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The Broadway Bomb: 200 skateboarders have a death wish on Saturday
Published on 10/10/08
Published on 10/10/08
Video
Eat for free!
“You don’t need to understand food to be a good spotter,” says William “Billy-O” Orilio, CEO of Orilio & Associates, a firm that specializes in hospitality mystery shopping (clients include Ian Schrager Hotels, Morgans and Rosa Mexicano). “You need to observe, recall and describe your meal from start to finish.”
Being a spotter is both hard work and time-consuming. O&A’s reports are 18–25 pages long, take two or three hours to fill out and have to be filed 24–48 hours after the meal. Payment ($15–$25) can take up to 60 days to receive, and the hiring process is grueling. Only 7 to 10 percent of applicants succeed. “We send a 65-page training manual, which we call the ‘knockout criteria,’ ” says Orilio. “If someone’s willing to print, read and answer the questions, we know they’re serious.” To apply, go to oahospitality.com.
Stores also employ mystery customers. If you’re interested in shopping or dining, the Mystery Shopping Providers Association posts current job opportunities and answers questions (mysteryshop.org).
Swallow Hard
Follow this advice to make sure you’re working for a reputable agency that will reimburse you for your efforts and/or food.
1. State law
Make sure your mystery-shopping company is a bonded or licensed investigator.
2. Never send $
Never pay a fee to register or to receive a training manual—it’s a scam.
3. Reputation
Make sure the company is a member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).
Ima S Hopper
Thu, Sep 25, at 02:55pm
Gee, squeals on others, but Orilio associates couldn't pass its own review process.
The latest is stiffing its investigators by not paying them according to the schedule they themselves set up (already too long at 60 days!), forces you to come after the money they owe you, and then offers lame excuses or the "check is in the mail" game. If you mystery shop and don't want to be out your own expenses, don't shop for them unless they front you the costs.
