Complaint Review: National Magazine Exchange Special Data Processing

I too am an employee of National Magazine Exchange, and soon, I am quitting. This company, in my opinion, treats the employees and customers very poorly, to put it mildly. I am a verifier with the company, which is considered a level higher than SSA (the person you talk to when you call in to enter the sweepstakes). | process credit cards for orders and then am forced to tell you about long-winded upsells for gift cards, and discount services like Great Fun, Shoppers Advantage, etc.

The magazine subscriptions are legit, but the tactics the company enforces on us to sell them is cruel and threatening. We *must* try and make you buy the magazines and other products, verbatim, and rebuttal you multiple times if you choose not to buy. It is ridiculous how hard they want us to push the customer, and I won't do it.

We are lured into the company, being reassured that everything is done for a reason and to think "smarter, not harder" (don't think, just read the script and question nothing). I admit, I fell for it, and back when the scripts were more pleasant to the customer, I didn't have complaints. There IS a winner to the sweepstakes, and we ARE careful with your orders, and DO send you the magazines. But, as time has gone on, I've had customers tell me they never recieved the free watches that come with the orders, over and over. I have also had customers complain to me about deceptive they think the script/offer is. I think it is, too.

Instead of offering the magazines at a set price all along, we are forced to tell them it's $1.29 per week then hit the customer up for a huge package further down the line when billing is discussed. It's $1.29 x 52 weeks/yr x 4 years. It adds up to a few hundred dollars.

I think it would be best to be straightforward with our customers, be upfront and not beat around the bush when it comes to pricing. Customers cannot trust us due to the things we are made to say. There are people listening to our calls, each and every one, waiting to write us up for many diffferent "violations" or "infractions". We are told to do what we are told, and if we don't then we'll get in trouble, or fired. I choose compassion over hard-nosed tactics and for that, my sales aren't that great anymore. My first concern is the customer, not the almighty dollar.

I break all the rules and do things my way, as the authorities look down their noses and pick on me mercilessly about it on a constant basis. There have been times that those in charge were overly aggressive and were reported. The company glosses over everything, of course, covering their tracks all the way, in my opinion.

In the five years I've been with the company, my hair has turned gray (I'm in my late thirties), and my face has aged considerably from the stress of it all. My energy and peace are gone, drained by working all the time, and being overstressed for too long. I have trouble sleeping, my mind blanks out now, and I wake up with nightmares frequently, if I can sleep at all. I will be quitting soon, to take a more reputable job with a company that prides itself on ethical treatment.

It will be a very joyous day when I can put this behind me forever. I feel for the customers, the other employees too. We want to make you happy, give you good magazines and process your orders. Just know that we are being watched by Big Brother at all times, and that the powers punish us if we don't do what they want.

I buck the norm and am kind to my customers, and occaisionally get in a heated debate with bosses who threaten me. They want us to shut up, question nothing and do what they say, no matter what. I refuse to be a puppet, and am not brain-dead or broken by all their punishment and criticism. This is why I'm leaving, before the rest of the life energy is sucked out of me for good.

There are many more like me, a friend just was forced out and she had bad heart palpitations. Her doctor said her job was doing her in and that she needed to quit. She struggled to keep going, but got reprimanded and fired for not keeping up. The authorities wanted her to quit so they wouldn't need to pay unemployment. Now, they're doing something like this to me, too.

This next week, I am moving on, my choice, from this telephone sweat shop, and onto better things. My advice to other employees, is that there is power in numbers. Everyone think what you want to think and don't let yourself become brainwashed by management's heavy criticism when you aren't beating up your customers with rebuttals (even if the customer is clearly NOT interested, they make us rebuttal relentlessly). Those in charge only have power over you if you let them. Remember, it's only a job, and you can walk away if you want. You owe them nothing, and don't let them scare you into complying with their ridiculous demands.

Customers, please know that only the young, stupid and aggressive employees are the ones that harrass you with the script. Those of us who know better, won't, even if it is a pay cut and we get in trouble. I have scruples, and many of my other coworkers do, too. We care about you and want to make you happy. We don't want to give you magazines you don't want, even if they try hard to force us to do that, too. My concern was, is, and always will be, the customer. This is why I am reporting this.

Tell the person entering you into the sweepstakes that you don't have a credit card, and they won't give you the long pitch. If they know you have a cc, you will be pitched beyond belief. Tell them you don't have credit or debit cards, and your call will be shorter and to the point. Enjoy your magazines, they are good, but just know you don't need to take the four year package if you don't want to. You can get a one year subscription, but expect to hear a bunch of rebuttals, as that is what the script makes us do. I don't follow rules and give my customers the one year quickly. Many don't, but can if they think they won't get anything else.

Be kind to those phone personell that are kind to you. If they are aggressive, then hang up. Life is too short to be ruled by this company. I'm leaving and never, ever looking back. Woohoo.

Mary
st petersburg, Florida
U.S.A.

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