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Combined Insurance Co. Kimberly Pigeon Fraud, Pyramid Scheme , Internet
Never ever sign up to work for Combined Insurance. As others have reported-it will bleed you dry. It takes advantage of poor and vulnerable people who are desperately looking for a job. So, what happened to me? I had my resume and information on the Wisconsin Job Center website and a couple of days later I got a call from an older woman named Kimberly Pigeon. She never told me how she got my number or information, she simply said that she found my info online (I presume the job center website) and would like to set up the time for an interview session. She said that she worked for Combined Insurance and tried to set up a meeting the next day at Brookfield Suite Hotel in Brookfield, WI. I thought this was strange because I expected to go to an insurance office for an interview but I figured that perhaps this was a large conference with a number of applicants or something. Well, I couldn't make it on that day but was able to make it for a private interview session on this Friday (Today) instead of Wednesday. It was strange scheduling the interview because she said that she would text me the morning of the interview to see if it would be scheduled or not. Apparently she was debating whether or not to go to work based on snow coming? I thought this was strange that she felt that she could just randomly decide whether to show up for work based on "how the weather looks in the morning". Sure enough, around 6am she texted me saying that we would meet at the same hotel that morning.
When i showed up she was on the phone. She instructed me to follow her to the cafeteria area for the interview. Combined Insurance didn't even have an office! She also asked for my resume because she "didn't have it". This is sooo not legit. She barely even looked at my resume. She might as well have just crumpled it up and threw it away. Why? Because its a pyramid scheme type deal, she wants as many employees as possible to make more money. She doesn't care about you or your experience or what you have to offer the company! She said she worked out of her car and that you go door to door and randomly go up to businesses to sell them insurance. It sounded very much like a pyramid scheme. She showed me a slideshow about the company. It's been around since 1922 and i've never heard of it? She said that they had an A RATED COMPANY ACCORDING TO THE (BBB). An A rating is not very good-just to let you know-but she tried to sell it off as a good thing.
According to the slideshow, the company has a gross income of $78 billion and has about $19 billion in assets on hand. This means that their company is OVER-LEVERAGED AT ABOUT 4 TO 1. Which means for every dollar they have, they are investing or something with 4 dollars and don't have enough money to cover their losses if something like the stock market crash happens again. She said you are required to sign up 5 people per week based on supposedly good leads while going business to business or door to door. Apparently for 5 application/ week for a whole year you make $40,000, for 7 you get $60,000, and for 9 apps you get $100,000. She said that she was a TERRITORY MANAGER and makes a commission off of the members/employees who work under her.
In the end, she got uncomfortable about my questions. She said that in order to get a license I have to pay $300's out of my own pocket. Sure, sure, she says the company subsidizes about $50.00's of that but i don't believe her. Plus, the company has $78 billion and can't pay for their own employees to get training and a license? Apparently when you start you get a stipend for the first 26 weeks-but she refused to tell me how much the stipend actually is. No-everything is shady and I would have to show up for some kind of "job shadow day" in order to get information related to salary details. I think she was just trying to boost her numbers and manipulate me into going on the shadow day. She was very nervous about me because i actually looked like a professional. I said no to her and even then she was trying to desperately get me to work for them. She said something like "what's your ideal job?" to try to find something to work with. Then, when she couldn't get me she gave me her card and recommended that I send any of my interested friends to work for her. Red Flag! She will take ANYBODY- its a pyramid scheme for her to get more $ and do less work!
All I gotta say is that you should read the other reports. They are most likely accurate. Don't get sucked into working for this pyramid scheme and don't believe their shady promises. Chances are if they are desperately trying to sell you the job and aren't asking about you and your experience for the job-they are probably a shady company. Here's what i've learned over the years. They might be a shady company if:
-They mysteriously call you out of the blue about a job
-They try to brainwash you about the company and don't care about your experience
-They conceal information about salary, etc. in order to blackmail you into a job shadow day
-They take advantage of the most vulnerable ppl who need a job
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Keith
Manchester,New Hampshire,
Combined Insurance
#5UPDATE Employee
Thu, August 22, 2013
Luckily for me I was "brainwashed" by this compant back in 1980. and hace soent 33 years working for them. I have been the sole support if my family. I own a modest 3 bedroom cape, And have two diughters with theyr Masters degree whom I have assisted. Combined is not a pyramid scheme TMs are salaried olus overrides. Some investagation into the company and Mr Stone would have told you that. the Tm you were interviewed by was lucky you turned down the position. You should too skeptical to be of any worth to our company.
Anyways11
New York,New York,
Another Chanter Exposed!!!!!!!!!!!!
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, August 07, 2013
Do you know what I love about Combined? They are so stupid they can't even hire people who can speak or write the english language. When someone puts a rebuttal on here (by the way they work for the company)and doesn't even hit the spell check (c'mon its the button in the upper right hand corner). In any case, the original author is correct. Combined is as close to a pyramid scheme as you can get. By the way, the person listed was probably fired 10 seconds after this was posted with all knowledge of her ever working for Combined erased. The reason, she was incapable of thinking for herself like everyone working there. So in conclusion STAY AWAY FROM COMBINED!!!!!!!!!!!!
apope16
WAUKESHA,Wisconsin,
A Few Thoughts
#5Author of original report
Sun, April 28, 2013
You are indeed correct, that not everything is a pyramid scheme; but I think anybody who has had experience with shady companies or ventures that compel their employees to beg or trick consumers into giving them money after a minute long conversation rap, knows full well, that there are illegal pyramid schemes and there are legal pyramid schemes. The criticism is that there are many legal companies that operate like a pyramid scheme but are acting in 'bad faith'-or essentially, doing whatever they can get away with short of prosecution. These companies have no respect for their employees or the consumers they serve.
You make an interesting point about payment for licensing. The fact of the matter is this insurance company does not "require" prior licensing when they advertise their "minimum requirements" for positions that are available. At best this is false advertising; most likely, it is a scheme to get as many applicants into interviews to trick them to do labor work for higher ranking bosses who profit off of the commission of others. Individuals who work in the business world are well aware that "paid training" occurs frequently in the business-world. But still, that is not what is outrageous about a $300.00 licensing (which many applicants did not expect and can't afford)-what is outrageous is that a company that advertises itself as having millions upon millions of dollars of profit, somehow can't afford to provide assistance to its valued employees?
Most likely the reason why the licensing requirement was never mentioned in the original advertisement was due to the fact that the person arranging the interviews was desperate to make quota for interviews scheduled.
Eernesto
Internet,Pyramids are illegal
#5UPDATE Employee
Mon, April 22, 2013
Its no surprise that people make money for selling either a product or a service with that been said if you work for a company who sells something it does not mean its a pyramid if that was so walmart would be the biggest scheme aver according to this guys comment. Why would anybody expect to have a company pay for licensing c"mon guys try it or get your sources straight before you make these kunds of allegations.