Posted by Patsy Cabiness on 10/31/10 4:43pm
Msg #359052

Inspections for the credit card companies?

Does anyone here do these and are they profitable for you? Was called twice to do them but they were extremely low pay and I turned them down thinking that is too little money for 2 hours of my time.

Reply by desktopfull on 10/31/10 4:44pm
Msg #359054

This is a new one for me, guess it's the new email blast

going out.

Reply by Erwin/CA on 10/31/10 5:26pm
Msg #359058

I have done several for NCCI to check on companies who wanted to be able to accept credit cards. I finally told them to stop calling me. Maximum they would pay was 35 dollars and usually offered only 25 dollars. You had to download and print out a 4 to 5 page questionaire, go to the business and answer the questions on the questionaire, take digital photos and then go back home and answer the questionaire online and upload the requested pictures. I found that I was spending about 3 hours on each inspection and wouldn't do them for that small a sum.
Erwin

Reply by Patsy Cabiness on 10/31/10 5:31pm
Msg #359059

Yeah, a company called Metro Inspections called me out of Dallas TX. They said a one page doc but I had to take pictures of the business 2-3, send them along with the one pager. Had to make an appointment with the contact for the business.

Also offered only $ 25.00 & $ 30.00 dollars. To me that works out to be minimum wage for 2 hours after costs deducted. Said no.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 10/31/10 5:59pm
Msg #359061

To my mind, $$ in my pocket for an hour's worth of work

is more $$ than I had an hour ago.

Easy peasy, zip zap. Answered the questions - a one pager - snapped some pix, and met great folks.

You know what? Reading all of this bruhaha about measley buck$ just kind of gets to me. Here some are, turning down good honest money because it's not $$$ - when it's made in what amounts to off-hours, is just - geez, I don't know - silly.

It helps my bottom line, it helps my local businesses, it helps keep me busy, and it helps local (and visiting) shoppers. $35 smackers in my pocket, more business for my community...It's just gravy without the lumps.

What's not to love?

(I can't imagine these taking 2-3 hours to do, but that's just me.)

jmho.

Reply by Patsy Cabiness on 11/1/10 7:18am
Msg #359122

Re: To my mind, $$ in my pocket for an hour's worth of work

I'm too busy with what little time I have open to take a job paying $ 25.00 when I would have to turn down a $ 125.00 job.

It is all about the bucks!

Reply by Susan Fischer on 11/1/10 12:35pm
Msg #359199

As I said, these little jobs don't take up any time that

otherwise would be productive.

We all have our business models, and if I can make a few bucks for little time, I do.

Reply by C. Rivera Chicago Notary Services on 11/1/10 4:01pm
Msg #359237

Susan, you would then travel say 20 miles for like $35?

Or, and I dare ask, just how far would you travel for the few bucks?

Reply by Susan Fischer on 11/1/10 4:02pm
Msg #359239

No. Local zip only. n/m

Reply by Lee/AR on 10/31/10 6:58pm
Msg #359069

I've negotiated $50...ymmv...and most of the questions are quick answers. Yes, you do print about 5 legal pages of questions....which sounds worse than it is. Usually 3 sheets on both sides because you don't return it. I take a lot of duplicate pics, but only send maybe 5. If you keep them nearby, it isn't real bad $wise. You generally get to set the time & day---usually a 3 day window--and it is kinda fun in that you aren't 'at the table' for an hour. 15 - 20 minutes on site and online 'fill in the answers'. I figure 1 1/2 hrs. total time, including travel. I find the online answering to be the most time-consuming, but that's mostly due to my lack of experience with the format.

Reply by Claudine Osborne on 10/31/10 7:29pm
Msg #359072

I agree with Susan and Lee. These are a piece of cake! I do them when I am not busy closing. They are easy and its a nice change from closings..And I can schedule them around running errands!

Gee $35-50 for 1.5 hrs work is more than minimum wage! Easy money!

Reply by ajd/pa on 10/31/10 7:47pm
Msg #359081

I have done the inspections for both NCCI and Metro and I say, send me more! As long as they are not too far away, they are fine. I have also negotiated a higher fee if they want me to travel a little farther, although the farthest I will go for these is about 25 minutes. All you do is talk to someone at the location, take your pics, then go home and enter the data into the system (for NCCI) or fax the questionare (Metro). Not much to it and I usually managed to get something else done on the way back. I havent' done one in a while for either company, but unless it is too far or I have a comitment that they can't work around, I usually don't turn these down. Sometimes they are fun and interesting and a good way to meet local business people.

Reply by Lee/AR on 11/1/10 2:46am
Msg #359107

Just curious.... anybody have any volume with these?

I sure don't. They used to call with anything within 50 miles (but won't pay for that here) but even extending the distance, still no volume. Tho' when negotiating fee, they (where have I heard this before?) 'talked' about volume.

Reply by C. Rivera Chicago Notary Services on 11/1/10 4:35am
Msg #359116

Patsy, I have been called several times, but they refuse

to pay me my fee which is $XXX base fee, then fees get added to this. Fees include my total time for the job, expenses: gas, tolls, parking fees (we have stupid high $1.00 for .15 min parking boxes here in chi-town) print, fax or any courier fees.

Anything less than my minimum, especially for a 2 hour drive, I simply can not do and expect to make any money/profit!

I can't fathom how some can do the above job and others similar, who live in rural or desert type areas, for less than $XXX, totally boggles the mind!

But I agree, they offer ridiculously low fees!

Reply by CF on 11/1/10 6:44am
Msg #359120

Have a very small service area and piggy back them with loan

signings and you will be profitable. I only accept them for my home town. I can do them on my way to pick my son up from school or on the way to the grocery store. The home "door knocks" are good b/c those take about 5 minutes and then about 15 to upload the information. I get $30-$50 for these.

Honestly, when the market tanked I was doing a lot of these to keep my income up.

Reply by Patsy Cabiness on 11/1/10 7:30am
Msg #359124

Thank you everyone for your responses, both negative and positive. I learned much!

To answer the question of the time, I live in a rural area where I have to figure in the amount of drive time which is a factor in the closings that I do. Don't I wish it was only an hour or 1/2 an hour. That would be a different story.

When you figure up all the factors that affect our bottom line, then paper, ink, drive time, etc become more important!

It is like "can I do 2 closings in a day if I go from one end of the county to the other or 3 closings all listed close to each other?"

It is about the Benjamins to quote a movie!

Reply by Lee/AR on 11/1/10 9:58am
Msg #359154

Exactly right, Patsy. One size does not fit all. n/m