Austin Alliance what a deceptive ripoff waste of time Austin Texas
What position are they offering?? .....
I had answered an ad in the paper for an appointment setter. They called me back, leaving a message on my machine. I called them back, but when they answered the phone, they didn't say, "Austin Alliance, How may I help you?" or anything like that; they answered the phone with a quick "Hello?" I thought that was a little weird. I ignored it however and talked to a woman by the name of Cindy about the job. She said that they were offering two positions: sales and an appointment setter. I told her I might be interested in the appt setter position but not sales. We schedule an interview for the next day.
I felt a little strange about the way Cindy had picked up the phone, so I decided to do a little research on the company (Cindy had told me the name of the company was Austin Alliance). Not only could I not find anything online about the company, I couldn't even find their name in the phone book! I decided to still go to the interview but didn't wear any of my nice jewelry and gave my husband all their information in case I didn't come home in a few hours. As you can tell, this whole thing made me feel a bit uneasy. I had to go to it though, just to see what would happen.
The next morning, Cindy called me a few hours before the interview just to make sure I was still coming. Now I was feeling very uneasy. (Who calls to remind people about an interview??) She also made sure I knew to dress nice for the interview. (duh!)
When I arrived at the building, I walked into a small room supplied only with two small couches and a small desk. The woman at the desk had me sign my name and who I was there for. From the room next door, I could hear loud music and people talking. "Sounds like they're having a party in there!" I joked to the receptionist. I figured they were having a going away party for someone or something. Little did I know, that room was where my "interview" was!
Cindy came into the small room and got me. She took me into the room with the music. There were about 40-50 nicely dressed people talking in groups. Cindy took me to one circle of people, introduced me, and left me with the people. She said they would talk about the company in a minute to all the people; it was quicker and easier to tell everyone at once instead of one by one.
A few minutes later, we were all seated and an attractive woman in nice, expensive clothing walked up and talked to us. She talked about her life and about how the company changed her life. She said that she was a college dropout, had 8 maxed out credit cards, and had no future... until she stumbled upon this company! She continued to talk about the company and her life, etc.
After two more people sharing their life stories, I noticed a trend. Every person said that college was a waste of time and that a college degree would get you nowhere. This, of course, went against everything I had grown up with and had learned.
They only touched on the sales position and how it worked, saying you would pay the company $50 to start your own business. Then you had to purchase products, which cost a minimum of $160. You then had to sell these products and that's how you would make a profit. Also, there were these training session that were mandatory. The first few were free, but as you got into them more, they cost you $300 and $1,000 per session.
There was also this pyramid they drew to show you that you made money off the people below you (the people that filled out the application after you). If you didn't fill out your application soon, more people would be above you! (they kept trying to create this sense of urgency which made me feel more aprehensive).
After the first meeting, they had a break where uninterested people could leave, while others may stay for more information. I told Cindy that I wanted to know about the Appointment Setter position, which still hadn't been mentioned yet. She said that they would explain it all after the next meeting. Also, she changed the name from "Appointment Setter" to "Management Team."
After another meeting that focused only on sales, I met up with Cindy again. She told me that the "Management Team" position was actually a "Recruiter" position. You were paid by straight commision only. Your job would be to call people and get them to come to these meetings and you wouldn't get paid unless the people you recruited actually filled out an application and worked in sales.
That's when I left and cursed them under my breath for wasting TWO HOURS of my life, and making me feel like I had been tricked.
Nicole
Round Rock, Texas
U.S.A.
8 Updates & Rebuttals
Jana
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
New Name For Old Game
#9Consumer Comment
Wed, July 28, 2004
Austin Alliance is now going by "Global Marketing Solutions", or some such. I got a call from them today, asking me to come in for an interview. I specifically asked Mr. Robert Potts if his company is anything like Austin Alliance, in that the "employee" has to buy and re-sell the products.
He didn't miss a beat in trying to explain the difference between the two companies, but I found it odd that he knew so much about Austin Alliance's business model. He said it's not necessary to buy and re-sell the products, but I will soon "see the benefit of it". I went ahead and set up an interview for tomorrow, with absolutely no intention of showing up.
For, once he gave me the business address, I fully realized that Global Marketing Solutions is, in fact, synonymous with Austin Alliance. Any company that changes names so often is a bad bet. Beware!
Jana
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
BBB says they're clean, which is puzzling
#9Consumer Comment
Thu, April 15, 2004
A year or two ago I, too, was contacted by Austin Alliance. They, of course, made the "job" sound honest and real over the phone, but I learned differently when I got to the work site.
Yes, the lobby seemed quiet and almost empty. I was told to go into the "interview" room, where I shook hands with other naive pawns and Alliance employees.
I initially wanted to leave, but I caught sight of an attractive man so I decided to stay (yeah, yeah, shut up). The presentation began, and yes, a very attractive young lady delivered her spiel with all the confidence of a Tony-winning Broadway actor. Funny thing, though - no one ever mentioned any cost, other than the initial $50 fee (and that was AFTER the hook, er...presentation). I knew from the get-go that I wanted no part of this organization, but I stayed out of politeness and of curiosity as to just how far they'd go.
They showed us their diet supplements, tanning products, and homeopathic remedies, all about which I kept thinking, "How do I know this stuff really works? Someone to whom I sell these products may get sick or die as a result of ingesting them, and then I'd be partially (or perhaps fully) liable."
After the presentation they divided us into small groups, and assigned an employee to try to sign us on to the deal. Not only did they try to push the $50 Selling Workshop, they also tried to get us hooked on a "discounted" ($300) once-in-a-lifetime marketing conference. Some of the people in my little group actually fell for the bait. When the company rep turned to me and attempted to shove the contract in my face, I laughed and told her I wasn't dumb enough to fall for this crap.
Of course she said I'd be missing out on a BIG opportunity, but I informed her that any worthwhile job does not require the EMPLOYEE to pay in order to work!
Austin Alliance operates much like Mary Kay or Avon: They make you buy the products, and you are then responsible for getting your own customer base. A scant few are successful, as most people end up pawning off as much of the products as they can on friends and family, and eating the cost of the remainder products. Difference is, with Mary Kay and/or Avon, you know exactly what you're getting. For all intents and purposes, makeup is makeup. But the herbal remdies and diet pills Austin Alliance sells could possibly be dangerous. I have yet to see, read, or hear about any positive customer testimonials about their products (not that I've read any negative ones).
FYI: EVERY time I'm out of work, Austin Alliance calls me (and wastes my cellphone minutes). I don't know how my resume keeps getting submitted to them. I respond to tons of Statesman classifieds, but Austin Alliance must not put their company name in their ads, otherwise I would steer clear. Aside from that very first time (described above) they have called me four other times, including yesterday. Incidentally, that's what prompted me to look them up on this website today.
Charles
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
Company has now changed it's name, Water Filtration & Purification Equip. KA Marketing
#9Consumer Comment
Tue, March 23, 2004
that this company has now changed it's recruiting practices and is now going under the name:
Water Filtration & Purification Equip.
KA Marketing
6633 East Highway 290, Austin, TX 78723
(512) 419-0845
Below is a copy of their ad for employment in careerbuilder.com:
DESCRIPTION
Texas Based International Sales & Marketing company seeking qualified individuals to help with local expansion. Individuals must be business minded, sharp, self-motivated and enthusiastic.
Help needed with training, recruiting, marketing, management, sales and advertising.
Serious Inquiries send resumes to [Click here for email]
REQUIREMENTS
-Individuals must be self-motivated, enthusiastic, sharp, business minded, ambitious and enrgetic!
Charles
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
Company has now changed it's name, Water Filtration & Purification Equip. KA Marketing
#9Consumer Comment
Tue, March 23, 2004
that this company has now changed it's recruiting practices and is now going under the name:
Water Filtration & Purification Equip.
KA Marketing
6633 East Highway 290, Austin, TX 78723
(512) 419-0845
Below is a copy of their ad for employment in careerbuilder.com:
DESCRIPTION
Texas Based International Sales & Marketing company seeking qualified individuals to help with local expansion. Individuals must be business minded, sharp, self-motivated and enthusiastic.
Help needed with training, recruiting, marketing, management, sales and advertising.
Serious Inquiries send resumes to [Click here for email]
REQUIREMENTS
-Individuals must be self-motivated, enthusiastic, sharp, business minded, ambitious and enrgetic!
Charles
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
Company has now changed it's name, Water Filtration & Purification Equip. KA Marketing
#9Consumer Comment
Tue, March 23, 2004
that this company has now changed it's recruiting practices and is now going under the name:
Water Filtration & Purification Equip.
KA Marketing
6633 East Highway 290, Austin, TX 78723
(512) 419-0845
Below is a copy of their ad for employment in careerbuilder.com:
DESCRIPTION
Texas Based International Sales & Marketing company seeking qualified individuals to help with local expansion. Individuals must be business minded, sharp, self-motivated and enthusiastic.
Help needed with training, recruiting, marketing, management, sales and advertising.
Serious Inquiries send resumes to [Click here for email]
REQUIREMENTS
-Individuals must be self-motivated, enthusiastic, sharp, business minded, ambitious and enrgetic!
Zane
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
Austin Alliance continues its practices.
#9Consumer Comment
Fri, February 13, 2004
My thanks to all of you who submitted Rip-Off Reports on Austin Alliance. You saved me from spending time on them. You also gave substance to what has been my "gut hunch" about them all day.
I was (phone) solicited by a person named 'Steve Peterson' this morning who wanted me to come in for an interview at 1:00 pm this afternoon. His pitch was that he pulled down my resume from Monster.com and verified that I am currently unemployed before asking me to come in for an interview in sales and marketing in the "health, wellness, and sports" field. No product named. Hesitant to give me his full name. No phone number.
The more I thought about it the more I became convinced this was a scam of some description. I poked around on the web until I found this site. I want to let everyone know that Austin Alliance (wonderful name and not used much!) is definitely still in business and is using the same Modus Operandi.
James
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
Austin Alliance still at it ..Thanks to RipOffReport for helping me keep myself from getting ripped off too badly!
#9Consumer Comment
Tue, January 27, 2004
As of 1/27/2004 Austin Alliance is still trying to get recruits.
In my case they are trying a new tactic... they are not waiting for people to apply for their "jobs", they found my resume (on AustinHelpWanted.com) can called me in for an interview.
Fortunately I google'd their address and found the report. Since the last posting had been some time ago, these types of operations tend to fold up, the name of the company given to me by the caller was different, and other details to the M.O. were slightly different, and not in the least because I am currently unemployed and looking for a job and cannot afford to pass on a real job lead, I went to their location.
The setup was substantially the same. The name, Austin Alliance, on the door, sign in at the waiting room, many people waiting, and sounds of a party atmosphere in the next room.
Forewarned, I did not stay for the presentation; after all, I am unemployed and had already wasted an hour of my job hunting time (including drive time both ways and time to get "suited up" for an interview and change back to more comfortable clothes to continue my job hunt).
To assist others in locating this information via google I include the contact information given me by the caller:
512-371-3560
Catherine Wilson
6633 Hwy 290 E ast Suite 106
Thanks to RipOffReport for helping me keep myself from getting ripped off too badly!
Mark
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
Same thing happened to my stepdaughter.
#9Consumer Comment
Sun, July 13, 2003
I don't know all the details, but my stepdaughter was lured by the prospect of a job, and encountered the same mass sales pitch. Austin Alliance is listed in the Greater Austin SBC phone book. She did not fall for it thank goodness.