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Second honeymoon for June 2009’s Mystery Shopper star

When travel agent Christine Griffiths got married last month, her celebrations were short lived because her honeymoon was marred by a bout of pneumonia.

However, while she was away, she also achieved the highest score for Mystery Shopper in the month of June – something that would lead to her and her husband finally having their dream holiday.

Mystery Shopper visited Thomas Cook in King’s Lynn, looking for a tour of Japan. Christine served the Mystery Shopper and scored 98%, including full marks for customer service. She was mystery shopped just days before she got married.

The prize was the use of a Porsche Boxster S for a month, but when Elite Island Resorts UK training manager Graham Hawkins heard about Christine’s blighted honeymoon, he offered her and her husband a week’s stay at one of his company’s resorts.

“I am so made up,” said Christine, 40, who has worked at Thomas Cook for seven years.

“When I was on my honeymoon I got pneumonia. We went to New York and then on a cruise to the Caribbean, but for two of those days I was in the ship’s hospital,” she added.

Christine said she had no idea she was being mystery shopped, as the shopper had previously enquired at the agency. She remembered a customer who had previously visited Japan and enjoyed the tour, so used that customer’s experience to sell to Mystery Shopper.

Hawkins said: “Christine’s first-class travel awareness was clearly a deciding factor in why she won Mystery Shopper. She had an excellent overall knowledge of many a destination, and her years of experience proved hugely beneficial when being mystery shopped. When I met with Christine, it was clear that her comprehensive expertise and travel wisdom gave customers more than enough confidence to book a holiday with her.”

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