u/DizaRempe

I need to vent because this project is one of the most frustrating things I’ve worked on.I completed two Salt Map tasks and ended up earning $16. I spent two hours on this tasks. Considering the amount of work involved, that honestly feels ridiculous.

The biggest issue is the 10-minute timer. How is anyone supposed to consistently finish these tasks in that time? You’re expected to read the prompt, understand the requirements, launch the assigned application, and sometimes even install additional software before you can start. Then you have to capture the correct screenshot, annotate it, run the grounding model, adjust the bounding box until it passes, answer the review questions, and submit before the timer expires. One small mistake and you’re racing the clock.

Then there’s the quality review.

I reworked a task and later received a 1/5 (“Very Poor”) review with generic feedback like application mismatch, layout mismatch, target type mismatch, and prompt functionality wrong. The feedback didn’t explain what was actually wrong or reference anything specific from my submission. It honestly felt like a copy-and-paste review, and I’m disputing it because it doesn’t seem to match the work I submitted.

The worst part is that a single poor review can tank your quality score and potentially affect your access to future work. That makes vague reviews even more frustrating.
Am I the only one experiencing this, or are other people seeing the same issues with Salt Map? Have you had success disputing reviews, or is it basically impossible to get them overturned?

I’m hoping to get some advice from people who have actually landed projects on Mercor.

I joined the platform in May and have applied to dozens of roles. Some of them seemed like a perfect fit based on my experience, so I was confident I’d at least make it through the screening. Instead, I’ve received one “Unfortunately…” rejection email after another and haven’t landed a single project.

I’ve already revised my resume several times and tailored it based on some projects, but the outcome hasn’t changed. At this point, I’m wondering if I’m missing something in the application process or if there’s something specific Mercor is looking for.

My background is in project management, healthcare, and AI data annotation, with experience on other AI training platforms.

For those of you who have successfully landed projects:

• What made the biggest difference for you?
• Is there anything you wish you had known when you first started?
• Are there common mistakes applicants make without realizing it?

I’d really appreciate any advice or insights. I’m close to giving up on the platform, but I’d like to understand what I can improve before I do. Thank you.

Had an interesting call with a business owner this week.
He runs a successful women’s fashion and textile business and handles thousands of customer inquiries.
His biggest problem wasn’t marketing.
It wasn’t getting more customers.
It wasn’t even sales.
His problem was that customers were constantly reaching out through Instagram, phone calls, and other channels while he was busy serving customers in his store.
By the time he got around to responding, some of those customers were already gone.
What stood out most was his concern about AI.
He said:
“What if the AI gives customers incorrect information?”
And honestly, that’s the right question.
The goal isn’t to build an AI that answers everything.
The goal is to build an AI that answers accurately, knows when it doesn’t know something, and hands the conversation to a human when needed.
So we’re building an AI assistant that can:
✅ Answer customer questions
✅ Speak the customer’s language ( added 3 languages)
✅ Handle common inquiries
✅ Support wholesale customers
✅ Reduce response times
✅ Escalate when human assistance is needed
The lesson?
Most businesses don’t need more leads.
They need a better way to handle the leads they already have.
How many customer inquiries does your business receive in a day?

I’m looking for some advice from people who have been on the platform longer than I have.

Right now, I have 21 applications showing “Hiring Manager Reviewing,” and some of them have been sitting there since May 31st with no updates, no rejection, no invitation, and no communication whatsoever.

I understand that hiring can take time, but it’s becoming difficult to know where I stand. When an application stays in review for weeks without any movement, it feels like it’s just sitting in limbo.

For those who have been through this before:

• How long have your applications stayed in “Hiring Manager Reviewing” before getting a decision?
• Is there a realistic chance these applications are still being considered?
• At what point do you assume an application is effectively inactive?
• Is there anything applicants can do besides continue applying to more roles?

I enjoy the opportunities on the platform, but the lack of feedback or status updates can be pretty discouraging. Applying to dozens of jobs without knowing whether you’re still under consideration makes it hard to gauge what your next steps should be.

Would appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences and what eventually worked for you. Thanks.

Spent the last few weeks building something I wasn't sure was possible without hiring a dev team: an AI phone agent that answers calls for a business, handles FAQs, and books appointments, basically replacing a front-desk receptionist for inbound calls.

I built a demo for a faux HVAC company to test it (CoolBreeze HVAC, not real, just a sandbox), gave the AI all the business info, hours, pricing, services, policies, and called the number myself, not knowing what to expect. It picked up, sounded natural, answered my questions correctly, and walked me through booking a fake appointment without me prompting it. Genuinely caught me off guard how solid it was.

Now I'm trying to figure out if this is actually useful to real small businesses or if I'm just impressed with my own toy. If you run a business that gets a lot of calls (HVAC, dental, salons, real estate, clinics, anything appointment-based), does missing calls/voicemail actually cost you customers? Would something like this be worth paying for, or is it solving a problem nobody really has?

Happy to demo it for free for anyone curious; drop a comment and I'll set you up with a live number to call and test it yourself.