The NME (National Magazine Exchange)

If one day when the collective management at the NME were to gather in one room and take thier collective heads out of thier collective asses..the resulting "pop" would induce an 8.2 earthquake.....I would have so much more respect for anyone in management for this festering sleaze factory if they just didn't lie to us employees and told us straight out in training that "yes in fact your job is to lie cheat and steal from anyone and everyone who calls in to you"

Here's thier real code of ethics...Thou shalt taketh the consumers monies be it a minor or adult.

Thou shall use any and all means to do so including using the very slick and sleazy and misleading script.

Thou shalt giveth the consumer 3 rebuttals as per scripted and thus wear the consumer down till they sayeth YES.

Thou shall be heldeth responsible for thy sales quota and if thy conversion numbers are not of great amount..thy shall be escorted

off the premises.

Thou shall not have any kind of conscious regarding the consumer

and will use any and all tactics the company provides to taketh away thier credit card information.

That's the companies REAL code of ethics...this is a company that routinely solicits MINORS(we never ask for age verification and MINORS get the mailers from us}I always ask if I think someone calling is over 18 if they sound to young..when they say yes I politely inform them that please have an adult call back.

How do these minors get a mailer anyway? well they aren't "preffered credit card holders" as the company states they're way of getting a name...I don't know how a minor gets to be on a mailing list but this company d**n well knows it and they don't care..as long as the voice at the other end of the line has access to billing information is all they do care about.

You know....employees who work there are under enormous pressure to get sales...there are all kinds of statistics to monitor employee productivity and they monitor calls for quality.That in itself is a joke...the monitor for "quality" only the quality they mean is thier version of quality...and thier version of quality is very different form the accepted definition of quality.We're not talking about..HONESTY..or INTEGRITY..we're talking about QUALITY and to them that means...did you get them to say YES??And the calls are digitally recorded...not the scripted part about the pitch mind you..just the part that has the caller saying YES because they need that incase they have to settle any billing matters that will arise..and they will..now any employee who actually raises questions or concerns about actual honesty or integrity about the way they go about and get those YES'ES is subject to the wrath of the "QD" quality department.The QD has no real guidelines..they can and do infact zero in on troublemakers they deem unworthy of the company and will proceed to methodically harrass any employee by issuing all kinds of colored envelopes,blue red yellow, with reports stating how said employee has"violated thier code of ethics"which means that said employee didn't get someone to say YES the right way or said the instead of thee or but instead of if.Employees also get written up for NOT giving enough rebuttals,3 in most cases.

Now every sales job has thier rubuttals..part of the job..but this company is rather special....this company insists on every employee using at least 3 rebuttals(sometimes more}because persistence wears down resistance you see and it's nothing short of badgering and who has the final say over what's badgering and what's a rebuttal? The aforementioned "Quality Department"

Now I myself have felt the wrath of the QD,having been written up for NOT giving my 3 rebuttals...ofcourse I don't to anyone who gets angry..and we get angry callers all the time who get transferred around somuch and hear somany pitches that they get quite distressed and sure...lots of them just give in and say yes to something that they either don't want or can't afford.

I don't bother to even try to make a sale if I get a caller who is in trouble...lost job,no income,death in the family,on disability,but I and others get routinely in trouble for NOT rebuttaling these people in obvious distress because THIS COMPANY HAS NO CONSCIOUS and I fully expect to get fired any day now because I do have a conscious and I will NOT try to make a sale or give a rebuttal to anyone who is having a hard time or is suffering a personal crisis because I have to live with myself and have to sleep at night...management in this festering sewer obviously DON'T CARE.

I will enjoy watching this company fall and be there with popcorn when they get hauled off to jail.And to anyone reading this who has called in or is thinking of calling in please be aware that for the most part..it's NOT the employee who is inducing this upon you...we are all just trying to make a living and we do not invent the tactics..we are forced to use them or else NOT have a job...what someone needs to do is have the proper agency FORCE this company to CHANGE it's polocies and to treat thier employees with a little respect and dignity because there is NO honor or respect or one shred of dignity for this job.

Richard

Tampa, Florida
U.S.A.

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on National Magazine Exchange

Click Here to read other Ripoff Reports on National Magazine Exchange

5 Updates & Rebuttals

Marc

Clearwater,
Florida,
U.S.A.

Mary, you're too good! you slipped through the cracks and were hired.

#2UPDATE Employee

Fri, April 08, 2005

Mary, you are far too honorable and good to be an employee at the National Rip-off Deranged! As I was reading your script, I wondered how you slipped through the cracks and were hired. Then I remembered the crowds of people who are either ushered out by the Brownshirts, regain their sanity, or simply have grown tired of being badgered by 'management' for not selling to 85 year old men! I have decided to do my masters thesis on corporate corruption. Do you think I can glean some information from the corporate slobs at the National Magazine Exchange? I feel like a bum on the street trying to sell yesterdays' newspaper that NOBODY WANTS!!!

Mary

St. Petersburg,
Florida,
U.S.A.

My Ethics

#3UPDATE Employee

Mon, December 06, 2004

I agree with Richard about the code of ethics at NME/SPD. I have been working with this company only a short time, but have been told by my supervisor that I "lost a customer" because I did not use the rebuttals. If I do not use the rebuttals, it is for a REASON and I believe that should be left up to me as the first contact. I have potential customers who call in who have just had a death in their family, or a recent fire in their home, others who are unemployed at the time, senior citizens who are on a fixed income. I do not push these people, but I get reprimanded for having empathy for them. My "percentages" are not up to SDP's quota, but I feel good knowing that I as a person am not preying on someones misfortune. In NME's training we are taught that "BUYERS ARE LIARS" , well gee I am a buyer but I certainly am not a liar. Last week, I talked to 350 people and only 25 of those were interested in the magazine offer, and only 21 of them were an actual sale. This job is not as easy as some would think. Very stressful, dealing with the public, and worrying about your "STATS" in the meantime. The offer that National Magazine Exchange has is a good one. I just think it could be offered in a different way. Also, NME needs to put something in the script about age. I have had 12 and 13 year old children call. How did they get a credit card at that age?? I do like my job. I enjoy speaking to the people who call in, but because of my low percentages, I will probably be terminated. What happened to real CUSTOMER SERVICE??

Chuck

Palm Harbor,
Florida,
U.S.A.

How to Deal With SDP's Unethical Practices

#4Consumer Comment

Sat, June 05, 2004

Jim Use the company's "Code of Ethics" to make your point. Is the company's wording in any way in conflict with itin fact or in spirit? They use that code to discipline employees but do not like it very much when it is routinely pointed out that they violate it themselves just to make a few extra bucks. If you are written up. DO NOT sign the disciplinary form under any circumstances whatsoever, then file a grievance for the disciplinary action and against your supervisor for trying to force you to commit immoral and POSSIBLY illegal acts. At the disciplinary hearing invoke your rights under the "Epilepsy Foundation" ruling and insist on a witness of your choice. They will refuse, then produce a tape recorder at that point and inform them they will be recorded, if they say they do not give you permission to record, tell them that as they are trying to compel you to commit unethical and potentially illegal acts, their permission is not required and you are doing this to protect yourself from them and any potential legal action against you personally. Those who do not wish to be recorded are cordially invited to keep their mouths shut. The Telemarketing Acts of many states, including Florida hold EACH INDIVIDUAL TELEMARKETER responsible for any potential violation of the law, so do not allow them to bully or intimidate you. Finally, if you have not already done so, as I told Richard, sign that card authorizing the Union election. The NLRA (National Labor Relations Act) gives you additional legal protection, and SDP is already in deep trouble with the NLRB. Eileen Adams in R & D can further guide you in this area. Good Luck.

Jim

Clearwater,
Florida,
U.S.A.

the pressure to have the customer say yes is extreme, run people run!

#5UPDATE Employee

Fri, June 04, 2004

I agree with richard. the pressure to have the customer say yes is extreme. just yesterday i was monitered and told I could not say certain words or phrases to the customerbe cause it was not in the script. the next time I would be writen up. I was trying to tell the customer what places and the amount of discounts they could expect to recieve, again I was told not to inform the customer any thing thats not in the script. I later called "critics choice" to find out exactly what I can tell the customer,I found that what nme traines their employees to tell the customer is not what "critics choice" offers on the internet. yes Critics choice is offered on the internet with out all of the hassel that nme offers. critics choice phone number is 1-800-527-3378. with that number you recieve informaton that informs you of all aspects of critics choice with a more pleasent person at the other end of the phone line. NME sucks people tell nme you have " NO " credit card and they will pass you by with out a sales pitch, but on other " free" choices BULLSH*T. run people run.

Chuck

Palm Harbor,
Florida,
U.S.A.

Necessary Action, sign a Union authorization card

#6UPDATE EX-employee responds

Tue, May 04, 2004

Richard. If you are still employed by SDP, see Eileen Adams in R&D, sign a Union authorization card and help bring in the CWA. This will be instrumental in reiging in Bill Hood and his "associates", and bringing many of these practices to a screeching halt.

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