Market Force New Invalidation-Happy Practice

I don't have a problem with working for them. I had a shop invalidated just this week, totally my fault. Why should I diss the company for something I did wrong? They didn't deactivate me, and I can still self-assign. And I got a call offering a pretty good bonus for a shop next week.
If I ever get deactivated I'll just move on. I don't see the point in having a hissy.

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MarketForce's input page is set up for instances where you get a L on your receipt but order a medium...just answer honestly to what happened and your shop doesn't get invalidated. This is for the interior shop. If you do the Drive-Thru and you can see the screen you then correct it to a Medium. This has happened to me before and the employee does it. I had one tell me it's the same price and I just said, "I only want a medium." If the employee is going to be belligerent and give me an L than that's fine.. pretty sure at that point I've done all I am supposed to do per guidelines. I'm beginning to suspect some people ripping on MarketForce aren't mystery shoppers but either work for another company with the same client or want to take away the client from MarketForce. They're miles better than some other companies....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2015 04:07AM by rasky.

They have never asked me for an EIN. Are you sure you aren't confusing them with Trendsource?

@bestofbothworlds wrote:

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???

Robin, I saw it as constructive criticism.

@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?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2015 09:17AM by JASFLALMT.

I have recently had over 8 minute timings for two separate shops. Both shops took place during a steady and heavy rain. Who wants to get out of the car and get wet or hit by lightning? Of course the drive thru was wrapped around the building. The dining room was empty and really clean.

I see that shops with long timings spend more time in QC than a shop that is in the 2-3 minute range. As everything was accurate, they switched to approved status after about 24 hours.

Don't break any of the shop guidelines and the manager will have no reason to try to reject your shop.

I am yrying to find a taco place to shop can gou assist me in knowinv what MCC had those greasy tacos? Thanks!!!

I am trying to find a taco place to shop can you assist me in knowing what MSC had those greasy tacos? Thanks!!!

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

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.

Now you have it! That client is not particularly concerned with the quality or value of their menu. or appearance of their location. To many customers the customers want to go to lunch and get back to work or what ever they were doing, before they are late. They eat something but it is followed by Tums for the Tummy. A burger takes longer than 2 minutes to cook. The FF company gives you mystery "meat" cooked and dressed and packaged in less than 2 minutes. The "magic" is in a greasy dirty drawer that I saw an employee pull the mystery "meat" out of. Who knows when that was put in that drawer.
That is why, pardon the intentional pun, the other fast foods are "eating that company's lunch".The market share for that company is dwindling.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2015 01:59PM by Piled Hip Deep, PHD.

Sorry you are own your own research. DIG. DIG.
We cannot disclose that. ICA violation.

@howiea7171 wrote:

I am trying to find a taco place to shop can you assist me in knowing what MSC had those greasy tacos? Thanks!!!

Just a thought... Is MF maybe afraid they are about to lose this client? When I first started shopping, this client was shopped entirely by another company in my area. Then MF picked up a few of them, then all of a sudden they had all of them. Recently more than MF has been shopping the same client, even the same locations. Isn't that about the same time MF started being stricter?

@barbage wrote:

Just a thought... Is MF maybe afraid they are about to lose this client? When I first started shopping, this client was shopped entirely by another company in my area. Then MF picked up a few of them, then all of a sudden they had all of them. Recently more than MF has been shopping the same client, even the same locations. Isn't that about the same time MF started being stricter?

Curious: Did the other MSC pay more or the same for the shop?

@jilummer wrote:

I agree with the OP. I dislike Market Force. They have rejected two of my ff shops because of a "L" on the receipt instead of an "M". So I'm at the mercy of fortune if the cashier will ring my drink size correctly or not. Why I detest Market Force has to do with the way they dismiss me when I communicate with them. A truly crummy company.

funny how this person loved MF a few weeks ago.

[www.mysteryshopforum.com]
jilummer 3mJune 11, 2015 03:12PM
I like Market Force because it makes my day each month when they direct deposit all my fees and reimbursements into my bank account, like they did the other day. I can always count on them to treat me fair.

then this person starts a nasty thread targeting anyone who doesn't have refused reports & likes working for MF. karma is a @#$%&.

We're all entitled to change our minds about a company. That's the upside of being an independent contractor. Most MSCs are just one bad experience away from being on my &@!# list.

Right now, I like MF. But they haven't rejected any of my shops (yet... I'm sure it will happen at some point, and it will probably be my fault). Also, I haven't had to contact them for any reason, so I don't know first hand how their HelpDesk is as far as communication goes.

I've seen several forum posters comment about the way they were treated when they were deactivated as a shopper by MF. I assume it's true. I assume that I could be deactivated and that, if so, there may be no way for me to get an answer about why. The impression that I've gotten is that MF is a huge company who probably doesn't really care about me in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully, MF will find value in my reports for as long as I find value in doing them. If not, I hope to be well established with other MSCs before MF decides to discard me.

I've also seen lists from forum posters who've done thousands of shops for MF over the course of years (sometimes decades). So maybe the posters who were deactivated from MF weren't providing MF with the kind of data that it needed. Or maybe they were just unlucky.

Shopper in California's Bay Area

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2015 05:20PM by CaliGirl925.

Hey Robin,
It's not ranting, it's a chance to warn each other of what is going on. It is a way to learn from the mistakes or mistreatments of others. I would rather learn from other's misfortunes than to blindly walk into them myself. I dont personally shop the location in question in this forum but I have friends who do and I have warned them of the new guidelines and encouraged them to be careful to re-read the guidelines. Plus this site gives the MSCs a chance to gauge their own communication skills and effectiveness. They are able to get feedback without having to hire a mystery shopper to shop themselves.

I was worried because I didn't see any of a certain FF shop on my job board, and unless it's the end of the month, there are always assignments within 50 miles of me. I was afraid they had decided to drop me from this client, although I have never had any issues or invalidations with them or this client.

They called me today to offer a hefty bonus on a nearby location. Of course I couldn't do it because of my work scheduled, but it was nice to know that I wasn't removed from the client. Now that shop is sitting on the job board. They're not my FAVORITE shops, but they're so easy and sometimes a free lunch is nice.

B.S.

@Mert wrote:

In case this could save anyone's shop ~ do not order "hashbrowns". No! Instead, order "1 hashbrown", irrespective if "hashbrowns" had been ordered in the past, without incident. I would add that the shopper advocate was professional, even apologetic, and reasons were fully explained.

This was helpful to me! I haven't had one of their breakfast shops in a while (not much of an early bird), but I have a heavily bonused one coming up this weekend. And I did usually say "hashbrowns" in the past and didn't have any issues with it...so this is good to know. Thanks!

Happily shopping the Pacific Northwest. Shopping since 2013

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

@barbage wrote:

Just a thought... Is MF maybe afraid they are about to lose this client? When I first started shopping, this client was shopped entirely by another company in my area. Then MF picked up a few of them, then all of a sudden they had all of them. Recently more than MF has been shopping the same client, even the same locations. Isn't that about the same time MF started being stricter?
Curious: Did the other MSC pay more or the same for the shop?

From memory, the clients that MF gained (but also lost) were essentially the same shops with some slight variances. For instance, new clients I saw from MF this year stripped away the fees the old companies offered; however, the report was more stream-lined and simple, like a typical MF shop.

The trend I see from MF is their report-style. Their reports are a bit shorter, mainly because they require little to no narrative. Depending on the client, this could be a great incentive to be under MF.

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

JASFLALMT

Please reread the posters statement - they WANT MF to use their EIN (as would I - it protects the security of your SS number as an EIN won't get you anywhere if you try to use it fraudulently). MF will not do that whereas Trendsource and several other companies will accept your EIN.

I think it is wise for any shopper to get one, it is free and only for government use anyway.

>>>>They have never asked me for an EIN. Are you sure you aren't confusing them with Trendsource? <<<

@bestofbothworlds wrote:

Since Market Force remains firmly mired in the last century and still will not accept an EIN in lieu of my SS number,

Okay, Boutique. To each their own. I do not have an EIN and the companies who do want one still let me shop for them regardless. I did misunderstand the post previously. I now understand what you are saying about MF not accepting the EIN, but I don't see what the problem is in giving the SS#. Over 100 companies I have signed up with over the past 15 years have my SS# and I have not had any issues. It may be free but I do have my reasons for not getting an EIN, as some other shoppers in this forum also do.

It is easy to find officers and directors of a corporation, LLC, PA, and others. One can "google" (I use duckduckgo because of lack of tracking) the phrase "officers of XYZ" and you'll be surprised what you'll get and the links you'll find. Also, any incorporated entity has to have a "registered agent." That is the person who would receive legal notices, summonses, etc. Each state's corporation division has a list of those registered in that state. The trick is in knowing in which state the entity is registered. Most major corporations are registered in Delaware. Smaller business entities might be registered elsewhere, depending on each state's treatment of corporate entities. Good luck.

I had the same thing happen to me. I noticed several times, recently that they are invalidating shops but still publishing and using them as the jobs are no longer visible. I requested the correct drink orders and for both the drive thru and the walk up the order takers handled the requests incorrectly. I told the truth, explained what happened but since I did not "order" even though I did, the correct size they were rejected. It's not just you, I went into great detail explaining what happened and if you have the wrong drink/side on the receipt 99 percent of the time, they will not pay. Sorry you had to go through that, but the advice another shopper gave you about just asking for double the fee for the next time, is excellent. Depending on where you shop you have a 50/50 shot at it being accepted. And for the record, I used to only do these shops when I was paid 75 to 100, but since so many people are doing them, these jobs are not as lucrative and frankly, not worth it anymore.

They've been nice to me. However, just today did a breakfast shop and after hearing "Welcome BACK to -restaurant-may I take your order?" at the drive-thru I changed up my coffee order to add cream hoping to throw off I was there before (turns out just paranoid, that's the greeting each time someone is greeted there). I assume it's o.k. otherwise would be in paperwork in specific. Not really an "additional" item as I think of it.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2015 12:49PM by rasky.

@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?

You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want ..Zig Zigler

@helpmehelpyou wrote:

I had the same thing happen to me. I noticed several times, recently that they are invalidating shops but still publishing and using them as the jobs are no longer visible.

I agree with you that the shops are not worth it, but just a note on the invalidation process. When a report is invalidated, the assignment is reposted. The invalidated report is not used. The reposted shop is not visible to the shopper whose report was invalidated. They want a different shopper to complete the re-shop.

Recently, a good friend and local shopper had 2 reports invalidated. She knew her mistake and was okay with it, but she was distressed because she could not see the assignments reposted. However, I was able to see both posted. A family member was also able to see both shops, and she actually accepted and re-shopped both.

Because you cannot see your invalidated shop reposted does not mean it was not reposted. It may just mean it is not visible to you because you are not eligible to shop it.

I had a shop invalidated recently due to a dumb input error on my part. I did not see it reappear on the job board. I asked a scheduler about it, and indeed it was back on the shop list even though I could not see it. I was even able to get it reassigned to me because it was near deadline.

I had a shop invalidated. I offered to re-shop, but I was told they repost it as soon as it became invalidated. In my case, another shopper grabbed it.

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

Thank you, for explaining this. But in this instance, the date was incorrect, and the correct date was available, I just chose the wrong one and for this location there was a 6 week time frame. Maybe I am wrong, but I felt that I made an error, and since I reconfirmed the date, it let me proceed and then it was declined days later. Not sure if that make sense, but I felt that since I input the wrong date, that they did not want my information, at all. Which, in hindsight, I understand.

If I don't read the instructions I am at risk of not being paid so I do glance through the instructions and honestly the change regarding correcting the order could get missed. I would be angry at myself if the shop was invalidated because I didn't take the appropriate time to review. I have had this shop invalidated before for entering a few minutes before the scheduled period. I wasted money on two meals I don't even like but I
learned a valuable lesson to always verify my entry time prior to starting.

@ddeblois wrote:

I have had this shop invalidated before for entering a few minutes before the scheduled period. I wasted money on two meals I don't even like but I
learned a valuable lesson to always verify my entry time prior to starting.

I have arrived 5 minutes before the shop time before, if I made every light. I will sit in the car and fiddle with my cell phone and park away from any windows and make sure I'm at least 2 minutes into the shop window according to my phone before I walk in. I have had a register that was slow by about 5 minutes and the receipt showed I shopped a few minutes before the shopping period started. I made very clear notes that the time was incorrect on the register and was not questioned and the shop was accepted.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2015 04:57AM by scanman1.

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