Have you ever had a poor telephone customer service experience? I don't even need to wait for an answer. I'm sure you have. You know how it is, you're trying to get help with a problem and a company makes you jump through hoops via their automated “customer service” options first. Then you finally get to a customer service rep and either you can't understand them or you happen to catch a rep that thinks her job is to give you attitude. We've all been there. Well services like Ver-a-fast help companies improve their customer service using home based workers. So read this Ver-A-Fast Review and see how poor customer service can make you money!
Who is Ver-A-Fast ( Verafast.com ) ?
Ver-a-fast is one of the largest verification companies in the United States. They specialize in helping companies improve customer service, acquisition and retention. They have been around since 1976. Most of their work deals with the newspaper industry but they also work with financial, banking, directory and retail organizations.
What's the Ver-A-Fast Work At Home Job Opportunity?
There are several ways that Ver-a-fast uses at home workers. One type of position consists of workers calling existing newspaper clients and asking them about their customer service experience with a given newspaper. Other opportunities may include outbound sales calls. So it can vary and you'll get a better sense of what you may be tasked to do when you sign up.
What is required to work with Ver-A-Fast?
The following are some obvious things they are looking for. Sorry about the “duh” moments you'll have as you read through them:
- Must be a self-starter with good communication skills.
- Must be well-disciplined and able to work on your own.
- Must be dependable and organized.
- Must have an email address. (Really?)
- Basic typing and personal computer skills are required.
- Must have a quiet work area without interruptions.
Other requirements that aren't as obvious are as follows:
- Must be able to commit to working 16 or more flexible hours per week, mostly evenings and weekends.
- A Pentium Class 4 or better PC running running Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8? (no Macintosh! Haters. LOL)
- Broadband internet connection using DSL or Cable. (no Satellite)
- A printer.
- A landline phone, or a cellphone with unlimited minutes, or a VoIP connection. (* No “Magic jack” or any similar device though!)
- A social security card and current state issued photo ID.
It's pretty standard stuff.
How Much Do I Get Paid & When?
Yeah about that… they don't really discuss this on their website. From what I've read online folks have been told to expect anywhere from $150-$200 for a 15 hour work week. Payments are made by check.
How Do I Sign Up?
From what I understand Ver-a-Fast doesn't require any start up fees. So if you're interested in signing up to work for this company, click here.
What I Like About Ver-A-Fast?
Basic skills required.
Most customer service based work at home jobs require some experience in customer service. So it may exclude a lot of folks which is good or bad depending on who's on the other side of that phone call. But Ver-A-Fast seems to let newbies get their feet wet.
No Fees.
A lot of the great customer service options out there require some investment because you're considered more of a business rather than an employee. The fees may not be practical for someone that doesn't have money in the first place. With Ver-A-Fast you won't need to invest in anything assuming you already have the computer and phone equipment requested. However I could be wrong about this.
Positive BBB Rating
Ya'll already know that I don't rely on BBB ratings for the reason listed here. As always they should be one touch point in your research. I prefer following the steps in my scam video to research companies. But to each their own. Some of you think a positive BBB rating is like an endorsement from Jesus. So for those folks, you'll be happy to know that they have a positive BBB rating!
Ver-A-Fast Complaints
Here's the thing, every company legitimate or not will have complaints. The fact is you're not going to please everyone. So you have to keep that in mind. A few complaints doesn't necessarily mean a company is scam. However some complaints just may rub you the wrong way and you need to know them so you don't end up wasting your time with a company. So with that in mind, here's some of the complaints I have uncovered.
Inconsistent Payment Schedule
Apparently folks complain that Ver-a-fast pays you at random times. If you need to have your paycheck the following week you may not get it. There are even some people that have complained about not getting paid at all (allegedly). That's a scary prospect if you're depending on this money. It doesn't seem to be the norm but you don't want to hear a lot of complaints about not getting paid.
Rude Customers
Some people have complained that when you're calling customers to check on their experience with the newspaper many of these folks are rude or angry. So if you don't have a thick skin, this may be a major turn off. I'm way too sensitive to deal with people hanging up which is probably why I've never done any telephone based work. But if you're a customer service pro, this may be a non issue for you.
Check Payment Only
This drives me crazy. It's 2014, why wouldn't you offer direct deposit or PayPal at the very least? Waiting for check to be mailed and then waiting for it to be cleared in your account is like watching paint dry. It's unnecessary when there are other faster options. Companies need to just cough up the money and time to do it!
Low Pay
I always find it suspect when companies don't list their pay rates even if it's a range. With Ver-a-fast, I can see why. Apparently many have shared that you won't make anywhere near the $150-$200 per week unless you're hitting a ridiculous number of calls per week. Some have even argued that the pay rate is actually below minimum wage when you really calculate it. Usually call center opportunities are one of the few high paying work at home opportunities. So it's very troubling to hear that this isn't the case with Ver-a-fast.
You can read more complaints about this company on the following websites: Glassdoor.com, RipOffReport.com
So Is Ver-A-Fast.com Customer Service Opportunity Legit?
Many of the complaints I saw were from a few years ago. So a lot can change during that time for better or worse. I'm accustomed to dealing and reading some complaints. That's not a big deal to me. But when I see too many of the same complaints about not getting paid, that's going to “make me feel some type of ways” as we say in the hood. LOL
With that said, it's hard for me to recommend this opportunity in good conscious. There are other established and great customer service related opportunities out there. Want to see some of my top picks?
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So with that all said, I would probably pass on this company for now. If you have worked for this company or considered them, please chime in below and share your experience. A lot may have changed and I would love to hear from people that have had positive and negative experiences.
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In any event, thanks for reading guys. Speak to you soon!
Eddy with a Y! (How hard is it to remember? LOL)
I have been offered a job by them. They said $10 an hour and I could work whenever I wanted as long as it was at least 10 hours a week. Loved the flexibility so said ok. But now find out it’s not by the hour. It’s for time spent on calls.. So they add up the amount of time actually on calls and pay $10 an hour for that. I think. But I don’t know if that means I don’t get paid if there is no answer or get an answering machine or someone hangs up or its a wrong number. I guess I don’t get paid for dialing time or time between calls or other typical office stuff. Told me I have to clock out to go to the bathroom. When I asked for details in writing, they said they had told me so no need for writing. Can anyone tell me if this is all correct? Sounds almost like someone is standing over employees with a whip.
Hello. I worked for them. Its not a scam. They pay but you have to work a lot of hours to make money. They pay by checks. It’s an easy job. You have to learn the system.
Hey Ebony,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience regarding this company. It sucks that they still pay via checks. Can you give us a range of how much you are paid per hour? They seem to be secretive about this.
I am currently working for them. Started back in Feb2016. So far the pay checks have been coming in on time on a Monday. The position is ok, but at times it can be boring waiting for a call to come in, listening to answering machines all day or just dealing with extremely rude customers. The worst is that you are repeating the script over, and over and over and over…. You are only paid for who you talk to whether they take the product or not. You earn money by the credits you earn for each call not for how many hours you are on the phone. The credits are multiplied by a few cents that that is how your money is calculated. So the more people you talk to the more credits and the bigger your check. No, my first check was not $150. It was almost $120. So obviously the more hours you are on the phone the more credits you could potentially earn. The minimum hours is 16 per week.
Janet, thanks for sharing your experience. I think its very insightful!
I live in the same area as this company, and I wanted to mention that they also do allow workers to come to their office to work part time if the home equipment isn’t up to par or you don’t have a sound-proof area to work in.
Hey Shannon, Thanks for mentioning that. I guess that is a pro. But i’m sure most people here want to avoid leaving their homes to work if they can.
Have you worked with this company? What’s been your experience?
No, I haven’t had a chance to work for them. My kids make it difficult to do any kind of phone work and my schedule prohibits me from taking advantage of their offer to work in house. I pass the sign often when I’m going shopping by that area, so I figured I’d mention that they do have a brick and mortar business. 🙂
Thanks again Shannon, I can understand your reasons. The kids seem to be a factor that stops a lot of folks from pursuing telephone based work at home jobs.
Thanks for chiming in!
Eddy