@anng123 wrote:

@SoCalMama wrote:

Didn't she send somebody an email saying that she was going to take care of her family first? Hence, she used the shoppers' money to pay her bills, and the shoppers paid for things such as parking and meals on their own dime. Good luck at getting anything. She looks like trash to me.

We are pursuing this by the correct legal means in small claims court, if judgment is entered and she loses the case, she will legally have to pay me and whoever else sues her and wins their case. If she can not pay, there are other means to collecting the money including

1) Asking the court to assess all of her assets and property
2) Seizing from her personal bank accounts or safe deposit boxes with the help of the sheriff
3) Seizing from her business bank accounts with the help of the sheriff (that is if she didn't co mingle funds)
4) Having liens placed against her real property (house , land, etc) personal property (sheriff will seize her personal property and sell it at public auction) or lien on her accounts which will go on her credit history and ruin her financially for life.
5) Having her business license for SCS revoked if she even has one.
6) Hire a professional debt collection agency to go after her with their phone calls, letters, etc until she pays and trust me - they work.
7) wage garnishment - the court will withhold pay for her jobs

I hope that you can collect. I have a $7000 judgement against a company in MO. I have a judgement in CA and MO. No luck collecting at all. They have closed their bank account (from which I was paid).

@starlajae wrote:

Could you share the addresses you mailed to? I am also planning on pursuing legal action for missed payments. Thanks.

pm'ed

@kimmiemae wrote:

I wonder if she has an ID for this forum and is reading this about her....what is she thinking after reading this.

Probably too busy relaxing at the beach this MDW with our money!

If anybody gets a settlement here - let us know!

@anng123 wrote:

I've located three addresses affiliated with her from public records, legal papers will be served on those addresses soon. She can run from our emails but I wish her luck running when the sheriff shows up. Run Katy Run!

All of you who can - it's only $35 to file a small claims case against her and the process is fully electronic (submit PDFs, pay with credit card) to Placer County Small Claims Court.

Have you found the current, correct address? Have you gotten any reply? I had sent a demand letter to one address but even the return receipt has not come back.

@sestrahelena wrote:

@anng123 wrote:

I've located three addresses affiliated with her from public records, legal papers will be served on those addresses soon. She can run from our emails but I wish her luck running when the sheriff shows up. Run Katy Run!

All of you who can - it's only $35 to file a small claims case against her and the process is fully electronic (submit PDFs, pay with credit card) to Placer County Small Claims Court.

Have you found the current, correct address? Have you gotten any reply? I had sent a demand letter to one address but even the return receipt has not come back.

I'll PM you it

Got it. Thanks!

234 Channel Hill Road is NOT affiliated with KATY or SCS. FYI!!!

I should think it would be cheaper and easier to file for bankruptcy than to pay us all.

@sestrahelena wrote:

I should think it would be cheaper and easier to file for bankruptcy than to pay us all.

I’m fairly certain that’s where this is headed. She clearly has no assets.

I have a court date with her now!
Who else ?

I am actually afraid that I would outlay all the cost to go there then find out she's bankrupt and I'd have no way to recoup my expenses and the pay owed me. In other words, If she has made herself immune to any present or future debts, I will just lose even more money for nothing.

And then, if she files for bankruptcy, there's the issue of whether or not SCS is a legitimate business, since it is not registered and who, exactly my claim would be against (the person or the business). On the other hand, can I write off the whole shebang (pay and reimbursements) as my own business loss? I can always use a good loss but I don't like getting screwed in the process. Principles and ethics, you know. I am completely torn about which way to go.

We're going to go after her badly.

How far away is your court date?

@sestrahelena wrote:

How far away is your court date?

November but as soon as the sheriff's department shows up to her address with the papers maybe that will scare the living berserks out of her so she'll PAY UP

Who else has sued Gravatt and SCS? Her clients are OPEN - some never closed their take out/delivery service yet she refuses to pay

@anng123 wrote:

Who else has sued Gravatt and SCS? Her clients are OPEN - some never closed their take out/delivery service yet she refuses to pay

If you’re the only one, she might pay you, but that’s only if she’s going to keep the business open.

I am curious too, about whether others have filed suit. Of course, not all of the shoppers are on this forum. I think I am going to take the loss writeoff at tax time, even though it kills me to let her get away with it. By November she will have had plenty of time to hide any assets she might have. I would just be accumulating more loss in air travel, lodging, additional costs to garnish her future wages, or whatever. I would just be digging my hole deeper, possibly for nothing. Now, if I lived within a few hours of the court, you bet I would be all over it!

I’m also just taking the loss. While I don’t condone her business practices, the $ amount isn’t worth that hassle. It’d be nice if she attempted some kind of restitution, but I’m not counting on it.

Has anyone contacted the BBB? Maybe we can, at least, warn other potential clients and shoppers?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/2020 10:46PM by sestrahelena.

FULL speed ahead! The sheriff/police will be paying her a visit VERY SOON with a SUMMONS to court. Katy if you are reading this, your DESPICABLE actions of defrauding your independent contractors will NOT be tolerated.

@sestrahelena wrote:

I am curious too, about whether others have filed suit. Of course, not all of the shoppers are on this forum. I think I am going to take the loss writeoff at tax time, even though it kills me to let her get away with it. By November she will have had plenty of time to hide any assets she might have. I would just be accumulating more loss in air travel, lodging, additional costs to garnish her future wages, or whatever. I would just be digging my hole deeper, possibly for nothing. Now, if I lived within a few hours of the court, you bet I would be all over it!

Remote video appearance is possible with the court, (since covid).

She sent this email 5 minutes ago - look like she's either scared of the pending legal firestorm on her or she finally came to her senses. Nevertheless, we will be continuing our legal course of action until all payments in addition to damages are recovered and we encourage all to do the same.

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all are doing well!

I wanted to send you all a status update of outstanding payments owed to you. The good news is that things are moving in a positive direction! I have recently received payment for some of my January invoices, which allows me to in turn, start paying you. I will start with January reimbursements and shop fees. I will send as many payments as I can with the funds available. I anticipate that what has been received will pay for at least 80% of the January shops. I will start sending these payments out this weekend.

That being said, I do not have a payment ETA on the remaining January invoices or the February and March client invoices. As I stated before, as soon as I receive payment from my clients, I can send out shopper payments and reimbursements. I am in regular communications with most of my clients and expect, and will do whatever I can, to ensure all invoices are to be paid at some point.

Also, I have received several questions from some of you and thought it would be best to provide an FAQ for everyone to read.

Why haven't your clients paid you? This unprecedented situation fell upon all of us so quickly. It drastically impacted my clients which ultimately led them to put a stop on all of their scheduled payments for SCS services and suspended the fieldwork for the time being. At this time, I do not have any additional information.
How could the shelter-in-place impact January and February payments if it began in March? My client payment schedules are typically on a 1 to 2 month delay. This means, for example, I typically receive payment for January shops in mid to late-March. Almost all Jan invoices were due around the time of the pandemic impact.
Now that restaurants have opened back up, does this mean I will receive my shopper pay and reimbursements soon? At this time, restaurant openings does not guarantee payment for my invoices. I continue to correspond with my clients and will notify my shoppers as soon as I receive any updates of payments coming through.
Can't you get a business loan to assist you during this crisis? Unfortunately, I have tried several options, and the criteria required to qualify does not match the small mystery shopping business model.
I'd like to reach out to your clients directly for more information. Please do not reach out to clients directly. This is a contract breach for all involved parties. A breach of contract can result in significant consequences and financial repercussions including, further invoice payment delays/shopper pay delays.

I'm sorry I don't have any additional information at this time. I want to be as transparent as I can with you all to hopefully help with the understanding of the situation. I really believe that solutions will come about sooner than later and we can resolve all outstanding shopper payments soon.

I appreciate all of you and your amazing services provided for SCS and my clients over the years. I am a person that values integrity and I assure you all that as soon as it is possible for me to do so, I will send you all any payments owed.

Thank you and please take care!



Katy Gravatt
Superior Customer Solutions
(888) 928-5068
(888) 899-2509 (fax)

Interesting. I’m curious how she decided who to send that email out to because she owes me money for that timeframe and I didn’t receive an email.

I likewise didn't get this email, nor the one she sent in March, although I'd been a regular shopper for her and am owed for Feb shops.

Has anyone received money owed yet?

Nope. Don't let up the pressure on her. Make sure she pays us.

I am sure she is just trying to quell the unrest with false hope.

Unfortunately, I have tried several options, and the criteria required to qualify does not match the small mystery shopping business model.

If the SBA can provide emergency money for individual little shoppers like me, they can provide emergency funding for individual businesses like hers.

She can get an emergency $10,000 advance on a PPP loan to pay her business expenses. She only needs a minimum 620-640 FICO score to be approved, and show she has been in business since January.

That she has not done so yet (from what she has indicated) and is now claiming her business model isnt set up for the emergency loans is disingenuous--unless her business model is based on denying shoppers prompt payment for services rendered.