Well like I said, its taking longer than normal, but they did submit it to FC so clearly I did it right. I know some people got paid this way and some got rejected. Which is why I said its a delicate matter. I told them I performed a service and was not paid or reimbursed expenses totalling 250. The BBB did not reject my complaint but sent it on to FC. That was 2-3 weeks ago. I have yet to get any further contact. So unless they respond it will be an unsolved case on FCs record. They have the worst record in their category, and to add unresolved complaints to the list well I'm happy with that but I still want my money.

JASFLALMT Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, BBB will send you an email soon informing you
> that they have closed the case, as it is an
> employee/employer issue and they cannot help.
> That's what happened all of the rest of us. Their
> advice to contact the labor board was not helpful.
> I did that. A claim was opened, but then the
> claims investigator looked into it further but it
> was deemed out of their realm since I was an
> independent contractor. If they can't find Adam,
> we aren't going to get money and the lawyers won't
> either.
>
> shortysgirl Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > From previous BBB contact I know it is a
> delicate
> > matter. Some got help and some were told they
> need
> > to contact the labor board. I sent the BBB a
> > complaint that services rendered were not
> > reimbursed/paid. They submitted to the company
> but
> > at this point I have not gotten a response.
> This
> > isn't my first complaint on a company so I know
> > its talking awhile. Our options I think are
> small
> > claims or class action lawsuit. But we really
> need
> > to get organized and start pulling our stuff
> > together. I'm just worried a class action suit
> > will only bring the lawyer(s) money and not us.

The BBB contacted FC in my case as well, with no response. It took them approximately 3-4 weeks to close my case and respond to me about it. Maybe yours will turn out differently. It appears that with earlier shoppers, FC took it seriously. The first few shoppers who complained were paid, but subsequently, FC ignored the BBB and the BBB closed further cases. Good luck.

FC currently has no jobs on the job board. Hopefully they are out of business, so they can stop stiffing shopppers.

I just received the response from BBB...out of competence...now what??? i can't believe i can do nothing to be paid...(

Interesting. I just checked my shop log. Shop still has not been graded, but payment column is now marked as "Pending!" Should I be hopeful?

nope. you can be hopeful that working together, we can expose this Harris Research scam.

Michael C Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> nope. you can be hopeful that working together, we
> can expose this Harris Research scam.


Okay,what are our next steps in working together?

Um, the scam is with Franchise Compliance? I never contracted with Harris Research.

pjo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Michael C Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > nope. you can be hopeful that working together,
> we
> > can expose this Harris Research scam.
>
>
> Okay,what are our next steps in working together?
>

Mine has been pending since February.

pjo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting. I just checked my shop log. Shop
> still has not been graded, but payment column is
> now marked as "Pending!" Should I be hopeful?

Ugh - thanks. And - sorry!

JASFLALMT Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mine has been pending since February.
>
> pjo Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Interesting. I just checked my shop log. Shop
> > still has not been graded, but payment column
> is
> > now marked as "Pending!" Should I be hopeful?

So we are all still unpaid? Attempts (including my own) to retrieve payment have all failed, or have I missed some important information on how to get my money?

Because of this experience, I am hesitant with new mystery shops.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2012 07:54PM by myown.

myown, please edit your post, using the blue edit link at the bottom of the post, to remove the client name for Goodwin. Revealing clients violates both confidentiality agreements and the posting guidelines of the forum.

Harris Research owns Chem dry. They also advertise themselves as being in the business of harvesting customer feedback. I will gather and post my notes to the thread as soon as I have time.

Yes, but my point is, Harris Research (Chem Dry) is not responsible for paying us. They paid Franchise Compliance for the shops we did. They are not who scammed us, it was Adam Valdez of Franchise Compliance.

Michael C Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Harris Research owns Chem dry. They also
> advertise themselves as being in the business of
> harvesting customer feedback. I will gather and
> post my notes to the thread as soon as I have
> time.

JASFLALMT Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, but my point is, Harris Research (Chem Dry)
> is not responsible for paying us. They paid
> Franchise Compliance for the shops we did. They
> are not who scammed us, it was Adam Valdez of
> Franchise Compliance.
>

That seems to be the conventional wisdom, but I don't know what to believe anymore. I have not seen any proof that Harris/Chem Dry are not in bed with FC. I have not seen any proof that Adam was paid for my work, or that "Adam Valdez" is a real person. The only human I have spoken to who identified himself as being associated with FC is Gary Griffin. If Harris is an innocent party to this, they should be doing something other than ignoring my request for information about this scam. If they want to look the other way to protect their pal, then they can share his reputation.

To the person who said that they were hesitant about shopping, my experience has been that this is an unusual occurrence. I have been paid properly by 33 other companies in the past 19 months. Some are slow, some are comically slow, but this is the only scam I have found in the "reputable" mystery shopping systems.

Michael, I am with you. I have been mystery shopping for close to 15 years, and this is the first time I have ever had anything like this happen to me. (No sign of payment, no communication, no response to inquiries.)

It is so frustrating that we seem to have no recourse!

Yep, me too. I have been shopping for about 12 years and done probably 2500 shops, never had anyone steal from me before. Slow payment at times but no company has ever blatantly stolen from me until FC.

pjo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Michael, I am with you. I have been mystery
> shopping for close to 15 years, and this is the
> first time I have ever had anything like this
> happen to me. (No sign of payment, no
> communication, no response to inquiries.)
>
> It is so frustrating that we seem to have no
> recourse!

So, guys, are there any updates ? I received a comment on my blog about Franchise Compliance that there are no shops on the job board anymore.

Is anyone still getting emails or seeing job posts ? Has anyone been paid ?

How many people have filed a complaint with the Postal Inspector ? I think this is worth a shot since FC asked you to mail your paperwork, carpet sample, etc.

I was watching a tv show where the postal inspector was really motivated to stop crime. Hopefully this is true of all of them.

Anyone hears from the folks at Harris Research that promised to help ?

I did the "shop" in December. I gave up trying to be reimbursed a few months ago. Taking up too much time trying to get my money back. Very annoyed as this is the first time I never received payment.

I emailed the scheduler who kept giving me excuses for delayed payment. I can't remember all the different people/companies I called or emailed. BBB, the Mystery Shop company who "gave" me the "opportunity" to do the shop, several #'s in Ohio, etc. People who got back to me informed me they could not resolve this issue and sent me elsewhere...where I went and those places didn't work either. People kept suggesting I get a lawyer (spend more time and money to get my $200.00 back). If something solid comes up, I'm still willing to try, but feel I've done everything within reason that I can.

Myown, I feel your frustration. I feel strongly that if we all stick together, we will find a way for everyone to get their money back.

I have contacted the police in Utah, the FTC, and a lawyer and set up a blog AND FC doesn't owe me any money. So far no one I know has contacted the postal inspector. If you get the energy, I suggest you try that avenue.

My shop did not involve mailing anything. I did not have to send in any samples. I would like to know if anyone who had to send in samples does choose that avenue and gets any results. If they can't find Adam, however, they can't make him pay.

frodosdojo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Myown, I feel your frustration. I feel strongly
> that if we all stick together, we will find a way
> for everyone to get their money back.
>
> I have contacted the police in Utah, the FTC, and
> a lawyer and set up a blog AND FC doesn't owe me
> any money. So far no one I know has contacted the
> postal inspector. If you get the energy, I suggest
> you try that avenue.

Find his residency and put a lien on his property. I know contractors do it. I don't see why not.

Here's all I have on Harris Research / Franchise Compliance-

"Adam Valdez" Reported owner. Phone number provided by Gary Griffin: 435 770 5071- not in service.

Gary Griffin 435 770 9595. Gary reported himself to me as the director of franchise development when we spoke on the phone. Once he became aware that I was not just another potential victim, he said that he was just an independent contractor, hung up on me, and ignored my calls.

"Julie Bishop" This handle has been used for months if not years to lure in victims. At various times, the person using this name has defended the scam on forums, claimed to have quit due to the damage to her reputation, and most recently, identified as "account executive" for Franchise Compliance.

Intellius links the disconnected phone number to Adam Valdez, in the area of Logan. Address information found via intellius and white pages attached below-

Intellius links Gary Griffin's phone to a Kellie Rasmussen, in an area 2 hours away from Logan. There is a Gary Griffin in the area of Logan, and this information is also attached, but I could not complete a link to confirm that this is the Gary Griffin we are looking for.




Adam M Valdez
(Age 45-49)
E 520 S
Smithfield, UT Associated people:
unknown See full listing »
Adam K Valdez
E High Creek Rd
Cove, UT Associated people:
unknown See full listing »
Adam M Valdez
(Age 45-49)
N High Creek Rd
Lewiston, UT Associated people:
Kelly J Valdez
+ more... See full listing »
Adam Valdez
W Center St
Lewiston, UT Associated people:
CJ Hunsaker
Cameron J Hunsaker
+ more... See full listing

Logan, Cove, And Smithfield are all within 15 miles.

whitepages gary griffin logan ut:
Gary S Griffin
(435) 753-9045
3261 N 1450 E
Logan, UT 84341-6756
Age: 45-49

If you have contact info on any of these supposed owners can't that be used to go to small claims court? No one will respond on their side so won"t we then be able to get a judgement against the owner. I'm not sure if this is possible - I'm just thinking aloud.

This, as with my other post regarding Francise Compliance is getting boring and dull. Apparently those who thought they could do something has done nothing, because they still have not gotten their money. 7+ pages and some 200 posts, with many being from at least 10 or more from the same people. There are about 10 different posts about the dysfunction of FC since January 2011. It is obvious what the BBB, labor dept, attorney general, FTC, small claims and class actions can do in matters such as this, nothing.

Mystery shopping is not an adventure one gets into at a drop of a dime. With the course of the internet anything and evrything can be search before embarking on such venture. So to warned "new" shoppers ....well........"they get what they pay for." The admin of this board still have FC in its database. So the discussion is up for grabs.

If the owners and scheduler/editors have move on and are employed at a different MSC, then it won't be long before their past gets caught up with them.

I, too lost money with FC. I, too went about trying to retrieved it. And I too still haven't been paid. But now I approach each and every MSC differently, with hopes that they are on the up and up. Different MSC have different clients so I am able to proceed with the cautions I have put in place.

Save your proofs, emails amd receipts, so when some action really is being taken. Otherwise move on and put your money and time to other more productive shops and clients.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2012 02:40AM by sojo917.

sorry if we, as an independent contractors, are boring you too much on this topic. This is the only way to stay connected is by this site. Like many legal "situations" sometimes alot is going on an then nothing. THe fact that this thread continues to be active ONLY shows that people are still persistent to try to find the right answer and solution. It may just take one of us to find a "new" angle or lead to help the masses that this company has abused.

Yes, I too have moved on and continue to be an independent contractor. I do hesitate on the big shops where I put hundreds of dollars out of my pocket first. Burn me once...but never again!

Just saw this news about the Attorney General in NY prosecuting a Mystery Shopping scam. Why can we not get them to go after FC? Not sure why it's the NY AG, unless this Crefideal Corp is based in NY....?

------------------------------------------
.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ordered offline Idealcorp.net and Survsonl.com in the alleged scam. New York state has shut down two websites accused of running "mystery shopper" scams that duped victims looking to make easy money by working at home.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ordered offline Idealcorp.net and Survsonl.com, both of which are run by T. Crefideal Corp., in the alleged scam.

Not all mystery shopper programs are suspect. Many above-board retailers hire marketing research companies to evaluate service at their stores by hiring undercover shoppers.

But Schneiderman said the targeted websites were anything but legit.

Here is how the swindle worked: victims were sent bogus checks for $2,000 and instructed to cash them and keep $300 as payment. Then they were to wire the remaining $1,700 overseas using Western Union and then rate how the company did in completing the transaction. But once the victim's bank identified the check as counterfeit, their $1,700 was gone and they were left liable for paying the money back.

"These scams are particularly insidious because they target individuals looking for ways to bolster their income in today's challenging job climate," Schneiderman said, according to Legal Newsline. "While legitimate 'work from home' opportunities do exist, scammers who are simply stealing money under the guise of offering employment are on notice. Our office will continue to protect consumers and shut these bad actors down."

Schneiderman warned consumers to be wary of any work-at-home job that seemed too good to be true. Often they are, he said, especially when they involve the transfer of funds using wire services such as Western Union or MoneyGram.

Yes. I saw that. Crefideal was a NY based company and that is why the NY AG took action--apparently they were more concerned than Utah was/is. Several of us have contacted the Utah Attorney General. I don't know what happened with the other shoppers who did so, but nothing happened when I contacted them. I emailed, called (could not get a "real" person to speak with) and sent complaint forms via mail, along with a detailed explanation of what occurred, a screenshot of my shop log (payment pending), and copies of the invoices. No response. Anyone else have any luck there? Maybe it takes more than just a few squeaky wheels?


pjo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just saw this news about the Attorney General in
> NY prosecuting a Mystery Shopping scam. Why can we
> not get them to go after FC? Not sure why it's
> the NY AG, unless this Crefideal Corp is based in
> NY....?
>
> ------------------------------------------
> .
> New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
> ordered offline Idealcorp.net and Survsonl.com in
> the alleged scam. New York state has shut down two
> websites accused of running "mystery shopper"
> scams that duped victims looking to make easy
> money by working at home.
>
> New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
> ordered offline Idealcorp.net and Survsonl.com,
> both of which are run by T. Crefideal Corp., in
> the alleged scam.
>
> Not all mystery shopper programs are suspect. Many
> above-board retailers hire marketing research
> companies to evaluate service at their stores by
> hiring undercover shoppers.
>
> But Schneiderman said the targeted websites were
> anything but legit.
>
> Here is how the swindle worked: victims were sent
> bogus checks for $2,000 and instructed to cash
> them and keep $300 as payment. Then they were to
> wire the remaining $1,700 overseas using Western
> Union and then rate how the company did in
> completing the transaction. But once the victim's
> bank identified the check as counterfeit, their
> $1,700 was gone and they were left liable for
> paying the money back.
>
> "These scams are particularly insidious because
> they target individuals looking for ways to
> bolster their income in today's challenging job
> climate," Schneiderman said, according to Legal
> Newsline. "While legitimate 'work from home'
> opportunities do exist, scammers who are simply
> stealing money under the guise of offering
> employment are on notice. Our office will continue
> to protect consumers and shut these bad actors
> down."
>
> Schneiderman warned consumers to be wary of any
> work-at-home job that seemed too good to be true.
> Often they are, he said, especially when they
> involve the transfer of funds using wire services
> such as Western Union or MoneyGram.

Well I tried to log into Franchise Compliance Sassie Site and it took me to a "website cannot be found" page. I guess Adam quit paying Surf Merchants, too.

I think they lost their contract.