If you've been in this industry long enough, you've probably heard that any work at home opportunity that requires a fee is a scam. I know it was something that was pumped to me many times over on various sites. The intentions behind this piece of advice is good. But today I'm going to turn it on its head. Because the folks that have given you this advice are guilty of some "Simple Simon" behavior. This basically means they're over simplifying advice that should be prefaced with certain exclusions. This is going to make a lot more sense as you read this review of Arise.com so sit tight if you're interested in other legitimate business opportunity outside of affiliate marketing. If you have any work experience in Customer Service, Tech Support or Sales, you'll want to read this review in detail.
What is Arise.com?
In a nutshell it's a full fledged business opportunity NOT a job! This is a very important distinction that we will get into further which seems to be a sore spot for the uninformed. In any event, Arise.com is a BBB A+ rated home business, where you can partner with Arise.com as a Customer Service, Tech Support or Sales Rep. But like most work at home companies you're an independent contractor (IC) NOT an employee. Now don't go running away! As I said before 99.9% of work at home companies work with people as ICs not employees. Do you know someone that is an affiliate marketer, or selling Avon, Amway or Tupperware? Well guess what? They are independent contractors. Those folks own their own business, will have a home office, do the legal stuff to make the IRS happy, and make sure they have taken any training needed to do the work, often on their own dollar.
So how does this all work?
Simple– you become trained to be part of a store's telephone, online chat or email support team. Your work may range from answering emails or you might be one of the people answering the 800 number for customer support. Yep many of those folks are most likely sitting at home in their PJs, talking to you as an Independent Contractor for Arise.com or as they like to call their workers, Arise Certified Professional(ACP). Don't even ask me why they thought of this name. Personally I think it causes more confusion but I'm a bit slow to begin with so you have to take my opinion with a grain of salt. I'm just reporting my findings.
In any event, Arise.com is basically a middle man. An online store may need 24 hour customer service via telephone, online chat or email. Arise.com basically has an online database of approved ACP members, organized by background and training qualifications that the online retailer can contact for work. Arise will take care of screening, training and paying these independent contractors so that the online retailer can focus on their business which is to sell stuff and not worry about HR headaches.
If you've ever worked for a staffing agency, it's very similar except that you're not an employee and are responsible for paying for your home office and business set up. Arise is responsible for training you and getting you work with their clients. So you do not actually work "for" Arise.com. You work for yourself and contract your skills to these online retail businesses. Arise.com is just the middle man, or a partner, with the technical software, to make it all happen. So it's basically a win win for all and totally virtual which is why it's called Arise Virtual Solutions. Are you still with me?
How do you make money with Arise.com?
Once you set up your home office, take their training, and are in the Arise.com database for companies to find, you are ready to accept work offers. As you take further specialized training, (often required by the retail business hiring you) you then become eligible for even more jobs and higher pay. You specify which hours you are willing to work each day. When you are accepted by one of the companies, you agree to be ready to go, and online during the contracted hours. Then you basically do your customer service, tech support or sales duty as you were trained and paid the agreed salary per hour. What happens to most people is that they develop a couple areas of specialty, like tax software or roadside assistance, and may end up working exclusively for two or three companies. If you get bored, move to a different field, like webhosting, or a chain store! But you have to pay to be trained for the new company which is explained later in this article.
What is the pay scale?
Your pay is based on the number of productive minutes you actually are online and interacting with the customers. Arise.com has patented software that takes care of all of that. In general it works out to be about $10-14 per hour. Expect to begin at $10 and build up as you take additional training. Many companies provide added incentives for productivity, 3rd shift (overnight) hours, and for working during their peak times. Arise.com has nothing to do with that, that part is totally up to the hiring company. You can use this as a guide: 25 hours a week/$10 hour is $250 a week, $1000/month.
Oh, and by the way, Arise.com software can tell if you are actually talking to someone, or just sitting there with an open line trying to rack up minutes. There are a few other tricks they are on to as well, so just do the job, don't try to milk them, chance are they will catch on quickly.
Another thing you should be aware of is that since you are an independent contractor you're responsible for paying Uncle Sam his taxes at the end of the year! So you'll need to put aside money for that. A tax professional can help you figure all that out. You may want to read my Work At Home Taxes article about how this all works since a large number of legitimate work at home opportunities use independent contractors.
How often do you get paid?
Thankfully, there is not a "minimum" requirement for payment, which is a good thing. They send out payments twice a month by Direct Deposit straight to a bank account you set up specifically for this business.
Is this available for people living overseas?
Although the retail companies my be global in nature, Arise.com partnerships are available only to legal residents of the United States and in the United Kingdom/Ireland. Pretty much everyone else is out of luck. Sorry guys. It's not my policy, I'm just relaying the facts.
Arise.com is a good home based business because…
• Flexibility. Obviously most people want to work at home because they like the freedom of being home with their families. So making your own hours is a real plus. Depending on the online retailer, their workload will fit into anyone's schedule whether they look for full time hours, or a few hours in the evening or on the weekends. This is huge for a lot of stay at home moms that are qualified to do customer service work but may not be able to work during the daylight hours when the little ones are running amuck around the house. By the way, let's say you move to an entirely different state. You can continue working for whichever companies you contract with. They do not care where you live, just that you have a phone and high speed internet access.
• Online training provided. They designed the initial customer support training themselves, and you get it from their site. I have seen places where they tell you you have to be trained, but not where to get it!
• Security. As long as companies do business online, there will always be a need for an online support team. Any given retailer that offers 24/7 support will need multiple people working during each shift. In other words, this is not a hit and miss fad thing like members only jackets. You have some security especially because you're the boss not an employee.
• It's legitimate. So many home based businesses are about pushing products you don't believe in or trust. (Yes even in affiliate marketing.) Sometimes many of these companies have poor ratings with consumer protection agencies. Arise.com has a BBB A+ rating, VeriSign PCI Data Security Standards met four years in a row, two software patents and awards from: Telework Coalition Hall of Fame; Call Center Magazine Product of the Year; Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities; Smithsonian Institute's Technological Achievement Award for Innovative Technology. They have also been featured in many media reports as a legit company to work with. For a lot of people this type of stuff is important. It gives folks a sense of security that you won't get screwed over. Personally I take all that stuff with a grain of salt. I tend to focus more on real people that have actually worked with the company to make my decisions. But to each their own.
Cons
• Confusing website. I don't know, it may be me, but it took me a while to figure out what this was all about when reading their website. I think they could have simplified it a bit by maybe having a video walking through how this all works for the work at home seeker's point of view. I found the best info about their opportunity in the Work At Home Tab and FAQ section which I guess makes sense! But even when I did find it, I really thought they could do a better job of explaining their opportunity in plain human being English.
• Technical Difficulties. Another thing that stands out to me is technology issues. The arise system doesn't support all browsers like Chrome or Firefox. Also, they have not updated their software, so it does not work with Windows Vista or Windows 7. Only versions of Windows 2000 XP are listed on the site. In addition there are only eight anti-virus systems that the software supports and you have to have one of them. So this may hinder some folks that are perfectly qualified to do the work from joining. You're also going to need to install a landline, as the award winning patented phone system does not work on cell phones. Virtual cell phone online support? Not in the cards.
• Fees. This is probably the biggest complaints for most people. I blame this on the over simplified advice provided by other work at home websites and the media. They've pumped that any work at home related opportunity that requires a fee is a scam. What they've failed to do is clarify the exclusions. For instance when was the last time you heard that you could start your own McDonald's without any money? I mean how are you suppose to lease the store, buy the food, supplies, etc.? Well a home business works the same way. The only major difference is your start up costs tends to be less because you're using your home and probably your personal computer to get started. But you still have to invest in other supplies to get your business off the ground.
Well Arise.com is a home based business NOT a job. Unfortunately most of the people that are complaining about the fees don't understand the big difference. The real advice that everyone should follow is don't pay for a job. Although even that advice is flawed because we've all done it when you bought a newspaper to find a job, paid someone to write a resume, use the internet you pay for to find a job, etc. But in generally if on the offline world you wouldn't pay someone to work for them at a job, you shouldn't do it online. But it's perfectly reasonable to invest money in a legitimate home based business, business and or career training provided you've done the research. See my scam video on how doing research effectively. Now that you have been educated about fees regarding work at home, it's still worth itemizing what your initial start up cost will be to run your business in partnership with Arise.com. Because at the end of the day, even if they are legitimate, it may still be too rich for your blood and that's still a con for some people. So let's itemize the start up cost below.
1. Home Office set up. The initial costs for the home office would be the computer which I assume you will already have, high speed Internet connection which you may or may not have and anti-virus software. Dial up connections just don't work for this. High speed runs around $50 a month, but you are probably already paying something for the Internet service you have. And folks, it has to be your own Internet address, no going to the library to do this!
2. Phone equipment. A real landline phone, and headphones. It might be around $100 if you do not already have a land line phone to use.
3. Phone lines. They want it to be a separate line from your household line. Reality check here, for this business this only makes sense, they can't have busy signals because "Ray-Ray & them" are on the other line.
4. A National Background Check ($10.95-$23.95) depends on which state you live in. Now honestly? This is for your own good. In this day and age, I personally would question any business like this that did not screen their independent contractors. Think about when you make a purchase via telephone to a customer service rep. Don't you want to be sure this person isn't guilty of identity theft or some other crimes where they can misuse your personal information.
5. Legal Stuff. You have to set up a registered corporation or L.L.C account which is about $100 or more depending on your state. This again is for your own good and helps keep the IRS happy. You can choose to get liability insurance. All of this my friends is between you and your financial advisors. Trust me it's better to set up a corporation because it helps with your tax burden. The initial cost is saved many times over during the course of your business because you would have been taxed like an employee and the government pretty much screws employees in taxes. They're a lot friendlier to businesses even if you're a small one. So in the long run, it's a actually a pro, not a con. However if you really can't afford this fee, check out "How To Work With Arise Without Being Incorporated" here.
6. Training Fees. Initial training 101 in virtual phone support is $99 and you take that through Arise.com. It takes a few weeks to complete. Additional training is usually required and that is not always made abundantly clear on the website. Each company will want you well versed in their product, but many will make you pay to get the additional training. This can definitely add up.
7. Arise Fees. There is a semimonthly service fee that Arise collects to cover their 24/7 technical support and automated software programs used to obtain jobs, track your minutes, and get paid. $20 twice a month. ” ?
So Is Arise a Scam?
Personally I don't think Arise.com is a scam at all. Like any company, it may have some flaws. From where I stand, the biggest complaints regarding this company have always been the fees. In my humble opinion, these complaints are not totally justified. The fact that there are start up costs does not mean automatic red flags. As we discussed earlier there has been some oversimplified advice given about work at home and fees. There are obviously good intentions in this advice because there are so many shady products out there being misrepresented as jobs. But it doesn't justify overgeneralizing certain pieces of advice. Most of this advice is written online. How difficult is it to add a few more words explaining the exceptions to the rule? I just did it several times here in this article. So it's not that difficult!
At the end of the day, even with the start up fees being justified, let's face the facts. Most people looking to work at home don't have extra money to spend. But if you just think for a moment about the colleges, community colleges, classes, workshops, and internships to train for a specific skill, and how they are full of people paying to get trained, it's a normal part of life in terms of career and business advancements. I don't know about ya'll, but I prefer that my little princess's teachers have some kind of degree… and my plumber is certified…my accountant can add, and my taxi driver has a license… even the NYC cab drivers.. lol Enough said?
Look, working with Arise.com means you become a home based business; they do not give you a job, which they're very upfront about. So the complaints about the fees and cost of training are a moot point. If they claimed to be a job, that would be a whole other situation. But they're very upfront that you're working as a business partner with them not an employee. If that's not what you're looking for then obviously Arise.com isn't a good fit for you. But if you truly want to be your own boss and start your own business, and learn to understand the concept of running a business, then Arise.com is worthy of your consideration. Again, I don't think Arise.com is a scam. I just think people are misinformed about the difference between a work at home job and a home based business. Hopefully after reading this article and my meager attempt at teaching Home Based Business Model, Eddy Style, you're clear about the distinction. That being said, the same advice I preach still applies. "Do your research." Just because a company is honest enough to tell you they're offering a home based business doesn't mean they have a legit business. Never forget that due diligence is still required!
With that all said, I would highly recommend Arise.com for those that can absorb the start up cost of running your own full fledged home based business. One problem and it's usually the biggest one, with a new business is finding customers, or traffic. But partnering with Arise.com solves this issue. So, it's definitely a win win in my mind, if a full fledged home business is what you're looking for. Good luck. If you've worked with Arise or considered it, let me know your thoughts about the company below.
I at one point thought Arise was the company to work for but now I am seriously questioning that comment. After joining them it has been discovered they do not have any concern how many hours you work nor how you get paid; it is all up to you for getting the income. I have asked for support but cannot get and when asking for assistance due to not getting paid no one will assist.
Great article. I’m signed up and paid for Comcast Technical and am supposed to start training on the 13th and actually work for Comcast. I mean I had a discussion with someone at Arise and everything. I’m not in it for very much money at this point so am not that concerned about the truthfulness of what was said then however I’m wondering if things changed since you were with the company. Since they are using the Comcast name to hire people and asking for money, at this point, if many people were to find out that all they got for their ten bucks is access to a directory, they’d be in big trouble. Also, they’d have a fairly large company angry at them for misusing that company’s name. Do you think it has changed since you work with them?
Hello all!
While it is technically not a scam it is the worse job experience my husband and I have ever had.
My husband had been working with Arise since April. He had many, many issues with their telephone system in his time with them. Many times when it would mess up, he would have to give up shifts and in turn, lose money. However, we were very patient with this fact because sometimes technology seems to have a mind of its own. Well, about a month ago my husband had an issue with the telephone system, yet again. He went through the tech support channels as he was told to do. He even received an incident number for this. After this problem happened, we noticed that he was getting less and less calls as the weeks went on. We were confused, but since he was still fairly new, we just concluded that it was some kind of “slow season” for his client. We receive ONE email from his IBO stating that if he were to release any more shifts it could potentially affect his Commitment Adherence. She also said that his client would be in touch with him to ensure the issue was fixed. Well, time passed, and we DID NOT RECEIVE ANY MORE EMAILS other than the one from the IBO. Because we heard nothing else about it, we figured he was out of the red because he had stopped releasing any shifts. About a month after the original email from his IBO, he received an email that his SOW Contract was terminated due to failure to meet Commitment Adherence! We are so confused and upset, but just wait, it gets worse. He received his paycheck the next day and saw that their login systems must not have been working because he was only paid for 3.9 hrs of work for a pay-period lasting half a month! (When in reality, he had worked about 20-22 hours per week!!) We emailed his IBO saying that something must not have been fixed when he had to fix his telephone system last time. All she told us to do was to contact Arise online support. Of course, he could no longer prove to chat support that his systems weren’t working because when they terminated his contract none of his login info worked anyways. Therefore, he worked for a month without getting paid for any of it & lost his job because their systems did not work.
Damn that’s a horrible thing to happen. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Take them to court. They are blood suckers keep our hard earned money. Don’t work for Arise.
Hello guys,
This was very informative for me…I understand better how Arise is set up as an investment and you are an independent contractor. What I don’t understand is through zip recruiter today I signed up, I later received an email from a company called Impulse Communications to set up a time for an overview session. So being a seasoned w@home contractor/employee for multiple companies the past 12 years, I read the FAQ’s on their page. It stated “You’re paying to be certified to service a client. Once you submit your application and background check ($7.95) you will select the client that you want to service. You will pay for your certification class, which is led by an Arise and Client certified instructor with several years of experience with the client that you will be providing service. The cost of the certification courses varies, with most being between $4.99 and $249.00. In addition, there will be an administrative fee of $50.00 per pay period which includes the servicing fees set forth by Arise.”
There is NO way I would ever contract w/ a company and give them $100 a month indefinitely out of my earnings!!! This is ludicrous…. I have worked as an independent contractor with several companies and outside of the background check fee…..that was it!!!!! I usually get paid during training not vice versa.
I just wanted to share this information as I am still in shock, who would do this???? Working from home you already pay for your monthly internet/phone services. I guess this is another Arise contractor recruiting others to work under them and they will ultimately make a huge profit by drawing $50 bi-weekly off the top of your earnings. Not for me….any comments, please I am always open to listen and learn 🙂
But I will continue to work directly through companies as I have done in the past w/ no additional fees after the background check and have my $12-17/hr directly deposited clear money into my bank account.
Thank you , the information you provided was very detailed and hit a lot of key points that you would not be aware of upfront. Some of the fees are not what I would be willing to pay to any company, that is not bringing me in a certain amount of income.
Hi Shae,
You made some valid points. What are some other competing companies to Arise, that don’t charge such excessive fees ?
I’m interested in the online chat jobs. If I do that alone how much will that generate monthly? Also, is there a typing speed associated with these jobs? I’m a fast typer but not 60wpm fast.
Eddy with a “y”; this has been soooooo informative.
I was a home -based business owner providing virtual secretarial assistance about 15 years ago.
Arise should hire you, if they are not already doing so, to write or re-write the content on their website.
I checked them out about a year ago but the content was so confusing.
I think I have a clearer understanding of how the Arise platform works. I was particularly concerned about the “training and certification” — is it full-time for a month, etc.?
I’m not sure whether I can sustain my living expenses but I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks again for such a well-written article.
Jo~
I just started training with Arise. It’s very easy so far. I had to enter into a contract with an independent business owner but I’m confident things will work out well.
That’s great James. Keep us posted.
I understand about investing in ones’ future, but what bothers me is the twice a month payment to Arise @ $20.00, do they take that out of your pay when you get paid? If I can’t talk to someone on the phone about a problem then I’m not interested in joining, doesn’t sound good!!!!!
I have signed up to work with Arise and in my 5th week of training, i am no longer allowed to log in, and there is no one to contact about this.
Damn that sucks. Try using the contact form on their site.
Hi Eddy! Can you hire CSP’s to work under your IBO with arise to make addtl income like a temporary staffing company? For some reason, I thought the IBO’s make more than the csp’s.
Hey Rebecca, I’m not sure. Maybe one of the people that work with Arise can chime in?
why does Arise.com not allow folks from California to sign on to become an agent with CCC?
I’m not really sure. It’s probably some legal or tax reason.
Yes, it has to do with the employment laws with CA. If anyone is interested in working with Arise and can’t afford the start up cost please visit our website. Seeing Angels has been a Premier Partner with Arise since 2008 and we have an A+ rating with the BBB which is hard for a work at home company. Seeing Angels can issue vouchers for part of the certification cost for our CSP’s.
Because they were sued for misclassifying agents as contractors. They settled for around $1.4 million.
Do your research on this company. In Feb. 2015 a former Judge/Arbitrator ruled that Arise is guilty of miss-classification. The outsourced agent was awarded over $11,000 for her 3-4 month tenure with Arise. There are many pending lawsuits against Arise for miss-classification of agents and 1099 contractors. If you need help find an attorney contact me.
Hi Joe
I am interested in filing a lawsuit against Arise. Please contact me as soon as possible.
Thanks in advance.
I have been working with Arise for working on my 3rd year now. The first two years, I was under an IBO (another existing business), then I felt I had learned the ropes enough to begin my own business with it. And its doing very well, I am still looking to hire more csp’s under me, but even if I’m the only one in my business, it is still worth it. I love every minute of it. Of course there are some drawbacks, but really, who has the “perfect job”?
I’m glad to hear you’re doing well with Arise Kayla. It sounds like you’re on the rise and that’s great! I obviously agree with you. Every company has it’s flaws. It doesn’t mean it’s a scam or bad per say. It’s just that folks need to be aware of some of the cons so they don’t go into situations blindly. I don’t like surprises when I join a company. So I always keep that in mind when I write my reviews for others. Because lord knows most of the reps trying to recruit you won’t tell you the bad stuff.
Thanks for chiming in and keep me posted on your activities with the company!
how do I get started
You can click on any of the many Arise links littered in the article above.
I had an interview with Arise a couple of days ago. The interview was online in a group setting and consisted of the Agent telling us about the company.
Yes, you would be an independent contractor, yes you have to
pay for your own background check which is $19.99 or $23.00. To me, that was not
a problem most companies make you pay for a background check but they take the
money out of your first paycheck. After you submit, the background and you are
approved then you have to take a test online of course called CSP101 for $19.99.
The Agent informed us that we can take it 2 to 3 times and that we should take
screen shots so that way if we fell we can figure out what the answers are. I
don’t know that if you take it again if that means another $19.00.
The jobs range from $8.00hr-$12.00hr and yes, you can pick
which client you want. She did recommend taking on two. Since you have to pay
for training which range from $69-159 I figured I would just take the job for
$12 and hr. After, I typed yes that I am interested and signed out the
interview I decided that this would not be an good investment for me due to the
companies she mentions tend to always have ads looking for customer service
reps. So why pay for training, background, & phone line when I can just
apply directly at the few she mentioned and not work from home.
After doing some research, I did found out that $40 a month
would be taking out of my check even if I don’t log on and work.
There are other company out there that has customer service
at home without the added fees, to bad none of them hired me. I did manage to
find one the next day that did, and it turns out to be one week of unpaid
training. To me $10 an hr. unpaid training is better than $8hr paid training
that can range from $69-$159 plus $40 a month. The truth is the chances of the
$12hr job being available were very slim and I wouldn’t find out until after
paying for the background check and the CSP101. Heck I wonder when I would have
found out about the $40 a month.
Hey Andrea,
Thanks for chiming in and sharing so much details. It will definitely give folks something to think about.
Eddy
Hey I’m sorry to bother you but you said you found a company that did unpaid training for 1 week at $10 an hour. Is there any way that you can provide the name of that company?
Arise is a business opportunity and like any business opportunity it can take weeks, months or even years to recoup your initial investment and/or make a profit. That just goes with the territory of running a business. It’s an inherit risk you decide to take. If that’s not something you’re comfortable with then running a business isn’t for you.
Maybe they do a poor job of explaining this so I understand your frustration.
I have not read any comments, only the beginning of this post.
Arise is not a scam, however it has scammish tendancies. The probability of making a return of your investmentbefore 60 days in minimal.
Money I invested: intial fee to learn just the Arise web layout $99, bg check $20, cost of training $179, plus time in training was 4 weeks at 4 hours a day 5 days a week plus 36 hours of “self paced study”
I just completed training with one of their clients and there were only 2 hours of work to pick up in 2 weeks, this is for a 4 week contract. No income for 2 weeks after being certified to work for their client.
6 weeks of no return on my investment.
Hello Tasha, I missed the date of your comment and you were still in training at that time. I now wonder what your feelings are as you have surely completed your training and are making lots and lots of money with Arise, right? Unfortunately, my sisters started a corporation with Arise last year and did everything they could to recruit me to join them in their new “independent business.” I made the decision to wait and see how things went with them before I made the commitment. Also unfortunately, they convinced a few family members into joining them. Now keep in mind that there are a total of six family members who invested in “background check’ and the”basic training” or Arise’s ACP 101 as they call lt, selected an “opportunity” for which they paid big bucks for the training, not to mention the startup costs of the “business” which was in the thousands. The new phone and Internet service (since their digital and wireless were not permitted) new computers (since their old ones for some reason weren’t compatible or something) and there was one technical issue after another night after night after night. At first I teased them terribly but then began to feel very guilty as I saw what it was doing to them and then felt terrible. I began trying to help but even that was useless. I don’t believe there is a real living human that works for Arise. For a company that sings the praises of the “communication” and bases their business structure on that, why is it that you can’t talked to anyone at Arise. You can go on live chat during business hours and talk to admissions chat or enrollment chat, and you can always get someone on the phone for technical issues if you can wait for an hour or two, but that is only for “technical support” and where they will tell you what is wrong with your PC and how to correct it. Once that problem is corrected there will always be another and they spend hours on the phone or worse sitting waiting for “technical chat” when they are supposed to be working. If you are wise and you have not yet invested in any other way, DO NOT!!! Something is very wrong with this picture. It has created a rift between my sisters and cousins that invested in this SCAM as nothing has in all of our years together.Get a life and report them as my family is doing. FYI, I talked to someone just yesterday who is working on the ATT account. She is holding her breath because no one she know has been able to meet the “standards” set by ATT and they are dropped from the account. Now that is pretty bad when you can’t be good enough to service the WORST customer service known to man. I hope you wake up before you end up like they did.
Nicki
hi my name is Tasha i am actually with arise now since feb 20th 2012 i am still in my training, i chose AT&T. Its not a scam guys its legit a lot of people just compain its a scam as they dont have the focus or determination required to run your own business. On top of that yes you do pay into any business you set up. That is if you are your own business though, you dont have to choose this option you can go under another VSC so you will pay for your trainin then be refunded your training money back after completing the course for client. Which think about it would you do it that way as well i wouldnt want to fork out mnoney for all my contracted or employees if i was not sure if they would stay dedicated to it. you also get bonus’s from the clients for your commitment and performance. email me if you have any questions, im not a VSC so dont worry im not trying get you to sign up under me. I work under someone else right now until i get the hang of it then i will branch out and be my own corporation. tashasmith6075@gmail.com
Thanks for sharing your experience Tasha. Keep us posted.
I just found your column. I thought it was worthwhile. I had given serious thouht about joining ARISE, and the only thing holding me bach was the initial cost. But if they are the same as a regular call center, wouldn’t it be the same as a regular call center position, without the initial cost? I just enrolled to receive your emails. I feel that you are legit, and I plan to follow your advice. I have been looking for a home opportunity for years. I hope you can help, as I have been ripped offf more times that I care to admit to. I have over 30 years experience in the clerical field, and 10 years supervisory experience. After reading your article, I decided that I should not limit myself to clerical work only. Thank you
Hey Gary, I’m glad you found my “Blog” and you have found value in it.
Keep in mind the Arise opportunity isn’t a job, you’re working as an independent contractor which I addressed in the article. So you’re more of a business owner than an actual employee. That being said if the cost turns you off, definitely focus on more of a traditional work at home job which we list daily here:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/jobs
I’m glad you are willing to expand your horizon in this industry. Doing so will give you a lot more flexibility and options. That being said be sure to check out my recommendations page here:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/recommendations
I think between that and the jobs page you should find something of interest to you.
Most of us have been victims of scams. So don’t feel embarrassed. It’s almost like a rite of passage. You just need to view those experiences as lessons learned. If you always do your research which is very easy by following the steps in my scam video:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/scams you’ll avoid any chance of getting scammed in the future.
The key is always being skeptical of everything even if I personally recommend something, feel free to dig deeper. Because things can always change with a company. Never assume anything and don’t let desperation cloud your judgement and you should stay scam free for many years to come.
I hope this helps you.
So, Eddy, how much does Arise pay you to post this deceptive information? How many gullible, innocent people have you helped scam? How can you stand to look at your sweet little face in the mirror each day? You are right there with Arise preying on (as jasmine8989 so aptly worded it) the unemployed and the underemployed.
Do you believe in karma? I surely do.
Are you f’ing kidding me?
First of all I work for myself and Arise didn’t hire me to write the article. I write articles on companies that people research. Always have and will because people want the information.
Next I’ve literally helped thousands of people find legitimate ways to make money and avoid scams. My reputation speaks for itself. Anyone that actually takes the time to read my body of work will never question that. You don’t end up being referenced on the news and many other sites for screwing people over:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/media
People don’t thank you for helping them avoid a nasty scam if you’re about scamming people:
https://www.workathomenoscams.com/2008/10/07/package-forwarding-reshipping-job-or-scam/
And finally you certainly don’t add any validity to any argument you have about Arise by attacking me.
The fact of the matter is there are some people that have had great experience with Arise and swear by them. And obviously there are some folks that don’t. I’m not a labor law expert so I can’t really confirm or deny what this commentator said regarding their labor practices. If they’re actually doing something wrong in terms of this whole independent contractor classification stuff, then the feds will come down on them. That’s their job not mine. So let’s see if that actually happens and validates this accusation.
If I were about painting a one sided picture about this company or any others I have reviewed I wouldn’t allow comments that speak negatively about the company.
But again if you actually read my body of work and the comments you’ll see that’s not the case.
After all your nonsensical comment is now live.
So if you want to add value to the conversation then speak to your experience or facts.
Don’t come to this blog making crazy unfounded accusations about me and my character. Because my body of work speaks for itself. We’re adults here and we expect for everyone to act accordingly.
Take care.
Let’s not get into name calling it doesn’t help validate Arise anymore. The fact of the matter is people are going to have different experience with any company including Arise! That’s just life. It doesn’t mean Arise is a scam and also doesn’t mean that the person sharing their negative experience is necessarily bad, lazy, evil or a scam either. Yes there are times where people clearly have an agenda of bad mouthing a company for whatever reason. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes people really just have a bad experience that is justified. They have a right to share that. My argument has always been that a few bad reports doesn’t mean that whatever is being argued is a common occurrence. Crap happens.
What I always recommend is to look for a pattern. If most people are raving about a company then chances are it’s a solid company. But if you get a few negative comments here in there, it’s not really a red flag either. Everything is about balance.
So don’t let a negative comment throw you in a tissy. It’s better to share your positive experience and why you like a company than running around discounting another person’s experience which could very well be true. Thanks for chiming in though.
Arise Virtual Solution is a pyramid scheme preying on women, the unemployed, the underemployed and other home-bound sectors of society. At first glance you are given the impression that this a home-based business that could be lucrative if you put in the time and effort. This could not be further from the truth. Many VSC or Super VSC is employees and or an insider of the companies that contract Arise as clients. For example, someone who works at ATT actually signs up to be a VSC and under them hire employees to work for the client under Arise. They make sure their agents get the hours and the calls. These VSCs are also promoted to work as management within Arise. This is unethical because they make decisions and manage other ACP and VSC based out of their own interest. The VSC get paid to bring in people, and a percentage accrued from bringing peopleto take the class. This is why the turnover is so high. They are really not trying to service clients with CSR, but rather the insider for that company is getting a bonus for bringing in new people to pay for classes. The calls you get are not real. Most of them are coming from the various VSC or the agents under the VSC/ employee of that company. It’s a Scam! It’s a conflict of interest. To cover it up, they often switch supposed Arise management between companies. For example, the ATT employee who is also acting as a VSC for Arise will be given a management team position for another Arise client. This is a farce because they all serve one another’s financial benefit. A total SCAM!! They have multiple class-action suits against them and are always trying to get ACP to post how great Arise is. A TOTAL SCAM RUNNNNN! BTW they acually get webmasters of at home opportunity sites in on the deal and bloogers so they can debink any bad press out there.
Uh, thanks for sharing your “opinion”, “accusation”, “grudge” or feedback?
You’re making a lot of accusations without much proof which could easily be interpreted as someone that has an axe to grind. Now I’m not saying that some of your observations don’t have merit. Because they do. But without any real validation to back some of your other claims, it just sounds more contrived act of anger than anything else.
That being said, I felt compelled to approve your comment in the hopes that either someone can back up your claims with proof or refute them. This site is always about giving both sides of the story. Anyone that has actually read a number of our reviews knows this about us. It’s our trademark and why thousands follow us. We don’t just run around praising companies even if we have an affiliation with them which by the way we always disclose.
So your not so subtle shot at our site and others like it is uncalled for and doesn’t add to the validity of your claims. If anything it probably takes away from it because it just demonstrates an contrived agenda that seems more about attacking a company’s good name rather than really providing value and helping people avoid a real scam.
If we were what you alluded your comment wouldn’t even see the light of day. In any event, I hope to hear from some folks that have some further insight to provide to your accustations who can actually express it a meaningful way that provides us all with some value. Right now this without any real proof this all just sounds like an angry opinion.
Either way we appreciate you sharing it. Hopefully others will be able to chime in.
No Eddy, Not your site. Not accusing you at all. Just saying they have contests and marketers DEBUNK these legitimate claims online. No grudes. This has been discussed on several occasions by others. There has been a nmber of lawsuits claims etc. Summary of the latest.
This is from Wikipedia…… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arise_Virtual_Solutions#Litigation_and_lawsuits
Arise’s Virtual Services Corporation model has been the subject of recent legal scrutiny and litigation. In the latest pending class action lawsuit[2], Sandra Perry v. AT&T Mobility LLC and Arise Virtual Solutions Inc.[3], Arise and its client AT&T are being accused of:
Unfair competition in violation of California Business & Professional Code Section 17200Failure to pay minimum wages, hourly wages and overtime wages in violation of California Labor Code Sections 510, 1194, 1197, 1197.1 and 1198Failure to provide accurate itemized wage statements in violation of California Labor Code Section 226Failure to reimburse employees for required expenses in violation of California Labor Code Section 2802
The complaint alleges that AT&T and Arise Virtual Solutions devised an illegal scheme of mislabeling these virtual at-home call center employees as independent contractors in order to avoid workers’ compensation costs as well as paying state and/or federal taxes. The class action lawsuit further alleges that the at-home virtual call center were intentionally mis-classified as independent contractors rather than employees in order to get around wage & hour requirements in violation of California employment laws.[4] On September 12, 2011, the judge presiding over the case denied Arise’s motion to dismiss the case or to transfer venue to the Southern District of Florida. In denying Arise’s motion, the judge said “that contractual schemes to avoid the California Labor Code will not be tolerated.”[5]
QUOTE on Arise’s legitimacy by ABOUT’s Work-At- Home Writer
“Arise Virtual Solutions has received 88 complaints with the Better Business Bureau, including seven complaints in the month of September 2011 alone.[6] Arise is A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau, but the BBB says that a primary factor that raised Arise’s score was the “length of time business has been operating.”[7]
Arise’s business model has both its promoters and detractors. Laureen Miles Brunelli, an About.com Guide for work-at-home moms, says, “The business model of Arise.com is quite different from other virtual call center companies. And this brings a load of complaints and rants from some who call Arise a scam as well as high praise from others who call it a money-making opportunity”[8] and “while I would not go as far to call Arise an out-and-out work at home scam because its sole purpose is not to defraud people, other call center jobs may be better money-making opportunities.”[9] Additional consumer reviews, both positive and negative, can be found on sites such as:
ComplaintsboardTrustlink.org[10]Scam.com[11]”
Oh,
Thanks for clearing that up because it sounded like a subtle attack on this blog. I apologize for my confusion.
Thanks for coming back and actually providing some references regarding some of your claims. It is very interesting and something that folks will definitely want to consider when researching this company. However even I think Laureen said it best : “while I would not go as far to call Arise an out-and-out work at home scam because its sole purpose is not to defraud people, other call center jobs may be better money-making opportunities”
Thanks again for sharing this!
Jasmine, from reading your post you obviously have never been involved with Arise at all. Your comment is the real scam. It is uneducated, underinformed, and strictly fiction. I work for Arise for a cellphone company and so does my husband. We own our own company and we take call everyday from real customers. It is truly sad that you are such a naysayer or just so lazy that you would make these bogus claims without ever trying it out for yourself. Your comments are so ridiculous because there is no pyramid involved at all with this company. I have been working for a little over a month now. I have made over $1200 working approx. 20 hours per week. I am totally happy and recommend this for anyone looking for a legitimate opportunity. The article precedeing the bogus comments of Jasmine8989 is an accurate accounting of how arise really works. The sad part is there are so many Jasmine’s in the world holding people back like a crab in a barrel.
Hi Jasmine,
I have been working for Arise since May, 2011. This oportunity has been nothing but a blessing for me and my family. I am not an Arise employee, I am not even a VSC. I make decent money that pays the bills, I know that you have to pay for training and a background check, but this company is not a scam or a pyramid scheme. For any single mom that is looking for full-time work from home, please don’t let this post scare you away. I’m not getting any incentives for promoting arise, I just want to let people know that this is a legitimate company.
I think gossip over the internet spreads like virus. If one person has a bad experience its posted, if someone has a good experience its posted leaving people confused. Ill be up front if you sign dont choose AT&T unless you have patience for technology and computers and explaining bills and tech problems but they have disney and roadside assistance and other choices. AT&T is hard! You got two options be your own business or work under someone else. ITs really nto that complicated, I know the course im in now for my client it started with 71 six people have dropped half way through as they cant get the hang of it, running your own business is not for everyone. Customer services is nto for everyone, not everyone has the patience hence bad reviews on internet. BBB has rated arise that says alot there right. Messed up part is some of you will think i am being paid by arise if you only knew im in my pj’s in class right now getting ready to finish my course go into nesting and start making money lol
The internet is a good and bad thing like many mediums. Unfortunately sometimes it makes it too easy for anyone that has a grudge or doesn’t agree with a policy the ability to claim scam.
There are always two sides to every story and that’s why it’s always good to read the feedback from both sides and make an intelligent decision based on the total weight of all points gathered.
If most people are claiming a company is legit, including regular people, media, consumer protection agency, etc. , then chances are the company is legitimate. If you see that there is a sprinkle of negative reviews, that shouldn’t raise flags. Every company is always going to have a few of those. It’s part of doing business. Those negative comments may be justified too but It doesn’t necessarily mean that the company in question is a scam. It can have flaws or to your point some folks just don’t have what it takes. But ultimately it’s about consuming a lot of data points and make the right decision based on all the information you have.
wow u do your research and its thorough. im a vsc did not makr it through my carnival mock calls. they are vague to say the least about making money as a “recriuter for acps” I do have an aqauntance that is a vsc and has 7 people under her and ONE of those seven has 80 under her.hmm.I did read your first 4 acps have to work for your same client then you can recruit and they can work for any client. So my idea.. Carnival is wonderful but extremely hard to pass. I have a college degree and graduated with honors lol! We are coming up on the holiday season and i see Sears, Walgreens, Barnes and Noble now. So I thought about doing one of those they are easier but less pay. Can i recruit as a vsc an acp ex: for walgreens if i am in the walgreens training thought i read something about that. So a big recruiting time may be the holiday season. I do want to make money but..also there are so many single moms and my cousins looking for work. I made a business statement and tithing is part of it I am Christian and feel like this is what God wants me to do. Any answeres or seggestions. U R awesome!!!
Kimberly A.
Sorry, I’m don’t work with this company so I wouldn’t know the answer to your question. Maybe you can email them directly or someone else will chime in. Thanks for the kind words and good luck with this.
You’re welcome Kate!
Thanks for doing the research on this. Much appreciate an honest answer.
I am in the process of setting up my Corporation and I feel confident that this is a legitimate business for me. If you are “only” looking for employment this is not the right situation, however if you are looking for some control of your time and money this would be something that you can do. With everything you must investigate what works for you. Long gone are the days where something will be handed to you on a silver platter or the chances are very few.
Best of Luck to all.
Lisa
Amen Lisa! Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.
I totally agree with you. An online business is by far the most affordable business you can start. I think the issue here with this company is people confuse a work at home business with a work at home job. So once they hear the fees they’re appalled and cry scam. But if you understand the difference between the two then you realize it’s not that bad. However even if you understand this but can’t afford it, then it’s not really a viable option either way. I’m happy it was for you. I look forward to hearing your experience with the company.
Eddy,
My mother’s friend put me on to Arise. She was very vauge simply stating its pays between 10- 16 or highter an hour. I am not incorporating just working independently. Because she was not completely upfront about the steps of the game, my husband fond your review. And Thanks for clearing up a great deal of confusion. I am currently doing the ACP101 training which my mothers friend paid for because she thinks I am a focused individual.
My only straight forward questions are:
After ACP 101 training what happens ( in steps)??
Do I have to pay to train with say “AT&T” or “AAA” or “Carnival Travel Agency” to actually begin working?? And why?
Lastly, From the completion of ACP101 Training, how long before I get an actual paycheck in HAND? (steps Please)
I have been a slave for call centers for over a decade, this time I plan to use my skills and experience to make me successful not another call center that hovers over people and treats them like 2nd class citizens, I even worked at one TAG or Teleperformance (Florida) and they still owe me 3 paychecks from DEC 2011, ruined XMAS. So yes even real physical jobs can be scams also!! After TAG I went to a company called Nationwide Relocation Services, and after contracting meningitis and having a brush with death and a contained hospital stay for a week. I went back to work and the bitches FIRED me!! I rather take the chance to bust my ass FOR ME!! In this economy just TRY SOMETHING NEW!! I am most excited about the flexible schedule!! Trinidad Carnival 2012 Here I come!!! FREEDOM!!
Mrs Miles,
I’m glad your husband found the review. Not sure why people are so elusive when giving details about an opportunity.
I have never worked with the company so I don’t really know the answer to your questions. But maybe someone else reading this will chime in.
Get your financial freedom on! lol
I have been associated with Arise for almost 4 years and my service agreement ends with them soon. I am not disgruntled or out to smear anyone, but I would like to let people know exactly what you can expect from this company. When I started 4 years ago, I had to pay 250-300 dollars to get incorporated. I completed the ACP 101 course which I believe cost $99. I started out with working for Sears, the training at that time cost $50.00. I fulfilled my Statement of Work (contract) with them and then took training with Walt Disney World which I believe cost 125.00 (I would have to check invoices) and fulfilled the SOW with them. I enjoyed working with these two applications, although I felt stupid as a middle aged woman having to answer WDW calls with a made up “cast” name.
The real “Arise” surfaced when I began working for at my last client. I have worked for years and have a pretty thick skin, but I have never worked for a company that condoned having their “agents” degradated by callers and expected not to say anything. We were told that we were supposed to “ignor the insults to our VSC” (virtual services company), like we didn’t amount to anything other than a corporate entity. We had an email address that we were supposed to post any questions/concerns, but I had no idea who addressed them. The answers or “feedback” if you supposedly did something wrong would come back as anonymous. You had no idea who you were dealing with at any time.
The real tie breaker came whenever we were told we were supposed to “promote” the benefits of AAA repair shops on every tow call. This went from being a suggestion to something that was required for quality assessments, which determined our rate of pay per call. In my eyes this amounted to nothing but being an unpaid sales person on top of having to complete roadside service calls.
Now not to mention the 19.75 that is deducted from your compensation every pay period. I have yet to find out what this money goes for. Any another thing that I don’t think people realize is the exorbitant payout that needs to be made for quarterly/yearly corporation taxes/tax preparation as well as personal taxes/preparation. Hiring an accountant to do your taxes if you work part time is an expensive venture.
And having a question/problem? Their resolution center is a joke. I was shorted pay and sent posts to their resolution center for 3 weeks before I filed a complaint with the BBB and was finally paid what I was owed.
In retrospect, I have seen a real degeneration in the way this company operates in the past couple years, no one wants to take any responsibility for anything, why would they when it can be dumped on the “VSCs?”
Another question I have always pondered, if I was not an employee, how could anyone tell me how many hours to work a week, among other restrictions that were placed upon my business.
In a nutshell, research this before you dive in..it may prevent alot of lost funds and headaches if you do.
This post is very good but to go beyond this I will say the following:
Arise.com is providing a service to promote tax evasion and no benefits to hard working Americans. If we allow companies like Arise.com to grow not only will the U.S. be broke but many Americans won’t benefit from the protections that we have fought so hard against big businesses.
Arise.com practices a miss-labeled relationship with many hard working Americans doing their job from home offices. The reason why I say this statement is because the relationship between Arise.com and these “independent contractors” is an employer-employee relationship. Not only does Arise.com train these “business professionals” to do a job in a particular way but they do ongoing training about procedures and methods (which is mandatory and not paid). Furthermore, they have an evaluation system that measures the details of how the work is performed (which many times these measures are not even capable of meeting because the client’s applications don’t work a quarter of the time). They also require “independent contractors” to lie to the Customers they help. They tell them to say “We are in a call center in (the state the company is in)”instead of telling them they work from home. This is probably to avoid smart people to understand the fraud they are committing. Arise.com also tells you what type of equipment that can be used. Their equipment that they make you use limits when and where you can work. All in all, Arise.com is conducting their business to have complete “behavioral control” which establishes an employer/employee relationship and not a self-employed contractor and Arise.com (B2B relationship).
Another indication that the Arise.com wrongfully demonstrates a B2B relationship is because they have a “base pay” which is a guaranteed amount of money that they pay for hourly work (most of the time this base pay is lower than most states minimum wage). Where Arise.com might be getting away with this is through the “opportunity of profit loss”. Arise.com has no problem allowing hard working Americans to lose money doing a venture with them. They may say it’s all in the name of doing business but this is just wrong.
Essentially what this boils down to is Arise.com pays their “independent contractors” (employees) a very small amount of money so that they don’t have to pay much taxes and they don’t have to pay any employment taxes or provide any benefits for the thousands of people they get to blindly call their “business professionals” and “independent contractors”. Arise.com pushes and pushes these hard working Americans to understand that the relationship is B2B but at the end of the day they have complete control over these people which again demonstrates a employer/employee relationship.
Not only is Arise.com unpatriotic but at a time when the US government is at the brink of bankruptcy, this is just wrong. I want to think that the large companie’s, that are Arise.com clients (I won’t name them for their sake), are unaware of the situation. They probably are thinking about their shareholders and how much money they are saving on this cheap labor. And they want to look good about it so they tell people “We are bringing the jobs back to America”!!! Hurray!!!
Don’t be so blind and to think that providing the service that undermines the American Labor laws is a win for the U.S. The jobs that Arise.com provides are underpaid and obviously wrongfully miss-classified to prevent the cost of benefits and taxes. Arise.com should be stopped and all Americans should be made aware of this type of fraud.
If you are still not convinced that Arise.com needs to be stopped let me give you a break down of what is takes to be an part of the Arise.com Family. I’ll let you decide after that. Email me drumerboy622@yahoo.com.
Arise.com should immediately hire these “self-employed contractors” to be their employees. They should start providing benefits and paying rightful taxes to the U.S. government. It is not fair that this has gone on for so long. Other businesses that provide the same type of service actually do hire their employees, pay taxes and provide benefits. Because Arise.com is not playing fair, I am sure they have taken business “clients” away from other businesses that provide this service.
This is just completely unfair and unpatriotic.
AshWalker, congrats on taking a risk on yourself. Man do you really understand the key to be successful in business! You’ve hit it right on the head. A lot of folks aren’t able to see what you’ve eloquently explained in your comment. But I’m happy you understand what it takes to be successful in business and the benefits of it vs a job.
I’m confident that you’ll be successful at any business you try. Hopefully Arise will be that business. But if it’s not that one, I’m sure with this type of mindset, you’ll find another one. Too bad we can’t clone more people to think like you. lol
You must be a shill for this pathetic company. Costs are high and opportunities are few. I suspect all favorable reviews come from the home office in Florida. Pay $250 , find way way too many have been brought on with client and get few hours. Impossible to meet quota, get dropped pay another $250 for new client. Have a family emergency , do everything the PF tells you to do. They change the PF for the 5th time and guess what they don’t approve of what you did even though you did exactly as told. Be removed, pay $250 for a new client… get the gist here. RUN RUN RUN
Really dude? My reputation speaks for itself. If you have an axe to grind that’s your right buy don’t try to disrespect me because I’m trying to give a balanced view of a company. I’ve never argued this company was without flaws. But I’m not going to sit here and cry scam because of this. If that’s the case every company is a scam. This site is about sharing experiences good and bad. If I was a “shill” for this company your comment and the other negative ones wouldnt see the light of day. So there goes that argument. I understand you’re pissed but you’ll do better to focus your energy on finding an opportunity that actually works for you. Good luck to you.
I just signed up with Arise this morning. I am now waiting to hear back about background check. Regarding the previous negative posts about work at home businesses, I would first of all like to state that I have been in the Customer Service industry for 8 years. Over the past year I have had a baby & have tried going back to work. Nearest place to make decent money for my experience is 1 1/2 hours away. I worked for Comcast 4 month at $ 12 an hour. After spending money on insurance, gas & food expenses I was barely bringing home $200 a week and not getting home until close to midnight.Totally not worth it. Not to mention child care!!! Finding someone to keep your children until midnight is like finding gold in your back yard. Just doesn’t happen. So with that said, I am excited about the venture ahead regardless of the start up costs. You won’t getting anywhere withoput taking a chance. Like the saying goes, the rich stay rich & the poor stay poor. ( afraid of losing something instead of taking a chance) I say HORAY to ARISE & I applaud those of you who are also taking this chance at such a blessing for people who truly need this.
After reading your post, I can agree that there are two sides to a story. I currently work and have many friends working for Arise. Some of my friends have had great experiences and some have not. However, I do notice a decline in professionalism, commitment and overall ethical stance in Arise business practices. As Arise continues to grow, their instructors appear to be inadequate/lack of knowledge, only driven to collect course fees, lack of appropriate measuring tools, unable to support the demand and the list can go on. To add insult to injury, if you complain; instead of correcting the issues or making the adjustments, they take your money and “Black-ball”. Not too many people can stand for their blatant lack of care. This is one of the reasons businesses are failing, people are tired and the moral is down. Generally speaking people no longer believe, because there is no loyalty “its dog eat dog”. Arise is not the company it was. I have friends who have been with Arise for 8 years and they see the difference, it’s almost sad. Arise had a lot to offer, but they will ultimately lose, as many big corps have and will.
Hey Lameka,
Thanks for sharing. There just seems to be two camps with this company. Some people have great experiences while others don’t. So it’s just one of those things where you have to try it yourself and see what camp you’ll end up in.
I know this post was some time ago but I have to agree with Lameka 100%. I have been involved with Arise for nearly a year now. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work from home to care for my family. But my experience in the business world causes me to cringe at many of Arise’s practices. It feels more like slave labor at times, but I try to shake it off. ACP/CSP’s consistantly loose time and money due to system issues. Truthfully I have attempted to track my minutes/hours worked to compare to my pay, it is never clear. You may be doing the work, but due to ongoing system issues your results are not accurately tracked. The next issues is the constantly changing Qapf’s I have had 3 in the past 2 months. Prior to that my Qapf was only available to meet with me twice in 4 months. I tried and tried, she simply wasn’t there. When I finally did ‘meet’ with her, her lack of knowledge was blatant. Review of calls was a joke and very demoralizing. Arise OWES it to the CSP’s who pay for their training and put in the effort and hours to provide us with qualified Qapf’s and trainers. It appears to me that the higher ups keep the pay for themselves and hire substandard indivuals at low pay. I could be wrong but I would bet that I’m not. I will continue working with them until I find a more professional company to work from home with, a company that puts it’s money where it’s promises are for those who are willing to be the best at what ever they do, like myself and so many others I have met through Arise.
So Eddy-
Update: My brother completed his training, is in nesting position and doing really well.
He loves his job and my we chose to use a virtual services corporation insstead of paying $300 for incorporation fees in Texas. This way, once we know everything is kosher and he gets the hang of it, isn’t terminated for any reason after 6 months, he can get incorporated and make even more money. At that point, we wouldn’t mind paying the state fees.
I remember writing you on here when I was so suspicious of the company, Seeing Angels Two By Two when I saw comments from Lynn above. This is the virtual services corporation that contracts with arise and is the one I used after getting the list from arise to verify that they are legit.
It was a lot of research on my part!
I am soooo glad it’s all done.
Guess who is now A RECRUITER FOR jobs with arise through seeingangels!
Me!
I am in charge of Oklahoma and Colorado so if anyone is interested, I am here to help!
my email is:fareenasyed@seeingangelstwobytwo.com and my phone is available too if you email me.
Fareena,
Thanks for the update! This is great to hear.
Stacy@Stacy Benoit:
@Stacy Benoit:
Stacy-
Which clients have you worked for?
Have you done any of the chat jobs?
Thank you,
Fareena
@Fred:
This is why I choose an hourly paid client. I must say though that in the 3 clients that I HAVE serviced there was NEVER a lack of calls!
@Eddy Salomon:
I am a Contractor for Arise and There is NO refund on the courses Eddy. I had walking pneumonia and could provide documentation and they said too Damn bad and didn’t return my money. ALSO because this happened to me I can’t sign up for another training course for 30 days it is simply irritating. I was ready willing and able to present documentation to Arise. They are ridiculous.
Eddy,
Very informative article. My wife is considering this venture and asked me to read this article.
Question on the hours; You say they track your hours that you actually spend helping customers, which is fair, but I’ve also read in the comments that you have a minimum hourly quota to meet each week (15-20 hrs/wk seemed to be a norm). Is this quota accumulative of hours you’re available for service? In other words; you may sit around waiting for a call/email for 6 hours a day, but only actually spend 1 hr of productive time helping someone. So, in that case, I assume you would only get paid for 1 hr., but does mean you only get one hour credited to your 20 hr weekly quota?
I guess another way of asking this is how many hours do you typically have to be available (sitting around by the phone/computer) to get your 20 hour week in?
Thanks
Hi Fred,
Glad you found the article useful.
Unfortunately I don’t work for this company so you’re asking the wrong guy. lol Just visit their website and use their contact us link or read their FAQ.
Or wait patiently and I’m sure someone that works with the company will respond to your questions. Sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance.
I am new to Arise and, I am currently working for my first client. I am training with another client because I plan to do this full time. I heard about Arise from a friend who started with Arise 2 years ago, she is now a supervisor for a client. This summer she had one check for a two week pay period that was 2000 dollars. You may have to work more hours to get the money that you need, but if you have a couple of clients the hours are there. Starting Dec 12th I will have three clients, I have to work a minimum of 15 to 20 hours per client. I chose three because I understand that one clients down time is another clients peak time. Just like life, work is what you make of it. If you are late and missing days the company will let you go. If you can’t treat the customers the way they require you too again, they will let you go. Is that any different from working in a call center. I was a call center trainer for three years and this is the most peace that I have had in a long time. I have one child and she is in college this is perfect for me. I understand that it’s not perfect for everyone. But I thank God that I am blessed with such an opportunity. Eddy you are great, positive and funny.
Michelle,
Thanks for sharing your experience as well. It’s just as good to hear from people that have success with these companies as it is with people having issues. I never get tired of hearing people’s success stories. They’re very inspirational. So hopefully that will be the case for others considering this opportunity as well. Thanks again. Glad you can appreciate my point of view and corny sense of humor. lol
i’ve been with arise since march 2008, and my mother has been with them since may 2009. most of the people who hate arise so much are people who had bad experiences with them – but most people i’ve met who have had bad experiences did something wrong. i average over $1k a month working around 20 hours a week from home, and have made that kind of money consistently since march 2008 – some months i make more. they are not a scam – arise is a legitimate business opportunity with lots of room for growth. like anything else, you get out what you put in it. if you coast along and barely do your job, you won’t reap the benefits. i worked my butt off and was a top performer and was paid accordingly.
anyone who is interested in arise but is concerned about how it works, email me at rule42inc(at)gmail.com, i’d be happy to help with any questions you have.
Steph,
Glad to hear you and your mom are doing well with Arise. In my experience I agree. A lot of times people that call legitimate companies scams is because they experienced something negative. That being said, there has been a lot of cases where the folks didn’t do anything wrong. Sometimes folks don’t even realize they have violated some rule. In an ideal world the companies would give you a heads up or a second chance. But usually they don’t which can lead to frustration and the scam claims we often read on the internet. At the end of the day, I’m with you. Just because you may have had a poor experience with a company doesn’t make them a scam. It’s more of an unfortunate situation and sharing that with others is still a great thing to do. Because it’s important for folks to read the good and bad because no company is perfect.
Either way you’re an example of a good story with the company and I’m happy you shared it with us.
i have read your full message and i still dont think this is legit and i will be very upset if i give you all this money and this is not a real company so again i ask u just how do i no your real?
Tamika,
I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you referring to the company (Arise.com) we reviewed in the article above? If so, don’t join it. It’s that simple. If you’re asking if I’m real, I don’t even know how to answer that question.
Either way good luck to you.
@Jamie:
I am by no means in any way a tax professional but I have had a lot of experience with 1099’s in traditional working and would just like to share a few pointers that might help in case you’re like me the first time I did contract work and didn’t talk to the tax guy till taxes were due (What a mess of sleepless nights this guy had lol…it was a mess that I don’t ever want to repeat.)
1)Save any receipts that are an expenditure for what you are doing (They’re your tax breaks) Now I’m not sure,but if you’re doing something like arise,then your training and any equipment you have to buy for your office SHOULD be a tax wright off (Eddy if I’m wrong please correct me so I don’t mislead anyone) Make sure to ask your tax guy questions pertaining exactly to what you are doing.
2)Make sure to have a decent amount saved up at tax time (This is what I didn’t understand when I started and I had a hell of a time trying to come up with taxes)
Those are just two main points that should keep you from getting completely hosed if you don’t get to talk to the tax guy.
To answer your question about the 1099 and how it works-In laymen turns and in a very small nutshell,all it is is a record of how much you made for the year (just like your normal tax papers).The difference is,as a contractor you do not get taxes taken out of each check,so your tax preparer does his magic and tells you how much you owe to Mr.Government which you have to pay for out of pocket. That’s it in the simplest form I know. Good luck Jamie and just as Eddy said,I advise you to talk to a tax professional about it,the above tips are just a basis to save your life if you can’t get to one.
So I\’ve really been searching work from home opportunites. I have a young son and can\’t afford nor want to put him with any other care. I started working for VIP desk and have to say it\’s fee free and legit. My reason for looking elsewhere is simply that I found the computer system overwhelming and a bit unnecessary. But my advice to anyone looking for legit work from home with no fees, vip desk. With that being said, they don\’t offer much in the way of pay. I earned 7.25 for paid training and 8.50 for working. It has all the perks of setting your own hours, etc. I applied to Arise this morning and as with a lot of people once seeing all the fees decided to do a bit more research. I\’m really torn on this now because I hear the horror stories and the success stories. I know that there are legit work from home companies with no fees that will cut you a check, so I\’m a bit hesitant to end my search here and shell out the out of pocket costs (while justifiable) with no real guarantee that it will work out and no comfort that anything can be refunded. On the fence…not sure not sure. I do appreciate this blog though, very helpful. I guess my questions now are more for tax purposes. I read that you are your own contractor, how exactly do you go about that. I read someone saying they signed up on a website? A bit confused on that. How does it work around tax time? Arise said they give you a 10-99 to fill out, yet you\’re your own boss, so you don\’t put Arise on your taxes or you do?? Any experts out there??
I hope to hear a few more success stories before making my decision.
Jaime,
If you feel uncertain about this company and the fees make your feel uncomfortable, don’t jump in. Regardless of some of the issues you have read, the company is legit. Like any company it has some problems. But if they weren’t legit they wouldn’t be around as long as they have. You have to keep in mind that working with Arise is basically joining a business opportunity. Running a business only has two paths. Either you make money or you don’t. If the risk of investing the money and not making it back and more scares you, then you know that this business or any business for that matter isn’t the right thing for your situation.
For that matter stick with a job which pays you a given amount per hour. We list pre-screened work at home jobs daily here:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/jobs I’m confident if you worked with VIP Desk you have some customer service, telephone or sale skills. These skills are always in demand in this industry. So if you check our jobs board regularly, I’m confident in a few months you’ll find a job which seems to be what you want and not a business.
In terms of taxes, as we said in the article above, read our work at home tax article here:
https://www.workathomenoscams.com/2010/04/15/weekly-work-at-home-recap-04-16-2010/
it will give you the basics. But you need to speak to a tax professional about your specific situation and questions. Definitely don’t do anything based on information you read on a website or what some random person tells you. Speak to a professional. It usually doesn’t cost money to ask them questions. At least you’ll get the right information. Hope this helps you either way.
@Eddy Salomon:
Oh snap Eddy,you tell him lol
Lol
@Salena:
Well if they screwed everyone they wouldn’t have a company long. That being said, they have to let some stick around.
Seems that the people who started working there many years ago are being kept.
Okay, Eddy, here’s where you say “every company has their bad points” lol…
Steve,
Yes we get it, you hate the company and feel they are a big scam. If my objectivity annoys you, just move on. This site is about allowing people to discuss the pros and cons of a company which has been happening. It’s not meant for personal vendettas which is becoming more apparent is your motive. I don’t think you’re winning over confidence with these type of comments. You’ve said your peace and now just let others continue to have their say. I’ve been gracious enough to let you air your grievance. But don’t come here and disrespect that with your sarcasm or you will no longer be welcomed. We’ve created a certain type of environment here and I don’t want your personal beefs to take away from that. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Well, I have to chime in here for a minute. I have a very good friend who has worked for Arise for the past 3 years. She has worked for the same client all three years. She makes approx. $13 an hour on average. She picks her own hours and Arise has just started something where she can “give up” her hours if something comes up and it isn’t counted against her as long as she makes her “minimum” hours a week. Many have watched her during these 3 years because many were skeptical, but we aren’t any more. Another friend has worked through Arise for over a year with a different client. She has 4 children at home and LOVES the flexibility and $12 an hour pay. My daughter in law has just contracted with a client w/ Arise and starts her training in October. She is very excited for the client she’ll be working for. So, there are 3 people in my circle that I know VERY personally that are having success with Arise. My daughter in law got vouchers for her training so it is absolutely free for her to take her training. Her total “start up” fees were less than $100….many will spend that just to buy that new outfit to interview in for a job…Both of the seasoned ACP’s work approx. 25 hours a week, but both have taken advantage of the flexibility to add hours during the holiday season to bring in more income or in once case one friend worked extra hours to pay for her daughters wedding, then cut back afterwards. Not many jobs give you that kind of flexibility. I am planning to look into Arise this fall with hopes of starting in January with a client. I’ll post back later when I have first hand information…but, from what I’ve seen, it’s a good thing.
Salena,
Thanks for sharing these experiences. It just goes to show that there are a lot of folks that are doing well with this company as illustrated by your comment and those of others in this article. However it doesn’t take away from those who have had poor experiences with this company. But as I’ve said many times on this site, there are always going to be a few people that have had poor experiences with a company. As long as it’s not the norm, then I still think it’s worth a shot if the opportunity sounds like it fits your needs.
Thanks for sharing. I look forward to your report when you join.
@Eddy Salomon:
Eddy,
they do not have a refund policy and everything that Bill stated is true. They remind me of that episode of South Park where Stan got sucked into Facebook. You are not allowed to question anything and if you voice any dis -satisfaction you can be dropped and not have another opportunity available to you.
The no refund policy is across teh board even if it is their fault. I serviced a company where the supervisor told me to handle a call a particular way I got a warning and when I disputed it thru their resolution center (that is the only way you can voice any concerns) it is marked resolved with a vague comment repeating the same thing over and over and over after you constantly ask for clarification.
they make it sound flexible but after spending money to incorporate and also to sign up as an ACP only then you find otu the courses are few and far between and hours are not flexible for training. If someone works a reg 9 to 5 they cannot train for any courses if they live more than an hr away fr work and if u live in a city like I do and face traffic congestion then there is no money.
You cannot ever get a real person to speak with and if you try calling them they will tell you that the resolution center doesn\’t have a phone. I was dropped for violating policies when I asked what policies they responded with conduct when I asked what conduct that request was marked resolved and closed and I cd never sign up again
a week later they ran an ad for more ACPs. I quit my job to work for them which means I risked losing my house my car and everything else.
Once you join Arise and start working for a company make sure you have a backup plan they are notorious for dropping you without notice and explanation. You see, they get fees based on training new agents. They drop agents for “performance” issues and advise you when u question it, that due to their MSA they are not obligated to explain any of that. By dropping an agent it creates the opportunity to get another agent to pay for training which costs in excess of $250 for most.
The other issue is once they have dropped you, you can forget about signing up for another client because your history of being dropped will be sent to the new client and that creates an automatic denial.
There is money to be made, Lots of money actually, provided you can handle the red tape along with the fact that they have designed arise is such a way that they are untouchable.
Sherri,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Obviously it’s an unfortunate situation that would leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth. In an ideal world Arise would have handled the situation better with you. But I also have to keep in mind there are always two sides to every story. So it would be nice to hear theirs. However they haven’t really taken much of an interest in chiming in on these discussions. But I digress.
In any event as I stated in this review and many others, every company is going to have instances where people fall through the cracks or when companies don’t handle the situation properly as we would like. Does it mean that it’s a rampant issue that is regular occurrence for all that join? I would dare say, No!.
I have had 2 major bad experiences with JetBlue where I missed a cruise worth thousands of dollars. Another time I missed a flight. The little they did wasn’t enough to recover the lost I incurred for both of these incidents. It left a bad taste in my mouth as well. But for the years I have travelled that airline, 99.9% of time everything went well.
So what’s the point? It’s just a fact that sometimes companies drop the ball at our cost. I don’t think it’s intentionally done. Does it make right? No. But the question that needs to be asked is if the screw ups are across the board and the norm? If it was, a company would rack up a poor reputation pretty quickly and eventually would have to shut down.
Arise has been around for years hiring thousands of people and recommended by other legitimate resources regularly. So I doubt they’re consistently screwing over their workers the way they did this to you. Good luck finding a company where every worker feels they have never been screwed over by their employer. You’d have a better chance in finding big foot. Arise screwed up with you just like every other company has screwed over their workers at some point. If we all worry about the few times these happens with all companies, none of us would ever work for any company because of this fear.
At the end of the day, I think what happened to you was messed up. But none of my research has indicated that this is a widespread issue happening to MOST of the workers. Like any opportunity or job, we’re all taking a risk. You just want to make sure the odds are in your favor. With Arise, I still feel that for the most part the odds are in the favor of the worker provided they keep the things we’ve mentioned in the review above and the other comments in mind.
Like I always say every company has flaws where people fall through the cracks. As long as that isn’t the norm and widespread it’s just one of those things that come with the territory. Either way as someone that has fallen through the cracks on occasion, it still sucks. But it wouldn’t stop me. The great thing about this industry is there are many other companies to work for. So if one company screws you over, then it’s on to the next one! Their lost, not yours is how I see it.
@Beau:
Although some independent contractors do make much more than 10-14 dollars an hour it all depends on what business you’re in. Also,I wouldn’t look at all the investments required by Arise as being only for Arise. If you decide that Arise isn’t for you and would rather go on as a freelance agent or whatever you choose,you’re already set up at home to tackle it.Most any home based office job you land (including freelance work) will have a lot of the same office requirements. Also the 10-14 dollars an hour that you make at home from Arise is quite comparable if not higher (I don’t know IC taxes well enough to do the math) than what you would make at a brick and mortar call center (Starting pay around here $8.00 an hour) and you don’t even have to leave your house. In any case,thanks again Eddy.
Eddy, thank you for your insight and information about working at home. I’m not working at home yet, but I appreciate your comments about those who make $0 and appreciate making from $10-$14 per hour. Believe me, that looks good to me right now.
Keep doing what you do, because you are helping many of us appreciate that we can do something (even the smallest of something) to survive!
Fareena,
Thanks for chiming in. You obviously understand the value of bringing in any money working at home.
Cory,
I’m glad I was able to provide you with an option while you’re studying. Lord knows I wished I had opportunities like this when I was in college.
LaVerne,
You’re quite welcome. You’re a perfect example of what I mean in terms of folks that would be very happy pulling in some money. I’ll definitely continue to provide all available legitimate options no matter how little the money is because I know there are always going to be people like you who can benefit from it and will be happy. That’s who my site is geared towards anyway. It’s not for folks that are limited in their thinking and negative. So thanks for chiming in.
@Fareena:
don’t be so sure of everything you think might happen. Please report back to us in a month and see how far along he is…
@Fareena:
correction-I meant if you find something wher you make $18 to $20 an hour, PLEASE DO SHARE.
This sounds great Eddy. As a college student, making even 100/week can make the biggest difference. I’m going to look into Arise and see what it’s like. And as always, you’re going to have someone who will criticize the unknown.
@Beau:
Beau-
I think you are very conceited for saying that people who are willing to work for arise.com are desperate.
Have you considered that a lot of people look at this as supplemental income? Have you considered that this could be an exceptional opportunity for a college student who doesn’t have a lot of work experience under their belt and their other options are a grocery store cashier or sacker at $8 an hour?
I don’t know what kind of opportunity you are looking for AT HOME with this kind of investment with the misconception of making 8 to 20 an hour.
Good luck! When you find this, please do share!
My experience with arise thus far…
My brother signed up-
Received credits from arise and was able to do the ACP101 certification free of charge. (100+value)
Paid $10.95 for a background check in Texas
Received another $100 credit for traning and only had to pay $15 from his pocket for the AT&T training certification paying $9-$13 an hour once he completes the training. It will be a month’s time or so to train without wages but upon successful completion, a $250 dollar bonus.
Training starts on the 11th of October for him.
The incorporation part of it, he decided to join a virtual services corporation free of any costs directly out of pocket upfront. Which means, when he starts getting the hang of this position and knows he likes it and wants to continue to do it, he can detach himself from the virtual services corporation and form his own corporation. At that time, he will definitely be making more money, my guess around 12 to 16.00 an hour.
In his case, college student, no car and currently working towards his engineering degree, junior year, this would be great!
So, in conclusion, arise is NOT FOR DESPERATE PEOPLE!
$10-$14/hr for being an independent contractor? With all the investments and responsibilities? Wow. No wonder Arise is doing so well. For sure they are charging much more for your service. That’s unfortunate. I can only imagine the kind of desperate people working as ACP’s.
Good luck with that people.
I love how people want to make others feel bad for making money at home. The fact of the matter is that $10-$14 per hour may not be right for you but it may be right for another family that is making $0-$0 per hour at home. Most people aren’t making any money at home so any legitimate opportunity that is bringing in some money in is a good thing in my book.
The other thing that one needs to realize is that when it comes to a traditional job it’s highly unlikely you’ll earn the hourly rate you earned offline. The whole reason why companies like offering work at home is that it’s a cost saver for the company. So it doesn’t make “cents” for them to pay you the same offline rate. But a way to solve that is try to work yourself and start a business or get involved in multiple streams of income. And yes companies like Arise are going to charge others more for their service. It’s called business. Welcome to Capitalism. Most businesses that operate at a profit work this way otherwise they’re known as charities or bankrupt. Hello?
Furthermore even with a lower rate per hour, you have to keep in mind that you as a worker are no longer incurring the expense of traveling, buying lunch/breakfast and spending hours per week commuting. As an independent contractor you get tax breaks that you’ll never get as an employee. When you add this all together you’re probably making just as much as you did offline or a little less. But to most people the freedom to be at home with your family and set your own hours is priceless.
If you can’t see the value in that, you definitely shouldn’t be working at home.
My wife works for arise. It is a lotttt of stuff to go through to get up and going. After she finally got set up and trained and was accepted by a client, she was fired within one month for something bogus. They don’t even offer an explanation or give you a chance to do better. Just sent an email. Your contract is terminated. Not from arise but with the client. SO now after paying $250 to train for that client, she has to pay again to train with another one.
Let me tell you that she is very professional on the phone and I can’t believe they fired her. So if your not absolutely very very professional and able to deal with a lot of technical stuf and have about Three to five hundred dollars to get started, don’t even think about arise.
@Lynn:
Lynn-
What would you say about the whole process with Seeing Angels By Two including time frame? Do you have contact info. for someone that can assist me that you went through? I see there is a space for referral name on the application and I could put yours down.
I have the application ready and am seriously considering it. I am just wondering, fee wise, what is the difference between arise.com directly and with Seeing Angels By Two. Do you have a job with them now? How long did it take you to get started?
Thank you and I would sincerely appreciate a response.
Fareena@Missy:
@Eddy Salomon:
Hi Eddy,
I wholeheartedly agree with your comments. I’ve been with Arise for 4 years now, while it is true, I do not earn $25 an hour, anyone looking into Arise needs to take into consideration the amount of money that can be saved by working from home. I no longer have to commute to work, so that time I used to be on the road; I can post hours to work for my clients. I don’t have to fill up my gas tank as often, nor have the wear and tear on my car. I don’t have to worry about professional appearance, and can work in my jeans and t-shirt everyday. Just the savings alone help offset any start up expenses. I could go on and on, but like you said, that is just my two cents chiming in. I enjoy your blog!
Hey Missy,
Thanks for chiming in. I think you’re preaching to the choir. All the reasons you’ve stated are why most people want to do any type of work at home. That being said you do may a great point that a lot of the savings do offset the costs associated with the Arise home business opportunity or any legitimate business opportunity for that matter. It’s a great observation to point out. So thanks. I’m glad that you’re doing well with the company. It’s always good to hear from all different sides so thanks again for chiming in.
When i first heard of Arise and all the fees i had to pay plus incorporating I ran far away. But recently I ran across a company called Seeing Angels Two By Two. They not only helped me with the fees but they also helped me through the intense process. I absolutely love it now. Oh, and i did not have to incorporate myself with them.
Hi Ed! I want to thank you and everyone else for your feedback to this company. I am having some mixed feelings about it, but it does sound like a possibility for me. I am just not sure if I will qualify. I don’t remember reading the qualifications for these positions. I have been at the same job for nine years, almost ready to retire (oops,lol), and I know that my soc sec will not meet all expenses. I have taken many online courses and I have really enjoyed them (straight A’s), but this seems very different. I viewed the presentation, but it seems kind of vague. What will I learn? How do I make contacts? etc. so I feel a little anxiety about it. Believe me, I would really like to work at home and I take advice, I enjoy your articles. (boy writing articles is something I would like to pursue), but I digress. Thank you again for all your help. Question: Do you have any leads for work at home for those of us I California? It seems like alot of the jobe you post are done in certain states, or even directly on site. I have really envied some of those positions. Anyway, thank you Ed.
Sobi,
You’re quite welcome! In terms of Arise, the best thing to do is address your questions and concerns with their company to them directly. They can help you maunver around this better than I can in respect to their needs and if you qualify.
In terms of writing articles, you might want to look into things like ehow.com, helium.com, Demand Studios, AssociatedContent.com. It’s a good way to get started and maybe eventually you’ll want to start your own blog. We also have writing jobs listed on our jobs page among other types of jobs:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/jobs
By the way we don’t purposely find jobs by states or industry. We basically just list whatever we can find. So with that in mind, as long as you continue to visit the job page regularly and are a subscriber, you’ll always know when we list new jobs. Eventually there will be something of interest in your area. It also never hurts to ask the employer if they can make an exception. Just don’t give up. Stay consistent in terms of looking on this site and other legit resources out there. Job searching is a numbers and time game.
But in the mean time, take advantage of the non-traditional opportunities like the stuff on my recommendations page:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/recommendations there are literally thousands of people that I have referred making money with stuff on that page. There is no reason you can’t assuming you’re open minded and can buy into my multiple streams of little income philosophy. Nothing is stopping you from continuing to search for traditional jobs will making money with non-traditional opportunities. Employ both options to maximize your success. if you do, you’ll see results a lot sooner like many of my loyal subscribers do.
I hope this helps.
Hi everyone, I just completed the Arise ACP 101 course. Now I’m supposed to become incorporated before starting with a company. I have to agree, I don’t like the fees either, but I look at it this way, if I had to leave the house and travel to a job, that takes time out of my day, the money I would spend for the bi-monthly fee is a LOT less than putting gas in the car, I don’t have to invest in business professional clothing and I answer to NO ONE when I want a day off, all I have to do is complete the mininum hours required in the Statement of Work. As a home business, you can write off the expense of your computer, space you use for an office, etc. I”ll admit, I’m aprehensive about this too, but they are legit – as stated before, if you drop out of college, you don’t get a refund, and you have to spend money to make money – its all what you put into it.
Anne,
I like your attitude and totally agree with you! Good luck and keep us posted on how you’re doing with Arise. It already sounds like you have the right mentality for this business which is 90% of the fight.
I think the biggest problem is not really whether it is a scam or not but whether the costs are worth the benefit. When I started out working from home I was leaving a corporate job in the outside world that paid me $25.00/hour. Although I very badly wanted to work from home, I would not have been able to pay my bills had I left my job for something like ARISE. This is the case for most working class people.
As you said in you post, you would not expect to just start a McDonalds without an upfront investment but the returns on the investment are potentially huge. In my opinon there is no real possibilty of a large ROI with Arise.com.
Heather,
Thanks for chiming in. I really appreciate it.
But I have to respectfully disagree on both your points.
1. Most of the complaints that come up regarding this company are the fees and how people assumed that meant it was a scam. The research just shows this time and time again. Judging by the comments, it’s further validated.
2. In terms of the ROI, it really all depends on the individual and their situation, expenses, cost of living, etc. What may not be a large ROI to you may be a huge to someone else. It’s totally subjective. I liken it to some of the non-traditional opportunities I’ve recommended here: http://www.workathomenoscams.com/recommendations Many of them won’t earn you much more than a few dollars on their own. Combined they yield a lot more. For some people the few dollars they earn is a world of difference. For others it’s not “worth their time”. That’s really for the individual person to decide. I’m of the mindset any multiple streams of income coming in that allow me to pay a bill and stay home with my family is great regardless of how little it may be especially if it’s something that isn’t labor intensive and I would be doing anyway for free.
The other thing people need to keep in mind is just because you earned a certain amount offline doesn’t mean you’ll earn the same online for a similar job. That offline job may not be applicable online. Even if it was the whole reason why many companies like the work at home model is they can afford to pay people less and do away with other benefits because most people are extremely happy working at home and will make that trade off. One of the biggest reasons is because that the work at home seeker is also saving on the expenses of commuting, eating outside their home and can tax advantage of the tax breaks of an independent contractor that they could never touch as an employee. So that’s something that needs to be changed in the mindset of people looking for work at home. What you were off offline is very different than what you’re worth to a company online. There are tons of people that will happy take your place for jobs and opportunities that you may feel pay you less than what you made offline.
Ultimately you either realize this and make the adjustment or end up like many work at home seekers who become jaded and bitter that they can’t find legitimate opportunities when in most cases they are right in front of them. But they’re stuck on factors that no longer come into play in this industry. So that’s my two cents. Thanks for chiming in though.
I really love your review! I questioned signing up with them but when i saw all the fee’s that is something I don’t want to deal with! Great review and SO HONEST!!! Love it!
Hello, “E.”,
…..and we have another winner! Great objective review. I had actually perused (very briefly) their Arise.com site a few weeks back, did not make a decision one way or the other i.e., forgot about ’em. You did the usual superb leg work that you do & triggered my failing (lol) memory to go back and give a better “look see”. Kudos…kudos, again.
—>”d.”
Hey DJ,
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed the review. I’m totally there with you about the failing memory. I too suffer from the “mad cow” as I like to call it. lol
I had a great researcher to help me with this review. So I’m glad it’s been such an eye opener for folks like yourself. Thanks for the continued support.
Kelsey,
I’m happy you found the review useful. I know the fees are definitely a turn off for a lot of people but at least you know it’s not for some type of scam. It’s just what’s necessary to run this business which is obviously not for everyone. But it’s the reason we provide so many legit options so that folks can make informed decisions and choose what’s best for them. Some of you will definitely appreciate this Arise business and some won’t. I’m just happy to be able to give people choices that can make without being hoodwinked into it. In any event, thanks for the support.
@Eddy Salomon:
Eddy, I stand corrected. Perhaps I acted in haste regarding your review on Arise. Thanks MJ Kalish for your input, it was well taken.
@Eddy Salomon:
Funny you should mention medical transcriptionist course. I was a medical transcriptionist for 25 years at a hospital who started sending their work overseas. Therefore, out of a job after 25 years of working at home. If anyone is looking into medical transcription, don’t do it. It is cheaper for companies to send the work overseas than it is to keep the work in the USA. Very sad, but VERY TRUE!
I wasn’t aware that Arise.com was a home based business. I’ll blog about this soon and link back to you. Look forward to your upcoming posts 🙂
@Sam Spader:
Sam,
Eddy seems to have done quite a bit of research on this company. Perhaps, you should take a look at the website or their facebook page. Seems to be plenty of agents out there that are working for Arise. I saw an article on the site that mentions their CEO was invited to the President Obama’s Job Summit. Take a look. I also see the New York Times, just this weekend wrote a piece on their CEO. So, WOW, Sam looks like you might owe Eddy an apology..or you can just be lazy and post a few sentences without doing any research.
MJ,
I appreciate the comment and feedback. A lot of times people just scan through the material I’ve written here and obviously miss a lot of the meat during the process. Then they make comments or ask questions that clearly reflect this. Obviously this is yet another example of that. So I’m happy someone else called this person out on it. That being said, it appears that Sam has seen the error of his or her ways and apologized accordingly. So we’re all good. But thanks again MJ for stating some irrefutable facts.
Carla,
Thanks. Hopefully your users will find the information useful. It just goes to show how many people are confused about Arise.com This is probably working against them in terms of perception despite all the accolades and recommendations they have. Hopefully they’re learning a lot from this article and the feedback of users like you.
Krystal,
That sucks to hear how the MT field has changed. I really wish this country would do something where incentives (tax breaks or cost savings) are given to companies to keep a large portion of their jobs here. I understand the business behind the move. I also understand that it’s a global economy now. But now more than ever that seems to mean we as a country don’t produce anything anymore. We just continue to have everything imported from elsewhere. I’m happy that our international brothers and sisters get some work. But I don’t want it to be at the cost of tons of jobs here. There has to be a better balance. It’s stuff like that which makes me so strongly about one having their own home based business so you can’t get laid off or passed over because of cost savings or politics. So it’s speaks to my point about how you don’t want an employer controlling your livelihood. You want to be in control over that. Thanks for sharing Krystal. I’m really sorry to hear how this has impacted you. But view this as a learning experience and a start of something new in your life.
Sam,
Thanks for being the bigger person.
Wow! There are too many variables to contend with regarding this company. It appears that there was not enough initial research regarding this company to even write a report on this business opportunity.
Sam,
Huh?
I looked into a similar company, ContractXchange, which is available to US, Canada, and UK residents. I didn’t get any farther than signing up because my internet connection is too slow for their VOIP (they don’t take satellite/antenna users; it must be at least cable or DSL and those services are simply unavailable where I live), but I know that others have worked for them happily for many years and they are legitimate. Like Arise, you have to pay for your training and are an independent contractor.
I just thought I’d share in case there was a fellow Canadian looking for this type of opportunity.
Thanks for sharing this company with us. Folks have actually mentioned it in some of our other articles as well. Maybe we’ll need to do a review about them.
Hi,
Yes, they have a refund policy, no refunds. That of course would apply when they provide the service they advertise, which they did not. They did not offer me any settlement, they won’t even acknolwedge there is a problem in their responses, execept to tell me my account has been suspended for non-payment. They have an internal grievance process, and the internal grievance process only defers my problem to the same people telling me I owe money. In other words, one big run around.
They are have right, I did choose to withdraw, but only afer the technical difficulty I encountered cut the advertised preparation time in half. Their client qualification courses are very labor intensive from what I can see, and what I have read in the VSC forums. I didn’t want to start out behind the power curve, because I was unable to meet the pre-course requirements. This is not a college course, it is a course that determines whether the client will hire an ACP. A bad showing would result in a wasted investment.
ACP’s are not college students, we are independent sub-contractors. Arise is a business not a college, and they are obligated to meet the same standards they apply to their ACP’s. If they don’t supply the service as advertised, they should not get paid. Every company is a little different, I found out the company I was starting off with was perhaps the hards of all the company’s that Arise sub-contracts out to. Therefore, not having that extra day and a half was very crucial to my success in the qualification process.
Okay so they don’t have a refund policy. So they are in their right not to refund you for the training. That being said if they did cut the time of the pre-qualification because of technical difficulties, I guess the right thing to do would have been to give you the extra time to make it up NOT a refund. If you chose not to follow through with the company after that because it was too much work, then that’s your decision.That being I’m waiting to hear the other side of this story before I jump to conclusions. Hopefully someone on their end will chime in on the situation. But I need more details from both sides.
By the way, training is training regardless of the institution. If I decide to pay for training to become an Medical Transcriptionist with a company that has no refund policy, then realize that this may be too much work for me given the time so I decide to drop out. Then that’s pretty much the end of the story. I can’t really demand anything from that company. Now if I was trying to get to class and wasn’t able to because of something on their end prevented me and still wanted to pursue this, then I would expect the time to be made up in some way. This seems to be the situation in your case if I reading your comment correctly. So let’s see what these guys have to say if they say anything at all.
I believe Arise is a scam. I am an ACP for Arise, but that is where I have stopped. I went through the whole process, and Arise is indeed more of a partnership, and the website is very confusing. I went through the whole process of developing my own LLC, and signed up for a client qualification course.
The problems started with the client qualification course. Some of Arises courses can cost upwards of $200. They advertise a 3 day pre-course period, where they have requirements that have to be met in that 72 hour period. If a person works, and that 3 day period is cut in half, the labor intensive pre-study in preparation for the course can be very intimidating, and it requires major changes in time management for some of us. Arise had technical difficulties and cut the actual time of the pre-study to half of what was advertised, and the pre-study required about a 100 pages of reading and familiarization with websites, so I elected to pass and withdraw myself because Arise did not offer the product they advertised, in the time frame advertised.
This is where Arise and I have parted ways. They refused to refund me for the course, which was only a $100, so I contested it through the bank and got the charge reversed. They have suspended me from further activity over this $100, and refuse to take any sort of responsibility for the problem, and show the issue resolved whenever I enter a complaint in their own system about the fact they did not provide the service as advertised. I did have time to download some of the materials, as they suggest in the pre-course work, that is what fueled my decision to withdraw from the course to begin with, one chapter was 760 pages long, and without the 3 day pre-course advertised there was no way that I could complete labor intensive pre-course study requires that I outlined above, that also included a self-paced online slide show that they call a training program. Arise have also censored my posting in their Forums, which I am entitled to being a company owner. I did not write anything disparaging at all, I simply posted questions to the people at the company.
Wrapping this up, Arise refuses to take ownership of the problem, they rfuse to apply their own Platinum Rule to the people they use as contractors. That rule is to do unto others as they would have you do unto them. With the metric system and scheduling policy, Arise is far more restrictive than the average employer paying people a comparable rate in the retail sector. After meeting Arise requirements of becoming a company, paying their bi-weekly surcharge of approximately $19.99 for the privilege of serving one of their clients at somewhere between $10 and $15 an hour, and paying the maintenance for equipment, a person would be better off getting a minimum wage job in the retail industry.
Bill,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I’ll be honest nothing you said made much sense to me. lol But it’s probably because I’m not an ACP and don’t understand all that jargon used by Arise. That being said, I’m curious. Does Arise.com have a refund policy on their courses? I know in a college I can’t get a refund on a course and many training courses don’t provide this because they have provided you the information, then it’s up to you to make use of it. Was there something you read on the site that claims that they will refund you for courses or some of the other fees? Because if not, then they’re in the right. So if you can provide a link to where they discuss a refund policy, that would be useful.
The other claims you’re making I can’t really speak on because I don’t understand most of them. lol But I’m sure someone from Arise will be happy to chime in to give their side of the story. It’s always good to hear both sides of the coin, so I appreciate your feedback especially because you expressed in a professional and respectful manner. It would suck if you were being censored.
Thanks.
Thank you. Eddy. I was convinced that Arise.com was a scam and I wondered why it was still on your webpage. It certainly makes sense the way you explain that it is a home business. Your objection that the proprietors do not make their intentions clear is right on target. Also, I cannot understand why they have such restricted choices in Windows versions, browsers and antivirus systems.
As for me, if I have to go to all the trouble of setting up a home office, open a separate bank account, hire a tax expert, sell my services to an outside company, and then be available for a fixed number of hours on fixed days, well, that looks like a job, not a business. I guess I just don’t thrive on so much structure.
Again, thanks for the clarification. Your posts are really important to me.
Hey Eunice,
Wow, I’m happy I wrote the review then! Apparently your feelings are common when people run into this company. So I’m hoping that my article will clear a lot of the confusions and misguided assumptions about them. They just need to do a better job of explaining how they work in plain english. They make it more complicated than it has to be. As a matter of fact they should hire me to reword their site or create a walk through video for them like I’ve done with so many other companies I’ve reviewed. Because apparently some of you think I did a better job of explaining their opportunity. lol
In any event, its definitely not for everyone and it’s good you recognize that for yourself and situation. I agree about there being a lot of structure. I think it turned me off initially a few years back when I was considering working for this company. But ironically for my own business I eventually ended up having to do most of the stuff they required and it was a necessary “evil” to run my business. Now I’m happy that I did. But I still don’t like the idea of having to set aside hours. I would prefer to just login whenever I feel like or can. But I know I’m spoiled because of the nature of my current business. Most businesses do have set store hours so it does make sense they have that similar structure. I just know like you, it’s not my thing. But I think for the right people this can be a great business.
correction: THEIR website is not nearly as straight forward as your review…
THANK YOU VERY MUCH EDDY!!! I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU and the info you have given us on Arise. I will save your review and refer to it. I have worked as a customer service representative and was a recipient of multiple service awards. The company I worked for moved out of state I did not want to go with them so that left me with no job. I’ve been thinking of working as a CSR (customer service rep) at home for a while now. I looked at Arise but have an imac and right now money is a REAL issue so I can’t go right out and buy a computer. Also, when I did look at Arise, I hadn’t considered the justifications of spending the money to get started. Eddy you did a real good job of spelling that out for us and also making it clear on what it would entail to work for Arise. There website is not nearly as straight forward as your review. Thanks again and God bless you and your family. Again, Eddy you are right on spot. Keep up the good work. Ride on Eddy Salomon!!!
Hi Teena,
You’re quite welcome. I’m glad you liked the review. I wish this was available to us Mac users. So hopefully that will change in the near future since Macs are gaining ground in the average customer’s home. I totally hear you about justifying the expenses involved. I just think people didn’t realize it was a home business not a job and as such there are expenses involved like any business. I’m happy this review has given you a different perspective. Arise does make it sort of difficult to understand. I tried writing this review many times over the last couple of months. Fortunately I have a great research assistant that helped me with this. Otherwise I would still be struggling to explain all this in English. lol Take care.
I personally just wnt through the Arise Admissions process and I am done, just waiting on my client training to start. The startup expenses suck especially if you already have a very limited income, but in truth the startup expenses are far less than what it normally costs to start up a business. My expenses were a little more than most because I had to get a new computer, mine was so old that it couldn’t even be upgraded to the current technological requirements. Anyways my expenses were, background check 13.00, ACP class 99, Incorporating my LLC, 300.00, and my training class 140.00, Yes it sounds like allot, but again if I were starting a business all on my own then I would have spent allot more and I wouldn’t have the help of arise to contract clients for me or give me technical support. They have taken the headache out of owning your own business, so I am very happy with the costs.