anonymous
Calgary,#2General Comment
Wed, June 26, 2013
"I work in the Vancouver B.C. location. been there for two weeks now. I didnt believe that it was a real job. ill be honest, they had tried to recruit me for two years now. but i always said no because its a scam. this time i went for it, i was unemployed at the time after moving a few provinces over. Anyways, the way they described the pay and everything was kinda confusing at the hiring fair, but ill go over it to make sure everyone understands it"
If this guy is really a new employee, why is he the one explaining the contract to people? Obviously this is a manager pretending to be a new employee who loves the job. I've had a great time reading complaints about this ridiculous company but the replies are even funnier. They try to condescend to people who don't like putting in 15 hour days for peanuts, despite the fact that only a moron would do such a thing for more than a day. They thank them for their input, followed by things like: "many of our employees (I thought they were independent contractors?) like hard work and challenging themselves." That's nice and all, but said employees should make real money. You can go challenge yourself and work very hard in the oilfield. You know what else will happen? You'll make real money. The more realistic replies from employees claim to make between $100 and $200 a day. That's nothing for a 13-16 hour day. But could you imagine making $20 or $50 (which seems to be the average) in such a long day?
You can easilly make $400-$500 a day in the oilfield with no previous experience. And there's no 'sorry you didn't get any sales. Maybe you'll actually make 20 bucks tomorrow.' This company is a joke.
SunDay
#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sun, March 24, 2013
Good job. BC seems to be really kicking. In toronto, it's still snow all over. Though I'm sure stuff is happening regardless. Try to squeeze as much as you can out of march/april. Personally, I preferred not to even mention other services in april, since they take so long to explain, unless everyone's at work, or the lawn really really really needs something. In May, things get tougher since 85% of all lawns are already aerated. Then aeration more becomes as a side thing and you'll learn how to sell driveway sealings and other services.
At least that's how it was in Toronto, its possible that things are little different in BC. But I'm glad you're making money.
If there really "was" an error of extra 50, consider returning it or confirming that the manager did not do it on purpose? Later on, you'll be handling a lot of cash, trust is a pretty major part of the work.
I remember managers used to run the craziest competitions back when I was working. Like, we often
picked up an occasional sandwich or some whatever plate of food off the customers. We would take
pictures of the food we were offered and the most outlandish one won.
Pagani0zonda
#4UPDATE Employee
Sun, March 24, 2013
I work in the Vancouver B.C. location. been there for two weeks now. I didnt believe that it was a real job. ill be honest, they had tried to recruit me for two years now. but i always said no because its a scam. this time i went for it, i was unemployed at the time after moving a few provinces over. Anyways, the way they described the pay and everything was kinda confusing at the hiring fair, but ill go over it to make sure everyone understands it. you go out everyday (or what days you want (pick and choose) from 8 am till dark) and knock on peoples doors with a three hundred pound machine. but the machine does pull itself, it will pull you if the gas is on enough. you dont need to be very phisically fit. k the pay, you get to price the yards you sell (door to door) and you make 32% commision. so to make it simple, today i sold 725$ even, after 12% taxes. I sold 11 lawns (two pre-booked) so 725x0.32=232$$. they take 10$ off every day for machine rentals. because you are a sub-contractor, you are self employed therefore must supply your own equipment. since were not going to go out and buy a 3000$ aerator we can rent it from them for 10$ a day. much more worth it, so today i made 232-10=222$. my take home today was $222 in cash. they can pay you cash because you are self employed contractors. like contractors building a house they get a cheque or cash everytime the work is completed. when you work a day for cps you complete your work when you get back to the shop and you get your cash. its not illigal! i have self contracted in construction before i know it works. yea a lot of people dont make very much money. but they go to a door, knock and the home owner says "no its to wet". to be good at this job you need to know how to get around rejection like that. heres a quick conversation i had today at a door that i sold for 95$+tax. me-hi there how are you today, i work for a national company called cps. im in your neighborhood today because so many of your neighbors have called us in to do there spring aeration. have you ever aerated before? homeowner - yea every year i rent a machine. me- well thats amazing, i love people that do it themselves, im guessing you go to home hardware. homeowner-yes. me- thats awesome, we actually have a discount for people that had rented last year that matches the price you paid in rental, and you get to keep your saturday to yourself. our standard rate for a front lawn is 50$ but you have a larger front lawn so id say 70$ and the back lawn is about the same size so ill put it at 70 as well. but because weve done so many of your neighbors were giving half off back yards so thats just 35$! and because you rented the machine last year i can take another 10$ off actually making it cheaper than the rental!! ill get started in the front?.....BOOM 95$! im good with talking to people, you work with cps for more than 5 days and you will be to! on a three minute conversation and 20 minutes of aerating i made 30.40$ please tell me another job that you can make 30$ in under half an hour. yes there are bad days, when theyve all had it done, or theyre with other companies that do it, but those days i make 75$ thats a bad day. but i make sure to make sure over 300$ the following day to make up for it. it does happen! the only scam ive seen so far is us scamming the manager because he accidentally handed me an extra 50$ at bonuses the other night. OH. thats a part of the pay i missed, the bonus! every day 50 people pay the 10$ rental fee for the machine. so where does that 500$ go? back into bonuses for the top 5 sellers of the day. if you took home the most money that day, you also make 200$ cash just for being awesome, second place 150, third 100, 4th and 5th 50$. so you do have to be good at the job to make upwards of 600$ but i promise you there has not been a day yet that i havent seen someone make over 500$. it happens! you just have to stick with it, not give up, not be lazy, and keep going. so please dont listen to the people saying its a scam, its not!! there just lazy, they want a job they can make that much money without doing a lot of work or talking to people. those people wont get far in life. ive saved 2600$ in the past 11 days. is it hard? yes if you work every single day. is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!!
SunDay
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Tue, March 19, 2013
I am one of the people who sometimes posts rebuttals on most of this stuff. I worked for the company for two years, then when I got my career I quit the company and am now working my own profession. So, I worked for these guys for two years and I now have been away from them for two more years. I owe them no loyalty, there is no payment for my words, or anything of any of that kind.
Alright. That said, here's some of my own thoughts, opinions, and commentary.
First and foremost. While I understand that the author does not mean to be racist, but he ... kinda is. Considering how many times he used 'the white guys' term. The blog is very oriented towards immigrants and prejudices in a kind of an amusing way. Either way ... I'm a white guy. Though I'm also an immigrant, so I dont really know where I fit.
If you read the contract, it says that if you quit in the middle of the day, during which you agreed to work, you get fined 100 CAD. What you are omitting to say, is that you either get fined or you dont work anymore. Nobody sends any fines to CRA, that is ... ridiculous. Also ... you write down your sin there? It's possible, I guess. But I dont remember ever doing that. I might be misremembering
It's very simple. The job is very hard and the filter for employment is zilch. Everyone who comes to the job fair is hired. Or so it appears ... in reality, there is a very simple filter. 85% of people who try out their first day ... quit. Nobody fines them for that, they're gone. Only way for the company to really fine anybody is when a long standing worker calls the day done and leaves, without even bothering to bring the aerator back to the company and 'then' expects to be working next day anyway. This actually happened! And the manager had to drive around the neighbourhood, looking for where the dude left the machine.
If such thing happens and they actually give him a machine to work another day, there is an expectation that whatever he makes that day, he is losing out on a hundred. In reality, most people who quit are not fined. They're gone. It's people value the work, but did not care or plan enough and walked out on the day, but value the job enough to actually pay the fine and keep working. There are never "negative" days. That's bullshit. Either the author misunderstands, or he is misaligning the truth in a very intentional way.
I cannot say for sure, why they changed from Spring Masters to Property stars. The change happened after I left. I did ask that question at some point since I know ... a good amount of people who work for them still and nobody really knows the answer. Is it to avoid the bad name of Springmasters? I doubt it ... everyone who knows Springmasters, know they are CPS. The most reasonable explanation was some kinda legal thing, after the company grew from ontario based to national. But I cant say I know for sure.
It is possible to earn good money in the company. It's not easy. Sooome people say it's not for everyone? Buuut everyone is stretchy term. When I began, I've made crap. Like ... not even a hundred, the first week, I was making 40-70 bucks. But I stuck with it and I learned the ropes, and I learned the tricks. My english improved. Aaand ... you know. I made good money afterwards. Sometimes I had shitty days, sometimes I had very good days. I'm not one of the Stars, who makes 500 dollars a frigging day, but I made good money.
Oh, and on the note about how heavy the machine is and how tiresome it is. I've known a 19 year old girl who is about ... 160 cm tops, like a head above the aeration machine ... beating me on a regular basis in amount of money earned per day and amount of sales made. And I frigging trained her too! As in, when she first came in, I was the one who helped her work out some of her sales tactics, pitches, little tricks, and so on. Then she owned me on a repeated, annoying, basis and made fun of me for that.
The job is not for everyone. But it has nothing to do with physical ability. I mean physical ability helps! And the first month, you'll be falling on the bed, asleep before your head hits the pillow. Your entire body will be burning and aching, you will be exhausted. But none of that is important.
English of course matters. If your english is "extremely" bad. I would advice trying your luck during driveway sealing season. During aeration you work alone. During driveway sealing, you work in teams of two or three. But english does not matter to an incredible amount. My english was pretty meh when I began. But you're basically talking to people your entire day. Your english will improve.
The main thing is attitude. And this is the part which gives some grounds to the author's claims how there is a building of white guys that spend their days, scouring the internet for blogs like these and give rebuttals that are almost identical. Yarrr! Almost all rebuttals will talk about hard work and attitude.
You know ... you gotta be smiling, awesome!!!, cheerful, energetic. It's all in your head. If there is a task before you and you think that is it too complicated and hard and unworthy of performing. You've failed already. If there is a task before you, and you laugh at it, you think of various solutions and things needing to be done to perform it, you think of how you will brag to your friends about besting the task, how much income you rake in by doing it. Well ... let's just say you have a very solid chance of succeeding.
It's all about hard work and attitude. Go to ... any ... single ... sales seminar of 'any' company. Like ... aaany frigging company. They will tell you the same thing. And ... some of them will not be white guys working for CPS. Maybe ... possible ... who knows ...
I must say that this blog is not really ... truthful. I'm actually kinda curious. He does not sound entirely bitter, but he's hitting and misleading truths in very skillful manner to paint a bad picture. Maybe a competitor, or ... a guy with a grudge and a good control of english language. There are a lot of people who have a grudge against CPS. Few of them are clients, I must say! But a lot of them are employees. Most of them ... are the people who were employed for like 1-3 days only. Aaand some people who were for example caught stealing and fired. That also happens. Sell a service for 90 CAD, write down 70, keep a 20. It happens. They get found out, they get fired, they get bitter.
In conclusion. The job is not for everyone. But you are never going to get the full picture of it from internet. Go and work there. Not for one day. Because unless you're sexier then Alba herself, or melt the hearts of lonely housewives with your shiny smile, you might ... do crappy your first day. You might do crappy your first week. Buuut ... all those guys who make top 10, top 5, 1st place and earn bonuses? They were in your shoes. I was definitely in those shoes and let's just say, I felt pretty comfortable in top 5 to 1 place after awhile.
I stuck with it, I improved myself, I did good. I am personally glad that I had the experience of working for that company. The things I learned there, I employ still and will be employing them until I retire. Maybe afterwards too. The greatest sales pitch is convincing your wife that the headache she's having is actually a byproduct of not enough lovemaking, not other way around. And a sport mindset oriented sales company really really teaches you to sell and keep your spirits high to do it.