Ultimate Fragrance - Ultimate Wholesale - Scentura Creations
Ultimate Fragrance - Ultimate Wholesale -[ Scentura Creations Ah, the sweet smell of perf, err Scamming?

I have been doing some research on Ultimate Fragrances (a potential employer) and have found so many horror stories about this (or whatever they want to call themselves) company, that I'm mad as hell and would like to put in my two cents so we can help someone not make the mistake like had this week. I wished I found this sooner. Most of the reporting is for World Perfume/Scentura. Here in St. Louis it goes by either Ultimate Fragrance or Ultimate Wholesale.

If you'll allow me to vent my experience, you can use me as a source to help warn peopleJust remember this just happened to me Wednesday and some of the experiences I've seen has been as far back as so the scam continues.

Last Sunday 11/23, I was looking for a job on Craigslist and came across this ad for an Assistant/Manager and sent my resume to the email posted in the advertisement.

Assistant/Manager (STL)

Date: 11-23,2:22PM CST

Exec. Looking for a dynamic, goal oriented and dependable assistant/manager to help run regional office. I would prefer no experience (I find it easier to train my way) but if you have some you must be willing to learn. Daily duties would be assisting in managing an office. Opening and closing, making daily bank deposits, assisting in interviews, answering phones, motivating the sales crews, inventory as well other various office duties. I would prefer a sharp dresser, someone that is highly enthusiastic with a positive attitude towards people and life! Must be able start right away, be extremely dependable and motivated. The income is between $500 and $800 per week and the hours would be 9-5 Monday through Friday and an hour or so on Saturday mornings occasionally. Please only respond if you fit what I am looking for.

Location: STL
Compensation: tbd
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

Amazing, I got a response back from a Jenny later that evening!
Here is the whole email.

Looks good! Give me a call tomorrow and I'll set up an interview with you! Please make sure when you set up an appointment that you are on time though and show up. The only times I am interviewing is tomorrow from 10:00 to 4:00 and on Tuesday from 9:30 to 3:30. We are also looking for someone who can start the next Monday on December 1st. Please also bring in a hard copy of your resume to make the application process faster if you can.

Jenny 314-344-1998

Well I called Monday morning and by noon I had my first interview with Rachael not Jenny. Naturally it was only 15 minutes. I knew when I went in the office (which was sparsely decorated) there were 3 other applicants waiting for the speed interview. Rachael asked ME to call her back at 4:00 to see if I had been selected to come back for the 2nd Interview which will be at 12:00 Wednesday.
So at 4:00 I called and was excited to learn that I was selected for the 2nd one, to bring a pen and paper to take notes as well as dress sharp!

I tried to Google them but only found their address and phone number under MapQuest. There was a report from Rip-Off, but it really didn't say much, but gave me some suspicions that I tucked away until I went on Wednesday (just 2 days ago) for the 2nd interview (or as we were told it is the Personality Interview) which come to find out is a joke because no one was allowed to talk or ask questions so how would he know what our personalities are?) and was shocked to see 30 other people. David (the Regional Manager) and Jenny (ah, I finally met Jenny, who come to find out was actually married to David) split the interviewing show up. As soon as we were seated in the training room, there was a white board with some information on it we were told to write down. I actually took really good notes. This is what we had to write down:
Ultimate Fragrance
Corporate Training Center
Regional Headquarters, Midwest Division
Founded: 1974
Regional Manager: David (who claims he's been there 16 years, started out in LA and moved to STL)
Office Managers: Jenny
Rachael

NO LAST NAMES!!! Strange huh?

David started the session and brought Jenny in for another part. It was suppose to be 1 hour, but wound up being 2 hours.

David said that there was going to be another group coming in on Friday (today) and that he knew some people were not meant for this position. Hell NO, Unemployment is so high here in St. Louis, people are begging for a job and nothing would scare anyone off to get paid. He said he wanted to open up approx. 17 branches, which meant hiring 17 people. They promote within and have 0 turn around. The company grew 200% in 2007 and it is a $39 Million business.
They had over 250 applicants and I should be proud that I was one of the 50 finalists!

The qualifications were very specific:
- Character
- Outstanding Attitude
- Fun, Friendly, Great sense of Humor
- Hard Worker, willing to work
- Takes pride
- Competitive
- Enthusiastic, High Energy
- Excited to Learn
- People follow People with Passion
- Non Traditional Management
And Most Important EXCEPTIONALLY HONEST

Position is for a Manager or Run a Distribution Center
Responsible for all money, merchandise, hiring/firing, wants to be in charge, have fun

David said they are NOT a
- Multi Level Marketing Company
- A pyramid company
- Mary Kay, Avon type company
Will NOT be require to invest money
No Application, Training is FREE and there is no telemarketing.

Then Jenny came in to talk about the Training Program and that the average person earns the first year between $35 55K as well as the different grades of perfume.
She also told the story just like I read on your page, again, almost verbatim, about the guy from Calvin Kline taking the formula process to the Supreme Court and that they found since it really only has 3 natural ingredients Water, Alcohol and oil, no one can patient anything natural.
Most high dollar perfumes cost anywhere from $150 300, but they offer the same highest quality of perfume and that they figured out to save money, get rid of the fancy box the high dollar perfumes come in and the fancy bottles and the celebrity endorsements. They sell their bottles in 3.3 fl oz for 24.99 or 27.00 (with tax) all at the Parfume strengths. And only sell the top 20-30 (both men and women) perfume.
She said that they have over 900 offices in the US and Internationally.

Then she talked about their training program and mentioned that the training is considered torture and very fast pace. Training will be 60-90 days but some may complete it before then and even the most ambitious will have it completed in 30 days.

She covered the 3 areas of training:
- Marketing/Sales
- Business to Business (Most Common)
- Individual Sales (Ads, Walk-ins)
- Friends & Family
- Group Sales (Bulk)
- Parking Lots
- Power Teams (On Fridays all the Branch Managers get together for a competitive meeting)
- We will be selling approx. 50 bottles within 2-9 days just so we, as Branch managers, know how it is, like cross training
- Training/Management
-Start training 1-2 people to ease in
- Problem Solving
- People speaking
- Manage 5 people
- Administration
-Banking/bookkeeping/paperwork

After that then the INCOME while we were in training was discussed.
We were told that while we were training the average person makes anywhere from $200-500 a week to start. The money will not be in the form of a check but CASH. There are a variety of ways to earn the money. They have Bonus, profit and daily cash incentives DURING TRAINING ONLY and will start on the first day of training. What they consist of is
1. Attitude Bonus Conditioning
2. Sales and Performance Bonus
3. Management Bonus

At the end of training, we would start our annual salary. I must say that Jenny did keep us entertained! Then David came back in for the final part Rules, Title, Benefits..

Training Rules to Follow:
1. No Drugs or Alcohol (Duh)
2. Can't miss a Day (unless something was preplanned, religious, military or death)
3. It will be from 9-5, Monday through Friday, occasionally on Saturday mornings from 9-10
4. Light business dress for an office environment.

Our Titles will be Branch Manager. Our office locations will be determined the first week of training. We will not be required to relocate. Salary will start at $35,000 AFTER training and an average office sales approx 250 bottles a week.
There is profit sharing, insurance, vacations pay and they lots of get together such as Sports games, Six Flags, Bowling league, cook outs. Sounds like a great place to work.

Then David told all of us to call him (wouldn't you think if someone was going to hire you, they should call you???) Between 3:30 and 4:30 to find out if we were accepted and to come back for our first day of training, Monday December 1. Then he had us fill out another form saying it was for insurance purposes, which now I wished I never filled it out. We had to give them all of our data, besides address, phone numbers, SSN, Driver's license number, if we have ever been convicted of a felony, went bankrupted, our car make/model and car license number. On the back was two statements indicating that we acknowledge most of the information they discussed; not a pyramid, MLM etc. Heck we were all pumped up, we'd sign anything. Now I'm scare shitless.

We'll like I said earlier, the interview/comedy show (they did use colorful words and were very entertaining) started at noon and we didn't get out of there until 2:40 and it's a 45 minute drive for me. So as soon as I got home, I called. And guess what???
I was chosen! Yep, out of the 250 applicants, he liked my personality! Even though he only shook my hand, but noticed that I was taking lots of notes.
I'm to bring a pen and paper back with me. I am a bubbly person and I know that is what they were looking for. This job sounded too good to be true!

I started to get suspicious later that night while talking to my other half There were a lot of unanswered questions so I thought I'd dig a little deeper that is where I found so many testaments! Yikes what have I gotten myself into!

Everything that has been published was almost verbatim as to my experience and that was what? 6 years apart? And they are still playing the same song and dance number! And getting away with it!

I have very high ethics and morals this company is not for me!

Dummy in St Louis
St Louis, Missouri
U.S.A.

Company: Ultimate Fragrance - Ultimate Wholesale - Scentura Creations
Country: USA
State: Missouri
City: Bridgeton
Address: 3801 McKelvy
Phone: 3143441998

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