Job Advice - Everyone's Opinion Welcome

I recently applied for a job that interested me mostly due to my extensive years and knowledge in the automotive repair field.

This job involves going to various dealerships and repair shops to inspect leased vehicles as they are being returned from lease or are in the shop for a repair. It would be my job to speak with the technician about his diagnosis, check the vehicle myself, and determine if the repairs are needed, and if so, if they are being correctly diagnosed.

Vehicles coming off lease would get a complete inspection for cosmetic and/or mechanical damage and overall cleanliness including photos (using my photo equipment).

There are also other inspections for used car re-sales and even an occasional inspection for someone in another state looking to purchase a used vehicle from my area. These pay the most per inspection.


The employer issues me some equipment, tire depth gauge, digital paint depth meter, handheld input device, wifi printer etc. I supply my own vehicle, computer (PC or Laptop), camera equipment and attire.

I would also pay for fuel used out of what I am paid weekly.

So here is a brief of the job specs/terms:

- Travel within a 50 mile radius of my home town with occasional travel outside that area. Anything over a 100 mile round trip is paid at .35 cents a mile for every mile over.

- I pay $2.00 per inspection for equipment rental for using their inspection equipment that was issued. Maximum of $20.00 per week rental charge regardless of number of inspections.

- I work from home and basically "telecommute". I am given jobs over the phone or email and do not report to an office.

- I am told there are approximately 15 of the off-lease inspections a week. I am asking for more information about how many mechanical and damage inspections are typical per week and will have that info tomorrow I am told.

- Off lease inspections pay $32.00 to $37.00 each. Physical damage inspections pay $40.00 each and mechanical inspections pay $50.00 each. eBay Motors and other consumer based inspections pay $50.00 to $55.00 each.


The bulk of these inspections are off-lease and mechanical type. The number of inspections per week, of course, is what would dictate whether there is money in this or not.

Please read their job outline letter below and advise me as to whether you recommend this or not.

Types of Inspections/Pay for each

[FONT=&quot]o[/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Off Lease Inspections - $32-$37
[FONT=&quot]o[/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Physical Damage Inspections - $40
[FONT=&quot]o[/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Mechanical Inspections – $50
[FONT=&quot]o[/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Consumer Based Inspections (Ebay Motors, Inspect-My-Ride, Cars.com) - $50-$55
[FONT=&quot]o[/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Certified Used Vehicle Inspections - $30 per vehicle (Group of 4)



·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Mileage/Tolls/ Parking Fees - DataScan's normal travel radius is 50 miles (100 miles round trip). If an inspection location exceeds 100 miles round trip the inspector may request reimbursement ($.35) for every mile over the 100 miles (subject to approval). DataScan will reimburse for all parking fees/tolls



·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Pay Weekly (Direct Deposit or Live Check)
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT] EIN (Employer Identification Number - Required by DataScan - Can be obtained from the IRS.gov website (Free of charge)



·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Dress Code - Khaki style pants (no jeans or shorts), collard shirts (polo style or button-up, no t-shirts or team jerseys), comfortable walking shoes (no sneakers, no hats)

Equipment Provided by DataScan (Lease Plan Payment)
Inspectors are charged $2 per completed inspection for the use of the equipment below. This weekly charge will not exceed $20 per week
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Socket/Handheld Input Device
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Wireless Printer
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]SD Cards
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Digital Paint Gauge
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]MiFi Card
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Inspection Stickers
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Magnetic Rulers/Arrows
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Erasable Markers
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Windshield Template/Tire depth gauge

Equipment Needed by Inspectors
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Reliable Vehicle with a Valid Driver's License
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Insurance – Minimum required by DataScan (Bodily Injury Limits $100,000 per person/Bodily Injury Limits $300.000 per accident, Property damage $50,000 per accident).
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Digital Camera
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Cell phone
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]PC or laptop (windows compatible). We are not compatible with Apple. If you have a MAC, you will need to have the hard drive partitioned to have a Windows environment

ALL INFORMATION SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Click to expand...

Well, do the math whether your time out vs gas would satisfy what you're looking for in a revenue and go from there. I'm young enough such that I'd love something that involved cars and photography, but I don't see the income being as stable as some pay prefer. Then again, if they keep you busy and you get several inspections per shop the vehicles are in, you could be making nice figures.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]By Australian standards it does not sound like a good deal ! But I don't know how long it takes to inspect a car and how many there will be a day etc etc ! And is it better than what you have now ? I hope it all works out for you Mike! [/FONT]

If that is the only job available so be it. It's not the best way to make decent money but it is better than being unemployed.

This will eventually put a toll on your car which will require tire replacement, brake service to name a few in the future.

FWIW, High School softball/baseball umpires in my area gets $80 per game just by calling "balls and strikes".

Glenn is correct its better than the job you dont have,it means if you apply for another job you will be seen as some one who does not want to be out of work,too long unemployed can adversary effect your self esteem it also puts you out and about where you may find other job opportunities.
The main questions i would ask is do you need to put cash up front and are you finacialy resposible if you miss any thing on an inspection.

Really is you like cars and can make good calls quick, take shots necessary quick, thus can cover more calls a day I say it's good.

EIN (Employer Identification Number - Required by DataScan - Can be obtained from the IRS.gov website (Free of charge)

Click to expand...

That means you are responsible for paying self employment taxes, medicare taxes and SS taxes either quarterly or at the end of the year.
They won't be deducting anything .

Sounds like you might make about 450 dollars a week before taxes, minus your expenses.
Anything is better then nothing I guess. If this was my decision, I would give it a try, but keep looking for other work in the meantime.
Good luck Mike!

Doesn't sound good to me either, I noticed they are low balling you on the per/mile rate.

Travel within a 50 mile radius of my home town with occasional travel outside that area. Anything over a 100 mile round trip is paid at .35 cents a mile for every mile over.

The 2014 rate is .56, so I know its tough out there but this doesn't sound like a good idea. In the end its your decision.

After working 2 jobs in South Florida and racking up huge mileage on the car, plus being a 1099 employee (which I've done before too, and ended up having to pay the IRS over $3k even though I won my case against the company that said I was a 1099, I wouldn't advise it). The money isn't there, and they're charging you rent for their equipment? I say stop the bleeding and go get what you're worth. The amount of money does not pay for the use of your car no matter how they sugar coat it to you. I understand if you have to, but I wouldn't do it. ..................from one who's been there multiple times.......4 jobs in Florida where I used my car...racked up over 200,000 miles on it by working for them.

The are essentially scamming you. What you should get is reimbursement for all expenses, that is
1. All milage incurred irrespective of the distance. The cost per mile should be include - fuel costs, reasonable wear and tear costs, all overheads, or based on car rental values. Any thing less is cheating you.
2. No rental for any equipment required for the inspection. After all does your office charge for the desktop/laptop, or the factory for the tools required.
3. A clear per case (or time based) fee.

If you have no job, then you may give it a try for a couple of months, else the projected income seems to be on the low side

Meh, it would get you on your feet, barely. But, perhaps the exposure of being at dealerships and such may open the door to a better opportunity because you'd be visible. Not a career job for sure. It sounds like this job would still give you time to continue looking for better employment. Do you have a car that can hold up for this and not take your earnings for upkeep? The paid mileage set up sucks. I get .55 a mile when I use my car for any company business.

My truck is old and fuel mileage is bad. That is what worries me on this one. If they don't give me enough inspections and they are scattered from hell to breakfast it would cost me more in fuel than I could make in profit.

There is no money I have to put up front and as far as I know there are no penalties for anything.

I am waiting another call from them today to give me a better idea of exactly how many inspections per week are typical in my area and where they typically are in relation to my area.

I hope it works out for you. The laptop will be on the way Monday. Hope it helps.

It's not the greatest opportunity, but it's better than being unemployed. I'd do it and also be looking for another job. The advantage of looking for work and being employed, is that you don't appear as desperate. For some reason, potential employers seem to unconsciously gravitate to hiring people who are currently employed. I really think it's easier to find a job when you're working. I can't put a finger on exactly why. Let's call it human nature. Also, if you take this job, you will meet people who might want to hire you away from this "Contract job." Maintain your professionalism, as you do your duties, and you will impress someone. You will eventually get the job that you want. It's almost sounds like this position is for an "Independent Contractor, " rather than employee. Typically, independent contractors positions don't carry benefits, because benefits are expensive. This is a short-term opportunity. Take it!

My advice again (new advice) is to go to the IRS website and plug in definition of a 1099 employee. It has a list of about 10 things that the company must adhere to in able to say you are a 1099 employee. I'm thinking the company that wants to hire you is toeing the line, but if I remember correctly (highly doubtful), I don't think they are totally toeing the line. Read up on it, as you will be responsible for paying your taxes, etc. I learned the hard way. I was going to use the money on the back end of the sales I made to pay the taxes, until the A**hole decided to can all salespeople who had sold a lot and he didn't want to pony up the rest of the 10% in back side sales that he owed me. I figured he owed me over $60,000 when I left, but I had no written contract and couldn't prove it in court. I was also on the hook for $3,000 in taxes (which I did pay). Talking about ripped off, that is an understatement. My only consolation is that he is out of business now! Yay! Amen!

So far they have not called me back today after me asking questions and for more information. Probably don't want any questions asked I suppose.

This is just the only job offer I have had so far and I have applied for over 100 positions in the past 30 days.

There is a good chance that I might get to go back to work for a former employer but I have yet to hear back from them so far.

We're all pulling for you....but hang in there....don't give in to the ripoffs.....

It's not much but I sent a few bucks to your PayPal email address to try to help out a little with gas maybe.
You have my best wishes in getting a good job buddy!

Staying motivated is often a by-product of personal pride. Unfortunately, we dwell in a society that places too much emphasis on job aspiration and wealth. With that said, we are all programmed to think that way. We buy into the system. This opportunity isn't the greatest one that will ever cross your path. You will find a better one, yet. But, if you take this job, it might just be the booster that you need. That could go a long way. Stay strong, because cloudy days often generate rainbows. Go for the gold.

From Moab Man on the wife's computer.

With the rental fees you have to pay, time lost on the road, your out of pocket for gas, wear and tear on your vehicle/computer/camera I just don't see how this would be worth it unless you could be in out and on your way to the next very close job in under 30 minutes. Otherwise you're just not getting paid squat.