Devoted to WAHMs -Work at Home Moms

I agree and can personally attest to the above comment, after taking some 20 different grueling nonsense tests I passed the certification only to be told that I would have to pass more tests to work for these major clients! Also I noticed and told West that their training videos had mistakes in them and when I had to call their help desk their trained help agents could barely pronounce a simple word like "Metaphor" and they say they want great home agents they should train their agents first. Please don't waste your time, mental energy on this company.

Thanks! It is great to get feedback so others can be spared the waste of time and effort.

Marta

Oh dear, I was just in the process of certifying with them - couldn't get the blasted WAHA script from producing a run- time error - been working on finding the culprit all day. Guess it is just as well that I haven't proceeded further. I've just lost home and job simultaneously (I've made my home on a barge in a boat yard as I wrote content for a boat brokers web site and developed their online presence) and they closed their doors abruptly a week ago. Yike Yikes Yikes...oh well.

I am grateful, however, that I found your site. It appears to be a safe source for leads online. Bless you with 7 kids. I can't even manage my life with one dog.

Well, back to the search. Thanks so much for making this warning available. After investing 16 months into a site that I might have to abandon, I can't bear to throw more time away.

Ann,

Good luck in your search. There is another call agent from home type company based out of Utah but it might not have work in your area. Check out this blog post http://www.workfromhomemomma.com/2005/12/could_this_be_your_break_into.html

Thank you Marta. That looks promising.

Well...I'm glad I'm not the only one. I jumped right into the training at West. The pay-by-minute is ridiculous. And you're doing these awful upsales. I worked three days fully. The fourth day, I worked thirty minutes and thought I'm far too qualified to be working for such a company. I would suggest for all the mothers out there to steer clear of them. You won't gain from anything but disappointment.

LeTicia,

Thank you for your comments. The consensus seems to be that working for this company is a poor choice for those that want to work from home. I am so glad so many of you have shared your comments and possibly saved someone else from wasted time and effort.

Marta

..........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.........

This is the DR project. West start out their ICs on this one because it is the least enjoyed line to work and seasoned agents go on to other projects. Such as cell phone companies, toy companies, home shopping channels. These are very good projects to work on. Not a lot of upsells, mostly customer service issues, much more enjoyable atmosphere. And even better pay per minute rates. If you can hang on to the dreaded DR project you can get in the door to the better ones. I hated it when I started. the crazies who dial up those infomercial lines are numerous. It was several irrate customers and prank calls a shify usually. But thankfully I did not have to endure it long because I picked up two other projets. Shop NBC and OD. I let my DR project expire with a smile.

(.............West's latest failure is the Office Depot account............)

I work the OD line. The failure I would say is OD. They are choosing to send their work overseas. We are still taking their calls until the end of this month but most of them are correcting the overseas agents mess ups. I have never seen so many customers with the wrong catalog than in the last 2 months. And the angry customers we are having to smoothe over are numerous. They tell us with their own mouths how happy they are to speak to an American. We also get transfers from the overseas agents and we do not understand them. OD has chosen to give up qualtty cs for the bottom line. We were at one time paid up to 32 cents a minute. Now we all know the foreign agents do not get near that amount.

(......... 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........)

I will admit sometime that will happen. But most of the time it does not. Especially if you work several projects. You tend to know which one is hopping and which one is not. I am a stay at home mom who homeschools 3 kids so I can not work a whole lot. But I have made up to 400 dollars every two weeks. There are some ICs who make much more because they can work more hours.

Now considering I do not depend on this as my only income and I do not have to give up what I feel is good for my children, and No gas or expensive lunches or dinners for work. I beleive West is a good company to work for. Especially to get your foot in the door for work home experience for future prospects. I have always recieved my check on time and I will admit some are bigger than others. But West is legit and has been a good company for me to work for for the past year.

Remember if you do decide to work for them you will more than likely start out on the Dreaded DR project. But work it just enough to keep your certification until you get another line. And get as many projects as you can. The better chance to get good call volume. Do not give up on them the first month or so. I almost did and now I am glad I did not. It does get better. And it can slow down but show me any other contacting buisness that does not. It all has to do with supply an demand. When we are in demand we get paid well. OD paid very well for while. But cheap labor is what they are choosing. But I believe it will come back to bite them. And if it does we will be in demand again. Remember West is not beign replaced by another american telemarketing company. And most OD ICS strived for superior cs because we loved the line so much.

I have to agree with Marta above. The original comment was all the negative. There are positives to W as well. One is experience, this helps you get in the door with other teleservices companies that may be more desirable. I have worked with W for over a year, so they can't be too bad, I've hung around this long eh? They did keep the OD client for over a year as well, until this client decided it wanted ultra cheap labor, rather than quality customer service. W's not a perfect company, but I do not believe this to be their fault.

So W's clients are all shady? What about H*N or SH*PN*C? (both are tv shopping programs) What about Cr*ck*t (cell phone company)? Or Se*rs? The first two have been long time clients. Sure W isn't perfection, but it's not all bad! I personally am thankful for the opportunity.

Thanks for your comments. It is good to hear from people who have worked for them long term and find benefit in working for this at home agent company.

Marta

I have worked for West for about 4 days now, It only took me about 6 hours to train. It was simple if you have worked in call centers or in customer service before. I thought their training was excellent. I worked this past weekend, the best hours, all chosen by me so that I could work a half hour here and an hour there and then when the kids are in bed a 10-1230 shift. All in my pajamas. I worked 10.5 hours this past weekend and made 86.00... which equals $8.20 an hour. I have been looking for a work at home job like this for YEARS!!!! I was on wests waiting list at least a year. I have yet to find a work at home company that was legitimate that was hiring until now. I am very pleased with my experiences so far, I am too far overqualified for this job, but if it makes me $$$$ even 400 a month, Thats a lot more than I was making doing nothing. You can do other things while waiting for calls, like read emails, study, shop ebay and answer when the phone comes. I have made 20 an hour for certain shifts because of great call volume and premium per minute rates. I would suggest this to anyone who has had a hard time looking for at home work. Yes there are defiantely crazy people out there calling in, I have gotten a couple obscene callers, and lots of nice elderly people who love to chat with you and bu a dvd bible. I hope to keep this job for years, and put my time in with the DR Project that does the interesting "people" and move up to HSN or things with no upsells for sure. I can wait it out. I have 4 kids and 400 a month is better than nothing. Show me a company that will hire me from home to work hours I want past 10pm, that doesnt require you work a minimum hours of 20 or 30 and I would love to see it.

I'm glad that more people are posting about their positive experiences with West.

I too am working with them. I have only been at it for 3 weeks. I am no different than most people, I do not like DR however, I have been willing to bide my time and wait for an opportunity to come up with one of the larger/better companies. That opportunity has already shown up!

I avereaged just above minimum wage for the hours that I worked. However, this was fine for me. I'm used to making much more per hour but I'm also used to have many more expences, like childcare. Plus, I homeschool my children. So, working with West is allowing me to continue homeschooling my children while providing some much needed financial support to my family. It's a trade off I'm more than happy to take.

In all honesty, if I worked outside the home I would be making less than what the original poster said most agents with West earn per hour. Taking my expenses into account, I would be making only about $3 per hour. What are my expenses with West? Taxes and telephone!

So, do I think this is a good opportunity? YES! It's not for someone that wants to get rich and it's not for someone that needs a full time income but for someone like myself, it's a great opportunity.

Brandi,

Thanks for your comments. I think, like you said, if someone is looking for a full-time income this isn't the job for them but for extra money and the convenience of working from home this might just be their ticket.

Marta

I just also wanted to post about the West work at home agent positions. I resently got my certification and started working for them after only taking 3 days to complete the training. Way easy!!!!!! Anyways, I am now working on DR and tho it is not the greatest, am doing my time and will be offered another line group soon. I love the hours, I get to pick them myself. And I chose what I make and how long I work. There are people outthere casting stones because someone is making money off of others well, I say they are just unset because they did not think of it first. West is making money and we are making money, dosent mean they are in the scam with them.
West has many fine clients and if you would just give the company a shot you would see that its a hell of alot better then getting up in the morning driving to work and working for someone else and then driving home. Hell, the price of gas now a days is worth looking into it. plus the wear and tear on your car. But, if you really dont want to give a great company a try, dont, more hours for all of us willing to work it.

I am a Willow Cyberagent and heard that we were featured on Good Morning America this week. I have gotten lots of questions with regards to Willow's legitimacy as opposed to other virtual call center companies.
I am a Willow Cyberagent and I love it! I have gotten so good at servicing the client that I initially chose that I am now going through training to service another client...this gives me an opportunity to make even more money and since both clients are different, I'm not bored.
Regarding the start up costs, the $16 I invested in the background check, I recovered on my first day taking calls. The basic training costs were waved because I completed it in 5 days. So my only significant investments were the client training classes and the incorporation costs. Incorporating was a great idea for me, there are a slew of benefits and exemptions that I enjoy because I am incorporated. I love the hours I work..I can work as little as 30 min at a time if need be. I can work a minimum of 10 hours a week or work as much as I'd like. But as commented on before this is not for everyone...being a cyberagent for Willow means you must be entrepreneurial, dedicated, disciplined and a true self starter. I also love the exclusivity of working for Willow. It is exclusive because no other virtual call center business can boast a portfolio of clients like Willow, we have the choice of servicing companies like Barnes & Noble, Time Magazine, AAA Motor Clubs, Carnival Cruise lines and Virgin Atlantic Airways (just to name a few). The reason Willow can aquire the business of such high profile clients are because of agents like me...these premier clients take into account that we are dedicated and disciplined enough to go through Willow's admissions process and therefore trust that Willow Cyberagents will provide them with the highest quality service. Hope this helps some people through their decision making process. I did my research and I don't regret the time or the money I invested in my Willow business...neither will you.

Thanks so much for your comments and insight into working for Willow. It is great to hear from those of you who are working as agents for these companies and giving us the real dirt! Keep it up!

Marta

I work for West as well and it has been great for me. It is part time income, I schedule myself when I want to work and I don't have to leave my home. My checks average around $5.xx/ hr which is about minimum wage here. Some are more though. I've had shifts that were guaranteed $10/hr reguardless of call volume. It fits well with my family. I use to work in a call center and always wondered why I couldn't just do this from home so I was thrilled to find West. I'm a stay at home mom so I work weekends and evenings and my boys get in their daddy time. :) The DR call type isn't my favorite either and you get a few calls where people should be dialing 900 #'s instead of the 800# they dialed to reach you, but any call center has pervey callers. You are allowed to say "prank call" and hang up so no worries. Right now however they are having a shift shortage of some sort because there are none available to work- on this call type anyway. I also took HSN calls for them for awhile which were great. Now I will start training for a new call type and hope for more shift availability. Lots of options.I have looked at other similiar companies websites and was wondering has anyone worked for a company called liveops and if so what is your experience with them?

Tarra,

Thanks for your comments. It's great to hear from those that have experiences to share.

Marta

I just started working for west as well. I am about to get my first full pay period pay check and it is almost $500! I just had my 3rd baby & we really needed extra money, but I couldn't do my ususally jewelry vending...there just wasn't enough time. I can't stand working for DR, I do feel bad for the folks I am selling junk too, but its their decision to call & I get tons of pranks & perv calls, but oh well, I just hang up. I am just waiting for the invite for Shop NBC. Has anyone done this line before? I would like to know a bit more about it. I heard that HSN has too many upsells and that is something I am trying to get a way from. Does anyone know the pay rate for shop nbc and hsn. Any advice, pro, cons etc concerning the two would be very helpful. I am at the top of the list for Shop NBC and just signed up for Toys R Us customer service. Has any one worked the Toys R Us line. I am also thinking that the Pizza Hut line will be good for football season has any one ever done that line before? I want to certify for several lines so that I can get the best hours for my schedule and get the most out of my time. Any info would be appreciated.

And I guess if you click on my name you will be whisked away to my website to see my jewelry.

Lisa,

I work for west doing shopnbc. It is great!! There are upsells but not like the DR project at all. Some products have several while most just have one maybe two. You do have to try to push the protection plan hard but it is not that bad. It is simple to navigate thru shops order system once you take a few calls. If you really want indepth info go to this site if you have not already.....

http://www.workplacelikehome.com/forum/

loads and loads on west and other wahome jobs.

jennifer

Jennifer,

Thanks for your comments and the link. We can always use whatever resources we can find. Keep up the good work.

Marta

Thanks Jennifer,

I followed the link and signed up. What a great site!

Thanks also for your input on shopnbc, I am still waiting for the invite. How long does it usually take to get an invite? I have had a hard time getting shifts this week working the DR line, they come and go so fast. When I can get shifts I stay pretty busy the whole time and can make pretty good money. I really like this type of job, especially since I can make my own hours. I am hoping that hours will increase as the holiday season gets going.

Thanks again for the info.

~Lisa

Hi, I'm new to all this. I'm waiting to begin my testing for west. I've been reading all the post and I'm wondering what a DR is.I'm also looking into liveops. Anyone have any advice for me?

Tammy,

DR stands for direct response and good luck with your training. Seems like it is a good choice for the majority.

Marta

Is it surprising ....or NOT surprising that the website can't be found:

We can't find "www.workplacelikehome.com"

or

We can't find "workplacelikehome.com"

Scams are popular these days!

workplacelikehome.com is a great place for support with your work at home jobs! Their site is getting ready to move to a new server soon. I think they have had problems with their current server & have been down a few times just this week. I am not sure exactly what is going on. I have been a member for a while & a few times this week I got a message that their system is down & that it will be back up shortly.

They are in no way a scam & are in fact a wonderful support group. I definatly recommend checking out this site. There is tons of great information to be found and pleanty of answers to the never ending list of questions that come up with work at home jobs.

If you can't find them check back later or tomorrow. They should be back on line soon.

Tammy if you have any questions concerning W*st please check the http://www.workplacelikehome.com website to get a better understanding of how jobs like that work.

Good luck with your training & keep a positive attitude.

~Lisa

I have worked for West for 2 years. A couple of days ago I had issues with the phone calls being delivered to me. Long story short they have temporarily blocked me from working, and nobody will explain why. All I am told is that I will receive and email or a call. I didn't breach thier contract. In the long run, they seem to "out" the longer contractors that have the experience. I have seen several bad reviews on this company. Beware!!

i just recently check this website. i am interested in working at home, but i'm just wondering how do you make time for vacations, especially on holiday season, since this maybe the time when you'll get so busy.

Diane,

Thanks for your comments. It's always good to hear from those who actually work for this company--either good or bad.

Liza,

That is a question I can't answer but possibly one of our readers will have an answer for you.

I work for West. As for how you get vacations or time off you would just make sure to not schedule yourself during that time. If you're going to be away for an extended period of time then you could call the support team.

Jennifer,
Thanks for helping her out with an answer!

I say previous Jennifer because I am the one who orignaly posted the workplacelikehome link. There are many times the site is not available for some reason. But most of the time they are. It is most defintely not a scam. I go there less often because i work more for LIveOps and they have their own forum just for their independent contractors (ICs). I work for both West and LO. I will still state that West is legit and a good company to get your foot in the door and to keep as a backup. But now that I have begun to work for LiveOps I prefer it. It is a better company and because of that fact it has a lower turnover rate than West. SO therefore it can take longer to get on with them.

I had stated previously in this thread that I hated doing DR with West and that I chose to give it up for ShopNBC. But I am doing Direct Response again with Liveops and enjoy it a little more. For one because pay is better and the scripting flows better. But most of all because LiveOPs prepares you better for the calls. (Just to let you know DR takes calls for infomercials)

Tammy my advice to you is apply to both. West does have more projects, isa good company to start with and to keep as a backup. IT is always wise to have more than one company you work for. You will probrobly be invited to West way b4 LO. BUt do not get discouraged. It took a year for me to get the invite to LO. Only three weeks for west. Use west for the experience. Because it is the easiest to get into right now.

Also a quick note about LO. They do charge a $30 dollar background check. But it is well worth it. You can average up to 16 dollars an hour on DR with LO if you have good stats. You will have to work up to it tho. BUt it does not take long. They also do Pizza Hut. Which you average about 10 dollars an hour. Well hope this info helps. ANy more questions just ask.

Jennifer,

Thanks for sharing such detailed info. It is so great to hear from those of you who are making this work!

I have worked for west for over a year now, and i wanted to know how the cricket certification is, how well it pays and how stressful it really is? I am training now.

I am starting my first shift as a waha DR agent. I worked for W in the past, but this is my first time working from home. I am a full time college student, so this is the perfect part time job for me! What is the usual call volume like on an average graveyard shift?

Congrats! Hope your work goes well. Hopefully someone with the knowledge you seek can answer your question. Good luck.

Just an update. I've worked three times now on the DR project and it went great! Just like working at the regular company from the comfort and privacy of your own home. I'm off to work now for two and half hours coming up. My first paycheck comes this week and I'm looking forward to continue working part time from home and waiting on my extra income. :)

Chantel,

Congratulations! Keep up the good work and keep us updated. Another success story!

Another update here, DR is still going great. I work about 15 hrs a week which is about 3 hrs a day 5 days a week. I'm only working an hour and a half in the morning then going back to bed :) Did anybody certify for the VMH line? I did, but I only did it for one day. I thought it was confusing with all those screens, so I just converted the rest of my hours for this month into regular and premium DR hours. How is everyone else doing?

I singned up to work with WAHA a while back and I was told that they are not hiring anyone from the New York City area. However when I log on to their web-site, they are looking for weekend workers. I just feel that if the Work at Home Agency is such a good opportunity then it should be open to everyone.

Joven Weir

West has had to limit the states they hire in because of IC vs Employee laws. There is even speculation they are about to change IC status to employee status because of this. NC (my state)has become a non hire state among many others. But I have been grandfathered in. You have to realize they have to deal with many laws and some states are easier to work with than others.

The previous post was mine. I recieved email today from West. They will be changing their Independant contracters to employees. I am waiting to see if I am in a good\bad state. keeping my fingers crossed!!!!!!

Is there a website where other West contractors go to chat? I was just recently certified and would like to meet other 'co-workers' :)

my email is

oneeightyhealthdotcom@hotmail.com

http://www.workplacelikehome.com/forum/ I think I found out about it on an earlier post from here.

great place to chat & get advice. Just note that all companies names have *'s in them to keep them secret...but we know what they are. Like W*st...its against your contract that you can not use their name. You'll get the hang of it.

Hi Hazel, Lisa, and Jennifer. I was searching for a West forum, but didn't find one. I'm glad that Hazel chipped in and was able to help all of you. How's it going? Are you all employees now?

When I found this site and WPLH I was contracting with W*st, it doesn't fit in my schedule now with the kids home for the summer. I will probably pick up some kind of phone work when the kids go back to school. I have not gotten the official email to say if my state is a good state or a bad state yet...just that they are getting closer to moving some IC's to employee status. Right now I have started freelance writing, and working on my website more. I am looking for transcribing jobs too. I am building my freelance photography site too.

Hi Hazel! I'm glad things are going well for you. I wouldn't be able to do phone work from home either due to having kids at home.

Just an update that west has changed their hiring procedures and a note that their agents are no longer independent contractors... West now hires you as an employee and you get paid for all time training and being logged into their system by your state's minimum wage..or talk time which ever is greater... i've been working with west since august and I have to admit i absolutely love it.. sure hours aren't available on some day's but if you happen to look at the schedule when the hours are posted chances are you can pick up a great number of hours... they are even allowing agents to work up to 20 hours a week of overtime and I for one have been taking advantage of it... I live in NJ so my state's minimum wage is $7.15 so for me the money isn't bad at all... especially when there is no call volume and picking up the overtime In my opinion i'm making about the same amount of money i would be doing the same job in a brick and mortor center, with having to buy work clothes, paying for transportation, lunches etc. again it's only my opinion but with customer service job's getting scarcer in my area west truely was a bit of lifesaver for me... I've been in the customer service field for about 15 years now, I don't have a college degree but i feel my experience more then makes up for it.. I do however think the pay should be a standard rate for all agent's in all states and give equality for what we're being paid some of the states minimum wage is so low i can not understand how people could survive on that kind of money even here with my $7.15 an hour is really not that much in regards to cost of living... I think a nice round number like 8$ an hour would have sufficed... also the website to become an agent has also changed you may want to visit http://www.apply.westathome.com/ to become an agent...

Thanks for the update!