There is no way around it; one has to work to survive in today's society. Even with a degree in hand, finding that ideal job proves challenging. The case was no different for me. Anxious, but not yet desperate to work, I replied to the following ad in the Houston Chronicle:
GENERAL OFFICE
General office no experience necessary, new ofc needs management help 713.263.1552; 263.1554 fax
To summarize, I wasted nearly a week at Southwest Marketing before I realized that the people managing this business (Marvin Seay, Joe Manor, and Heather Cline) were simply trying to take advantage of many eager, maybe even gullible, young career hopefuls, including myself. We were drawn to the possibility of a management career with attractive benefits, including minimum $35K base salaries, 100% paid healthcare, and lavish company vacations, I am certain will never be seen. I am now convinced that their business is a very well thought out, well rehearsed lie or dare I say it - a scam.
The company markets renditions (knockoffs) of designer fragrances produced by World Perfume, Inc. The idea is to complete a "hands-on" training program within 13 weeks, earning commission ONLY pay, by going to local businesses selling products you've consigned from them. Upon completion of the training, you would become a salaried manager assigned a store and crew in one of the expansion markets - primarily the Houston area.in retrospect, you never really work for this company during training. Anyone who makes it past the 2nd interview is given an independent contract to sign. During the fast paced meeting the form is briefly explained to the group as an agreement to protect the company, and quickly collected once signed. I regret not insisting my chance to read it or alone process the information.
On the first day of training after a lengthy lectured meeting, our group was motivated to compete in an overnight contest to earn up to $600 contingent on the group making its goal of 100 units of sale (each bottle of perfume was a unit) to friends and family. Many of the group members had not even seen a product sample before rushing out of the meeting to make phone calls. Needless to say, the group did not make its goal and the following day none earned extra pay (those who did make sales were "commissioned" $7/bottle - you sold it @ $28). Luckily, I noted the information from the back of the product sample and decided to search for World Perfume, Inc., a Dallas based company, on the internet. I had been unsuccessful in previous days finding anything about the people I worked for, Southwest Marketing. When I approached Joe Manor, the Houston branch manager, about the lack of information, he replied that it was difficult to sell scents online and that they had discontinued their use of catalogs. I did however find several articles related to World Perfume. The information was shocking to me.
Usa Consumer Complaints.com and usacomplaints.com.Com may not seem credible sources journalistically, but the many posted testimonies of the people who had lost jobs believing in the opportunity to be their own boss were eerily familiar. Of course, the business names were different (I never found a Southwest Marketing listing), but everything from the hiring process, to the fact that the locations of their stories were in or around the markets our company was supposedly involved, to an actual mention of my own manager's name (Joe), was enough to make me want out before it was too late! What had I gotten myself into?
I had briefly connected to one girl in my group. She had quit her job in a doctor's office two weeks prior to our meeting because she was looking for a better income and was told by Marvin Seay she had to make a decision whether to accept or decline a new career path. My sole purpose in returning to work the next day was to inform her of my findings. Doing so would pose a challenge because when you were in this office, you were always being greeted or escorted to wherever you needed to be - either in the training room or to your car. The feeling of always being followed was really creepy. You couldn't talk to anyone in the group without being asked about the topic of your conversation. Even in the parking lot!
I must also note that the office of this training facility has no markings anywhere! You will not find the name Southwest Marking on the building, on the door, inside the office, on a business card, stationary or anything! I asked about this - "Well, we're still new"- please! I think two months is more than enough time to establish your business' presence in a new community.
I discreetly managed to give the girl my contact information as well as a printout of my sources, but I wanted answers to my mountain of questions:
1. Why can't we ask question during the meetings?
We were always told to hold our questions for AFTER things were covered. I felt like I was in a class lecture because of the mountain of notes we took.
2. Shouldn't there be training manuals to take home?
We were told that taking good notes was important because we would cover the same materials to our own crews.
3. If we also carry the real designer products, why aren't we pushing those items for sales?
4. How could your company afford 100% healthcare benefits?
5. Why haven't I been introduced to this group of people I sit with each meeting?
When you enter into the office you are escorted to the training room.in the room there is a radio playing and one of the managers or the receptionist is faciliting a group discussion until everyone arrives - even if the last person is 20 minutes late?! Plus, I've never worked for business that gave you a time to arrive on a certain day, greeted you OUTSIDE when you arrived even if you were late!
Joe took me into his office and (I felt) brushed off most of what I considered major concerns about my job. I did not mention any of the things I had read online, simply that I was not totally convinced about the company. I asked things like, Where is the human resource department, accounting, the other branches located? He quickly shot me different cities. I replied that I really needed physical addresses along with contact names and he said he couldn't give me with that information.
I was in awe! He then followed up with, Well, I am not going to invite you back with usyou just aren't a good fit... I think you have preconceived notions about this company. I told him I simply wanted reassurance that we weren't wasting each other's time and that I really had a future with Southwest Marketing. I'm sorry he couldn't give me with that.
I was highly upset but I kept my composure. I had heard too many lies or half truths. The straw that broke the camel's back was when I arrived that morning and was asked if it was ok to use my utility vehicle (I had the nicest car in the bunch) for training purposes that day. Remember, I had already read numberous stories on this site that "warned" me of just that, so I said "Hell, no!"
Before being escorted to the parking lot by two managers, I managed to get a copy of the agreement I never read, and shook the hands of the 1st people to ever get over on me. I know what these people are doing is wrong, but I couldn't believe they were getting away with it! I'm still new to Houston and don't know how or if it is possible to warn others about these kinds of people.
Although there are many negatives to this story, I'm glad I gained a new friend, who is a native Houstonian, and learned a major life lesson: Go with your gut feeling. If it looks, feels, or sounds to good to be true, you're probably right!
Jeanna
houston, Texas
U.S.A.
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