Let me start off by saying that I actually read all of the posts on here about Prodigy Payment Systems (Yes, also Encore Payment Systems. The 800 number they give you to call has a recording that says Prodigy, but if you call the number from caller ID when they call you it answers as Encore) before taking the job. However, I decided I would give it a try. I didn't have anything else to do. Here's a step by step process of my experience from the very beginning... (It may be long and descriptive. Sorry. Trying to give my full experience)
First, I submitted my application... Within a few hours I received a call and had my first phone interview. He insisted that I make a decision about taking the job "now" (Don't remember if it was Thursday or Friday) so I can have a second interview with another manager who "is going to make the final decision of whether or not they think I'm a good fit for the position". I would then start training on Monday and be out in the field working on Wednesday. I figured ahh. What the H*L... I don't have anything to lose, except for some time I guess... (And it was A LOT of time)
Second... Training... It consists of two days back to back of an all day phone conference (It's 7.5 hours with an 1 to 1.5 hour lunch).
Next... Ready to work... This is where it started to get interesting... They emailed me the information for my first appointment. Whoa, it's in another city, 35 miles from my house. Now, remember, I've already read the other reviews so I've been very skeptical from the beginning. I wasn't about to make a 70 mile round trip to hear an upset merchant tell me I'm just supposed to drop off some information... Now get out of my store. So I called my manager and asked him if all my appointments were going to be this far away. He says, "Well it's only 5-10 miles from your house." I told him it wasn't and verified my address. After realizing that they were wrong another manager got on the phone and said, "You do realize this is an outside sales position, right?" I politely responded, "You do realize that the job posting said (not going to name my city), right?" After that they asked me if I could run the appointment anyway and they already have two more for me (the two more, which they thought would be on my way home, would actually be about 30 more minutes north of the first appointment). Somehow it came up that these actually weren't appointments either, but warm leads from a previous rep that couldn't get in touch with the merchant or couldn't make the sale. At that point I said no way, I'm not going all that way unless the appointment is actually set.
They called me back five minutes later and said ok we have three "warm leads" for you in (my city). So I went... Haa. Wow. Deja vu (I could have sworn I read something about this)
The first person wanted nothing to do with Prodigy... There actually wouldn't have been a single way we could help them.
The second "warm lead" was not there anymore... That's right. The business was not there anymore...
The third "warm lead" did not speak English. Maybe someone else could have done something, but I couldn't and they gave the "lead" to me.
I wasn't too happy, but they told me that I would actually have real appointments in (my city) the next day. I figured ok, ok... Let's try a real appointment.
I went to my first "appointment". I mean... Wait! There was no appointment! The merchant was very angry and said "I specifically told them NO APPOINTMENT, just drop off the information and THATS IT!" (By the way, you do have to call your manager when you get to the appointment, once while you are at the appointment to fax something, and before you leave the appointment) I did call my manager, but it was after I got home. I told him what happened. He put me on hold... (I assumed he was calling the merchant) He came back on and didn't really have much to say. At this point, I told him I would no longer be working at Prodigy. He tried to get me to stay, but I said no and thanked him and that was it. I actually called the merchant back to see if he'd called and he did. They said he was extremely rude... They hung up on him.
Well, I hope that if you are considering employment with Prodigy you will read this first. I read the reviews and still figured I would give it a chance. I guess I can't really say I'm sorry I did... I was told this would happen and it did. I was kind of expecting it... The other reviews couldn't be more accurate.
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