I never force a forfiet on weekends but on weekdays if a player doesn’t return to the game within a specified period I force the forfiet. I have had a couple of complaints on this but I figure if it is part of the rules and that person doesn’t like it they just shouldn’t play me anymore or leave a note they won’t be playing for a few days and I will know not to force the forfiet. Your feelings on this?
Never try to use “forfeit” in a game. 
Other than concurring with running_coach, I am assuming this is online? I had to parse your post quite carefully before this registered, since to me “Scrabble” is the game on the hallway shelf that my wife is forever pestering people to play.
I was wondering about that. Who is getting up from the table for hours in the middle of a Scrabble game?
Not only should you force a forfiet, you should demnad a refnud!
Dyslexics untie! 
Yeah, that whole " ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’ " crap really tugs my nuggets.
Facebook app has scrabble, I should have posted that. I normally play random games with strangers and will sometimes play a short series of games with someone.
Are you limited on the number of games you can play simultaneously? If not, then forcing the game to end seems a bit rushed to me (I’ve not played online Scrabble so don’t know if there’s a general etiquette but have played other turn based game apps). But I guess it depends on what your “specified period” is.
Also, I’d probably consider where in the game things were. If they take 36 hours to take Turn #2, I’d be more likely to abandon ship than if they’ve been a timely player through a dozen rounds and then suddenly hangs for a while.
But if you want to be really polite, just let the opposing player know at the beginning (I assume there is a chat mechanism). Say at the start, “FYI, if you take more than X time on your time I may force a forfeit and you should feel free to do the same.”
After 24 hours with no moves we give the other player a nudge, if no response within 24 hours we have the option to force a forfeit and they take the loss. Each player has a rating and a loss or win does affect the rating.
This takes me back… I used to play chess by mail. I wouldn’t give up on a game until I hadn’t heard back from the other guy for six months.
48 hours is a good long time. If they can’t get back to you with even an excuse – “Sorry, kid in accident, at hospital, pls save game” – then, yeah, call the game off.
I wouldn’t call it a “forfeit,” though. I’d just throw it away as a non-game. Claiming it as a victory is pointless: you didn’t really “win.” And wouldn’t you feel like a heel if you did win because the other guy had a family emergency?
I thought about those things. Some of us may have as many as 15 games going at one time. If we loose it knocks as back a few points but does not have drastic effects. We don’t have to option to declare it a non game, we can quit or we can force them to quit. If I am getting slaughtered I will quit myself. I have a few people I compete with for ranking, it gives me some incentive to win and keep my ranking up. But as you say I don’t always feel good about it when I do it.
I also hadn’t thought of people just dropping out when losing, to avoid actually being defeated.
That changes my opinion some. If people are just ducking out, then, yeah, they need to have a forfeit charged against them.
Since you said you gave 'em a toot at the 24 hour point, I think you’ve covered yourself appropriately.
(Thinking back to old Pogo comic strips when the guys would be playing checkers, and one of 'em, at the point of losing, would grab the board and shake it vigorously, shouting, “Earthquake!”)
Play on isc.ro and you don’t have to worry about it. Pick the length of game you want to play and wait for someone to accept your challenge.