Okay, after thinking on it for a couple of weeks since leaving this so-called "company." I have decided that since no one else in the Colorado area has submitted a consumer complaints, it's up to me.
I'm going to give the longer version of my experience, as it was someone else's detailed story that convinced me not to waste my time.
I moved to Colorado about 2 months ago to be with my husband, who is Army and was stationed here after returning home. I quit my job making $50k a year (yes, I'm only 20) and packed my bags. Upon arriving here, my husband and I decided I needed to find a good job/career, as we bought a house and plan on staying here for awhile!
Like so many others, I answered an add in the paper that read "Must be a little crazy, enjoy MUSIC, FUN, AND $. Management opportunities, no exp. Necessary. Will train. 719 536-9300."
Of course, I'm like "SIGN ME UP!" So I call the number and try to understand the girl on the phone, who answered it as "katrina, oops! Claudia, can I help you?" with blaring rap music in the background. She scheduled an interview for me that day, telling me where they were located and that it was the office under the "blank, red sign." Blank red sign I ask? Well, okay, maybe they just moved in? I do take the time to ask Katrina/Claudia what the company does, but they only words I understand are "going through an expansion."
At this point I'm curious, a little excited, after all, I'm positive I can be a manager, and I'll do whatever it takes to get hired!
Anyway, I call my husband and tell him how odd the phone conversation was, and he tells me that the office is in a bad area, and to bring a gun. He also decides to call himself and find out exactly what they do there. Five minutes later, he calls me back and the first words out of his mouth are "What's with the music?" and "They're some kind of fragrance distributor." Okay, I can work with that. After all, I've been in sales for 2 years, I'll sell anything, and I need money!
But it's still kind of odd. My husband and I agree that if I don't call him by exactly 4 P.M. He WILL be showing up there.
Anyway, I dress up all nice, tell my father-in-law about the job and drive 30 minutes to this "blank red sign." I sit in a front room with about 6 other people, (all of whom are in jeans and sneakers and even younger than ME (20).) I'm still a little nervous. We're all sitting there and the receptionist (about 18 years old) is answering the phone and scheduling interviews, sometimes answering as Katrina, sometimes as Claudia (for some reason this sticks out in my mind). The music is blasting and she keeps asking us questions like "What did you do this weekend? Did you see the new 50 cent movie? What are you gonna do this weekend, Party?"
This woman comes out and takes three of us into her office, where she asks us questions like who we admire, and where we want to be in 5 years. She tells us that she doesn't believe in the "don't call us, we'll call you" so she will give us a time to call and let us know then if we made it to the second interview. If we did, we have to dress sharp, as her bosses will be there and we have to impress them, after all, we're on our way to becoming management!!!
We will train for 4-6 months and then be given money to open an office in a location of our choosing, where we will be in charge of 10-15 people. (She still hasn't told us what we will be doing) She does, however, mention that we will make $52,000 our first year, and not to tell our friends and family this, because they will not believe us, and tell us its a scam!!!
She sends the other two girls I interviewed with out of the office and tells me that I don't have to call back, she likes my attitude, and she'd like me to come on Thursday for a second interview with her bosses. Dress Sharp, notebook, and pen, etc etc.
I go home, thrilled of course, call my husband tell him he doesn't have to rescue me today, but it is a little wierd. We talk and we decide that although it's odd to target people so young for management positions, some companies have to do it, as they can pay us less than they would an experienced manager.
I go in the next day, dressed sharp, notebook, and pen, ready to blow her bosses away. I need this job! If I can make the same money I was making, AND gain management experience at the same time, I'll be set!
Again, the front room, some of the people I saw yesterday sitting there, again answering Katrina/Claudia's questions about what we're doing this weekend, again "Did you guys see the new 50 cent movie yet???" It seems that everytime we start talking amongst ourselves, she cuts in with some really generic comment. "I love this song!" (music goes even louder)
Okay, Daphna comes out, says hi, how was your weekend? (it's Thursday) Claudia brings us into the back room where our second interview will take place. It is a garage. Complete with the garage doors on either end and the table where the tools should be, but where is set up a mini-tv and VCR. The garage is decorated with cheap dollar-store decorations.
To make this part short, I spend the next hour hearing about how much money we will make after the first year (over 50k) How they will give us the training we need to be successful managers, and how she won't waste our time telling us about her bosses Corvette or half a million dollar house. She'll just tell us that if we work hard, ignore our friends and family when they tell us we're not capable of being managers or making $50,000. She also made a point of telling us we weren't there to make friends.
Daphna then spent a few minutes making us all feel broke. We talked about beaters, buying $1.00 worth of gas with nickels and dimes, and how the money she was promising us was more than our parents were making. Again and again she emphasized to succeed we must ignore our friends and family. She also told us that yes! There was a LOT of negative bullsh*t about their company! In fact, here was a file that contained most of it!
At this point I told her that I had tried to research the company "Divine Scents Distribution" on the internet and could find nothing. (We had not yet been told the name "Scentura Creations")
Moving on, after about 4 hours of learning absolutely nothing about the company, she told us that again, she would give us a time to call and see if we were hired. She stated that this was to test our determination.
She then went down the row of plastic folding chairs, giving us each a scheduled time, until she got to me. (The irony of what follows is restated in another complaint on Scentura Creations: Platinum Marketing International - Platinum Fragrance International.) Daphna asked me if there was any reason that she should not pick me, and of course I said: "I can't think of one.
I know I'm management material. I just need someone to see in me what I see in myself: potential." And what does she do, in front of everybody she says "Congratulations! I see it, too! You don't have to call, just be here at 11am on Monday with a notebook and pen!" Everyone claps, and I exit stage right.
Monday: We're there, We're dressed sharp. We're ready to learn. Once again, the music is too loud for us to talk to each other while waiting, and every time we try anyway, Katrina/Claudia interrupts. NO! I HAVE NOT YET SEEN THE NEW 50 CENT MOVIE!
We spend all day doing ridiculous things like jumping up and down, cheering when she flickers the lights, corny dance moves. (To motivate us)?! We even played a game in which to add up dollar amounts on the board. She would explain later what the results of the game would be used for.
By the way, at some point during the day, when Daphna gave us all "nicknames", she through in the point that "Katrina" was the name given to Claudia during her training.
The only useful thing we were taught on the first day was how to properly accept checks, filling in all pertinent information, how to write down credit card orders, and that YES! WE ACCEPT CASH!
At this point I'm wondering, Isn't it too early to be learning how to receipt in funds??? After all, we don't even have an office or FUNDS to receipt IN yet!
It all makes sense.
The end of the day nears. We are getting antsy. I'm sick of cheering, I'm not a yeller. I don't want to dance. I want to learn how to be a successful manager. The total dollar amount on the board is $825. It is time for Daphna to tell us how to earn it. One lucky winner will walk away with $825 on Tuesday!
but wait, there's more!
We will have a contest, whoever sells the most bottles of perfume to family and friends on Monday night is going to get the $825. (ahhh ha!) Of course, to do this, we have to meet our group goal of 115, or 125, or something, I don't recall exactly. Between 8 people. (This was after we'd been told that we would not be telemarketing, selling door-to-door, etc.
Also, even if we didn't meet the group goal or sell the most, we would have individual goals!
If we sold 5 bottles of perfume, we would make $25. And so on. $5 for every bottle after the intial 5.
This was done so that nobody gave up.
Another pep talk on ignoring our family when they told us this was a scam. (Which it was) Another pep talk on how whoever didn't show up the next day was weak. Daphna made a point of telling us that over half of us would probably not be there in 5 days. She told us these were the weak ones, the ones who weren't management material. (She didn't tell us that the ones who didn't show up were the ones who recognized the scam for a scam)
We high-fived. We left.
I was talking to a couple girls outside about how I didn't even know five people in the Springs to sell perfume to, when Daphna came running out for more high fives, and stood there until we seperated and left.
I realized later this was because she didn't want us discussing our "friendly contest" with each other.
I went home, discussed it with my husband, decided that I wouldn't sell any bottles, even if I could, and got on the internet.By now I had the "Scentura Creations" name, and was able to find this website, which I have used several times since to verify local companies. Thank You! I wasted 3 days on those people but could have wasted more!
I decided to write this report because I feel bad for those that kept going, who may or may not by now have recognized Diving Scents Creations for what it is. I hope this helps somebody.
Torie
Colorado Springs, Colorado
U.S.A.
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