MarketForce Invalid Shop!
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did you say in the report why you have a different card?
@Batoulismia wrote:
Hello! I completed a shop for MarketForce which required a business card from the associate as proof of shop. The associate gave me a business card of another shop's location and I uploaded this into my report. I received an email from MF stating my shop is invalid because the business card if from the wrong location. Well, was I suppose to ask the associate for a different business card? I'd totally give myself away as a mystery shopper! Of course, I emailed MF back but they have a 48 hour turnaround for email, said the automated response. What to do?!
I am guessing you didn't realize it was the wrong address on the card until MF invalidated the shop and you did not mention it in the report. That's the mistake. When you leave, always look at your proof of visit to be sure it is correct so you can address any discrepancy in the report. If you submit something wrong and just wait for QA to "catch the mistake," what would you expect that they would think? Are you sure that you were actually at the correct location? I ask because I have shopped the wrong location before.
I have been given receipts and business cards with wrong dates, wrong addresses, wrong names, etc., many times and I have always been paid. The trick is that when you walk outside and look at the card, you realize it shows a different address. You need to immediately take a photograph of the location showing the address to document that you were actually in the right place. Be sure to note in the report that, although you took pictures to document that you were at the correct address, the business card you were given shows another location. Tell them up front in the report that something was wrong and you are very aware of it. Don't wait for them to come back and question a mistake - that makes it look like it is your mistake.
I have been given receipts and business cards with wrong dates, wrong addresses, wrong names, etc., many times and I have always been paid. The trick is that when you walk outside and look at the card, you realize it shows a different address. You need to immediately take a photograph of the location showing the address to document that you were actually in the right place. Be sure to note in the report that, although you took pictures to document that you were at the correct address, the business card you were given shows another location. Tell them up front in the report that something was wrong and you are very aware of it. Don't wait for them to come back and question a mistake - that makes it look like it is your mistake.
I tend to look at business cards as soon as they are handed to me. If they are incorrect, I usually ask the person to correct information for me - that's real easy with names and phone numbers. With a location, I'll say something to the effect of "Could you write down the name of *this* branch for me? I don't want to mistake this card from something else and toss it."
Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.
I am certain of the location I conducted the shop is correct because I am an actual customer of theirs and the location on the business card is over an hour away. Either the employee is new and using up his old business cards or is just filling in for the day. I did not see a section on my report for comments to give me an opportunity to explain this. Should I have emailed them immediately?
Yes, you should have emailed them along with report submission and as Roflwofl stated, taken photographs also.
There should have been some fields in the report where you could've written an explanation of the business card. On some MF reports they ask if the location is located between store x and store y and you can put in text. You didn't state what kind of shop you had.
There should have been some fields in the report where you could've written an explanation of the business card. On some MF reports they ask if the location is located between store x and store y and you can put in text. You didn't state what kind of shop you had.
If there is no narrative in the report, I would have emailed the scheduler right away. It is imperative that the MSC knows that you were at the correct location at the correct time. I often make sure that I have an extra proof of visit or two - just in case something odd happens.
There have been a couple of times that I've needed to explain something weird, but there was not a fitting narrative for me, so I've written the comment into a different narrative as a separate paragraph.. Something like this:
NOTE TO EDITOR: The business card I have attached was from the correct location, but the address was incorrect. I did not catch the discrepancy until after I had departed, so I do not know why the address is different from the branch that I visited. I know that I was at the correct location because this was my regular bank, 1/2 mile from my house whereas the address on the business card is an hour drive from home. If needed, I have a photograph of the outside of the bank, a Geoverify code, at ATM receipt ......
There have been a couple of times that I've needed to explain something weird, but there was not a fitting narrative for me, so I've written the comment into a different narrative as a separate paragraph.. Something like this:
NOTE TO EDITOR: The business card I have attached was from the correct location, but the address was incorrect. I did not catch the discrepancy until after I had departed, so I do not know why the address is different from the branch that I visited. I know that I was at the correct location because this was my regular bank, 1/2 mile from my house whereas the address on the business card is an hour drive from home. If needed, I have a photograph of the outside of the bank, a Geoverify code, at ATM receipt ......
@Batoulismia wrote:
I am certain of the location I conducted the shop is correct because I am an actual customer of theirs and the location on the business card is over an hour away. Either the employee is new and using up his old business cards or is just filling in for the day. I did not see a section on my report for comments to give me an opportunity to explain this. Should I have emailed them immediately?
Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.
That's a great suggestion. Thank you. I'll definitely keep that in mind when I conduct my next shop tomorrow.
I have been paid 100% of the time with an incorrect business card when I have pointed out to MF that the associate gave me that card (and I also take a picture of the location to prove I was at the right store) and if you leave that in your notes or write the HelpDesk, it helps a lot! 
I once got a business card which was out of state. Now, the SA had written his name and telephone number on it.
ps, the newbie that I was, I did not check it, until the vigilant editor took me to task. I explained, and it was fine. thankfully! this was not with MF though.
hopefully, you will get through, fingers crossed
ps, the newbie that I was, I did not check it, until the vigilant editor took me to task. I explained, and it was fine. thankfully! this was not with MF though.
hopefully, you will get through, fingers crossed
I had that happen to me and they took it. Though I did have the sales associate mark out with the wrong address so it was obvious it was not my handwriting. It took them several days to sort it out.
There was one shop which continued to have the old address for a few years. I had pointed it out in my earlier report and the wrong address remained. I was paid. Then here it came again with the old address. I told the associate to write on the card, "Moved from..." I sent the business card that way with explanation on my report. I was paid. When that location became available again, I did not apply for it. Hopefully the next shopper got to the right location.
If you had pointed out somewhere in your narrative that the card you received was not from that location I do not think your report would have been rejected. If you can not find room in your report for this narrative I "force" the report by putting this information in ANY block I can make a note in even if I have to write "YES" in a "NO" block and then explain in the block why it is really "YES" and then put the added note in. In other words some reports are so chinzy for space for narrative you have to put it somewhere else. I have never had a report rejected in this manner..........as long as you can explain yourself and make clear what the situation is they are usually happy. Usually when I have to do this I will say something like "YES BUT..............." or force a "NOTES: YXYXYXYXYX" in an unrelated block as long as I explain why it is in an unrelated box (no other room.) If I have to I "force" the information onto any block I can so long as the information is correct and clear in that block. This same thing happened to me on a cell phone shop...........he had a card from his old store. I explained in the report that I wet to the correct location but the employee gave me his old card. My report went through fine- no problems.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2017 12:23PM by catlassy.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2017 12:23PM by catlassy.
I was going to say the same as catlassy. If I need to communicate something to the editor and there is no appropriate space, I will use any block on the form and preface my comment with "NOTE TO EDITOR:"
Don't bother. I won't work with them anymore because even in these situations no one responds to you. Its frustrating.
I regularly do a gas station shop for them that the shop has two addresses printed on their receipts (their address and one an hour+ away). No matter how many times I mention it in my narratives, they still always tell me the shop is invalid because I went to the wrong place. Once I email them and tell them as mentioned in the narrative and clearly shown on the receipt there are two addresses, they accept it.
@jasimon1 wrote:
I regularly do a gas station shop for them that the shop has two addresses printed on their receipts (their address and one an hour+ away). No matter how many times I mention it in my narratives, they still always tell me the shop is invalid because I went to the wrong place. Once I email them and tell them as mentioned in the narrative and clearly shown on the receipt there are two addresses, they accept it.
You have to be prepared to defend yourself because they used to expect a drive through shop for the Walmart locations that they did the restaurants for.
After the 2nd or 3rd time, I would have saved the email and then started sending it along with the report something along the line of "As stated in my previous Emails dated such and such the receipt has two address' printed on it. The correct address for this location is blah blah blah."
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2017 12:27AM by 2stepps.
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