Complaint Review: Startup Essentials-/A1 Leasing - Dallas Texas

I am a former employee of National Business Advisors. "What's the deal?" you say? "This is about Startup Essentials...." Truth be told this is the same happy family under the James One Umbrella. Here is how their little tactics work: 1. First, they got your number because either you: A. Found their website and filled out the form (Probably not likely) B. Inquired about it though someone else's website. (Start your own eBay business!!) C. Saw an ad on TV about starting a home business and called the number. There were even some cases where they got names from people who were trying to win something free on the internet. Now, you wonder how they can call you when you are on the DNC list right? YOU GAVE YOUR INFORMATION TO THEM. The DNC does not apply here. Now they and several other companies like theirs get your info and they start calling for weeks on end. 2. Next they filter those "leads" out to their sales force, which is comprised of a lot of poorly educated losers, and/or people who are in times of financial desperation that took the job to have some kind of an income. (I was in category two.) It is a straight commission job. I know that their pay structure has changed since I was there, but it was $265 for every transfer that was successfully closed by a "Senior Business Analyst" at startup essentials who made $500 for every closed deal. 3. The salesman is then going to go into a big dialog (It is a script) about how they will help get you into a business with No up-front costs, and only about 10-15 hours a week. They will also ask you a bunch of silly questions about why you want to start a business. The reality is that they are looking for hot buttons to hit when the transfer you to the goy who is going to put real pressure on you. For example, if you answer that you "want a better life for your children", when the time comes that they put you on hold to transfer you to a "Senior Business Analyst" (SBA) what they are doing is talking to them about what you said and giving them fire power to wear you down with statements like "Don't you want a better life for your children?" and if you don't go forward they will belittle you until you either hang up, agree to sign or they realize that you just arent going to do this. YOu might have the chance to find something like this and they are going to lose thier "Sale" anyway. It's easir to just move on to the next sucker. In addition they will run your credit report. You need a 625 or better to pass their standards. Basically it's what they need for their lease agreement to get put through. 4. Finally they will run a line of BS on you about how busy they are at Startup Essentials and that they will Try to get someone on the phone for you...". This is a lie. They have several queues that the telemarketers can call into to get someone from Startup Essentials on the phone. I'd bet that there is NO ONE that can honestly say "I called but there was no one at startup Essentials available to take my call..." Then will then come back from putting you on hold and introduce the "Senior Business Analyst"(SBA) and say: Mr./Mrs. (SBA's name) I have (Your name) On the phone with me and they are very interested in starting their own business from home. I know you are extremely busy over there at Startup Essentials, but is there ANY way you can squeeze them into your schedule? The SBA will probably sigh (for dramatic purposes) and say something about how their just wrapping up with another client and but they can squeeze some time in with them, however they will have to hold on while they finish with the other client who is very important. (So important, he doesn't exist) THIS IS STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. The SBA will put you on "hold" (They mute their phone and listen in while the National business advisor or NBA says to you...) Okay (Your name) we got really lucky! That is (SBA's Name) and he is one of their TOP BUSINESS ANALYSTS, (another lie) Make sure you tell him about why you want to start your business and all of you hopes and dreams you hope to achieve with it. Now what the NBA is really doing here is reiterating everything you said to keep it at the forefront of your mind why you think you want to start a business. In Many cases, the reason people want to start a business is out of desperation to pay bills, they are disabled, retired, on social security, etc, It doesn't matter as long as your credit score beats a 625 and they can get you to sign. You are now officilally in the lions den with a guy that has an even longer script. He will beat you to death with it in an effort to force you to submit in signing. A few interesting points: Startup Essentials are not only in the same building but are on the very same floor! Until last year they were even in the same room but the company expanded to a new section of the floor and opened up a new "wing" of the office. Good thing they were lucky enough to find someone available. After all in many cases they were sitting a mere 3 feet away from them. That big lucky transfer was going to happen regardless of luck. It was more because you had a score they could work with. Dont believe me about the 2 offices? If you live in or near Dallas get on 635 just west of the Dallas North Tollway. There is a tall while building with dark windows that says Town North Bank near the top. Go inside and up to the 5th floor. You will find Startup Essentials AND National Business Advisors about 50 feet apart. Show up around 9:30 AM or so and you can probably catch their morning "rah-rah" meeting where they charge up the blindly led sheep they call a sales force to go do the unspeakable in the name of "God". They yell chants about how terrific they feel and ring bells screaming and playing music... It is all a big scheme to keep the sheeple they employ in line. This is a company that claims it is based in Christian values, yet makes millions each year ripping people off. Here is a really good hint for you folks: If a company TELLS you that they are Christian based or feels that the need to convince you with statements like: "James One is founded upon God-centered, purpose-driven principles that drive the decision making of our leadership..." RUN. A good company shouldn't have to convince you it is Christian based, it should just be reflected in their actions. It is an easy way to earn blind trust from the unsuspecting consumer. They earn that same trust in the workplace by promoting Christianity to the point they actually pressure people into joining prayer groups, and going to a Christian church and treating them like they are among the elite in the organization when they do this. I have no problem with Christianity, but what would a person of another faith do? Conform or be left out? Seems a little slanted don't you think? When you get into job with this company all they can talk about is all of the money you will make there. It is total BS. They have about 150 telemarketers there (Maybe more) and I would say about 50% or better work 10-12 hour days and have weeks where they make little or NOTHING. Think about that. 50-60 hour weeks calling between 200 and 400 people every day and they hand you a check that reads $0.00. Believe me folks, the guy who initially calls you on the phone is 9 times out of 10 struggling to make ends meet and is desperate. He will do anything to get you to buy into this load of crap and get you transferred over in hopes of you signing that contract. If that means helping to swindle you into a contract to do so it is no skin off of their back, and it's a few measly bucks in his pocket. Thats if he is even aware of whats going on. The company's leaders are con artists. Just check out: http://www.nbc5i.com/news/1785188/detail.html to learn more about their VP of sales Kevin and former Recruiter Khris. This isn't their first rodeo when it comes to scamming. So why am I posting all of this? Maybe it's just to help relieve a slightly guilty conscience. I wish I had realized how bad this company was before I got involved. I unknowingly helped them swindle people out of their money and truly regret it. I hope to see these people go down in flames for the injustice they have done to the unsuspecting public under the guise of being a good religious company, but I figure Robert Harris has probably got himself some kind of an out in all of this. He will get away while someone else takes the fall. My only question to current employees is Will it be you? There are 115 complaints on this site right now many with additional comments from other people listed under them. I would challenge any employee of James one to reply in an effort to discredit me. Being that access to this site has been blocked by the company, (After all, wouldn't want anyone seeing what is really going on outside of the little James One world, now would we?) but chances of that are slim as most of them probably don't have computers at home and the others that do have computers know I'm right. I am sorry for those of you that got conned. I hope you find a resolution.