Beware of Stuffing Envelopes
When I was 13 I was already pretty sick. I couldn’t go to school regularly, my future seemed in jeopardy. There had to be something I could do. So I sent in $30 in answer to a newspaper ad looking for people to stuff envelopes. I had it all worked out, I would sit in a comfy chair & earn $2 per envelope & all the medical bills etc. would be taken care of. I was detailed enough to get a sponge so I wouldn’t damage my mouth. At the very least, there was a money back guarantee, surely my birthday money was safe. I eagerly awaited for the big box, supplies were included, after all. Then one day I heard Sara this is for you. It was a thin envelope. I was expecting the letter to say that the big box was on its way. I was not expecting the reply of “Get other people to send us money, we will give you $2 for every envelope that someone else has put $30 in. If you want your money back, you have to try this for 90 days”. It seems like an amateur mistake on my part now. I just had a healthy, college educated, 25 year old friend, who was ready to quit her job to do this same thing though. I told her my experience. I told her the FTC’s stand on this issue. She scoffed at me because of the money back guarantee. Plus I have never worked for that particular company. The fliers are still around town. However, I learned an invaluable lesson from my mocking brother. “Why would they pay you $100 an hour for something they could get a machine, or pay someone $5 an hour in a small room to do & not have to pay postage?” This has been true of so many online work from home opportunities. I tell if something is a scam by asking, could someone else be doing this for a lot cheaper? Would I be making more than a doctor? Sad but true, there aren’t companies praying every night for someone to come of age to finally get those envelopes stuffed.
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:33 am
Lesson learned, that’s for sure. My mother always told two things. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” and “There’s no free lunch.”
Deb
November 14th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
[...] Sarakastic presents Beware of Stuffing Envelopes posted at Fibromyalgia Experiment [...]
January 30th, 2010 at 3:31 am
That is true. There is no such thing as getting paid for every envelopes you stuffed. Its just a scheme to recruit people to send the initial payments.