Market Force is a self assign company and although the pay is not high, they do pay promptly, once a month and have direct deposit. My only problem with them is that they had a problem with a shop I did at a local fast food place and after asking me questions (same ones that were on my report and I gave them the same answers again) they informed me that my services were no longer needed. I called and emailed but they never would tell me what the problem was. I do my shops following the required format and report honestly on what I find. I do not know what was wrong and this really bothers me that they won't tell me. I remember the specific shop and I said some "not so nice" but true things about the window person. She was rude. I did notice that she was a team lead on her nametag. I would have thought she would know better. All I can guess is that she lied about what I said happened. Bothers me because I know I didn't do anything wrong and I (of course) didn't get paid for the shop nor reimbursed for the food I was required to buy.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2011 04:52PM by doubleell.

Hi doubleell. Note that it is a violation of your ICA with Market Force to disclose who their clients are. Use the "Edit" button in the lower right corner of your post to change the client name to something like "fast food".

That company does not seem to care about what shoppers think or report about customer service. To me, they seem more concerned with the crew following standard operating procedures and marketing.
Since 2005 I have read the same thing many times of shoppers being deactivated because of negative information given about bad service.
Don't fret about it. More then likely you would have been deactivated after your 500th shop with them.
Sign up with Quest for the Best if you enjoy doing those FF shops,They pay double what MF does.

I always cringe when the service person doesn't do what they are supposed to do when I am on a shop for Market Force. I always SO feel like yelling "No! I'm a mystery shopper! You HAVE to do it this way." Too bad we can't because MF is always incredulous when the shop doesn't happen exactly the way it is supposed to.

Hasn't been my experience. But, I've heard it often enough that I wouldn't be surprised if it happened to me tomorrow, so I'm knocking on wood.

I just did a drive through for a fried chicken outlet that was horrible. I waited about 15 minutes at the window and then my order was wrong. I reported exactly how it happened and have not heard from MF yet, so I guess it was OK to tell it like it is. After reading so many times of their bad reaction to negative reports, I was concerned. So far so good.

I wouldn't sweat it either. I 'think' I have a good relationship with MF. A scheduler called me last week & asked me to pick up a couple of shops. She said I had an "excellent" rating. Still, I've read way too many times about people being deactivated for no apparent reason. So, I too knock on wood that I haven't been deactivated yet.

MF shops don't pay well, but they're easy to complete if I'm going to be in the area or establishment anyway.

patnewman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just did a drive through for a fried chicken
> outlet that was horrible. I waited about 15
> minutes at the window and then my order was wrong.
> I reported exactly how it happened and have not
> heard from MF yet, so I guess it was OK to tell it
> like it is. After reading so many times of their
> bad reaction to negative reports, I was concerned.
> So far so good.


It's been my experience that you won't hear anything right away. It will probably be a few weeks if and when the client questions the validity of the negative comments. Then you might see questions like "Are you the person that changed your mind several times and dropped your money on the ground as you were paying?

I guess I've been lucky with them so far. I've done 500+ shops for MF. While I have had them come back and question me immediately after a shop where something did not happen as it should have or showed poor customer service in some way, I have never (so far, knock on wood!) had them come back more than a day or two later to question the validity of my comments. I take good notes and hold onto them just in case, though.

I've had the clarifying type questions a day or two later also. Usually because I didn't answer a question on the form quite as they expected. The questions about the negative shop experience came much later, 6 weeks or so.

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi doubleell. Note that it is a violation of your
> ICA with Market Force to disclose who their
> clients are. Use the "Edit" button in the lower
> right corner of your post to change the client
> name to something like "fast food".


Oh well. Market Force certainly doesn't seem to care about it's shoppers, so why go the extra mile and look out for T&C's of your Contractor's Agreement? I mean seriously, what are they going to do? Try to track down who you are on the Internet and take you to court over it?

Would love to know why people make such a big deal about stuff like this. It's Mystery Shopping ... that's all.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2010 01:09AM by mystikwizard.

Very simply, it is a matter of honor. When you sign off on an ICA you can treat it as a joke or a lark if that is your nature. And under those circumstances you have no ethical stance when the mutual commitment on your contract with them is violated by them.

mystikwizard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Would love to know why people make such a big deal
> about stuff like this. It's Mystery Shopping ...
> that's all.


The point is though that we sign (click on a box, whichever) a contract. If we expect MSPs to treat us professionally and do what they say they will (pay us on time for example) shouldn't we in turn do what we agree to?

lisams901 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mystikwizard Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Would love to know why people make such a big
> deal
> > about stuff like this. It's Mystery Shopping
> ...
> > that's all.
>
>
> The point is though that we sign (click on a box,
> whichever) a contract. If we expect MSPs to treat
> us professionally and do what they say they will
> (pay us on time for example) shouldn't we in turn
> do what we agree to?


Again, I go back to this being an Internet forum. Are you honestly saying with a straight face that an MSP is going to track down who you are that *gasp* revealed a client's name and seek legal recourse?

Market Force, of all companies who is notorious for giving their shoppers the shaft, is the company I would least be concerned about .... along with their subsidiary, Certified. When these companies actually show respect and treat their shoppers like human beings, they'll get respect back.

Until then, realistically nothing is going to happen by mentioning a client's name. That's just being absolutely blunt about the situation. They aren't and can't do anything about it. So I just wish people would stop pretending like a sin has been committed and that the Lord will strike thee down unless you remove the name of the client.

Is it wrong to do so? Yes. Do MSP's do their fair share of wrong, however? Absolutely.

The point seems to be lost on you, mystikwizard.

It reminds me of the kid's excuse for his own misbehavior being "He started it!" And there is absolutely no reason whatsoever why this forum needs to condone failure to comply with ICAs. Perhaps mystikwizard would prefer have a moderator censor all posts prior to their appearance to avoid such issues.

Mysticwizard,
You are disrespecting us, the members of this forum with your attitude toward the ICA.

Seems that we've had way too many trolls on this board the last few days.

On a lighter note, I would like to offer up one slightly used "Congratulations - Performance Milestione" certificate I received from Market Force. It is truly a gorgeous work of art with a banner and a giant star in the middle. Suitable for framing.

It was offered to me as a "thank you for all you do," after 250 shops and exactly one week before they deactivated me.

I thought it might someday become a rare collector's piece, but I am guessing there are others out there.

I had planned to mount it on a plaque and put in my den alongside my bowling trophy, but I feel it might be better suited to line a cat's litter box.

Any bids?

Condolences, RJR. Is nothing sacred? Is no one safe?

Perhaps, wear the certificate as a ceremonious badge of honor. Place it on the dartboard. Crumple it up and put in the spittoon. Put it in a time capsule and bury it. Put some wacky tobaccy in it, light it and tell us a joke in General Chat

RJR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On a lighter note, I would like to offer up one
> slightly used "Congratulations - Performance
> Milestione" certificate I received from Market
> Force. It is truly a gorgeous work of art with a
> banner and a giant star in the middle. Suitable
> for framing.
>
> It was offered to me as a "thank you for all you
> do," after 250 shops and exactly one week before
> they deactivated me.
>
> I thought it might someday become a rare
> collector's piece, but I am guessing there are
> others out there.
>
> I had planned to mount it on a plaque and put in
> my den alongside my bowling trophy, but I feel it
> might be better suited to line a cat's litter
> box.
>
> Any bids?

Yes - they like to send these for all the milestones. If you had made it to 500, there would be another one. They send Happy Birthday e-mails, too. I can make my own certificates. I'd rather have money.

Flash, thank you for the reminder about my agreement with Market Force. I changed my original post to read "fast food" as you suggested. You are right, we made an agreement and I was not thinking when I used the fast food place's actual name. Just because they wrongly deactivated me does not mean I should do wrong as well. I just wanted to know other's experiences with them. Apparently I'm not alone in my situation.

MarketForce is top notch and if you have a problem with anything, they will try to help you. They pay quickly and are reputable. I have had to rescedule due to icy roads and they never asked the reason, just did it.

I think that Market Force like any other company may just "burn out" on a person. I mean that. You might be a hero, but their client may get tired of the same word by word reports.

If I were to shop 300 shops for them and my results were always the same, it's kinda like your girlfriend seeing you show up everytime at exactly 8pm and saying the exact same thing, going to the exact same place...bla..bla...

I'm not saying that you need a new girlfriend, etc, but you might want to step it up a couple of levels.

Ok, throw stuff at me...but it's true. (Nothing heavy!)

richraynor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> If I were to shop 300 shops for them and my
> results were always the same, it's kinda like your
> girlfriend seeing you show up everytime at exactly
> 8pm and saying the exact same thing, going to the
> exact same place...bla..bla...
>


If you shop 300 shops for anyone and your reports are all the same, something is rotten in Denmark, and it ain't the cheese.

Something new happened yesterday when I was signing up for some of the regional grocery store shops in my area. There were maybe 25-40 shops, all at different stores, available per week. BUT, as soon as I signed up for one in a particular week, all of the others due that week disappeared from my self-assign list! This is not what happened before with this client. Before, I would routinely do location A on Monday, B on Wednesday and C on Friday in the same week. Maybe the client has asked them to broaden the number and variety of shoppers being used over the course of a month? 'Tis a mystery.

Maybe this means that I will see those shops "return" in the form of bonused assignments when they cannot fill them adequately with this new method.

I routinely see additional shops at the same location at different times of day or days disappear once I take 1 at the location with some clients. With another client I see numerous locations and once I have taken 3 the rest disappear. I suspect it may well be a client request at one per shopper. What I do find fascinating is that sometimes the quota gets waived a day or two after the initial post, or perhaps it is shops some other shopper cancelled that become fair game. Kind of hard to tell.

Marketforce cancelled my account for too many good scores.

mnairus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Marketforce cancelled my account for too many good
> scores.


Not to dispute what you say but how do you know that?

If the MSC breaks the Independent Contractor Agreement then the shopper has no future obligations under it -- unless one is drawn-up very cleverly -- which I have yet to see. Not paying is a violation of the ICA.

And, as a sidenote, this company's very business model seems to be based on unethical activity at every chance.


Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Very simply, it is a matter of honor. When you
> sign off on an ICA you can treat it as a joke or a
> lark if that is your nature. And under those
> circumstances you have no ethical stance when the
> mutual commitment on your contract with them is
> violated by them.