After a first career in loss prevention for a nationally known retail store and a stint as a reserve police officer, Doug Rector started Northwest Loss Prevention Consultants in 1997. Despite this background, the name of the company, and the fact it also offers private investigation services, Northwest Loss Prevention Consultants (NWLPC) bills itself as a mystery shopping company.
Helping clients deliver superior customer service is this company’s focus. Located near Seattle, Washington, it offers mystery shops in casinos, parking lots, restaurants, apartments and other retail stores primarily in the states of Washington and California. Additional locations of shops include other northwestern states as well as Texas and Illinois. Video shopping is available.
Payment is made by Paypal on the 20th of the month following the shop. An I-9 form is not required to be submitted during the registration process, but is required before payment is issued. MSPA certified shoppers are preferred. Additionally, owner Doug Rector is a licensed private investigator in Washington state. His company offers such services in Washington and on a sub-contracted basis in other states.
This MSPA member company has two websites that are very similar. For shoppers, there is an important difference. The first website, listed on both MSPA and this forum (http://www.nwlpc.com/), lists all services offered by NWLPC that include private investigations and pre-employment background screening. This site will direct new shoppers to the ISecretShop portal to complete the shopper registration process. On that portal NWLPC is listed as one of the contributing companies. The second website, (http://
Doug Rector is a 2015 member of the MSPA Board of Directors. He uses Facebook and Twitter to announce shops and post information related to mystery shopping. He is also quite active on the forum. Coast to Coast Scheduling Service (CTCSS) is also used at times to schedule shops. CTCSS posts jobs from NWLPC on the forum job board.
This east coast shopper has not seen any shops in my area. Registration through the ISecretShop portal was quick. Many long-time, trusted forum members have excellent experiences with this company. They like the pay, confirm the pay schedule, and recommend the company. They say Doug Rector is extremely responsive to shopper issues. For example, one shopper reported he reached out to request a missing I-9 form and payment was issued mere hours after the I-9 was submitted. In addition, he is an active member of this forum.
A few forum shoppers with few posts report issues with not being paid or shops being rejected. They call the owner rude and condescending. Doug Rector has responded on the forum to address such complaints or clarify company operations. Long-time, trusted forum members call his style, “Blunt, Straight-forward, and Professional.” In a forum post, he himself says his responses are often, “Short” as he explains he has limited time for numerous emails and calls in his day. I find his responses to be direct, detailed and professional as he explains the other side of the story or offers additional clarification for posts. He also makes it clear that contact with his company by either email or phone are welcome. The BBB accredits NWLPC with an A+ rating.
In conclusion I think this is a fine company. There are more than enough positive comments from long-time trusted forum members that recommend the company and respect the owner. Geographic location of shops seem to be focused to the West Coast of the United States and some other states. The owner can be viewed as brusque in manner. However, his posts on the forum show both detail and fairness. It also seems clear he is one of the most responsive owners in the business. If there is anything in this article deserving his response, I expect and welcome it.