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I’m very concerned about the inability to complete shops early even when I know that the early dates are technically available. This new policy is going to result in one of two things:
1) I will take fewer shops at a time, resulting in higher fees (or possibly less work) over time
2) I will waste a ton of my and the schedulers time on the phone adjusting shop dates.
I know you like to plan out your work, but you can’t do it at the expense of your shoppers ability to work efficiently themselves. Ultimately it’s going to cost you money, whether it be increased fees or wasted time.
Much much wider shop windows would make all the difference in the world. Perhaps you give that ability to your top shoppers so you can still keep a handle on the schedule for some of your work.
1) I will take fewer shops at a time, resulting in higher fees (or possibly less work) over time
2) I will waste a ton of my and the schedulers time on the phone adjusting shop dates.
I know you like to plan out your work, but you can’t do it at the expense of your shoppers ability to work efficiently themselves. Ultimately it’s going to cost you money, whether it be increased fees or wasted time.
Much much wider shop windows would make all the difference in the world. Perhaps you give that ability to your top shoppers so you can still keep a handle on the schedule for some of your work.
______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
@sestrahelena wrote:
How to get rid of the Facebook flag that covers a large portion if my android screen??? It jumps all over, covering text every time the keyboard opens and even covers the submit button at the bottom, making entering reports in the phone futile.
It's still there! Covering another button as well, possibly"Save." The full-length banner is also on the desktop site, along the bottom but does not move or, as far as I can tell, cover anything. Does it really have to be that BIG? A little icon in a corner would be much less of an obstruction. What a bother it was to complete the entire form on the phone then realize at the end there was no way to submit or save.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2018 12:00AM by sestrahelena.
did direct deposit to go in for the end of December? my deposit never went through and I don't know if it's because we switched over to the new system or if there's some new thing I need to do to get it to work under the new system. my information still seems to be in my account under direct deposit but nothing went in the bank this month. Did anyone say anything about pay being late this month?
@tnlarry wrote:
did direct deposit to go in for the end of December? my deposit never went through and I don't know if it's because we switched over to the new system or if there's some new thing I need to do to get it to work under the new system. my information still seems to be in my account under direct deposit but nothing went in the bank this month. Did anyone say anything about pay being late this month?
With Maritz, they pay earlier than usual in December.
For instance, this year, I received payment for my November 15 to 30 work on December 12 and then the payment for the December 1 to 15th work on December 19.
After that, in past years, I never received anymore payments until the end of January. This was due to all of the shops I performed in the past December being paid for early.
In another comment string (I had started) another shopper reported that they had been paid for shops they performed in December that were done after the last December payment. These were paid for in early January (3rd).
With their new system in place, I have not found any links to show the previous year's payments for Direct Deposit. Maybe there is and someone has found it.
I'll say this in advance. I don't often complain and I always try to be positive. Maritz, I'll try to work with your system because you have some positive aspects of working with you.
But.......
Today is January 2nd, 2018. It is after 8:00AM, (Central Time). My shopping window for this week starts today and ends Saturday. I'm ready to perform some, albeit a lonely few and its way below zero today, and, according to the forecast, for the entire week.
But, sigh, since this is the new and "improved" system, I'll have to do the shops because this "improvement" does not allow for any type of emergency or situation like this other than cancelling my shop, receiving a lowered shopper rating and giving my shop to the general shopper population. Some improvement!
So I open up the Maritz website and find that when I look at the shops I need to do, there is a heading "Shops Needing Action" and a link below the heading, titled "Ready To Shop". So far so good.
But, I click on the link goes to those shops due this week, each shop's individual link says the status is "Review Complete Not Ready To Shop".
So, I'm wondering, just when is the correct time to perform these shops? Should it not be at 12:01 AM of the day it is to be performed?
But.......
Today is January 2nd, 2018. It is after 8:00AM, (Central Time). My shopping window for this week starts today and ends Saturday. I'm ready to perform some, albeit a lonely few and its way below zero today, and, according to the forecast, for the entire week.
But, sigh, since this is the new and "improved" system, I'll have to do the shops because this "improvement" does not allow for any type of emergency or situation like this other than cancelling my shop, receiving a lowered shopper rating and giving my shop to the general shopper population. Some improvement!
So I open up the Maritz website and find that when I look at the shops I need to do, there is a heading "Shops Needing Action" and a link below the heading, titled "Ready To Shop". So far so good.
But, I click on the link goes to those shops due this week, each shop's individual link says the status is "Review Complete Not Ready To Shop".
So, I'm wondering, just when is the correct time to perform these shops? Should it not be at 12:01 AM of the day it is to be performed?
@French Farmer wrote:
Years ago, when I first started working with Maritz, I had an enlightening conversation with one of their schedulers. She explained how their system worked, reviewed many of the links and best of all, gave me valuable hints on how to perform my shops.
I suspect she was once a shopper.
Probably the best and most valuable information was how to schedule my shops. For shops that asked me if I wanted to perform the shop again (according to their shopper guidelines - every other month) she said to schedule those shops out to the third week. She said there would be a link on the particular shop's report where I could report the shop earlier than the third week. She said that as long as I performed and reported the shop within that allotted time (beginning of the month to the third week), Maritz would look favorable on me and I would receive a good shopper rating.
She said it was especially helpful for shoppers who might experience some sort of emergency and would not be able to perform the shop as planned. The emergency could be anything from an unexpected car breakdown, illness, weather related problem, etc. I found the advice she gave extremely helpful since I have experienced situations such as those.
She emphasized that the "enter results" link for each shop was okay to use on most shops unless, the client specifically stated the time period in which I was to perform the shop. That was why, she stressed, that I must read the guidelines for each client to ensure the particular date of the shop.
This I did for years.
Now, with the new system in place, I cannot do this - I am to perform the shop in the week in which I selected. Okay, that's great. I'll do that. I know how to make routes, etc.
However, in November and December of this year, I selected the third week request as I finished my shop as suggested by the scheduler. Those shops I would do in January and February of the new year. I was unaware of the new method that Maritz was installing. There was no Email, no alert of any sort from Maritz.
In this particular comment stream, the MaritxCX Scheduler suggests calling Maritz to reschedule the dates - they cannot "guarantee" this can be done.
I did just that and guess what happened? The shops I needed to move were taken off my list in a way that would not "hurt" my shopper rating. They would be put back on the system's list for anyone to take.
"Hurt" my rating? I didn't change the rules Maritz, you did - in midstream without warning!
I'm a reasonable person, I don't get angry easily and I always try to look at both sides before passing any sort of judgement. I try to understand the reasoning and, for this particular change, I think I understand your change of this reporting. I think that's referred to as being a "professional" business person, and , as a shopper, I would consider this invaluable.
But yes, I'm PO'ed! I played by your rules Maritz, followed your guidelines, performed the shops as instructed and you did this. So sure, I'll continue to be your shopper. I'll continue to follow your rules, etc and methods. But, you have tarnished our relationship. When one of your schedulers call asking for "helping you out" on a shop, I'll be a little more wary of doing just that.
Hello, your feedback has been passed on. Please call our office at 1-800-782-4299 to speak to someone about the issues you are having.
@LIJake wrote:
I agree FF. I did the same as you and loaded up the 3rd week as usual with the expectation that I could move up shops as usual. No can do. If it snows the 3rd week I will have a problem. As it is, I will have light weeks 1 and 2 and a buster week 3. Weather permitting, I can get it done but not happy about it.
Jet, I believe banks have a maximum of 30 but gas stations have 60 or 65. And I'm not sure if that is total or per brand.
Maritz scheduler, while the schedulers are good at what they do - schedule, some better than others, I have found that most of them I spoke with are not as well versed as you on the new website. I realize there is a learning curve for all of us and it will work itself out.
Thank you for your feedback! It has been passed along to our schedulers.
@Hoju wrote:
I’m very concerned about the inability to complete shops early even when I know that the early dates are technically available. This new policy is going to result in one of two things:
1) I will take fewer shops at a time, resulting in higher fees (or possibly less work) over time
2) I will waste a ton of my and the schedulers time on the phone adjusting shop dates.
I know you like to plan out your work, but you can’t do it at the expense of your shoppers ability to work efficiently themselves. Ultimately it’s going to cost you money, whether it be increased fees or wasted time.
Much much wider shop windows would make all the difference in the world. Perhaps you give that ability to your top shoppers so you can still keep a handle on the schedule for some of your work.
We're sorry you're having trouble with shop windows. Your comments have been passed along.
@sestrahelena wrote:
@sestrahelena wrote:
How to get rid of the Facebook flag that covers a large portion if my android screen??? It jumps all over, covering text every time the keyboard opens and even covers the submit button at the bottom, making entering reports in the phone futile.
It's still there! Covering another button as well, possibly"Save." The full-length banner is also on the desktop site, along the bottom but does not move or, as far as I can tell, cover anything. Does it really have to be that BIG? A little icon in a corner would be much less of an obstruction. What a bother it was to complete the entire form on the phone then realize at the end there was no way to submit or save.
Hello, your feedback has been passed along to our team. We're sorry you're having trouble with entering reports on Android. Please call our office at 1-800-782-4299 to speak to someone about the issues you are having.
@French Farmer wrote:
I'll say this in advance. I don't often complain and I always try to be positive. Maritz, I'll try to work with your system because you have some positive aspects of working with you.
But.......
Today is January 2nd, 2018. It is after 8:00AM, (Central Time). My shopping window for this week starts today and ends Saturday. I'm ready to perform some, albeit a lonely few and its way below zero today, and, according to the forecast, for the entire week.
But, sigh, since this is the new and "improved" system, I'll have to do the shops because this "improvement" does not allow for any type of emergency or situation like this other than cancelling my shop, receiving a lowered shopper rating and giving my shop to the general shopper population. Some improvement!
So I open up the Maritz website and find that when I look at the shops I need to do, there is a heading "Shops Needing Action" and a link below the heading, titled "Ready To Shop". So far so good.
But, I click on the link goes to those shops due this week, each shop's individual link says the status is "Review Complete Not Ready To Shop".
So, I'm wondering, just when is the correct time to perform these shops? Should it not be at 12:01 AM of the day it is to be performed?
Thank you for your feedback, it has been passed on to our team. Please call our office at 1-800-782-4299 to speak to someone about the issues you are having.
@MaritzCX Scheduler wrote:
Thank you for your feedback, it has been passed on to our team. Please call our office at 1-800-782-4299 to speak to someone about the issues you are having.
Sorry, but that is a pat answer.
I have called several times and received nothing but hard a$$ replies.
@French Farmer wrote:
I have called several times and received nothing but hard a$$ replies.
Glad I have not called in yet to address my issues!
Seems they have a lot of bugs to work out, and it seems that many things were changed just for the sake of changing something, such as the font sizes and types in the job postings.
My issue is with the map not functioning properly, and it seems to have gotten worse since I posted about it.
Now, the ONLY shops I'm able to see in either map or list view are the ones in my area, regardless of where I drag the map or what filters I apply.
FWIW, my M.Ed. specialization is distance learning, so I have been trained in best practices when it comes to online communications, data presentation and data gathering.
The new site has a long way to go IMNSHO.
@MaritzCX Scheduler wrote:
- Those of you that are reporting that you are not able to see shops in your area, please contact us at 1-800-782-4299. We have changed how we display shops based on eligibility and we are also nearing the end of a shopping cycle which may be contributing to the lack of shops in your area. However, we want to verify that there are no other reasons for these shops to not appear and we need your assistance to get that information.
This paragraph sums up why, despite the headaches, I keep coming back to Maritz. Virtually every other MSC replies to similar complaints with, "Oh, somebody must have gotten them first," and refuses vehemently to ever consider that there might be a computer glitch.
Kudos, Maritz!
I haven't done one of their client shops and I guessed that is why only one shop for that client is showing on my availability. Maybe I have to take one to be eligible for the others. But that location isn't ideal for me. But when I called, what I heard was that they are seeing lots of those in my area and didn't know why I wasn't seeing them. I'll try and call again. However, I know they note every time I call and I don't want to get ex-communicated because I'm calling. It's a hard one to figure out. That's why we have this forum.
@spicy1 wrote:
I'll try and call again. However, I know they note every time I call and I don't want to get ex-communicated because I'm calling. It's a hard one to figure out. That's why we have this forum.
That is an enlightening comment! Maritz is keeping score?
So, I'm done b!tching and ranting about the new system; I'll try to be constructive.
I've done several shops this week and am quite the frozen shopper. When submitting the reports I've found that if I miss a question or my cursor doesn't click the selection correctly, the question comes up as not able to be submitted until I click the button.
What I do not understand is why I also have to click the comment box as well. Is this a tracking feature that quantifies a shopper's rating versus correct answers first submitted?
Another comment: could you bring back the old feature of submitting the report sans photos and then allow the photos to be submitted as a second step? The submission of a photo after each question is repetitive and is rather time consuming versus submission of all photos at the end of the report.
Photos at the end were so much easier and resizing is still needed if you want all the pics loaded by the time you reach the end of the report. On the plus side, now we can see what the photos are rather than the grainy, skewed images we saw before.
When I call, they tell me something about the notes in my previous call. They should let me tell them about some of the notes I HAVE from my previous calls..........sometimes I tell them, doesn't do any good. It's freaky though.
I haven't done enough Maritz work to know how/when the reports are saved and viewable without being submitted and any associated scoring system related to that. However, I do know that when I do MF assignments, once I click to the next page all previous pages are saved and viewable by their editing team. I once clicked on a 'no' answer which then required an explanation. After listening to my audio I realized the answer was 'yes'. The 'no' answer explanation cube disappeared. However, I received a phone call asking for clarification because the 'no' answer explanation was still in the cube. Luckily I remembered what happened and was able to explain.
@MaritzCX Scheduler I finally was able to use the new site.
Overall I LOVE reporting with it. I have only one request at the moment. You shouldn’t be required to have a photo in every slot. There are tons of reasons not to have a photo in a slot. Those should report as validation issues that require the user to check a box rather than force them to upload a photo.
Overall I LOVE reporting with it. I have only one request at the moment. You shouldn’t be required to have a photo in every slot. There are tons of reasons not to have a photo in a slot. Those should report as validation issues that require the user to check a box rather than force them to upload a photo.
______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
I just finished a large job using their new site and liked it...no problem, 1st. job for them in years, they were helpful, returning my phone call within a day.
Live consciously....
I agree. Like the second bathroom photo when there's only a unisex bathroom.
@Hoju wrote:
@MaritzCX Scheduler I finally was able to use the new site.
Overall I LOVE reporting with it. I have only one request at the moment. You shouldn’t be required to have a photo in every slot. There are tons of reasons not to have a photo in a slot. Those should report as validation issues that require the user to check a box rather than force them to upload a photo.
There are countless reasons. I do a lot of locations with no C store. One client requires several interior pictures. Those should all be NA.
______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
When doing the "blue" gas stations and the question arises as to whether I wish to perform the shop again (when allowed - every other month), I think you should have a calendar come up for the month.
Example: The next time I'll be able to perform the shop after this month (January) shall be March. when I look at March, the first day begins on a Thursday (March 1). Is that the first week or is the following week the first week? I cannot be sure of what you (Maritz) consider the week
It would make more sense to me to have the calendar month germane to the request pop up with the weeks in question available. Then we could just click on the week we wish to perform the shop.
Make sense? Non?
Example: The next time I'll be able to perform the shop after this month (January) shall be March. when I look at March, the first day begins on a Thursday (March 1). Is that the first week or is the following week the first week? I cannot be sure of what you (Maritz) consider the week
It would make more sense to me to have the calendar month germane to the request pop up with the weeks in question available. Then we could just click on the week we wish to perform the shop.
Make sense? Non?
Or they could just use the Sassie platform
Reading this discussion has been eye-opening. I had no idea others were doing these shops with a different set of scheduling rules. Having the ability to shop early would have allowed me to pick up quite a few jobs I passed up. I really like the new website and have always enjoyed working with the MSC but admit reading this discusion leaves with a slightly bad taste in my mouth.
Yes, wwin! All offers to all "mystery shoppers" are not equal. I've found myself on the end of the stick with most companies. That's why I've just been doing this work very part-time. Most of the time there are monthly assignments, say 30 of them, and the same person gets all of them so they get to know many things that we don't know. However, they don't do all of them, they leave the really bad ones on the board (dirty, broken, bad neighborhood, mean owners) and the travel ones. Then, these companies go hog-wild crazy trying to find someone to do the remaining ones. So, the conversations with me about doing the remaining ones is a nutty one and they put all of the nutty-ness on me as though I'm creating the nutty-ness.
I overall like the new site. But...it would be just about perfect ( in my opinion) if the shops could be done earlier. It has been especially hard in my area with all the bad weather we have had this last week. I was out in single digits and trying to beat the calendar ahead of an ice storm.
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