Assigning first Shops & Confused!

Signing up for my first shops and want to make sure that I do them correctly!

Instructions are as follows:

"If not shopping a specific agent- you must walk in first and complete on-site shop, then call back later using a different name/story to complete phone shop.

During the call, after you are invited to visit/tour, you MUST say you prefer to see the apartment in person (rather than a virtual tour) so the agent attempts to schedule an appointment.
You must walk in first and complete on-site shop and then call back later using a different name/story to complete the phone shop.
Please note a random number will appear on the community's Caller ID (if they have Caller ID) - it will NOT be your number. Make certain you give an accurate number if the agent reads the number back or asks if they can reach you at the number on their Caller ID."

How am I supposed to use a different name if they are instructing shoppers to use an accurate number when performing the phone shop? Will the establishment being shopped not notice that I've given them the number used in person with a different name??

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

The following instruction explains why the agent will not see your actual phone number!

Please note a random number will appear on the community's Caller ID (if they have Caller ID) - it will NOT be your number. Make certain you give an accurate number if the agent reads the number back or asks if they can reach you at the number on their Caller ID."

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.

I understand that they will not see my number- however, it also says: "Make certain you give an accurate number if the agent reads the number back or asks if they can reach you at the number on their Caller ID."

So how am I supposed to do that without them noticing that it's the same number as the in-person shop....?

Ghost, you need to get yourself some Google Voice phone numbers to use for apartment shops. You don't want a bunch of agents bombarding your personal phone with shop follow-up calls. Hopefully you also have Android phone for shopping, since it is much more versatile.and user accessible. On Android, open your phone call app, click the 3 dots upper right, open settings, scroll down and open Supplementary Services, open "Show your caller ID," check "Never." You can change this setting back whenever you want.

My suggestion would be to do some easier/better shops than these to get your feet wet. Why of all assignments, did you pick this one? I don't do these types of shops, but then I don't do this for a full-time living either.

Why not do a Wells Fargo account opening and get like $70-$80 (or more) for just simply paying attention to the banker and uploading the business card and physical documents they hand you?

No. This is very easy. You simply show up as a walk-in at the community and do the shop. You give accurate contact information. Then you leave and call back later as if you are a different person. You give a different name if they ask for one and same with email and telephone number. Also, use a different reason for moving. And never volunteer your name, email or telephone number. If they do not ask do not give it. You will state that on your report. Also, I always give fake contact information over the telephone because I do not need them to call back. They have information to contact me from the onsite visit. But, get the telephone agent's name and last name. If you already know it is the same person you shopped onsite, you do not need to struggle and ask for the last name. And it is okay if it is a different person. You never are going to show up for an appointment with the telephone portion if they attempt to schedule one, because you already did this part from the start. You can proceed on the call as if you will come to an appointment, but just do not show up of course. This is a very easy shop.

What is the normal shop pay for this? I'm not talking about if you got a bonus or not....for this effort, what is the standard shop pay?

Personally, I want to do things that I am interested in or pay me enough to be interested in. Just based on what I'm reading here, I'm not interested and it would take something significant to make me interested. One could argue that the Wells Fargo are not that interesting, but the opening can be done in 30-45 minutes and report does not take long either. If you get $80 (or more) for the 1 hour...then that is ideal AND EASY.

Can someone give me a hint what company is this? The one with Online in the URL?

I know the instructions speak of an "accurate phone number," but that is the general instructions on all their shops. Because the number you use to call the property through the MSC generates a random number and generally with the regular shops, you call first and then come in for the visit. The agents sometimes look at the caller I.D., and ask if the number is the correct number to contact you. That is why those instructions speak of an accurate number, because they could never reach you on that random number. I always tell them I am using an "outgoing only" line from work and then give them my number. So on those shops you give them your real number over the phone and you show up and confirm that same information, if they ask, onsite. But since this one is the type to show up and call later, the contact information should not match, ever. Or else they would know you were just there! And also, you may very well get an entirely different person over the telephone, which is fine. You are simply reporting how the telephone person handled your call and how the onsite person handled your visit, whether they were the same person or not.

The client was not named. No hint needed: epmsonline.com

There is no "usual" amount for these shops. They vary and some with higher pay have easier reports. I personally look at the shop and see which report version the location has assigned to it. There is one particular version I prefer, as it takes me thirty minutes to enter and much less if I use dictation. I have done 13 of them for $600, as well as 8 for the same or more money. I have done 20 for $1,700. If they changed all their reports to the version I like, I would do many more, as I loathe and refuse to do the other versions. Not worth it.

purpleicee,

How do you determine which report version the shop has? I've done the ones where they ask you for the same information over and over again and it's aggravating.

@wrosie - you can PM me and I will tell you how.

Thank you for taking the time to give me useful information. This is very helpful!

This is one of the easier shops from this company-
The others require video/and or recording audio on-site with a personal device.
These "easier" shops do record, however, it's only via the call portion through their own phone call recording system.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

My suggestion would be to do some easier/better shops than these to get your feet wet. Why of all assignments, did you pick this one? I don't do these types of shops, but then I don't do this for a full-time living either.

Why not do a Wells Fargo account opening and get like $70-$80 (or more) for just simply paying attention to the banker and uploading the business card and physical documents they hand you?

Thank you this is extremely useful information, and exactly what I was looking for-
The instructions for these shops are not as clear or concise as they could be. I really appreciate you taking the time to write a helpful response.

@purpleicee wrote:

I know the instructions speak of an "accurate phone number," but that is the general instructions on all their shops. Because the number you use to call the property through the MSC generates a random number and generally with the regular shops, you call first and then come in for the visit. The agents sometimes look at the caller I.D., and ask if the number is the correct number to contact you. That is why those instructions speak of an accurate number, because they could never reach you on that random number. I always tell them I am using an "outgoing only" line from work and then give them my number. So on those shops you give them your real number over the phone and you show up and confirm that same information, if they ask, onsite. But since this one is the type to show up and call later, the contact information should not match, ever. Or else they would know you were just there! And also, you may very well get an entirely different person over the telephone, which is fine. You are simply reporting how the telephone person handled your call and how the onsite person handled your visit, whether they were the same person or not.

Got it~
For the phone shop/appointment scheduling, I can simply not show up later and there is no need to cancel then?

@purpleicee wrote:

No. This is very easy. You simply show up as a walk-in at the community and do the shop. You give accurate contact information. Then you leave and call back later as if you are a different person. You give a different name if they ask for one and same with email and telephone number. Also, use a different reason for moving. And never volunteer your name, email or telephone number. If they do not ask do not give it. You will state that on your report. Also, I always give fake contact information over the telephone because I do not need them to call back. They have information to contact me from the onsite visit. But, get the telephone agent's name and last name. If you already know it is the same person you shopped onsite, you do not need to struggle and ask for the last name. And it is okay if it is a different person. You never are going to show up for an appointment with the telephone portion if they attempt to schedule one, because you already did this part from the start. You can proceed on the call as if you will come to an appointment, but just do not show up of course. This is a very easy shop.

Right. No need to cancel. Or you can see if they are attempting to set an appointment and go along with it, and then suddenly say: "Oh, hold on, I think that is the day I have to take my mom to the doctor, let me check which day it is and call you right back." And do not call back. The telephone portion is to see if they attempt to get your contact information, needs and attempt to set an appointment.

Standard compensation is half of what you mentioned- $40 of these type of shops.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

What is the normal shop pay for this? I'm not talking about if you got a bonus or not....for this effort, what is the standard shop pay?

Personally, I want to do things that I am interested in or pay me enough to be interested in. Just based on what I'm reading here, I'm not interested and it would take something significant to make me interested. One could argue that the Wells Fargo are not that interesting, but the opening can be done in 30-45 minutes and report does not take long either. If you get $80 (or more) for the 1 hour...then that is ideal AND EASY.

Seems like many hoops for $40 and your first shop. There are easier shops to get your feet wet or your bearings straight. Like I said, the Wells Fargo account opening shop pay decent (and quickly) and do not require much effort.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Seems like many hoops for $40 and your first shop. There are easier shops to get your feet wet or your bearings straight. Like I said, the Wells Fargo account opening shop pay decent (and quickly) and do not require much effort.

Daddy, you have to have a Wells Fargo branch near you to do their shops. But, agreed, how about Athpower or Pinnacle for their bank shops? Much easier and just as lucrative.

Yes, ATH would work as well. I haven't done anything with pinnacle, but ATH client is nationwide with a ton of locations.

@wrosie wrote:

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Seems like many hoops for $40 and your first shop. There are easier shops to get your feet wet or your bearings straight. Like I said, the Wells Fargo account opening shop pay decent (and quickly) and do not require much effort.

Daddy, you have to have a Wells Fargo branch near you to do their shops. But, agreed, how about Athpower or Pinnacle for their bank shops? Much easier and just as lucrative.

As it applies to Pinnacle, I have opened an account opening a year for the past three; my average fee has been $139. Unfortunately, their client does not remove past visits or the number would be much greater. In addition, there have been six teller inquiries at an average of $58. All one must do is wait until the fees are acceptable.

The Pinnacle bank shops are inside some Walmart stores. That's the only place I've seen this bank. But they are not in all Walmart stores.

Thank you- Where can I sign up to do these types of shops?

@wrosie wrote:

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Seems like many hoops for $40 and your first shop. There are easier shops to get your feet wet or your bearings straight. Like I said, the Wells Fargo account opening shop pay decent (and quickly) and do not require much effort.

Daddy, you have to have a Wells Fargo branch near you to do their shops. But, agreed, how about Athpower or Pinnacle for their bank shops? Much easier and just as lucrative.

Do a Google search for Athpower Pinnacle mystery shops or check out the nifty spreadsheet that the folks here laboriously put together under the new shopper information.
[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2023 04:33PM by wrosie.

Will do, thank you!

@wrosie wrote:

Do a Google search for Athpower Pinnacle mystery shops or check out the nifty spreadsheet that the folks here laboriously put together under the new shopper information.
[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

I forget about Pinnacle. The rotation is a year and I never get emails, even though it's turned on in Sassie. Just found a bunch in my nearby area. Thanks for the reminder! I'll be waiting for bonuses, though.

Should have said Ath Power, and Pinnacle, sorry

Happy for you! However, it’s certainly worth noting that locations and shopper density vary.

@shopperbob wrote:

As it applies to Pinnacle, I have opened an account opening a year for the past three; my average fee has been $139. Unfortunately, their client does not remove past visits or the number would be much greater. In addition, there have been six teller inquiries at an average of $58. All one must do is wait until the fees are acceptable.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Assigning first Shops & Confused!

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine