Hi Shoppers:

I was wondering if anyone else is having trouble getting paid from Freeman Group? I performed two overnight stay hotel evaluations for them back in December 2011, and I have yet to be paid for them. To make matters worse, I paid for the rooms upfront, which is their guidelines. I have received two e-mails from the company, one back in March stating that everyone would be paid within 4 - 6 weeks, and I just got another one from them saying they are still having problems with funds and no anticipated date for payment.

Also, I highly recommend that NO ONE works with this company. They are obviously experiencing financial problems, and you won't get paid.

This is a typical thread/concern with the company. The general consensus is you will be paid and the best way to insure that is to send them an email everyday (or call). I usually wait three months and then start the process and it generally gets me paid fairly quickly.

Now if it is worth it just depends...I won't do their shops just to do them but if there is a property I want to visit anyway or it works for me then I will.

Liz

Hi Traveliz:

I sent them e-mails twice per week beginning after the time period they state they pay (8 - 10 weeks). I did not receive an e-mail back from them until April, in which they said I would be paid within 4 - 6 weeks. I responded, never heard back, so I continued to send e-mails. I received the following response yesterday:

"Unfortunately we are still experiencing an issue with funds at this time. We do not have a date for expected payment but I will keep in contact throughout the next 3-4 weeks to keep you updated. I wish I had more information for you but we do not know when we will be able to make payments. I apologize for the inconvenience. However, I have flagged your shops so they will be lined up for payment when it comes time."

Flagged my shops? In "line" for payment? These shops were done in DECEMBER!!! I should be at the front of the line !!

Again, I based on their admission that they are experiencing financial problems, I highly recommend that ALL shoppers refrain from working with them. In all honesty, I doubt I will ever see the money, which is sad since I put over $200.00 out of pocket to "help them" with shops they said they urgently needed done. I also drove all the way to Oceanside for one shop, which basically cost me the fee ($20.00) they paid me, just to help out the scheduler. Nice way to say "Thank you for your much needed help"!!!

Payment issues have been ongoing for several years. If you use the search feature on this forum you will find discussions about this going back to the first half of 2009.

Briefly it looked as though they might be getting their house in order, ducks in a row and act together. It would appear, however, that in the next act of this ongoing saga the ducks have flown and we are back to the squeaky wheels getting paid while others stand impatiently waiting.

Make a PITA of yourself about getting paid and for your own protection, search forums for companies BEFORE you take work. It would appear that Cirrus is going astray, Goodwin may be making a come back and Franchise Compliance is in the weeds--whether through need or greed it is hard to tell--but even as recently as today I received an email offer for one of their infamous carpet cleaning shops. There are others and there will be still more.

Yes, I am aware that Freeman was having problems getting people paid in 2009, I was one of them. I was assured however that they would be paying on time.. etc. I did 3 hotel evaluations for them, and although it took almost 4 months to get paid, I DID get paid. They tried to use the 'dog ate the homework" escuse to tell me that I did not submit my invoices, however, I had copies of THEIR confirmation e-mails about receiving them. Before I accepted the assignments in December, I spoke with the scheduler and I was ASSURED that I would be paid within their guidelines, which is why I took the assignments.

I will definitely keep bothering them. I can be one HUGE PITA if necessary!!

Spikeconnie@aol.com Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Traveliz:
>
> I sent them e-mails twice per week beginning after
> the time period they state they pay (8 - 10
> weeks). I did not receive an e-mail back from them
> until April, in which they said I would be paid
> within 4 - 6 weeks. I responded, never heard back,
> so I continued to send e-mails. I received the
> following response yesterday:
>
> "Unfortunately we are still experiencing an issue
> with funds at this time. We do not have a date for
> expected payment but I will keep in contact
> throughout the next 3-4 weeks to keep you updated.
> I wish I had more information for you but we do
> not know when we will be able to make payments. I
> apologize for the inconvenience. However, I have
> flagged your shops so they will be lined up for
> payment when it comes time."
>
> Flagged my shops? In "line" for payment? These
> shops were done in DECEMBER!!! I should be at the
> front of the line !!
>
> Again, I based on their admission that they are
> experiencing financial problems, I highly
> recommend that ALL shoppers refrain from working
> with them. In all honesty, I doubt I will ever see
> the money, which is sad since I put over $200.00
> out of pocket to "help them" with shops they said
> they urgently needed done. I also drove all the
> way to Oceanside for one shop, which basically
> cost me the fee ($20.00) they paid me, just to
> help out the scheduler. Nice way to say "Thank you
> for your much needed help"!!!

This has been their story for YEARS - and its true that it doesn't really matter when your shop was - people are paid in a somewhat random matter. I would still email them every (every) day and they will get tired of them and you will get your money. I think I did my first shop for them in 2005 and it was the same story.

Liz

Sad for sure!! As much as I enjoy being able to get away with my husband and get a free hotel stay, I most certainly won't be working with them again in the future. Seems nothing is "free" if you don't get paid !!

Thanks for all the input. It is appreciated

I wonder if they have a standard response ready. That response look exactly like what I received from Kim.


Floyd,

Unfortunately we are still experiencing an issue with funds at this time. We do not have a date for expected payment but I will keep in contact throughout the next 3-4 weeks to keep you updated. I wish I had more information for you but we do not know when we will be able to make payments. I apologize for the inconvenience. However, I have flagged your shops so they will be lined up for payment when it comes time.

Thanks,


Kim Scarcia // FreemanGroup
Measurement Accounting Specialist

T : (972) 479-1345 | F : (972) 479-1366
3501 Token Dr. Suite 100
Richardson, TX 75082
www.freemangroupsolutions.com
kscarcia@freemangroup.org

Hi Floyd:

Yes, I am pretty sure that it was a standard response. My name at the top of the e-mail was not in the same font as the rest of the e-mail. How much do they owe you, and how long has it been since you did the assignment?

I have a personal policy. I only complete one shop with a new company for a couple of reasons. First to become familiar with the reporting software and to see how they pay. This saves a lot of hassle I am finding. They owe my for one shop that was completed at the beginning of February.

I am the same. I have been doing this type of work for almost 7 years, full time. If I work with a new company, I only do one shop until I see how they pay. With Freeman, they started off paying within their guidelines, then fell to several MONTHS to be paid. Once I finally got paid for those shops, I was contacted by one of the schedulers in December to help with some evaluations. I had worked with this scheduler previously, and she assured me I would be paid "on time" this time, so I took two evaluations. Needless to say, putting
$200.00+ out of my pocket just before Christmas wasn't easy, but I managed. Now, for them to just push me to the back corner and NOT pay me, I am highly upset!! If your shops were done in February, I would anticiapte you won't see any payment for quite some time..if in fact any of us get paid at all.

I don't want to beat a dead horse.. YES I DO! They owe me $210 from a restaurant and a roach motel.

I like Spikeconnie's advice - do only one job with a new MSC to find out their software and pay schedule.

Optikdave - I'd beat the dead horse if I were you, too. It won't take long for you to write a strongly worded e-mail you can just copy/paste every day. Let us know of you ever do get paid!

And thanks to all for your comments on who NOT to sign with, on behalf of newbies everywhere!

Just got a PM from a shopper in Kuwait. She did get paid today after many months. So there is hope, unless they go belly up.

Wow, you all have certainly deterred my desire to perform budget hotel shops, as this is one of the companies I did sign up for but hadn't seen any postings for shops in the area I'd be needing, yet. Perhaps I'll bypass this company - are there any companies with similar type shops that pay quicker and are reputable? Thanks for the help ...

I would DEFINITELY stay away from this company. I have been surprised how many people have e-mailed back about their problems getting paid as well. From "sources", I have been told that Freeman is about out of business. What is really sad is that even yesterday I received an "invitation" to do more hotel shops for them. They must be out of their mind to think that I would actually go out and do MORE work for them, when they owe me over $200.00 since December.

Here in CA there is another company called BBS (B Business Solutions) that does some high end hotel evaluations. If you are an experienced shopper, you can apply with them for the evaluations. They pay very well and the evaluations are of resorts, not roach motels like Freeman. Another company is Coyle Hospitality. They have all types of evaluations, from high end restaurants to hotels and even some cruise lines. Keep in mind, unless you perform several restaurant assignments that they are happy with, don't even bother requesting a hotel or cruise assignment.

I'm still waiting to be paid for a shop I did early January. I will NEVER work for this company again and I am sure they will go out of business because people simply won't shop for them.

I think we should ALL gang up on them and start bombarding them with e-mails and pay demands!! I am surprised how many of you have not been paid as well.

Let's Get Em'.. haha!!

I did a shop for them in August, 2011. It was a DE shop and all I had to do was take a few pictures of the outside of the closed motel but a deal is a deal. I will join the letter writing/phone calling machine. Would love to have a phone number. They still send me requests for more DE's in the area occasionally. Yeah, right!

DE?

"Debranding". When a business changes from one chain to another. For example, a Subway sells or loses its franchise, within X amount of time they are to have no Subway branded merchandise on site. Can't use the leftover logo napkins, plastic bags, etc., need to have removed or completely obliterated any reference to the place ever having been a Subway, and depending on their contracting, may not even be able to sell sandwiches. Same thing holds true for a hotel changing from brand X to brand Y.

That sounds simple enough - but I sure won't sign up with this MSC! Are those one of the low-paying, newbie-get-your-feet-wet kind of shops? Cuz that's what I am!

I'm surprised a hotel parent company such as 'those' would contract with them then being a well known and respected outfit. Perhaps we need to let them know they need to change ms-providers, lol!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2012 02:33AM by Anabcla.

I'm still confused - why isn't Anabcla's post an ICA violation?

It is. The client and company are named in the same thread, so not only is it an ICA violation, but it is also a violation of the Posting Guidelines.

Anabcla, please use the blue edit button in the lower right hand corner of your post to remove client names. Thanks!

Oh my, what did I do wrong? I'm new to this board, did I offend you, Lisa4984? I don't know what an ICA violation even is, please explain!

Your Independent Contractor Agreement indicates that you will not reveal confidential or proprietary information. I know of only one company that does not consider who their clients are to be confidential information, and Freeman is not that company. Just to the right of the 'Your Reply' box is also the very brief Posting Guidelines for this forum where Jacob has reiterated not to reveal the clients of companies. Rule of thumb . . . a thread can be about a particular client OR it can be about a particular company, but the client and company should not be named in the same thread.

Thank you Flash, I feel so inept, I guess when I signed up on this site a few months back I did read that but misplaced it in my failing memory as I hadn't been on here until today. And, on my iPhone isn't the best way b/c I can't see the entire page like when on my PC. I am sooooo sorry, it won't happen again, I did revise it, that tool is a lifesaver - hope I'm not booted!! ;(

We all do it accidentally from time to time. It is just one of the things to remember before mentioning a name. Of course you will not be booted!

Lisa4984 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That sounds simple enough - but I sure won't sign
> up with this MSC! Are those one of the low-paying,
> newbie-get-your-feet-wet kind of shops? Cuz that's
> what I am!

They are pretty simple and they show up from time to time with various companies. Sometimes they require a number of photos, which can get dicey because the client no longer is affiliated with the location.