I am just now becoming eligible for their bank shops after six months has elapsed (a fairly long rotation period), so I applied for a shop with Ath power....a day later, the job board completely changed, the shop is no longer listed, and this shop was deleted from my applications. Okay, so I applied for a different location. Same result. I applied for a third location...you got it, same result. I sent an email to one of their employees who has always responded fairly quickly....no response. I have a good history with Ath, so I am wondering if anyone knows of difficulty they are having?

I have been shopping for ATH for about 12 years now. I'm in the Northeast which could make a difference. The job board changes often depending on dates, bonuses, end of month, beginning of month. When you say the job was deleted from your applications, I'm not sure what you mean. If you apply for a shop and you don't get the shop, either someone else got it or you don't qualify. The only time that you are sure you got the shop is when they email you the shop which states your assigned. I sign up for shops all the time, I shop so many that I have a hard time keeping up with rotation. Lots of times I'm not assigned because of rotation. Each bank has a different rotation. I am also on the self-assign list, but am still refused if I have done the shop in 30, 60, or 90 days. The best person to help you is your scheduler. ATH will not get back to you if you are not assigned.
ATH shops thousands of banks per month, they can not get back to you.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2018 06:16PM by shopper8.

My rotation ended a years and a half ago. It took until this month before I successfully applied for a shop. I applied every other month or so.

HonnyBrown, what do you mean when you say your rotation ended a year and a half ago? All banks have different rotation times. How many banks do you shop for? I am just curious because I have shopped for so many years and never had a problem. I have mostly savings accounts which gives me lots of shops. I have a few free checking accounts. When ATH ends its client bank, I end my relationship also. Some banks they shop for years, some for a short time, again depending on the client.

My last account opening with ath's main client was in March, 2016. Prior to then, I opened and closed checking or savings accounts every other month. In April, ath instituted a 6 month rotation with this bank. I applied again in October, 2016. Nothing. So on and so on until my shop app was accepted this month, January 2018.

Honny, thanks for that response....exactly what I am experiencing....

I did receive a response from Ath regarding two shops that I been assigned. I had to cancel both last month because I didn't have social security card and the bank required it. I had to request a replacement card and wait to get it so the bank could verify it was actually my number since there's a fraud alert on my credit report.

After I got my replacement social security card, I emailed the scheduler because both shops were still on the job board. She was able to reassign the checking shop to me but stated they had met their quota for savings shops so even though there were savings shops still on the board, they didn't need anymore done. I then understood why jobs would show in my apps then disappear and be completely gone from the board. Apparently they post a ton of locations but only actually need about half of them shopped to meet their required number.

So, if Ath meets their quota for a specific client and type of shop, why don't they just delete, from the job board, all of those types of shops? That would make it a lot easier for us and them!

I am new to the mystery shopping, but I did get a bank shop with Ath in Sept 2017. I don't remember having any frustrations with the quick job. So it came back around and I signed up immediatly and almost immediatly it was in my shop app. Of course it was "pending." I checked it a couple times a day. As the date approached I could not plan anything because I did not know if I had this job. It got erased from my app and the job was still on the job board, only the dates were moved further out. That was frustrating, and now since I signed up for it again I guess I will just wait.
So, yes something seems off.

I have had quite a few shops with Ath power in the last few months. I refuse to open an account with a bank that has lots of fees though, just to be eligible for teller shops. (They do try to convince me though) I signed up for four non-teller information gathering shops and I received a reply from the scheduler that I needed to be certified first before he could assign the shops. Most MSC will let you take the shop and then do the certification, but I guess Ath power is different. I took the certification, but by the time I informed the scheduler there was only one shop left to take. I guess I'm good for the future, but I wonder about the rotations. Are you talking about visiting the same individual bank, or the bank brand in general?
I noticed with one bank, they keep track of every person that sees a CSR. They take your license and enter your information into their systems. So if you try to do the same shop at a different branch, it seems like it would be fishy. Has anyone else experienced this? I kind of played it off like, "yeah, I went to XYZ location last Saturday to open a credit card, I never realized that this bank that is right up the street from me was open on Saturdays! That's really good to know for the future." I could not believe that she knew by looking in her computer that I had been to the other bank and the reason that I was there. It made me a little leery about this bank for future shops.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2018 04:08AM by CTChamp.

I have been shopping for ath for several months now and I am highly satisfied! It takes a little while to get paid, but I know it is money in the bank. I only need wait for it and the money will be there. In the meantime, I look for other shops for which I'm eligible.

when do they send out/direct deposit pay? every company is different, i cant seem to find the info on their site and you said youve been with them a while... im like you, im patient and i know its coming money in the bank, but my fam wants me to refer them and i dont have the pay info to tell them, the other companies i've worked for al have previously paid me and i kept track so i could tell them. thanks :0)

I'm not the expert, since I've not been paid yet by them either, but here is what I know: I first shopped for them at the end of December. Around the beginning of this month, I received an email telling me to sign up for bill.com. I signed up with them and gave my direct deposit information. In my shop log, for those three shops that I did at the end of December, there is a payment date of 2/15/18. I am assuming I will be paid on that date via direct deposit from bill.com.

MizzPixie
All of the information is on ATH web site. You will be notified when the direct deposit is made by Bill Pay.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

My last account opening with ath's main client was in March, 2016. Prior to then, I opened and closed checking or savings accounts every other month. In April, ath instituted a 6 month rotation with this bank. I applied again in October, 2016. Nothing. So on and so on until my shop app was accepted this month, January 2018.

Just to give you a word of warning, the bank with the flag in its logo may ban you from opening new accounts if you open and close accounts twice a year or more. It happened to me last year. Ath won’t help shoppers get reinstated after a ban. Since it’s been almost 2 years, you’re probably fine. I just wanted to make you aware that the days of opening and closing accounts with any frequency at this bank without consequences are unfortunately over.

I am going through the same thing, but it's been like that since October. I inquired once, and was told that I was in good standing. One minor assignment was accepted since then, but could not be completed because the target individual was not available. I do not care much for their long pay cycle, so I've lost any real interest in wanting to do their essay assignments. If I have gaps in my schedule I still apply from time to time, but will not hold my breath. LOL

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2018 09:00AM by Carol R.

That's frustrating that ath won't work with the bank to "wipe out" their shoppers' records with the client.

@nycrocks wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

My last account opening with ath's main client was in March, 2016. Prior to then, I opened and closed checking or savings accounts every other month. In April, ath instituted a 6 month rotation with this bank. I applied again in October, 2016. Nothing. So on and so on until my shop app was accepted this month, January 2018.

Just to give you a word of warning, the bank with the flag in its logo may ban you from opening new accounts if you open and close accounts twice a year or more. It happened to me last year. Ath won’t help shoppers get reinstated after a ban. Since it’s been almost 2 years, you’re probably fine. I just wanted to make you aware that the days of opening and closing accounts with any frequency at this bank without consequences are unfortunately over.

Is there a fee to close the checking and savings account? The fee is $85 right now in my area.

I've enjoyed working with them so far (started in December). But I'm wondering ... my mid-December assignment is scheduled to pay on Feb. 15 according to my account info with them, but my early-December assignment (for a retailer credit card) is not listed as being scheduled for payment, even though I had direct communication with athPower when finishing up the last details of the job. No answers to inquiries asking if they need anything further from me.

I had the same thing happen to me for that Red Retailer about two years ago. Then, out of seemingly nowhere, the shop was paid and all was well. Ath always pays, it just takes a while at times.

Dave, there is no fee to close the account. I had one banker tell me that if I closed the account before three months, I would be charged $50. I asked her to show that to me in the disclosures. She did a lot of back peddling and offered me a calendar.

@DavePi wrote:

Is there a fee to close the checking and savings account? The fee is $85 right now in my area.

@amyann2 Did you ever receive payment? I had three shops with Ath power that stated payment on 2/15/18 but I have not received anything yet. Is this standard practice or should I follow up?

CTC, if you are signed up with Bill.com, payment will be in your account tomorrow.

Hi CTC, no payment yet, but I got the e-mail from bill.com that it's on the way. It's only for the one (later) job.

I just got the bill.com message today also. Thanks for your help! They have lucrative shops but a strange billing system!

Ath never pays on time. I am getting really tired of it. Last time it was 7 days late. This time it's already 6 days late and no one with respond to any inquires when they will actually pay for shops that were due to be paid on 3/15. I work hard. I have bills to pay.They never pay on time and they schedule when they want to pay and they can't follow their own policy.

I received the bill.com email that the money would be in my account tomorrow, 3/21. It does always seem to be several days to a week later than what the site lists on my log.