After a number of years mystery shopping, I finally signed up with Maritz. Today I did my first shop for them and though the shop went well (an open a checking account shop at a bank that has recently been in the news) there is a problem. On the shop form - which Maritz seems to call a "debriefing"- there seems to be no place to attach the required photos. I have had a hard time getting ahold of a human being at Maritz but after a few hours I did speak to a pleasant lady who was unable to help me but said that someone else would call.

On the one hand, I find this frustrating....on the other hand, I'm of the mind that the world has not ended and the very worst case scenario is that I ask to be deactivated and move on. I have $25 tied up in this shop but I can close the account and easily get this money back, so money is no issue. I am out time which I find galling but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Certainly my world has not ended.

What would you do here? What do you make of my take, just curious? I remember my days in food and beverage management and how I moved through life like a steam roller crushing anyone who got in my way - now I'm so ready to just pleasantly walk away from situations sometimes I almost don't even recognize myself. I'm certainly not mad at Maritz - I just don't want to tie up time in a lose/lose situation which this situation at the moment seems to be. Whatever, so is life in the big city, win some, lose some, etc.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2018 11:49PM by squireparty.

Update: I just got a call from the lady I spoke to before who said she passed this issue on to someone else who is unable to help me because they are doing payroll and everyone wants to be paid. Translation: I'm on my own and there is no shopper support at Maritz. I'll spend some time with this and try to figure it out but will feel no guilt whatsoever if I have to call to deactivate myself to make this problem go away. What a nice thing it is to be an IC - it's so so so easy to walk away when things go pear shaped. Something to be very grateful for in my book!

As you answer questions and fill in their reports, new questions drop down depending on the answers you select.

It seems you’re stressing out more than necessary.

I would fill out the report, if no spots drop down with places for you to upload photos, I would submit the form as is and wait for someone to contact about “missing” photos.

I have done many many shops for Maritz and never had any issues with the photos. I have also done the shop you speak of twice. The place to put the photos are in the actual report in the section that mentions each item that needed to be photographed. It should say something about attaching the photo. In the past you could do the whole report without the photos and then it would ask at the end for the photos...not sure if that still is the case. Don’t give up on Maritz...they are one of my favorite MSCs!

I have not done this shop but it is also my experience with other shops for them that if you attempt to submit the shop without the required photos that it will prompt you for them.

Having said that. This is how Maritz works. It's not possible to just email a person and get a reply. They do almost all communications via telephone. And 9 times out of 10 the person you talk to is simply a go between. So you will talk to them, then they will talk to the person you really need to talk to, and then relay their message back to you. It's quite frustrating and one of the many reasons why I do few shops for them even though they have one of my favorite shops.

Thank You'all for your advice. I was able to get the shop in - indeed when the shop is inputted where you need to add a photo becomes clear - a box or icon or whatever appears and makes it clear that you are to upload an image there. I'm glad I was able to get this shop in - the payment is great and the shop itself was not at all hard - it's just that I am not the most technically adept person and the shopper form really threw me for a loop as I am used to shopper forms where it's very clear where the photos are to be uploaded.

Live and learn, no?

Believe it or not, this is the new, improved website. The shop that you did does have a relatively easy report but their reports are not as straightforward and easy to navigate as some companies.

It is frustrating not to be able to email someone directly but all but one person I have worked with at Maritz has been genuinely nice and the one person was made to call and apologize to me. I have done a lot of work for them over the past ten years. Don't write them off too fast, they have a lot to offer.