GENERAL INFORMATION
What is a conflict of interest?
One of the essential terms of the service we offer to our clients is that “mystery” shoppers are anonymous and not-identifiable when performing the duties. For this reason, we require you to promise us that you have no conflict of interest when you are performing the duties we offer to you.
You DO have a conflict of interest if:
- You are a current or previous employee of the business, retail brand, store, or site you are engaged to visit;
- You are a current employee of one of Creative Activation’s competitors;
- You have any previous or current business or personal connections present when performing the duties i.e. you are friends with a Staff Member in the store selected for the visit.
- You promise that you will not ‘accept’ the job if there is the possibility that you could be identified or in any other way compromise your anonymity when performing the duties.
If a conflict of interest arises you promise to immediately contact the Customer Service team immediately to advise them of the conflict of interest. The customer service team member will take steps to manage the conflict appropriately, including the option of excluding you from jobs that are affected by the conflict of interest.
Our clients are entitled to check with us to make sure that the mystery shoppers we provide to them are in fact anonymous and not-identifiable when performing the duties. In this regard, your name and other basic identifying details (such as date of birth) may be provided to our clients for the purpose of spot-checking conflicts of interest. This information will not be retained by our clients and will be used for the purpose of spot-checking conflict of interest only, then destroyed
Confidentiality and legal obligations:
Confidentiality is essential to the mystery shopping program.
In performing casual mystery shopping work you promise:
To protect the confidentiality of all the materials provided to you, the information gathered by you and the results produced by you; and
Not to reveal or discuss the duties performed by you, either in person or online (other than with your operational team at Creative Activation)
In accepting work offered to you, you acknowledge that the results and information gathered by you in the course of performing your duties constitute highly sensitive data about our clients and highly confidential information about Creative Activation’s mystery shopping program methodology. This data is protected by the Data Protection Act (in its most current form).
You agree that failure to maintain confidentiality is a serious matter for the reasons set out above and you agree that any breach of confidentiality in relation to the duties you perform or information you collect will entitle the Creative Activation Customer Experience Team to stop offering you any further work.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
How do I determine a legitimate mystery shopping company from a scam?
There are a number of ways to check the legitimacy of a company.
Check to see if their Australian Business Number (ABN) matches their business name: Creative Activation’s ABN is 91 122 102 701. Our ABN listing can be viewed here: http://www.abr.business.gov.au/SearchByAbn.aspx?abn=91122102701
See if the company is listed on the Australian Securities & Investments Commission: Creative Activation’s ASIC listing can be viewed here: http://www.search.asic.gov.au/cgi-bin/gns030c
Contact the company: If you are unsure whether the company is real, you should try and contact the company and talk to them. Creative Activation’s head office contact phone number is 02 7908 3097 and the ShopperNOW customer service team can be reached on 02 9708 3097 and the ShopperNOW customer service team can be reached on 02 7908 3097. If you have questions relating to employment with Creative Activation, please call and you will be put through to someone who can answer your questions. Current mystery shoppers should contact their State Manager on their direct line. Your State Manager’s details are available through ShopperNOW under ‘Help and Support’.
Email Addresses: Legitimate companies generally have business email addresses. Be careful of emails that have a free domain name such as @hotmail.com @google.com @yahoo.com @live.com. All communication sent from Creative Activation will come from an @creativeactivation.com.au email address.
Company website: All mystery shopping companies should have a website. If there is no website or the website looks amateurish, you should be on high alert. Our website is www.shoppernow.com.au
Paying to sign up: We strongly advise you against registering with companies that require you to pay money to sign up. There is no guarantee that you will be provided with jobs, so save your money and register elsewhere! Creative Activation does not require you to pay money to join.
Get rich quick scams: Be careful of advertisements that claim to pay a lot of money. If the ad sounds too good to be true, it probably is. We will always advise you of the exact remuneration or reimbursement when each job is offered.
Ask around: You can find Creative Activation and many other mystery shopping companies operating in Australia on the Australian Mystery Shoppers Forum. Here you will find other mystery shoppers who currently work for our company, as well as information about companies to avoid.
PAYROLL
Can I start mystery shopping before I have completed my Payroll information in full?
Yes, you can start mystery shopping as soon as you complete your induction and update your profile. Once we receive your completed Payroll information, we will back-pay you for any work you’ve already completed in the next pay cycle.
I don’t have a TFN. Does this matter?
You do not have to give it on the form, but if you don’t we are required by the ATO to withhold tax at the highest rate plus Medicare levy from your pay unless you qualify for an exemption. When you start a new job, you have 28 days to give your tax file number to your employer before they must start deducting tax from your pay at the highest rate plus Medicare levy.
Your payer uses the information you provide on the form to determine how much tax to take out of your payment. You can find more information at
https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Tax-file-number/
If I chose to have my super contributions do I have to provide the ABN and SPIN (Superannuation Product Identification Number)?
Due to recent changes in government legislation regarding using your chosen super funds, you do need to fill out the ABN and SPIN details. You find this information by calling your Super Fund. If you are using a Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) you will also need to provide written evidence that the fund will accept the contributions from us.
Why do I need to provide a copy of my Birth Certificate, Birth Extract, Australian Passport, or Overseas Passport and visa?
The Department of Immigration requires all employers to ensure that their employees are eligible to work in Australia. It is a criminal offence under the Migration Act 1958 for a person to knowingly or recklessly allow an illegal worker to work or refer an illegal worker for work with another business. Failing to meet these obligations results in a $66,000 fine for each illegal worker.
The nature of mystery shopping e.g. its flexibility means that a high number of non-citizens that seek such work etc. means that we operate in an industry where there is a higher risk of illegal workers. As such, it is a minimum requirement that we check the working rights of all employees.
If you cannot provide evidence of your entitlement to work in Australia or New Zealand, you will need to contact your nearest office of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to obtain the necessary evidence. You can find your nearest office here: http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/australia/
More information can be found at: http://www.immi.gov.au/managing-australias-borders/compliance/employer-obligation
How long do I have to complete my Payroll details?
The sooner you complete your Payroll information, the sooner we can pay you for all your hard work. We’ll send you a reminder if we notice that you haven't completed your Payroll information, but it is your responsibility to complete and provide us with accurate information. I
What are the pay dates?
Customer Experience team members are paid on a fortnightly basis, directly into your bank account. The pay period runs from Monday-Sunday, with a validation cut off of Thursday midnight week two of the fortnight.
We will do our best to validate all submitted jobs within the fortnight however, should it not be possible we commit to validating them in time for the next pay run a fortnight later.
The payment will land in your bank account on the following Friday or Saturday, depending on your financial institution.
Who do I contact if I need help filling completing my Payroll information?
Please contact our friendly Customer Service team on 02 7908 3097 or email contact@shoppernow.com.au
PRIVACY INFORMATION
Who has access to ‘My Profile’ information?
Creative Activation has a comprehensive Privacy Policy that applies to all information gathered for recruitment and employment purposes. This Privacy Policy meets the requirements of all Australian Privacy Legislation and National Privacy Principles.
All additional information is contained within our main website F&Q's page, and can be accessed when you officially sign up to ShopperNOW.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
If you have any additional questions you can also contact us by phone on: 02 7908 3097