I have recently applied to be re-activated to do these types of shops with this company. It was nine years ago, that I believed that I de-activated myself, and am now looking at this company again. Can any of our wonderful mystery shoppers give me some feedback regarding the stringent rules (so I am told by the MSC) and what they may pay. It would be helpful so I know whether to be activated again. Thanks to my fellow shoppers.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2016 04:46AM by gbarnes.

The site is transparent and easy to follow. You can check out posted fees for available assignments, many of which are bonused. Their support team is responsive and encourages questions. If your having difficulty of any nature with an assignment all you have to do is reach out.

Dear mom.for.hotmail.com Thanks for your reply about apartment shops.
G Barnes

I just did a shop with Ellis for $45 pay and $30 bonus. I am very new to MS so I can't really say if others would consider this assignment "difficult" or not. I found the report to be a little repetitive and it took me a little over 2 hours to complete it. The report was accepted without any revisions, so I'll take that as a good sign. I'll definitely look for another Ellis shop in my area because I actually enjoyed the first.

If a newbie can say an Ellis report isn't difficult, you have a bright future in this business Mine started at two hours. Now they are usually 45 minutes to an hour. I open all the sections in different tabs then move the two where most of the information is repeated so they can be completed at the same time, often utilizing copy/paste for times, dates, names, etc.

Thanks, Lisa. You made some good suggestions about opening all the tabs and doing similar questions at the same time. That is exactly why I felt the report was repetitive at times with similar questions in different sections.

I'm looking at the list of companies found on these forums but I haven't seen any others that offer apartment shops. Would you mind sharing any with me?

Cirrus has apartment shops in my area. Also, check iSecretShop. Good luck!

Thanks Caligirl, appreciate the suggestions!

Hugs*

remmington, jancyn, jmridgeway all do apartment shops. Ellis is long and repetitive report. Don't bother with their targeted ones. Shop anyone is easier but make sure you do shop the same day as call and same person as call.

You don't have to shop the same day for Ellis shops, target or not. If that was the case I could never work with them. Honestly, the only thing difficult about target shops is reaching them. Realistically, worst case it is a few minutes a day for a few days in a row.

@LisaSTL wrote:

You don't have to shop the same day for Ellis shops, target or not.

@LisaSTL wrote:

You don't have to shop the same day for Ellis shops, target or not.

That has not been my experience. Although there may an occasional shop which does not require same day visit, my understanding is that generally speaking you should plan to go the same day unless you have express permission to the contrary. To avoid any question, contact EPMS. Once you get their blessing you're good to go.

EPMS has specific standards for their shoppers, and IMHO rightfully so, and that is why they pay what they do for their shops. EPMS has excellent support staff, and an actual human being answers their phones if you need to call them. They're one of my favorite MSC's

The Ellis reports are soooo repetitive, but I have noticed that you get sometimes get somewhat of a break due to the fact that there are different reports used for different apartment management companies. Some ask the dreaded question about the agent's three strengths and three weaknesses- my least favorite question. Would the agent always have three of each that you can point out? Some reports ask for more details than others, some are easier. When I preview a shop, I read the report and see if it is one of the shorter ones. I also hate the "additional questions" page that is for Ellis only- identical questions for the most part, that you have already answered. Why can't Ellis just go with the answers they have already read? Aside from that, Ellis is very fair to work for. You know exactly when you will get paid, and you can always easily track the list of shops you have completed and are waiting to be paid for. If you have a problem reaching a target agent, or just a personal problem/scheduling issue that is delaying you in completing the shop, they work with you with understanding and courtesy. You do not have to call and shop the same day. I usually manage to catch hard to reach agents late in the afternoon, for some reason, and if they are booked for the day, on their way out the door, or they are going to stop touring in 30 minutes due to dusk or closing hours, you are not going to get there in time. Ellis understands that, and I have never had a problem going the next day, or even two days later, if the agent lets me know they are off till then. The most important things Ellis asks for is that you communicate with them, do your best work and that you are honest in all your reporting.

I loathe that Ellis makes you document whether they are slender, fat , or whatever. And then asks you to provide their weight as well. They question you about the target's looks down to their freaking eye color. A little overboard if you ask me.

If you cannot remember the color of the eyes, they were probably brown. Blue eyes are rarer and more noticeable. You would likely remember if they were bright blue. I've never been able to estimate weight.

For years i have answered the eye color question as "not observed." No objections have been registered.

For body type and weight my answer is the same for each question and every report, "average." I'm not a carnival barker who guesses people's weight for a living.

@LisaSTL wrote:

For body type and weight my answer is the same for each question and every report, "average." I'm not a carnival barker who guesses people's weight for a living.

I worked in the games department of an amusement park for a couple of years during college. They had one of those guess your "weight, age or month of birth" games. It was awful. I was terrible at it and management quickly took me off of that game, lest I give away all the prizes. I assume my height guesstimates on shops are accurate to within 3-4 inches, but with weight, I would be terrible and bitter that I was being asked to judge someone else's body type. yuck.