Anyone that has done a mystery shopping job for Freeman Group knows they are not getting paid. Some of these jobs are expensive motel shops. Private Eyes Scheduling is recruiting shoppers to complete jobs for Freeman Group, knowing FULL WELL the shopper will not be paid. SHAME ON BOTH OF THEM.

There's been a lot of discussion on Volition about the decision Private Eyes made to schedule for Freeman. Private Eyes seems to believe that by helping Freeman schedule more shops they can ensure that shoppers who are owed money from previous shops are paid. Huh? That's how a ponzi scheme works, isn't it? As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.......

Volition discussion where Lyssa explains the Private Eyes rationale:

[forum.volition.com]

SHAME on Private Eyes Scheduling for scheduling shops on behalf of Freeman Groups. Private Eyes knows full well the shoppers aren't getting paid. I did a motel shop for Freeman Group and have not been paid. I did receive a feeble email from Freeman Group stating I may or may not get paid the $129 they owe me. BEWARE of Private Eyes Scheduling and Freeman Group. I can't stress this enough.

Quite the Catch 22, isn't it. If the company cannot fill jobs they will most certainly go out of business. If people are owed money for over a year and not being paid who will take the jobs? It sounds like Freeman needs to come up with a Plan B, doing whatever it takes to get shopper payments caught up before that B stands for bankruptcy.

As far as Private Eyes involvement, she may be missing the point. She is now spending as much time as everyone else chasing shopper payments. What purpose does that truly serve until Freeman gets their act together?

I think the plan B for all MSCs who are behind on payments is relatively obvious, but it's much easier to use the shopper 'bank' than go to a real bank.

Freeman needs to put up whatever assets they have to secure a loan that will pay shoppers current and keep them in business. If they cannot do this and no other MSC has the interest in buying them out, then the writing is already on the wall, it seems. Eventually they will go under. It's been a long and slow decline for them.

I think that many people underestimate the number of shops out there that are unpaid, and it's somewhat arrogant of anyone to think that they can fix Freeman's financial/payment problems with a few emails or phone calls. We are talking about a LOT of money owed to shoppers!

Honestly, I'm not sure there's an MSC out there with enough capital to bail out Freeman, and what investor will pour money into a company that has gotten that far behind, and is apparently not producing a profit?

It's a like a giant whale has washed up on the beach and nobody is taking it seriously. Lyssa is slapping a band-aid on it, the MSPA is trying to convince us that the whale is just sunbathing, and unsuspecting shoppers are throwing an occasional bucket of water on it...

If I was a shopper who had been waiting for payment -

I would be curious if the Executives were being paid. Is there any way to find out if the company's management staff are collecting pay over the "worker bees"?

The mark of a good company - and I am writing this after reading a thread on Volition** - is when the upper management & executives do NOT take pay - but pay everyone else first. The company I worked for, before being laid off in July, did that. All three partners stopped taking any money for their pay for several months, JUST to make sure that 3 of us were able to collect our paychecks.

**The link for the volition thread was posted here where there was discussion between the scheduling company Private Eyes taking on Freeman's shops.

I just cancelled a big ticket shop with them for the Hard Rock Cafe`. I'm kinda sad about it, but I can't spend that much money and take a chance of not getting paid. So I just cancelled it.

Rhonda

Shoppers,
I just wanted to post publicly on this forum that Private Eyes has severed our scheduling relationship with the Freeman Group.
I have seen the numbers, and I know that the efforts that we've made to help shoppers get paid (as many shopper payments have been made over the last few weeks) have offered tremendous relief. However, until The Freeman Group gets these issues resolved 100% within their organization, I feel there is not much more we at Private Eyes can do to help anyone.
Our separation with The Freeman Group has been done with complete respect and understanding, as they understood our position and were gracious about our decision.
Being more on the "inside" of their goings on, I do still very much do believe they are doing the best they can.
Moreover, there has never been a "scheme" and we were only trying to help both parties.

Nevertheless, taking into consideration what's been mention on this forum thus far, and the fact that our assistance seemed to offer little appreciation or relief to the ones that have posted here, we saw more reason to back out, then to stay in.
I just ask that everyone keep in mind that there is always far, far more going on than what they see.
However, that being said, shoppers are owed money and that needs to be rectified, and Private Eyes we will no longer be associated with that situation.

No doubt there is more going, there is also a lot going on for shoppers who have been without money they may desperately need and there is no excuse. A client pays for a service and Freeman is obligated to pay that shopper on time, not when it is convenient.

No doubt shoppers appreciate your efforts to get them paid, why wouldn't they? What may not be appreciated is anyone telling shoppers to be patient and/or trust there are no problems and to be comfortable taking more shops. Blind trust would certainly help Freeman at great risk to the shopper.

Agreed, Lisa. Those points and others, have determined our split from Freeman.

If I paid my mortgage when I felt like it, I would be out on the street. Shoppers are not banks and should not be giving this group and interest free loan. Whatever problems they are having internally, should not hinder their obligations to shoppers.

Kudos to Private Eyes for stepping aside. This is not your battle and would undoubdedly cause you more harm than good to be involved.

...and in agreement with the others; In the world of business, what's going on in the background is not important if the contracts are not being met. Freeman has a responsibility to operate their business in a professional manner.

As you ignored this question over at the other forum let me ask.........

Did your company get paid as agreed?

The fact you have ignored this question twice might suggest that while you were asking for shoppers to be patient on monies owed, your own company lacked the same patience?

While we do welcome your efforts in getting shoppers paid there would be many skeptical people who would come to the conclusion that your efforts were not purely altruistic.
Creating a positive spin on a bad situation would also enhance the chances of Private Eyes getting paid at the expense of unsuspecting shoppers.


PrivateEyes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Agreed, Lisa. Those points and others, have
> determined our split from Freeman.

dwater- Assumptions will not help anyone, and please do not move a question over from one forum to another to expect a response in both places. That is not fair. Most importantly, the question was already answered over at the other forum before you posted this one. Sorry, but there was no spin here, and I wish to not continue this with those that are still not satisfied with the dedication we have clearly already shown to all. I did the best I could, and I'm done with it now.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2012 01:45AM by PrivateEyes.

Hi

I did look at the other forum in the thread posted and I can't see where you answered that question?

As for the....... "and please do not move a question over from one forum to another to expect a response in both places. That is not fair."

I don't even know what that means?

Is there a new internet rule that prohibits asking questions?

Again its a simple question.

What does "assumptions wont help anyone" mean?

Again your response comes accross that you were only working for the greater good of the shoppers yet you had a vested financial interest in keeping Freeman's reputation afloat so your own company would continue to get payed.

6 days ago you were posting the benefits of Freeman on Volition and now a mere 6 days later the divorce is final......



I personally hope Private Eyes gets paid everything they are owed as well as all the shoppers who are owed.












PrivateEyes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dwater- Assumptions will not help anyone, and
> please do not move a question over from one forum
> to another to expect a response in both places.
> That is not fair. Most importantly, the question
> was already answered over at the other forum
> before you posted this one. Sorry, but there was
> no spin here, and I wish to not continue this with
> those that are still not satisfied with the
> dedication we have clearly already shown to all.
> I did the best I could, and I'm done with it now.

Kudos to Lyssa and to Private Eyes for trying to do the right thing!

It makes sense to me that if Freeman is bankrupt, no one gets paid.

If they can make another run at turning their business around, more people get paid.

If Private Eyes was able to help Freeman schedule more shops and increase the efficiency of their business, it would be great. While that may not be a complete solution, it certainly couldn't hurt things....well, except the reputation of Private Eyes for being affiliated.

I still hold CS responsible for being affiliated with a carpet cleaning shop that Franchise Solutions screwed shoppers on. But this situation was different.

Lyssa/Private Eyes have explained their involvement and have shown a genuine interest in helping to find a solution. If more people like this were in the business, shoppers would be much better off.

Thank you, Lyssa!

Hi. Dwater:

Lysa did reply on volitan. I will link her reply.Volitan isnt like this board. When someone posts a message there, it has to get approved by a moderator first, so thats why you probably did not see it.

[forum.volition.com]

Replying on Volition is not replying here. The forums are not related. The only time I read anything there is when someone posts a link. I'd say that makes posting a question on both perfectly reasonable as it will reach the largest audience.

Since when is it OK to post on two forums but to complain it is "not fair" to be asked the same question on both forums? Questions can be asked on both forums, as they have many readers who read both but there are also many people who read only one forum. If the poster does not want to answer a question, it makes more sense to say "I'm not answering that question" or to ignore it, but not fair to ask what was asked on another forum? Give me a break. I was ready to say "Kudos for doing the right thing" until the last post from Private Eyes.

We have someone in a position of influence (Lyssa) that has tried to help mystery shoppers (primary issue) and some shoppers want to nit pick about a secondary issue (were any payments received?)

Maybe we should re-examine our priorities when determining if someone deserves praise or criticism.

If I was in a position to help shoppers, I would be hesitant based on all of the criticism that accompanies a mis-step on a secondary issue.

I agree that Lyssa should answer the question here. But the fact that it isn't answered here doesn't keep me from seeing that we have someone is a position more influential than mine, trying to help. Any time someone in a position of influence tries to help shoppers, I am appreciative.

I think that the payments (or lack thereof) ARE the the primary issue at hand.

No disrespect meant to Lyssa, but she was apparently paid for her part in the scheduling, and Freeman got their shops scheduled, so both of them come out winners in that sense.

What about the shoppers who were scheduled? Considering the timeline of the shops and current Freeman pay schedule, have any of those shoppers been paid yet? Will they ever get paid?

I understand that Lyssa was attempting to help shoppers pro bono and genuinely believe that her intentions were to provide assistance, but in the process, she also roped an unspecified number of shoppers into the financial black hole that getting money out of the MSC seems to be. Nobody is going to remember the assistance in getting paid half as much as they are going to remember accepting a shop and getting burned. Even if one does get paid after resubmitting paperwork and waiting 9 months...that still stings.

We have yet to see how the payments will play out, but I'm betting there is a long wait to see any remuneration for the Freeman shops that were scheduled by Private Eyes. From my position, it looks like someone got suckered into the unwanted job of scheduling those shops. I hope the paycheck was worth the grief.

As a shopper, scheduler, and editor, I'm seeing this from several different angles. As a shopper, when I do a shop, I expect to be paid/reimbursed for my accepted report. I further expect that the scheduling company that contacted me AND scheduled me has a fiduciary responsibility to assure that I am paid.

As a scheduler and editor, I certainly expect that if shoppers don't get paid, I won't be paid. As the scheduler and/or editor, I would NOT be out any money. Time, yes. Money, no.

When reports are rejected, schedulers and editors are not paid. That's why we do NOT like to reject reports! This may be different at some companies, but this is true for the companies I work(ed) for.

It does bother me that apparently PE has been paid for reports when the shopper may NOT be reimbursed. I firmly believe that shoppers should be at the TOP of the money pile . . . not the scheduling company, the actual schedulers, or the editors.

This is my own personal opinion but I believe that any shopper that spends their OWN money deserves to be reimbursed FIRST. Not a single person above them should receive a penny until the shopper is paid. After that, the schedulers and editors should be paid. After that, the owner of the scheduling company.

Pretty much 100% agree with SteveSoCal.

Looks like PrivateEyes got paid in full and on time.

Its easy to ask for others to wait and have patience to get paid when you don't have to.

The Elephant in the room seems to be the shopper.

Nice analogy. You know elephants warn all the creatures of the jungle when there is danger

I am new to the myster shopping. I had several experiences whereby I spent my money in advance to complete the shop with several companies. How do I find reputable m-shopping companies that will reimburse and/or keep their word to pay? Thank you!

You can find the company NOT to shop right here. Read the posts good companies are mentioned as well as bad.

@Private Eyes . . . Did you know that your current job board still shows Freeman Group as an active client?

Yes you are still posting their shops as self assign and you get paid so its no big deal to you and you can just drop them and be unable to help us shoppers out. This is such BS and I am contacting the companies that use them and informing them that they are not paying the little people who do their shops and telling them they need to find a different company to do their evaluations and FIRE Freeman Group. Still have a few to emails to send but I will get to them all and suggest that we all do this.I am not going to sit still and let these companys steal my money, I don't have any extra to just let them have it without a fight.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2012 09:31PM by jodinbrad.

This "person in a position of influence" DID use her influence .... she used her influence with shoppers to continue scheduling Freeman shops knowing that there was a payment problem. She knew when she scheduled the shops that shoppers had been waiting for payments that Freeman could not make, so she knew or should have known that the shoppers she was currently scheduling could not possibly be paid within two months. Did Private Eyes disclose to shoppers when scheduling the shops that it was indefinite when/if the shoppers would be paid? I'm sure Lyssa initially had lofty ambitions and thought she would help shoppers get paid, which she did. Some shoppers with very overdue payments received payment. In order to pay them, Lyssa scheduled many more shops with shoppers who are now in the same boat ... they have not yet and may not ever get paid. I have no doubt that the reason Freeman enlisted Private Eyes was that as their name got better and better known, shoppers were not accepting the jobs. I know shoppers who accepted Freeman shops because Private Eyes, which is (was?) well thought of, began to schedule for Freeman. It gave a new credibility to Freeman.

So .... now Private Eyes is in a snit because their work for shoppers (?) wasn't APPRECIATED? After 6 months, 10 months, a year wait some shoppers were finally paid.... and they didn't say "thank you?" Hello? If I were paid a year late , thank you is not what I'd be thinking! Private Eyes has now bowed out, realizing that the payment problems are bigger than they thought. And leaving all the shoppers they scheduled for Freeman shops during this time period UNPAID. IMHO instead of whining that she was not properly "thanked" for all she did by the shoppers who were owed money before she entered the scene, Private Eyes owes a big "I'm sorry!" to all the shoppers who were scheduled by Private Eyes during their deluded attempt to "get shoppers paid." To pay Peter, Private Eyes robbed Paul.... and then ran away crying "I got you paid, Peter" ..... but Private Eyes feels no guilt about their part in suckering numerous shoppers over the past months who still wait for payment.