Are the freeman group real? Just curious I don't remember signing up for them but got an email from them.

Yes they are. They primarily do hotel and restaurant shops. There have been some pay issues due to clients not paying their bills in a timely fashion and therefore Freeman not paying shoppers in a timely fashion. I have heard no recent reports but as of a few months ago they were paying November shops if I recall correctly.

I had a nine month wait and lots of emails to get paid. Check the volition board, they have some more recent data. My advice: stay away unless you can part with the money they will owe you for reimbursement (100+) indefinitely, perhaps forever. Flash likes them more than I, but she has had pleasant experiences with them. I only did one shop then went through a LONG wait to get paid.

Yes, while I would not encourage others to shop for them at this point, I personally would still do shops for them because overall my experiences with them and their clients have been good. I do trust them. I trust that they will get folks paid for work performed, but it probably won't be in the 6-8 week range we normally expect. And although they state that shops are being paid in the order in which they were done, my bet would be that there are exceptions to keep shoppers taking current jobs.

Thanks for the input I am sure I will stay away I need money yesterday lol. I don't need to stay in motel anyway.

this company is the absolute worst company I have ever dealt with! Why is it that all the other companies pay on time but not Freeman Group?

I think maybe "Flash" works for them, that could be the only reason for anyone to even consider promoting Freeman Group! If one wants to go out to dinner and spend a couple hundred bucks and then wait maybe 9 months to get paid then Freeman Group is definitely for you! I've done two shops for them and will never do another one.

Oh brother. Jack1951, you come here, make 3 posts in one day and all of a sudden you are an expert on one of the most frequent (and most generous with info and time...) posters in the group. Maybe try taking a step back and looking more deeply before you post. I know whose credibility I will go with in this situation, and it won't be the person who made 3 posts in one day, and slings mud at someone who has been here posting for years.

I have had decent dealings with Freeman, they just don't have a lot I was able to access in this area. I've shopped for 15 years now and there are some companies I detest far more than them.

Gee thanks Jack1951! You are sooo wrong. And obviously you don't read very well either. I definitely am NOT recommending folks take jobs with them. "Yes, while I would not encourage others to shop for them at this point, I personally would still do shops for them because overall my experiences with them and their clients have been good." I have done thousands of dollars of fees and reimbursements with them in the past and have a deep respect for the integrity of the individuals there with whom I have dealt. I got only slightly singed in the current financial difficulties because I had only one shop and it got paid in 8 weeks at the beginning of their financial problems. Their problems would seem to stem from their clients not paying or paying slowly for work--certainly an expectable outcome for any business in the current economy. As Warren Buffet said, "It's only when the tide goes out that you learn who's been swimming naked." We have watched as Datatron and Orillio got caught naked and closed their doors with no attempt to pay shoppers. I respect that Freeman at least had a fig leaf and has been attempting to get shoppers paid as money comes in. Timely, no. Paid, eventually. Attitude, priceless.

My sincere apology to Flash and to anyone I may have offended. Maybe I was a bit harsh in my postings but I have been doing shops for years also and just never had problems getting paid until I dealt with Freeman Group. The first shop I did with them took 5 months to get paid, and as for the second one...we'll just have to wait and see. Once again I apoligize to Flash for my harsh posting.

Apology accepted. I mostly did work with them in 2006 and 2007. There were few times when payment was received within 30 days and most often within 45. Their current difficulties had their start in 2008 and indeed there are folks who have waited 8-9 months for payment. I don't know what their current status is with payments but they did have the decency to let folks know they were trying to get them paid. While many shoppers take screaming issue with that, I have a whole lot more respect for them for trying to keep folks in the information loop and get them paid rather than just shutting their doors so the first time you try to find out what has happened to your payment you get a voice mail that is never answered or a phone that has been disconnected. It is not a good situation when any company has problems. Each month lately I have a number of shops to do where the client has gone out of business. Where the client has gone into bankruptcy or out of business I feel sure the companies are not getting paid for their services or those of the shoppers who performed the field work.

I wish Freeman well because I liked and respected the minds and attitudes I dealt with there. But that is a far cry from suggesting folks willy nilly sign up to do shops with them. As time and finances allow, I personally am likely to accept jobs from them because I do anticipate I will get paid if and when they possibly can. I will not take jobs where I cannot afford to lose the money (one job alone for them in 2007 I was out-of-pocket over $2000 and shopper friends were out-of-pocket much more than that before hotel charges were reversed). But when the out-of-pocket is affordable I will take a chance on them.

Jack1951 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My sincere apology to Flash and to anyone I may
> have offended. Maybe I was a bit harsh in my
> postings but I have been doing shops for years
> also and just never had problems getting paid
> until I dealt with Freeman Group. The first shop I
> did with them took 5 months to get paid, and as
> for the second one...we'll just have to wait and
> see. Once again I apoligize to Flash for my harsh
> posting.


If this is the only company that has never paid you exactly on time per contract, you are lucky. And maybe, only shopping for the lower paying companies that always pay on time, but don't pay much.....But in this economy, never having to have asked for your money is more unusual than not.