GeeksOnTime…again

OK, I swear, at some point in time, I’m going to get off of this GeeksOnTime kick, and write about something else.

That point in time has NOT come today. I have tried and tried to get some kind of answer from these people. Daniel Matalon and Venus McNabb are still ignoring me. And, I have followed all the “instructions”  that they theoretically posted on ripoffreport.com. I know from previous experience who you should email & call there, and that the info in their rebuttals technically is correct, but it doesn’t seem to matter. They have the art of ignoring everybody perfected, though.

If you check out the Google Group, there’s a post about “Life after GeeksOnTime.”  Ideally, I would actually have a complete resources page that includes postings for many other contract jobs and companies that hire subs.  I’m going to go ahead and post one over the next few days since it is already on my to-do list. I want to make sure everybody knows, though, to post feedback! Seriously, if you guys are out there working for any of these companies, and getting paid on time, treated well, etc, post it! I’m hearing more and more now about GeeksOnTime not paying techs, and not answering calls, and not answering their emails. This is an award winning company, that has been in business for years and was featured in the media for being so innovative and customer service oriented.

I can’t imagine that these former winners of the Stevie Award, with such good media (ummm, in the past, that seems to be rapidly changing now) , could be in the running with good customer sevice any more. I know I would never call a company that can’t pay or keep techs. The techs that have managed to get paid say it is taking too long, and they are having to nag GeeksOnTime repeatedly to be paid. So, they are now turning down service calls. Some have had to threaten legal action. Some have started it. So, who is doing the service calls now? If GeeksOnTime is running out of people to do their calls, they can’t have happy customers.And, those customers wouldn’t be thrilled to know that the guy who is saving their computer is working so hard  for free…especially when they are paying him around $100 an hour to be there.

So, now all of us who were not paid have to make up for these losses. Regardless of how much money you are owed, if you haven’t been paid, you lost some money. So, what are you doing now? Are you subbing for another company, with better results? Are you striking out on your own? Taking on temp work? I think we’re all curious, and I know I took a MAJOR financial loss putting in hours for these people.

Anyway, here’s some ideas for starters:

• Check out Robert Half Technology. They usually have some kind of contract work available. It may mean you have to go work 9 to 5 for a few weeks, but, they pay on time, the office here was easy to work with, and if you are looking for full time work, your contract may turn into an employment opportunity.
• Dice.com – Lots of jobs here, that are legitimate contract jobs, as well as full time listings. They try to focus on technical jobs.
• There’s always the old standby, Monster.com. Enuff said.
• Geekteks.com – Apparently, these guys get a lot of web site traffic. I haven’t done any work for them, but post a comment if you have.
• PlumChoice – Again, I haven’t worked for them, but post a comment if you have.
• Read the discussion at the Google Group, these guys have some great ideas.
• The BEST way to find work is to nag everybody you know and get the inside scoop on job openings or new contracts.

Well, I’ll post more on a page later, or else this posting will be way too long. In the meantime, though, think about ordering some biz cards and fliers from someplace like 48hourprint.com or Vistaprint.com. Leave them EVERYWHERE! I have had some success running ads in small local papers. I’m talking about the ones where they kind of target a certain suburb, or a certain part of town. They were much less expensive and more effective than placing ads in the big papers in the area.

And, I am sure I will have even more ideas ,but we want to keep this short for now.