XLN Telecom - SP Marketing XLN Telecom 'Academy' Scam Vauxhall London United Kingdom
After spending three days at the 'Academy' at XLN Telecom I soon came suspicious of the whole thing and after reading many blogs on the internet everything fell into place. XLN Telecom is nothing more than a scam that plays on people's dreams, promising them a salary of 30,000 when in reality no one is ever going to get there.
I received a call from Steve at SP Marketing explaining he had found my CV on Totaljobs.com and that I very much fitted this Sales Manager Position. As a recent graduate with no relevant experience whatsoever I did find it a bit odd. Not only that my CV hadn't even been uploaded onto the site, I merely had a profile which was very much incomplete. However like everyone else who is job hunting at the moment I wasn't having much luck so I thought I might as well give it a go.
Arriving at the interview I entered a room with about thirty other candidates. We were then given a presentation by a manager called Steve which was more like a sales pitch telling us how much we wanted this job! He then proceeded to tell us how he made his first million by the time he was only 27 and owns about ten houses, a Mercedes sports car and dines out in only the finest restaurants in London. After the presentation he fired out questions to each of us in front of everybody which I found a very obscure and intimidating way to interview. I made friends with another one of the candidates who was there because his friend received a call however as he had already got a job he recommended his friend and without knowing anything about him was invited to the interview. I had to call back at a certain time to find out whether I had got the job and I was told I had been successful. I was in two minds whether to go or not but it was a job after all and I didn't exactly have any other options.
So on Monday (bank holiday Monday!!) I went in and the guy I made friends with on the Friday was there too. We were now in the Academy, an 8 week training programme which if we completed we would then become managers starting on a salary of 30,000 with a lot of room for progression. In our first week we would have to take a few simple tests about the company and then on the 3rd 4th and 5th day we would have to go out selling contracts to small businesses across London. If we didn't reach our targets we wouldn't get through to the next week. We had to sell at least two contracts in the first week and then in the 2nd week it got harder and most people would fail. Most candidates would sell a lot of contracts for XLN however by the end of the two weeks they are told they haven't met their targets. And as they don't start paying you till the third week you won't receive a penny.
The whole system is like a pyramid system. You are trained by someone in the week above you and they were trained by someone in the week above them and so on. So everyone does all the hard work apart from the guy at the top, Steve. Who by the way in currently in Marbella!
On the Tuesday we all got back from lunch to find that half the group had been sacked for talking against the company. We were told by Steve they were negative and he couldn't trust them unlike the rest of us who he very much liked.
The guy I befriended found me on Facebook warning me to quit right away. They all told Steve they thought it was a scam and didn't want to stay any longer anyway. The next day one of the guys came back to confront Steve. Steve admitted the whole thing was a scam and told him they had put a mole in in order to get rid of the people that sussed him out. This mole had informed Steve of the bad mouthing at lunch. Steve even gave him 40 quid to keep his mouth shut.
I really hope after reading this you'll think twice about going for that interview. I don't want anyone else to waste their time like I did. The whole thing is a big scam which I can't believe in this day and age anyone can actually get away with. With the economy in such a bad way and so many people out of jobs it makes it far easier for them to use and manipulate people in this way. I am just so glad that I found out only a couple of days in and not weeks down the line. So please if your reading this do not get sucked in by XLN it is a massive con. They are great actors and have fooled a lot of people but please don't make yourself be the next victim.
Anonymous
london
United Kingdom
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Indian
Internet,India
XLN Telecom
#6REBUTTAL Individual responds
Tue, November 24, 2009
Hi,
I was going through the blog site http://www.ripoffreport.com/Sales-People/Xln-Telecom/xln-telecom-fraud-using-scentu-62m36.htm
as i have been an Ex Employee of XLN Telecom in india under Xploretech and i was made a scape goat by the management from XLN and currently your supervisors in india .
I would like to bring under your kind attention that the CSR in india arent treated well though they work independantly now without any ties from any BPO.
People who are unwell get a deduction from their salary for the entire day however in UK which i know that if an employee is physically unwell they are paid till they return to work and without any deduction and in india according to the labour law you cannot deduct a salary of an employee who is unwell if they have leave balance and they are entitled for Provident fund and gratuity and other entitlement like medical allowance...
However the company according to Christian is running on profit however in INDIA they do all possible things to stop an increament in their employee salary talking about recession and on the other hand they confess that XLN is Growing ...
A company which is not loyal to their employee who have been working in INDIA for peanuts how can they show any mercy for their fellow countrymen in UK.
We must all bring a complaint to OFFCOM in UK regarding this SCAM togeather and get the management straightened because even if you work for a single day they should pay you .
These jerks should be thought a lesson before its too late playing with others.
I will find an email address to report regarding this so please all of the member who has been cheated by XLN i would request to join hands in teaching them a lesson....
Christian Nellemann
London,Other,
United Kingdom
An apology
#6
Fri, September 11, 2009
It has been brought to my attention that some people may have been unfairly treated by some of our field sales franchisees.
If this is true then this is completely unacceptable to me and to XLN.
I want to make it clear that inappropriate people management has never been tolerated within XLN and never will be tolerated. I also want you to know that we have reviewed our field sales operation and have completely restructured it, so that we are now only using experienced people orientated trainers and managers, recruiting
We appreciate very much the feedback we have received from people who feel they have not been properly treated by the old training process.
As a responsible company we treasure our staffs that are the backbone of our organisation. We would never do anything to disadvantage them.
I would like to make it clear that my door is always open to anyone who has any concerns about XLN and if anyone has any specific complaints about how they have been treated then please feel free to contact me in writing at XLN Telecom Ltd, The Brewery Building, 69, Bondway, London SW8 1SQ or by email christian.ceo@xlntelecom.co.uk
I especially want to hear if someone feels they have not been properly paid for the work they have carried out. If this is the case then I will personally make sure this situation is rectified.
XLN is a very successful company which has grown hugely over recent years because of the efforts of its staff who are properly and promptly rewarded.
XLN has an excellent reputation in the telecoms business, a reputation which has been hard earned and a reputation that XLN is determined to keep.
Very truly yours,
Christian Nellemann
Founder and Group CEO
Anon
Harrow,Other,
United Kingdom
XLN is a SCAM - I was a victim!
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, June 25, 2009
I was the unfortunate victim of XLN's academy training' too. Are they allowed to do this by law? - They'd make you go out and get contracts - at least 2 a day (although the minimum requirement goes up to 3 in your third week of the academy training') and if you fail to do this you are fired instantly on the spot! XLN's director Christian has a right hand man named Steven Punn who runs the academy which is based in Vauxhall, London. He makes you feel like you are worthless and does not even acknowledge or look at you if you fail to get his contracts.
None of us were paid for the training or the contracts; in fact they only pay you 100 pounds in your third week to cover the cost of travel and food - this works out as 10 pounds per day for travel and 10 for food! This amount never goes up in terms of pay and you are promised to become a concessions after 8 weeks of training. The reality is that, as with all pyramid scams, you are left having to go out on the field for this sales operation even after your full 8 weeks of training and even then do not get any pay till you build your team' and trust me, building your team is impossible. I mean, would you really stick around for 8 weeks only to have the people above you benefit from all the money and you getting stuck on 100 pounds per week if your lucky?!
Steven Punn may claim to have made his millions through this scam but the truth is it's easy to make millions when you're sat at the top of the pyramid and lack any morals or values when it comes to being a hard, cold-hearted sales mob! I'm glad I left this so called job, many of the people I met in my situation have all left, and now have greater successful jobs, with paid training (what a shocker!)
I thought I'd mention here also - Steven Punn insists that in this economic climate (the recession) we are very unlikely to get a job or even make as much money as XLN supposedly promises, which is ironic seeing that he CLAIMS we are self employed when working for XLN. If that is the case, then how come NONE of us were given ANY of the commissions earned for each of our contracts? I alone got XLN around 15 contracts and only got paid 100 pounds each week (for the 4 weeks I was there) and this, as I've mentioned above, was for food and travel only!!
Everything they tell you is a lie! You NEVER make it to the concessions let alone franchisee stage and the person named Amanda who has put up a post stating she is a concessions could just be a mole I say this because when I was in my 2nd week of the academy, also known as the firewalker week, Steven Punn himself printed out one of the reports and handed out copies to us asking us what we thought of the negative things others were writing. Clearly is he was telling us the truth about becoming concessions then he wouldn't have bothered printing or asking our opinion.
He wanted us to suck up to him and make him feel better, when someone pointed out something about a pyramid scam he said, what is that, I've never heard of it! How ironic! I hope he sleeps well at night knowing he has manipulated people into believing all the rubbish and the lies he told us about himself, as well as the academy and how he's the only person in the world we should feel sorry for because he's had it soo hard, oh, boo h*o!!
Steven Punn
London,Europe,
U.S.A.
XLN And You
#6UPDATE Employee
Sun, May 31, 2009
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
THIS SHOULD EXPLAIN TO YOU
Your Relationship with XLN
* XLN does not employ Field Based Sales Agents directly, or indirectly
*
We work with a number of independent marketing companies that engage sales agents.
*
These agents are typically self-employed agents working full or part time selling XLN Telecom products either exclusively or as well as products from different companies
*
Agents are paid commission for the contracts or customers that they supply to the marketing company they work with.
*
Some of these independent marketing companies are part of a franchised network of companies that work closely with XLN Telecom.
*
The purpose is to expand this channel through the development of new independently owned and operated franchisees.
*
To ensure that the individuals that decide to become franchisees have the highest possible chance for success, the Academy has been created.
BASICALLY YOU DON'T WORK FOR XLN YOU ARE SELF EMPLOYED WORKING ON COMMISSION. THIS IS A PYRAMID SCHEME WHERE BY YOU SELL PRODUCTS ON BEHALF OF XLN AND RECRUIT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE TO TRAIN AND SELL THE PRODUCT.
XLN IS A GENUINE COMPANY SELLING BROADBAND AIMED AT SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES.
STEVEN PUNN WAS SIGNED TO EMI RECORDS IN 2001 AFTER TAKING ACTING AND SINGING CLASSES WAS DROPPED FROM THE LABEL (http://www.angelfire.com/pop2/stevenpun/abouthim.html).HE IS MERELY AN ACTOR, THE MERCEDES HE DRIVES IS A RENTAL, HE DOES NOT OWN 6 HOUSES.
SP MARKETING STANDS FOR STEVEN PUNN MARKETING (HE IS THE FRANCHISE) AND ONLY A MARKETING SCHEME AIMED AT AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF EMPLOYING FIELD WORKERS WORKING ON BEHALF AND SELLING XLN PRODUCTS ON A PERFORMANCE BASED I.E COMMISSION ONLY STRUCTURE, THEY RECRUIT SO CALLED "MANAGERS" EVERY WEEK.
THEY DON'T REALLY LIE ITS IN THE SMALL PRINT I RECOMMEND YOU DO READ IT (http://www.xlnacademy.co.uk/home/Relationship.aspx) AND IN THE WORD PLAY I JUST WISH THEY STOPPED WASTING PEOPLES TIME AND BE STRAIGHT FORWARD FROM THE BEGINNING THIS IS A PYRAMID SCHEME FULL STOP.
Amanda Norton
Vauxhall,Europe,
United Kingdom
XLN TELECOM/SP MARKETING
#6UPDATE Employee
Wed, May 20, 2009
XLN is a prestigious award winning company, and amongst the fastest growing telecommunication providers in the industry.
50% of all current employees started their career within the XLN ACADEMY.
Our Academy is made up of A Players and it's the foundation upon which the leading telecom service provider was built. There are no shortcuts; each employee must go through the same rigorous training programme.
It's indeed a life time opportunity learning from as well as working with highly motivated and ambitious people.
Feel free to contact us for more information on 0207 793 5963 or visit our website www.xlnacademy.co.uk
Amanda Norton
Concession