Complaint Review: Wilhelmina - WSN - Web Style Network - Metairie Louisiana

It's a shame, but this company has turned into dirt. When I began working there many months ago it seems more than pretty legit. Not once were we told to scout some one who did not fit the fashion criteria, not once were we told to go into rich neighborhoods, we were even allowed to work with the people and get payment plans and let them pay for their Digital comp cards over time, well all of this changed!

With in a matter of just a few days they had fired everyone other than myself and a few others and shipped in an "executive" from New Jersey. He in turn hired all new employees and baby sat us until the new boss would be down.

Now, this gentlemen was not all that corrupt, I will say that he still was very adamant about the high standards and not once told any one of us to look for the ones with money, but when the new "boss man" (Who is actually a 19 year old kid from philly, who's old office by the way was shut down to avoid further prosecution) arrived, things changed.

It was no longer about how we could make these people become models, it was no longer about how we could give them an opportunity, it became I want to make money and I want to make it now. We were told to accept EVERYONE, no matter of what talent that had or did not have. We were told to go into the rich neighborhoods and into the rich colleges because mommie and daddie loved to pay, we were told that we were litterally there to make money, period. This boy is a BS king, I saw him tell hard catholics that he could see the god in them so that they would trust him and tell young girls that had slight if any talent that everyone else was just jealous and by doing this she could be cool also.

There were firm rules in place in the beginning, like it was forbidden to have any outside relations with the talent. That also quickly changed. He, on numerous occasions, went out drinking and partying with female talent.

Also, A young woman, maybe 20 at most, was coaxed into working for him for close to nothing (Last I heard it was for free but this might have changed by now) to train to be the Office Director. Now, this poor girl quit her job after working with this "Network" for only a few days to train and become an office director!! ((Before the new office director came, we were told that NO WOMAN could ever be an office director, period. Also, you must realize that this girl had no experience inthis field and the the new Office Director more than adimently stated that he liked this girl in a relationship way, how's that for sexual harrasement, ehh?))

The thing that scared all of us the most was finding out that Wilhelmina Model Management was infact suing WSN and making them remove their name from the company. They had seen enough and knew of it's dirty laundry. Since then, they have changed their name to Web style Network and I have even been told that out front of the building there is now a type one talent or something sign out front, another name change? I thought maybe another talent agency bought the building but upon calling the old number I soon heard that it was infact the same place and the same people.

Lastly, it is not only bad for the talent but bad for the employees also! I know sevral people who either received less than the promised pay or not even a check at all! I personally recieved quite a bit less than I was promised and given the run around, but I did at lest recieve a check.

Please, If you are ever approached in the New Orleans area by these people, just turn and walk away. I can't say that all of them have turned into this, but I know for sure that this franchise has. And, though I hate to name names, I fear that their schemes might incorperate some cover up and say that they are no longer this company.

The office Director, Damiean Polak, is the man who changed all of these rules. There is a supposed "man of mystery" that owns it, Mike Fomkin, but I don't think that anyone other than Damien has ever spoken to him before... so I can't say that I know if he really exsists. In any case, I can't lay blame on him because I don't know what say he has or if he even knows what has happened down here. I can only blame the man who personally created all of the problems that I know of.

Sera

Metairie, Louisiana
U.S.A.

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