There's no shortage of advice for small-business owners on the Internet. On most sites, experts answer simple questions for free but charge for detailed responses. Most sites make money by taking a percentage of the fees. Operators of the sites say the chief benefit is convenience.
Many small businesses lack legal and human resources staffs to handle ticklish questions.
But few of the site operators verify experts' background or experience. An expert who claims to be a certified public accountant may not be one. An administrative assistant loses her temper and yells at customers on the phone. Any reasonable consultant will ask more questions . . . After four days, the only response came from an expert who couldn't answer the question.