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Dealers Specialties: photography job offer
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Oct 24, 2018 19:37:15   #
rpm Loc: Houston, TX
 
I had an opportunity to work for a company called Dealers Specialties which photographs used cars at lots around the Houston area, and I was naturally excited about the opportunity. Once I read about the company and the strictly commission based pay I decided to pass. Moral of the story is to look before you leap. Thanks to Indeed and the online reviews of the company for helping make this decision. I would have spent a lot of my time driving around in Houston traffic and not being paid fairly for my effort. Has anyone else had any experience with this company? Thanks, RPM

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Oct 25, 2018 06:05:18   #
Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England
 
rpm wrote:
I had an opportunity to work for a company called Dealers Specialties which photographs used cars at lots around the Houston area, and I was naturally excited about the opportunity. Once I read about the company and the strictly commission based pay I decided to pass. Moral of the story is to look before you leap. Thanks to Indeed and the online reviews of the company for helping make this decision. I would have spent a lot of my time driving around in Houston traffic and not being paid fairly for my effort. Has anyone else had any experience with this company? Thanks, RPM
I had an opportunity to work for a company called ... (show quote)


Not that one, rpm, but I used to work for a similar outfit, in this area - not only did I run around four counties - Fairfield, Litchfield, New Haven and Hartford - photographing all the used cars at dealer lots, but, I also, then - would rush on home at the end of the day, soup the film, and make the prints, before turning them into the publisher, the next morning. It took me a while, but I finally figured out it was costing me more to do all that, then I was getting back - so, I chucked it in ....

You live and learn - eh?

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Oct 25, 2018 08:44:55   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Smart move. Companies are in business to make money, not to support employees.

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Oct 25, 2018 10:13:46   #
Japakomom Loc: Originally from the Last Frontier
 
Also, if you follow crime stories there was a big one involving a woman that was murdered doing this same sort of job. Beware.

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Oct 25, 2018 14:02:03   #
Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England
 
jerryc41 wrote:
Smart move. Companies are in business to make money, not to support employees.


No idea of the kind of money they were making, Jerry ... the magazine (panflet, really - 16 pages, including covers - 5x8) and it was distributed FREE at all the restaurants and diners in the four-county area ... couldn't have been much in it - the money MUST have come from the used car dealers, alone ... seems to've been a rip-off - no matter how you slice it!!!

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Oct 25, 2018 14:07:01   #
Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England
 
Japakomom wrote:
Also, if you follow crime stories there was a big one involving a woman that was murdered doing this same sort of job. Beware.


No, I don't ... so, I hadn't heard that, J-Mom ... ow!!! ... just as well I didn't keep doing it - huh?

Mind you - I always took the pics in the daytime, and only at reputable dealers (usually - primarily new car places) ... so - never thought about that aspect - nor, did I worry about anything like that ... just worried about losing money all the time!

Even if I had NOT also souped the film and made the prints in my own darkroom - the gas costs were more than my return!


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Oct 25, 2018 15:23:22   #
E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
 
Sound's crazy! I could see a company paying their sales staff on commission or collect a percentage or fee form the sellers - not their photographer, printer, web site server etc. There is no logic to that. Theses service are their costs of doing business- you are no their business partner. They need pictures to advertise their cars so the photographer needs to establish a rate to cover his or her time, traveling expenses, materials expenses and a decent profit margin. If the company is setting the rate, you need to crunch the numbers and see if the work is gonna pay off. It's simple business management. Work it the same as a real estate shooter- you get paid regardless if the house is sold or not and you fees are not based on the value of the property.

With digital photography, of course, there is no issues of processing film and printing. Images can be quickly edited and sent off to he publisher or server or with with little on no delay.

Safety? It goes withou saying that you need to verify the integrity of the company you are going to work for. You can check the them out with the credit bureau- your bank can help you with that. You can run them by you local police department and make certin the are not dealing in stolen cars or out to harm their photographer- this is highly unlikely. There are a number of buy/sell/trade automotive publications and web sites in my city- they have all been around for many years and the are all legitimate.

It does strike me as kinda hectic work- only you can determine if you can manage it and earn a decent profit.

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Oct 25, 2018 15:43:04   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
This kind of arrangement seems to be pretty common in today's economy. Essentially contracting with folks to do "piecework" rather than legitimately hire employees to do the work.

After her retirement several years ago, my wife found a deal like this doing transcription at home for an insurance company. The rate was $1.00 per page, which sounded pretty good, because she is a really fast typist and expected to be able to do at least 15 pages per hour. The problem was that the digital recordings that she worked from were of poor to marginal quality, the people providing the statements were generally not very good at speakin, and many of them spoke with heavy accents. The result? Her average throughput was around 4 pages per hour, generating income far below the minimum wage.

I'm glad you were able to figure out what was going on and correct the situation.

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Oct 25, 2018 15:47:37   #
Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England
 
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
Sound's crazy! I could see a company paying their sales staff on commission or collect a percentage or fee form the sellers - not their photographer, printer, web site server etc. There is no logic to that. Theses service are their costs of doing business- you are no their business partner. They need pictures to advertise their cars so the photographer needs to establish a rate to cover his or her time, traveling expenses, materials expenses and a decent profit margin. If the company is setting the rate, you need to crunch the numbers and see if the work is gonna pay off. It's simple business management. Work it the same as a real estate shooter- you get paid regardless if the house is sold or not and you fees are not based on the value of the property.

With digital photography, of course, there is no issues of processing film and printing. Images can be quickly edited and sent off to he publisher or server or with with little on no delay.

Safety? It goes withou saying that you need to verify the integrity of the company you are going to work for. You can check the them out with the credit bureau- your bank can help you with that. You can run them by you local police department and make certin the are not dealing in stolen cars or out to harm their photographer- this is highly unlikely. There are a number of buy/sell/trade automotive publications and web sites in my city- they have all been around for many years and the are all legitimate.

It does strike me as kinda hectic work- only you can determine if you can manage it and earn a decent profit.
Sound's crazy! I could see a company paying their... (show quote)


This was in the late 80s - early 90s, Ed ... no dig cams back, then. I was paid a fixed salary - $200pw ... and, out of that - was supposed to come my gas (and other materials) expenses ... plus, I was promised a byline under every pic I shot, which was used and printed in the magazine (not half bad) ... but, I left shortly after that came to be ... more about the abuse, than it was about the money (but, that, too) - just don't think it's right - all the abuse I was getting ... my work was the best of all the photographers ... and the guy damned well knew it, too!!!

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Oct 25, 2018 23:47:31   #
aellman Loc: Boston MA
 
Chris T wrote:
No idea of the kind of money they were making, Jerry ... the magazine (panflet, really - 16 pages, including covers - 5x8) and it was distributed FREE at all the restaurants and diners in the four-county area ... couldn't have been much in it - the money MUST have come from the used car dealers, alone ... seems to've been a rip-off - no matter how you slice it!!!


I would be HIGHLY suspect of ANYTHING having to do with used car dealers. Their dishonesty is just as bad
as their reputation. I think they are the only group with a lower credibility rating than Congress, although
Congress may be #1. >Alan

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Oct 26, 2018 00:44:41   #
rokki3400
 
Yup,you gotta those job board posts. There are a TON of those out here in the Southern California area,and we have to be careful about signing up to work these jobs.

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Oct 26, 2018 01:10:36   #
Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England
 
aellman wrote:
I would be HIGHLY suspect of ANYTHING having to do with used car dealers. Their dishonesty is just as bad
as their reputation. I think they are the only group with a lower credibility rating than Congress, although
Congress may be #1. >Alan


Well, actually, Alan ... the dealers I was being sent to, to photograph their used car inventories, were practically ALL new car dealerships. The ad to which I responded was in the local newspaper, and the company for whom I worked - had nothing to do with the dealers. They were a DTP concern. There was a group of salesmen who went around to all the dealerships, to broach them on the services offered, and to collect the revenues. All I did was shoot, soup, print, and take the product back to the DTP concern. Back then - there was no web site. It was all handled right there at the DTP offices. There was also a sister publication, which did the same thing with Real Estate Listings - but that was another DTP outfit which handled those!

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Oct 26, 2018 02:45:26   #
rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA
 
If a company doesn't compensate its employees with decent pay and good working conditions, then it can't expect to attract the most skilled workers... or at least not hold onto them for very long, as they will quickly seek better opportunities elsewhere. And constant employee changeover rarely is good for any business in the long-run.

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Oct 26, 2018 02:51:22   #
Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England
 
rook2c4 wrote:
If a company doesn't compensate its employees with decent pay and good working conditions, then it can't expect to attract the most skilled workers... or at least not hold onto them for very long, as they will quickly seek better opportunities elsewhere. And constant employee changeover rarely is good for any business in the long-run.


Right, Rook ... in my case, at least - they lost - perhaps, the best deal they ever had going for 'em ...


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Oct 26, 2018 05:57:42   #
rpm Loc: Houston, TX
 
Gentlemen, thanks for all the comments on this subject! I really didn't think I would get any type of reply on the topic... You all are very knowledgeable, and I should have thrown it out to Ugly Hedgehog sooner before going on the interviews. (I put in over 120 miles in Houston traffic. Argh!) Special thanks to Chris (over the pond) and I always love to hear from Jerry. :-) Thanks again sirs, I knew I could count on yall. RPM

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