From: abulloch@garnet.berkeley.edu (Anthony Bulloch)
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc
Subject: Re: Ads for working at home
Followup-To: misc.jobs.misc
Date: 12 Jan 1993 23:24:12 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.berkeley.edu

In article <93012.155524F0O@psuvm.psu.edu> <F0O@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:

>   I called one of the ads in the our paper today which said you could
>make between $300-$500 week by doing assembly work in your home.  This
>company said they would send me a catalog which would cost me $49.95,
>with over 230 different companies which offered work at home jobs.  They
>said I would get my money back on the catalog if I was not satisfied with
>it.
>   I've not pulled out my card and ordered yet, but it does sound ok if
>the claims they make are true.  I saw a previous poster mention that
>many of these places are scams.  Has anyone else ever tried this, and if
>so, is it worth it?

The world of easy/big money at home is a pretty shady area, and
just as much so also is the secondary world of Information
brokering about Easy/Big Money at home.

I'm not writing this for the easy gratification of venting
cynical opinions - I know from my own practical experience and
research that almost all of the outfits that make such appealing
claims are not to be trusted. It's not that they're all crooks
so much as that they're bending the truth and concealing the
less appealing side of what they are promoting.

First the information brokers. Don't forget that this is an
easy in-and-out operation for them. They offer a catalog and
nothing else: all they've said is that some people make thousands
per month doing home assembly, not that _they_ will show you
how to do it. OK, they promise your money back 'if not satisfied':
that's not worth anything if in reality they don't pay up when
you ask them to. And most of those small outfits make the claim
(they know that it's a big business pull) and then count on stalling
you forever if you try to call them on the promise. (After they've
not replied to your letters 3 or 4 times you'll probably give up
trying to get your money back.) And often they have some conditions
in the small print which you have to satisfy (like proving that
you've tried at least two or three of their listed business
opportunities...).  The red light to me is that $49.95: a steep
price for that kind of info. All you're going to get is a list
of addresses, of people who will then charge you _another_
$49.95 for information about _their_ business: and most of these
operations aren't worth $5 to join (see below). So you're
probably going to lay out nearly $100 just to find out about
a concern that stands a strong chance of being either questionable
or not doable. I'll say it outright: _I_ could get you signed up
with a first rate company in a prime growth area for a tad less
than $30. (_And_ I'd then show you how to do the business, and put
you in touch with others who would give you extensive training
and long-term support, for free.) [And I'll add that it would
be fun, satisfying and 100% ethical, as well as socially
constructive. How about that?!]

If you really want to go ahead and send for that catalog: 1) call
the Better Business Bureau for the area where the company is located.
(Remember that if the BBB has nothing it means only that, not that
they recommend the company.) If the BBB knows of any complaints
then stop right there.  2) don't deal with any company unless
they have a real address (i.e. _not_ a PO Box number) and unless
they give you a telephone number (and call the number first, to
make sure it works.  3) Find out the terms of their money back
promise first.
In general: don't deal with any outfit that won't give you a
proper address, a telephone number, and the name(s) of the
people running the company. If they won't give you this basic
information then they're almost certainly fly-by-nights: companies
only hide when they need to.

As for those work at home deals: I've not heard of a single one
yet that pays. Most of the projects turn out to be unworkable or
not worth it _once you get the full details_. Almost all such
companies hide the details until you've paid out your $49.95
for their 'Starter Kit'. There are so many ways that these
ventures can be unworkable: you have to purchase your own parts
(often from the company), you have to advertise yourself,
you have to follow instructions which are of a kind that make
your remuneration a pittance per hour etc. etc. Remember: any
company that uses this kind of assembly labor is doing so
because they _have_ to use the cheapest of labor to survive -
if they could afford to rent a building and some assembly plant
they would...  Put briefly: you can put your time and your
effort (not to mention your $100-200 that you will end up
investing at the outset) to _much_ better use.

(I've taken up enough public space here. Feel free to contact
me  privately if you want to discuss this some more.)

Anthony Bulloch
(510) 642-4001 (office)
(510) 549-9127 (home)
FAX: (510) 883-9433
abulloch@garnet.berkeley.edu

From: cls@trsvax.tandy.com
Date: 12 Jan 93 12:23 CST
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc
Subject: Clarification:Televangelists
Message-ID: <-1833267292@trsvax>