Granted it always seems odd when a thread from the past is dredged up. On the other hand, if you use the search function for a company and aren't paying attention to the dates it is an easy enough mistake. If someone were actually "trolling" the board for three years just waiting to stir up negativity they must be awfully patient to have ignored a multitude of other opportunities. Meanwhile we have a lot of posts here suggesting members find existing threads rather than starting new ones all the time.

Isn't it possible Laurie was recently deactivated or accused of fraud and didn't have a reason to make this post in the previous three years? The sentiments she echoed were those of the OP of this thread WildBill, not CarthageBill since he just joined this thread after her. Doesn't it seem she would have chosen one of CarthageBill's threads if her intent was to somehow support his assertions?

There are three other MF threads on the first page of this forum, most of which have been up near the top of the list this week. Why would anyone need to search for a place to post a rant about MF?

I just did a search on "Market Force" and they come up with most recent threads first. She would have had to override the default "last 30 days" to even find this thread.

Sure, it could be innocent, but the timing is interesting to say the least.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2015 03:13PM by dspeakes.

d, you may be right but I think you may not be right. I didn't see anything wrong with Lorrie's post and I don't consider it "trollish". There has been a lot of discussion in multiple threads recently about problems with Market Force. I can see how that might have encouraged Lorrie to speak up.

Lorrie should get the benefit of the doubt just like every other new poster. She may be a troll, but jumping one well written and controlled post after a presence of three years seems a little over the top. If Lorrie is a troll, she'll prove that eventually. I hope we don't develop a forum attitude of hunting out trolls where none may exist but we see a possibility. They'll make themselves well known in time, and it would be better not to accost members without certainty because in the process we will offend the innocent as well as persecute the guilty.

The point of my post is NOT whether Lorrie is guilty or not guilty of being a troll. The point of my post is that we should be quick to extend comfort and acceptance and slow to extend criticism.

How many were there and where were they ranked on January 28 at 9:55 am? None of us can really know since that first page changes all the time. While you find it odd she would post now, I find it odd someone joining to be a troll would just hang out for three years.

You may be right. I just find it very very odd. Maybe BB just took advantage of a wandering newbie's post to re-launch his own rant. But she hasn't been back since to even see what was responded.

It's just ... odd.

Odd to you and me, we jump every issue in every thread. Lorrie posted once in three years. Not odd behavior on her part to not post.

Some appalling comments on this thread in response to the first-time post from member who registered three years ago. Is there a mod in the house?

If I have suspicions about a post or a poster, the "Report" function allows me to privately report it to a mod. If I want to address Jacob with my suspicions, a PM works fine. Posting such suspicions in the open forum and calling a poster a troll after his first post is a rude attack, certainly not very welcoming. So......not only did we insult one first-time poster in public, we've made a public example for newbies of the attacks that might await them if they dare to post here. Can we post a flashing red sign that says "NEWBIES NOT WELCOME."

Beyond inappropriate. I'm disgusted.

I agree with AustinMom 110%.

I edited my post that was critical.

Same thing happened to me. As soon as I hit 500 shops, they deactivated me. I questioned it and was told I had made 3 mistakes in the 300 shops. Looking through the forum, I see it happens a lot.

YES.

Here's my experience, it happened some time ago but I remember quite vividly...

Lady at Marketforce called and in assigning me a location, told me the show times I needed to attend for trailer checks. All late morning showings. Apparently there was one at 4:30 as well that I was supposed to do. I was getting the basic pay, which lets face it, is not worth it when you live over 5 miles from the theater, to leave and come back, nor to sit there and wait 4-6 hours. I went home and turned in my report.

Guy from Marketforce calls me and complains that I missed one. He's asking if I submitted the report in error and intend to go back. I told them I was not informed of the later show time and could not return to the theater because I could not get child care at that time on such short notice. In the most arrogant, obnoxious tone of voice he says, "I never said that." Genius guy, I didn't tell him, "You didn't me," I said, "I wasn't told."

Rookie mistake, trusting that they would give me the correct information rather than looking up the showtimes online myself. All of my assignments I had lined up were removed including a few that I self assigned at a later date. I haven't done a movie theater assignment with them ever since. Not that it matters much. I did them more out of fun and for the quick pay out. The pay itself isn't all that great when most of the theaters aren't close to you.

they were great to work for , lots of shops i could self assign, then things changed. no shops available but emails with shops available. When i replied they had been assigned.

I have not had a problem with MF, but that is not important...as I have had trouble with other MS's and got responses about "never having a problem" with this company. With all the merging and buy-outs in the past year, I'm convinced that new or other blood among schedulers and editors will continue to be an unexpected problem for experienced shoppers. I've been shopping for a couple of years and probably done close to 1000 shops - only had some "stupid" problems with a few.... many of you know who they are.....

I did [a fast-food shop] for a couple of years with MF. One day they sent me an e-mail saying that my shops had been cancelled effective immediately. They never would give me a reason and no more shops for that company showed up again.

Agree with LisaSTL. A lot of times I do not post a response because it would be redundant or someone has made the point better than I could make it.

thats terrible what marketforce did to you without any proof

I was told once that as we are independant contraactors, they don't need to tell us anything....and they don't.

I have been working for MF for the past 10 years doing gas station shops. I started doing them when I was in Colorado. I was always getting calls and high paying gas station shops because they had nobody in my area so I did Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Colorado. My pay was 35.00 a shop plus reimbursement for the items I bought. Then moved to Washington state 7 years ago and started doing shops up here for them. Then all of a sudden I get a email saying that the next time I send them a duplicate photo for 2 different shops that they are going to shut me down. I don't know why they are doing this because I have a video card for every shop and the pictures are taken with one shop on each card. They only allow 4 shops per day so it is easy to have 4 cards and put them in a file before you do the next card. So I don't mix them up. And now they are doing 9.00 shops with reimbursement of only 5.00. BUT you have to buy 2 gallons of gas and buy a item in the store. Two gallons of gas where I live is 2.80 a gallon so that is 5.60 and a 2.00 item in the store makes it 7.60. And if you buy less than 2 gallons of gas then your shop is invalid. So actually the shop is worth for me 6.40 per shop. So I have been hesitance of taking shops from them anymore. What are your views?

They said that I used the same picture on two shops but I double checked and told them to get a metadata reader before accusing me of doing that again. It has the GPS and time stamps encoded into it.

@bunnyshopper2 wrote:

... And now they are doing 9.00 shops with reimbursement of only 5.00. BUT you have to buy 2 gallons of gas and buy a item in the store. Two gallons of gas where I live is 2.80 a gallon so that is 5.60 and a 2.00 item in the store makes it 7.60. And if you buy less than 2 gallons of gas then your shop is invalid. So actually the shop is worth for me 6.40 per shop. So I have been hesitance of taking shops from them anymore. What are your views?

I buy gas anyways, so I just buy an item for $1 and consider the remaining $4 reimbursement a coupon that reduces my overall gas costs. Regarding the $9 fee: I let these jobs sit on the board. If another shopper takes them, good for the other shopper. If no one takes them, the fees eventually go up and good for me.

I don't usually take them for that $9 fee, but I took one because it is only a few blocks away from me. Not having to drive the huge distances to make a few bucks was a winner in my books.

I let them sit a bit until I get a call or until I can do them for what I consider, an okay fee.

I need to make money doing this, MF. Just like you.

I know up here in Washington that MF shops are 9.00 a shop. And shoppers they don't sit back and wait til the go up. And it really is irritating to negotiate with MF when they have stupid people take shops with low pay. I was talking to one gas station owner when I was doing a audit that he has to pay 60.00 a month for us to do the audits. So guess who pockets the rest of the money when someone takes a shop for 9.00.

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2015 12:02AM by MDavisnowell.

I wouldn't normally do them for $9 but the shop is 5 blocks away. The others can sit there.

Canuck, I pick up a lot of work next door that I wouldn't consider if it involved a drive. I understand completely. I think it's a smart move toward a better relationship with the MSC.

@bunnyshopper2 wrote:

... it really is irritating to negotiate with MF when they have stupid people take shops with low pay. ...

We all shop for different reasons and with different financial situations.

It's not your shop. It will go to whoever is willing to do it for the least and requests it first. I made a couple thousand dollars I wouldn't have otherwise had by taking shops for less than the wait-for-it-to-go-up "smart" people would have. If I'd waited, I might not have been able to take the shop when it finally got up to $15. I'll take shops that fit in my route. If it's at $9 when I'm driving past its door, it's better for me to take it for the easy $9 than to go out of my way to get it a week later for $15. You don't know the circumstances of the "stupid" people who are taking your $15 shops away.

Every shopper is your competition. How is it stupid if they get the shop and you don't? Seems to me it was smart of them not to wait just to lose it to you. They've got the $9 and a gallon of gas and you don't have anything. Their business plan is working, and yours isn't because yours depends on you not having any competition -- but you do.

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2015 12:02AM by MDavisnowell.

Yes, I was kicked out of Marketforce also, was never told why, my emails were never answered. Your guess is as good as mine. Actually, glad to be done with them.