I used to work for industry model and talent studios, they had told me that they "had no use of my employment" within my first month of being there because I wasn't luring in innocent people into their scammers loft.
Not only do they scam you when you get there, you're getting scammed from the very second you're stopped. The scouts, have no scouting experience. They're just people who passed a "role-play" in successfully BSing anyone who walks by them at the local mall they are posted at. They're told to tell their victims that they "have the right look" and that there were "no fees" involved and how you or your kid would be "very successful"
But the scam isn't just from the mall to their suite. No. There's a whole OTHER suite that isn't even mentioned. It's in the same facility as suite #9, and this is where most of the BSing happens. There are three rows of phone booths, and everyday the employees are handed out a stack of cards for the people our scouts made fill out cards. We call these people. Harass these people. Convince these people that we ARE NOT A SCAM. Literally. Each employee, "appointment setters" are given a script that we're supposed to follow. It literally has the answers we're supposed to feed you to get you to come in.
For example, when someone mentions anything about a scam, we're supposed to say "we are NOT a scam, but I can understand why you would feel so skeptical. But of course, you don't have to take my word for it. The only way you can find out if we are a scam or not is by coming in and seeing for yourself. Again, there is no cost or obligation to do this. So are you available to come in tomorrow?" Also, when any COST questions come up our answer is "There are no costs or obligations to do this. Of course, if you'd like to purchase marketing materials thats obviously up to YOU, but YOU make that decision and there is NO obligation to do so. But why don't you come in and speak with the director about that? Are you available to come in tomorrow?" So yes, they do teach us what to say—not because we want to, but because our paychecks depend on it! We have to set a certain amount of appointments a week, if we don't a certain amount of money is deducted from our paychecks—and I'm not talking about five dollars. Not only do they apply the pressure that way, but AFTER we make the appointments, if our appointments are no-shows, we can a certain amount of money deducted from our paychecks as well. And this is not only for the appointment setters, but for the scouts as well. They are required to have 8 contact cards filled out an hour, so do you really think they're being selective? Of course not.
But if they don't meet that, they get money taken out of their paychecks. Same if a person that filled out a contact card with them sets up an appointment and doesn't show up. Of course IMTS makes these paycheck deductions seem perfectly legal because of all of the fancy paperwork they make each employee sign, which I'm still not even sure if it is legal or not to take money out for things like that. So if anyone knows, please let me know!
DO NOT FALL FOR THIS! They will tell you sweet things and fill up your heads with empty promises! You won't get success from going in to meet with a director! You'll go in, thinking that there are no fees involved, because the person you spoke to on the phone convinced you that there are NO FEES, and the first thing the director will do is tell you how cute your kid is, or how pretty or handsome you are and then try and sell you a RIDICULOUSLY priced "marketing package" PLEASE. I must admit, when I started to work there, I thought that they were not a scam because they really had us convinced that they weren't, but as I got to learn things, I learned very quickly that they were very much a scam, AND IT ISN'T RIGHT! They will take your money and you will never hear from them again! And when you call to ask why you haven't heard anything after six months, their response will be "success doesn't happen overnight, you have to be patient!" or something along those lines.
Don't go to them! They scam not only the innocent people walking around in the malls, but they scam their employees who are just trying to make ends meet as well.
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