Something a bit strange has happened to me. On Dec. 30, I received an email asking for someone to complete a phone shop Dec. 31 between 3pm-9pm. I applied for the shop. I waited almost all day on Dec 31 for either acceptance or rejection of my application. By 6pm, nothing had come in my email so I took off for NYE parties. The next day, I open my email and notice an acceptance for the shop that came in at 6:36 pm on Jan 31. Since the due date had already passed, I did nothing. I didn't confirm my acceptance of the shop, just deleted the email.

Today, I go to the MSC's site and notice I have a flake notice! I've never, ever, flaked in over 10 years of doing MS. I've contacted the scheduler but I'm not impressed. He had over 24 hours to assign the shop and chose to do so in the last 2 1/2 hours before the shop was due ~ yet, I'm the flake???

My question to you is this: When we apply for jobs and have to wait until they are assigned to us, does the mere application count as acceptance of the shop? It doesn't seem right that I applied for a shop, never accepted doing it, and I'm being stiffed with being a flake ~ when I KNOW I'm not!

What would you do? I used to get quite a bit of work from this company and this KSS Scheduler. Since this happened, he's turned me down for every single assignment I applied for.

P.S. Things like this are why I hate applying for shops. Self-assign is so much better!

That would bother me, too. Some sites allow applications to be deleted. For those that don't, the only remedy that I can think of would be to email a formal retraction of application. What a PITA that would be.

Have you considered appealing the flake status and forwarding the emails to a supervisor or the owner of KSS?

It does seem unfair that once we apply, it can sit until an hour before it is due, and then, if assigned, the scheduler expects it done by the deadline. I have not had this happen with KSS, but I have with other MSPs. I usually try to go back and delete my application when I realize I have not gotten the assignment by the time that it becomes not attractive to me anymore. I did have once that I applied for a job, then heard nothing and it got to be an hour before the deadline, so I accepted another job...and immediately got an acceptance for the job within one hour. ??? I e-mailed the scheduler and said since there was only one hour before the deadline, I had assumed I had not been assigned and accepted another job and was no longer free to accept this job. She was understanding, removed it, and I heard no more about it. It does not seem to have affected my work with the company. Another time, another MSP, I applied for 2 shops in a small town about 75 miles from my home because I was planning to spend the weekend getting my son set up for college in the town, in fact about a block from one of the shops and very close to the second. The shop was not assigned before the weekend. All weekend I checked my laptop for assignment, because I could have zipped over and done the shops. On Monday morning, as I left town and headed back home, I deleted my application. On Monday afternoon, I received an e-mail from the scheduler wanting me to accept the shops, complaining that I had deleted my application. (So she knew it was there...and was waiting for what! When she didn't get something she was looking for, she'd take me.....but I was gone? Too bad.) I told her I had waited 5 days after applying, but I was no longer interested and that was why I had deleted my application. She said "but the shop still has to be done!" I also like self assign a lot better.

I list the 'bare bones' of every shop I have applied for on my shop sheet. I have no qualms about going back in and deleting the request. I would assume that your request showed up on the 'My Apps' page of their website, though I generally request through specific companies rather than through them. As a job is no longer attractive, I go in and delete my request. Like AustinMom, I would have no sympathy for a scheduler who is so late in getting the assignment out that it is no longer interesting for me to schedule around.

In your case, MtlShopper, I would definitely make my concerns known. Waiting until DURING THE SHOP WINDOW on a short window assignment is unconscionable without a quick phone call to make sure you are still ready, willing and able to perform the work. It speaks volumes about the inadequacies of the scheduler.

That doesn't seem fair. I had applied for two shops only if I could get a bonus (distance too far), and did not hear back or get acceptment email, therefore didn't do them. Got email saying job was late and wrote to scheduler on the site contact telling her, then wrote to MSC. MSC didn't know and said fine, this was a misunderstanding and was not marked down. You should get your side across, especially if you have worked for them in the past. Tell the MSC, I'm sure they will understand. Looks like scheduling Co. was saving their neck.

No, it's not fair, and you definitely did not flake. That said, I do what Flash does. I keep track, always -- put all my shops on an Excel sheet and highlight the ones in red that are just applications.

Just last week, I applied for a shop that would have coincided perfectly with another shop on the same day, and in the same area. Didn't hear a thing, and to boot, the day before the shop would have taken place, the same recruitment email came again.

On the morning of the shop, I went into the system, and found my application, still in the "pending" secton. Before signing out, I hit "delete this application"!

Ahhhh, it did not occur to me to cancel the application. In retrospect, I should have and will should this type of situation ever reoccur. In my defense, it was New Year's Eve and I had a lot of other things going on. After about 5pm, well into the shop window, I stopped checking emails and started getting ready for various outings.

I've contacted the scheduler and asked that he reconsider the flake citation. We'll see what happens. If this stays on my record, it's a pretty big deal as many shops are scheduled through KSS and they are no longer giving me anything and neither is the MSC this shop was scheduled for ~ I'm feeling the loss already! They have enough shoppers in Montreal that they don't need the hassle of dealing with a potential flake. Grrr, I'm *so* not a flake!

Ouch!

MtlShopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ahhhh, it did not occur to me to cancel the
> application. In retrospect, I should have and
> will should this type of situation ever reoccur.
> In my defense, it was New Year's Eve and I had a
> lot of other things going on. After about 5pm,
> well into the shop window, I stopped checking
> emails and started getting ready for various
> outings.
>
> I've contacted the scheduler and asked that he
> reconsider the flake citation. We'll see what
> happens. If this stays on my record, it's a
> pretty big deal as many shops are scheduled
> through KSS and they are no longer giving me
> anything and neither is the MSC this shop was
> scheduled for ~ I'm feeling the loss already!
> They have enough shoppers in Montreal that they
> don't need the hassle of dealing with a potential
> flake. Grrr, I'm *so* not a flake!


The truth is, you shouldn't even have had to do that, but yes, better to be safe than sorry. And seemingly so, especially when it comes to KSS! The scenario I depicted was with that very company. Just another note on KSS, this is one of those companies that doesn't always notify you when a shop is closed, either. Seems to depend on the scheduler.

Yes, they seem to like to keep all applicants 'in limbo' as backup shoppers in case they get a cancellation or flake. I find it a shoddy business practice though obviously it works for them, especially if then they can blame failure to complete on the shopper and not take responsibility themselves for failure to play fair.

Phew! I'm happy to report that the notation has been removed from my file and the scheduler has apologized for the confusion. Although this should not have happened, I'm very happy with how it was resolved.

I always tell managers/associates/others that it is not the problem that was as important as how the problem was resolved that counts! Everyone makes mistakes, it's how you handle them that makes you a flake, I think. You certainly were not a flake!

I had hat happen once to me, I clicked on an accept by mistake but I went in immediatel and deleted the app. Then I got an email confirming the shop, and I sent email back immediately, explaining it had been a mistake. There was no problem. I have to say that I have been working primarily with ATH Powers, Bare international, and Ritter Associates and they have all been wonderful (Maybe cause I am new?) I am still waiting to find out about payment. Will know soon!

Good news, MtlShopper

The purple porthole is notorious about assigning shops and withdrawing them, but let a shopper cancel a shop, and they get a little testy.

MtlShopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Phew! I'm happy to report that the notation has
> been removed from my file and the scheduler has
> apologized for the confusion. Although this
> should not have happened, I'm very happy with how
> it was resolved.


Kudos to you for persevering! Glad it worked out.

I'm delighted that you got that sorted out MtlShopper.