Reading all the repots on DS-Max has inspired me to post my own brief experience with this company. As with most newly or upcoming college graduates, I was eager and excited to finally be entering the job market where I can start making some money and to have a life I can call my own.
With four years of college soon to be under my belt and three degrees, two of which were management and marketing, I sent out tons of rsums, answering any ads online or in newspapers of companies that had an entry level position in the marketing or management field.
I contacted a company (a company under the umbrella of DS-Max, not known to me at the time) that was in need of managers and that they were looking for assistant managers to train for the much needed management positions (I know now that a red flag should have gone up from me, because I knew the job market was terrible at that time, and so many places had nothing for me, yet this company had so many management jobs that desperately needed to be filled).
I spoke with the lady on the other end and had an interview scheduled for later on in the day, every thing seemed normal, although the woman did ask if I had reliable transportation, thinking it was a very odd question, I answered yes, and thought nothing more of it.
In the interview I was asked a series of questions where I had to give, from a scale of 1-10, a number that best described me (I of course took this very seriously and answered each one with great thought as not to give myself too low of a number to show low confidence and not too high of a number to show arrogance, to make a long story short, I thought I nailed the interview).
After a brief decision phase the interviewer asked be back for a second interview (at that time I thought that I must have been so good in the interview that they are ready to see more of me, how perfect!). I eagerly said yes, and was told to come in the morning for an all day interview, to be prompt and wear professional business attire, the interview ended, but as I was leaving the interviewer said to me, Oh, make sure you wear comfortable shoes.
The second interview came, and I was there on time with my comfortable shoes, pondering what will I be doing today. But a strange thing started happening, one person after another started coming in as well, and sat down as if they were waiting on something, after about a half dozen people showed up I broke the ice and asked, What are you guys doing here, they replied that they were also here for a second interview.
I admit that this was a bit of a let down for me, I thought that I would have been alone with the full attention of the company. But my thoughts were interrupted by loud clapping, cheers and commotion coming from a room at the back of the building (this would later be engraved in my memory forever), after a few minutes I met this guy that I was to go out with to learn from, direct my questions to and to evaluate the company while he evaluates me.
At this time I honestly thought that I was going to other places of business, such as manufacturers, supply chains etc. Of their company to learn and see the business, only until we got on the field that I realized I would be knocking on doors and selling crapall day (they never informed me of this). They gave me the opportunity speech, how much I will be making, blah, blah, blah.
Finally the day was over, I got to go back to the office for my third interview and what would turn out to be one of the most humiliating experiences of my professional life to date. I took the little written test that they had for me, and went to the interview (being very suspicious about the whole job).
Exhausted by 8 hours of unexpected walking at a more than normal pace, my tiredness and skepticism resulted in a very lethargic attitude in the third interview. I was met in this interview with the owner of the office along with the second in command, observing from behind me in a chair.
In the interview I inquired about exactly what the job was, and the door to door stuff, the owner assured me that this was just to learn the lower aspects of the company, and that they were really looking to train managers not to hire door to door salesman. As the interview continued the interviewer seemed to be distracted by something, then started to laugh a little, I tried to ignore it, but it continued, the interviewer struggled with keeping a professional demeanor. Befuddled, I turned around to see what the other guy thought of this, but I found that he was mocking me behind my back, I only know this because one of the impressions that he did had his eyes closed, all the while I was watching him, I looked back at the interviewer, and realized that my entire day was wasted. Needlessly to say I didn't get the job, but still was confused on what the job really was.
My search for a job continued, until I came across an ad for a company that had an entry level position for an assistant marketing manager. I was elated, this must be a dream come true imagine finding a company that was looking for someone with my experience with my exact degrees! I got called in for an interview.
The office where the interview was held had sports memorabilia, posters of various sporting teams and other high profile companies, hung up all over the office, I was told that they all were this company's clients, and I will be working with marketing campaigns for them. The interviewer and I hit it off and I was scheduled for a second on the job interview (at this time I absolutely had no idea that they belong to DS-Max).
Before the second on the job interview, I was called from the company reminding me of my second interview (how could I forget it was my dream job), but before I got of the phone with them, they told me to wear comfortable shoes, a lump in my throat formed as I thought, Na, It couldn't be. Wellit was, my second on the job interview was yet another long day of going door to door selling stuff nothing to do with sports (that was located almost 1 hours away from the office).
Never really understanding the company to begin with, I admit I was suckered in with the whole opportunity thing, the door to door aspect of it was not all that great but it was good to be outside, and the exercise was awesome right?! Anyway the third interview came and I was an aspiring self employed man, however I did inquire about my future in the job, I was a marketing man, and I asked is there a spot for actually coming up with and designing my own marketing campaigns, that I may be promoted into? The answer was of course there is, I took the bait hook line and sinker, the whole freaking reel for that matter.
I was to start the next day, I finally got to see what all that clapping cheering and commotion was, and I was in there doing it, JUICE! Well it didn't last long, the first few days I worked there I made nothing, I left home 6:30 in the morning and got home 11:00 that night (no exaggeration) the days were long, found out that I only got one day off a week, Sunday, when they would call me for no apparent reason, Christmas and Thanksgiving Day where the only holidays and no vacation.
The owner of the office was a vulgar, crude man, I remember once one the guys, while in one of the countless meetings, had his foot resting on the wall, the owner saw this and out of nowhere SCREAMED at him, Get your f*cking foot off of my wall. Also, there were these two guys, who to this day I still feel terrible for, that needed some money, which they earned, from their account set up by the company, after repeated attempts to get this money which is rightfully theirs, the company refused to, saying they need to learn to save and be resposable (only now I know that offices frequently had to money in which to give them). After seeing that I left the company, oh I had to sit and take the loser, you're a worthless quitter speech but that was a low price to pay for my dignity.
So the job search continued and I responded to an other ad that seemed promising, it was another entry level management position, I went for the interview, while waiting for the manager, I heard clapping cheering and whole lot of commotion coming from a room in the back (the same that has been engraved in my mind forever) I immediately left the building without telling anyone there, I felt like a free man doing so.
DS-Max has done nothing but lied to me on the very first day I met them, and never stopped lying to me, they will hang you out to dry and treat you like cattle, with only regards for making them money. Many of the so called losers making little money for the company was frequently referred to as gas money, as in I only keep them around to pay for the gas in my big ass boat. I only know now that all that was just hype many of the owners never had any money at all, yet they would dangle that lifestyle in front of us as motivation, I'm glad I got out of there when I did and only my post research has comforted me knowing that I was not alone in my feelings in this. I now have a legitimate job making over 1,000 bucks a week, oh how I would love to go back to those companies to dangle that in front of their face knowing full well most of them are not making enough to survive. But I won't because that doesn't matter to me, I would happily take less money to do something honest and worth while, and that allows me to be with what really matters, family and good friends.
Hey Guys, Hey what, Who thinks DS-Max is full of it?
Neil
Pembroke Pines, Florida
U.S.A.
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