Thursday, April 12, 2007

The Scam of a lifetime....

Hello.

I am just going to give you an overview of what this company is about so that you do not make the same mistake as I did. There have been many before who have documented similar experiences so I will be citing them throughout this post.

First, I will tell you what they will be telling you to try to rope you in.

PART ONE: The Ad.....

By this time you probably saw an ad in Monster or Careerbuilder or another of the myriad of job posting sites and found something that looks like this:

KICK-START A CAREER: advertising, marketing, & management!

CHILD SAFETY ENTERPRISES, INC. was founded with a vision of providing unparallel results to clients in the non-profit sector as well as sports and entertainment, while helping its people achieve their career ambitions. These two goals complemented each other fully.

We are currently filling 10 positions within our training program in our DEER PARK office. People will be trained in the following areas while advancing:

* promotional sales
* event marketing
* customer service & personnel
* client management

All positions are entry level and include performance based advancement. In addition to full time, we also offer part time positions and internships.

The two most important qualities that we are looking for in people are the two things that we can't teach you:

Personality
Ambition

Our ideal candidate is an outgoing, positive person with a fresh perspective; someone who is eager to be a leader of people and who chooses to lead by example.

Since we are willing to train from the ground up, these positions are perfect for recent grads (all majors welcome) and those eager to get their foot in the door in a new career. - Ad from Monster.com

-now I have to say that one measure of improvement has been that they added the term "sales" into the advertisement. This word is really the only thing that matters here. Everything else is fluff/lies/semantics.

"event marketing" - is another way of saying 'promotional sales'
"customer service and personnel" - no job like this offered at this company
"client management" - a sly way of saying that in order to make sales you have to 'manage' your 'clients'; again, no such position offered here.

There are no 'internships,' their version of internship is the same as 'part-time employee'

"performance based advancement" - is a sly way of hiding COMMISSION- as this is a 100% pay by commision job.

Okay now that that's all cleared up, Let's see what kind of applicants they are looking for:

People from all backgrounds seeking part time or full-time opportunities in the following areas are encouraged to inquire about our program: sales, customer service, part time, manager, accounting, marketing, clerical, management, computer, engineer, human resources, drivers, security, administrative assistants, purchasing,, medical, administrative, receptionist, retail, maintenance, warehouse, entry level, education, finance, director, telecommunications, real estate, engineering, insurance, data entry, project managers, information technology, part time, printing, technician, legal, automotive, teacher, winter, banking, analyst, nursing, restaurant, controller, network, public relations, environmental, nurse, design, quality, safety, secretary, office, assistant, hotel, accountant, vice president, medical assistant, transportation, supervisor, general, advertising, writer, social services, java, all, graphic, mba, holiday, office manager, communications, sales manager, admin, mortgage, social workers, training, cms, attorney, research, payroll, oracle, executive assistant, paralegal, courier post, drivers, pharmaceutical,, operations, president, web, Rn, law enforcement, autocad, health care, executive, food, production, chef, cad, project management, tax, auto, editor, hospitality, hvac, pharmaceutical sales, it,, collections, Spanish,, unix, art, buyer, facilities, professional, mechanical, bartender, help desk, travel, logistics, call center, truck drivers, inventory, financial analyst, computers, pharmacist, police, teaching, counselor, chemist, plant manager, photography, bookkeeper, medical sales, electrical engineer, health, trader, bilingual, business analyst, recruiter, cfo, accounts payable, sports,, cashier, financial, music, social worker, publishing, project, support, business development, lpn, welder, clerk, technical, .quality assurance, government, distribution, secretarial, sales management, mental health, nanny, child care, registered nurse, cna, Japanese, technical support, administration, property manager, cook, shipping, pharmacy, coordinator, entertainment.


Okay, basically they will take anyone and everyone. They even add ethnicities/races in the search criteria, so someone who is Japanese and looking for a job might come across this ad in a search. And Java??? There is NO computer programming involved in this job. It is laughable if they ask you or seem excited to hear you have computer skills...

if this doesn't answer all of your questions and make up your mind, read on.......

PART TWO: The phone call/email.....

The email:

Congratulations

After reviewing your resume, we were impressed with your background and
you are a candidate that we have selected for a preliminary interview.
At this stage of the interview process, we would like to have you meet
face to face with someone from our management team to explain more
about our company and the positions currently available. Child Safety
Inc. and Associates, with over 18 years of experience, located in Deer
Park
is New York’s Leader in Child Safety Promotions for non-profit
organizations. We represent such clients as Drug Abuse Resistance
Education (D.A.R.E.), United Care USA, and U.S. Marine Corp. Reserve
Toys for Tots Program. The child safety literature, the fingerprinting
program, and our medical ID cards that we offer free to the community
makes us unique in our endeavor to make the world a safer place and
help out organizations in need.

Our 100% promotion from within philosophy offers a diversity of career
opportunities and growth potential. We are looking to fill 5 openings
in our management-training program, 2 customer service positions, and
one receptionist/administrator position. Hands on training will
include safety event- promotions, public relations, customer-service
and management skills. We are looking for hard working individuals who
like to deal with people and are looking for a rewarding career
opportunity.

Contact Vicky at (631) 860-xxxx to set up a preliminary interview!

Thank you,
Vicky
Human Resources Manager
This is an old email, I don't know what updates they made to it, but it is strewn with "white lies." They are not trying to fill 5 openings, or 10, or 20, or 100 for that matter. This is a company that has an extremely high rate of employee turnover, and must be in a constant state of recruitment to keep itself going, as people are quitting every single day. You will never see these ads go away because they 'finally filled enough positions,' these ads are perpetual.

They purport it as a "management training program," what it really is is a clever version of your run-of-the-mill pyramid scheme. Basically it starts out as a flat-out sales position, 100% commission-based. If you become a 'leader' you can now develop people under you and after a certain number stick around for a certain time you get a modest percentage of their earnings. If you build and maintain an 'all-star' team you might make it to asst. mgr, where 80% of your time you will still be selling and the other 20% you will be learning about how to run the business in the office for a stipend set by the manager/owner - usually equivalent to how valuable you are as a sales asset. And you get increased overrides on your team members, and can still develop more members. If you are really good, you might make it to management and run your own office, but the % of people who make it to this level is a very narrow margin, as the road is riddled with stumbling blocks. This is by no means an easy task to overcome. In a typical management training program, they narrow down applicants based on experience and criteria, then they show you the ropes, you complete your training and become manager. What this job does is thrives on people's dreams that they can manage their own buisiness. They actually make you want to become a manager, even if you don't. They sell everybody the same rap as to how 'anyone' can make it and manage a "million dollar company." This defies logic, in reality there cannot be too many chiefs or [sales] territories will get drained and everyone will be stepping on toes.

PART THREE: The Interview(s)

If they got you by phone or email to come to a first interview, it is because they have been very vague in their explanation of the position and somehow piqued your curiosity. They will do the same thing in the first interview, then they will offer you to come in for a 2nd interview - FOR A FULL UNPAID DAY!!! This guy at scams.com outlined the 2nd interview (a.k.a. Day of observation or Day of O) so I'll just post it here:

I said that I was going to write a walkthrough of a typical day of observation, so here it is from the point of views of both the interviewee and the interviewer.

Typical "Day of O." in detail: Part I

Points of view:

1a) Interviewee
- You come in after your preliminary interview, expecting to observe how the company works for a day. You and whoever else is being "interviewed" that day all sit in chairs in front of a tv. screen. You hear loud screaming and what sounds like chanting from another room while you watch a video about the company (quantum, or whichever other company uses this method). The video has alot of success stories and testimonials about how anyone can make it in this business if they put the time and effort into it. Specific to quantum, they'll add in something about how it raises money for charities in there, in attempt to add a point of legitmacy to the whole thing.

1b) Trainer (leader)
- Without going into the details of the everyday "atmosphere" of the office (morning meetings, rapid-fire, e.t.c) if you are "training" today (normally you only get this so-called privilege if you have sold alot of stuff the day before) you gather around as the owner/asst mgr. doles out which leader gets which applicant. These matches are carefully made by the manager, so as to promote the highest probability of retention. For example, they wouldn't send out a reserved law-school student with "party-joe" because the prospective hire might jump ship, seeing this whole thing as a big joke. He would be sent
out with someone who comes across as professional, so as to give the company a more viable image. Conversely, a vivacious young sorority-girl wouldn't be sent out with the reserved "middle-aged mike," otherwise she might get bored and not be "locked-in" by the "fun" image that "party-joe" would send across to her.

- You then wait your turn until the manager calls you into his office. When he does, he shuts the door and briefs you on your "day of o." He'll tell you only a couple of bullet-points, just so you get a general idea of what techniques you are going to use. More often than not, your manager will tell you what technique(s) you should use to lock 'em in.

An example of this would be, "she comes from a charity background so stress the cause." Or, "he's only looking for a summer job so stress the fun." Or, "he's a sharp guy so hit him with alot of 'facts' about the company and stress the opportunity." You have about 10-15 seconds of this, and then the manager opens the door and calls in the next victim.

2a) Interviewee
- You enter the room and the manager introduces you to the person who you are going out with today. The manager says something like, "this is our top producer" or "this is one of our top leaders, today he/she is taking some time out of his/her busy schedule to show you how the business works."
* I found this really funny, especially since it worked on me. This technique does work, and it sticks in the back of the applicant's head and makes them feel like they are special or different from the other interviewees to have been chosen to be matched with the "top-gun" of the office (which turns out to be complete bs, as you'll see if you stay awhile). It is all psychological, that is what this business is. A big head-game from top to bottom. Class, welcome to Manipulation 101.

2b) Trainer (leader)
- You greet your prospective hire, and out the door you go. You make sure he exits ahead of you. Also, when you get outside you ask him where he's parked and then request that he move his car to a different spot. These measures establish that you as a leader are beginning to take control (you're making the person do what you want them to do, which is what manipulation is all about). You then proceed to get into your car with the applicant and
begin to drive to your "event," which is where you will set up your table and hawk your wares.

3a) Interviewee
- You enter the car and it is then that what you are really going to be doing today starts to be explained. The interviewer tells you a bit about the company, what they do, the fact that you'll be standing outside of some store with some kids toys and branded t-shirts and other stuff with the DARE logo on them. You will not be selling anything today, you are just here to observe, put your "best foot forward," show your "people skills," or something of the like.
* Usually before this moment you have a very vague picture of what the day will be like. You've heard things like "events," fundraising," "spreading awareness," but no one has informed you that you will be slinging crap off of a table in front of Wal-Mart, until this point. This is all planned, as getting someone locked-in is a slow process which requires careful use of manipulation on various levels.
* At this point the person is either going to feel one of 3 ways (non-exclusive list):
1-What the hell is this? Take me to my car please!
2-This is not what I thought it was going to be. I want to leave, but I'll stay just to be nice/give them a chance/because I agreed to the interview. (indifferent/skeptic type)
3-Sure, I'll go along with it. (curious/adventurous type)


3b) Trainer (leader)
- Based on what angle you should be coming from, you try to build a rapport with the person and get them excited about the day. The key is to keep control over the conversation. If you lose control, you best get it back quick or else you can kiss your day of o. goodbye, as they won't be back the next day. Here are some of the things you will be taught to say to different types of people:

For those who want a summer job:
"This is a job where you can have fun and make money"
"This looks good on a resume"
"This is kind of like a paid internship where you'll learn basic sales and marketing and people skills"
"At the end of the summer, you'll get a letter of recognition from DARE"


For the "sharp" people: "Event-based marketing has been proven to be the best way for known companies to get their name into the hands of the public, and for less known companies to gain exposure"
"We work with alot of fortune 500 clients like Disney, pixar, vivitar, nascar, e.t.c." ~this is called 'legitimizing direct sales'


For the skeptical: "So and so used to clean carpets for a living. Now he makes six-figures and drives a brand-new escalade"
"You don't need an education to be successful "


* Manipulation and deception does not equal people skills in my book. There are many more things to go on this list, these are just a few examples.

Typical "Day of O." in detail: Part II

4a) Interviewee
- If you're still here you get to the "event," watch the leader set up his table, and begin to observe him as he tries to sell people items purporting to be helping a charity. You've been told that there is going to be a quiz at the end of the day, and that you will be told the answers, but let's see if you can figure them out on your own first. You are given a small task, if necessary, like greeting people or handing out pamphlets.
* The quiz will include these key things (and doesn't mean anything, but is meant to further establish control)

1-The Law of Averages
* States that out of a hundred people who approach the table, 70% will say no and should be let go, 20% will say yes, and 10% will be "on the fence," where you have to use your personality and manipulation techniques to get them to buy.

2-The 5 Steps: Introduction, Short-story, Merch-Contact(presentation), Close and Rehash.

* Intro - The obvious; "Hello, how are you today?"

* S.S. - What you're doing, Why you're here; "we're helping the kids with the DARE program..."

* M.C. - Get the product in their hands; This is a psychological trick that many merchants use. It creates a sense of ownership. I find this very amusing when people try to do this to me in the malls!

* Close - Close the sale; "how many do you want today?" "what size, XL or L?" "would you like the red or the blue?" "will that be Cash, check or charge?

* Rehash - Remember Everyone Has A Sale Hidden; "Rehash doubles your cash"; Basically once you got 'em, hit 'em up for more money.

3-The 8(or 10) great work habits: in no particular order
* Be Positive, Be prepared, Be on time, Have a great attitude, Work your territory correctly, Maintain your attitude, Always work a full(8hr, but really comes out to about 10-12hrs) day, Take control, Know what you're doing & why you're here

*I will not go in-depth with these, just check the wolfram link I posted a while ago.

4b) Trainer (leader)
- You want to maintain a balance of focus on your applicant and the people going into the store because you want to make money while and at the same time close a deal for perhaps someone who will make you money in the future. This is where the pyramid begins for you, but only if you can build and maintain it. You must keep your day of o. entertained, so that they are not left alone to their thoughts, which might dissuade them from getting involved
with this. You must also challenge them by having them try to figure out the 5-steps, e.t.c. You will entertain any questions they have, but make sure you don't give everything away or you might lose them in an instant. I have said it before, but some of the dodgy/deceptive replies you will be taught to use are:
Q:"so are there benefits here?"
A:"yeah I think we just got a new benefits program that kicks in after 90 days"
Q:"so do you get paid on commission?"
A:"Those questions will be answered at the final interview, should you make it to it"
Q:"So how long does it usually take to become a manager"
A:"Generally it takes about 8-12 weeks, but this may vary depending on the person."


* You use your FUGI factors, which are:

Fear of Loss - If they're really excited about getting the job, make them think that they might not get it.

sense of Urgency - If they are talking about 2 weeks notice, let them know that they should make a decision soon, immediately is preferable, because these "positions" get filled fast.

Greed factor - Let them know how much money can be made by doing this, and that they wouldn't be selling off of a table for a very long time at all.

Indifference - If they show skepticism, be indifferent. Show them that you believe it works and it doesn't matter if they believe it or not, because 'it really works.' If you try too hard to sell the business to them, you will come off as fake.

Above all else, to succeed at retaining the applicant, you must A) make a decent amount of sales that day, and B) keep your attitude peachy the whole day.

5a) Interviewee
- So you made it through the day. On the car ride back, you are asked to recite what is going to be on the test, to make sure you will pass it. The interviewer tells you that he can make his recommendation for you, but ultimately it is the boss's decision on whether or not you get hired.
* This is a crock. If the leader wants you on his team, he'll hire you. Otherwise he'll tell the 'boss' to let you go by giving you an excuse like "the position has been filled already," you usually have to either be a mope or especially dumb for this to happen to you.

For the most part anyone will be hired as long as they have an average level of motivation and social aptitude.

5b) Trainer (leader)
- You've got a pretty good sense of what your day of o. was like. At this point you usually know if they want the job (but not always). You also know whether or not you want them on your team (can they talk correctly? did they seem interested enough?). You have to fear of loss them. You can't let it be known that they're a "shoe-in" for the job. There has to be some control there still. You tell them that the odds are only one or two people will be hired today, you say that you'll give your recommendation to the boss, you wish them luck and seat them back down inside the office to fill out the test (if they don't say that they're going home before that!)

6a) Interviewee
- You hand in the test, you wait to be called in to have your "final interview" with the boss. This is a one-on-one interview, and is usually very brief. The manager asks you how your day went, if you have any questions, and gives you a tale of b.s. like the high recommendation you got, e.t.c. He will then offer you the position. If you accept, then you will come in tomorrow at 8am.
* If payment is discussed, the fact that it is 100% commission will not be said.

6b) Trainer (leader)
- You know your day of o. will be hired but you hope that he will take the job. You've done all you can, it is now up to the manager to make sure that they get locked in. If the applicant accepts, you share in his excitement (and get him more excited). You follow him out to his car, tell him to come in at 8am the next day and to bring a notebook. Later in the evening, usually around 9pm, you will give him a "rehash phone-call," to make sure he is
still excited about the day. If you want you can also invite him for breakfast/coffee before work.

This is a typical day of o. in summary. Like I said in previous posts, they have to put on a show to MAKE you want the job, because nobody wants to do this. If I would have known from the get-go that the job was full commission, that the "program" would take alot longer than 8-12 weeks, and that anybody and their mother can get hired, I would have never even went to
the interview. Like I said it is a slow "reeling in process."They let out their line by using the dummy bait found in their ads (Cross-training, entry-level to management, etc). Then they slowly try to pull you in slowly once you're hooked. If they pull too hard, the line will snap. If they don't pull enough, you will struggle and break free. And many "fish" will get away no matter how hard they try to catch them. To them, recruiting has its own law of averages. It is basic math. If you try the same thing on a hundred people, some of them are likely to stick around. It is my hope that this thread will help to decrease their L.O.A. a hundred-fold.

*The above two posts are from a first-hand account, my own

Now if you're still not satisfied, you can go to one of these websites for more information:

http://wolfram.org/scam/ds_max/index.html - Describes this type of business.

http://groups.msn.com/DSMAXTheAftermath/_whatsnew.msnw - A community group for those affected by this type of company.

http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=10843&page=2&pp=40 - The thread discussing this company.

I hope you've read this blog before agreeing to an interview so that you can make an educated decision. Spread the word and link to this blog if it has helped you in any way.


47 comments:

Lacey said...

Yup. Sounds about right. Contact me if you want to chat. I was caught up in the same scam.

eightlimbfighter said...

hey Glen, I have seen your posts on the aftermath and scam website. I have a few questions about child safety and one of their spawns, but I am reluctant to post personal stuff on the aftermath website because I know I am being watched. I lost the love of my life to this business, and am so confused about what happened. I was just looking to clear some stuff up about why he may have left and literally cut off all ties to me so that I can find some closure. If you could email me, I would be greatful.

anti.quantum said...

eightlimbfighter,
I would like to get back to you but there seems to be no way to contact you in your profile. You can email me at anti.quantum@gmail.com I might not answer right away (I don't check too often) so please be patient!

Lacey said...

Could you contact me? I really want to get the word out about the particular branch of Quantum I worked at so others aren't scammed the same way I was. I even thought about contacting some of the businesses they have their events at to let them know about them. I've contacted careerbuilder.com about their false advertising, but nothing is being done.

anti.quantum said...

Hi Lacey,

I don't have yahoo messenger. Just send me an email at anti.quantum@gmail.com and I'll get back to you.

Anonymous said...

Well this is ironic that this add came out today. I had a friend send it to me after I had just finished my 2nd interview (the day before) with a company joined with Quantum. It was creeepy reading the breakdown of Day O. It was accurate right down to the word. When they offered me the job, I insisted that I not start for a week being I was skeptical about the company. They insisted that I come in a sign papers right away. The more I thought of it the worse I felt about the place. Another big thing is they do not take taxes from your pay, and your not even entitled to Canada Pension, or Employment Insurance. They don't pay you for mileage either(they try to tell you to write it off at tax time)but expect for you to drive long distances on your dime. The whole day was very intrusive and disturbing.

Anonymous said...

I've seen these jokers in front of Lowe's, hawking "Toys for Tots" or "D.A.R.E." Being a dutiful Marine, I donated to the "Toys for Tots" at Christmas time. I found it odd that on top of my $20 "donation," she had the unmitigated gall to ask me for the tax, since the "charity" couldn't afford it. Since I was with my kids, I just ignored it and went inside. Well, to make as long story short, I see the SAME idiots in front of the SAME Lowe's two months later, only this time with a D.A.R.E. banner. So I called the cops. Dunno what happened, but a truly despicable scam.

Anonymous said...

Biggest scam I have ever seen in my life. I graduated from one of the best schools in the USA, looking to break into Marketing. I was exploring my options and going on multiple interviews...when I got tricked in to the Child Safety scam. I was embarrassed that someone might catch me on my day of observation outside of a supermarket. I have spread the word about how ridiculous this experience was. Funniest thing was that...one of my best friends had her first interview set up with them for the following day. Needless to say, she never went. Anyone and Everyone STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for posting this...i was thninking about applying to this place and just wanted to google it to look up its exact information and up came you posting...now I am going to be much more careful about where I apply!!!

Thanks Again!!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your blog...I was looking to apply for a job here and was googling it to look for their exact location before i decided to apply when i came across your blog. I am going to be much more careful and do some real reaserch on a company or job from now on before I apply and make sure it's legit. I would have been so crushed when I wasted my time and found out what kind of place it was.
Can't thank u enough!!!

Anonymous said...

I just typed the company name in Google and this came up. I was just looking for the address on my way to the interview!!!!
Thanks, you saved me!!!

Anonymous said...

i interviewed at the deer park location two weeks ago, i have not been called back-i mentioned that my boyfriend is a lawyer after my interview with the receptionist, i guess that scared them enough not to call me back, thank you for the warning, i keep seeing the ads for many different locations....i will check to see if more replies come in..and if i see one of their "charitible causes" i will definitely talk to the people running it and report back here..again thank you for the big heads up.

Anonymous said...

This blog is great!!! It just looks to me like many other meetings I've gone to, especially one for a company called Primerica, which is a total brainwasher....Thank you for your postings....

Anonymous said...

Just an FYI for any of you pro-quantums out there, this is my blog and it goes by MY rules, so if you plan to insult and spread your propaganda here your posts will be promptly deleted. It's a free country, so you can start your own blog on how much you detest my blog. so why don't YOU go get a life and a REAL job!! f u very much ;)

sincerely yours,
anti.quantum

socprof said...

Unbelieveable. I got sucked into the same thing with canvassing for a political party: the Working Families Party. The biggest difference was that they bus you to a working class neighborhood to knock on people's doors and beg them for donations. YOu're more than 50 miles from you're car when you realize what's going on.

Anonymous said...

I just want for an interview there. Not sure if its a scam. I have an all day interview on Tuesday. Any pointers???

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this blog, I interviewed in Deer Park on Thrusday and have a "second all day interview" there on Monday. Needless to say WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP THAT IS! I think I am just going to go rattle the brains of these people and scare them a little bit. I might even call newsday and unlease the scam so no one else wastes their time.

Anonymous said...

All I can is wow... this article is so true. I just had my second "full" day interview today, and it just seemed so sketchy and weird, I even mentioned to my girlfriend how it felt like a pyramid scheme. So I googled it tonight and what can I say, this article is so true and it also is so scary and eerie to think what these people are doing. You mentioned the trainer even calls you back about an hour after the interview, he called me back 30mins later!!! omg, thankgod I haven't signed any papers yet.

Anonymous said...

omg, they're STILL using the Vicky letter, a squeaky voiced girl answers the phone to set up an interview, and i was just pressing my clothes for tomorrow's interview! you guys saved me a collosal waste of time.
thank you! this is a great service. some of these comments are 2 years old, and 'vito' was mentioned to me too. these jerks never cleaned up their act and obviously the law is slow to shut them down.

Anonymous said...

holy haymaker....i just went today for my "second interview" and THEN found this site. i think they take you so far away from the original site expecting that you will be stuck there with them all day in the litter filled 7-11 parking lot in flippin' bucks county, pa. good thing for me my sister works nearby and picked me up 20 minutes after i got there (at which point i found this blog while googling in her office). sorry but my college education didn't exactly prepare me to beg for $$ from ppl on their lunch hour while i pretend to be affiliated with a NPO that actually works for a positive cause. i can't tell you how much this freaked me out to read...especially the part about them telling me to move my car! talk about hitting the nail on the head. $hit is CRAZY and people are nuts. send my best to vicky....

Anonymous said...

great site...this should be posted right next to their advertisement. I went for the 1st interview and was called for a second and something didn't sit right with me so I googled it and found this...THANK YOU...btw...i don't think Vicky is a real person...anyone see the movie "I ROBOT"??...Anyway...this is truly a sleazy scam...

Anonymous said...

Sounded like a good idea at the beginning but then read this article and realized that I was duped into an awful scam. Everything was right to the T from this article about my "interview", day of o. and 2nd and 3rd days working with this company. I actually regret and feel bad for the people that I sold some of the merch to and plan on quitting on my 4th day. Thanks for informing me about the scam and I will do my part to tell others so that they will not be treated poorly as well.

Anonymous said...

yup, I got suckerd in a few years ago, by Vito Spadafore. I thought it was a great thing when I went for the interview, they even played dumb when I asked if they knew anything about Nine-Zero (another marketing company I had worked for), ends up, it was their sister company (has since gone under). While I was sitting waiting to be interviewed, Vito had his team leaders (the other blood suckers out to use you to make a quick buck) ask and talk to each other about fingerprints in the system, and how little "molly sue" has been found and you can update her file. SUCH LIES! I honestly did not mind standing outside and meeting all sorts of people, my problem is, I talk and talk, and wasn't making sales, so all these other people were advancing and I was getting stuck. He asked us to work on THANKSGIVING, and then again on black friday (the day after) and said that if we work Wed-Fri we would get a bonus, I did not work on thanksgiving, but I know a few people who did, and did NOT get any sort of bonus. The next day (black friday) I worked my rear off, training two new-comers and selling EVERY item I had! He said he'd pay me Monday.
Monday I had a dr's appointment (and had told Vito about a month prior and reminded him daily during the previous week). I told him I had to stay local and leave by 3:00. He ended up putting me out in Queens, and gave me crap about leaving early. I quit after I made it out to Queens, why I went out there and wasted my gas and time, I don't know, I just didn't want to start a big fight. We were told we had to pay for parking, and I wasn't about to. So I called and spoke with Vitos boss (can't remember his name, and he has since left- so I've been told) he tried to talk me into staying, I realized after my DR. Apt that one of the toys had fallen out of the box (I had given to my partner that day) so I went to the office to drop it off and pick up my check, and just talk things out. Vito told me that my sales weren't good, and he wasn't happy with how I reacted. I told him that's fine, I would like my check (well cash).. he didn't have it. He said he would mail me a check on the following Wednesday. It has been over 2 years, I still haven't recv'd a check. I have called, faxed, mailed, emailed, even REAPPLIED trying to get paid. That scumbag owes me over $300.00 and I will never see that money!

Just beware of this place! tell everyone you know about it!

Everytime a solicitor comes into my office I tell them about it, because most of those companies are tied together. I've even gotten into fights with people I see promoting D.A.R.E or T4T, I'll ask if they work for child safety and I'll ask for Vitos number (cell) because he's since changed it. but they never give it to me, and I can't take off of work to go up there and get it!

Anonymous said...

I got sucked into going for the initial interview in 2006. I then came back the next day. After watching the indoctrination video, and speaking with the leaders, they were sending me out with some guy. I said when I walked out the door that I was leaving. This jerkoff from the Deer Park location, who looked like a total ass and reeked of cigarette smoke, starts using profanities, saying "I don't give a fuck if you're coming or not, I just have to get the fuck out of here." I laughed to myself, because I knew my hunch was right, and I'm so glad I didn't waste my time.

I have a lot more to say, but it's late. I had an interesting run-in today, and went home to check the scam.com link and it's not working currently. Hope that it's not down for good, as that was a great resource. So I found this blog to vent.

I think these people are the absolute scum of the Earth. Today, I went to mail some pacakges at the Medford, Long Island, NY post office. The POST OFFICE. As in the GOVERNMENT entity. I saw 3 sheep with the big Fingerprinting banner and I was like, you have to be kidding me... in front of the post office? How could the government allow this? So one girl opened the door for me and made some friendly comment, of course not knowing that I was "in the know." I said thank you, and when I was done went outside, and was accosted by another girl. I said straight out, "I KNOW about Child Safety." So this moron says... "great... high five." I said, "No, I know the bad things." (which really is everything) So she says... "ok... give me a high five... just put your arm up and slap my hand." At this point, she's got the crazy eyes going... she looks absolutely insane, to the point where the hair on the back of my neck stood up. This crazy little bitch grabs my arm to give her a high five... grabs my arm! So I pull away and I just say, "You should be ashamed... I feel sorry for all of you." I walked to my car (which no one had instructed me to move... lol) and obviously they were all standing there laughing at me, but hey, I'm driving a new BMW, and they are peddling falsely advertised merchandise in front of the post office. I'm thinking I might get the last laugh in this situation. I will be checking this blog... if anyone wants to get in touch with me, please let me know. If I need to call someone about the post office affair, I will. It happened today (March 14, 2008) at around 4:40 PM. There was an Asian man in a suit, an Asian girl, and a possibly Hispanic smaller girl (the one who physically touched me). I'm literally afraid of this organization... I'm taking a big chance by putting my name out there. But I will go to any LEGAL means to see this scam toppled.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

OMG there is a promotion company that does this in Farmingdale,Ny too they take you out all day for like 9 hours UNPAID and they give anyone a job.It's HORRIBLE!!! It has nothing to do with event promotions.BEWARS & thanks for saving me a trip for this interview!!

Anonymous said...

AMAZING! YOU SAVED MY DAY. I am a senior in college on my spring break, looking for jobs and all, and I was going to waste a day of my vacation to go interview with these lowlifes. It's funny, I got up early, got dressed and ready for the interview, and with about 15 minutes left before I had to drive out 45 minutes to Deer Park, I decided to google the company just to read up a bit on them one last time so I would be prepared for the interview... and THIS BLOG CAME UP! I couldn't be more grateful that I didn't waste my time with a horrible scam. So I put my pajamas back on and went back to bed. Sorry that anyone ever had to go through with this. I am going to spread the word indeed.

-Camille

Anonymous said...

If you have not been paid by this company, you should contact your local U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Office to file a complaint for back wages. The Long Island office can be reached at 516-338-1890.

My understanding is that this company owes some of their former workers back pay and the Department may be looking into this.

Anonymous said...

Well unfortunately for me I was scammed too. I worked fort this company in Deer Park and I worked for 3 days they sent me a pay check for $17.62. When I quit and tried to find out what was going on with my pay. I mean I worked at least 30 hours in those three days I wanted my money. Especially since I had made plenty of sales on the 3 days I had worked. I was informed that the leader that I was paired with claimed to have made all the sales. He stated that he sold 35 items and I sold 5. I was truly upset as this really wasn't the case. I have since then contacted the dept. Of labor who is looking into the company. I have also contacted a lawyer. For anyone who would like the contact information for this company. I have a current number for the office which is 1-631-860-0231. And the number for the current manager under Vito Spadafora is Jessica Lopez and her cell phone number is 1-516-315-2628. I am going to sue for the wages I earned and get my money one way or the other. It is truly a shame that companies like this can exist. Especially this day in age in the United States.

Anonymous said...

Hello all, this web sight and scam.com has really put a damper in vitos life. his world is crashing down on him. it all started down hill when he left his wife of 8 years, his 8 year old son and 3 year old daughter for that slut that runs the front desk Ali. I was very good friends with vito untill he started chilling with Ali. i have zero respect for him as a person and his day is coming. WHY DONT YOU HAVE ANOTHER DRINK VITO, YOUR SUCH A JACKASS! You need mental help.

Unknown said...

i have an interview with this company on next monday. i came across this website to do research on the company to land the job. after reading this, i dont think ill be attending this interview.

Anonymous said...

What's morally at question with these people is that they purposely don't tell you that only 5% of your donation goes to the charity. Only people working selling Victoria Jackson cosmetics "for" Operation Smile are even supposed to say 5% - but I know the ones in Columbia, SC don't. On my day of o a lady handed me a 100 dollar bill. I felt awful taking it because I new only 5 dollars went to the charity.

The boss at Apple Unlimited told me at my interview that he can't afford a car because he's so far behind on his child support. He then asked me to come up with a company name (I wasn't even hired yet). Turns out they incorporate you so they don't have to take the fall when things get found out. Why would anyone work for that?

Everyone should check out this undercover report and send it to your local news with the information on the companies running scams:

http://www.fox6.com/content/unit6/story.aspx?content_id=c4ab7d48-7b18-4a5a-a168-ccc2b00a6a26

Anonymous said...

SCAM CHILD INC in ELMSFORD NY.
1. use your intuition
2. i quit after the 2nd day
3. there is no vicki!
4. itd be cool to run an undercover mission and see what really goes on
5. SCAM SCAM LIES LIES GET AWAY!

Anonymous said...

Use your BRAIN. THE fact that there is even this much discussion about a company should hint that you shouldnt be a part of it...ITS ALLLLL LIESSSS!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the heads up. I set up an appointment with the company and then after read your blog I e-mailed a girl named Nora about the pay and the whole pyramid thing and she gave me the run around. basically told me I had to ask in the third interview if I got that far. Then she said if I was going to cancel my appointment to let her know asap b/c she had other people waiting to get an interview.

Anonymous said...

UGH, I got roped in too. I think the biggest problem is that even though the law does their best to prevent the public from scams like this, they change the company name to dupe more people. I didn't know about this until I googled the company name plus their location (Deer Park, NY) and added the word SCAM to the end of the long winded search string and sure enough there were dozens of the sites that literally quoted my days with them as if they followed me around. Waste of time, waste of gas, waste of money...

Overall I'm glad I found this blog and will now call them back tomorrow and cancel the "training" session/third interview. I would like to thank the creator of this blog for helping me come to a logical decision. Second, I've read some of the entries and feel terrible that this scam has gone as far as broken up relationships. Lastly, a piece of advice to future people who want to know about this scam before they get duped: before considering contacting the company for an interview (assuming you call them first), Google [company name + city, state + SCAM] to check. For example, Quantum Deer Park, NY SCAM.

Anonymous said...

i went through the interview process..and even to the second day on 'the job'...i was skeptical but really couldnt put my finger on it. Every time i brought up the company with my trainer her mood changed..she became less talkitive or would beat around the bush.

we were outside a CVS in wilton, CT and i believe the manager was receiving complaints about us, my guess is that more and more people are finding out that this is a scam. when the manager would come out, my trainer would speak to him privately...and wouldnt tell me what they were saying...by the end of the day, the manager had told us to not come back!

during this day/my last..a gentlemen, thankfully!,came up to me and asked "are you working directly with the charity? or through one of those marketing companies?" i was puzzled because i didnt know why that mattered...he informed me that his own daughter worked for a marketing company and that she racked up 4000 miles on her car, was never reimbursed for ware and tear, or gas, and her pay was not near what she should have been getting. (my trainer, during this conversation, looked at the ground and acted like he wasnt there).
the man then said is there a lot of "chanting and upbeat music?"..something he wouldnt know unless his daughter really was a part of it!!!
after he left i went on a short break and had my girlfriend google CHILD SAFETY INC and SCAM...sure enough she confirmed it all for me...although i still had 3 more hours of work with my deceptive trainer!!
i inquired with her as to why a man would say all that stuff to which she replied "well..not everyone is cut out for this type of work"
needless to say i enjoyed the last 3 hours only because my trainer was nervous that the man was scaring me off! which in fact was true...but i left work with out quitting and sure enough around 9pm my trainer called to tell me what time to be in the next day...
i said i didnt think i was going to come in, it wasnt the job for me. she thanked me and hung up. 10 mins later SHE CALLED BACK to ask why!

i then proceeded to tell her everything i found out on the internet!!

quite unprofessional..but i was heated..she was like "how is it a scam, i get a paycheck" and when i asked about "vicky" i said "have you ever met a vicky? i havent..does she even exist?!" a warranted response from my trainer .."i dont know what to say about that.."

everything i read about, i confronted her, to saying i had the exact conversations with her in person that i READ ONLINE! i said i quit and good luck in life.

she couldnt give me an answer for anything and said she understood where i was coming from.

i wish there was a way to broadcast these types of scams to everyone!!!

waste of time.

the next day out of curiosity, i submitted a random resume i found online to CHILD SAFETY INC. and got the same email to come in for an interview!...i made an appt. and then didnt show up. this may have been immature...haha. oh well. good luck!

Anonymous said...

I want to thank everyone who contributes to getting the word out on these scams. I am just getting out of college with a B.A. in psychology but I have a customer service background and was contacted by Child Safety Innovations both by email and then by phone. My interview was for Monday and you all have saved me from a good deal of discomfort and grief that my life doesn't need right now. I am easily discouraged and having trouble finding a job, so I might have gotten roped in.

Keep fighting the good fight, I just wanted to let you know you are succeeding. I don't have a strong online presence, but if there is anything I can do to help, let me know. I will check back here in a week. You can refer to me as Honesty. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Honesty again...
I think I figured out how to beat these suckers. Type this into your search bar and see what you get.

"Teams, Teams, Teams!!!
We believe that 2 plus 2 can equal 5. When putting two or more heads together, better results can be achieved than if tackled solo..."

Sound familiar? I found over a hundred websites, all with the exact same content, but under different names. If enough people post that sentence and follow it up by the truth, maybe people can become wise to the trap before falling in.

Anonymous said...

Honesty here...
My suggestion to do something about this is to email the charity organizations these companies prey on and tell them who they are doing business with.

Anonymous said...

Honesty--
Glad this blogged helped ya out!! i was in the same position..just graduated from college in may and itching to start in the 'real world' lol...good thing this thing existed!

--W

anti.quantum said...

Hi Honesty,

One of the fundamental problems is that many of the charities in question (DARE for sure) already know what is going on, but choose to overlook it because it is a significant source of revenue for them, even though they are not getting a big piece of the pie. I guess they just view everything else as "Collateral Damage." I sometimes wonder if they would take money from drug dealers just because it was a source of revenue and not taking into account that it goes against everything they stand for... The sad part is that local chapters of DARE will never see the proceeds from these sales, yet many unwitting consumers will give from their hearts thinking that it will help their own neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I worked for this company for two long months in the brute of winter. Ultimately after all was said and done, I calculated that I was receiving about six dollars an hour (not including all the gas I spent on driving to these "events"). WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.

anti.quantum said...

Anyone who fell for this or a similar scam, listen to this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR4yGbTSVEY

The lyrics are soooo relevant

Anonymous said...

I think I have an interview with a sister company or something tomorrow, not sure. Does anyone know if there is something like this operating in Chicago too?

Anonymous said...

I was employed in a very high position at one of these companys until i decided they were selling me too more bullcrap than i could deal with, and i quit. I wasted a year on this "dream". Everything said here about the company is true. It is a scam, they rope you in, and they feed you bull.

However, for those of you who have called the police or think the company was scared by lawyers, you are way off. These companys are doing nothing that is illegal.
So the next time you want to call the police on the two kids outside raising money for charity (which they are- 20% goes directly to charity) you are not hurting the company just the kids who are working for a living.

Anonymous said...

Why hasnt anyone taken it upon themselves to undermine the institution while on assignment, like take all the money earned that day and go give it to a real organization? in my opinion, if this happened to me, which it kind of did with a very famous anti bush and oil drilling activism group based in wesport, missouri, this company would not be the same after i left the building, if you know what i mean. with the activism group, we were dropped off ten miles away in a very rich neighborhood, in the middle of the day, with our spiels in mind, and walked and walked door to door asking those who, amazingly, didnt work and were home during these hours, mostly mothers or some guy who had a flu, for donations to help the wildlife that was being affected by drilling in alaska. all this money went straight into their pockets.
after realizing what was happening, i turned into an ass, but the trainer wouldnt come pick me up and take me back to my car. so i told them what the could do with themselves, i then walked ten miles back to my car and threw all their free gifts and paraphenalia into a trash dumpster right in front of their office. people take advantage of those who just want to help others, these org's. are the lowest form of crap on earth.
kansas city beware!

Anonymous said...

HEllo Everyone!!
the Location in Deer Park long island New York is now called NY promotional events.. or Grand Slam events located on 94 C Jefryn Blvd. i fell for the same thing and i went on my second interview today, i decided to tuff it out..but after 9 hours in the cold and the fake attiutdes i decided that these low lives have somthing bad going on. Not to mention all the loud yelling that was going on in the morning while i was watching the outdated video for the orientation.
The letter for the interviews come from a girl names Allie/ Alexandra Giblin.. so be aware of that..
besides that .. i wish i found out earlier..