LiveExperts.tv: Experts on demand

If you’re on the hunt for some online advice but would feel more comfortable paying for a face-to-face consultation then liveexperts.tv could be the answer.

With 53 experts registered and covering a number of skills including business & finance, legal, health, medicine and personal development, you could have one at the end of a video camera in no time. With no downloads necessary all you need is a video enabled computer with speakers and a microphone.

Of course you don’t have to make use of the video function. If you prefer you can get advice via an online chat, over the phone or by email.

You can view the profile of all of the experts without registering or committing any cash. The profile pages contain an outline of relevant skills and experience and a summary of availability and the fees charged for the service. It also shows if the expert in question is currently online. If not you have the option to make an appointment.

All experts must give the first 3 minutes of any consultation free of charge which should give you enough time to gauge whether you’ve chosen the appropriate adviser. Your cash however will be taken before any discussions start as you’ll have to deposit funds into a liveexperts.tv account before progressing. With fees charged by the minute you can bail out at any time of course and the meter will stop running.

Experts can be rated after a session and transcripts of online chats are available. The ability to record a video conversation is not currently a feature but there’s nothing to stop anyone using another method to record it. Good manners (and probably to stay within the law) suggests the expert should be made aware of this.

If you happen to be an expert looking over this then it’s simple to apply for inclusion to the panel. If successful you’ll get 55% of your charge rate paid on a net 30 basis straight to your PayPal account.

Conclusion
An interesting idea and I like the fact that you can stop a consultation and not be charged for a minimum unit of time.