Devoted to WAHMs -Work at Home Moms

In my last blog I talked about trying to find reputable work-at-home positions without getting caught up in the flim flam of scam artists. Let me chat with you about one work-from-home company and let's see what you think. Get your women's intuition going (if you're a man borrow some intuition from your wife, girlfriend, mother, or daughter. We always seem to have enough to spare!) and get ready to see what your gut feeling is on this example.

Procard International sells discount cards for services at doctors, dentists, and other health care facilities as well as discounts at local merchants.....for only $19.95 a month. The three avenues of 'employment' that you can sign up for are:

• Referral Rewards Associate
• Marketing Associate
• LocalDiscounts.com

Read on below to find out more about each of these.

The first 'job' description states that you will be paid to recruit associates that are looking for work at home. You will get your own website and will be responsible for sending people to this website.They state that this is their most profitable position...and the easiest. You will be provided with free leads every month.

The second position is calling back people who have expressed an interest in their membership cards and helping to sign them up. Your long distance costs are reimbursed by the company.

The third position is working in your neighborhood to recruit business and health care providers. Little, if any information is given on how this is done or what it pays.

The first and third options require you to have one active account before you get any leads or support from the company. This, in a very roundabout way is a fee. You have to sign yourself or someone else up before you can start to 'work' for them. In order to continue 'working' for them you have to have at least one active account.

For each new 'recruit' you sign up you get $10 initially and then $1 per month for as long as they pay their monthly fee, which they estimate will be for 4 to 5 years. You are encouraged to be your own first recruit and then you can cancel after you get a real recruit. The problem is if you are telling this same thing to all your recruits how are you making any monthly residual on their fees? Nothing is said about how much you make by signing up those who are just buying the discount card nor how you are reimbursed for your out-of-pocket long distance charges.

The site where I found the most information was from someone trying to recruit 'associates' under their name so they can make money from that avenue. The website was Money Making Mommy and had tons of other fee-based or fee-oriented work-from-home offers.

How many jobs have you had where you had to sell the first hamburger, pair of jeans, or car before you were considered an employee? Or where you made more money from recruiting other people to sell hamburgers, jeans, or cars than you did by actually selling the product itself? 

Both the Procard site and the recruiter site estimate earnings of $35000 to $55000 for part-time work, with the recruiter saying there are those who make a million a year from this 'business'. Sounds too good to be true? Truth be told it usually is. When you read or hear, "wow, I have worked for this company for only a few months and I have made thousands of dollars and that was just working part-time!" you can be very sure you are being 'sold' something not offered a job.What legitimate job can promise that? Or better yet show proof of it.

They say, "we are NOT an MLM". Me thinks they protest too much.

In my next blog we'll discuss my efforts to apply for and be accepted for a work-from-home job that seems rather legit. Come along for the ride and see what I learn.