@Sentry Marketing
I logged onto your ShopMetrics site, clicked on the "Pay History" tab at the top and then clicked on the link "Click here to view our pay policy."

It was the first location I checked when reading the OP's frustration.

Please allow me to provide some clarity with regard to Isabella3.

Isabella3 first contact our company on Friday, January 12, 2018 at 6PM. We responded this morning at 9:32 AM and let Isabella3 know that we had transitioned to electronic payment via Dwolla. At no time was Isabella3 told that payment would be withheld if they did not sign up with Dwolla.

Isabella3 responded with a demand to be paid ASAP and a threat to contact the BBB. The assignments that Isabella3 is inquiring about are on Invoice 44 which is due to be processed on 1/31/2018. Payment for Isabella3's assignments ARE NOT LATE. Nonetheless, Isabella3 demanded immediate payment with threats to contact the BBB and their state Attorney General's office.

We have had several other shoppers with assignments completed in 2017 ask for payment by check via Bill.com and we have accommodated each of those requests. What is different about Isabella3's situation was the confrontational and unprofessional tone of their email. All that was necessary was to submit a request to be paid by check using a professional and business tone. This is how 99+% of our shoppers communicate.

We will be reviewing our options for recourse now that Isabella3 has slandered us on a public forum.

Thank you very much! It looks like we missed this one.

Oh good grief. Could you not just say you were continuing to pay out shops completed before the change via Bill.com and the payments in question were not actually late? Instead of taking credit for doing the right thing, you always have to resort to mudslinging. Whether you like it or not, for the rest of us it is nothing more than he said/she said. Her rants do less damage to you and your company than your own.

Good grief is right. Let me get this straight, you have a problem with me posting the FACTS of the situation but nothing to say to a shopper who posted a biased, one-sided account and conducted herself in a less than professional manner.

Your post speaks volumes about your bias against Sentry and your disregard for the facts when it comes to our company. This is not a "he said/she said". Isabella3's comments are memorialized in our ticketing system. Opinions are opinions and facts are facts. Demanding payment early and making threats is unprofessional behavior.

@LisaSTL wrote:

Oh good grief. Could you not just say you were continuing to pay out shops completed before the change via Bill.com and the payments in question were not actually late? Instead of taking credit for doing the right thing, you always have to resort to mudslinging. Whether you like it or not, for the rest of us it is nothing more than he said/she said. Her rants do less damage to you and your company than your own.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2018 02:42AM by Sentry Marketing.

@Sentry Marketing
I have no real dog in this dispute. I know neither you or @Isabella3 and as @LisaSTL stated, this is very much a "he-said-she-said" thing from my perspective. I am signed up with Sentry, but have never done a job with you as, very simply, the shops you have offered are not the type of shops I typically do. I am a strong believer in the idea that what somebody says about others is a better indicator of the speaker than the one who is spoken about.

I cannot speak for others. However, the fact that your company has been frequently criticized on this forum does not drive me to hold anything against your company. Yes, @Isabella3 spoke poorly of you. However, it will not cause me to to work/not work for you. How you respond is what I will consider. I appreciate the clarification you offered regarding pay policy. I also appreciate your desire to remove any incorrect information from your websites regarding how payments are made.

However, the statement that you will be considering "options" regarding slander is very bothersome. If you truly feel like your company has been harmed and need to pursue legal action, consider doing so quietly. However, as you state this so publicly, it comes across as combative and aggressive - which does color my thoughts on Sentry Marketing. It also gives weight to what I believe to be @Isabella3's most serious accusation - the tone of an email you sent to her.

In the same vein as other comments I've made on this board regarding "Bad Karma" and my thoughts to @Isabella3, I would suggest some humility. With at least one incorrect statement online regarding your pay policies, it is very understandable that there would be confusion about them. As the owner of an MSC, you must recognize that you necessarily work with a wide variety of folks, that we all have bad days and that confusion about payment for services rendered can hit a sensitive nerve - especially if folks are trying to financially recover from the holidays. Take the high road.

Why not:
*Send @Isabella3 a polite and professional email outlining the pay policy and promising to pay her in precise accordance with said policy.
* If any previous emails from you were inappropriate (even borderline so), apologize.
* Agree with her that it is in both your best interests to not continue to do business together and deactivate her account.
* Personally make sure that her payment is processed properly.

If you have have acted professionally and properly, you have nothing to worry about with either the BBB or AG. They know good and well that they receive many reports that have zero merit. If you are contacted, you would simply respond as appropriate at the time - and it would be over.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2018 03:37AM by MFJohnston.

I clicked on Pay History and then the blue link t Pay Policy and was taken to
[admin.sentrymarketing.com]
Which still shows the bill.com

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2018 03:12AM by dulcew.

Also the Pay history still show bill.com but that makes sense as I was paid through bill.com

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2018 06:18AM by dulcew.

I have discovered that this link needs to be updated by Shopmetrics. The payment information connected to this link will be updated in the morning.

@dulcew wrote:

I clicked on Pay History and then the blue link t Pay Policy and was taken to
[admin.sentrymarketing.com]
Which still shows the bill.com

Question for Isabella3: why even threaten an MSC with the BBB, state attorney general + slander the company when the owner said to not only reach out to him directly, but also that the terms of the agreement would be paid out on 1/31? Did you not read your ICA?

Question for Isabella3: why even threaten an MSC with the BBB, state attorney general + slander the company when the owner said to not only reach out to him directly, but also that the terms of the agreement would be paid out on 1/31? Did you not read your ICA?

Eric asks an intriguing question. I wonder if the OP will respond.

The post leads me to another question. There is a lot of discussion in this thread and on this forum about MSCs living up to their end of the contract/agreement. Do the members of this community believe that this applies equally to shoppers? If so, the Isabella3 breached our ICA.

@Sentry Marketing
We all expect both shoppers and MSC's to live up to their ICA's. Shoppers who do not do so make life more difficult for the rest of us. MSC's who do not do so are not good business partners.

Based on what is in this thread, I have to ask, in what way are you saying that she did not live up to her end of the ICA? I see a couple of possibilities:
1. She requested/demanded payment before the standard payment date. My impression is that she legitimately thought that the payment was late. This happens, especially with new shoppers. This does not bother me (especially when there is conflicting information about your pay policies readily available online) and is easily remedied.
2. You stated that she responded in an unprofessional manner. I think I'm on record all over this board condemning any such behavior (perhaps to the chagrin of quite a few other shoppers....)
3. It's early and I have not finished my coffee yet. Did I miss something?

I had not planned to ask these questions as it appears that @Isabella3 is no longer responding and I had thought the thread was going to fade away, but since it is still being kept alive....
* Unless we have a statement to the contrary, I will operate with the belief that @Isabella3 approached you unprofessionally with her concerns about payment. I know this happens and I know nothing more about this situation other than what has been shared through this website. I would ask her for clarification on this point.
* I a unclear on this: Was her initial inquiry unprofessional or was it just her second email, after you had informed her of the change in policy?
* She claimed that your response to her was unprofessional as well. You have made not statement to the contrary. Whether you felt justified or not in doing so does not change that fact that you did or did not send an unprofessional response. Was she correct with this accusation? Was she justified as taking it poorly?
* You have clearly stated that you gave the payment by check to other shoppers. You have stated that you did not say that she would have to sign up for the new service lest she not get paid. Did you ever clearly offer her the solution you gave others? Or, did you expect her to bring the request up on her own?

Overall, I am still trying to figure out why this has gotten so escalated on both sides. My impression is that this is a very common misunderstanding between a shopper and an MSC and either side should have had the ability to avoid nearly all the drama.

@MFJohnston

Two clear breaches are Nondisclosure and Dispute resolution. The OP has also disparaged us on another site claiming that we "stalked" them.

We did have the opportunity to offer a resolution as Isabella3 threatened to contact the BBB in her second communication (first response to our reply) to us. In fact, she sent five separate email responses within one hour after receiving our reply to their first inquiry. The five responses included:

- a threat to contact the BBB
- a threat to contact the state Attorney General
- a demand to be paid the same day
- notification of complaints filed with Gigspot and the TX BBB
- a comment that Sentry schedulers are "obnoxious"

We never had the chance to offer to pay her by check because the conversation, on the OP's side, became confrontational and demanding almost from the start. That's the point. The vast majority of other shoppers communicated in a professional, business tone and requested to be paid by check. This shopper didn't. This shopper chose to adopt a hostile tone, made unjustified demands, disparaged our company and filed complaints which will take time and effort to resolve. This means we are out the cost of resolving issues created because the OP refused to be civil.

@Sentry Marketing
First, assuming accuracy of everything you have stated, yes, @Isabella3 navigated the situation very poorly. Her first email contact may have been reasonable. However, she likely jumped the gun on contacting the AG, BBB, etc. Moreover, her second (and beyond) email messages were unprofessional and very unlikely to help resolve the situation to her liking. On all of this, I agree with you.

However, where I disagree with you is where you state you never had any opportunity to offer a solution.

1. You chose to change payment methods. When you responded to her first email, you left her with the impression that she would have to adapt to your new policy in order to be paid for past work. Especially if she is a new shopper (which she is/was to you), she would have no way to know that she could request that you pay her by check. You absolutely should have sent that information in your initial reply. Had I been in a similar situation as the OP, I would have felt like it was a violation of the ICA on your part. I would have handled my response differently than she did.

2. You use her unprofessional conduct as an excuse to communicate unprofessionally back. In my book, (again, I'm all over the forum with this), there is never an excuse to lower yourself to a level of being unprofessional. No matter how horribly somebody speaks to (emails) you, you can always choose to respond professionally. Even after her worst email to you, you could same sent back a very calm, professional message saying that her payment would be processed in accordance with an the ICA and that you would be happy to have her paid by check. Every shopper, MSC, and client knows that you, as the owner of an MSC, are going to be dealing with difficult people and situations. You will be judged based on your response. This seems to be an area where you and I simply have philosophical differences.

3. That said, going to the AG and BBB is a reasonable recourse for a shopper who has a legitimate legal disagreement with an MSC after attempts to resolve the issue have been made internally. That is their purpose. While I do believe she jumped the gun, I can also see what a terse reply from you could very well have accelerated her move to do this. If I am working through an issue with an MSC, caustic replies from the MSC will drive me to look for help outside far more quickly than I would if I felt like the MSC was communicating professionally with me and actively seeking resolution. Thankfully, I have never had to do anything of the sort. Moreover, If I were to file such a complaint, I would send in copies of all responses from the MSC. I have got to think that it would be in your interest to not have any aggressive, caustic or unprofessional emails in the BBB's or AG's hands if they were to choose to intervene.

It does very much sound she violated the ICA with her conduct. At the same time, it also sounds like she had reason to believe that you had done so first. I am not justifying her actions in any way. I am only saying that I see this whole thing as an unnecessary mess and I believe a different response on either of your parts could have deescalated the issue.

I am sorry to say this, but they are the WORST....don't shop for them anymore. All about getting valuable info for their clients and then not paying you for any lame excuse....

@kcrim1
I am curious as to why you feel this way. What has your personal experience been? They must have something positive going for them as they are in business, are contracted with several large clients and have shoppers who actively work for them...

So, Dave. How many members of this forum have you deactivated because of their posts here criticizing your company?

You still have the bill.com information on the website.

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At this rate you should be paying me for QA work for the website.

Also, I am not getting notifications when Shop applications are rejected. The application just disappears.

@dulcew - send me an invoice.

The system does not send emails to those shoppers who apply but and not selected for an assignment.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2018 06:10PM by Sentry Marketing.

@BlueMoose,

Are you referring to criticism presented in a professional manner or comments that denigrate Sentry or me?

@BlueMoose wrote:

So, Dave. How many members of this forum have you deactivated because of their posts here criticizing your company?

@MFJohnston

1) At no time was the OP told that we would withhold payment. Even if the OP were told this, it does not justify the subsequent behavior. A simple and professional response along the lines of "I do not wish to be paid via Dwolla and ask that you process payment by check" would have been sufficient. This is how every other shopper who wanted payment by check handled the situation.

2) I communicated with the shopper in a direct and candid manner. If this is interpreted as rude or unprofessional, so be it. Each person is in control of their own perceptions. Maintaining a professional demeanor is a choice that does not require any special skill. Shoppers deserve to be treated with respect and professionalism and they should conduct themselves in the same manner. We are not going to pacify a shopper who is behaving badly. I think you would change your view on this if you had first hand experience working for an MSC. I base that statement on feedback from shoppers who have gone to work for MSCs.

3) The BBB does not handle B2B issues. Shoppers are not customers of MSCs. The reality is that shoppers are vendors for MSCs making the MSC a client of their shopper. Shoppers are an invaluable part of the industry and no MSC can be successful w/o their hard work. I don't believe the AG would handle a contractual dispute between two businesses. In addition, our dispute policy provides that any disputes are to be settled in our locality.

There is simply no justification for the OPs actions. Actions like theirs, while occurring infrequently, take a significant amount of time to address. This is time that taken away from shoppers who handle themselves in a pleasant and professional manner.

@Sentry Marketing

I don't recall if it was an email or the website that announced that we would need to sign up with Dwolla for future payments. I at no time saw anything stating that I could request to remain with Bill.com or have a check sent. My question is this, since I DID sign up with Dwolla, is that how I should anticipate my payments moving forward?

1) You also, by your own statements did not offer a solution. This, I believe, was your proper course.
2) For me, this is philosophical. Always treat everybody with respect - even when they are jerks. Nothing is ever gained by acting otherwise. Your statement here is the first time you have attempted to counter the accusation that you had a less-than-professional reply .I haven't read your emails to her, nor do I need to. You can judge for yourself if you think it was professional. I'm not perfect, but I try to err on the side of "nice" whenever I have an email exchange.
3) If you don't believe the BBB or AG would involve themselves, why did you previously complain that it would take time to respond to them? Honestly, I would go the route of professionally written certificated letters followed by small claims court if I were to feel wronged by an MSC. (I outlined this previously in the thread - before you chimed in.)

Yes, difficult shoppers certainly take a lot of your time. However, I go back to what I said previously. A kind email promising to pay in accordance with the ICA and OFFERING to send the check would have prevented all of this. How many hours have you spent on this site alone dealing with the issue when a good initial reply from your end could have prevented it all? If she still came back with unprofessional emails, you could have deactivated her, blocked her emails to you, paid her on time and otherwise ignored her -forever.

One nice email, taking less than ten minutes to compose would have likely saved you hours of *this.*

@COMystery

Our intention is to pay via electronic deposit moving forward. We anticipated some requests for payment by check for invoice 44 and 45. We have been reviewing these requests on a case-by-case basis.

@MFJohnston

When I replied to the OP, she had already sent in at least five emails threatening action against Sentry and had already filed complaints with the BBB. We are waiting to be notified of the complaints she filed with the BBB and AG's office.

My reply to the OP was candid and bunt, not disrespectful.

We can agree to disagree. And I agree with you that we shouldn't spend any more time discussing this matter.

@Sentry Marketing
That statement contradicts your first post.

@Sentry Marketing

WOW! ...and LIKED BY SENTRY MARKETING


@Isabella3 New Participant 3m January 15, 2018 12:18PM
I would never reccomend anyone to conduct shops for Sentry. I got sucked in when they had assignments posed on Gigspot. I registered for three assignments but cancelled the third when their schedulers kept calling about me “accepting” the assignment on Gigspot and i had done so hours earlier. What they pay per assignment is not worth the hassle. Now, let’s get down to when they pay, I completed shops over 45 days ago (mid-November of 2017) and have not been paid as of mid-January 2018. When I addressed this on their site I was told I would not be paid unless I signed up for Dwolla. I have no intentions of doing this. I then filed complaints against this company for withholding payment and was verbally assulted via email by the owner of the company. Listen to the reviews for Sentry Marketing, LLC. There is a reason shoppers say to steer clear of them.

@Lady Marius 100 3y January 15, 2018 12:46PM
Isabella, Sentry is not withholding your payment. You refuse to take the steps required to get paid. Sentry uses Dwolla for direct deposit of your pay, you need to sign up with that service to get paid, Period. Do not sign up then do not get paid. Or sign Up. And get paid. The ball is in your court! It is as simple as that. Sentry does not have any other form of payment available for Shoppers. So it is your only option, so just do it. Then you can decide to drop Sentry, if they have not already dropped you by then.

Lady Marius
Canadian Mystery Shopper

Liked by: Sentry Marketing

Isabella3 New Participant 3m January 15, 2018 12:55PM
Actually, they cannot make you sign up for Dwolla when the terms you accepted a shop for back in November of 2017 was with billpay.com or paper check. They are withholding my payment. Others need to be aware that this happens.

Oh, and I decided not to take on more assignments as they were the most obnoxious company I have ever conducted shops for.

Lady Marius 100 3y January 15, 2018 01:13PM
But those are no longer viable options. Currently there is only one method of payment. Either sign up. Or don't get paid. This is an unfurtunate timing issue as they have moved to a different method for payment. But you are wrong. Sentry is not withholding payment. They have given you an option to get paid; you are refusing to take the steps to get paid. Take the steps to get paid. And I will agree to disagree with you.


!!WOW!! ...and LIKED BY SENTRY MARKETING

@Sentry Marketing Sure would love to have seen you actually reply to @MFJohnston's numbered paragraphs instead of steering the conversation away, as you so cleverly did. I was really looking forward to reading your reply(ies). @MFJohnston made some very valid points - of your own contradictions to your own posts - and you steered clear. Very Clever.

@Sentry Marketing

"...We have had several other shoppers with assignments completed in 2017 ask for payment by check via Bill.com and we have accommodated each of those requests. What is different about @Isabella3's situation was the confrontational and unprofessional tone of their email. All that was necessary was to submit a request to be paid by check using a professional and business tone. This is how 99+% of our shoppers communicate.

We will be reviewing our options for recourse now that @Isabella3 has slandered us on a public forum."

Again, WoW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@AuburnHarleyMama @MFJohnston

What contradictions are you referring to?