So I did some work for a merchandising company over the past couple of months. In March, the first month I did any work for them, I invoiced them on the 25th per the instructions (and did the same for April). The second week of April I sent an email asking when I should expect the March check (IC work, not a big company). The owner told me checks go out on the 20th. On the 27th, I emailed asking if I should be expecting payment soon (the check was coming from just a couple of states over). The owner replied my check had been sent on Friday, April 25th. As of today, May 5th, I still not have received payment. I emailed several times over the past few days and the owner did not respond. I found the company's Facebook page today and left a brief message to please contact me without saying what it was about. The owner responded on the Facebook page and she said she was out of town but that they would contact me Monday and address my questions.

Well, I have been texting back and forth with another IC who is doing some stores in my area for this company on the same project. It's a small chain of local grocery stores and there aren't many of them, and a department manager gave her my contact information a couple of weeks ago, or we would have never found out as much as we have so far. This other merchandiser hasn't been paid, either. She said that she talked to the owner last week and had been told the same thing, that her check had been mailed out. Now what are the chances that 2 people both had checks get lost in the mail? I already know the answer to that. Also, I found some old posts, one of Volition and one on Indeed.com, from merchandisers who did not get paid. They were pretty old posts, dating from between 2010 and 2015, but still. People who did not get paid were discussing going to the AG in their states about it. Additionally there was a complaint on Ripoff.com about this company and the owner. This other merchandiser and I both discussed this as well. So it sounds like maybe things were cool for awhile in the past 3 years and maybe now not so cool anymore. I am reluctant to name the company just yet but if I don't get paid I will update in this thread. I am sure not making any more store visits until I get paid for both March and April, though I am not going to tell the owner that just yet. Also debating on whether in a week or 2 if I am still not paid I should contact her client about this.

Now here's where the Facebook thing comes into play: I think because she saw my post on Facebook and I was discreet, she probably realizes if I was digging around I did see those old posts about her not paying other people (these other people named her by name and listed excuses she had given them: check got lost in the mail, you didn't fill out your call report correctly, client is late on paying us, etc.). So if she ends up not paying me at all and I go on her Facebook page in a few weeks and make a complaint post, can she have that post removed? I was just wondering about this because there are not a lot of posts from other merchandisers on there and I am wondering if other people got stiffed and went on their to complain, and she was able to have their negative posts removed. Does anyone know the answer to this? Thank you for your time reading this!

Yes they can remove negative posts.

Interesting that you just joined today and replied to my post within a few minutes. What merchandising companies do you work for, Cathy?

Gotta love some one-hit wonders.

Indeed. As for your question, technically they can't remove a comment directly, but if they have an "in" with the FB staff, the report/request/remove process could be a foregone conclusion.

It’s been about a year since I was a page admin, but I could always delete comments, and it also gave the option to “delete & ban” a problem poster in one click.

I got paid. It took a lot of persistence. I only got paid for March so far, though. She had told me she sent the check on April 25th but when I received it, it was postmarked for May 1. Hopefully I will get paid for April as well. The other rep said she hasn't gotten paid yet.

I'm glad you got paid. Yes, posts can be deleted from Facebook.

I finally got paid in full, though my last check was short $115 and I had to squeal like a stuck pig to get the remainder of what I was owed. The other rep in my area who did work for them was not as lucky, but I think she was threatening and abrupt (understandably upset), which is not a good way to go about getting paid unless it's the last resort. Now I am done with them.

Too bad you did name the company, so we all can stay away.