Company Overview: Based in Irving, Texas, a Dallas suburb, Ellis Property Management Solutions will soon celebrate 30-years of mystery shops in the apartment industry. Recognized as a leader in this industry, Ellis averages over 6,000 apartment shops per month in locations all across the United States. The company has audio, video, and ‘un-recorded’ shops.
The non-targeted shops that EPMS has go very fast. (A ‘targeted shop’ is an assignment that requires you to interact with a specific employee.) The targeted shops are one consistent area of concern on www.mysteryshopforum.com. Shoppers report difficulty in being able to reach the target, sometime the result of the target being no longer employed at the particular location. In this regard, I prefer Melinda Brody and Impact Marketing, as they have the target’s schedule and set the assignments so the mystery shopper can create routes.
Comments on www.mysteryshopforum.com are mixed. EPMS gets high marks for quick payments. If you don’t mind narratives, they can be a good fit. The reports can be lengthy and there is some redundancy in them. The report redundancy is a recurring theme in shopper comments on the forum. Ellis also receives high marks from forum members for their willingness to accommodate shoppers.
In 2008, the company received the Greater Dallas Business Ethics Award for mid-size companies.
My personal experience with EPMS has been positive. I’ve completed multiple shops for the company and all were paid as promised. The reports were lengthy and, as mentioned, redundant. On the plus side, there was one shop where the agent did not have a required business card. She wrote her name and number on a plain piece of paper. I didn’t want to push for a letterhead for fear of revealing myself as a shopper. On my way out of the complex, I saw a large blue heron perched on the complex’s sign. I stopped and shot a picture—with the sign visible. I was able to submit that picture as proof of visit in place of the missing business card. They are definitely one of the most flexible and accommodating companies to deal with.
I was unable to find a rating for this company with either the BBB or chamber of commerce. However, I think the ethics award speaks volumes about them. Added to the overall positive feedback from the members of www.mysteryshopforum.com, and I believe a shopper can draw their own conclusions about the overall quality and integrity that makes Ellis Property Management Solutions the leader in apartment mystery shopping.