Nonpayment from Research Company Despite Completing Clinical Trial
I tried to resolve this with both the Savannah site director and headquarters, but headquarters has never responded. I called and e-mailed them.
I was contacted on May 7th about two clinical trials. I agreed to participate and was then contacted a few days later that one trial was on hold. I showed up May 13th for my other appointment at the Savannah location. I was greeted at reception and given paperwork to read and sign. About 1 hour into the appointment, after I had already been enrolled in the clinical trial and completed part of it, I was notified I would have to download an app to receive payment.
The call center did not notify me, to be best of my recollection. The receptionist had not notified me. The paperwork had no disclosure about this. I signed paperwork that guaranteed compensation, but nothing said I had to download an app. The site director came to talk to me. We had a polite conversation but reached no resolution. She looked at the phone notes, and the call center charted they mentioned the app. It did NOT say they mentioned it was the only method of payment. I admitted I could be forgetting parts of the conversation. However, given that I would have declined to participate if I had to download an app, I really think I would remember. She said she would pull the recording and review it. She also said I would not be compensated for the trial if I did not download the app.
Here is the issue: I was already enrolled in the trial and have signed paperwork agreeing to compensate me, with nothing about an app. I do not think she has the authority to decline to compensate me when there is nothing I signed agreeing to download an app.
Even if I left then, I had already spent more than hour of my time and was enrolled in the trial. I was guaranteed compensation at that point. Also, I had agreed to participate in a trial. So, I completed the rest of the data gathering and asked if the recording had been reviewed. It had not.
She allowed me to leave the research site without compensation and without reviewing the recording.
There are several issues. The Savannah site director did a poor job of dealing with an issue that her people created. They have a policy in place that is not communicated to clients, nor is it in the paperwork. It is a poorly implemented policy without any exceptions, yet the call center, receptionist, and paperwork do not reflect the policy.
I recommend someone from company headquarters contact me, as I have requested. I do not want to discuss this with the Savannah site director, as she is illegally withholding payment from me. I also recommend that others not complete research with this company if they do not want to be coerced into downloading an app. It is unethical to require the download of an app for compensation when the companies that utilize this company pay them so they can pay the research participants.
Date of experience: May 12, 2024