Complaint Review: Professional Specialty Publications

I got in touch with PSP in March 2012, which was just before I graduated college. I was called in for an interview in late March, and offered the position two days later. I thought, "This is great! I've got a job lined out coming out of college that pays well and pays for benefits. Not many people can say this!!" I fell for it. I walked in to start training two days after I graduated ready to take over the world. Only problem was the training was to read a scripted story to a small business owner "decision maker" about opportunities to "purchase advertising space".

We were given tips and techniques on how to sell the product. The "product" was advertising space that actually may not be in existence. The script went something like this... "Hi my name is ________ from the University of Notre Dame Athletic department....." even though I'm sitting behind an open floor desk in Charlotte. They continued to explain to us how to "fib" in order to speak with the "decision makers/business owners". I have a huge problem with that. 

The work environment is terrible. Approximately 25 individuals making hundreds of cold calls a day selling a lie. The worst part was not in what the company "offered", but in how they acquire information. I received a phone call on my personal cell phone in the parking lot of the complex during my lunch break from another company wanting to set up an interview with me just one day after I started working for PSP. There is no harm in receiving those phone calls, and this type of situation is quite common when job searching. Since I did not feel 100% comfortable with the dishonest practices of PSP, I set up a time to interview AFTER office hours with the company that called me.

The NEXT day I was pulled into the office after lunch by the manager - Jack Thompson - and he began asking me why I am searching employment and sending resumes out. He drilled me about not wanting to work there and if I was serious about this opportunity. I didn't know what to say because I didn't know how he even knew there was another possibility out there. This led me to some digging... after I resigned of course. There was no one in the parking lot with me when I fielded that call. There was no one around to listen. And PSP is on the 8th floor... So there is no way anyone could have heard my conversation. 

My conclusion is either PSP has a listening device that they can listen in on phone conversations within a certain diameter of their office, or they got access to my personal e-mail where I received an e-mail from the company wanting to interview me. I don't know how they did it, but they did and I called them out on it. Jack didn't respond well to that though.

After two weeks I called in to PSP every day to see when my paycheck would be coming in see when I could expect it. I only ever got Jack's voicemail, so I left him about 4-5 vm's throughout the week. I finally called and left the last vm telling him I could come in to PSP to pick up my check if they needed me to. Well that got his attention, so he called me and said that won't be necessary. Two and a half weeks later, I received my check. I know I am lucky for this, because I have read and seen on youtube how people have not gotten their checks from PSP. 

Save yourself the trouble. DO NOT look into a job with PSP. Do your research. It's a dead end job with a dishonest company with dishonest practices.