Hello, folks. I became aware of a couple threads on the forum referencing our company, so I wanted to address a couple of items.

Firstly, this is just simply not a forum I visit often, so in regard to communication with the company, this is not a good place to initiate that. Our social media policy, which has been published on our blog and social media pages, invites contractors to engage with us on the Market Research Pros Blog or Facebook, and also on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and GooglePlus but also states clearly that online venues are not the forum for conflict resolution. There is a clear conflict resolution policy included in the Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA).

It's also worth noting that things like contacting clients and associates or disparagement of the company constitute a breach of contract, so if you believe that you have a payment issue, these are not the means to resolving your issue and may in fact result in forfeiture of any payment due as well as other legal repercussions.

The next thing I wanted to address is our payment policy, again as outlined in the ICA. Payments are processed within 45 days of shop acceptance for shoppers, and schedulers/editors are paid within 45 days of invoice receipt. That doesn't always mean, though, that it's going to take that long. For example, contractors who completed shops in July have already been paid, as have the schedulers and editors.

I also want to address the W-9 policy, since the couple of legitimate issues that have been brought to our attention stem from the contractor not understanding or adhering to this policy. It states very clearly in the ICA, all Client Requirements Guides (Shop Guidelines), and in the shopper invoice section of each online report that a Form W-9 (completed and signed with a handwritten signature) is required within 30 days of shop completion in order for the shop to be eligible for payment. We realize that contractors don't always read these items thoroughly, so we've put the information in multiple places and made it impossible for a contractor to submit an online shop report without intentionally answering that they understand and acknowledge this policy by typing in, "I Agree." It's also made clear that waiver or postponement of this requirement in no way absolves the contractor of providing this documentation. Waiver or postponement is a courtesy, not a promise to do so in the future. What that means is that if we paid a contractor for a shop and sent them a reminder email that he or she needed to get this documentation in before their next shop is due to be paid, we did that as a courtesy, not because we had to. It is possible that a contractor could be paid for one shop and not another in this case. The documentation also states that it is the contractor's responsibility to provide this information and keep all information current, including contact information and mailing address. Integrity Consultants may remind the shopper to get this information submitted, but we are in no way required to do so. That's part of being an independent contractor with complete control of your own small business as a mystery shopper.

Finally, the last item I want to address is simply a reminder to make sure that if you have an issue, that you're issue is really with us. For example, I see a post on this forum that makes mention of being "stiffed for 7 bank shops." I can say in complete confidence that Integrity Consultants has never been responsible for determining whether or not a bank shop was payable. This contractor's issue, if he or she does indeed have one, is with one of the many companies that have contracted us for scheduling or turnkey project development and management. That's not to say that we wouldn't facilitate the communication process between companies, because we certainly would, and have, but to state that our company failed to pay for these shops is inaccurate. When Integrity Consultants designs and/or manages a mystery shopping or video shopping program for another mystery shopping company, that information is included in the Client Requirements Guide. There's never any surprises or misunderstanding about who it is that's contracting you or what company is responsible for payment.

I realize this is a lot of information, but my hope is that it will serve to clear up misunderstandings and prompt anyone with a legitimate issue to contact me directly for resolution. My contact information is included below, as is the link for logging in to download/upload the Form W-9 or update your contact information, continuing education certifications, writing samples, or experience. That's always a good idea to revisit anyway. Thanks for reading!

Office: (636) 451-6132
Email: kellytruelove@integrityconsultants.us
Contractor Registration/Login: [shopper.integrityconsultants.us]

@IntegrityKelly wrote:

The documentation also states that it is the contractor's responsibility to provide this information and keep all information current, including contact information and mailing address. Integrity Consultants may remind the shopper to get this information submitted, but we are in no way required to do so. That's part of being an independent contractor with complete control of your own small business as a mystery shopper.

Thanks for your detailed post. Unfortunately many MS'ers just do not get the "small business owner" concept. Maybe your post will help some of them understand. Others will still whine because that is what they do. Good luck!

I have joined Integrity Consultants but do not see any shops around Indiana. Do you look to be getting some in our area?

Hi, there! We actually do have some work in IN right now, and we are getting ready to launch a telephone shopping study that can be done from anywhere. The reason you're not seeing the IN shops in our system is because we're doing the recruiting/scheduling for another company. The shops are in that company's system. If you'd like to email our scheduling department at scheduling@integrityconsultants.us or even email me directly at kellytruelove@integrityconsultants.us we'll help you determine if the available shops are in your area or if a travel bonus is warranted if you're willing to travel.