By Rev. Juliet Nightingale
Psychic hotlines, (those 900 #’s you see advertised on TV and in magazines and newspapers), have been a controversy since their inception … with people questioning if they’re a hoax … or if they use real psychics, etc. And then there’s the question of whether or not the psychic is really there to help provide answers … or just keep someone on the line in order to make more money … and so on.
Everyone who has considered investigating or ringing a psychic hotline has got a right to know the truth about these networks and, herein, I hope to provide clarity about how they operate, so that you may make your own decisions whether or not to use them in future.
I cannot speak for all of the psychic networks in existence, because I honestly am not familiar with all of them; however, being a professional psychic spiritual counsellor, I will truthfully share with you my experience, having worked with the three major networks in America. Back in Boston, Massachusetts, I’d heard from a friend who had got a reading from one of the biggest networks in this country. He, then, informed me that they were seeking qualified psychics (who could earn up to $1,000 per week working on their line, which I knew was a load of rubbish). But I needed to find some work to supplement my income … so I contacted the network to inquire about the position. They sent me a mountain of paperwork to be filled out and returned to them—at which time I’d be contacted to do three test readings before I could be approved to work on the network. The paperwork made me dizzy, but I obliged and returned the completed forms, did the three trial readings and passed with flying colours!
I received my extension number after I had a separate telephone line installed in my office and I was ready to go. (The psychics log on to a central computer system at the network’s corporate headquarters and work from their own homes or offices.) I had to log on for 21 hours per week, including eight hours on the weekend for which I’d receive 30 cents per minute out of a $4 per minute call. The psychics are only paid for the time they are actually engaged in a call.
I logged on for the first time on 12 August 1992 with a positive and hopeful attitude. I gave some very good readings to those who were sincere seekers—one of whom became a personal and loyal client. However, I also received calls from people who were wary and suspicious—wondering if this was a hoax … and calls from people who expected me to be a mind-reader with such comments as, “Well, you’re the psychic; you’re supposed to know these things!”, etc. I even received a call from a freak who claimed that what I was doing was ‘evil’ and here she was paying $4 a minute to tell me that I was going to hell! Some people who rang up said absolutely nothing except “love”, “money” when asked what their question was … and they expected me to do all the talking with no interaction whatsoever.
After three months, I was to receive a raise to 35 cents, then another raise to 40 cents after another three months. I only got to 35 cents then the corporation put a freeze on raises. To make matters worse, the network put a lot of pressure on the psychics—expecting them to get callers’ addresses and use scripts to push ‘club’ enrolments, newsletters, etc., which consisted mainly of hype-filled ads pushing the network.
I began to suffer serious burnout and stress—which was very damaging to my health and well being. I finally resigned after one year with this particular network. Between experiencing horrible pressure from the network and negative attitudes from many of the callers, this sensitive and gentle, non-aggressive psychic couldn’t take it anymore. I had to let it go.
After moving to a small town in another area for a spell, I still found that my business was very slow at times and I, again, had to find a way to supplement my income. So I was referred to a broker who could get me signed up with the busiest network in the country. I reluctantly pursued this new option which did seem to offer a little more freedom than what I had experienced before … or so I thought. I didn’t have to log on at any set hours as before and could log on any time and days I chose … but would be paid only 25 cents out of a $4 a minute call.
I went through the same procedure as before and got my extension number and was ready to go. I took the calls and, once in awhile, spoke with someone very sincere and worthwhile, but most of the calls were from merely curiosity seekers. What made matters worse is that this particular network offered the first five minutes for free with the call costing $4 per minute thereafter. This was a horrible marketing ploy because the caller would simply ring off after five minutes regardless of the fact that I’d be in the middle of a reading! On top of that, the network would penalise the psychic if the psychic didn’t keep the caller on the line for an average of 13 minutes per call; thus the psychic would be placed lower down on the priority scale and receive fewer or even no calls—even though being logged on!
One night while logged on, I received calls back to back … but I could not keep callers on the line, as, when they’d hear the tone in their ear—marking the end of their five free minutes—they’d simply ring off without warning. The following evening while logged on, I received no calls at all. I hadn’t kept callers on the line long enough, so I was bumped down to where I’d receive no calls.
As if this wasn’t enough, I need mention here that, due to the network losing money for offering the five free minutes, they raised the price of the call from $4 to $5 per minute! And they still kept offering the five free minutes! The psychic, however, still was paid only 20 cents. (I should add, however, that only a certain number of us were paid 25 cents, whereas, most psychics were/are paid only 20 cents or less!) Naturally the caller is going to all the more, ring off after five minutes now being faced with having to pay $5 per minute!
This network insisted the psychics must get callers’ addresses and enrol them in a “club”—their main goal to get addresses in order to send the caller more hype-filled junk mail to push the network! This I would not do, as I wanted to honour the callers’ privacy and simply provide them with a reading, which is what they rang for.
I contacted my broker and informed her about what had happened—that I was receiving no calls and asked why and if she’d do something about it; then she informed me that there was nothing she could do … so, once again, I resigned.
There are literally thousands of psychics logged on this and other such networks; and many of the psychics are sincere, like myself, in trying to provide a genuine service to earnest seekers who call in. There are a few who are in it for the money they can generate by behaving like telemarketers and aggressively keeping people on the line. However, I do not know how they manage to perform such a feat.
Clearly, these networks are NOT interested in the ability of a psychic to provide a good reading, but, rather, to keep callers on the line in order to gain more revenue. Being a good psychic means nothing; being an aggressive telemarketer is what makes you a winner in this game. But, according to my experience with these huge corporate networks, it is a lose/lose situation. The psychic loses because she is paid so little, put under so much pressure and penalised for not keeping callers on the line … to the point where she is promptly removed from the system! The caller loses because he or she cannot concentrate on the reading due to watching the seconds tick away and having to pay $5 per minute … and often ending up with a fragmented or half-hearted or distracted reading because of worrying over the time. Only the corporation makes off well … and I mean WELL—grossing in the billions of dollars per year! A friend so rightly gave the analogy of this being ‘psychic prostitution’ where the pimp makes off with the booty! Sadly, this is all too true.
I resigned from this monstrous network after receiving no calls, because my integrity, ethics and health would not allow me to pursue this madness any further. I’ve wondered what became of other psychics who were also struggling to maintain on these networks, because this was their only source of income. But what would happen when they couldn’t keep callers on the line and their averages went down and then they received no calls? What then? What would these genuine psychics do for income when they were removed from the system for not being able to keep callers on the line?
It is a sad state of affairs when such gifted and hardworking people—whether they be psychics, artists, musicians, entertainers, writers, or whatever … should be so thoroughly exploited and abused—sometimes even to the point of incurring death … so that these corporate monsters and middlemen can attain great wealth—people who will stop at nothing to attain the glory of their money-god!
These psychic networks are nothing but big corporations after big dollars however they can get it—mainly at the cost of the psychic. They pressure and push the psychic to the point of causing severe stress … even illness … and making it so the gentle and sincere psychic comes away with little or nothing! This is a horrible racket that breeds devastating consequences in an age where people are trying to become more enlightened and aware. Through their greedy obsession for power and gain, these psychic networks, [with their flashy ‘infomercials’], falsely represent the psychics … and their abilities … while luring an ignorant public into their trap, because it’s so easy to just “pick up the phone and call now!”—yes, easy, that is, until you receive the hefty phone bill where a 20-minute call, e.g., will cost $100!
Something else that is well worth mentioning here is the fact that the network would send the psychics releases to fill out—granting them permission to alter the contents of a testimonial about a caller’s experience or success with the psychic, etc., for use in their half hour long TV ‘infomercials’. I flat out refused to sign any such document allowing them to bend the truth or lie in any way. I also refused to send them a picture of me for use in advertising—either in their print or TV advertising.
As stated before, many of the psychics, like myself, are very sincere and genuine practitioners. They really want to help bring comfort and clarity to a public that is lost, confused, grief-stricken, worried … or simply in need of clarity and confirmation, etc. A psychic is no different from a doctor or a priest who is trying to bring about solace and healing to a public striving to reach the light. When people can gain clarity and encouragement when faced with difficult, confusing and painful challenges, etc., they are empowered to exact positive changes in their lives—no longer feeling helpless or without hope.
In closing, I’d like to offer that there are now a few ‘grassroots’ groups of psychics who have formed their own psychic networks with integrity … in order to avail themselves to the public without false representation and charging outrageous fees. It is right that we should be accessible to as many people as possible, so that we may provide a valid and much needed service. I worked a few hours a week with such a group—a small network owned and operated by a psychic astrologer—that featured about a dozen practitioners. This was not a 900 line and I was so honoured to be with this group of loving and dedicated practitioners, before moving on to running my own business. Everyone was sincere there. There was no pressure, no one tried to keep you on the line, because the client would decide in advance how long of a reading one wanted and the readings were guaranteed, furthermore! The caller only paid $2.90 and the psychic was paid $.50 per minute! When the call was patched through to me, all I had to be concerned with was giving the reading and the callers rang back again and again, because they trusted us and knew that we were real! I also gave readings privately through my web site, TowardTheLight.org, and still do, as I work solely for myself now.
May I ask, then, that you please keep an open mind and heart toward the psychics, (as we have been victims too), because we are really here for you … for the sake of providing clarity and healing, encouragement, hope and love. In an age where the veil is being lifted and we, as spiritual beings, are moving toward the Light, there are no longer any valid excuses for living in ignorance and fear … which must be replaced with Truth and Love.
Juliet Nightingale © 1997 [Revised 2002]