Complaint Review: CA COURTESY DEMOS INC

I am in shock that someone would have something bad to say About CA Courtesy.  I work for this company and googled the name to find some information and found this link at the top of the page.  This forced me to say something.  I don't feel they deserve bad publicity.  They have treated me so well.  The job is enjoyable and they pay very well.  I feel anyone who is complaining is probably not the the best employee and well, probably complains about many things in life.  Please don't be misguided and believe everything you read and find out for yourself.  Thank you.  

CA Courtesy gives all employees a hard time with all those yearly work policies. To keep up mentally can be a challenge. It is true you don't get paid for every hour you work. It is not just standing interacting with customers for them to sample and for them to buy the new product. There are lots of responsibilites to be performed before and after your demo time; normally 6 hours with a paid 1/2 hour for lunch. Even though you get 1/2 hour paid lunch; it has to be taken at a specific time. However, the work you have to do outside it's demo time takes up more than 1/2 hour. Also all package(s); box(es) has to be delivered by using your car. You don't get any compensation for car usage or mileage. All boxes can at time take up lots of space in your living cuarter/apartment or house; a valid space that you don't really have, since rent is expensive. There are demos; when added time to the 6 hours by performing paper work, phone training, phone or computer sales reports with questionaire; complete material checking, event setups and material reading with pos (how to speak to customer), loading car and unloading car, washing and disinfect all work material, store calls for upcoming events that you have to speak to department head to make sure product will be available, driving to post office to mail paper work within 2 days after a demo; are not compensated. Further in store; a demonstrator gets 15 minutes to wrap up everything before to go home. You need to clear the table; get a shopping cart and disinfect it; put all materials neatly so it wont be ruined in irregular basket (maybe up to three trips to the car); dispose trash in the far back dumster; count how many items left on shelves; pay for all merchandise used from shelves; get store stamp and signature from Store Manager (can take at least 15 minutes wait or to find him or her) or Department Head. That means you are not free to go home. That work is not fully compensated. Your $11.00/hour payment is drastically reduced. You are also responsible to pay for all postage.

According to DLLR, Division of Unemployment Insurance, it is legal to make an employee work accessive hours beyond the agreed hours if you at least get minimum hourly pay set by the state. My opinion; this is a disguise of the real consistant hourly compensation agreement of $11.00 per hour; how is that fair competition among other companies. For example; if you don't call Giant 3 days on your free time at home (not compensated) you will be written up and eventually fired under the point system; even though you are hired at will you have no protection for not obeying. That's how CA Courtesy cuts an extra office position. The point system has very low tollerance for trappy mistakes.

In mentioning; if wrong product item, or if over allowed amount; not returned it will come out of your own pocket. If money is not on CA Courtesy Corporate debit card; you have to pay and get reimbursed later. Once I bought exactly according to my paper work; it was not enough money on my debit card; I had to pay for it; even it was written that I had to use it. That's why I don't want to pay after work; which you have to according to work policy.

We demonstrator are not certified by the Health Department;  we have to deal with cleaning our microwaves, toaster owen, cutting boards, knives, spoons, spatula, slow cooker etc. mostly at home. My kitchen wouldn't pass the health inspection. We get only meager compensation for equipments used. We have to buy all equipments from hour pockets; often by credit cards which adds interests.

In the past Giant had their own demonstrator; they had proper tables; approved by OSA. CA Courtesy demonstrators use regular folding tables which are not fit for your height; and it can hurt you back. We demonstrator are not equal with Giant employees in work injury protection.

There are no laws that protects you from corporate greed; we demonstrator promote products that is very often heavily advertised in TV commersials, magazines; and newspapers. Big Corporates spend millions of $$$$$, especially TV Commercials.

I guess I have detailed enough how CA Courtesy works. There are other companies that does exactly like CA Courtesy. The laws are hard to follow which says one thing; and then are the exceptions. C.A. Courtesy don't have to guarantee work every long weekend; but they make you work when they have assignments. You can't work for another company with different objective. They can also have a too big pool of hired staff that your assignments can be drastically reduced. They can reduce someone elses assignment to give it to someone else to avoid unemployment insurance compensation. I hope there will be other employees or ex employees to come forward.

If CA Courtesy reads this; you can see I have given only true facts. It is time for you to improve the work conditions for all of your employees.  Truth is stronger than lies. Maybe we need a Union for all demonstrators of all companies. How many are interested? I will write in the future if CA Courtey's makes any improvements. 

Anonymous