Wondering if I should give them a 3rd chance (3 strikes and you are out), have not worked for them in almost a year. What is the latest turnaround time from them? Not what shoppers are being told but your "payment in hand"! Thanks, might need to be talked out of this one (took the assignment but have yet to make hotel reservation)!

Beware, is all I can say. They have gotten slower and slower, and the last I was told about a payment now 17 weeks old is "we will be working closely with you in the coming weeks to determine when we can make this payment." They did make a few payments on time, for those who scheduled with the outside scheduler (apparently, that was in their contract with the scheduler), but that just put everyone else further behind. I looked them up on the Dallas BBB website and found a number of complaints, some fresh, both for non payment and for non-delivery of services.

This has been going on forever, including with me. There is no such thing as quickly w. Freeman. If you can wait several months and then email, call, beg. If not do not go there and if they ask tell them what your co-workers have said.

I'm thinking I will NOT be doing the oh-so-easy Debranding assignment; not worth being in accounts receivable pergatory. Wish the BBB or Attorney General would shut the company down!

Debranding is a problem because the charges on your credit card will not be reversed and thus you must wait for Freeman's reimbursement. Generally where the client hotel is what you are shopping the bulk of your outlay will be reversed off your charge card in a week to 10 days. At least that was the way it used to work but something I would check the current status of before taking such a job. The debrands are certainly easy but the wait is enough to have you growing whiskers.

Normally I welcome the charges, pay my bill in full and receive airmiles; willing to carry a hotel charge for 3 to 4 months but not 6 months to a year. Sorry this "dog" of a company is still up to their old tricks!

Freeman has never reversed the room charges, even when it wasn't for debranding. And my understanding is this debranding is still with the same parent company. So a hotel that was called A hotel will now be called B hotel but it's still owned by the same parent company. It's keeping the hotels, just moving them around as to who "owns" them.

mysterymom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wondering if I should give them a 3rd chance (3
> strikes and you are out), have not worked for them
> in almost a year. What is the latest turnaround
> time from them? Not what shoppers are being told
> but your "payment in hand"! Thanks, might need to
> be talked out of this one (took the assignment but
> have yet to make hotel reservation)!

WooHoo! I just got paid for my final shop today and it only took nearly five months to get my reimbursement and pay. That's the last one and I really do mean 'last one'. No more! I am indeed a free man!
The only way I'll do another is if they PREPAY me! Fat chance. Eh?

I have been doing this work for some 4 years now and I have never been so disrespected or pissed off by a company than this one. I have done 9 shops for them from 3-3-12 and have not seen a penny. I have 9's and 10's and have always been on time with them. I wrote to ask what was going on and she told me she was training for new projects. Well, if you don't pay the people that you owe you will never get people for new projects at least, not experienced ones. I'm just about ready to complain to every attorney general, city attorney, BBB, blogger, tweeter, and the average Joe on the street if they don't pay me. They threaten you with their 3 strikes BS and yet they don't fulfil their own obligations. I'm at my wits end since the nine jobs total about $1000.00 in my expenses and their payments. They are messing with the wrong boy.
jkl

Oh, by the way I have sent this to every executive on their website, let's see if they care...if not I will rip them a new A**HOLE.

Way to go jkl, keep us posted. A couple of years ago I tried the Attorney General's Office, etc., short of going out of state to sue them in small claims court nothing, at the time, could be done. I am so done with them BUT interested in your adventure!

My understanding is that at this point they are indicating it takes 12 weeks to payment. If your first job was 3-3-12, none of your work has yet gone 'past due'. While I have little doubt but that it will, hold your ammo until you actually have a complaint.

@AlwaysAngie - indeed sometimes the 'debrand' constitutes person A changing from brand A to brand B, so the ownership remains the same. Sometimes both the owner and the brand change. I can understand readily a corporately owned brand line that has A, B and C lines they advertise together sometimes and sometimes separately, but with perks and points available for use at all three, downgrading a Brand A to a Brand B due to age or area of the facility. But the debrands I have done have been to very unrelated brands. And certainly when I have shopped a Brand A hotel for the Brand A chain, my credit card charges were backed out.

And no, I no longer will take Freeman shops, even when it is a restaurant we love enough we would almost pay for it with our own dime.

I have an email, dated this week, from a Freeman executive stating they cannot honestly state a date, or timeframe, when any previously completed shops or upcoming jobs will be paid. It was concise, candid and well written but the end result is they are not paying anytime soon and have no plans to. At least one Freeman executive is honest.

Would you mind telling us the name of the executive mentioned? I am pursuing a BBB claim right now, and am going to follow up with the Atty General. I would like to have as much info as possible about what statements they have made or are making now pertaining to payments. Thanks.

Small claims court will get their attention in a hurry!

Just got paid for a hotel from October and they "never received" the invoice from the other hotel and that mucous themed restaurant, I mean music.

I also have been told they "don't have" the paperwork for two shops I submitted in february. But in April, I specifically went over all of my shops outstanding on the phone with Shanna, and she had the paperwork for those two shops at that time. I believe they are just telling a certain number of people right now they don't have some of the paperwork, so they can start their 10-12 week clock all over again and act like they are not paying late (the payment clock starts when the paperwork is in). After I was told that they needed me to send them a copy (they didn't say resend, they said send) of the paperwork, I emailed both Kim and Shanna twice, telling them I needed verification from them that they were not starting the 10-12 week clock on those shops for me again. No response. I have now filed a BBB claim.

There is a reason why this company is named "Free man", for those that enjoy working for free. Good luck to those who are still fighting to get paid. Hope that Karma really works in your favor as well.

I haven't been paid for a shop I did back in March. When my shop was accepted I was told that the payments would be finalized within a week (I was pleasantly surprised as it usually took 1-2 months to receive the payment. I'm in Kuwait by the way) so one week sounded really good. I waited a good month before sending a reminder email about the late payment and didn't receive a reply. I must have written about 7-8 emails to various employees and didn't receive anything back! nada, nothing. not even a "thank you for your email" response!

Anyway, I finally got an email from Shanna after I sent her 2 more emails and I was promised I would get the payment on or before June 1st. 4 days later I still haven't received it, neither have I gotten an email from Shanna explaining the delay.

Maybe they are following the 10-12 week clock that you all have been mentioning above. If so, I'll have to wait till mid June for it to be 3 months.

I'm just so angry and and never felt so degraded in my life the way they have been ignoring my very polite emails and requests.

I've performed many shops for them, and yes, I have had to send them emails to remind them about the payment, but its always reached me before 8 weeks. Never this late! Argh!!

Count on six months, if you are lucky; sadly, their words mean nothing. I was just told they have no timeframe to announce payment schedule. Nicely worded, polite but written by a brand-new hire (thanks to Patricia@TwistedRoad) for that tidbit.

Really? 6 months? Is there anyway we can make an official complaint about the Freemangroup?

I think filing BBB complaints or small claims court suits may be the only options if you have already shopped for them.

It might take pressure from the publicity and listings for the clients to begin pulling business from Freeman. The clients may have no idea that this company is being so dishonorable.

Contacting Office of Texas Attorney General of TX and small claims court is the only recourse; the BBB does not get them moving toward payment.

Oh, as I'm in Kuwait (I'm not a US citizen either) thats not an option for me. I can try BBB anyway I guess. I had a look at their site, and it doesn't look like you have to be a US resident to register a complaint. Will try anyway. Thank you. What about you guys? Are you going to escalate this? Or wait it out?

n

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2012 09:36PM by exfreemanemployee.

I usually look at freeman sassie site a few times a week. I have been with them over four years now. I do believe they are going out of business. This time last year they had already posted new accounts to choose from. I do believe they have lost the WH..... account. I do believe they will file BK shortly. My wife and I are owed over three hundred $ we are well past the mark for payments.

FWIW: [dallas.bbb.org]
Look up Freeman Group Solutions

jkl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have been doing this work for some 4 years now
> and I have never been so disrespected or pissed
> off by a company than this one. I have done 9
> shops for them from 3-3-12 and have not seen a
> penny. I have 9's and 10's and have always been
> on time with them. I wrote to ask what was going
> on and she told me she was training for new
> projects. Well, if you don't pay the people that
> you owe you will never get people for new projects
> at least, not experienced ones. I'm just about
> ready to complain to every attorney general, city
> attorney, BBB, blogger, tweeter, and the average
> Joe on the street if they don't pay me. They
> threaten you with their 3 strikes BS and yet they
> don't fulfil their own obligations. I'm at my
> wits end since the nine jobs total about $1000.00
> in my expenses and their payments. They are
> messing with the wrong boy.
> jkl
>
> Oh, by the way I have sent this to every executive
> on their website, let's see if they care...if not
> I will rip them a new A**HOLE.


Yes see on the site if you can find out if they state what the pay schedule is, other wise I do not think you have a legal case. I have had the same experience and will never put my $ in their account again.
We all know they are scam artists. It is only those who do not know this that put their hard earned money out to have a nice vacation. Never again.

layla Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh, as I'm in Kuwait (I'm not a US citizen either)
> thats not an option for me. I can try BBB anyway
> I guess. I had a look at their site, and it
> doesn't look like you have to be a US resident to
> register a complaint. Will try anyway. Thank
> you. What about you guys? Are you going to
> escalate this? Or wait it out?


Layla Was this job done in Kuwait? Let me know the details and I will help you as much asI can. I do not think that you would have to be a citizen to make a complaint. I am extremely insterested in talking to you You can PM me or email cyb24_2000@yahoo.com

Hi! I got paid finally! Its been 3 months since my visit and I got the payment on Monday. So am really relieved! Maybe I got paid quicker than the rest of you because there are only a few shoppers here in Kuwait and they want to keep us happy just also wanted to add that BBB doesn't handle these type of complaints (that was the reply I got from them).

And I was thinking to join them ....ughh