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In our December 2003 issue of POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY & IMAGING, John Owens, our Editor, described the operations of our exclusive CHECKRATED program. A highlight of this article was a tribute to our dedicated staff of Checkrated Shoppers, appropriately christened "Harry's Angels."
With the passage of time, our angelic crew has shrunk and we need a few good angels to replace the ones who have left the program. Our shoppers are an vital element of our Checkrated program, uncovering potential scams and verifying complaints from our readers who have problems with our advertisers. In essence, our shoppers are the key witnesses who help give our Checkrated program both viability and veracity.
The shopping program begins with written assignments to individual shoppers requesting that they purchase specific advertised items at advertised prices. We check our Mail Order ads to uncover items which are of interest either because of unusually low prices or - in some cases - no advertised prices except for "call." We also shop to compare service, additional charges or special offers.
Our shoppers act as regular customers, ordering by phone and paying with their personal credit cards. In many cases, the merchandise ordered is not available for one reason or another. In some cases, our shoppers are treated to the most fantastic stories.
Once the merchandise is received, the shopper just place one of our labels on the package and sends it to us unopened. (This is so we can check for missing items without being accused of taking the missing items out of the package.) Complete instructions are provided on how to shop and how to return packages to us.
Each call - whether or not anything is actually purchased - is paid for at a very nominal rate, presently $12.00. Each shopper is also reimbursed for the purchase including shipping to Popular Photography. Generally, we give each angelic shopper five or six assignments every other month. The program is completely voluntary and angels can fly away at any time.
If you think you'd be interested, WRITE (Do not use e-mail) to Harold Martin, Checkrated Program Manager, Popular Photography, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. We'll send you complete information so that you can decide whether or not to join Harry's Angels.
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