I just did my first one. I looked it up and they are closed on Sundays. I reported the shop in Marketforce, saying that it was closed and attaching a link to their hours. The only day available for the shop was today. For the receipt I put a screenshot of the website for the location. I think I did everything correctly but the shop is saying "invalid". Do you think that will be changed later? I know I only get $3.

No. You need to go to the location. You need to physically be there, regardless of the hours posted on the website. You need to take pictures or find some verification that the location was closed and that you visited the location. .

@mistry wrote:

I just did my first one. I looked it up and they are closed on Sundays. I reported the shop in Marketforce, saying that it was closed and attaching a link to their hours. The only day available for the shop was today. For the receipt I put a screenshot of the website for the location. I think I did everything correctly but the shop is saying "invalid". Do you think that will be changed later? I know I only get $3.

so u didn't callor drive there? website info is wrong alot. u shouldve call at very least. u might not eveb get closed shop fee w/out pic of actual location closed.

It's in a business office that is closed on the weekends.

@mistry wrote:

It's in a business office that is closed on the weekends.

yes, U need pic of actual closed location. I know some biz offices open on Sundays like real estate. i know a dr office thats open every other Sunday. Y did U wait until last minute to check website? Y not call office to confirm hours when U 1st rec'd shop.

There are a number of MSCs which require you to visit the location and take a photo of it despite the fact that there is clear evidence that the location is closed. I had this happen when an entire mall closed. I tried to send links to multiple newspaper articles, TV news reports, etc. but that was not good enough. I had to go there, take photo of the sign on the entrance of the Mall. That got me the $3 closed shop fee. Otherwise I would have received a Flake Citation. Stupid. I will let you guess which intelligent MSC enforced this requirement for a cell phone store audit. And they also required me to go to a site which was still under construction and the cell phone carrier web site showed would not be open for 2 months. Definitely not intelligent, just stupid. Those were the last cell phone audits I ever did for that MSC.

A few months ago, a different MSC made me go to the registered corporate agent for a company (the registered agent is located in Delaware and is the registered agent for hundreds of different companies) and try to reload a cell phone prepaid card. Really? Go to a high end corporate office and ask the receptionist to reload my cell phone card. Since the office was open but couldn't reload the card (they would not even tell me that they were the registered agent unless I was there to serve court papers), i got paid the full fee by the MSC.

I received a reply from Debbie C asking if I also called. I replied that yes, I did.

I had put in both my report and the email I sent them that there are no reschedule dates available, it had to be done Sunday, June 19.

Then I received this gem from Karen D. "shopper advocate"

"You indicated in your report that you did call or check online and found out the location was closed on Saturday and Sunday. You also submitted an attachment clearly showing the location was not open on Sundays. When you found out they were closed on Sunday, the date of your scheduled shops, why didn’t you reschedule as the guidelines required?
Unfortunately, we cannot pay you any amount for this shop as you were supposed to rescheduled when you found out that location didn’t open on Sunday."

I wonder why she didn't read the email I sent, which was attached, and also the report, which said there are NO RESCHEDULE DATES AVAILABLE. What kind of "shopper advocate" is this? Sounds like a company advocate.

Email back and patiently explain that this was the only date and there were no dates available for rescheduling. You will most likely get a different person when you reply. I once went round and round with helpdesk about 25 times trying to get paid for a shop. I finally got the right person and got paid.

@mistry
You were supposed to verify the locations hours when you took the assignment. You had time to identify the issue and work around it. Your posts make it seem like you neglected to read your guidelines in a timely manner, which would have allowed you to properly follow them

I would try to get back in touch with Debbie C. If you are able to "date proof" all your information, you might be able to get the $3, even when you found out no reschedules. Sometimes the schedulers don't see what we see in regards to a shop. Except for the actual shop photo of a "closed location", you could sway the $3 fee.

BTW, not all MSC Responders are privy to all the emails submitted by a shopper. It is obvious that Karen may not of talked or cybered with Debbie

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2016 10:58PM by sojo917.

@isaiah58 wrote:

@mistry
You were supposed to verify the locations hours when you took the assignment. You had time to identify the issue and work around it. Your posts make it seem like you neglected to read your guidelines in a timely manner, which would have allowed you to properly follow them

There's a job for you as a "shopper advocate". : )

You did something wrong and now are being sarcastic when faced with the obvious facts. Definitely a millennial attitude.

@mistry wrote:

@isaiah58 wrote:

@mistry
You were supposed to verify the locations hours when you took the assignment. You had time to identify the issue and work around it. Your posts make it seem like you neglected to read your guidelines in a timely manner, which would have allowed you to properly follow them

There's a job for you as a "shopper advocate". : )

@isaiah58 wrote:

You did something wrong and now are being sarcastic when faced with the obvious facts. Definitely a millennial attitude.

That's the first good laugh I've had all day. Given my age, we'd need to be referring to the last millenium.

I got back another reply, saying "I should have contacted them to reschedule the shop, and since I didn't, they aren't paying me. They scheduled another shopper for June 21."

First of all, the report did not say to "contact them to reschedule the shop". Second, June 21 is a Tuesday. This well known burger chain is only shopped Thursday through Sunday. I feel that they are bending over backwards to do me out of the $3. Has anyone else had this experience with them?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2016 08:07PM by mistry.

There is leeway to reschedule shops that have been flaked on or are invalidated, so I would not think twice about the reschedule not being on a 'usual' day.

Were you to call ahead to verify store hours? For almost all of their shops that is a requirement. And usually there are instructions as to what to do if the phone number does not work.

They offer a 'closed shop fee' if you go to the location and can document that the location truly is closed with a photograph or other information gathered on site. I always think of the 'closed shop fee' as the booby prize when you went to do the shop and found it closed. You didn't even put your shoes on to leave the house so I don't agree with you that they owe you anything.

Frustrating, but for $3 I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about it. They think they're right, you think you're right. I'm not saying I disagree with you but I don't think it will be easy to get a resolution to this. And even when you do, the resolution will be $3.

Yes, I did call and also visited the website. That's all they asked for. They just said to call and look at the website. There was no mention at all, either on the instructions or in their emails to me that they wanted me to go in person. They still have never mentioned that.
Since there were no reschedule dates available, I had no idea that I was to call them to reschedule. If they had offered me a reschedule date I would have accepted it.

I'm not really concerned about the $3. What concerns me is I did everything they asked me to, then they blamed me for not rescheduling, even though it appeared there were no reschedule dates available, and never asked me if I want to reschedule at a heretofore invisible reschedule date.

@mistry wrote:

I feel that they are bending over backwards to do me out of the $3. Has anyone else had this experience with them?

No, this has never happened to me. I have made trips to closed locations, photographed them, and gotten paid the closed location fee.

My advice would be to stop. You are spending a lot of time and energy to get $3. I also agree with the other posters that they don't owe you anything. The closed location fee is for when you make a trip to the location and find it closed. Youy did not travel to the location. You did not attempt to reschedule when you learned it was closed, and now it has been assigned to another shopper. It's over.

"Be sure to reschedule your shop if you find out that it is scheduled for a day when the restaurant is normally closed. "

Did you self assign the location on the same Sunday you were to shop there? Did you know the location was closed Sundays when you signed up? What is your responsibility here?

Let's say the OP did just schedule it on Sunday morning and did not know the business wasn't open on Sundays until following the guidelines after the shop was assigned. I think the issue is then the guidelines directed the shopper to reschedule and there were no reschedule dates available.

Personally, I know they would not pay for a closed location discovered by either the internet or a phone call. I also would not then drive to the location just to get a photo in order to make a whopping $3. I would have sent an email to the help desk immediately and let them sort it all out.

Let me give you a good example:

There was a grocery store right down the street from me. I was grabbing grocery shops like crazy. I grabbed that one too... When I got all done getting shops, I realized that grocery store had permanently closed. I wrote them immediately to let them know.

The advocate told me to visit the store and verify it was closed. I told her I sure would. So, they really do want you to physically go there. I get it when you said you ran out of days to do it. But really, it is our responsibility to ensure shops are open on the days required. Some stores are closed on Sundays. MF wants you to be sure to find out their store hours. It's always in the guidelines. Whether they are closed permanently or closed on that day only.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2016 12:47AM by SunnyDays2.

Great points. There is an additional section that actually does allow a phone call and offers $3 if the location is closed. When combined with the previous requirement I posted, then fair logic needs to be applied. There is no out here requiring the $3 payment when someone manipulates the system.

I just picked up a bonused Tuesday shop at this client, the minimum shops from last week were not met. If my car wasn't in the shop I would have gone for a much larger bonus at a more remote location.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2016 01:21AM by isaiah58.

I have either taken the picture of the closed location or made a phone call. I have had no issues with pay. When it says no dates for reschedule did you actually email them and ask if they could reschedule your shop?

Marketforce actually tells shoppers, I believe in the Q&A section, that if there are no reschedule dates, to write the Help Desk, and they MAY be able to reschedule for you. I thought it also said this on the CPI, but could be wrong. Also Marketforce offers 1/2 the fee if you had to visit to discover the closed location. In that cause you only receive $3 if $3 is greater than half the fee you were promised. They will not pay 1/2 the fee if a previsit call was required, in the case where you would have found out by calling, you get the $3. You also only get $3 when it is a reimbursement only shop.

There is a difference between closed for business or just closed on a certain day.

I had an unexpected closed shop a year or so ago. It was my first. It was a location I drive by often, but not frequently enough. I got close, realized the towering sign wasn't there and pulled over to stare at the now-vacant lot with a bulldozer in the center. I took a picture of the lot, the bulldozer and the "future home of That Burger Chain That MFI Doesn't Have Any Longer." (The store was being rebuilt with a kiddie play area.) Then i called just to see what would happen. The number was disconnected. I wrote that in the report and got my $3.

Had another oddity, same chain, where the address on the receipt was not the address of the assignment. The receipt address was on the other side of the street. I called the location and asked what address was correct. I was told the assignment address was correct. The person I talked to at the burger stand couldn't explain why the receipt had a wrong address. I checked the website. It also showed the assignment address was correct. I explained it all in the report and got my $7.

I would refer to the CPI: "If the shop requires only a phone call to determine the location is closed, the Shop Fee will be changed to $3. If the shop requires a site visit to determine the location is closed, the Shop Fee will be changed to ½ the original amount (or $3, whichever is greater). If the shop is for reimbursement only and the site is closed and/or a purchase cannot be made, the Shop Fee will be changed to $3."

Edited to add - I think this verbiage is the same for all clients, but am not certain.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2016 02:40PM by Mert.

Another shopper reminded me that the CPI states "Be sure to reschedule your shop if you find out that it is scheduled for a day when the restaurant is normally closed."

There's the rub.