I saw there were lots of gas station audits to be done in my state. Seems how I enjoy traveling the state to do projects and already had a project lined up with another company, I decided to look into doing the audits. I answered the questions, read the one page instruction sheet, took the short, simple quiz and began accepting shops. I was delighted that there were so many on the route I was already scheduled to do. I confirmed my assignments and went in to print my paperwork. To my dismay, there was a long and lengthy manual I had to print. I was shocked to see how many pages there was and how much I needed to do in order to be paid only $10.00 + $5.00 reimbursement. I have a friend who has done a few assignments for them as well. I had them login and look at the gas station audit assignments, they too, could not see anymore instruction then what I could prior to me accepting the jobs. I emailed MF and was told all the instructions were available to me. I tried to explain yes it was, but only after I had confirmed my shops. I told him I'm sorry but I wouldn't be able to do the assignments unless I got paid more. I told him I would have to cancel all the shops as I wouldn't be able to conduct them on this trip. I said I would be happy to complete them on a later date. I logged on and canceled my shops. Later, I got an email which stated how I could login and request a higher fee. I went to login to do just what the help desk insructed me to do, only to find out I had been deactivated. I'm trying to resolve this issue, but no one will respond to me.
I'm a shopper with about 15 different companies. I've been doing this for over 10 years and have never had issues. Now, just in the past 3 months I've had issues with MF, intellishop and Sentry Marketing. What's happening with these companies?

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2016 09:28PM by tweetyskj64.

It is not so much, "What is happening to these companies?" as it is, "Why did you not read the instructions with the first shop you accepted to see if they were worthwhile instead of assigning yourself multiples of them?" One shop promptly cancelled would have done you little or no harm, multiples cannot be ignored. It has been my experience with MF that you could not see the guidelines before accepting a shop as far back as I can remember and I have been shopping with them more than a decade. Certainly the job description on the page where you select your date for the shop has become less enlightening over time, but because they may have different requirements for the same client in the same release of shops, it is always wise to go from accepting the job to reviewing the paperwork before taking another or cancelling the one I just took. I certainly don't find either of the other companies you mentioned worth bothering with.

Why didn't you accept one shop then look at the full guidelines? Very few companies provide the full instructions and guidelines up front. Most will gladly provide them.

As for the manual, do you have to print it? Most people just download it and keep a copy on a device they take with them: phone, tablet, laptop, etc... You do not need a new copy for every shop, unless the file is a different name covering different requirements.

They have no incentive to negotiate a higher fee when you have already mass assigned the shops.

Something smells fishy here. A MS'er with 10 years experience is not familiar with how MF operates? Then cancels several assigned shops, asks for more money and the MF Help Desk basically says that is okay and ask for more money? MF is notorious for deactivating MS'ers for no reason at all. Now they have a perfectly good reason to deactivate a shopper and they don't? Like I said, fishy.

Evidently they did deactivate the shopper. "Later, I got an email which stated how I could login and request a higher fee. I went to login to do just what the help desk insructed me to do, only to find out I had been deactivated."

I don't see anything fishy here. The OP messed up the common sense rule of 'Look before you leap'. If you don't know the shop or are sure about the shop, you take one and check it out before you load the boat.

Looks like the original post has already been edited three times. Oh well. Now I am in the mood for salmon for dinner. Yum!

The reference to being deactivated was there when Flash and I responded. Flash is tactfully addressing the OPs assumption that they are not responsible for what is happening.

I've always wondered if there are people who actually do these at the initial offer of $8. Surely there are, right? Otherwise why would they even start that low?

@Liz36 wrote:

I've always wondered if there are people who actually do these at the initial offer of $8. Surely there are, right? Otherwise why would they even start that low?

Probably a regional thing. They may only need a certain percentage a locations shopped by areas.

@Sybil2 wrote:

Looks like the original post has already been edited three times. Oh well. Now I am in the mood for salmon for dinner. Yum!

Now that's fishy

@Sybil2 wrote:

Looks like the original post has already been edited three times. Oh well. Now I am in the mood for salmon for dinner. Yum!

And if you will look closer, all edits were done prior to any of us responding to the post.

OP: I can predict your history with MF. .....The manner in which you dumped all those shops back on their laps, well....I am pretty sure you are deactivated. I read further and see you "have" been deactivated.

I too agree, that you take ONE shop. Look at the instructions/guidelines and decide if they are for you. You should NEVER grab 5 or 6 of a shop, not knowing the details...if you have never done them before.

I bet they NEVER give you a second chance. Sometimes there are deactivations for different reasons but I think this one takes the cake.

I work for many different companies and all of them have all the details of the assignment before you accept the shop. Why would I think MF would be any different. I find it to be dishonest that the company isn't up front with what is expected in order to complete the shop. Matters not to me that I can know longer work for them, I have plenty of other companies who are up front and honest with their dealings.

And? What difference does it make that I edited my post? Who cares!!

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2016 09:24PM by tweetyskj64.

Recently there was a certain T wrecking havoc on the forum and he was notorious for multiple edits of his posts. There have been other Ts who only post negative posts bashing certain MSCs and on the top of the hit parade are MF and Intellishop. Just sayin'.

(The post has been removed by Mod as it is inappropriate for one person to use two different names and especially inappropriate to use those names to agree with yourself)

There is nothing dishonest about not revealing all guidelines before you accept a job. I can think of more MSCs that do not reveal all guidelines before accepting the job than ones who provide all guidelines. In fact most MSCs consider their guidelines and their surveys to be proprietary information which it is even against ICAs to share.

I did a shop from the SASSIE system today where the guidelines do not appear before you are assigned the job. That is not at all unusual on that platform.

They could of given more details about the job opposed to 3 small paragraphs and 7 questions on a test. I have reviewed details of many shops from many companies and have taken lengthy tests for the shop I am interested in applying for, never have I seen such a short description and test for something so involved. I'm simply informing you all, so if you are interested in shopping for MF, you are aware. I'm not here to start an argument. I had no idea I would be bashed for simply trying to inform others.

I find it interesting that they deactivate me and a few hours later sends me a survey to complete for a chance to win a $50 amazon card. The survey is a bunch of questions about my bank. Has the MF logo on it, looks like an official MF email. Talk about fishy.

@tweetyskj64 wrote:

They could of given more details about the job opposed to 3 small paragraphs and 7 questions on a test.

Specifically on the MF platform most times these are pre-qualifying questions along the lines of is there anything (allergies, affiliation, etc) that preclude you from doing the shop. While I will agree that MSCs are trying to get more labor out of us for less pay (as does most every profitable business in the world), so they'll not disclose the shop guidelines. At the same time, it's also proprietary information to prevent employees from creating a profile and viewing guidelines to develop countermeasures against being shopped. Which I'm not saying that is what you were doing but to an MSC may have appeared that way especially since they were all of the same time of shop. There's no real screening to sign up for MSCs so if they did reveal the guidelines all employees would have to do is sign up. Granted not much more for employees to do a shop but technically you are violating the ICA if you shopped your own company as an employee.

I wish the mods would also wipe out the OPs comments here for using two accounts like the already did on the OPs second tirade thread.

No integrity.

My comment is no longer valid since the mod is in the process of neutering the MPT. Thank you.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2016 03:13AM by Sybil2.

you should be able to see the full instructions after accepting, but before confirming. You could have taken 1 location, read the full instructions and then decided if you wanted to do more.

There are few companies who just put it all out there. Most give you snippets and you can get a good idea from there. Of course, the boards are a great place to search. I've turned down a couple assignments I thought were great pay for being 2 miles from me and a bonus of $50??? But then I read the horror stories and decided a big negative. When I see that bonus at $100 or more I know it must be one that has burned several shoppers... but I'm still tempted to go touching the flames from time to time. did a car shop for a heavy bonus. Never again. CREEPY guy mentioned my name was also the name of a lingerie store where you could go and watch models try on the clothes.. and then he offered me some of his food. -_- smdh. Tangent but anyway, these boards have been EXCELLENT for me.