Dunlap Enterprises, HDE and the payment chase
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Hilli Dunlap has been having severe payment issues since I started shopping in 2000. There were serious issues around Y2k where I think a group of individuals were not paid (though maybe eventually they were paid).
Totally not on topic, but my second shop ever was for these guys. I was paid and then payment issues started surfacing. I never did another shop for them. OMG I cannot believe that was over 15 years ago. I'm officially old.
Totally not on topic, but my second shop ever was for these guys. I was paid and then payment issues started surfacing. I never did another shop for them. OMG I cannot believe that was over 15 years ago. I'm officially old.
I had the same experience as the OP... the shop was easy, but when it came time for payment to come through... nothing. I contacted my scheduler the first time about 2-3 weeks after the payment was expected. He said he'd check into it and I got a notification that payment was made that same day. Next time, same thing. This time I contacted the scheduler a couple of days after the payment was due. He was going to look into it for me. Bam! Payment email that day. I gave them one more chance and when I still had to chase payment, I threw in the towel. I don't want to have to follow up for payment in addition to doing the shop. If they're going to do that, they should include it in the shop guidelines and pay extra for the required follow up.
I don't like the idea of a company that consistently doesn't pay as their policy states. I don't care how easy the shops are. I'm out.
I don't like the idea of a company that consistently doesn't pay as their policy states. I don't care how easy the shops are. I'm out.
Shopper in California's Bay Area
I thought I was the only one. Every month, I wait until it is about 60-days past due and then write the scheduler. I get a PayPal within two days. If the shops weren't so easy and if I didn't like the offerings I wouldn't do them. But with reimbursement we are only talking about $11-12 per shop. I have to wonder if it is HDE not paying us or is it that the clients aren't paying HDE?
Shopping SoCal and Maui.
Just my two cents - when I first started to work for them, there were no problems with the payments. Then all of a sudden there was...delays at first. Then no payments. Lots of chasing them down. I chased down payments for more than a year.
There were shops that were accepted, graded as a ten, and my spending months chasing down payments...would disappear from the shop log. In the end, I stopped working for them. And yes, they still owe my money.
And it's unlikely that I will ever see the money.
There were shops that were accepted, graded as a ten, and my spending months chasing down payments...would disappear from the shop log. In the end, I stopped working for them. And yes, they still owe my money.
And it's unlikely that I will ever see the money.
@MickeyB wrote:
OMG I cannot believe that was over 15 years ago. I'm officially old.
Haha...we are in the same boat.
I think it was about 14 years ago that I stopped shopping for HDE because I literally had to show up at their office in LA and demand payment when a lot of my shops were more than 90 days out without a payment.
This is not a new M.O. for the company. The excuses vary but they are bad with $$...
Somewhere on this form there is a post about me having to talk to the owner and drop a whole pile F bombs on him to get my payment before Christmas at least 10 or 15 years ago.
Out of curiosity, dear forum followers, would this be something that the client should know? There are a lot of choices among the many MSCs. Presumably the client is paying its bills to the MSC on time and assumes it is doing the same to its ICs.@SoCalMama wrote:
Somewhere on this form there is a post about me having to talk to the owner and drop a whole pile F bombs on him to get my payment before Christmas at least 10 or 15 years ago.
Shopping SoCal and Maui.
@PuaM, do you really think an MSC pays shoppers late for over 15 years and the client hasn't heard about it?
This happens because shoppers continue to work for this unprofessional MSC. It's a simple as that. The client will be much more concerned about NOT getting their reports than having a few shoppers break their ICA's and contact the client....
The professional thing to do is to simply not accept assignments from companies that cannot conduct business in a professional manner.
This happens because shoppers continue to work for this unprofessional MSC. It's a simple as that. The client will be much more concerned about NOT getting their reports than having a few shoppers break their ICA's and contact the client....
The professional thing to do is to simply not accept assignments from companies that cannot conduct business in a professional manner.
I just noticed I've been doing shops for them since March and have not gotten paid. I just e-mail Daryl. I'm putting any shops I have scheduled for them on hold until I get paid.
That was quick. About 30 minutes after sending Daryl an e-mail about not getting paid for shops done since March, payments are now appearing in my account. 
More payments to come.
More payments to come.
He counts on the shoppers not noticing or not knowing that they should contact him.
He's an ass.
He's an ass.
I have found Daryl very nice to work with. I send him an invoice and get paid shortly after he receives
@pegleg2000 wrote:
I have found Daryl very nice to work with. I send him an invoice and get paid shortly after he receives
Why do you have to send him an invoice?
@SoCalMama wrote:
@pegleg2000 wrote:
I have found Daryl very nice to work with. I send him an invoice and get paid shortly after he receives
Why do you have to send him an invoice?
To get paid quicker.
A completely unnecessary step. If you didn't do that, he would not pay you, ever.@pegleg2000 wrote:
@SoCalMama wrote:
@pegleg2000 wrote:
I have found Daryl very nice to work with. I send him an invoice and get paid shortly after he receives
Why do you have to send him an invoice?
To get paid quicker.
I stand by my previous statement.
Still waiting on payment for a shop done in August!
I'm going to state something that should be obvious to all shoppers working for this company but apparently is not:
If they owe you money, contact them...daily. Don't stop contacting them until you get paid. They will eventually pay you if you apply pressure. Once you have been paid, cease working for them.
This problem will go away as soon as the company cannot fulfill it's obligations and the clients move to a more reputable MSC. It's that simple. Shoppers that continue to shop for crappy MSCs like this are as much of the problem as the non-paying MSC.
If they owe you money, contact them...daily. Don't stop contacting them until you get paid. They will eventually pay you if you apply pressure. Once you have been paid, cease working for them.
This problem will go away as soon as the company cannot fulfill it's obligations and the clients move to a more reputable MSC. It's that simple. Shoppers that continue to shop for crappy MSCs like this are as much of the problem as the non-paying MSC.
I'm surprised that this has been going on for over 15 years and there are STILL shoppers that work for them! If you're a shopper that tolerates unprofessional and dishonest treatment from an MSC, then how professional are you? That's bad business practice all the way around.
Follow-up: Got paid immediately after contacting Daryl. But I'm done with them.
Wanted to keep this thread going. I was paid for all my shops through November 2016. Still waiting for the December payments. It took three emails, over three weeks, put they did finally pay up. So far, the company has paid for the shops I have done, but I worry there are more like John974 who have gone months without payment. I know have!
I have one unpaid HDE shop in December - but then I have a lot of other MSC shops unpaid from December. As others point out, we should not have to write to HDE to ask for what is owed us. But, that's the way it works. If the reports weren't as easy as Market Force for slightly more pay, I wouldn't bother. BTW, the whole issue of not getting paid in December for shops completed that month is a bit of an accounting hassle. For tax purposes, expenses are acquired in 2016 and income is in the year paid, 2017. I log expenses (including mileage) separately from income on my spreadsheet so I make Excel do the work. I post the income when I receive it so I have a lot of blanks in my "income" column for December.
Shopping SoCal and Maui.
They owe me a shop payment from 2002. I think it was $15 or $20. I haven't ever shopped for them again.
@kathierost wrote:
Who keeps doing these shops? I guess newbies that don't know any better....
Yes, exactly. People who aren't on forums. People who can't keep track of payments.
I spoke with one of their schedulers OVER 10 YEARS AGO. She told me that they are suposed to find new people who won't chase payments. There are plenty of people who come in new every single month.
My experience is similar.
I E Mailed the scheduler about an August 14 shop on December 6. The next day I received payment for that shop as well as one I did October 4. The following day I received payment for one I did November 4. Why do I do it? The pay is small. I love the burger and the reports are super easy with very little narrative.
I E Mailed the scheduler about an August 14 shop on December 6. The next day I received payment for that shop as well as one I did October 4. The following day I received payment for one I did November 4. Why do I do it? The pay is small. I love the burger and the reports are super easy with very little narrative.
Same issue here. I like them because they are easy shops and I find him easy to work with....but I do have to chase on almost every one of these shops. Luckily I keep records, and when it passes the 60 day mark I start sending emails. I am usually paid within 24 hours of sending the email.
The reports are easy and there's a location near me. I did a couple of shops for them and had to chase payment each time. But each time the payment came quickly as soon as I inquired. I didn't think much of it until I read on here that that's their usual M.O.@philface38 wrote:
My experience is similar.
I E Mailed the scheduler about an August 14 shop on December 6. The next day I received payment for that shop as well as one I did October 4. The following day I received payment for one I did November 4. Why do I do it? The pay is small. I love the burger and the reports are super easy with very little narrative.
Then I stopped working with them. If I can't trust the company to pay me until I ask because they know some people won't ever ask, then that is not a company I want to have a relationship with.
Shopper in California's Bay Area
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