Maritz is such a legitimate company and pays on time, so I have no qualms about their professionalism... however, why do they pay so low with all the insane and hard-to-find steps? First you have to apply, then wait for a phone call (which I can never take because I work, so it ends up being phone tag...). When I finally get a shop, I can't even enter my results until I print a whole tree's worth of paper to get the code. Then I have to go to another screen, enter this number that I've written down, and enter it every time I go to report something.

Nevermind the PHONE shops for $6 where I have to also put down a phone call time and then wait to do the report later. The guidelines and requirements are in 15 different links. Then I have to write down numbers on all paperwork, take tons of pictures, RESIZE them all, send them to my computer, and redo the security code again.

To save time, this time I put my code and ID on a sticky note so I could transfer it to each sheet. Nope. Unacceptable. My shop was rejected.

Forget the invoicing. Why all the steps?? So not worth my time! Too confusing!!

I normally just click "Print View", see the code, and then enter it. Then cancel Print.

I don't do any shops for them which requires a 3-ring circus preshop or post-shop. Hurdles aren't my thing.

Yep, you've just described all the reasons I don't shop for Maritz anymore. Why do they need to call us? Like you, I work during the day and cannot take calls (my co-workers don't know I'm a shopper). I don't care for their software system, it's not user-friendly. And their pay is not great.

Once you streamline your system on each project, you can zip right through it. It's up to you to do each job in the most efficient way, and it's up to you to figure out the most efficient way. If you don't care for their projects, there are plenty of other companies you can work with.

I have 86 jobs scheduled with them in September and I assure you I am not wasting my time. On the upside, I'm familiar with each project and I don't have to search for work. My work with Maritz gives me a base I can add on to in any area I choose. It works for me. If it doesn't work for others, that makes it work even better for me.

Lots of people won't shop for Maritz for exactly the reasons listed by the OP. It takes some extra effort to get past the chaos and get going with them. To some it's not worth it. To me they're a great company and my No. 1 job provider. However, I'm registered with many companies and I work for lots of companies in addition to Maritz. I may put most of my eggs in one basket but it's not my only basket. I have my favorites but I'm diversified.

After you have done a certain number of shops(I forget how many) you can self assign.Also, although the base pay is low they typically offer decent bonuses for shops that are still available later in the month.

You can always call them, you know. On your schedule, not theirs.

I print the first page of each report. That gives me the code, the address, the fee, the shop number, phone number, information such as "inside the grocery store" so you go to the right branch, whatever else is on that first page. Then I make a cheat sheet for filling out the answers to the questions. For the bank shops there's only about four things you need to pay attention to, the rest is a matter of what documents did you get and you don't need to write that down. For gas stations you might want to make a comprehensive cheat sheet with columns for each station. Put the shop ID at the top of each column.

Get a sharpie and write the shop ID on each document as soon as you get back to your car (that's where having that first page printed comes in handy; the shop ID is on it).

I put the one printed page with its own set of documents and I write the shop number on the bank folder (or receipts, for the gas stations) so I don't mix up which set of documents came from which branch if doing multiples.

These are the easiest shops in the world once you learn to write the shop number down on the docs right away.

And they pay low because the shops are so easy and the pay so quick that people are willing to do them for that price.

To the OP ~ Why are you waiting for phone calls? I self-assign all of my shops. And then I sign up for the auto-rotation for the locations that I want to do again in the future. It makes my life so much easier and I have steady work from them at all times.

And the guidelines for the bank shops clearly say: "Prior to taking a photo of your document(s), handwrite the visit ID on each document." A sticky note transferred from document to document is not acceptable. Otherwise a dishonest shopper could use the same materials over and over again instead of actually performing the shops. I believe the guidelines used to say that it had to be written with a black pen or marker so I got in the habit of always using a black Sharpie.

Looks like dspeakes and I cross-pointed about the Sharpie suggestion.

Shop2LiveinFL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sticky note transferred from document to document
> is not acceptable. Otherwise a dishonest shopper
> could use the same materials over and over again
> instead of actually performing the shops. I
> believe the guidelines used to say that it had to
> be written with a black pen or marker so I got in
> the habit of always using a black Sharpie.


A dishonest shopper could easily just cover up anything
written on it using a program thats been in windows since
version 3.0 in under 30 seconds. Paint.

I self-assign too. Then I print out the first page only of the report. I also have a one-page cheat sheet I use for the shop and after I have done the shop, while I'm still sitting in the car I staple the front page of the report, the receipts and the cheat sheet all together. Makes it so much easier.

I'm not certain as to which shops you're performing, maybe you can be more specific. However, it really is not that difficult for any of their shops (IMO).

As for printing our everything, that isn't necessary. Save them to a file on your computer. Review them before doing the shop. To get the security code for your shop, simply hit the 'Print View Evaluation Form' button. It opens up a new window. In the new window will be the evaluation form. Don't print it though. At the top of the form is a button that says 'Print Blank Evaluation'. Press that button and send it to print to 'One Note' as your printer choice. (I'm assuming you have an MS operating system here). The page will open and you should find everything, security code included, that you need. This is where you should have a 'cheatsheet' that condenses all of the necessay data needed to do your shop. Write your visit number on the cheatsheet and the accompanying security code along with the shop's address, etc.

This is why a laptop works so well - you can take it with you and review everything immediately before doing the shop and afterwards. Pertinent information to be gathered should be listed on your cheatsheet as a check-off section.

As for re-sizing; adjust your digital camera to the E-mail size on its menu. If you do not have that function, save your money and get a new camera with the function. But, in the meantime download a freeware re-sizer program off the internet. Be sure to use a safe site such as CNet . Download your photos into your computer and then resize.

As for your cheatsheet, you need to work on one that fits your very own capacities.

With regard to self-assigning, Maritz allows one do so after the shopper has performed a certain amount of shops without any incidents or problems.

Bon Courage!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2014 08:38PM by Tatjana.

techman01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> A dishonest shopper could easily just cover up
> anything
> written on it using a program thats been in
> windows since
> version 3.0 in under 30 seconds. Paint.


Some shoppers don't know how to resize an image. You think I'm going to tell them how to get around the system?

I have a cheap digital camera that I got free at some sort of seminar. I use it for shops because it does not require resizing. The shots come out in the size that many mystery shopping companies want without being resized. Occassionally I have had complaints about the quality of the photos, but that has been a rare happening. The only thing is I can't use it for Corporate Reseach International's photos because it does not have a date or time stamp.

I joined Martiz but have never taken a shop for them. Not because I read anything from here but because it either paid too low, the time frame, was like NOW and that would not work for me or for some other ridiculous reason...

I guess I will continue to refuse their shops

Maritz has its negatives and could use an updated website but it is one of my favorites.

I agree with the people who see the positives. Like Mary I have streamlined my presentation and also have around 85 shops for Sep. This is my base source of income and receive sizable checks around the 15th and 30th of each month. As jwolpert pointed out - you can self assign and work the bonuses. Like dspeakes I print out the first page and use it to organize the shop. I auto-assign like Shop2Live but only for gas station shops. I self-assign bank shops at the end of each month. Cheat sheets are essential as jpgilham pointed out.

Now only if they would increase their base payments, make their website less tedious and improve communication, particularly from the supervisors to the schedulers and on to us. But if they made themselves more attractive they would draw more shoppers thereby increasing the competition and cutting into my income. I'm comfortable working around their negatives - let's leave it the way it is.

I agree with others, I don't know if I have ever had to talk with someone once I got past the first handful of shops. Now I often have somewhere between 75 and 100 shops on my list.

I have mixed feelings about Maritz. There's the issues with their website, not to mention the crankiness of some of their staff. But then they do have a lot of projects and others on their staff are very nice people.

Re the reports, I scan my docs (bank docs, receipts, biz cards) and then manipulate them in photoshop since I already own that. It is a little slow to do the resize, but I have it down to a science. The bank reports themselves are a breeze, the only time consuming thing is the scans.

But resizing the photos for the gas station audits is painful. Plus I can never get a 12-dispenser report photographed in less than 45 minutes. I think I take too many photos because the people there always say that the other guy comes, takes four or five photos and leaves. But then they say they all get wonderful scores from him whereas they don't get those kinds of scores from me.

In the mean time, I am having to write up descriptions of the problems I find at the gas station. And yes, I know it is not a white glove audit, but when you have customers come up to you and complain about something that you have just decided to report, there is some vindication in the extra time spent.

But they don't pay enough to spend that much time. So this go-around, I am skipping the gas station audits. They don't seem to have a problem finding people to do them. so it is a win-win as far as I am concerned since I then have extra time to diversify with other companies.

I like working for Maritz. They pay well and they are nice when you have to contact them. I like those $6 shops because they don't don't take much effort or time.

I just did some gas station white glove audits and I felt like killing myself. I prayed that the 3rd one on my route was going to be easy and the good Lord must have been loooking down on me because it was brand new with only a few problems. The picture download is very time consuming with the resizing. I don't even want to say how much I got paid for them because at the end of the day it was like 3rd world country type wages.

I think because their site and process is so different, it is a little daunting at first. I have gotten used to it now and it is pretty easy to navigate.

>>I just did some gas station white glove audits

There's actually a gas station audit that says it's a white glove audit? Is that the 20 dollar one that they won't let me do, yet?

Once you jump through the hoops enough you can self assign as long as you do what you said you would without rescheduling and can upload the report without problems. I don't do much for them anymore because they have yet to accept a counter offer for a fair price for the shops. I do some of the cell phone ones if it is on a route and I need a "filler shop" to up my income for the day but I will not go out of my way for the pay they give.

The gas station audits I do specifically say that they are NOT a white glove inspection. It is even one of the questions on their little test that you have to take every two months or so.

And I get pretty decent bonuses from them almost every month. I think my offers have been turned down twice in about three years. And they have accepted all of my route offers.

tamalama Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I like working for Maritz.
>
> I just did some gas station white glove audits
>
Perhaps I'm a little confused but if you did Maritz audits they are not white glove.

I don't like working for Maritz in NYC. All they have are the combo bank shops and easy as they are, they don't pay enough to justify the $5 public transportation round trip cost and the involved in labeling, scanning and uploading, plus waiting for mailed materials. Just not worth it at all. In another area I could see Maritz being worthwhile, but not here.

They definitely do not consider different cities different circumstances.

I used to like Maritz until this last month. I get a call from a scheduler needing some gas stations done. They would be a long route for me so I say I can't do it without something for travel. We agree on the number. I go to check and the bonus is on some shops and not others. I contact them and explain the situation. Go back to check the next day and all the bonuses have been removed.

At that point, I told them to forget about it. I was investing way too much time just trying to get everything that was agreed to correct on their end. It ended up not being worth the effort to deal with them.

I'm with Phoebe. I hate the phone calls. I work at a law firm during the day. I can't exactly answer the phone at my desk. I was livid when they recently assigned me NINE of the main chain home improvement shops at $4 less than the self assigned price all due within three days. NO THANK YOU. At the bottom of the last survery for each store it said would you be interested in doing this shop again? When would you be interested? I responded. I didn't know that meant go ahead and assign them to me for $20 less than I did the first batch for (I got a sweet bonus toward the end of the month). Went from $32 for one location to $9.50 the next month. The same shop. Same location. No way. I'll go sit on my couch and read a book for less than $10 for that ridiculous shop.

Simply notify them not to call you at work. Make sure they note it in your file and the daytime calls will stop.

I personally don't see the big deal presented by the OP. Maybe I am just so far removed from being a novice with them that it seems like second nature.

Maritz is my most prolific MSC and I do about 900 shops for them every year. Most of my shops are gas station shops and all but one of the clients require you to print out a job sheet to take with you on your shop (the other one-their oldest client--still generates their own hard copies which are mailed to you about two weeks before you're scheduled to do them). For the other clients, I have created my own job sheets condensing one report from eight pages to one double-sided page.

To obtain the debrief code, I select Print Preview and then copy the debrief code into my spreadsheet for the job in question. After that, I can simply cut/paste it into the online form when I get ready to debrief. I never have to waste paper printing the first page.

Maritz's calls can be annoying especially when the newbies are doing the daytime cold calls for projects in which I am not interested like the banks, cell phone companies and home improvement stores. I have simply let it be known that I am not interested in those shops and the calls have stopped coming.

My biggest gripe with Maritz is that they are still in the dark ages as far as technology is concerned. The schedulers' computers are archaic running Windows XP and slow as molasses. The servers are over-taxed and under-powered and frequently unavailable during the late nights between 11 pm and 2 am CDT/CST. The company still pays by check in these days of direct deposit and ACH banking. Customer service on the weekends in non-existent and schedulers often times don't have the power or ability to handle complex issues including rescheduling. They're only really good for assigning and canceling shops.

But customer service on the weekdays is still better than most and payroll issues are handled efficiently, correctly and in a timely manner. I can almost always count on getting a paycheck every two weeks, like clockwork, from them. I just wish I had a way to check job history with them like I can with so many other MSC's and to get a better breakdown of pay by visit ID's than a simple aggregate total by project ID.

What is this "negotiation" you speak of? We can do that? I too think their prices are too low. I would love to do the grocery shops but they are so tedious and I have to walk around wearing an orange vest just announcing I am an auditor.

I did one shop over the weekend and was scratching my head over the printing and reporting process as well and then at the end I looked at my pay and said WHY? I get paid now less than minimum wage. I have one more shop to do for them. I also get calls but it is very difficult for me to return calls because I also have a full time job. They know they pay is way to low.
Frustrating to say the least!
I have other shops that are taking much less time. Maritz really need to update their system, its just too much and killing so many trees along the way.
Ok those were my two cents if it makes any sense at all.... :-)

At least one of their editors is NUTS! Must be a big, fat, less-than-attractive, unhappy person. One of my assignments is "on-hold" for further clarification again. I clarified, and then clarified twice more, and STILL not approved. Maritz SUCKS! There are plenty of more professional companies to shop for...