MSPA: Mystery Shopping Providers Association

I joined MSPA to day and at the moment I am not impressed with their customer service, their web site nor their attention to detail. If this was a Mystery Shop company the would have no clients. 

I paid $25.00 to join then paid $25.00 for Professional Responsibility & Ethics. I do not even have a link in the welcoming email and the email was a boiler plate along with the invoice for the PR&E.

I am also trying to get the silver certification however evidently that is even hidden some where deep in their web site. 

Oh yes I went to their Facebook page and sent what is in "My Two Cents Worth". However there is a small problem. My post must be viewed before it is posted. What do you want to bet the $50.00 I paid that the post will never appear on their Facebook page? I would rather see a post like this then some one contacting me and after clearing up all the confusion have me the author revise the post.

"Intro to Mystery Shopping Certification (formerly silver certification)

This is your introduction to mystery shopping. This certification course will teach you the basics and serve as a foundation for your future in the industry. (Must be completed on a PC or Mac)

*ATTENTION: The Intro to Mystery Shopping Certification course is included in your first year membership dues, a link is provided in your welcome email to take the course. All sales are final, no refunds."

Notice it states a link is provided in my welcoming email to take the course. No it wasn't, no link nothing about the PR&E nor the Intro to Mystery Shopping Certification course was in the email.

You will also notice there is no recourse for you if you purchase the wrong courses.  

All sales are final, no refunds

I sent an email to them but I have very little hope in that since I sent one to them on 4/16/2016. This is the first paragraph of the auto response I got on 4/16/2016 and have not received a reply yet:

"Thank you for your recent inquiry with the MSPA-NA. Due to high volume of inquiries MSPA-NA receives daily, this is an automatic response that answers a few general questions we receive from shoppers. If your question or request is answered below, you will not receive a follow up response from the MSPA-NA team. If your question is a unique one, we will respond to your e-mail directly."

A unique one? Really? Come on. I cannot in good conscious recommend MSPA for any one seriously considering joining MSPA. Instead I would take some of the courses that are offered by the individual Mystery Shop companies. Some are free and others are less expensive than what is being offered by MSPA. 

I do hope I am wrong, I really do for I have heard a lot of good things about MSPA, however hearing good things and experiencing what I have experienced are two different things.

If you become a member of MSPA be ultra cautious in your purchases you can spend a lot of money on courses that will not get you your MSPA certification.