CRC Advertising ripoff, false advertising, misleading ads, misrepresentation, deceptive advertising Falls Church Virginia
I have seen other posts about this company... Here's my go at it.
I was looking in the paper for a job. It said "Entry Level Marketing....Up to $42k/year"... I thought, hey, this could be my new line of work. (After just getting out of the Navy).
So, I call. They immediately set me up with an interview the next day after talking to them and answering questions about myself. I think, score. So, at the "First Round Interview", I am asked basic questions and shown a very little bit about what products they offer for their clients.
I am then told I had made it to the second round interview. Alright!, I think. I am told to wear comfortable shoes, because I would be walking around and seeing what the marketing people do. I was also told we'd get lunch for going along with this "longer" interview. We go with a "Marketing Rep" who is our second round interviewer. I end up going to a "Marketing Meeting" at Broad Run Golf Course. It is more of a pep talk, and a tour of the facilities, so I could later tell people about it.
So we leave there to move forward on the marketing campaign. To a wealthy housing area.
This is where I found out it is all door-to-door. At this point I am pissed off. We go door to door for many hours. We broke for lunch and was told that I had to buy my own lunch. Wonderful. I have to pay for my own lunch? BS! They did the "break down" of how the company worked and the process for moving up. What a load.
We go BACK out door-to-door selling. The guy managed to make a decent amount of sales. It was $300/week flat rate salary for training time, or a comission based pay. $300/week? Are you out of your mind? I was tired as hell, and already not willing to take the job, even IF I was offered it.
We get back to the office at about 9pm (After getting there at 11am) and they want to offer me the job. I, at this point, am really bent at the whole situation. I told them that they should be sued for false advertising. This is not entry level marketing, it's entry level sales. If I had known this to begin with, I would have never even applied.
This place is a sad excuse for a company. I was lucky not to be pulled totally into their mind game. I regret going as far as I did, but if I opted to not take the job, and stop my "observation" of what the company did, I think I would have had to walk about 10 miles to the closest place in which I could have gotten home.
While this type of job would be great if you WERE the manager, all this place is trying to do is recruit door to door salemen. The type you slam your door on. If you live in Virginia or DC and you get someone trying to sell you cupon books, ask them if they're with CRC. If they say they're specificly with the company, say that you want a book and ask them who to make the check out to. Then they'll really tell you CRC.
Be ware. I almost got really screwed. I wasted a day and a half with this morons. Don't let yourself get screwed in the process.
Brian
Arlington, Virginia
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Anonymous
8531 Abell Way,Maryland,
U.S.A.
Update--FYI for Jobseekers
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, January 25, 2008
The Capital Group, Inc. (Bethesda, MD) was ARC Internation Concepts (Falls Church, VA). Before that they were CRC Advertising. They change names and locations very often. Most of these companies do. If you put in a resume, and receive a call back for an interview within 48 hours be wary that it is one of these companies. In addition, if you searched for this or another company that advertises "ENTRY LEVEL - WILL TRAIN", etc., they may give you a false point of contact. For example The Capital Group, Inc. asks that you contact Donna Sumner. The phone number is correct, but most likely the receptionist will tell you Donna is "Not in" or "Unavailable", etc. Truth be told, there is only one receptionist and his/her name is never the point of contact on these online classified ads.
Just wanted to let jobseekers know what to look for BEFORE you get invested in the interview process!
Colaluca Will Pay
New York,New York,
U.S.A.
ARC INTERNATIONAL CONCEPTS/CRC ADVERTISING needs attention from those in authority!
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, October 06, 2007
The people that choose to do it are naive and they are taken advantage of.Something needs to be done to assist people from working with these idiots.Like you said what goes around comes around.Chris is an idiot and I hope he gets what he deserves because such an operation is totally unacceptable.
Brian
Arlington,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Maybe not...
#6UPDATE Employee
Sat, April 01, 2006
Things may not change and I completely understand that... I understand what they do and how they do it now. If that's the way they want to conduct business, then so be it. People seem to want to do it, so let them. If they want to walk door to door, well, that's their choice. As far as their business ethics goes, what goes around comes around. It's not really worth my time to worry about them anymore...
S
Falls Church,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Don't fall for that....
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, March 31, 2006
Brian-
As a former employee (independent distributor) of CRC, I can assure you that the manager, Chris Colaluca will NOT be more clear with future interviewees. He has been doing this for many many years, do you really think this is the first time he has received this complaint? They are intentionally misleading in first round interviews so that people will return. He only contacted you so that you would change your report and I am sure he had a good laugh about it afterwards because I've seen the same situation occur many times.
Brian
Arlington,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Problem Solved.
#6Author of original report
Mon, April 11, 2005
This is to add to my previous report.
I would like to say that I was in contact with the manager of my area of CRC Advertising. While I made this report in the heat of the moment, I do regret some of the words I did say. While I do not agree with the way everything is handled, I did talk to the manager and we worked out our differences in this matter. He did tell me that he would be more clear with future employees with the nature of this business. He said that he did not want me to be bitter about the whole situation. He also said that if I misunderstood the whole situation, then other people probably did too. That is not what he wants. So, that been said, I am happy with the outcome of the whole situation. I was assured by him that he'd be more clear in the first round interviews of the full nature (Door to Door Sales) of his business. In my opinion, if this is done, (Or was done in the first place) I would be much happier.
To the manager: Thank you for contacting me and letting us work out our differences. Thank you for the offer to take me to lunch, but I respectfully decline at this time. I appreciate your concern and you listening to me.