Thank You for the warning. I don't know how big the audience of this site is in numbers but for all you know you may well have spared some shoppers from dealing with this MSC owner and the stresses and nightmares dealing with said owner seem to entail. Bravo to you for warning others!@JASFLALMT wrote:
I found this on that old thread:
@BooG690
Marc Kravitz at i-SPY Hospitality has recently gotten more rude and crude in his emails.
I did an assignment at the end of July. Since he edits the reports as well, he had to make a handful of edits (about seven). He HATES making edits. He will criticize your work against an imaginary set of rules that he doesn't initially provide. After making these edits, he writes me an email that reads, "Your last assignment." I confirm that I received the email and thanked him since I really didn't enjoy working with him.
It's now Monday, August 17 and I'm only just now getting his check (this is slow for him). He sent me the check after a barrage of emails that he never answered. I called him about the check and he says to me, "Let me check." After that, he hung up on me. This is the owner of i-SPY Hospitality, mind you.
After emailing him telling him that I will have to make a Small Claims claim against his company, he finally emailed me back confirming that he sent the check ("I said I’d check on it. You said nothing. I hung up." - direct quote from email).
I write "respectfully" at the end of my emails. He responded: "You were rude in all communications with your assignments. Now you are “respectful”? Treat people as you would like to be treated.
I said I would check."
After asking him how I was rude, he wrote:
"Please – your work was crap no matter how much time I spent editing and providing feedback; not once with an apology on your end, or “thanks for taking the time to rewrite … sorry…” … All emails with not a word in the body … just rude and careless." (Proof here: [i.imgur.com])
Finally, the check comes in today. It's $30 short. For this amount, it's difficult for me to go to Philadelphia and file in Small Claims court (they require I be there in person).
This is NOT a person you want to work for. Steer clear of Marc Kravitz and i-SPY Hospitality.
My guess - and it's only a guess as I don't personally know this MSC owner - is that said owner's ego is too big to handle reality thrown at him from the shopper's side of the table. I am sure that as a business owner his life can be stressful and there are problems and issues we don't know of that vex him and his business endeavors. That said, however, it really does appear, at least to this shopper, that this MSC owner was very much surprised to be called out and given a reality reading by the mystery shopping online community. I'm going to guess - once again I don't know this person, to be fair - that this may be the last we hear of this MSC owner, either for good or for some time. It would be nice if he would show his pixels and reply......but I don't believe that is going to happen. Whatever. Ten foot pole to this MSC owner and said owner's company. It would also appear as if I am not the only mystery shopper with this take.@Rousseau wrote:
I notice that the OP has gone silent.
@MFJohnston wrote:
I have no reason to doubt what has been posted about @ispyhospitality. However, most stories have two sides. I'd be really curious to hear a response. What was posted online is pretty damning.
True that, Hoju. Though I do respect this MSC owner for returning and offering his side of the story it would appear as if the real issue has not been addressed - low pay for the shops this MSC offers coupled with very high standards. As others forum members have posted, professional experienced shoppers are not likely to snap up these fine dining shops with a $15 fee - this is the province of (mostly) newbies who are much more likely to submit "subpar" reports. How do I make this clear to this MSC owner? Namely, like with anything else, you get what you pay for. If you want quality reports and have high standards, fine. This in and of itself is not problematic - the problem is this MSC owner's refusal to face the music - i.e., if said owner wants quality reports, this said owner needs to be prepped to pay at a level where experienced professional shoppers will "bite" (in other words, accept these shops and submit high quality work).@Hoju wrote:
You get what you pay for, sir.
@samshopper wrote:
The owner is correct on this. The fact that this forum exists to bash schedulers and mystery shop companies just shows the problems with this industry. If you are going to try and come here and ruin a company's reputation you should be held accountable if it's not true. Most here bend or stretch the truth to fit their poor me scenario. If you stand by your story why not make yourself known. The post on JMRidgeway last month, the constant bashing of other MSPs on a daily basis. it makes the industry look petty and ridiculous. AND after all the bashing you expect to get paid $75 for a fine dining shop is hilarious. Why would a company use anyone here when you can come and lie about them on a public forum and not be held accountable. I have been a shopper for 10 years and worked as a scheduler a few years ago. I had to quit because of self-entitled, overrated, self-important shoppers like you all.
@MFJohnston wrote:
$75 for fine dining - that's after reimbursement, yes? (I have yet to see a dining shop for $75 + reimbursement). We'll assume that we are not really talking about "fine" dining as, in my experience, those dinners can easily top $200 for two
@SoCalMama wrote:
@MFJohnston wrote:
$75 for fine dining - that's after reimbursement, yes? (I have yet to see a dining shop for $75 + reimbursement). We'll assume that we are not really talking about "fine" dining as, in my experience, those dinners can easily top $200 for two
That was my post. Yes, that’s my fee. I do a couple a month for a boutique company. My reports need no editing. I’ll also testify (with pay) when necessary.
@LisaSTL wrote:
"In other words, folks with other options for careers will rarely become shoppers full time."
Wow. Just wow. Bgriffin, walesmaven, myself and others should just take our toys and go home since we only shop full time because we have no other options.
@MFJohnston wrote:
@samshopper
I have no doubt that there are quite a few shoppers who turn in poor reports, can't bother to read guidelines, call at all hours, etc. However, let's look at why that happens:
* The screening from nearly every MSC before accepting shoppers is minimal. For the most part, if you have a pulse, MSC's will give you a shot. This of course will put a lot of stress on schedulers and editors as most folks will "dabble," drop assignments and vanish from the industry.
* If there are shoppers who continuously turn in low quality work and/or flake on assignments, the MSC should cut them loose. Period. The shopper will still have plenty of other companies, but, if the reason for being turned away is explained, the shopper just might might learn a lesson. You cite a shopper who turns in lousy reports. Has the shopper been informed as such, or does she keep getting paid to do lousy work? Overall, I assume that my work is good. However, I rarely get feedback from most companies more than, "You had a few grammar errors." Of course, sometimes that feedback is written with grammatical errors, leaving me to wonder if I actually did have blunders or if the editor is the one with grammar issues. So, I am left to assume that my work is "good enough."
* Let's face it: This is not something you can jump into and a make a living wage. It takes some time and work to establish yourself. Folks who have skills, a strong work ethic and/or good education are largely already employed with more traditional careers. Supporting a family with mystery shopping is extremely difficult. In other words, folks with other options for careers will rarely become shoppers full time. If MSC's want well-educated professionals to perform all their shops, they will have to offer considerably more in payments - perhaps hiring folks as employees to be full-time shoppers, earning benefits. However, I do not believe the industry is financially set up to do this. It would mean that MSC's would incur higher expenses and have to charge clients more. More clients would back out of mystery shopping programs.
Forums like this do not ruin the industry. They might highlight things within the industry that need improvement, but a conversation board cannot destroy a company. Any MSC that feels threatened by this forum needs to take a long look at itself.