With all the posts here about About Face not paying, I was very wary about taking a shop with them. However, I had a slew of shops all at the same mall one day and decided it wouldn't hurt to throw one in as a "test run," so to speak.

Well, on that day, there was a tragic and fatal plane crash involving the heads of the Tesla car company, and the power grid for the entire city was wiped out for the day. The mall was closed, and it was my only available day.

About Face asked me to complete the form indicating what happened and putting "N/A" for all the answers, which I did. Today, 68 days later, I received payment for the shop I was not able to complete. So, even though very slow, they do seem to be paying and even making good on the promises to pay if a shopper cannot complete a shop due to a closed store.

By the way, had another shop with Sinclaire that day and they also paid out for the "closed store" shop.

I, too,have been paid faster than 68 days, and I also have been paid for shops that could not be completed. I think they can be excessive in what they want for how much they pay for many jobs, but I don't mind them. I don't love them, either.

Just inquired about an overdue payment and got the same response as posted on their site, that they've undergone changes in their system so they've been late. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt (ie; accepting this answer for now), but I definitely prefer the companies you don't have to badger to get paid.

It's kind of weird. That notice has been there for a long long time. Like 9 months or more. It's too old to keep using, in my opinion.

If I had to guess what is going on, they are paying shoppers after the client pays them. I am guessing that as the notice is too old to hold water on face value, and they appear to pay differently to different shoppers. My guess is that some clients pay fast than others, and so some shoppers are getting paid faster than others. That's all I can figure. I don't view that as a good sign, either...it seems like too many MSC's are improperly undercapitalized.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if you're right. The answer I received via email was pretty much a verbatim regurgitation of that post, as if it had been rehearsed many times! Not anxious to work for them again, especially considering the aggravation to fee ratio! Too bad, because the schedulers were VERY nice and communicative.

I guess the good thing about getting further into this is that you begin to realize there are companies with better fees, who also pay on time.

nicelytwicely Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I guess the good thing about getting further into
> this is that you begin to realize there are
> companies with better fees, who also pay on time.


Amen.

Ah.....magic!

As of this morning, paid. :-)

Probably due to your posting here. Dalejrfan is their employee.

About face does not pay quickly, but do pay according to their schedule. If you do not receive payment and email, at least a response is received. As bad as this is, they do pay.

I love shopping for this company, but you are right it does take about 65 days to get paid. After 60 days I usually call them and I get paid within a week.

I did a shop for them on 3/13/10.
Still have not gotten paid.
I sent them an email per their instructions on their website.
Hopefully I will be paid for this shop and receive a reply to my email.
Their pay info states that I should have been paid by 4/28/10.
So I am concerned about accepting any future shops with them.
Have not ever had this type of situation before with any other companies.
So the info on this forum is helpful because it lets me know that they pay late and others have had the same issue.
Thanks for the information...its greatly apprecaited.

I'm also waiting to be paid for a shop I did on 3/19. I'm writing to them today to see whats going on.

Wow. After only one polite inquiry, I was at the end of April for shops I did at the beginning of March. Now I'm feeling very lucky!

About Face not only takes it time paying, most of their shops do not pay very well and are very detailed. I am thinking of not shopping for them any more.


I just emailed about a March shop payment, which I feel is due.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2010 10:29PM by kittybratt.

I just did two shops for them even though the slow pay was listed here. In addition to slow pay, I learned that the website repeatedly froze and I was glad I've gotten into the habit of saving my work on word before entering it into the website. I keep copies of everything. I guess I'm a little paranoid, but at least I don't usually have to re-do everything.

The scheduler was very pleasant and stayed in contact with me to answer some questions including a dubious address which she clarified.

We shall see how the pay goes.

I just wanted to post this to warn shoppers to save their work on Word when working on their site.

Saving work in Word or similar word processing is always the better part of wisdom. Saving instructions to the computer is also advisable. I just got a shop rejected by another company for a reason that I don't think was in the instructions. When I went to double check the instructions, I hadn't downloaded and saved them. aaargh. No way to prove them wrong, so this one I just have to quietly eat.

Words to live by, for sure. Many times I do not keep a copy of instructions/guidelines. In the event you need to refer to them, you are so out of luck.

I received an email with an apology and my money the same day I emailed them.

I just wanted to report back. I had been missing a payment from them and emailed them. Within 48 hours, I had an apology and the money in my paypal account. While slightly annoyed by the fact that I had to contact them, I was very pleased by the quick response and the resolution of the issue. They were also very understanding of a shop I had to reschedule due to a medical emergency and I still got a 5 on that shop once I turned it in. As of now, I've decided to continue accepting shops for them.

Similar experience here, cammi. I haven't accepted more shops since that time, but strictly based on the payment offered. I would work for them again.

Did my first job for "About Face" six days ago, and just received the absolute niceist email, saying my job was excellent, thanking me for all my hard work, and saying I got a 5 out of 5....the email went on and on, and was written by the head senior editor. I give kudo's to this company, and as long as I know when they pay, no complaints, great way to start the day!!!

I did a number of shops for them but stopped last March 2009. At that time, their payment seemed to be on time. They made a bunch of changes and one of them was to delete the bonus payment they used to make for a 5 report. On my last shop, the guidelines of the shop I accepted said there was a $3 bonus for a 5 report, but I did not receive it although I got a 5. When I e-mailed, I was told About Face made the decision to stop the bonus and they stopped it right then and would not honor the bonus on any previously-accepted shops. That broke my trust for them and it was the last shop I did for them. So the $3 they saved cost them a shopper who turned in 5s on reports. Of course, now it is just as well that I no longer work for them. Not does it seem like they have lost the majority of their clients here, I am reading on the forums that they have payment issues. That's the kiss of death as far as I am concerned ..... I figure I work hard on my shops and every penny I am paid .... and I should not have to wait or go back and beg for my payment. I refuse to work for a company that does not pay on time unless there are VERY extenuating circumstances surrounding the late payment.

I took myself off their shopping list. They always have an excuse about getting paid and they send too many emails for one shop. They are losers.

I an on their list but have not done any work for them. All this reading makes me wonder if I should. I have a problem with the downloads. For some reason I can't open them. I emailed them and told them I couldn't open one I was interested in and then did send me a link so I could open the guidelines I wanted to see. I wants to use AcroTextExtractoe.exe and for some reason it won't work on mine. Any ideas?

I have always been able to open their guidelines within Prophet or Shopmetrics. They use both hosts for different projects.

AboutFace went through a slow spell. The last two months, my shops have been paid in 30-32 days. I would recommend them. As with any new-to-you MSP, start slowly.

Mert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have always been able to open their guidelines
> within Prophet or Shopmetrics. They use both hosts
> for different projects.
>
> AboutFace went through a slow spell. The last two
> months, my shops have been paid in 30-32 days. I
> would recommend them. As with any new-to-you MSP,
> start slowly.


I just gave them a second chance and lived to regret it...I signed up for 6 phone shops for a certain kind of company. One was for the company; the others were competitor shops. After I completed the one for the company, I tried the others. The instructions stated the shops were recorded. They used a recording system through Shopmetrics, where you push a button on their site, the system calls you, you enter a code, and the call goes through without you doing anything more.

I spent time reading the instructions for each (they had differing scenarios) and couldn't do any, as the recording thing was missing. Spent time writing to the scheduler about each one. She says, "You do realize the shops are not recorded, right?" HUH? Then why do your instructions say they are??? And if you know it is wrong, why do you not correct them???????

To cap it off, after I had the report for the client one that was recorded mostly written, while I was working on it, they send an email stating the client is canceling the shops, they want to rethink them or something or other, and the shop is being removed from your list, do not complete it. It poofed away as I worked on it, with no compensation. They also wrote that "the shops will be returned to you when the client revamps."

As far as I am concerned, they can return whatever they want, but I won't be playing. I have wasted enough time for the money that was offered just going through the motions on the competitors to get nothing done there (before the shops poofed) and to have completed the call and almost be done with the report and have it vanish? That tells me what they think of their shoppers.

Has anyone completed the shop where the registration fee is reimbursed in 2 weeks?

If so, what is the exact fee, and were you indeed reimbursed in 2 weeks?

They also will not pay for locations that have moved.

Scuba, I haven't seen that shop.


Canada, as for closed locations that have moved . . .If there was a call ahead guideline to verify, and the shop was then attempted, they wouldn't pay. If there was no such guideline, and the location is closed, they have paid me a bit less than 50% fee for an N/A report.

They are changing to DD for those interested, I just signed up, so, payment will (should) be sooner.