Since signing up for jobs at ath Power Online I find that I don't have the documentation that lists how long it takes to get paid for the shops that I complete for them. So do any of you have this information? I would appreciate it if you would share it with me -- if you have it.

I believe it to be the end of the month following the shop. I am waiting to be paid for a few shops I completed for them in the beginning of August.

There is nowhere on the site (that I could find, and I searched it over and over) that tells you when they pay. I found that out by Google searching and it was on a forum somewhere.

Yes, my early June shops were paid at the end of July. But early May shops were not paid until the middle of July. Mid February shops were paid mid April. I don't work with them every month because generally they are about the last to pay.

Flash have you ever been able to find on the site anything about their payment times? I have searched that site forever and can not find anything on there about being paid.

I've never really looked. I just know they are slow and not predictable when the money will come in but they have always paid. Not a company I work for just lots because they keep reducing their fees and reducing their fees and reducing their fees. They generally knock them down 25 cents at a time, but mostly they have fallen below my limit. Got an email from them today that a job they did that paid reasonably in February and May is now back down below radar. Yes, the purchase requirement is less, but that was not reimbursed so was a no-brainer to return the stuff.

This company is just so not worth the hassle of dealing with. That's all I have to say.

Why? They only have one thing here, it only comes around a couple times a year, and I have never done it, so I have no personal knowledge. I do have some impressions that are less than positive based on other's reports, but I can't say anything first hand. So I'm curious.

So far I've only doen 3 shops for them, all bank shops in the beginning of August. I haven't gotten paid (or not gotten paid since I guess those won't be paid until the end of the month).

I don't really have enough history with them to say one way or the other, but I didn't care for the report forms. They gave you a handful of scenarios to pick from, but then the forms did not have appropriate replies for all the scenarios. They were nearly impossible to fill out.

One of those times when using Firefox works like a charm. Your former answers get remembered by the system so you hit a "No" and need a comment, pick from your previous the one most appropriate and pop it in the slot. But yes, their forms are not the most user friendly.

Here's a suggestion.

Why don't you just email the scheduler or use the help/contact link on the shop page? I'm sure they will tell you the payment schedule.

I seem to remember that is was 60 days which is way too long but I document my shops and have been paid as quickly as 30 days. Very inconsistent but they pay nonetheless.

It's has to be different in each state as far as the shops that they offer. The shops here in NY are fairly high paying and they go lightning fast once posted.

modario Wrote:
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> Here's a suggestion.
>
> Why don't you just email the scheduler or use the
> help/contact link on the shop page?

I can't speak for anyone else, but if it was me, I would feel pretty stupid contacting a scheduler to ask information that may have been available on their site.

Their shopper agreement states the following:

2. Payment. In exchange for services hereunder, Contractor shall be compensated per assignment in accordance with a payment schedule provided in the Scheduling Documentation. No other amounts shall be payable by Company to Contractor. Contractor shall be responsible for the maintenance of complete records on all time and charges.
3. Scheduling Documentation. The term “Scheduling Documentation” as used herein means all of the written document(s) wherein Company identifies to Contractor (a) the name and location of the establishment that the Contractor shall shop in accordance with this Agreement, (b) pertinent deadlines, and (c) the nature and scope of the applicable deliverables, including any final report. Scheduling Documentation shall be provided in writing by Company to Contractor prior to Contractor commencing work. Scheduling Documentation shall be incorporated by reference into this Agreement.

It is difficult for me to believe that some of the experienced shoppers on this forum routinely neglect the payment terms listed in their assignments. Therefore, given the unevenness of payment receipt by the same shoppers, I can
only conclude that it appears that they like to keep their payment terms nebulous. That might work for them, but it is not very fair to shoppers.

Of course it is not very fair to shoppers and indeed he "Scheduling Documentation" only reference to payment with statements such as, "You will only be paid for valid shops. Valid shops are . . ." and then follows instructions which may or may not be contradictory in and of themselves.

Unfortunately shoppers are on the short end of the stick. You either accept vagueness or you don't work. I don't see that changing any time soon so you just weigh your bets and experience.

As for ath, my experience is I'll get paid somewhere within 60 days or so. Thus I am not likely to take lots of jobs for them because of quality of jobs/reports, the fee structure and the payment time. Certainly not a love affair but rather occasional filler.

dee shops Wrote:
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> It is difficult for me to believe that some of the
> experienced shoppers on this forum routinely
> neglect the payment terms listed in their
> assignments.

It is not neglect. The payment terms do not list WHEN payment will be made.

Which was EXACTLY the point
I was making.

dee shops Wrote:
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> Which was EXACTLY the point
> I was making.

Ahh, ok, I get it now.

> I can't speak for anyone else, but if it was me, I
> would feel pretty stupid contacting a scheduler to
> ask information that may have been available on
> their site.

If it was me, which it is, I would rather ask the question and get paid than not ask the question and wonder when I was getting paid. Feelings stay out of the way of business and food on my table.

I agree. Ask.

I would ask too.

Ath is so disorganized and whacky, they won't be phased by the question at all! LOL Although who knows when you'll get an answer.

modario Wrote:
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> > I can't speak for anyone else, but if it was me,
> I
> > would feel pretty stupid contacting a scheduler
> to
> > ask information that may have been available on
> > their site.
>
> If it was me, which it is, I would rather ask the
> question and get paid than not ask the question
> and wonder when I was getting paid. Feelings stay
> out of the way of business and food on my table.

Then ask the question. I didn't tell anyone not to. I said I myself would probably try to find it another way. But if one wants to ask, then nothing is stopping them.

So what exactly would be your method? The person asked here, got responses, but none that indicate the time period. You yourself stated that it is not in their shop instructions. According to their own shopper agreement where it is not stated, it says it is in the instructions for each shop. And the site has been hunted, and it is not there.

Who is in the wrong here by asking? The company is either craftily hiding their timeframe(s) to keep it in their favor, or they are so disorganized that they do not know they haven't given shoppers this required (and *important*) piece of data.

I would ask. I would ask before I did any shops for them, but that is me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2009 02:48AM by dee shops.

dee shops Wrote:
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> Who is in the wrong here by asking?

Dang, not again?? Am I typing things I don't remember because I really do not remember saying anyone was in the wrong here by asking.

I did not say that *you* said anyone is in the wrong, Lisa. I asked the "Who is in the wrong here?" question rhetorically. (We know who-it's Ath. :-)

You did say that you would feel stupid asking something that is probably on their site. It is not on their site.

Then you said that you still would not ask, but would try to find another method to get the info. I asked what that method would be. I would like to know what you would do to find out (without asking them, since you don't want to go that route.)

I assumed you meant me since the beginning of your post was directed at me. I did not say it is probably on their site, my post said "information that may have been available on their site."

My method was to Google search it. I did find the answer by Google searching it. Again, I am not telling anyone else not to contact them, just that I probably would not.

Why not share what you got by googling, then?

One more ? that came to mind-how much time did it take to find the answer without directly asking? If it took over the time of a phone call or email to find, then to me, it was time not well spent. YMMV, of course. Mine is always for expediency.

dee shops Wrote:
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> Why not share what you got by googling, then?

Read above to my first reply in this topic. I already did share what I got by googling.

dee shops Wrote:
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> One more ? that came to mind-how much time did it
> take to find the answer without directly asking?
> If it took over the time of a phone call or email
> to find, then to me, it was time not well spent.
> YMMV, of course. Mine is always for expediency.

Are we talking before or after I searched the site?

First I checked the site to see if it was there. Once I decided I could not find it there, it took the few seconds to type "when does Ath pay" into my google box. The answer was in the first found result. So it took approx. 30 seconds. Overall, I do consider it to have been worth my 30 seconds.

It is NEVER worth the time to try to contact anyone from Ath. Unless you just love to be dizzy from the runaround they give you.

solideogloria Wrote:
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> It is NEVER worth the time to try to contact
> anyone from Ath. Unless you just love to be dizzy
> from the runaround they give you.

That's the idea I'm getting. I'm just hoping to be paid for the 3 jobs I did for them before I sign up with anymore from them.