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I'm not sure what is going on. I was hired with Verafast and sent back the first packet, they received it on 08/18/08 and I have not heard anything from them at all. I called and left a message on Mary's voice mail this week and she has not returned my call. Any advice on what I should do now? I'm really needing to start work but I can't get in touch with anyone. How long did it take you to get started after they received your first set of paperwork?
TIA
Deree

It took between 1-2 weeks after sending the papers off before hearing anything. Make sure you check your Junk Mail, that's where my *Getting Started* email went. Edited by: justlisa

I received my welcome email 2 days after, that was because I had it overnighted and I live in ohio myself.

I applied with Ver-a-Fast earlier this month (September 2008) and was quickly "processed" to start webinar training and did "test calls" the day after it... this job is ridiculous, its ajoke ! a typical "slavery" type job where the caller makes the calls, puts up with a very often nasty public ! gets alot of answering machines (which is a blessing !) people hanging up, some that don't understand or speak english, little kids that babble on and on, the list goes on. But t h e most pathetic part about this job is the 'coding' the calls after completion. For the 20 cents per call they are paying, alot is demanded of the caller with this "coding" part. It certainly is something to encourage anyone to pull their hair out ! The next day borderline nasty, mile long emails from the coordinator because the coding wasn' t perfect and calls would have to be re-assigned are in ones email box, written in a tone that is borderline offensive. I am a paralegal and have in the past supported 2 attorneys and carried alot of responsibility in the lawfirm where I worked and am certainly qualified to make phonecalls and "code" pages, thank you! I am also very familiar and experienced withwith macro / program writing and I am here to tell you: a program CAN be written for Ver-a-fast that will automatically populate the coding page after the callwith the information of it by just one mouseclick ! For example: customer has YP, wants gift, was F no apt number, that kind of thing and any and all variations thereof. If that was done, and a decent hourly rate paid to the caller vs. being an ICC,like $9.50 plus bonuses on the part of Ver-a-Fast, this job would be a real peach ! However,to implementthis idea, Ver-a-fast would have to spend some money to have the program designed, written and implemented and then paying goodhourly rates for callers would benefit many homeworkers, but would in turntake the company out of the "cream puff" area of profits some of which would go to the callers who are key personnel keeping the company going, but are not as adequately recognized for it as they should be.Theturnover they are experiencing will notlevel offuntil they do somethingabout this "dog and pony show" that turns mostpeople off within just days of starting the job to make the calls.

What is everybody else thinking ? Any feedback would be appreciated. Edited by: Keen Riches

Wow-aren't you a piece of work? It's obvious you couldnot follow directions from your ICC which I am sure went above and beyond helping you. Your information is incorrect and is deterring others from applying for a job with Verafast. Just because you couldnot follow directions or comprehend this position does not mean others could not. Your accusations are slanderous to the company which I am sure will be reading your postand demeaning to otherswho post and are presently an IC with Verafaston this board and are making a lucretive living, and actually enjoy this job. Maybe you would be better suited working in the back office at Wal Marts where you would not come in contact with the public, because it is obvious you lack social skills. I really take offense at what you said, because this is a wonderful opportunity for people who want to work from home but are unable to due to costs of babysitting, or are disabled. As far as 20 cents per call that is the mostoutrageous of all!!!! Had you read your commissionprint outs you would not be stating this.Good luck to you because someone with a piss-poor attutude like yours I believe Verafast is better off withoutyou!!! Go rain on someone else's parade. Take your negativity to another board. Andgo ruinsomeone else's perspective. "These people on this board come here for support not to hear this garbage!!!!

I'm not sure you'll like my feedback, but here it is.You have every right to your opinion. But there are a few misstatements in your post.

First of all you state that we get 20 cents per call. I'm not sure where you got that figure from. The base pay for new home verifiers is 22 cents plus bonuses. My last paystub shows I made 29.5 cents per call. And that wasn't one of my higher weeks, either.

You state that you know how to code these calls, yet you got an email from your ICC informing you of your mistakes. If the coding is that simple, how'd you make any mistakes? I'm not trying to come down on you here; I'm just trying to point out that the coding does take getting used to and mistakes are common especially when someone is new. That's why the ICC sends the email. They're not trying to make you feel bad or anything. They're just trying to help you learn the job.I have no idea who your ICC is and don't want to know. I can only speak for the ICC's that I've gotten emails from and they've all been polite and professional. Please remember that emails (and newsgroup posts) have one huge draw-back. You can't hear the emotion behind the words, so you're not sure how they were meant. You might be reading things with a harsh tone in your head while in realiity it was meant to be a helpful suggestion, not a broad criticism.

Yes, a macro program would be nice but it's not feasible. Since you've only been here a short time, you'd have no way of knowing the numerous types of calls we do here. They'd have to come up with a macro program for every type of call they do here. You're just thinking about first contact. What about first contact continues? Starts? Stops? Conversions? Collection Courtesy? Conversion Continues? Sampling Continues? Start Renewals. And that's just a small portion of the kinds of calls I've done recently. And that doesn't include the new calls that come along, totally different than any other call we've ever done before(ie that new voting call). And even with the macro program, you'd still have to type in comments anyway (which is really where the bulk of the typing time comes anyway).

I can't disagree with everything in your post here, butI thought in the interest of fairness, I'd give my point of view (for which I'll no doubt get bashed. Which is ok).

Carolina:

I don't want to bash you just a correction--you stated you were paid 29.5 cents per call last week. However, it's not per call it's per *credit*. A call could equal 1-10+ credits depending on the call you are completing. I find when I talk to people privately on here since I get so many PMs from people afraid to talk on the boards due to all of the slamming they also think they are getting paid per call and it's difficult to explain that it's partially true, however, really they are getting paid by credit not by call. The call does produce the credits but it's almost impossible for us to figure out how much we are making "per call" since the credit values for each call do differ so much and then we have to figure in bonuses too, which we can't do until the end of the week when we know our total credits.

So just a clarification.

As for the other post--bah--why waste your time if you are unhappy? Move on and leave those of us alone who want to stay positive and have found the value in this company.

You are completely correct, Happy.The pay is per credit, notper call. My bad. I call those "gray moments". My kids refer to them as "brain farts" :)

No problem, Carolina. I figured it was a typo or something since you seem to know so much about the company. I just wanted to make the note here since I think so many new people are confused about this issue. I think it's very apparent here on this thread too when someone thinks they are getting .20 cents per call!!!! Yikes! I couldn't even buy a nice steak dinner with the money I'd make on .20 cents a call! Or maybe I could since I work so much, but the job wouldn't be worth it at all at that rate of pay.

I wish I could say it was a typo and that I have sluggish fingers and not a sluggish brain, but I can't. I'm just having one of those days where I got up but my brain stayed in bed:)

Iam going to post this with kindness and respect toeveryone. Firstof all, we need to letlet people speak theirown, uniqueopinion.That is the point of a job discussionboard.That is based on their own, unique likes and dislikes.Even if its different from yours.So many times, the posts go through a "correcting" process on this board. For allI know, he is probably telling the truth.I don't know that though, because I don't knowhis ICC, I don't know his stats, Idon'nt knowwhat the emails hehas received say.The only thingI knowis my experience.I can't say"no, he's lying, applicants don't listen, this is a rosy job, you just have to have the phone glued to your ear, to get 40credits, at .30 cents per credit roughly. which could be anywhere from 4-10 credit calls to 10-4 credit calls if I'm doing First Contact calls.Making 4-10 "Yes" callsis how I make 12 an hour average. That can be from 6 dollars to a high of 15 dollars. I make 1 call per minute, andI have to get 4-10calls, depending on theaccount to make this "lucrative" the rest are answering machines, hang ups, no english, and nasty comments like get a real job, drop dead, I hope you burn in hell, B word, and other profanity. I'm holding out for 6 more months. Because I have a personal policy to not quit a job for 1 year, no matter how bad it is.Becauseits true that some people don't have jobs. The unemploymentrateis high. Thats why I keep 2 eggs in my basket, at any time. In case I have a bad day on eitherjob.Sometimes, withverafast, I do need that data entry job.After that I will use the 30 hours I work here, to add to my data entry position.
The complete board answer on this is, yes it would cost a huge amount of money to make macros for this, and yes they could pay a little more, but its a job and ITS not for everyone. And yes if you do the stats, about 12% are unhappy with this job,but those 12% need to be heard, and thats with any job, at least 10t% are not going to like i. How do you know if you're that 10%? try it. According to posts on this board, you will find out doing the test calls in the first week.
I've found that I don't want to deal with the rude, nasty public, so I am going to data entry. Its not thatI don't lack social skills, its thatI and many people arekind and courteous, which I'm really trying to be. But we deal with a rude public,sometimes, and thats customer service in general, there will always be people who think because you are stuck in some entry level job,means they can be rude to you, and treat you like you are crap on their shoes.Not only that, and this isn't exclusive to verafast, management thinks they can run their business, without us "worker ants". If we won't there they wouldn't make money.Some people, throw up, andand others embark on the very hard totask to find a jobthat is not customer service.While other people it is their passion in life to actually help the customer,even if in First Contacts case, where it is a cold call, because they aren't expecting to get a call about receiving their yellowpages.Did I cover everything, or do I need to change it a bit. Let me know. But I tried to cover everyones opinion.Edited by: wonderfullife

To "wonderfullife (http://www.wahm.com/forum/member_profile.asp?PF=68555&FID=54)"-s response to my posting:

Hello :) and thanks for your response, it indeed sounds like coming from a discerning person with a larger-than-the-palm-of-their-own-hand objective. (By the way: I am not a 'he' :) !)

Agreeing with pretty much everything you have said in your response, allow me to add toit in that in my estimation, the reason why the public is "rude and nasty" on the receiving end of these calls is because they simply do not wish tobe pestered by telephone calls (evidenced by the sleuth of answ. machines in my test calls) from what they perceive are "telemarketers"thus lumping a l l telephone calls of the nature Ver-a-Fast and other companies like itconductsinto one.

I for one loathe "pestering" people - with and for anything - and think that if companies like Ver-a-Fast applieda "don't spam"-"don't call me I'll call you" policy, they would not be in business making a profit by the sweat of "worker ants" as you so adequately referred to it. What in a few days of testing this "job" (!) Iascertained isthat in terms ofa "bigger picture" frame of reference, all this is aboutis clever newspaper subscription selling cloaked in nicey-nice "do you have a yellow pages" phonebook wrapping. I do not consider this a "service" to people, butsheepish "bait and switch"tactics for corporate america's greed for profit!Most of us who care about the life of trees having to die for paper, read newspapers online thereby effectively participating in being useful and beneficial to and for the environment ! I am very much focused on "Paper"newspapersdyinga natural death as soon as possible eliminating useless death of nature's trees and costly "recycling" that can be totally eliminated in this particularcase of the newspapers.

As for your intentions/plans toget "data entry" work online, I'd recommend you'd be discerning and careful to the point of cynism (!), most arescams and if not scams, are more nickel-and-dime "employers"like it is Ver-a-Fast. I am saying this because during the first six months of 2008, I've tested over 100 "work at home" programs including "data entry" ones, none of which could withstand "cross examining" style questioning by their authors and ran off. ALL but one turned out to be not a scam. However, this particular one cost $40 to purchase and made not a single red cent during the 30 days I vigorously tested it on daily basis. Getting my money back from them was another story, using my inside-track legal experience and fighting dirtyDID get it back! In accordance with the foregoing, please be very discerning and do not fall for the "success testimonies" these crooks post on their websites, they are at best: unreliable.

However, if you are still reading at this point,FYI: I am doing something interesting online that makes $pendable ca$h every day. If you are interested, please let me know and I'll be glad to share it with you.

Again, thanks for your time and response to my posting, have a blessed day :)
Keen Riches
Edited by: Keen Riches

Hey I'm sorry, I didn't know your gender:)
Yeah I agree its sales calls, and some of the only work to get at home most of the time.

Well, as far as data entry goes, I do have a data entry job that pays .05 for each 40 character line, and I do 200 of these in an hour. It always paid me on time in the 4 months I've been working there. I'm lucky to have it, and the work is a lot easier, and no I didn't have to pay anything. Except a 25 dollar training cost, that will be deducted from my last paycheck if I decide to leave. So I am very happy.
But I wanted to let you know that you are not alone. In hating the nature of the work.
P.S. I would be interested in your source of earning money, as that could add.Edited by: wonderfullife

(To "wonderfullife (http://www.wahm.com/forum/member_profile.asp?PF=68555&FID=54)"-s response to my posting:

Hello :) and thanks for your response, it indeed sounds like coming from a discerning person with a larger-than-the-palm-of-their-own-hand objective. (By the way: I am not a 'he' :) !)

By the way what do you mean, by a discerning person with a larger-than-the-palm-of-their-own-hand objective?

I am on your side about this, and you are attacking me. I see what people mean, we try to help. I try to say I understand and I don't like the company, just like you didn't. So why the defensive post.

There's a couple of things I didn't understand about this post. My biggest was why somoene who thinks newspapers should go the way of the dinosaurs and doesn't like to "pester people" would apply for a company that makes outgoing customer service calls for newspapers?
The other thing I didn't understand was this statement: "I for one loathe "pestering" people - with and for anything - and think that if companies like Ver-a-Fast applieda "don't spam"-"don't call me I'll call you" policy, they would not be in business making a profit by the sweat of "worker ants" as you so adequately referred to it. " I'm wondering if this person even went through training. I know how diligent the company is about putting people on the "do not call" list and I know how much it's stressed during training. If the company will fire people who don't put people on the do not call list, how can you say they don't apply a "don't call me" policy???

There's a couple of things I didn't understand about this post. My biggest was why somoene who thinks newspapers should go the way of the dinosaurs and doesn't like to "pester people" would apply for a company that makes outgoing customer service calls for newspapers?
The other thing I didn't understand was this statement: "I for one loathe "pestering" people - with and for anything - and think that if companies like Ver-a-Fast applieda "don't spam"-"don't call me I'll call you" policy, they would not be in business making a profit by the sweat of "worker ants" as you so adequately referred to it. " I'm wondering if this person even went through training. I know how diligent the company is about putting people on the "do not call" list and I know how much it's stressed during training. If the company will fire people who don't put people on the do not call list, how can you say they don't apply a "don't call me" policy???

I agree carolina, I like the paper newspaper. My great grandfather was a typesetter for the newspaper a long time ago. So when I see one everyday, I think of what my family has contrbuted to society. I like that hard copy, and if someone made sure I got my yellowpages, and offered me a paper I would not scream, though I am not a rude person. I understand courtesy. Some people don't
And yeah I agree. We have a stringent do not call policy. to the point of termination if a verifier doesn't abide by it. Yay!! we agreed on something I'm so happy. And positive, now lets look at this has as something good.