Good Update!! (for this pay period anyway) My money was in my paypal account on the 13th after only one e-mail. Maybe they are getting their payment system straightened out. I sure hope so because I really enjoy doing their shops as there are a lot of them in my area and they pay pretty good. Reimbursement is not so good at $3.00 but otherwise OK. I am going to keep shopping with them until I don't get paid for a shop.

My update is not good. I have still not been paid for my January 4th shops. We are past the 60 days. I have sent several e-mails and have not gotten a single response. GA Shopper who did you send you one e-mail to??? I have tried a couple of individuals and the payment e-mail on the website.
I will not be shopping for them again any time in the near future. There are too many companies that pay without you begging and I have seen enough companies in financial disaster to know this is a very clear sign of a company that is in trouble. Either clients are not paying them or they have mismanaged their money. I don't want to risk being owed a bunch of money if they go under.

I have to give credit where credit is due. I sent Confero an email about two missing payments Wednesday, and they were in my PayPal account today.

I hope the other shoppers who have been experiencing similar problems get theirs resolved as quickly as I did.

I, too, received payment via PayPal today ... after sending one email a few days ago.

I got good results too. However, I see why some people are being cautious. A few bells are ringing here.

Its great that they sent the payment after one email; but why should the shopper have to send any emails. You did your job they should do their job. If there is a delay for some reason they should communicate that to the shoppers just like they expect the shoppers to communicate to the scheduler if they cannot complete a shop on time. I hope at least they gave an apology nd explanation after the fact.

FWIW, my late payment arrived a day after I sent an email to shopperpayments@.

Hi Jwolpert,

There's seldom an even exchange with some MSCs. They demand you turn great reports in on time, but if they forget to pay you on time, well, that's usually just too darn bad.

And I would have fainted if they had offered an apology and/or an explanation. This MSC just doesn't work that way.

I was finally paid. It took me several emails so I am glad it has been easier for some. There was no sorry we took an extra two weeks to pay you. I'm leaving them alone for now. Hopefully things will improve.

I work for over 50 different Mystery Shop companies but last August I became quite ill, went into the hospital on an emergency basis, and had part of my foot amputated. I was not back on the road doing Mystery Shops until January of this year. Every single one of my companies worked with me except Confero. I actually tried to call them from the hospital (I was admitted on an emergency basis and did not have my computer with me) I called directory assistance and got the number for Confero in Cary NC and when I called they said I would have to e-mail my scheduler, Celeste Borden (who handles all of the shops for one particular Grocery Store Chain) at Summit Scheduling. E-Mail is a tough thing to do when you are in pre-op on a surgery gurney.

I was dropped from them and they will not reinstate me, even through I am in the Great Smokey / Blue Ridge Mountain area where I have to travel for miles between towns, sometimes on mountainous roads and there are VERY few shoppers here. I even sent them photos of my foot when I got out. It was not as if I didn't try to reach them but when you are about to go into surgery and all you have is a cell phone and directory assistance I was lucky to even just reach Confero.

When I was "back on my feet" in January I e-mailed their C.E.O., Elaine Buxton, who did not even bother with a reply. She apparently dumped my concern off to Rob Barry, one of their hot rod account execs who apparently regards shoppers with as much concern as an anoying spam e-mail....something to be deleted.

Given that I had done over 40 shops for them in the past year with consistently good ratings, often going to places they were begging for help I regard their actions as callous and shortsighted.

Because they farm out their scheduling and lack the ability to even take a call at their Cary NC headquarters and relay an emergency concern I had to Summit Scheduling several shops for a grocery store chain (the one that pays a whopping $10 with a max $3 reimbursement) was recorderd as a flake out.

My advise....STAY AWAY from Confero! They drag their feet with one of the longest reimbursement lags in the industry. Their debutante C.E.O. is aloof and clueless, they have a very low regard for their Independent Contractors, and among Grocery Stores they have one of the worst payment / reimbursement offers compaired to other mystery shop companies offering similiar grocery store shops. There are far more ethical mystery shop companies I would rather work for (thank you MarketForce, Trendsource, BARE, Strategic Reflections, Jancyn, GfK, etc.)

Unlike all of the folks at Confero Headquarters with their full benefits package, paid healthcare and other perks I sometimes struggle to break even with high gas prices, no health insurance, and living in a very rural area where what looks like 20 miles on a map may take 45 minutes to an hour to drive. Aparently the folks over in Cary NC have never ventured beyond Asheville to see some of the rugged and remote places I visit every month.

BigEdBSA,

That's pretty heartless. I'm sorry that happened to you. It also sounds like plain bad business practices.

I've done lots of work for Confero recently, and other than the pay issue described above, haven't had any trouble with this company. But stories like yours will make me re-examine the work I do for this MSC.

Good luck to you.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2013 10:50PM by sportsed1.

I am going to continue working for them for now. I have been looking for other grocery store shops but have not found any, i.e. the ones with the green more than one use bags and the one with the discount on gasoline. I e-mailed shopperpayments@conferoinc.com for my missing payments. My scheduler told me that was what she was instructed to tell shoppers that contacted her. Prior to that she was really good acount trying to help. I am still only going to buy the minimum $3.00 amount at the stores and that way I'm really out nothing but gas. They are the most expensive grocery store in my area and I cannot afford to do a weekly grocery shop there.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the shout out to Jancyn. We value our shoppers and are glad that this clearly comes through in the way we conduct ourselves.

Melissa13 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> txwahchick Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > BTW, I always type my comments on Word then copy
> &
> > paste, double check it to make sure I did not
> omit
> > the 1st or last letter or punctuation. So I
> have
> > double checked my comments on word and I do not
> > have the question marks there as the report
> shows.
> > Wonder if it is a glitch on their system or
> > because I did the copy & paste. I do this for
> all
> > the companies.
>
> Yes, I have had this happen to me also. When you
> do spell check it changes the quotes to question
> marks. Do you use Vista I was told that it had
> something to do with the coding. So, if you use
> spell check you have to correct your original then
> recopy and paste or you have all those question
> marks.
> It's a pain it only happens on Sassie shops for
> me.


Thanks Melissa, I use Windows 7. I did use the spell check and rechecked my work on my report and it was correct. Needless to say, I have not done anymore shops for them, not that there are too many here, lol, but I may just respond to the email from them about that to clarify thing. Thanks again.

What's the typical delay with this group? My first ever shops were with Confero in February and I've yet to get reimbursed for those, despite reading that we're supposed to by the end of the following month (March 25th or so). It sounds like this has been a problem recently. I sent an email several days ago to the payments group but have yet to receive a reply or payment.

I have not been paid for 4 shops I completed in April. On my shopper log it says I have been paid, but I haven't been. I have emailed them, called them, and still no response. What should I do?

I've never had a payment problem from Confero. Their payments have been made in a timely fashion.

Keira526: How does Confero pay. If it is by paper check then maybe the check is in the mail. What date does the shopper log say that you were paid?

I have shopped for them but, do not recall any payment issues. I bet if you got the scheduler's name, and emailed her/himand also emailed the company an invoice and copied it to your lawyer you probably would get paid pretty quick.
Request of payment for services rendered. Of course, this could cause you not to be scheduled again but, it would let them know that you signed a contract with them and they need to hold up their end of the bargain.

Down here in Texas we do everything big. Sometimes it is necessary to react in a big way. I have never had to do this but. I have a friend who is a lawyer and I did this for another situation. You would not believe how quickly the horses started moving.

I hoped they resolved their payment issues... I have three "reveal" FF shops I did for them and payment is coming due according to their payment schedule within the next couple of days (Two of the shops were heavily bonused because they were up against the deadline). I know I'm new, but every MSC I've done work for has paid me when I am supposed to be paid; I expect no different from Confero.

I have never gotten a late payment from Confero. You guys just get antsy. I have a five year relationship with them and have always been paid like clockwork.

jrossetti Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have never gotten a late payment from Confero.
> You guys just get antsy. I have a five year
> relationship with them and have always been paid
> like clockwork.


Maybe you have received your payments on time, and that's great. However, there are some people who have not gotten paid on time and had to chase payments, so I have every reason for concern.

Oh and there's no such thing as "getting antsy" with Confero, considering they take a longer amount of time to pay than most of the MSC's I deal with.

My brother did some shops for them back in January & February and he still has not gotten paid for these grocery shops, even after sending in photo proof of his Social Security card and getting very high scores, including a 10 for one of his shops done in a very out of the way location.

We are at the point of filing with the Bettery Business Bureau and the North Carolina State Attorney General if we can not get this resolved.

In my experience Confero is the worst MSC in the industry.

My status for my shops is "Payment Pending". Thank you Confero, I'm glad you pay according to your guidelines.

The last few email notifications of jobs @ Confero have come to me via schedulers at Summit Scheduling....I'm not seeing any emails from the Confero schedulers that I used to receive...wonder what is going on there?

Guess they got PO'd after the fuss about my not receiving my pay. I had major surgery in late January and was out of commission for 7 weeks. When I was able to get out and drive, I started back signing up for the grocery shops I had performed for them for over a year and a half with great ratings. Bam....not one has been assigned and I am not able to get any response as to why from the scheduler with whom I thought there was a great working relationship. I guess this must be their form of Blackballing me. The pay was not great but I was able to get enough shops to make it worth the gas.

I did nothing improper while trying to get my very overdue payments for last November and December. So, I guess I have been summarily dismissed and not even informed.

Lesson learned....don't beg for what is rightfully yours and not paid in the time parameters they set up. If the powers that be are reading this post, the professional way is to be responsive to issues as they occur. What might be insignificant to you is most often a big concern for us in the field.

I guess I was not valued as a contractor.

Not being able to get assigned the shops you did before your absence does not necessarily mean that you were not valued as a contractor. And it may not have anything to do with your actions to collect your pay for November/December. You said you were out of commission for 7 weeks. During that 7 weeks, someone else was doing those shops. That shopper may have done a superb job and the company may be very happy with the way the shops are being performed. Did the scheduler know in advance that you would be out for 7 weeks and were you communicating to let her know that you were coming back and telling her when you would be coming back? Or did you just not apply for shops for that 7-week period, during which another shopper apparently got a good foothold into those shops. After a 7-week absence, I would expect to have difficulty getting shops again because whoever has covered the shops in your absence likely will want to continue doing them. I would think that, rather than having blackballed you, the company and the scheduler have formed a new relationship with another shopper who has been doing those shops since your absence and they may be reluctant to just drop their current shopper to assign to you again. In their eyes, perhaps you walked away and they formed a new business relationship.

dianedawson:

I have found only one effective method for getting the attention of Elaine Buxton, the C.E.O. of Confero. THIS FORUM, tell every vile coldhearted detail of their not caring, their not communicating, their aloof and detatched C.E.O. the way you were made to feel like a worthless piece of trash during your medical crisis.

If you do a good enough job Elaine may even write you to tell you that you have been deactivated from their system, but it seems to be the only way to get any type of reply from these people.

Confero stands apart in the MSC world for its aloofness, its failure to communicate. Rob Berry is the company's hatchet man for their shady outfit, who routinely tosses Independent Contractor's overboard much as one might delete an item of anoying spam e-mail. Elaine lives in her own little world, unaware of what is going on in her own company where it is not just their scheduling that is outsourced but their morality, ethics, and ability to even communicate with agents.

Even if you had been able to communicate with Confero when you were having your back surgery, calling their Cary NC number you would get some nasty secretary to tell you they don't have any way to assist independent contractors in situations like this, so you need to e-mail your scheduler......EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A HOSPITAL ROOM, GETTING READY FOR SURGERY, and only have your cell phone with you.

I hope everyone sees a pattern on this forum.... Confero is a parriah in this industry. The debutante darling of the MPSA may show up at conventions socializing with other MSC C.E.O.'s but don't let her public image fool anyone. This is a ruthless hateful cadre of folks in Cary NC who have the lowest disdain for Mystery Shoppers.

I tried in good faith, with reasoned e-mails & phone calls, over a six month period to try and explain what happened. Even down to sending letters from my physician, and the directory assistance e-mail where I got their office number while sitting in pre-op for surgery to have part of my foot amputated in a desperate attempt to tell them I would not be able to do any mystery shopping for some time.

Every single one of the more than 80 MSC worked with me, welcomed me back, some even sent me a get well card, today I work with all of thekm EXCEPT CONFERO.

The sad thing about it, there is not a day I don't drive by at least 2 - 3 of their main Grocery Store chain they have a contract with. Many of these are in very out of the way locations that they always have a hard time finding shoppers for. The loss of that account has hit me hard. I have been working on several ways to even the score with these people that will not violate MPSA or ICA rules.

File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau:
[www.bbb.org]

File a complaint with the North Carolina Attorney General
[www.ncdoj.gov]

I have done three shops for them and always been paid on time.

ED:

And I'm sure if you have been paid that late it is easily shown with a quick screen shot of your assignment history with pertinent details regarding clients shaded out. I'm not going to argue with anyone over he said she said when it can simply be screenshotted.

I've been in the industry for over 10 years, Confero is not a problem child in the field. I'm sorry you have had an alleged bad experience, but I would guess that less ranting and more communicating in a calm, rational way, would likely yield better results.

Furthermore, if they are as HORRIBLE as you continuously say they are, how dumb does that make you to keep doing work for them? Unless of course you're totally blowing things up out of proportion. I mean you go on and on and on about how horrid of a company they are, then say you REALLY want their job. It sounds like you're a lot more salty about a perceived slight in regards to not caring than what could be a fabricated pay problem. If it were really a pay problem I find it ridiculous that you would continue to do shops for them. You don't strike me as a stupid person. I'm sure we can agree on that right? Maybe just a little bit of exaggeration? Tiny bit?

Lastly, You are an INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. It's great that you did jobs for them, but to expect special treatment or your shops you used to do to be held is silly. Sometimes that's how it happens. It's not a regular job. You can't be upset about being treated like a contractor. There is no long term deal.

Dante: They do take a bit longer, but they've always been consistent. I honestly went through my entire history. I suspect the few people who are screaming probably had some type of situation that lead to this and it has little to do with the MSC but I can't say for sure. What I can say is I have done 35 assignments for them some June of 2009. The longest assignment took 5/15/09 to 7/12 for payment. The majority were paid between 33-45 days. I believe they say they take up to two months. I'm not 100%.




DanteInPA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jrossetti Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have never gotten a late payment from
> Confero.
> > You guys just get antsy. I have a five year
> > relationship with them and have always been
> paid
> > like clockwork.
>
>
> Maybe you have received your payments on time, and
> that's great. However, there are some people who
> have not gotten paid on time and had to chase
> payments, so I have every reason for concern.
>
> Oh and there's no such thing as "getting antsy"
> with Confero, considering they take a longer
> amount of time to pay than most of the MSC's I
> deal with.