Complaint Review: BLACKSTONE CONSULTING - Minnetonka Minnesota

Statement from my attorney (I chose not to use the person's name):

On January 27, 2012, Blackstone Consulting, Inc. and Jeremy Reboulet, its owner and President, commenced civil litigation against the defendant, a former employee of Blackstone, in the Hennepin County (Minnesota) District Court.  The Complaint alleges that the defendant defamed Blackstone and Reboulet by publishing false statements to an internet website and elsewhere which harmed Blackstones and Reboulets professional, business and personal reputations.  The Complaint seeks compensatory damages, together with a declaratory judgment declaring that the defendants published statements concerning Blackstone and Reboulet constitute defamation per se under applicable laws.  The Complaint also seeks a temporary and permanent injunction commanding the defendant to remove the previously-published defamatory statements, to publish a retraction of such statements, and to take all appropriate actions to cause the delisting of the defamatory content and removal of the content from the internet.

The lawsuit was commenced when the defendant failed to comply with Blackstones and Reboulets demand that the defendant withdraw and retract the defamatory statements.

Well here's a few things i'd like to add.

I currently work for Blackstone Consulting.  I was never told what the job was until I worked there.  I was also told about some business to business campaign that never happened.  That business to business lie promised more pay than what i really make, so it was just a lie.  The Cydcor Pyramid scheme wasnt mentioned at all, but he did brag about being in business with Denny Hecker and Tom Petters.  I hope that wasn't another one of his lies and a lawyer does review this.  Because it wouldn't suprise me if Jeremy was wrapped up in that scam, and if so he belongs in jail.

Jeremy still sends people door to door pedalling direct TV, and Century Link.  Now his new idea is to put his unprofessional people in Wal-Mart's and disquise them as Direct TV Employees.  He calls this the "retail campagin".  We're forced harass the shoppers as they walk by to convince them to buy Direct TV.  We were trained to lie to the shoppers and say that the pricing from direct tv is a "Today only promotion" and ends today.  Also i've seen people in the office signing people up without seeing their I.D.  In one case I watched a rep sign up someone who failed the DTV credit check by putting it under his girlfriend's name.  She wasn't even in the store!!!!  What a scam.  I hope somebody sues this creep.

On one Friday Jeremy ran a meeting and he was coked out his mind from the night before.  He was sniffing constantly, his eyes were bugged out, and all he did was tell everybody how he was a division 1 college football player.  Oh, Jeremy is probably 5'8" and 160lbs haha!!!!  Then he proceeded to tell everyone how cool he was, and how nobody will ever be as rich as him.  It is during this meeting when he finally described the pyramid scheme, how you have to hire a team to make more than about $500 / week.

Oh, Jeremy says everyone must pass a drug test, which he couldn't, because he's obviously coked up half the time.  The drug screen isn't for Blackstone, it's for Direct TV.  In fact I know that some people that work there now just failed the test.  I just heard on Monday, 1/9/2012 this news, and watched Jeremy meet with them.  So, Jeremy doesn't fire them, he just gives them a week off or so until they can pass the test then brings them back in to sell.  Well that's the plan anyway, we'll see how he responds to this here shortly.  I hope Direct TV reads this.

Jeremy tells new people that the job description for his "Retail Campaign" is to train the Wal Mart & Best Buy employees to sell direct tv.  To consult those companies.  However, the facts are that we all just bug their shoppers and try to pedal a product they could sign up for on their own, and get the same price.  

In reality Jeremy is a man who believes his own lies, lies to everyone, and is running a stupid pyramid scheme.  His people drink his Kool-Aid, lie for him, and are as much his drinking and coke buddies as they are his employees.  Anyone from Blackstone can't be trusted, and if they spent time there they shouldn't be hired anywhere else.  Jeremy will weed out the honest people with integrity and keep the used car style scammers.  Blackstone Consulting is not a consulting firm at all, he is an indirect dealer for Direct TV & Century Link and thats it. 

I am looking for another career with an honest company.  Wish me luck out there.  If Jeremy figures out who i am i will be fired for whistle-blowing on this page for sure.  However, it's the right thing to do, i can't lie and scam for him anymore.  Wish me luck!

I would like to take the time to respond to the explanations that Jeremy Reboulet offered about the company. As someone who made it to management in this very "type" of company, his description of the company, its practices and origin are simply exagerated at best, and blatant lies at worst. This company is simply a small incorporation under a larger company by the name of Cydcor. Cydcor is a large multi-level marketing organization that began through direct sales (door to door). The business concept of Cydcor is basically a pyramid scheme. You have many "independent" incorporations spread all throughout the country. They, like Jeremy's company (or office) lead prospective employees to believe that they are their own sole company who has no other affiliations other than the ones they have with the campaign they work on (whether it be Verizon, Quill, ATT, etc). But, this is not true.

When a prospective employee decides, against their better judgment, to work for a company like Jeremy's, they start off as an account manager. They are lead to believe that they will earn at least $500/week (and sometimes claim even more). They go through three interviews with various people during the hiring process. A manager (who is really the "owner" of this small office) conducts the first and third, while the second is a ride along with another account manager in the office. They explan the details of the job in a very vague manner, and actually follow a script taught to them by the manager about how to handle questions (much the same as you would teach a sales rep about how to overcome objections from a customer). Once the new employee decides to work for the company, they are placed on the team of the person they rode along with.

During the interview process, you are explained about the growth opportunity available from account manager to leader, then to assistant manager and finally manager, or owner of your own office. At the time, you really have no idea what the requistites are for obtaining promotions. But they are very much like a pyramid scheme. For a person to ever get to management (which as someone who did it, I can tell you is no easy task), they must do a lot of selling: both to customers (door to door for 100% commission) and to others in the office (about why they should not quit such a terrible job). To get to a "Leader" you must earn $500 of profit in a given week. This is done through 100% commission sales in which a rep goes door to door with little to no leads, using their own cell phone, car and gas. The company leads you to believe that gas is reimbursed through mileage on your taxes, but that does very little to offset the immense cost this tolls on someone. Once you have accomplished this sales goal, you are then promoted to Leader.

In the Leader phase, a rep starts taking people on second interviews (ride alongs) in the hopes of convincing them to take the job. The ridealong is really not an interview at all. The Leader is trained to ask interview questions, but they are meaningless. The Leader's sole purpose is to convince the person to begin a job at the company. If they can, then that person is on their "team." The only way, and I mean the ONLY way, for someone to get promoted to management is to convince enough people to start with the company. These people have to be bringing in so much money each week, and eventually if they do, you get promoted to assistant manager. You get nothing more at this phase. You still are going door to door selling, on 100% commission. The entire time, you must convince these people on your team to not only stay with the company, since many, many people will quit over time.

The job is simply terrible for anyone but the manager. The manager's only pay is off of the direct sales of each person working in that office. On any given sale, the employee makes a cut, and then the manager makes a cut off of it as well. This is why employees are given no sick days. It is a pyramid scheme in every sense of the concept. You make money directly off of the efforts of the people below you, and your advancement is determined ONLY by how many people you can bring into the game. It does not matter what you did at a previous job, the only way to get to management is through bringing people onto your team and then continuously talking them in to staying with the company.

This is how Jeremy Reboulet got his "company." He was a door to door sales rep in someone else's office who managed to convince enough people to stay in that manager's office. Once he had built enough loyalty with some of those people he had on his team, Cydcor put him into his own office (with money he had saved in a security account based on his own personal sales and his team's sales). Now, he has many people working under him as door to door sales reps hoping to do what he did.

I will give Jeremy one compliment. It is extremely difficult to make it into management in Cydcor. You have to get by on so little as a rep and convince so many people, though relationship building, that they can get to management too and make a great deal of money. This is no easy task. I am a lawyer now, and the LSAT, law school and the Bar Exam were a breeze compared to the difficulty it took getting to management in Cydcor.

The truth is, very few people ever get to this management level. In the offices I worked in, thousands of people started and quit, and I was the only to ever get to even an Assistant Manager level. The average tenure of an employee in any given office is approximately 3-4 weeks. Most people quit after a week or two, and the turnover is constant. Aside from the small group that the manager had move with him from another Cydcor office who are chasing the dream to get promoted just like Jeremy.

Most all cydcor offices eventually close. Typically, the manager decides that the constant manipulation is no longer worth it, even if they did earn some decent money at some point. Usually, they can no longer convince enough people to stay working for them, or the territory dries up, making it too difficult for reps to make money. Most of them have a problem because too many negative comments show up on the internet from former employees. Some are from disgruntled employees, enraged at the amount of manipulation that takes place. Few are very detailed because, frankly, not enough people stay long enough to give a detailed account of how really troubling the practices of these companies are.

Jeremy Reboulet is no more than a former door to door salesman, paid on commission only, who convinced enough people to do the same. He did not negotiate any type of client relationship with Qwest or any other campaign that his office works for. Cydcor handles all of that. There are many campaigns Cydcor has to choose from. Jeremy is just on whatever campaign was needed in a given city. Then, he sells for them.

Jeremy's company, like all Cydcor offices, prey on people who are chasing two things: the slim chance to make it to management and make a lot of money (which they will never do), and relationships. Cydcor companies make relationships such a big focus because of how many people want to quit. This keeps many people with the company longer because they have formed many friendships (even though the relationships are disgenuine because the person building it needs you to stay employed for them to have a change at a promotion).

This company, like all "Sales and Marketing" offices is a terrible choice to begin employment. I am still laughing at Jeremy's description of his company. His company is little more than a small incorporation set up by Cydcor in his name (to shield liability from them), and more importantly, to have a better chance at attracting new prospective employees. New offices pop up every so often, and the name is new which means little negative comments on the internet. Since none of these small offices are called Cydcor, little direct negative feedback is directed at them online.

Jeremy, I hope you read this comment. Further, I would welcome a response. I would love to hear you attempt to argue the legitimacy of your company. Remember, I am not someone who had a "friend" that worked for you. I also know much more about about the practices of these types of companies than one post could hold. For other readers, I would suggest that you stay away from Jeremy's company, or any other Cydcor office that sounds similar to his.

Iwould like to take this opportunity to clear up any confusion about Blackstone Consulting and what being a part of the staff entails. In most cases I would not dignify innuendo with a response, however I have been receiving concerned calls about these postings so felt it necessary to clarify what is fact and what is not.This is to address anything on this website about Blackstone, as they do not fact check any postings created. I will not address any personal attacks as people are entitled to their opinions. Although I could make my own speculations on what type of person anonymously gripes aboutand disparages other people and companies they know little about on the internet. Not revealing their name is a way to protect themselves from getting sued for defamation, so I understand anonymity being preferred.However, thereareseveral conflicting complaintssoI will do my bestto be as informative as possible to clarify the truth.

History and Locations: The first and most basic issue to clear up is our company history. Blackstone Consulting has never done business under another name at any point of its existence, nor has it been owned by any other person. I personally worked with the company mentioned (Cumberland) but quickly discovered it was not a company I wanted to pursue a long term career with so started my own company with the same client: Qwest. The results I provided for them as an employee (as well asmy experience of running adevelopment and real estate company prior)gave them confidence in my abilities to begin a new endeavor for them. A few of the staff that I trusted and knew to be people of integrity came with me and we open Blackstone's doors in February of 2010. I also opened Blackstone with the mindset that we would be taking on other clients as well pending the right circumstances and timing.As we performed above expectations for Qwest they asked us to expand both within our Minnetonka office and in other states they would like representation in. Since then we have gone from a staff of less than 10 to over 50 and have opened a new location in Denver. These are undisputable facts. There were questions about whether or not wed be opening new locations, if we were relevant to our clients, and if it was really possible to advance in our company.It is a fact that the person running the new Denver office started off as an account manager and progressed through the training program and is now managing the new location.This should sufficiently answer those questions.

Once the advancement opportunities were proven true there was another posting concerned with the speed of the process and history of the current assistant manager.Apparently the fact that he came from a construction background and has only been in the company for less than a year seemed strange.This is what is meant when the job postings and employee materials note: no technical experience is necessarythere is no seniorityit is a performance and merit based positionthe training program is expected to run between 10-18 months.That complaint essentially solidifies that we do follow through with what we say were going to do.On top of that, (the only personal note I will mention) Kendall is a college graduate, extremely hard working, and is one of the most integrity driven people Ive ever met.He earned every inch of his promotion. Also, promoting people from within is not that novel of a concept.To progress at Nordstrom a person must start as a floor sales person.To become a store manager at Subway a person begins as a sandwich artist on the line first for a short period of time before being able to move forward.If that type of upward mobility makes a company a scam or pyramid scheme then logic would follow that a very large percentage of Fortune 500 businesses in the U.S. are shams.

Compensation:In the last post from a friend that worked here he seems to have the most to say and incidentally has the most false slanderous comments to clarify.No one on the staff ever makes money off of other employees.No one has to pay for their uniform, as there is no uniform. No one calls Mexico from their cell phone to place orders.No one gets paid less than what they are supposed to on their sales.The HR person is not the secretary, we have an administrative assistant and an office manager; they are two completely different people.We did not cease to furnish paychecks in order to put a down payment on our new space.This website does not regulate anything posted because it is meant to be a forum for opinions, not a credible source for facts as there are too many false statements to count in these postings.If we actually did any one of those things I doubt we would be in business at all, let alone staff over 50 people and work with the largest telecommunications company in the Northwest.

All aspects of compensation are covered during the second round interview, again in the third, and are detailed in writing and discussed when someone fills out their paperwork to be an employee.This paperwork is signed by both myself and the new account manager and then copies are provided in their employee manual.It would be impossible for someone to go through the whole process without knowing what the compensation and position are until their first day as claimed, and even more unlikely for us to employ such a large staff if they were only incoming $500: half of what is expected.The average account manager earns in between $750 and $1500 weekly.There is a 10% cancellation rate for the reps in our office.If someone has a larger than average rejection percentage it typically indicates the rep may be conducting themselves unethically with customers.It is something we take seriously and do our best to limit.Every representative is paid every single week and is provided a sales report detailing each individual customer included with every check.

We did initially, for a short period of time, work with T-Mobile.It was a test pilot campaign and every person assigned to T-Mobile was fully aware that it was going to be a salaried position for a few months so we could figure it out and move to commission eventually.That was made clear from the start.The compensation package is set as performance based as a benefit for our clients.Most businesses see the value in only having to invest capital in results and not merely the prospect of them.The commissions are set up so an average person with average results is able to earn at minimum $750.Stronger representatives gross $2k a week, which is well above the national average income for an entry level position.It does not benefit anyone to have reps in my office making less than that.To address the suggestion that because it is commission based I have nothing to lose in hiring people:I have much to lose.Its my name, my company, and my reputation.Besides the fact that there actually is monetary expense to hire someone (background checks, drug screens, training materials, training and administrative staff, etc) having someone in my office that does poorly is a great risk to the success of Blackstone.So in regards to the comments about people here not making money and me not caring either way: that just simply is not true.

The training pay was also detailed in writing and stated that $500 would be the amount given and if certain goals were hit it would be $750 for the week. So I apologize if that was confusing, but I would not risk my companys reputation for $250. If the person that wrote that (or anyone at all) felt they werent paid properly I implore you to call the office so we can correct any errors made.As the goals from Qwest increased I decided to conclude the T-mobile test pilot campaign so we could focus on growing for our flagship client.

Day to Day: In order to be hired a candidate goes through three different interviews, must be able to pass a drug screen, have a cleared background check, and have great references.I am not certain why someone would claim that we have no screening process. I dont know what kind of gauntlet they had to maneuver in the past to become employed, but our process has been sufficient enough to produce the results our clients expect and to have a positive environment with a staff that enjoys coming to work every day.Every individual working with Blackstone has the opportunity to advance, works in a learning environment, and has no income limit.So if it seems odd or cultish that people like coming to work here then I find it unfortunate that more people cant experience careers like that.Plus I purposefully hire people with extraverted and positive dispositions.It is a sales and marketing firm so we employ people that are likely to succeed interacting with other people on a daily basis.

Qwest provides all the leads for our account managers based off their high priority customers.We track and record every representatives territory so we know where they are every day.They make sure there are neither felons nor sex offenders on the lead sheets.We do not send people to dangerous areas.Account managers are also heavily encouraged to use their discretion and instincts if an account does seem unsafe.We have never once had any incident to indicate hazard.

Our website is designed for prospective clients, not solely for prospective employees. So if it seems too broad for one to understand what a position here would entail that is understandable.We have had several companies approach us through our website to discuss a potential partnership.However we are choosing for now to focus on meeting the needs of Qwest as they are a great partner to us and have the resources to support the financial goals and future growth.

It is my hope that I have clarified fact from fiction here, but if you do have any questions whatsoever please feel free to call my office and I will speak with you directly to answer any questions or concerns: 952-473-4000.

If you are in need of a reference the Regional Field Sales Manager of Qwest is willing to speak with anyone that needs further clarification. He is our direct controller from Qwest that handles the Minnesota division.His name is Jeff Johnson and his email address is [email protected].

Jeremy Reboulet

President of Blackstone Consulting

601 Carlson Parkway, suite 1525

Minnetonka, MN 55305

952-473-4000