I’m writing from the U.K. so if anyone else is considering shopping for Coyle in London take note.
1. The reports are very long. The reviewers are not from the U.K. and will mark you down for using ‘English’ English.
2. They can be very rude and condensing when you ask a question to support. So you end up spending time and money and assuming the financinal risk to be only spoken to like a child when you ask legitimate questions. I don’t think they are used to cerebral people who question things, just robots who do what they are told.
3. They don’t accept their mistakes. This one is important because they can make mistakes in the payment to be reimbursed due to currency conversion. But when you point this out and ask to be paid correctly they ignore your emails. I did a shop of 181GBP, the max reimbursement was 200GBP, all the uK shops have reimbursement quoted in GBP. I was short changed and they tried to say the max reimbursement was 200USD!! As if?! Why would a U.K. restaurant be quoted in USD. Anyway it wasn’t because I checked the spec several times before I shopped and they are trying to turn around their own mistake on me. Note, you assume the financial risk. NOT them. They can do whatever they like and operate with impunity.
4. Then you consider the currency conversion and the fee from PayPal to get your money in GBP, it’s really not worth the effort for most shops. 15USD in real terms after fees is about 7GBP.
5. Choose your shops carefully. There are some that are definitely not worth the effort for 7GBP. There are some that are being shipped because they are known to be terrible and have shocking reviews on tripadvisor. So considering the low pay and the chance you will have a terrrible evening, these one that are definitely worth avoiding.
6. What you can eat/order can be restrictive. I was told to shop a lobster restaurant without ordering lobster...

All in all beware, choose carefully and don’t expect to make any money...you we be lucky not to be left out of pocket.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2017 12:06PM by Victoriaaa.

Coyle is really a company that shoppers work with to receive the product from the client. This is usually a nicer meal or hotel stay. I know the money conversion is a huge hassle and can understand that you’d turn down shops that are paid in other currency. I am in the U.S. and I’ve never taken a shop that paid in different currency. I like to do an occasional Coyle shop because I enjoy the experience. I like going to a favorite or new restaurant and knowing I can save my money. The reports are lengthy and they are particular about language for sure. I’m sure the editor didn’t realize (s)he was marking you down for English English, but I get that that would be frustrating.

Coyle has been an absolute joy to work for. I have gotten to enjoy many high-end restaurants, hotels, and vacations that I would never have been able to pay for. Sometimes it can be tough to have questions answered in a timely manner, but I've never felt talked down to or disrespected. All in all, Coyle is in its own mystery shopping category and has the highest end clients. Hope you can give them another chance.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2017 12:45AM by naraiford.

London based evaluator here, have been a Coyle shopper for around 6 years now. I feel very lucky for some of the stays and restaurants I have got to experience, and it does pay for some lovely nights out. My day job is in luxury travel, so I 100% understand the quality they are looking for.
However, I have also began to wonder whether it is worth it because of all the points you mention above, so excuse the little rant about to come!

I am currently still awaiting payment for a £85 bar/restaurant visit that I completed in July. I have been chasing them about this for 5 months. I was ignored for 3 months, and then told it would be on the next pay run. Two months later, still nothing, and I am still chasing.
I also regularly get paid in USD instead of GBP and have to chase for the underpayment regularly.
Currently I have over £2,000 outstanding for hotels and restaurants in December. I was assured the hotel would refund the £1,500 folio within a week of stay - 3 weeks later, still nothing.

I spend 8 hours plus completing a hotel reviews in great detail, only to patronised because of my 'English' spelling and very minor details that may have been missed.
I.e. 'You did not mention if the housekeeping staff you walked past in the corridor made eye contact'.
And then in capitals: 'YOU MUST RESPOND BY 5PM TODAY OR THIS EVALUATION MAY FAIL'. So extreme and unnecessary when so much time has already been spent, for such minor comments.

This month I was asked to complete 2 hotels and 2 restaurants within that same week, and then just got ignored when I told them I sadly didn't have the full £3,250 credit limit that would be required, or the time to be away from home for 4 nights, with 2 days notice.

I do appreciate the lovely hotels I have stayed in and restaurants I have eaten at, and I understand they need to have high standards for their clients, which I feel I stick to as much as is humanly possible. But it would be nice to be thanked for the work, and not just barked at to respond, and then not receive correct payment.

I do wonder how many shoppers they must have that are in the right location, have the time, £1000+ credit available, patience and perfect spelling and grammar. I guess there must be quite a few!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2017 02:56PM by doratort.

I have a similar problem with Coyle. One they are overdue in pay, they marked me down for writing dates in the Indian format as I'm in India doing their audits and they have left me short-changed on the conversion and won't be reimbursing me fully. I am very irritated as this is unacceptable. They dont assign till the very last minute and then expect us to run to finish their audits.

I love doing the Coyle hotels, but there haven't been any in a long while in London. I am a way out so I wont travel in just for a restaurant.
The worse Coyle story I have is a couple of years ago when I applied to do a hotel in Switzerland. I was accepted, booked the flight etc then the day before they cancelled the hotel on me. I lost the flight money. Coyle just kept saying I could reschedule and use it for a holiday sometime. Well, in the UK you cannot do that less than 24 hours notice. Also I could not claim on travel insurance because there was not a legitimate reason insurance would cover for my not travelling. I like to go on holiday also where I choose ! I felt that this was very unfair of them.

@Tikka - I am shocked that they treated you like this. Thank you for the heads up. I will steer clear of them.

OP, you should not be marked down for using British English, and one would think that a company such as Coyle would employ editors who understand the difference and know the different spellings, punctuation, usages, etc. Or who would at least know enough to consult the dictionary. It's ridiculous that their editors would mark as incorrect that which is perfectly correct in the country in which the shopper is located. Fie on them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2018 02:58AM by BirdyC.

There are a lot of peculiarities with Coyle reporting in other countries, but the rule of thumb is; Assume that the reader is at a US based company and would be reading it in American English. There are also shops that need be be conducted in another language and then reported in English, so if you consider British English another language/dialect, then the reporting standards make a bit more sense.

That said, the editors are certainly not beyond fault. They have a crazy policy where they want the quotes in English, even when you are greeted in another language. I've pointed out that it's not longer a quote once you translate it, but that falls on deaf ears. They want it translated and placed between quotes!

They have also marked me down for a spelling error writing 'Chilaquiles' when ordering breakfast at a resort in Mexico...so the editors are not the most resourceful.

I love working for Coyle because I get to dine in nice restaurants and stay at nice hotels. And yes, reports are looong and detailed! I often shop international locations and the conversion thing stinks. I was short $21 on my last shop (hotel Mexico) They adviced me to contact my bank....blah..ridiculous....When it comes to quotes, just make a note to the editor that shop was completed in Spanish or whatever language other than English, and that’s the reason for no quotes. Give them another chance. It gets better once you are aware of things. Like my $21....I kind of knew that I may lose money but was not expecting peso to take a plunge before payday lol

Dammit! Now I want chilaquiles!

@SteveSoCal wrote:

They have also marked me down for a spelling error writing 'Chilaquiles' when ordering breakfast at a resort in Mexico...so the editors are not the most resourceful.

What kind of training or background experienced is usually required for the editors?

shopsuey, I do adore your screen name.

How else are you supposed to spell chilaquiles?

@HonnyBrown wrote:

How else are you supposed to spell chilaquiles?

I think it's that the spell checker in word flags it...and they are not that resourceful.

Do they reimburse the underpayment amount after you chase them? I seem to be losing a few dollars with every evaluation due to them calculating at a very high exchange rate which is not the rate I get when transferred to me. It's not a lot of money but it's the principle really. Why should I be left short changed ? Shouldnt they consider the exchange rate applicable on our side and reimburse accordingly? Any thoughts?

@Nikkik wrote:

Any thoughts?

reimbursement after payment for exchange issues is kind of a losing battle in my experience. Negotiate for a bonus on other shops using the crappy exchange rate as a bargaining tool....

Thank you. I figured as much. Enjoy doing the shops ,but annoying to lose a few bucks each time. Should I inform the scheduler that I'm happy to do the shops but I'm losing money due to the exchange rate? Wondering how others deal with this issue as it would be common to many outside USA.

@Nikkik wrote:

Do they reimburse the underpayment amount after you chase them? I seem to be losing a few dollars with every evaluation due to them calculating at a very high exchange rate which is not the rate I get when transferred to me. It's not a lot of money but it's the principle really. Why should I be left short changed ? Shouldnt they consider the exchange rate applicable on our side and reimburse accordingly? Any thoughts?

This is an annoying part because 9 out 10 shops, you lose money. My last shop, I was short over $20. Coyle told me to check with my bank since I used their credit card and the hotel client reimbursed me the exact amount (yes, but in foreign currency) ....ridiculous advice. Expect to be short $5-15 for a restaurant shop. I travel a ton and I stopped doing international shops, other then those that charge in USD. I advice that you ask for a higher fee; I haven’t asked, I should have...

Credit reversals can go a variety of ways as well. I (unfortunately) completed 2 expensive hotel shops in London the week before the Brexit vote. By the time the charge was reversed, I was out hundreds of dollars due to the devaluation of the GBP.

If it was the other way around, with a Brit evaluating expensive hotels in L.A. that week, they would have made out like a bandit....

Would that kind of loss be considered a business loss and therefore tax deductible? (I am not asking how you treated it) - just that it seems that it should be deducted from any profits on the shop.

@BarefootBliss wrote:

Would that kind of loss be considered a business loss and therefore tax deductible? (I am not asking how you treated it) - just that it seems that it should be deducted from any profits on the shop.

Yes, but I don't run my MS business to make a profit so the deduction doesn't really help much. My goal is to zero out anything I make with travel expense anyway....so using that deduction limits money I can spend on travel elsewhere. It's just basically a loss I have to eat. They hotel gave me my money back and it's not their fault the money was only worth 70% of what it was during the stay.

Having your hotel canceled is not a legit reason not to travel? That sucks, sorry that happened!

@Tikka wrote:

I love doing the Coyle hotels, but there haven't been any in a long while in London. I am a way out so I wont travel in just for a restaurant.
The worse Coyle story I have is a couple of years ago when I applied to do a hotel in Switzerland. I was accepted, booked the flight etc then the day before they cancelled the hotel on me. I lost the flight money. Coyle just kept saying I could reschedule and use it for a holiday sometime. Well, in the UK you cannot do that less than 24 hours notice. Also I could not claim on travel insurance because there was not a legitimate reason insurance would cover for my not travelling. I like to go on holiday also where I choose ! I felt that this was very unfair of them.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is this, some kind of deposit?

@doratort wrote:

I was assured the hotel would refund the £1,500 folio within a week of stay - 3 weeks later, still nothing.

I was wondering about hotel stays. Im sure I would lose hundreds in exchange rate calculations.

@ShopWhisperer A folio is all receipts combined, hotel, bar, expenses