Mystery Shopping - Anyone Do This?
Aug 7, 2016, 9:21 pm
#46
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Either at the shooting range or anywhere good beer can be found...
Posts: 51,056
Aug 11, 2016, 12:02 pm
#47
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Southern California/Los Angeles
Programs: Various
Posts: 2,778
I've been doing it for 10 years now. For awhile, I was juggling 15 or so different companies. It seemed fairly natural to me, since I've been in the Food Service industry most of my life, and have been on the other side of a shop report.
Anyway, it took awhile to build a rapport before anything other than $10 grocery reimbursement jobs were all I was offered. I've done Vet visits, oil changes, theme parks, movies, grocery, retail buy/return, same day rental cars, hotels (1 to 4 star + B&B), restaurants (sandwich quick serve to Michelin 2 star, and all in between) Each company offers different levels of assignments, and pay schedule, etc.. I am now down to 4 different companies, that I have cherry picked.
Ten years ago, you couldn't just sign up with Coyle, they were much more discriminant/selective, and you have to really prove yourself. At one point, I was doing a Michelin 2 star restaurant, here in Los Angeles. After I spent 24 hours on that report, I was given my $60 stipend, and reimbursed the $375 bill (food, beverage, alcohol, tax, tip, valet included) I received a notice that they want their contractors to be in the "lifestyle" of the jobs that are offered. I took that as a negative, and stopped working for them. They want those that take LUXURY cruises to be the ones that take those jobs. They want you to be staying at 15+ high end boutique hotels if you are going to accept one of their Palm Springs (name that card suit) hotels. Four years later, they send me notices begging me to take jobs at the fancy pants/Food Network/pricey LAX TBIT joints for $40 reimbursement and $15 stipend. These days, it's easy to get on with them, as they have hundreds of jobs each month, and at various levels. They have the nicer jobs, but ones that require 4 to 10 hours of solid report writing, memorizing obscure names and details without note taking, and playing the part. During your hotel stay, you are constantly doing work (housekeeping calls, corridor checks, staff interactions) so it's not a relaxing stay. You are scored, based on your reports and timeliness (some reports must be submitted withing 24 hrs!) If you can't stay in the upper 20%, you're out! Thus is it "Worth It?" YMMV.
In the past few years, the stipends have gone down, and the reimbursements have gone from getting a reimbursement check for everything, to credit card reversals for the charges and a check for everything else. Some want you to have elite status and put your FT# on the reservation to see how they treat loyalty guests. Others say nothing about it, but to stay anonymous. I will often leave my FT# out, and then add it at check out. The restaurants have been cut by about 1/2 or 1/3 of what they were. One MS company has so many pizza clients, I'm ready to pull the plug.
You are sworn to not tell others specific names of places you have evaluated (except for those that go on the evaluation with you) Those of you posting names here on the Forum, I hope you're not compromising.
Most companies are reputable, and you can verify through the MSPA organization. There is one company that I recommend steering clear of (as they are terrible at paying on time, refused to pay me on a completed report for an error on their part, and are so bad, they were given an F BBB rating. They changed their name and decided to screw more people over:
Business Evaluation Services now: Mystery Shopper Services DO NOT SIGN UP WITH THIS COMPANY
Anyway, it took awhile to build a rapport before anything other than $10 grocery reimbursement jobs were all I was offered. I've done Vet visits, oil changes, theme parks, movies, grocery, retail buy/return, same day rental cars, hotels (1 to 4 star + B&B), restaurants (sandwich quick serve to Michelin 2 star, and all in between) Each company offers different levels of assignments, and pay schedule, etc.. I am now down to 4 different companies, that I have cherry picked.
Ten years ago, you couldn't just sign up with Coyle, they were much more discriminant/selective, and you have to really prove yourself. At one point, I was doing a Michelin 2 star restaurant, here in Los Angeles. After I spent 24 hours on that report, I was given my $60 stipend, and reimbursed the $375 bill (food, beverage, alcohol, tax, tip, valet included) I received a notice that they want their contractors to be in the "lifestyle" of the jobs that are offered. I took that as a negative, and stopped working for them. They want those that take LUXURY cruises to be the ones that take those jobs. They want you to be staying at 15+ high end boutique hotels if you are going to accept one of their Palm Springs (name that card suit) hotels. Four years later, they send me notices begging me to take jobs at the fancy pants/Food Network/pricey LAX TBIT joints for $40 reimbursement and $15 stipend. These days, it's easy to get on with them, as they have hundreds of jobs each month, and at various levels. They have the nicer jobs, but ones that require 4 to 10 hours of solid report writing, memorizing obscure names and details without note taking, and playing the part. During your hotel stay, you are constantly doing work (housekeeping calls, corridor checks, staff interactions) so it's not a relaxing stay. You are scored, based on your reports and timeliness (some reports must be submitted withing 24 hrs!) If you can't stay in the upper 20%, you're out! Thus is it "Worth It?" YMMV.
In the past few years, the stipends have gone down, and the reimbursements have gone from getting a reimbursement check for everything, to credit card reversals for the charges and a check for everything else. Some want you to have elite status and put your FT# on the reservation to see how they treat loyalty guests. Others say nothing about it, but to stay anonymous. I will often leave my FT# out, and then add it at check out. The restaurants have been cut by about 1/2 or 1/3 of what they were. One MS company has so many pizza clients, I'm ready to pull the plug.
You are sworn to not tell others specific names of places you have evaluated (except for those that go on the evaluation with you) Those of you posting names here on the Forum, I hope you're not compromising.
Most companies are reputable, and you can verify through the MSPA organization. There is one company that I recommend steering clear of (as they are terrible at paying on time, refused to pay me on a completed report for an error on their part, and are so bad, they were given an F BBB rating. They changed their name and decided to screw more people over:
Business Evaluation Services now: Mystery Shopper Services DO NOT SIGN UP WITH THIS COMPANY
Aug 11, 2016, 7:06 pm
#48
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Either at the shooting range or anywhere good beer can be found...
Posts: 51,056
I've been doing it for 10 years now. For awhile, I was juggling 15 or so different companies. It seemed fairly natural to me, since I've been in the Food Service industry most of my life, and have been on the other side of a shop report.
Anyway, it took awhile to build a rapport before anything other than $10 grocery reimbursement jobs were all I was offered. I've done Vet visits, oil changes, theme parks, movies, grocery, retail buy/return, same day rental cars, hotels (1 to 4 star + B&B), restaurants (sandwich quick serve to Michelin 2 star, and all in between) Each company offers different levels of assignments, and pay schedule, etc.. I am now down to 4 different companies, that I have cherry picked.
Ten years ago, you couldn't just sign up with Coyle, they were much more discriminant/selective, and you have to really prove yourself. At one point, I was doing a Michelin 2 star restaurant, here in Los Angeles. After I spent 24 hours on that report, I was given my $60 stipend, and reimbursed the $375 bill (food, beverage, alcohol, tax, tip, valet included) I received a notice that they want their contractors to be in the "lifestyle" of the jobs that are offered. I took that as a negative, and stopped working for them. They want those that take LUXURY cruises to be the ones that take those jobs. They want you to be staying at 15+ high end boutique hotels if you are going to accept one of their Palm Springs (name that card suit) hotels. Four years later, they send me notices begging me to take jobs at the fancy pants/Food Network/pricey LAX TBIT joints for $40 reimbursement and $15 stipend. These days, it's easy to get on with them, as they have hundreds of jobs each month, and at various levels. They have the nicer jobs, but ones that require 4 to 10 hours of solid report writing, memorizing obscure names and details without note taking, and playing the part. During your hotel stay, you are constantly doing work (housekeeping calls, corridor checks, staff interactions) so it's not a relaxing stay. You are scored, based on your reports and timeliness (some reports must be submitted withing 24 hrs!) If you can't stay in the upper 20%, you're out! Thus is it "Worth It?" YMMV.
In the past few years, the stipends have gone down, and the reimbursements have gone from getting a reimbursement check for everything, to credit card reversals for the charges and a check for everything else. Some want you to have elite status and put your FT# on the reservation to see how they treat loyalty guests. Others say nothing about it, but to stay anonymous. I will often leave my FT# out, and then add it at check out. The restaurants have been cut by about 1/2 or 1/3 of what they were. One MS company has so many pizza clients, I'm ready to pull the plug.
You are sworn to not tell others specific names of places you have evaluated (except for those that go on the evaluation with you) Those of you posting names here on the Forum, I hope you're not compromising.
Most companies are reputable, and you can verify through the MSPA organization. There is one company that I recommend steering clear of (as they are terrible at paying on time, refused to pay me on a completed report for an error on their part, and are so bad, they were given an F BBB rating. They changed their name and decided to screw more people over:
Business Evaluation Services now: Mystery Shopper Services DO NOT SIGN UP WITH THIS COMPANY
Anyway, it took awhile to build a rapport before anything other than $10 grocery reimbursement jobs were all I was offered. I've done Vet visits, oil changes, theme parks, movies, grocery, retail buy/return, same day rental cars, hotels (1 to 4 star + B&B), restaurants (sandwich quick serve to Michelin 2 star, and all in between) Each company offers different levels of assignments, and pay schedule, etc.. I am now down to 4 different companies, that I have cherry picked.
Ten years ago, you couldn't just sign up with Coyle, they were much more discriminant/selective, and you have to really prove yourself. At one point, I was doing a Michelin 2 star restaurant, here in Los Angeles. After I spent 24 hours on that report, I was given my $60 stipend, and reimbursed the $375 bill (food, beverage, alcohol, tax, tip, valet included) I received a notice that they want their contractors to be in the "lifestyle" of the jobs that are offered. I took that as a negative, and stopped working for them. They want those that take LUXURY cruises to be the ones that take those jobs. They want you to be staying at 15+ high end boutique hotels if you are going to accept one of their Palm Springs (name that card suit) hotels. Four years later, they send me notices begging me to take jobs at the fancy pants/Food Network/pricey LAX TBIT joints for $40 reimbursement and $15 stipend. These days, it's easy to get on with them, as they have hundreds of jobs each month, and at various levels. They have the nicer jobs, but ones that require 4 to 10 hours of solid report writing, memorizing obscure names and details without note taking, and playing the part. During your hotel stay, you are constantly doing work (housekeeping calls, corridor checks, staff interactions) so it's not a relaxing stay. You are scored, based on your reports and timeliness (some reports must be submitted withing 24 hrs!) If you can't stay in the upper 20%, you're out! Thus is it "Worth It?" YMMV.
In the past few years, the stipends have gone down, and the reimbursements have gone from getting a reimbursement check for everything, to credit card reversals for the charges and a check for everything else. Some want you to have elite status and put your FT# on the reservation to see how they treat loyalty guests. Others say nothing about it, but to stay anonymous. I will often leave my FT# out, and then add it at check out. The restaurants have been cut by about 1/2 or 1/3 of what they were. One MS company has so many pizza clients, I'm ready to pull the plug.
You are sworn to not tell others specific names of places you have evaluated (except for those that go on the evaluation with you) Those of you posting names here on the Forum, I hope you're not compromising.
Most companies are reputable, and you can verify through the MSPA organization. There is one company that I recommend steering clear of (as they are terrible at paying on time, refused to pay me on a completed report for an error on their part, and are so bad, they were given an F BBB rating. They changed their name and decided to screw more people over:
Business Evaluation Services now: Mystery Shopper Services DO NOT SIGN UP WITH THIS COMPANY
I too shop for Coyle. I believe they ask that people not publicize the companies that use them to provide shoppers. IIRC, the hotel shops for them ask you not to enter frequent guest information as that can be used to identify a mystery shopper, and the goal is to stay anonymous.