I got a very uncomfortable feeling when I went in to interview for Fortune 5 Inc, and I wish I'd stuck to that initial instinct. I was desperate for a job, so I jumped at one that was offered to me. GDR & Associates is the name on the door of the office, so there aren't a lot of fraud reports for the other office that I'd worked for: Fortune 5, because not many people realize its there. GDR is ran by Gareth, and Fortune 5 is run by Nimit.
I started in this company doing door-to-door sales to business representing Qwest communications, which in itself wasn't the most glamorous job. We were presented with a "great opportunity" being told this is a management training program, and our fieldwork was such a small portion of what we'd be doing. Nimit was very good at convincing his employees that we should sacrifice now so we can play later, IE: spend a lot of money in gas which we wouldn't be reimbursed for, work strictly on commission so if we were put into a territory that had just been worked and couldn't close we were screwed, and once promoted to leadership and given the responsibility of training new recruits, we were required to split our commissions with whoever we were training. There was no out of pocket cost anywhere for Nimit. None.
Nimit has a very persuasive way of talking to people in his company, though I should have been skeptical when I realized anyone who asks questions or expressed concerns, it was brushed off as that employee being a whiner. He preaches about honesty and integrity, and it wasn't until this past week I realized he only preaches that because it sounds good, not because its what he practices.
We were told that he was finding us a better opportunity by switching us over to a new Qwest retail and consumer campaign. We were "running a pilot" as he called it. It wasn't until a man very high up in Cydcor, the actual company GDR and Fortune 5 are a part of, came into a meeting telling us all that this isn't even a pilot, consumer and retail campaigns have both been done before. We were kicked off of business to business, he just decided to mislead us in what the truth actually is.
We were supposed to go on a per diam pay rather than the commission and were told this was so we could negotiate what the commission structure could be. It wasn't until this man from Cydcor yet again called him out in a meeting that it wasn't even the case, we were on this per diam and going to commission on Monday. It wouldn't have been such an issue if Nimit would actually tell his employees what this per diam was going to be. I've been working for over a week, still not knowing what I'm being compensated. According to Arizona state law, this is illegal to do to your staff. He informed us at one point that the "high-rollers" in the office, the ones normally making 200-300 a day on commission would be getting 150 dollars a day on this per diam, while everyone else in the office would be making 50. (this isn't even close to minimum wage)
We were working 50 hour weeks on business to business, from 8AM to 6PM. Once we were switched over to consumer, the hours continue to change DAILY, as well as now working Saturdays. We're working 60 hour weeks, in AZ heat (over 100 degrees in sun) still not knowing what we're being paid.
It really unnerved me to to find out that on consumer, while we're being told we could be getting paid 50 dollars a day, the 5 people he chose to be on retail (Qwest representatives inside of Best Buys and Wal-Marts, in A/C) are getting minimum wage (7.25 an hour) plus commission. He had told us that he would choose the top 5 leaders to be in retail, but that wasn't even the case. He promoted 2 girls right before the "pilot" started and put them on this campaign, and we all quickly realized he chose the attractive people in the office, not the most qualified.insulting to say the very least, as well as highly unprofessional and probably illegal as well as that is discrimination.
Nimit refuses to pay people after they quit, refuses to return phone calls, and refuses to mail their paychecks to them. According to ARS 23-353 Chapter 7 Section B, this is illegal as well.
You can not get anywhere in this company unless you're willing to be a snitch, willing to commit fraud, and willing to mislead anyone and everyone around you. There is one girl in the office who high rolls everyone, making 400-500 a day. You wonder how? Lying to customers. More than 10 of us have run into customers she has seen and caught the fraud, though Nimit continues to do nothing because she is making his company money. Nimit makes an owner's stroke from the company he represents, which is somewhere around double what the commission is.
Do not work for this company, as you will work harder than you ever have in your life and not get much else out of it except for debt and frustration. I strongly urge current or former employees to come forward so we can get this man out of Phoenix.
He did own an office in New Orleans and moved out to AZ. I can't help but wonder if its stuff like this he was actually forced to come to another part of the country.
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