Vanessa Dickerson, who has posted on this board in regards to EPMS issues, is no longer with the company. I should have known this when I failed to receive a reply right away. She was usually very prompt and would answer e-mails within the hour during regular business hours. I used to completely skip the schedulers and go to her for questions. Now, I am stuck with people who seem to only check emails in the mornings. If I can't reach a target, I have to wait until the next morning to receive permission to ask for the target.The scheduler for my state takes days to reply to my email so that route is not useful. Does anyone know who the new "go to" person is?

I understand your frusteration.. I use to work with a Sherri, and LOVE'D her!! She worked with me and I worked with her.. There were a few schedulers who understood my "needs" as a shopper.. But when Sherri needed a last minute shop covered I stepped up..

I don't know what happened to Sherri, I emailed another scheduler twice and didn't get a response... :-(

EPMS is tough! My sense is it is a really stressful place to work they all seem curt!

Sherri was a wonderful scheduler and so easy to work with. They seem to have changed the way shops are assigned since she (and others) left and now I don't do many for them. The shops close to me get assigned before I can answer the emails and I don't see them on the list to self assign.

Vanessa used to give me a route of shops above what I already had assigned. If it was wednesday, i'd tell her that I was going to be in xxx city that friday-sunday and wanted to pick up three shops in the city. No problem. These new people say they can't do it because it is over my self-assign limit of four.

As has been mentioned, Vanessa was a gem with whom to work, BUT, I began my association with Ellis in 2005 and have found ALL of the workers at that MSC to be the epitome of accommodation. Now, to answer the query: Sheila Weaver. Be warned, though, she is succinct, candid and concise, just like Shopper Bob. A caller will receive expert service without the drudge of listening to stories of children, the weather and/or bad health.

I loved Sherri, too, and accepted some of the shops she had difficulty placing but then I got tired of EPMS' editors and have not shopped for EPMS in months. I just don't want the ordeal of their redundant form that takes so long to complete and then have to put up with persnickety editors who ding me for the little stuff.

And I still think the idea of writing about the office layout and how it's decorated plus the color of the leasing agent's eyes is a crock!

I've done two video shops for them, but they require the same long report as the regular shops. That doesn't make sense to me since everything is on the video. I never remember the eye color!

I just had an experience with EPMS. As previously mentioned by ishpalot, they all were very curt. Except for Bobbie. She was nice, but totally useless in solving my problem. Anyone dealt with a boob named Phil?

Eye color?????? Unbelievable....why would they want to know eye color??? After spending hours trying to reach the target, and filling out a detailed long report...then they want a description of the office and the eye color of the target...give me a break..

You think that is bad on a traditional shop? On video shops they ask all those same questions. SMH.

The eye color question is always a shocker at first, because by the time you reach it I am usually ready to throw in the towel on the long, tedious, form and write the whole thing off.

I pay attention to it now. I agree it's kind of silly, but that's what they require. But I've turned in shops in the past where I said I don't remember, and they've been accepted.

There may have been some issues with the Ellis group several months ago. In the past two years I had done just over a hundred shops for them without any issues and then out of nowhere, I was told I couldn't do anymore shops. I emailed Vanessa several times asking what the reason was and was just told there were too many issues lately with my shops. Really? It was never brought to my attention on those individual shops if there were and I'm sure some pay reductions would have occurred, but it didn't.
I asked them for exact details on what these issues were and I wasn't given an explanation. I even emailed the owner twice asking what I could do to remedy any issues or problems that may have occurred, so I could address them, however she never responded. That was very strange.
By the way, I did call them in early December inquiring if I could re-establish with them, but apparently since Vanessa was still there, that could not happen. And this was told to me by the person who answered the phone. Vanessa was very good when responding to questions, ideas, etc. However, something happened and maybe that's the reason she is not there anymore. I had a great working relationship with everyone there and it is one of the companies that does pay very well. Even every move that was made was a "picture," for easy-going Robert in the video department. Maybe I'll re-capture a few more with them in the near future