My neighbor knew I was recently laid off from my job. Mind you, I was making a six figure salary and had worked really hard to get there (32 yrs old). She called me to tell me about a potential opportunity and of course I was open to any ideas. Last night, she drove me to this office where we were greeted by a host of mostly men wearing suits but none of them spoke a word. I began gazing around the room as I chatted with my neighbor. I noticed "Primerica" plaques all over the walls and recognized the name from somewhere. Finally it came to me... Primerica had phoned me about 4-5 separate times informing me of their booming business that planned to open 10 new offices in my area. I immediately asked what industry and they replied "finance." I stated that this was neither my background nor of interest to me.
Once the meeting began, the "big guy" was introduced to tell his story of how he became part of this organization when he was in his early 20's while in grad school... Blah... Blah... Blah. No-one was asking any questions except for me and then I was perceived to be negative b/c I actually made legitimate inquiries. I saw red flags throughout the presentation as he preached about recruiting and teaching; their specialty since the service would sell itself. All the while, random people were nodding their heads in agreement and filling in the blanks as he obviously made the same speech over and over. It was like watching a ball game with cheerleaders on the sidelines. CRAZY!
I actually gave it a chance and set-up an appointment the following day for a one-on-one since the million questions I already asked did not give me a warm and cozy feeling. I was pleasantly greeted at the front door by the same few people who started off with small talk (after reading several of these reports, I noticed that they all speak the same language). Then, I was informed about an upcoming trip that was planned next weekend to DC. This trip was to be so informative that it would propel me six months ahead in training. WOW! If only a weekend could have done that for me in college. My parents could have rented a hotel room and I would have completed my degree in four short weekends! Lol! Of course, they wanted to make me feel welcome and invited me on the journey. It will be so much fun they said. I asked who pays the expenses and they replied: you do, this is now your business... Welcome aboard.
Needless to say, I drilled and drilled away with questions to this champion multi-millionaire who claims he doesn't need to work but loves it. Therefore, he spends hours and hours at the office. Ok... All my questions were answered with "I don't know... Your success is based upon what you put into it." He repeatedly asked me "Do you want to make money?" That's a no brainer but I am not so gullible. He would not provide any tangible materials about the services nor would he answer the simplest of inquiries. My skepticism grew and grew.
The only female in the office is full of smiles and complete admiration for the "big guy" (by the way he happens to be young, tall and handsome). My neighbor bonded with her since they were both single parents struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, my neighbor assured me that she was the person to talk to about my questions and concerns.
After departing the office, I immediately decided to do my research on line and found your site. After all, if this business was as prosperous as they preached, why have I never heard a thing about it? Also, why were all these recruits standing around with nothing to say and somewhat "dumb and numb" expressions on their faces? Too weird, I thought. My neighbor, whom I don't know very well phoned me to welcome me aboard. This made me feel really weird... Like I had made a lifetime commitment to something when I had not even forked over my $199. The money is exactly what they awaited before they would give me any information on the process.
This website has been so helpful. I called my neighbor to tell her of the website and instead of being appreciative she was mad and defensive of Primerica. This surprised me considering she had only joined last week. It's like she was already ordained and acquired the mentality of "them." I asked her why she was angry and she said that she spent a lot of time talking about this with me... All of last evening and an hour today. Oh well..., I thought I was doing her a favor but wished her luck scone she wanted to pursue it further. As soon as I hung up the phone, my phone rang from a random number with no name/id. I knew it was going to be Primerica and I was right. This woman who worked in the office was downright nasty with me. She said she called to clear up any questions I might have since I was still unsure of my decision. I told her that I decided not to move forward with Primerica. She rebuked and her voice became shaky as she attacked me with "you don't understand anything and have not understood anything from the beginning." I was like "EXCUSE ME???!" Who do you think you are talking to???! She said she did not want my $199 but to simply prove to me that if I learned the business from a pro, I would then "get it." I again told her that I had no desire and thanked her for her time. She said she was giving me the benefit of the doubt since "they" really liked my neighbor. I guess she was insinuating that she really didn't like me. I had made my decision that I was not going to be a part of this group but she was not accepting it. This woman was so angry that I actually had to hang up on her b/c she would not stop trying to convince me... It was like a metamorphosis. This quiet and agreeable woman was now a shark trying to grasp every bit of flesh to "get under my skin." She was degrading, angry and insulting. Meanwhile, I own my home for 8 yrs now and she lives in an apartment with her 2 kids. She is obviously not proof of the million dollar success stories... Definitely someone I would NOT turn to for financial guidance.
It's a crazy experience and am so thankful that i did my homework before i wasted more time on this hoax.
PS: According to Primerica, your website is completely bogus and they thought I was smarter than to investigate some website that has over 30 pages of complaints about their business. Who's laughing now?
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