I am writing to inform others about what was said to me and what happened to me on 2/10 and 2/11. After seeing the ad run again in the Chicago Tribune Sunday, February 29, it was time to speak up.
The Ad reads: General Office-CAREER!
Worth 600 a wk? Training avail. BBB Josie: 312-360-0051.
You can see it on the web on the Career Builder web site, it is number CB23563. This ad is similar to the one I responded to. I called, and was asked to interview on the 10th.
Just in case you do not have the time to read my whole story, be warned:
*DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB OVER THIS! Do not give them money to do a background check! Do not sign any contracts!!! *
In the first interview, I was paired with a 19-year old girl. Josie interviewed her first, asking her if she should be at the mall instead since she was so young. The girl stumbled through the interview, not able to provide concrete examples and barely speaking in complete sentences. She wouldn't have been hired at the Taco Bell down the street. Guess what? She was at the second interview, in the second row of chairs next to me. As soon as I saw her, I got the horrible sinking feeling that they had picked all of us that came the day before.
The second interview was filled with mainly African-american men and women, mainly from the South Side of Chicago (since we were asked where we were from). Only two people were wearing business suits, the rest were dressed very poorly.
We were told that if we even had to go to the BATHROOM during Josie Villasenor's talk, we were losing the opportunity. Then, Josie explained about the Scentura opportunity, but gave us the website www.nationalexpansion.com. She cleverly NEVER claimed to be working for Scentura. I thought it was odd that she didn't give us www.scenturacreations.com, but continued to take notes and listen.
She explained that in our first week of training we would do the "Friends and Family Contest", with our lucky number being 21. Bottles, that is. It was to be a "one-day" marketing contest and $1000 would be given for the Best Job. I felt instantly uncomfortable; why should I have to hit up my friends and family during my manager training? I couldn't even explain to them what the company Skyline Advancement does, let alone explain beyond that Scentura is a perfume wholesaler.
Then, she explained about the background check, that we would have to Scrounge up $20, which was Half of the cost of running the check, which she claimed cost her $40. She said that making people pay for half of the check keeps them honest. No legit company is going to ask you to pay for ANYTHING in the hiring portion of the process. It is not illegal for them to do so, but is highly suspect.
The biggest red flag was the Assistant Manager Position she described$30,000 salary to start, health benefits, profit sharing, one week paid vacation. She did some math and showed us that our take-home (per week) was $431.50. Sounded good, but then she explained that we would be paid In Cash our first few weeks. People paid in cash are NOT employees! This is analogous to when you pay a housekeeper in cash at your home to clean your house or you pay a babysitter to take care of your kids. There is no accountability there! This was when I became very suspicious of this opportunity.
During her talk, she berated us for Not taking notes and said that there would be a quiz on the next day for the selected few. She yelled at us some more, saying that most of us didn't have what it takes and that we had poor spending habits which we needed to change if we ever wanted to make money.
I called in that evening to see if they had picked me for their management training. Of course they did. They picked everyone. I did not return the next day and did not quit my regular job, and after seeing how others lives have been ruined I am glad I left and didn't come back.
There are horrifying similar accounts from across the country, all related to World Perfume, Scentura and these fictitious companies. Take care of yourself and your families.
Jennifer
Chicago, Illinois
U.S.A.
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