Devoted to WAHMs -Work at Home Moms

Like I said in a previous post, I just started with West and all that you say is true. You are only paid for actual talk time when a customer calls in. The call stats are broken into seconds and then you divide by 60 seconds and then multiply by the amount per minute. As of 8 pm last night, I had logged 2 hours and am receiving a check for over $20.00. I think that the more areas you are certified in, the more time options you will be given.

Vicky,

Thanks for your feedback. How do you like the work? Please feel free to let us know how you are doing and check in to see what other great work at home opportunities we dig up!

Marta

Hi again Marta,
Do you write and log every day or am I missing something?
I see Dec 2 to it jumps to Dec 5...did I miss anything or do you not write daily?

Thanks so much. I enjoy your blog very much. Just notices those tiny arrows to take me to older and newer posts..

Thanks.

Darlene,
My bad! My goal is to blog every week day but I have been slipping here and there. Thank you for calling me on it. That is one of my New Years Resolutions coming early!

I am trying begining my certification process, however, I cannot find a link to download the Rumba Secure Redirector Client. For some reason it won't let me do it from the WAHA assistant. Can you please help? Email me at sweetnovember26@msn.com

Julie,
Check your emails closely for a phone number that you can call to get help from your PAL. Basically, that is someone set up to help you with any questions you might have. You can also reply to any of the emails they have sent you and ask for help. Let me know how that goes.

The same thing happened to me and the Rumba software. You need to right click on the "here" and copy (CTRL C)the URL address to your address bar. I think it is something about west and srclient. I had to call a PAL, however, that took 10 minutes plus, try the copy/paste thing first.

Good Luck!

Denise
P.s. I am doing the DR certs. lots of info, however, the csr/sales part is pretty freshman if you have experience. It will be interesting to see if I get it done this week. They are offering a signing bonus if you log in 20 hours before the beginning of January (their busy time).

Denise,
Thanks a lot for your tip and info! Have you done any calls yet? Were you given the option for the client work or just the DR? I can't wait to complete the training and get into the meat of the work so I can report on that!

Hello,

I came across this little discussion and thought I'd put in my 2 cents. I have been working for West for about 3 weeks now. I got my first paycheck on Dec. 23. I'm a SAHM of two very young kids (2 yrs and 3 mos) and we really need extra income. So I work about 12 hours a week, at night (basically I work whenever Lost and Survivor are not on!). I like it. It's easy. I bought a basic headset off of Ebay for a dollar and that's about all the expense I've had! I have been doing DR and the Sears Wishbook. They seem to offer lots of incentives and bonuses. For instance, for about a week and a half, they guaranteed us $10 an hour on the Wishbook project, no matter what the call volume was. The daytime people were averaging $12 or so, but us nighttime people were only averaging $8. So West made up the difference. Of course, if you made more than $10, you got to keep it.

I am really happy with it; I looked into a lot of things that turned out to be scams, and this is the real deal. It was exciting to get my first paycheck in the mail. They do direct deposit after your first paycheck, which is great.

I call a PAL at least once a shift - people always have strange questions or situations - and all the PAL's have been really nice and haven't made me feel dumb for asking anything.

I'm no expert - I've only been doing this for almost a month - but I'm really happy with this company and the opportunity to work from home and not have to leave the house at night, or pay for a sitter during the day. If anyone has questions, I'd love to talk!

I actually came across this thread looking for a forum for West agents - I think it would be nice to talk to "the others" out there!

Rachel

Rachel,

That is awesome! Welcome to the WAHM (single) world!! Feel free to keep us up to date with your progress and the ins and outs of working from home! It has to be hard to juggle work and young ones...been there, done that. Email me anytime you want to chat!

Marta

I am also a Contactor for West. I have been doing this for a year. I am certifited on the DR, Pizza Hut, HSN and now the Walgreen project. Pizza Hut is a good one because it is really busy. The DR is a hit and miss for call volumes. HSN is another that the call volume is good. I usually put in 4 to 5 hours a day, not inlcuding weekends and my checks were over $300. I really enjoy the work, and the PALS are helpful

Diana,

Thanks for your further insight into the West Agent positions. Could you share a bit more with us about your work schedule and if you are required to work certain days, such as weekends? Are you given incentives to recruit others to work for West? Any comments would be appreciated. Congratulations on being able to work from home. It's great isn't it?

Marta

Marta,
Hello. You receive no incentives to recruit more people. You are not required to work weekends. You select your own hours. The only requirement is that you log 50 minutes of talk time in 30 days or else you will go inactive. One can usually obtain this goal with no problems. I really do enjoy the work. I have had no problems at all with receiving my pay. I have direct deposit and it is always there. My husband also does this part time, and his checks are mailed. He always receives his checks in a timely mannor. I think that I enjoy taking Pizza Hut calls the most because they go quickly, and the call volume especially on Friday and Saturday evenings is awesome!! Pizza Hut usually pays more. The only draw back is that you get paid per minute that you are actually on the phone with a customer, but after working awhile you seem to find which times are busier and which times are slower.

Diana

Diana,
Thanks! That was great information and that is wonderful that both you and your husband can benefit from this work at home income source! I am even more motivated to try them out and see what I think. Good luck and keep in touch!
Marta

someone please help me. Im trying to download the secure redirector client and i cant instal it it goes to 68% and then it stops. does anyon know how else i can get it other then the waha assistant. please email me at Lynanjimsmom@aol.com. Thank you
Cindy

Cindy,

I can't help you with any technical aspects but if you check your email you should find a phone number to your PAL that should be able to help you with your problem. I will send you a personal email as well. Good luck.

I just started training for West the other day. I'm almost done with my DR training. Hubby isn't too thrilled that they don't pay for the training and only for actual call time. But, I think it's going to go pretty well!

Mandy,

I felt the same way about the non-paid training but at least you don't have to pay them anything! Good luck with the rest of your training and keep us posted!

Marta

Hello, I currently work for West I'm certified in DR and CSC I've been working for West for about two weeks now and I must say I love CSC. I never tried DR since becoming certified back in January, DR just didn't interest me too much. I may try DR one day if there are no available hours for CSC. However CSC I really like because the pay is guaranteed.

I just registered at West and did the VRU interview- they sent me an email about the backround check and to start the training- how long does it take to complete the training and the backround and how long from the time you sign up does it take you to actually start working? This is all new to me and it seems legit. If anyone has any answers for me- contact me at Denaandmontana@msn.com

I wish I could answer your questions for you but I never completed the training although the background check was pretty fast-1 to 2 days. Good luck and let us know how you like it. It is definitely a legit company, no worries there.

is there are reason that you didn't finish the training but did the backround check?

Read my blog entry that talked about that. http://www.workfromhomemomma.com/2005/12/i_feel_so_rejected.html

Does anyone know of anymore work at home call agent jobs- possible that cater to Hawaii? I failed the DR test with West and have to wait 6 months but I am looking for similar work.
Thanks

Does anyone know if you have to provide any documents to West Corporation and if so, what documents need to be supplied? I am almost done with my test and I moved and I have no documentation and I need to know what I need so I can start getting them now. Please help me with this so I can start with West asap. Thanks

The best place to check with would be West themselves. I am not sure what documentation you might be inquiring about but they would be the only ones to be able to give you the skinny on it all.

What about some companies that ask for a fee to get started to cover materials for you and to maintain their website- like Ameriplan. Are these legit companies or scams?

Anyone know anything about Verafast??

I will be glad to look into both of these companies and see what I can find. I have vays of making them talk!!! LOL

Thank you for your help.

Anyone know anything about VeraFast?????? I was offered a position with them just wondering if they are legit? I know the pay is like .21 cents per contact.....Let me know. Thank you

Can someone please tell me how to get certified for pizza hut,also walgreens and csc. I am certified for basic response with west at home agent,but there isnt enough hours available.

Brenda,

Your best bet is to contact your PALS advisor through West. If you are already certified with them they are the only ones who can help you at this point. Good luck.

Hi. I just stumbled upon this site and wanted to put in my experience with West. I worked with them for 3 years and loved it. I told about 6 friends about it and we all scheduled our work with each other so we always had company on instant messenger when we were working. I worked ShopNBC mostly but crossed trained on DR and Pizza Hut. I loved my paycheck because I worked many hours around my now 4 year old daughter and was still able to make at one point $900 paycheck every 2 weeks. It really depends greatly on the time of year as well because with ShopNBC, the holiday season was extremely busy. I didn't really like DR because call volume not that great but in all, West is a legit and great company to work for. I am trying to get back in because I am now almost 8 months pregnant with my 2nd child and need that extra income. Since I moved to a different city, I became inactive and have to redo everything again. But for anyone wanting more info on West, please feel free to email me. Lesleysmom@hotmail.com.

Stacy,

Thanks so much for your comments. Good luck on getting back on. Let us know how you do and congrats on your upcoming baby!

Marta

hi i ran across this web site and saw someone ask about verafast.. i work for that company. They are legit. You do get paid .21 per credit you make starting out. you make more for making quata for the week and time in. I've been only doing this for 2 weeks now but my sister been doing it for 6 months. All you do is call and ask a couple of questions and offer a free gift.( well that all i've done so far) really easy. You make up your own schedule as long as you meet their quata your fine.(which isn't bad) so if your interested i say go for it!!! any questions feel free to ask me. but this verafast works well for me to go to school and be home with the kids

Thanks for your comments about Verafast! I hope we can find out more about work responsibilities and quotos etc. Please keep us posted on how you are doing. Good luck making school and working from home, work!

Hi there. I'm trying to work with west too, but I am confused because i think the post in this blog says you need 256 mega bytes of ram but the west website says you need a min. of 128.

I just want to make sure I meet the requirments before I go doing all those tests! can anyone tell me which is the minimum? Thanks so much!

Niki,

I got those requirements right from the certification process. If you are unsure and they have conflicting information just send them an email to see if you can get further clarification. Good luck and let us know how it goes for you.

Marta

Well, it looks like the answer is that I need 256 for my operations system (Windos XP) but apparently, I could have had 128 if I had windows 98 or something like that. This is alittle disappointing because I weill need to upgrade and I was trying not to SPEND money to work because times are tough for my family right now but if it's going to be worth it in the long run I'll have to do it. BTW there is a nifty little link to a tool at the West site that will check your computer and tell you if it's configured properly or if it needs and upgrade it's http://www.workathomeagent.com/FaqPages/WAHAAssist.htm

It gave me a detailed diagnostic of my system!

Oh, but you hvae to complete the registration before you use the tool above.

Niki,

Yep, another of my posts talks about that nifty tool. Although you are going to have to spend a little it is something most likely you would have needed to do for almost any work from home job that required a computer. Good luck. Let us know how you do.

Marta

Great site!looking for a job at home,found west today ,but was not sure it was for real,and there you have it,i found this site,wow! Thanks for all the great info

Celeste,

I'm glad you found us too! Tell all your friends and I wish you luck with your efforts to find a work from home position!

Marta

well, I got the computer upgraded and passed all the tests, but there are no hours! There've been no hours for the last week and are none that I can see for the next 2 weeks. I did talk to a Pal about it, and he says that there are a lot of contractors right now, and the call volume is slow at the moment, but that things should pick up in May... a little disappointing after all that testing.

Niki,

That can be frustrating. On the bright side there might be others who drop out thereby moving you up the ladder ahead of schedule. And May is just around the corner. Hang in there. It will be worth it in the long run.
Thanks for checking in. Keep us posted.

Marta

Marta,

Thanks for being so responsive and encouraging! I wanted to tell you all too to check out Alpine Access.

Not sure Marta, if you've already written about them, but so far they seem ligit. The only thing is, you'd be an employee rather than an independant contractor. You get paid hourly. They have long term and short term projects and you can only work one at a time.

Anyway, something to look into and it might help those folks who have to wait 6 mo. to re-do West's certification and are looking for similar work.

Here is an article that mentions Alpine Access:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Careers/story?id=1843365&page=1

Now, I'm pretty excited about both of these companies! West AND Alpine...

... really, I'm just impressed that there are any true work at home options for us at all!

Niki,

Yes, I have written about Alpine Access and a few others that are legit. Just scroll through some of my other blog entries for more info! I am glad you are excited and yes, there are some opportunities out there and more being added all the time! Good luck and thanks for the update!

Marta

Hello Again,

Well, I've been working with west for a lttle over a month now and am quite happy with it!

Thank you to Stacy who gave me some good tips when I first started but I now have a Question for those folks who have been working with West Longer than I have:

We all start on DR but the new proceedure, is that we neebies have to wait until we get an invitation before we can actullaly train for another project.

1)I was wondering if anyone knows which projects pay the best?

2)And also do all projects have those major savings offers?

I just want to make sure that I accept the best project for me when my turn comes up.
Thanks

Hello. I came across this as I was looking for work for my mother. She has pretty severe arthritis and cannot do her usual type of work (which is cleaning houses). She sells Avon on the side, but she recently moved to my city, living with me, and no longer has the clientele she had before. Therefore, to be able to afford her medications and doctor's visits, she has to have an income. She has tried multiple grocery stores, etc., here, but her lack of "experience" in anything other than cleaning is holding her back. I currently work at home as a Medical Transcriptionist, but I just don't think she has the patience (nor persistence) to learn this at her age.

I have been hearing good things about "West" and was wondering what kind of skills one must have to do the job? However, from what I am reading, there doesn't seem to be any consistent work. Is this pretty much what most of you working there currently have experienced?

Also, if there is anything else out there that anyone can think of, my mother is willing to do any type of work (other than anything too strenuous). Any ideas? That would be great.

TIA,

Charlotte (in Florida)

I have a question I applied to Alpine Access had my phone interview had a little problem with my computer lost my pages, anyway went in to check my information but could not log in with password so I requested password help once I got in and checked everything looked at status and it said there is a problem with Applicant State contact HR rep at right so I did this and stated the information and then received an e-mail that said Thank you for your interest in employment with Alpine Access.

Although your background and credentials are considerable, we have selected other candidates whose current qualifications more closely match our specific position requirements.

Thank you for the time you took to apply for this role. We wish you the best in your job search. Can anyone tell me if they have gotten this e-mail before getting hired and how often can you apply to them.

Rose,

This is where you need to go to find out about Alpine Access. http://www.workfromhomemomma.com/2005/12/could_this_be_your_break_into.html

Hope that helps you.

Marta

West Teleservices is the last place one should look for work. There are many far more reputable companies to choose from and the overall experience will be much better. West makes commitments that it cannot keep not to mention it would seem that they are unable to keep any long term contracts due to quality issues. It seems that the only clients West is able to keep on a long term basis are all being investigated by numerous agencies including the FDA, FTC and numerous other State and Federal Angencies for fraud, deception to name a few. Examples include the ever so infamous Kevin Trudeau (3 time felon and author of Natural Cures and numerous other schemes to part people from their money), Propolene (aka Lipozene), Video Professor (we call this SCAM WITH A SMILE), just to name a few. West seems to justify their being in bed with these crooks as "hey we just take calls for em". If you have any moral backbone at all you will not be comfortable taking calls for this company once you investigate their clients on google. Even more disturbing is West's concept of paying by the minute...of course only for the minutes you are actually talking on the phone...so...if they over project call volume (and they almost always do), most of their work at home agents sit waiting for calls that never come with a net hourly wage of less than $3.35 an hour assuming of course that you get any calls at all. West's latest failure is the Office Depot account. There are hundreds of agents nationwide that have spent numerous hours training only to find out that there are no hours available because West has lost the contract to serve Office Depot due to gross mismanagement on West's behalf. Only problem is that West hasn't told their agents this yet (in typical West Teleservices fashion). If I were looking for work at home employment...steer far far away from West. It's a waste of time and a serious lession in frustration.

Thank you for your comments!!

I have been working for West for almost a year now and have NEVER had a problem with them. They pay on time and the call volume is almost always good. There have been times I had to pause just to catch my breath because the calls were coming so fast. I do agree with the previous poster about the issues of the Natural Cures books but at this point I'm not sure what to do about that. Just throwing in my 2 cents :-) !

Liz,

Thanks for your two cents. Every cent counts! :)

Marta

Hi...

I dunno if I can post, Im a male and due to traffic violations I cant drive to work so Im on a undefinite time "vacation."
I heard about the WEST work at home plan and got an offer from Sears. Im currently taking the HR training but I wonder, how long will it be after the training to start taking calls and actually produce money.

Im living of savings and they are lowering day by day.

Thanks a lot for the info :) my mail is mcgovern2007@aol.com