They are taking money from restaurants to reimburse shoppers, but they are not reimbursing shoppers. As has been noted here (and other forums) in other threads, I am not the sole evaluator in this position.

In the past, an email through their system got me paid within a few days of a contract coming overdue. However, currently I am owed $100 for an accepted shop that was done in July, 2009; one for which I received a high rating. The terms of my contract with them have been violated by RE, since their contract states payment will be made 30 days after the shop was accepted and the receipts received.

I have made 7 attempts to collect this money, using their system, email, voicemail, and the BBB (I did not expect the toothless BBB to get me payment, but, at least it leaves yet another record of their fiscal misbehavior.)

Via email in January, I stated a date by which I expected them to meet payment. I also stated that I would take any and all action required to get my money. With the exception of their scheduler (who responded to me after I told her why I was refusing her asking me to do the same restaurant again during February 2010) they have not bothered to acknowledge any attempt to collect this debt. I am contacting the Illinois AG today. I am also posting this same information at any sites online that they have their business info listed, such as TradeNote.net.


Shopper beware. If you want to get paid/reimbursed for your work, avoid RE.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2010 09:50PM by dee shops.

I second what dee says.

My payment is overdue as well and the sole response I received regarding the problem after multiple emails and phone calls was a one-line email that said I was next in line to be paid, sent from a generic address (reimbursements@restaurantevaluators.com).

This company will be out of business before any of the current evaluators can get reimbursed, so be warned.

If you are owed money by Restaurant Evaluators, post about it and file with the BBB and attorney general for Chicago,

You can also leave a message for the owner, Karen Call, by calling the main phone number (773-525-5157), selecting "8" for the directory and typing "KAR", then "#" to get her voicemail.

The BBB info can be accessed here:

[www.bbb.org]

Here's a link for the Chicago Attorney General, where you can also file a complaint:

[www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov]

The more in number of unpaid shoppers who spread the word about this company's lack of business ethics, the fewer future shoppers will be taken in. Make your input heard, here, other forums like MSF, and at a whole host of online sites. Steve and I are not the only people with unpaid invoices. Others have posted here in different threads. I have read people's tweets on Twitter about this same thing. Spread the word. Make your voice heard, and make your negative experience count for something positive. Companies that rip off shoppers deserve to have it known that they are doing so.

Post your input at these online sites, as well:

[www.wahm.com]

[www.xomreviews.com]

[www.merchantcircle.com]

[homebasedbusiness.boomja.com]

[events.nbcchicago.com]

[il.citysquares.com]

[www.yelp.com]
It is notable that all reviews here complain about unprofessional behavior and late or no payment.

[local.botw.org]

[chicago.citysearch.com]

[www.yellowbot.com]

[chowhound.chow.com]

[www.yellowpages.com]

[foodio54.com]

[www.menuism.com]

[www.centerd.com]



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2010 10:06PM by dee shops.

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Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2010 09:32PM by dee shops.

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Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2010 09:34PM by dee shops.

Thank you for posting this information. I will keep away from this company for sure. We really need to make a new listing of companies to avoid.

Companies to avoid come and go over time. Some of them do get their act together while others just fold and go away. This is not the first time there have been problems with Restaurant Evaluators. They have been red lined on my company list for a long, long time. Goodwin has been red lined for a long time, Freeman for most folks should be red lined, JC & Associates should probably be red lined until there is firm indication they are back on track (one catch up or timely round of payments is hardly enough to re-establish a relationship). The problem I see is that a list of companies to avoid due to payment delays very quickly becomes too fertile ground for a company that doesn't pay a shopper for other issues.

Smart shoppers will use the "Search" feature on this and other forums before accepting a job with a new-to-them company or company they have not worked with in a while to see what others are saying. Are the majority of recent posts that folks are having pay issues? Are the majority of posts showing that folks like working with the company? Are the posts recent, or are they more than a year old?

They have owed me 29 dollars since Oct 26,2009. I called their number 10 days in a row. On each day I left a message with four different departments/employees for a total of 40 messages. I have not had one call returned. I have sent them 5 emails requesting my pay without a response. I called the company who hired RE and told my story. She was synpathetic and told me that she had fired them for a myriad of reasons DO NOT,I REPEAT,DO NOT DO SHOPS with these crooks.

You should be posting a detailed version of this story everywhere I gave a link, hounder. The more places this information is available, the fewer shoppers will be taken.

Are they even having the gall to continue posting jobs????

They contacted *me* to do this same job for February that remains unpaid from July...

Ouch!

This is a very unfortunate situation. Have those impacted by this thought about sending a demand letter or seeking assistance from an attorney. I think the services at PrePaid Legal are pretty affordable. Perhaps one letter could be send that represents a group of shoppers.

Another thought: has any looked for an investigative or consumer protection journalist in Chicago?

It so sad, we work hard, and have to deal with companies like this.

Dee, thanks so much for posting all this information.

Joben had a good idea. Anyone in the Chicago area? If so, is there an on-air or newspaper consumer help columnist? Could you publish the name? If all of us owed $ presented our story to the person, they might take it on....

A lot of the ABC affiliates have an "On Your Side" consumer help. The ABC affiliate in Chicago is I think WLS. Since you aren't a 'local consumer defrauded' they may balk, but it might prove interesting to go through your local ABC affiliate and see if they will network through the Chicago affiliate for results. But since it is a 'business' with a dispute with a 'business' I wouldn't be too sanguine about it.

So rumor has it that this company is now avoiding calls from CLIENTS. Can we say "the future does not look bright?"

Hmmmm. Smells like a Datatron moment to me. :^(

Yes, another time shoppers are left holding the EMPTY bag.

I got an email today (after calling all weekend...and leaving messages, and twittering, and everything else...

Hello "SHOPPER NAME",

A check was sent today for your review(s) that you completed with us and/or additional reviews that were due. We apologize for the delay! Click on the link below to view/print your reconciled RRF(s):

LINK

If you have overdue or missing reimbursements for other reviews in question, please fill out a trouble ticket which is accessed (not through the sassie program) but by logging onto our website www.restaurantevaluators.com and going to the 'contact us' page.

Thank you again for your efforts! We hope you'll work with us again soon.

Restaurant Evaluators, Inc.
Hotel & Restaurant Quality Customer Feedback
A| 500 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 300 / Chicago IL 60611
T| 773-525-5157
F| 773-525-5157
www.restaurantevaluators.com



Sorry, But I doubt I will ever be working with you again. Now at least I have hope that I might see the money...if the check clears.

Edited to add---They are deducting $10.36 for "extras." Gimme a break-you make me wait 7 months, call, twitter, rake your name over the coals, file with the BBB and you are deducting money? We had a mai tai with the meal. There was no rule you could not. And last time they paid for it. Oh, and I tipped %18. So I was over tipping by a couple dollars. These people should be laughed off the planet. I stayed $25 under the limit, total.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2010 02:31AM by dee shops.

Yet another unpaid shopper has posted to Yelp:
[www.yelp.com]

Well, their check arrived. I will deposit it, wait 10 days, and report back. Even if it clears, after this much headaches and trouble to get paid, I would not ever work for them, and cannot recommend them to anyone else, either.

I also just received a check, so score one for the squeaky wheels here.

For anyone owed money by RE, I would suggest being very vocal about it. It seems to speed up the payment process.

Though my check arrived, I never received a note from accounting that it was coming, as promised. I also never received any email or phone follow up to the multitude of voice and email messages I left for the RE staff.

I am amazed that this company manages to stay in business while treating evaluators this way!

An apology and some sort of personal communication that payments were running behind would have made a world of difference to me. I will also never work for this company again, because it seems like there's no chance of actually speaking to someone there when you run into a problem.

I regularly hear MSCs complain about how difficult it is to find good evaluators, but here's an example of a company destroying relationships with experienced and qualified evaluators through poor communication. You reap what you sew, I guess.

Adiós, Restaurant Evaluators.

I find it odd that after everthing I have done to destroy their reputation, they still send me monthly notes to shop for them. I send it all to my spam mail. I do not have this kind of time to deal with MSC's with so little respect for shoppers as this one has shown.


I find it even odder that some people contact me via the outside sources at which I have posted asking whether they should shop for them or not. I thought my words were quite clear to avoid them at all costs.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2010 05:40PM by dee shops.

Sometmes people want to believe that the business will improve. They may think, well, they paid you, didn't they? and not see that waiting 7 months for your money is not worth the effort.
There are a lot of good companies to work for without having to go through what you went through.
Thank you for taking the time to post this and saving many of us the aggravation.

Restaurant Evaluators doesn't seem to have any jobs in my area. No great loss I guess, if people are having this much trouble getting paid. I've done some work for Goodwin and Associates and the only time they have not paid me is when I have made a mistake. In fact, one of my favorite haunted (Yes, it was featured on one of those TV shows about ghosts) restaurants is a Goodwin client.

This is really a shame. I just discovered they have a restaurant in my area that I really like. I think I'll stay away, at least until further notice. Just can't run the risk of not being paid right now.

Hey, thanks for the postings about this company. I'm out $60.80.

I went to AG and have prepared the paperwork. I just want to say that this sucks and I hate liars. It gives the whole mystery shopping system a level of skeeze.

Jennifer

Ah, when I saw a new post in this thread, I was hoping that it would be one saying they were back on track!

Still hoping that at some point they will be, and I can do the neighborhood restaurant I love! When I was last offered the shop, I emailed the scheduler and told him that I knew there were payment issues, and I couldn't risk not being reimbursed, or having it take so long. He was very understanding -- raised no argument at all. I found myself being sympathetic to his plight -- it must be very difficult being a scheduler for a non-paying company.

nicelytwicely Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I
> found myself being sympathetic to his plight -- it
> must be very difficult being a scheduler for a
> non-paying company.

I'm certain it must be. :-)

On the other hand, why would someone do that job when it amounts to knowingly asking shoppers to take jobs that they will not get reimbursed for until WAY late, if at all, and even if the shopper does get reimbursed, it comes attached with what by all accounts appears to be an exceedingly high and extremely annoying effort to get the money. I have to wonder about the scheduler's values.