Mystery Shopping Thread 21 *PLEASE READ THE OP FIRST**PLEASE NO CLIENT NAMES OR FEES*

jen_br

Boredupnorth wrote: »

Rightly or wrongly I decided after the latest farce from them last month that I would not do anymore work for them for the foreseeable future. I have had late payments from them 5 times this year and everything now seems to take between 60 and 90 days to come through. I have had enough of the excuses and quite frankly I do not trust anything they say anymore, I also am in doubt about the continued solvency of the European side of it.

Id say Rightly -- seems lots of shoppers on their FACEBOOK page are having same issues!

jen_br

tizzy79 wrote: »

Just a little update I was advised that payments were being processed on the 26th, but now had a email from a resource manager saying they hope to process them today..... so looks like next year for December payments......

Really putting me off doing any further work for them as they didn't pay correct money last month, (still to be corrected) and Im due around £600 for Novembers visits alone from them. I only did all the visits I done in December for them as was promised the payments for November would be made for 20th December as per the shopper contract agreement :mad::mad::mad: ...... so I'm not amused and out of pocket at the moment for money that I need off them!!

Is anyone else considering not doing any further work for them

I just read on their facebook page that people in italy etc were told 2nd week of Jan!

tizzy79

jen_br wrote: »

I just read on their facebook page that people in italy etc were told 2nd week of Jan!

Ok got another email from them

Normally the shops are being paid the end of each month(normally every last week of the month), so last month was an exception, but this month it should be okay again. Unless something changes in the system (which will be communicated), the payments should proceed the way they are happening now.

ChickenGirl

kst101 wrote: »

Having a scanner is useful for submitting receipts though - you can take a photo of it and then submit that but I find scanning it in is easier.

Interesting, because I started off scanning everything but found uploading photos easier and better quality. My scanner takes ages.

Trevor64_2

Boredupnorth wrote: »

Also still no sign of the Helion money in the bank yet!

My Helion money cleared this morning. Worth 5 percent less now than when I did the work though. Damned worthless Euros.

hsa_3

Boredupnorth wrote: »

Also still no sign of the Helion money in the bank yet!

Yes mine came in this morning as well.

Boredupnorth

I have been over my accounts today, as I had nothing better to do, and made some decisions.

I do work for 5 companies that are based outside the UK and don’t pay in GBP. These 5 companies account for around 4% of my work load and 98% of my frustration with late payments etc. The solution for me is very simple I don’t need to and won’t put up with it anymore. I have turned down work previously from UK based companies that pay correctly and on time as I have already committed to doing work for a company based outside of the UK.

This will change; I will now not work for any company that breaks any one of these 3 parameters.

A) Takes longer than 45 days from doing the work to it being in my bank account.
Makes a payment that has to cross an international border, It takes too long so will not meet my 45 day limit anyway.
C) Does not pay in GBP, Who the hell knows what rate you are doing the work for? As Trevor64 has pointed out a payment received today was worth 5% less than when he did the work.

In this day and age of diminishing fees and increased demands I believe that working for a company that breaks any one of these is no longer viable or profitable.

I am no fool and know that my decision will not affect any of these companies at all, however as the next year gets financially tighter I am sure that more shoppers will also see that the work is less and less attractive.

One of the joys of being self-employed and running my own business is that I make my own rules and pick and choose who I work for.

yonk

Boredupnorth wrote: »

One of the joys of being self-employed and running my own business is that I make my own rules and pick and choose who I work for.

My thoughts exactly. I experience a huge variation in how I'm treated between companies and that does then get reflected in how I prioritise work.

Trevor64_2

Boredupnorth wrote: »

I have been over my accounts today, as I had nothing better to do, and made some decisions.

I do work for 5 companies that are based outside the UK and don’t pay in GBP. These 5 companies account for around 4% of my work load and 98% of my frustration with late payments etc. The solution for me is very simple I don’t need to and won’t put up with it anymore. I have turned down work previously from UK based companies that pay correctly and on time as I have already committed to doing work for a company based outside of the UK.

This will change; I will now not work for any company that breaks any one of these 3 parameters.

A) Takes longer than 45 days from doing the work to it being in my bank account.
Makes a payment that has to cross an international border, It takes too long so will not meet my 45 day limit anyway.
C) Does not pay in GBP, Who the hell knows what rate you are doing the work for? As Trevor64 has pointed out a payment received today was worth 5% less than when he did the work.

In this day and age of diminishing fees and increased demands I believe that working for a company that breaks any one of these is no longer viable or profitable.

I am no fool and know that my decision will not affect any of these companies at all, however as the next year gets financially tighter I am sure that more shoppers will also see that the work is less and less attractive.

One of the joys of being self-employed and running my own business is that I make my own rules and pick and choose who I work for.

Ditto all of that. It really is not worth the time and effort to be chasing around for money that any decent set up would long since have paid up.
I know Helion will doubtless read and comment on my next statement and try to tell me what a great relationship they have with shoppers and how valued we all are but here's the fact of it:
Doing a job on 1st of November and receiving payment on 28th December is 58 days and is unnacceptable with the rapid payment methods available these days. In that time the £/€ rate went from 1:1.122 to 1:1.198. That makes a huge difference to a business running on tight margins.
If I order B2B supplies it is normally on a 30 day pro forma basis and I am expected to have made that payment by then. 30 days is the norm in retail and other supply industries and should be so in the MS payment system too, wherever the company is based.

yonk

I recently contacted a company as my pay hadn't come through and they had the money in my account by lunchtime, this can be done if the company is so inclined.