Complaint Review: Telesolutions International

I'll guess I'll add my little (short?) story about my dealings with these vicious telescam artists.

Telsolutions advertises all over Winnipeg offering Jobs between $10-$12-$15-$35 an hour. Figured I'd check 'em out, I knew they were not legit, and in truth the pay was minimum wage - but I just got back from Vancouver and needed the money. The company was started by a guy, Braiden Harvey soon after he got out from prison several years ago in Winnipeg. Braiden just can not seem to stop talking about how he is the Donald Trump of Call Centers. In fact you can not spend five minutes with him, with out Braiden comparing himself to Trump.

Our interviewer, an OCD and compulsive lier case by the name of David Keith always takes in interview-ies two at a time, and apologizes saying this is a one time special case - bull, it normal procedure. Keith attempts to sell the job instead of actually giving a REAL interview, stating most people make $12-$16 an hour - more bull. Anyway employees face a 4 hour orientation on their first shift. This was basicly just a long rant by Keith about how his Dad was a big hero and a RCAF fighter pilot, tales about how he lived with his OCD and other yarns about employees winning $100,000 and such. We were given several pages of legal rights waivers and given insufficient time to read them before we signed.

Interesting none of us were ever given any tax forms, nor was any of our Social Insurance Cards checked, the excuse was "HR does not need that stuff" (According to the Manitoba and federal governments, ya - they do). There were about 10 people in orientation, Keith fired one girl on the spot for reading all the legal redtape before signing as Keith was ranting away. We were told the four hours are paid, but that was a lie, after orientation was done we learned it would not be paid till after 30 days/shifts... thats if we were lucky. That we can make a lot of commission and a 50 cent an hour sift premium - which they WILL find some way to jip you out of to make it minimum wage. Also we would need to start work 10 minutes early, unpaid and stay 15 minutes after work to make up if we did not make enough sales, also unpaid. And if you did not log into the computer fast enough, and the system recorded you as a minute late, you would lose 30 minutes on your pay cheque. Your were expected to sign up for "Advanced Training" (sounded a little like a Hubbard/Dianetics/Scientology course to me - and no more legit), in other words 30 minutes to an hour of unpaid work EVERY WEEK.

Finally the one break we did have was unpaid, and were told to get back in the call room before it was even done. So god help you if you we on a call while other went for their break. The next day the group was down to me and three other girls.

On the second day another girl quit when she realized that the first weeks pay would be withheld, two other girls also quit that same day - so it was down to just me. I did real well with both the script and the computer system, making 2-3 sales per day - above the average of 0-2... still minimum wage. The first time I read the script I realized the scam: There is no legitimate sweepstakes, just a tactic to keep you on the phone, also the "diamond" watch is dollar store quality, and no one ever gets it anyway. The con is to try to sell you four separate magazine subscriptions, and contract you in for six years. The price adds up to well over a thousand dollars for a few hundred dollars of magazines. Yet, the real scam is in forcing people to get into these payment plans - often maxing their credit cards. In most cases people see a single charge of almost $70 odd dollars being charged over and over, then cancel their cards. Since Telesolutions can't bill their card anymore the company keeps the money and never sends the victum anything. They also have a recorded verbal contract, and therefor have the option to make more $$$ selling it off to a collection agency as a $1,000+ debt. Fine, I did not care - as long as I got paid my minimum wage... until...

I realized most of the people we called were from so called "sucker lists" form other telescammers. (Yes TSI employees that's why we ask if they want a call about furthering their education, to re-sell the name to some other diploma mill scammers). I also learned most of the people who bought from me, were people who ALREADY been scammed by us, had their credit screwed by us and NEVER got any mags or the cheap watch. They were re-scamed with the same script again and again. Of course if any employee asked their room manager it was "obliviously another company" using the exact same script, and to get the darn sale out of 'em. No wonder we keep changing the names, business licenses, and places we were calling from, S.R.S. Summit Reader Services - R.M.S. Reader's Media Service - U.M.A. United Marketing Association in Los Angeles - I.M.A. the International Marketing Association - B.P.S. Best Publication Services, and now T.P.S. Top Publication Services in Draper. They change the name every few months to obstruct any investigations by the US FTC, and credit companies enforcing charge backs. There excuse is they have a new "client", the fact is they are all the USA sub divisions of TSI. And in all that time EVERY victim got the same order number, C-208.

The call rooms are like sweat shops, where you can barely hear your calls as they blast the radio on loud speakers and Chris Sheppard, our room manager is yelling in everyone ears every five freak'en minutes. Ah, Chris - there is a two-faced contradiction - he's been working at TSI for over 1/2 a decade and SEEMS like a nice guy at first. They treat everyone nice AT FIRST. But like all the other scammers there they show the fangs and become abusive and the first sign of any employee questioning their deception or trying to quit. Another thing that worried me is that our passwords in the system were sent in plain text, and our passwords were our COMPLETE Social Insurance Number in full! Not to mention credit cards numbers are also sent unencrypted in the closing room. (Hackers, get your win on!) They have the fastest autodialer on the planet, meaning most people have already said "hello" ten times and hung up before getting an T.S.R., Tele-Sales Rep. You are slaved to not have a few seconds to sip a drink or catch your breath. I was put on a long troth like table sitting right beside other employees, not in their cubicles or anything. Most of the time I could not hear the phone for Jack. The whole place is wired to the hilt with web cams so the General Manager, Pam, the wife of the OCD HR guy (no really she is) can maintain a big brother like control of everyone. I never really talked to her, but she makes a fool of herself with screaming fits in the hallways every-time someone tells her they want to quit.

I've seen people missing several hours off there pay, or even NOT getting ANY pay at all. If you don't make a sale mid-day, they might send you home with out paying you for your work. If you quit, they take almost half of your wages off your paycheque. If you do make some commission, they just don't give it to you - the have a dozen ways to screw you out of it. God help you if you ever tell your managers something personal, or why you are late/absent. Chris in his famous "are you kidding me files" will make ALL that public to everyone the next day, to the embarrassment of the employee who confided to him in confidence.

I was SO good at what I did that after just ONE week I was promoted to closer, I was to become one of the "supervisors" leads get transfered to for the recording of the verbal contract for debt collection reasons. It was almost unheard of to become a closer after a week. From what I understood the abuse of employees only escalated under the stern fist of the closing room's manager - a psycho-socialo-pathic six foot+, abusive man. Who I seen hit his employees and grab their necks in a //seemingly playful// manor to everyone... except the poor employee. I also seen him steal people's lunch and other personal property off their desks, and act like they were his in front of everyone in a less //seemingly playful// manor.

The hair that broke my back was when I was not allowed to go to the washroom. I was forced to wait over 15 minutes and still not allowed to go, after repeated requests.

THATS IT I QUIT!

Now this is where the interesting part begins... this is where Chris' two-face turned. I was brought into the G.M.'s office along with the closing room manager for the night shift. Asked why I was quiting, I said I was tired of scamming people... ... ... ...

$*%(@*&#!!!! $*%(@*&#!!!! $*%(@*&#!!!!

$*%(@*&#!!!! I was yelled to high heck and sworn at consistently. To both of there surprise I did not sit there and take it, I fought back. Being told that HE was the top dog and this was HIS house, I told him to just STFU. At this point I worked almost two weeks and have let to get any real pay. I told them both not to screw around with my paycheque. I was told I'd be lucky to get a paycheque, and he would mail one out IF he "felt like it". I yelled back, letting him know I know they screw around with people's hours, their money and withheld what ever little they did not steal off of people's cheques for over a month. I made sure to record EVERY minute I worked, and let them know it.

I was yelled at to get the F--- out of his call center and never come back. Sure loved to, I said, but I will be back if I did not get my money I was owed. Chris was gitty with excitement like a little school girl and was begging the closing room manger to let me have it. Finally the manger gave into Chris' pissy requests and give him the opportunity to escort me out, much to his pleasure. I waved my hand to allow Chris to show me out, and was scolded not to be a Smart A--.

These scammers keep responding and posting to all reviews as customers or employees, trust me - anything good you read about this fraud company is written by the owners and managers.

I have still not been paid for my almost two weeks there. I will be taking them to the labour board it I am not paid withing the next ten days in full...

PS: This is a very common magazine subscription scam according to the US Federal Trade Commission. If you get a call from these sickos you MUST say exactly "PUT ME ON YOUR DO NOT CALL LIST", anything else what so ever like "Take me OFF your list" will just get your number recycled! Or just give 'em a call at 204-982-0095 or fax 'em 204-982-0098 or 888-446-4405 and tick off the receptionist!