Lynzi
Lurgan,#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, July 29, 2006
Have been going through these reports for a while now and determining whether to post or not but thought I should share my experience.... Pre Xmas 2005 I was flicking through the job Finder and came across an advertisment for people with the opportunity to travel...I thought, yeah that would do me...new year, fresh start and all that bull.....I had been working in a reasonably well paid job and had worked for a number of global Companies....I texted in thinking, I'll see what this is all about and got a call from the ever refreshing Brent (at that stage) in Belfast asking me to come for interview...I went in, had a chat with David Esler whose interviewing technique were pretty tuned in to evade every question about the job except to tell me that the Carphone Warehouse Talk Talk campaign was what I would be working on (if I was sucessful enough to be selected!!)..sure enough I got the call inviting me back to my observation day..... I went out for my Ob day with a girl who was deemed to be the best retainer in the office and to be honest, she probably was...her enthusiasm blew me away....I asked every question I could think of and she never once let her facade slip....go girl!!!(she packed it in during my 1st week!!lol"...needless to say I got back for my 2nd interview and got the golden ticket that YES!!!! I had been sucessful.....handing in my notice the next day I had no second thoughts r anything...I was gonna give it a go..... Anyway, started after Xmas with a group of 3 other people....)(sat through the contracts with Brent which would have taken 15 minutes but it took Brent over an hour, as we had to listen to how wonderful he was at 5 minute intervals....)1 left during the morning meeting on the pretence of going to the toilet, and the other 2 left within a week....I thought they were just losers, funny how quickly the brainwashing kicks in!!!, Initially the morning meetings amazed me, the bell terrified me and i just thought it was all crazy.....but I stuck at it...even got invited to a Rising Star etc etc "cos i was the up and coming star of Perpetual lol!!!along with everyone else who started in Perpetual!!!"...... sales wise I was doing OK for the first few weeks, was even high rolling the office for a bit...then I suffered the leaders slump...yeah you've heard of it..."everyone gets it"!!!! ...get a mentor, get a mentor...thats what I was told....so I called "the best"....and I called him again, and again, and again could never get hold of him......... "get on conference calls my crew leader was telling me, so I did...that didnt work either and still no word from my mentor..... "stop thinking about it"...so I did and started having fun on the field....double dooring was great craic!!! but didnt generate the sales cos the customer thought opening the door to singing salespersons wasnt an incentive to buy apparently..... "get with the highrollers" ...yip, did that too.... "take out Ob's, you will make sales if you have to"....what with? I had no money.....and thank god I didnt....if I was to look back on it now and have brainwashed people into giving up their jobs to come work with me on this, the guilt would be overbearing.... but I was enjoying the craic I was having in the office, I had worked in a pretty demanding job before and was enjoying the pressure free enviroment of Perpetual.... I have to say that I had sat myself a time frame with the Company but my purpose of staying there was to gain Sales Experience (which I did gain! and have benefited from).....but whilst I was there, a young guy came up to chat to me.....he appeared friendly and harmless and we chatted a bit...but I started to notice an increased level of bullying towards this one FR, he was continuously berated by Chris during a morning meeting (lets face, how often did David run a morning meeting)and taunted by everyone for not ringing the bell (even though out of 20 sometimes 30 people the average bell ringers were 4 or 5, you dont notice this though cos you're so busy trying to be +ve so that you WILL ring your bell the next day!!!)...I noticed this becoming worse towards this FR even by new people who wer adapting the same attitude towards me...commonly known in Perpetual as the SHEEP FACTOR...ever heard of it??? this guy was spoken to by the majority of the office like he was s**t on peoples shoes!!! ...My sales were still suffering so I was brought up in front of a white board and informed that my averages were just not good enough and that I had bills to pay and that I was having too much fun on the field???? anyone ever told to learn to enjoy the field....like what you're doing!!! be excited!!!...a few road trips and my sales were up again....but by this stage I had seen the light.... My moment of realisation came long before I left..I had been to a Rising Star meeting and heard Simon Murphy drone on about "education??who needs it?" and about how he has bought a house in Dubai.....a few weeks later I was invited to Cobra....was told by everyone who had been with the company a while "wow, thats really cool""!!!....I mean, imagine a big Global Company like Cobra wanting to invite a mere FR like me to their office.....so off we went.....on our big adventure....we flew Easyjet...big time!!, then we went to Simon Murphys office in Old Street and were greeted by a group of other FR's from the Irish offices all looking like rabbits caught in the headlights!!!....we were fed sandwiches from pret-a manger with warm tins of diet coke....cordon bleu eh?? and listened to Simon Murphy drone on again about "educations s **t guys..who needs that?" oh and yes "did I tell you that Im buying a house in Dubai..lol!!....we were then sent off to our hotel with the delectable James O'Grady (who has the personality of a dead goldfish and the usual self importance and arrogance that comes with being an owner!!")...the hotel was something else....we had to share rooms for a start, par for the course I would imagine for a Company that spares no expense!!"....there was no evening meal and needless to say I lost 2 days sales and the whole experience cost me money I didnt have!!!"..... Back at the office, all the new guys were told about our big trip and how lucky we are...by this stage I had been promoted to Leader and Chris announced that I had given the best answers EVER....am I the dogs bollocks or what???".......then a few days later someone else got promoted and they too had given the best answers EVER...what the f??? I thought that was me???? whats going on???...then I started the Leaders meetings...it took all of about 1 week until the impacts started to repeat....how to take out an ob (anyone sit in on this Impact and think "thats what I was told???"), 1st and 2nd day retrains (again, "thats what I was told").....then the conference calls.....with once again Simon Murphy droning on about how s**t education is and he is buying a house in dubai!!!.... it was time to move on....I left the company, got a job in proper Management again and am still trying to clear the arrears which I have built up since leaving Cobra..... I did see someone get promoted....a nice enough guy who has been brainwashed by it all and now see's that actually he's not a millionaire overnight and all that glitters isnt gold!!!! he's not making any money, his office has closed.....but the arrogance that owners inherit has taken him over, unfortunately he has berated everyone who has left calling them losers and other non printable names so much so that to leave would be a contradiction of everything he has preached.....arrogance blinds him to the fact that he is so brainwashed by the "opportunity!" that he cannot see what is at the end of his nose, that staying only make him look more foolish....I would love to see this guy suceed but lets face it, you have to realise a time when enough is enough....how much more debt and rejection can you incur, note the following: ....it is not your own Company....you are a puppet on a string for Cobra... you do not earn the money which you tell all the Ob's during their first day or pre-man meeings....and if you do, you cannot spend it...you pay yourself a wage which is determined by the amount your office is making....i.e 150 a week???? (order that Bentley!!!) the hours do not get shorter and you do not get off the field the minute you become an owner....its your business, so you have to be there...remember the 2/3rds rule??? if you make it to the end of the line and get promoted, fair play.....but if it doesnt work, for Gods sake take a reality check.... It took me 3 months to realise all of the above....unfortunately it takes others longer...if this report helps people to open their eyes, then it has been worthwhile.... All in all, Im glad I did it....I dont look back on it with hate or regret...more amusement than anything...hours of pounding the streets in the rain and snow has made me a stronger person....what doesnt kill you makes you stronger....Luckily I got my bond back without any issues.....however,the FR I mentioned earlier is still trying to get his back, but as ever, Brent is proving himself to be the usual, arrogant, self-important pen pusher to exist.... I made some good friends, all of whom have since left Perpetual....( i suppose you will do if you're working with people 15 hours a day!!) These days I hear Perpetual is struggling with numbers, all key people have left....Chris is back from Wigan with a crew of 0... David - a word of advice - take your head out of your arse and open your eyes....your office is falling apart due to your own arrogance and self-importance...your Administrator is unprofessional and the most self important receptionist I have ever come across and who wouldn't have been employed by any other Company as references would have been unavailable due to the fact that he has a habit of walking out on previous employment......you have been a victim of your own sucess...try eating some humble pie...your greed for money will inevitably become the albatross around your neck.... Juice my arse!!!!! All out of juice.
Lynzi
Lurgan,#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, July 29, 2006
Have been going through these reports for a while now and determining whether to post or not but thought I should share my experience.... Pre Xmas 2005 I was flicking through the job Finder and came across an advertisment for people with the opportunity to travel...I thought, yeah that would do me...new year, fresh start and all that bull.....I had been working in a reasonably well paid job and had worked for a number of global Companies....I texted in thinking, I'll see what this is all about and got a call from the ever refreshing Brent (at that stage) in Belfast asking me to come for interview...I went in, had a chat with David Esler whose interviewing technique were pretty tuned in to evade every question about the job except to tell me that the Carphone Warehouse Talk Talk campaign was what I would be working on (if I was sucessful enough to be selected!!)..sure enough I got the call inviting me back to my observation day..... I went out for my Ob day with a girl who was deemed to be the best retainer in the office and to be honest, she probably was...her enthusiasm blew me away....I asked every question I could think of and she never once let her facade slip....go girl!!!(she packed it in during my 1st week!!lol"...needless to say I got back for my 2nd interview and got the golden ticket that YES!!!! I had been sucessful.....handing in my notice the next day I had no second thoughts r anything...I was gonna give it a go..... Anyway, started after Xmas with a group of 3 other people....)(sat through the contracts with Brent which would have taken 15 minutes but it took Brent over an hour, as we had to listen to how wonderful he was at 5 minute intervals....)1 left during the morning meeting on the pretence of going to the toilet, and the other 2 left within a week....I thought they were just losers, funny how quickly the brainwashing kicks in!!!, Initially the morning meetings amazed me, the bell terrified me and i just thought it was all crazy.....but I stuck at it...even got invited to a Rising Star etc etc "cos i was the up and coming star of Perpetual lol!!!along with everyone else who started in Perpetual!!!"...... sales wise I was doing OK for the first few weeks, was even high rolling the office for a bit...then I suffered the leaders slump...yeah you've heard of it..."everyone gets it"!!!! ...get a mentor, get a mentor...thats what I was told....so I called "the best"....and I called him again, and again, and again could never get hold of him......... "get on conference calls my crew leader was telling me, so I did...that didnt work either and still no word from my mentor..... "stop thinking about it"...so I did and started having fun on the field....double dooring was great craic!!! but didnt generate the sales cos the customer thought opening the door to singing salespersons wasnt an incentive to buy apparently..... "get with the highrollers" ...yip, did that too.... "take out Ob's, you will make sales if you have to"....what with? I had no money.....and thank god I didnt....if I was to look back on it now and have brainwashed people into giving up their jobs to come work with me on this, the guilt would be overbearing.... but I was enjoying the craic I was having in the office, I had worked in a pretty demanding job before and was enjoying the pressure free enviroment of Perpetual.... I have to say that I had sat myself a time frame with the Company but my purpose of staying there was to gain Sales Experience (which I did gain! and have benefited from).....but whilst I was there, a young guy came up to chat to me.....he appeared friendly and harmless and we chatted a bit...but I started to notice an increased level of bullying towards this one FR, he was continuously berated by Chris during a morning meeting (lets face, how often did David run a morning meeting)and taunted by everyone for not ringing the bell (even though out of 20 sometimes 30 people the average bell ringers were 4 or 5, you dont notice this though cos you're so busy trying to be +ve so that you WILL ring your bell the next day!!!)...I noticed this becoming worse towards this FR even by new people who wer adapting the same attitude towards me...commonly known in Perpetual as the SHEEP FACTOR...ever heard of it??? this guy was spoken to by the majority of the office like he was s**t on peoples shoes!!! ...My sales were still suffering so I was brought up in front of a white board and informed that my averages were just not good enough and that I had bills to pay and that I was having too much fun on the field???? anyone ever told to learn to enjoy the field....like what you're doing!!! be excited!!!...a few road trips and my sales were up again....but by this stage I had seen the light.... My moment of realisation came long before I left..I had been to a Rising Star meeting and heard Simon Murphy drone on about "education??who needs it?" and about how he has bought a house in Dubai.....a few weeks later I was invited to Cobra....was told by everyone who had been with the company a while "wow, thats really cool""!!!....I mean, imagine a big Global Company like Cobra wanting to invite a mere FR like me to their office.....so off we went.....on our big adventure....we flew Easyjet...big time!!, then we went to Simon Murphys office in Old Street and were greeted by a group of other FR's from the Irish offices all looking like rabbits caught in the headlights!!!....we were fed sandwiches from pret-a manger with warm tins of diet coke....cordon bleu eh?? and listened to Simon Murphy drone on again about "educations s **t guys..who needs that?" oh and yes "did I tell you that Im buying a house in Dubai..lol!!....we were then sent off to our hotel with the delectable James O'Grady (who has the personality of a dead goldfish and the usual self importance and arrogance that comes with being an owner!!")...the hotel was something else....we had to share rooms for a start, par for the course I would imagine for a Company that spares no expense!!"....there was no evening meal and needless to say I lost 2 days sales and the whole experience cost me money I didnt have!!!"..... Back at the office, all the new guys were told about our big trip and how lucky we are...by this stage I had been promoted to Leader and Chris announced that I had given the best answers EVER....am I the dogs bollocks or what???".......then a few days later someone else got promoted and they too had given the best answers EVER...what the f??? I thought that was me???? whats going on???...then I started the Leaders meetings...it took all of about 1 week until the impacts started to repeat....how to take out an ob (anyone sit in on this Impact and think "thats what I was told???"), 1st and 2nd day retrains (again, "thats what I was told").....then the conference calls.....with once again Simon Murphy droning on about how s**t education is and he is buying a house in dubai!!!.... it was time to move on....I left the company, got a job in proper Management again and am still trying to clear the arrears which I have built up since leaving Cobra..... I did see someone get promoted....a nice enough guy who has been brainwashed by it all and now see's that actually he's not a millionaire overnight and all that glitters isnt gold!!!! he's not making any money, his office has closed.....but the arrogance that owners inherit has taken him over, unfortunately he has berated everyone who has left calling them losers and other non printable names so much so that to leave would be a contradiction of everything he has preached.....arrogance blinds him to the fact that he is so brainwashed by the "opportunity!" that he cannot see what is at the end of his nose, that staying only make him look more foolish....I would love to see this guy suceed but lets face it, you have to realise a time when enough is enough....how much more debt and rejection can you incur, note the following: ....it is not your own Company....you are a puppet on a string for Cobra... you do not earn the money which you tell all the Ob's during their first day or pre-man meeings....and if you do, you cannot spend it...you pay yourself a wage which is determined by the amount your office is making....i.e 150 a week???? (order that Bentley!!!) the hours do not get shorter and you do not get off the field the minute you become an owner....its your business, so you have to be there...remember the 2/3rds rule??? if you make it to the end of the line and get promoted, fair play.....but if it doesnt work, for Gods sake take a reality check.... It took me 3 months to realise all of the above....unfortunately it takes others longer...if this report helps people to open their eyes, then it has been worthwhile.... All in all, Im glad I did it....I dont look back on it with hate or regret...more amusement than anything...hours of pounding the streets in the rain and snow has made me a stronger person....what doesnt kill you makes you stronger....Luckily I got my bond back without any issues.....however,the FR I mentioned earlier is still trying to get his back, but as ever, Brent is proving himself to be the usual, arrogant, self-important pen pusher to exist.... I made some good friends, all of whom have since left Perpetual....( i suppose you will do if you're working with people 15 hours a day!!) These days I hear Perpetual is struggling with numbers, all key people have left....Chris is back from Wigan with a crew of 0... David - a word of advice - take your head out of your arse and open your eyes....your office is falling apart due to your own arrogance and self-importance...your Administrator is unprofessional and the most self important receptionist I have ever come across and who wouldn't have been employed by any other Company as references would have been unavailable due to the fact that he has a habit of walking out on previous employment......you have been a victim of your own sucess...try eating some humble pie...your greed for money will inevitably become the albatross around your neck.... Juice my arse!!!!! All out of juice.
Lynzi
Lurgan,#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, July 29, 2006
Have been going through these reports for a while now and determining whether to post or not but thought I should share my experience.... Pre Xmas 2005 I was flicking through the job Finder and came across an advertisment for people with the opportunity to travel...I thought, yeah that would do me...new year, fresh start and all that bull.....I had been working in a reasonably well paid job and had worked for a number of global Companies....I texted in thinking, I'll see what this is all about and got a call from the ever refreshing Brent (at that stage) in Belfast asking me to come for interview...I went in, had a chat with David Esler whose interviewing technique were pretty tuned in to evade every question about the job except to tell me that the Carphone Warehouse Talk Talk campaign was what I would be working on (if I was sucessful enough to be selected!!)..sure enough I got the call inviting me back to my observation day..... I went out for my Ob day with a girl who was deemed to be the best retainer in the office and to be honest, she probably was...her enthusiasm blew me away....I asked every question I could think of and she never once let her facade slip....go girl!!!(she packed it in during my 1st week!!lol"...needless to say I got back for my 2nd interview and got the golden ticket that YES!!!! I had been sucessful.....handing in my notice the next day I had no second thoughts r anything...I was gonna give it a go..... Anyway, started after Xmas with a group of 3 other people....)(sat through the contracts with Brent which would have taken 15 minutes but it took Brent over an hour, as we had to listen to how wonderful he was at 5 minute intervals....)1 left during the morning meeting on the pretence of going to the toilet, and the other 2 left within a week....I thought they were just losers, funny how quickly the brainwashing kicks in!!!, Initially the morning meetings amazed me, the bell terrified me and i just thought it was all crazy.....but I stuck at it...even got invited to a Rising Star etc etc "cos i was the up and coming star of Perpetual lol!!!along with everyone else who started in Perpetual!!!"...... sales wise I was doing OK for the first few weeks, was even high rolling the office for a bit...then I suffered the leaders slump...yeah you've heard of it..."everyone gets it"!!!! ...get a mentor, get a mentor...thats what I was told....so I called "the best"....and I called him again, and again, and again could never get hold of him......... "get on conference calls my crew leader was telling me, so I did...that didnt work either and still no word from my mentor..... "stop thinking about it"...so I did and started having fun on the field....double dooring was great craic!!! but didnt generate the sales cos the customer thought opening the door to singing salespersons wasnt an incentive to buy apparently..... "get with the highrollers" ...yip, did that too.... "take out Ob's, you will make sales if you have to"....what with? I had no money.....and thank god I didnt....if I was to look back on it now and have brainwashed people into giving up their jobs to come work with me on this, the guilt would be overbearing.... but I was enjoying the craic I was having in the office, I had worked in a pretty demanding job before and was enjoying the pressure free enviroment of Perpetual.... I have to say that I had sat myself a time frame with the Company but my purpose of staying there was to gain Sales Experience (which I did gain! and have benefited from).....but whilst I was there, a young guy came up to chat to me.....he appeared friendly and harmless and we chatted a bit...but I started to notice an increased level of bullying towards this one FR, he was continuously berated by Chris during a morning meeting (lets face, how often did David run a morning meeting)and taunted by everyone for not ringing the bell (even though out of 20 sometimes 30 people the average bell ringers were 4 or 5, you dont notice this though cos you're so busy trying to be +ve so that you WILL ring your bell the next day!!!)...I noticed this becoming worse towards this FR even by new people who wer adapting the same attitude towards me...commonly known in Perpetual as the SHEEP FACTOR...ever heard of it??? this guy was spoken to by the majority of the office like he was s**t on peoples shoes!!! ...My sales were still suffering so I was brought up in front of a white board and informed that my averages were just not good enough and that I had bills to pay and that I was having too much fun on the field???? anyone ever told to learn to enjoy the field....like what you're doing!!! be excited!!!...a few road trips and my sales were up again....but by this stage I had seen the light.... My moment of realisation came long before I left..I had been to a Rising Star meeting and heard Simon Murphy drone on about "education??who needs it?" and about how he has bought a house in Dubai.....a few weeks later I was invited to Cobra....was told by everyone who had been with the company a while "wow, thats really cool""!!!....I mean, imagine a big Global Company like Cobra wanting to invite a mere FR like me to their office.....so off we went.....on our big adventure....we flew Easyjet...big time!!, then we went to Simon Murphys office in Old Street and were greeted by a group of other FR's from the Irish offices all looking like rabbits caught in the headlights!!!....we were fed sandwiches from pret-a manger with warm tins of diet coke....cordon bleu eh?? and listened to Simon Murphy drone on again about "educations s **t guys..who needs that?" oh and yes "did I tell you that Im buying a house in Dubai..lol!!....we were then sent off to our hotel with the delectable James O'Grady (who has the personality of a dead goldfish and the usual self importance and arrogance that comes with being an owner!!")...the hotel was something else....we had to share rooms for a start, par for the course I would imagine for a Company that spares no expense!!"....there was no evening meal and needless to say I lost 2 days sales and the whole experience cost me money I didnt have!!!"..... Back at the office, all the new guys were told about our big trip and how lucky we are...by this stage I had been promoted to Leader and Chris announced that I had given the best answers EVER....am I the dogs bollocks or what???".......then a few days later someone else got promoted and they too had given the best answers EVER...what the f??? I thought that was me???? whats going on???...then I started the Leaders meetings...it took all of about 1 week until the impacts started to repeat....how to take out an ob (anyone sit in on this Impact and think "thats what I was told???"), 1st and 2nd day retrains (again, "thats what I was told").....then the conference calls.....with once again Simon Murphy droning on about how s**t education is and he is buying a house in dubai!!!.... it was time to move on....I left the company, got a job in proper Management again and am still trying to clear the arrears which I have built up since leaving Cobra..... I did see someone get promoted....a nice enough guy who has been brainwashed by it all and now see's that actually he's not a millionaire overnight and all that glitters isnt gold!!!! he's not making any money, his office has closed.....but the arrogance that owners inherit has taken him over, unfortunately he has berated everyone who has left calling them losers and other non printable names so much so that to leave would be a contradiction of everything he has preached.....arrogance blinds him to the fact that he is so brainwashed by the "opportunity!" that he cannot see what is at the end of his nose, that staying only make him look more foolish....I would love to see this guy suceed but lets face it, you have to realise a time when enough is enough....how much more debt and rejection can you incur, note the following: ....it is not your own Company....you are a puppet on a string for Cobra... you do not earn the money which you tell all the Ob's during their first day or pre-man meeings....and if you do, you cannot spend it...you pay yourself a wage which is determined by the amount your office is making....i.e 150 a week???? (order that Bentley!!!) the hours do not get shorter and you do not get off the field the minute you become an owner....its your business, so you have to be there...remember the 2/3rds rule??? if you make it to the end of the line and get promoted, fair play.....but if it doesnt work, for Gods sake take a reality check.... It took me 3 months to realise all of the above....unfortunately it takes others longer...if this report helps people to open their eyes, then it has been worthwhile.... All in all, Im glad I did it....I dont look back on it with hate or regret...more amusement than anything...hours of pounding the streets in the rain and snow has made me a stronger person....what doesnt kill you makes you stronger....Luckily I got my bond back without any issues.....however,the FR I mentioned earlier is still trying to get his back, but as ever, Brent is proving himself to be the usual, arrogant, self-important pen pusher to exist.... I made some good friends, all of whom have since left Perpetual....( i suppose you will do if you're working with people 15 hours a day!!) These days I hear Perpetual is struggling with numbers, all key people have left....Chris is back from Wigan with a crew of 0... David - a word of advice - take your head out of your arse and open your eyes....your office is falling apart due to your own arrogance and self-importance...your Administrator is unprofessional and the most self important receptionist I have ever come across and who wouldn't have been employed by any other Company as references would have been unavailable due to the fact that he has a habit of walking out on previous employment......you have been a victim of your own sucess...try eating some humble pie...your greed for money will inevitably become the albatross around your neck.... Juice my arse!!!!! All out of juice.
Lynzi
Lurgan,#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, July 29, 2006
Have been going through these reports for a while now and determining whether to post or not but thought I should share my experience.... Pre Xmas 2005 I was flicking through the job Finder and came across an advertisment for people with the opportunity to travel...I thought, yeah that would do me...new year, fresh start and all that bull.....I had been working in a reasonably well paid job and had worked for a number of global Companies....I texted in thinking, I'll see what this is all about and got a call from the ever refreshing Brent (at that stage) in Belfast asking me to come for interview...I went in, had a chat with David Esler whose interviewing technique were pretty tuned in to evade every question about the job except to tell me that the Carphone Warehouse Talk Talk campaign was what I would be working on (if I was sucessful enough to be selected!!)..sure enough I got the call inviting me back to my observation day..... I went out for my Ob day with a girl who was deemed to be the best retainer in the office and to be honest, she probably was...her enthusiasm blew me away....I asked every question I could think of and she never once let her facade slip....go girl!!!(she packed it in during my 1st week!!lol"...needless to say I got back for my 2nd interview and got the golden ticket that YES!!!! I had been sucessful.....handing in my notice the next day I had no second thoughts r anything...I was gonna give it a go..... Anyway, started after Xmas with a group of 3 other people....)(sat through the contracts with Brent which would have taken 15 minutes but it took Brent over an hour, as we had to listen to how wonderful he was at 5 minute intervals....)1 left during the morning meeting on the pretence of going to the toilet, and the other 2 left within a week....I thought they were just losers, funny how quickly the brainwashing kicks in!!!, Initially the morning meetings amazed me, the bell terrified me and i just thought it was all crazy.....but I stuck at it...even got invited to a Rising Star etc etc "cos i was the up and coming star of Perpetual lol!!!along with everyone else who started in Perpetual!!!"...... sales wise I was doing OK for the first few weeks, was even high rolling the office for a bit...then I suffered the leaders slump...yeah you've heard of it..."everyone gets it"!!!! ...get a mentor, get a mentor...thats what I was told....so I called "the best"....and I called him again, and again, and again could never get hold of him......... "get on conference calls my crew leader was telling me, so I did...that didnt work either and still no word from my mentor..... "stop thinking about it"...so I did and started having fun on the field....double dooring was great craic!!! but didnt generate the sales cos the customer thought opening the door to singing salespersons wasnt an incentive to buy apparently..... "get with the highrollers" ...yip, did that too.... "take out Ob's, you will make sales if you have to"....what with? I had no money.....and thank god I didnt....if I was to look back on it now and have brainwashed people into giving up their jobs to come work with me on this, the guilt would be overbearing.... but I was enjoying the craic I was having in the office, I had worked in a pretty demanding job before and was enjoying the pressure free enviroment of Perpetual.... I have to say that I had sat myself a time frame with the Company but my purpose of staying there was to gain Sales Experience (which I did gain! and have benefited from).....but whilst I was there, a young guy came up to chat to me.....he appeared friendly and harmless and we chatted a bit...but I started to notice an increased level of bullying towards this one FR, he was continuously berated by Chris during a morning meeting (lets face, how often did David run a morning meeting)and taunted by everyone for not ringing the bell (even though out of 20 sometimes 30 people the average bell ringers were 4 or 5, you dont notice this though cos you're so busy trying to be +ve so that you WILL ring your bell the next day!!!)...I noticed this becoming worse towards this FR even by new people who wer adapting the same attitude towards me...commonly known in Perpetual as the SHEEP FACTOR...ever heard of it??? this guy was spoken to by the majority of the office like he was s**t on peoples shoes!!! ...My sales were still suffering so I was brought up in front of a white board and informed that my averages were just not good enough and that I had bills to pay and that I was having too much fun on the field???? anyone ever told to learn to enjoy the field....like what you're doing!!! be excited!!!...a few road trips and my sales were up again....but by this stage I had seen the light.... My moment of realisation came long before I left..I had been to a Rising Star meeting and heard Simon Murphy drone on about "education??who needs it?" and about how he has bought a house in Dubai.....a few weeks later I was invited to Cobra....was told by everyone who had been with the company a while "wow, thats really cool""!!!....I mean, imagine a big Global Company like Cobra wanting to invite a mere FR like me to their office.....so off we went.....on our big adventure....we flew Easyjet...big time!!, then we went to Simon Murphys office in Old Street and were greeted by a group of other FR's from the Irish offices all looking like rabbits caught in the headlights!!!....we were fed sandwiches from pret-a manger with warm tins of diet coke....cordon bleu eh?? and listened to Simon Murphy drone on again about "educations s **t guys..who needs that?" oh and yes "did I tell you that Im buying a house in Dubai..lol!!....we were then sent off to our hotel with the delectable James O'Grady (who has the personality of a dead goldfish and the usual self importance and arrogance that comes with being an owner!!")...the hotel was something else....we had to share rooms for a start, par for the course I would imagine for a Company that spares no expense!!"....there was no evening meal and needless to say I lost 2 days sales and the whole experience cost me money I didnt have!!!"..... Back at the office, all the new guys were told about our big trip and how lucky we are...by this stage I had been promoted to Leader and Chris announced that I had given the best answers EVER....am I the dogs bollocks or what???".......then a few days later someone else got promoted and they too had given the best answers EVER...what the f??? I thought that was me???? whats going on???...then I started the Leaders meetings...it took all of about 1 week until the impacts started to repeat....how to take out an ob (anyone sit in on this Impact and think "thats what I was told???"), 1st and 2nd day retrains (again, "thats what I was told").....then the conference calls.....with once again Simon Murphy droning on about how s**t education is and he is buying a house in dubai!!!.... it was time to move on....I left the company, got a job in proper Management again and am still trying to clear the arrears which I have built up since leaving Cobra..... I did see someone get promoted....a nice enough guy who has been brainwashed by it all and now see's that actually he's not a millionaire overnight and all that glitters isnt gold!!!! he's not making any money, his office has closed.....but the arrogance that owners inherit has taken him over, unfortunately he has berated everyone who has left calling them losers and other non printable names so much so that to leave would be a contradiction of everything he has preached.....arrogance blinds him to the fact that he is so brainwashed by the "opportunity!" that he cannot see what is at the end of his nose, that staying only make him look more foolish....I would love to see this guy suceed but lets face it, you have to realise a time when enough is enough....how much more debt and rejection can you incur, note the following: ....it is not your own Company....you are a puppet on a string for Cobra... you do not earn the money which you tell all the Ob's during their first day or pre-man meeings....and if you do, you cannot spend it...you pay yourself a wage which is determined by the amount your office is making....i.e 150 a week???? (order that Bentley!!!) the hours do not get shorter and you do not get off the field the minute you become an owner....its your business, so you have to be there...remember the 2/3rds rule??? if you make it to the end of the line and get promoted, fair play.....but if it doesnt work, for Gods sake take a reality check.... It took me 3 months to realise all of the above....unfortunately it takes others longer...if this report helps people to open their eyes, then it has been worthwhile.... All in all, Im glad I did it....I dont look back on it with hate or regret...more amusement than anything...hours of pounding the streets in the rain and snow has made me a stronger person....what doesnt kill you makes you stronger....Luckily I got my bond back without any issues.....however,the FR I mentioned earlier is still trying to get his back, but as ever, Brent is proving himself to be the usual, arrogant, self-important pen pusher to exist.... I made some good friends, all of whom have since left Perpetual....( i suppose you will do if you're working with people 15 hours a day!!) These days I hear Perpetual is struggling with numbers, all key people have left....Chris is back from Wigan with a crew of 0... David - a word of advice - take your head out of your arse and open your eyes....your office is falling apart due to your own arrogance and self-importance...your Administrator is unprofessional and the most self important receptionist I have ever come across and who wouldn't have been employed by any other Company as references would have been unavailable due to the fact that he has a habit of walking out on previous employment......you have been a victim of your own sucess...try eating some humble pie...your greed for money will inevitably become the albatross around your neck.... Juice my arse!!!!! All out of juice.