@weatherman2111 wrote:
@jellyfishgirl wrote:
@weatherman2111 wrote:
It's Coyle. I think they instruct their editors to be the biggest jerks they can be just because they think it's funny or something. They are the only company I have ever dealt with that as dinged me for not answering questions that weren't on the form in the first place. You learn what they want pretty quickly. Don't worry too much at first. Learn.
I wanted to comment on this too. I have recently started doing shops for Coyle, and this has been my experience, as well. I had a very belligerent and rude editor come at me very aggressively about a shop I just recently completed. He also asked me for multiple things (mostly timestamps/timings) that were nowhere on the guidelines or questionnaire. I went over the requirements and screen shot them to protect myself, but I am very worried about this. Is this how they normally operate? They have great shops, but if I am going to be chastised like a 12 year old for every shop, I don't find this acceptable or worth it.
Yeah, they like pulling surprises. I think they think it justifies their existence or something. I only really do one shop for them on a consistent basis that is not as strict or detail heavy as their fine dining and hotel shops. Same pay and my life is a lot easier this way.
@Niner wrote:
The reports have been taking about five hours each for a fine dining with a bar shop, compared to 2-2.5 hours at most for a similar ACL shop.
@Niner wrote:
For my longest report, the one I worked the hardest on, they gave me a 75. My word document was eight pages long. I assure you I included everything in proper format. The reports before and after that were all 100. I still have no idea. I asked for feedback and they did not reply. I cannot figure them out.
They are still my favorite company to do dining shops for, unless ACL has a place worth visiting.
@Madetoshop wrote:
Five hours? I would be crying and say never again. You must really love their venues. While I do as well, I would not be doing them if I had to spend 5 hours. You are a trooper. :-)
@Niner wrote:
For my longest report, the one I worked the hardest on, they gave me a 75. My word document was eight pages long. I assure you I included everything in proper format. The reports before and after that were all 100. I still have no idea. I asked for feedback and they did not reply. I cannot figure them out.
They are still my favorite company to do dining shops for, unless ACL has a place worth visiting.
@Niner wrote:
For the $100-200 I could just pay for dinner, it's not a big deal, I like doing this though.
@SteveSoCal wrote:
@SoCalMama wrote:
Did you get a 92 or 93 lately? Inquiring minds want to know.
I had a 88 a few weeks back...and I wrote the guidelines for correct submissions!
I think the editors get pushback if they have too many perfect scores.[/quote
I also think it's true that sometimes editors are told to give out fewer perfect scores. I did a dozen shops for Amusement Advantage and got 100% on all of them. A year or so ago, I did a shop for them and got a 75%. I did the shop and completed the report the same way I had always done, so I was confused and did not shop for them for several months. I did decide to shop for them again, and most of my scores were 100%. The one exception was truly my fault. I forgot to evaluate one area, and I apologized, explained, and gave as much detail as possible surrounding that "missed" area. I got an 88% on that report...with a pretty major snafu...which confuses me even more about the 75% a while back... lol
Like Niner, I have also typed documents on my phone, some of them being 6-8 pages long. They have been legal or formal docs that have gone into permanent files. It's not the ideal way to do things, for sure.
Also similar to Niner, my scores on shops matter to me a LOT. I put nearly as much emphasis on my scores/feedback as I do on the pay. I don't know why I am that way, but I've learned to accept and embrace this personality quirk. When I was in grad school, I got a B in one class and I cried. It STILL bothers me, and I graduated 7 years ago! If my "name" is going to be associated with something or attached to something, I want it to shine! That goes for mundane household tasks to legal document preparation.
@SteveSoCal wrote:
@Niner wrote:
For the $100-200 I could just pay for dinner, it's not a big deal, I like doing this though.
...and that's why you have the assignment offers. It's no secret that they want evaluators who would frequent the clients on their own.
@nslinhar wrote:
I made it a point to indicate my decade of fine dining employment experience on apps for Coyle and others with shops of the same caliber.
@SteveSoCal wrote:
@nslinhar wrote:
I made it a point to indicate my decade of fine dining employment experience on apps for Coyle and others with shops of the same caliber.
Actually, some MSC's try to avoid hiring evaluators from the hospitality industry, while others look for that type of experience. The idea being that if you worked in the industry, your opinion may be biased. It would definitely make the observations easier, though. I went to bartending school when I was younger and that made me much more comfortable with bar shops when starting MSing.
@SteveSoCal wrote:
@nslinhar wrote:
I made it a point to indicate my decade of fine dining employment experience on apps for Coyle and others with shops of the same caliber.
Actually, some MSC's try to avoid hiring evaluators from the hospitality industry, while others look for that type of experience. The idea being that if you worked in the industry, your opinion may be biased. It would definitely make the observations easier, though. I went to bartending school when I was younger and that made me much more comfortable with bar shops when starting MSing.
@Niner; They can tell from your narratives. As someone who edited thousands of dining reports, I could quickly tell if the evaluator was comfortable in the environment or not...and I'm not saying if the evaluator was able to afford the meals or not, but if they had experience and a good comfort level with fine dining.
I gained a lot of dining experience in my previous career (when I was also not footing the bill) and that's one of the things that drive me into mystery shopping when I shifted careers. I missed the food, and suddenly had a job with a lot of downtime where I could write, so it was good fit for me.
@jellyfish wrote:
Another question I wanted to ask about Coyle, since you guys shop them so much. I will apply for dining shops that have a long timeframe. IE: Posted in early January, not due until the end of March. I will give a date later out on the shop and will hear absolutely nothing until the week or so prior, if they do accept me. Is this normal? It makes it hard to schedule other shops, as I never know if they are going to give the shop to me.
@Niner wrote:
@jellyfish wrote:
Another question I wanted to ask about Coyle, since you guys shop them so much. I will apply for dining shops that have a long timeframe. IE: Posted in early January, not due until the end of March. I will give a date later out on the shop and will hear absolutely nothing until the week or so prior, if they do accept me. Is this normal? It makes it hard to schedule other shops, as I never know if they are going to give the shop to me.
I usually hear from them pretty late also, and then will get multiple assignments at once.