Anyone done any? pay seems really high first shops are today

Hello! Yes, I've worked with them for years. Solid company, pay is quick - reports are lengthy and you have to remember a lot of detail. I've personally never had a problem with them and it's been five years.

Just did one for them yesterday, in fact!

Edit: If you are new to them, or new to mystery shopping I would just pick one and see it through. I used to choose two or more and it was more than I could handle at the time. Sometimes getting the specific person is significantly more difficult than it sounds.. lol!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2012 10:42AM by Chix.

I just completed my first one for them, it was a "shop anyone" which is so much easier than getting that specific person on the phone. I really liked their form, and yes there is a lot of detail (decor, color of carpets, layout of room, etc) but I found it to be completely painless.

I just wrapped up my first one and found it kind of grueling. By the final questions, when they asked what color eyes my rental agent had, I was more than ready to call it quits.

I may have to go back to car shops, where you have to rate the salesperson's ability to close is required, but are never asked the color of their eyes or the style of their haircut.

Ohh HAHA I forgot about that one! Yeah I must admit the eye color thing was a pure guess on my part. And, at the end it asks you to talk about something that occurred while there such as an angry person in the office, etc. That one took some thought too.

Don't bother to guess. If you do not note the eye color, just answer, "unobserved." They do not take off points for that sort of thing. even if you forget exactly where the bathroom was in the model, just say so.

Eye color come on who the Help looks at eye color another way they can turn the report in and tell you you did not finish it. Chix you only do one of these a day? I do 15 jobs a day or more 30 dollars a day no can do.

this is one of the reasons i think more companies should get into video and audio shops.

i understand they want a tremendous amount of detail. I have a pretty good memory but its hard to remember every single thing said and done with 100% accuracy.

Hi jleetw1!

No, I don't do one of these a day, but since your post suggested you hadn't worked with them before, than it was just a suggestion from me.

It is amazing that you do 15 EPMS apartment shops per day!!! Wow!!! Kudos!! I don't even think I would do 15 in a week or a month maybe! What is your 'trick' to getting the target agent? I always get hung up on that!

NO NOT epms jobs a day other jobs so I would be wasting my time if I have to do a 3 hour eye color job . I have two jobs epms today put I should have asked her first not going to waste my time . I have to much of my time wasted as it is with "PETTY" commisioned Lord of the Rings kicking jobs back. One told me the other day when I was doing the interaction with the cashier.. " The reason they asked you for a ID was because, your credit card does not have a picture on it? HUH? What? what planet do you live ? In all my 16 1/2 years I have had my ID asked once when I was using my credit card once ONCE I have traveled around the world lived in Europe for 7 years shopped ( not secert) in Paris ,London, Venice Italy ,Germany,etc and all over the US. And this guy is telling me that is why they asked me for my ID? Because, I do not have a Bank of America credit card with my picture what planet did he fall off of? ( I live where the Corp office is Everyone hates them around here) Another commisioned Lord of the Rings...

No disrespect, but judging from your posts you seem to have a lot of anger issues.

A key part of mystery shopping is interacting with people and giving neutral unbiased opinions.

jleetw1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NO NOT epms jobs a day other jobs so I would be
> wasting my time if I have to do a 3 hour eye color
> job . I have two jobs epms today put I should have
> asked her first not going to waste my time . I
> have to much of my time wasted as it is with
> "PETTY" commisioned Lord of the Rings kicking
> jobs back. One told me the other day when I was
> doing the interaction with the cashier.. " The
> reason they asked you for a ID was because, your
> credit card does not have a picture on it? HUH?
> What? what planet do you live ? In all my 16 1/2
> years I have had my ID asked once when I was using
> my credit card once ONCE I have traveled around
> the world lived in Europe for 7 years shopped (
> not secert) in Paris ,London, Venice Italy
> ,Germany,etc and all over the US. And this guy is
> telling me that is why they asked me for my ID?
> Because, I do not have a Bank of America credit
> card with my picture what planet did he fall off
> of? ( I live where the Corp office is Everyone
> hates them around here) Another commisioned Lord
> of the Rings...

I like EPMS but as another poster mentioned their reports are very long with a ton of narritives. I think EPMS should consider doing away with a couple of sections because they are just reapting the same questions already answered. The reports generally take me 60-90 minutes each. The company does pay on time and they answer their email in a timely fashion.

Oh, I get you jleetw1! Sorry, I thought you were saying 15 apt. shops, I was like OMG! lol! yeah, fifteen shops - I do understand, though.

The eye color thing is not necessary on the report for epms, just verification that you have done the shop so they ask for some specific information like eye color, clothing. The most of the report is the sales interaction and how the leasing agent performed good/bad. Shops not bad at all, and worth the money.

I am a new shopper and EPMS was my first mystery shopping company. I really enjoyed doing apartments and their pay seems much higher then other companies. Finding the target person is the hardest thing about their shops. I grab all the ones that say ANY in a hearbeat.
Their forms is extensive and takes quite a bit of time to do them But they were great to learn on.. Being my first company I find most of the other forms to be easy in comparison since I learned from them first.
They are very quick to reply on any questions and pay has been on time.

Good Luck to you

The OP is acting more and more like a troll on many threads. I suggest that we stop feeding the troll.

I do like the "Anyone" shops.

Another hint for EPMS: sign up as the backup shopper on the "Anyone" shops.

I've gotten 5 or 6 nice, easy "Any" shops assigned to me when the original shopper declined or flaked.

(And... whatever jleetw1 is having, make mine a double!)

sportsed1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just wrapped up my first one and found it kind
> of grueling. By the final questions, when they
> asked what color eyes my rental agent had, I was
> more than ready to call it quits.
>
> I may have to go back to car shops, where you have
> to rate the salesperson's ability to close is
> required, but are never asked the color of their
> eyes or the style of their haircut.

The car dealership shops I get require that you get a business card or the shop is invalid. You can not ask any questions. You just listen like a bump on a log.

The salespeople know you are the shopper within 5 minutes as real shoppers ask, "How does that work?" or "Tell me more about that!" if they are interested.

The salespeople give you the "bum's rush" to the door and do not give you the business card unless you asked for it before you started. I tell the salesperson I do not have anything to write on and the business card will help me remember what deal you gave me unless you give me a fantastic price I can't refuse.

wow, PHD - this just happened to me and I was wondering why the car shop did not go well. You explained what happened to me perfectly!! One would think that they would be ESPECIALLY helpful if they were being shopped, but...hey...I guess not!

I've done too many new car shops on video where I asked appropriate questions and was always paid. The goal is to show interest and enthusiasm without leading the sales associate. Both very doable I also cannot recall every having to ask for a business card. In fact, I've had some give me one at the beginning as part of the introduction!

Lisa,
We don't have to get business cards on videos, lol! But, also, all of my new and used car shops, video or not, I was supposed to express interest and ask appropriate questions, without leading the SA. I asked a lot of questions and was never given the bum's rush or denied payment. I must be doing different car shops???

I know which company PHD is referring to and did a video car shop for them. As far as I know I'm being paid

Most of my car dealerships have been for one company and despite the video I still had to get those business cards! At this point unless it is the type of job where the employee would not normally have a card it is totally second nature. While on a route in November I stopped by a Nissan dealer to have my TPMS checked and got the business card of the service manager and no it was not a shop, LOL!

I really like EPMS. I'm doing my third one this week today. I have never had trouble getting a response when I've encountered difficulties. However, a few months ago, I called a scheduler about the repetiveness of the report. She claimed the report can easily be done in 20 minutes!!!??? I think the emlployees and administrators are out of touch with the actual uploading of the forms. It asks the same questions over and over. Getting the employee's eye color is the least of my concerns. I think those of us who do these shops regularly enjoy them. BUT maybe they will listen if we all express our concerns about the reports. One thing that bugs the heck out of me is the question following "Did you get a business card"? . . . "How did you verify the name of the agent?" EPMS could easily obtain ALL the information needed and make our shopping a helluva lot easier and enjoyable. Also, if the reports were'nt soooo repetetive, I think they would be more detailed because we wouldn't be so aggitated when filling them out!

Hey Chix, how silly of you to think the poster was saying he/she did 15 EPMS jobs in one day. After all, the name of the thread is EPMS and that same poster was also the OP

walesmaven is right, we really need to stop feeding this troll.

Lisa,
I know what you mean about asking for business cards when not on assignment. I also ask for name, get receipts, and cards when not on assignment. Worse, I cover the button cam when near mirrors, even when I am not doing a video shop. It keeps everyone on their toes, don't you think? Evil of us to make everyone worry that they are being shopped when they are not.

That's funny. A couple of months ago I was doing an audio shop and kept covering my non-existent camera!

Not so much evil (although I love being devilish) we are performing a valuable service for our fellow shoppers!

I used to shop a lot for EPMS, but there weren't enough "shop anyone" shops, and I kept getting jammed up in various ways for the ones where you have to shop a specific person, but were not allowed to ask for them on the phone. You had to just keep calling under various ruses and pray that they answered the phone. Once during the summer I wanted to shop a complex an hour from my home, but a place that I traveled once or twice a week. I finally discovered that the person I was trying to shop was not there for 3 weeks--her own vacation, and then covering for people's vacations as sister complexes--and there was no way for me to find this out. At that point, I said, this is ridiculous. I may be flexible, but I'm not THAT flexible. The straw that broke the camel's back came one day when I called, and got someone else, as usual. I looked at the EPMS web site, and saw a targeted shop for that person. I called the scheduler and said I was going to that town that day and could I please have the targeted shop for the employee I knew was there that day. She said "no."

I may just have had a bad time with one particular scheduler, but the whole call setup is so difficult that I decided it was just not worth it to do targeted shops.

Linderruth

I really don't know how people do more than one targeted shop a day since you have to speak to the target and visit the complex on the same day. The ones I will never, ever do again are the floaters. It took me three weeks to catch up with the target. When I have had problems reaching the target, EPMS has given me permission to ask for the person. I think they also call the client to find out the target's schedule. The only serious problem I had was when a manager who was the target refused to deal with me. It took several calls to reach the target and when one of the staff made the mistake of putting me through to her she refused to speak to me at all and said she picked up the wrong line. Only got paid for the phone call which was alright but I wasn't happy that I got paid only one half of what they deduct if we don't make the call.

The only other criticism I have is that those stupid extra questions about colors in the office, etc. don't print with the rest of the report. I always use the floor plan to remind me of where things are located in the apartment.

And, I have never had any problem stating that I didn't notice the agent's eye color. I've always gotten paid as promised.

I've never done a video shop before, so I'm curious: what type of camera do you use?


walesmaven Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lisa,
> I know what you mean about asking for business
> cards when not on assignment. I also ask for
> name, get receipts, and cards when not on
> assignment. Worse, I cover the button cam when
> near mirrors, even when I am not doing a video
> shop. It keeps everyone on their toes, don't you
> think? Evil of us to make everyone worry that
> they are being shopped when they are not.

Roses,
Please do a search on this forum, using "any date" and "video". The camera is tiny and easily concealed. No standard video camera will do the job. This is definately a covert operation.

Well EPMS I have once again a targeted shop near me that I am considering. Since they have contacted me again I have to assume that they could not get anyone to do it., so not video, considering,but I know some people there. Iguess I will think about it. Comment Lisa?