After all I have read about them, I am scared to sign up. I defenitely don't want those annoying phone calls. Is it worth it?

Market Force reports are very easy to do. As long as you read and follow the instructions you should not have problems. Yes, there seem to be problems that come up out of the blue for shoppers once in a while with no explanation based on what I have read on the forum but these seem to be shoppers who have done many, many shops for them without a problem. Don't let this scare you. And getting cut also appears to be after having done many, many shops. Enjoy their shops if you like what they have to offer until you get to that point. By that time you will have moved on to other companies as well.

If you are relatively new to mystery shopping, the training provided by Market Force cannot be discounted. The instructions are clear to the point of being tedious and the reports are simple. They can be unforgiving in regards to mistakes, but they are not the only one. The upside, many of their jobs involve little to no money out of pocket and minimal time. Better to make a mistake with those than a job involving a couple of hours and a large purchase.

I'm feeling left out. I've done about five shops for Market Force, and have had no problems with my reports and none of these annoying phone calls either. I guess I'll be quiet. LOL

Don't feel alone. I don't know if they are calling me or not. My policy is not to answer calls from numbers I don't recognize. If they don't leave a message, que sera.

I guess I should not say anything, but it seem like the phone calls have slowed down. Of course it may be that it is the first of the month, but last month that didn't matter. I am one of these people that can not stand to see or hear an unanswered phone, but I have learned to ignore any call from the 925 area code.

I haven't noticed phone calls as of late, either, but since my Tracfone only has 30 seconds of time on it, I won't know since I won't be answering. I've been doing shops for them since 2008, so whatever has happened to others that has gotten them in jams with MF, I hope that doesn't befall me.


I guess with sitting at home a healthy chunk of this year, I will be cutting back on shops, though. Since I moved 20 miles from my last place of residence, it's not really all that great an idea to burn the gas and knock off a handful of "America's drive in" shops like I used to.

I shop often for both MF blue and purple and have had no problems with them. The phone calls can be annoying, but when they leave a message, it is always to call them IF I am interested in a particular shop. When I have contacted them, they have been helpful. I'm not sure why so many complain about them but, for me at least, it has been a good experience and was a good MSP to start with before expanding to others.

You also have to remember that MF has so many shops in so many areas of the country that by sheer bulk alone they will have a higher number of problems. Percentage wise to the huge number of shops they have it might not be so much. Many people have had no problems.

I LOVE hearing from them. usually means they are ready to offer REAL money

I work a lot with them and I like that company a lot. They have a limit of 4 shops per day, but they got to trust me and allow me to do any amount of jobs I ask. I have not had many phone calls, the ones I had were for some late audits that they need done urgently. It was even a good couple of phone calls since they paid $50 each.
They made a mistake in assigning me a job double and since the mistake was theirs they paid both assignment anyway. They paid $2 more in a payout and even though I let them know, they did not take it back the following payout.

Sorry, but I have nothing against that company. Moreover, their paperwork are one of the best you will see around.

Charyuop just wait..... you might think otherwise. Someone in this system will figure out even with permission
You exceeded four shops. And paperwork is good until they change a date on you or a reimbursement without your knowledge. It does happen.

I was nervous about taking my first FF shop with MF, I had heard all kinds of horror stories about FF shops. I took my first one because it was up to 25$. The times were terrible, but I got paid. The second one was bonused again, again the times were terrible, but this time I got the wrong food. I've done one more with terrible times, still waiting on payment, but they verified my receipts and I haven't heard that I won't be getting paid. I've also done two non FF shops and they went well. One of them paid 12$ and the shop itself took about 2-1/2 minutes. I got paid for that and the grocery store shop I did. I've never had a shop come back from them for clarification. (knock on wood). I did one merchandising assignment for the purple side. I do get phone calls from them since I did that shop, but they aren't rude and they don't sound like they are outsourced to another country.

I love Market Force. I have been with them for six years and have never gotten an annoying phone call (I only work the blue portal). The phone calls I get are from very nice schedulers and they took rejections well. If I can't do it, I can't - that's that. The times that I could, there was bonus money. I am not a newbie and I shop FD and 4-star hotels, but I still love Market Force.

I thought the phone calls had slowed down, but in the last 24 hours, I've gotten 4 calls, a text and at least 7 emails from them. It's getting very tiresome.

Calls haven't slowed down here. I have had 4 in the last week.

I think people complain about them a lot for 2 reasons. One is the sheer volume of shops they do. There are so many that some are bound to go wrong. The other is that they will allow anyone with a pulse to do their shops. Many of the biggest complainers are those that have only done a few shops and they have yet to realize that all those specifics in the guidelines have to be done. Better that it happens when you are on a shop ordering burgers than a meal that costs $100.

In many ways, they are the training wheels of the industry. They help you to learn, but you still need to do the work to get there.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2012 02:28AM by Shelly.

I had a horrible experience with MarketForce. They were annoying me with those awful phone calls, even though I told them that if they don't offer me more than 20 to do a job (I live in the third largest town in Massaschusetts-just to get to the highway takes me more than 15 minutes, never mind travel time) don't offer it to me. Finally they offer me a decent job about three towns down from me so I take it. Up until this point I had been rather lucky, taking bonus assignments that were all along the same route so I made an o.k. wage for hardly any work, and they paid me, so I wasn't too afraid. Then I took this job, at a fantastic sams or some such nonsense. They told me I had to do the shop on Monday. See the problem here? Hair dressing salons aren't generally open on Monday! So I get all the way there on the day they told me it HAD to be done, only to find out it was closed. I was more than irritated. They then had the guts to call me up and ask me to do the shop again. I told them that I would only do the shop if they reimbursed me for that visit that never happened that I showed up for. They told me no. I told them to lose my name if that was the case. They did.

Where you see the color of the portal? The one I work for as no color at all. I start wondering if there are more than one company called MF...

When you go to the market Force login screen

[www.marketforce.com]

Blue portal is on the left - mystery shopping - and purple portal is on the right - merchandising and theatre. They just call them the "blue" and the "purple."

LOL I had never seen that log in page. I always use this one [www.marketforceshopper.com] and I am not sure which MF is. Actually I have heard of the 2 different MF in this forum for the first time. I will pay a visit to them now ))))

awwwwwwwww sorry! I can call and annoy you if you are feeling unloved I love seeing that MF is calling. It means that there is something in my area that they are willing to pay extra for. I wonder if you could still work for them without giving a phone number. Most problems with reports are handled by email anyway.

EyesOnYou Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm feeling left out. I've done about five shops
> for Market Force, and have had no problems with my
> reports and none of these annoying phone calls
> either. I guess I'll be quiet. LOL

Wow, at first sight purple looks more confusing. I opened a couple of theaters and have no date or time. There is a bunch of Wal-mart stocking which I know I could do since my full time job is....overnight Walmart stocker LMAO...sad....

And can I take someone with me to the theaters? LOL they help me remember the commercials LMAO

That's what I thought, too. I signed up years ago at the same time as I signed up with Blue, but I never worked for Purple.

Not worth it to me. Low pay for the first reason....

LOL thought the idea of clocking out, then walking to my manager and say "ok, now I am a contractor, here's my paperwork and I go back to work" LOL
(Sad is that MF pays $8/hour, as Walmart employee I get $12 LOL).

robinhardage Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I LOVE hearing from them. usually means they are
> ready to offer REAL money


Robinhardage,
I love getting their call also. They are one of the best companies to do shops for. Yes, you have to be accurate which is to be expected.
If you are a good shopper you will love them.

Hey charyuop,

A few things to remember about the theater shops (these are the trailer checks, not the installs):

- You are only allowed to stay during the first five minutes as the trailers run. You are not allowed to stay through the movie. =( I have had schedulers say that as long as the manager doesn't mind, it's okay, but that's ... umm ... not exactly sanctioned by the company.

- You don't have to remember what trailers are shown before the movie starts. You have a sheet that you take with you that'll give you all the information you'll really need to note. The whole goal for the trailer check is to firstly, identify what kind of theaters the trailers are running in (3D, Dolby Surround, etc.) and second, to note what the audience reaction is (laughter, applause, surprise, etc.).

One last thing you need to remember about these shops is that, depending upon the size of the theater you're going to, you may need to do this check on more than one screen. My last shop, for example, was for The Hunger Games. I had FIVE screens to do that day-- one at 12:00, 12:15, 12:30, 12:45 and 1:00. It was a busy hour!

Hope that helps!

Jen

charyuop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And can I take someone with me to the theaters?
> LOL they help me remember the commercials LMAO

Yes thank you. I does help a lot. The helper thing was just a joke meant as I will carry the family. But I thought you had more to remember than just 5 minutes since it says to go there at least 30 minutes before. I like the job, the only thing I do not like is that it does not mention the time. You will have to pick what they have planned for that audti or nothing.

In your personal experience, they usually let you stay or they kick you out? Or you just play dumb and stay there till they kick you out? LOL


jentodd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey charyuop,
>
> A few things to remember about the theater shops
> (these are the trailer checks, not the installs):
>
>
> - You are only allowed to stay during the first
> five minutes as the trailers run. You are not
> allowed to stay through the movie. =( I have had
> schedulers say that as long as the manager doesn't
> mind, it's okay, but that's ... umm ... not
> exactly sanctioned by the company.
>
> - You don't have to remember what trailers are
> shown before the movie starts. You have a sheet
> that you take with you that'll give you all the
> information you'll really need to note. The whole
> goal for the trailer check is to firstly, identify
> what kind of theaters the trailers are running in
> (3D, Dolby Surround, etc.) and second, to note
> what the audience reaction is (laughter, applause,
> surprise, etc.).
>
> One last thing you need to remember about these
> shops is that, depending upon the size of the
> theater you're going to, you may need to do this
> check on more than one screen. My last shop, for
> example, was for The Hunger Games. I had FIVE
> screens to do that day-- one at 12:00, 12:15,
> 12:30, 12:45 and 1:00. It was a busy hour!
>
> Hope that helps!
>
> Jen
>
> charyuop Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > And can I take someone with me to the theaters?
> > LOL they help me remember the commercials LMAO

To be really honest, I never stay. =) It makes me feel uncomfortable asking, so I just drop by the manager's desk, show them my letter (actually, they never look, they just wave me on-- they couldn't care less), do the shop and leave within about ten minutes.

Just to be really clear, they won't tell you the time. They'll tell you the date. Then it's your job to go out to the movie theater's website (or the newspaper, or moviefone, etc.) to check the times (whatever the directions for the shop says). They'll tell you if they want you to do the first showing of the day, or whatever, but they'll never tell you the exact time.

For me, I go to a very small theater in a village (the village's about 5000 people), so I have no traffic, no long lines, no trouble getting into the theater about fifteen minutes before the show, etc. For me, I have to leave about ten minutes before the show time and I know everything will be okay. For you, that might be different.

Keep in mind, you might have to check out the rest rooms, as well. You can always check them out after the show.

Sending the best,

Jen

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2012 06:02PM by jentodd.