So I get this email from Purple:
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"300,000+ Market Force Mystery Shoppers are getting paid to shop and eat for free

Reactivate your account to join them! It takes just minutes.

Dear SHAWN,

We are reaching out to you because you have the appropriate skill set to be an independent contractor with Market Force. While this may not be a traditional position, it can be very rewarding and is extremely flexible to your schedule. Market Force is a 100% legitimate BBB-accredited business with experience in the mystery shopping, merchandising, auditing, and theatre checking industries dating back to 1956.

We currently have a great opportunity available at a *(?%%$ in your area. The assignment involves tasks in several departments within the store. Tasks are:

Back to school signage placement

Men's Denim
Men's Casual
Junior's Denim

Reactivating is easy. Simply reply “reactivate” to this email and your account will be all set. Once you reactivated, you will have access to the online portal, where you will be able to view and select not only movie assignments, but many other types of assignments available in your area. If you have any questions or hesitations, please feel free to reach out to us at cfahelp@marketforce.com.

We look forward to working with you!

Market Force, a BBB Accredited Business"

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Now, despite the low pay on a lot of jobs, I LIKED working for Purple. If you are good at planning a route of shops, those low payers add up nicely and are so easy a five-year-old could do them. So I followed the instructions for reactivation, but could never log-in, so I sent this:

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"Good Morning:

I received an email asking that I reactivate my account. I followed the instructions in the email to reactivate, but thus far have been unable to log in to the shopper portal. It has been approximately 24 hours since I since the reply email to reactivate. Please advise."
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And this is the response I received:

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"Shawn,

Your account was deactivated because you did not complete an assignment and you did not maintain adequate communication regarding that assignment. Before your account is reactivated we would need to know that you would commit to completing assignments that you had accepted and that you will remain in contact with us."

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Now remember, Marketforce ASKED me to reactivate! My reply:

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"Good Evening:

Perhaps I was unclear. I did not ask to be reactivated. I was sent an email from your company asking me to reactivate. I know full well why I was deactivated; I do not however, agree with that assessment. The problem arose when I was sent on an assignment to an address that did not exist. I told 15 people in 15 different ways that this address did not exist. I offered video and photographic proof that the address did not exist. Yet I was told that the address did exist and I should go to it or cancel the shop. I refused to cancel the shop because I knew I was right. Shortly thereafter, I was deactivated. I always communicate with my schedulers, although your system leaves a lot to be desired in being able to actually do that. Commitment works both ways. Since YOUR company is requesting that I reactivate, I think I should be the one asking for a commitment that when presented with a problem, you will at least make an effort to verify it before talking to me like I’m a child and have no idea how to follow a road map."

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I am still waiting for a response (three weeks and counting!)


Too Funny Purple!

Good for you! The thinking that the employer is always right because they are the ones with the money is so wrong.

shawnthewoman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------------------------------------
> ---------------------------
> "Good Evening:
>
> Perhaps I was unclear. I did not ask to be
> reactivated. I was sent an email from your
> company asking me to reactivate. I know full well
> why I was deactivated; I do not however, agree
> with that assessment. The problem arose when I
> was sent on an assignment to an address that did
> not exist. I told 15 people in 15 different ways
> that this address did not exist. I offered video
> and photographic proof that the address did not
> exist. Yet I was told that the address did exist
> and I should go to it or cancel the shop. I
> refused to cancel the shop because I knew I was
> right. Shortly thereafter, I was deactivated. I
> always communicate with my schedulers, although
> your system leaves a lot to be desired in being
> able to actually do that. Commitment works both
> ways. Since YOUR company is requesting that I
> reactivate, I think I should be the one asking for
> a commitment that when presented with a problem,
> you will at least make an effort to verify it
> before talking to me like I’m a child and have no
> idea how to follow a road map."
>
> ==================================================
> ==========================
> I am still waiting for a response (three weeks and
> counting!)
>
>
> Too Funny Purple!

maybe they forgot that you exist.

Shawn, that was one of the best retorts I've ever read! Kudos!

Great job! Really enjoyed reading your post.

You will love this even more. I was receiving phone calls to do jobs for the Blue Portal, even though they cut off my being able to get jobs on-line.

I just talked with them yesterday regarding this issue. They apologized for having called me when I had be deactivated. I asked why I had been deactivated without notice. I was informed that in the last two months I had been late with 4 assignments (After checking, I was less than 1 hour late for 2 of the assignments. I was working on them when the deadline hit.) For all 4 assignments, I had e-mailed them that they would be late. All of the assignments had involved traveling a distance to and from the job. I was informed that this is not good enough. I need to inform them before I leave for the job that it will be turned in late. Ha, Ha, I do not always know until after I have returned that I won't quite make the deadline.

However, because I called to dicuss it with them, they were kind enough to reinstate me. They immediately asked me to complete 3 jobs for them.

Mmmm. I agree with them on this one. Everyone (shopper or MSC) has their own standards and ways of doing things.

If I think a shop pays too little, has ridiculous requirements, gives me too little time to file my report, etc., I either try to negotiate with the MSC *before* I accept the shop or I don't apply for it.

If I accepted/self-assigned a shop, I am bound by the MSC's stated guidelines. It is the MSC's prerogative whether to excuse a late report and whether to deactivate me if I submitted multiple late reports... just as it is my prerogative whether to excuse a late payment or stop working for an MSC with habitually late payments.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2012 05:56PM by BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz.

Anita Koenig Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I asked why I had been
> deactivated without notice. I was informed that
> in the last two months I had been late with 4
> assignments (After checking, I was less than 1
> hour late for 2 of the assignments. I was working
> on them when the deadline hit.) For all 4
> assignments, I had e-mailed them that they would
> be late. All of the assignments had involved
> traveling a distance to and from the job. I was
> informed that this is not good enough.

BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I accepted/self-assigned a shop, I am bound by
> the MSC's stated guidelines. It is the MSC's
> prerogative whether to excuse a late report and
> whether to deactivate me if I submitted multiple
> late reports... just as it is my prerogative
> whether to excuse a late payment or stop working
> for an MSC with habitually late payments.

i honestly don't understand why anyone might consider it a mystery if they are deactivated when the shop guidelines aren't met. that's nice that the company was kind enough to issue a reinstatement, but i'd also have to side with the company on this one. it sounds like the company is being generous on this one.

Generous, I agree. However, there are those times when shops take longer to do than you planned and therefore you get home late. It is not Like I didn't give them a heads up that I was running late due to the traveling issues. Usually with companies if you inform them with a good reason, that it will be late, there is no problem. And I did inform them. That is my only objection.

I also though it was too funny that they were calling me for shops even though I had been deactivated.