Important Scam Alert
Please be aware of possible email scams pretending to be BARE International. All evaluators for BARE International must be registered and would never receive prepayment for services. All payments are via PayPal, live check or direct deposit; Cashier Checks appearing to come from BARE are a sign of a scam. Further, all legitimate BARE International emails end with @bareinternational.com. We appreciate you alerting us to any possible scam so we can take action immediately!
What is a mystery shopper?
A mystery shopper, or mystery evaluator, is an independent contractor who gathers data to assistsour clients with making important decisions to move their business. A typical project involves the evaluation of one of our client’s businesses through in-person visits, telephone calls, web-based inquiries, or other means by serving as a typical customer/guest. Typically, the evaluator provides his/her objective feedback about the service provided and overall customer experience Information may be gathered around knowledge of products and services,andthe location’s overall cleanliness and condition and productselectionavailability. Each project is different because BARE International’s clients all have different needs and design unique programs to meet them. When given a specific project, the evaluator receives a briefing on that particular client’s goals and objectives, including any special requirements the client has communicated to us.
How can I become a mystery shop evaluator?
To become an evaluator in Europe, you must be 18 years of age or older.
Once you register yourself with BARE International’s website by signing up as an evaluator in order to receive notices about upcoming opportunities. To register with BARE, complete the online registration and agree to BARE’s working relationship terms and conditions.We provide our evaluators on a yearly basis with a summary of your work for us, to help you with tax declaration.
Does it cost anything to register?
No. There are no fees to register your services with BARE.
In fact, if you see offers from other organizations stating that there is a fee to sign up before you are able to get mystery shopping assignments, BEWARE. You and your services are valuable and you should be compensated for providing them, not the other way around. This is not an accepted or standard practice for legitimate companies like BARE. We encourage you to sign up for and to work with companies that are part of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).
How soon can I start conducting evaluations?
As soon as your registration is complete, you can log in to our online portal, APOLLO, to complete BARE basics testing and to check the Job Board for any available projects. Be aware that projects usually have firm deadlines, so be sure to read all the details before applying or registering to do projects that interest you.
Be sure to keep your address, banking information (if receiving electronic payment) and contact information up-to-date in your shopper profile. Not doing so may cause delay in you receiving payment or prevent us from being able to contact you regarding shop report questions. DO NOT make updates to details such as birthdate and gender. This will deactivate your account.
Where will I be doing evaluations?
Our clients represent a wide range of industries and locations with needs across Europe and globally. It is likely you will find opportunities near you. As an evaluator of BARE, you control where and how often you complete assignments.
How would I find out about opportunities?
You can search the Job Board in APOLLO by zip code, state, and country to find the most up-to-date listing of opportunities all over the world. You may also elect to receive Project Offer Emails in your Evaluator Profile to receive email alerts about available projects in your area. Do consider white listing emails from @bareinternational.com as they are sometimes blocked as spam.
If I offer to do a project, how long does it take to get a response?
We process offers for projects on a daily basis. You should receive a confirmation via email within 48 hours or so if your bid was accepted. Check your email often! Additionally, check your MY APPS and Shopper Log to ensure you do not miss any interesting shops.
How many projects can I have at one time?
As an independent contractor, this is really up to you. We always communicate to you what our clients expect in terms of quality of reports and project timeliness. It is your responsibility to estimate workloads and assess the amount of work that is feasible for you to perform. Please remember that if your performance does not meet the client’s expectations for a particular project, we reserve the right to enlist another evaluator. This can affect your compensation, so only taking on projects with standards that you can reasonably perform is key.
If I commit to a project but have an unexpected emergency, what should I do?
Contact the Resource Manager in charge of that project as soon as possible so that BARE can locate another evaluator to take your place.
How do I know who my Resource Manager is?
The Resource Manager’s name and contact details can be found on the email notification received when a shop has been assigned.Their contact details are important as you may need to reach out to them for clarification of expectations or to revise a shop date. These details are also found on the shop comments in your shop log and in the project briefing document attached to your assignment.Be aware that Resource Managers work Monday through Friday regular business hours.
What do I do to prepare for an evaluation?
You will receive an acceptance email once a shop has been assigned telling you the shop report is in your log. Log in to reviewguidelinesthe project briefing document and to take any project specific quiz and to review the form. If required, enter a shop planning date. If you have any questions, or need further clarification, reach out right away to the project manager to get answers. Project managers will reply to you during regular business hours Monday through Friday, generally 8:00 am – 4:30 pm eastern standard time.
What do I do if I have a problem off hours, or on the weekend?
Read the Guidelines in full and review the form itself as soon as you get an assignment, so you can contact the Resource Manager with questions during business hours.If the unforeseen happens, however, during non-business hours, leave the Resource Manager a voicemail or send an email to ensure they can address the situation right away.Do your best to make decisions that do not compromise your identity as a mystery shopper.
Who do I contact in off hours?
In Europe, please send an e-mail to your Resource Manager who will get back to you as soon as possible.
Do you rate the performance of evaluators?
We rate your work on each project as it comes in on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, against the expectations of the client and BARE. Items such as timeliness, completeness, accuracy of information, responsiveness, grammar, among other things determine which evaluators we can count on to deliver the best product for our clients. Evaluators who consistently produce high quality work are in the highest demand and will be chosen to participate in projects more frequently than evaluators whose work receives average or below average ratings.
How much will I be paid for my work?
BARE pays out a wide range of fees for projects performed by evaluators. Fees vary per project depending on the scope, difficulty, and time commitment involved. Fees are communicated to the evaluator community via the job board before an evaluator offers to complete a project. Earnings are therefore under the control of the individual evaluator. Additionally, some projects allow for a purchase reimbursem*nt. If this is the case, the maximum reimbursem*nt amount allowable will be part of the job posting.Unless stated otherwise, all fees and reimbursem*nts are listed and paid out in EUR.
How do I get paid?
Please ensure that your payment details are filled out and up to date in your Extended Evaluator profile! You can do so by logging in to your account here: BARE Evaluator Login.
If you have trouble finding your “Extended Evaluator profile” so can find step-by-step instructions under the section “How to change my payment details /method?”
How long does it take to be paid my fees?
IN EUROPE: Fees for services performed and reimbursem*nt for allowable expenses will be distributed by bank transfer or other method (which at our option is deemed to be the most cost effective and efficient method) latest till the end of the month following the month in which projects were properly completed and received according to project requirements. Unless stated otherwise, all fees and reimbursem*nts are listed and paid out in EUR.Please ensure that you have completed the Payment Details section of your Extended Shopper Profile and remember to keep it updated in the event that any of the information changes.
FOR ALL PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS – As a courtesy, a notification of payment is sent to the email address on record in the Evaluator Profile. This notification lists the specific projects(s) included in the payment and the amount of fees and/or reimbursem*nts paid. This notification should be checked carefully and any discrepancies reported as soon as possible. If you have any questions about payment for the individual projects listed, please contact your Project Manager. If you have any questions about the payment transaction itself, please contact the appropriate individual mentioned in the email.
For all payments, the deadline is 90 days from the date of issue (or date of expected receipt) to report any discrepancies.
Do I need to pay taxes after an expense reimbursem*nt?
For the monthly and annual evaluator payment declarations: if expense reimbursem*nt amount includes items which are kept by the evaluator, in this case, it is the evaluator’s responsibility to check based on the local regulation if it is a subject of taxation as a fee or not.
What if I have payment issues?
What do you do if your payment details are correct and up to date, but do you still have payment issues?
Please check if your report was finalized before the end of last month. Once your shop is finalized, you receive an email with the reviewer’s comments and a grade. This comment and grade are also visible from the shop log. Please note that if your report was finalized after the end of the month then you might get paid for that shop only in the next payment cycle.
In case your payment is still missing, please contact the Resource Manager in charge of your specific project or reply to the e-mail address provided at the bottom of your payment information email (Evaluator Payment Summary). Your scheduler will initiate a background check to resolve your issue.
Once you have contacted your scheduler, they will maintain the communication and provide you with all the necessary information and action points needed on your side.
How to change my payment details / method?
First, you will need to log into your Evaluator profile at the BARE International website, or via the “Evaluator Log In” link.
Once logged in, go to “My Profile”, there under the section “Status” you will be able to see “Extended Evaluator Profile” and you can click the option “Update”. Then, under the “Payment details” section, you will be able to edit or add your payment information.
DO NOT FORGET TO PRESS “SAVE CHANGES” and to INFORM YOUR RESOURCE MANAGER OF THESE CHANGES to avoid missing payment!
When should I change my payment method?
Please update your payment details by the end of the month to ensure that all expenses and reimbursem*nts are paid to you on time! Unfortunately, if you fail to do so, we cannot guarantee your payment to arrive for the month! If you want to change your payment method or want to change your bank details, you can do it online via your “Extended Evaluator profile” but in all cases, please contact the Resource Manager in charge of your specific project and inform us of your request, to avoid any missing payments.
