It seems to be one of the favored companies, and for the most part I do love doing jobs for them, but twice now I've encountered problems.

Last week, I did a gas station audit for them. Wednesday I receive an email saying I answered someting wrong, a pump was not in compliance, and I need to return to take more pictures. I also got a call an hour after the email saying the same thing. I asked when I needed to get the picture in by and the man said by midnight the following night.

The next day before trying to squeeze the return gas station trip in, I looked over my pictures to see how I missed that pump and exactly what pump it was. I found though that I was right. The pump was not under the canopy so it did not need to be in compliance. I called Maritz and talked to the woman answering for that project and explained it to her. She agreed with me that since the pump was not under the canopy, it did not need the topper or valance. She said she would leave a message for the man that called me and that I did NOT need to take new photos. She said if for any reason they needed more information about the job, they would call me. That was the last I heard from them.

Then four hours later I check the site and the job is back on the board. I was not called back or notified in any way. Now I have been trying to call them and my messages are not returned. They are usually really quick with the phone communication except for when there is an issue then I can't seem to reach anyone.

Am I the only one who has problems with this company?

My issues with Maritz is when I apply, I never hear back. I know the schedulers can't email, and when calling, it takes forever for them to call back (if they do). I haven't heard back about the few shops I applied forthis month, even the self-assign. Good way to do business.

That happens to me sometimes when I apply. I applied for several P.O.'s and heard nothing for a month. Then I got a desperate call begging me to take one.

I am now able to self assign all jobs I think.

It was precisely the kind of issues you are seeing, Lisa, that left a sour taste in my mouth with them. When subsequently other issues arose and the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing, that I got truly annoyed. The combination of wretched website, constant phone calls, non-returned phone calls, no email communication etc. etc. etc. was why they became my first and only self-termination. I had done enough work for them that I could self-assign, but there is a degree of inefficiency and chaos that is just NOT worth trying to work through for cheap shops that get even cheaper with each phone call you must waste time on.

I don't really have "issues" with them, but I find their computer slow and their "high-touch" system of sending emails asking you to *call* to find out about a shop opportunity highly inefficient (so I ignore those calls and emails, and only do self-assigns.) I have only had a question from them once or twice, and it came as an email asking me to log in. They seem to vary a lot by client.

Irene_L.A. Wrote:
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> My issues with Maritz is when I apply, I never
> hear back. I know the schedulers can't email, and
> when calling, it takes forever for them to call
> back (if they do). I haven't heard back about the
> few shops I applied forthis month, even the
> self-assign. Good way to do business.

>No news is good news

"No news is good news" ~ in regard to Maritz?

dee shops Wrote:
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> I don't really have "issues" with them, but I find
> their computer slow

Ahh, so it's their site. I just assumed it was my dial up that made reporting painful.

Their site and dial up = equation for disaster :-(

dee shops Wrote:
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> Their site and dial up = equation for disaster
> :-(


Too true.

I worked for M. one time. I had to take pictures and used folders of paper work. When it came to getting paid they didn't pay me at all. I even had to go back and redo two of the seven portfolios. They claimed I didn't turn in an invoice. Some of the places I visited was scary. They called me for a time to do more jobs. Once bit I stay bit.

Once I was able to get past the first 10 shops, I had fewer problems. After 10 shops, they let you self-schedule, so you don't have to wait for them to call you. That's kind of a problem for me .... I have a full-time job that takes most of my attention during the day. I really just want to see jobs, schedule them (preferably self-schedule or get an e-mail response to schedule request), do the job, report and get paid. I don't much care about talking to the MSPs on the phone.

I agree about the self scheduling. It is much easier. Since I live quite a way from most cities I shop in, unless it is a really high paying job, I need to be able to schedule a route to make it worth the trip. It's hard to schedule other shops ahead of time while waiting to see if you are approved for others in that same city.

Once you have your 10 good shops completed - Its easy to set up a route. Just select how far out you are willing to go, select your shops and dates , and BINGO! They are on your list to do...

mrcomputer101 Wrote:
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> Once you have your 10 good shops completed - Its
> easy to set up a route. Just select how far out
> you are willing to go, select your shops and dates
> , and BINGO! They are on your list to do...


Oh, I can self schedule with Maritz. I just meant that in general I prefer to be able to assign shops myself than have to wait. There are three companies I shop with regularly that I still have to apply for and then wait.

Second To None isn't that bad because they let you know within 24 hours, but there is one I am thinking of that sometimes takes weeks to accept you and then finally accepts it 1 or 2 days before the shop is due.

mrcomputer101 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Once you have your 10 good shops completed - Its
> easy to set up a route. Just select how far out
> you are willing to go, select your shops and dates
> , and BINGO! They are on your list to do...

I am working on getting 10 shops. So hard when there arent many in my area to start with...

Yes, too many shoppers in my area ..... shops fly off the boards, even the low-ball shops. I much prefer self-scheduling also. What I REALLY hate is when you apply for a shop and it just sits there in your shop applications and the shop deadline comes and goes, the shop is still on the board, you hear NOTHING .... so you go in and delete your application ..... and bingo, they e-mail and say "Why did you delete your application? I want to assign you the shop? Won't you still do it?" That has happened 3 times in the past 2 months, twice with the same company, once with a different company. What's up with that? Do they expect that you will apply for a shop and just hold open a space in your calendar for them indefinitely?

(Edited to say - neither of these two incidents was Maritz, I self-schedule with them. These were 2 others.)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2010 12:38AM by AustinMom.

sequoia Wrote:
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>
> I am working on getting 10 shops. So hard when
> there arent many in my area to start with...

Have you tried requesting assignments by telephoning the scheduler? Maritz loves phone contact. Possibly, you can reach the magic number faster if the scheduler can help things move along.

Today I realized that I could not possibly finish the gas shops that I had scheduled for the rest of the month ( Can only put so much gas in the tank), so I called this morning. I spoke with the scheduler and explained my circumstance. First she asked if I wanted to just delete them.Knowing this would just make me look bad, and realizing that the jobs are due every quarter,I told her to lets just reschedule. So we spent the next ten minutes rescheduling the shops for May. The scheduler was personable and friendly. I went away content and happy.
It's the way that you conduct yourself during the conversation that determines the relationship you have with schedulers. Calling and complaining just makes you out to be like the other 100,000 thousand complaints that I'm sure that they hear every year.
But then again, some, (like the Green and Yellow gas station scheduler) you just can't communicate with on a professional level.

I suspect that is true of virtually every company. Unfortunately it only takes one goofball with crummy and uncooperative phone skills to tarnish the whole place.

Hellbent Wrote:
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> But then again, some, (like the Green and Yellow
> gas station scheduler) you just can't communicate
> with on a professional level.


That is the only type of shop I've done for Maritz with the exception of a post office.

Thats part of the problem. You should investigate their other shops. Blue and white / black and red gas plus other types of shops. Currently 8 different in my area...

Let me add one additional thought. The green/yellow team is restricted to play by some different rules than the other teams. Learn these, and communicating with their Scheduler will improve. I have locked horns with this team in the past until I got a bit smarter. (Not a lot - Just a bit!)...

I've never had any trouble with their schedulers, it's their editing department that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I have never been treated so blatantly rude by anyone from any comapany as I was by Tyler, at Maritz.

I finished up that block of shops, but as soon as I got paid, I moved them to my "Second Tier" folder. My time is too valuable, and my self respect too high to spend time on the phone being treated like he treated me.

I had done over 60 shops for them at that time, and had never had any trouble, but the first time there was a problem he couldn't solve, and I asked to talk to someone with the authority to resolve the problem, he threatened to take the shop away from me and deactivate me as a shopper.

I don't know if he is still there or not, but as long as there is a steady flow of good work with other companies, I have no need to find out.

I have issues with them as well. I used to do so many shops for them. Then they tell me I have to prove I belong to (EDITED) bank. Its been a year and they wont fix this issue. I am getting the run around.

charlen5. Please edit to remove the client name.

I stopped looking at their jobs, just too frustrating, and can't play the waiting game, even though they have decent jobs.

Irene_L.A. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My issues with Maritz is when I apply, I never
> hear back. I know the schedulers can't email, and
> when calling, it takes forever for them to call
> back (if they do). I haven't heard back about the
> few shops I applied forthis month, even the
> self-assign. Good way to do business.


Irene_L.A.
I just signed up with Maritz and they called about my first job request. She explained that I have to do 10 shops for 1 company successfully before I can self-assign. Then another 10 shops for the second company before I can self-assign again. Sounds strict, but we shall see.

I only had to do 10 then I could self assign whatever company...

I also did only 10 total shops (divided between 2 clients) before being allowed to self schedule. Then when additional clients have popped up, I have been allowed to self schedule from the first shop with the new client.

Ditto!