Prestige Sales USA Door To Door Sales Con. Selling Magazines + Books To Help Fellow Students Travel To Europe Scam Nationwide-now Winchester, MA Selling magazines + books to help fellow students travel to Europe Scam Nationwide-now Winchester, Massachusetts Phoenix Arizona
Exactly same experience last night as the gentleman that posted Report: #367827.
A young guy hit up our neighborhood saying he was going to attend some soccer tournament in London. He called it Arsenal cup. He wanted to help pay for his trip by selling magazines.
Just like in previous report, He also made several points about his mom being embarrassed about him selling magazines to his neighbors so he was willing to also wash our car and cut our grass- as he supposedly does landscaping for living (when not in school!)
He called himself Jason as well and claimed he lived on a neighboring street.
He said his brother serves in Iraq, and it would be great if some magazines could be shipped to his brother. Stupid me- I thought so, too.
Just like the others, something did seem fishy, so I checked the internet.
I canceled the check and probably will cancel the account as well.
m
Winchester, Massachusetts
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
T.pollard
Round Rock,Texas,
U.S.A.
Sad How They Are Treated
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, September 01, 2008
Don't buy magazines from these contests because it supports their highly abusive "managers!" Tell the young person that they are more valuable as a person than to allow themselves to be abused and maltreated!
When I was 20 yrs old, I answered an ad for *FUN*SUN*TRAVEL! The interview was in a upscale hotel conference room, but otherwise seemed legit. It sounded fun and like the sky was the limit, income-wise, with promises that of eventual management "you're management material, I can tell". I asked why a hotel, he said we're always on the road with 2 weeks vacation a year. He was very elusive about the actual job except the travel and working outdoors with people. I was hired on the spot.
He then took me to a ghetto hotel where the manager (apparently I was hired by a manager trainee), Greg Scoffield aka Gregg Allen aka god-only-knows, was waiting in the cafe. Greg told me we start bright and early so be ready by 7am. I was then taken to a hotel room with 7 other YOUNG people (I was probably the oldest) and only 2 beds.
By then, it was late, so I mapped out my spot on a cot. The next day, my real education began. Be ready by 7am meant meet at the cafe where if you didn't have money you didn't eat. Several manager-trainees were present and we (about 20 of us) were loaded 6-7 each into government-looking unmarked vans.
The manager-trainee would drive to a pre-determined "nice" area, but not too rich ("rich people don't buy"), part of town where he dumped us all out at a corner and said he would be back to pick us up at 6pm. Did I mention it was January in the Midwest? No food, no lunch, no car and far away from shopping centers...it was going to be a long cold hungry day.
A "seasoned" sales girl was assigned to train me. We did not go door to door, as she could tell by the car, the house, the lawn or some other thing I never picked up on, which houses would more likely BUY our magazines. It appalled me because she would say anything, promise anything, cajole and charm to get people to buy our magazine subscriptions.
When the manager-trainee came to pick us up that evening, he derided several kids because they hadn't sold as much as he expected. We were taken back to the ratty hotel where we were derided even more by Greg. Only those who had money or had sold a certain number of subscriptions got to eat. He demanded all money be turned over to him.
To top everything, Greg demanded $8 from each person to pay for their hotel room. Those rooms were going for $19.99/night and he had us stacked 8 to a room! If you didn't have any money and hadn't made enough sales, you were derided even more and told he would "put it on your account + $2."
I quit on the spot. Greg told me that he needed someone to keep his books, and he thought I was the right person. It paid $150/week and included my hotel. I agreed.
Over the next 4 months, I watched Greg and his manager-trainees abuse each of the young people to the point I was having a problem looking myself in the mirror. I have so many horror stories it would take a book. I knew his swindling of them and their customers was paying my salary. I was going to quit.
It was supposed to be our last night in Milwaukee, and I wanted to go out alone. Somehow Greg got wind, and offered to take me. We didn't go to the hot spot I had planned, but some pub where half the staff seemed to know him. I was young, and very, very stupid.
Long story short, Greg mickeyed me, raped me, then put me on a Greyhound bus. I was partially unconscious for 2 days. The local authorities could do nothing because it happened in another state. And by then Greg and his entourage had moved, and he had probably changed his name - again.
I don't buy magazines from these contests because I KNOW it supports their "manager!" I always try to tell the young person that I know what they are experiencing, that it is illegal, and that they are more valuable as a person than to allow themselves to be treated that way. Only once have I talk a girl into quitting.
I couldn't do anything about what Greg did to me, but I try to help others that are also being victimized by these devils.