Mystery shopping companies see it all – good service, bad manners and everything in-between through secret shopping reports and we believe that the best service should be rewarded.

Every month, we single out a customer service representative who has upheld high standards of customer service for their company and who we feel epitomises the idea of a ‘Service Hero.’

We invite all of our mystery shoppers to put someone forward for this award.  They don’t have to be a staff member for one of our clients – anyone who has stood out to one of our secret shoppers can be nominated.

We are pleased to present our September Service Hero of the Month, who will be setting our standard for our Heroes in the future.

Ricardo works for Elior – contract caterers – and is based at one of their Costa franchises in the UK.

Ricardo has been nominated for this award by one of his long-standing customers.  He always takes a personal approach to his work and remembers different customers’ orders from day to day, delivering perfect service and perfect coffees every time. His dedication and enthusiasm sets a precedent for all customer service representatives, and his attitude to all of his customers is warm, caring and that of a friend. 

If you want to nominate someone for our Service Hero of the Month, please email shoppersupport@retailactive.com with your nominee’s name, the company they work for and the reasons for your nomination.

Remember, the nominee doesn’t have to come from one of our mystery shopping visits or brand audits. They can be from your regular coffee-stop or supermarket – we are happy to receive all recommendations.

Please include your contact details in the email in case we need to get some more information from you with regards to your nomination.

If you want to become a mystery shopper for us, please visit www.retailactive.com or if you’re interested in our services, please email info@retailactive.com for more details on what we can provide for your company.

A BIG Thank you to our mystery shoppers all over the world

A BIG Thank you to our mystery shoppers all over the world.

Thank you to Leslie from Gwent:
You are always happy to help with our visits in South Wales and complete reports to an excellent standard.

Thank you to Barry from Aberdeenshire:
Your attention to detail is superb and your recent reports have been spot-on – thank you.

Thank you to Emma from Cheshire:
We can call on you for anything and we can trust that you will complete anything to a high standard, and on time. 

Thank you to Justin from London:
Your hard work on our stations project is unrivalled. You are a credit to secret shopping, and we are glad to have you on the team.

Thank you to Anoop from London:
You were allocated three last minute, high-priority test visits and completed them the same day with zero proof-reading queries, and you only joined us last month – you’re a star!

Thank you to Carole from Oxfordshire:
You joined us in July and have completed assignments varying from calls to detailed visits and we are grateful for your excellent reports. We managed to fit you in a hotel stay as a ‘thank you’ and we hope you have a lovely break away with your husband!

Thank you to Elin from Edinburgh:
You always manage to fit in our in-the-middle-of-nowhere mystery shopping jobs, and your help on our most recent project has been greatly appreciated throughout the scheduling team.

Thank you to Martin from London:
You’ve helped out on so many last-minute visits over the past few months for us and we truly appreciate your dedication – you’re our perfect mystery shopper.

Last but not least...
Thank you to all of our secret shoppers – you help to make Retail Active the leading British mystery shopping company.  For more information about becoming a secret shopper, or to make an enquiry about mystery shopping or brand audits, please visit www.retailactive.com

Mystery Shopping Alert

Over the past few weeks we have been made aware of honest mystery shopper applicants being targeted by tricksters.  Retail Active does not recruit mystery shoppers through an email, club, agency or list and advises those wanting to work for a Mystery Shopping Company never to part with cash in advance.  If you do then there is a very high probability that you will be defrauded.

Unsuspecting people, wanting to earn extra money, risk being scammed by bogus market research companies, who are trying to cash in on this increasingly popular activity.

Genuine mystery shopping companies like Retail Active advertise their contact number and can be called directly.  Always apply directly to mystery shopper agencies, If in doubt phone.

 Internet tricksters have angered genuine mystery shopping companies, like Retail Active, which is one of Europe's leading Brand Audit and Mystery Shopping agencies. The company gets calls from people all over the world worried that they have been duped - or are about to be.

 Retail Active's managing director, Julian Chamberlain says:

 "We are very angry that fraudsters are trying to exploit mystery shoppers who genuinely want to earn some much-needed extra income, as well as help improve customer service.

"We have received reports of people being asked for personal details when applying for mystery shopping jobs, which are then sold off to use on marketing lists - or for other uses, such as fraudulently accessing people's bank accounts.

"No reputable Mystery Shopping Company would ever ask for money in advance- so that is one  good way to establish if a company is genuine or not.

 All reputable mystery shopping companies provide training, so if there is none, the likelihood is that you are being conned.

The easiest way to be sure you’re application is safe is to register with a secret shopping company like Retail Active, at www.retailactive.com.

82% of Shoppers Feel Ignored?

A recent survey conducted by Retail Active, a leading Mystery Shopping Company and Brand Auditing Service Provider has given us new insight into our main gripes as consumers about customer service on the high street.

82% of people questioned, agreed that the one thing they find more annoying than anything else when shopping is being ignored by staff. The general feeling is that people in the UK are getting more and more expectant that the service in our high street shop will be poor. Worryingly Retail Active's Mystery Shoppers agree that a poor service expectation is becoming the norm.

Julian Chamberlain, Director at Retail Active comments. "This survey is a really worrying result. We work hard with our clients to understand exactly how consumers feel about shopping in their stores or restaurants. Over 90% of consumers cite that service staff can affect the mood of the shopper. The smallest gesture can change the perception of the store, product and eventually the Brand. It was a wise man that said 'people buy in to people' , and its true. A smile or some eye contact whilst serving, although it seems so obvious can make such a difference."

If you are keen to have your say and help create a united front on Customer Service that Retail Active is looking for more Mystery Shoppers to join them in 2012. With more Mystery Shopping Jobs available then ever before, 2012 is really the time to sign up. For more information on how to apply, or if you are keen to employ a  Mystery Shopping Programme then please visit the website at www.retailactive.com.