Two weeks ago after applying for a marketing manager position on Monster.com, I received a call from W.I. T Enterprises stating that they were a fast growing company in Denver, Colorado and had entry level management positions available with fast-paced advancement. They scheduled me for an interview two days later in northern Denver, Colorado, close to Arvada and Westminster.
The position states that they you will work in public relations, business to business sales, event planning, and start out as a marketing manager. This seemed to fit me perfectly since I have a degree in marketing and communications. The salary stated was $33,000 to $39,000/year.
I go up to the interview and interview with a person who says that he has just moved from Auburn Hills, MI where he had an advertising and marketing firm and has now partnered with W.I. T Enterprises in Denver to expand the Denver Market. He asks me what I look for in a company and I tell him stability, benefits, and career advancement.
After a few more questions in the quickest interview of my life, he lets me go. I was sure to ask several questions about the position to see what I may be doing and he stated that I would be helping the national wheel-chair basketball association team up with local businesses for cause related marketing. He said they had also just brought on DARE as well.
The next day he calls me back for my second interview which is a full day ride along with one of their "corporate trainers." I go the next week for my second interview and am introduced to the corporate trainer who has also just moved from Michigan so that he can train in Denver and then open up his own firm in Arizona. He has me fill out an application that includes a document stating that this day is a chance for me to decide if I would like to work for the company and a day for them to observe me to see if they would like to bring me on—all work was voluntary.
I was fine with this as I needed a job and also filled out a form that asked for my social security number. I was told this was for a background check; however, they never had me fill out a form or sign anything stating that I agreed to that. This should have been my first clue.
We get into a car with another person driving for my ride along interview. Both people that I am with are quite young looking —around 22-25—I just thought that stranger things have happened and they did say they had quick advancement. On the way to the "territory" we were given that day they explained more about the business to business sales and doing fundraising— it sounded as if we were going to speak to several business in Lakewood, CO to increase their business in stature in the community by them sponsoring the wheel chair basketball team in Denver and DARE. On the way to Lakewood they insisted that we stop at Wal-Mart so that I can get a warm hat (it was about 25 degrees out with 3 inches of snow on the ground). They said that we may be in and out of the car a lot.
A few miles down the road from where I got my warm hat, we pulled into a residential neighborhood and parked. After parking, they handed me these books that looked as if they were knock off Gold C/Entertainment Books—the "corporate trainer" stated that I may get lucky and sell one today. At first I thought this was a joke and a way for them to sift through the many candidates they said they had for the job so I went along with it for about 30 minutes as we went door-to-door selling the books.
It soon came to the point that I realized this was all there was and I told them that this is not the job for me. I asked them why I was not told it was a door-to-door sales job and they said that when people are told that no one shows up for the interview. They asked me to hang in there a few more minutes because they too thought it was not for them.
To be polite I did—even though I had been completely lied to. About 15-20 minutes later I told them that I was not going to do this and they must take me back to my car. My feet were cold, my socks were wet from snow, and my dress pants were soaked too (they had told me to wear shirt and tie for the interview over the phone—not to dress warm as we would be outside all that day). My ear was also hurting badly as I had been fighting an ear infection. They said that we can turn around and go back to the car.
However, turning around to them meant that we had to stop at every house on the way back to the car. I told them this was unacceptable as I was hungry now and needed food since I am type 1 diabetic and insulin dependant. Due to all the walking that I was not prepared for, I felt my blood sugar crashing as well. They refused to take me back immediately as this would interrupt them getting all the sales.
Finally after nearly 4 hours in the freezing cold we got back to the car. They were supposed to work until 5pm and it was almost 4pm so they said due to the office being 35 min away by car that they could not take me back and finish their day of sales—I had to sit in the car until 5pm or maybe a little longer because they had only sold 2 books.
I was outraged, shivering, my clothes soaked, dress shoes ruined so afte they walked away, I called a taxi and got out of there. The $39.50 taxi cab ride was worth not waiting for these two scammers despite being in need of a job/career just so I could get back to my car.
As we walked back to car, I found out that everyone who worked there was an independent distributor so there are no benefits, they only make $10 for every book they sell so there is no salary, and there is no profit sharing at the end of the year like I was told. The profit sharing was when everyone meets back at the office and they have a bad sales day everyone pools there money and they all split it evenly.
They advertise for jobs on career builder, monster, jobing.com, and a few other sites so BEWARE! All I hope is that this does not happen to anyone else where they have there day completely wasted and are trapped miles away from there car and cannot get away.
If this has happened to you with these companies and you would like more details, please reply. I am also looking for people to write and complain to the attorney general, better business bureau, and the labor board with me so that W.I. T Enterprises and D1 Advertising are required to be honest.
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