I have had four calls from MF in the last couple of days. Every single one of them started talking before I said hello. I know they are from a different country, but isn't that pretty much common sense to wait for somebody to answer before speaking?

Some people are just ignorant.

I had one try to get me to take a casual dining lunch shop last weekend. I was out of town and couldn't do it. He started telling me about the shop and 10 seconds in I realize it's for the 3 days that I was out of town, so I tried to stop him to say there was no way and he kept just getting louder and louder, talking over me, and going on and on about the shop and location. Finally I had to get a little rude with him and told him to pretty much shut up so I could talk.

no they do not understand proper phone etiquette.

I think they probably get fairly numb and desperate from calling person after person trying to talk them into taking a dog shop that no one wants to take. Maybe they get to thinking that if they just speak loudly and quickly enough, you'll cave and take the shop off their hands:-)

My gripe is that 5:00 a.m. wake up call. If the East Coast is up and going, well everyone must be! NOT

I've had that early phone call too!!

I hate chirpy little schedulers voices as I sit with bedhead and fuzzy teeth. Let me at least get my first cuppa joe!

I have an answering machine message that sounds like Alvin from the Chipmunks was doing speed and made this call. She speaks so fast and furious that after playing two times, I still don't know who she represents, what she's offering or where the shop is. Oh well, I guess they need to cut back on the energy drink usage before they make calls. Wish I could post audio clips. I never accept anything over the phone anyway, so it is moot.

I still have warm, fuzzy feelings about a conversation I had with them this time last year. I had explained that I was in a hospital waiting room as my father-in-law was very ill and was four hours away from home. Their follow-up to that information was to offer me a $20 bonus, so I could get something to eat.

They seemed stunned that I declined.

I spent several years in the Philippines when I was in the Navy and can always recognize the Tagalog accent. I usually ask the MF caller about the weather in Manila or something else about their country and have a pleasant short conversation with them. I have never had a bad experience with the MF schedulers. I guess I am the exception.

It might be a case of an auto dialer, where a computer is making the connections. They may not know if you have spoken or not.

That being said, "Sorry, I'm in Texas. I can't shop in Maryland tomorrow."

"What if we were able to increase the shopper pay to $20.00?"

I got so tired of the Market Force scheduling calls (sometimes I would get multiples a day and very early in the morning for this West Coast Shopper), that I signed up for a google phone number and gave them that number.

Thanks goodness I did, too! The phone has been much quieter now. I can sleep in, and I can hear my messages on my email.

***
Shopping the Greater Los Angeles area and beyond!

I have found them to be nice, at least the ones I have spoken to. I work Saturday mornings, so it's actually a treat to get a call from them in my downtime, and being offered bonuses.
I do prefer getting calls from Georgia, though. Their bonuses are bigger, and negotiable!

I've always been impressed with how they are so-o-o-o polite and so-o-o-o courteous. I always feel like a schmuck when I ask for more money and they so-o-o-o very politely refuse.

(heart)

I've been cut off from MF for a while now, but yeah, I hated getting calls from them as they were typically hard to understand, and they couldn't understand that I knew area better than they did. There was a particular FF location that I got calls about frequently. Yes, it's only 8 miles away or something like that (on paper), but the only way there from here is down a busy road where the speed limit is 25 and there are frequent stoplights. It could take me up to a half hour just to get there, depending on traffic, so if you want me to do that shop, you better make it worth my while.

After a while, I actually found it was easier to get off the phone by naming a ridiculously high bonus for the shop. I once had them agree to a $50 payment for the above mentioned FF shop, but a short time later, they called back and said they found someone else. Since I really didn't want to do the shop, that was fine.

After they told me that "you get babysitter" so 'you go to blank', our relationship was over.

kenasch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I usually ask the MF caller about
> the weather in Manila or something else about
> their country and have a pleasant short
> conversation with them. I have never had a bad
> experience with the MF schedulers. I guess I am
> the exception.

I have found them, for the most part, to be very pleasant and friendly on the phone. I think they may have teams that handle specific projects. The associates who call for the more common food shops are generally very articulate and usually offer reasonable bonuses -- and I usually end up hearing from the same folks every month. Since I completed a couple of the less-common food shops, I have started receiving calls from different individuals about those shops, too. The ones who call about those are still articulate and courteous but not nearly as friendly and not nearly as forthcoming with the bonus money. Needless to say, I appreciate hearing from the first group a bit more than the second.

On principle, I am not a fan of outsourcing, but my issue is not with the people on the other end of the phone.

Edited to add: On the original topic, I think Michael C is correct about the use of dialing software being the reason for the occcasional lack of a polite greeting on the phone. That said, I usually do get a pleasant introduction and a glorious mispronunciation of my name when I answer the phone for them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/2014 06:08PM by Omgee.

I like MF a lot. The only problem I have is that they sometimes call with a 50 cent bonus on a shop. If I'm not taking it off the board I'm not taking it from you. I always feel bad when I say I can't help a few of the callers calling from CA. I can hear the desperation in their voices (or could just be accents and I'm reading it wrong) but I only choose MF shops at board rate if one of the family members wants something from that location. I have no problem working the highly bonused ones into my schedule. I have notice that the ones with the really good bonuses come from a different location than CA. Anyone else notice that?

To tell you frankly, I have never received such 'annoying' calls. And the ones I have received sounded like they were native Torontonian. But the last time I did reply to a call, I tried to negotiate a $20 bonus and after conferring with her superior, she politely declined.