The fast-growing Money for Jam (M4JAM) platform has been hit with an onslaught of complaints from "jobbers" around late - or no - payment for jobs done and a lack of follow-up or support.
M4JAM co-founder Andre Hugo has defended the platform, saying "any disruptive start-up" comes with teething issues. He says the company constantly monitors social media channels to better its solution and the jobber experience.
The six-month-old mobile micro-jobbing service, which has already boasted in excess of 300% growth, has been making waves with its job outsourcing business model. It has been tagged as having potential to become a major digital disrupter in the market research and related activities sector.
M4JAM went live via its partner of choice, WeChat, on 11 August. Within five days, it said, it had seen "thousands of jobs bagged" and put "tens of thousands of rands in the pockets of micro-jobbers".
Three weeks ago, Hugo told ITWeb the start-up had "put R854 000 into our jobbers' wallets within the first 21 days of business". He added this amounted to real money going into the economy in increments of R15 to R25 - proving demand for the platform was "very real".
Primarily a data-driven company, M4JAM positions itself to consumers as quick and easy money - to be made by any South African with a smartphone.
Jaded jobbers
However, many jobbers that have signed up to the platform and racked up dues - some running into thousands of rands - have painted a different picture. Facebook, Twitter and online consumer feedback site HelloPeter.com are fraught with rants from jobbers that have yet to get their hands on any money for jobs done.
HelloPeter.com displays a number of posts from M4JAM jobbers who have been unable to obtain payment for the work they have done, or who have been added to telesales lists without their consent. HelloPeter has flagged M4JAM as one of their "companies who don't respond [to complaints]".
Shirley Inglis (@InglisShirley) on Twitter echoes this frustration: "I am unable to redeem my money at Pick n Pay - they've never heard of you," she tweets @M4JAM, adding she has tried three different branches.
One jobber goes so far as to label M4JAM a scam: "No code was ever sent speak to stephan sick of repeating myself your company is a scam" (sic).
A number of Facebook and Twitter users have directed platform bug complaints at M4JAM over the last week, saying they cannot access their to-do lists or submit photos to complete jobs. "Technically I'm bug testing for you guys without getting paid for it," says Mohammed Hoosain (@styphoiz) on Twitter.
M4JAM rejoinder
M4JAM responds to complaints on social networks frequently, citing "teething issues" with a recent platform update and asking users to direct their queries to the M4JAM helpdesk. "Even [the helpdesk] is flawed. Clicking on the 'what's wrong' text box only refreshes my page," says Jacques von Gruning on Facebook.
Hugo notes the platform has been live only half a year now and "for a business that has processed over 115 000 payment transactions, the 10 complaints on HelloPeter were taken very seriously, all of which have been resolved". He says all HelloPeter complainants were paid last year.
However, according to HelloPeter's "company zone", companies only receive customer contact details when they respond, and they have to respond within three business hours of receiving the complaint. The platform does not feature any responses from M4JAM.
While the HelloPeter complaints relate to the first three months of operation, many on Facebook and Twitter are as recent as a week or less ago.
According to Hugo, the process from completing and submitting a job to payment takes up to 48 hours. "Once a jobber [sends] through all the required criteria, it will be quality checked. This can take up to 48 hours and payment is issued once it has been approved. For every job our jobbers successfully complete, money is placed into their virtual wallet."
To "cash out", he explains, jobbers must have a minimum of R15 in their wallet. The jobber then enters the amount they wish to withdraw, and from there they receive a 12-digit code which they take to their nearest Pick n Pay or Boxer store. The teller then gives the amount of cash the jobber requested, in exchange for the 12-digit code.
With regard to the bug complaints, Hugo says these relate to a sign-up issue when registering on WeChat. "The one-time PIN that is sent by WeChat to the user is a validation process and can be a result of a number of issues: Internet connectivity, the user may not have sufficient data, or the network they are on could be congested. It's important to note that WeChat could be extremely busy and experiencing a massive spike in traffic."
Hugo says the company is fully aligned with both its jobbers and its brands. "The premise of our platform is that it places the jobber in control. If a jobber does not want to work for a brand, or deems that payment to be insufficient they have the power to choose not to do the job. If a job isn't delivered to a client's quality standards, or is not completed at all - M4JAM does not recognise its revenue for this particular job."
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