I really am fed up with them. I feel like I have to jump through hoops to get a 10 dollar job done. I do all my work from my smartphone and can't stand having to print out a survey to get the input code. The pay is terrible for their jobs. The mystery team representatives are hard to deal with. They don't pay electronically. I've already had to deal with a check not sent to me after only being signed up with them for 5 months. And they refuse to reschedule.

Its almost like they do things based on 1995 standards of technology except they didn't adjust what they pay people with the rate of inflation. Why do I need to print the survey and fill it out with a pen and paper when I can do it on my phone seconds after I get in my car? Why can't I log in with my email address instead of my shopper number?

I'm just sick of them. And I hope they read this. They're a crappy company who underpays. I almost would like them to fire me so I'm not tempted to take their shops anymore.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/2014 02:24AM by phishinthegorge.

They won't read it. If you don't want to work for them, nobody is forcing you to. Deactivate yourself if you want. Some people love them, some don't.

They aren't the only company who uses a shopper number to log in. Of all the things to complain about, why does that one bother you? It's a lot faster for me to type six digits than an email address.

And please don't start multiple threads for the same issue.

I know its a duplicate thread. That was an accident. I don't have the option to delete a thread.

I just think they're a crappy company.

If 150 companies required you to input your shopper ID, I bet you'd think it was a hassle to remember your number for each one.

Fortunately the high majority will allow you to log in with your email. And its actually less work to log in with my email because Chrome saves my login email and password on most of the sites. On sassie shops I just click the login button and I'm in. Nothing to type at all.

And what's wrong with me venting about a mystery shopping company in the mystery shopping company section of the mystery shopping forum? Isn't this where I need to make a post like this or am I out of line posting here?

Phish, you are not out of line posting here. This is the place to post when you need help solving any problems you may have with a company or when you have pertinent information to share. Reading over your post, I don't see that you are asking us for help with any of the issues you've talking about. That's good, because we can't change the way Maritz or anyone else does business. The good news is there's no reason to continue on with the frustration. Stop taking their shops and the problem is solved.

They are one of the major players in the business and many shoppers are making their program work well for them. I work mainly for Maritz, they are my No. 1 company in volume of shops done and in dollars paid. They pay regularly twice a month and have never failed to pay me in the years I've been with them. I'm sorry a check was lost or did not reach you for whatever reason, but that is not normal for them.

You do not have to print out the entire survey and you do not have to fill it out with pen or pencil. You can get the code number by printing to file or by printing the first page only. Of course that may not work on a phone, I don't know about that. I have a smart phone but I don't do reports on it and I've never tried to figure out how to get the code on the smart phone. Don't you have a computer at home you can use to get the code in advance of going to the physical location? If not, how about using a computer at the library? I never print anything beyond the first page and many shoppers print to file to get the number so they don't make a hard copy of everything.

You're obviously frustrated beyond toleration but complaining won't fix anything. Many of the companies specifically say not to report on a phone. You can't change the way the companies operate, any of them. Adjust or move on to other companies that suit you better. I hope tomorrow is a better day for you. I can tell this one has been rough.

Well, my Chrome browser also can save my signins and fill them in automatically so it's not that big a deal, actually. I have to remember Market Force, Maritz, and Corporate Research, and only because I have to use IE for those instead of Chrome and apparently I never set IE up to remember sign ins. When I sign into those on Chrome, it remembers them too. (I just can't do the reports on Chrome for those three.) I'm signed up with about 140 companies so auto-sign in is important. Probably a third of those companies are on proprietary platforms and around half of those do not use the email address to sign in, so if you're going to mystery shop, you need to be flexible.


I never said you were out of line to vent here. But if you've done any reading or searching about them, you'll see that lots of people have said the same thing and were given the same advice: if you don't like them, don't shop for them.

We get people here who rant about a company hoping to convince others not to like them. Most of us make up our own minds based on our own experience with the company. So vent away. Just try not to start duplicate threads. I reported the other to the mods and it looks like they removed it already so you're good.

The rants we pay attention to are when you are ranting about not being paid, or having a shop rejected for questionable reasons, or are treated rudely, or can't get an answer to a question. A simple "I don't like them" rant is not something that will get a debate going. Pretty much anyone here will tell you the same thing I did: if you don't like them, don't shop for them. Ranting here will not change them, especially with Maritz, because they don't have anyone monitoring the forum that we know about. They prefer communication by phone rather than email (although they are starting to evolve in that area).

I've done probably hundreds of shops for them by now. I like them. I have my signin memorized. And if you'll stop hating them long enough to build up a reputation with them, you'll find bonuses are available to good shoppers who are willing to do shops in the outlying areas. But you're not going to get those bonuses by badmouthing them just because you don't like having to remember a six digit number to sign in.

Go find a company you like and work for them. One advantage we have being contractors is we choose who we work for. Choose someone else.

I am one of those who likes Maritz and the more shoppers who don't, the better. Some of them are probably in my area.

You're statement that they communicate by phone is exactly my point. It 2014, not 1995. If you fail to keep up with technology, shoppers will fail to keep up with you.

I agree that there are other companies. That's why I am hoping they just fire me. Good riddance to them. Get with the times.

And I haven't found a way to print that code to my screen yet. I've used tons of apps to try and figure it out.

You can take all my 10 dollar <grocery store>audits that take an hour and a half to complete if you like.



Mod note: Ticked off or not, naming the client with the MSC is still an ICA violation. And even if you discontinue your relationship with the MSC in question, the forum owner asks that you not link client-MSC in the same post/thread. It's one of the few hard-and-fast rules around here. Thank you!

And while I'm at it. GfK is awful. Cheap for the time put in. I never sign up for GfK jobs. They're awful. Really? 14 bucks? Skimping to save a dollar for a survey that takes forever?

phishinthegorge Wrote:
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> You can take all my 10 dollar <grocery store> audits that take an hour and a half to complete if you like.

I'd like to help you out but I don't do these audits unless heavily bonused.



Mod note: Please don't leave ICA violations in place when quoting. Thanks!

Using the phone to communicate is their choice and not a failure. They effectively run a bigger business than any of us can ever aspire to create, mystery shopping being a very small part of what they do. It's not necessary for us to approve of their procedures. Their business is not a democracy and we don't get to vote. It's a like it or leave it deal. I agree with you on one thing, though, I too hope they fire you and get you out of your misery.

And I'll throw in a positive comment to. Person to Person pays really good for there surveys.

Like anything else, you get what you pay for. I do an extremely thorough job for Person to Person. GfK I could care less if they even accept an application. Maritz. I won't be applying anytime soon.

Here here. Let's let the firing begin. They're just more stress than they're worth.

Then simple deactivate yourself. Why complain when you do not wish to shop for them? Who are you to tell them to get with the times? I am sure no one there will loose any sleep without you in their database...

mrcomputer101 Wrote:
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> Then simple deactivate yourself. Why complain when
> you do not wish to shop for them? Who are you to
> tell them to get with the times? I am sure no one
> there will loose any sleep without you in their
> database...


Just what I was thinking. Why so many posts about not liking them? That is just way too much negative energy, IMHO. Deactivate yourself and replace them with a new company, or 2 or 3 or 5 if you want. There are only a couple of companies I can think of that I feel about the way you feel about Maritz. I fired them a long time ago and haven't looked back.

I hear ya phish! Regardless of what the others are saying there have been multiple threads complaining about Maritz and their apparent unwillingness to enter the 21st century. Not a whole lot we can do about it though, we can take it or leave it. I chose to take it because I actually like Maritz and do a lot of work for them. I don't take those $10 jobs though, I want until they're offering bonuses.

I personally enjoy doing assignments for Maritz, because I know that when they call me, they are offering some sort of bonus to me. I won't comment on GfK because I don't want to be accused of being biased because I schedule for them.

Lol this thread

Just a heads up...

A good way to get yourself fired from SEVERAL MSPs, is to name them and a client in the same thread.

I can't take that OP seriously.

I wish they had a map. That seems to be missing from their data base however they have it even on paper! Use a map! No I am 300 miles which is too far.

phish, you should delete the name of the client, since we know the msc is Maritz.
I use robo form for all my log-in, so that's a non issue. I like Maritz, they have some of the easiest shops.

PS1980 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just a heads up...
>
> A good way to get yourself fired from SEVERAL
> MSPs, is to name them and a client in the same
> thread.

Its not like I use the same email address that I log in with here. How would they even track that? Even the forum doesn't take your name when you sign up so even if they would give a company information, they don't have it to give.

You'd be surprised. You can reveal much more about yourself here than you think....

They can't track it unless you give them something to go on, but in some cases they don't need much. If you talk about details of a specific type of shop you did or had an issue with, that would do it. For example, if you said you have three shops at BigBoyBox scheduled this week and you needed an extension and the MSC cancelled them on you that would do it. That's the type of thing they can track, if they care. I believe most of them pay no attention at all to this forum.