To the current employees, future employees and whoever is considering working for smart circle please take one second to read this.
Few things you should know about the company itself:
Pyramid Scheme in Disguise (I'll Explain)
Multi Level Marketing (MLM)
MLM assumes infinite expansion in a finite market. It also assumes relatively virgin markets. As a business model, MLM is therefore inherently flawed, fraudulent, and unprofitable except for a few at or near the top of a pyramid of participants. It is also extremely viral and predatory, preying on the most vulnerable among us.
Ask yourself these questions:
Does a participant (distributor, consultant, representative, etc.) advance one's position (and potential income) in a hierarchy of multiple levels of participants by recruiting other "distributors" under him/her, who in turn advance by recruiting distributors under them, etc.? Sales volume, rather than by appointment made?
Even though there is no cost to be hired for the program, are there minimum volume requirements that must be met in order to advance to higher levels in the hierarchy or to receive greater commissions bonuses at some level?
Compensation plans of MLMs: lead to extreme inequality in payout (money paid by the company) to representatives (Claw-back).
Company payout is distributed to a few at the expense of a multitude of "losers." Often these "losers" will invest considerable amounts of time and money and then quit, blaming themselves.
To put the pay in perspective:
The lavish trip that your trainer talks about, to Dallas and other places that are (all paid for) are NOT. That is part of your clawback and WILL HAVE TO PAY THAT BACK.
40+ hours of work (no overtime pay)
If you do not sell the minimum amount of apps during the week
After Clawback, tax and including your gas money you are paid at MOST $300
That’s $7.50 an hour, below minimum wage
You have spend on average $50-$60 on gas, travelling to the office, then to you’re assigned BestBuy then home. Often being asked to take co-workers home.
I calculated the amount of miles driven and the amount I got paid for
I drove each day:
Now I get an average of 22 miles per gallon on the highway, which is good.
At $4.00 a gallon even, current gas price ($4.39)
The cost of me traveling 360 miles a week, at a average of 22 miles per gallon (which does NOT include streets and other factors is 18.4 as shown in my car)
COST: 360.0 miles (579.3 km) road trip will cost about 65.45 in fuel, based on an efficiency of 22.00 miles per gallon and a total fuel volume of 16.36 gallons. (Your fuel cost per mile will be about 0.18.)
Amount Spend: $65.45
Amount Paid: $20
Subtracting how much on average you spend on GAS alone, not taking account of food etc..
NOT accounting the numerous times you are asked to take other employees home.
An employee makes $220 a week
Divided by the hours 40+ (I have worked on numerous occasions 50 hours a week)
Pay per hour: $5.50/hour
Now the counterargument would be that if you were able to sale enough apps a week you should not worry about getting paid “minimum wage”
Why this argument is completely false?
IF you sign up a customer with DTV:
Attention Customers: You are told that the prices you are paying for your phone and Internet will remain the same, THIS IS A LIE.
You are told not to call and cancel your current service provider until after installation, this is ONLY so they get paid and now you are stuck with INCREASED Internet and phone prices because you are out of the bundle.
CONCLUSION:
To conclude, this message is current employees who are brained washed into false promises, taken advantage of, worked long rigorous hours for unfair wages, given up other opportunities in order to pursue this SCAM. Pyramid schemes and now multi-level marketing have claimed many victims in a ruthless effort to gain money. While the BBB and everyone else stands aside and watches it happen and that makes sense, because the same people who are supposed to stand up and do something about this are the people who have come up with a corrupt, yet sophisticated system and those are the same people who pay BBB and others to keep their mouth shut. Simply writing this will not change anything, but awareness and education will hopefully put an end to this scam. IN a company where you are told, “not to think” just “follow instructions” I see no potential. Convincing kids to drop out of college, tricking people who just graduated and want to enter the work force with the “opportunity of a life time”, brain washing employees each and everyday that education is not of importance and no job out there gives you an opportunity like this one and having NOTHING to show for it, is sickening to me. I’ve seen employees with enormous amount of talent that have wasted 2 years still chasing a false promise. So with this, I hope i have stopped at least 1 Person from working here.
Kay
Atlanta,#2UPDATE Employee
Fri, October 30, 2015
I currently work for Smart Circle. I just started with them a little over two weeks ago. For starters, every day starts with driving into an office for what I feel is an unnecessary "morning meeting". The product we are focused on in my office are free cell phones for those receiving certain government benefits. Mind you, the office that I have to drive to for my morning meeting is an hour away. Then I still have to drive to the store where we set up to give away the phones and then drive home. In total I'm driving more than 2 hours a day and I figure that right now even with the lower gas prices I still have the potential to spend about $70/week on gas. Compensation with this company is either $8 or the number of "green" sign-ups you get in a week x $12/per sign-up (whichever is greater). But in order to start making $12/per sign-up you have to be issued by rep ID number by the "government". Well I'm going into my fourth week next week; have yet to be receive a paycheck or a rep ID number (which means that my efforts are making someone else money right now) yet and I was just informed yesterday that though we get paid on a weekly basis I am only going to be paid for the few hours that I worked my first week on today's paycheck. I will not receive a full paycheck until next week (mind you that next week will be my 4th week working for this company). I'm glad that you describe this as an MLM because that is in fact exactly what it is. I'm really, really skeptical about returning even though I really need a job.
kenny
32128,#3UPDATE Employee ..inside information
Tue, March 03, 2015
I have worked for smart circle for just about a year. I am 19 and came from working at mc Donalds I found out. Successs wasn't in college, I'm simply NOT cut out for college , they never once steered me away from college. Yes you work 6 days a week 10-5 and get paid $10-$12 a hour .
Depending on your owner "office" your experience May very
I'm in a top 15 office in the 4-5 store category . I work best buy daily and have built my store from number 300+ all the way to number 80 for best buy directv sales that's good!I write 6apps average and receive about $470 net pay WEEKLY
IM ONLY 19 in making 470 a week where is this a scam ? Elaborate too me because you SUCKED and had NO ambition to do sales that the rest of society should suffer? From missing out on a opportunity ? And directv is THE BEST tv service SO HOW IS IT A SCAM to convert someone from COMCAST at 150 a month JUST for tv to DIRECTV for 60 the first year 100 the second WE are upfront about the 2nd year increase !!!! If you Were not that explains why they fired your non ambition aditude what a neg ball
Il defend smart circle no matter what .what a opportunity and job I have to stand in the ac and talk to people and make 500 a week up to 900 and have a high chance at promotion#!! hope you have fun flipping burgers with your bachelors degree lol
Mean while the whole office laughs at you as we cash are checks btw I drive 10 miles a day it's called commuting. !!!!
But find your OWN path hope