DSMAX, Cydcor, And Granton ripoff works you like a slave or a sweat shop, and promises never come true.. Dallas Texas
I worked for DSMAX (cydcor)for about 8 months, in Dallas Texas (2002). I was young and newly engaged to get married. I needed a job ASAP.
In the paper I came across an ad that promised $500-$1000 a week, benifits, management positions availble, will train. I was so excited. I quickly faxed my resume and just as quickly got a phone call for a first interview. I went in the very next day and met a very good-looking, funny "owner" named Jason. (sorry can't remember last name). We had a great interview, I asked a ton of questions and he answered all of them. But he also didn't tell the full truth. We shook hands and he said that he had lots of other people to interview and that I needed to be by my phone at exactly 6pm. If they call and I'm home that means I'm serious about the job and will be invited to my second interview. If I'm not home, they won't leave a message and I won't get a second chance.
Well, at exactly 6pm, my phone rang and it was the secretary letting me know that I have been invited to a second interview. She told me to come in at 9am and expect to be there until 5pm. and to wear "comfortable shoes"
The next day I was real anxious for my 2nd interview. I went in all jazed up and ready to show them what I got.....Well, Like everyone else, I heard chanting and yelling from a back room. Not sure what to think. I will find out later this is called "atmosphere". So, about 20 after nine all of these people start coming out through the office and I notice there are no females. O'well. A really nice guy named Joel introduced himself to me and told me that I would be spending the day with him. off we went....
From 10-8 we went door-to-door lowering peoples electricity bill. All they had to do was switch from their present company to ours at no charge. So I wasn't selling anything. For every application filled out and signed we got $10. we knocked on about 200 doors and got about 12-14 people to sign. While he's doing this, he's telling me about how much money I'm gonna make and how quickly I'll be promoted. And how to rebuttal, and how to pitch, and 10 steps to succes...blah,blah,blah. Then told me I would get quizzed on it when we got back. SOOOO, finally we get back, I take the quiz..pass...and then have almost another hour interview with jason again. They "decide" to hire me.
Ya I'm in. Well I'm gonna have to say, I was sucked in bad the first 4 months, I was banking, I was making 400-600 a week, I made it to leadership and was still bringing home money even though I had to give half of it to my trainee's. I just worked twice as hard. My boss was already talking about were I wanted to open my own office (Cali, Chicago, Florida, Carolina, Etc..) I was so excited. But I also noticed that my manager lived in a hotel and had a pos Volkswagon. He said he makes 6digits a year, but his car barely ran. I started questoning everything. And my Taxes. Wondering what I was gonna have to pay. I also realized that I was working 9am-11pm. I never saw my fiance. He was threatning to leave me if I didn't cut back my hours. The only day I had off was Sunday and even on Sunday I had to call people to make sure they were coming to work on monday!! It was ruining my personal life.
It all hit me when I was there about 5 months... I had worked for that company mon-sat 9am-11pm for 5 months and I asked if I could have a four day weekend (so that my fiance and I could go to Galveston) and jason freaked out. He told me I didn't care about success and only weak people take vacations and want day's off. How I"m throwing my oppurtunity away. How "Negative" I am. Needless to say, I didn't take my vacation. But about a month later. My fiance won tickets to go to a pro football game (cowboys and broncos) and he wanted it to be a special weekend and asked me to not go in on saturday. So I told my boss, I was not coming...I got the same speech. This time I didn't care. But when I came back on Monday. Nothing was the same again. They stoped letting me take out new hires. they stoped talking about promotion...and then one day, the owner said he wasn't makin' enough money and wanted to switch to direct sales. (DSMAX).
So we started selling business to business. I went from making 400-600 to $35 a day. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't build a crew stroger then 2 people because they would quite...because you make more money at Mcdonalds (that's what one guys excuse for quitting was). I felt the loss bad, now I was working 6am-8pm. It was horrible. I got out. I told my leader it wasn't for me anymore. and he gave me another weak speech, told me if I was this negative in the morning to never come back. I never went back. 8 months of my life wasted. I didn't even know what was going on in my fiance's life. I felt guilty and defeated. It took me almost a year to stop thinking about this company. I recomend to stay away...far away. You'll loose everything, especially your own pride. I have moved on.
3 months ago..I got a knock on my door. It was a door-to-door man selling magizine subscriptions, I asked if he was from DSMAX...he said yes...I shut the door in his face!! after telling him how that company is gonna destroy him. Good luck to all who encounter this business.
Stephanie
Ft. Lewis, Washington
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on ds-max, dsmax, ds/max, granton marketing, cydcor
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Steven
San Antonio,Texas,
U.S.A.
DS Max Is the Joke- Elaborate pyramid scheme
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, April 20, 2005
I think Nathan needs to take off the rose colored glasses and see what this company is really about. I used to work for Only Impulse, Inc.(DS MAX) here in San Antonio, Texas. I was in the Novelty and Books Division for 4 months, and never saw more than $75-150 per week compared to what they told me about 300-500 per week. I eventually had to leave to find suitable work.
Then I got "hired" ( a term in itself is a false staement- because you sign a independent contractors agreement.)with the Communications division with Kelly Marketing, Inc. I was constantly told I was a canidate for the leadership program, but I need to button my top collar button. WHAT!?? My top collar button? I was also told that my shirt collars needed to be smaller to fit around my neck. I suffer from a condition that puts my nerves in the sides of my neck in a ultra sensitive state that makes me choke. I needed to be relaxed so I didn't upchuck on anyone.
But, I found this to be an elitist club of ultra ambitious wannabe success stories. While I wasthere three of their top Leaders ran off to find other jobs that appreciated their hard work. I would never work with any company that would have people built up on pipe dreams only to tell them they didn't qualify or were not up to standards.
As far as what Steph did to the rep for DS Max- she was in her right to do what she did. She was angry and fustrated with the whole process. I Just state no thank you to those who sell me useless wares and move on.
Nathan
London,Ontario,
Canada
Give me a break.....
#4UPDATE Employee
Mon, January 03, 2005
Ok hun give me a break. Ya you lost your touch and i feel bad for you and honestly it does take a lot to make it in this company. Hey i wasn't even going to write anything untill i saw what you wrote about someone knocking on your door. You no what its like and you no how hard it is so when someone comes to your door dont slam it and be rude let them find out and decide on their own withought an old prune like your self telling them what to think. People that write this stuff think about it this is a multi-billion doller company and it only got theire how? Belife in the system and belife in yourself. If you dont think you can do it and cant strive to succed your in the wrong place. Also it has changed since then and the owners arent as cut throught to people that need a break. To Jason the owner that treated this girl like this be ashamed. Your an insult to our company and what we stand for and you should not be permitted to run an office. Well thats it for me and steph try to forgive and forget and give new people a chance. You were there and we are here now. You may not be with us anymore but theires nothing wrong with helping out and giving advice. You treat people like the way you do now all your being is jason...
Mike
Fairfax,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Stephanie, we can relate to you ..Cydcor is a brutal and unforgiving place.
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, February 09, 2004
Stephanie, I hate to hear stories like yours. So many good people with so many good intentions, only to be ruined by the greed and avarice of man. Well, feel comforted by the fact that for every owner they tell you exist in Cydcor, there are countless other who have found out as you have, the hard way, that Cydcor is a brutal and unforgiving place.
You mentioned one thing in your piece I wanted to comment on. Your taxes. I assume all of this happened last year. Hopefully you kept receipts from your "days of o". If so, you can claim all of that as a deduction. Also, claim any miles you put on your car (if you have to, approximate the distance you travelled to/from the office to the field each day; usually between 25 and 100 miles depending on how far your territory was; then make up a little log showing "start mileage"/"end mileage"). The way I figured it, I was writing off $100 for every tank of gas I consumed. You can also right off any and all travel expenses (road trips), costs for dry cleaning, etc. because you were paid on 100% commission. I know this doesn't replace the embarrassment of buying into these creeps, but you can at least recoup some of your losses.
Find yourself a good honest accountant who knows what he's doing, tell him you were 100% commission and ask him what you can claim. Mine costs me $200, but I GOT BACK $4500 last year. You can too.