Anyone familiar with ripoff reports would have heard of the cobra group before. Unfortunatly when I started two years ago I had no idea what I was in for. Do not get me wrong, I had a great time in cobra. I met a lot of fantastic people and had a great laugh. That in some ways was the problem. The cobra group offers a student lifestyle without being a student. For the first year and a half I was a shining example in the office. I know I was brainwashed by the companies promises of oppurtunity and fortune, The thing was i dident care. I was having to much fun.
About 6 months back my boss announces that he's starting a new office in liverpool. Taking 6 of the best from his office, myself including, we traveled from my home in kent up to liverpool. At first everything seemed brilliant. Our boss had also rented a house for 4 of the 6 to live in as well, with ourr rent coming straight out of our wages. Until we return to the office one evening about 3 months after out arrival to find our caring boss has decided that he;'s had enough. With no warning he closed his office and left us unemployed. Obviously we still rented a house of of him as well. He told us that he would take care of rent until we were in a position to pay that money back. Only fair as in the last two years I had made him a stupid amount of money.
Over the next couple of weeks as we were looking for work some strange things happend. Bill started appearing in my name. water rates and council tax from the dates we had moved in. Very odd as the rent we had already paid covered all bills. Then my cat got stolen. No proof this was him but from overhearing conversations in the house and talking to other ex-employees Im certain he gave it away.
After 6weeks myself and one of my housemates had work and were about to recieve our first pay cheque when our old boss pops around our house again. He tells us that despite what he promised he ahd not been paying the rent and we had 4 days to find £1500 between the 5 of us in the house. Only me and one other had work and there was no way we could find the money in time. Me and my friend returned to the house the next night and were informed by the other housemates that our boss had been talking to the landlord and had needed a scapegoat for not paying the rent. The scapegoat was me and my friend.
We were told we had to leave the house straight away. We had moved 350 miles to be left jobless and homeless on the streets of liverpool. We were fortunate that we had made some good friends who were able to help us out until we were back on our feet. We felt betrayed and gutted by a man who was supposed to be a good friend of ours. He stopped even lowere after this and started to send letters to my parent (bearing in mind i am 21) demanding money. I hear stories like this are common in cobra and wish i had the power to make those still working there wake up, come to their senses and not ruin there lives.
Tom
Tonbridge
United Kingdom