Report: #653332

Complaint Review: The Ad Group - Jaime Hepp - CYDCOR - LA Marketing Firm - BE Marketing Concepts - Marketing Systems Scam? Read this for the legit truth Los Angeles, OC Area California

Submitted: Wed, October 20, 2010
Updated: Tue, February 05, 2013

Reported By: Lucy — United States of America

The Ad Group - Jaime Hepp - CYDCOR - LA Marketing Firm - BE Marketing Concepts - Marketing Systems Scam? Read this for the legit truth Los Angeles, OC Area California

Overland and National, LA, CA. Los Angeles, CA, California United States of America

Phone:
Web:
Category: Multi Level Marketing

The Ad Group - Jaime Hepp - CYDCOR - LA Marketing Firm - BE Marketing Concepts - Marketing Systems Scam? Read this for the legit truth Los Angeles, OC Area California The Ad Group Jaime Hepp is nice to your face and will back stab you. Los Angeles, California

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Same ol Cydcor stuff, different state

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: TAG .. not so bad!

*Consumer Comment: TAG using teamtaggroup.com and resultsbiz.com

*Consumer Comment: Team TAG is now in Culver City, California

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: They set you up to fail

*UPDATE EX-employee responds: All that is true about Hepp

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I worked for TAG (The Ad Group) located on Overland and National for almost a year as a "leader." During my time there, I saw some terrible things happen. They have what they call "campaigns" where they "work" for Fortune 500 companies. Long story short, they are a pyramid scheme (multi-level marketing if you prefer) created to cheat small business owners and home owners out of their money. The people who bring in the money for the higher-ups are called "leaders" and the entry-level people do not get ANY of the percentage profits. All of that goes to the "managers". Their secret sheets show the individual percentages that "managers" and their "directors" get for each item / product "sold" to the customer. Since all employees are commission ONLY, there is a lot of incentive to lie to customers and business owners in order to get these "products" "sold". On top of that, these "slaves" work "territories" and are not reimbursed for travel / gas / ANYTHING.

If you have to leave for medical reasons (as I did), you'll get chewed out by Jamie Hepp for being a quitter and "worthless". This was AFTER I had WASTED a year of my life making money for HIM! When you first meet him, he's EXTREMELY friendly and helpful. However, as soon as you get on his bad side you get to see who he REALLY is. I've seen him cuss out "leaders" for nothing, just for kicks and giggles. I can't even count the number of times i've had to do "business" projects for him. It was only later that I found out that he was getting an MBA from Berkeley off of the work that I and OTHERS did. Currently, he's on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club, but that's only because he tells his employees that his business cares about helping other people. Jamie doesn't really care about community service and has personally said that he only does it to recruit "brainless suckers with extra time on their hands". I can't even count the number of times he's "advised" people to drop their significant others to put in extra time making money for him (he married one of his employees by the way...). Working here is a waste of time and a waste of your life. It's all a scam. Don't let yourself get tricked...

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 10/20/2010 02:31 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/The-Ad-Group-Jaime-Hepp-CYDCOR-LA-Marketing-Firm-BE-Marketing-Concepts-Marketing-Systems-Scam-Read-this-for-the-legit-truth-Los-Angeles-OC-Area-California/Los-Angeles-CA-California-/The-Ad-Group-Jaime-Hepp-CYDCOR-LA-Marketing-Firm-BE-Marketing-Concepts-Marketing-653332. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.

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Updates & Rebuttals

#1 UPDATE EX-employee responds

Same ol Cydcor stuff, different state

AUTHOR: Da U - (United States of America)

SUBMITTED: Tuesday, February 05, 2013

I worked for a make me sickcor company to and its all the same. I was in indiana and i can feel your pain. The sickcor magazine makes these fools like gayme hepp act like a God figure and call it hard work. In reality, these fools have never busted their ass in the labor force, but instead put down those who are in it.The hard work part comes in when you have to loose all your morals and lie to people in my case making the claim up the uverse had no tax so it would match the current bills and the ineternet was so much better. I also seen our assistant manager lie about them being able to get gift cards for signing up. It just wasnt my office, its everywhere. For all the negative posts on glassdoor or ripoff, there is always one positive from someone who works there. It is because these fools monitor their reviews and make fake ones up to suade prospects views. Scene it all, its the truth. JAMIE HEPP, ED CUNLIFF, GARY POLSON, VERA QUINN (who does has big cans tho) , DORFMAN, BRANDI PARK...HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT? YOU HAVE THESE LIFE STYLES, BUT EVERYONE TRYING TO GET THERE IS LIVING DAY TO DAY BARELY APPLE TO SURVIVE. YOU HOLD CHECKS FOR 3 WEEKS WHICH IS B.S. DO SOCIETY OF FAVOR AND DIE

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#2 UPDATE EX-employee responds

TAG .. not so bad!

AUTHOR: RIncFortune - (United States of America)

SUBMITTED: Monday, October 22, 2012

I worked for this company about 3 years ago and it really got me out of a jam, the company i worked for had just down sized and i was let go, i needed a job and all though this company felt shady during the interview it was all i had, so i went into it, on the field trip interview i found out it was a straight commission door to door sales, of course they don't tell you that during the interview because then you say nay to the field trip, i ended up making 500 - 700 dollars every week, but it was the hardest job i've ever had, EVER. 7AM - 7PM, no base and outdoor door to door, hardest job ever, but it got the bills paid and kept my family with a roof over their heads. It's a job and they paid on time every time. It is what it is, if i'm ever in a jam i'm i know i'll have a job with them, but right now i'm in at a comfortable job where i get paid that amount for 1/100 of the work effort. JAJAJA

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#3 Consumer Comment

TAG using teamtaggroup.com and resultsbiz.com

AUTHOR: Wilson - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Friday, February 11, 2011

Jaime Hepp is using teamtaggroup.com and resultsbiz.com for his Cydcor office in Culver City, CA. What is interesting is that his Facebook page uses the bad-looking resultsbiz.com as the website for Team TAG instead of the more professional-looking teamtaggroup.com. Both websites have a Career section.

Do not be surprised if within one or two years, Jaime's TAG changes office and website name again.

http://www.teamtaggroup.com/index.php/contact-us
5601 West Slauson Avenue #296
Culver City, CA 90230
Tele: (310) 670-6500

Domain Name: TEAMTAGGROUP.COM
Created on: 25-Mar-07
Expires on: 25-Mar-13

http://www.facebook.com/teamtag1?v=info
Website:http://www.resultsbiz.com
Description:Team TAG leads the United States in creating sales campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. We have 3 core competencies:
- Executing Sales and Retention Campaigns
- Developing Young Leaders
- Giving back to our communities
Parking: Parking Lot
Location: 5601 West Slauson Ave. Ste 296 Culver City, CA, 90230
Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/teamtag1
Contact Info Email:careers@resultsbiz.com
Phone:310.670.6500 Website:http://www.resultsbiz.com

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#4 Consumer Comment

Team TAG is now in Culver City, California

AUTHOR: Wilson - (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Saturday, February 05, 2011

Warning T.A.G. is now in Culver City, CA.
resultsbiz.com was registered by Jaime Hepp with godaddy.com on 10-May-2010

http://www.facebook.com/teamtag1
http://twitter.com/heppconsulting

Team TAG
5601 We. Saluson Ave #296
Culver City, CA 90230
Ph: 310-370-6500
info@resultsbiz.com

http://www.resultsbiz.com/
Management:
Jaime Hepp
Helen Davidown

http://www.tagcalifornia.com/testimonials.html
Helen Davidov (Los Angeles, CA) – Has been with T.A.G. since February, 2001.
Today Helen oversees all operations and staffing of T.A.G. nationally.

Jaime Hepp (Los Angeles, CA)
With 5 years of sales, marketing, and advertising experience Jaime joined TAG in 1998. Today he oversees all offices and has established his role as a leader and developer of top managers and owners.

http://www.tagcalifornia.com/contactus.html
T.A.G. (Corporate Headquarters)
2999 Overland Ave #127
West Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: 310-559-8777
Fax: 310-559-8715
careers@newmvp.com

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#5 UPDATE EX-employee responds

They set you up to fail

AUTHOR: TC - (United States of America)

SUBMITTED: Saturday, November 20, 2010

They set you up to fail

I worked at TAG for about two months. And it was some of the most frustrating, soul-crushing work I've ever done. You are told of all the lavish bonuses and perks available to those who manage to succeed in the business, without any mention (until you're already in their employ) of the various obstacles they put in place to make it as hard as possible for you to actually satisfy their lofty goals.

The campaign that I was assigned to was for Quill office supplies. Basically you'd go into a business (but only specific businesses; more on that in a bit) and try to get them to sign up for an account by ordering something from their catalog, like printer paper or copy machine toner. Everybody uses printer paper and toner, so selling those items to office managers at what you're told is a rock-bottom price should be a breeze, right? Well, except for the fact that they probably already have boxes upon boxes of paper and toner in a supply closet somewhere, and don't need anymore. Thus your trump card is gone, and you probably have 10 seconds at most to convince them to buy anything before they say something along the lines of "I really have better things to do with my time than listen to a traveling salesman. Please show yourself out before I call security."

And in case you're thinking that I was being facetious, you are indeed a traveling salesman. You are expected to drive to your assigned territory, park somewhere that won't ticket you for being there all day, and walk several miles down the sidewalks of that territory in order to find a business that will take enough pity on you to order something from the phone book-sized catalog you're lugging the whole time. But don't think you can just waltz into any storefront, sell a stapler, and book some commission. No sir. Entire categories of businesses are deemed off-limits. Any place that could be considered a "credit risk" - auto dealerships, nail salons, etc., are not kosher to The Ad Group. You could sell them thousands of dollars of generic office equipment and you won't see a dime of the sale because those businesses apparently have credit cooties. And just to make things even more difficult, the businesses that are deemed appropriate to sell to must have a minimum number of employees, because apparently they don't want to waste the printing cost of a catalog on a doctor's office that only has five employees rather than the six they mandate. And of course, if they're already customers with Quill, then you're not going to get paid for placing their next order for them.

If you do manage to coax an office manager into ordering something, they add yet another hurdle by making the ordering process as long and as complicated as possible. You actually have to call the 1-800 ordering number and read everything off the order form to the operator on the other end of the phone. Why, in an era where anything can be ordered in a matter of seconds by going on a website and typing in a shipping address, one would be expected to sit through a 10-minute phone call to do the same thing is anyone's guess. And naturally, the longer the call goes, the more likely said office manager is going to say, "You know what, I'll just do this online." Thus, Quill still gets the sale, but you won't get anything for it. And don't think you can give them a business card or any other way to contact you personally if they have questions or want to look over the catalog before they place their order. Business cards are expressly prohibited - instead, the companies you talk to are expected to call the TAG office so that they can tell you to go back to a certain business and place an order for them - even if you went there last week and are now in a new territory that's an hour's drive away.

I've gone this long into my rant, and I haven't even gone into the office environment yet. Suffice to say that it's high pressure. Mornings are spent practicing your sales pitch in one way or another - whether you're starting out and practicing your pitch to businesses to order from you (including ways to get past security guards or "No Soliciting" signs), or you're a so-called "leader" and you're working on your pitch to get a new recruit to join the team. At night, you're settling up your order forms and trying to motivate everyone else. Rest assured, if you're not pulling your weight in the numbers department, you'll hear about it. Not just from Jaime, but from all the other "leaders" who have already drunk so much of the Kool-Aid that their teeth are purple. Did I mention that you're expected to show up at 7:00 in the morning, and typically don't leave until 6:30 at night - and then get to drive home from an office that's situated right smack dab in the middle of West LA? Between driving time, office time, and field time, you can expect to devote a good 14 hours a day to this company - and chances are good you'll have little if anything to show for it.

We're not done. As a way to infiltrate as much area as possible, leaders are encouraged to take trainees on "road trips" - week-long excursions to areas 50 to 100 miles away from headquarters where businesses don't get pestered by traveling salespeople as often and so are less likely to toss you out on your ear the moment you walk up to the receptionist's desk. Of course, the company takes good care of a team that goes out on the road, putting them up in a decent hotel and giving them a per diem for food and gas, right? Wrong. Any expenses a leader spends on putting together a road trip come out of their pocket, and so it's a given that they'll look for ways to cut corners. I was forced to go on a road trip to Bakersfield when my sales were getting dangerously low, and we ended up staying at the house where the organizer's mom lived. (I'm just lucky I had my own room.)

Now, to be fair, I likely would not do very well in a sales environment to begin with. I'm not a salesperson by nature. I couldn't, with a clear conscience, sell things that the people I talked to were clearly not interested in. But The Ad Group is not so much a sales force as it is a cult of personality. Overachievers are recruited by the score to participate in a weird corporate boot camp, commanded to generate profits for themselves and their boss despite several ridiculous and artificial obstacles placed in front of them, and then terminated at the first sign of burnout. Even if you really are the sort of person who wants to be your own boss and are willing to put in the effort to accomplish that goal, the shadiness of The Ad Group's business practices should discourage anyone who knows what they're getting into from joining up.

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#6 UPDATE EX-employee responds

All that is true about Hepp

AUTHOR: Socal smooth - (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Wednesday, October 27, 2010

I have to agree about Jamie Hepp.

He his a classic car salesman. He looks slick. He talks slick. But he will sell you if it meant making a deal. He is always taking about wanting competitors. But really he just wants money.

His greatest trick is to make this b.s. "opportunity" is above all else. This really is behind his need to call people who do not embrace the opportunity as worthless and all that. Stay away from this opportunity.

You will sleep better at night. Sweet dreams.

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