#20
Mon, July 09, 2001
This email is a rebuttal to RipOff #5664. It was sent by Denise McCullough at [email protected]. Henry Chang - crook work from home - data processing RIP-OFF (#5664) They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report: Their email: [email protected] Their name: Denise McCullough Their phone number: 215-724-4145 Their relationship to the company: Advocate Rebuttal: We all have seen this dreaded line before. Lurking in the bottom of the response letters we receive about a home job we just inquired. Applying for a home job, it seems that they're all for sale! If it's like this, then they just might as well sell homejobs in the department stores! Below are some interesting thoughts by the renowned Rosalind Mays, author of "The Real Deal On Telecommuting." I couldn't have said these better myself. Thank you much Rosalind for the tips. Let's begin shall we... An Employer Will Not Ask You For Money Administration Fees: Let me show you the silliness of this type of fee. Have you ever encountered a regular, on-site employer that has ever asked for $10 or $20 dollars to process your employee records? Have they asked for money to set you up with a desk, a phone and e-mail service for you? If you haven't yet realized, it is unethical to ask an employee to pay for something that a business can receive a tax deduction for doing. Yes, companies receive a tax deduction for equipment, software, furniture, salaries and benefits of their employees. On the other hand, everything you (the employee) purchase from the company is considered income for that company and is taxed. Now ask this question the next time someone asks for payment of administrative fees: "Isn't this a tax deductible for your business? Why would you want me to pay for that?" Software Costs: The above statement applies here also. All software and equipment costs are tax deductible for the business hiring the employee or independent contractor. If you need special software to do the job, you (the job seeker) should never purchase it from the employer. Note that I did not say, "Never buy software needed to fulfill a position." You may purchase software, just get it from someone other than the employer. Find out if you can purchase it from a large chain store, or the manufacturer instead. You see purchasing from the employer means they generate income from the sales of the software, not from whatever they claim to do. This especially applies to those in clerical positions. Look through the Sunday Classifieds in your local paper. Examine the clerical positions - what software are employers requiring? They usually require either WordPerfect or MS Word, right? Do you see any other off-brand name software in these listings? Probably not. You see everyone is using well-known software these days, everyone has "standardized" the skills needed. Why would this company be the only company in the nation to use this special word processing package? Materials Fees: (Usually used for crafts positions). This one is easy. Ask them where you can purchase the materials. What third party or wholesaler do they recommend? If they can't offer that because they must supply the materials "to guarantee quality of the product" then ask them: "Why are you giving away your tax deduction?" Remember, all items purchased by a business are tax deductible, if they have you purchase it, they are gaining an income. And believe me, these scammers have made their business income when you've send the check for the materials. Starting Fee: What the heck is this? I've never had to pay an employer to start working! Whenever I've started a job, I was always concerned with how much "I" (the employee) would be paid and when my first check would arrive. Working off a starting fee or waiting for a refund of my money is not my idea of successfully working from home. Question: Have you ever paid an non-telecommuting, regular) employer a starting fee? Manual/Training Fee: In other words, you must pay for the instructions on how to do the job. Let's pretend . . . It's the first day of your new job. The office assistant shows you to your desk. The boss greets you and asks you if you are ready to get to work. You answer yes and rub your hands eagerly. "Okay," he says, "I'll tell you the first few duties that's required for your job, but first you must pay me $25.00 for my time and the hand-outs I've prepared to help you understand the tasks you need to complete." Huh? Don't laugh; this is not so ridiculous. This is exactly what happens when you accept the Manual and Training Fee requests of scam artist employers. Registration Fee: Puleeze! The only time I've paid a Registration fee is to be a part of a college course, join a conference or drive my car. Make Sure You're Serious Fee: I see this statement all the time. "We request that you send us $25 to make sure you are a serious applicant." Yeah, right! Let me show you the ridiculousness of this statement. Let's suppose you own a company, BCD Inc. You need an employee. You look at two resumes and competency test scores. One guy really fits the bill. This guy has experience, the skills and education you need; and in addition, you see from his competency scores, he's fast and accurate too. The other applicant has the skills you require, but he's kinda slow and has a questionable employment history (actually, he has been fired from his last two jobs). Now BCD Inc., also requires from applicants a "make sure you're serious fee." Now this is the dilemma, what if the first applicant doesn't have the money? What if the second questionable applicant does have the money? Would you hire the questionable guy? Let me answer for you . . . NO you wouldn't. You would want the better employee that will work fast, do a better job and make you lots of money. You wouldn't care about how much money an employer had to give you, because that is not where your bottom-line - your profits - come from. Your profits will come from competent and fast employees doing the business of the business. Would you actually turn down a great employee just because they don't have an admissions fee? A materials fee? A starting fee? When Sending Money is Okay When a Fee is Okay: The only time you should consider a fee is when you are considering a home business endeavor. Home business kits and programs have vital information and directions that can be invaluable to the person planning their business strategy. The information provided can save time and painful mistakes. This is information you should pay for. But be careful. You can get lots of bogus information, there are just as many (if not more) home-based business scams as there are telecommuting job scams. Visit these sites for more information on home business and how to avoid scammers in this realm. There you have it. Next time someone asks you for money for a home job, sock em' these helluva tour de force creeper stomping scammer striking statements and let's see how they respond! Boy I've been playing Interstate 82 too much, hehehe... Advocate Comments: In my experiences I have learned that before performing any services for any company,always ask for a payment contractual agreement. In most cases you won,t hear from them again.