Has anyone done shops for Goodwin Associates? I did two shops - one back in early April and another early in May and have still not been paid.

I have inquired by email several times in the past month and each time been promised payment in a few days, but still nothing.

Keep on them. This has been a problem other shoppers have noted as well. And if you receive emails asking you to take shops, pop them back an email indicating that you just can't consider it until you have been paid for the work performed already on April __ and May ___ that you thought you would have been paid for well before this.

They promised me that they will pay on the "next pay cycle" and I waited. It came and went and I picked up the phone to call. After calling regularly for two weeks and seemingly knowing the receptionist, I finally got paid about three months after completing the shops! Interesting in the course of calling, the person of contact (POC) the receptionist transferred me to changed. So I cannot give you the POC as it may have changed again by now.

I did a smoothie shop for this MSC on March 10, 2010. After waiting for the 90 day period, on June 18, 2010 I sent out my "Collection E-Mail" to Amy. I received a reply from Amy stating that my payment request was logged in with the accounting department and she will get back to me once she had a specific payment date. No response until June 20, 2010. This MSC does not have a set payment date or cycle. They wait for the shoppers to remind them of the payment. I have done three smoothie shops for this MSC and on all the occasion I had to send them the past due E-Mail notices for the payment. Nothing until June 20, 2010. I had to send 6 E-mails asking for the status on my payment. Finally my payment was credited to my Paypal account today, June 23, 2010. Here is the text of the E-mail I sent to this MSC after receiving the payment today:

"How stressful it is to get paid from your company for completed assignments? What is going on? I do shops for 33 MSC's and yours is the only one I have to send past due E-mail notices for payments. As shoppers we can not afford to have a "Collections Department".

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2010 12:58AM by balajikris.

If you researched that MSC here you would find that this has been ongoing, and Amy is well aware of the issues she faces.

I signed up with them after reading Amy's posts. She really seems to be on the ball and could really make a difference there. But so far I've not accepted any shops due to their payment issues. Payment on time is very important to me. I feel I work hard on my shops and earn every penny of the payment ..... if I have to wait for and beg for my payment, that is additional time spent and the payment is no longer worth it to me. So I don't shop for the MSCs that get bad payment reports on the forums.

I have not had any problems getting paid by them, but they are a bit slow. They pay, but it takes them a long time.

alannajm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have not had any problems getting paid by them,
> but they are a bit slow. They pay, but it takes
> them a long time.


But that IS the problem...they pay, but it is not to their contracted terms.

dee shops Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> alannajm Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have not had any problems getting paid by
> them,
> > but they are a bit slow. They pay, but it
> takes
> > them a long time.
>
>
> But that IS the problem...they pay, but it is not
> to their contracted terms.

I agree totally, dee. I'm tired of companies that don't make it a priority to pay their shoppers. alannajm, does Goodwin expect you to commit to doing your assigned shop during your assigned time period and following the instructions? What if you did the shop but 4-6 days late, without communicating with them, and then entered the report. How happy would they be? A company sets its payment schedule; when I accept a shop for that company, I live up to my contract, and I expect the company to live up to their end: I expect to be paid on time. I do not work for companies that do not pay on time. Any company can have a payment uh-oh and I am very understanding if the company communicates to let me know, but if a company consistently pays large portions of their shoppers late, that's a major problem.

I have done 4 shops for them, 2 in March and 2 in June. I am past 90 days for payment for March. I sent an emailthis week and was told they were checking into it. I have 2 more shops scheduled for this week which I am going to cancel. There is no point in working for free. They say they pay in 90 days, I an past 90 days and I dont feel I should have to beg for my $. Other companies promptly pay every month.

I waited 6 months for a 10.00 smoothie shop last year...they do not have their great restaurant here any longer, so, haven't worked for them. Would like to believe their o.k. now, but if you can't muster up 10.00, not a good sign!!

I always have to e mail eric and ask him to check into when I will be getting paid. As soon as I do ask, he gets the bookkeeper to look into it and I have always been paid.

G8r1966, if you always have to e-mail Eric to ask him to get you paid, do you get paid extra for the additional work? How often is ALWAYS? What if Eric had to call you repeatedly to get you to complete a shop you had accepted, to find out if you had done the shop, or to enter the report? Or if Eric had to call to remind you what the instructions for the shop required? Do you think you would get paid for the shop? Allowed to continue shopping for them? Shopper are expected to be competent and complete shops on time and according to the instructions, and enter the report within a required time frame. Should shoppers not expect the MSC to be competent? When an MSC holds its shoppers to high standards, but the MSC itself does not hold itself to a high standard when it comes to meeting shopper obligations, what does that say about the MSC?

Needing to stay on an MSC's back for your check is not a great review.

AustinMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> G8r1966, if you always have to e-mail Eric to ask
> him to get you paid, do you get paid extra for the
> additional work? How often is ALWAYS? What if
> Eric had to call you repeatedly to get you to
> complete a shop you had accepted, to find out if
> you had done the shop, or to enter the report? Or
> if Eric had to call to remind you what the
> instructions for the shop required? Do you think
> you would get paid for the shop? Allowed to
> continue shopping for them? Shopper are expected
> to be competent and complete shops on time and
> according to the instructions, and enter the
> report within a required time frame. Should
> shoppers not expect the MSC to be competent? When
> an MSC holds its shoppers to high standards, but
> the MSC itself does not hold itself to a high
> standard when it comes to meeting shopper
> obligations, what does that say about the MSC?


You nailed this one, AM. :-)

Would it be too harmful to contact the client directly to alert them about the horrific payment practices of this shanty-style company? I'm ready to roll Goodwin. They blow bits, as my brother would say.

I'm glad I read this, because I was wondering when I was going to get paid for shops done some time ago. Patience is not my strongest virtue, especially when they are so adamant about receiving a report on time.... Thanks everybody for the information.... I've missed not being here and it takes a problem before I remember to come to the forum....

I agree with all of you and I am very aware of the requirments that are required to complete any shop including the need to get a shop done on time. But I would rather call him or email rather than not to get paid at all.
It seems to me that the payables are not being handled properly and I am certain that when he bids a shop the client is not aware that it takes so long to pay the shopper.

I am done with Goodwin shops. I have canceled my two shops this week. I am emailing them for payment on past shops. They have replied with, the bookkeeper is out, but we will pay you this week. There are too many other companies that pay in time. I am not going to bother with them anymore.

I think it is off limits for a shopper to talk in any way to the client...be careful, it could backfire!!

G8r1966 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree with all of you and I am very aware of the
> requirments that are required to complete any shop
> including the need to get a shop done on time.
> But I would rather call him or email rather than
> not to get paid at all.
> It seems to me that the payables are not being
> handled properly and I am certain that when he
> bids a shop the client is not aware that it takes
> so long to pay the shopper.

Edited to add: this was supposed to be in response to the poster who asked about contacting the client...not you, G8tr1966. I hit the wrong quote message! :p-(

I would only do so if 1) you are prepared to be deactivated, and 2) you do not care if their scheduler names you by name on the scheduler forums as being a jerk of a shopper (that means, to me, that you must have enough confidence in your record with the companies you shop for that the other companies will see it as the boy who cried wolf scenario.) I have only gone so far as to call a client once. I did get paid after doing so. I do not know whether it was me doing so, me telling the owner I had done so, me calling them once an hour for a week (but always having to leave my message to them on their voicemail system) or me contacting the AG for that state that did get me paid, but do know it was NOT me contacting the BBB that did so, as they closed the case as having no response from the MSC, which I always expected of them. The MSC in question in this case also had another shopper contact their other clients in a similar timeframe. I fully expected to be deactivated, and could have cared less at that point, as all attempts to be paid had failed over longer than 6 months, and we are talking about a lunch reimbursement of $100. I also expected them to trash me to other MSC's. Instead, I still get notices begging me to take the same shop they neglected to pay me for. And I laugh. :-)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2010 06:37AM by dee shops.

Dee, I am not afraid of Goodwin talking smack about me, because there is no smack to talk. What other companies are going to listen to them? No other company even cares for their loose payment policies and sees them as the dark horse in the industry. I'm talking about principal here, not the amount of money I am owed.

I've been waiting for payment for 118 days on two deli shops I did. It's $20 bucks, so nothing to cry about; but if I was crying it would not be considered 'the boy that cried wolf."

What happens is, Goodwin gets their fees from clients and sit on them until the last minute. Shoppers complain, b*tch and moan, then something is done. There is zero respect in that kind of attitude and a business model that will ruin the company. I'm boycotting them as well.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2010 06:54AM by jbaetke.

I have had the same experience. You can find it here. I just was wanting to state caution that the MSC would be the one crying wolf, not the shopper, if the MSC chose to trash you on forums we cannot belong to (unlike them, who can apparently see everything shoppers write anywhere.)

I'm under the impression that the powers that be at Goodwin don't particularly see themselves as dark horses or feel they are that far out of the loop with being a competitive MSC.

I think that may be the basis of the lack of concern for timely payments.

Because we on the boards communicate extensively with each other, even if it is coded at times, we are generally much more informed of the practices of MSCs overall than any particular owner/president.

Someone that is a friend and in law enforcement told me to go to the client (my famous bar intrigty) and tell them what happened...I'm chicken and not wanting to stir the pot. Have we signed anything that says we are not allowed to go to the client, I believe so!!

Did two shops in September that have been cleared as COMPLETE, but still have not been paid. I have called and emailed.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2011 11:30AM by mariuche.

Hey everyone. Here is a current update on goodwin. I completed a shop for them in Sept. I called the company when it hit 100 days. I was spoken to rudely by the secretary and sent to voicemail. I then emailed a payment request and received an auto response. About 2 days later I received a phone call from the payment lady ( whose name I do not remember because I was too busy tearing into her). She informs me that the company has taken a hard hit in the recession and is having a hard time paying. I tell her to pay me or I will call the company every day until I get my money. She tells me she does not have enough money in the company's account to pay the full amount but that she will pay me half as a " good faith" payment . She also tells me the pay out is closer to 120 days now. I inform her that it is unprofessional to not tell their shoppers that and give them the option to decline a shop. I ask her to deactivated me because I refuse to take a shop with their company again. True to her word payment for half the shop is paid to my paypal account that day.7 days later the whole amount is paid to me again. This company is a joke!!! Beware!! They are doing this to a lot of people!! You should not have to beg to be paid.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2011 02:24PM by monarch2003.

monarch2003 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey everyone. Here is a current update on goodwin.
> I completed a shop for them in Sept. I called the
> company when it hit 100 days. I was spoken to
> rudely by the secretary and sent to voicemail. I
> then emailed a payment request and received an
> auto response. About 2 days later I received a
> phone call from the payment lady ( whose name I do
> not remember because I was too busy tearing into
> her). She informs me that the company has taken a
> hard hit in the recession and is having a hard
> time paying. I tell her to pay me my 75 dollars or
> I will call the company every day until I get my
> money. She tells me she does not have enough
> money in the company's account to pay the full
> amount but that she will pay me half as a " good
> faith" payment . She also tells me the pay out is
> closer to 120 days now. I inform her that it is
> unprofessional to not tell their shoppers that and
> give them the option to decline a shop. I ask her
> to deactivated me because I refuse to take a shop
> with their company again. True to her word payment
> for half the shop is paid to ky paypal account
> that day.7 days later the whole amount is paid to
> me again. So I was paid one and half times what
> was agreed. This company is a joke!!! Beware!!
> They are doing this to a lot of people!!


So, on your end, are your returning the overpayment that they sent?

Wow. I sent them an email. Thank you very much. But I'm not wasting my time calling them to be honest. I have notified the company. I can sleep at night. I'm glad that was the only thing you thought was important in my post.

Never say never...I just accepted a lunch I wanted as I will be working in the town anyway and have to eat. We'll see how long they take to pay, but I'd be out if I paid for myself, so, never say never.