I work for Market force and do approximately 30 - 40 shops a month for them. I had a set of shops scheduled for yesterday for a local gas station chain (10 dollars x 5 shops). One of the perimeters for these shops is that when it rains you have to reschedule. Well it was raining and I could not reschedule... well I emailed the company and they did not reply until tonight. About 8 hours past due they remove the shops from your list and reassign them - although I had already emailed them to have them rescheduled...

50 dollars down the drain - again.

Anyone else have this issue with MF? Any response from the company?

Thanks!

I have always found that I could reschedule. I suppose this is because I usually assign myself the very first day or two that the shop is possible so there are still days after that that would be available. When I didn't do that I too had a shop I couldn't reschedule and lost.

Yep, my58vw, Three of us got terminated because we had "late issues" You are better to make a phone call than to send a email.. It never rains in Western Washington according to one of the "Help Desk" people I spoke with. But when i sent the email about being late, I got the we do not need services notice.

I like Marketforce about as much as I like greenbean casserole.

I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I have done over 30 shops for MF and never had a problem.

I generally do 10-15 shops for them per month for years and while there have been a couple of snafus there have not been significant problems.

I like MF. And have done many shops for them. They did finally remove some of there prominent FF shops from my list. And boy was I glad. But we are on a even standing ground so I don't mind those FF being removed.

As far as green"been" casserole well that was never one of my FF favorites.

Market Force also has a problem with putting up paperwork that presents problems. One of the last shops I did for them (just this month, before I decided to quit working for them owing to massive payment problems) initially required me to track the standees (POP items for theatres, advertising upcoming movies) for Season of The Witch. I waited for the tracking links to appear, then finally called to inquire as no one was responding to the email I had sent. On the day o was to do the shops, I finally got the rest of the paperwork, only to find that it stated, "Standees will be delivered on Wednesday Afternoon, November 17th at 1 PM. You DO NOT need to track the standee on-line" on page 1 but still stated on page 2: "Bring to the theatre: instructions, letter of authorization, the field form, the person’s name who signed for delivery, and digital camera."

Of course, I did not have the name of the person who signed for delivery. However, a great more amount of work was required for me to untangle the contradictory instructions (a detail which I have long found to be a regular part of Market Force; beware the incorrect field dates that MF posts on its "Scheduled Assignments" TAKE SCREEN SHOTS as they will deny such mistakes) owing to my having to re-schedule the shops. I have since dropped MF from my list of shops for which I work, and am preparing to pursue legal action regarding the considerable sum of money they are months overdue in owing me.

Along with the low pay, large PDF files (often up to 20+ pages, but 40+ pages is not unusual) and the temporary employees who cannot be held accountable owing to their not being there any longer than a day or two (which is distressing when it comes to promised higher payments), I would not recommend Market Force unless one lives in New York (I did when I started working for them in 2005) where one can visit their office to get prompt action toward promised payments. The firm makes itself very difficult to contact regarding late payments, offers excuses about reasons that are not disclosed on the Web site (the MF Web site states "five days" for payment inquiries to be attended, but when it takes one or two months for a response and afterward the excuses of "it may take up to 12 days if there is an issue" without disclosing that thee is an issue, one is sure to understand that there is a far larger problem.)

Sorry for your troubles, MetroHopper. It sounds as though they're with Certified Field Associates, the purple portal of MFI?

Yes, it is in particular the CFA office out of upstate NY that is the problem.

my58vw Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I work for Market force and do approximately 30 -
> 40 shops a month for them. I had a set of shops
> scheduled for yesterday for a local gas station
> chain (10 dollars x 5 shops). One of the
> perimeters for these shops is that when it rains
> you have to reschedule. Well it was raining and I
> could not reschedule... well I emailed the company
> and they did not reply until tonight. About 8
> hours past due they remove the shops from your
> list and reassign them - although I had already
> emailed them to have them rescheduled...
>
> 50 dollars down the drain - again.
>
> Anyone else have this issue with MF? Any response
> from the company?
>
> Thanks!


I had the same problem. The cold front blew in and I could not do the shop. However, I just used the reschedule link and picked another day. No problems rescheduling as these are running until December 15.
Did you try the reschedule link? or just emailed and then waited?

I like certified myself, been with them quite awhile, always paid on time and never problems with rescheduling if someting comes up.
I like that they contact me for last minute stores off and on as there is only one other person in our district who won't do anything out of town and it brings my pay up even higher.

I work for MF I have stopped taking $4, 7 and $9 shops. Specially the bank shops, they have the most repetitious form questions AI have seen. These 4, 7 and $9 shops are just not worth starting the car up and driving anywhere to get back maybe a $1.50. I posted about this toady.

If we keep taking these shops for less than $15 shop pay plus reimbursement they are the ones making the money oat our expense. These report we provide are very valuable to their client and them and what are we getting? couple of pieces of corn.

I hope I don't get taken out of their forum for speaking my mind.
I do have great companies I work for. I have a 9 to 10 Rating and five in the ones that rate 1 to 5.

I am looking sign up with companies that have the $15 to $75 Plus shops for the new year to start 2011.

I checked out this site and it has some good info www.ToShopEarnMoney.com

I just checked out www.ToShopEarnMoney.com. It is a site that wants to charge $25.00 for mystery shopping leads. I am wondering if Carlos is a shill for this company. He is supposedly an experienced shopper but only has 4 posts here. Just Wondering.

SPAM

Why did you spam my post?

Sorry, my aim is a little off today. I was throwing cans of spam at Carlos and he ducked.

After a bit of hassle, MarketForce/CFA finally paid up—more than two months later and only after threats of litigation that the USPS would have been involved owing to the mails being used.

Anyhow, I had meant to warn folk again that CFA is not to be trusted owing to the reasons above. Moreover, they are extremely difficult to contact except for that annoying 1-800 number that too often goes to message machine. However, as I promised, here are some interior contacts for when the inevitable occurs again.

Rebecca Smith: 1-800-320-1290 x1510 email: rsmith2@marketforce.com

Also, inside the office and unlisted is this number: 518-610-8011.

Finally, I believe I have a 212 number as well but I may have misplaced it for the present. If I find it I will post it as well.

Congratulations.

MetroHopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
However, a great more
> amount of work was required for me to untangle the
> contradictory instructions (a detail which I have
> long found to be a regular part of Market Force;
> beware the incorrect field dates that MF posts on
> its "Scheduled Assignments" TAKE SCREEN SHOTS as
> they will deny such mistakes) owing to my having
> to re-schedule the shops.

This is probably the best advice I've seen here regarding MFI. That's how I got burned-they admitted in an e-mail that I read what I thought I read, but since I couldn't "prove" exactly how it was worded, I lost $16 FF shop.

I no longer even look for work on their site, I don't get e-mails either, I presume I've been deactivated.

I have done several shops for them recently, and had a big problem with CFA. The girl who scheduled my shop was completely unprofessional. She canceled my shop with no warning, and then would not reply to my emails or phone calls.
I reported her, so I hope she got canned.
There was another lady who helped me out, when I finally got a hold of someone. So it just depends on who you are working with.
I have yet to get paid for any of the shops I have done, as it has not been a month yet. My pay better be there! I don't think I am going to take any more shops for this company until I see some money paid in return.

I personally have been performing shops for MF for almost two years, with almost 150 shops and I only had one shop not paid by my fault, yes I was pissed but it was my fault, I don't even remember the particulars. For what it's worth this has been my experience with them.

Carlos, was that 'blue portal' or 'purple portal'? I too have no problems with the 'blue portal' but won't touch 'purple portal'.

let me make clear that my dour experience was with the Purple Portal, CFA (Certified Field Associates), but as Market Force owns them (Blue Portal), they have some significant responsibility for those who get shafted by the upstate NY-based CFA.

I couldn't say how much independence the various portals have and how much involvement the parent company has. I frankly look at it as not punishing child A for the ornery and noxious behavior of child B. And it is because of this view that I really wish folks were clear whether they were talking about noxious 'blue portal' behavior or 'purple portal' behavior. I recognize that some folks have had issues with 'blue portal' but it seems that by far the most issues are 'purple portal' ones.

Although Market Force has both portals, CFA operates much differently than the blue portal. They system is different, the procedures are different, payment is different, the phone numbers and offices are different.

The only similarity is that they're both owned by the same parent company, and Market Force has a link to them on their website. In all practicality, they're two different companies.

So far I haven't had any issues with the blue portal, and only two with the purple (both were paperwork related). Twice, on the purple side, the paperwork hasn't been ready in time for my shop.

Yes, I only have worked for the Blue Portal, for for all purposes they should work with the same integrity in their operations. The Purple may have problems and maybe that is why I have not enrolled in the shop styles or services they have. When O looked into the Purple, It was just not for me the types of shops they offer in the Purple.

Market Force....send me the shops of those who hate you. I like the deposits you put in my bank! LOL!!!! Shops are good...send more!

I promised another number for those whose future inevitable woes with CFA/Market Force (Purple Portal) might want to have it:


212-883-0884

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Carlos, was that 'blue portal' or 'purple portal'?
> I too have no problems with the 'blue portal' but
> won't touch 'purple portal'.


Flash,

It's interesting that you won't do the blue portal and that's the one I got the "services no longer needed" from after a fast food shop I did where I had to make a negative report. Until that, I never had any problem with them and they do pay promptly, I have to say that. I still do the purple portal and I like the fact that I have permanent stores I can count on always having. I have had a time or two where I was instructed in the paperwork to call them from the store if certain issues arose and could not get anyone at the number but other than that, they do pay promptly as well and the only time I had a problem with getting paid was once and once I contacted them, they fixed it.

Doubleell