The Landers Group

These companies are all over many popular job sites. They tout event marketing, public relations opportunities, management training, and more. I worked at SV Marketing in Tampa, Florida (also known as Sloan Vinson Marketing) for one month. I never got stranded, and I never got a gone pulled on me, but I did feel scammed and like I was scamming others.

The deal with this company is ‘updating customer’s Verizon bills’. Basically, it was our job to pull Verizon bills from current customers (or other companies, if you’re really good) and call Verizon to make changes. The job is 100% commission, based on certain changes you are able to make to customer’s bills. A few times this may actually save the customer money, but many times it will in fact be more expensive. The recruiting of other employees is a large part of all these scams. The more people you recruit, the more money you make off their commissions. Once you are in the door and recruiting, they tell you all the techniques they used to get you in. To questions of ‘do you pay for gas’, you either avoid it, or say yes- it’s a tax write-off. Just save your receipts, including those for your suits, shoes, car, etc. and get it all back later!

As soon as you have enough experience and employees under you, you have the ‘opportunity’ to move to another location and start your very own business doing the same thing, or selling something very similar (including Staples.com), hence the sheer number of companies that do this.

Not a fun experience- don’t fall for it!

THis article is very informational. I have a interview tomorrow but now I’m totally going to blow it.

Wow I am so glad I found this, I had an interview with them tomorrow but guess thats canceled LOL

I wanted to add a company to the list called BMF Global. It started off as the Landers Group in California, but they started a “new” company, changed their name, and set up an office in Tigard, Oregon. Just don’t even put yourself through the hell of interviewing, which will consist of a 10 hour day and pissing people off as you walk door to door and interrupting people’s business. They interview about 30 people a day- that’s how bad the turnover rate is. Seriously, NOT worth it!

So, now that I have read the comments-it sucks!! I have an interview tomorrow :O( I’m really interested in getting into the advertising industry- any suggestions?

M.A.X.I.S. Consulting is across the parking lot from BMF Global in Tigard.

Their office felt like it ran very similarly and after doing some research, other people have had the same problem.

Don’t go to MAXIS or BMF Global in Tigard.

I had an interview set up for tomorrow, thanks to this site I am not going, its hard for recent college grads like to to get a decent entry level job, and it is despicable that there are these companies that try and exploit us, thanks for the information and the onedayonejob.com website, I’ll check it out.

Please add Dynasty Marketing to your list in Wisconsin. They are the new name for Avalon Advertising located same address and telephone number.

THAX my friend told that it was a scam, i have a interview tomorrow.. THAX John..lol

Add the Acquisition Group inc. in Framingham Ma. to your list http://www.theacqgroup.com/

I went back for my “second interview” and spent the day shadowing a sales rep who was selling Verizon contracts to business customers. It was a total waste of time and they are very shady in their business practices. A total pyramid scheme.

Hmm…I went to a secondary interview recently for a company called “Emerald Concepts” in Houston, but I had to leave early because of an emergency. Now looking back at my experience and this report, I think this company is in the same boat with them. From the beginning I had my doubts, but my suspicions were aroused on the so-called secondary interview. We were cross-selling “Smart Circle” products with highly dubious vacation packages.

I’m glad I’m cancelling the interview!

Very similar to Easter Enterprises’ tactics. They advertise a bunch of positions, and when you get there, its a big group “interview” and a sales pitch to go door-to-door and sell vacuum cleaners. If you live in Kettering or Dayton, Ohio, watch out for these guys.

SEAM Marketing in Baltimore is a big SCAM and a waste of time.

Join the thousands world wide who once worked for this group.. there are too many to count!!!

http://groups.msn.com/DSMAXTheAftermath

Here is a mini test for you to take…

This is in response to a recent poll by happynow that has gotten a lot of attention. I’d like to hear the perspective from people out side of the US. Is the ds-max name as suppressed international as it is here in the US? Please let us know. Thank you for your time:

If you are a new member here & have quit the business in the last year or so I have a little questionnaire for you.

While you were in the business,

1. Did you ever hear of the word DS-MAX?

2. Did you ever hear of the word WWI?

3. Did you ever hear of Larry Tennebaum or Avie Roth?

4. Did anyone ever promote how large this type of business was? (e.g. # of offices in # countries)

5. On average, how many hours a day were you at work?

6. On average, how much did you clear p/week?

7. Did your manager own a car? (make & model if you know) Did he have his own apartment or live with his guys?

8. Did you ever get arrested or ticketed by the police while in the field?

9. Did you pull your Day of Observation out of atmosphere & “bottom line” them before you would have them meet with your manager? (Something like this, “Look, my manager is looking at bringing on 2 people tonight so I need to know if you are willing to start tomorrow & give 110% & then maybe I can get you in to see him.”)

10. On average, what was the percentage of smokers in your office?

Extra Credit:

11. Which of these numbers does not belong.

107 307 53 230 11 701

Oh gosh im glad i googled The Landers Group and ran into this website, i had an interview with them tommorow but guess what,its canceled now!!! THANK U SO MUCH FOR INFORMING THE PUBLIC:)!!!

I had the exact same experience at the same affiliated company called BMF Global in Tigard. I actually ended up sticking it out for four days at BMF Global and tried to sell their coupons. I was promised the first day by the manager of the office to get paid at least 50 dollars a day while I was training. Every day I worked almost twelve hours and tried to sell the coupans to angry business owners not wanting to be solicited to while they were trying to make a living. Anyways I never ended up getting paid any money and by the end of my training after being promised to get paid the next day for my training. My the end of the fourth day I demanded I get paid what I was promised by Alex the manager of BMF Global. Needless to say I did not get paid what I was promised. Beware of BMF Global, the Landers Group, and anything to do with Smart Circle advertising. It is a scam and watch out for thier managers Alex and Phil. They will promise you the world and you will get nothing in return.

I need your help to shut all these companies including THE LANDERS GROUP DOWN!!! Join the conversation NOW!!!!

Malicious job post
Malicious job posts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A malicious job post is a mischievous in motivation or purpose post of employment of placed text on a Web site, submitted to a legitimate career search engine, from a business which practices business models similar to Multi-level marketing. The intent of the posting is to lure in as many possible job candidates, without concern for the candidates education, experience, or skills. Businesses posting these “jobs” are legal, entry level, and involve multi-level marketing. While the legality of these businesses is not questioned, the legitimacy of these businesses is. Some criticisms include: Clogging up legitimate career search engines, group interviews, wasting career seekers time, and a lack of consideration for genuine employment. The posts are considered “Malicious” based on the companies intent to lure in as many possible candidates, with the premeditated knowledge that the company’s business model is similar to Multi-level marketing and posting openings that appear to be legitimate, when in reality the posts are continuous.

Example: Monster.com [1]

Location Title Company CA-Sherman Oaks-91423 ECONOMY GOT YOU DOWN? Immediate Hire for Entry Level Sales and Marketing – WE TRAIN! The Landers Group APPLY

The Landers Group Posted by Willy Franzen on Friday, May 23, 2008 [2]

Once again add Scanno Advertising and Dynasty Marketing Solutions, Inc in Anaheim CA. They are the same misleading and scamming company.

I also made the mistake of going in for an interview with Dynasty Marketing Solutions, Inc aka Scanno Scammo advertising. These people are so full of bull. Stay away from these scammers, rip offs, liars.

Go ahead and add Pacific Advertising Group in that scam list. I just did a two day in row interview and went through the whole scenario of promises of a management position. I also went to ” a day of observation” and stood in front of a grocery store for 10 hours trying to talk to every customer that walks and walks out.
I was skeptical from the very beginning when they had rap music and a movie playing on the front desk. When the receptionist would answer the phone, she would answer with “Marketing, may I help you?” Not even once she answered with the proper name. I took me 30 minutes to find this office because they didn’t have a sign.
So the whole experience was bogus. I am located in the Las Vegas area so don’t get scammed by this company. All you do is sell coupons, that may or may not be accepted by the so called 500 fortune companies.. for free! Pacific Advertising Group is one of them..

this company also goes under the alias as world access marketing or atleast used to.

This may be a new company name because it was very difficult for me to find information on their previous company name.

Pretty much all the same things listed above.

anyone in northern nj please save yourselves the time of coming to this scam job at IS-G in lodi

I also have an interview with Scanno Advertising next week. I’m thinking about going on it and taking a digital tape recorder that I can post online for everyone. What do you guys think?

Hello all, it’s great to see an article like this exposing all of these fraudelant companies. I unfortunately was sucked into one of these companies after I graduated from college(MJ Promotional Group in Cincinnati, OH). At first everyting sounded great, and I would run my own company, and I started in the warm part of fall. Everything was good at first, but then I’d see the increase in turnover, and the people who stayed would just bad mouth the ones that left(the smart ones if you ask me). I was with the company for about 6mos, and made next to nothing, and would like to warn anyone even considering one these companies to STAY AWAY! I have so much information I could provide about my experience if needed, I’ll check back here periodically.

Btw you’re forgetting several major companies part of DS MAX in St. Louis, DC, Boston and Chicago. That’s where some of the big money earners were. I can’t recall the names becasue I worked for the company in 2004-2005. I know Tom Spiro in Chicago and Derrick something in Chicago as well. The owners of the companies in the other cities, were almost mythical figures that you only met at regional conferences, where the brainwashing was put on to the max. I really hope this all helps.

I have an interview in 1 hour with BMG global in Portland, OR. I think I’ll call about 5 minutes after I was supposed to be there to cancel it. That seems like the type of respect these types of companies deserve.

I was wondering why the job description was so vague, so I got curious and googled it, and came to this site. Thanks for the info, glad I didn’t waste the gas money or time putting on a business suit and going to the interview.

Did you hear that The Landers Group closed, but is re-opening under a new name of SPORTS MARKETING INTERNATIONAL????????

Matt Kelly lives in an apartment????? I thought he had millions!!!

wow, thats what I have to say wow!!! As I think I am doing research on the company I had an interview with, I come to find out that it has a possibility of being a scam. I called the person that contacted me about an interview and asked questions about your company having a reputation for being a scam and she didn’t have a response. I asked what would I be doing and she said biz to biz selling. she was very vague and couldn’t give me a straight answer. Thank you for this site and to all readers please be aware!!!

I had a gut feeling about Pacific Advertising Group being a scam, their website is just so vague and never says what someone in the business actually does daily. I looked up exactly what the article says, Pacific Advertising Group scam, and found you guys. Well, I canceled my interview right away, after I called and one guy answered “Advertising?”… I knew that was it. Will there be any problems with these people? As in will they bother me in any way? Thanks.

I landed a 2nd interview with The Acquisition Group in Framingham, Ma and will be canceling. I was looking for a Marketing position not a sneaky sales job.

Let me be the third one to put “Pacific Advertising Group” in Las Vegas in the list……….like you have all said…..seemed pretty shady to begin with…….crappy office, no real information is given about the company……….sure glad I came here…………guess it goes to show if it seems too good to be real, it probably is…

Sports Marketing International is shady business. I wasted an entire day being “evaluated” annoyingly going “business to business” for more than 10 hours. Save your energy and time by staying away from these predators.

I would like to add Dynasty Marketing Group in Milwaukee. They do all the same things that you guys talk about. The door to door. The B2B as they call it. Business to Business. The manager will just keep leading you on to believe that you can do it. It is just a big brain washing campaign. If you don’t want to lie to people everyday and for the rest of your life. Then don’t ever get involved with these companies. You will loose money working for them.

I interviewed with a marketing firm just like this in Columbia, SC. It goes by the name Apple, Unlimited. This company has almost all of the aforementioned signs and symptoms listed above. Unfortunately, they have a fairly insidious tactic to lure people in: they do event-based marketing for non-profit organizations.

Basically the breakdown I got is that they set up tables in front of Wal-Marts and other such places. You send up selling water bottles, oversized children’s books, race cars, and other items under the guise that you are generating funds for the non-profits. You get a tiny slice of the price of the items as your commission (the only pay you will see) and the rest goes up the heiarchy, with the managers and the owner taking progessively larger and larger bites of the income you made.

After you’ve been there a while and have sold enough of that crap, they make you an “assistant manager” with a fixed income, and you are responsible for getting more gullible college grads and jobseekers to do the same work you were doing. Eventually you get promoted to manager, and are encouraged to relocate to another city where you will set up your own “event-based marketing firm” to start the cycle all over again.

All this I learned just from my “second interview,” which was just an excuse to get me to take a day off of work from my current job and help two of their employees sell some of their stuff. I basically worked for free that day, and they told me nothing of what to expect when I went out there. They did not tell me I was going to be two hours away from home in front of Wal-Mart on the hottest day of the year, sans sunscreen and wearing my most uncomfortable pair of “interview only” dress shoes.

Basically these marketing firms sound like a pyramid scheme, or like the Mafia, with all the profits flowing up towards the top of the pyramid while you do all the grunt work. I basically told them I wasn’t interested in the job. I’m a little wiser now, however, and I’m glad in a way that I did go through that experience, because I’m able to help people avoid those same traps as well.

OMG, I JUST applied to Scanno and Dynasty Marketing at CareerBuilder, but I’m so glad I googled those two names! I live in OC, CA, and worked for a pharmaceutical company as a temp worker, but got laid off recently. Now that I think about it, it all comes to a sense: even those huge multi-billion-dollar companies let people go and can’t afford to keep them–why would those little companies whose names you’ve never even heard of would hire “experience-less” newbies as entry-level managers and/or sales agents, especially at this kind of economy? I’ve been to several shady interviews before and now I finally came to a conclusion: Any company that requires YOUR OWN MONEY for training is likely to be a scam. Likewise, any company that would gladly hire inexperienced people as professionals (sales, marketing, etc.) is likely to be a scam. Thanks, Willy and others, for your valuable information!

I learned

I just had (and canceled) an interview with Banker’s Life, as an insurance agent. I noticed they apparently have a 90% turnover rate. Also, they were deeply involved in Enron. Someone said on a forum that the company expects you to sell to your friends, then you get fired.

A word to the wise…. Matt Kelly is sending out 1099- MISC reports, and you need to review them… He is saying even if you worked for the Landers Group…. the you worked for Sports marketing International which is a misrepresentation if you didn’t…

You will need to talk to your accountants or tax preparers to find out how to deal with what he declares he paid you, as these sums may not be correct…

I am horrified to learn for 10 consecutive 72 hours weeks of work, all that was made prior to pay outs was $2,000….. what kind of employment is this?????

Everything this man paid out was cash….. how can we be sure these sums are correct?????

My son recently took a job with a company I’ve been suspicious of from the beginning. It’s called RedZone International based out of Hawthorne, NY. The same deal: he got called in just on the basis of his sketchy resume; he came in for a 10 minute interview and was told only 5 of 30 would be called the next day; the next day he got a congratulatory call from them and told to come in and get “work papers”. He started the following day at 5:45 where he met the team leader at his house and then basically shadowed him all over New Jersey for the whole day. He got home at 7:30. The following day he didn’t get home until 9:30PM, because the “team” went out for dinner (for which he had to pay) and then had to go back to the office to purchase a $40 “package” which has to be memorized for work. Imagine that! They have to pay for their own work materials. I so want my son to tell them off and walk out but I don’t want to get him started in the workforce with a bad attitude. In the meanwhile, his car is in the shop and he’s rented a car to get to and from work; purchase a suit and a couple of shirts and ties; and now purchased the $40 “package” required for his job. Unbelievable!! Anyone heare of Redzone International?

so i went on a first interview with pacific advertising group and it didnt seem right.
told my husband about it , he said it sounded weird so he tried looking up info and the ‘official’ website had something about denver and didnt give any info. the officeis ghetto,small, and they were kinda blasting music. a lady went to the restroom and i was being nosey and looked and saw a big empty warehouse behind her. the office itself had three small rooms. when the recptionst answered the phone she said ‘marketing’. so yeah.
enjoy wht ive found:

BBB RatingBack To Top Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB rating of F.

Reasons for this rating include:
Failure to obtain a required competency license.
Length of time business has been operating.
BBB does not have sufficient background information on this business.

Click here for an explanation of BBB Ratings.

LicensingBack To Top As of 10/24/2008, the Bureau has been UNABLE to confirm this company has a valid local business license for the locale in which they operate. IF A CONSUMER DOES BUSINESS WITH AN UNLICENSED FIRM, THEY DO SO AT THEIR OWN RISK.

http://www.vegasbbb.org/bbb_rated_acc_rpt.asp?bbbid=78157&tr=rated&lg=F&ex=11%2C15%2C26#rat

Thank goodness for older brothers…

BSI (Business Solution Inc.) wanted to have an interview with me last year and my brother told me it was a load of crap… then today I got an e-mail from Northeast Consulting Inc wanting an interview with me, mind you I don’t ever remember applying for this position with Northeast Consulting. I am so glad my brother came across this website to see that BSI = Northeast Consulting! Thanks for everyone’s comments, it’s super helpful to see that I’m not the only one who has fallen for this-almost twice!

Does anyone know about EIB International in Chicago area?

My name is Ron Amos and I can honestly say after being involved with Smart Circle International, and Dynasty Marketing Sollutions that these companies are scam operations. I was one of the those unfortunates that went to one of there interview and was alledgedly hired. I worked for two weeks, (12 hour days Monday thru Friday and 14 hour days Saterday and Sunday) and was fired on my 14th day after having sold three subscriptions for them to Direct TV. When I asked them for my money for the two weeks I worked, they said I made no sales and therefore I would not be getting any compensation.
What I was told on my interview was that if I got hired that I would be paid $500 a week while I was in training that any sales I made the commisssions would go to the Sales rep they sent me out with. I was further told that at the end of my third week I would then have the choice to go on straight commission or continue to just recieve $500 a week which ever was the greater.
So when the alledged owner of Dynasty Marketing Sollutions Dewayne Long fired me, I asked him for my $1000 pay for the two weeks and he said I had no pay coming because if they paid people like that they would go broke before they would make enough sales to cover such an expense. He then tried to play stupid and say that he was going to have to find out who was telling intervees this pay information. I told him it was the first lady I interviewed with Latrees (I still don’t know her last name) and Dewayne said she would never say anything like that. Si retoreted, “So you aren’t going to pay me as I was told and I am not going to get paid for any of my sales either? He replied that I never made a sale so I had no commissions coming either. So, I have Dewanye Long, Dynasty Marketing Sollutions, and Smart Circle International all caught in a conspiracy to defraud people from the hard and I mean had earned money when they go to work for them. I am in the proccess now of figuring out how I am going to file crimminal complaints and civil law suits naming all of them including Direct TV for there deliberate, fraudulent, activities.

Sincerely
Ron Amos
Citizens Law Group
Specialists in prosecuting Government officials

I AM SO GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE!!! I just graduated and really want to get into a business related field in Chicago. You can add GLM aka Green Light Marketing (as I found out), VMI, and EIB International Inc to the list. They all had the same careerbuilder info–different addresses and phone numbers–and their websites appeared to be a little unprofessional so I was a little warry to begin with. Not only that but the next day I received emails from all three saying they wanted to set up an interview, but I needed to call them to set it up. So I did some research and found a lot of info on ripoffreport.com. All I can say is DO RESEARCH! A good place to go to is the Better Business Bureau website (bbb.org) or even call them. If you can’t find them on the site or have a low rating THAT IS A BAD SIGN!!!

I might have ran into one of these scams (Pacific Advertising Group). Thak you for the heads up I will look out for it.

Wow, this is very enlightening just went to an initial interview for GLM Inc.(Green Light Marketing)in Chicago. They seem like a legitimate company and wasn’t too knowledgable about them so I decided to do some research on them and found several negative reports on Ripoffreport.com and now I found this site. In my opinion if a company is getting several negative reports and they aren’t well known then it is best to trust your instincts. Seems like GLM (Green Light Marketing) would be a waste of time. Thanks to all who post on this site.

Dynasty Inc. Huge Scam! BEWARE

Has anyone ever heard of Superior Concepts? They are located in Oklahoma City. The claim to be a “Sports and Entertainment Marketing Firm”.

I had a similar experience with a “company” called Evantage Inc in North Dallas. I just graduated college and I got a call from them. I should have been suspicious about their website because there was really nothing on it and no literature at all anywhere on the net which should have raised a red flag. They claimed they moved from New York and Atlanta to expand here in Dallas.

Usually these places will rent out a suite in a big building. Their company name won’t even be anywhere on the door. Only about 4 people will be in there. Usually 1 HR/secretary girl and 3 others who have offices who do the interviews. The offices are bare and nothing on the walls at all. The interview is very brief and vague. It’s all a big scam to get you in there. Anytime they say on your 2nd interview you will shadow someone, that’s apart of this big “marketing” employment scam. You will be going door to door and business to business using shady tactics to try and sell people stuff.

Hey has anyone heard of Northeast consulting based out of Braintree, MA??? I’m supposed to go on an interview on Monday, but I’m wondering if it’s gonna be a waste of time. The website is http://www.northeastconsultinginc.com/.

THANX FOR NOT LETTING ME WASTE MY TIME ON USELESS THINGS WHEN I CAN BE TRYIN TO GET A REAL JOB THAT’S NOT TRYIN TO ROB PEOPLE OF THEIR TIME

Add TJC Inc in Cincinnati and TableRock Inc to the list in Cincinnati (I think subsidiaries of Cydcor). I worked for tjc for 3 days, plus the all-day 2nd interview, and made NO money for my time. Thank God I got out when I did.

Thanks so much for the informative comment! I almost wasted my time with Pacific Advertising Group. I am also in Las Vegas area and the receptionist answered the phone exactly the same way that RL described.

Thank you so much!

The new name is Global Marketing Inc. It’s allllllll over careerbuilder.com and hiring sites like that. Of course, I was intrigued by the listing and sent my resume and was really surprised when I got an email response a few hours later. Too good to be true because it is! The person saying they are the human resource manager is Stacy Joseph. They gave me the address to the company and when I searched the address in Google, it’s a completely different company! I also called the number they provided and asked them for their website, the “receptionist” said it’s still under construction but in the job posting it says this company has been in business for a long time. BS up the wazoo. DO NOT APPLY FOR GLOBAL MARKETING! Here is the email I got:

“Global Marketing, Inc.
3333 Bowers Ave Suite #130
Santa Clara, Ca 95054
408-200-9895

Thank you for your interest in a position with Global Marketing, Inc. My name is Stacy Joseph, and I am the Human Resources Manager. I’ve received your resume, reviewed your qualifications, past experiences and skills, as well as compared your resume to others received. After evaluating these things against our criteria, I would like to invite you to come in for a personal interview with one of our managers.

Congratulations on being selected, as there were many resumes that were submitted and reviewed. With new locations, new clients, and current campaigns that include some of the area’s professional and amateur sports teams, as well as a few of the region’s premier restaurants, golf courses and entertainment venues on the horizon, it is important that we set up an initial interview as soon as possible.

Please call our office at 408-200-9895 between the hours of 9am to 5pm to schedule an initial one-on-one interview. Please note the interview will take place at our Santa Clara location. Thanks again and we look forward to speaking to you soon!

Sincerely,

Stacy Joseph
Human Resources Manager
Global Marketing, Inc.”

Here’s another couple in Colorado that I almost fell for..

Entertainment Marketing AKA W.I.T. Enterprises
on 7475 Dakin St in Denver, Co
Steven Reagan
HR Department
Entertainment Marketing, Inc.
Off: (303) 412-6747
http://www.ent-marketing.com

And The Marketing Group
Katy Jones
6160 S. Syracuse Way, Ste. 100
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Phone: 303-220-9604
Fax: 303-220-9607
Email: hr@rockiesmarketing.com

THANK YOU SO MUCH, I had an interview, but not going. I also found a link to this which might be helpful to anyone else questioning this

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=120960222985177900

It’s an article about the landers corp, which is suspiciously close to the “MAXIS Consulting group” I had an interview with, but not anymore

Omg ! NY Promotional Events is a HUGE SCAM !

I was set up with a interview with this girl Alexandra Giblin. She tells you to call her “allie” she is so nice and bubbly it makes you feel comfortable ! But she is lying to you, she tells you before your first interview that they have office, marketing, customer service, and public relations positions available, and they train you !

I was like so excited when I got the interview, I bragged about it to my mom and dad and my girls. I was so embarrassed, they stuck me in front of an ugly gas station in a bad neighborhood and I had to bother people to buy some car cleaner. It was so humiliating !

I did this for two weeks, and then when I got my pay, i only made $40.00 !!!! Forty dollars for two weeks work !!!!! I was so angry, I wanted to sue ! I didnt know it was commission only !!!!!!!!! But they insist that they told me it was commission only, and I couldn’t do anything about it cuz legally I agreed to it. ARRR !!!!

Big waste of my time !

Hey. Has anyone experienced anything with the Maxis Consulting Group or should I pursue a job opportunity there? Portland, OR.

PLEASE add Dynasty Inc. (or just “Dynasty”) and Worldwide Acquisitions to this list. They are both SCAMS and NO ONE deserves to be sucked in!!!!!!!

The M.A.X.I.S Consulting Group is was The Landers Group has change their name to in the Portland area. Having been suckered in the “job shadowing” for a similar multi-level marketing company in Seattle that sold office supplies to companies door-to-door and getting stuck for an entire day 55 miles from home with no way to leave I knew right away what they were after I interviewed with them a year and a half ago. Unless you like selling Mariners tix door to door, stay away from the M.A.X.I.S Group in Portland, they are the Landers Group.

My Fiance fell for this scam unfortunately.

He has worked in a company in LA called ” Sports Marketting International”. These people that work there are VERY shady. He never ever got paid and he worked 16 hour days. When ever he would bring this up to his “Manager”, he would get excuses and get “promoted”.

If you run across this company, or any like it… RUN!

you can add Polaris (Financial District) & NY Partners in NYC – 35W (blocks from the Empire). SCAM – SCAM – SCAM – A-LOT! found these on the craigslist job board/post.

I asked very precise Qs prior to my meeting … “is this a salaried position, or commission-based structure?” Of course … I was given incorrect info from my initial phone screening/invitation for an interview. $43 later … I’m home and upset that the opportunity was NOT genuine. What a little lie can do – thanks Jenny. And for the hiring manager, Dave … to insult and put down a fellow employee for giving false info – stating “that she doesn’t know, and has no idea what’s going on” … yet she only works in HR.

NY Partners – prides themselves in working with an energy provider in TX with whom you can only take a logical guess to who it is … other than that same shpeal that others have written on this forum.

Keep it movin everyone … these are the breaks … and we”ll all get our chance to shine!

i responded to an ad on craigslist for Polaris NYC. they called me immediatly. did a quick google search and found out there are shady as hell.

stay away from these slimeballs.

I am a former employee of the Landers Group, and your right, they lure you in with all these big name companies that they “represent”. I fell for it and began the entry level position, within a week I was promoted to the next level. The schedule was horrible. I worked all day from 7am-7pm(9-5 in the field) Monday-Saturday. I had no other problems besides the amount of time spent working. I made bell everyday(profit of 100.00) and the weekly paychecks were great for a 19yr old. That is until our weekly pay schedule was thrown off and we were getting paid bi-weekly, then the bi-weekly pay never came and we were waiting on “backed up leads” to be verified before our pay was distributed. There were so many ups and downs of that job but you could never show it. Everyday after a hard day of soliciting we’d come back to the office and if asked how your day was your only response should be “Awesome”. It was as if I was working with a group of robots. I can recall one day working inside of a Sam’s Club and I made $15 the whole day….I finally quit that crappy job and got a real job with a steady paycheck.

Does anyone know anything about Sports & Entertainment Advertising in Denver? They said there are employees who are in charge of door-to-door sales but that’s not the position they want me for. Has anyone heard of this line before or does it sound legit?

Great Post,

Was just about to send my resume to the The Acquisition group in Framingham, Ma. Thank God I googled them first.

I had my first interview with M.A.X.I.S Consulting Group today. My interview was with a very nice bubbly lady named Carrie. She seemed to have a lot of knowledge of the company but spoke very quickly. She said the first interview was just to get to know me and a second interview would be much more informative. She implied that she needed an assistant manager to start asap. The second interview was to see how i related to all the higher-ups and if they thought I was a good fit. So the first interview was short and sweet and I left feeling good, hopeful of my new position. Needless to say I’m not going to my second interview, I am however going to call to ask a few questions. If the response is the same as the rude and defensive responses that others have received, I will share a few words back.

Thank you everyone for all your stories and comments, additionally I just moved here and am actively seeking employment. Any ideas…shoot me an e-mail.

thanks,

Miranda

So, Old Employee, which of the scam companies are you pimping for? Do you enjoy taking money from people to satisfy your selfish immoral ends? Enjoy hell, boy.

Add Dynasty Marketing In Burlington, MA to the list. After scheduling an iternview with the so called venue and sports management firm I decided to cancel. When I googled the company I couldn’t find any history or anything about the company. When i searched Dynasty Burlington, MA all I could find were blogs about how the company is a scam. When I applied I received an email response within 2 hours, telling me to give them a call and im the perfect candidate to set up an interview. I thought it’s the other way around they call there potential employees? I then sent them another application using another email and false name with made up stuff that had nothing to do with marketing, such as cashier at a grocery store again im the perfect candidate.

For your advice do not waste you time, money, or breath on these so called professionals

i just wasted a week and a day buying into this shit….me and two other chics did some research and feel so stupid for wasting our long hours with these fake people delivering empty promises…two of us have degrees and are not stupid by any means…we were skeptical and did our research and now we have lost time we cannot get back. anyone in the tempe, mesa, tuscon, scottsdale, phoenix area beware of anyone calling themselves owners named vince, johnathan or carissa….sux because i thought these were good people… they even call themselves christians …. what a let down, especially to someone who just moved to the area…dangggg

So here is my bullshit story. Much like the stories posted above this isn’t too different. I actually have a decent job but am looking for better pay. I applied on careerbuilder to a job at SMI or Sports Marketing Inc. Total BS. So I go to the interview… cute receptionist? Check. Big screen tv playing sportscenter? No, the tv was playing Never Back Down. Awful. Nobody ever says their last name at the business either. So when I went in “Andy’s” office there wasn’t anything personal. he talked fast, fed me some lines about the White Sox being a client of theirs. They also can never give a number. Everything that should involve a number Andy would say, “They have been a client of ours for a few years now.” Or, “Here at SMI, we have been in business now for… a number of years.” What the fuck does that mean you D-bag? I was there for no more than 25 minutes and he said he would call me back around 5:30 after they reviewed my qualifications against the other candidates. Sure enough, at about 5:45 Andy calls me. I didn’t answer, so he left me a voicemail, where he fumbled in pronouncing the name of the company. Awesome. I call the guy back. He says after further review I was one of the top candidates and he would like me to come back tomorrow and spend the day from 9am to 6pm. Kiss my ass. I said I can’t. So he won’t let this go and asks me when I am free. I say I will find out next Thursday. He asked me to call him then. Thinking long about this, I decided not to call him back. Stay away from SMI, Sports Marketing Inc. in the Chicago area. This place was located in Lombard.

I am so glad I found this. I had a phone interview with a company called PMA Concepts tomorrow. I started doing research so I would be able to talk to them about the company, then I came across this website. Thank you so much.

Well, I have to say, working for TOM SPIRO at VICTORY PROMOTIONS was an experience. I had a great leader who showed me the ropes, worked hard, learned tons and because of my efforts to push myself to be better, make more money (come on guys, everyone likes a massage!) I have subsequently always been employed, I do what it takes and am pretty stoked about it. Working a commission only job teaches a person what work really means, and if you’re good at it enough to teach other people how to make money, that’s a gift. I love my job now. I wouldn’t be as rediculously awesome at it if I didn’t know what I was doing. And I learned all that stuff on the street. Working for Victory Promotions was probably the best thing I’ve ever done. And no, it’s not forever, and yes, it’s totally hard work. But if you can do that, you can do anything.

If you’re unemployed and looking for work, go earn it. That’s what employment is all about- ensuring that stuff moves from person to person, business to business. Sell stuff. Practice because it’s not the easiest thing to do but you can learn how to do it. Earn your money. Once you prove that you can earn it, someone will hire you to work for them. And you’ll know how to ask the right questions and land whatever job you want. You learn how to turn a No into a Yes. It’s a skill, it can be taught, practiced and developed. But even when you’re working for someone, it’s important to know deep down, you’ve got to earn your job too. It’s not a gift or an entitlement. People who work hand and do what it takes are valuable and make bank.

Stop whining, start working. Do what it takes. Talk to the people who earn the most money in the office and do what they do. And then you’ll be earning money too. And then you parlay your SKILLS into a job that you really want.

I’ll hire anyone who was successful door to door. Because I know they have mad skills. They worked for them and will do great in business because they have a solid foundation.

I worked for PMA Concepts, and after going through the experience, I have to say that as far as I can tell these companies aren’t scams, but are very, very misleading. They are extremely vague with the job description, they throw around big name companies that they “partner with” ( whether it’s true or not I don’t know) they tell you that, they’re only bringing back 4-5 people out of 50 that are interviewed today and you’re one,and on your second interview, the day that you shadow your potential team leader, you’re still not told what you’re going to do until you get close the territory for the day.

I stopped working only after a week because of physical aliments but I have no problems with the work itself, it’s quite easy, but it just wasn’t for me. The only real problem I have with the company was that I was told my paycheck ( I did get leads during my time there) would be mailed to me within two weeks, it’s been more than a month. Whenever I call the receptionist says that the lead manager is on a call and will call me back, he hasn’t so far, and today I kept calling the office and no one answers. I want to think positively of the company, but the way they’re treating my situation is making me think otherwise. I didn’t work for free, I produced and I want to get paid.

Bottom line I feel that this (these) company isn’t a scam, because you do make money, or so I was told, but they are very sketchy with details and how they reveal themselves to you. I feel that no matter what the job is your potential employer should always be upfront on what the job entails.

Willy, in my case I guess you’re right it was a scam, because I haven’t been paid yet even though I worked and put in hours for the company, but as as much as I could tell there were people who were getting paid and making money, so that’s why I’m not so quick to call it a complete scam. Dishonest and misleading yes, but it’s not a situation where you don’t have to put in large amounts of money ( no money for that matter) just to work or showcase the products. But don’t think that I’m letting them off the hook because I am pissed and frustrated with my situation, because no matter how small the paycheck maybe, its money that is owed to me. I wouldn’t advise anyone to work there or a similar company unless you’re truly desperate, because in my view not getting guaranteed money for that kind of job isn’t worth it.

Yep. The Acquisition Group. And just in case you google it and spell it wrong, The Aquisition Group. Definitely appreciate the head’s up about this one. THANK YOU!

Acquisition Group

I was contacted because they viewed my resume on Careerbuilder. I was called and told they were looking to hire a new director of marketing. The interview was set up very fast within 24 hours which I thought was unusual. I looked at their website and found it uninteresting and decided what the hell… I’m free anyway I’ll go and see whats up. When I arrived to the interview I sat and waited about an hour to meet with a guy. He took my resume and application did not even look at them and started off talking about the company. Periodically he would stop and ask me if this was something I was interested in. Towards the end I stopped him and said “This does not sound anything like the duties of a director of marketing. It sounds like a direct marketing/sales position” He smiled and said exactly. I told him what I was told I was interviewing for and he said that there is fast growth potential into that position. Kinda irritated I said “but that’s not what I was told I was interviewing for which seems a little misleading.” He went on the state more perks about the business and how face to face sales works and how a business makes money. Really irritated I stopped him again and said “did you actually read my resume.?” he said yes and I proceeded to say “you realize I have an MBA and around 9 years experience as I COO for a European Corporation along with 3 years experience as the VP of sales for fortune 500 software company.” He said “yes and that is all great experience which makes you a very competitive candidate for this position. I said “then why are you explaining to me how business works when I obviously have been a C level exec for a company. He stated all companies are different in how they generate money”

(which is true but sales is pretty straight forward) and I stated I’m interested to know more about your compensation package, he went on to explain a guarantee weekly and commissions then jumped into say you have 6 figure potentials with us. I said like a smartass “great but what if I’m shooting for 7 figures in the next two years is that possible?”

And of course he said no. After asking him how long he worked there which was about 1 year I asked if he had made 6 figures which of course was also no. I proceeded to ask what companies they do business with specifically and he named of a company I was formally the Internet Marketing Director for. I asked him about that company and he went on stating all these facts which were not facts but more so misleading information meaning they purchased from the company. I stated well since I have made purchases from Wal-mart, Costco, LL-Bean etc… can I say that I do business with them yes… but that does mean I do business for them…no… Very very irritated I said you must think I’m a fool then by telling me this and even conning me into an interview for a position you are not actually offering and then telling me all these BS perks. Along with the fact your sorry company thinks it’s ok to exploit educated people for shit pay and the fact you think I spent 6 years in two Ivy league institutions to work for 500- 600 bucks a week is truly fucking insulting. I realize times are bad but if you read the bottom of my resume where I provided you with my salary History and requirements you’d know I have a History of making near 7 figures and you probably cannot not afford me at this time. He then said I think we are done and I got up and left.

To my surprise I got an email when I got home, Automated of course asking me in for a 2nd interview. Wow did not see that one coming after a cursed and totally disrespected the disrespectful hiring manager that sucks poor saps in daily to make him money while half of them wait to get paid. It’s very sad it’s not like the old days when people could get jobs by achieving in their fields educated or not. It’s companies like these that are the problem with our work system today. That is also why an education means less today and it’s harder for small companies to exist.

Now I am a candidate for a job as a C-level exec and am even ok with work for less than 60k a year if it’s with the right company and a company going somewhere. I kick myself in the ass daily for leaving my old post to move for my kids but I am one of the lucky few that have a lot of capital to live off of till I find another good job. For all the other poor people that end up taking these positions with these companies only to get screwed in the end expose them for what they are “professionals yes but not in the world of good business, they are professionals at taking advantage of people in hard times and new college graduates lacking to common sense to see through their bullshit”

I worked for one of these places for a few months in St Louis and I agree with the FEW people on this message board that have something positive to say. Its DIRECT marketing, what do you think its going to be? Its hard work but at the end of the day you felt as though you earned your money. Yes I “sold out” too and now work a desk job with a steady paycheck. But let me just say that having door-to-door sales on your resume REALLY helps. After putting my direct marketing experience on my resume doors started to swing open for me and I am now on a career path I enjoy. It really shows you what hard work truly is and makes you appreciate getting steadily paid. All I’m saying is go experience it for yourself, if you dont like it its only one day out of your life, your not employed anyways what else do you have to do?

Wow! I’m soooo glad I read up on this. I sent in my resume for the” Aquisition Group” of Framingham MA yesterday and they set me up with an interview today. I had a dentist appointment and they didn’t mind if I was late. They were “wrapping up” interviews though and had to get mine in asap. I went to the interview and it felt really strange. There were no company signs just paper taped up on the window. They said they had been there for two years. Shouldn’t they at least have a real sign by now? Inside It was just a bland office setting blaring loud music.
The man took me in for my interview and it lasted all of 10 minutes. I learned nothing about the job except they market for Verizon and Staples. I just told him about my hobbies and experience in marketing which was nil. About 3 hours later they had a “board meeting” and I was invited to the second interview. The whole thing wreeked of scam to me. I can’t afford to quit my day time job for this.

I got an interview at the company called Sports Plus Promotions at St Louis MO, do u know if this job is a scam? help

Thank you for this website. I had an interview scheduled this afternoon with JCW Marketing. As a college graduate, I was really looking foreward to this. However, I found it funny that no website for JCW Marketing existed, but just their job postings. I called the person, and they said it was under Colossusmg.com, which was under construction because “basketball season just ended.” I don’t know what league she was talking about in January just ended! I looked under the Better Business Bureau and couldn’t find JCW. In fact, the phone number I was given was actually linked to the other company, Colossus Marketing! This was enough for me to raise red flags, so I started looking at some sites and found this one. Thank you for helping me realize this was a scam…

Soooo glad I found this blog. I applied for a posiiton with World wide marketing last night, but couldnt find a web address. I got a call back to day and the girl gave me the address http://worldwidemktg.net/ founded by adam gerald. When I googled the company name and the owners name to find more info, I came across ACG marketing, started by the same guy with the exact same website, just in NC: http://webpreview.estream.com/acgmarketinginc_com/. There is no real information on either of these websites about what the do, but from this site, I think I get a good idea. I’m Canceling my interview…. ACG Marketing is now World wide marketing or world wide concepts.