What a scam!!! I this ad on Craigslist under the simple title "Now Hiring"

7/6/10 at 1:04 p.m.
Safety corporation must fill 12 FT/PT positions in customer service/sales/management. No experience is required since training is provided. Please call (567) 525-4967 to set up an immediate interview


Location: Lima/Findlay
Compensation: Varies by position (up to $700/week)
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Phone calls about this job are ok.
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

and this one listed as General Office

7/6/10 at 10:33 a.m.

Busy office needs to hire 15 people for both full and part time positions. These postitions include general office help, customer service, sales and management. Training is provided, so although experience is valued, it it not required. We do promote only from within so there is a definite possibility of advancement. Please call (567) 525-4967 to set up an immediate interview.


Location: Lima/Findlay
Compensation: Varies by position (Up to $700/week)
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Phone calls about this job are ok.
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

and then this one with the headline "Save lives for a living"

7/6/10 at 9:37 a.m.

National fire safety company is looking for part time sales reps to market fire safety equipment and spread fire awareness in our community. We offer top of the line products at competitive prices. Take pride in what you do while making our world a safer place. Please call (567) 525-4967 to set up an immediate interview.


Location: Lima/Findlay
Compensation: Commission + Bonuses
This is a part-time job.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Phone calls about this job are ok.
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.


and finally this one listed as "Office Manager" under the jobs catergory

7/6/10 at 9:36 a.m.

National fire prevention company is expanding and will be opening 5 branch offices in Lima, Findlay and the surrounding areas by August 1. We must train managers to run these offices. Competitive pay and bonuses. Please call (567) 525-4967 to set up an immediate interview.


Location: Lima/Findlay
Compensation: Discussed during interview
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Phone calls about this job are ok.
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

I went to an "interview" for an Office Manager position. On the outside of the building there was a handmade sign that simply read "Safety Enterprises next door". There was another sign inside the building that read "Safety Enterprises Unit 2C", but again it was handwritten on a piece of paper.

In the first room of the office space was a desk with a phone and a few chairs. Not a whole lot else and certainly nothing that would lead anyone to believe there is an even slightly successful business being ran there. The next room I was taken to had a long table with a bunch of magazines spread out. Most were catalogs you could request from different companies and get for free. There was a small stand in the corner with a few fire extinguishers and such. There was a radio on another small stand, a map with several green pegs, and a white board with several cities listed on it. (I was later told the green pegs were where there are currently offices and where they are planning to open offices in the near future.) In the final room of this office was a desk, 2 pictures on the wall, and a few things on the desk. To me this all SCREAMS- I JUST MOVED IN HERE AND I CAN MOVE RIGHT BACK OUT AT A MOMENTS NOTICE!

There were two people already in an "orientation" (which is basically a man telling how great the fire extinguishers and other junk are). I was asked to sit in the first room until he was done with the speech. When he finished I was let into the second room, but had to wait while the other two were interviewed. I could hear most of what was said in the interviews. And they were pretty much word for word the same as mine. He finally came out to do my orientation and showed how great the products are and how quickly you could advance with the company. He then had me fill out the back of the application which were questions like Rate yourself Average, Below Average, or Above Average for questions like Are you a self-starter, Do you want to own your own business.

Finally, I went into the last office for my interview. During the interview he said things like "We have 3 things we check for (when looking at the rate yourself questions) and you've got all three of them!" Of course anyone looking for a job is going to rate themselves above average-DUH! He only briefly asked me what experience I have and didn't write anything down the entire time. He didn't ask any of the normal question interviewers ask. As a matter of fact about the only questions he asked were if I could pay the deposit and if I wanted to come in the next day for training (where the deposit would be collected). He told me the deposit is usually $165, but since the management is so excited to expand in my area they are offering a reduction to $95. Then he also told me that when I made it through the first 2 weeks he would personally refund my deposit and I would still get the refund from corp. He then gave me some flimsy business card and offered me the job.

This whole setup seemed shady, so I researched a bit and found out "Safety Enterprises" has changed names and/or locations several times and has several complaints lodged against them with the BBB.

I'm staying as far away from this "job" as possible!!!

This is the link to the BBB with Safety Enterprises' info. They rate them a C- and state the places and names they have operated under.

http://www.akron.bbb.org/codbrep.html?wlcl=y&id=173112772

This is an excellent company that is helping me in many ways. I am so glad I found the ad and got the job. I have been working there since March and I love it. Every person that already belongs to the company is super nice and very helpful. I am almost done with training and will soon be in my office.

Anyone who is considering working there, I say do it and it will be one of the best decisions you have ever made.