My 1st time working with Ath Power, I finished 5 shops in March but only 1 shop (03/16) shows paid on “05/01/18” via Bills.com, The other 4 shops total $610 show as “payment pending” .My life is depending on it given it’s the end of the month. I’ve emailed via ticket twice but no reply. The dates are 03/14/18, 03/21/18, 03/21/18, 03/29/18 Can someone chime in on this? I work with Baidata and pay is always on time. TIA!!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2018 06:14PM by rollwithit.

Here is a link to their payment policy: [www.athpower.com]

You should be getting paid for the 3/14 shop on the 30th (give or take) and the others shops on the 15th (give or take).

Thanks for your quick reply. According to your post, the other shops won't be paid until 05/15? The thing is 03/14 still shows payment pending. That is what concerns me if this company is legit I read the pay policy. I guess I should wait til April 28th or 30th to see if status will change. Thanks again. And will post for update.

I just got a reply from Ellen:
Shops that are finalized 3/1/18 - 3/14/18 are paid on the 5/1 pay release.

Shops that are finalized 3/15/18 - 3/31/18 are paid on the 5/15 pay release.

Shops that are finalized 4/1/18 - 4/14/18 are paid on the 6/1 pay release.

Shops that are finalized 4/15/18 - 4/30/18 are paid on the 6/15 pay release.

Shops that are finalized 5/1/18 - 5/14/18 are paid on the 7/1 pay release.

ATH is completely legitimate - a great company. I've done many shops for them and they always pay in accordance with their pay schedule. Also, keep in mind that the listed pay date is the date that they release payment through Bill.com. It will actually hit your account a few days later.

Thanks so much, your feedback is comforting because I referred 2 people and wouldn't want to lose credit thru my "words of mouth". Anyways, I am still concerned because 03/14 shop is not paid, but 03/16 shows will be paid. Will update after the end of month. Thanks again.

I have been with Ath for over a decade. You will get paid.

First thing first is never have your life depend on secret shopping money. Because that’s just sometimes the deal. I have done many many shops for this company and they pay slow but they always pay. But you should read their terms of service and make sure you understand how they pay. From what I understand and what I remember is this is one of the slower pain companies that can take up to 90 days to get you your money. That being said I have worked with this company for three years they have good paying Shops and they’ve always paid me.

@rollwithit wrote:

I am still concerned because 03/14 shop is not paid, but 03/16 shows will be paid. Will update after the end of month. Thanks again.

I’m not 100% positive with ath, but shops are generally not considered “complete” for payment purposes until after they have been edited, verified, etc. This happens with many MSC’s when shops are submitted at the end of a cycle, they may not be approved in time for that cycle’s payment. A shop submitted on a later date may get approved earlier simply because the editor who got it may have been able to complete it quickly, whereas the editor assigned to the earlier shop may have had a hundred shops to edit before yours.

I also did not make a mental note of the fact you said you are used to Biadata.....They also happen to be one of the quickest paying companies. I think they pay in something like two weeks. Just so you know if you’ve only done a couple of companies it is much more likely that you were going to be paid in 90 days then in two weeks. So when I try to do is always keep secret shops in the hopper. They will always pay eventually. But you have to really read the terms of each company and what they are offering as far as pay dates etc. Most likely if you are not getting any response from the company you are asking them questions that they don’t have time to answer because they already spelled it out when you signed up. And it’s not that they don’t want to answer you it’s that they must get thousands of these types of requests from people who have not read their terms. Schedulers get like 1000 emails a day. And they’re number one priority is filling shops. If they spent all their time just answering people who are not reading the instructions they would never get anything done. I know this because I know quite a few schedulers. And one of the biggest complaints they have is that people don’t bother to read the agreement and the terms.Also be careful contacting schedulers rather than reading the terms because I also know if you schedulers that will not use you again. Think about it, if I scheduler gets the idea that you don’t read instructions why would they want to put you want to shop where are the number one requirement is that you be able to read the instructions? Like I said they get hundreds if not thousands of emails in a day they don’t have time to babysit people. They will help and they will help like crazy to help you get the shop completed and submitted properly but they don’t have time for handholding that’s why there are terms of service in the agreement that you sign when you are signing up. Please triple check them and make sure that when you take a sharp not only can you deal with what the shop requirements are but you can deal with the way the company pays and how they operate. It’s a big deal because I always hear schedulers get exasperated at shoppers who ask questions that were covered FULLY and then the shopper even SIGNED that they understood. READ EVERYTHING most likely what to need to know is there. I can promise you right now if you go to the ATH page you will be able to read while you’re not paid yet

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2018 09:46PM by HBSurf.

@rollwithit wrote:

Thanks so much, your feedback is comforting because I referred 2 people and wouldn't want to lose credit thru my "words of mouth". Anyways, I am still concerned because 03/14 shop is not paid, but 03/16 shows will be paid. Will update after the end of month. Thanks again.

The operative word here is 'FINALIZED." Just because a shop was completed on 3/14 does not mean it was finalized. A shop completed on 3/14 may not have been edited until the 19th or 29th, making it not finalized until the 19th or 20th. That would mean it would not be paid this month. The date the shop was finalized by the company after you completed the report determines the payment date. I agree with JASFLALMT. You will definitely get paid.

Be sure to read the payment terms so you know when you will be paid.

That's so true. I usually count on a delay with any MSC and I never count on money from shopping to arrive at any particular time. If it goes past a few months I get concerned but not before then.

@HBSurf wrote:

First thing first is never have your life depend on secret shopping money. Because that’s just sometimes the deal.

Sometimes it takes longer than expected to get paid for a shop. If you have been doing this awhile you should realize that it can take some companies up to 90 days to pay and some others 2 or three times that. The thing is is that once you have it started and coming in and do not take a long vacation or get admitted to a hospital and have to take a vacation it will start coming in like clockwork.

@rollwithit wrote:

My 1st time working with Ath Power, I finished 5 shops in March but only 1 shop (03/16) shows paid on “05/01/18” via Bills.com, The other 4 shops total $610 show as “payment pending” .My life is depending on it given it’s the end of the month. I’ve emailed via ticket twice but no reply. The dates are 03/14/18, 03/21/18, 03/21/18, 03/29/18 Can someone chime in on this? I work with Baidata and pay is always on time. TIA!!

Thanks for your reply, I guess I've been spoiled and lucky because all my previous (since 2010) mystery shops all have been paid the following month by 20th via check or paypal. I guess I assumed ath power was no exception because the forum looks just like baidata. And I did read the pay FAQ but did not quite understand until you guys' feedback. Thanks again everyone for your valuable info.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2018 05:36AM by rollwithit.

You are so right, HBsurf: I wouldn't want to be a scheduler, Baidata was hiring but when I read about a scheduler's duty and the minimum wage. I backed out. My 1st bank job with Ath Power, my scheduler had to email me 5 times, I just couldn't get it right-loading all receiving bank document in PDF in each cat. accordingly. I apologized to her but learned from my error. Thank goodness she didn't blacklist me and has assigned me more since.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2018 05:34AM by rollwithit.

Thanks. I feel better now. I was worried for myself and my referrals. Too bad it had to be something I counted on coming in that pays slow....90 days is too long...good thing there was no out of pocket money loss. I've closed the savings and checking acct. They cost $120 to open for the shops.

You seem to be rolling with it. I just had a similar conversation with another msc over pay for a shop on 3/2 and another on 3/29. The 3/29 is marked for complete pay and the 3/2 says the total pay will be $0. After several back and forth emails I found the same advice as above. The 3/2 shop was late in finalizing but it has been approved but that is not yet reflected on the account I can see on their website. That check will be coming along mid month May while the later shop is paid the end of April. I guess this happens periodically in this business.

How is Bill.com...I think I'll just get checks...just started working for them.

I'm not fond of Bill.com but that's how they pay me.

You can also accept checks, probably takes longer.....

Yes, I know, I have been with Ath since 2004. It does take longer with checks and that's why I let them pay with bill.com. And the check can't get lost in the mail.

Hello, SandyF: You are right. I did not think of that. The date of my submission & completion at the scheduler's end play major factor. Now my Bill.com shows $215 overdue with due date 4/17 & 4/30. The status of getting paid on 5/1 has disappeared. Why couldn't they just pay already on the "overdue" ? I wouldn't want to chance it with the mail. I opted for direct deposit.

I've just adjusted my mindset.... If the payment date is 4/30, I know that that is the date the payment is sent to Bill.com. I know I'll get paid several days thereafter. I didn't like it at first, but now that I know what to expect, it doesn't really bother me.

MFJohnston: I will adjust mine as well. I wish I were in a different situation. It's just that I am in dire straight for this fund. So frustrated to see that is overdue and not being paid.

I know what NOT to expect for the new shops I'll be doing this month with Athpower. I could always count on baidata. I do most of my shops with them. I got 5 scheduled this week. Good luck to everyone!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2018 06:46PM by rollwithit.

Thank you everyone for your feedback and help. It was very helpful and educational. I did get paid on the 4th and 17th. I am thankful they did come through, for those are new, just hang in there for a few days, you get paid by bill.com on behalf of Athpower.

I opted to get paid by check, I have several companies pay with check and outside of a couple days later, I've never had a problem...whereas bill.com, (just can't deal)...are you saying they pay direct deposit now? I would sign for that.,,,awaiting two large payments.

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I opted to get paid by check, I have several companies pay with check and outside of a couple days later, I've never had a problem...whereas bill.com, (just can't deal)...are you saying they pay direct deposit now? I would sign for that.,,,awaiting two large payments.

Yes, they do direct deposit. I prefer this and takes the guessing out of mail delay. It shows paid on 1st but will actually pay on the 3rd or 4th.

You are awesome! I had the same question what a thorough response and most appreciated.

Bill.com does do direct deposit I believe via your bank or PayPal

I'm not sure if this is the same discussion or not but lots of Shoppers have complained that because they did a lot of banks shops in open and closed bank accounts that they're showing up with ChexSystems and various other companies when trying to apply for an account of Their Own because they're considered high risk customer and her being turned down for their own personal bank accounts after doing a lot of shop for ath power. Just saying