I have requested over thirty shops with them. I have gotten one. I emailed them trying to understand why and they told me to call and request the shops. Why do they have a website to request shops if you can't request shops?!!!!! I know they will allow you to self schedule after 5 successful shops, but I can't get shops scheduled to get to five!!!! Anyone have any advice???

My only advice is the advice you've already received: Call 'em.
They really like phone calls and really don't like emails. I think I only called a couple of times before I was given self assignment rights. If they have a bunch of shops of the same kind in your area, you might call and see if you can get (for example) 3-4 gas station shops assigned. Once you've done a few, you'll be able to self assign. Then you'll discover other persnickety issues with the website. Good luck!

I had a conversation with a scheduler at Maritz the other night that was revealing. I had requested a shop of theirs that was on a route in a very hard-to-get-to location. I requested it the day it was posted as I had already committed to the route and looking forward to the ferry ride to get to it. They did not respond. I called and left messages. They did not respond. I called from the parking lot of a different shop directly across the street from their shop and had to leave a message, so I requested that they remove it from my requests - I was leaving the island soon and would not be back.

Four days later, I got a call from Maritz asking if I was still interested in the shop.

Because I was on the island at the end of the month and they were desperately trying to fulfill the account's requirements, they ignored my messages. I was doing something for a different account and I was "green." (I have not been referred to as "green" for two decades.) The scheduler told me that at the end of the month, they just don't have time to walk green shoppers through their first shops. It didn't matter how many shops I had done for other MSP's, I was "green" to Maritz. She then looked more closely at my region and realized that they are seriously short of shoppers in my area and was willing to immediately schedule me for several. I took a couple and and now can self-assign.

My advice: Be patient with them. They like shoppers that they already know and trust. They prefer the phone. If you are in an area where they have plenty of shoppers, you likely won't get many shops for a while. If you are in an area where they are in need, they'll get you going. If you are new, call at the beginning of the month. They are operating under stress at the end.

Side note: After I explained the geography of my area, I think she regretted not getting back to me sooner. I was willing to do the shop cheap ($6.00) because I was right there and wanted to get started with Maritz. However, I won't go back for less than $100 - maybe more - as it's over an hour each way plus a $20 ferry. That shop might not get filled at all now.

Why am I reading the exact same post twice?

@LisaSTL wrote:

Why am I reading the exact same post twice?

I'm giving the OP the benefit of the doubt and saying forum issue. I was trying to send a PM earlier and I kept getting a SQL error. I continued to try not realizing the PM was going through. So someone got 3 PMs from me. Perhaps this was the same issue.

Maritz is in general a very frustrating company. They are very old fashioned, they do not deviate from their directives, and they are......I'm just gonna say it....DUMB. You have to determine how much of their frustration you can endure and then go from there. For instance I will only endure their frustration for 1 very easy client and even then I will get frustrated with them and go away for months and months.

BrianneB, consider yourself lucky that you've only gotten one shop for them. Their website and staff are outdated. And if you for some reason get confused about sending an invoice (which I admit was my own fault), well, good luck collecting payment. I no longer shop for them. I've never had a shop rejected, I just don't find their website to be very user-friendly.

B, since all that I've realized there are a lot of problems today so some posts are not going through or are showing up twice. I must admit I was surprised because Brianne has shown herself to be more savvy.

Try getting shops through their scheduler, Kern.

I left Maritz a long time ago. They were horrible at scheduling and they never paid bonus money. Since Kerns took over the scheduling, it is a little better but I will not work for peanuts. Maritz used to have 3 or 4 different people call me about the same shops. I would turn them down because they did not even cover gas money to get to them but they kept calling anyway. They need to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st Century. The people there were nice but their archaic way of doing business was tiring and totally non-productive.

I think that the people at this company are really nice, I like the fact that they have changed the system so you don't have to input your receipts twice, I wish that they would have a system that is more like the Sassie system in which you can see your completed assignments and have some idea of when you will be paid.

I also stopped working for Maritz because of the outdated system and report platform. Then accidently got roped into two through another scheduling company. After some final frustration I asked to be formally removed from Maritz so I wouldn't be bothered with any requests no matter how sneaky they arrived by not telling you that you would be forced to do the shop totally on the Maritz platform and not on theirs. I know there are those that love them and to those I think this might be unpleasant news but I can boast that I will not be working for Maritz no matter what shell game is used.

@kennedykr wrote:

I also stopped working for Maritz because of the outdated system and report platform. Then accidently got roped into two through another scheduling company. After some final frustration I asked to be formally removed from Maritz so I wouldn't be bothered with any requests no matter how sneaky they arrived by not telling you that you would be forced to do the shop totally on the Maritz platform and not on theirs. I know there are those that love them and to those I think this might be unpleasant news but I can boast that I will not be working for Maritz no matter what shell game is used.

Agree. Kerns/KSS scheduling is doing this, and it's not being made clear that you end up dealing with Martiz's outdated and dodgy way of doing business. All completed shops disappear from your shopper log on their website after 14 days, leaving shoppers with no feedback, no idea when the shop will be paid, and if it isn't, no proof we ever even did the shop? Fix your website Maritiz.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2016 04:21AM by BlueMoose.

I don't understand why people are complaining about MaritzCX not making a payment dates available to their shoppers. When I first signed up for over five years ago I was told checks would be cut and mailed on the 15th and the last day of each month. Any shops done between the 16th and the 31st will be paid on the 15th of the following month; any shops done between the first and the 15th will be paid on the last day of the month. It's not rocket science. You get paid every two weeks.

@kryswyn916 wrote:

[...] Any shops done between the 16th and the 31st will be paid on the 15th of the following month; any shops done between the first and the 15th will be paid on the last day of the month. It's not rocket science. You get paid every two weeks.

Semi-monthly is not every two weeks. Every two weeks is every fourteen days. Between the last day of the month and the 15th day of the month there are 15 days. Between the 15th and the last day of the month there are between 13 days and 16 days. Semi-monthly, not bi-weekly: its is not rocket science.

Funny error with the Maritz site yesterday. There was a message saying I could not apply for more shops until I updated my profile. I went through the profile update, and the profile questions were hilariously out of date - asking about what dial-up internet speed I had, asking me to select my internet provider from a list of providers that hasn't existed for many, many years, and asking if I rent video tapes...you get the picture. Then, even after I went through it, it would just give me the same message. Luckily a phone call was able to get them to fix it quickly. I found it ironic that they wanted me to update my profile on a profile survey that probably hadn't been updated for 15 years.