General FAQ: Buy & Try and Ratings & Reviews Programs

We are excited to offer this opportunity with our Buy & Try programs and Ratings & Reviews programs.  We look forward to working with you to give you the opportunity to experience these products. 

We have put together this FAQ in order to help answer the questions that we have heard the most.  We'll add more questions as any new trends arise.

Can I substitute other products if I cannot find the requested product in a store near me?

Take note of the instructions on each opportunity.  If ever there are substitutions allowed, it will be outlined in the instructions for you.  If there are no substitutions listed in the instructions of the job, do not purchase or submit any other product/package- including different sizes, flavors, varieties, scents, etc.  Additionally, if a 4 count product is required, do not purchase four 1-count products or two 2-count products.  If a bundle is being sold (online items), do not buy the individual items separately in stores. 

What if I have reserved the job but cannot locate the requested item in stores near me?

In general, it is best to follow the instructions as stated in the jobs.  But below are the general principles related to these different types of programs.

• Buy & Try Projects:
  • If you can't locate the product in store for Buy & Try projects, there should be a question that comes up in the job that says something like "Were you able to purchase the requested product today?".  By answering "no" and continuing the job, It is typically still possible to let the Client know that their product is not present at their provided store and that is still really valuable information to them so that your submission can still be approved for the bounty payment.
  • Note: It is important that Buy & Try products are purchased ONLY at the specified location.  These tasks are more store-specific, so don't purchase from a different store!
• Ratings & Reviews Projects
  • Since these products are generally not store specific, we recommend refraining from reserving the job unless the item is located near you or you are already planning to go to the store.  
    However, if you already have a reservation and you are unable to locate the item, please cancel the reservation so that another Agent might have the opportunity to complete the project. These items are typically nationwide through various channels, so it might not be available in your area but it will be available for another Agent in a different area.
  • Note: Since these jobs are not store specific, we will generally not be able to offer out-of-stock bounty payment for these jobs. Please only complete if you locate the product.

When I purchase the items, will the shipping and/or delivery fees be reimbursed in a Ratings & Reviews program?

As always - pay close attention to the instructions.
In general, Ratings & Reviews items will be available in-stores, online, and delivery.  With that said, we will generally not be reimbursing delivery and/or shipping fees.  However, if the item is only available online, the instructions will state when/if these expenses will be covered.  If the instructions do not state that the shipping/delivery will be reimbursed, you can expect that the item is available in-stores around the country and we will not be able to reimburse for shipping or delivery charges.

If you choose to purchase these items via delivery or shipping, we recommend combining these items with other purchases you may already need in order to take advantage of any free shipping offers or to make it more cost-effective for you. 

Don't want to pay the extra fees?  See if this item is available at your local store!

May I choose Delivery or shipping when working on a Buy & Try project?

Because Buy & Try programs are location-specific, we are looking for products and information at certain locations.  Therefore, we cannot accept Buy & Try products that were purchased via online shipping and/or delivery. 

May I purchase items from different retailers or 3rd party companies?

As part of our agreements with our Clients, the products must be purchased from the locations outlined in the job instructions.  We may not substitute for other retailers, even if the product is out of stock at the requested retailer. Occasionally, because the retailer website (such as Walmart) has run out of inventory, they may no longer be fulfilling the shipment of the product. Instead, the retailer website is allowing a 3rd party vendor to fulfill the shipment of the product. It is still important not to purchase the product in these cases. For more on these situations check out our related article here: Why is the price of the item is much higher than the offered reimbursement?

Will taxes be reimbursed?

We can and will reimburse taxes when the receipt provided includes ONLY the requested item. Our system cannot calculate the tax when the requested item is on a receipt that contains multiple items or products.  

Can I buy multiple products within the same order/receipt? 

Short answer - Yes.  However, do keep in mind that our system will not be able to reimburse the taxes when/if multiple items are on the same receipt. 

Can Field Agent extend my reservation on an active project?

At this time, our Field Agent system does not have the ability to extend a current reservation. That timer is set on the app at the time the task is reserved and cannot be updated on our server. 
If your reservation going to expire before you can receive the product, we recommend that you try to cancel the order/delivery and the project reservation.  
In some cases, you MIGHT be able to cancel your reservation and reserve it again.  However, this might not work as there could be reservation limits or other Agents might reserve it before you get a chance to reserve it again. 

What should I do if the shipping or delivery is delayed beyond the reservation end date?
If shipping or pickup cannot be scheduled for a completion time within the reservation time in the first place, we recommend canceling the job from your app and not placing the order, since the times for your store do not qualify in our audit time frame.  We do apologize for this inconvenience when/if it arises.  

However, there may be cases outside of an agents control. If you reserved a job, started it right away, placed a delivery/pickup order with a completion time within the time frame of the job, but then later on the store/retailer notified you that they could not fulfill the order in the originally promised time, we understand that you did everything you could but the store/retailer is at fault here. In these cases, unless otherwise instructed by the job, we recommend finishing the job to the best of your ability with the following steps:

1. Put a screenshot in the job showing that the original completion time was scheduled within the time frame of the job

2. Later on put another screenshot in the job showing the email received from the store notifying that the ordered was delayed past the end of the job time.

3. Fill any additional questions/photo slots with alternates of the email screen or filler answers to avoid auto-denial.

4. Leave a comment in the last question explaining the situation with the delayed completion time for the pickup/delivery job.

Please note that each job will be evaluated individually based on the circumstances and instructions, however, by using the steps above this provides the maximum amount of information for our review and support team to evaluate your submission as best they can.

If you have any further questions not answered in this document, please let us know by clicking "submit a request" below!