Complaint Review: Attack Marketing - Los Angleles California

In October of 2014 I was hired by Attack Marketing as an independent contractor to work an event along with 5 other individuals. According to this company's payment terms payments can take anywhere from 6-8 weeks after the completion of an event to be sent out, as long as they have first received payment from the client.

After 10 weeks I still had not received payment. Their website clearly states that if the payment timeline has passed to fill out an online inquiry regarding payment whereabouts so I proceeded to do so on January 5th 2015. The given timeline for a response to the inquiry is 3 days. After 3 days I then proceeded to email the booking agent Greg Solomon regarding my payment whereabouts. This booking agent is the one who had confirmed my hours and payment to be received for this event on the date of October 28th. The company's website says to email agent if no response has been received from the online inquiry. I sent numerous emails and left multiple voice mails for this agent to no avail.

While trying to get in contact with my agent I call the company looking to speak to a physical person. After finally picking up their line I explain my issue to this woman who is in the human resources department and she informs me that the booking agent I've been attempting to contact no longer works for the company. This woman from HR states that I'd have to speak to one of the other agents on the team who handles events for this said client. I attempt to contact via email and phone the booking agent Kelly Fitzgerald who originally hired me for the job but yet again no response has been received.

Over a 2 day period I call the company multiple times in attempts to get in contact with someone on 'the team.' Again, I get routed back to HR and am told that the people I've been trying to contact are indeed in the office and at their desk. At one point one of the staff I had been trying to contact picks up without speaking and hangs up abruptly. After growing impatient and realizing that something clearly is not right I ask to be transferred to someone in the finance department or someone higher up who can assist me. I am told that the only person who can assist me would be someone on 'the team' because they are the ones who give the go ahead to finance for the independent contractor to be paid.

On the evening of January 12th I call the CEO of the company and explain my situation to him. He tells me to send him an email with the information in regards to the event I worked, hours, payment owed and asks me to confirm my address to make sure payment gets sent to the correct destination. He tells me that he'll look into the situation and take care of it himself. I forwarded him the original document received from the booking agent who no longer works for the company. This document contained what city I worked in, hours worked, payment owed and confirmation of my mailing address by Greg and myself. On January 14th I receive a reply from the CEO stating that payments were going out next day and that I'd hear back from him with a response next day as well.

By January 26th I still had not received payment or a response. On this day I sent the CEO yet again another email which expressed my discontent with the neglect in payment and the existence of his inadequate staff. I also inform him that I'd be filing a few complaints since this has gone on far too long. The reply that I received states that he was under the assumption that I had already been paid, and asks me to re-confirm my address once again. Had he taken care of this situation as he originally voiced, he would have known that no payment has been received by me or any of the other independent contractors who worked this event whom have tirelessly been inquiring about their promised overdue payments as well.

At this point it appears that this company is trying to camouflage their faulty business practices by coming up with excuses to stall payment.