Work at Home Call Centers

I’m always looking for work-at-home opportunities, so lately I’ve become very interested in a few companies that hire work-at-home employees for call center jobs.  I first became aware of these types of jobs through an article I read on MSN Money.
For years we’ve been hearing about call center jobs that get sent to another country.  Recently, however, employers have stated a preference in having their calls handled within the United States to avoid language barriers or time delays.  I think this is an interesting development in the work-at-home movement. 

Companies such as Alpine Access and Live Opps have gained popularity and pay workers anywhere from $8-14 per hour.  Both of these companies also require a drug screen which costs approximately $50 and the worker may have to order equipment which could be another out-of-pocket expense.  However, these two companies are legit.

Before applying to any work-at-home opportunity, of course, you’ve got to do your research.  Ensuring a company is legit is the first consideration.  Determining how they pay employees (via actual calls vs. minutes online, for example) and which types of hours are required are key questions to ask.  For example, it’s one thing to say you can work from home, and yet another entirely to say you’re required to work overnight or every weekend.

Still, I’ve heard of people applying to these jobs and being happy with the result.  So this begs the question, have you done a work-at-home call center position?  And if so, what did you like or dislike about it?