ABOUT US

- ETHICS & GUIDELINES

All MSPA member companies have signed up to a Code of Ethics.  We also work within a set of Guidelines that have helped to raise the levels of professionalism across the Mystery Shopping industry.  The measures we have taken ensure that our clients and mystery shoppers can be confident that they will be dealt with fairly and ethically when choosing to work with an MSPA member.

MSPA member companies do not charge shoppers to apply to work with them.  Over the past few years, more and more non-MSPA companies have appeared on the internet who charge prospective shoppers a fee to apply via their websites. In many cases, the fee simply entitles the applicant to gain access to the websites of other mystery shopping companies. There is a wealth of free information available about mystery shopping at www.mspa-ea.org.  Our site lists hundreds of shopping companies where shoppers can apply for free.  MSPA member companies are not allowed to charge shoppers any fees.

Information for Members

Access to a whole host of information about member guidelines, ethics and standards, including over 14 translations of the Code of Professional Standards and Ethics for Members is available via the dedicated members’ section of the site.

• MSPA EA - Guidelines for Mystery Shopping (adopted October 2021/updated December 2023 )- download pdf
• Common Codes of Professional Standards and Ethical Conduct (adopted 19 September 2018) - download pdf
• COVID-19 Protocols for Face-to-Face Mystery Shopping fieldwork in Mystery Shopping - download pdf

Information for Mystery Shoppers

Similarly, Mystery Shoppers can access information relating to Ethics and Standards within the dedicated Mystery Shopper pages of this site.  There are 14 translations of the Code of Professional Standards and Ethics Agreement for Shoppers available.

• MSPA Code of Professional Standards and Ethics Agreement for Mystery Shoppers (adopted April 2018) download pdf
• COVID-19 Protocols for Mystery Shoppers download pdf

List of translated downloads