I have been a Market Force Shopper since 2002. Until this year I have NEVER had a shop invalidated by them. In fact I've only had 1 or 2 shops ever invalidated in my career, and those were deserved because of obvious mistakes I made.

In the last week and a half I have had two shops invalidated by Market Force. In both cases they were mistakes made by employees. However, because of the way I reported the mistakes, they invalidated both shops. For the second one, my receipt showed everything completely correct. As a result, they would have never known if I just reported everything as status quo. However, being the professional shopper I am and always trying to provide as much value as I can, I reported the extra information. However, this was a mistake, as it has cost me $26 (between the two) that is not being reimbursed.

I politely argued my case, and in both cases they just told me to read the guidelines more carefully. Situations like this have happened in the past. In most cases, it was accepted without question. A handful of other times I was asked to clarify the situation, and the shop was accepted with no problem. I have done hundreds of these shops successfully. In fact I have often received generous bonuses from schedulers who call me to bail them out with last minute or difficult to fill shops. However, it didn't matter one bit. I even called to speak with someone, and just received a lame excuse that the standards for this client's shops were much stricter now.

I will certainly never complete this type of shop for them company again. I'm not going to sit here and tell you to boycott as well, but I will advise to think twice before accepting these shops. I would also recommend not reporting any more information than you need to. I would also love to know if anyone else has had the same issue. Thank you

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2015 01:46AM by joegin.

joegin, you are breaking your ICA and the forum rules in the title to this thread and all throughout your post. You can not name the MSC and the client name even if you are mad at them. Please revise or a moderator will,

Fine...how do I delete the post?

There should be an edit button at the bottom of your post. It is next to the quote button. You will need to edit the thread title and throughout your post,

Once you have edited the post as required, it would be great to know exactly why the shops were invalidated?? Hard to make an educated decision without all the details. Thanks!!

This MSC does not give reasons.

Thank you. In the first instance, the receipt showed the incorrect size of an item I asked for. I was not going to ask for a correction, as it is not a normal procedure and would be a potential mystery shopper give away. In the second instance, everything was correct on my receipt and I followed the ordering guidelines exactly. They gave me the wrong order, and I had it corrected. This has always been the policy. However, there was a subtle change that says I am not to correct it. As a result, they invalidated it.

I would be the first to agree with the need to read guidelines, and I do so religiously. I was perhaps a bit lax in this case because I have done this same shop hundreds of times, and it is rare that the guidelines ever change. I just feel that they are being way too technical in this case. I am certainly not perfect, but I believe my record with this and other companies speaks for itself.

Yes, I am a bit upset, but my main purpose of this was to warn people of these much tighter guidelines. I don't see what can be done about it now, but if you have suggestions I will gladly listen

My solution has been to simply raise my rates for doing those types of shops. This covers the losses from the occasional invalidated shop, or the costs of any shop I have to do over.

Since Market Force remains firmly mired in the last century and still will not accept an EIN in lieu of my SS number, I have still not registered with these silly folks. l have politely requested the name, home address and SS number of Market Force's CEO, CFO and COO to no avail. Who would've thunk???

joegin, you are correct, the guideline have recently changed and they are enforcing them very strictly.

Indeed.

Since I missed the company name, could you tell me type of shop this was? FF, casual sit down, drive thru? Thanks

Im thinking its FF and the issue is the size of the bevedage.

From what I am reading joegin, you corrected your order and you are not supposed to correct it. This is a "newer" guideline but it is plastered on the front page of your guidelines.

I am told that I can't say the restaurant here, but it is a fast food restaurant. I am required to do both drive thru and walk in. Yes, the beverage size was the issue for one of them. SunnyDays2...you are right. The guidelines are in writing and I realize I don't have much of an argument with that. However, be honest...when you've done the same shop countless times, do you review the guidelines every single time?

@joegin wrote:

I am told that I can't say the restaurant here, but it is a fast food restaurant. I am required to do both drive thru and walk in. Yes, the beverage size was the issue for one of them. SunnyDays2...you are right. The guidelines are in writing and I realize I don't have much of an argument with that. However, be honest...when you've done the same shop countless times, do you review the guidelines every single time?

ABSOLUTELY! 100% I always read my guidelines! "Every time" They have changed so much, as you know. From what you can order, to what size you can order, did they repeat back the order (?), did you see that phone number question on the wall (?) NOT correcting your incorrect order, making sure you get the 3 items (correcting only if missing)...and the sandwich types that you can order have changed.

@joegin wrote:

However, be honest...when you've done the same shop countless times, do you review the guidelines every single time?

Maybe not EVERY time if I am doing several of the same EXACT shop in the same month or shopping period. But I will skim over the guidelines AND report at the beginning of each new month or shopping period.

I have a regular route of about 30 shops that I perform on a monthly basis. I have been performing this route for over two years, After about 1 1/2 years, the guidelines and report did have a slight change. The scheduler did not mention the change to me. By reviewing everything ahead of time, I was prepared for this change and made the transition seamlessly.

I am sorry you had your shops rejected and I think you would have been safe a few months ago, but there was a change in their guidelines. On this particular client, just to be safe, I never have anything corrected. I think in the past, you had the option, you just had to make sure you received all three items. I just take what the give me and report anything that is incorrect.

I had the same issue last week. I didn't read the guidelines and corrected an incorrect order and my shop was invalidated too. I think they should have put it in the email that the guidelines had changed and you were not supposed to correct any orders. I only lost $9.00 plus the hour to do the report and the cost of the lousy food but it annoyed me, especially spending the time to do the report. I even considered not telling the truth about the incorrect order because the receipt said what they gave me (although it was not what I ordered) but I was afraid with their video surveillance they'd see I'd walked back to the counter to change the order. I felt the same as you, that I should report the truth. I think it's crappy they don't want you to correct an order anymore unless an entire item is omitted. How are they supposed to evaluate the level of employees' customer service if shoppers don't report employee errors? Why wouldn't the restaurant want to know? It goes against the principles of mystery shopping as far as I'm concerned, but of course the client can ask for what they want. Also, with this new guideline you can get stuck eating something that wasn't what you asked for, or you need to throw the food away.

I learned something valuable though. I need to always re-read guidelines no matter how many times I've shopped a client before. Sigh ...

They don't send changes to you about your shop in an email. They don't post guideline changes on our shopper news site. They post the changes on the "CPI and guidelines." They want you as a shopper to read the guidelines and be "observant" to changes. That tells them a lot about you if you are or are "not" reading your guidelines. That is how they measure part of your shopping skills.

It is a loss to you what happened. But the client wants certain things done a certain way. The MSC won't be paid and neither will you. Think of it from the client's perspective. They did not get what they paid for...

You've heard this: If you don't perform it the way the client wants, you won't get paid. You saw the letter about shop times right? If you shop outside of 11:45 to 1:15 PM as example, (either earlier or later than) your shop will be rejected. (unless you can show their timing is off by so many minutes on the register).

Why are you shopping that client if the food is lousy? I happen to not like the greasy tacos you need to order for another client's location so I don't shop that assignment anymore. If you don't like the food, why are you wasting over $10 for it?

You mention not telling the truth (or considering it) but who have you helped by doing that?

They are not concerned as much this round with employee errors as much as they are with timing. Timing is everything! If you say your cheeseburger should be chicken nuggets, that delays the time in getting true times out for the orders. You keep the cheeseburger and report what happened.

You want to give the client what they want. They want timings. They don't care as much about the incorrect orders and there is a subsection for you to address any concerns about incorrect orders.

@nycrocks wrote:

I learned something valuable though. I need to always re-read guidelines no matter how many times I've shopped a client before. Sigh ...

Maybe this is MF's way of weeding out shoppers since they seem to deactivate shoppers now and then. It is also a good reminder for the more experienced shoppers to not become complacent in their duties.

I have to read my guidelines each time at least glance through if same same because I can't afford even one rejection in my financial situation, still looking for that dang mint magnet!

Yes, never be complacent. We are professionals.

Market Force emailed me a change in the guidelines for one particular location. Maybe they did that because I was going to do it the next day. The client wanted to have something added to this particular location which was not compliant at all and has been like that forever! They wanted an extra photo of the pumps.

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

They don't send changes to you about your shop in an email. They don't post guideline changes on our shopper news site. They post the changes on the "CPI and guidelines."

@Canuck wrote:

Market Force emailed me a change in the guidelines for one particular location. Maybe they did that because I was going to do it the next day. The client wanted to have something added to this particular location which was not compliant at all and has been like that forever! They wanted an extra photo of the pumps.

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

They don't send changes to you about your shop in an email. They don't post guideline changes on our shopper news site. They post the changes on the "CPI and guidelines."

I get those too for a few shops where the client adds a "rush change stipulation." But I was referring to the: "No more Wally Burgers can be ordered. No more Tuity Fruity Shakes, no more Camel Burgers in Jr. sizes." lol... ....That kind of thing It usually shows up on your CPI or the first page of you guidelines in BOLD yellows, reds or oranges of permanent changes

Got it.

I hope every time I return here that no one has complaints about Market Force. Shame

Hope in one hand and spit in the other and see which one fills up first

I don't think the OP NEEDS to have you reprimanding them, and I don't think the mystery shopping company is especially fond of mystery shoppers who are looking for free lunches.

The OP just lost money, time, and they feel badly already, so YOU take it onto yourself that go on a rant and start the picking and boasting and b.s. to commence in this forum? This is why there are complaints about these members all over the Internet.

Who are you anyway, the Mystery Shopping Police?

New to the game Robin2??????
As a newbie maybe sit back and read awhile.....

@Robin2 wrote:

I don't think the OP NEEDS to have you reprimanding them, and I don't think the mystery shopping company is especially fond of mystery shoppers who are looking for free lunches.

The OP just lost money, time, and they feel badly already, so YOU take it onto yourself that go on a rant and start the picking and boasting and b.s. to commence in this forum? This is why there are complaints about these members all over the Internet.

Who are you anyway, the Mystery Shopping Police?