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Lar234
May 19, 2009
Marketing Scam Beware
A company that has currently popped up on job sites is FAST TRACK, which is exactly like SMI, except they sell home remodeling products. I saw the posting on erecruiting.com, and they said they did "Promotional Marketing" (I love how these pathetic companies use various marketing and sales terms to validate their actual strategy. You're a door-to-door sales company, and future prospects are eventually going to find out what you do, so just tell them). They also falsely led me to believe they pay an annual base salary. So I thought I would send in my resume to see what happens.
On their job postings, they specifically stated they would not open attachments in emails, so they wanted applicants to copy and paste their resume into the body of the email, which is fine. However, while I was preparing my resume, I absent-mindedly attached it to the email, and sent the email at 7:34 PM. I immediately realized what I did, and figured I would not hear from them.
Lo and behold, I receive an email from FAST TRACK at 2:50 THE VERY NEXT MORNING, saying that "management" has looked over my credentials and would like me to schedule an interview. I found this very suspicious, so I talked it over with my family to see what to do. They said to at least look into it because they didn't want me to miss an opportunity. So I decided to schedule an interview and head to FAST TRACK's headquarters which are located at 2801 S. Fairfield Ave. Suite A in Lombard, IL (which just happens to be the same address as SMI's headquarters, which I was not aware of at the time).
During the interview, the interviewer (who I will leave nameless) asked me a few simple questions about my resume and then informed me he had about fifteen more interviews in the day, and that was basically the whole first interview. Upon leaving the office, I wondered how he would separate me from the "other interviews" considering he didn't ask more in-depth questions.
I received a voicemail around 2:50 in the afternoon the same day from the interviewer saying he wanted to discuss some things on my resume, and finished the message by fumbling around to give me the number to his office, which ended up with him giving the wrong number. Unfortunately, I had the correct number saved on my cell phone and called back, and they invited me back for the second round interview to shadow one of their "managers" for the day to see their "day to day operations". So I figured I would get to see what they actually do and make a decision for myself.
The morning of my second interview, I received a confirmation call from the secretary of FAST TRACK to make sure I was coming for the interview, except when she addressed what company she was calling for, she accidentally said SMI, and quickly corrected herself and said FAST TRACK. I immediately felt a bad feeling about this company, but I decided to go through with it, hoping that it would be something other than door to door sales.
I arrived at the office, met the manager I would be shadowing, and from 12PM to 8PM we walked around a neighborhood doing door to door sales. Not only did I find it absolutely frustrating and unprofessional going up to people after 5PM, after they have been busting their behind at work all day, but then we even went up to people's doors around 7:30PM, when it was completely dark out. That's just shady.
We returned to the office around 9PM, and after the interviewer talked with the manager I shadowed, he said the manager had nothing but "great things" to say about me, even though the whole day I acted completely uninterested and hardly asked any questions. Then he offered me the job on the spot and asked when the earliest I could start was. I said I wanted a couple days to think it over and talk with my family about it, and got out of that office as fast as possible.
So to those who work for SMI and FAST TRACK, which apparently those names are interchangeable, here is a message from me to you: your company is pathetic, unprofessional, and desperate, and if you think your company is stable and a good work environment, you might want to re-evaluate your life. What I witnessed from that company was the saddest thing I've ever seen, and to be around other people my age with college degrees acting like what they were doing was completely normal made me feel like I was in the Twilight Zone. Why are your companies so desperate to hire anybody, seriously? No seriously, I really want to know. And why do you try to hide the fact in your job postings and your interviews that you're a door to door sales company. Just say it, because the people you employ are eventually going to find out, and you will save plenty of people's time and money. Wasting my time with your company was one of the most disappointing experiences I've ever come across, and am personally embarrassed that I was douped into walking around doing nonsense for eight hours even after they constantly slipped up by giving me wrong numbers and messing up their own company's name. One word to describe this: JOKE.
This is a detailed account of what I had to experience, and I hope people understand what they're getting into when they apply to these companies. If you still don't, I'll make it easy for you: If you're looking to work 10 hours a day, possibly weekends, work strictly on commission and not be guaranteed any money, and perform DOOR TO DOOR SALES, then SMI and FAST TRACK are for you.
Comments
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39 days ago by smarter now 0 Votes
That sucks and I'm sorry you had to experience the "first interview." I had a day similar to yours when I interviewed (unknowingly) for SMI where I shadowed Becky and we went door to door in the blazing sun all day and all night trying to sell office supplies. I stopped counting the doors that were shut in our faces and the police threats we recieved after 10am. I wanted to RUN far and fast. What was the most disturbing to me was the attitude of this Becky whom I had spent the day with. She was young, confident, seemed intelligent (although she DID accept a position as a door to door salesperson..weird) and had her degree, yet she found this commission based JOKE of a job to be satisfying!! Unreal. I mean, I understand the economy is rough and finding a job is tricky right now, but the day you see me going door to door trying to sell a copy machines and hand sanitizer to a family owned auto repair shop is the day that hell freezes over.
19 minutes ago by Lar234 0 Votes
I worked for this company for 3 days and I have to say it might just have been the worst 3 days of my life. They lie non stop. The ad is a lie and the job is a lie. I believe the end concept is legit and if you put in all of the work you will definitely end up having your own office, but at what price? These people are worse than used car salesman. Who wants to go door to door for 12 hours a day for 8-9 months in the rain, sleet, snow, sub zero temperatures...not to mention in some of the shittiest and shady areas of the city you will find...and not even be guaranteed any money. Like the above poster said...the economy might be horrible, but I will never subject myself to something like this again. There is no such thing as having integrity when you are performing this job. They use brainwashing tactics on all of their employees. Trust me...EVERYONE is brainwashed...I am by no means old (27) and wise, but every employee is a recent college grad around 21 & 22 years of age, and they don't know any better because they've never had a "real" career job. That is why this company preys on them. From the first minute I stepped in there something just didn't feel right, and thankfully I got out quick. Just to let you know the horror you're in for I'll even break a typical day down for you:
9:30 am - report to the office to "practice pitch" with all of the other used car salesmen. This entails the managers putting on hip urban music while everyone partners up and practices a specific pitch to try to trick people into signing up for home improvement estimates and cleaning services. "The first line of the pitch is "Hey sir...(with a big fake used car salesmen smile)...don't worry I'm not selling anything ..(this is said to put them at ease, but if they don't sign up no one gets paid..so you are indeed very much selling something.) It's all dirty tricks.
10:30am - Get into a broken down looking car with your manager, and 2 other "used car salesmen".
11:30am - Get out of your car in a horrible, run down, dangerous neighborhood and go door to door trying to get people to sign up for cleaning services and home improvement estimates. You know...utilizing your bullshit pitch.
2:30pm - Lunch
3:15pm - back going door to door
8:00pm - Finish up in the field after going door to door for the last few hours in the bitch black of night (very shady)
9:00pm - Arrive back at the office to recap your day with all of the other losers, and brag about how well you did, and try to hide in a corner if you didn't do well.
9:15pm - Very bizarre ritual where everyone stands around a table with a schoolbell, a gong, and a really tiny bell. One of the brainwashed douchebag proceeds to yell "Hey guys"...where everyone then responds "Hey what"...then the douchebag says it again.. "Hey guys"..and you have to repeat this shit yet again.."Hey what"...Then the dildo goes up and either rings the little bell = 3 sales made...the big bell = 5 sales made..or the gong = 6 sales made.
10:30 - finally arrive home
So if this sounds like the type of day you want to have for 8-9 months or longer...be my guest..don't say you weren't warned. i have a college degree, and even though the economy is bad I'll find something 1000 times better than this eventually.
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