MYS Buying Group Payments
This is the update I always hoped to write. To be clear, I never wanted to write about MYS Buying Group issues in the first place. But once that article was published, I really, really, really wished for some good news. Lo and behold, ToP's investigative journalism, along with our loyal readers sharing and re-sharing this story, led to positive updates with MYS Buying Group payments.
The Backstory
If you missed our earlier article (read it here), MYS Buying Group payments were often late for customers for the last year. There is no need to rehash all of the details here. But there are plenty of reports of payments from November and December 2023 that had not been received when we published on April 29, 2024 (yes, 6+ months behind). The reports are all over the internet and you don't need to do much sleuthing to find them.
After filing ticket after ticket to request payment, which has unfortunately become the norm for most MYS buyers, I was finally told to “please reach out to Yosef.” Note: I was never given any contact info for Yosef, or told who he was. How did I get his contact info? I received his email address from other buyers who were told the exact same thing about their missing payments.
I emailed Yosef on April 9, 2024. He immediately responded, while cc'ing “Bree.” I have no idea who Bree is, but I also cc'd this person on follow-up emails. Yes, there were follow-up emails. I emailed Yosef again on April 13, 2024 and April 18, 2024. I have yet to receive any response to those emails.
There was no response for 20 days from my original email. Knowing that friends and ToP teammates also never received an email response from Yosef, we published our article on April 29, 2024.
MYS Buying Group's Response
On the morning of May 6, I responded to an online inquiry on our website asking whether I would speak with Yosef. I agreed, and Yosef reached out to schedule a phone call. I gave him my availability, which was while were traveling for City Socials with members of our Facebook group. Yet I never heard back from Yosef.
Yosef never called me, as I had requested. Later that day, Yosef sent an email to all MYS buyers. The email alleged he “was disappointed to learn of payment delays experienced by some of our buyers.” He also claimed that the author of the ToP article didn't seek his input before publishing said article, despite my many emails to him that never received a reply.
The good news is that Yosef stated all buyers had been made whole and MYS Buying Group payments were now up-to-date.
ToP's Follow-up with MYS
After leaving a City Social in San Diego and learning about the above email, I reached out to Yosef directly. I asked to speak with him again. I received a phone call within minutes. It was 2 am ET. The call lasted about 47 minutes, finally finishing up at nearly 3 am. I learned that Yosef has not been involved in the day-to-day operations of MYS Buying Group for a year or more. Quite frankly, that seems to align with the customer service issues that have hammered the business.
He promised me multiple times that ALL BUYERS have been made whole, even if payments are not yet due to them. Yosef also promised he is taking back over the day-to-day business operations and will oversee all MYS Buying Group operations, including timely payments.
On a personal level, I can attest that all outstanding checks were received between Saturday, May 4 and Monday, May 6, and I have personally been made whole. There are similar data points in our Facebook group as well, along with obvious signs that Yosef was aware of these payment issues for quite a while.
MYS Buying Group Payments: ToP Thoughts
First and foremost, I am so thankful that MYS Buying Group issued payments and buyers have been made whole. I honestly did not expect it to happen since payments were 6+ months delayed. Second, I am extremely proud of ToP's investigative journalism and bringing this issue to light. I spoke with dozens and dozens of folks before publishing the article, and gave Yosef and others at MYS plenty of time to respond. Third, I am not quite sure where this leaves us.
While I am glad all payments went out and buyers were made whole, a business is only as good as its leader. Personally, I will never turn a blind-eye towards ToP for days at a time, much less weeks, months or years, and believe that any responsible business owner should do the same. Additionally, MYS' promise is to issue future payments within 20 business days, which is far, far longer than the industry norm. Each of you can decide how you wish to proceed and whether you are comfortable using MYS Buying Group in the future.
Were you made whole? Did you receive all your requested MYS Buying Group payments? Let us know in our Facebook group.
