Well said AustinMom......the choices we make in life come back and hit us in the eye. Lyssa's decission to hook up with a losing company is now ruining the reputation she was trying to build, she lost many shoppers, all to make an non honest buck. I feel for those that lost money, their money and thank G__
I wasn't one of them, I thank the forum for that!!

I didn't see Lyssa make an apology, but didn't look for one either.

I understand what others have said, and I appreciate them sharing the viewpoint. Steve, in particular, seems to be able to share his viewpoint without venom and that is especially appreciated.

I don't shop for Private Eyes, Freeman, or any other of the non-paying MSCs (thankfully).

As misguided as it was, I still believe that PE was trying to help.

Thanks for all the information on this. I had scheduled a hotel shop with Freeman for August, but I sent a note to the scheduler today cancelling it. I don't want to have to keep wondering when and if I'll get paid.

Just got paid. Was fed up with Freeman excuses. Told them to give me the contact of this national hotel chain that isn't paying them and I'll take it up with them and their management. Received an email back I was in line for payment at the end of the week. Seems like they're getting paid and hiding the non-payment of us from their clients.

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.

It astonishes me to see that Private Eyes is not in favor of making assumptions. Some time ago I was notified that I was dropped from their list because I had registered twice. It explicitly stated that "It is assumed that you did thhis on purpose to defraud the company." I did NOT do this on purpose, I was a new shopper and had gotten a dedicated email address. I had mistakenly signed up with several companies using both addresses. All the rest notified me and gave me the opportunity to correct my error. The only one that ASSUMED I did it for some dishonest reason and severed communication with me was Private Eyes. I realize that mistakes are made, but the letter they sent me said to me that they value their shoppers not at all, but hold them in suspicion and watch carefully for them to show their dishonesty. I prefer not to work with companies that have that mindset.

Shopper here is not paid either. I am from Europe and visited, in good faith, a [restaurant]. I also got the same mails:to be patient, constantly asking me if I filled out the forms correctly, etc. Since, in Europe, we know the States as the country of possibilities I can also see these possibilities can be very creative indeed. Yes, a Ponzi scheme and I am just wondering why there has been no bankrupcy by now...No, for sure I will never shop for them again, although still receiving all their mails. Luckily, from experience, I can say there are plenty of companies that do perform up to standards. Wish you all good luck during the Olympics

One issue that I have not anyone address is, do the companies contacting Freeman's services know that Freeman is welching out on the their independent contractor shoppers. Both [chain] (representing [hotel], [hotel], [hotel], etc) and the [restaurant] organization could choose to cancel their relationship with Freeman and choose a more reputable company to carry on their mystery shopping program. A number come to mind: A Closer Look, Marketforce, Service Check, Intelli-shop. etc.........ABF (anyone but Freeman). I have done a number of shops for Freeman (several motel shops and one [restaurant] shop), and I have been paid for all, albeit quite late on the motels stays. Question is, who should tell them. Would it be ethical for the shoppers to blow their cover. Indirectly, Freeman's behavior could affect the reputations of these major businesses in long run. Do they want to continue to take that risk? Time has come for Freeman to fish or cut bait!

I had two outstanding payments from Freeman, and I just received one last week. Both show pending in the system. The second is from March. When I inquired I was told that they didn't have any paperwork from my shop and they don't know what happened to it. When I asked why it showed Pending they said they didn't know. And now they have a whole new list of shops in my area.............

I have been contacting the companies that are doing business with them and making them aware, may not be ethical but either is Freeman

I finally got paid after threatening to file a small claims suit. I also went through and self assigned myself to all the assignments that were on the Freeman website. Maybe they got the hint when I scheduled shops in Alaska and Hawaii for the same day.

So funny I thought about doing that also

pvlamb Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I finally got paid after threatening to file a
> small claims suit. I also went through and self
> assigned myself to all the assignments that were
> on the Freeman website. Maybe they got the hint
> when I scheduled shops in Alaska and Hawaii for
> the same day.

have threatened the same, here is the response I got two hours later.

I do not control the invites we send out or payments directly. If you do not want to pick up shops that are sent to you then we understand. I am aware you are owed money and so are a lot of other shoppers. We will do our best to get you paid as soon as we can. We understand we are past our normal reimbursement wait time and we apologize for the inconvenience. I will see what I can do for you in regards to your payment.
Thanks,
Kim Scarcia // FreemanGroup
Measurement Accounting Specialist
T : (972) 479-1345 | F : (972) 479-1366
3501 Token Dr. Suite 100
Richardson, TX 75082
www.freemangroupsolutions.com
kscarcia@freemangroup.org

anyone have an idea on what all is involved in filing a class action law suit? Seems like lots of folks are in the same boat. Suggestions? thanks, don

Don, Jacob Jans has taken the point on this issue. See the thread that is marked as a Sticky at the beginning of this thread. He has asked people to e-mail him.

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don, Jacob Jans has taken the point on this issue.
> See the thread that is marked as a Sticky at the
> beginning of this thread. He has asked people to
> e-mail him.


thanks, have emailed him. don

donmax Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> anyone have an idea on what all is involved in
> filing a class action law suit? Seems like lots of
> folks are in the same boat. Suggestions? thanks,
> don


You need a lawyer that can sign up clients with enough money available (meaning enough money coming to people from a source that isn't bankrupt) to make all the effort worthwhile. Try something else.

I reccomend contacting the BBB, the attorney general's office in the state Freeman is located, and perhaps the MSPA. Those groups will advocate in their own way on the shopper's behalf. In each case it takes minimal effort, either a letter or an online form stating your exact concerns and demands.

Good luck.

Shoppers,

Let me first apologize for my delay in publicly addressing this issue since it's most recent upheaval last week. I've just returned after a personal family matter.

I have been working on compiling the following information to assist shoppers that have not yet received their pay/reimbursement from The Freeman Group. Much of this information is easily accessible, however, we hope that having all of this information in one place might help assist each individual shopper (or all, as a group) in finding a beneficial solution.

Private Eyes' association:
Private Eyes began scheduling for the Freeman Group in the spring of 2012 upon Freeman’s assurance that their previous payment issues were resolved.

When it became evident that The Freeman Group was still behind on shopper payments, Private Eyes made numerous attempts to assist in communicating these public concerns to their contacts at the Freeman Group. Private Eyes was aggressive in having conference calls with Freeman Group’s higher-ups, and volunteered their time to work on many different solutions. We use the term "volunteer" because there was no scheduling work to be done by Private Eyes during this time. These efforts were pro-bono, because we firmly believed it was the right thing to do.

Private Eyes did not schedule these mystery shops with any knowledge or implication that the shoppers would not be paid. Private Eyes was assured on multiple occasions that any delays were temporary and would be rectified by the summer of 2012. Private Eyes did everything in their power to advocate for the shoppers, finally cancelling their contract with The Freeman Group in July of 2012, when it became evident that no immediate resolution was in sight.

While we have many files of emails to and from The Freeman Group of their promises to us and our shoppers, and our attempts to resolve, our contract prohibits us from posting them publicly.

Private Eyes would like to offer the most sincere apologies to any unpaid mystery shoppers that were scheduled by Private Eyes Scheduling (March-May, 2012) for The Freeman Group's advertised shops. It was not Private Eyes’ intention to go into a contract with a client that would have trouble paying their shoppers, and Private Eyes made it clear to The Freeman Group that this was unacceptable as soon as it became evident. When new payment agreements/promises were not followed through on, Private Eyes cancelled their contract with The Freeman Group, having remained only to assist the shoppers, even though there had been no scheduling (work) to do for Freeman over one month.

Based on this event, Private Eyes Scheduling has restructured all client contracts to state that MSP contracts will automatically be cancelled if shopper payment is delayed beyond 30 days of the advertised pay date.

We are both disappointed and offended that this entire situation took place, and we cannot yet know if we too will fall victim to The Freeman Group's non or late payment tactics, as we have only one small, left-over invoice that is not yet due.

To add, I have had a few casual conversations with certain members of the Freeman Staff, and feel that a select few are scurrying to do what they can to help with this issue, while trying to not lose their jobs. I have every reason to believe that the true issue rests at the top of the Freeman totem pole.

Private Eyes has many other clients in good standing and we will continue to do our best to be a reliable scheduling resource for both our clients and our shoppers.

Again, we are truly sorry if amidst our normal order of business, we took on a client that assured us all was well. We had no reason to believe that this would not bring opportunities/income to all involved, just as we have always had with past and current clients over the years. While other scheduling companies have found thmselves in a situation like this, this was the first (and last) for us. We had never been in a situation like this before, and did do our best to handle it. The work we did trying to help with resolution and communication, far outweighed the small amount of money we were paid for almost three-months work for the Freeman Group. We gained nothing from working with the Freeman Group, and are in the red in finances, time and labor, and reputation because of it.

We have posted these facts and information for the benefit of all shoppers involved, and are prepared to provide the information herein to assist in a class-action suit, or if our testimony of any confidential information is subpoenaed by a court of law. Some of what has been posted on public forums so far hs been assumption or hearsay. Those that are victims of this issue, should seek out the facts if they are truly dedicated to their settlement. Even though we are now "out of the loop", Private Eyes will continue to help however possible.

We are confident that we did the best we could in this situation, and then getting out of it as soon as we learned that we could not do anything further to help find a legitimate resolution for the shoppers.

We encourage all affected shoppers to do their own research and/or use our research below to assist in claiming their due funds.

**Disclaimer** This is all publicly accessible and no private information or potentially slanderous material is being divulged in this posting.

The Freeman Group has at least two company names:
FREEMAN GROUP MEASUREMENT, LLC
FREEMAN GROUP, INC.
Corporate HQ
3501 Token Drive, Suite 100
Richardson, TX 75082
Website: www.freemangroup.com
Phone: (972) 479-1345
Category: Job Training/Related Services Management Services, Job training services, Hotel or motel management
Filings: Domestic For-Profit Corporation (TX - Active)
State of Record: TX
State Reference ID: 66933300
File Date: Monday, August 29, 1983
Active: True
Filing Type: Domestic For-Profit Corporation
Sources: Dun & Bradstreet last refreshed 6/23/2012
Texas Secretary of State last refreshed 6/23/2012
* The BBB has 11 complaints on file, all which appear to be "closed". Of these 11 complaints, only four complaints have taken place in 2012. We encourage affected shoppers to file their claims with an organization that might be able to help, or that at least can document this history for the future research of others.

CEO William "Bill" Peter Freeman has various AKA's:
Principal: Bill Freeman (Chief Executive Officer)
AKA: Bill Freeman and Assoicates, Freeman Group, Freeman Group, Freeman Group, Inc., Philip Reid Management and Associates, Inc., Philip Reid Management and Freeman Associates, Inc., William Freeman and Associates, Inc.;

His public personal information is as follows:
William Peter Freeman
2808 Foxcreek Dr
Richardson, TX 75082-3078
Age: 62
Associated/Relatives: Carol A Freeman (Spouse), Camilla Freeman, Mary Moore, Alan A Moore, Billf Freeman, Stan Fain, Hannah C Moore, Spencer J Moore,
Land Ownership-
Owner: WILLIAM P FREEMAN ETUX
Land value: $52,000
Building value: $146,551
Total value for property: $198,551
Assessments for tax year: 2009

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2012 09:30PM by PrivateEyes.

Thank you, Lysa!

(I haven't done a shop for them in over a year since every location listed in our area or within our paths of travel had serious tripadvisor warnings. The one location was added to a shop list two months after I stayed there independently and complained to the corporation about the filth.)

Private Eyes began scheduling for the Freeman Group in the spring of 2012 upon Freeman’s assurance that their previous payment issues were resolved.

Private Eyes, no doubt you now know that Freeman Group has been saying this for at least two years. I remember getting an email from the Freeman Group about two or three years ago in which the writer stated that their payment issues had been resolved. Therefore, I took another job with them and again had to spend time chasing after them to get paid about nine months after I had completed the shop.]

When I saw that Private Eyes was scheduling for Freeman Group, my first thought was the Freeman Group must be running out of shoppers who were willing to shop for them. I thought they must have hired Private Eyes with the hope that they would find new shoppers who were not aware of their previous payment problems.

alannajm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Private Eyes, no doubt you now know that Freeman
> Group has been saying this for at least two years.


Incorrect.

I do not know the entire story on this topic. It is interesting; but, we should take a little more time to post and think three times before posting an implication that is disrespectful to another individual or business.

As business people, we must deal with the fact that a company has problems and is hurting shoppers that expect to be paid. Personally, I think the company probably kept the business going in an effort to catch up and pay the money owed to shoppers, rather than think they kept going because it was an opportunity to screw the very people they rely on for future existence. The rude reference made about "Good Intentions" and "paved roads" is more of a personal insult or attack on someone's involvement in the conversation.

I sure hope this does not continue.

Interesting thought. You may want to search for Franchise Compliance and read everything written for the last couple of years. If the intentions of Freeman were as you say, it would not have been going on for years with promises being broken. They would also have not had their membership with the MSPA suspended. The MSPA is notorious for letting violations such as this slide. Thanks to an outcry led by Jacob Jans, they put a halt to supporting Freeman.

PrivateEyes said, "Based on this event, Private Eyes Scheduling has restructured all client contracts to state that MSP contracts will automatically be cancelled if shopper payment is delayed beyond 30 days of the advertised pay date."

This ststement is not very encouraging: 'beyond 30 days of the advertised pay date.' So, if the client contract advertises a 90-day pay date, you will wait 30 more days before taking any action?

I just realized today going through my books that I have not been paid by the Freeman Group. I shopped............. in Boston, Ma. of May 9-2012. They owe me $131.00. I'm just glad I only shopped once for them.

They should have been removed along time ago. When I started reading the forums I realized this has been going on for years!
What's up MSPA with that? TRUST!

How will I know if another company tries what Private Eyes has done?

I have been shopping for six years and have never had this problem.

Dorothy, you need to remove the name of your client from the post. Most ICAs prevent you from mentioning it and the forum guidelines specifically state we do not reveal clients.

Now that you've found the forum, it is our best defense. Always check on a company here and you should be able to get enough feedback to make an informed decision.

Dorothy,
Private Eyes NEVER recruited for the client you mentioned (a cafe) for the Freeman Group.
Private Eyes recruited some hotel shops for The Freeman Group in 2012 and when we found that they were not only still not paying shoppers as they promised both the shoppers and Private Eyes, and after we did all we could to help, including researching and furnishing information to those involved in order to help, we cancelled Freeman's account, whist still trying to help the shoppers. We did the best we could and publicly apologized to all that were affected.
Please understand that the Freeman Group is still in business with new schedulers and we left that scenario as quickly as possible and did the best we could to help everyone involved. Private Eyes has too not been paid our last invoice from the Freeman Group and we did not "try" to do anything to anyone. Please read over the progress in the forums to follow the events. Please understand that this was not our intention and we did the best with what we could to help. Private Eyes has many clients that have never had payroll issues and in the future, the best we can do is to due better due diligence to avoid getting involved with late paying companies. I'm sorry if you are in a bad position over your decision to work with The Freeman Group. But please also be advise that we never handled the client you mentioned (a cafe) when we did work with them.

DorothyA. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How will I know if another company tries what
> Private Eyes has done?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2012 06:24PM by PrivateEyes.

I thought in an earlier post on volition you said you had been almost paid in full????

So which is it?


PrivateEyes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dorothy,
> Private Eyes NEVER recruited for the *************** for the Freeman Group.
> Private Eyes recruited for The Freeman Group in
> 2012 and when we found that they were not only
> still not paying shoppers as they promised both
> the shoppers and Private Eyes, and after we did
> all we could to help, including researching and
> furnishing information to those involved in order
> to help, we cancelled Freeman's account, whist
> still trying to help the shoppers. We did the
> best we could and publicly apologized to all that
> were affected.
> Please understand that the Freeman Group is still
> in business with new schedulers and we left that
> scenario as quickly as possible and did the best
> we could to help everyone involved. Private Eyes
> has too not been paid our last invoice from the
> Freeman Group and we did not "try" to do anything
> to anyone. Please read over the progress in the
> forums to follow the events. Please understand
> that this was not our intention and we did the
> best with what we could to help. Private Eyes has
> many clients that have never had payroll issues
> and in the future, the best we can do is to due
> better due diligence to avoid getting involved
> with late paying companies. I'm sorry if you are
> in a bad position over your decision to work with
> The Freeman Group. But please also be advise that
> we never handled any*************** account when
> we did work with them.
>
> DorothyA. Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > How will I know if another company tries what
> > Private Eyes has done?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2012 03:19AM by dwater.

I just cancelled one too!...and I really wanted to do it.


zeta1993 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just cancelled a big ticket shop with them for
> .............................. 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

I have not had any experience with these people. Now I am concerned. I am like everyone else and can not afford to put out a lot of money and then not be reimbursed. I guess this is why I am visiting this website. Thank you all for bringing this to my attention.

I hope they can regain control of their finances; but, until then, anyone giving them a try should be offered a high risk bonus for taking the chance.

After all, if everyone knows about the problems and they want to continue, they should offer double or triple pay to anyone willing to take the risk.

3X zero is still zero.