I've been working for New England Crafters for a little over 3 years now...
I posted about NEC before (click here & here to see older posts), but I thought that I needed an update for them.
Here goes:
I will not say it's the perfect job opportunity for everyone since I can't make much money from it. But, I do get paid and I'm still happy working with them!
The positives are:
1. I can work from home.
2. I can get help from NEC by phone or email.
3. The job is year round.
The negative sides are:
1. The shipments are slow.
2. I have to buy a couple of things to complete projects. Ex) Glue gun, glue sticks, spackle, etc.
3. I can't choose the amount of products to complete.
These are my top 3s.
I really like how NEC treats each crafter's concerns.
One time, I was a little bit anxious and upset about the amount I received.
After 2 years of work, I was still receiving 100 wool sheep projects, but I was making them perfectly and on time, which NEC complimented on.
It was hard to complete projects by the due date, but I stayed awake late and made them so that the amount would be increased.
I wanted to make it up to their maximum amount as soon as I could!! But, it never happened.
So, I first called them about that, but the person I spoke to didn't have the authority to change the amount, and the owner wasn't in town at the time. But, the person was going to call the owner, ask her, and get back to me.
It didn't go well. It just went back and forth couple of times, and I decided to send an email to the owner, so I wouldn't have to bother NEC workers. And hopefully, the owner would give me time whenever she had a spare moment. (I know that the owner is extremely busy.)
About 5 days later, the owner responded to my email with a complete explanation which she said that it's the demand of the projects which determines how many I can produce.
Also, she offered me a full refund if I was still unhappy with them.
Of course, I was happy with them and still work for them.
Like in my case, sometimes it is hard to reach the right person. But, I eventually got my answer.
Some people might get upset that it's not fast enough to get a response. I think it's good considering NEC receives phone calls and emails from customers & crafters all over the US.
I was approved on 6 projects, and I'm working on 1 project to be approved, but I don't make 3 of them anymore due to the demand of the projects. NEC sent me replacement projects.
But, of course, I have to go through the inspection before I can start working on them. The kit is free (replacement projects), but it's a bit sad. (I worked hard to be approved on them!!!) Well, the projects never bore me, though!
NEC always tries to keep everything clear which is why they strongly recommend reading their policy before people start working on their projects.
I never felt that I was ripped off at all.
The beggining is definitely the most difficult part. I practiced a lot of times. Now, I can make them fine!
I hope that their forum will be back soon. I didn't really use it, but I think it's good opportunity to get help and talk to other crafters.
I hope this article helps some of the people who are considering working for NEC!
