I finally got paid for April's shops. I didn't find y'all until last month - or I would have never taken their jobs.

Love y'all!

G & A are 90 days pay out. The object of there shops are----> take a shop every month so that the 90 days don't appear to be that long.
There are some companies that pay sooner but 90 days is a norm.

I've read and experienced that their pay is sketchy. I did a test run to confirm what others say, its been more than 90 days and I still haven't been paid. I only did the shop because its a place I regularly go to. I've sent one email thus far with no reply.

This was the email that I received 4 days ago and then I got paid yesterday.

Thank you for alerting us of your payment situation. We just started April payments this week and will process throughout the month of July. We will look into your records and process your payment accordingly. You can expect it through Paypal within the next 5 business days.

In the meantime, I greatly appreciate your patience. Thank you for being a shopper with us.



Regards,



Ling LaFrambois

Goodwin & Associates Hospitality Services Business Office



For shopper’s convenience, please send all payment inquiries to: (payment@mysteryshopperprogram.com).Thank you very much.

Maybe this is the start of improved payment from Goodwin. Keep us posted.

I have been with G & A for at least four years. At first I did not like the 90+ day payout b/c it always came down to begging.

Begging-------->as long as the pay shortly thereafter. They have good natural ingredients shop and eco friendly.

I think begging comes with this compnay. It keeps them on there toes. I have four letters from LING almost saying the same thing, over the past yr. So its not really "the start improved payment" plan. I have another week before I can beg.

I received the following email today:

Thank you for your email, I apologize for the delay in payment. I submitted your request for processing, so you can expect to see payment post to your Paypal account within the next 5 business days. We are working diligently to improve the speed of our payment schedule, in the meantime, we greatly appreciate your patience.



Thank you for being a shopper with us!



Best regards,
Jackie Vesey

I hope it's true

4 months is normal....

Sometimes you get lucky and get your check in 3 months..

Awhh...what a way to pay your bills!

I confirmed with Goodwin the date payment was expected before taking the shop, so I could judge if they initiated the payment. I waited a few weeks after that date, then contacted them lol

90 days and then having t o initiate contact is standard with them.

Good part: They do seem to pay when contacted
Bad part: What kind of ramshackle MSC makes you contact them after 90 days in order to get paid?

Plenty of other companies out there that do not require a follow up for payment....

Uh oh, now I regret that gaggle of ice cream shops I have this month!

If the payment reports get better, I might consider them. A year or so ago, they had a new employee who apparently planned to make a difference. She was very proactive and very vocal on our forum and said some things that really made sense. I was impressed enough to sign up with them, but the payments did not improve and the Goodwin employee completely disappeared. So I have never taken my first job with them. I notice that Coast to Coast - which I really like - is scheduling for them. Makes me sad, because all the other MSCs Coast to Coast schedules for pay according to schedule. It makes me wonder if the Coast to Coast schedulers feel bad when scheduling Goodwin jobs .... they couldn't NOT KNOW about the payment issues.

^^ I agree.

Atleast they ARE paying

I have a couple of companies that are in my tax return only month file

lol.

that way I dont miss the money that takes forever to get!

I am so glad the jobs for Goodwin are a little too far from me; but I was going to be in that area for a week, but thought no, it is my vacation. Sure am glad I decided not to work now for the company. Many thanks to all of you who have shared this.

I just completed my first shop for Goodwin last week. Now I'm awaiting payment.

Aside from it being my first for the company, the shop I conducted was a somewhat unusual one and so several questions came up. The scheduler was quite good about keeping in touch with me over email. She responded very quickly and was pleasant and cordial.

I have had great experience with them but you do have to request payment. I get paid in less than 90 days.

I accepted my first and only shop for this MSC in 2010, but before I checked the forums; this was definitely an error. After reading several pages of problems, I immediately contacted the scheduler, canceled the job and requested de-activation. She, of course, attempted to change my mind, but I held to my point, it was a reimbursement only eatery, and we concluded the chat. IF I were going to chance work, it wouldn't be a shop where my money had been spent.

I just wrote the following email to a company that requires teeth pulling to get paid.

Your business has two important components, clients and shoppers. Would you treat your clients in such a cavalier fashion? Then why do you think you can treat shoppers that way? Your company could not exist without us, as you must surely be aware of.

Yes, you do wait for payment and frequently have to contact them.

But I love going to the high-end places I can't afford on my own! I have treated my daugthers and friends to great meals.

I just picked up a few shops with them last month. Thanks for the warning on payment. I'll be watching to see if payment is deposited back in a timely manner.

They do pay but each time I had to request it. Both times it was issues with payroll, employee changes, etc but they did pay. It took a good long while though.

Oaklandshopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Uh oh, now I regret that gaggle of ice cream shops
> I have this month!


I did my first one today and will do no more! I tried to put into the report the receipt and expense for my parking, but was told I can't submit it because I'm in the USA!!! What the heck!!! No more for me and I don't care if I don't have to park. The amount of fee paid, then they take out that for your purchase, then I have to suck up the parking fee too and have to either wait 90 days to get paid the measily fee or else beg??? I'm done!!! Urrgh

I have committed myself to perform few shops for Godwin's before realizing that they pay less than they mandate you to order in restaurant shops. It is time and cost ineffective for us to pay out of pocket to meet the minimum purchase requirement, to pay for transportation & parking, and to file the report for free. Check restauerants' price list before accepting any dining shops.

Wow.

You shoppers who would work for a company that states outright that it pays after 90 days must be rich !

On top of that you wealthy shoppers dont mind having to call up or email after 90 days when they dont pay on time, especially when it;s money you laid out of you own pocket.

And it doesn't make you uneasy that it's a company that is foreign that doesn't pay in a timely manner even having 90 days leeway.

DUH !!!!

Hmmm... Shoppin' y'all just said to me to not make accusations and assumptions.. right?

I've done a couple of shops for these guys and for another MSC where you need to give a reminder. No biggie.

And believe me, I'm FAR from wealthy or rich. DH and I have to move because he was laid off for months and we couldn't pay our mortgage. So MS'ing was only a little bit extra to cover his unemployment.

That said - I budget per the pay periods.

I know how much will be coming in next month from MS'ing. I also know how much will be coming in in 90 days. So if I know that a company has a 90 day pay period, I will mark that for October income. I do that for all of my jobs. I don't know how everyone else does their future budgeting, but I would guestimate there are many who do plan ahead with the income.

You've been shopping long enough that you know about the rolling income and it could be that others know and do the same. It comes out to where you just use the $$'s in your separate account to pay for those shops where you have to lay out cash in advance.

And no, in answer to your other question - I'm not nervous about waiting. I have no reason not to trust a MSC unless they screw me over.





shoppinalong Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow.
>
> You shoppers who would work for a company that
> states outright that it pays after 90 days must be
> rich !
>
> On top of that you wealthy shoppers dont mind
> having to call up or email after 90 days when they
> dont pay on time, especially when it;s money you
> laid out of you own pocket.
>
> And it doesn't make you uneasy that it's a company
> that is foreign that doesn't pay in a timely
> manner even having 90 days leeway.
>
> DUH !!!!

Actually I just got paid for shops I completed in June for Goodwin. These were my first shops for this company and I was waiting to see how they paid before I completed other ones.

Wow, that's an amazingly fast turnaround for this company. Others above are still waiting for payments from prior months. Was it one particular client? Or a special agreement for fast payment? Very unusual.

r@inyDayZ3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hmmm... Shoppin' y'all just said to me to not make
> accusations and assumptions.. right?
>
> I've done a couple of shops for these guys and for
> another MSC where you need to give a reminder. No
> biggie.
>
> And believe me, I'm FAR from wealthy or rich. DH
> and I have to move because he was laid off for
> months and we couldn't pay our mortgage. So
> MS'ing was only a little bit extra to cover his
> unemployment.
>
> That said - I budget per the pay periods.
>
> I know how much will be coming in next month from
> MS'ing. I also know how much will be coming in in
> 90 days. So if I know that a company has a 90 day
> pay period, I will mark that for October income.
> I do that for all of my jobs. I don't know how
> everyone else does their future budgeting, but I
> would guestimate there are many who do plan ahead
> with the income.
>
> You've been shopping long enough that you know
> about the rolling income and it could be that
> others know and do the same. It comes out to
> where you just use the $$'s in your separate
> account to pay for those shops where you have to
> lay out cash in advance.
>
> And no, in answer to your other question - I'm not
> nervous about waiting. I have no reason not to
> trust a MSC unless they screw me over.
>
>
>
>
>
> shoppinalong Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Wow.
> >
> > You shoppers who would work for a company that
> > states outright that it pays after 90 days must
> be
> > rich !
> >
> > On top of that you wealthy shoppers dont mind
> > having to call up or email after 90 days when
> they
> > dont pay on time, especially when it;s money
> you
> > laid out of you own pocket.
> >
> > And it doesn't make you uneasy that it's a
> company
> > that is foreign that doesn't pay in a timely
> > manner even having 90 days leeway.
> >
> > DUH !!!!


Rainy,

I'm so sorry you've had to leave your house. I know how that must hurt. And bravo to you for holding it together. But that was my point about these hard econmic times - and who do you trust.

Of course I wrote the above sarcatically trying to kind of kick people in the derriere. I know how tight money is - and I couldn't afford to wait 90 days to be paid - especially if it was being paid back for money I had laid out of my own pocket.
A s a matter of fact I won't take ANY job where I have to layout money for the MSC because a well known company -Big company - instead of paying me $100 + in 30 days, didn't pay me for about 60 days - "the check must have been lost in the mail" but made no effort to replace it immediately even after 4 emails plus one from the scheduler to payroll.

Since then, I won't take any ANY shop where they want me to lay out money for them. It means they're working on your money for 30, 60, 90 days or more. You became their bank - only they're borrowing your momey with no interest.

If they want something bought let them send a pre-paid card for the amount instead of being financed by shoppers who on the whole are much less able to afford it than a corporation is. What a racket. And I'm suspicious and cautious by nature.

On the other hand, I do work for a foreign company - who doesn't ask me to lay out money for them, and pays me within 2 weeks - the longest was 3 weeks. I only accepted one job from them until I got paid in order to see how they paid and kept their word.

Big difference between no layout of money and being paid in two weeks by foreign company and laying out money and being paid in 90 days - maybe - and if not in 90 days having to go begging and emailing for money owed to you by a foreign company . And if one day they dont pay, what's their address? Main Street, China?

But each to his own, My wallet is too thin as it is to take chances.
Just sayin'.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2012 12:07AM by shoppinalong.

I am very surprised too. Please let us know whether it is one client or did you have a special arrangement with them. I did a shop in June and have not been paid yet. Will be sending them an email reminder in Sept. I have never been paid w.o. an email reminder, so I don't do much for them.

G & A kindly imforms their shoppers that "we honor your begging." If payment is not 90 days old yet, "Do not not contact us." They pay after 90 days.

They have posted this explaination on their SASSIE site, under the subject Payment. If you payment is over 90 days they want you to submit a form with the required information and they will respond within 2 days. Don't for get to have your Paypal address on file.

So "we" need to get in touch with our 90 days so we can beg. They enjoy the begging. And they are upfront about it.

(I did not see this on their Prophet site.)