My 2/28 payment schedule that got moved to a 3/15 schedule got moved to 3/31. I'm calling the Minnesota Attorney General. They are in default of their own agreement regarding when shops will be paid. A company that repeatedly ignores their contractors and has the level of unresponded to BBB complaints as they do and just assumes that by putting their head in the sand all will be OK is not a company I am going to trust with my money going forward. There's no integrity in this.

I'm bummed -- because I REALLY enjoyed some of their shops -- but enough already.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2022 04:14PM by gsfreeman2.

The Minnesota AG probably has a ton of time on their hands since they have tried to defund many of their big city police departments in their state. Since you seem pissed and wont be shopping for them anymore, then why don't you just go directly to their client and tell them what the problem is? Maybe that will spark a fire under them. I doubt the client is going to want to get calls from shoppers who are not getting pad.

Deleted

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2022 08:55PM by Cassiespark.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Since you seem pissed and wont be shopping for them anymore, then why don't you just go directly to their client and tell them what the problem is? Maybe that will spark a fire under them

I'm not enough of an idiot to tortuously interfere with Bestmark's relationships with its current or prospective customers. That's a good way for them to sue me out of existence.

At the same time, I'm FAR from the only one who hasn't been paid and I'm at the point where frankly I could use the money.

Out of ALL the MSC's I do business with none of them do this to any of their shoppers. And perhaps because (a) they're local to me and they were the first MSC with whom I had a relationship (b) I have been in a failed business and I smell where this is going and (c) this is not the first time they did this, this smacks harder than anything else.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2022 08:43PM by gsfreeman2.

Looks like Cassiespark already contacted the client directly. I have never been pissed off enough to go to a client. I can't say I really have ever been burned either. I was just "throwing that out there." So if they are "local" to you, I'm guessing you already have been by their office/HQ? Did you find anything out on that recon trip?

They moved out of their office space and are now a virtual client of a co-working center. It was the industry I was in and seeing the address I knew exactly what they did.

They don't have an "office" per se. Only a mail drop. Employees work from home.

I think this is the story of BM

* Good, well-regarded, company, some great national customers (the blue electronics chain, the car company known by a blue oval, the purple fitness place) and some good regional/local clients (banks, restaurants, $5-10 million revenue companies)

* Been in business 35-some years. Owners want out, they've paid their dues and it's time to ride off into the sunset.

* They hire capital advisors, because, they have real revenue and something to sell

* The company that is at the exact same address as another MSC in the state of Michigan starts registering the name Bestmark in Michigan and puts their owner's name as the legal registered agent of this company. Everyone feels good and is going to end up fat and happy.

* Somewhere in the due diligence, either they find something they don't like and/or COVID comes on so fast and furious that the purple fitness place and the blue oval car manufacturer and the blue electronics place and pretty much every restaurant in the world say F this we are more worried about staying alive than we are about CX and pull the rug out from under BM and that deal ends faster than Milli Vanilli did when they were found out to be lip-synchers.

* BM has an oh-bleep moment. Either gets evicted from or gives up its office space. CEO takes a job in the outside world, they take a PPP loan to pay themselves, and they scramble to find clients. It's truly a live-or-die moment for them.

* The new clients they find .-- the large sales portal, the well known auction site -- probably aren't good fits for BM's business model the way they had it in the past, but it's adapt or die, and it really scrambles up their business operations, plus, they are operating on a shoestring at this point.

* Now they're trying to run two businesses and probably dealing with large global companies who pay you when and how they want to pay you and not when the bills are due. They lose some (blue electronics) retain some (purple fitness), gain some (local restaurant chains), but they don't know whether things are up, down, left, or right.

* They've cut back so much and are so understaffed than getting back to their shoppers is the last thing they have time for, because the big big customers that are now their bread and butter aren't paying them, so they are using the money from the purple fitness and the blue oval and the local restaurants to keep them afloat between payments.

* So they're revenue-ok and cash-poor. But you can't pay your bills with promises.

* Meanwhile they let 16 BBB complaints go unresponded to, piss off many of their shoppers, and live off the backs of the ones that will take it.

One day the bill will come due for all this BS. I just want to make sure I'm not owed any money when it happens.

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2022 10:00PM by gsfreeman2.

Gsfreeman2, whether that is or is not the story of Bestmark it sure was a wild ride! Thank you for taking us on that very possible journey.

I got a couple of emails from Cory Walker at Bestmark today for some shops in SoCal. I remember that person scheduling like 10 years ago (if not longer). I can't imagine staying in a scheduler position for such a long time. Nothing against schedulers, but i think of it as an entry-level thing. Kind of like "helpdesk" for IT. Someone on the "helpdesk" should want to move on to other IT positions. Don't they get tired of asking "did you reboot?" I would think scheduling for that long would also be a drain trying to fill crap shops with ridiculous pay and begging people to take them.

It it was a part-time thing, that is fine, but some of these people seem to be in the same scheduling job for more than a decade.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

I got a couple of emails from Cory Walker at Bestmark today for some shops in SoCal. I remember that person scheduling like 10 years ago (if not longer). I can't imagine staying in a scheduler position for such a long time.

He told me he's been with the company almost 18 years. Starting as the office manager, got laid off during the pandemic, now back as a "senior project manager". IDK.

I have had good encounters with Cory. I don’t think we should be hasty to judge his work choices. The scheduling job might provide flexibility for a better work life balance for his family life. It could be any number of things. You never know what people’s motivations are and it’s their business entirely.

I am not excusing the payment issues going on. They need to do better!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2022 12:20PM by audrialyn30.

I sent a couple of messages to Bestmark to see when I would be paid for shops that were completed and in January and reviewed 2/8. I received this message on 3/24: We apologize for this delay. Our accounting department is working through a backlog of payments due to a technical issue that caused them not to process. We are certain that this issue will be resolved soon. If you still have not received your payment by 3/31, please let us know.

In a surprise to absolutely no one here, I did not receive pay today and the shops are still listed on my pending pay tab. I will give it another and and reach out again but other than not completing anymore shops and going to the BBB is there anything else I can do? I have +/-$300 outstand pay from them but only the two shops I was asking about are OOP reimbursements. I don't mind waiting (too much) but I hate feeling like I am being lied to and given the runaround.

You are definitely getting the runaround. That is exactly what I was told about a payment from November that I was waiting for. With that being said, I was eventually paid in January, so I assume they are trying. But it doesn't look they had a "technical issue" if it's still happening in March. Shoppers...BEWARE! Shop at your own risk.

I been waiting for the payments too for past 2 months, contacted via contact us form but no response till now. I am not signing up more shops until they pay me. It says payment date 03/31/22 so hopefully today

I contacted them again this morning and this is the response: We understand your frustrations. Accounting is still working through a backlog of payments. They are aware of the issue and working as quickly as possible to resolve it.

We apologize for the delay and inconvenience, and thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,
The BestMark Team


BM08
PIL 1095


I know that the person answering the inquiries is not in charge of the payments but I am tempted to contact them every day asking for an update. Maybe they will just pay me to get me off their backs?

.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2022 03:41AM by Tanischri87.

If you see the other BM shop thread, someone on the Facebook mystery shop board has already opened a complaint with the Minnesota AG.

[www.ag.state.mn.us]

Perhaps the more pressure the more likely we'll be paid. Or they file bankruptcy. Who knows at this point.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2022 06:42PM by gsfreeman2.

I’m Canadian and have a shop from late January, 4 in February and 4 or 5 in March and I’m still waiting to be paid. I’ve had 4 “expected pay dates” Feb 15, Feb 28, March 15 and just went past March 31 and still nothing. I too believe they’re having cash flow problems and aren’t being honest with us Mystery Shoppers. I emailed them and said I’m not doing anymore shops scheduled or otherwise until I’m paid. Crickets

My payments all got pushed back from the 3/31 payment schedule to the 2/28 payment schedule. Not sure what if anything that means but hopefully it means that payment is on the way.

Correction bsck to 3/31 this morning.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/2022 01:49PM by gsfreeman2.

Paid. 4/6 instead of 3/31 instead of 3/15

Not that bad

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2022 03:42AM by Tanischri87.

My friend did a shop for them several months ago. He sent them an email 2 days ago asking about where the money was and just got paid. I had told them about all the drama on this forum. He didn't really wait that long compared to some of these other people. Wonder if people are getting paid based on client or is everyone getting paid? Perhaps Bestmark is paying shoppers only for the clients that pay them so they can continue their program. My friend did a shop for that Big A company.

They sent some payments out today, so I don't think his email 2 days ago was the catalyst for this. Ironically, my Big A shops are still not paid, but 2/8 Big E shops were paid. There appears to be no rhyme or reason, and an explanation is beneath them. But! Some money went out. Maybe it will become a trend!

All six shops i am owed by BM moved to the paid board with an estimated pay date of 4/15/21. Last time i was paid before the promised date.

I will start checking my credit union for money.

Regardless as fun as it has been eating on their dime; this party is over

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2022 02:15AM by gsfreeman2.

I just sent them a message and I got my pay like 15 minutes later. It is just a coincidence.
everybody must be getting paid today.

Did you actually receive a payment or did your shops just get moved over to the paid board? I see that my shops were moved but the pay date wasn't until 4/15 and my credit Union doesn't show receipt of funds yet

UPDATE - got an ACH today. I understand people got PayPal yesterday.

@breestjon wrote:

I just sent them a message and I got my pay like 15 minutes later. It is just a coincidence.
everybody must be getting paid today.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/2022 12:52AM by gsfreeman2.