Marketforce not liking bad feedback

Did a shop for a fast food location and gave negative feedback due to poor service and meal.
Despite reconfirming my feedback as per the report was accurate Market force would not pay because the client had challenged the report.
So what is the point ? do they only want positive feedback to be given to there clients.
Shabby.
Food crap there generally anyway !

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What aspect of the report did the client challenge? (The timing, cleanliness, order accuracy, etc..)

I've often given negative feedback on some aspects of some shops (just this week, in fact), and I've never had an issue with MarketForce having a problem with it. I wonder if it's just specifically the location you did and a belligerent client. Or did the client claim to have a video showing something contrary to your report? (Not saying your report isn't accurate, but wonder if the client "pushed" MF with that claim.)

I honestly don't think this is MF's standard practice, but I'm sure I don't do as many shops for them as a lot of other folks here, so I could be wrong. .

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

You would think that bad feedback is more valuable than good feedback, since bad service can lose customers permanently and the feedback will show them where improvement is needed, but there are some companies that will block shoppers from a client for bad feedback.

Good feedback or bad feedback, any feedback is useful only if it shows evidence of no prejudice. I worry when a shopper says in forum, "Food crap there generally anyway !" If the shopper went in expecting 'crap' there is not much likelihood of positive feedback without a miracle. Objectivity is what is needed. Positive and negative comments need to be balanced. If absolutes such as 'never' or 'always' are used in reporting, it makes a report subject to being questioned as not a report on this and only this visit.

The reports are written so that the feedback is positive. If there is anything wrong at the location, the shopper has to take action to get it corrected. The same goes for service.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

@HonnyBrown wrote:

The reports are written so that the feedback is positive. If there is anything wrong at the location, the shopper has to take action to get it corrected. The same goes for service.

This is pretty much true for the large client of theirs that's discussed a lot here, but not for all of them. The shop I did this past week was for a different client, and there was one aspect that you needed them to correct if it wasn't right (it wasn't, and I had them fix it). But there were at least two other observations that didn't allow for remediation. And both were negative, which I reported objectively.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

The reports are written so that the feedback is positive. If there is anything wrong at the location, the shopper has to take action to get it corrected. The same goes for service.

I'm not sure that's true? I mean, if a light is burned out or there's garbage lying around, the shopper wouldn't take action to get it corrected. If the service is slow, it's not even possible to get it corrected.

Recently I did a drive-in shop and reported that the tots crumbled apart and tasted like old oil. It wasn't challenged.

I actually complained about a location last week that had the wrong sandwich price posted, even though they do not ask about it in the form. My shop was actually accepted faster than it usually is. I was pleasantly surprised. Would have been happy to upload a photo if there were a spot for it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2022 05:09AM by MisterBill.

I gave a scathing report on a burger shop where everything service related went wrong, as did the order accuracy. My comments, I think, were well written and succinct. Shop accepted with no questions asked.

@MisterBill wrote:

Would have been happy to upload a photo if there were a spot for it.

This. I wish they'd allow you to add a photo or two as an example of something not up to standard. I did a different type of shop, and the restroom log was upside down on the back of the sink, not on the door, and nothing was written on it. Not in the last 20 minutes, not ever. And there was a large drink cup sitting on an end table in the waiting area. And no attendant anywhere to be seen inside the facility. I took photos of the two infractions, and was going to try to upload them in the "images" part of the report, but figured they might not really want to have them.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

You can upload as many photos as you want to marketforce. they do look at them, even if they aren't linked to questions. in fact, for one of their fast food shops they insist that you upload ALL of photos you took, and link the relevant photos to their questions. Sometimes I take several pictures of the food before I take one that I want to use, ALL of them get uploaded. same goes with their gas station shops, I upload EVERY SINGLE PICTURE, even the extra, "just in case" pictures.

If something are terrible bad I am attaching photos of such things. I did it for many shops and that is the proof that matching with my report.

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009

Between the dozens of highly critical shops I've done for this MSC and specific client, all approved without issue, and the fact that the OP never returned to clarify their post, it's pretty clear we didn't get the whole story here.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2022 09:49PM by NinS.

I’ve noticed MF want all positive

If you are talking about the drive in shops, I do them quite frequently. I have given negative feedback based on my observations and food quality. Never had a shop rejected. I was questioned once because the location insisted that there were no black marks on their sidewalks, but I had photos to back up my answer.

@Morledzep wrote:

You can upload as many photos as you want to marketforce. they do look at them, even if they aren't linked to questions. I upload EVERY SINGLE PICTURE, even the extra, "just in case" pictures.

Thank you for this info! I knew I could add photos other than the receipt, but I wasn't sure if MF would care or would even look at them. Now that I know they do, I'll be sure to upload shots of anything that is "off," even if not related to a question.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Yes, I’ve found that they are happy with only positive reports. Anything negative is questioned, but I’ve never had a shop invalidated due to a negative report. Just many questions and attitude.

Maybe it's not Marketforce that dislikes the negative info, but the end client?

I recall making many negative reports back when they had the yellow arches for shops. I remember one in particular, I walked into the ladies' room and was overwhelmed with the odor; the sink was also almost to the brim with standing water, so I thought (I know, I know, we are NOT paid to think!) perhaps it was a drainage issue. I reported the stink and the water. Next visit, the restrooms were closed for remodeling; next visit, open and totally redone. No more stink, no more standing water in the sink. And that's not the only example of that particular client responding to my reports.

if you think this then just give good feedback, not like any employees or management will challenge it, espiecally if the reports are used for bonus's or to measure performance against KPI, also makes the report you write easier

@djrobst1 wrote:

if you think this then just give good feedback, not like any employees or management will challenge it, espiecally if the reports are used for bonus's or to measure performance against KPI, also makes the report you write easier

I hope you meant this as a tongue in cheek comment. The entire mystery shop industry is based on objectivity and accurately reporting what we observe.

I have been shopping with MF for almost ten years and I have noticed this, as well. When I score things negatively, I carefully ensure I can back up my claim. Makes me curious if you are talking about the hedgehog place... if so, I *definitely* can relate. I once reported that one of their items tasted like a specific non-food item and I received an email the next day with mutliple questions about this comment and ended up having to use my mental thesaurus to satisfy them with a paragraph that "clarified" my initial description, which I frankly thought was very direct.

I generally record all shops on my iPhone in order to verify my times, what they said to me (or not), etc. came in real handy today when I was pushed to add more to my comments when the guy just brushed me off. I just sent the the three minute recording.

@Evalpro wrote:

I generally record all shops on my iPhone in order to verify my times, what they said to me (or not), etc. came in real handy today when I was pushed to add more to my comments when the guy just brushed me off. I just sent the the three minute recording.

There are states which cannot record someone without their consent, including several large states - FL, CA, IL, MA, PA, WA, and others.

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

Here is a link to the complete list: [www.dmlp.org] Delaware is not shown on this list, but due to some ambiguity in the Delaware statutes, it is generally included. Here is a link for Delaware: [recordinglaw.com] Also, Delaware has a law that prohibits anyone from trespassing on private property to eavesdrop or carry out any other form of surveillance. Del. Code Ann. tit. 11, § 1335(a)(1).

@cubbiecat wrote:

@Evalpro wrote:

I generally record all shops on my iPhone in order to verify my times, what they said to me (or not), etc. came in real handy today when I was pushed to add more to my comments when the guy just brushed me off. I just sent the the three minute recording.

There are states which cannot record someone without their consent, including several large states - FL, CA, IL, MA, PA, WA, and others.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I don’t live in any of those states.

I USED to grab Market force shops when I was in the area in spite of stupid cheap fees. Then they closed my account without my knowledge and refused to provide any explanation. With well over 100 trouble free shops they would not even talk to me. So I have not even thought about them in the past few years. Loosing the trivial income they provided me was not missed.

I hate the burger shop where you have to explain why the employees weren’t highly enthusiastic. Seems crazy. You also have to explain if you don’t select a perfect 10. It’s like they only want to hear positives.

Maybe I’m the odd duck in this thread (I am in real life for sure, anyway) but I’ve never had a problem with this company. I was questioned about one report; I provided the documentation requested and the shop was approved. One of my shops was invalidated - I asked why, received an answer (it was completely my fault even though it pains me to say that :-) ) and they gave me a chance to re-submit the evaluation. I’m sure it was thoroughly combed for errors, but it was approved a couple of days after I sent in the correct documents. I never take shops at base fee these days but I did when I started contracting for them (I only work part time these days so if an offer is denied I just move on). I have obtained some fairly generous bonuses for shops that are easy as long as the directions are followed thoroughly. I guess what works for one doesn’t work for all…

I've worked for MF since 2011 and I've given plenty of bad feedback. I always got paid and never had any problem because of the bad feedback. However, I am very careful to be absolutely correct in all timings and everything I report, because it has been my experience that, because the shopper reviews are tied to manager bonuses and promotions, the manager will review videos of all negative reports. If the manager is able to discredit a negative shopper report due to some shopper error, he will. This was true of the big burger client they lost several years ago and is true of the expensive burger casual place and the burger drive in. I have several times been contacted after a bad report and asked what clothing I was wearing and a description of me and/or my car so they can correctly identify me in the video. I have no doubt that if the manager was able to pinpoint anything in my report as incorrect, my report would be thrown out. And - even bigger surprise - I have been contacted a few times after very good reports and asked the same information about me. In those cases, I was told the manager wanted to reward a specific employee and use the incident as a training for their staff.

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Marketforce not liking bad feedback

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