removed from Market Force

I have been shopping part time with Market Force for close to ten years now. Recently, I started taking on more assignments. I was very excited that with this month's pay, I would surpass $5000 for the year. I just received an email from them telling me they had three mistakes (on over 500 shops) and were thus removing me as a shopper. I emailed them and asked for a second chance and got a very cryptic response. I emailed again to appeal and was told they would not reverse the decision. I find it odd as I had not gotten any emails telling mne of the three mistakes. (I have received emails in the past sking for clarification) They have called me several times asking me to take on assignments and each time the recruiter tells me I have an excellent record. It seems too convenient that it all came about with no warning and as I was hitting the $5000 mark. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

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Very strange indeed! It's also strange that they gave you a reason and such a specific one at that. Three errors in 500 reports is like .6 percent, which I think would earn you a commendation rather than deactivation. I'm shocked, to say the least.

Was the $5,000 with MF alone? Just wondering....

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

Three errors is the Market Force standard. I once provided them the statistics on those three errors when compared to only ten shops versus 500.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

Yes the $5000 was just with them for this year. I used to do 1-2 shops per month, then gradually increased. They always told me my record was excellent.

I just received a completely contradictory email from them, telling me there were three errors, and late reporting and duplicate pictures a long time ago.

It just all seems suspicious. Why would they tell me my rating was excellent and then remove me? The two do not go together.....

Here's the thing, they make mistakes too. I was once dinged for doing nine shops when the limit was four. The problem, the limit is four onsite and six telephone shops, six of my nine were phone shops. Meanwhile, they will waive the onsite limit anyway.

Does anyone know what constitutes an error for them?

The second shop I ever did for them half a dozen years ago I shopped the wrong fastfood joint in Boston Logan airport. Is that an error? I couple of months ago, I acccidentally attached photos from the the last KungFu Bear shop I did and they had to ask me to resubmit. I assume that's an error. Am I down to my last strike?

DRJ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know what constitutes an error for
> them?
>
> The second shop I ever did for them half a dozen
> years ago I shopped the wrong fastfood joint in
> Boston Logan airport. Is that an error? I couple
> of months ago, I acccidentally attached photos
> from the the last KungFu Bear shop I did and they
> had to ask me to resubmit. I assume that's an
> error. Am I down to my last strike?

Yes. It has nothing to do with how many shops you have done, or how much you have made. They have too many shoppers and shops, and the termination frequently is done by the automated software, without anyone checking if the computer missed something.

They have waived me doing 5-6 shops per day.

Does anyone know if there is a way to get them to reverse the decison?

Or can I appeal it with anyone?

I was doing well on the shops and enjoyed working for them. I thought all was going well and they totally blindsided me with this. No warning, no nothing. Just gone.

These type of posts always scare me. Market Force is one of my favorite companies and I don't recall ever having any problems with my reports. But it sounds like they randomly deactivate and that would affect my pocketbook.

If you can get them to tell you what the alleged errors were AND you have some type of proof no errors were made, they often will reverse the decision. It happened to me.

Thank you!!!

They did say the errors were within a 6 month period. I explained I did 210 shops in the last six months. 3 errors means 98.5% good reports.

As a member here mentioned a few weeks ago, is this job security?

Not for me. I've only been with them for two years.

Every day now, when I log in, I make sure the WebFC is showing.

Yeah. A bit paranoid to say the least.

I am as well. All of a sudden, the "Select shops" link was gone. I emailed them again asking for another chance - even a probation. We'll see what they say.

Mgoodreau, your pain is almost palpable and makes me want to hug you. Please consider this: If they say "yes", is the stress that you will be putting yourself under, worrying about if the report that you just submitted had an error, really worth it?

Why do that to yourself when there are so many other great MSCs out there that do not play the deactivation game and who treasure their reliable long time shoppers, like Mercantile, Customer Impact and TrendSource, just to name just three?

You're worth so much more.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I am registered with Trendsource, but it is difficult. I hate the "apply and wait to be approved" game. But I will definitely try Mercantile and Customer Impact. Thanks!!!

If you are only registered with a few companies the best thing is to register, register, register. It is well worth waiting a few days on applications when the reward is so much greater. Many of us who have stopped spending time on Market Force shops have found we are making more money with less effort. For me they are nothing more than the very occasional filler and only if the shop has a bonus.

Mgoodreau, mon amie, you are being short-sighted with TrendSource. Once you have done a certain number of successful shops (I forgot the #, but it's reasonable), you get self-assign rights for the majority of their shops.

You need to spread your wings and you will soon realize that MF is not the end-all, be-all. Usually, when "bad" things happen in your business life, you look back and say, "thank goodness". (I've lived long enough that I'm speaking from experience.) I feel pretty confident that this is one of those things.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I was not aware of this with Trend Source. I will keep applying then. Thank you.

Been "away" for a little while...

Market Force dropped me like a hot potato about 6 months ago. Luckily, I had done what everyone on this board told me to do. SIGN UP, SIGN UP, SIGN UP! I never missed a beat. Thanks for the great advice.

Further, I had some medical issues that required me to wear a Holter Heart Monitor for 30 days. Dr. just could not figure out why I had "A-FIb". My heart would race to 180 bpm for hours. After many trips to the ER, there still seemed to be no under lying reason.

And then it dawned on me. I had not received one single call from MF in 3 weeks. No fast food, no hardware, no nothing. Checking the job board I saw no jobs. OK, it's slow...they'll be back. But they never came back. And now I am no longer a shopper for them. They tossed me aside. It's as if I never existed. No explanation, not an email telling me to go to hell..nothing.

Guess who's heart rate is now a comfortable 75 bpm? Coincidence? I think not...

Sounds like good advice. I am signing up as we speak.

Mgoodreau, please don't forget to return in a few weeks or months and tell the forum how this was probably one of the best things that could have happened. It will be important.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I will.

Trendsource seems to be a good company. However if there is a shopper in your area that has "seniority" they will have first shot at the assignments. This is stated on their website when you initially sign up. There is a situation I became aware of in my area. There is a shopper in my area with seniority. They were assigned to do survey intercepts outside of a grocery store. The assignment went on for several days. The shop paid $20/hour, from noon to 6pm. I followed up on my app with the Trendsource and was told it was assigned to another shopper with seniority. Out of curiosity I wanted to see who "my competition" was. Turns out the other shopper never showed up at the location, at any time. Yet all those surveys were submitted. I figure patience is necessary in this MS world. Give this shopper enough rope and they will hang themselves and then seniority changes.

Hi shoppingbee,

Where are you in FL?

If so, in my area, there were two assignments for which you had to apply, which I did. I applied for one and was dumbfounded that the second one was not quickly scooped up. In the end, I got both due to lack of interest. I soon learned why.....

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I had the same thing happen to me but the problem was that they assigned me the assignment twice on the same day for the same store. I did contact them before performing the assignment and made them aware of the problem. They told me to go ahead and do the assignment anyway. I then entered the information and the next thing I know I was cancelled as a shopper. They told me that I should have talked to my scheduler about the problem and that it was my fault for not bringing the problem to their attention. I told them that I had informed them before the shop was done but they said that they have no record of it and that the cancellation would not be reversed. I now only do the shops for Market Force assignments for the Theatres and they are easy to do.

stilllearning & svillarreal-
I am not in Fla., so I am not sure what happened with your locations. I do not completely trust any MSC. Frankly if they want to assign someone with more seniority, then the MSC deserves what they get in return. Fake surveys. I move on to companies willing to make it a two-way street.

That's why this is a scary business. The risk is there. For newbies the risk seems greater because of the learning curve. Nonetheless, no one wants to lose money spent or a fee for the time spent. Having trust in an MSC can be a stretch. It is important to communicate in writing with these MSCs, if possible. Some do not return your email. Then you call them and do not discuss your situation, rather ask them to reply to your email. Record date and time of call. If you do not hear back in a reasonable amount of time (depending on due date, weekend...) then go over their head and make another call. Assuming this is done in a professional way not one person can discredit, deactivate, or give you a flake.

I just sent you a private message. Please look for it.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

It happened to me before. I sent an email and asked to be reinstated and they did.

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