Complaint Review: TK Worldwide - Valrico Florida

Response from Kevin Bradberry, President/CEO from TK Worldwide, Inc. Members in good standing (A-) with the BBB for the past 9 years. 14 complaints filed in the past 36 months out of 14,400 people trained. All 14 complaints handled to the customers complete satisfaction. That is a .0973 Percent, or GREATER THAN 99.9% Satisfaction Rating with an A- listing as a matter of public record. Here is our statement/Rebuttal: We State: "When we are brought into a dealership, our initial focus is to screen out the applicants who (based on our professional experience, and the criteria set for by the dealership) do not qualify, or are simply not cut out for a career in automotive sales. Automotive sales can be very demanding with respect to the hours put in, learning curves, a salesperson's ability to effectively communicate with a broad range of people who have different personalities and diverse cultural backgrounds. You mentioned that the class was down to 25 people from 40. In actuality we conducted over 80 interviews, and the class size was much (By More than Half) lower than the total number of interviews. This is because we must be VERY selective regarding who we invite back into the dealership. Remember, when we are brought in, YOU become our report card to the dealer. They are seeking only the BEST highly motivated (trainable) professionals for their dealership. While it is true that EVERYONE deserves an opportunity, it does not mean that everyone has the right qualifications for a career in the auto sales industry. I find it interesting that you stated you were DETERMINED' to stay and complete the training. You must have been very interested in what our trainer, and training was all about. Also, it would seem that the trainer thought that you would be outstanding candidate, or you would not have been invited back. You Stated: "I was almost certain that I would end up getting a job out of the deal. After all, everyone in the class had been told that the dealer was looking to increase their sales force by about 15, and that they had two sister dealerships that were each looking to add 5 more to their sales force. With numbers like that, shouldn't everyone left in the class be coming out with a job offer?" We State: "The answer to that question is YES. Everyone should receive a job offer. We cannot and do not, as stated in our contract guarantee a job, as the job offer is predicated on how well you do in the interview with the dealership, and the hiring decision is at the sole discretion of the hiring manager. We DO know what they are looking for, and they place a tremendous amount of trust in our decision, and we make the best possible decision regarding who makes the final cut. Assessing a potential employee in a 15 minute interview is very difficult, and that is why you are invited back for the information day on Wednesday. We conduct a complete report on you over the next 3 days and then provide this report to aid the dealership in making their final decision. It's not a perfect science, but it's very close to it. If you're not selected at the host dealership, we'll give you a tremendous support mechanism to get you interviewed and hired elsewhere. The dealership you are referring to has about 4 stores total and several of them are in your area. When we work with one dealership that is part of a group, those stores get to look at the candidates first: We always include the other dealers who are sister stores as a first stop for anyone who is not selected at the host dealership. The dealership does not pay for us to help their competitors hire salespeople. We are there for them first. It is only after all of our resources have been exhausted regarding dealerships under the same company, that we consider sending applicants out to other dealerships. The sister stores are informed, and surveyed and they let us know how many people they need at the time of the survey. (Before the recruiting class ever happens) You stated' "Well, it did not exactly work out that way. What they did, was they charged me and everyone else $294 to finish the training course." We State: "The training course was OPTIONAL, and you SELECTED to attend. In fact you were invited back on Wednesday to attend a FREE information day, where we had the opportunity to look at you, and you had the opportunity to look at the dealership, dealer group, and the car business as a possible career choice. You were fully informed regarding our procedures, and in fact even signed a contract (initialing every line) that stated and proves that you were fully informed, and understood what the terms of our agreement was. Had you elected to seek an interview with the dealership's hiring manager without attending our training program, you certainly could have done that. If you made it through our information day, it indicated to us that you were a viable candidate and that you possibly had the right stuff. Remember, we had over 80 applicants apply. If we were doing this to collect a fee from you, and in fact did not care whether you were hired or not, wouldn't it seem that we would have invited back all 80 applicants? You Stated, "They told us that the fee was just an incentive to stay working for the dealer for at least 90 days. After the 90 days, the $294 is refunded to you." We State: "The total fee is actually almost $600. The dealership agreed to pay the majority of the fee if you elected to attend the training. The simple truth is that dealerships invest heavily in all their employees. This includes initial recruitment and ongoing training. They have the common sense and compassion, to make financial sacrifices for the greater good of their company. This includes new-hires, and new-hire training. The dealership invested in you, and got nothing in return because for whatever reason, you could not get past the interview with the hiring manager. In some cases it happens. It is not ethical to coach an applicant on what to say, or not say to a potential employer during an interview, and there are times, while relatively few and far between where an applicant says or does something during the interview that simply leads the interviewing manager to believe that their dealership is just not right for you. In very few instances when this happens, the applicant (while feeling very rejected) will lash out at us, or the dealership. It is unfortunate when this happens and the situation can be remedied if the applicant communicates effectively with our home office. You Stated, "On the last day, each person left in the class had an interview with the GM of the dealership hosting this training course. After the last person interviews, she informed the rest of us that we should all be getting a call by the end if the day to find out where each of us are going." We State: "This was a promise that was made be the interviewing manager at the dealership, and we were simply not informed as to who was selected, or who was not selected. This is NOT a common practice of the dealerships who utilize our services, and in fact they sign an agreement that all those decisions are to be made on Friday before the trainer leaves the dealership. That is why, as you stated A week later, a representative from TK Worldwide, Inc. did contact me. When we received the paperwork from the trainer and noticed that there was no indication regarding who the dealership hired, WE CONTACTED YOU! We follow up on everyone and let no unanswered candidate issues go un-researched. Remember, this was AFTER you paid, we had your moneyIf this is a scam, why would we be calling you attempting to find out what your situation was? The dealership should have called you back, but there is only a certain amount of control we have with the dealership, and for the record, this dealership has an excellent reputation in your community, and many people trust in them to provide an excellent product, and service." You Stated: "I never got a phone call. 'From the dealership' A week later, a representative from TK Worldwide did contact me, and told me they were looking at other dealerships to set up interviews for me and my other classmates. This is where I was starting to get suspicious about the whole situation. Nevertheless, they gave me 3 dealerships in the area to go visit." We State: If you would like to know why the dealership did not select you, simply call our office, identify yourself, we'll call the dealership and find out why, and then let you know, so you can better yourself for your next interview. You Stated: "They made it sound like they had set up interviews for me. However, all they did was send me over to fill out job applications" We State: "The interview opportunities department here is extremely professional, and before you are sent on ANY interviews, the dealership is contacted (usually from our database of customers) and a contact person is assigned, a date and time is selected (if applicable) and you are provided with complete instructions on who to contact (usually the sales manager) where to go, and when to be there. If you do NOT follow our instructions, you will end up lost in the dealership with people shaking their heads, saying, I'm not sure, just fill out an application. You Stated: "I actually talked to HR personnel at these dealerships, told them who I was, and mentioned TK Worldwide Auto Sales Training, and they never even heard of TK Worldwide. One of the dealers I went to did have an ad in the newspaper, but they were only collecting resumes when I stopped by." We State: "If a dealership manager tells someone they are only collecting resumes when you're walking in for an interview, either they don't need to hire anyone at time (which is NOT POSSIBLE if we've sent you in there for an interview), or it's quite possible they got too busy, and don't have the time at that time to talk with you, or they were simply put off by your appearance, dress, mannerisms, or the like. There are many factors that contribute to a successful first impression, and I was not present at the time of your arrival at the dealership, therefore I can simply not be certain what took place. You Stated: "At the other dealerships, they sounded confused when I went to inquire about a position in sales. They made it sound as though they weren't hiring any sales people. After I visited all the dealerships I was told to, I called the TK Worldwide representative I was told to call after visiting each dealer. I did get a hold of the person, but she was really rude to me." We State: "Krystal, Leah, and Emma, are extremely professional and they are all within earshot of my office. In over 4 years I have never heard one harsh word uttered from any of them. I'm sorry, but this one, I just find impossible to believe. I suggest another phone call to our office regarding a request for another interview. She was not helpful at all. Here I am today, without a job. My main regret was that I paid money to be trained for a career I might not have a future in. Your training still applies, today as it did five months ago. In addition, you have our virtual on line training platform, and TONS of support to help you with your new career. We are here for you. You Stated, "I guess I was too optimistic to believe that a car dealership would actually like to hire inexperienced people to sell cars." We State: "Our dealers hire 4,800 people per year through our program, and there are thousands of success stories from our graduates. Many of them are now our current customers, and our web site has thousands of successful testimonials from graduates, who started out optimistic and stayed that way. If you still wish to receive interview opportunities call our 800 number and we will make sure you are assisted. BUT we can't do it ourselves. There are things that candidates have to do as well. Staying positive is one of them. You need a positive attitude to get through an interview and to keep your job." You Stated: "Oh, and a couple months after I had taken this training course, the same exact dealership I took the course at posted the exact same ad again on Monster.com." We State: "The reason for this is simple. They had such great success using us the first time, and have many very happy optimistic and successful people working at their dealership. They knew using us again would net the same results as it has for them for the past 8 years." You Stated: "I am surprised that no one has filed a report against TK Worldwide on this site. They are nothing but scam artists!" We State: "I deeply resent the accusation that you ANONYMOUSLY made about my company, but I do understand your frustration if you are still looking for employment. Regardless of your public, yet anonymous, complaint against my company and our services, we are still here to help you. This letter would simply not have been written by you, nor have to be responded to by me, had you stayed optimistic, been willing to own your own weaknesses, look yourself in the mirror, and ask, what can I do to make my circumstances better. With the services we provide to our dealer network, the graduates who we break our backs to help, The Thousands of success stories we have and continue to receive on a daily basis, and additional training, support, and assistance we provide, the only way a person who truly participates to this program can fail and see fault in our process is if they are not truly committed to their own success. To write such a thing about our company 5 months after your training, you must have really had a bad experience. So, I'll handle your situation personally. The first step is yours, as you listed this complaint anonymously. So, if you want retribution, assistance, validation, or simply to be heard, call our office and ask to speak to me. The 800 number is 888-350-3310. Call anytime, and we'll get you the assistance you need. You Stated: "Anyone who might have been considering training with these people, just don't do it! If you don't get hired by the host dealership, you will only lose $294, which won't be refunded to you!" Anonymous Grand Rapids, Michigan We State: Signed, Kevin Bradberry (President/CEO) Valrico, FL 888-350-3310