After listening to a vague voicemail left on my phone about a position in pharmaceutical sales, I waited a day to respond. The person claimed to have seen my resume and I fit the qualifications for a sales job. I've been looking for work for a long time, so I apply to tons of jobs daily and rarely remember the description when called back. But I usually remember the company, so it struck me as odd he didn't even mention a company name!
When I called, I was told they are a recruiting company that help you get work in the pharmaceutical sales industry. He took basic info including my name, address and asked if I had a 4 yr degree. Once I answered he said there were positions available in my area. Base salary is usually 30-60K and commission could make it a six figure salary. He then told me I would need to pay a 1 time fee of $29 to register online with their job board in order to have my profile seen by potential employers. I was uncomfortable with that, but after repeatedly asking & assurances that its a 1 time fee, I agreed. He said I needed to fill out a user profile & upload my resume. I also thought this was odd, if he saw my resume, he should already have it on file. He then verified my address to send a packet overnight with a book and test that would get a better feel for what job I qualify for. This sounded extremely suspect, but I had already given my payment info.
So finally after his sales pitch, he revealed that there would be a $29 monthly membership charge that would automatically be charged to my account if I decided to continue with them or haven't received a job within 30 days, which is unlikely. He also wanted to charge me $56 for the package in the mail. I cut him off and said I thought I was only getting charged a 1 time fee? How did we go from $29 to $97 and a possible monthly fee? So he said I could just go with the basic membership and just get charged $29, but he highly recommends I do the test etc. I told him I wasn't interested in spending more than the 1 time fee.
I ended the conversation feeling very uncomfortable, so I did research and found several complaints of this company making fraudulent claims or being a scam! I checked my bank account and saw I was charged $38.90 instead of the $29 I was told about! So I called my bank immediately to cancel the card in case they tried to make additional charges. I then called the client services number of Certified Sales Jobs to cancel any membership or services they signed me up for.
I spoke to a man named Thomas who tried to figure out why I wanted to cancel so soon. I explained I was uncomfortable paying for job recruiting services when I could just go through an agency, job board or directly with a company for free. I also told him after doing research I found plenty of complaints online. He then started getting agitated and tried to convince me the company is legit and wanted to know exactly where he could find complaints online. I told him I wasn't interested in debating, just cancel any membership and issue me a refund! I then received a confirmation email that my membership was canceled and to expect a refund in a few days. I'm not holding my breath on the refund, but I'm glad I followed my gut and only had a minimal commitment. I can live with a $38.90 loss, but losing money on a monthly basis or nearly $100 in one shot would've been much worse!
Anyone looking for work beware of this company! There are so many scams preying on the desperation of the unemployed! It is sickening & disgusting!
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