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  • Report:  #183695

Complaint Review: AIL Northeast David Zophin Agency - Warwick Rhode Island

Reported By:
- Providence, Rhode Island,
Submitted:
Updated:

AIL Northeast David Zophin Agency
250 Centerville Rd Warwick, 02886 Rhode Island, United States of America
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
NOTICE: *UPDATE December 1, 2006. Rip-off Report recently discovered that all but 2 Rip-off Reports about The David Zophin Agency of American Income Life were posted by the same person. A competitor no doubt. Rip-off Report has the evidence that shows the same person filed every one of the Reports. Ripoff Report will go after anyone found posting Reports like this. This type of behavior will not be tolerated. Either way, The David Zophin Agency still stands by their comitments made to Rip-off Report. Just like people can file ridiculous and frivolous lawsuits every day, we do realize consumers might try and take advantage using the Internet / Rip-off Report to do the same thing. THE REPORT BELOW IS BOGUS! =============================

*note - the names have been withheld to protect the innocent

Since I last posted here, I have been hearing through the grapevine some things that I need to get off my chest.

I left my position at AIL about a 6 months ago, at which time the office had about 20 agents in the field, and about another 15 in training.

You would think that an SGA worth half a s**t would be able to at least maintain a half way decent agency, but instead of rewarding good agents for their hard work, Mr Zophin thought it was a better business decision to make his agents work 80 hrs a week. Mon - Fri, 7am - 9pm and 8am - 6pm on Saturdays.

I couldn't seem to get past the fact that I was an independent agent contracted to the company, but I was being FORCED to work that many hours with NO SALARY!! Commission only is fine, but telling these agents when the have to work is wrong. (to any ail agent reading this, look at your contract, and it says that no agent shall be made to work set hours... hmmm, this doesnt seem right, especially when you have a week that you don't make a sale, and you work 80 hrs for $0.

Sooo, summer rolls around, time to be laid back, enjoy the nice weather, at least I have 1 day to myself. No, wait, Now Zophin wants us to work on Sundays too. OK, so now i'm working MORE hours, EVERY day of the week (my summer consisted of the 4th of July off and Labor day off)

The leads in RI are pretty much nonexistant now, the company actually does get quality leads, but the agency burns through agents like Zophin burns through Menorah's, so it's safe to say that these quality leads have been harassed to the point that they don't want anything to do with the company anymore.

Again, i believe it comes down to awful business decisions made by Zophin. Hire quality agents, give them the good leads, they're making $$, Zophin is making $$, managers are making $$, the consumer is getting to sit down with agents who actually know something about insurance, everyone is happy, right?

wrong

guess Zophin is more concerned with his renewals than representing the company in a positive way

leads are running out in RI, what do we do?

hire another PR rep? get out to more unions, get more leads?

no, we are going to send as many agents as possible to the failing Framingham office. The opportunity there is incredible. *hint* - there are no leads there either

2 months later, the heat is turned off, cell phones are off, nobody can pay their bills, yeah, this was an amazing opportunity. Now these poor bastards are locked into a lease and stuck in Mass for a year. And what kills me, is that i know Zophin could care less about what he does to these people.

Sooner or later, everyone is gone, I dont think there is 1 person left in that office that I actually know.

Now what? ok we'll make our MGA from another office move to RI to get that back up and going, sell your house and move to RI where there are STILL no leads. Smart move? Doubt it.

Don't believe me? Get back to me in 6 months

i have seen this guy treat GOOD agents like slave labor and force them to quit, and for the life of me, i can't let it go. How can you knowingly set good people up for disaster like that for your own financial gain?

I dont know if every agency at AIL is run like this, but it is a good company, it doesnt have to be run like a sweat shop.

Making agents work that many hrs w/ no base salary, hiring recruiters and not paying them (ask Debbie), hiring cleaning women and not paying them (ask Ida) - see a trend here?

Remember bricks? Those turned into $5 gas cards that we never got either. Hey Dave, do you still have the bricks up in the RI office? Are any of those agents still there? Hey Dave, remember the time that our phones didn't work and you said that there was a problem with Verizon? Well we called Verizon to try to fix it ourselves and they said that it wasn't a tech problem, it was a billing problem.

Bob Providence, Rhode Island
U.S.A.


9 Updates & Rebuttals

Phil

Warwick,
Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
You are funny

#2UPDATE EX-employee responds

Tue, May 30, 2006

I wouldn't say that those "warriors" fell on their swords. I'd say that they sniffed out a rat and left. Some earlier than others. Plain and simple, if something smells like Sh*t, it's usally Sh*t. Cut and Dry. The thing about AIL is that it doesn't have to be run like a scam. Zophin chooses to run it that way. Get rid of Zophin, and you will get rid of the problem. Also, nobody is whining on this website. It's fun to read and write on it, laugh a little about other people's experiences.

It's also funny when people like you say how pathetic people like me are choose to have a little fun on these sites when you are actually on it as well. That's pathetic. I'd also venture to say that you don't really know any of those "warriors" because none of them would be singing the same tune you're singing because everyone would like nothing more than for Zophin to declare bankruptcy. - The insurance doctor sends his love


Brian

Warwick,
Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
It appears that word is getting out about this site.

#3UPDATE EX-employee responds

Thu, May 25, 2006

A person was going to join the Warick office but was directed here and then QUIT. This is NOT right. People need to fail or succeed on they OWN and not be influenced by disgruntled ex-workers. Rich, John, Jill, Darell, Brian, Gabe, Chris, Becca, Tom, and Erin were all warriors in the Zohin battle. They fell on their swords like REAL people. If lives were ruined, so be it, this is a BUSINESS and not a day care center. Real men and women take resposibilty for their actions and failures.

Keep POUNDING the tables and recruiting new warriors in the battles that are STILL to come. Take care and best of luck to all in your futures.

Regards!


Brian

Warwick,
Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
Zophin will RISE again

#4UPDATE EX-employee responds

Tue, May 09, 2006

Zopin will rise again from the ashes. It is his destiny. The Rhode Island office my be down to its last man, Jay, but David Z will recruit new warriors to pound the tables and yell "GOOD MORNING" so all can hear. I never said I was Brian V. Brian V was an honest man who get caught up in this scam before it was too late.


Bob

Providence,
Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
We know it's not you

#5Author of original report

Mon, May 01, 2006

We all know that "Brian, from Warwick, RI" isn't the Brian from Warwick, RI that we all know and came to love. AKA BV. Because David Zophin ripped him off too, therefore there is no way that he would defend the slimeball. In fact, at a time he needed Zophin the most, after an accident, the hook nose took his health benefits away from him. Note to the real Brian...get a lawyer and sue him. So... We all know that it is you Mr. Dave Zophin, posting these mysterious rebuttals. It's also a shame that you now have only one person in your RI office. It is also a shame that it took Clay Frost over a year of his life to realize what a blood sucker you really are. To think...at one point, he actually defended you in one of these threads. Hopefully it won't to Jay Mullins the same amount of time.

-the insurance doctor sends his love...


Bob

Providence,
Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
There is so much wrong with this post...

#6UPDATE EX-employee responds

Mon, May 01, 2006

...that i will break it down and respond to each moronic statement individually, this way you won't have to work that peanut brain of yours too hard:

"who couldn't HACK it because you didn't want to WORK, PERIOD."

Actually, I worked my a$$ off for that company, I was verbatim on the script, did everything I was told to do, and didnt make money there.

"David GAVE you leads, presentation, track to success, support and ENCOURAGEMENT and this is how you repay him??

By crying on some message board??"

This is how you repay him? haha, what is this? the Godfather?

The leads we received were to drop off the union members 'no-cost benefits' and the 19 page presentation was designed to trick these people into buying life insurance and giving you the names of their friends and family members so you can do the same to them.

As for the track to success, support and encouragement, you might want to take dz's sack off your chin for a sec. The time I worked there, there wasnt 1 person in that office who was successful for more than 3 months, eventually everyone got burnt out and quit. If the money was that good, or if the opportunity was that great, i would imagine that at least 1 person would still be there.

That tells you 1 of 2 things:
1. the opportunity really isn't that great
or,
2. the agency hires all lazy quitters (why would an insurance agency with this potential have to hire this type of person?)

*hint* see # 1
Support? Yeah, David supports you when you are making him money, but have a bad week and don't write business then tell me where that support goes. He doesnt care about the agents, he cares about the money the agents are making him.
ENCOURAGEMENT? you put this in caps, so i guess this is something you really believe, you must be refering to the 'cult-like' monday meetings where grown men and women are forced to act like grade school kids while David reads passages from a Maxwell book.

You can keep your ENCOURAGEMENT. ENCOURAGEMENT only means something to me if it comes from someone that i actually respect.

I'm not crying, I am just trying to warn honest people from making a mistake that could really hurt them financially. Some might not care about watching families suffer financially because the breadwinner was tricked into taking this position, but i do. I didnt think that made me a 'little boy', i thought it made me a decent human being for trying to help people.

"David DESERVES all of his success....he was willing to do what you WEREN'T..."

I guess that depends on whether or not you think that it's ok to take advantage of others for your own financial gain.

I don't have the time or energy to argue ethics with you.

The 'didnt do what it took' argument gets old after a while.

For the life of me, I still can't figure out who is actually doing what it takes there, i'm not even sure what 'doing what it takes at AIL' actually means.


Brian

Warwick,
Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
You are a bitter LOSER

#7UPDATE EX-employee responds

Sun, April 23, 2006

who couldn't HACK it because you didn't want to WORK, PERIOD.

David GAVE you leads, presentation, track to success, support and ENCOURAGEMENT and this is how you repay him??

By crying on some message board??

WAAAHH WAHHH WAAHHH, let me change your diaper little boy. Grow a set of nads, stop posting in here and MOVE on. You are a LOSER. Try to turn your life around and stop BLAMING other people for your own FAILURES!!

David DESERVES all of his success....he was willing to do what you WEREN'T...


Bob

Providence,
Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
whatever, clown

#8Author of original report

Fri, April 21, 2006

First of all you spelled THERE wrong, moron.

and secondly, i seriously doubt that you worked there for over a year and were successful. otherwise you would still be there, and i know for a fact that there is not 1 agent left there that has been there for any considerable length of time.

i would be willing to bet a months pay (and i mean a real months pay, not an american income months pay of $400) that you were not successful there.

The only person that i might believe is actually making money in that agency would be Zophin. And I have doubts that he is actually making money there. I mean, how often do you see someone who is supposedly worth millions driving a honda accord?


Brian

Warwick,
Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
Zophin Agency is VERY respectable

#9UPDATE EX-employee responds

Fri, April 21, 2006

I worked their for over a year and this agency is the best. Anybody who didn't make it should blame THEMSELVES for not working hard enough!!!


Darnel

Springfield,
Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT

#10UPDATE EX-employee responds

Sat, April 01, 2006

I think we should all launch a class action lawsuit against this company, I too was a victim. At least I got something out of it though, I sold them a computer from my own business! AND EVEN SETUP THE VERY WEBSITE THEY HAVE NOW... well kind of except I OWN THE REAL DOMAIN THEY WANTED AILNE.COM lol its a weird small world we live in. I should sell them the domain for all of our lost pay and the hell we went through.

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