I have a small route and wanted to get started by doing the local shop, just so I could do a practice run before heading out to do a bunch in one day.

I looked at the information given by Maritz and checked the websites and the times the location was supposed to be open matched. I drove to the location which is about a 15 minute drive one way. I arrive about an hour before closing time for the convenience store and pump my gas which is 24 hour pay at the pump. I walk up to the door for the convenience store which had a sign printed on neon paper taped to it with the store hours. These hours match the website, but the door is locked up with no one inside working.

I go back to look through my documentation about what to capture for a closed location and see two other people try to get in.

Are they likely to pay me for this or try to force me to return? I assume I am out the reimbursement for gas which is unfortunate as they are more expensive than the station across the street.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2014 08:03AM by Shelly.

Simple. Note that it was closed in your report. They will pay...

They're good people, you'll be paid.

Not 100% true.
I am still waiting on a payment for years ago for a closed gas station and I remind them every time they call me to beg again.


mrcomputer101 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Simple. Note that it was closed in your report.
> They will pay...

Maritz has ALWAYS paid me for closed locations.

I have always been paid for closed locations, but it is my responsibility to call and confirm hours before I show up. I cannot just show up when I want and expect to be paid. Your guidelines probably told you to call and confirm hours before you arrived.

I had this happen last week. I was ready to go get my gas stations done, all were open, but one pesky one. I took pictures that are required for a closed location, but I also double checked my guidelines. It did say I was to call and confirm. Call, not check internet websites, but call. So I have to go back. I did not enter it as a closed location because it was my fault for not calling first.

I have a quick Maritz question and didn't want to start a new thread. On their big gas client that has both mystery shops and audits, for the mystery shop it says you can't use the branded credit card. I was wondering if using a gift card was acceptable. I know, I can call them, but I don't have time today and was hoping someone here had done a lot of these and would already know the answer.

bg -
I've used gift cards for another one of their major GS ms/audits. Was never a problem. But that one did not prohibit branded credit cards. So maybe not an apples to apples comparison. More like a tiger to sea creature comparison.

HA! Thanks. I'll probably just call them in the morning. It's been awhile since I've heard their 3 pack a day smokers voices anyway. (my apologies to walesmaven, no insult intended)

Actually mine specifically says to check the website and provides a link. It says you may call, but it is not required.

The other issue is that I was there within the hours posted on the door on bright neon paper.




SecretAgentMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have always been paid for closed locations, but
> it is my responsibility to call and confirm hours
> before I show up. I cannot just show up when I
> want and expect to be paid. Your guidelines
> probably told you to call and confirm hours before
> you arrived.
>
> I had this happen last week. I was ready to go get
> my gas stations done, all were open, but one pesky
> one. I took pictures that are required for a
> closed location, but I also double checked my
> guidelines. It did say I was to call and confirm.
> Call, not check internet websites, but call. So I
> have to go back. I did not enter it as a closed
> location because it was my fault for not calling
> first.

Shelly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The other issue is that I was there within the
> hours posted on the door on bright neon paper.
>


If your instructions told you to check the website and you did and you showed up at the right time, you should be good then. I wouldn't worry. Not sure if you will be reimbursed for gas though. Some instructions tell you not to make a purchase when closed. I don't know what client this is, so I can't be specific.

I honestly did not think they were closed. It was daylight and there was a light on in the store. I literally did the walk right into the door that does not move comedy shtick. Another customer came up after me while I was checking my paperwork and did the exact same thing. It is a real small convenience store (about the size of my bedroom) as they are more focused on the service aspect, so the light on looked open to me when I pulled up.

The good news if they don't reimburse is at least it was gas that went in my tank. I spent a few more cents than a nearby location, but not enough of a difference that I will make a big stink over it.



Edited because I am not sure what language I originally typed that message in. Will blame it in the fact that my daughter had surgery today and I spent 7 hours at the hospital and I am now watching her sleep.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2014 05:45AM by Shelly.

I went to one location bought gas and made my in-store purchase. When I went back with the LOA and clipboard the store was closed and the guy was gone. No one could find him but the lights were on in the little store. The doors were locked. Several customer came up to door were looking in as well. So, I reported what happened, got paid for purchases. It was weird. I couldn't complete the audit because I didn't have permission. ??? weird!

Shelly -
Let us know what Maritz does, but you've clearly got more important concerns. Rest well with your daughter.

If you explain in the comments section you pumped the gas before finding out they were closed especially since they were closed during normal business hours they will probably reimburse you for the gas still. I had a gas station audit with them once that was just a pump at a lake. I didn't know so when my GPS took me to a recreation area I put it as a non existant location. I didn't think to take a picture of the area. They still paid me without making me go back to take a picture.

Thanks El,

She is doing much better today. She will be spending the week on the couch catching up with Netflix.

bgriffin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have a quick Maritz question and didn't want to
> start a new thread. On their big gas client that
> has both mystery shops and audits, for the mystery
> shop it says you can't use the branded credit
> card. I was wondering if using a gift card was
> acceptable. I know, I can call them, but I don't
> have time today and was hoping someone here had
> done a lot of these and would already know the
> answer.

I called them and discussed this....you can use a gift card, just not the branded credit card. You also can't purchase the gift card as your in store purchase, per the gal at team 3....new team for this brand. The old station that was team 3 is not team 5.

As far as the thread....I did a night shop for a different station with them....purchased my gas, purchased my in store item....did my evaluations and as I was walking to the car lost one of the receipts in the wind/rain. (I did find it, but it was illegible from the mud puddle it landed in.) By the time I turned around to go back in and get a reprint the gal had closed the doors, turned off the lights, and left the building with Elvis. No more than 5 minutes had elapsed since I walked out with my receipt in hand. I explained in the narrative, and was paid for the visit, including reimbursement for the item I did not have a legible receipt for.

Another time I had a remote dinosaur station. I did call to check hours, but the phone was not answered and there was no machine. I checked the website they had listed in the guidelines book, which took me to some lawyers website. I finally found the right website and found that it did not have hours posted. I then checked yellow pages online and finally found the hours. I went to the station during those hours only to find hours posted on the front door that showed they closed at noon on Weds. (Really??) I reported it as a closed station with all the narrative, and was paid.

Sounds like somebody had an emergency ( or was out back doing something) and had to lock the doors, therefore the light still being on.

I used to be a shop owner so I know how that happens, nothing you can do but hope you didn't miss too many customers.

No, it was actually their regular hours of operations....posted on an hours of operations sign on the door. Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri were 8am to 5pm, and Weds and Sat were 8-noon. I'm not sure how the rationale for those types of hours work for the only gas station in a small rural town, but I guess it must have worked for them.

I went to one a few months ago that was closed. Actually, it was leveled and being rebuilt. The guidelines recommended, but did not require calling. Since I know this station is/was 24 hours, I didn't check. It's only a few miles up the road so it really didn't matter. I submitted photos of the site. I didn't have anything to be reimbursed for, but I was paid the shop fee.

Hi I also had a question about Maritz and didn't want to start a new thread. I received an email from them saying they needed a shop near me done ASAP and it was being bonused. The shops less then a mile away from me, so I go to their site, log in and find the list of shops in my area. To me it really wasn't bonused, the shop with bonus was 11.00 but I figured it would be a good first step with them and being so close wouldn't cost me anything but my time. So I ended up finding dozens of shops near me. I'm looking on the site and can't find a link to get more info anywhere, so as per the emails instructions I call them, ask to speak to team 1. They were busy and said they would call me back. So far no call so I thought I'd ask on here. Where do I see the shop guidelines or instructions for shops with Maritz? I've never had trouble figuring it out with Sassie shops.

Unfortunately, a downside with Maritz is you cannot see the shop guidelines until you select the shop. Once you select the shops, you will go thru a little qualifying Q&A and then you can see the shop guidelines. You can accept or decline at that point before you pick the dates you want to shop. Just because you select the shop, does not mean it is assigned to you until you pick the dates and confirm. If you choose you don't want it, I believe the best choice it to just exit out and not hit decline. I heard, but am not sure, that if you hit decline it removes you from the project completely and they aren't forgiving when it comes to that.

BUT remember the guidelines, because once you do one per round, you won't be shown the guidelines again until after you are already assigned the shop.

Thank you for answering, I appreciate it. I'm going to do this and copy past their guidelines and save it for my own reference. I know from reading the forum that you have to write the job number on all your pictures for their shops. Does this mean you print the photos outm write the number on them and scan the photos? Usually for shop photos I just send them to the cloud and upload them as needed.

For their banks only...you hand write the job number on each original item gathered from the bank. Then you snap a pic and upload however you do.

For other jobs, I save them in a folder with the name of location and job number as the file name. <<<<ETA I do this for my own sanity when uploading multiple jobs per day. When I only have a single job, I don't bother. Never a problem either way.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2014 04:48PM by SecretAgentMom.

LeLOu.....I do their gas station audits and I never label my pictures. They have never said anything about it and they have always been accepted.

Thanks ladies, a lot less nervous about working with them now.

Lelou, I used to do these banks and I kept a marker in the car and labeled each piece of literature with the job number when I got back in the car.

Thanks, I did call again and left a message. Well see how it goes they didn't even answer me about the shops that were due today. It worked out though today was uber cold

They returned my call today and gave me some shops for next week. The nice man on the phone said to call them monday to confirm, and that if the first few shops go well he'd have no problem giving me the rest in that project. Hooray!