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.