I recently accepted a shop from a scheduler with Maritz. She asked me if I could complete it on Saturday, and I accepted. Well, I went to conduct my shop and the location was closed. Turns out they are always closed on Saturdays. I emailed the scheduler and let her know the location was closed and that I would not be able to conduct the shop. I then logged into Maritz and submitted the report, stating that the location was closed and that I had evaluated the outside of the building. The scheduler saw that I submitted a report, didn't read it, and is now asking me if I did the shop and what's going on. We're both getting frustrated. Am I wrong to think that I deserve at least some compensation for this shop? I know if it were to happen with another major company they would pay me $3 for my trouble. I feel that the scheduler should take responsibility for this because she told me Saturday was available. Please be nice in your comments.

Unless the guidelines stated you were to call and verify the location was open then yes, they should pay you for a closed location. If you were supposed to call and just relied on the scheduler assigning it for that day they will owe you nothing.

BTW, that crappy $3 is not the industry standard. Most MSCs will pay the full fee and bonus.

Although I really like working for Maritz and have said as much in other threads, I have had a singular experience similar to taitsj's.
I called the location as I typically do. No answer. Called again. No answer. The phone just rang and rang. No one ever answered. I held off on doing the shop for days as I called over and over. I was familiar with the gas station and the area. One of the things my brain does is imprint a mental picture of locations. i never forget them. I was told once that I have an eidetic memory. I never forget a visual. That's not bragging, it is how it works for me.
Finally, I called Maritz and explained the situation to the scheduler. He suggested just driving there as maybe they were just very busy. If they were closed, he said, then perform the shop as a closed location.
I did as instructed. Surprise! The station was not only closed, it was destroyed, gone from the site - torn down!
I submitted the required information and photos and never was paid for it. I called many times (no Emails, mind you), spoke to various schedulers and supervisors, etc. Never paid! After weeks of calling, the scheduler said they couldn't find the Visit ID on the computer. No one ever could tell me what happened.

It was and has been the only instance when I performed a shop, found it closed, submitted all the correct photos and was not paid.

I suppose if it were farther away and not on a route where I passed by anyway, maybe I might have pressed the issue further.

It was and is not a big deal. It did not leave a bad taste in my mouth for Maritz. They really did try hard to "fix" the situation for me. I wasn't POed. I moved on and just chalked it up to a poor business situation.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2016 11:07PM by French Farmer.

French Farmer, this isn't the first time I've had a problem with Maritz. My very first shop for them I failed to submit an invoice. I was new to shopping and didn't understand they process. I accept responsibility for not submitting the invoice, but the issue I had with Maritz was that I had a hell of a time getting anyone to help me. I called several times and was transferred around because no one wanted to deal with me. After several weeks of trying to sort it out, I finally got someone with a heart who agreed to help me get paid. If Maritz burns me one more time, I'll never do business with them again.

Don't give up on them! if you speak sensibly and not in an angry tone, just in a businesslike tone, the Maritz people really do want to help you.
In my business life, I've been on the other side of that phone and understand how they feel when someone rants (not saying you do!). It never works. Better to rant here, I say.

@French Farmer wrote:

I submitted the required information and photos and never was paid for it. I called many times (no Emails, mind you), spoke to various schedulers and supervisors, etc. Never paid! After weeks of calling, the scheduler said they couldn't find the Visit ID on the computer. No one ever could tell me what happened.

Did you remember to send in the invoice? I always keep a pdf file of my invoices which have the Job ID and location name and address on them. It makes it so much easier to track down a missing payment.

Always, always, I invoice immediately after the report has been submitted! My cardinal rule.

I save my invoices and save them to the date of the invoice. My worksheet reflects that date. It was not a big deal to me and I moved on - a business transaction that got seriously FU ed.

A learning experience for me.

@taitsj wrote:

Please be nice in your comments.

I guess I have nothing to write then. I have strong feelings about Maritz, none of which are positive.

I agree with LisaSTL. If the guidelines mention calling before going then it is on you. If they do not, then you should be paid the full fee.

Lol. You can say whatever you want abou Maritz. I'm not sure what to do because I keep hearing that they are one of the better companies to work for, and that I should stick with them. Honestly, I've only done 4 shops for them, and have had problems with 3 of those 4. If I have to call every time to ensure that I get paid, it's not worth my time. I am doing invoices and reporting them correctly.

@taitsj wrote:

Lol. You can say whatever you want abou Maritz. I'm not sure what to do because I keep hearing that they are one of the better companies to work for, and that I should stick with them. Honestly, I've only done 4 shops for them, and have had problems with 3 of those 4. If I have to call every time to ensure that I get paid, it's not worth my time. I am doing invoices and reporting them correctly.

I actually only see one post encouraging you to stick with them. Maritz is not for everyone. Some shoppers love them, others do not. Decide for yourself if working with a particular company (not necessarily just Maritz) is worth your time. If dealing with the company is not worth your time, drop them and work for other companies. That's the great thing about being an independent contractor. We pick and choose.

I've worked with Maritz since 2008 with no problems to speak of and I like them, although I avoid talking to them on the phone because I find their pleading, no-bonus whining about how "some shoppers just take these shops to help us out" beyond annoying. But, as long as I continue to be able to self-assign, complete the shops and report relatively easily, and get paid in 2-4 weeks, I'm sticking with them. But I would never encourage someone who thinks it's not worth it to stick with them. There are some popular companies (as reported here on the forum) that I do not like, and I dropped them.

Maritz is one of the better companies, but it's a personal choice. Sometimes there is simply not a good fit between a good shopper and a good company.

@taitsj wrote:

Honestly, I've only done 4 shops for them, and have had problems with 3 of those 4. If I have to call every time to ensure that I get paid, it's not worth my time. I am doing invoices and reporting them correctly.

I have worked for Maritz for 6 to 8 years. (I just started my vacay so I have no desire to research my start date with them.) In all those years, I have only had one payment issue and it was due to a lost check in the mail. They had to put a stop payment on the check, wait for the next billing cycle, reissue a new check and it eventually came in the mail. The whole process took about two months since it happened around the winter holidays and their STL office closes for two weeks. Otherwise the wait time would have been shorter.

For you to have issues with 3 out of 4 of your shops, it makes me wonder if the problem is not on your end.

@AustinMom wrote:

I've worked with Maritz since 2008 with no problems to speak of and I like them, although I avoid talking to them on the phone because I find their pleading, no-bonus whining about how "some shoppers just take these shops to help us out" beyond annoying. But, as long as I continue to be able to self-assign, complete the shops and report relatively easily, and get paid in 2-4 weeks, I'm sticking with them.

I try to avoid talking to them on the phone also. Their slow work pace does not mesh with my busy schedule. I don't have high blood pressure but if I did, it would go higher after conversing with a team member. Since I have self-scheduling and auto-scheduling capabilities, I am pretty much automated when it comes to working with Maritz CX. And my blood pressure remains normal.

Same thing happened to me with the invoice on my first assignment with them. I'm sure there are others, also. The assignments are pretty good, although I don't do anything for them anymore unless it has a bonus because the editors can be very picky at times.

Many of Maritz jobs require that you call and confirm hours. I am not sure if it is stated in all guidelines but when you take the requirements quiz it is usually on there. I have always been paid by Maritz for shops that are closed provided they were scheduled to be open on that date. I take a screen shot of their posted hours or an exterior photo and street corner sign and screen shot the cell phone. They do not appear to be a company out to cheat shoppers. The scheduler or editor are not the decision makers for escalations or out of the norm situations. If it were I, the expectation would be that I was specifically asked to do on Saturday so I would talk with a lead to plead a fair resolution.

@French Farmer wrote:

After weeks of calling, the scheduler said they couldn't find the Visit ID on the computer. No one ever could tell me what happened.

what likely happened is that somebody deleted the visit ID, since the location no longer existed. once the visit ID is deleted, you can't invoice the shop for payment and no record exists. therefore, none of the other employees will ever know that there was such a shop. it never existed. and you can't be paid for a shop that never existed.

That's why my phone number with them was changed to my Google Voice number. Now I sit back and enjoy the voice2text translation attempts which can be very hilarious..

I accepted and completed 2 shops for them...1 through a scheduling company in which 2 weeks later they came back to pick part the photos that I had taken demanding extra picture of the pre-made folders their client had given me. And the other a big box where the pay rate for the effort required amount to 3.50/hr. Then they started after me about doing audits @$10 a whack after looking at the paperwork and effort required I emailed the team and said oh hell no .....give them to someone else and leave me alone! They are worse than the mystery shops for intellishop that they only want to pay $7 per store and expect the questionnaire plus a novel of a narrative.

There is usually a note in the instructions which reads that no payment...or something like a $ 5.00 fee will be paid for unsuccessful audits. I have seen mention of no payment for "closed" locations. I always read that to be that if an investigator arrived at a location during an hour which the site is closed no payment will be forthcoming. OK. I recently reported to a Jiffy Lube which was permanently closed for business. I gave the MSC a very hard time. I had made several phone calls to the target site which were UNANSWERED. No message that the phone was disconnected. I called other JL locations and they also did not pick up the phone. I called a scheduler at the MSC to no response that Friday afternoon. Finally I checked the Corporate web site and no indication was made that the site was permanently closed for business. I did not feel it was fair that I spent two hours driving and returning without getting the service i signed up for. I had a fit. They even told me they were advised of the closure after my eval date. I said sending me out to a loser was not acceptable and asked for a complimentary oil change at another location. They were happy to sign me up for another location to perform and thought I would be pleased. The MSC finally agreed to a payment of $15 which was about the best I could hope for but I probably damaged my relationship. I also probably damaged my relationship with the well revered NYC Hospitality outfit "C." I had to make up a dinner 60 miles away due to black ice conditions on the night of my scheduled eval. I tried to make good and made a verbally approved second trip the next night to get it in under the month end. Imagine my discontent to return home at midnight after spending 80 bucks on a truly lousy meal and driving 2.5 hours RT to make it up to find that while I was arriving at the restaurant an email telling me not to do the eval arrived. Cancellation at 7 PM for a dinner the same night! Some cross emails were exchanged and I think one was even fabricated because it was never received in my mailbox. It is not surprising that I have not received successful assignments with them since.
Don't you wish you could give a citation to a scheduler or Operations Manager?

Probably.

The funny thing is - a new gas station was built on the same site and I did the shop!

Gotta love the brand new stations.