New Reviewer

90 minutes wasted, only to learn I was being weaseled into a pyramid scheme

I am 18 years old, and will be the first to admit that I am a bit naive at times. So after feeling dejected after a bad experience with working at Wendy's and spending weeks looking for jobs; I was thrilled to find out that I was going to an interview. I had originally seen the job listing on the site called Indeed.com and in the job description it made it seem like you would make 15 dollars AN HOUR. So I go to the place, and it is located in a very quiet business area; it was a bit hard to find because it was in a small suite. So I go in and am greeted by seemingly nice people that seemed to be just a little bit older than I am. I was then escorted into a large conference room with several extremely small black desks with the chairs attached. There was a man already seated in one of the desks, and my stomach dropped a little because I realized that it was going to be a group interview; and that was something that I was hoping wouldn't happen. But I went with the flow and sat down and began filling out the form that they had given me. We waited around 20 minutes altogether as other people arrived. When we were all there we waited for about ten minutes before the branch manager came into the room. She was a very friendly woman of pacific islander descent and she seemed very charismatic. She told us to scoot our desks into the middle of the room where a large desk sat. She proceeded to lay out the format of our presentation and what areas we would cover. Anyway, we moved onto learning about how we were going to be selling Cutco KNIVES. This is the part that threw me way off. I had not heard knives mentioned until then, and I was about to flip out when I found out that we were going to be selling them to people by COMING INTO THEIR HOME. As you already figured out, the notion that someone would be naive enough to let in a knife salesman into their home with 20+ knives in their suitcase is simply ridiculous. The scheduling time was just plain bizarre as you were told to just come into the office and fill out a form for your schedule of the week. It did not seem to be structured in the least. You were expected to go to the clients house where you were going to give the appointment with your own transportation. She told us that we would get 15$/per hour as in per appointment. And that threw me for a loop. I was very skeptic and decided to stay a bit longer. She then took two of us at a time into her office to tell us whether we were going to be hired. When I went in she just simply told me "Welcome to our team". and handed me some manual. This is a pyramid scheme, and I didn't take the job offer lol.
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5 comments
#1438486

I am sorry this happened and your time was wasted but that bit about knife salesman being invited into a strangers home was absolutely hilarious. I have been laughing for so long that my abs feel like I did 300 situps

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1 0
#1083295

What a disgusting organization! I have a 16 year old.

I will be sure to warn her against this rubbish. She needn't take my word for it either, thousands of reports about this garbage online.

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2 0
#571027

Good morning -I work in a corporate office of Vector and wanted to clarify a few things. First - Vector Marketing (www.vectormarketing.com) is a direct sales company (www.directselling411.com) and our sales representatives work with us as independent contractor - NOT employees.

This is why travel is not reimbursed. Your travel other business related expenses are just that - business expenses. Independent contractors are just like entrepreneurs/small business owners so you decide where you are willing to travel, etc. We encourage everyone to keep mileage records for tax purposes.

(FYI - Realtos are also independent contractors and REMAX does not reimburse for gas mileage spent showing clients potential homes). Secondly, Reps set all appointments ahead of time (via referrals and networking) so you are not simply showing up at someone's door. Lastly, all job postings state that it is a base pay per appointment. This is a sales position so there is also an opportunity to earn more via commission.

I'm not trying to convince you to work with us - just wanted to be sure you had the facts.

Good luck with your search. Feel free to reach out to us at vectorpr@***.com with any other questions.

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0 7
#778598
@PissedConsumer571027

Nope, that is not true. I have an interview with them on Monday and the woman made it clear not only in the ad and the website and on the phone with me that you would be paid $15 an hour.

NOT appointment. You should do more research on what your companies are saying because they are quite misleading.

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3 0
#569666

Sounds very strange! Good that you passed on this offer!

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4 0
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ID
#359151 Review #359151 is a subjective opinion of poster.
Location
Salt Lake City, Utah
New Reviewer

College Campuses Warn Against Vector

This was one of my first interviews and I was so excited. My ex worked at the admissions office at our local community college and mentioned it to one of the heads of the career center after they asked me for a second interview. Apparently they have been officially banned from many college campuses due to their practices. They promise students a good salary/ sales compensation and an opportunity to travel. The catch is if you don't make your sales--you don't get a trip home. But they don't tell you that part. That was about 10 years ago and I work for the same campus--and they still don't let these guys on campus to advertise.
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4 comments
#551795

pyramid scam period. No need to waste your precious time

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1 0
#322489

I just graduated and at the time was

looking for a job. Turned out on SnagaJob

Vector had an opening for specifically

young teens looking for good experience.

I applied of course and soon enough got a call for an interview which at the time I was excited.

I was told and sent even a confirmation

e-mail of the date & time as well as guidelines. Dress professionally arrive

15 minutes early and be prepared.

Turned out to be group interview of three

which two lasted the next interview minutes

later. I moved on to the next interview which is how you came to find out what the whole thing was about.

You would seel these expensive CutCo knives

that are supposedly the best most likely but you would make appointments with people you knew and visit them to give a presentation of each item in stock. Also it was 'word of mouth' you pick people you know and do appointments at their houses. That was your job.

The commute for me was bad enough but having to travel & different times everyday. they should have warned me or something so I left after the third day of training. :(

Trust me people find a job that is best reliable and known.

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2 0
#320565

I worked for Vector right after graduating high school and made $900 in 3 weeks. Very good money for an 18 year old.

It got old really quick. The managers are always hounding you about making appointments, even after you tell them you just want part time.

They also try to get you to come in all the time to make phone calls and set up appts. So if you know what you're doing and don't get suckered into everything the managers try to get you to do its not a terrible job.

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0 0
#166058

Hi there – I just wanted to respond and clear up some misconceptions about Vector Marketing. The fact is that Vector recruits on more than 100 college campuses in California, including numerous community colleges.

As independent contractors (which is explained several times in the interview and training) our representatives are free to make sales appointments wherever they choose. The company does not transport representatives to sell anywhere. While there is opportunity for travel – it’s to attend leadership conferences and incentive trips. No selling is done at either of these events and attendees are responsible for getting themselves to and from the conference.

We’d welcome the opportunity to speak with you and give you more information about Vector. After you’ve had a chance to visit www.vectormarketing.com please contact us either at vectorpr@***.com or 302-372-****.

Looking forward to speaking with you shortly and answering your questions. We are a proud member of the BBB and the Direct Selling Association.

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ID
#189567 Review #189567 is a subjective opinion of poster.
Location
Chico, California
New Reviewer

Vector Marketing

I found them through email and falsely advertised a job for $15/hour. What they didn't say is it's $15/appointment. This bait-and-switch thing they pulled is criminal. Also, they didn't respect my time during the interview process. They told me it would take 90 minutes but turned into more than 2 hours. The folks who work there didn't care about my time. I asked if I could leave the application and they said it would probably lessen my chances of being hired. It is disgusting how much they used a scare tactic like that. I thanked them for the presentation and they did not acknowledge my gratitude. Bunch of ***!
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18 comments
#663404

I work for Vector and I think it's a great opportunity. If you're not making money, then you're not working hard enough.

People complain that they don't make money, but if you're not making money, then you're simply not doing your job. And i think a lot of it depends on the manager. I happen to have an awesome manager that I'm constantly learning from. I made over 200 in my first three days alone and I worked hard to earn it.

If you work hard and sell to the right people, it's a great way to make money and gain some valuable experience. And if you're seeing the right people and making sales, then your commission will be way more than your base pay and you won't even need it.

And the more you sell, the higher your commission gets. It really is a great way to get some extra money.

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3 4
#1083299
@PissedConsumer663404

You are full of *** and I bet you aren't working there anymore.

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2 1
#352240

Their interview process is described accurately...it is how they *** out candidates with no stick-to-it'ness. If you can't last the interview you won't succeed selling Cutco.

I too found it odd when I sat through this extended interview. I stayed and was hired and found it to be one of the best opportunities for work during college.

Allowed me to work around class schedule and I made better $ than the $15/ hour. The experience I received was tremendous.

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1 3
#337330

To Stephen, it sounds like your experience was more just with one manager rather than the entire company being a scam as you say, especially as they had had other complaints about the manager you were working with. The company itself is great and the idea behind it fantastic, as it gives younger people the opportunity to earn a lot of money, working flexible schedules during school as well as gain marketability after college.

Where the problem lies is not with the company, but with individual managers. What a lot of ppl tend to do is blame an entire company for a bad experience with one person, we do it all the time. Restaurants- a bad waiter and we won't go there again, stores- bad experience with ONE sales person etc. It's the people not the company itself.

That said, the "bad" people are few and far between. It's just an unfortunate experience that I'm sorry people have. I've met so many wonderful people with Vector, so my experience has been really positive.

Our nation is just one who for whatever sad reason, focuses on the negatives of something more than the positive. It gets more acknowledgement even when there is more good in the situation.

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1 1
#312028

I just started working at Vector a week ago and I have to say its a pretty good job. If you work hard the incentives should more than make you happy especially if you're in high school or college considering a minimum wage of $8.25 wont get you far.

I did not have to pay for my demo kit nor did I have to make a deposit on it. I have sold $2120 CPO for my fast start so its not too hard to make sales plus there is always the base pay ($16.75 for my office) to fall back on if you have a bad week.

Overall I think its a good job especially if you're young and need experience to pad your resume.

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0 2
#300205

I worked for vector for a short time back in 06. Its definitely a scam.

First of all why do they only target young people? Mostly kids straight out of high school that have no real world work experience. When I went for my interview everybody was young except for one man who was probably late 30s. He was dismissed right away while everybody else got to stay.

Probably because he wouldn't be naive enough to fall for their b.s. Second, I experienced the false start. I started off doing well selling 1000s of dollars of their products. Even got to go on a trip to a business conference held for the top selling salespeople.

When i got my paychecks they weren't as promised. I even had some money missing on one between what I sold and my commission.

I was promised a certain percentage of what I sold but on this check my commission wasn't close to the right percentage of what I had sold. When I confronted them about this I never got any answers just b.s.

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5 1
#294308

For the ones saying good things about them where do you guys work because when i worked for them i got scammed my manager even said we had to bring in picture of him we find on the internet to get our checks thats like the most craziest thing i have ever heard in my life. everyone be warned that they will promise so much but deliever so little

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3 0
#259656

i worked for vector in 05 after high school and was promised alot of things that werent true. I even called the headquerters and complained about my manager and the lady told me she had gotten alot of complaints on him. It really was a waste of 4 months so dont waste yours with this scam company

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2 0
#239764

I've been contracted with Vector for over 8 years; in that time I've sold close to half a million. I can say confidently it's not a scam; just a contract, commissioned sales opportunity, with a big advantage in that their company culture is fun and positive. All carrot, no stick. The company has been continually updating practices over the time I've been there, so many of the complaints you'll hear aren't even valid anymore. (e.g., having to pay for a demo kit)

BTW, NOAH, in Noah Goffena selling $6500 in his fast start, (1st 10 days) he'd make $1125, and probably get another $1000 or so in free product. And he'd make $1775 on his next $6500 in sales, and $2300 on the $6500 after that; end of the month, he's made $5200. So yeah, its a "real sales job." Good luck making THAT your first month as a realtor, loan officer or in insurance, especially in this economy.

If anything they promote too quickly; sometimes people go into management that shouldn't, which is where I'd say most of the complaints come from. I've out-lasted the four out of five district managers that I've worked with. Some were great, others were not. Some are *** But that's the same with any company, it's not all sunshine and roses.

Bottom line though, my resume is solid gold. When you work hard at Vector, you have hard numbers to prove it, and skills that bring true job security.

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1 2
#1083301
@PissedConsumer239764

Hilarious posting!

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ID
#183437 Review #183437 is a subjective opinion of poster.
Location
Loveland, Colorado

About

Vector Marketing Company Privacy Policy
Vector Marketing Corporation (The Company) respects and is committed to protecting The Client's privacy. That is why The Company have adopted this Privacy Policy applicable to and covering: www.vectormarketing.com ("this website"). This Privacy Policy lets The Client of Vector Marketing Company know how The User's personal information is processed and used. Vector Marketing Company promise to only use The User's personal information in ways that are compatible with this Privacy Policy. The Client of Vector Marketing Company may browse this website without revealing any personal information about The User of Website The Company do not automatically log personal data nor do Website link information automatically logged by other means with personal data about specific individuals. www.vectormarketing.com do not collect information about Vector Marketing Company's' visitors from other sources, such as public records or bodies, or private organizations. If The User choose to submit an application on Vector Marketing Company's' website, The Company will request personal information from The Client such as The User's name, phone numbers, email address, etc.
To read more: https://www.vectormarketing.com/privacy
Summary

Vector Marketing is a sales company which markets Cutco kitchen cutlery products. Vector Marketing as well as Cutco Cutlery is a daughter company of Cutco Corporation. Cutco corporation was established in 1949 in Olean, NY where are still located the administrative headquarters of Vector Marketing. However, as an independent distributor the company was started up in 1981. Being an authorized distributer of Cutco, Vector Marketing operates more than 200 offices throughout the United States and Canada. Cutco products are made from the finest materials that allow to ensure forever guarantee on cutlery. The company’s annual sales number over 200,000 million dollars.

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