Answer Questions and Get Paid by KGB

How long ago did you work with ChaCha? Since their change in pay, even the fastest guide isn’t making $10 an hour anymore! It’s more in the $3-$6 an hour range now.

I’m in the UK so I can’t apply, what with not being eligible to work in the US which sucks because it’s from home anyway. I did the test too and got 100% on everything (and the killer question made me chuckle). Ah well

I work with both ChaCha and KGB in my spare time. Both are an ok way to make a few bucks extra if you are at home and online anyway. The only thing I really like better about ChaCha is the ability to work when you want as opposed to having to schedule shifts with KGB. Good to hear that they are hiring Special Agents again. I know a few people who are interested. Thanks for all that you guys do.

I just took the KGB test out of curiosity and was a bit rusty the first time then I caught on to the timing. So just passed and will see how long it takes to hear back from them. I agree–something is better than nothing and I am always on the internet doing some type of research.
Thanks Steve–you are a great source of information.
Deborah

I used to work for ChaCha in the beginning.I made quite a bit of money back when they started. Then they started changing things and firing good workers.The pay began to suck and they would fired people who voiced their opinions to much. So It doesn’t surprise me that the pay is dropped to near nothing and the work has doubled.

I just passed everything and got an email the other day to set up my info and start working. I have a full-time job, I just thought this would be something easy to do while watching tv at night or something. I’m just worried about giving things like my social security number and other information to people I don’t know and to a company that’s not registered with the Better Business Bureau. So I guess I’m not going to do it…..? I’m not sure.

Sounds like Jen is paranoid. Better put on your tin hat.

I also work for both.Here’s the difference. As a ChaCah “guide” you barely make anything. If your a specialist its a different story.Guides are all chacha hires, then eventually you can work your way up. With KGB_ you start off as a specialist so you get more than a chacha guide. I guess you have to work for at least one to understand what I’m talking about.

So when did you hear back from the KGB after passing the Special Agent test?

I took the KGB test and passed (I took a wild guess on the killer qustion) but I don’t think I should give away my bank info and S.S.# to this company with out hearing peoples opinions is it safe???

I wouldn’t either, DT. The only reason they would need your SS# is to send you a 1099 if you make more than $600. I guess the bank account is so they can deposit your earnings?

Yes, the bank account is to deposit the earnings… so I should not give them the S.S.# unless it is over $600.

Thank you Joe!!!

I started working for KGB in my spare time, last month I made about 27.00 and this month I am up to about 12 bucks. Before you get turned off about making 2 bucks an hour, just think of it like I do. If I commit myself to making just 2 bucks a day (about 2o questions daily) then I have paid off my cell phone bill for the month! It’s usually at night, when my kids are asleep and it’s kind of fun. The And top earners made over $500.00 bucks last month, although it wouldn’t surprise me that they worked night and day all day. But hey, it can be done is my point. Now, I am hoping that KGB soon puts in a practice where if you answer __ questions a month, your pay is increased, much like ChaCha does. This would motivate me to keep up with the figures and do as much as I can. So let’s all hope that KGB does implement something like that, I am sticking around hoping they will!

ChaCha’s pay has completely gone down the hill. They’ve gotten rid of the Top Guide feature where you can make $0.20 a question. Nearly everyone is making an average of $0.11 a question now. I even went out and got a “real” job because I went from making $140-$150 a week to $70 if I was lucky.
As for KGB. I work for them as well sometimes. It bores me, though.

I work for KGB. This is my second month. I don’t suggest this job for anyone that needs serious cash. I find its easy to make a couple dollars on my lunch hour when I have nothing to do. You have to work 27 hours per month, which can be a drawback if you’re busy. You get payed .10 per question, sometimes .05 if the question is already answered for you (you just check to make sure the answer is correct).

I enjoy the job. I like the fun facts I learn. Although 70% of it is porn/relationship related. 20% is current issues. (Weather, swine flu etc) and the other 10% is just random things (homework help, dream interpretation)

So is anybody going to answer the question several people have asked on here? How long did it take for you to hear back from the KGB to start training?

Is this the same site as seen on tv?

*I passed the KGB challenge, and started training the following day.

*Your social security number is required at time of registration to confirm you are authorized to work in the United States, as well as tax purposes.
This is true of any job and is nothing to be concerned about.

*To the person who said you have to “work your way up” at ChaCha – this is not even close to accurate. There are different guide roles, with different pay. However, you just apply for the role your interested in. If you want the most money, apply for the highest paying role. It’s that simple.

*keep an eye on ChaCha, as registration is currently closed but it does open from time to time. There is typically a small time frame to get your foot in the door before it closes again.

Good luck!

I just passed the KGB test yesterday! I am waiting for them to e-mail me with further instructions. However, I too am hesitant about giving out my SS# to this company. I did try to find them in the Better Business Bureau but no such luck. Their website said they are NY based but even though I checked the NY BBB’s; I still could not locate them. I am feeling a bit wary now although I really need this job for some change on the side..

Well i applied at KGB, within a day i got emails, ive been through all orientation and training, and the simulation, there gunna be scheduling my shadow shift within the next few days ( ialready gave my SSN and Routing Number) They seemed pretty fast to respond w/ me. But to anyone who works for them how many questions do you think you go through an hour?

I passed about 1 day ago. My mom works from home to,its not her real job but more of a “Oh well,its not like I’m doing anything important at home.” She works for LiveOps and in her forums they are constantly talking about websites like these.
Anyways I’m 18 and live with my family,i’m kinda of spoiled but it makes me feel good that I can bring in my own income. I’m singed up with alot of surveys website. I make about $300 total a month. A little bit more money from this website would help to.
I don’t mind giving my SS#

I work as a ChaCha guide, and I make, on average, about 11 to 13 cents a question. It’s not bad though. I see many people in the forums saying they make about 500-700 dollars a month. If i had the time, I would sit on the computer all day and do this. Some of the questions are fun. I answer a lot of Math questions (which bring in 16 cents a questions, though they used to be 20 cents about a month ago..). I make at least $100 a month, but I know I could easily make $200-$250 if I just had the self-control to sit down and focus, and if I had more time, I would be making around $300-350.

I applied for KGB hoping it would be similar to ChaCha but I have a friend who works for KGB and he is only there because ChaCha stopped hiring a short while ago. He says the second they open their doors again, he’s leaving KGB.

With ChaCha, you make a MINIMUM of 10 cents. And you become a Specialist (the ones who make more than 10 cents a question) immediately. All you have to do is type in your specialties.

I haven’t tried KGB yet, but I’m thinking I’m already not going to like it half as much as ChaCha. I do want the extra money, so we’ll see what happens.

This answer is for those who asked about how long it took to hear back from kgb.

After I took the test I received an email saying “Great job,” etc. but at that time all the training classes were full and they’d open up more training classes as additional coverage was needed.

Five days after that email (yesterday, in fact) they sent two emails, the first saying a training class opened up, the second one providing more details of the training and a link to the training system. They also give you a deadline by which you need to complete the training, which involves three steps: Skills and Knowledge Training, Simulation Preparation and Job Preview, and Simulation. The clock starts when you receive that email, not when you first log in to the training system. They say steps 1 and 2 take a few hours but you don’t have to comnplete them in one sitting.

I’m still not sure I want to do it. Like many people, I’ve got a thing about giving out the personal info they ask for…

I just took the test and passed, filled out the necessary information and am waiting for an email. Can anyone who has worked for KGB attest to the fact that it is not a scam and they only ask for your SSN for business purposes? I’m a little wary of giving that information…

KGB is legit, you have to provide the SSN for them to cover their tails. The bank number is obvious, so you can get paid.

I’ve worked for kgb for a few weeks now. It’s really easy. So far this month I’ve made almost $40. I just thought it would be good for me since I’m home a lot anyways because Target doesn’t give me very many hours. I recommend it to anyone who just wants some extra cash, definitely not as a main job though.

I just started working for kgb_ last night. I made 7.20 working two hours, but many of the questions were prepopulated answers that only get .05 per question, and it was the middle of the night so not very much traffic. It is legit, I heard about it from a friend who does it, and she gets paid and everything, not a scam. They need the SSN to send you tax forms if you make over $600 and the bank account info. because they deposit your earnings once you make $40, or after two months regardless of your earnings. I have also signed up with ChaCha but have not yet completed the process to start taking texts.

I’ve worked for kgb_for about a month & a half. They need your bank account number & your S.S. for direct depositing your money & taxes. They also ask for a cell phone number, with which they text you a password. I’ve never heard from them, on my cell, since that text & they haven’t given out my number. You can’t make a fortune but it is some nice change. I heard from them within two days. After you take the test, you start to work. You are paid for every question answered, once you start, but they critique all of your work. After a couple of weeks, I became a full fledged agent. The only difference is that they don’t review all of your work. They’re pretty busy, so if you’re looking for some extra cash, jump in. I was hesitant over the S.S. number, too, but it is a legitimate deal.

I’m not all about handing out your SSN to just anyone but kgb is a legitimate company and it’s pretty obvious what they need your info for: If you like getting paid for your work it’d be important for them to have your “personal” info. It amazes me that people actually think that their SSN is private. While working as an accountant for a large health care organization I realized how easy it was to have your SSN stolen. Virtually anyone with access to the computers (99% of employees) has access to anyone’s SSN that had been treated at any of our care centers or hospitals. Your SSN is in so many company’s databases that are accessible by any employee it’s ridiculous. DMV, IRS, Health care organizations, Credit card companies, Banks, etc…they all have your information and any employee can access it. Every job you apply for has your SSN on file and are you 100% positive they disposed of your info properly? Like I said, I’m not all about just handing out your SSN to just anyone but just remember that there are thousands of people from various corporations that have access to your personal data…so I guess my point is: none of us are safe. Haha.

I am hesitant about giving KGB my SSN, but i hear it is a legit deal. Any comments regarding what i should think?

I just finished my training today with Kbg. Still have to take the practice question part and make sure I pass that and then can start working. I have been watching ChaCha to get in the door when they start hiring again but nothing yet! Hopefully the first of the month?Maybe?? Hopefully I can make $200 a month, but probably not if I could make a few dollars under $600 by Christmas that way I don’t have to file the 1099 for this year.

ive been working at kgb for about a week now. im finding i make about $1.50 an hour. i dont understand how people can make more than $2 or $3 an hour. i dunno. i guess im a perfectionist with my answers maybe? its a pittance but i have lots of free hours during the day so ill probably make $100-$150 a month from them. in my 1st week ive made $43 but i worked 39 hours! oh well. it’s sumthin! and it adds up. and the work is semi-fun/ interesting.

oh and they recently lowered the amount of hours you have to work per month. it was 27, it is now 8. and while you CAN book shifts in advance and they want you to, i stopped booking shifts and just log in whenever. theyll let you know if youre not needed (early morning). but if you are needed, you can work for several hours. every time but once ive logged in without a shift ive worked for as long as i wanted to. 1 more downside? the all-too-familiar headache u get when staring at a computer screen too long. =)

its been 2 days since i passed the kgb skills test. How long until i hear back from them? Are you sure that they will even respond? or did i just take that KILLER test for nothing?

Spencer, I just took the test, the Killer test isn’t serious, but only to mess with you. The question they gave me was a paradox and impossible to answer and I am guessing all the killer tests are like that.

My killer test was somewhat legit…. They asked how long it would take to fill up 10 Olympic sized pools with skittles if you alternated eating one and putting one in. I think I came up with a decent answer (although it took me like half an hour to figure it out) Why is anyone doing this for 2$ an hour? can that be right?

i passed the kgb test and now i just have to do the training, i was just wondering if you are timed on it or not?

kgb is absolutely legit. I’ve been working for them for almost 2 months now and have gotten paid a few days sooner than they say you will be paid.

With kgb, you work your way up. You start out as a special agent and if you do really really well and answer a lot of questions, you will be invited to become a (specialist). You can be a specialist AND answer questions, so you will make more money. Eventually, if you are just absolutely outstanding, you might be invited to become an operative….and they are actual employees (work from home) and make an hourly wage.

A few of my friends who are specialists are working full time(or more) and earning over 1200$ a month. That may not seem like a lot, but someone mentioned that it couldn’t be a full time job…but it can if you work hard and impress kgb with your answers!

I’ve worked a total of 10.5 hours and have made $28 so far this month. It isn’t a lot, but it’s $28 I never would’ve had if it wasn’t for kgb. I’m hoping to pull my self together here soon and start doing kgb AND chacha full time. We’ll see though! To some people it’s not worth it, but for others who have applied to so many jobs and can’t find ANY work…it’s a lifesaver.

kgb542542 used to be infonxx and they’ve been around with a decent reputation for years.

I’ve been working with KGB for about 5 months. I’ve gotten really fast with answering texts, but my highest earning ever was $3.10/hour. That was during a really busy period when the questions were non-stop. When it’s not so busy, you’ll be lucky to clear $2.00/hour.

I’ve just started chacha training, and I’ll see how that is.

So in America you can dial 411, yeah. Well in Briton they have a different version of this, where you can get more detailed information. kgb_ is an extension of that service, but for America. Make any sense?

The reason some of you are looking for this business in New York but can’t really find it, this may be the reason. Although it is based in New York, it came from Briton. Or so I can understand.

Also… I don’t think it’s legal to work for kgb_ and ChaCha at the same time. I could be wrong but that was my understanding. And also, why would you want to work for both? It would be ridiculous for a person to work at McDonalds and Jack in the Box. Ya gotta diversify!

I certainly agree that one could easily make close $4 to $6 an hour via working for kgb.

I just started the training for kgb so I will see how it goes.

I don’t see how it can violate any rules or laws working for both kgb and chacha as you are an independent contractor and not an employee of the company so they really don’t have any say over you. Searching the net a bit reveals that a lot of people work for both. This is mostly because both have slow times that actually seem to compliment each other. If it is slow on one jump on the other so you are making more money.

Just so everyone is aware. ChaCha, as of Dec 1st, is NOT paying Expiditors (the position you are offered as soon as you sign up) per question anymore. They take your point total, and split a percentage with other guides. wtf?? Does anyone have any more info on this?

I just took the challenge test for KGB this morning, hopefully it’s a little more rewarding.

I passed the kgb test to see if I even qualify for applying (you can take the test as many times as needed, though) about two weeks ago. Then, I got an email that day that said I have one week to complete the orientation/training. I took the whole week, because I didn’t have much time to sit down and do it all at once. It was pretty simple, but there were some very small quizzes after almost every section.

Once I completed the training, I got an email that day saying I have 5 days to complete the simulation playground and certification test. They only require you take 25 practice questions (with tips and hints) but you can do more if you’d like (and it’s recommended). Then you can take the 15 question certification test (without tips and hints). The next screen after I completed the test said to give them up to 5 days to get back to me on my scores. It took 3 minutes for me to get an email. I’m not kidding, 3 minutes.

I passed that with flying colors (anyone would if they paid any attn in the training) and since it was a Sunday night, I didn’t get the email about registration (SS# and direct deposit info) until Monday morning even though the email before that one mentioned up to 5 days also. Filled all that out, and it went through very quickly. Now I just have to schedule my shifts.

As far as it being in the BBB, there are a few companies it might be under. Like someone else mentioned, they are from UK originally, and that service is 118118 (instead of kgb being 542542). Also, kgb in the US used to be known as INFONXX. Maybe that’ll help.

And for working at both places, the only problem you would have with that is if you signed a non-compete agreement or something along those lines, basically saying you won’t work for competitors. I’ve had a department store have me do that when I was seasonal help. But, yeah, if you didn’t sign anything like that, you should be good.

And really people, you should not be worried about giving your SS# or bank account information to a PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. You can’t work without providing that information.

And I’ll just mention I don’t know who said anything about 27 hours required, but currently you only need to work 8 hours a month or just about 2 hours a week. I’m not sure if it counts as a rolling month, or just from the 1st to 30th of each month. Either way, 2 hours a week isn’t too hard to keep up with, even for a full-time worker. And you can either enter your availability and if they’re busy, they’ll text you to see if you can sign on, or you can just stick with shifts you’ve scheduled (roughly 4 hour shifts).

Lastly, I took my time on the certification to make sure I had everything correct and it took me 20 minutes to answer the 15 questions. At that rate – really taking my time – I would make between of $2.25 ($.05 every question having an automated answer – Impossible!) to $4.50 ($.10 having to look up every answer on my own) an hour, making an average of $3.15 if half my questions were automated answers and half I had to look up myself.

I think I’ve rambled enough now. =)

Steve, I am curious to know how long have you been with Wealthy Affiliate and how is it working for you? I know it is a legitimate program but I have not thoroughly checked it out. How exactly does WA work & how much money can be made?

I just passed all there training and am waiting for the email to start my schedule. From the time I took my test till now has been about 5 days. I had a friend that worked there say he didn’t make very much, but he also didn’t do it often, it was more of a time killer for him.

As the SSN goes, any company is going to ask that, it’s to prove you can work in the U.S. which is one of the requirements they gave to work for them. If they didn’t have it on record they would have the risk of getting in trouble with the Fed Government. Unless you are getting paid under the table, or just getting paid to help out a friend, anyone that employs you should ask for it. I wouldn’t trust a company that didn’t. Heck my photography job I do on the weekends I was asked for my SSN and that guy runs the business out of his house.

So I take it I cannot do this while on unemployment? I don’t think I’m going to give up $375 a week for a few pennies.

My killer question was nothing that absurd. It was what were Jimi Hendrix’s last words before going on stage for his last appearance. Took the test last night and waiting for the email. Will update in a few. Good Luck

Oh well, just a bit of information about KGB. Kgb is actually a Directory Assistance, not just in US, but also in Europe. 118118 in UK. Telemas in Spain. 218 218, 118 50 in Ireland, 118 500, 1818. It’s a big company when it comes to directory assistance!.. =)

i worked for ChaCha i worked 14 days straight for 5 hours a day.on the points system including Christmas .. with the points system i earned 39.00 needless to say i started researching for another company to work for.. believe me it was not easy work.. alot of studing and quality control is brutal even to beginners. the forum is screaming about the big cuts.. only one person was happy and they douybled his cut.. i dont know y.. i have not quit yet.im gonna give kgb my full attention.. right now i have answered 4k questions for ChaCha at the rate of 10 cents a question that would be 400.00 in three weeks and at 5 cent a question it would be 200.00 it is still way better than ChaCha 39.00 for 14 days includiong christmas.. 5 hours a day …
im not a math genius.. but i have a brain.. i am gonna give kgb my best shot and then ill let u know..

points is not the way to go.. even though they raised the pot to 75k for january at this rate big deal.. ugh..

wish me luck with the kgb training.. thanks

With ChaCha’s new point system, you will earn approximately $0.05-$0.06 cents per question as a Specialist/Generalist. As an Expeditor, you will earn less than $0.01 per question. When you average this out per hour, it is less than $1 dollar per hour for either role. This new point system is ChaCha’s new way of trying to get people to work for free.

KGB_ is not much better. They do have more traffic than ChaCha which equals a greater hourly wage, but think about how much they are making per question and how much YOU are making per question. They pay their Agents $0.05-$0.10/question at the same time they are charging customers $0.99/question.

Before you waste your time with these companies, please reevaluate how much you really think your time is worth. It is ridiculous that they are able to pay so far under minimum wage. Can anyone say law suit?

I just wanted to say that I too have tried ChaCha and did not like the new point system. I answered roughly around 500 questions and only made $5.02 So not worth it. But I’m not going to quit them. I recently started working for kgb. i have only worked 4hrs and have made so far $13.15. I have answered around 250-300 questions. So much better than ChaCha. For the people that say its a waste of time, you obviously dont want or need extra money. I say woohoo for me. Im getting paid to sit at home and type a little bit on a computer. It’s definitely not a full or maybe even a part time job but its extra money that i didnt have before. So good luck to everyone.

I was one of the many unfortunate to start working for ChaCha AFTER December 1st, which is when they implemented their so-called new “Points” system for anyone hired at that time..I realized after answering 300 questions (as an Generalist/Specialist) and making $2.85 that it was so NOT worth wasting anymore time on! I work for kgb_ now and at least I’m getting paid with actual “money” and not um “points”! It’s definitely a real sneaky way for ChaCha to keep the “slave labor” going on..SMH

I worked for ChaCha and the points system sucks! And if you mention anything about it on the Guide Forums there, well you’ll find yourself deactivated with a quickness! Plus the so-called veteran guides like to gang up on the newbies who are unhappy with the points system..It’s really a mess over there. I work for kgb_ now and I’m much happier with them, then when I was with ChaCha.

I was working for KGB. Made about $54 in a week, but that’s cause I was flying through answers and sometimes just making stuff up for some of the “idiot” questions you get. So yesterday I was wondering out loud in the chat room how KGB can get away with paying people so little and asking how anyone can be happy doing this for an extended period of time. It wasn’t long before the brass at KGB stepped in and called me unprofessional. Within minutes, my account was removed and an e-mail stating my lacking performance led to my termination. LOL. Does anyone think I may have a lawsuit on my hands for a wrongful termination? HaHaha. Anyways, extra cash is nice, but it’s hardly worth the amount of time you would need to spend sitting in front of a computer screen to make any decent amount of money.

@Edward..It sounds like kgb_ is on some ol’ “ChaCha” tip, with your termination there. I’m not surprised though..A friend of mine worked for kgb_ last May and got terminated too. She always responded to the “reviews” she got for kgb_..Well, let’s just say, though they encourage you to let them know your opinion on kgb_, etc. They really don’t, because after 2 months she was terminated! LOL Guess, “free speech” means “terminated” right?? LOL SMH

I must respond to a couple of comments directly. There is no such thing as minimum wage when you agree to an Independent Contractor position. It’s piecework, and you get paid per piece at an agreed rate. If you don’t agree with the rate, don’t sign the Contractor Agreement.

ChaCha’s Contractor Agreement states that ChaCha has no desire to be a contractor’s only source of income and encourages its contractors to work elsewhere while working for ChaCha. There is no stipulation that you can’t do the same kind of work for another company.

Being an Agent for kgb_ is absolutely a legitimate Independent Contractor position. I was leery of signing on with them originally because of the initial 27-hour monthly requirement. It didn’t take them long to bang that back to 8 hours per calendar month with a minimum of 150 questions to be considered an active Agent. Even if you miss those marks a month or two in a row, you don’t automatically get kicked out. kgb_ has been around a long time and knows its Contractors have lives that are more important than a work-at-home job.

My first anniversary with kgb_ was this month. I was there for Day 1 in the US. I was promoted to Quality Agent by April, and enjoy the option of answering questions or reviewing other Agents’ answers. I’m certain my promotion was due to having worked for ChaCha for well over a year and understanding what a “Wow” answer is all about. QA’s get paid by the 10-question batch of answers reviewed. We recently got a raise from $.50 per batch to $.80.

ChaCha finds new ways to continue to blow smoke into dark places, touting the latest changes in compensation as good things, while elsewhere CEO Scott Jones brags he’ll soon get payments down to $.01 per answer. One thing that’s always cracked me up is the fact that if you’re not good enough to be an SMS Guide, you may be invited to be an Expeditor. The Exies have had more and more shoved onto their plates for less and less money. How does this shake out? They’ve already been told they’re not good enough to field original questions, yet they’re getting more of the work with every change in procedure, including the ability to send free-form answers. Have you seen the Exies’ forum? Half of them couldn’t spell their way out of a paper sack, much less use decent grammar. My response to Mr. Jones is: “You get what you pay for.” You see terrible answers in Customer History, and the explanation is “Oh, that’s a PAQ.” It doesn’t matter where the answer came from, a bad answer is a bad answer! From the quantity of High Volume Alerts I still get via email, I’d say the Points system has done severe damage to ChaCha’s workforce availability. Mr. Jones will reap what he has sown.

Meanwhile, back at the kgb_ ranch, there are incentive periods where you can get paid double, with the best to come on Super Bowl Sunday. Answers will be paid at $.50 a pop during the game, with other incentive rates all day through 3AM Monday.

Aside from compensation, kgb_ treats its Agents like team members. Communication is constant. Emails get answered. There are chat rooms for immediate help and feedback. Ever try to get help from ChaCha? You’re lucky to get a form-letter response, much less personal attention.

Those Agents who take their positions seriously are rewarded, and those who don’t care about their customers or the company are shown the door. Goodness knows, when an Agent who is badmouthing the company in its own chat room is booted, there are another dozen ChaCha Guides clamoring to get in.

As far as what the customer pays for the service, here is my philosophy: When I field a query, I ask myself if my answer was worth a dollar to my customer. I do my best to make sure it is.

i completed that seven step course where you have to read everything on kgb but where the heck do i go to do all the ‘playground’ questions?

Somebody said about getting your first payment after two months of answering questions @ kgb_. Is that true?

I just applied. This whole thing seems sketchy though.. I gess we’ll just see how it goes. It seems fun for the random questions youd get like “when will jake call me” lol that was a real KGB question. xD

To those upset over lack of “free speech,” I DARE you to get a job in the real world and tell your boss face to face the crap you spout on the KGB or ChaCha forums and chat. I give you five minutes before you are asked to leave, and a “Now Hiring” sign is placed in the window. Just because your job takes place on the internet does not make it any less of a job. If you do not like working for these companies, there is an incredibly simple solution; Don’t.

I do both. I like ChaCha better. Because I can make 1 to 2 cents more per question. I realize that doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up. Also, with ChaCha, I am not forced to look at an agent chatbox where people are talking nonsense and which distracts me. I also don’t have to wade through the questions, or deal with complaints. ChaCha has expeditors who clean up questions etc., and who deal with that. I also like that ChaCha lets you choose which question catagories you want to answer. You do get questions that are not in your catagories when they are busy, but I still don’t find them half as annoying as the questions that are on KGB. Then there is the pay method. KGB pays you the third thursday of the month (something like that), for the previous month. That means if you worked the month of March, you won’t get paid for it until mid April. On ChaCha, you can choose direct deposit or to be paid immediately, which I think they put on a debit type card. (Don’t know, I haven’t tried that yet.) I haven’t logged onto KGB in so long that I don’t even know if I am still an agent. I still get emails about things (mostly some rule on how to format an answer, because of their “sponsors”), but I just tried logging in and couldn’t. Hmm…never got an email saying I was let go due to not logging in. I know they did drop the required monthly hours. Anyway, that’s my two cents. I make about $2 an hour. I just use it to save money for something I want to buy. Right now I’m saving for a new phone.

Does anyone still not think this is legit? KGB has commercials on constantly. I’ve been doing it for a year, and have yet to lose my identity or savings. It’s fine. Go for it if you want.

We would be lucky if ChaCha was even about $3 – 6 / hr right now. Their rates have decreased so much that honestly, working for ChaCha at avg pace earns just about $1 / hr. If you want $3, you better work fast. I learned this my first month with ChaCha, and I am now applying for KGB also. Its not worth it to work for ChaCha, I put a lot of high quality hard work into ChaCha answers and I am expecting tops $25 for about 17 hrs of work at least.

To give everyone an example, as of 3/17/2010, a mail went out saying $0.0058/point was the minimal we would get for points. Well, every transaction is worth 2 points during regular hours and 3 during power hours. That means every answer pays 1.74 cents a question tops. I average around 60 questions an hour for quality, but if thats too slow for people, lets say 120 Qs/hr, 180 Qs/hr, even 240 Qs/hr.
1.74 cents a question is equal to $1.044/hr at 60 Qs. So to make $4/hr, you have to answer 240 Qs an hour. Good luck with that, because if you can work that fast you can make top guide and get the double bonus anyways, but I know for a fact that if you are working this job part time, you arent getting a top guide bonus. So you are making $4 an hr if you can work at the speed of light and answer a question every 15 seconds, which is basically impossible.

i don’t like the new format of kgb. i used it every week for my trivia game board. now i can’t get the questions and answers like i use to .

I WORKED FOR BOTH CHACHA AND KGB.. WITH BOTH U MAKE NOTHING.. U WORK HARD AND GET PAID SO LITTLE.. IN TODAYS SAD ECONOMY IT IS HORRIBLE TO SEE HOW PEOPLE CAN GET EXTORTED UNDER THE GUISE OF INDEPENDNAT CONTRACTER.. BOTH THESE COMPANIES SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEM SELVES.. WITHOUT US THEY WOULD HAVE NOTHING AND THATS EXACTLY WHAT THEY PAY US.. IM DONE WITH KGB AS OF TODAY.. IM TIRED WITH THE LACK OF RESPECT OR CONCERN BOTH THESE COMPANIES HAVE FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE STUDIED AND WORK SO HARD FOR THEM.. THEY OFFER US NOTHING.. IM SORRY TO HAVE TO REPORT SUCH NEFGATIVITY.. BUT “TRUTH’ BE TOLD.. AND THATS WHAT I AM DOING.. TELLING THE TRUTH.. BOTH OF THESE COMPANIES ARE HORRIBLE.. ELLEN DEGENERES SHOULD TELL THE PEOPLE THE REAL TRUTH. AND NOT PROMOTE COMPANIES THAT TAKE TERRIBLE ADVANTAGE OF PEOPLE.. IM GLAD IM OUT OF THERE.!! GOD BLESS ALL OF US.. !! <

I have worked for both KGB and ChaCha too. My story is pretty much the same as everyone else – both sites started out making pretty decent money, but now it is very hard to make more than a few dollars despite putting in a lot of time.

I just started answering questions a new site at http://www.helpowl.com. They have a point system which definitely isn’t as good as cash, but it’s real easy to answer questions and the points can be used to buy things at Amazon.

If I sit at a computer in an office for 8 hours a day making $12/hr, and I make $4/hr at KGB, I’m making $16/hr. People need to understand that this is NOT meant to be a full time job. Also, why are you complaining on here? Maybe that’s why you didn’t make any money. GET BACK TO WORK!

As of yesterday afternoon at Noon, I passed the KGB test and today @ 11 am I got the confirmation email saying congrats on passing the test and take the training.

I’ve worked with ChaCha for 2-3 days and have worked 3-4 hours and made $5.50 as an expeditor @ 0.02 per question. I’m really looking forward to working for KGB and moving up to at least $0.05 to 0.10 per question.

Oh yeah, I agree w/ the previous post from Jimmy….

“If I sit at a computer in an office for 8 hours a day making $12/hr, and I make $4/hr at KGB, I’m making $16/hr. People need to understand that this is NOT meant to be a full time job….

does anyone know how many questions you have to get right on the challenge to get hired

U can open a new tab and google the questions..all of them have already been posted on yahoo answers, wiki answers etc…

@ Jacob — You have to get 70-80% of the Challenge questions right in order to pass.

@ k99 — Yes, you *can* get those answers from Wiki and Yahoo, but getting past the Challenge is only a fraction the battle. Once you pass, you go on to training, which is intense and detailed. Then you practice for awhile and take another test to become a full Agent. As a Quality Agent, I give failing grades to Recruits daily who tried to bluff their way through training.

Taking the easy way out gets you nowhere in this job. Resourcefulness, a well-rounded background, innate intelligence, and creativity are noticed and rewarded. Laziness and cheating get you fired.

A lot of people on here are complaining about ChaCha. I’m not sure if the way they pay has changed, but this point system that you keep talking about isn’t the only method you can choose to get paid from. You can do it that way if you want (but why would you at 2 cents/question). I started over a week ago and have already earned almost $40 from answering questions at 10 cents-16 cents/question. They’re payment is higher than KGB, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Annie, have you checked your pay lately?

I became an Expeditor (entry level Guide) at ChaCha a couple weeks ago, after being told I could make .10 to .20 a minute answering questions. That was the only position open at the time.

Then I found out that as an EX I make 2 cents a question. Generalist/Specialist guides make .10 and up on question, but you have to test for that, AFTER you have been an EX for at least 30 days, AND if there are openings. And if you don’t pass the test for GE/SP the first time you can’t re-test.

An Expeditor can answer questions under the “Points” system, and earn more than the base rate of .02. But if you do you won’t get paid until the middle of the month after the month you worked in, and only get paid if you make at least $150 – otherwise it rolls over to the next month. At least by answering without being in the points system you can get paid instantly, though ChaCha’s bank charges a $2 fee to transfer to your ChaCha debit card account.

Yes, Expeditors can select categories that they would prefer to answer, but I still believe you only make .02 a question. Please point me to a FAQ at Search U that tells me otherwise – I can’t find it.

Answering questions at ChaCha can be a lot of fun, esp. the off the wall ones, but its hardly paying enough to put gas in my tank.

Ed

i actually failed the kgb test, which surprised me to be honest. to give you some context, i have two degrees and i’m working on my post grad degree. not to be snobby or anything, but somehow i managed to pull that off, yet i don’t qualify to copy and paste answers to questions about train timetables and horoscopes? i feel like the standards for passing considering the compensation are ridiculously high. so i can make about 2 dollars an hour but there is no room for error? i got about two questions “wrong”, things like where i didn’t use the maximum number of characters for the type of question i was answering. that was all it took to fail me. maybe i just had a hard ass reviewer.

it’s true you do get paid but the whole thing seems like a bit of a scam to me. they hide behind the “independent contractor” excuse as a way to pay people less than minimum wage for an obscene amount of effort and work. after failing i did some research on the company and realized they probably did me a favor failing me.

like my friend told me, you’d be better off just getting a real job. it’s true you sit at your computer and you can work from home, but you still have to put a lot of effort in for very little pay. keep in mind the company is making 90% of the profits from each of those questions you answer, while you do all the work!

Is your shift key broken? That might have complicated your test results.

LOL at wes.. Punctuation and grammar are key, id imagine.. If u are capitalizing letters, thats y u failed. I signed up for kgb but not chacha. From what I read, kgb pays more.. Neither pay well but if Im gonna try this, im going with the folks that pay more.. With this economy, times are tough. I will take all the extra loot I can get my hands on.
waiting for confirmation
THE MAN

I took and passed the kgb test on 7/26/10. I still have not heard back from them. Most of the other responses say they hear back within a few days, I’m getting nervous. And i have worked for ChaCha for about a month, but i need more of a challenge, so i applied for a Generalist position. It seems like the Generalist position at ChaCha is similar to kgb. Do you agree? Anyways, the last few days have been booooring because i am waiting on responses from both of them and can’t do anything in the meantime.

actually, I am having a hard time in the simulation playground of the KGB… But i want to give it a shot… who knows?? I might pass the simulation test… I just want to give it a try even if I know I have a little chance of passing the simulation test..

I did KGB work for a couple months and the money never went through.

@ Penelope – Yes, GE/SP Guides do about the same job as Special Agents. The biggest difference is the kgb_ absolute limit of 160 characters but goal of 102, and ChaCha’s limit of 300 characters.

@ Kel – Email SpecialAgentsTraining at kgb dot com about your pay. They used to have a $40 minimum. That may be the issue, or maybe your bank info needs to be corrected.

I’ve never had an issue with pay from kgb_. I’m able to earn about $6 an hour with them now, and have always been paid correctly and on time.

My phone number is 542-0542 and I keep getting stupid texts fro
people with fat fingers who don’t realize they’re dialing the wrong number… I wonder if I can sue since I’ve had my number longer?? I hate KGB now!!

Question, is it only for US Citizens?

KGB_ now hire people from the Philippines, the pay for these employee is 4¢ and 8¢ per answer. Oh, excuse me, they are NOT employees but Independent Contractors (slave labor).
They have just terminated a lot of agents in order to hire more for even lower wages.
The owners are Brits, they use Americans for cheap labor, and Filipinos for even cheaper labor.
Thumbs down to this company. They also have massive amounts of wrong answers, especially when someone that barely speaks English is trying to answer a question for someone who does. What a joke.

I was with kgb_ from the very beginning (start of 2009) and my reviews were almost perfect every time. Beware of this company! I believe they are starting to do shady things. I have followed all protocols and yet they used that as an excuse to terminate my ind. contractor status. I believe this was there way of getting the older agents out of there who know what they are doing so they can hire in more overseas workers for lesser pay. I’m totally disappointed that they would terminate me in this matter. There is simply no excuse for this lack of professionalism. I have never heard anything from my unit leader at all, other than general emails. So if there was an issue you would of thought I would of heard something from a unit leader. That just goes to show that kgb_ cares nothing about their workers. ChaCha at least cares and tries to improve things for us! I have been with them since 2008 and will continue to promote them as an excellent company to work for. As for kgb_ they can kiss it!

I have been trying to get paid money from this site but i don’t know how to get started could some one tell me how to please?

I also was with Kgb_ from day one. I have always had excellent reviews and worked the program 5 days a week.
Upon finishing a shift last week, after logging out, I received an email of my termination. I was devastated and email the company several times to question why they thought that I was not working up to protocol when three days ago I had received and excellent review with a few sweet cherries on top to boot!
I received absolutely no explanation and as with Christine, my mentor, never emailed me. You would think if I was doing such a terrible job, my mentor would have alerted me on this.
I am sorry, excellent reviews, WITH cherries on top do not equal termination.
I have worked for ChaCha for over two years and at least if you make a mistake they will alert you, work with you and co-workers with help you with any and all questions.
Kgb_ also changes protocol then will grade old work from months before the protocol was changed. This didn’t happen to me, but to a co-worker.
They are outsourcing overseas for cheaper wages AFTER we Americans tweaked their damn system for them.
Kgb_ should be on the Hall of Shame

Sorry for all the typos in my last post. I am just a tad upset.

As for Katelyn, I am not being disrespectful, but why are you asking how to be paid here at this blog and not at Kgb_ chat?
You can email your mentor or email scheduling or special agent training and I am sure they will send you the information on how to receive your payment.
Unless they are not answering your emails, either?

You need to go into your account and add your bank account number for electronic transfer/direct deposit.
I am sorry, I cannot remember the exact link as I have been deactivated and can no longer access anything.
But, I am sure those in chat would be more than glad to send you the appropriate link for adding your financial information.

@Lynn: I’m sorry that the same thing was done to you. My termination happened a few days after a review. I also tried to email kgb_ and got no reply as to the REAL reason for being terminated, as I do not buy into the fact that 3 wrong answers qualifies me for termination. I put in many hours working for them, and much FREE TIME reading their protocols. But they have made many changes lately, and it was too hard to keep up with everything. In the email, I sent out I gave them a piece of my mind on the fact that they are totally unprofessional and that I am happy that I am no longer with them. I was tired of logging on with fear of termination after seeing them hiring more and more oversea workers. If that is the way they wish to do business then they will never meet the standards of ChaCha. ChaCha will not hire oversea workers. That is why I will stay with them and consider them an overall better company to work for. They actually try to help you rather then toss you over to the side. Best wishes to you!

Thank you, Christine,

I was only working at Kgb_ because I hate generalist questions with a passion.
But, ChaCha has always been my favorite site to work.

On my last review the only thing that did not meet standards was that I had
abbreviated the word medical to Med, and it was a reused answer. I guess that was changed along the line somewhere also. Who knows.

At least now my email is not spammed with all the daily protocol changes and updates that they send out…all of those changes made my head spin..lol

The sad thing is, I was using the money to help my son through college. That is what really saddened me by the news. It also was a blow to my self esteem, as I am sure you can relate to, too.

I wish you all the best, too!

I worked for ChaCha for a couple of months. I got paid $0.02 per question and I did a great job and got it don’t in effecient time. But today I got an email saying that my contract had been terminated. I reached all benchmarks and everything. I only gave an opinion in an answer if asked for. I was terminated for no reason what so ever. So I decided that KGB is a new fresh start. I applied today and passed the test so hopefully I get in and actually make a little bit more than ChaCha!!!

I work for KGB and i made about $50 last month which helps with buying pull ups for my son. Its an easy way to make some cash

why is it that KGB didn’t get my SS#? although i passed all the test .. >:(

Hi!, I am not American but I work in USA and have a SSN, but I can work only with the company I am working for (my SS card says that as I have a job permit). Can I use this SSN to work for ChaCha also? If I make less than $600 per year, will the IRS know about this “job”? Thank you!

it saddens me to read some kgb agent that was terminated. on the other hand, i hope i can pass the certification to earn some money.

I was with ChaCha, I’ve been with them barely 2 weeks, I was so enjoying the job, I did everything that was asked and answered everything I could… It is Oct 2011, almost going into 2012… I’ve found only a handful of guides actually respect the job and will answer questions appropriately… They pay their “guides” $0.01 per answer, even at the faster rate, you’re only looking to make $2-$3 an hour… sure for people like me that’s a lot, because when you have nothing, anything is good. And it was fun, sure most of the questions are porn related or nowadays, football/mlb related, and a bunch of kids asking you to do their homework, but it’s still fun, I felt fulfilled doing it but then I received a letter from ChaCha last night while in the middle of answer questions stating my account was “temporarily deactivated” I’ve answered everything to the best of my ability, I’ve done between 500 to 1000 questions daily, I’ve been active in their forums and always up to date on their contest and changes since I started, and now this. From researching I’ve found many others in the same predicaments. Even your KGB stories of being terminated sound awfully familiar to what I’m going through now. I was so excited to have this job, my son is sick, he has Asthma and not even 2, and my daughter’s starting school, my fiance is still in college trying to get his degree to be an EMT, and being so close to Christmas, I was just trying to earn a little extra to buy them some presents, I worked as much as I could to earn every little bit, I made it up to $75, registered their bank and I was just awaiting the card so I could request my first payout and this happens. My first week quality was 97%, my second week last time I checked was at 80%, but it was due to they had a system issue where it timed out almost every time so I wasn’t able to answer that many that day and it counted all of them as “TimeBound” where there was no answer, I was on my 700th question last night when suddenly I was kicked from the system and sent that email. I’m devastated really. Though they say it is a “temporarily” deactivation, I haven’t heard of anyone getting turned back on from that, I’ve tried sending them emails and calling the numbers given, but no word back from the emails and the numbers you call, you can only leave “messages” and no one calls you back. They didn’t say why it happened, they didn’t say how long, I’m very hurt by this, I had heard such good things about them, besides the pay, I heard they were a great company, now after this I’m learning the hard truth that the majority of guides are actually being recruited and then let go as quickly as they come in so the company can save money. This really hurts, I was counting on that money to give my babies a christmas, is that so bad, I didn’t even question my qualities, I never made a rude comment…

I've Tried That - We lose money so you don't have to!