You guys get gas with the yellow gas audits? I had to get a blank receipt - which the cashier did not know how to do so he gave me the last customer's duplicate receipt. At $5.16/G, free gas would have been nice

MtlShopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You guys get gas with the yellow gas audits? I
> had to get a blank receipt - which the cashier did
> not know how to do so he gave me the last
> customer's duplicate receipt. At $5.16/G, free
> gas would have been nice

Wow...that would make those shops tremendously less attractive. Yes, the US locations pay $10 + 2 gallons of fuel at the current price.

Do they at least tack a few bucks extra onto the shop fee?

I just got off the phone with someone from Maritz. Apparently they are starting a new program with the yellow gas stations and it is supposed to start October 22nd. It has already begun in Canada. I was told they pay $14 with no reimbursement. You have to print 150 pages in COLOR or have a tablet computer that you can bring with you with a copy of the guide.

I specifically asked if this was in addition to or replacement of the $10/2 gallon shops and was told this was in addition to it and was a long term project - she said it would be going on at least for the next 4 years. This is all about image compliance (she called it VISA but I forget what the acronym stood for).

If it is a long term project, I might be able to justify printing 150 pages. My question is - how easy is a project that requires that many pages of instructions!?!

Wow. That 150 pages is about three times as long as the manual when GFK had the electronics audits and those paid $130 a pop.

I often just take one photo of each infraction for ALL Maritz gas station shops. I also upload just one in each infraction area, and have never been questioned. (Well, not never, but not for THOSE problems at least!)

And I hadn't heard of this new yellow shop. There aren't a ton of Yellow stations near me, many more green, so it might not be worth it. They may change their tune when they see how hard it is to get shoppers to pick up the shops due to the printing requirements, and make a booklet. They've changed their tune in the past when many shoppers complain about things. (Remember the EIN number?)

I might also suggest telling Maritz it costs $4.50 for a ream of paper, so $1.35 for the 150 pages and 12.4 cents per page for mixed color and black for my printer according to multiple test sites, which equals $18.60. I'd request $19.95 extra for my first one or set of these shops to recover the cost of printing.

I've never seen more than 1 upload box for each view. I do take a couple of shots from different perspectives as I walk around the site, but I've only ever uploaded one.

Ooooh.....then I can buy a 3rd gen iPad and write it off!

This is exactly the project I'm complaining about!

$14USD is what was originally offered but I refused due to the bad exchange rate and our high gas prices. Between all that printing, the time spent on site and the time to enter the report, this project is a joke (to me, at least). Yes, they told I would only have to print the manual once and this was a 4-year project. If that's the case, why can't they cough up a nice, slick, professional manual OR offer some kind of reimbursement for printing costs?

If anyone in Montreal wants these shops, I have a beautiful freshly printed manual that I can let you have for cheap

jonk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just got off the phone with someone from Maritz.
> Apparently they are starting a new program with
> the yellow gas stations and it is supposed to
> start October 22nd. It has already begun in
> Canada. I was told they pay $14 with no
> reimbursement. You have to print 150 pages in
> COLOR or have a tablet computer that you can bring
> with you with a copy of the guide.
>
> I specifically asked if this was in addition to or
> replacement of the $10/2 gallon shops and was told
> this was in addition to it and was a long term
> project - she said it would be going on at least
> for the next 4 years. This is all about image
> compliance (she called it VISA but I forget what
> the acronym stood for).
>
> If it is a long term project, I might be able to
> justify printing 150 pages. My question is - how
> easy is a project that requires that many pages of
> instructions!?!

I am doing a gas station for them November 1st. They sent me a book on how to do the shop via fedex. I will be paid 14.00 plus 2 gallons of gas. Ask them to send you a book of the information. The book was here within 2 days.

Erica,

The mystery shop/reveal Shell project is a different one. I've been doing those for years and do have the manual they sent and love getting my 2 gallons of gas. This is a different project called VISA (Visual Identity and Standards Measurement) and I am required to print my own materials. At first blush it looks intimidating. The fool that I am signed up for 43 of these without reviewing the requirements first. Now I feel overwhelmed!

jonk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Erica,
>
> The mystery shop/reveal Shell project is a
> different one. I've been doing those for years
> and do have the manual they sent and love getting
> my 2 gallons of gas. This is a different project
> called VISA (Visual Identity and Standards
> Measurement) and I am required to print my own
> materials. At first blush it looks intimidating.
> The fool that I am signed up for 43 of these
> without reviewing the requirements first. Now I
> feel overwhelmed!


Oh my! That is a lot. Good luck

Lately I've been getting phone messages from Maritz asking me to help out with the yellow gas shops (probably the ones you cancelled MtlShopper, lol). I'm hesitant to get back to them after reading this thread. What exactly is involved? How long does the job take on average? Why do we need to wear a safety vest? Are the gas station employees okay with you taking pictures of the property?


MtlShopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is exactly the project I'm complaining about!
>
>
> $14USD is what was originally offered but I
> refused due to the bad exchange rate and our high
> gas prices. Between all that printing, the time
> spent on site and the time to enter the report,
> this project is a joke (to me, at least). Yes,
> they told I would only have to print the manual
> once and this was a 4-year project. If that's the
> case, why can't they cough up a nice, slick,
> professional manual OR offer some kind of
> reimbursement for printing costs?
>
> If anyone in Montreal wants these shops, I have a
> beautiful freshly printed manual that I can let
> you have for cheap
>
> jonk Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I just got off the phone with someone from
> Maritz.
> > Apparently they are starting a new program
> with
> > the yellow gas stations and it is supposed to
> > start October 22nd. It has already begun in
> > Canada. I was told they pay $14 with no
> > reimbursement. You have to print 150 pages in
> > COLOR or have a tablet computer that you can
> bring
> > with you with a copy of the guide.
> >
> > I specifically asked if this was in addition to
> or
> > replacement of the $10/2 gallon shops and was
> told
> > this was in addition to it and was a long term
> > project - she said it would be going on at
> least
> > for the next 4 years. This is all about image
> > compliance (she called it VISA but I forget
> what
> > the acronym stood for).
> >
> > If it is a long term project, I might be able
> to
> > justify printing 150 pages. My question is -
> how
> > easy is a project that requires that many pages
> of
> > instructions!?!

The vest is not a big deal to wear, but you have to wear it. Large stations with multiple violations take me 1/2 hour. Smaller ones, less time. Employees could care less if you're taking pictures around the site. You give them the authorization letter and then go. This quarter's survey is so much easier than previous quarters'. Take them.

zlinedavid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The negatives:
> - Using the phone as their primary/preferred
> method of communication. I perform around 500
> shops/audits per year, around 25 of them with
> Maritz. Outside of Maritz, I have needed to call
> an MSC no more than 2 or 3 times. With Maritz, it
> seems that every other shop requires a call,
> because they don't allow their lower-tier
> employees to use email. What is this, 1995? For
> me, stopping in the middle of the day to call an
> MSC is a huge inconvenience, as I work a
> professional 8-5 job. Calling Maritz during a
> break in my day, only to find that the department
> I'm looking to reach is busy is beyond
> aggravating. And, leaving them a message
> sometimes isn't an option, as I may not be
> available the rest of the day. By contrast, 99% of
> the same issues could be resolved via a 30 second
> email, which I could send from anywhere while
> doing anything.

I totally agree with zlinedavid on this. I have no time to play phone tag with Maritz. It's ridiculous to not use the expedience and efficiency of email.

HELP!! Maritz just returned my shop for the SECOND time fora pic of a building that either does not exist or is invisible!!!!!

The few gas station audits I've done the employees either don't care, or are friendly with me while I do it.

In February 2011, I signed up with Maritz. Requested a couple of jobs (I think both gas stations) nearby to test them out. Waited and waited for a confirmation email, like every other company sends out. Never heard from them, or so I thought. I found out later they'd left messages on my phone. But not til after the job dates had passed. I hadn't checked messages for a few days because of the illness (brain tumor) and death of one of my dogs. Later they phoned again. I had another ill dog (different kind of cancer, and he died a few weeks later, too) and no time nor heart for phone tag... I am foggy on the details now, but I believe I emailed them regarding the situation. Never heard back, via email anyway; although they may have left another phone message. I think they did.

Now that I read they do everything via phone, I don't know if they'd be a good fit for me, as I keep odd hours and only answer calls from numbers I know. A refusal to use email just seems so counter productive to me.

Although I do remember them leaving very nicely toned messages. That's why I think they called after I'd explained what had happened, it seems I recall a kind message from them. But I never got back to them because of being too busy during office hours to return phone calls.

Is it OK to ask (and someone to answer) what they pay for these gas station shops? I'm sure someone has said and I'm just forgetting.

HeatherC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lately I've been getting phone messages from
> Maritz asking me to help out with the yellow gas
> shops (probably the ones you cancelled MtlShopper,
> lol). I'm hesitant to get back to them after
> reading this thread. What exactly is involved? How
> long does the job take on average? Why do we need
> to wear a safety vest? Are the gas station
> employees okay with you taking pictures of the
> property?
>
>

Yep, they might be getting a little more eager to have these filled if many people either took one and no more or, like me, took a few and did only one of them before returning the rest.

The shops are not difficult but very time consuming. There are lots of pictures to take since most of the stations in these parts have many issues. The staff did not seem to have any problmes with the picture taking except when it came time to take a picture of him in uniform. I took it from the neck down so it did not show his face but his name tag was visible. You have to wear a safety vest because many of the pictures involve you walking around the pump area as customers are coming and going in and out of the station.

Heather, if you do any of the Petro Canada shops, be prepared that these are not anything like that. Petro shops are a breeze - 10-15 minutes in store and 10 minute report. These shops are at least 30-45 minutes on site and another 20-30 (with practice) for the report. Until you've done a few, you'll be going back and forth in the manual to find out what's compliant for each type of station. Lots of information to read through and check. Lots of uploading. If you're doing a lot of them, check your bandwidth as it might end up costing you if you go over your limit.

Like I said before, if you're interested in these, I have a nice manual all printed up for you. I can even throw in a safety vest as I have a few. If you're anywhere near NDG, I can meet you at Timmie's

No thanks, I think I'll pass. The fee doesn't sound that great now that I know there's that much work involved. Plus I don't want to walk around wearing a safety vest. I don't want to run into people I know and have them wonder why I'm working at a gas station, lol.

I run into people I know all the time. Nothing embarrassing about being seen doing honest work. I'm a teacher and do MS part time. I've had families of students do U turns in the road and come back to see me as I walk around the station. What of it?


Phone communication with Maritz also is not difficult, unless your business hours are 8 am - 9 pm like theirs are. They are also there on both Saturday and Sunday.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2012 03:21AM by Karen IL.

People in my town know I work in radio doing the news so they would find it odd if they saw me working at a gas station.

Um...Heather..turns out I'm SURE I know you. The world just got smaller and smaller. And in that case, I'm GLAD you're not doing those shops, because I do them!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2012 03:22AM by Karen IL.

You know me, Karen? I live in Montreal, Canada. Aren't you from the US?

Shoot....guess I don't know you. One of my parents is named heather c and does radio news locally. Very weird!

HeatherC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> People in my town know I work in radio doing the
> news so they would find it odd if they saw me
> working at a gas station.

Sorry - OT. Curiosity is killing me...

You're on radio? How cool! Which station?

What is the correct website for Maritz? I'm very interested in this company. Thanks in advance!!

gte3726x

This MSC was reviewed in Issue Three of the Mystery Shopper Magazine. You can find out information about this company, including their website, here: [www.mysteryshoppermagazine.com].

New editors at the company need better training.
This went back and forth for several days.
It was noted in report that there were no light pole signs.
"If something is missing (infraction), you need to provide a photo."
So a photo was provided of no light pole signs.
"Your photo has no light poles."
That was what was noted. No light poles so no light pole signs. And the editor asked for a photo.
"We need a photo of the light pole sign."
Duh!!!

Exactly! They were 1) wasting my time, 2) calling me and expecting me to have discussions, make decisions, etc. when I didn't have privacy and/or time to do so, and didn't have the information in front of me to go over it first, and 3) NOT providing things in writing.




shopgal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I totally agree with zlinedavid on this. I have no
> time to play phone tag with Maritz. It's
> ridiculous to not use the expedience and
> efficiency of email.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2013 06:52AM by RiverSong.

SecretAgentMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MDavisnowell Wrote:
> > You can enter all the photos at the end. You
> > don't have to enter them at each camera symbol
> in
> > the report.
>
> Just out of curiosity to see how others are doing
> these and the green, I have 2 quick questions.
>
> On the yellow $10/2 gal gas ones, are you
> uploading 2 of each pic like the directions had
> you take...2 mid, 2 store, 2 overall....? I
> noticed when I went to do these they only had 1
> upload box, whereas they used to have 2. On my
> first one in this round I forgot that I needed 2
> and contacted them telling them I accidentally
> only uploaded 1 of each shot, but I had the others
> if they wanted them. They called and said the
> editor would put it on hold if they needed
> anything else...they never did. Wondering if all
> those extra pics are a waste of time.
>
> Second on the $11 green/$6 gas shops if there are
> several infractions on one question...such as the
> Canopy has peeling paint and columns are rusty,
> canopy rusty, damaged...... do you go in an upload
> a pic of each infraction or just pic one to send
> in? I have a tendancy to hit the little camera
> icon and upload one for each infraction, then add
> more at the end with the ultimate pic upload.
> Sometimes I will have 4 pics for 1 question at the
> end just before I hit the final submit. Just
> wondering if you or anyone else wasted their time
> like I do. LOL.

I do a ton of the $11/$6 gas shops and only enter one picture if there are multiple issues and have never had any issues with it. I like others have said upload all my pictures at the end.

I do 95% of my shopping with Maritz and have been pleased with them. Every once in a while you will get an editor who is picky, but I always take a ton of pictures and using the Microsoft Snipping Tool, you can easily crop pictures to get them what they need. I can usually create some pretty good routes with them. As for time, I can ge through a gas station audit in 15-20 minutes, and do about 75% of it sitting in my car.