I get some calls, which generally result in my favor. When I'm asked if I can do a shop today or tomorrow, and I indicate that the location is xx miles away from me, or that it would take some rearranging to fit it into my schedule, I'm then asked "What will it take?". I'm reasonable, and so are they.

Interesting observation today on the Market Force site. The really big (spoken like Ed Sullivan) fast food company shops show a shop fee of $0.00, yes ZERO.

Might this be a simple mistake, or do I get to eat two unhealthy meals and do a free report?

would it be fee zero, only reimbursement? but that's not right.

ShopUntilYouDrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting observation today on the Market Force
> site. The really big (spoken like Ed Sullivan)
> fast food company shops show a shop fee of $0.00,
> yes ZERO.
>
> Might this be a simple mistake, or do I get to eat
> two unhealthy meals and do a free report?


I noticed that also.

Problem apparently fixed (or they read this board). They are back up to a generous $7.50.

But there are still the $5.00 carhop shops with a $5.25 reimbursement, excluding tip. Sigh..........

I got dumped for doing an emergency re audit on a Gas station. The First auditor got dumped for late submission and then I got dumped for the same reason. They called and begged both off us to fit the shop into our schedules. It all sounds good on the telephone, but when you submit your report as negotiated....LOOK OUT!.

Big Blue lost three of their best shoppers in this zip code because one of their people was not truthful. I have spoke with other shoppers in the zipcode and now Blue is having to pay $20.00 for the Up side down W shops plus reimbursement.

On the purple side, I was burned too many times with underpayment. One side gives you a written pay request that they always honored and the otherside can not remember how to pay the bonus amounts and negoitiated fees.

Yup--I had the original assignment before vanster, and got dumped because the system locked me out during "routine" maintenance and I couldn't submit the reports. vanster is absolutely right--they literally beg you to take the shop, and then in my case the system wasn't available to report it. It kind of feels like you're being set up to fail.

I feel sick about vanster getting booted, since he was such a great support to me when I got dumped.

I can sum up the situation in one word: crapdoodle!

Happy shopping, Carla

You are lucky if they pay you. They make up some excuse to not. I have been taken twice with this company.

PLEASE, Carla, watch your language. This is a family site.

Four years and counting for me and Market Force. So far so good. I can't really imagine a situation with any MSP I shop for that could not be reasonably resolved.

Except, there was the one that deactivated me. The owner asked "Do you want me to deactivate you?" I let him have the last word.

Edited: grammar correction

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/2010 03:59AM by Mert.

Not sure I agree, Mert. Gapbuster dumped me without explanation and would not respond to my future emails. For all I know it could have been a simple misunderstanding.

ShopUntilYouDrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not sure I agree, Mert. Gapbuster dumped me
> without explanation and would not respond to my
> future emails. For all I know it could have been a
> simple misunderstanding.


As with my deactivation, maybe the rule is proven by the exception.

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yup, I got an email request for sign up with the
> Purple Portal (Certified) yesterday. I just
> chuckled as I hit the 'delete' button.

Come on Flash. I thought you would be happy to jump at the chance to go to the inter city for $8 an hour and do buggy lugging merchandising work. I know it is my dream....a nightmare is a dream, right?

The bad joke is that I was signed up with them. Guess they either don't remember the 'good old days' or decided forgive and forget were the words of the day.

I recently did a shop for Market Force. At first my receipts were listed as received and then one was rejected as unable to read. I had earlier in the report mentioned the receipt was unreadable. I emailed them this and said I was mailing the receipts and CPI so they could see it was the FF machine not me that was at fault. My receipt is now listed as received and I am waiting to see what happens next.

Gotta check your receipts, I got in that habit way quick. If it's unreadable it's on you. BTW yes, at first they are listed as "received", which means "we got SOMETHING", then they either go to "VERIFIED" (all good) or they get kicked back for a problem.

momanno3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I recently did a shop for Market Force. At first
> my receipts were listed as received and then one
> was rejected as unable to read. I had earlier in
> the report mentioned the receipt was unreadable.
> I emailed them this and said I was mailing the
> receipts and CPI so they could see it was the FF
> machine not me that was at fault. My receipt is
> now listed as received and I am waiting to see
> what happens next.

Do you want to be fustrated and confused?

This company has the worst customer service and support out of any company I have ever worked with. I am new to this forum but a long time Shopper. They called me up to do a shop over and over. I told them I would assign it to myself if I can do this because I want to be 100% sure I can make it over there. Sure enough, I log in the next day and see that this on my page. I hurry up and complete the shop after driving who knows how far. I just made it in time as the shop was closing at 5pm. I shopped the location and did what I had to do. I had plans that night so I went straight out from there. I got home at midnight..... I complete the shop report at 1am.. SUBMIT...

The next day they said I could not get credit for the shop. I explained what happened and why it was an hour later for reporting. The schedular says no problem, be more careful in the future, you do a lot of shops for us and we recognize this. Well, The next morning, I can not ASSIGNED SHOPS OR SEE WHAT IS IN MY AREA. I write back to them and another schedule emails me.


Good morning TINA:



Unfortunately, we have decided that we cannot offer you any more assignments. As you know from reviewing the Shopper Quality Standards that are posted on our shopper website, we review each shopper's shopping history using several different historical reports. We hope that you can understand that we cannot share the specifics regarding why you are no longer being given the opportunity to select new shops; doing otherwise could reveal some of the most confidential and proprietary aspects of our business. Because Market Force is unique in this industry, we are not at liberty to share the decisions behind how and why shops are or are not offered to certain shoppers. However, we have had to remove your name from our shopper database and we will not be able to offer you any more assignments. We wish you professional success in your present and future endeavors.

And this is for life...
I have only been late on one shop 5 years ago with this company. Other then that, not other issues, problems, or questions... Are they kicking everyone off. A friend of mine told me they tell their CLIENT BASE that they rotate all shoppers... So everyone will get kicked off for life at some point.

Not the end of the world as there are more fish in the sea....

Tina

Hello Tina - It's hard to accept what we don't understand. The MSCs are always looking to sign up new shoppers, and we're always looking to find new companies with "better" jobs. You may have taken fewer jobs from them in the next few months on your own accord as you found other companies.

This is a "spilled milk" deal, not to fret over. I realize from reading the forum that I may be able to shop for them forever, or suddenly find out I'm done. We all get used to running the same track, no matter what we do, and anything that changes the track bothers us.

You'll drop them out of your "shop set" and you'll replace them with someone else. In a few days this won't hurt so much, and in a few weeks it won't hurt at all. Stick a bandaid on it, girl. You'll be fine. Best of luck / Mary

Someday some disgruntled ex MarketForce employee will join the forums (Deep Throat?) and spill the beans anonymously on this kind of behind the scenes stuff.