Arise Virtual Solutions, Inc ,Willow Arise will steal your money and these comments are true. Trust me!!! Mirmara Florida

Sam- ask away, you will not receive. I am tired of the lies, the whining and the complete lack of ownership that has overtaken pretty much every aspect of our society.

My problem is with people who fail to read before going all in only to later complain, incessantly, about how they have been wronged. Even you, Sam, talk about and compare Arise to previous direct employers in addition to listing yourself as an Employee of Arise (Do you work fro Corporate? My guess is nope). What part of business to business relationship is so confusing? WE ACPs are SELF EMPLOYED. I am going to say it again SELF EMPLOYED. I would like you to show me a SINGLE small business opportunity that has the same ROI Arise does. I am challenging you to please follow through try to find one.

If there was a legit tech issue during class and you have no way of possibly catching up, YES you will be dropped. Was the tech issue the result of the agents inability to adhere to the tech requirements? No..? Ok, then they will talk refund and YES I have had this happen. Took a bit longer than I would like to get the refund, but I received one none the less.

I am PROUD that I have never failed a certification course- why should I not be? We are ALL given the SAME chances to pass... why am I a bad guy becuase I do what is expected of me...?  If you fail- it is on YOU and nobody else.  Roll your eyes all you want- I was the gal who showed up every day (15 minutes early) prepared for class (insert shock and aww here) - why would anyone expect anything else to be acceptable? Just because a class is online or virtual does not mean it should be taken any less seriously than a traditional learning environment. I am there to learn I can watch Comedy Central if I want jokes.... 

Taking over a class or bringing up completely off topic IMPOSSIBLE hypothetical questions is a waste of everyones time. Though I wonder if there is a connection with those who waste class time and those who do not certify I think I am onto something. The class time CAN be long but you are given the schedule AHEAD of time so you signed up KNOWING the class times. Dont act all shocked unless you are one of those who can not read before signing on the dotted line, you should know better.

The bottom line is this- READ. I know, I know, it is soooooo tempting to just start an application without knowing anything about said company. Like it or not, the Arise IC model is what it is.

If you are not in a position to invest in getting started- then Arise is just not for you.

Ok, now I read Linda's original review, and then Ruthie's rebuttal and it's Ruthie I'm tempted to ask to be quiet...
You say you took the training 8 times and passed - hooray for you... *rolls eyes. What's that gotta do with someone else who feels cheated by the company? I didn't pass more times than I have. When I worked for Circuit City, I was satisfied I guess. Certainly - it doesn't seem fair to do business under the pretenses of allowing people to 'start' their own business and be independent, when in fact they're faaar from it.
Indepence is being a real estate rep, I think, or a lawyer possibly. That is a lot more independent work, to me, than Arise agent. Most companies decide they want you right off bat - one interview, maybe two, and you're in or you're out. Heck, I got paid for my TCF Bank training... I couldn't have imagined then that I'd later find a company that asks money for training, and then - after training is over - decide if they 'want you.'
I agree with the other poster - it has to be about money. Even the people they do let pass are bound to make mistakes and screw up reservations or whatnot. "Not enough fluidity," "you don't sound firm enough," bla bla bla... Very few agents will sound fluid and firm during the first live 'test' to pass training.
And you can't compare it to college - people in college have 50 minute classes, two hours at the most... and they get college refunds to help them pay bills, and college loans are much more flexible than credit card ones.
Arise asks for 4 friggin' hours a day, every day, for some training.
Also, Ruthie - you write that you're mad at fellow students making jokes in the class.... Why is that...? Class needs to be less than dull, people need to feel united and relaxed. Otherwise, everyone's afraid to raise hands and whatnot.

Egad- The board is for complaints, not temper tantrums and false accusations which sadly is all most people actually use the board for.

The pay issue was not the fault of Arise, despite the efforts of many to claim it is. Unfortunately, there are so many that will jump on any and every chance to be nasty and let the insults FLY! The issue was with the RECEIVING BANKS as in YOUR BANK. They took longer than expected to process your direct deposit due to the holiday weekend I know this how? I call and asked my bank about the policy know, I know, gather information before making a comment novel concept or waste of time you be the judge.

Arise is NOT in trouble- (((Redacted)))If revenue of 7.70M during fiscal 2008 is trouble, I can live with that kind of trouble.

It is the responsibility of each ACP to PASS he certification course THEY signed up for. Just because you paid for it is not enough to pass. If you have an issue with this, then simply do not apply.

Please refrain from quoting laws you know nothing about- it just makes you look ignorant. Nothing about the Arise model implies we are all employees you work WHEN you want for WHO you want, there is no PTO, etc. If you want an employer / employee relationship with a company, Arise is not for you. People need to stop poisoning the well already.

I've been an agent for almost 5 years now and "YES" Arise formerly known as Willow have turned out to be NOTHING MORE THAN THEIVES!!!!!!!

More and more we're seeing agents not getting paid. Reason being, not enough money and also with "their accidental mistakes" this money sits in their account longer to gain interest.

Now they've come more and more into the practice of offering all of these courses when in fact they don't even have hours to give these people taking the courses and yes you have to pay for these courses! In turn you may pass all of the tests but then you'll get an email stating that you don't have enough past experience to move on. And do you think they refund your money??? ummm....no. When I started classes were usually maximum $100 now the minimum for these classes are $250. When they are short on funds and agents don't get paid thay open up a ton of classes and then get the money and then close them out and email you and tell you that you'll have a credit for a newer course at some other later time. YOU DO NOT GET YOUR CASH BACK!

People are paying allll of this money not only incorporating, etc. But we also have to pay Arise for training which lateley none of the new comers are passing.

As far as wages, MY d**n PAY HAS DECREASED BY 50% from when I started 5 years ago, and they change the pay rates at any time they feel like it!

And furthermore they call us independent contractors when according to law we're really employees always being told what to do and when to do it. Companies use this option in order to skip out on paying the irs taxes, which is against the law! Anyone can search for and find US Independent Contractor laws and then decide if we fit into the category of independent contractors or employees!

I'm only giving my advice because I have been with this compnay for sooo long and I'm working sooooo hard to get out! Working at home is great but not they way Arise has restructured everything and how money is always missing from pay or you don't get paid and then have to fight to get your money. Do you think when your money is missing you can just give them a call. NOT! You have to submit a ticket to their resolution ctr. an have to wait. When you finally find a number to call, they only tell you, sorry we can't help you must submit a ticket and we have 48 hrs. to respond!

I'm done! Honestly it's not what it used to be. And yes, they do have people on these boards that rebuttal to make it allllll peachy keen, BECAUSE THEY NEED MONEY!!!!!

As adults, there are times when you say you should of listened to your parents way back when??? I'm only speaking because I've been there and done that and some will just be hard learners and have to experience it for themselves.

I appreciate the "heads up" and this is certainly raising some concern on my part. I am not an Arise agent yet but I am considering the idea based on some of the more positive things I have heard and read. I already have an LLC so that part for me is no big deal.

I'm sure everyone's experience will be different but I hope never to have anything like this to say about any company I work or do work for.

However, it is true that someone can and will make a complaint about every company there is and I'm sure there is some truth to some of it.

In this complaint, the part that stands out to me is the cost for certification classes to do work for a potential client. I do understand that you pay a fee to be certified but if you don't pass you DON'T get a refund? Lol Well, I guess I better make sure I pass then. Lolz.

Seriously, how much are the certification class fees for these clients? I have heard they can be in the hundreds of dollars. Is that right?

If so, they should expect to have plenty of unhappy people complaining when/if they lose their money because the didn't pass.

In all, it's an experience and no two are gonna be totally the same. I do appreciate the public complaints because it gives me info to investigate further BEFORE I make my choice. I also appreciate what is good being said because it shows that everyone is not experiencing these things.

 

Be careful Ruthie... they will call you an employee planted to place nice comments about Arise if you say anything positive :-)

So does that mean those who are unhappy are the employees of other companies planted to drive business to their sites...?

Just askin'.....

I am amused at the number of people who whine about unprofessional treatment yet they are not able to compose a professional or grammatically correct sentence, nevermind an entire paragraph. These are the same people who waste my time in certification classes because they require their hand held at every step in the process and pose implausible hypothetical questions (i.e. What if Babe Ruth calls me from the after life and wants a refund, but he called on a rainy Wednesday and chat was unavailable..?). These are the same people that make the wait time five times as long to get a reply from the RC as they have created five tickets for the same issue thus taking five times the amount of time for Arise to reply to my ONE ticket for a SINGLE issue.

What part of this is YOUR business do you find confusing? You can not possibly blame Arise because you are not able to pass a certification class. I have taken EIGHT certification classes in my tenure as an ACP and have *never* not passed. Not passing could NOT POSSIBLY be your fault, right? Arise does NOT steal and nobody MADE you become an agent. Grow up and own your actions- good, bad and otherwise.

I am tired of the dozen or so people spreading incorrect information or painting an inaccurate picture. Arise is NOT perfect but based on what is written here- none of us are. If it is not a good fit, then move on already.