Mspa News

Confero President Elaine Buxton Elected To Mystery Shopping Providers Association Board Of Directors

Mar 30, 2009 by Confero Inc.

CARY, N.C. — Confero, Inc., (www.conferoinc.com), a national customer experience measurement firm, has announced that Elaine Buxton, president, has been elected to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) of North America’s 2009 board of directors. With more than 200 members worldwide, the MSPA is the largest professional trade association dedicated to improving service quality using anonymous resources. Buxton will serve as the internal communications chair for the 11-member MSPA North America board. Confero has been a charter member of the MSPA since 1998, and Buxton previously served on the board as treasurer from 1998 to 2003. Confero, Inc. offers customer service mystery shopping evaluations, customer brand support services, customer satisfaction research, and employee incentive and recognition programs. “I am honored to have been elected to serve on the Mystery Shopping Providers Association’s North America board of directors,” said Buxton. “I pledge to work diligently with MSPA to promote and grow the mystery shopping industry in North America.”

Customer Wait Times: Ideas to Make the Wait More Pleasant

Aug 19, 2009 by Confero Inc.

The Wall Street Journal’s Carl Bialik (“The Numbers Guy”) talked with our own Rob Barry, along with other experts, about the customer view of time spent waiting in line.

Rob knows a thing or two about wait times. He has worked with our grocery store clients to measure customer experience for the past six (6) years. As Rob stated to Carl, “Grocery stores are focusing more on quickness of checkout probably than ever before. Society has created an environment where everyone is in a hurry.”

In his August 18, 2009 blog The Waiting Game, Bialik digs into the art, science and numbers behind “queuing”, “standing in line” and “standing on line”.

Is customer waiting time about math or perception…or both? Thanks, Carl, for a fascinating look at waiting!

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Confero Reiterates Consumer Warning of Scam Artist Posing as Confero Recruiter in Fake Checks Scam

Oct 19, 2009 by Confero Inc.

Update….
Many consumers have received checks in the mail along with a letter on official-looking Confero letterhead. These are fake.

Confero does not send checks to shoppers as payment to shoppers.

Confero does not issue certified checks for shoppers to use during mystery shops.

Confero does not shop Western Union or Moneygram.

Also, add the names Melissa Cole and Timothy Reeds to the list of fake Confero scheduler names being used.

Most of the fake checks we have been made aware of are drawn on BBVA or Compass Bank. Confero does not have an account with those banks. THE CHECKS ARE FAKE. DO NOT CASH THEM. Click here to see BBVA Bank’s consumer alert about the scam.

As discussed in earlier posts, we have received requests from would-be mystery shoppers asking that we validate the employment of Robert Preston, Micheal Thomforde, James Clayton, Paula Moore, Carlos Burnett, Chris Jordan and now Alexander Hopkins. None of these persons work for Confero. These are made-up names used in official-looking email messages from people trying to scam unsuspecting consumers. Sometimes, the scam emails have been spoofed to look like the message is from Confero and to hide the true origin of the email. Other times, the sender simply pastes the Confero name or website into his or her email message. Either way, these scammers are attempting to fool consumers into thinking they are dealing with Confero.

Persons interested in legitimate mystery shopping may visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website for information about ethical, legitimate mystery shopping companies. Confero is a member of the MSPA. To register your interest to mystery shop for Confero,please visit the Shoppers’ Center tab above for complete details.

If you have fallen victim to this scam, or if you have been contacted by any of these scammers, please file a complaint with

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Confero and Better Business Bureau (BBB) Release Mystery Shopping Scam Video

Nov 24, 2009 by Confero Inc.

As a reputable company with 24 years in business, we are always concerned about scams involving mystery shopping. The scam typically plays out like this: the consumer receives a certified check from the bogus mystery shopping company, along with an "assignment" to deposit the check and then send funds via Western Union or Moneygram to a person designated on the assignment. The idea is that Western Union or Moneygram are being "mystery shopped" and the mystery shopper can keep a portion of the check amount. Usually, the certified check amounts are $900-5,000 with shoppers enticed into performing the shop by being allowed to keep anywhere from $300 to $900. Eventually, what happens is that the consumer is notified by his or her bank that the certified check was not good. The full amount of the check is then charged back to the consumer's checking account, leaving the consumer owing the money back to the bank.

Unfortunately, in many scams, the names of real, legitimate mystery shopping companies are used to entice unwitting consumers. Confero was one such legitimate company whose name was forged to be used by a scammer. Confero's President, Elaine Buxton, sat down with the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina’s Communication and Public Relations Specialist, Courtney Smith on November 18, 2009 to discuss ongoing scams in the mystery shopping industry.

In this video, Elaine discusses the most common mystery shopping scam and what consumers should know about it:

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MSPA Mystery Shopper Gold Certification Workshop to be Held in Burbank, CA!

May 11, 2010 by Confero Inc.

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association recently announced that due to shopper demand, a pilot Gold Mystery Shopper DVD Certification Workshop has been scheduled for June 5, 2010 in Burbank, California. All MSPA Silver Certified Mystery Shoppers (and those who can become Silver Certified before registering for the workshop) are invited to register and attend.

For more information about Gold and Silver certification and how to register click here to visit the MSPA’s website.

Confero supports MSPA certification! For information about our support of this program, please visit these pages:

http://www.conferoinc.com/blog/entry/mspa-launches-gold-dvd-certification-get-certified-without-having-to-attend/

http://www.conferoinc.com/shoppers-center/shopper-faq/#16

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