Consumer complaints Investigation:
consumer complaints Investigation: The George S. May International Company is fulfilling its commitment to provide excellent customer service and gets a positive rating for its customer support from consumer complaints. The George S. May International Company pledges to resolve complaints and address inquiries from the past, present and in the future. This company has been in business since 1925, and serves more than 6,000 clients every year and employs more than 800 people throughout North America. With these numbers of relationships, mistakes and misunderstandings do occur, if for no other reason than we are all human. People are not perfect. The George S. May International Company has a relatively small number of complaints against it when compared to the large number of transactions it makes every year. There are many other companies that would disregard the comparatively small number of complaints, however, May International believes in doing what is right for its clients. An important aspect to any kind of business relationship is how problems, when they arise, are resolved. Responsible company's, like the George S. May International Company, not only want to know about problems, but also want the opportunity to correct the problem and make it right. May International is committed to resolving these issues and providing satisfaction to the best of its ability for its clients and employees. May International's commitment to client and employee satisfaction is shown by its participation in the consumer complaints Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program. After interviewing the president of the company, it is clear that he and May International are dedicated to helping employees and clients achieve complete satisfaction and will not allow any legitimate complaint to go unresolved.
Read more about George S. May International Company and their commitment to total customer satisfaction. Consumers doing business with members of the Corporate Advocacy Program can feel confident and safe when using a members product or services.
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now to the origional report that was filed
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George S. May - International Profit Associates GSMay & IPA - Business Surgery or Stabbing? Ripoff Buffalo Grove Illinois
It is said that for every dollar you make, there are 10 people trying to take it away from you. Here's the poop on both George S. May and International Profit Associates:
I spent the worst year of my 18 year career life with George S. May. Everyone in the field is on a straight commission basis. The verbal and emotional abuse we analysts and consultants took you cannot begin to believe unless you experience it yourself. I can truly relate to the sweat shops that existed in this country in the early 1900's.
The analyst often stretches the truth to get a go-ahead, the client realizes he/she has been duped, and we often get thrown off the job because of it. Then we would catch hell for not working miracles and keeping the job alive. We were not allowed to make our own travel arrangements. My boss at George once had me sit outside the client gate in Texas in 108F heat for three days demanding payment for three days of services rendered ($15,000).
Finally my boss agreed to take post-dated checks, spreading the payment out over two months (the recommendation I made on the first day we were thrown off the job!) I received no pay for those days broiling in the sun, and I wasn't allowed to leave until I collected. I guess George isn't aware of the involuntary servitude statutes. Analysts are not supposed to lie to get the contract, but to my knowledge, they are not disciplined when they are caught doing so.
George's management consultant training was terrible. It was a week of how to fill out their paperwork and how to word things to keep us out of legal trouble. Absolutely no (nada, zilch, zero) training was given on how to help a client in his/her business. Employee turnover at George is unbelievably high, probably 80%. IPA was better. IPA treats their consultants with respect. Their training for business consultants was very good - focused on how to provide true value to the client. Also, from my experience as a consultant, their sister company (ITA) can actually save clients money on future years' tax obligations. Employee turnover at IPA is a fraction of that at George.
Here are some position perspectives you may find interesting:
Analyst - someone who gets into your business drawers long enough to pressure you into signing a contract for management consulting services and tax consulting services and exit strategy planning and anything else they can add to their suck out the company dollars list. Excuse me. I meant to say, Any other value-added products and services they can provide.
The training for analysts is first and foremost a sales psychology workshop. George's training is excellent in that regard. The focus is not find out what the company needs, but figure out what the client wants and then tell him/her we will make it happen. While you are figuring that out, see how much money the owner has or can get their hands on (borrow from friends or relatives, LOC from the bank, 2nd mortgage on their home, etc.)
The underlying premise of the analyst's effort is the same as that for all high pressure sales: ones fear of loss is greater than the desire for gain. They must quickly get in, probe, and initiate your pain (identify your motivators and scare you into needing help. For example, When is the last time you had a peaceful vacation? Wouldn't it be great to sit on the beach and have your company run itself without you having to worry about what is going on in your absence? What will your wife and children do if you lose your business? What would they do if, God forbid, something happened to you?) The analyst is told by their supervisor how many hours the engagement is to be written for. The number quoted is usually directly related to your net worth.
Project Manager or Project Director - the person they send in to rekindle the fire lit by the analyst and offset any buyer's remorse you may have. This person develops the engagement (project) plan which lays out the features and benefits of the engagement. This person's job is to establish control of the client. (The one who has control dictates the path forward.)
Senior Business Consultant or Staff Executive - someone who supposedly has the credentials and skill set to swoop into your business and help you solve all its ills. These are the people that, if properly trained and skilled, can actually do a small business some good. The sad part is, the consultant only makes about 13% of the rate billed to the client. So these business surgeons only make $20-30/hr. The sales people, project managers, administration, and company execs get the rest. If you count all the travel time and idle time (no assignment), the average pay rate may be closer to$15/hr.
George S. May usually tries to send in two consultants and one project director so that the billed hours accrue faster. Billing rates are around $200 per hour PLUS expenses, oh and a per diem for meals that could feed a king.in fact, the consultant views the per diem as a critical part of his/her pay.
Here are recommendations for anyone who recognizes the need to get help in running their business. If you are contacted by a management consulting firm and decide to allow an analyst to come in
1. Ask to see their resume to qualify them to analyze your business. Lacking a resume, qualify them with probing questions. If you aren't comfortable with their answers, THROW THEM OUT. The fact is, the analyst has no idea how to improve your business. They are sales people not diagnosticians. The George S. May analysts must call into the office in your presence to talk with Counsel. The whole phone conversation is a staged act for your benefit. There is no counsel. They are talking with their coordinator. The coordinator is coaching them on what to say to cinch the deal and get the contract signed.
2. Firm up payment terms before signing anything. If they insist on getting paid in full each week, there is a good reason: they know they will never see the money if they let the payments stretch out and you wise up and throw them out. Better to throw them out NOW! If your business is not prospering and you need help, does it make sense that a consulting firm that wants to help you succeed would demand all their money while your business is ill? Why are they not willing to put some of their money at risk if they will deliver results as they claim?
3. Ask to examine the credentials of the business consultants (staff executives) they propose to assign to your engagement. They won't be able to comply because consultant assignment is made the evening of the sale. The consultant is probably sitting at an airport waiting for a sale to be made and an assignment coordinated. While they have a college degree, many of the consultants have never run a small business and have no first hand experience in your industry. Tell the consultant you want to speak with three of their last five clients. They probably will hide behind confidentiality since they can't give you three satisfied clients of their last five engagements. If you are not comfortable with the person assigned, make them change out the consultant with a qualified one AT THEIR EXPENSE.
4. Demand from the project manager a specific, concise list of deliverables you will receive for your money, along with a project plan. Don't accept a paragraph of gibberish and enticing phrases that it takes you three readings to figure out what they are trying to say. Remember, the more vague the promises, the less substance you can expect. Also, do not agree to pay for the project manager to come back for any reason. With George S. May, the PMs are often sent back to a job because there is no other place to send them.
5. Insist on receipts for all expenses they invoice. Usually they estimate car rental charges and outgoing airfare. Your rule needs to be No receipt, no reimbursement. Also insist that they not bill you for outgoing airfare if they leave before Thursday, since they will be going to another client who they will bill for their inbound airfare. If a job closes on Thursday or Friday, they are likely headed home, so the outbound airfare is a legitimate expense. If the engagement starts mid-week, set an expectation that the consultant will work through the weekend to minimize air fare. Since they are always booking flights last minute, airfare is very high. Also, confirm time of departure from your office vs. Billed time.
6. Never accept a contract that is /- 10%. I have never known an engagement that lasted -10%, except those that crashed before completion.
7. Don't accept job descriptions, organization charts, employee handbooks and asinine boiler plate as value-added work. You can get all that off the internet for minimal cost. If you want deliverables like these, have the consultant guide your people in the development of them. This saves you money and results in internal ownership of the end products.
8. Schedule at least one hour daily for the consultant to teach you something relevant to running a good business.
9. Check out the Inc. Magazine article on John Burgess, President of IPA.
Some clients benefit from a consulting engagement. It depends on the consultant. Just like doctors, some are better than others. Some know just what is required. Others, welljust donate your money to charity instead.
John
Sacramento, California
U.S.A.
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