Pisces Promotional Group, Nova Marketing, Quantum Marketing Pyramid Scam posing as Marketing Company! Do Not Waste Gas on Interview! Woburn Massachusetts
While searching for a new job on craigslist, I came across a posting for Entry Level Management at a marketing firm, no experience necessary. They claim to be rapidly expanding and in need of customer service reps and managers. Having managerial experience I applied.
Upon arriving at the interview, the "office" was filled with other applicants and there was loud house music playing throughout the building. The interview itself was 3 minutes long, at best. From then I was told that if i was lucky, I would be one of two or three of the 25 applicants that day to be called back for a second interview.
Lucky me, I was selected for a second interview. However, it is not an interview at all. You go to the office that morning and basically sign a release form, saying you will work for the day and not be paid. The interview lasts from about 10:00 am until 6:30 pm.
The second interview is called a "Day of Observation". Since it is an "event-based" marketing company, you would think you would be setting up at some grand demonstration where people are coming there to see what you're doing. The "event" is nothing more than two employees from the company setting up a table outside a gas station and trying to sell crappy auto wax to people filling up their cars.
After the exhausting interview, you are brought back to the office and told to take a quiz on what you learned that day. If you do well enough on the quiz they bring you in for one final "interview" where I was told that "You may be overqualified due to your management experience but we'll take you anyways."
I started work the next day and saw the cult-like brainwashing that they use on employees. Music, chanting, acronyms, cheering, not allowing you to sit or even lean against a wall for the three hours in the office before you even go to your "event". You're told that everyone is starting out at the same position and it is self-controlled on how fast you rise to management. Basically, the more you sell, the faster you'll move up.
The pay is 100% commission based. There is no salary, and they call your pay "profit-sharing" but is based solely on how much you sell. You are told you can expect to own your own business in 6 to 8 months of working there. After a week I saw through all the BS and quit.
However it didn't end there. I went in the beginning of the next week to pick up my paycheck only to be told that it wouldn't be in until Friday, at which point i was kicked out of the office. On Friday I was told that the check would be mailed out to me. After a week, the check had still not arrived, so after calling the office, they said they would place a stop-payment on it and mail another one.
Four more days passed, no paycheck. The office gave me the owner/manager (Jon Warren)'s cell phone number. He did not answer so I left a message. He never returned my call, so the next day I called back only to have him pick up the phone then hang up immediately. Finally after three straight days of driving to the office, demanding I be paid, did I find out that I was never even put in payroll and that any shred of paperwork showing that I ever worked there mysteriously couldn't be found, meaning there never was a paycheck.
On the third day, I had to go through all of my old sales sheets to prove how much money I was owed. After leaving that day, Jon finally called to tell me that the only reason I was never put in payroll was because I never showed them a second form of ID. First of all, I've never had to show two forms of ID to get paid. And even if that was the case, why did it take him over three weeks to tell me?
Bottom line, this compnay is nothing but a colossal pyramid scam where you will probably spend more money on gas driving to your "events" (you will not get reimbursed for travel expenses) than you will get paid. Do not waste your time or money working for these people.
Nova Marketing
Pisces Promotions
Quantum Marketing
They have offices all over the country, whether it be under the guise of Quantum, DS-Max, Cydcorp or whatever name they change to next.
Marshall
Milton, Massachusetts
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Ientrepreneurial08
Lowell,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
Trust your instincts when you feel something isn't right!
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, June 02, 2008
I have had a similar experience to yours, however I didn't leave after my first day. I went on this adventure with KBN because I really needed a job to secure my bills and whatnot. Yes, it seemed as if though they presented themselves as a new company that needed people; so what the heck I said let's see how this works. I stuck it out for a week. For my second day I had seen two other guys do what I have done, "Observation" - they seem barely interested, it was a nice day so I did the demos and had fun and it all got too quaint and somewhat of a struggle to sell pieces since the economy got worse and worse day by day.
Furthermore, I was then sent out on my own and had to drive all the way to Worcester from the office. That day I didn't produce any numbers, I was frustrated that my gas wasn't being paid for, and the fact that I got lost there. What angered me the most, was their almost non-compassionate response to my endeavor. I had to thereafter return to the office from worcester - another 59 miles onto the odometer.
The most agonizing part was driving home and not getting home until about 8PM. So I sucked it up and worked on this past monday (memorial day). Most unfortunate, my "event" was in Tewksbury, passed my house!
I was at my last straw, but I wanted to see how the day went so in all honesty, I text'd one of my good friends and he came to see me. We talked about jobs, careers, and my current situation. Beautiful day out, didn't mind the chat. I weighed the pros and cons and it seemed optimal to quit, because I wasn't making any money whatsoever. outgoing cash was more to support the cause rather than the incoming cash helping me.
So I drove the event items and everything KBN and dropped it off at their warehouse door. I gave a call to the manager and told her that I was quitting, in spite of my decision she happily agreed, almost callously like she didn't care because there were more people coming in daily that they can use and abuse with their promises and lies for you to advance into upper 'management'.
I am a very confident person, I have a lot of goals and aspirations, I wont let a company ruin me. I had a great day when I quit, went out for some lunch and walked harvard and cambridge, MA. Felt like the weight lifted off my shoulders. Please, if you want to save yourself from this wild scam and valuable, expensive gas... don't apply or even consider KBN Promotions. You won't get far, and if you do, you've spent an incredible amount of time and dealt with a great ordeal of problems to get there - in addition to burning a huge hole in your pocket.
PS. the FW1 Products really do suck once they dry out on your car - leaves a white powdery residue. Trust me, works great for the demo and the sale, but not on a regular basis.
Ientrepreneurial08
Lowell,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
Trust your instincts when you feel something isn't right!
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, June 02, 2008
I have had a similar experience to yours, however I didn't leave after my first day. I went on this adventure with KBN because I really needed a job to secure my bills and whatnot. Yes, it seemed as if though they presented themselves as a new company that needed people; so what the heck I said let's see how this works. I stuck it out for a week. For my second day I had seen two other guys do what I have done, "Observation" - they seem barely interested, it was a nice day so I did the demos and had fun and it all got too quaint and somewhat of a struggle to sell pieces since the economy got worse and worse day by day.
Furthermore, I was then sent out on my own and had to drive all the way to Worcester from the office. That day I didn't produce any numbers, I was frustrated that my gas wasn't being paid for, and the fact that I got lost there. What angered me the most, was their almost non-compassionate response to my endeavor. I had to thereafter return to the office from worcester - another 59 miles onto the odometer.
The most agonizing part was driving home and not getting home until about 8PM. So I sucked it up and worked on this past monday (memorial day). Most unfortunate, my "event" was in Tewksbury, passed my house!
I was at my last straw, but I wanted to see how the day went so in all honesty, I text'd one of my good friends and he came to see me. We talked about jobs, careers, and my current situation. Beautiful day out, didn't mind the chat. I weighed the pros and cons and it seemed optimal to quit, because I wasn't making any money whatsoever. outgoing cash was more to support the cause rather than the incoming cash helping me.
So I drove the event items and everything KBN and dropped it off at their warehouse door. I gave a call to the manager and told her that I was quitting, in spite of my decision she happily agreed, almost callously like she didn't care because there were more people coming in daily that they can use and abuse with their promises and lies for you to advance into upper 'management'.
I am a very confident person, I have a lot of goals and aspirations, I wont let a company ruin me. I had a great day when I quit, went out for some lunch and walked harvard and cambridge, MA. Felt like the weight lifted off my shoulders. Please, if you want to save yourself from this wild scam and valuable, expensive gas... don't apply or even consider KBN Promotions. You won't get far, and if you do, you've spent an incredible amount of time and dealt with a great ordeal of problems to get there - in addition to burning a huge hole in your pocket.
PS. the FW1 Products really do suck once they dry out on your car - leaves a white powdery residue. Trust me, works great for the demo and the sale, but not on a regular basis.
Ientrepreneurial08
Lowell,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
Trust your instincts when you feel something isn't right!
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, June 02, 2008
I have had a similar experience to yours, however I didn't leave after my first day. I went on this adventure with KBN because I really needed a job to secure my bills and whatnot. Yes, it seemed as if though they presented themselves as a new company that needed people; so what the heck I said let's see how this works. I stuck it out for a week. For my second day I had seen two other guys do what I have done, "Observation" - they seem barely interested, it was a nice day so I did the demos and had fun and it all got too quaint and somewhat of a struggle to sell pieces since the economy got worse and worse day by day.
Furthermore, I was then sent out on my own and had to drive all the way to Worcester from the office. That day I didn't produce any numbers, I was frustrated that my gas wasn't being paid for, and the fact that I got lost there. What angered me the most, was their almost non-compassionate response to my endeavor. I had to thereafter return to the office from worcester - another 59 miles onto the odometer.
The most agonizing part was driving home and not getting home until about 8PM. So I sucked it up and worked on this past monday (memorial day). Most unfortunate, my "event" was in Tewksbury, passed my house!
I was at my last straw, but I wanted to see how the day went so in all honesty, I text'd one of my good friends and he came to see me. We talked about jobs, careers, and my current situation. Beautiful day out, didn't mind the chat. I weighed the pros and cons and it seemed optimal to quit, because I wasn't making any money whatsoever. outgoing cash was more to support the cause rather than the incoming cash helping me.
So I drove the event items and everything KBN and dropped it off at their warehouse door. I gave a call to the manager and told her that I was quitting, in spite of my decision she happily agreed, almost callously like she didn't care because there were more people coming in daily that they can use and abuse with their promises and lies for you to advance into upper 'management'.
I am a very confident person, I have a lot of goals and aspirations, I wont let a company ruin me. I had a great day when I quit, went out for some lunch and walked harvard and cambridge, MA. Felt like the weight lifted off my shoulders. Please, if you want to save yourself from this wild scam and valuable, expensive gas... don't apply or even consider KBN Promotions. You won't get far, and if you do, you've spent an incredible amount of time and dealt with a great ordeal of problems to get there - in addition to burning a huge hole in your pocket.
PS. the FW1 Products really do suck once they dry out on your car - leaves a white powdery residue. Trust me, works great for the demo and the sale, but not on a regular basis.
Ientrepreneurial08
Lowell,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
Trust your instincts when you feel something isn't right!
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, June 02, 2008
I have had a similar experience to yours, however I didn't leave after my first day. I went on this adventure with KBN because I really needed a job to secure my bills and whatnot. Yes, it seemed as if though they presented themselves as a new company that needed people; so what the heck I said let's see how this works. I stuck it out for a week. For my second day I had seen two other guys do what I have done, "Observation" - they seem barely interested, it was a nice day so I did the demos and had fun and it all got too quaint and somewhat of a struggle to sell pieces since the economy got worse and worse day by day.
Furthermore, I was then sent out on my own and had to drive all the way to Worcester from the office. That day I didn't produce any numbers, I was frustrated that my gas wasn't being paid for, and the fact that I got lost there. What angered me the most, was their almost non-compassionate response to my endeavor. I had to thereafter return to the office from worcester - another 59 miles onto the odometer.
The most agonizing part was driving home and not getting home until about 8PM. So I sucked it up and worked on this past monday (memorial day). Most unfortunate, my "event" was in Tewksbury, passed my house!
I was at my last straw, but I wanted to see how the day went so in all honesty, I text'd one of my good friends and he came to see me. We talked about jobs, careers, and my current situation. Beautiful day out, didn't mind the chat. I weighed the pros and cons and it seemed optimal to quit, because I wasn't making any money whatsoever. outgoing cash was more to support the cause rather than the incoming cash helping me.
So I drove the event items and everything KBN and dropped it off at their warehouse door. I gave a call to the manager and told her that I was quitting, in spite of my decision she happily agreed, almost callously like she didn't care because there were more people coming in daily that they can use and abuse with their promises and lies for you to advance into upper 'management'.
I am a very confident person, I have a lot of goals and aspirations, I wont let a company ruin me. I had a great day when I quit, went out for some lunch and walked harvard and cambridge, MA. Felt like the weight lifted off my shoulders. Please, if you want to save yourself from this wild scam and valuable, expensive gas... don't apply or even consider KBN Promotions. You won't get far, and if you do, you've spent an incredible amount of time and dealt with a great ordeal of problems to get there - in addition to burning a huge hole in your pocket.
PS. the FW1 Products really do suck once they dry out on your car - leaves a white powdery residue. Trust me, works great for the demo and the sale, but not on a regular basis.