I just attempted a $200 fee shop at a local furniture store. It requires a purchase on credit. I planned on getting a small accent or decor and then returning it. I had a small table lined up for $220 about a half hour in. The associate took all my information in the computer. She then asked I was going to pay. Since she didn't mention it, I asked about credit. She informed me at that point that I had to purchase $500 or more. ATH did not warn me about this before I wasted my time. Is it not suspicious that I just suddenly changed my mind about the purchase right when I was about to pay? "Oh, sorry, I need credit. Maybe I should look for something else (but I can only buy one item)."

So then I went around the store about 10 times looking for things small enough to transport. It explicitly says to not buy large furniture if you're going to return it. I picked out at least 10 reasonably sized items. They were all marked around $500. Conveniently, each time I asked the sales person, they were on an unmarked sale. So the items were really only $400. The only items that would have been over $500 with tax were larger tables and chairs. I seriously spent over an hour and a half looking at EVERYTHING trying to not seem suspicious. I finally left because I had another evaluation to do, and I was seriously pissed. The sales person seemed tired of the run around as well.

All in all, this seems like a very poorly constructed shop where the shopper is left on their own and if something goes wrong, it's like oh well. I did everything I was supposed to. I checked the return policy and the store was willing to work with me on length of time because I said the first table was a gift. I picked out a $200 item. I was refused credit under $500. We're only supposed to buy one item and one that's not large sized, so here I went and wasted my time looking at absolutely everything to no avail. It makes be wonder if this shop is purposely constructed to evaluators not only to sign up for credit bit also buy things they really don't need (to make the credit company money). Collateral damage. That and they get to check up on the practices of businesses offering their credit.

It had to be both frustrating and odd to the sales person, like they wouldn't catch on that something odd was going on. If I had been warned by ATH about the $500 requirement, I would have had an item at that price point picked out already before trying to buy the $200 one. My story and subsequent search would have made more sense if I had known. This shop, in my opinion, is setting evaluators up to fail.

This is not the first time I've had problems with unclear guidelines or missing information from this company, though. A lot of times their guidelines are poorly worded as well. And when you try to contact the scheduler/project manager, they either don't get back to you for like forever and/or give a snarky comment about how many emails you sent them. Hello, I'm on location, I'm wasting my time and need help. This shop is 20 minutes from my house. The shop's due tonight. I need answers NOW. Maybe these schedulers and project managers should try mystery shopping themselves (If they haven't already). Then they'd know what mental and verbal gymnastics we have to go through sometimes.

In essence, I wasted gas and at least two hours trying to get this shop done. It could have been less time consuming had I been warned prior of issues and/or could get a hold of someone at the MSC. This is seriously the first shop out of several hundred for various companies that I just couldn't complete. Anyone who's worked with me knows that I will go through heck and high water to get a shop done when warranted. To me, the fact that I was not prepared by the MSC is inexcusable. Get your stuff together, ATH.

@Evalu8this wrote:

because I said the first table was a gift. I picked out a $200 item. I was refused credit under $500. We're only supposed to buy one item and one that's not large sized, so here I went and wasted my time looking at absolutely everything to no avail.

Isn't a table considered a large item?

Perhaps you should read post------>"Bizarre rejection of shop, I dont know what to do."

It sounds like your post word for word.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2015 07:55PM by sojo917.

It was a small end table. It was very compact, and its design was so that I might shorten it if need be. The approximate dimensions were 18" in diameter and about 3 feet tall.

Sojo, I did read it, and wasn't surprised he/she was left holding the bag also. I hope that other shoppers read these posts before making a decision on the shop. I was willing to take a blow to my excellent credit for the cost, but in the end it really, really wasn't worth it considering how long it was going to eventually take to do the shop had I actually had been able to find an item over $500 with tax that was not large.

I have found Ath Power to have terrible guidelines lately. They are sloppy at best. They aren't the company that they were years ago.

Thanks for posting your experience. Hopefully, it helps somebody else.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2015 04:21AM by SoCalMama.

I just got a desperate email to do one of these. No, thank you! I'm sorry that they've wasted so much of your time.

Did you contact Ath? What if the associate was incorrect. I've had great experience with Ath. I'm glad I didn't pick up one of these shops though. I don't like purchase and return shops

The client is the consumer credit company - the company offering the credit card. There is no connection between Ath Power and the stores that they list. In an earlier round, they wanted shoppers to buy a $1500 item and not return it - and they said that it was only for those planning on making the purchase anyway. I looked at the current shops and decided that there was no way I was going to get involved with them. Every store listed had high priced items, often lawnmowers and high end grills, and since each is independently owned, each sets it own policies for returns, restocking fees, etc.

First rule of a shop that is $200. There is something that makes it a 10 ft. pole shop. Read it over very carefully as there is always a trap in there somewhere.

What comes to mind is opening a business banking account in Spanish and doing the report in English. Sure you can buy a $600 smart phone with a two year contract at MSRP. Oh wait, they didn't make it to $200 but should have. No MSC will start a shop at $200 unless your going to take a serious hit that is more than just time.

I saw these shops in my area, and I don't think anyone should fill out a credit application and make a $200 purchase without researching the shop before they accept it.

I have completed many successful assignments for this company and always found the schedulers and editors to be reasonable people. I do not accept any assignments that involve making an application for credit because my records are locked down and it costs me $5 to authorize an inquiry. I have a high score but fortunately do not need to borrow money.

I have had good luck doing $150 assignments and intend on working with them on an ongoing basis,

I did a high fee bank shop over a week ago and it still has not been reviewed on Sassie. It shows as completed but not received. There was also a problem with the instructions. The certification and test said to not get service from the brokerage rep. When I entered the bank I was immediately greeted by the brokerage person who said he could help me with opening a bank account. I told him I left my phone in the car and quickly exited. I contacted Ath and they said the instructions had changed and it was ok to conduct the shop with a broker. I wish I had known that ahead of the shop. I re entered the bank and finished the shop (with a banker) but am now in limbo as it is not accepted.

Hey, I was one of those who posted on the "Bizarre rejection..." post. The main problem here is that the MSC is posting a lot of locations that do have financing, it just happens that it's not with the finance company that is being shopped. I found that out the first shop the hard way by going to the location, finding the item, and going to checkout, asking about the credit card. I called the scheduler from the parking lot and he found another location for me to do the following day. I got wise and called them first, only to discover that they did not carry the bank card either. I let the scheduler know and it was removed. I did research several other locations in my area prior to applying for them to save myself wasted time, and of course...they offered financing through other banks! Someone else suggested that the MSC was trying to clean up their list in a sneaky and tricky way, and that may happen in some situations with other MSCs, but not in this case. I know a few shoppers in other areas successfully completed the shop. But, out of the nearly 100 shops I have completed for Ath, this is the first time they have ever dropped the ball. I don't know what the problem is but it sure did suck and I was irritated about my wasted time.

Thank you for posting these. I have been thinking of doing these but don't want to lay out the $200. Glad to learn of the issues.

My shop was finally accepted, ten days after it was done.

Lack of communication is my only complaint about aTH. They are easy to work with but you need to beg for information. They do not notify you or score you when a shop is considered complete. You just have to assume if they don't ask any (or any more) questions, that it is okay.

i wont even CONSIDER any cc shops.....I'm just not going there....

I did a similar shop. It was supposed to be for $150. It was at a home improvement store and I had a project to do anyway. I asked about financing, and the store did not have the financing from the bank that was the client. I was told they used to have some kind of financing, but not anymore. So In entered this into the report and the shop was rejected because I did not apply for the financing. I wrote a note back to the editor. They offered to convert the shop to an inquiry shop for $20, but that did not happen. I guess the reason was I did not confirm their offer quick enough. Anyway, I asked about it later and I was told there weren't any more shops that round. I guess someone misunderstood what was offered. I too was not happy about wasting my time and gas going to the location and doing the report as much as I could. I was thinking if the store no longer offered the financing from that bank, couldn't someone have checked that ahead of time and removed that from the locations being shopped?

Same problem here. Did the store even offer the branded financing you were to shop? I've done this one twice and gotten f'd both times. $200 shop to buy an item and look for specific financing company, and both times, neither company offered the specified brand financing. And, I was excluded from pay for the first shop because, even though I had a GeoVerify code and audio of the shop, I didn't have a business card to upload, so no pay. This time, I MAY get the inquiry only pay of $20 which barely covers my gas to get there since my shop wasn't scheduled until the evening of the day I requested and they were already closed, so instead of being in town, I had to drive back 40 miles and still not get the products I wanted. Beware of this "retail credit card" shop for $200. Otherwise, I've not had any problems with the MSC in general. Just this particular shop and Scheduler. JL, karma is a "B"...

If you requested a shop for Thursday and it was not assigned until Thursday evening why would you make a special trip instead of canceling the app? And if the store did not offer the financing you were assigned to apply for, why did you make a purchase?

I avoid these $200 credit shops from ath like the plague. Thanks to this forum, I've never even attempted one. I may try one of the $20 inquiry-only credit shops, since they have two or three in my area periodically, and they're places I wouldn't mind shopping. But the biggie? No. Way. In. Hell.

I accepted one of these at a small outdoor power tool location, hoping to get something that I was looking for in the price range. The brand I looked at did not offer financing and pretty much every item that could be financed would have needed a trailer or had to be delivered.

I contacted the scheduler and explained what was going on, and I was removed from the shop.