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Using different aliases with the same ID.

January 31, 2016 06:11AM
So let me get this straight: you get treated like a bimbo, you get paid to report that the sales person treated you like a bimbo so you don't do car shops?

Am I missing something here? Seems like the perfect situation. Get paid to write a negative report.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230
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January 31, 2016 03:06PM
It is often the car dealership or apartment management company's insurance carrier that requires that ID be presented and retained during the shop. And, with car dealerships, it may be the law in some states for test drives.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
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January 31, 2016 03:31PM
I think I might have cost a car salesman his job on a recent shop. He didn’t see the vehicle I drove up in, so I’m looking at a $50k car. I had to beg him to tell me about the features and he would only say something basic and then silence. We got to the paddle shifters and he said, “You’ll never use them. They’re for kids who want to shift the transmission manually.” I said, “That would be great in the mountains. I’d be able to downshift and save wear on the brakes.” He replied, “My wife and I never used it when we went to Asheville.” He was in his 60’s so he more than likely has driven a stick. He never asked me for my driver’s license and there was only so much “help” that I was going to give him. I don’t know if not getting a copy of my license would cost him the job or not, but I know it is the law in the state I was doing the shop.

"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." Edward R. Murrow

Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.--Branch Rickey
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January 31, 2016 04:51PM
@AZwolfman wrote:


OK, this one is plausible. I've never acted gay before. I guess I might be able to pull it off if the agent were female.

How does one "act gay"?

"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." Edward R. Murrow

Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.--Branch Rickey
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January 31, 2016 04:56PM
homophobia is an ugly thing. Also, what the @#$%& are girl things?

@AZwolfman wrote:

@LisaSTL wrote:

How does one "act" gay?
I guess they act like women, talk in higher pitched voices, and talk about girl things. I would have to research it.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2016 05:01PM by TeriW.
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January 31, 2016 05:18PM
Shoes? Apparently we shouldn't worry our pretty little heads about politics, finance, science, business, etc., etc.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
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January 31, 2016 05:22PM
Strange, AZwolfman...my voice isn't higher pitched, I don't act like a woman, I enjoy watching college football, golf, Le Tour de France...the list can go on and on. ETA, yes, I found your comment to be offensive, but that is your opinion and you're entitled to it.

"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." Edward R. Murrow

Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.--Branch Rickey


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2016 05:23PM by GMooneyhan MBSC.
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January 31, 2016 05:25PM
How does a woman act, GMoonyhan?
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January 31, 2016 05:28PM
This woman, BBQs like a pro, loves baseball and sci fi movies and hates "chick flicks." Maybe I'm a man and didn't realize it all these years?

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
Reply
January 31, 2016 05:50PM
Touché, TeriW.

"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." Edward R. Murrow

Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.--Branch Rickey
Reply
January 31, 2016 06:11PM
@LisaSTL wrote:

Maybe I'm mistaken in assuming ponylucy is a woman? Otherwise we have given viable options for names. I use aliases and present my DL. BTW, I am curious about it being a law. My impression was IDs are for the protection of the agent and company policy rather than by statute.

Maybe I am doing these shops wrong. Here is what I thought the procedure was.

I'm a woman. I'm talking about apartment shops. I use an alias of my first name over the phone. I give them my picture ID with my real name at the shop. They simply put it in their drawer - I don't mention the name on it.

EG. My name on the ID is ponylucy jones. I previously used ponylucy jones on a shop and am in their database. Now when I call I use lucy jones as my name. They make a new listing in their computer for me. (I also give a different phone number and email than in my 1st shop.)

When I give them my license I do not start making conversation about how my real name is ponylucy. It is not an issue. If I brought it up they would know I was a shopper. They don't even look at my ID b/c there is no need - I already gve them all my info.

PS It probably isn't really a statute but of course the one time I was really shopping for an apartment I forgot my ID and did not get to see an apartment. I have never gotten to see an apartment without an ID but I have taken sevral test drives.
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February 05, 2016 01:58AM
I'm in the process of doing a video apartment shop (as soon as I can contact my target). The instructions from the MSC explicitly say that I need to use my real name and contact info when calling. I've done a handful of these shops so far and haven't had a problem yet.
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February 05, 2016 02:07AM
If you have only done a handful of shops it won't be an issue.......yet. Which MSC requires your real name? Real contact information is crucial to track follow up. However, you don't have to use only one phone number and one email address. I often create Gmail addresses and have several phone numbers to choose from. Some shoppers also use Google voice to get access to unlimited unique phone numbers.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
Reply
February 05, 2016 03:00AM
I'd rather not say the MSC but this is what is in the phone call instructions:
"Please use your real name and contact information."
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February 05, 2016 03:02AM
Since no client was mentioned, it is fine to mention a MSC.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
Reply
February 05, 2016 04:47AM
This one is too easy. If you are identified by a worker, you can say that you are shopping around for MULTIPLE apartments, so you can try to find the best deal. What is wrong with "Shopping Around" for a new apartment? Absolutely nothing!!
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February 05, 2016 01:40PM
GSXR,
You are right when it comes to 2-3 communities in close proximity. But busy shoppers may do 15 or more a month for the same client, and they may be spread out over a 300 mile route, have different sizes and wildly different price ranges. That's when you get serious problems with using the same information. Or, I may do 5 apartment shops for client A in Baltimore in January and then 5 more for the same client in Richmond the next month, without every spending a night away from home.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Reply
February 05, 2016 03:36PM
A frequent question, "Did the leasing agent talk about the management company." If they know you just visited a sister property last week they often won't mention property management.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
Reply
February 05, 2016 04:25PM
Correct. And another good reason why the client wants us to use aliases!

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Reply
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