They have been stiffing shoppers for years and still do. I am owed HUNDREDS! Same with so many others. Google them-"Elite doesn't pay." You will see for yourself. Shoppers are fighting back. BBB in Florida won't list them. Their list of clients drops as shoppers write directly to them exposing their fraud. I noted that two long term banks clients have quit them recently.
If you have been scammed, get revenge. Write to the CEOs of their clients. Send them the Google links. Their clients' pay includes our fees, but Elite just pockets our money-for almost 10 years!
If you've been stiffed too, Fight! Fight! Fight!

My plan works for me.

1-Before accepting work for a company of which I am ignorant, I research.
2-If I am satisfied, I accept and complete ONE job. If all goes well, I cautiously increase my shop load.

As it is always possible a "leopard could change its spots," I accept that as an unavoidable part of business. In addition, from not a single MSC on our planet, would I apply for work requiring me to front more than two digits of dollars.

There are countless threads here about that. You can use the search function for further reading.

LEOPARDS DO NOT CHANGE THEIR SPOTS. I have never been stiffed by any of the two dozen or so MSPs I have worked for in the last 15 years. I was totally blindsided by their scam. And please, don't blame the victim.

It's ok. You didn't know. You joined the forums recently and can now further re/search. Live and learn.

OK, here’s some tea:

David Hartley, co-founder of Elite CX, used to be a shopper. Back in 2013, David asked for multiple extensions and eventually flaked on a route of about a dozen luxury auto dealership/auto service shops back in 2013. He was incredibly unprofessional and left the MSC hanging. It took a massive effort to mend the relationship with the client. I saw all of this happen firsthand.

Ever since then, I’ve avoided David Hartley and everything else he’s been involved with, including the MSPA. If you are ethical and honest in your evaluation reports, you may be shocked that someone can act as he does. It doesn’t occur to us to do these things. But it doesn’t trouble unethical people one bit, unfortunately.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2025 02:40PM by ColoKate63.

Based on another thread, he appears to be an equal opportunist regarding non-payment, inclusive of schedulers and editors.

So what have you done about it? We need to band together and write to his customers. Send them Google links. BBB and MSPA are not helpful. He doesn't belong. Act!

I'm not affected. You can pursue and proceed with other avenues. Sorry if this isn't helpful.

“So what have you done about it? We need to band together and write to his customers. Send them Google links. BBB and MSPA are not helpful. He doesn't belong.”

1. I took care of my wallet first. I pursued Elite CX for my overdue fees and had an attorney friend type up a demand letter. I was relentless and was paid in about a month. I was owed just under $1,000 for a weeklong route of several complicated shops, and was paid the full amount… six months late.

2. At the time, David Hartley was in the MSPA leadership. AFTER I WAS PAID, I contacted the MSPA owners that I personally know by email and let them know that multiple shoppers were going unpaid. He is no longer in the MSPA, as noted earlier.

3. I have posted multiple times here, being sure to use David Hartley, Marguerite Turner, and Elite CX in the text so that Google algorithms and web crawlers pick up their names and show these type of posts when a search is performed by either a client or a shopper.

If you Google “David Hartley Elite CX” right now fourth or fifth entry on the front page is a Reddit post titled “Avoid David Hartley and Elite CX - doesn’t pay.” Clicking the Reddit link leads to a long thread of shoppers discussing the shady business practices.

If we all wrote reviews on Reddit, Yelp, and Google we could influence and inform the community of clients, schedulers and shoppers.

4. I have told my mentees to completely avoid David Hartley, Marguerite Turner, and Elite CX. (See what I did here?)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2025 02:35PM by ColoKate63.

I found these forums beneficial to read about current and past MSCs. Compared to other platforms, the feedback here can be helpful. This is a small subset of shoppers, but active with a lot of experience. Thank you!

Good job. You got tough. You got your money. I gave up trying to collect. So I seek revenge by encouraging shoppers to go after Elite's clients and encourage them to seek other MSPs. Hit 'em in the wallet.

When I saw the Elite CXS posts continue to pop up on Reddit, I did wonder if shoppers after a certain point in time got paid. Up to a certain point, shoppers eventually got paid. Since then, I have not seen anyone post an update or resolution, though.

A class action lawsuit has been started. Info is on the Reddit mysteryshopping forum. You can search the forum for you.

@Droidx wrote:

So what have you done about it? We need to band together and write to his customers. Send them Google links. BBB and MSPA are not helpful. He doesn't belong. Act!