HS BRANDS Payment delay
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So, if an MSC does not live up to their own agreement, what is the shopper's recourse? Aside from the obvious of not working for them again.
My last payment from HS was 7/21/19 for jobs on 4/18/19. It looks like they pay about 90 days in arrears. I did several in May so I expect that payment anytime now. My Question is: Does anyone know if HS Brands is still operating in the Phoenix area? They were incredibly active for several months and now they are silent! Is it HS Brands or me? I sent an email to the help desk about 2 weeks ago but no answer. Could they have been as cavalier with the client as they are with shopper pay and got canned?
I agree. We are working; we have to keep records. Long waits make it difficult especially for tax purposes.
I'm still waiting nine weeks for SEELevel pay.
I'm still waiting nine weeks for SEELevel pay.
I did my first HS shop in early May. When August came, I contacted them asking when I would be paid. I got a very nice response saying their payment schedule is 60 days from the last day of the month, and that I should expect payment any day. When I did not receive payment at the end of that week, I contacted them again and received another very nice response saying basically the same thing. I guess now the only thing to do is wait.....?
Are you sure? They paid EARLY this month, on the 8th! Via PayPal, anyway.
@sonny44 wrote:
I agree. We are working; we have to keep records. Long waits make it difficult especially for tax purposes.
I'm still waiting nine weeks for SEELevel pay.
I just started with HS Brands in late June, needless to say it’s been a little frustrating considering it’s my first time doing this kind of work. I just now show payment pending for the ones I did in late June. I’ve just accepted the fact that i won’t get paid till Sept. 15th which is 75 days past June 30th. Hoping for the best! *Update* got paid on 8/27 for June about 5 days after I originally posted this. About 60 days after the end of the month.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2019 08:48PM by Jmiranda70.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2019 08:48PM by Jmiranda70.
I can completely understand. Waiting so long to get paid defeats the purpose of these shops. You end up getting paid long after you've paid your credit card bill (money used on shop) and gas money already evaporated. With other msc's stepping up their pay days hs brands is becoming veeery unattractive right now.
Anyone received payments for May shops yet? Nothing paid to me yet.
I was also paid tonight for May from Service Sleuth.
So happy for those of you who were paid today! I'm jealous. 
I did shops the during the first 6 days of June and according to their guidelines on the MCP log in page (which HS owns now), I should be paid 60-75 days from the last day of the month in which I did my shop. That would equate to being paid by Sept. 13 for the 75 days. It also means I have to wait up to 105 days to be paid, if I am lucky enough to get paid by 9/13. It is not showing pending. I have little hope of getting paid in September from them. I'm thinking most folks in my area are feeling the same as I am, as shops are bonused and just continues to sit there on the job board. I kinda wish we would all boycott HS Brands and Measure Consumer Perspectives until they pay the first week of the month following the shop at the very latest - which is the longest wait I have with companies I do shops for. After getting paid for these shops, I will remove myself from both of these companies. We, as shoppers, deserve much more respect and to be paid on a much more timely basis. This timeline that is on the log in page, is not what the ICA was when I signed with MCP. Terrible way for them to do business. I hope all of their clients wait at least 100 days before they pay these MSC's. Would serve them right.
I did shops the during the first 6 days of June and according to their guidelines on the MCP log in page (which HS owns now), I should be paid 60-75 days from the last day of the month in which I did my shop. That would equate to being paid by Sept. 13 for the 75 days. It also means I have to wait up to 105 days to be paid, if I am lucky enough to get paid by 9/13. It is not showing pending. I have little hope of getting paid in September from them. I'm thinking most folks in my area are feeling the same as I am, as shops are bonused and just continues to sit there on the job board. I kinda wish we would all boycott HS Brands and Measure Consumer Perspectives until they pay the first week of the month following the shop at the very latest - which is the longest wait I have with companies I do shops for. After getting paid for these shops, I will remove myself from both of these companies. We, as shoppers, deserve much more respect and to be paid on a much more timely basis. This timeline that is on the log in page, is not what the ICA was when I signed with MCP. Terrible way for them to do business. I hope all of their clients wait at least 100 days before they pay these MSC's. Would serve them right.
I too was paid yesterday for shops performed in May, 2019.
I think this is the best way to calculate when you will be paid (rather than counting the days).
Take the month in which you did the shop - say its February;
Then: February - skip March - skip April - Paid in May.
You have to look at your own payment history to determine WHEN in then month the payment will be made.
Mine come in between the 21st and 26th of the payment month.
Hopefully this will relieve some of the uncertainty. The only way to not feel the pain is to do as many as you can each month. After 3 months you will receive a monthly payment (even though its for 2 months before). HS Brands and Mershimer (both owned by the same person) have always been reliable BUT VERY SLOW payers. I think reliability is more important than speed, especially if you can afford to wring out the delays by shopping every month (so you get a payment every month)
Hope this helps.
Take the month in which you did the shop - say its February;
Then: February - skip March - skip April - Paid in May.
You have to look at your own payment history to determine WHEN in then month the payment will be made.
Mine come in between the 21st and 26th of the payment month.
Hopefully this will relieve some of the uncertainty. The only way to not feel the pain is to do as many as you can each month. After 3 months you will receive a monthly payment (even though its for 2 months before). HS Brands and Mershimer (both owned by the same person) have always been reliable BUT VERY SLOW payers. I think reliability is more important than speed, especially if you can afford to wring out the delays by shopping every month (so you get a payment every month)
Hope this helps.
I get what you’re saying, Mike, but for me it’s not practical to wait 3+ months for reimbursed shops or a not high paying shop. Too bad because I had liked doing them.
Got paid, DD, for June parking shops, today.
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
From the login page:
Payments are submitted to PayPal or direct deposit approximately 75 days after the last day of the month in which the project was completed.
Note that this is different from what it used to promise which I think was (paraphrasing): end of the second month following the shop.
So, I ran a quick report of how long it took to get paid from the end of the month in which the shop was done vs when I was paid. I think we were spoiled. Until recently, the average time to get paid was 35.24 days. The most recent payment for me was 83 days (over the 75 days they are now quoting).
All the May shops should be paid by now. If you are still waiting for May, HS Brands is late.
Payments are submitted to PayPal or direct deposit approximately 75 days after the last day of the month in which the project was completed.
Note that this is different from what it used to promise which I think was (paraphrasing): end of the second month following the shop.
So, I ran a quick report of how long it took to get paid from the end of the month in which the shop was done vs when I was paid. I think we were spoiled. Until recently, the average time to get paid was 35.24 days. The most recent payment for me was 83 days (over the 75 days they are now quoting).
All the May shops should be paid by now. If you are still waiting for May, HS Brands is late.
@MikeInPhoenix wrote:
I think this is the best way to calculate when you will be paid (rather than counting the days).
Take the month in which you did the shop - say its February;
Then: February - skip March - skip April - Paid in May.
I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't rely on shopping income to pay the rent. In terms of personal cash flow, it doesn't make much of a difference. But like Sony44 says, this means our books have to stay open longer and we waste time following up with the MSC when it can't even manage to meet its new extended pay terms. (When I emailed earlier this week I got a snide email that I need to allow five BUSINESS days from when it says "payment processing" on mylog.) Suddenly changing the payment terms after the shop has been submitted, with no email notification from either the MSC or the scheduler, just seems disrespectful to shoppers, which is a shame since I've otherwise had nothing but good experiences with both HS and their scheduler KSS.
I got paid for June yesterday! 8/27/19 , about 60 days after the end of the month
Three months to get paid? I completed a job for HS Brands on May 1. I just got paid, August 27: 117 days later- 4 months.
I’m still waiting on June shop to be paid. 76 days and counting. It may be 2020 before July shops get paid. Th
Mike,
Are you sure HS Brands will continue to be reliable? I finally got paid by HS Brands 117 days (4 months) after completion of the project. This long delay strongly suggests serious internal instability. At the very least, it is highly disrespectful of the devoted shoppers who work for them. Having contractors wait four months to get paid is an unacceptable business practice in any industry.
Are you sure HS Brands will continue to be reliable? I finally got paid by HS Brands 117 days (4 months) after completion of the project. This long delay strongly suggests serious internal instability. At the very least, it is highly disrespectful of the devoted shoppers who work for them. Having contractors wait four months to get paid is an unacceptable business practice in any industry.
I am brand new to message boards and don't know if this question is appropriate. But, is it okay to ask if HS is still doing mystery shops for car washes in Arizona (no brand mentioned)? You can delete the post if its against the rules and I'll try to get the answer another way. Thank you all.
Followup: I received my pay for May this week! Hurray!!!
Its not hard to do a shop and then have to wait a LONG time for payment. Say you do one of their shops on March 2nd. The month of march "doesn't count" the way I do the calculations; Shop (March) - skip a month - skip a month - get paid in this month. Lets also say you get paid from them on the 21-26th (like me). That really means you have to wait all of March, April, May and say 3 weeks of June. Its a long time. The only way to overcome that is to do the shops near the end of the month. I really do think HS is an okay company and I'm not making excuses for them. They probably have tens of thousands of shops to co-ordinate and report. They may get the payroll time shortened but in the meantime Ive never been shortchanged by them.
Welcome to the forum, MikeInPhoenix. I have seen many car washes by other MSCs. If you're only signed up with a few, I suggest signing up with a lot more companies
Not long ago, HS Brands changed their long-standing payment policy from shop date + 60 days to last day of the month that the shop was performed + 60 days. As has been mentioned, they have now changed to last day of the month that the shop was performed + 75 days and they are not honoring this.
I have placed HS Brands on credit hold. Should they wish me to do more work for them, I will require payment in advance. I don't know if they are going through cash flow issues (the only reason a firm goes through cash flow issues is that banks don't find them creditworthy enough to provide a business line of credit to smooth out the cash flow) or if they simply no longer care to pay their bills. Either way, its cash-with-order for me. That that means no work from them is not a great loss and certainly not nearly as great of a loss as carrying their paper might end up being.
I have placed HS Brands on credit hold. Should they wish me to do more work for them, I will require payment in advance. I don't know if they are going through cash flow issues (the only reason a firm goes through cash flow issues is that banks don't find them creditworthy enough to provide a business line of credit to smooth out the cash flow) or if they simply no longer care to pay their bills. Either way, its cash-with-order for me. That that means no work from them is not a great loss and certainly not nearly as great of a loss as carrying their paper might end up being.
@Maryanne J wrote:
@boridi wrote:
Email I just received:
"Hi
Our standard payment terms are 60 days from the last day of the month the shop was done and you will typically get paid between 45 and 75 days from when you submit your completed report.
Thank you
Jackie
Example May shops - 60 days from May 31st so payments will be made around 8/15/19"
Apparently 60 days after May 31st is August 15th.
It would be nice if that statement was true, but unfortunately, it is not in a lot of cases. I have waited well over "60 days from the last day of the month the shop was done" and many, many days past "45 and 75 days from when you submit your completed report." Rarely do I get payment by the stated time frame. This company should abide by their written guideline for pay just the same as they expect all of their shoppers to abide by the guidelines for their shops. As much as I used to like getting assignments from them, now it is just a pain in the neck so to speak. All of my shops are rated either 9/10 or 10/10. I give HS Brands/Service Sleuth a 3/10.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2019 11:15PM by nslowry.
KSS is a reliable and responsible scheduling company. I have always had good experiences with them. One scheduler is way too brief in his responses to questions and always requires a follow up question posed, but all in all, I am satisfied with KSS. They are not responsible for paying us, but they will help with issues even though they are not under any obligation to do so.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2019 04:18AM by nslowry.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2019 04:18AM by nslowry.
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