As an ex employee of It's Just Lunch, I am concerned about this company getting away with deceptive business practices. This is not a service for "Busy Professional People, " as they state in their advertisements. This service is for any one foolish enough to pay for it. I say that with respect because I know first hand they are simply preying on people in vulnerable situations. They literally will take anyone who will sign up. They also make false claims as to how many people they have as clients. If you are told 300, the real answer is probably around 60. I believe it is common practice in all locations for them to create this figure by including anyone who may have ever been a client, active or not.
Yes, you are guaranteed 14 to 16 dates within a one year period. What they fail to tell you is that it is only going to be a date with whoever comes up on their query and needs to "GO OUT". Potential clients sit thru a LONG interview process with a director and are made to feel that they are special and there are many matches for them. This is all a sales ploy and rehearsed script to gain your trust. Often times, there are not any matches that are anywhere close to what the customer is "looking for."
Yet, they are assured there are many and that IJL needs new members just like them. Once a pontential customer pays the enormous fee upfront anywhere from $995 to $1500, they are pretty much turned over to a coordinator with whom they will only speak. There will be no more contact with the Director that they signed up with. They will always be told that the Directors are in an interview or meeting should they want to speak with them.
Customer service becomes an issue because the client will usually start to complain about the type of people that they are being sent out with. They will be told that they may "need to relax their parameters." Basically meaning that they are expecting to much from this service.
They DO NOT match from criteria such as professions, religion, political preferences, children, smoking, weight, height or baldness. Although during the interview these things are stressed so that you will feel as though IJL really carea about your choices. For example: If you request that you do not wish to date someone with children or anyone the smokes and no LDS. Chances are you will end up going out with someone that has one of more of these criteria. You find out during the course of the date and can't understand why they would send you out on with this person because you specifically said that was not your wishes. You will be told that you need to "Relax your parameters" You are to hard to match.
The reason that person was chosen is because you had x, y, and z in common. This is what they use to match your activites and interest.
Also, there is a Large turn over in employees, Directors are required to meet unrealistic sales goals from 10 to 16 joins every 2 weeks. Coordinators also have goals that have to be matched. This is why they will send you out with anyone because their pay checks depend on it! Everyone has strict sales scripts that must be used.
I am SOOO thankful that I am no longer an employee of this FRAUDULENT company. I could not believe the business practices that are allowed, encouraged, worst of all expected within this company. They put on such a front about being featured on Oprah and Wall Street Journal.
I am sure that Oprah would not endorse this company if she really new the inside practices used. I just emplore anyone that is thinking about joining this company, DO NOT DO IT save your money and used all the old fashioned methodsof dating you will be much happier and have more money in your pocket.
If you are thinking about applying for a job because of the amount of $ they say you can make, it is a farce. You will not work there long enough to see it. You will either quit because you can't sleep at night or you will be fired because you missed you sales quota. Plus, by this time you have caught on to all the underhanded tactics of the company and if you question them you become a unstable asset. They will remove you quickly so that you can't "rock the boat."
This company needs to be shut down. Please do not let your friends or family fall for any of the unscrupilous tactics.
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