I've turned in shops the first week of May and only one of them is approved out of 5. I know they pay out everything up until the 7th of the month on the 22nd. However, if they continue to go this slow on reviewing/approving it might not be until July 22nd. Can any of you veteran pros for EPMS explain to me how long it takes to approve the shops? Because If they don't approve by end of next week I'm going to quit. I seriously cannot put all of my energy, time, gas, and new equipment into this with slow pay. They should at least give people a time frame and say "Oh it takes two weeks to process ONE shop." I think it's very annoying and unprofessional. They need to do a better job. Please let me know your experience and how it works.

I do a lot of work for EPMS. They pay very reliably and tend to push hard to review reports before the 7th. When, exactly, did you turn in the reports that have yet to be approved?

op
So if I hear you correctly you did 5 shops that were submitted in the beginning of May. Of those 5 shops one was approved by May 7th and the other 4 are pending. The approved one will be paid on May 22nd. The other 4 should be approved by June 7th at the latest. Those other 4 shops will thus be paid June 22nd. Nothing should be paid any later barring an extenuating circumstances.
Just for your knowledge the industry standard is around a month for payment. I have seen payments range from as quick as 1 day very rare to as long as 4 months again very rare. Each MSP has there own payment time frame. The standard used to be any shops done in month 1 would be paid at the end of month 2. Ex all shops done in may are paid on June 30th. So your options are find MSP who pay quicker that are in line with your needs, accept the payment terms with the MSPs who you wish to do work for. Find other work outside of mystery shopping.

Yes. That is correct. Right now I see that one is has written in green the words completed. So that means it will pay out on 22nd and the other (1) which was also turned in on the 7th just reads accepted. . I wrote them and they claim I will get paid the one on the 22nd. I just started like on May 1st. Thanks for letting me know I just wanted to make sure they are LEGIT and they will pay before I go doing many of these shops in my area. It's pretty easy but the PAPERWORK online is insane. That's the part that takes me so LONG. Sometimes it's hard to get people on the phone. There was one time I talked to the person on phone and an appointment was scheduled. I said I would see her in 35 minutes. She say she was not going to be there. I ended up getting pulled off that shop.It took forever to get her on the phone and then she acted like she wasn't going to be there. Then I was to meet with someone else, but the company wanted me to continue with the person I spoke to if possible. I just said..apparently this is not going to work. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Thank you again for the information and letting me know that they do pay. This rep from there said they can take 10-14 days to process one shop.

Awesome! Thank you!

Yes, targeted shops are notoriously difficult to complete. Targets flake, targets go home sick, sometimes the client doesn't update their target list and we are trying to reach a target who doesn't work there anymore. That's why these jobs wind up so highly bonused.

I know that this thread is regarding EPMS payments but I have been considering doing these shops for a while. How hard are they? Do they take a long time to do? I live with my parents and have never looked for an apartment so my fear is also that they ask me questions that I have no idea how to answer. Any guidance would be appreciated before I even consider doing these shops. Thanks!

I already quit.

The paperwork is super long and they ask the same questions over again. They do not offer training how to do them. Also I experienced some racism on a shop last month 4.5 weeks ago and today they asked me to edit it out basically and focus on target. Sometimes other workers enter rooms when you're with the target.

However, a non target said some racist words and I responded professionally of course. I also recorded the dialogue secretly and it was not supposed to be recorded but Ellis acts like all of us are crooks. They have misc. questions that secretly try to prove that you went or didn't go. That's why I recorded in case they try not to pay. They want you to describe the room and workers. They ask for weight, height, ehtnicity, etc.

Even if they don't require recording; I did and I submitted because some people will act like you don't know enough details regarding the location, office, and personnel. Therefore, one cannot argue about a clean recording. This way they can't try to lower fee or not pay. Protect yourself and record, record,and record some more. It's hard to remember what is discussed by memory so recording helped me with paperwork.

They did pay me on 22nd by direct deposit. But they asked me today to rewrite and reword some parts of recorded conversation apparently they don't want owners to know a person was racist towards me. They said that person was not the target. On other hand they ask about interactions with others or who else was there.

Hilarious right? I got insulted and manager if property apologized and the target apologized but Ellis said basically remove it. LoL. Or reword it redo. The editor sent it back to me to Do over. I don't understand and I asked what part Wich sections? I gave them more than enough info and the recorded conversation is sharp super clean.

The areas over in this area are souring! Rent has gone from 500 for one bedroom to 1100 for ONE bedroom. Anyway it took me like two hours plus to finish the paperwork sometimes and I rather work more hours at my real job or choose many extra easy shops that pay less.

Also I picked a couple if shops Friday evening due on Tuesday May 28th. They don't suggest to do shops on Sat. nor Sunday. may 27th today was holiday. I got an email stating I hadn't worked on my shops and I need to get busy calling. So I thought that was rude. I also have full time job I was having fun but I don't like slave drivers. I think they are upset because I asked why it took so long to clear my shops and suggested they update the charts so shoppers can understand when and which shops they will pay out on 22nd so now they are super picky.

I really was hoping it would work. But a lot of people probably don't tell the truth about this work. I think some of the editors complain about shoppers too much and they are RUDE and they don't even pay very much.

It's hard to get people (targets) on the phone. Many of the sales People in this metroplex DON'T Care. When you call it's like pulling teeth to get then to tell you about their property. I had one person say these properties sell themselves and they go fast. She is right. So when I call they often sound rude they could care less if I go there or not. Ellis acts like we have to give them chances to tell us about properties. Usually they don't it's like I wait and they're ready to hang up phone then I ask, but the company acts like I should let them hang up. But if I don't fulfill required questions they won't pay. LoL.

If you call and target is not there you will not get paid for your time and efforts. Many of the shops took forever and you have to wait 4 days for follow ups before you can close them out. I was only working on my days off from my other full time job. It was so much fun looking at places and I want to make extra money but I like working with people who know how to treat staff.

They have plenty of people to work so. I couldn't believe that guy wrote me talking about I better get busy calling. He can call them himself.

I am off tomorrow from my real job and had planned on finishing my shops because I always finish my shops. It's about me making extra money and they need to get the jobs done. Also it gets costly to drive all over the place in traffic for such small pay. You should do like two.

If you have nothing better to do then take this job, but don't be upset if you get emails from rude editors or supervisors. They also have no examples of how to fill out or how a shop is done. After you have finished the paperwork they complain and try not to pay. Lol. You must do what's best for you. You need to ask questions and make sure you understand because they try not to pay full amount.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2019 06:26AM by scorpionshar777.

Can any tell me if they have been paid by Ellis Mystery Shopping yet for June? Nothing in my account as of yet. This is not like them the last two months I have been paid on the 20th.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2019 12:53PM by nvaughan0816.

Hey nvaughan0816!

No. I have NOT received my direct deposit YET for JUNE 22nd 2019. I should have received it on the 20th of JUNE, because my bank deposits right when it arrives and that would be the 20th instead of 22nd. I do not believe they have sent it at all because my bank would have cleared it. Funny or it's ironic that you've asked. I've wrote them yesterday about my June payment because I thought something was WRONG! I finally got an email this morning from Kimmy. It was BS or run around of course. However, I have asked her to give me the payroll department's email or a phone number where they will actually answer. I have noticed they DO NOT ANSWER the phones at all. So far no JUNE payment, but here is the BS she (Kimmie) sent me:



email info from staff member at Ellis Named Kimmie

I was told on Thursday, since there are some conferences next week for our EPMS team members, the deposits were early, so your pay should have been/will be deposited between Thursday, the 20th – Saturday, the 22nd (usual pay day), depending on your bank. However, if your bank does not release deposits on Saturday, you will want to wait until Monday, or call you bank to see if they have the deposit pending or have rejected it.

If your pay is/was rejected back, it usually takes 5-10 business days for the returns to be received. After we receive them, our accounting department has to process them before sending you a check.

One number wrong in the account number or routing number can make the deposit not process correctly.

If you have received a deposit before and have not changed your bank information in the system, then there should not be an issue with you getting your pay.

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2019 11:13PM by scorpionshar777.

Hi Kristylynnr:

They are very hard in my opinion. BUT you must learn for yourself it's your journey. But in my opinion they paperwork takes forever. They give you a lot of Mobile Home Communities, Apartments, and Elderly Communities where the people or corporation saves your information and they want you to have a bunch of different phone numbers which is IDIOTIC because you have to show a REAL STATE issued identification card when you go to these places to do shops. Therefore, it's impossible to be in the shadow. They should have the corporation remove our info from the system so that we can shop anywhere in the USA if we were on vacation and wanted to work in another city of if you're one who travels to do shops to make more money. There are many times they give you bonus money for shops that everyone, their dog, cat, goldfish, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, uncles, neighbor up the street, down the street, across the street, across the pond (you get the point) have REJECTED!!!!! So this means you can spend hours calling and calling to get the target who is dodging your calls. You have to call each 1/2 hour then when you get their they do a bait and switch. Which means YOU WILL NOT get paid. They need to fix that because shoppers have NO jurisdiction over who is there or went home early to go to Casino or Hockey game, etc. That's not our fault. But as long as you know that and don't get upset. You're good. They sometimes have a bunch of shops to do and one can make a lot of money I like that but it can take you up to 2 hours or more to do the paperwork on each shop. They ask the same questions over and over again which in my opinion is to catch you in a lie or to NOT pay you. They want details, details and if you do a bunch of shops you might forget so do one then the other. That was easier for me. Also you have to wait like 4 days to close it out because on top of that you have to wait for the target to make contact with you by email, snail mail, phone calls, etc. Many of the targets told me, "Well I don't have to do much because this market is so popular that if one person doesn't rent another will be right behind. The property sells itself." LITERALLY she said that on recording and she had I I don't care attitude. But it is what it is. Right now we're all trying to find out where our paychecks are. They usually pay on 22nd and I've not received mine YET. They also pay very low for the amount of work you have to do, gas, time, and etc. I have been on shops that took me 45 minutes which includes waiting, other people coming in the meeting, driving around to look at the property and units. Some of the mobile homes parks are HUGE and have a lot to offer. So it takes time. But the fastest was 15 minutes. I liked those types. So I say it is up to you. But it can feel like it takes 6 weeks to get paid. Because they pay 8th to the 7th so the number of shops you can do between One month starting on the 8th and ending on the 7th of following month for those you get paid on 22nd. Just so you know they pay by direct deposit or paycheck. Go make your money! Good luck! I think it's GREAT experience. I actually had fun doing the shops to be honest and I learned a lot it's just I have a full time job and I need something that does not take much time and if they stay the same I need to make at least $55-60 for a shop. There are opportunites to do that on BONUS shops.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2019 07:27PM by scorpionshar777.

Yes I was paid on the 20th.

I am in agreement with the long reports and sometimes hard to reach contacts. I have never had an issue with payment . I have a direct deposit to a cash card not a bank account. Dont like giving any company my account info just in case. Not sure if that has anything to do with it tho.

@scorpionshar777
I have done hundreds of shops for EPMS and I disagree with some of your statements.
First:
* Yes, the reports are long.
* Yes, targets can be difficult to reach. Yes, those are often the bonused shops.
* Yes, sometimes targets go home early and miss appointments.
* I agree: I will not do their shops for their base amounts.

However
* However, with practice, I am able to do reports in less than an hour.
* I have made as many as 25 calls for a single target. When you reach voicemail, the call takes 30 seconds. When you reach the wrong leasing professional, it takes a minute. The average call with the target takes 5-6 minutes. I'm not sure how you are spending "hours" contacting targets?
* If you show up for your appointment and the target is not there, you DO get paid. I had one this past week. However, EPMS does expect you to confirm appointments on the recorded line the day of the visit. If you do not do this and the target no-shows, you will not get paid.
* They do pay like clockwork. My bank does not accept weekend direct deposits, so I am waiting until Monday for my payment as well. It's been like that for as long as I have worked with them.
* Yes, it sometimes takes six weeks to get paid. Sometimes it only takes two - such as when you submit a report on the 6th or 7th of the month.

Thank you for this clarification. Also it's true that it takes less time as you get more practice. I only spent 3 hours on the last one instead of 4! However I cleared about $10 an hour so I'm not complaining. I look forward to getting it down to 2 hours.

@MFJohnston wrote:

* If you show up for your appointment and the target is not there, you DO get paid. I had one this past week. However, EPMS does expect you to confirm appointments on the recorded line the day of the visit. If you do not do this and the target no-shows, you will not get paid.

As anticipated, I received payment this morning.

MF Johnston

Yes I received mine too.

Hi There! I recently signed up with EPMS. I just read your comment and how do you use you a cash card for payment? When I put in my information, the only option was a checking or savings account. Any information you can provide would be super helpful!! Thanks in advance!!

The person might be using a pre-paid card also known as a cash card. BUT I'm not sure if that's what the poster meant. You will have to wait for a reply or email them.. Just look up Prepaid Cards in your area. Some banks also offer them for people who have TIN# or UNBANKED or people with SS# and are in chexsystems. OR NOT. There is NO credit check but you must register a SS#. Many use because it's safer than giving companies like ELLIS etc Mystery shopper companies your actual bank account info. On pre-paid many feel it's more safe. Most local grocery stores, some other stores might carry them. Ask around get some info and see which one suits you. Many of them offer you a chance to get paid 2 to 3 days EARLIER. Meaning if a company like Ellis pays out on 22nd for example you could get paid on 20th that is if they submit everything properly. Getting paid earlier is always a good thing but some local banks pay out earlier while some smaller banks pay out later or put holds on EVERYTHING that comes in but when you have to pay out they do it faster. In my opinon this is a good topic it's stuff that most people don't really talk about.

Good luck!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/2019 11:14PM by scorpionshar777.

They’ve always said in their FAQ section they pay on the 22nd unless it’s a holiday or a weekend. That’s how it’s always been for me anyway and I’ve shopped with them for at least 6 years now. The last day to get a shop in to be paid is the 7th of the month for payout by the 22nd of the month.

Yes I wrote this back when I worked for them and a payment was actually Late.. I was at the time worried. But they pay on time. However, it's still too slow for me. I can't tie up so much time energy and efforts in a company that waits so long to pay. They should pay upon submission, weekly, bi weekly. Or when you submit..they wouldn't have problems fulfilling jobs if they paid more money, paid faster, and reduced paperwork. But that's my opinion. I'm sure they won't run out of workers..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2019 03:44AM by scorpionshar777.

The general rule of thumb in mystery shopping seems to be 45 days from report acceptance as far as payment. However there are a few that pay out much later like 90-120 days. Personally I hate chasing payment and I have had to do it but not with EPMS. I agree the report is tedious at times and I don’t like target shopping so I try to not do those unless bonused . But other than those issues EPMS has been one of the better companies I’ve worked for. They’ve been up front and transparent with me anyway unlike a couple others..

Hey TexGmnI Yes I understand and I also aggree with you!!! You know I feel it's a great way to get started in Real Estate business. You can look at properties and I love doing that. It's very interesting and fun! Nothing like going on shops to understand somewhat how the companies do business and also how companies watch employees. It's like being on a secret mission. I actually had FUN!!!!! until I didn't and then I quit. Also I love the fact that Ellis gives bonuses if you refer friends, familly members, who do complete shops. That's also AWESOME! I recommend Ellis. I just don't have time to do it I'm busy Actually I'm not even on this board very much. I read the one person's post about asking about Cash card and nobody had answered so I felt as many of you have helped me I should post a comment to help a new person.