Aaron Murdoch

Ardent Services: Mystery Shopping Jobs (Full Review)

Company Overview: Ardent Services is a Mystery Shopping company that has been in business for over 20 years. They offer a wide assortment of assignments within the retail, restaurant, resort, hotel, car rental, airline and extended stay industries. An interesting fact about this company is that they serve over 1,500 eateries worldwide.

 

How to Sign Up and Get Assignments: Ardent Services are looking for new, top-notch mystery shoppers. According to their website they state, “We select shoppers who most closely match the customers those businesses are trying to attract. If you are an articulate, observant shopper, Ardent Services would like to talk to you about becoming a Mystery Shopper!” To sign up as a shopper, click here.

 

What Others Have to Say: There is a wealth of information about Ardent Services on the Mystery Shopper Forum, a place where fellow shoppers give shoutouts to their favorite companies. One shopper stated, “Ardent is definitely a great MSC to work with. Michelle is spectacular. I think she works 24/7. I work with some really good schedulers, but Michelle is THE MOST RESPONSIVE scheduler ever.”

 

Personal Experience: A lot of mystery shoppers are delighted to be working for Ardent Services according to all of the compliments other mystery shoppers have posted on the forum. Michelle is one of the favorite schedulers shoppers enjoy dealing with. The only issue that I see is that they are not officially listed on the MSPA website as a certified mystery shopping company.

 

Conclusion: Ardent Services is a veteran company who has operated in the mystery shopping industry for a long time. Due to the high amount of shoppers who give the company solid recommendations, I would sign up for this shop ASAP. That being said, I am surprised that they are not listed on the MSPA. If you have any questions or concerns about this company you can contact them at questions@ardentservices.net.

 

Your Comments:

  1. Sandy says:

    I have worked for Ardent Services for years and as far as I know they had only one client that they lost a few years ago and now have another client. In addition you need to be invited to go to a training in order to do the one shop they seem to do now. Perhaps all the other types of shops you mention are outside the US. Any of the info I have read on the forum about them only references the current and past one upscale fast food shop they seem to have in the states. Perhaps they have one more in certain areas.

  2. Kenny says:

    I agree with Sandy that #1 Ardent only represented 1-2 companies. The training was nice but unwarranted for a secret shopper. The amount of time spent to actually observe the line to see the ratio of whole beans for example by a customer is not significant. The product once layered and wrapped is no longer able to be differentiated.
    Anyway it took me a while to get things situated to get paid and then when they lost this pepper named client I was not paid for the last shop preformed there. Shame as I was looking forward to continued meals from them.

  3. Britt says:

    Curious how the shoppers are paid and selected. I think I have a scammer who is pretending to be Ardent.

    • Kenny says:

      That whole intro of all the business they served has to be bs that was copied and pasted probably by a scammer. They were only working with 2 companies at the most. Someone must be using their name for a scam

    • Nicholas Cade says:

      Same here got email and now everything over text

    • Nicholas Cade says:

      Same started with email and over texts? Think it’s a scam

    • KENNETH M HAINES says:

      You will get a feeling when you open a check that is truly too good to be true.

  4. Sandyf says:

    In response to Britt, It very well may be a scam if it does not fit what Kenny and I wrote about how they select shoppers. I believe if you are contacted by Ardent the contact would come from Michelle. I do not know if they work worldwide but she seems to be the scheduler for the US.

  5. Kawana says:

    I would like to know if this is real ,cause i recieve in assignment to do with yall.So please tell me this is real.thank you get back to me before i do my assignment please

    • Kenneth Haines says:

      I will repeat my thoughts and add that although I do not believe them to be operating still/again-be safe. If it is too good to be true-it really isn’t. If you have to put out cash-except for 10-20 bucks on food to be reimbursed-don’t buy in. There shops were always for a small meal and you had to attend a class to learn the flavor profiles and what to pay attention to during your shop. In reality if you pay for a burrito and they don’t reimburse you-oh well!!! What have you lost, not much. Other than that don’t shell out money-you won’t lose that way! Happy Holidays Everyone-this is a great secret shopper season but radar on and up because this is scam season as well!! Beware…Be safe!

    • Sandy says:

      This is an actual mystery shop company. I am shopping for them. They are quite wonderful and they pay me and reimburse me for every job I do. Whether the job Kwana is asking about is a real job I do not know. There is no information about the job posted. There are many scam sites. Kwana could be referencing a scam site. But if Kwana did get an assignment from the actual true site and not a scam site and does it according to the guidelines there should be no issues.

    • Kenneth Haines says:

      I am curious what types of shops you are doing for them. I enjoyed working for them

    • Sandy Forbis says:

      Where I live they have a burger shop now but in other parts of the country they may have something else.

  6. Judy says:

    I received an assignment from Ardent for Wal-Mart. I am leary of it because it said they will pay me $500 to do this assignment. That amount seems high for one assignment

    • kenneth haines says:

      SCAM-They mail a fancy looking fake check-it WILL BOUNCE!!

    • kenneth haines says:

      SCAM-They mail a fancy looking fake check-it WILL BOUNCE!!
      Run

    • DawnTolliver says:

      Was invited by them to mystery shop walmart also. From ardent. What’s the scam?

    • KENNETH M HAINES says:

      They send a fancy looking fake check for $2k or so extra which they ask you to give them the extra, then the check bounces and you are screwed.

  7. Jeannie Morrison says:

    I got the same email. They promised to pay me $500 for one shop plus I can keep everything I purchase…..yep too good to be true. Hell I would do 8 per day and be rolling in dough. SCAMS are everywhere and they are getting better at trapping people.

  8. Jeannie Morrison says:

    Kenneth M Haines, you are saying that this is a SCAM, yet you say that you worked for them in the past. Did they SCAM you? They are putting a check in the mail for me, but I haven’t been trained yet. How can they trust me. What if I take the check and run off with it. I haven’t been interviewed, background checked or anything. I will wait until I get my check and go from there. With COVID going on, I am out of work and could use $$$.

    • kenneth haines says:

      I worked for the real Ardent which trained me to taste the Chipotle hot line so we (a class of 6). This company or person behind the scams stole their name. There is not a functioning company by that name. Chipotle was there only client and when the company started struggling because of the ecoli outbreaks.
      Trust me- but if you get the check beware- it is usually printed on a gold foil enhanced pretty looking piece of paper

  9. Maxima says:

    Kenneth Haines thanks for your insights. I’ve been notified by text that I’ve been picked for their secret shopper & want to confirm my information But so sad that these people or scammers are the lowest scum of the world especially in this Covid crisis, I feel for that single Mom & thank God she listen to her Mother.. I was scammed once several years ago doing a company logo decal ad on my car,I’m a Retiree

  10. Maxima says:

    Kenneth Haines thanks for your insights. I’ve been notified by text that I’ve been picked for their secret shopper & want to confirm my information But so sad that these people or scammers are the lowest scum of the world especially in this Covid crisis, I feel for that single Mom & thank God she listen to her Mother.. I was scammed once several years ago doing a company logo decal ad on my car,I’m a Retiree..SCAM; NEVER accept Cashier’s check Nor deposit into your Bank acct., Never be the 3rd party to pay from your acct. for any tech…I tell them I’m Cashing the Cashier’s check thru their bank bc my bank won’t accept it & they haven’t answered.HOPE THIS HELPS INNOCENT YOU(s)..

  11. Kaelan Noble says:

    this is a scram and you will go to jail and you will be in really troble and the check look fancy but the check is fake and it will bounce.

  12. Charity Washington says:

    Got the text from this company.
    I’m Dean Henderson an Hiring Manager from Ardent Service Inc. This is to inform you that your first (Secret Shopper/Undercover) task has been assigned and scheduled to take place at two (2) different locations, near where you live.

    • Kenny Haines says:

      It is entirely possible that they reopened their business. Just be warey.

    • Judith Bollinger says:

      I got the same message from Dean Henderson. I decided to check out any scammers before I go further. They are sending me an assignment and money to cover the cost. They only asked for the bank name where I will cash it, no personal information except my address. Y’all tell me if this is legitimate!

    • Kenneth M Haines says:

      It is total BS!!!
      That check is as fake as a $3 bill!

  13. J Perkins says:

    I was contacted by Dean Henderson with the same statements as told in these conversations. He sent front and back of check for me to make mobile deposit. Larger than expected amount was told I would be purchasing items from assigned store … though not told the name. Thankfully I told him I was nit interested in the job … no response from him yet

  14. Marlene says:

    I’ve been contacted by a company that claims to be Ardent it’s definitely fraudulent, as soon as I said I would only cash the check through a check cashing store front would not include my bank and will in no way send any money back they stopped contacting me ! They maybe using Ardent services name but they cannot be trusted

  15. Roxanne lowell says:

    I just got a ck for 5500 and I was gonna go to amscot because they will tell you if it’s real or not and then I have 2 assignments ! Some one guide me please

    • Sandy says:

      Definitely a scam. No legit mystery shop company will send you a check especially if you are not registered with them. Occasionally they will send money upfront but it will be a small amt and you will have first registered with the company through their website, not thru a link from an email and successfully done jobs for them in the past and on top of that you saw the job on the website and applied for it. Once you are working successfully for them if you have a relationship with a scheduler they may ask you to apply for a specific job. You can find their REAL website with a link to their REAL website on the Mystery Shop Forum website.

    • kenneth haines says:

      It is 100% scam. I almost cashed mine but had second thoughts and they were dead on. I can’t believe they are still doing this. People want to believe but it is worthless. Apparently some people are falling for this as it keeps happening!

  16. Roxanne lowell says:

    I just got a ck for 5500 and I was gonna go to amscot because they will tell you if it’s real or not and then I have 2 assignments ! Some one guide me please ? Is this a scam

  17. Andre says:

    I believe this to be a scam I’ve been contacted by several different text messages including the dean Henderson one and I dealt with them in the past however to make sure that you actually get credit for taking down someone like this and not just having to post it here on this forum it’s a good idea to go ahead take the check and then report it to the post office because they have a $5,000 reward for them going ahead and catching people like this. Then at the same time you go ahead and let them know you have a check with the address of the individual that sent it to you they’ll Trace everything back and eventually when they do catch that person you’ll get the reward.