Today's Adventure in the Biz Opp Jungle:
'In which Charlie feels sick when reading another work at
home offer on a Monday... exposes the real trick behind
these companies... and gives 5 vital guidelines to protect
you from scamsters.'
Hi,
It was a friend's birthday on Saturday...
Pub, food, booze, back to mine, music, booze, laughter,
bad dancing, sleep, hangover, cheese, sleep.
Last weekend, in a nutshell.
(Odd thought: imaging spending your weekend in a
nutshell. Actually, physically, INSIDE a nutshell.)
Yes, I'm too old for all these shenanigans. Which was why
I still felt groggy and foul on Monday when I turned on my
computer to read my emails.
Whatever my mood, I like to know what you and your
fellow readers have been up to after a weekend in the biz
opp jungle.
As it turned out, the American "work at home" gang have
been emailing the UK again.
And I'll tell you what...
****************************
NEVER buy this on a Monday
****************************
With a hangover, the bad smell of another shady "work at
home" offer made me feel sick.
Definitely not one to buy, or even look at, on the Monday
after a good weekend.
Or any other day of the week, for that matter.
The one that I looked at, hazily, on Monday was called
Date Entry Business.com. (If you decide to go and look it
up, please don't buy it. Read the rest of this email first)
The blurb is typical of these opportunities. It reads:
"Would you like to earn an extra $200 every day for 45
minutes work? You could quit your job and make double
the money at home working for yourself. Companies are
currently looking for data entry workers worldwide to enter
data online. Rates of pay are excellent from $200 a day
and up."
Sounds good, doesn't it?
They also say:
"This is not some get-rich-quick scheme, and we can
guarantee an income of $200 a day or your money back!"
Even better!
******************
So what's the catch?
******************
Behind this big bulky doorstep of a promise... there's not
one catch, but a bunch of catches.
A gaggle of catches. A flock of catches. Or even a
parliament of catches.
Whatever the collective noun is for catch.
And here they are:
CATCH #1: When you send off your money, you'll get a
CD ROM or download with basic information on running a
business and a list of 500 business names around the US.
You then have to go to them for the 'work'.
CATCH #2: Lots of these won't still be in business. Most
pay an amount per entry, which works out to only about $2
per hour.
CATCH #3: You aren't even doing pure data entry. You
are actually entering adverts for affiliate products. These
end up on Google search engine results pages. You make
money on a commission basis. If your ads don't work, you
don't earn. Don't expect a lot of amazing expertise that will
help you become a super earning affiliate.
CATCH #4: Worse still, you will end up advertise dodgy
"work from home" schemes like the one you just bought!
You will become one more link in a chain of
disappointment.
CATCH #5: They give you only an email address to write
to with questions, complaints, or massive swear words in
bold capital letters when it all goes wrong. No landline or
address. A bit worrying. Means if you don't get what you're
promise, you're not likely to be able to complain or get that
money back.
CATCH #6: This being a USA opp (as most of these are)
you won't get the legal protection from a scheme in the
UK. Or be able to complain through any reliable channels.
For my money, that's too many catches.
If it were a film it would be called A Catch Too Far....
A Bridge Over the River Catch... Catcher in the Rye...
Catchablanca... Citizen Catch... Catching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon... 2001: A Space Catch.... Butch Catchidy and the
Sundance Kid.
If it were a pop group it would be called Catchagoogoo. Or
perhaps Johnny Catch.
Or something like that.
I'll stop now.
*********************************
Five tips to follow when considering
a 'work from home' offer
*********************************
Not ALL work at home offers of this type are dodgy. It's
just that I'm yet to hear of one from my army of seekers
and contacts.
Most genuine offers of work at home will involve you
applying for free and being contracted to do a certain
amount of work for pay.
But perhaps you've had a different experience?
If you've tried a work at home opportunity and it's made
you money, then let me know. Write your tale of success
to:
Charlie@bizoppjungle.com
In the meantime, if you're considering trying one, please
follow these tips:
*** Check there's a landline phone number, not a mobile.
Get an address, a proper street address, not a P.O. Box
address.
*** Never send money without asking the company for
specific details of what they're offering. If it's along the
lines of what I've described above, then forget about it. If
it's a genuine way to work and make money for the time
you put in (NOT commission for entering ads) then maybe
consider it.
*** Avoid stuffing envelopes. You pay a registration fee in
return for advice on how lure other people into the same
fake opportunity.
*** Avoid home working directories. They promise you a
variety of home work opportunities for a fee of up to £25.
But you only get a directory of other companies who have
their own registration fees.
*** Home assembly kits. You get a kit for making stuff like
from baby boots and toys. They say they'll pay you for your
goods but will either reject it because of poor quality (not
your fault, as the kits are rubbish) or they'll tell you to sell
the goods yourself. You won't be able to do this, because
there will be no market for it.
Better still, go for a decent armchair business that has
already been investigate and checked out.
Go and browse the left hand column here:
www.bizoppjungle.com
In each case you'll know exactly what you're getting into,
and know you're protected by a money back guarantee.
******************************************
Choose something that's tried and tested!
******************************************
If you want to do something from home on a computer that
earns you spare cash at the weekend, you can order
something that REALLY WORKS instead.
There are opportunities in Amazon books, Ebay selling,
Import and Export, digital cameras, or even email cash
generating ideas like this:
http://tinyurl.com/yvwh5f
These earn nice little trickles of cash from a few hours
work a week. They are proper home businesses that you
can grow and adapt yourself.
Take it from a ragged old trooper who still thinks he can
keep going til all hours of Sunday morning.
Later Alligator
Charlie Wright
The Biz Opp Jungle