I hadn't worked for Ace in years, but did a few shops for them recently. Tonight I received an email from a payment processor called Melio, saying that I could either "Accept this payment digitally or get a paper check in the mail." The amount they have for what I am owed is correct. I have a feeling this is above board, but of course, the digital payment requires my banking info for a direct deposit, so I'm checking here with you guys to ask if this is legit. I've just never heard of Melio before. Please let me know - thanks!

This was legit for me. I started working with them some months ago, but they have a strong presence and offering in my area. Some of their editors have that White Clay vibe, where they acknowledge quality reports.

I received this email last month. I'm not sure if everyone received it, or only those affected. Maybe it will help.

By the way, I do like how everyone is asking questions about payments lately. It makes me review my own and check, when I normally wouldn't.

I hope this email finds you well. I'm writing to inform you about a recent payment issue and to sincerely apologize for any confusion or inconvenience it may have caused.
We recently discovered that due to an error caused by our ACH vendor, some shoppers received a duplicate payment for July shops. This issue affected approximately 300 shoppers and involved thousands of dollars.
I want to assure you that we took immediate action as soon as we became aware of the situation. We promptly reached out to our Checkbook, but unfortunately, their support was unresponsive and provided unclear answers. Despite our best efforts to resolve the issue quickly, we were unable to stop the payments before they were processed.
Due to the lack of timely and clear communication from Checkbook during this critical situation, we have made the decision to terminate our agreement with Checkbook, so we can avoid something like this in the future.
If you were a shopper who received a duplicate payment, the excess amount will be deducted from your next payment.
Although we have chosen a new vendor, the set-up process can be lengthy, so in order to make sure that ZERO payments are delayed, we are going to use Melio for this pay run.
When you receive the email from Melio, You will be prompted to choose how to receive your payment, via ACH or check. There is no need to sign up. Please be looking for an email from Melio as your payment is processed.
Just so you are aware, this is going to be a manual process for me, and I am having to enter the payments one at a time, so I appreciate your patience. I am starting on this tonight, and hope to be able to have it complete by early next week, which is still way ahead of the schedule since our agreement says we pay by the end of the following month. Cool
We deeply regret any inconvenience this situation may have caused and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve it. Your patience during this process is greatly valued.
Thank you for your continued support!

Thanks for this. I also emailed Ace to confirm as well.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2024 07:09AM by shopnyc.

It was professional of them to acknowledge the issue, provide an explanation and attempt a timely fix. Much unlike Elite, discussed in another thread.

Elite doesn't have a payment processor issue, they don't have any money to pay shoppers. Thats why they wouldn't/didn't/can't send out a message like this!

Hey everyone - Jullie with ACE here.

I apologize for any confusion! In September, we announced a transition from Checkbook to a new payment provider due to a significant Checkbook.io glitch that resulted in almost $10,000 in overpayments, with zero support from Checkbook, even though it was their software that caused the error. We couldn't reach them by phone, and the email exchanges were vague, and they talked in circles.

After evaluating alternatives, we've temporarily implemented Melio as an interim solution to ensure our shoppers receive timely payments. This allows us to maintain our early payment schedule during the transition. Our agreement states we pay by the end of the following month, however, we like to pay early and try to be done by the end of the first week of the month because we understand the importance of timely payments for our shoppers.

Our long-term plan is to use Trolley. They have excellent reviews and customer support by phone, which we didn't have with Checkbook. However, their lengthy vetting and onboarding process for companies takes 4-8 weeks. It is still ongoing. They just want to make sure we are legit before allowing us to use their platform, especially with all of the mystery shopping scams. If Trolley doesn't approve us for any reason, we'll continue using Melio until we find the best long-term solution for both our team and our shoppers.

We're committed to improving our payment processes and appreciate your understanding during this transition.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to text me 816-307-1450.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2024 04:35PM by JulieACE1.