WHICH COMPANIES PAYS QUICKLY
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I think that's about it mia. Sometimes Maritz pay quickly. A lot depends on when the client pays the company. And the client has to pay before we are paid. I see the reasoning in it being this way but it puts the shoppers as the "low man on the totem pole". My feeling is when a shop is done the shopper should be paid. My biggest grip about mystery shopping companies. They depend on us to do the shops, then we are the last ones paid.
And I am surprised on occasion I will do a shop on Friday and have been paid on Tuesday. Most of my shopping companies pay every 2 weeks or once a month but I have a few shops that pay every 6 weeks or so. And there are the straglers who only pay every 90 days. Once I see they are not going to pay me in a pretty straight forward fashion I won't do another shop for them until they do. If they call me, and they do, I tell them pay me for my shops and I will do these for you. Works!! :-)
And I am surprised on occasion I will do a shop on Friday and have been paid on Tuesday. Most of my shopping companies pay every 2 weeks or once a month but I have a few shops that pay every 6 weeks or so. And there are the straglers who only pay every 90 days. Once I see they are not going to pay me in a pretty straight forward fashion I won't do another shop for them until they do. If they call me, and they do, I tell them pay me for my shops and I will do these for you. Works!! :-)
Informa pays all month long as the shops are processed.
Mintel said they processed my payment on the 09/29 but I have not seen my direct deposit yet. Anyone else having problems.
These days, far too may pay slowly.
Freeman, Orilio, Intellishop off the top of my head. There are many others.
Freeman, Orilio, Intellishop off the top of my head. There are many others.
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“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
Mystery Guest is behind. But who wants to work for a gift card?! I 2nd Freeman. It sounds like Freeman is paying back shops from the new shops; a pyramid sceme-like. AND Freeman is paying an extra $5 per shop not paid over 45 days like promised. How can Freeman do that if they can't pay on time?
The magic of 'creative accounting'. My sense is that Freeman will survive. They are not exclusively a mystery shopping provider but involved in staff training as well, if I recall correctly. While certainly the hospitality industry is hurting due to the economy, their capital investments in hotels and resorts is such that they do not dare have their reputation spoiled because of untrained staff. A retailer can close a location with a bad reputation much easier than a resort on prime real estate can (though of course they can sell the prime real estate resort to another company that reopens it 'under new management').
I would trust Freeman to get shoppers paid in the long run and the only question is how long that run will be
Working for a gift card for a return visit suxs unless it is a place you shop monthly and can use your gift card for payment on your next shop to receive the next gift card, etc.
I would trust Freeman to get shoppers paid in the long run and the only question is how long that run will be
Working for a gift card for a return visit suxs unless it is a place you shop monthly and can use your gift card for payment on your next shop to receive the next gift card, etc.
Feedback Plus pays very fast, twice a month.
Spies in Disguise pay in about two weeks.
I don't mind waiting 60 days to be paid on a shop as long as it's written in their policy and I know it going in. Intellishop is one MSP with steady work for me, and I just got paid for the first time, but at least I know now that I won't have to chase them around, and there is plenty of money coming down the pipeline.
I agree with tgb. As long as I know when to expect the money I am ok with being out of pocket and/or not paid for 60 days. What bothers me is when companies promis to pay and do not. The only one I've faced this problem with so far is Mystique. I e-mail the scheduler and all he does is say I should be paid shortly and if I am not paid in 10 days I should contact him. I've already contacted him twice and got the same response.
Of the fast paying companies, I like Qams. They pay evey single week.
Of the fast paying companies, I like Qams. They pay evey single week.
I've found CoRI to be the best/fastest. They pay weekly. The ones that really annoy me are those that don't really tell you when they pay. One company I work for says they pay within 1-3 months. That is really a big time span. One month I can handle, but 3.
While I have never heard for certain, my take on it is that with some companies there is the recognition that once your proofs are submitted and your report is accepted, you are due your payment. And you are due your payment unless subsequently fraud is discovered, whether the client likes the report or disbelieves it. Appropriately, your payment is set into the next pay cycle. Companies that do this with minimal variations between them are CoRI, MFI, Service Intelligence, Bestmark and such.
Then there are the companies where you don't get paid until the client pays them for the work. This is so wrong on so many levels, but primarily it is wrong because your contract is with the company, not with the client. It is the company that owes you payment, not some contingent payment arrangement based on if and when the client finally pays his bill. Many have been the discussions on forums in the past 12 months about slow payments, no payments because supposedly the client is/was slow to pay.
Then there are the companies where you don't get paid until the client pays them for the work. This is so wrong on so many levels, but primarily it is wrong because your contract is with the company, not with the client. It is the company that owes you payment, not some contingent payment arrangement based on if and when the client finally pays his bill. Many have been the discussions on forums in the past 12 months about slow payments, no payments because supposedly the client is/was slow to pay.
ICCDS is very good, I receive every two weeks and sometimes I receive the payment earlier!! But never delayed.
Flash said, "Then there are the companies where you don't get paid until the client pays them for the work."
That policy is what separates the wheat from the chaff. Firms that utilize that practice are those that are undercapitalized and/or having cash flow problems. These days, there are far more MSC's in that boat than in the past. Some can legitimately use the current economic climate as an excuse, but others have been doing this for quite some time. Unfortunately, I believe some of the smaller MSC's with few major clients will ultimately succumb and leave many of their shoppers holding the bag. Fortunately, the Internet age in which we live has vast resources available to all whereby we can research any firm with whom we wish to forge a relationship.
That policy is what separates the wheat from the chaff. Firms that utilize that practice are those that are undercapitalized and/or having cash flow problems. These days, there are far more MSC's in that boat than in the past. Some can legitimately use the current economic climate as an excuse, but others have been doing this for quite some time. Unfortunately, I believe some of the smaller MSC's with few major clients will ultimately succumb and leave many of their shoppers holding the bag. Fortunately, the Internet age in which we live has vast resources available to all whereby we can research any firm with whom we wish to forge a relationship.
Reading this thread reminded me that I had not been paid for an ICCDS shop that I did in the first part of August. I sent an email via the website asking about payment. I received an email that said something like "You will not be paid. Your report didn't make sense and you did not respond when we contacted you." Ok..It was a difficult shop that did not go according to guidelines. Did not get greeted, much less in the designated time, etc, etch, etc, So those shops are much harder to write, but not make sense? I don't think so. Anyway. I wrote back that I had checked all my emails since August 1st and there was no email from them at all about this shop. I asked how they tried to contact me, The email I got back said . "Oh, well we probably tried to call you." I emailed back asking what phone number they used to try to contact me, but I haven't heard back. Not a happy camper.
That is pretty low. They probably forgot to contact you, and now are blaming you rather than eat the cost.
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“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
“Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."
~Gilbert K. Chesterton
I do very little for ICCDS because I find their communication is pretty horrible. I did some shops that required mailed in receipts. Luckily I photocopied everything before I sent it. I contacted them about payment when it was getting fairly stale and they indicated they couldn't pay because they got no receipts. bull. I offered to send them copies of my photocopies that were all appropriately labeled and identified and 'suddenly' they found them. It was then their reaction that it was my responsibility to have been watching my history on their site and contact them when they hadn't reported getting the receipts within a few days. My waiting period for payment was not from the day the shop was done or the receipts mostly likely received but rather from the date they finally credited my jobs with the receipts.
There are lots of ways to play games and I'm not into spending my time working with game players.
There are lots of ways to play games and I'm not into spending my time working with game players.
HAs anybody heard/worked for Market Watch?
Are you sure you have the name right? I know of a Market Force and a Market Viewpoint but have never heard of a Market Watch that is a mystery shopping company.
Flash, I now see what you mean about ICDS, I did a job for them on 9/10/2009; Invoice and receipt was sent the same day, it still shows up in progress.
Give them a call and nudge them kittybratt. Hope you have a copy of the receipts and invoice that you can offer to email them or mail them. Their comment was that they were 'way behind in processing receipts' when they explained that they had my receipt. But more than a month behind ain't 'behind', it arrives at a level of disdain for shoppers much worse.
I thought "In Progress" meant they received and processed the receipt. Prior to it the status is "Needs Paperwork". Am I wrong?
I really don't remember. It has been a while since I was willing to work with them.
Flash, I emailed them. They said, when it states in progress, in means, that payment is on the way. I will have to call them on Monday
Ok. It is certainly not a bad notion to keep tabs on them because your payment is already late for what their website indicates, I believe. And yes, I believe they indicate it is 30 days from the receipt of everything, but if you mailed out same day, that should get payment somewhere 35 days post shop and 40 days max to check in hand. You are currently 39 days from shop and it is not showing as "paid".
I am totally new to all of this and not even a Mystery Shopper yet. How do I get started or in contact with a legitimate Mystery Shopper company. Could anyone out there give me some advice or names?
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