Hi,

I am planning to take the "famous tainted" carpet cleaning shop from them if offered. I have worked with them before and have always got paid.

Wanted to find out if anyone else has done this shop with them and after how many days did they get paid.

I have not done any work for Compliance Solutions WW, but it looks like they are in bed with the usual suspects who ran the scam for Franchise Compliance / Harris Research / Chem Dry. Since I am on the list as being successfully scammed once, they just delete my applications now. I guess they only want new victims.

Don't confuse them with the now defunct Franchise Compliance. They finally closed their doors some time in the past 6 months. No need to be scared of getting your carpets cleaned for "free" anymore.

Other than being a client, how did the carpet cleaning company "run the scam" for Franchise Compliance.

There is no confusion here. The new shopping company is nearly a carbon copy of the old company, with a few wording changes and variations on the canned graphics. Just like the old version, chem dry is 99% of their business. Of course FC also had a smattering of other shops on the board. As the carpet cleaning scam was being revealed I tracked several and found them to bogus listings from companies that were not actually being shopped. Harris research exists to play the corporation shell game, and these mystery shopping companies are just part of the scam. Maybe they are paying shoppers now, but they got away with it, and there is nothing to stop them from using this business model again and again. Start paying shoppers later and later, then when they get too far behind, close up shop, blame an untraceable "Adam", or "Julie", and use the Harris research "professional looking company in a box" web design program to make another one.

Other than being a client, I still don't get what you are saying about the client being involved in a scam. FC was the company and if the client paid FC for shops the client didn't have any further obligation to pay the shoppers. If FC and/or Adam filed for bankruptcy information on both their AR and AP might be public.

I can tell you that Compliance Solutions is not a brand new company created from the ashes of FC because I've done shops for them going back to 2009. With the last shop being in 2010, I am not going to say one way or another what their current payment terms are like, only that the payment was on time then.

There was a time in the past when FC was a reputable company to work for, and they had clients outside of the carpet cleaning company. It seemed to fall apart over time, so we just have to wait and see where Compliance Solutions ends up, I guess.

I do feel that there were a number of unanswered questions about possible links between Harris Research and FC. As much as the 'client' claimed to be trying to assist unpaid shoppers, nothing materialized from that. There was never any kind of official word from Harris Research about the progress of setting the dispute or what they were doing to assist. For years, they were VERY aware that Adam was fleecing shoppers and shut down all attempts at resolving the problem when contacted by shoppers, claiming they were not involved....yet, the continued to employ FC to conduct shops!

In the end, what we shoppers are left with is no guarantee that this will not happen again. The client could care less about the shoppers and seems happy to move on to another MSC when FC can no longer fulfill the shops. To me, that's somewhat heartless and I would not take a shop for them even if it were from a reputable and trusted MSC, must less another Utah based small-time MSC. There are simply way too many shoppers burned and way to much money left unpaid for me to not suspect that something nefarious took place, and may happen again.

Shop at your own risk, I say. No offense meant to our Utah shoppers, but something smells rotten in Utah.....

I've only completed one assignment for this MSC and that was in 2009. It had the tightest window of any shop of which I'm aware: Only on the following day, a Fri., and between 05:30 PM and 06:00 PM. The report was reasonable and I was paid when and as agreed.

Lisa, I'm saying that I believe that Franchise Compliance was just a paper entity controlled by Harris. I don't know if Harris paid anyone for my work or not. I do know that each of their franchisees pay $500 per license per year for "audit". So all I know for sure is that Harris got paid by the contractor who cleaned my carpet, the contractor got paid by me, Harris got my work product, and I got ripped off. The conventional wisdom says that Harris paid Adam. Have you seen any proof of that? Have you seen any proof that Adam is a real person?

At a minimum, Harris is content to brush this under the rug and is now playing he same tune in the key of CSW, and they all deserve to remain associated with the dogs they lay with.

The only proof of action I have seen from Harris is that I have been blacklisted by Compliance Solutions without having a single direct interaction with them. How did this happen unless they are working from the same information and the same people as Franchise Compliance / Harris Research?

I appreciate the information about CSW being around ins 2009, but just like FC, there they sit in Utah with 95% of their business being from Harris. And they are contracting with a scheduling company, who can also throw their hands in the air and claim that they had no idea when Harris rolls up the rug again.

I will go ahead and do the shop. I need my carpets cleaned anyway. Please lets not judge this company so fast. It is fair to give them a chance. I also got burned by FC in the past so I am aware of the risk.

Will let everyone know how it goes and when I get paid for it.

sbrahma, there is a good chance you will get paid at the current time.

I think you may be missing the point that something appears to be amiss with the relationship between all of these companies. You have been ripped off by at least of of the parties and continue to support their business model because your carpet needs cleaning. While I don't think it's that much of a financial risk at present, I think it's foolish because by fulfilling these shops, you send a message that shoppers are okay with how with the situation was handled in the past, and will blindly step in line to get ripped off again by the next MSC.

It's about more than just getting your money back and/or carpets cleaned for free. If you don't remember how you felt about it a year ago, please reference this thread from then:

[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

I agree what you say Steve but why stiff the new MSC. They are just trying to get new business. As for doing shops for the carpet cleaning company, they had a contract with the old MSC which hopefully they fulfilled. They had no obligation towards us (independent shoppers).

Having said that, I do support your view and would not have done the shop if I did not really need the carpet cleaned. I am going into this shop thinking (hopefully) I will get paid.

As far as the carpet cleaning company goes; Their contract may have been with FC, but I think they still had an ethical obligation to be sure those who ensured compliance for them (the shoppers) were treated fairly.

Does all worry about how those who are important to the operation of your business are treated automatically get suspended, so long as you have contracted them through another party? I don't think so.

When clients of Restaurant Evaluators and Freeman were contacted, they expressed remorse and dissolved their relationship with the MSCs. This, I think, was one of the key factors in getting those MSCs put out of business. FC went on for over a year without paying the shoppers and the carpet cleaning company was well aware of the complaints, and chose to keep doing business with FC. All contact by shoppers to the carpet cleaning company received a response of, "We are not responsible." The fact that the home office of both companies were located near each other, and the owners of both companies I believe attended the same school, leads me to think that the carpet cleaning company just may have conspired with FC to profit at the expense of shoppers.

Now, we have a new MSC with potentially similar ties to the carpet cleaning company taking over the shops. If you think this is business as usual and don't see anything strange with that, then feel free to perform the shop. I don't see it as stiffing the new MSC. I see it as choosing not to do business with unethical companies.

I will rethink whether to do the shop. Thanks.

I am so glad for this forum. I was going to do a carpet cleaning as described but I certainly don't want to do it any more. Yikes!

I did the carpet cleaning shop recently (mid-Feb), it went well, and it looks like it should pay on March 15 according to the shopper log. I was nervous about doing it too after posing the same question here. I have done a couple other shops with them and they've paid, so I'm not too worried about it anymore. I'll let you know if it doesn't!

I just tried to apply again at CSW, it seems that Harris Research / Chem Dry has alerted the people running their mystery shopping progam that I have already been successfully scammed, so they won't let me apply again.

josey122 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did the carpet cleaning shop recently (mid-Feb),
> it went well, and it looks like it should pay on
> March 15 according to the shopper log. I was
> nervous about doing it too after posing the same
> question here. I have done a couple other shops
> with them and they've paid, so I'm not too worried
> about it anymore. I'll let you know if it
> doesn't!


Josey122,

Did you get paid?

I did - the check was in the mailbox yesterday!

I also wanted to update the status of my shop.

Shopped : 23-Mar-2013
Paid : 09-Apr-2013

Was pleasantly surprised by such a quick turnaround.

Will do this shop again if offered.