The Los Angeles Skills Pool
Frequently Asked Questions
REVISED January 2011
- I'm not sure what I could offer to become a member. ANSWER
- Who pays the expenses incurred in providing a service? ANSWER
- What kinds of services do members offer? ANSWER
- How can you afford to offer ongoing services like art and music lessons, acupuncture, massage, and tutoring, for what you charge? ANSWER
- Is there a guarantee? ANSWER
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Can I see what members and the press have said? ANSWER
- Can I safely give you my personal information? ANSWER
- Where are the services located? ANSWER
- How many services should I offer? ANSWER
- How much time do I have to put in? What's the average? ANSWER
- If nobody wants my service, can I still get service? ANSWER
- Is NotBarter.com a barter club? ANSWER
- Can I be sure the other members are qualified? ANSWER
- What if a requested service interferes with a paid gig? ANSWER
- Can I offer services or products at a discount? ANSWER
- Can NotBarter.com membership help my business? ANSWER
- Won't a lot of services be like free samples--so that if I want more I'd have to pay? ANSWER
- What other benefits accrue to members? ANSWER
- What kind of customer service can I expect? ANSWER
- I'm very busy. What if I don't have time to meet my membership responsibilities? ANSWER
- NotBarter.com sounds pretty free-form. How do I know I can obtain service when the need arises? ANSWER
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Can I join if I don't live in Los Angeles? ANSWER
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What more can you tell me about the organization? ANSWERWhat is your privacy policy? ANSWERWhat is the membership fee? ANSWERIs there a family rate? ANSWERIs there a more cost-effective way of joining? ANSWERCan I pay in installments? ANSWERIs there a refund policy with installment payments? ANSWERIs there a trial membership? ANSWER
- So how do I join? ANSWER
Will my wife and kids be covered? ANSWERCan I join if I'm under 18? ANSWEROn your Services array, why are some of the entries boldfaced? ANSWERI'd like to join but I just can't afford even your small fee. Are there provisions for folks of very modest means? ANSWERIf I don't join right now, can you let me know of new developments? ANSWER
Any useful service is acceptable. It
could stem from a job, hobby, interest, or talent--or just from special
knowledge you may have. Some members offer merchandise, at cost, as their
service (or one of their services). You might offer access to a Jacuzzi or
sauna, or to a private tennis court or golf course. Instructional services are
also welcome.
Some ideas for services you might not have
thought of are here.
If you still can't think of a service to
offer, feel free to phone us at (310) 909-SAVE, between 8 am and 6:30 pm, and
we'll brainstorm with you. Our considered view is that everyone has
something to offer in NotBarter.com.
The receiver of a service pays all direct
(out-of-pocket) costs of providing the service. A photographer, for example,
would charge for the film used, but not for the depreciation of the camera,
studio rental, or any other overhead. The receiver of the service must also pay
any necessary postage expenses and gasoline costs. (Providing members, however,
are not ordinarily obligated to travel unless the nature of the task demands
it.)
To see a sampling of our current services, go to
this page. Some members have their own webpages, links
to which may be viewed here.
All our services are provided by members to each
other. Members provide services so they in turn can use others' services.
Yes, indeed, for thirty days (view it here). Note that in our long history we've had zero
complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau.
Yes. Go to this page. (The press quotes are in a pop-up window.
You might have to disable your pop-up blocker to see them.) A link on the
page will even give you the opportunity to talk by phone to a member near
you.
You can also see all the reviews submitted in response to the feedback requests of our payment processor, Google Checkout, at this Google Checkout page.
There's no cause for concern. We have a 35-year history in the community, with a complaint-free record (and an A plus rating) from the Better Business Bureau.
Services are provided by members spread
throughout Greater Los Angeles, and beyond. A great many members
reside on LA's west side and in the San Fernando Valley, but we
have members from other areas of the country and the world. Non-local
members receive services by email, phone, fax, and snailmail.
Every member offers at least one service. Some
members list as many as eight or more. However many services you offer, you're
protected by the weekly maximum number of hours that you stipulate when
you join. That maximum applies to services you give but not to
services you receive.
You set your own weekly maximum. (See the
previous question.) We have no guidelines for setting that maximum, and averages
are not meaningful, since there are too many variables (nature of the service,
demand for the service, etc.). Choose a number with which you're comfortable.
Although your maximum can be changed if necessary, most members rarely meet
their maximums.
Yes.
No. For details, go here.
Membership applications are carefully screened.
We pride ourselves in having the highest standards for competence, which are
rigorously enforced. Members are encouraged to call us with the slightest
question in this area.
The paid gig always takes precedence. Please let
the requesting member know of that possibility when the request is made.
NotBarter.com is a pool of services offered free
by the members to each other. Some members offer products at their cost; their
doing so is considered a (free) service. No matter what you offer, out-of-pocket
costs are paid by the receiving member. "Discount" services or goods, as such,
are not allowed.
You're not obliged to offer your entire range of
services in NotBarter.com. So if a member wants a service not included in your
listing, that service will not be free. You can charge your regular price, or
offer a discount, as you choose.
You'll benefit, of course, from referrals by satisfied members. And if you
have a website, we'll link to it (for the public) here.
As a matter of policy, we do not permit
this kind of restriction on services. This means you cannot be limited
to seven therapy sessions, say, or ten massages per year. And any member
who on her own imposes any limitations is subject to expulsion.
The NotBarter.com Administrator continually
scours the Net for ways to save money and ways to better use the Internet, plus
low-cost or free entertainment options that may not be open to the general
public. These are conveyed in our Member Advisories, issued every two to three
weeks. Many find these alone worth the cost of membership! For a sample, check
the appropriate box on this form.
We also hold membership parties and outings, at
which members can interact personally.
Before or after you join, you can phone us at
(310) 909-SAVE. If you call between 8 am and 6:30 pm, you'll most likely reach
us in person. If you have to leave a message, we'll return the call
promptly.
You'll find that's not a problem. You control in advance the amount of time
you'll devote, when you fill out the registration
form. (You can even change your limit during the course of your
membership.) Most new members are surprised they aren't called for service a lot
more! If you find that for a brief period you can't devote any time to
the organization, you're free to withdraw temporarily from membership.
Members are required to follow the membership
rules. In summary, these rules obligate the members to provide service within a
week of a request, except in clearly defined circumstances. Members who don't
take the rules seriously are subject to various sanctions, up to (and including)
removal from the organization.
Yes. Although most members are in the greater Los
Angeles area, we've always had members outside California, as far away as
Malaysia. These folks obtain services by phone, email, fax, and
snailmail.
Our "About Us" page is here. You can read a brief history here. We subscribe to the Seven Principles of Business Integrity and
have zero complaints (and an A+ rating) from the Better
Business Bureau.
We don't share any information about
members or prospective members. Our complete policy is laid out here.
Membership is a modest $59 per year--under five
dollars a month. There's also a one-time registration fee per household of $66.
You can easily make up the total first-year cost of $125 with the use of a
couple of services.
Note that we do not automatically renew your
membership. (In fact, we disparage others' use of this device, which is in our
view an unfair imposition on the consumer.)
We've instituted on a trial basis a very special
rate for additional household members.* For now, each additional adult in the
same household pays just $49 per year, and that $49 rate is guaranteed to stay
the same as long as both adults remain active members, with the same living
arrangement.
*Proof of the shared address may be required. An
adjustment may be needed to coordinate the two membership years, and this
may necessitate a paid extension of one membership.
There's no charge for kids under 18 in
the home.
Yes, covering both children and additional
adults. See the answer to the "membership fee" question, just
above.
Yes, you can actually save a great deal by taking
advantage of our risk-free life membership (which can be paid in installments).
You can do that at any time; but of course the sooner you become a life member,
the more you'll save.
See also this question.
Yes. Use this special
registration form. Feel free to phone us at (310) 909-SAVE for
details. Time-paid memberships are not discountable.
You'll get an immediate refund if you ask for it as late as 72 hours after the start of your membership. And you can cancel future payments at any time. The refund policy for these time-payment memberships is less liberal because of the additional time required to set up and administer them.
Yes. For details go here.
To register, just go to this
form. Upon submitting the form, you'll be presented with the payment
options.
Your children under 18 are covered, if you live
with them. Your wife (or husband) must join separately, but may do so at a
special rate: $49 for each additional adult in the household. This reduced rate
is non-discountable but it's guaranteed never to go up as long as both adults
remain members, under the same living arrangement. It must be claimed at
the time of payment, and may be withdrawn without notice. Documentation of the
shared address may be required.
Teenagers may in most cases join on their own.
However, anyone not yet 18 will be included without charge in the membership of
an adult in the same household.
On your Services array, why are some
of the entries boldfaced?
The boldfacing is arbitrary, to make the page a
little less boring. The boldfaced entries may be of more interest than the
others.
I'd like to join but I just can't afford even your
small fee. Are there provisions for folks of very modest
means?
Yes. Full-time students and the
temporarily unemployed qualify for a $15.00 discount off the
registration fee, if claimed in the Comments section of the online registration
form. Students must there identify
the school and state the number of units, and may later have to verify their
student status. Unemployed applies
to those who are totally unemployed and seeking work, and you'll need
to use that
wording on the registration form. If you've fulfilled the applicable requirements, just take the discount at checkout.
These discounts are not available retroactively.
Only one discount of any kind may be applied to one person's membership fee. A
substantially lower fee schedule applies to additional family
members.
If you don't claim a discount, you have the
option of paying for your membership in installments. Use this special
registration form. If this is of interest, or for more fee information, you
may phone us at (310) 909-SAVE.
Yes. Go here.