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  • Report:  #800140

Complaint Review: Combined Insurance - Glenview Illinois

Reported By:
Junior - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:

Combined Insurance
1000North Milwaukee Avenue Glenview, 60025 Illinois, United States of America
Phone:
800-225-4500
Web:
www.combinedinsurance.com
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
Its been quite a year. This summer I was approached by Combined Insurance. Being naive, I bought their BS and found myself on a plane to Chicago for a two week training program. YIKES!! What an experience... more like a nightmare. Silly me, I thought I would be developing product knowledge and prospecting skills. NO WAY! Instead, we sat in class from 8:00 5:00 cheering, memorizing hoaky scripts that lacked even a thread of dignity, and being encouraged to read self help books. Also if reading aloud word for word from PowerPoint is your idea of an educational experience, well youll love this class. W. Clement Stone, the founder of this loony company, was considered the messiah. H**l, I even saw a guy using a pen with Stones picture on the top of the push part of the pen. Strange the dudes long gone, but you couldnt escape his image. Im surprised it wasnt imbedded on the toilet tissue.

Our mornings started with the company chant, I feel happy! I feel healthy! I feel terrific! Next came, Give me a P, give me an M, give me an A, Give me another A, give me another A (you get the picture). What have you got??? PMAAAAAAAAAA. This mantra could be heard echoing throughout the halls. What, you might ask is PMA? Why its Positive Mental Attitude, Silly! PMA is the acronym used by this ridiculous company. Trust me, youll need all of the PMA you can muster in order to survive this circus! Does the word cult come to mind? I was appalled! This had to be one of the longest two week stretches Ive ever experienced.

Returning home from this indoctrination, I was demoralized, but beggars cant be choosers and I needed to work.

Now the fun part - If you like spending your own money on gas, driving 150 200 miles a day, Youll LOVE this job. - If you like spending hard earned money on highway tolls, youll LOVE this job - If you like people becoming so annoyed with your pedaling and finally kicking you out the door, Youre really going to LOVE this job - If you like receiving texts 20 times a day, reporting every move the Posse (sales force) made, this jobs for you! - When you finally get home around 9:30, after going door to door in poverty stricken areas while sweltering in the 90 heat AND THEN getting on the horn with your DM for the next half hour accounting for every move you made that day, then youll be delighted working for this company. - And I just know that EVERYONE likes to work on Saturdays right??? - One more thing hour long sales meetings that take place on the phone at 7:00 AM twice a week are an absolute joy. - Oh and did I mention, meeting at Paneras each morning at 9:00 doing PMA cheers before starting out on the road??? Well, we did that, too!

Needless to say I didnt last more than two weeks. My DM was a step below Billy Mays (God rest his soul). I likened him to a carnival barker. Having failed carnival barking 101 in college, I knew I could not proceed.

After that experience, I knew I had to develop a game plan. Since I have my teaching background, I would substitute teach while continuing the job search. I would also interview the interviewer who was interviewing me to make sure I wouldn't be facing another Combined Life Insurance debacle. It seems to have worked and I'm looking forward to getting on with my life.



6 Updates & Rebuttals

Anyways11

New York,
New York,
USA
Enjoy being broke

#2UPDATE EX-employee responds

Fri, July 27, 2012

When you run out of money that you spent on gas running after worthless leads. Come on back and tell us how all your hard work made you rich. Keep on chanting!!!


ljhart

United States of America
Wow.thats Crazy

#3UPDATE Employee

Fri, July 27, 2012

I have just recently signed up with Combined. I went through a 3 step interview and they never told me this would be easy. They told me long hours for sure. They told me my first 6 months would be tough. Sounds to me like some people just expect to get rich without putting the leg work in.


Anyways11

New York,
New York,
USA
Another dumba** recruiter poser!!!

#4UPDATE EX-employee responds

Thu, July 19, 2012

AM BEST HUH????? They rate the parent company and that is how they determine financial strength and stability. If ACE ever wakes up and dumps your chanting recruiter a**, you might be able to get a job working at MCDonalds because you will never make it anywhere else. For everyone else, stay away from Combined!!!!!! 


Chef Mike

Rocky Hill,
Connecticut,
United States of America
All you had to do is TRY.....!

#5UPDATE Employee

Wed, July 18, 2012

Nine years ago I had opportunity to be trained at one of Combined Insurance Training sessions. There truly was a lot of information shared about forming a positive mental attitude. There were several individuals whom not only could have used one, but I'm not sure they would know what to do with a positive attitude if they could find one. The training, by law, also included all of the specifics of each and every policy available, yet also trained on how to present these benefits clearly. The clear intent of the Combined is to train each and every potential agent to better service and protect the hundreds of thousands of policy holders whom have coverage for them, their families, and in many cases, have collected , as promised and contracted, all the benefits they were entitled to.

Directly going out and specifically meeting and servicing dozens of people per day is not the kind of job you want if you don't really like getting out your car. I am truly sorry that you chose not to really try. These last nine years has indeed been rewarding. When you get to help people directly get paid big benefits after they have chosen to get the coverage from you is when all that HOOKEY TRAINING really became worthwhile.

So.. If you don't have coverage for you and your family, GET SOME ... If you have good people skills and love to help people, looking for a career where all the training, support, assistance if offered, yet for sure, IT WILL BE GOOD IF YOU CAN DO IT! That, you will find is true with anything you attempt.

Please refrain from berating a international company, founded in 1922, that have earned positive ratings from Standard and Poors, A M Best, AND that provide needed supplemental financial assistance to millions of policy holders worldwide.


Anyways11

New York,
New York,
USA
Me too!!!!!

#6UPDATE EX-employee responds

Mon, November 21, 2011

We had a guy in our class who even tired to look W Clement Stone. WHAT A LOSER!!!!! Everyone from my class has gone on to other things not involving Combined. Please, anyone reading this should take away two things..1) Everything this person has said is true and 2) STAY AWAY FROM COMBINED INSURANCE!!!!!!!


Lorenzen

Naples,
Florida,
U.S.A.
Great Report !

#7Consumer Comment

Sun, November 20, 2011

My neighbor says that he worked for Combined back when old W. Clement Stone was alive.  He made it a lot longer than you did, though.  He worked for them for 3 weeks before he finally went broke  !!  Actually, he said that EVERY SINGLE WORD you wrote was absolutely true, and they all happened to him, too, except for the cell phone calls - there was no such thing as a cell phone when he worked for them..."Thank Goodness",  says he !!!  And he also remembers those goofy pens that had WC's picture inbedded on top !!  Can you imagine having to look at that old goober's face everytime you used your pen ???  Blech.....

Did you get paid for your time in Chicago ?  He says he didn't.  Nor was the food paid for.  The only thing Combined paid for was the double room that he shared with some moron who had an endless supply of Vodka, and was drunk the entire time they were there. 

Well, I suppose I will have to agree with you.  STAY FAR AWAY FROM COMBINED !!!!

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