Comments on: The Landers Group

By: Chuck Bellitto

Chuck Bellitto — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:17:21 +0000

I am supposed to have a interview with this company in a few days. Seems kind of sketchy..Any thoughts?

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:50:04 +0000

Haha.. It sounds to me like you’ve been pitched. EVERY person I worked with who made it to assistant management was 100% out of the company within a few months. Be careful Patty. You have to remember that the people above you are there because they know how to bust out a good sales pitch to those under them.

The “corporate account” is and will never be your money. That account belongs to the parent company. You will be paid out of that account the equivilent of mininum wage. Good luck, but always know that the salary job will be waiting for you when you realize you’ve been scammed.

By: Chris New

Chris New — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:46:59 +0000

I have a concern about this. I live in Richmond, VA and the organization went under High Level Management on CareerBuilder. I actually did go on my first interview and filled out an application. Unfortunately I put my social security number on the application. Should I be concerned about my identity being stolen? Thanks.

By: JAYJAY

JAYJAY — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:58 +0000

Hey Bob, I’m interested what is your contact?

By: Sheila

Sheila — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:44:42 +0000

My son just started a new job yesterday and my husband and I are somewhat skeptical. It seems to be similar to all these companies mentioned in this article. Could someone tell me if GSI in Woburn MA is another SCAM job??

By: Laina

Laina — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:29:23 +0000

I am not 100% positive but from what it sounds like Medra Marketing, BBC group as well as Accsell (all in the cleveland area) need to be added.

I received “2nd interviews” with all three companies, all of them told me to dress for the weather and asked me to commit a full day to the interview.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:21:52 +0000

You can two in the Denver metro area to your list: Skyline Marketing & Summit Advertising. I was thoroughly disappointed with how misleading their job postings were.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:43:05 +0000

Welp, I talked with Andralee from Defined Industries, and got the whole bit. She kept asking me questions about what I liked about marketing and what are the biggest retailers in the country. She said that they target the “Affluent customers” of BJs and Sam’s Club, and their numbers showed a 300% increase (from what, who knows)

So, like I said, there was no Door to Door Sales, Telemarketing, Business to Business Sales jobs involved. What would companies that sell “skincare & cosmetics, health & wellness, gourmet foods, and specialty household items” be doing at BJs?

The company description says “We establish retail marketing events and shows to provide our clients with maximum exposure for their products and services. Due to our success over the past year, we are looking for a couple great additions to our event marketing teams. We offer full comprehensive training in all facets of our events and marketing strategies, travel opportunities, as well as management training program.”

What did I gather? Random products, no sales/selling, in a wholesale store, marketing events, “exposure”.

Yep, I figured it out as soon as she asked if I wanted to go to my in-person interview tomorrow. They run the free sample stands. Sample stands. Yes, sample stands. Why they market it as anything different is a shame, along with the rest of these businesses.

I told her I was busy those two days she offered, and without any pushing to reschedule, she said, “Okay, bye.”

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:34:17 +0000

I was scheduled to interview with Cedar Cliff Marketing in Mt Laurel, NJ today at 2:30. The address given was 125 Gaither Dr Suite K. Which was odd, because at 1:30, I had an interview with “Signature”, at the very same address, Suite K, too.

When I booked my interview for Signature, I saved the company name in my phonebook. When Cedar Cliff called, the same number came up, and I took the call like it was Signature calling me back.

On a side note, I also got recruited by the following:

KJ Innovations (they had at least 30 careerbuilder postings, all ENTRY-LEVEL)
East Coast Business Concepts (mentioned earlier in the comments)
CXN Inc (Ripoff Report has the dirt on them)

Then there’s “Defined Industries”. I’m expecting a phone interview from them, and they seem less shady. From the job listing on CB.com:

We DO NOT participate in the Following:
Door to Door Sales
Telemarketing
Business to Business Sales

So no in-person interview, and I won’t have to sell things any of these ways(what else can there be??). I’m optimistic, but I’ll update it when I hear from them.

By: Frances

Frances — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:24:06 +0000

PSI Marketing i find to be a scam, it was selling tmobile business phones…i worked for them for 3 weeks, 2 of the weeks mind you was training…i was unable to sell anything and they say i didnt earn ANYTHING for a paycheck…it was one of those every day i found out something new about the company, said it wasnt about sales, its customer service…the interview was getting in the car with someone at 9 in the morning, and not even getting back to the office until 8 at night…then followed by 6 days of this for training…they claim to be a business that is creating future owners by the time of only like 18 months…so of course i saw the $$$$ signs…im currently trying to find out my legal rights of getting a pay check

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:30:57 +0000

I just received an email from them saying they attempted to call me (no recent missed calls on my phone) and it drew up a red flag when I received an email from them which gmail marked “This message may not have been sent by: sharpmarketinginc@gmail.com Learn more Report phishing” I did the same thing, searching on google and all I find is job postings, nothing about the company. I’m not sure about this company at all. Did you end up finding anything out about them?

By: Tyler

Tyler — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:56:56 +0000

Anyone heard of Chance Events, Inc.? They are located in several cities but I just got hired by the Phoenix branch. It’s a direct marketing firm and after reading all of this, I am starting to get cold feet. Minimal information on compensation, along with indirect answers regarding my questions about training, benefits, and scheduling. Should I just resign now before my first week?

By: Francine Scott

Francine Scott — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:08:20 +0000

They operate under Intense Vision Inc. They contact me about every 6 months from my Careerbuilder resume’! 4 years ago I went there when they operated under MLM marketing and they had me follow them to an AT&T kiosk; same story and if you respond to their vague email they will not respond back!

By: eli

eli — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:07:20 +0000

Recent graduate, 3 emails in one morning, I had a similar experience looking for a summer internship, but I didn’t go to the second interview, I really want to go to these interviews and record them, I’ll do my best!!! i’ll try to report them to the news.

By: JH

JH — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:03:10 +0000

I worked for a division of DS Maxx, which was named the Missing Children’s Center. I was looking for non-profit jobs when I ran across an ad that was for a fund raising and community awareness position with this company located in Raleigh, NC. My “interview” was riding with a stranger for the day who carried with her a card with faces of missing children ages 18 and under. The “pitch” was to go inside businesses and tell them that you were with the Missing Children’s Center and ask if they would take a look to see if they recognized any of the faces. Then tell them that you were raising money in order to “aid and assist in the recovery” of missing children. Each $20 donation came with a Thank you gift. I was young and so excited at the prospect of helping to find missing children. After working with the company for about 2 months I started asking why the faces of the children on our cards never changed and what percentage of our donations actually went to the MCC (missing children’s center) and why we were paid based on the amount of donations we collected each day rather than being paid an hourly wage or salary. I was chastised for asking these questions and told that if I didn’t believe in the cause then I could leave. 2 months later we went to a “regional meeting” where I met the other departments of the company. We were the MCC division, we actually had a “cause” to use to ask for donations and give gifts, where the other divisions were merely selling these gifts like knife sets, kids books, etc. When we all met in a large auditorium the “owner” asked if anyone had any questions and I asked the same questions about money and the pictures and was basically shut up in a hurry. It was then that I realized that I had been pounding the pavement, putting myself in dangerous situations, paying almost as much as I made in gas, sweating my face off every day merely to sell these supposed gifts. There was no non-profit division. The next week I quit.

HOWEVER, a few weeks later I ended up working at an actual multi-level marketing company named VIP Promotions. The difference was that this company was honest about what they were doing. They were selling passes to play golf and discount passes to restaurants over the phone for a profit. You were paid based on the number of passes you sold and after working there for some time you would train people to sell. These people would be on your team and you received bonuses for hitting different sales goals. This company was run by a former employee of DS Maxx who HATED the lies that were told to people in order to get them to work there. I worked for VIP for 5 years and while it was 100% commission and a very tough and competitive sales environment I wouldn’t trade the experience and training that I gained there. I moved on to a job that offered benefits and salary and a regular 9-5 schedule, but do not look back at VIP with any ill feelings. Funny thing is if you look at Groupon and Living Social these deals are exactly what we were selling at VIP. I can only imagine the success of VIP if the internet had been as great of a resource as it is now.

I think the bottom line is that you have to see for yourself what each of these companies is all about. Sure you can use the internet as a resource, but what do you have to lose by going to the interview? I would say that DIS-honesty is the biggest red flag for the scamming multi level marketing businesses. If they don’t want to tell you how you get paid, or answer questions about health insurance, vacation etc then walk away.
Just remember this… if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

By: Mya

Mya — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:29:50 +0000

I tried this link and it didn’t work, you get sent to google’s home page. Although, I definately think this place is a scam. I have an interview tomorrow which I will not be attending. They must have recently changed their name or done damage control because I could not find any negative information about their company.

By: Renae

Renae — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:37:20 +0000

I find this hilarious because they called me for an interview, and since I already knew of similar companies, I asked straight out if it was telemarketing or door-to-door and she assured me that it was not. But then she said that someone else would call me back to set up an interview, even though that’s what she had intended to do before I caught her off guard. Of course, no one ever called me back.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:33:54 +0000

Does anyone know about LIA Group or Worldwide Marketing in Mineola, NY? I normally research the company in Google but couldn’t find anything that would imply scam? I recently got called for a “2nd interview” in which it will be from 9am-5pm tomorrow morning.From what I’ve been reading so far, that means door to door sales?…Does anyone have any personal experience with them so I don’t waste my gas..

By: Mcigam

Mcigam — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:11:09 +0000

Are you kidding me? Don’t ask him questions about his *ahem* business. Unless you’re another employee or “Owner” trying to make Shaun seem legitimate. I’ve worked at one of those companies for a while. It was horrible. The turn-over ratio was probably over 99.9%. They “interview” 10-20 people a day, or however many they can get there. 2-5 people probably fall for the scam, until they get smart and quit. yeah….Find something else if you want a real challenge.

By: Deidra

Deidra — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:54:13 +0000

I have another group to add on. In case anyone is reading this, there is an organization called Primerica that is involved with a Pyramid scheme. According to a friend of mine, the set-up is not illegal, but it will make it difficult for the newcomers to make money and they will be hired to do the same thing the recruiter will do to you. It is an attempt to suck in innocent naive job seekers in the market. This almost happened to me, but I decided to back out at the last minute. If they ask you for money for a license (which is legit), it sounds okay, but if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Be careful.

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:32:56 +0000

I’m pretty sure you’re right Andrew. I applied and got an email stating they wanted to setup an interview, which they did after I called them today. The interview is for tomorrow, so I decided to do some research on the company (obviously). Needless to say they fit ALL criteria for these “marketing” slavery businesses mentioned on this site and others across the net.

The funny thing is, I’m so sick of job hunting without even getting interviews (or any correspondence) that I’m actually thinking of going on the interview just for practice… or out of sheer boredom. I guess after that I’ll just go back to restaurants where I know I can get a $10/hr. crappy job even though I’ve got my degree. yeehaw…

By: john

john — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:07:11 +0000

Anyone heard of BCMG in atlanta? sounds similar to a lot of these other groups. submittied my resume yesterday and got a call for a “preliminary” interview today scheduled tomorrow. Anyone?

By: Akpan Jennings

Akpan Jennings — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:45:18 +0000

I had that same experience with the Venture Marketing solutions in 2004. I went through the same interview process. I commuted all the way from TOWSON, MD for about a month after I got the job. I only stayed that long because I hit a lick in the begining and made a couple grand by selling a bunch of printers to an office that was just opening. The money slowed up after that and it cost to much to even travel there. The core members of that group make all the money the door to door people quit and are replaced with new monkeys. The “ceo” was Justin Jordan but he took over between my first and second interview so I was a bit confused.

By: Gayla Bryant

Gayla Bryant — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:15:48 +0000

Heather,

Ck them out here….
http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&source=hp&q=Chicago+Retail+Solutions+in+Schaumburg+IL+scam+or+fraud&pbx=1&oq=Chicago+Retail+Solutions+in+Schaumburg+IL+scam+or+fraud&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=333140l333140l1l335209l1l1l0l0l0l0l382l382l3-1l1l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=b77b44dc3758e796&biw=986&bih=611

By: Gayla Bryant

Gayla Bryant — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:13:45 +0000

Sarah,
You can go here and ck them out…

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&source=hp&q=Anjaneyap+Global+Inc+scam+or+fraud&pbx=1&oq=Anjaneyap+Global+Inc+scam+or+fraud&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=463415l463415l0l465916l1l1l0l0l0l0l509l509l5-1l1l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=b77b44dc3758e796&biw=986&bih=611

By: Gayla Bryant

Gayla Bryant — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:39:36 +0000

Rey,

This is for you http://entryleveljobscamsblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/hdm-marketing-concepts-inc-san-antonio.html

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&source=hp&q=HDM+Marketing+Concepts+scam+or+fraud&pbx=1&oq=HDM+Marketing+Concepts+scam+or+fraud&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=0l0l1l85l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=b77b44dc3758e796&biw=986&bih=611

Check out this site and you will find out some info about them….

By: Gayla Bryant

Gayla Bryant — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:37:39 +0000

I would like to know how much money you had to invest to get this job you talk about?? I prefer to not invest any money, I need to make money been unemployed for 2+ years and homeless now. Need a real job got any suggestions??

Thank you
Gayla

By: Crushing it!!!

Crushing it!!! — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:42:12 +0000

Thanks direct sales. You not only taught me discipline, work ethic, and how to communicate effectively with others, you made me a lot of money. Thanks to all the so-called “scammers” out there who were willing to give me a job, when I DIDNT have any experience. I am sure some people have had bad experiences in the past with some of these companies, but do not judge all companies the same way. If you google Subway or Walmart scams, you will find a million different things on these companies. Does that mean that these companies are scams. NO, of course not. It means the internet is a very place for people to express their OPINIONS. Also, from my experiences, if people want to have a great career and be “successful”, then they have to work A LOT. When people are going to medical school, they have to put people in the worst possible situations to see if they can handle being a doctor. Simply, it is all supply and demand. Sure, everyone likes the idea of being successful and being financially stable, but once they find out that they have to WORK, then they usually find a easier route. For example, everyone that starts out going to med school/law school doesn’t become a doctor or lawyer, because it is hard and you have to WORK LONG HOURS. The longer I write this, the more pissed I am getting by all these average, spoiled people on the job board. Do some real research before getting on these boards and letting people who you’ve never met before influence your decisions and your career. Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Jamie Foxx, Colenel Sanders (ha), Donald Trump, Mark Cuban all started of doing residential sales. They turned out OK. Some people are satisfied with making 50k per year and that’s fine, but if you’re not, then you should check out a direct sales company. Only do it, if you are willing to work your ass off. Have a good one.

By: Mr. Edwards

Mr. Edwards — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:10:03 +0000

I am willing to bet there is truth to all of this. I run my own direct marketing company. I went to a preliminary interview. I shadowed sales on a second round interview. I earned the opportunity to become independently incorporated and now make great money representing a large telecom company. This business structure is pure…what I mean is that it is completely based on merit. IF you earn your receive…if you dont earn then you dont! NOW UNDERSTAND there are some people who run their business with strong ethics and integrity, and there are some that do not. Ultimately you will earn experience. That is probably why you are on this site anyway, because you have none and thats why you are seeking entry level jobs. Dont prejudge your opportunity based on what someone on the internet wrote. if you went to college then your professors all told you that the internet (by and large) is not reliable. Make your own decisions. WORST CASE SCENARIO you learn to cold call 10-15 customers a day, make some cash, and get some experience, which ANY future employer will find admirable. The reason most people call these businesses a scam is because they failed (that could be the employees fault or the employer didnt provide great training). If I were you I would go on the 2nd interview and ask in depth what the training is like, and make sure that sales are done with integrity. If you are taught how to close quality sales (no matter the product) with integrity, then you are now a more qualified professional. Keep it real.

By: DL

DL — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:02:11 +0000

I interviewed for a company called Milwaukee Marketing Enterprise located in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Then I noticed an add on careerbuilder called New Light Marketing. I have a phone interview with them tomorrow. What I thought was fishy was that both companies sound like they do the same thing (sell Direct TV in retail stores). Then I did my research, which brought me here. Now I’m not sure if I should go to my second interview on Friday.