When I first encountered MN Country Builders, I should have know right away to stay away. My first red flag was when I called the company to reply to a job posting on craigslist. I spoke with a man who set up an interview time and date, and never called to confirm as he said he would. Two weeks later, a second man, Brian Stodola who operates the business, called to set up an interview. I explained what happened in the first place and he apologized so I agreed to meet him. When we met he seemed very disorganized and had poor interviewer skills, yet still, the job seemed too good to be true (as it turned out to be) so after a second meeting, I agreed to take the job. Because the job did in fact seem a bit too good, and so did the company, I did some research online. I did find one complaint but since it didn't pertain to the position I was about to take, I decided it wasn't relevant and took the job.
The large part of my job would be to travel to home shows and events and get customers to give us lead information. I was to begin that following weekend with a show in Princeton, MN. Myself living in Minneapolis I made the hour long drive to Princeton, and showed up on show site dressed up and ready to go. Up until this point Brian had been meeting me a a convenient middle location so we had not yet filled out paperwork such as w2 forms or contracts as he promised me. We had agreed to do this on show site in Princeton. Upon my arrival, Brian informed me that he "was too busy" and forgot" to bring the documents. I went against my better judgement and agreed to work for him for the day anyway, after all, I was already in Princeton!
Throughout the course of the day Brian and I made plans to meet again at the start of the week (this being a Saturday) and get the paperwork taken care of so I may work the following weekend. He proceeded to tell me company policy information, talk about the various things I would be doing in the position, and thus lead me to believe I was in fact employed by the company.
We gathered leads from as many passersby as we could, enticing them with the promise of their entry in a drawing for the new plasma screen television located behind us. Although this TV looked like it had traveled before, Brian assured me "they were not the kind of company who would falsely tell customers about a giveaway that didn't take place." He and I then assured the customers that a winner would be drawn at the close of the show by a show official. When the show official did not show up, I asked Brian if he would then be making the drawing in the office. He smiled and said "we'll see, " which to me implied his intent not to make the drawing at all. I can't imagine that since he stated he "gives away" a TV at every show, that this hasn't happened before. This is not only wrong, but it is illegal.
At the close of the show, Brian and I again confirmed our plans to meet before the next weekends trip to Brainerd, and I departed back to Minneapolis. He was to call me Monday afternoon to meet up. When Tuesday came around, and I hadn't heard from him, I called. I called again each day up to the weekend, left messages, and never heard a single response. The weekend passed and the following week came, and still no response. It was then that I called him up angrily telling him that I just wanted to be paid for the time I worked. Finally, he called back. He told me that the company had come into some hard times and that they could not afford to hire me at that time. He said he would put a check in the mail that day.
I wondered, how could the company have come into such hard times so suddenly. A week earlier I had told Brian what I would like to earn, and he said "yes, plus we'll give you a good bonus incentive." Could a company go from this position to another so quickly? I don't believe this is possible.
I waited for the check for the next week, after all, I was in some hard times myself having been unemployed, and that 8 hrs of work plus my gas and drive time were a valuable earnings. One week later, I called again, and again, and again. Finally, a second assurance the check would be in the mail. Still nothing. He said he didn't intend not to pay me but here I am, 4 months later, unpaid for my work. His phone no longer rings through, and he refuses to call me or write the check for the little amount that he does owe me. This from someone who stated to me he has two houses.
When I came to my wits end, and decided to call his father Tom, the true owner of the company, I was not able to get through. An angry woman answered the phone and when I told her I would try him back due to his absence from the office, she shouted at me to tell her who I was and hung up.
The way this company is run is absolutely appalling and is a disgrace to all locally and family owned businesses. It is my true desire that the public realize just what kind of people they are dealing with, and decide to do business elsewhere. After all, how would these people deal with you? If their work was defective, how would you get your justice? Would they hang up on you? Tell you a refund was in the mail only to never show? Would they walk away from the problem to assume it would go away? Would they show up in the first place? Were you just signing up for a TV giveaway, never to be drawn, and were suddenly being called by their sales team? My guess is they will treat all with the same respect they have treated me; none.
Employee
Minneapolis, Minnesota
U.S.A.
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