Warning About National Shopping Service

May 22, 2012 11:20PM

I have been stiffed by this company for 2 months. They make plenty of excuses, but DO NOT PAY. They claim to have sent a payment 8 weeks ago -- never happened -- and now REFUSE to pay. Very suspicious and unprofessional conduct.

Warning verbally sent after at least 6 phone calls and many emails trying to work this out just between us. No movement. Made a BBB complaint last week (not sure what that will accomplish as they are not members). I am posting on this site, and will also post on Volition. Any other posting places you know of I should hit?

To Any And All: My experience shows me this is not a professionally-run company. Despite their lack of payment, they continually call me and BEG that I take shops. My impression is that this company is on the ropes. I finally told them unless they pay me, I won't be doing any shops for them. The response I got seemed that a lot of people are turning them down. I know others have had better experience, but do you want to take the chance? Unless you want to risk doing your shops for free, DO NOT accept shops from NSS!

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More Discussions About National Shopping Service (All Companies)

May 22, 2012 11:26PM

Thanks for helping out fellow shoppers LDevere.

May 22, 2012 11:32PM

I strongly differ and I read another thread on this, did you also write that?
I answered on that, they have been a standup company and usually pay within 6 weeks....I have never been stiffed and worked for them 6 years. I believe they lost a large company this year, and could be having some difficulty, but if you wrote an accepted report, you will be paid.

Live consciously....

May 22, 2012 11:50PM

Irene_L.A. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I strongly differ and I read another thread on
> this, did you also write that?
> I answered on that, they have been a standup
> company and usually pay within 6 weeks....I have
> never been stiffed and worked for them 6 years. I
> believe they lost a large company this year, and
> could be having some difficulty, but if you wrote
> an accepted report, you will be paid.

Irene,

How many phone calls should he make?

and how long should he wait?

they never rejected his shop , just gave one excuse after another.

So they lost a big customer, and are having money troubles.

Does that help him pay for gas, the rent, electric, food ?

May 23, 2012 12:46AM

Sheesh ......why would you start a SECOND thread to complain about the same thing with the same company only four days after you started your first thread? I'm sure you are angry that you have not received your replacement check, but is there a purpose to posting the same complaint multiple times in multiple places?

May 23, 2012 03:55AM

@AustinMom:

Sheesh, indeed. I was not sure -- based on the response -- that this had gone out to the general populi. Not meaning to rant or sound like a broken record. I just want for others not to fall into my same trap. Mea culpa (why am I speaking Latin?).

No more posts for me!! (On this subject, anyway.)

May 23, 2012 12:04PM

This has definitely gone out to the entire forum. BOTH posts. I suspect there have been few comments because many of us, like Irene, have not had payment difficulties with this company. If they say they sent a check, I'm sure that they did. We have several non-payers we write about but this has not been one of them. I wish you luck in getting your replacement check.

May 24, 2012 04:07AM

I've shopped for National Shopping Service for several years and never had a problem getting paid. Maybe your check ended up at the wrong address? I know that's happened to me a couple of times in the past. Or maybe (god forbid) someone stole your check along the way? You never know, times are tough these days and some people will do all kinds of crazy things to get money...

You should ask National Shopping Service to see if your check was cashed by someone else.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2012 04:10AM by HeatherC.

May 24, 2012 10:02PM

I am Matt Wozniak, President and CEO of National Shopping Service.

ldevere has completed and earned a total of two paychecks with National Shopping Service. The first check was mailed and cashed and posted to our bank account on 5/4/2012. The second paycheck was for a shop(s) performed in April 2012. This paycheck, per our standard policy, will be mailed on or about the last day of May 2012.

As many of you have stated in support of National Shopping Service, we have been in business for 40+ years and pay all of our shoppers for their accepted work - always.

Matt Wozniak
(916) 577-1010 p

May 26, 2012 03:06AM

I've worked for them in the past (not lately though). I never had any problem with them. Their reports were straight forward and fairly easy.
But even for some MSP that I've had problems with I would never state that others shouldn't do any jobs for them. That's foolish for a couple of reasons.
Anyway, NSS has always been okay for me.

May 26, 2012 12:27PM

I have only been shopping with them a few months but I have been paid, and I find them easy to work with and very forgiving the time I messed up =) Also the schedulers are cool. Sounds like it could be an oversight on the part of the OP? Cashed checks are pretty cut and dry, you can't really argue that...

May 26, 2012 02:17PM

Sounds like poster didn't wait long enough for payment, and didn't check site
as to when payment is due...just jumped the gun on this one, and ran crying foul, do your homework before accusing.

Live consciously....

May 26, 2012 02:46PM

Based on Matt's post, a check WAS mailed out and the check WAS cashed. Since the cashed check cleared NSS's bank on 5/4 but the poster did not post here until 5/22, I don't think the OP didn't wait long enough before complaining. IMHO there are a couple of possibilities:

1) The OP may have gotten paid, cashed the check, and forgotten to cross it off his list, so later didn't realize he had been paid.

2) The check may have been cashed by someone other than the OP. If this is a possibility, I'm guessing NSS will provide a copy of the endorsement and possibly a fraud investigation may need to take place.

National Shopping Service is a company I've enjoyed working with and I've always been paid like clockwork. Both threads received so few comments that I think most shoppers here have had the same good experience that Irene and I have....anyone experiencing payment problems would certainly have chimed in.

Matt, thanks for your post....I found it informative yet respectful and non-argumentative. I hope the OP will come back and post after this is resolved.

May 26, 2012 03:24PM

I have performed a total of 5 shops with NSS. The 3 October 2011 shops (dated 10/06/11; 10/07/2011; and 10/26/2011) were paid on the same check dated 11/25/2011. That is 50 days, 49 days, and 30 days respectively.

Next is a shop performed on 12/8/11 which was paid 61 days later on 2/7/2012.

Right now, I am waiting to be paid for my fifth shop with a big fat bonus that was performed on 4/22/2012. My NSS account says that the check has been processed. Hopefully it will arrive soon after the holiday weekend.

I don't work for this company too often because one of their main clients does not deliver to my neighborhood so I can't do the delivery shops. And I can't eat too much of their client's product if I want to keep my girlish figure. ;-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.”
~ Jimi Hendrix

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” ~ Mark Twain

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” ~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

May 26, 2012 03:26PM

We are talking aobut two checks, not one...first one was cashed, she claims second was never received, but NSS says second check will be mailed the end of May...she has 5 more days to go, and another 3 to 4 to receive check.

Live consciously....

May 26, 2012 03:39PM

And let this be a good warning (aka reminder) to you posters. Be careful what you write since editors, schedulers, and even Presidents and CEOs are lurking among us. Watch out over there behind the monitor! Look out underneath the keyboard! Is that Matt Wozniak sitting on my mouse? ;-)

P.S.
Yes, I know I am in a very wise-a** mood this morning. Where is LisaSTL, Queen of Sarcasm, when I need her? Wait. She is probably out there doing a 500-mile, 1000 shop route blowing my monthly paycheck away!

May 26, 2012 03:43PM

I thought it was the first check she was talking about because she says they told her a check was mailed 8 weeks ago. And she says "I have been stiffed for two months" and it hasn't even been two months since she did the second shop so surely she wouldn't have expected to already be paid for the April work. That makes no sense. But maybe I completely misunderstood the OP's complaint. But there is no misunderstanding Matt's response. It was very clear.

May 26, 2012 06:43PM

I don't think anyone should be surprised about getting a public response from an MSC if you are blasting them...possibly unfairly, on a public forum.

May 26, 2012 07:02PM

I must have the last word....this company has been very special to me for the last 6 years. I always got phone call even before their upscale retail jobs were posted and worked monthly for them. I always got paid, love the schedulers, their jobs, all of them and really get worked up when a shopper can't take care of her problems before blasting a reputable company. Things can happen once, mistakes happen, but to say such mean things is a turnoff. I am glad NSS came on here to clear it all up, and hoping they once again have their retailer return, as I've been eating way too much BBQ.

Live consciously....

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