Complaint Review: Nerds On Site

I have been with Nerds On site for almost 4 years. I came in when the price of admission was higher than it is today and I was happy to buy in.  I was the first Nerd to open in my area and now we have two more Nerds here.  I have been successful, using the advice provided to me by Nerds On site.  I have taken advantage of the training within the company as well as Attended and Graduated from Dale Carnegie paid for by NOS.  Most of the people that are in Nerds On Site are great technicians and get what they put in to it.  Operating your own business is difficult, takes time, and there is no grantee that you will succeed. Nerds On Site give you help and advice as well as infrastructure, if you squander that opportunity then you will not be successful.  I can't speak for the other folks that are disgruntled here but whenever I have contacted the three founders I have found them to be very responsive.  The current pricing model as well is a result of the Nerds On the street and their input.  I challenge any one to find a franchise that will let you sit on your can and rake in money with no effort. There is no free lunch when it comes to being self employed with either a franchise or on your own, and you get what you put in.  If you want to be part of a team and have great advice give NOS a try.  If you want to cry and complain about expending some effort in getting YOUR business going then Nerds On Site is NOT for you. 

I would like to give my 2 cents about Nerds On Site. When I first started, I knew little about running a business and this work would be my first experience in the computer service industry. I didn't go to school for marketing, and in the process of completing my MCSE certification. So I decided to give Nerds On Site a moment of my attention at one of these recruiting seminars. I clearly understood of the fees involved and what tool I needed to run my own business. They used catchy phrases to lure unsuspecting prospects like "You are in the business for yourself, but not by yourself" meaning that they utilize a back end website that you are able to bounce technical questions to nerds world wide. However in many cases when I used this process I rarely got an answer right away. When I did get an answer it would usually be hours or sometimes days later from the time I initially posted my question or left the premises. That is unacceptable! Another problem with that was very-very rarely had any of the replies come from the 3 co-founders ( Dave, Blair, or John) and they are the ones who boasted about how well this process works. Previous rebuttals to this thread was correct in saying that they wanted you to do (another catchy phrase) "Gold Calling" which was actually cold calling businesses and "free advertising" without any reimbursement from Nerds on Site. So you are driving around burning gasoline trying to land business on your own time and dime. They make it clear that they are not in the residential service market but they do not ignore any calls that may come into the call center but they claim it would halt me from getting a real source of income, meaning income from businesses. Time spend on short term cleanups and break/fixes would be better spent (catch phrase) "planting seeds". They call prospective calls "seeds" I suppose what they meant by this is "starve today and you MIGHT feast tomorrow" What is not specified in these recruit meetings is exactly the amount Nerds on Site's percentage of their cut they will commit to "seed planters" and forming relationships that will pay off bigger in the long term? The answer is 0% What portion of the corporate revenue stream will supplement those not bringing in income during this farming scheme? Again the answer is 0% How much will Nerds on Site invest in new Nerds (the farmers) today for a more bountiful tomorrow?? (Sticking with their whole seed planting theme) Answer 0%

They insist you join a local chamber of commerce, which is not a bad idea and they will pay half the membership fee for the first year. As mentioned earlier in this rebuttal was about the time spend on break/fix, cleanups, and blue screen where "eventually" you might land an opprotunity to bid on a big job. What you will need to figure out is what this is going to cost you in the short term. While you are out "opprotunity shopping" This will take gasoline and time away from the family. At the end of the day you will not have earned a single penny. Now you have to draw up a (catch phrase) Nerdcare (**maintanence) agreement, square things away, and hope you low balled .... all this and you have yet to earn one penny. Let's face it, time sitting through chamber meetings is a job for a company representative who can dedicate his time because he has a salary and works on commission. Not a service representative who relies on the cash he or she earns from week to week. I was also told time spent replacing a $10 keyboard could be better spent marketing at your local train station standing outside your (catch phrase) Nerdmobile (**branded VW beetle) saying hello to passer-byers as they wait for the train to go to work, and it may not cost any gas money. But, take into account that an opprotunity for a bid may be with your local village which will require far more trips to and from with no guarantee that you will even land a bid or in the end see one dollar. Yes, you the nerd will be giving up short term income while you are trying to build a business for yourself. It is a gamble. But so is starting your own business with Nerds On Site. They ask you to sacrifice with very little help from Nerds On Site. They choose to invest less with their hand out expecting more from you. Quite Pompus!

Finally as mentioned in a previous post about the 3 strikes rule. All you need to do is complain or suggest something that they will not agree with you upon and your service account with them will be terminated. And their answer will be "Nerds On Site isn't for everybody

I have been a nerd for 2 years now. It was the best decision I ever made. This is why:

1. I don't have to deal with administrative headaches. I do my own bookkeeping so I can process my sales tax and do my taxes at the end of the year and thats it. Nerds takes all the payments, they process the credit cards, the do the collections on people who scam US.

2. I use Nerds On Site credit DAILY. I purchase enough inventory for my needs on a week by week basis on THEIR DIME. If I don't sell it.. I get billed for it.. So.. I don't go out and try to stock my bug like its a full service computer store. I keep a modest list of things I can sell on a weekly basis and replenish when needed. If I need something, its a quick phonecall away and I can have it drop shipped to the client if need be for a reasonable flat fee.

3. I don't have to advertise. If I want to build my business up and work a lot I can become a member of the Chamber or go to another business building group and Nerds will pay half of the fee (THEIR HALF) 99% of the time.

4. Where else can you essentially buy a franchise to any business for $3500 plus the cost of a Beetle? Over and above that I spent maybe another $100 for more shirts and another $200 for some inventory. I need a car anyway.. why not make it a beetle? Its a great little car.

Yes, I have to buy my uniform, $35 for a shirt isn't bad. When I worked at Pizza Hut when I was 14 years old I had to buy my uniform too.

Its my uniform! I don't even understand why this is a complaint!

5. Where else can you build a business with an already established BRAND that is very focussed on becoming a world wide established brand?

Thus giving you a name to work under.

Some of the complaints I hear is that you only get 50% of the call.

Well yes.. thats true (to start). The more revenue you bring in, the higher your percentage. Personally.. I make about $32000 a year with Nerds. I don't see me going anywhere but up in my income with this company.

Finally.. the biggest thing for me is simply the fact that for the most part.. I am not hindered by a boss. My destiny within this company is my own and if I decide to not work for a day. I can. If I decide to work a 12 hour day.. I can. If I choose to work 2 hours a day... I can.

This type of lifestyle is not for everyone.. if I wasn't capable of getting up in the morning and being at a clients or watching for work coming my way I would not be making $32k a year.

And trust me.. I am on the bottom of the pay scale. We have guys making well over $100k a year because they like to work a lot harder then I do.

Nerds is no different then any other business. You have to work for your income.. you have to network... you have to TRY. If you don't.. you will fail. Just like any other business. But at least its not a 'JOB'.

The people who complain about the way this company works don't understand how to run a business. Yes.. you should never pay to have a Job.. but this is NOT a job... it is a business.

And finally... Nerds On Site is what you make of it.  Don't expect to make a dime unless you are willing to work at it.

It's funny that the turds don't do in-depth testing of applicants to verify their technical and customer service backgrounds. Getting their $2000 'fee' is what drives this scam. That's pure gravy. They'll take as many 'fees' as they can get their hands on with no concern for market saturation or applicant quality. Ask them to define what constitutes a 'strike' and you get smoke-screened double-talk. Do the turds even do background checks on applicants? Hell no, since they're independent contractors. Invite them into you home at your own peril. Basically, the only obligation the turds have is to collect the $2000 fee from IT wannabees.

Well I didn't know about the 3 strikes rule but I found out about it eventually. Charlie Regan (CEO) even said to me this is your third strike during one of my last conversations with them. Their head recruiter (and oldest Nerd) Blair De Abreu is a huge baseball fan so 3 strikes makes sense.

I did have a few minor incidents with them as an employee, franchisee, independent contractor or whatever you want to call me.

I had a client who wanted me to restore lost data for free because they were using the Nerds Backup by Data Deposit Box and were paying $2 per month for the serivce. I told them I would not do the work for free. She called and complained. STRIKE 1.

I had another home user call me on my cell phone on a Sunday and rudely demand help. I told them that I was with family and their home computer problems could wait until Monday. STRIKE 2.

I complained that the company was not doing enough to promote my business and that I was unhappy with how things were going. No quoting module, no contracts or agreements, no advertising, broken backend and more. I shared my views with other Nerds. I was later told that I work for myself and these problems are mine and not others. STRIKE 3.

My account to IAAN was turned off. My email was canceled. No notice was given to me and I was never really officially canceled. I was out of a job, had a new $21,000 new beetle with their advertising and could not even bill clients I had worked on that day. 3 months later I got email from their lawyer. It said that I had signed a non-compete contract and could not provide computer services within 100km or service my clients that they claim are theirs (but my clients think otherwise). They also told me I could not do computer work or have a computer business using a Red Beetle because it was trademarked. Frankly I feel that they wrongfully terminated my contract. They scammed me out of $3,400 and took half my money for almost two years. I am debating if I want to spend anymore money drafting a response by my lawyer.

I would like to correct some of the misinformation given by the person who wrote this complaint.

First of all, Nerds On Site is not an employer. They do not give jobs to people. Every nerd who works for Nerds On Site is an independent contractor running their own business, not an employee. So if you are looking for a "job", you have looked in the wrong place.

For those of us who are already in business for ourselves, but are looking for ways to expand our businesses, Nerds On Site offers an excellent opportunity to do this. They provide you with services and opportunities not always available to the small independent business owner, including the strength of a worldwide brand name.

For your initial fee to become affiliated with Nerds On Site, you receive access to their custom developed back office software, that helps with customer management, invoicing, billing, and a score of other benefits. They handle all credit card processing merchant fees, giving you access to offer your customers credit card payment. They pay for insurance coverage so that if a customer's computer or data is damaged or lost while a nerd is working on it that the insurance will pay for the damages, something that cannot always be afforded by an individual in business.

They do NOT require the purchase of a VW Beetle to be a Nerds On Site contractor, though it is strongly recommended for the marketing and branding values it provides. They do NOT require the purchase of a brand new Beetle, a used one is perfectly suitable provided it is red to match the company's branding.

They do NOT require the purchase of a "high end" laptop to be a Nerds On Site contractor. You are required to have some sort of recent portable computer, but I asked them if an inexpensive netbook would do everything required and they said absolutely. The laptop is solely for access to their web-based back office software to do onsite invoicing and billing, and for acquisition of drivers and other software if the customer's computer is unable to download these things. A good laptop is something EVERY good technician should carry with them at all times, and not an unreasonable request if you're going to represent their company properly.

I heard nothing during the conversations I have had with the leadership of Nerds On Site about anything regarding a "3 strikes and you're out" policy. They do have a policy concerning the first 90 days of affiliation with them, that if you don't think they are a good fit for you and your business that you can cancel and you will get back half of your original cost. Which is also reasonable, given the support that they give you in starting up your new Nerds On Site business, including a mass mailing to local businesses to help get your name out into the community.

So basically, this report tries to paint the image that Nerds On Site is an employer, and that in order to get a job with them you have to pay all of this money and get nothing in return. That is completely false. You are not employed by Nerds On Site, you are an independent contractor with them, and for your money you get an amazing array of services to help you run your own business, plus access to every other independent contractor in their network to help with issues that you cannot handle.

Please don't judge this company without looking into it yourself. They are an amazing group of people offering a very legitimate opportunity to go into business for yourself with the backing of a worldwide organization.

Why dont you then start your own business,

Step 1. Buy an old VW bug or Van, Repaint it.

step 2. Buy a cheaper laptop or lease one.

Step 3. Come up with a catchy name. Compunerd, or Nerdbug, etc. design a logo

Step 4. Do the necessary Government paperwork.

Step 5. Go to work. Bring in a partner, if needed.

That company is only copying the Geek Squad.
So you copy it too.

Years from now we will read, about that guy from nerdbug that makes you buy your own car.

Why dont you then start your own business,

Step 1. Buy an old VW bug or Van, Repaint it.

step 2. Buy a cheaper laptop or lease one.

Step 3. Come up with a catchy name. Compunerd, or Nerdbug, etc. design a logo

Step 4. Do the necessary Government paperwork.

Step 5. Go to work. Bring in a partner, if needed.

That company is only copying the Geek Squad.
So you copy it too.

Years from now we will read, about that guy from nerdbug that makes you buy your own car.

Why dont you then start your own business,

Step 1. Buy an old VW bug or Van, Repaint it.

step 2. Buy a cheaper laptop or lease one.

Step 3. Come up with a catchy name. Compunerd, or Nerdbug, etc. design a logo

Step 4. Do the necessary Government paperwork.

Step 5. Go to work. Bring in a partner, if needed.

That company is only copying the Geek Squad.
So you copy it too.

Years from now we will read, about that guy from nerdbug that makes you buy your own car.

Why dont you then start your own business,

Step 1. Buy an old VW bug or Van, Repaint it.

step 2. Buy a cheaper laptop or lease one.

Step 3. Come up with a catchy name. Compunerd, or Nerdbug, etc. design a logo

Step 4. Do the necessary Government paperwork.

Step 5. Go to work. Bring in a partner, if needed.

That company is only copying the Geek Squad.
So you copy it too.

Years from now we will read, about that guy from nerdbug that makes you buy your own car.