Safeguard Properties Didn't pay us! Valley View Ohio

We have been performing property preservation for Safeguard Properties for about a year now.  We currently have several invoices that are 90 days old, and they have recently begun to generate "chargebacks".  A chargeback is when they try to give you a job (usually out of your area with a due date of tomorrow), and then, when you contact them through e-mail, voice mail, and status report to tell them you can't get to the job within the time frame specified, they charge YOU (the contractor) $50 to pay for their "cost of reassignment".  This is clearly illegal.

Contractors are not employees.  Because they don't receive a wage or a salary, it is the contractor's option whether or not to accept a job.  If the contractor notifies Safeguard that he/she can't do a specific job at a specific time, then it's Safeguard's job to find another contractor or go back to the client.

It is also important to note that Safeguard is in the habit of trying to get their contractors to do free work.  They love to send out memos advising their contractors to complete work ahead of time, and then bid the work after the fact.  Do you think Safeguard will ever accept a bid for work that's already been done?  No, they never have.  They are also fond of asking you to do work over the phone, promising a work order which never arrives.  If you try to invoice the work without a work order, then you don't get paid.

This hurts Safeguard clients by disincentivizing the people who are doing the actual work.  When contractors are not paid fairly, they are left with no choice but to skimp on work, cut corners, or get out of the business.  When contractors quit, the client is on the hook for trip charges to pay a far-away dude to come into town.  If no far-away dude is available or the client wont pay the trip charge, then the work doesnt get done at all.

Seriously, Safeguard sells itself as a cheap one-stop-shop for its clients. But who needs a one-stop shop that doesnt get the job done?  Safeguard requires its contractors to carry their own insurance, so they are really adding nothing of benefit to the process.  Banks and real-estate agents would be better served by hiring local contractors directly.

I've seen a few disgruntled contractors write bad things about Safeguard on this website. I don't feel that Safeguard is getting a fair shake.

First of all, I've been working for them since 2004. I earn 6 figures with them each year. They pay within 30 days as agreed, but most of the time, a lot sooner.

Many complain about how little they pay, verses how much Safeguard earns. Frankly, how much Safeguard earns is none of any ones business except their own.
That's the way it is with any one we work for. If we agree to do a job for a certain amount of money, then that is what we should do. If we don't like it, we should move on. So what validity does anyone have, who complains about the fee they accept, when they are the ones that accept it!

As a rebuttal to the message posted, the author states that we should be warned, that eventually we will not get paid. So I guess maybe after 5 years of getting paid exactly what they owe me, exactly when they said they would pay me, that perhaps now I should start to question if I'll be paid in the future? Safeguard is no different than any other company, that might have a problem paying folks for crappy work. Perhaps the work was not turned in on time, or photos were missing, or for what ever reason. In most cases, those that complain, probably did not fulfill their end of the deal. All I know is, you do the job you agreed to, and they do their part to pay you. Works every time.

As for Vendor Management not knowing what is going on out in the field, I have to disagree. They know what we do. It's not rocket science to figure out how to stand in front of a house and snap a photo. Or that we might have to actually drive to where the property is located. After all, we are the ones that set and agree to our own boundaries. My personal experience with the Regional Managers has been very good. It's no big wonderment that their staff changes from time to time. This company is a huge success, and is growing in all areas. To their clients, they provide an excellent service. Otherwise, why would they keep coming back to use the services that Safeguard provides? I have had maybe 4 or 5 different Regional managers over the past 5 years. And they are ALL still working there! They just have to adapt and adjust to their own growth by reorganizing the territory that each Manager handles. What could possibly be wrong with that?

All the Vendor managers I've had, and currently do have, are professionals at what they do. They get the job done. If the contractor who they are talking to is getting the work turned in on time, and is doing quality work, then they talk to you really nice. If on the other hand, you are not doing a very good job... how do you think they are going to talk to you? Hello?

As far as just being middle-men getting their cut, I suppose you never shop at Wal-Mart either! How dare Wal-Mart make a profit on what they sell us.

As for some of the work that vendors are doing, of course some of it is going to be appalling. Safeguard will give new contractors a chance to get started in this business. If the contractor doesn't do a good job, eventually they will be replaced.
It's a process that takes time and discovery. A crappy job by one contractor, leaves an open opportunity for another to do a better job.

And then sometimes we as contractors will be replaced by someone else who comes along and offers to do the same work for a cheaper price. But don't we all do that? If you've been using Krogers to shop for groceries, and then you find that Wal-Mart has lower prices for the same product, you start using Wal-Mart.
We all do that. We are not employees. We offer business services. If Safeguard can find the same quality of work for a better price, then who are we to say they shouldn't do that? We all do the same thing with contractors or retail establishments that we patron with.

As compared to other field service companies, Safeguard is so far above the competition when it comes to their technical abilities. Totally paperless. Their program to report and upload photos is so far above any other company, it's almost ridiculous. They have a great tech support team and an excellent program either online or offline to report with. I'm spoiled.

All in all, Safeguard is no different than any other company out there. You do your job right, you get paid right. Safeguard is an excellent company to work for!