Is this done often? I have been receiving lots of calls from different schedulers of one company that I recently signed up with. I have not yet done one shop with them and am wondering if this is what I should expect from all the companies. The other companies that I have also recently signed up with do not call and just send emails.

Not really. Maritz seems to be the worst of them. They don't seem to know how to send a simple email. Otherwise most frequently phone calls come from companies where you have done work before and they need you to do a job that you have done for them previously.

For me, Marketforce was the worst. Fortunately, calls seem to have subsided, although not stopped altogether. Still get lots of recorded calls from SEC.

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not really. Maritz seems to be the worst of them.
> They don't seem to know how to send a simple
> email. Otherwise most frequently phone calls come
> from companies where you have done work before and
> they need you to do a job that you have done for
> them previously.


I don't know what to think about Maritz. Apparently they think they need to hold my hand before I do one of the simple gas shops. I am tempted to remove my app and deactivate myself. I don't have that kinda time.

Shoppers Critique is almost as bad. On low paying jobs, I just don't need that level of supervision, KWIM?

I deactivated from them and have been just as glad I did. No more phone calls pleading to go do cheap shops.

3offthecharts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Flash Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Not really. Maritz seems to be the worst of
> them.
> > They don't seem to know how to send a simple
> > email. Otherwise most frequently phone calls
> come
> > from companies where you have done work before
> and
> > they need you to do a job that you have done
> for
> > them previously.
>
>
> I don't know what to think about Maritz.
> Apparently they think they need to hold my hand
> before I do one of the simple gas shops. I am
> tempted to remove my app and deactivate myself. I
> don't have that kinda time.
> ?


I agree. I had to delete my work number from my Maritz profile because the calls I was getting at work were just overwhelming. What I learned very quickly about Maritz is that even though I am able to self-schedule and I frequently go in and accept those jobs that I want, Maritz will call me regularly asking me if I don't want to take the shops located very far away from me. When I say no, the scheduler (not just one, but several) is very pushy and points out that it isn't so far from me and pressures (no bonus offered!). When I still decline, they start to beg, telling me they really need to get it done (still no bonus!) When I decline again, they ask me to take the shop as a "favor" again with no bonus. When they call my cell, I usually let it go to voicemail since I know what they want .... for me to take a dog shop for a low fee but no bonus. Do you suppose that might be why their fees are low ... they are paying a lot of direct employees to spend to lot of time on the phone holding shoppers's hands and begging them to take shops at low fees? In case this sounds as though I don't like Maritz, let me say I do like working for them .... BUT I self-schedule the shops I want to take and I am competent and professonal enough to handle the shops without constant hand-holding and I really don't want a lot of telephone contact. I just don't have the time.

Yes, I love Maritz with their "But if you will go 30 miles for this shop, this other one is only an extra hour away, but nope still no bonus" calls. Although, I was offered a $1 bonus on Black Friday to travel across the state line for a shop.

lisams901 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Although, I was offered a $1 bonus on Black Friday
> to travel across the state line for a shop.


Lucky you! They can't be this dense; sometimes I wonder how the Maritz schedulers can get themseles up to making these outrageous statements. The only thing I can come up with is that it must work for them. I am guessing somehow they are able to beg or bully shoppers into taking these far-away shops at low pay with no bonus. This must be working or why would it continue?

Certainly their notion of reciprocation for doing them a favor is for them to ask for more favors.

I was receiving a TON of calls from MF, but 4 weeks ago I got one at 7:37am on a Sunday morning. The scheduler was calling to remind me that i needed to update my status for ajob i had already accepted & was a week away! I was PEEVED,and asked her if she knew what time it was in oregon? She faltered from her script, then said "it's just about 8am?" I told her I do not work on Sundays, after telling her I already HAD updated my status, had the paperwork, and did not appreciate her calling and violating MF's "no phone calls before 8am" rule. then I hung up. I called and spoke to "John" who I was told was a scheduling supervisor, and have not had one phone call since, except for one I initiated.
Maritz is another story, and I'm going to echo the sentiments of those who've posted about their phone calls. I LOVE the little elderly lady who calls me to try and talk me into gas station mystery shops. But even though she reminds me of my Gram, I am not driving 70 miles to take 3 gas station shops at $5 each, plus $6 reimbursement. With gas at $3.50+ a gallon. One of those shops I told them I would NEVER do again, not at any price, after the guy working there scared me so bad I had the heebies all the way home. This week I had a call from a guy who wanted me to "help out" with a bank shop, which I did the month before. I explained to him that it was a small town I am only in twice a month and they would definitely recognize me if I went back in so soon. He got kind of pissy and said he was really hoping I could help them out, but if I didn't want to... I said sorry, and ended the call. I plan on doing the "oops, went to voicemail" from now on.

My experience with Maritz is different then the ones above. I do the bank shops for them and when they call for a location that is far away I immediately ask for a bonus. If the bonus is reasonable for the distance I will take it. If the bonus is not reasonable, or no bonus, then I simply say that it is too far away for me. They never pressure me and say that they understand.

I get phone calls from NSS if they have a job in my area, never from companies where I have not done one job.

@ wrote:

Lucky you! They can't be this dense; sometimes I wonder how the Maritz schedulers can get themseles up to making these outrageous statements. The only thing I can come up with is that it must work for them. I am guessing somehow they are able to beg or bully shoppers into taking these far-away shops at low pay with no bonus. This must be working or why would it continue?

Reminds me of the cell phone commercial where the AT&T man says "Makes sense if you don't think about it"

I strongly dislike Maritz phone calls. As a brand new shopper, years ago, I thought bad things would happen to my standing if I didn't cave in to their arm-twisting. (It's funny that we seem to share the opinion of little old ladies on the other end of the phone.)

I don't mind calls from MF. Music to my ears is their question "What will it take?". I never hear that from Maritz.

I enter MSP names and numbers into my cell phone so it ID's the caller. Forewarned, I choose which ones to answer.

A certain Maritz supervisor recently lectured me on how fortunate I was to have been selected as a Maritz shopper and how fortunate I was to have work available to me since so many people are unemployed. I thanked her and declined to "do her a favor" for an assignment many miles from my house.

That sure fits in the "What a Crock!" category.

Flash, are you suggesting that I should not feel honored to have passed Maritz' exhaustive screening process before I was hired?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2011 04:13AM by ShopUntilYouDrop.

Slightly OT, but this reminds me of a funny story. The weirdest phone call I ever got was for a bar audit. I'm generally not inclined toward those shops, but seeing as this one was literally within walking distance and it paid well, I listened. Ultimately, I declined the shop, and explained to the scheduler that it would be impossible for me to do it without being discovered, since I am a Caucasian female. (She had no idea until I told her, that the establishment in question caters to a gay male African American clientele.)

Surely you would have been "outed" Nicely.

I'd say so! :-)