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Final Touch Jewelry - Gary Rike - Carol Hood - Debbie Peden Desparate for a JOB-Was told it was MANDATORY to PURCHASE $3,000 of my own SAMPLES WAS GIVEN BOGUS SALES LIST Dallas, Texas
In the spring of 2008 I was in the need of immediate employment. I had just lost a well paying job due to an injury and at that time had no health insurance, no income and two young sons to support. We had just moved into a new home and on top of it all I was in a dreadful divorce which had lasted five years. With all the attorney's fees and the real prospect of being put in jail if I missed a single child support payment, I was ready to do anything to take care of my family. I was in need of a major spine surgery and was just recovering from a open shoulder rebuild, so I was limited to the type of work I could do.
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Final Touch Jewelry, Inc. Jewelry Manufacturer and Distributor RE: Wholesale Rep Position I have just reviewed your resume and I think our company might be a good fit for you. We are looking for a sales representative to call on existing accounts and establish new account in your area. We have been in the wholesale jewelry business for over forty years selling to thousands of retail stores on a national basis. We have also maintained a permanent showroom in the Dallas World Trade Center for over thirty years. As a debt free corporation, we are able to pay a commission rate that is twice the industry average. When you include a monthly cash bonus of $1,000 and a draw against earned commission of $5,000 per month, it is easy to understand why we have so many successful people. Management opportunities are also available to further enhance your overall income. Our salespeople enjoy the freedom of planning and working their own schedule selling products that people like to look at. We are the only company anywhere in country that offers complete coverage in Fashion Jewelry, FineJewelry, Sterling Silver, Sports Logo Jewelry for the NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, all division one NCAA teams plus the latest designs for NASCAR. Our customers include major chain accounts and independent stores. All shipping, billing, and collecting is handled from the home office in Dallas. All previous customers in the area will be turned over to the person selected for this position. Please feel free to contact me personally with any questions..... I contacted Carroll Hood who seemed like a nice "Grandfatherly Southern Gentleman" type of man. He was very polite and told me that they were looking for sales reps to sell their jewelry and fashion jewelry to their already extensive customer base. He explained that if I got the job that I would be given a territory with approximately 5,000 existing businesses who already purchased their goods. The next step was for me to sign paperwork which he emailed me and to fax it to Debbie Peden in their corporate office. It was a very clever way that they used each other to get me hooked into this whole thing. Mr. Hood told me to call me back after I spoke with Debbie Peden and tell him what she told me over the phone and what paper work she would send to me. He told me that this was a 50 year plus old family business and that she had been there nearly the entire time and the family leaned heavily on her impression of you to decide it you were to be hired or not. Debbie Peden is the person who you send your money for the jewelry samples to, She is the one you have to send a cashiers check in to. So this whole story of needing to appear very professional to her and put your best foot forward is just a trick to make you more willing to hand over the $3,000 for the samples mandatory to be considered for the job. You cannot get the job unless you purchase these very expensive samples of silver jewelry with CZ stones and in about 40% of them are just cheap beads, something like children would play with. I needed the job so badly and I did not have the $3,000. I asked them if they would take the money for the samples from my paycheck and that was quickly shot down. My family had been asking about my job search and offered to lend me the $3,000. They told me that this was something I needed to do and they would feel better about me having this great job. I took a blank cashiers check from my dear Grandparents and forwarded it to Debbie Peden. The next step was to meet Mr.Rike. I believe that Mr. Hood told me that Mr. Rike was the owner of the business or the owners son. That is my recollection. I was emailed a meeting itinerary that lined out the entire day of Monday, June 23, 2008. I had to travel to the Dallas World Trade Center which is 63 miles from my residence and go to a security station where I gave my name and who I was to see. Their showroom there is number 7137. Mr. Rike came down and we got on an elevator and were taken to that floor. The meeting only lasted about 45 minutes. He presented me with page after page which needed my signature and quickly glossed over the details. He told me that a private emergency needed his attention and asked if we could finish up another day. Of course I agreed. I was told that Mr. Hood would fill me in and take me on training calls to get me started. I called me Hood and told him I was ready. He was to get back to me when we were to go on our training appointments. He never did. I immediately knew I had been plucked. I called Debbie Peden to say I was working and ready to train and asked when I could expect my first draw check. I have worked in 100% commission jobs before. The way it works is, they give you half the draw at the first of the month, the other half in the middle and you settle accounts at the end of the month. If you are owed money, they cut you a check. If you have not cleared your draw, they usually will give you one or two more trys and then they fire you. Not at Final Touch! You are not given a draw until you earn that much commission. So in reality---you never need a draw, they just pay you your commissions. Also, one thing I forgot to finish up before. Mr. Hood has you call him back after every phone call and every meeting because he says he want to let you know how it went. He encourages you along the whole time saying "Great job!" and "You really made a great impression on Debbie Peden". In reality he is just encouraging you to give over your money and second he is seeing if you have paid the $3,000 you borrowed from Grandmother so he can go get his cut of Grandma's money. Also, I was made to feel that I was trying to gain their approval the whole time so that I would be very wiling to give the money over. When you get the "Jewelry Samples" they are very few samples for $3,000. Also, they sold me the samples at "Retail Price"! They even tell you this in one of their pamphlets so you know how to price it to their fraudulent list of business customers. When I found out what happened I wanted to go find Mr. Rike, but he hides out in his ivory tower at the Dallas World Trade Center. Mr. Hood told me he was in "shock" and that he would try to help me. He never calls back. Ms. Peden is not nearly as friendly after she gets Grandma's money as she is when you first meet. I went through major spine sugery October of that year. I have been recuperating, but now have the time to go after these guys. Anyone interested in coming along? |