I know as relatively new shopper I am very careful and initially concerned about being paid. So I've made a list of companies that are not reflective of my personal thoughts on the company but ONLY if they paid. I understand some shoppers may be hesitant but having a collaborative environment helps all of us in the end. So I hope you guys will follow my lead.

ICCDS
A Closer Look
Bestmark
Maritz Mystery Shopping
Second to None
Sutter Marketing
Customer Perspectives
Confero Compass
Focus on Service
Service Check
Trendsourcing

yossarian, I've done quite a few shops over the past couple of years and all the companies I have worked for have paid. So far (knock on wood!), I have not been stiffed by a single MSP. However, a few have taken a very VERY long time to pay me and some I have had to go back and ask for the money, in a couple of cases I have had to ask more than once or twice. I think it's fine to put up a list of companies who pay, but, while I certainly want to stay away from companies who do NOT pay, it's been my experience that almost all of them do pay. So I am more interested in a list showing the No-Pays. If I were to look at a list of companies who do pay, I would want to show HOW LONG IT TAKES for the companies to pay.

Like AM, I, too, have been paid by every company for which I have ever shopped. That doesn't meat it was always easy to get paid, didn't take forever, or was worth the hassles. I am much more interested in knowing who has problems paying and tracking that. Plus, if I have favorite companies who pay well and on time, WHY would I post that instead of just keeping it to myself...as I know there are lurkees out there who will take shops in my area without ever contributing to the greater conversation here....No mas. No going there.

I copied this from another board. It may need some updates. I think Intellishops has changed to 60 says now. Let me know if some should be changed. I can then compile a list and repost in a new thread.

Format:
Name of Company
Timeframe of payments
Method of payment

A-Closer-Look
Apx. 6 weeks
Unknown

Ace Mystery Shopping
Paid in 1-4 weeks depending on project
Paypal & Check

Ath Power
Apx. 10th, 2 months after shop
Check

Bare Associates (BAI)
Apx. 20th of the following month
Direct deposit.

Best Mark
Apx. 2 weeks after shop
Unknown

Beyond Hello
Around the 15th of the following month
Paypal

Business Evaluation Services (BES)
6-8 weeks after shop
Check

California Marketing Specialists
Apx. 2 months, midmonth
Paypal

Certified
8 weeks after project
Check

Checkmark
At the end of the following month
Check

Checkup Marketing
2 weeks
Check

Cirrus Marketing
Apx. 2 months, midmonth
Paypal

Confero
Apx 2 months
Unknown

Corporate Research
One week, on Fridays
Direct deposit

Creative Image Associates (CIA)
End of the following month for all previous months shops
Check

Customer First
15th of the following month for previous months shops
Unknown

Customer Perspectives
Pays mid-month for previous month
Paypal

Customer Service Experts
1st and 15th of the month
Check

CV Marketing / CV Mystery
Middle of the following month
Unknown

DSG
30-40 days after shop
Check

Ellis Property Management (EPMS)
2-4 weeks after shop
Check

Extra Eyes
6-8 weeks after shop
Check

Feedback Plus
2-4 weeks after shop
Check

Franchise Compliance
2 months
Unknown

Hilli Dunlap
3-4 months after shop
Paypal

ICC Decision Services (ICCDS)

4-6 weeks after shop
Paypal

Imaginus
Middle of the following month
Unknown

ImEDGExperts
8 weeks after shop
Unknown

IMyst
4-6 weeks after shop
Paypal

Infotel
2 months, around the 20th
Check

Instant Reply
Paid within 2 weeks of shop
Check

Intellishop
Apx 2-6 weeks after shop
Paypal

Jancyn
1 month after shop
Paypal

JC and Associates
Two and half months after shop
Unknown

JM Ridgway
90 days
Check

Maritz
3-4 weeks after project (wave), you could get diff checks for diff
projects
Check


Market Viewpoint
1 month
Check

Mercantile
8 weeks
Check

Merchandisers For Hire
Paid weekly for previous week. (Note, effective 9-9-04, switching to
every 2 week pay)
Check

Mintel
30-45 days after shop
Check

Mystery Guest
20th of following month
Unknown

Mystique
Usually within 48 hours of shop approval
Paypal

National Shopper Services (NSS)
Payroll is the last day of the following month
Check

Pacific Research Group
Shops in one month are being paid on the 15th of the second month (i.e. Shops in June will be paid on the 15th of August.
Check

Quest for the Best
Middle of the following month
Paypal

Roper
2-3 weeks after shop
Unknown

Second to None
End of the month, 8 weeks after shop
Unknown

Service Excellence
2 weeks after shop
Paypal

Service Intelligence
End of the following month for all shops, exact date posted on site
Direct deposit

Shadow Agency
3 weeks after shop approval
Check or Paypal

Shop N Chek
Middle to end of following month
Direct deposit (midmonth) or Check (end of month) Shoppers choice.

Shoppers Critique
4-5 weeks after shop
Check

Soloman Group
Apx. 8 weeks after shop
Check

Sparagowski
2 months after shop, usually between 10th-15th of month
Unknown

Speedmark
12th of the following month
Check

Spies in Disguise
15 business days
Paypal

Sutter Marketing
End of the month 4-6 weeks after shop
Paypal

System Check
Pays bi-monthly, 4-6 weeks after shop
Unknown

TNS
4-6 weeks after shop
Check

TrendSource
5th and 20th of every month
Direct Deposit or check


Zellman Group (paid by Intellishop)
10th of the month for previous month
Paypal

It is funny how these things vary. I received payment from TNS on 4/19 for a shop done 4/1 and payment from Mintel 4/20 by DD for a shop done 4/9. But as a guide for when to start worrying because you have not yet seen payment, the list is pretty decent.

Yeah, things may have changed due to economy.

Update:

Confero, Inc.
25th of the following month
Paypal

Thanks for the post with dates and 8 weeks as a maximum is a reasonable deadline without arm twisting. There is something called collaboration that is often used in the actual business world; where "competitors" may it be non-profits or colleges or businesses share their unique knowledge to confer a greater overall benefit for both organizations. They do that because it works and it would work now.

So if you want to be selfish I understand but the more people post, the more shops we learn about which means the more money we make; an overall advantage for everyone while the probability does increase that in one of the 50 states with over 300 million people you shopping territory might be affected.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2010 08:56PM by yossarian.

yossarian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the post with dates and 8 weeks as a
> maximum is a reasonable deadline without arm
> twisting. There is something called collaboration
> that is often used in the actual business world;
> where "competitors" may it be non-profits or
> colleges or businesses share their unique
> knowledge to confer a greater overall benefit for
> both organizations. They do that because it works
> and it would work now.
>
> So if you want to be selfish I understand but the
> more people post, the more shops we learn about
> which means the more money we make; an overall
> advantage for everyone while the probability does
> increase that in one of the 50 states with over
> 300 million people you shopping territory might be
> affected.

I want to keep my income coming in to my household. If you want to call that selfish, then call it what you want. I don't mind either way.

I think there's a distinction here that you may be missing, yossarian. Dee doesn't sound selfish to me at all. She, and many of the other very experienced shoppers on this forum, share quite a bit. Your reference to collaboration between businesses is noted, and that is happening on this board where shoppers share quite a bit of general information with each other and with newbies. But it stops short of giving your business away. When businesses collaborate, their cooperative efforts stop short of giving away their profits to the other companies. That is one of the reasons each MSP has a contractor agreement that binds each shopper .... the MSPs do not plan to share information about their reports, fees, and clients with other MSPs and they will not allow us to do so. As our fellow shopper JayTee once put it, we can share cultivation tools, but each shopper ultimately has to grow and harvest his own money tree.

And, really, I'm pretty new here as well, but it seems that another new person coming in and calling others selfish is not a great way to encourage collaboration.

I've never been not paid by a company. I've never had to twist an arm to get paid. I have sent reminder emails, but payment came quickly after.

karen

yossarian, My advice to you is to check out other boards as well. I understand what you are saying and all but everyone else does not see it that way. You can choose to collaborate or not. If someone chooses not to...... believe me there is someone else who is.

I personally would appreciate someone saying stay away from XYZ company because it is a hassle to get paid, like some posts have stated. The list I posted came from another mysteryshop board so I can't take credit.

Bottom line is, and this is from my experience, if you are good at what you do then the companies will seek your assistance as well. I personally don't have to worry about other shoppers and I am in a very large metropolitan city. I have personally referred people to shop and they have all fallen by the wayside. I do more than 50 shops a month and I work full time as a teacher (which is my choice.) This allows me to provide treats to my students. Treat people to lunch and bring in extra income for extra curricular activities.