And that leads to a question about the title of this thread: "Coyle is not truthful in its postings, so let me tell you what is truthful" I perceive no indicator that Coyle was not truthful with the OP and I fail to see why a person who has been a member of this forum for more than 3 1/2 years would perceive a job email for which they are not eligible to be anything out of the ordinary. My email just today included $200 to open a bank account if I was about 50 years younger than I am. Does that make that company 'untruthful' as well? And an email for a shop that I do but am currently out of rotation, does that make that company 'untruthful'? Mighty strange definition of not being truthful.

@Flash wrote:

I fail to see why a person who has been a member of this forum for more than 3 1/2 years would perceive a job email for which they are not eligible to be anything out of the ordinary.

Bingo!

It's not just MSCs, either. In my mail today is a focus group for people with asthma (which I don't have), but I also got a carpet cleaning shop (I have hardwood floors) and a spa shop where you have to be a new customer, but I've already done the shop.

Should I be offended? That's a normal day of offers in my opinion.

In a perfect world, there would be a questionnaire that covered all of these things and the software would be smart enough to target an appropriate audience. I can even see that happening in the near future....but I have also been scheduled for lucrative bra shops when I could bring a female with me, allowed to take assignments that I was out of the age range for, and am negotiating a dinner shop that requested someone bi-lingual (my French is spotty, but I can get through ordering at a restaurant). I would be bummed to not have those opportunities presented.

Whatever the situation, there's no excuse for somebody at Coyle to not reply to the OP's three e-mails asking the status of the shop. Unless, of course, nobody received them. which is difficult to believe. But if that happened, the scheduler could have said, "I'm sorry; we never received your earlier e-mails. But here's why you haven't been approved for this shop..."

There's nothing "wrong" with Coyle having certain standards, and we all get e-mails asking us to do shops for which we don't qualify or we can't self assign. (Not talking about Coyle, since I'm not registered with them, but generally speaking.) I think it's asking a lot to expect MSCs to filter their databases so finely that people never get e-mails for shops they're not approved or qualified to do.

But, e-mails should be responded to.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2016 01:49AM by BirdyC.

And they eventually did respond. Sadly it is not unusual for schedulers to not respond to emails. There are a handful of companies where I have figured out the chain of command and when the first and second emails are not responded to in 4 days I move on up the hierarchy asking for assistance because the scheduler is not responding. So that still has nothing to do with the 'truthfulness' of the company.

@Flash wrote:

So that still has nothing to do with the 'truthfulness' of the company.

No, it doesn't, but I wasn't addressing that, which is an unfair assessment of Coyle by the shopper. I gather that the only reason the OP eventually got a response was because she was able to find the e-mail of a specific person. Sounds like their "general" e-mail, or wherever one e-mails to ask about a shop, either isn't monitored closely, or the person who gets them just ignored her. Nothing to do with truthfulness, but it's rude--assuming her e-mails did get through.

It's frustrating to be ignored, and people who ordinarily might be reasonable get worked up and worked up when time after time, they're not responded to. It just escalates the problem. I know--I've gone off the deep end (not about mystery shopping!) when I've been trying to get information out of somebody or need a response to something, and my e-mails, phone calls, and snail mail simply get ignored.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2016 02:00AM by BirdyC.

Thing is, we have no idea where the first three emails even went.

There's a generic support address for questions about shops. There's a generic scheduling email for questions about scheduling. There's an info address for potential clients, and then there's individual email addresses for each employee.

The question really is; Should we expect an MSC to reply to every single email sent?

MSCs are notoriously short on time and resources. They already pay us poorly. Would other shoppers like to allocate a few dollars from each shop to ensure that the MSC has the resources to answer email questions which are already addressed in their online training system? I wouldn't.

Again, in a perfect world, it would be great if all emails were answered. It's my impression that the support personal are doing everything they can to answer questions as quickly as possibly when they are pertinent to questions on assigned shops. They clearly respond faster to emergency questions than generic ones. Requests for the status of a shop that can clearly be seen as unassigned if it still sitting in your application bin probably get ignored. Every single shopper that put in an application for Coyle last month has requests sitting for at least 2 weeks. They had a huge new client come aboard and were overwhelmed.

In this case, the OP apparently had not read the posted guidelines for applying, where the answer to the question was already present, then most likely emailed one of the generic addresses, and did not receive a response. Then they took it upon themselves to email the Director of Operations for the company, received a truthful reply, was offended by it (because they did not read the guidelines) and continued to bombard the employee with questions about the process.

This is really the same discussion we have had about this forum time and again; Do we handhold the members who clearly have not read or do not want to abide by the guidelines, or spend our time and effort helping the shoppers who are clearly trying, but may be lost and need some assistance. I chose not to reply to this thread when it was first posted, because the OP is clearly in the first group, and was out of line.

You have got to be kidding why are only "POSITIVE" remarks allowed? If this forum is to be helpful at all we can't just hear the positive feedback, The TRUTH is more helpful....I too have had problems with the behavior of the workers at this site. Perhaps they should be shopped...They never respond in any type of a timely manner, they send you e mails, then after you finally get them, they tell you/ you were not eligible for them which is a complete waste of my time. If you have to deal with them please do but use caution.

I don't think the intent of posters is to shut down negative comments, seems to me that folks are just trying to get OP to temper expectations.

That said, I agree that Coyle struggles with communicating in a timely and effective manner. I've had several occasions where I have applied for jobs with follow up communication that I needed to be accepted by a certain date to get the job on my schedule. That date comes and goes, I delete my application, and then get an email later in the period asking me to do such and such hotel. I of course decline as I have already filled my calendar as I said I would, and they have to scramble for another shopper. I don't let it bother me though. I have had enough positive experience with Coyle that I'm willing to accept that this is just the way they do business. Seems to me like it may be a case of being under-staffed on the scheduling side of things.

It is not 'positive' comments but 'positive contribution' that is requested on this forum. Declaring a company is 'untruthful' because you didn't get a response to an email is not a 'positive contribution'. Indicating that you are annoyed because a company does not respond to your emails is a 'positive contribution' because it alerts others that there is indeed still another company or scheduler out there that is unresponsive. Of course shoppers also have the responsibility of looking at their emails because many are clearly marked that you should not reply to the email because it goes to an unmonitored mailbox and many of those emails also offer the email address of the person to whom you should respond. Very frequently shopper do attribute negligence to a company or scheduler when indeed the negligence was their own.

We all don't appreciate the same things in the workplace, we all don't like the same types of shops, we all don't feel that the same companies are worth our time. Luckily there are lots of companies out there to work with so if you don't feel a particular company meshes with your needs, you have lots of options of other companies. You don't just damn them for what they do or don't do that you find frustrating, you just move on.

Just btw and I know this does not apply to all companies and isn't common, but Coyle actually lists their clients right on their website. So for those ragging on the OP for this reason...off the hook this time. Generally speaking tho ya best to not disclose that

For the record, disclosing the clients is still against the forum policy, and Coyle policy.

From the Coyle website: Clients prohibit posting on social media, review sites, etc. Evaluators who do so may be in breech of the ICA.

Hi calicakes,

I too wasn't given hotel shops I applied for. I also have to drive 35 miles + to do their restaurants. It might take me a few years to get qualified for hotels I would like to do more restaurants with them, but my problem is not only that they are so far away, but I am just so darned busy with other work that I don't have the time to devote to doing the evening shop and then spending the time involved with writing them a great report! Not to mention that driving a long distance home after eating and drinking is not an easy thing to do. I have done one of their restaurants thus far and I did receive 100% on the shop. Another problem is that the restaurant shops in the nearest city are pretty expensive and it is hard for me to stay under the reimbursement limit. There is one restaurant that is a steak house and the steaks are really expensive there (no surprise). We aren't supposed to order the most expensive items on the menu anyway, and the shopper and guest must order two different entrees. If I go to a steakhouse, I want to be able to order a nice steak! Why go to a steakhouse and order chicken? I know people do that, usually because they are accompanying a beef eater at the steakhouse, but when both guests are ordering low priced menu items that do not include steak, doesn't that seem odd? Also, not ordering alcohol during the bar visit would be another way to stay closer to the reimbursement amount, but if I am at the bar I want a glass of wine or some other adult beverage. Maybe they will raise the reimbursement sometime in the future and I can get more shops under my belt.

@calicakes wrote:

I applied for 2 ( one night) hotel shops and never heard anything. When I last looked, my apps were deleted. I also applied for a restaurant and was given the restaurant at the end of the month. When I wrote the scheduler, I asked about my apps for the hotels and she said I need to do restaurants first. She also told me I need to read the requirements very thoroughly because "Since this is your first evaluation for our clients, I would suggest you carefully review the guidelines. I also suggest that you log into the evaluator resource center online and carefully review the available sample reports. Our clients require a good deal of narrative that evaluators are not often accustomed to, and we want to be sure you prepare so your first evaluation is a success"

I wrote back and gave her all my experience with other MSC regarding the restaurants and hotels I've done and she said " I'd love to give u a hotel, are there any restaurants you can do asap so we can assign the hotels'. Unfortunately, there are not.

So, I'm schlepping 35 miles each way to do this restaurant so I can at least " get in" with Coyle. Now I'm not so sure I want to.

It's interesting to me how there are always complaints about Coye not giving a high enough reimbursement for meals, and yet there are many other companies out there purposely giving a budget barely enough to order anything.... i.e. See my post on BJ's!

Agreed, LindaM. That's why I won't do BJs Brewhouse without a bonus from that MSC. When I did that shop (once) I ended up going $5 over with reimbursement and fee. That's reasonable compared to going $50 over at the restaurant shop I did for Coyle.

@verysecret wrote:

You have got to be kidding why are only "POSITIVE" remarks allowed? If this forum is to be helpful at all we can't just hear the positive feedback, The TRUTH is more helpful....I too have had problems with the behavior of the workers at this site. Perhaps they should be shopped...They never respond in any type of a timely manner, they send you e mails, then after you finally get them, they tell you/ you were not eligible for them which is a complete waste of my time. If you have to deal with them please do but use caution.

LOL, yes... you receive an email asking you to go to the Coyle website and APPLY. The key word being APPLY. This does not guarantee you will get the assignment, more that you live in the general area they need a shopper. I have received those emails too, I would never assume I was guaranteed. On the other hand, I have received personal email asking me (along with a few other shoppers) if I could take an assignment in my area and to reply to the email the Coyle scheduler sent, when I have asked for the shop it has been given.

Either way, if you're unhappy, don't shop for them anymore. Simple as that. I am a very new shopper and have done several assignments for them without any issues. Yes, sometimes it takes them DAYS to respond to my emails. Oh well. They pay well and their shops are fun to do. In the end it's worth it to me, it may not be worth it for you. As I've been doing this over the last two months, one thing is very apparent... not all MSCs are for everyone. There are a couple companies that I feel don't pay me enough for my time, so I skip them now, but I've seen many people who love those shops. It's all a matter of perspective and what works for you.

@LindaM wrote:

It's interesting to me how there are always complaints about Coye not giving a high enough reimbursement for meals, and yet there are many other companies out there purposely giving a budget barely enough to order anything.... i.e. See my post on BJ's!

Isn't that the truth? I recently did a shop for McMenamins and the required items for the shop, including tip, put me $2 over the "flat fee" they were paying. I'll never, ever, do another one.
On the other hand, it seems like Coyle is always fair. The only time I've had an issue is if I want something pricier than what I should probably budget for, in which case I have no problem paying a bit extra.

Yeah, one needs to know what they are going to get...but it's hard to know sometimes. Menu items online aren't always accurate...

I just wish that if I weren't accepted for a job, they would say so, rather than letting it sit there.

What I don't understand is why they have shops that are much easier than their standard hotels, which are also much easier than their standard food shops, but they won't even give a novice shopper one of those early in their 6 month shopping window to give them a shot because they haven't done the requisite 98652 shops they're not interested in first even though there is absolutely NOTHING in the other shops that qualifies them for this shop and when the shop is still sitting there months later it seems much smarter to have given the novice shopper that shop and just rejected it if it wasn't good enough.

I did one fine dining restaurant shop for Coyle last year. The report was so extensive that my initial submission took 8 hours to write. Then I got the editorial requests asking for specific times for every little thing that happened, including exactly when I used the restroom and when the plates were cleared away, when were menus brought and removed, etc., etc., etc., and asking for more detail. It took another 3 hours to add the requested information. I got another email from another person asking for more detail on the food quality. Mind you, I did not skimp on detail in the initial 8 hour report, nor am I a poor writer.

I was warned by the scheduler that the report would be very extensive, but I had no idea what I was really in for!

The lunch was very nice. (It probably would've cost $125 for 2 people if I'd paid for it myself.) I am sorry, but no restaurant shop where it takes 12 hours to write a report that satisfies Coyle's "client standards" (which I believe are simply the parameters Coyle sets, rather than the client, but hey, that's just business) is worth that kind of torture.

I can only imagine how long their hotel shop reports take to complete, based on the restaurant shop I did.

Are the hotel shops really worth the amount of effort it takes to get a free stay?

I'm not willing to do more 12 hour report restaurant shops to find out!

@nycrocks wrote:

I did one fine dining restaurant shop for Coyle last year. The report was so extensive that my initial submission took 8 hours to write. Then I got the editorial requests asking for specific times for every little thing that happened, including exactly when I used the restroom and when the plates were cleared away, when were menus brought and removed, etc., etc., etc., and asking for more detail. It took another 3 hours to add the requested information. I got another email from another person asking for more detail on the food quality. Mind you, I did not skimp on detail in the initial 8 hour report, nor am I a poor writer.

I was warned by the scheduler that the report would be very extensive, but I had no idea what I was really in for!

The lunch was very nice. (It probably would've cost $125 for 2 people if I'd paid for it myself.) I am sorry, but no restaurant shop where it takes 12 hours to write a report that satisfies Coyle's "client standards" (which I believe are simply the parameters Coyle sets, rather than the client, but hey, that's just business) is worth that kind of torture.

I can only imagine how long their hotel shop reports take to complete, based on the restaurant shop I did.

Are the hotel shops really worth the amount of effort it takes to get a free stay?

I'm not willing to do more 12 hour report restaurant shops to find out!

That all depends.

I've stayed at five-star resorts at exotic locations with folios that sometimes reach five figures, and on the high-end, average out at $3,000.00 a night. Worth it for hours and hours (with hours put in even before departure to the property), and pages and pages of work? Yes, absolutely.

*** Edited to add a comma between "end" and "average".

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2016 08:39AM by Professional Guest.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

Your experience with other MSC is not particularly relevant, since Coyle has it's own specific reporting style. The advice the scheduler gave you is sound.

Of course experience is relevant. Coyle is not the special little flower they seem to think they are. Every company has its own special reporting style and people seem to do fine without having to prove themselves worthy over and over.

If their new-shopper requirements were as simple as only doing a shop within the first week or so of the shopping window so they can reassign it if your report is not acceptable, that would be far more palatable. Of course you're going to argue that that causes a ton of extra work for Coyle editors and schedulers, but the same would occur whether the first report is a hotel or a restaurant. It's the nature of the business. Some people aren't very good at this and you have to weed them out at some point.

I'm in the same position I am travelling anyway to a hotel that happens to be on the shop list so i applied for the shop weeks ago (they email me all the time) but it has been in the applied for weeks no and nothing. I'm a week away from going and I'd like to know something. The was no mention about any min shops or restaurant shops.

As a brand new shopper I did glean some important information from this posting. I had also applied to Coyle for some hotel shops and wondered why I had received no response. This was was helpful.

I agree wholeheartedly. My question is this: What should I do if there are no restaurants near me? I did apply for several email, internet and phone evaluations, but........... Crickets of their end.

I don't see a 'client' listed in the OP message. She merely said hotel, which could be one of thousands. Also, why is it necessary to bash her and be so nasty? To the comment "she has been a member of the MS forum for 3 1/2 years, really @Flash?? You have time to know this?? She was venting AND seeking helpful advice through positive feedback, did I misunderstand the original thought behind the forum???? If you can't be helpful AND respectful, move along.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2016 02:15PM by Kimmy1971.

@Kimmy1971 wrote:

I don't see a 'client' listed in the OP message. She merely said hotel, which could be one of thousands. Also, why is it necessary to bash her and be so nasty? To the comment "she has been a member of the MS forum for 3 1/2 years, really?? You have time to know this?? She was venting AND seeking helpful advice, did I misunderstand the original thought behind the forum???? If you can't be helpful AND respectful, move along.

You are not seeing the name of the client listed because it was removed by the moderator. The client was listed in multiple places and the moderator removed the client name, replacing it with (a hotel chain). The moderator also added a note explaining the removals so it is clear that the post was moderated.

Take time to read and understand before criticizing. Before posting, consider: "Is your post respectful and helpful? "

The moderator note is quite clear. She did not merely say "hotel," she included the name of the chain. It also doesn't take anyone any time at all to realize the OP has been a member for 3 1/2 years. Right next to her user name the note is "3y."

The OP was certainly venting, but not asking for advice. She had no desire to hear any opinion but her own. With her first few posts she was not respectful of the forum or of AustinMom. Since you have already written a post on rudeness this morning, why are you not calling out the OP for her rudeness instead of just those who followed?

@MegMeg wrote:

@LindaM wrote:

It's interesting to me how there are always complaints about Coye not giving a high enough reimbursement for meals, and yet there are many other companies out there purposely giving a budget barely enough to order anything.... i.e. See my post on BJ's!

Isn't that the truth? I recently did a shop for McMenamins and the required items for the shop, including tip, put me $2 over the "flat fee" they were paying. I'll never, ever, do another one.
On the other hand, it seems like Coyle is always fair. The only time I've had an issue is if I want something pricier than what I should probably budget for, in which case I have no problem paying a bit extra.

@Kimmy1971 wrote:

I'm trying to understand your point in quoting MegMeg and LindaM without comment. I am guessing you want to show that they both mentioned client names in their posts. It is okay to mention a client name as long as it does not identify the MSC which shops that client. The two clients mentioned by MegMeg and LindaM are shopped by MSCs other than Coyle and neither poster has mentioned the MSC name. The OP named Coyle and named one of Coyle's clients, requiring the moderator to remove those names.

You are not being helpful OR respectful. You should take your own advice and move along.