Anyone ever work with TrueGuest?

Hi there. I'm a newbie to the forum. I was doing a search for hotel shops and found a company named TrueGuest. Has anyone ever shopped for them? How do they pay? What are their reports like? Thank you!

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I have not, but there are threads (links above) with other forum members' experiences.

This may apply to True Guest. The $100 hotel meal you receive with the three hour report, might be purchasable at a restaurant for $40.

I enjoy working with them. They pay the shop fee and required cash purchases by check (on time) and the hotel charges are reversed. Their hotels are luxury hotels. You get to keep the points.

The scheduler takes some time getting used to but as you complete more assignments (correctly) you limit your interaction with them.

I wouldn't recommend for a first hotel assignment. My typical hotel stays with TG has cost 1K/ night. I think that's too much money to invest on your first shop. I would recommend starting with hotel bar shops first.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2019 10:55PM by eyelove2shop.

I agree with the above comments.

Pros: fast, reliable pay and reimbursement, luxury very high end properties, and you usually (but not always) get to keep the points.
Cons: pay is not as high as some companies, and rarely pays travel (definitely not until you have worked with them a long time and if they are in a bind will they pay it but only then - it's rare).

Other things to be aware of that may be a positive for some, a negative for others:
Assignments are usually one night stays (not always)
Assignment forms focus on fact/technical writing, there is no subjective or creativity at all. If you love structured writing and staying in your lane, this is a good fit for you.
The scheduler/editor is very straightforward and has a blunt communication style. There is no fluff.

Pros: Quick pay and reversal, straight- forward scheduler. Able to contact and speak with scheduler. Quite responsive. In most cases, you won’t go hungry while on assignment.

Cons: You don’t know what hotel you’ve applied for until it’s assigned to you. Not ALL hotels are luxury properties. I’ve stayed at a property that looked like it hadn’t been updated since the Reagan Administration, and was poorly maintained. Crazy expectations, like 7 F & B outlets to visit and report on, in addition to all the other hotel tests and interactions which may or may not include a spa visit, all with a ridiculous 24-hour deadline. (You also aren’t aware of this requirement (F &

until the hotel is assigned to you.) Mind-numbing reports that require you to answer multiple questions that are phrased differently, but are essentially the same question - they also are not “yes” or “no” questions and require a written answer, in addition to writing all of the narratives. And let’s not forget about taking ALL photos in LANDSCAPE, not portrait. God help you if you captured any in portrait mode.

Did I miss anything?

Have no idea why there’s an emoji in my above reply. Attempted to edit it and it looks correct “F & B”.

@Professional Guest wrote:

Have no idea why there’s an emoji in my above reply.

"B" + right parenthesis =

(sunglasses emoji)

The skimpy reimbursement for bellman tips. I tipped more (but who wouldn't at a 5 star hotel) and the scheduler got mad at me - said I would stand out and be memorable. No way am I tipping 2 bucks for bellman service at a luxury hotel! That would be memorable - cheap.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

@Professional Guest wrote:

Have no idea why there’s an emoji in my above reply.

"B" + right parenthesis = (sunglasses emoji)

@SteveSoCal

If you end up having to work with Roldan, I'd bail. He's the worst scheduler/etc I've ever dealt with multiple times.

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Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

@Hoju wrote:

If you end up having to work with Roldan, I'd bail. He's the worst scheduler/etc I've ever dealt with multiple times.

...and apparently a poor tipper!

No doubt!

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

@Professional Guest wrote:

Cons: You don’t know what hotel you’ve applied for until it’s assigned to you. Not ALL hotels are luxury properties. I’ve stayed at a property that looked like it hadn’t been updated since the Reagan Administration, and was poorly maintained. Crazy expectations, like 7 F & B outlets to visit and report on, in addition to all the other hotel tests and interactions which may or may not include a spa visit, all with a ridiculous 24-hour deadline. (You also aren’t aware of this requirement (F & until the hotel is assigned to you.)
Did I miss anything?

Good point. While most of the properties are luxury level, they are not all - and you don't know what it is until it's assigned. I also have had one that was very dated (late-century modern can be very nice, but you have to be striving for late-century modern, you can't just not maintain it and call it retro) and also had way too many F & B outlets than was reasonable... capped off with the worst Chicken Parmesan I have ever had in my life. It actually has resulted in a form of PTSD when it comes to that dish that I cannot get over. Perhaps it was the same property...

@SteveSoCal wrote:

@Hoju wrote:

If you end up having to work with Roldan, I'd bail. He's the worst scheduler/etc I've ever dealt with multiple times.

...and apparently a poor tipper!

Is there any way to know? I will do any shop that does not involve Roldan.

He would be the one to contact you right out of the gate.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

Roldan is a good guy... and quite forgiving. I made some big errors at a couple of hotels and were forgiven without any hassle.

@LindaM wrote:

Roldan is a good guy... and quite forgiving. I made some big errors at a couple of hotels and were forgiven without any hassle.

Honestly, that does not make me feel better. He was so snide and unhelpful from the first time we spoke. He did not acknowledge inconsistencies in the instructions. He was unnecessarily insulting. He did not leave me feeling confident that I would do anything to his satisfaction. That is something that I take as a threat of not being paid.

That he would forgive "big errors" makes it feel like his attitude isn't even about having standards. It's like he's just unkind to people he doesn't know.

So what exactly was said?

@1cent's experience is exactly mine as well. He's got absolutely no people skills and he talks like a teenage valley girl. He's virtually impossible to talk to.

______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

I never had a concern about being paid. I just couldn't stomach the micromanagement.

If you don't follow the pre-set pattern for how and when things should be completed, he's all over you. I prefer to be treated like an adult who can manage their own time....and taking time to enjoy the the property while you are there is not part of their expectation.

I see both sides of the debate. I too have been forgiven a major screw up, one that I’m pretty confident would have been met with more hassle with other companies.

I also find him less condescending and more in touch with reality then the majority of CHG editors.

On the other hand his communication style is blunt and he can be perceived as overly ridged. I think this has changed though a bit over time. Steve your interaction is quite a long time ago and I think reflects his manner when he was newer and less experienced dealing with evaluators.

I've gotten used to his peculiar style. You really just have to follow what he verbally tells you as the written instructions are not clear or thorough. One thing I've learned is DON"T COMPLAIN about any minor customer service lapse on property, even if it's a natural thing to do- just document it in the report. However, the report is questionable with similar questions repeated over and over. I can't believe clients likes that style of reporting.

My guess is that the client just glances over the report for any negative observations.

@LindaM wrote:

My guess is that the client just glances over the report for any negative observations.

Then the client, instead of accepting and correcting the negative observations, which is the purpose of hiring mystery shoppers, some managers try to defend themselves so they attack the shopper. Then it depends on the MSC to back you up or not. Good MSC's will, but poor MSC's will back the client to keep their contract. That throws away the objective of hiring mystery shoppers. The middle managers do not want to better their service. Mystery shopping contract are arranged by upper management, so they don't know what actually transpired. The shopper suffers, and it sucks.

Once, the bartender gave me the wrong cash change, then still forwarded the bar tab to my dinner tab. It was a noisy, dark club atmosphere, so I did not see the dinner check clearly until I got home. I was faulted for that. The scheduler said, "You had problems at your last shop, so you need to do retail shops first before I can assign you more dining."

Excuse me? I reported exactly what happened. The fault laid with the bartender who probably pocketed the cash, and I was being blamed for a problematic shop? Isn't that exactly what mystery shoppers are hired to do? To catch problems and situations like that?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2019 05:48PM by ShopperFun99.

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