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Report: #241946

Complaint Review: Cobra Group - Nottingham Other

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  • Reported By: Hull Other
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  • Cobra Group 31 Bridlesmith Gate Nottingham, Other United Kingdom

Cobra Group, Marketing Machine Cobra-holic Anonymous Nottingham Nationwide

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Well, I always heard about the slanderous reviews of Cobra, but it's taken me a good 3 months since leaving to read them. And, just like the rest of you, I am entirely JONESD into wishing I'd read them at the beginning of my Cobra experience!

It seems like the basics of the company have been thoroughly covered, I read them in detail and was shocked to find that I identified with almost every single account I read! So much so, that I'd like to tell my story too...

Now, my experience of Cobra, was that of an avid follower! I loved everything about Cobra from my first day (11th Jan 2006) through to my final weeks. I was with Cobra for one year, in that time i was a consistant high roller making generally around 270-350 a week, on good weeks over 400. I held the record for high quality sales and was a familiar face at all of the Cobra meetings.

I used to spend all my time at work, and lost a lot of money on newbies in the process, but how I loved to train. I was promoted to Leader, and laid on my first 2 Leaders after only 2 weeks. As a core leader I took my roll in the office very seriously, I glossed everything for the FRs, I protected my owner, and I played ball at all times essentially.

But enough of that, because there were also many inconsistancies and problems that I used to kid myself over and it was all down to positivity why I didn't follow all the other many leaders who left over the year. I could go through all the stories of other people in the office, but it would take forever. Although everyone has discussed the lies around the mechanics of the business, not many have talked about the emotional and moral ones.

Just to give non Cobrans a basic idea, here are some of the issues I identified in my time:
You should not show weakness in any form, infront of crew, FRs or Owner, self doubt and any kind of non-positive thought is forbidden.

Do not have any kind of relationship, even a casual friendship, with anyone unless you are favoured by the Owner and then you have your own circle. And do not be fooled, no-one is your friend either! Being fake best friends with the entire office is good for the office environment, especially as a means of manipulation.

Never confide, professional or personal business, in anyone they can and probably will use it against you at some stage. No-one helps anyone else, unless they benefit in some way, or they think you have no way of getting promoted before you. The worse thing you can do is have a personal relationship with anyone, or casual sex (which happens at every Cobra meeting ever!) as you will be threatened with your career, even if you are already an owner.

So, why did I leave?

I left for two main reasons:
1. My b***h of a leader
AND
2. The victimization I recieved from my owner in my final month
Both of which I will now elaborate upon...

Firstly, like everyone else's leader, Elouise (we shall call her) was my 'best friend'. Bubbly, funny, and exciting - Elouise graduated from the same city as me, and I remember wishing we had met earlier! She trained me intensively for two weeks, even though she had a droop in sales, she lead me to believe she was ringing the bell every day!!

When I got promoted she was thrilled for me (for herself) and was on hand to help me struggle through training two newbies at once. She seemed great, a reliable trust worthy mentor, until suddenly things started to sour. It was probably when I promoted my first two leaders in the company a day apart when I sensed the bad vibes, but I glossed it over, thought I was being paranoid! But it was pretty much downhill after that. I still think it was plain and simple jealousy.

It started with little things, fake smiles, talking to me less about my crew, not advising me.. then she just stopped leading me altogether! Now, I could have totally handled that, I like being the leader, and when I realised my futile attempts to end bad relations were never gonna work, I simply gave her space and concentrated on my crew! Lucky for me, I always had a MINT work ethic so I kept busy.

But sort of around the 9 month mark things got a lot worse. She would make snide comments, not only in private, but infront of my crew, during our joint crew meetings she'd pull authority and make me look disobedient. It did nothing to help my crew ~(therefore her crew) so I don't know what she was playing at.

I know all this sounds like playground stuff, but on top of managing 6-8 people and working long hours to maintain my high standards, it was wearing me down. I couldn't talk to any of the other leaders b/c I had no clear evidence, and everyone covers each others mess up. Also, I didn't wanna rock the boat I was still 'in the club' in a big way. I did try going to my owner about it several times, and he simply turned it all around on me - I felt completely alone and I've always been a strong, take no b/s character before.

The worse thing that happened was in November on a roadtrip upto Newcastle, which I was co-running with another core leader. It had got to the stage where I couldn't cope (I was ashamed). There was an award ceremony six of the best leaders went to, and the journey was an ordeal in itself, I was pretty much ignored the entire day, to the extent where even my owner noticed. I felt like I was being bullied, and the family had pushed me out.

At the end of the day, she was my leader and about to hit Crew Leader that week, everyone wanted to 'get with her'. ~So when little messages stopped being passed and it resulted in a serious misunderstanding (I was extra-miling with a crew member in the field still and missed a meeting with Simon Murphy there). A message to let them know this was deliberately not delivered, and it resulted in a serious going over. Murph, the b*****d, ripped me to pieces, I was shaking when I came out, thoroughly humiliated and verbally abused. I should have quit then, and told him what I thought of him. It was awful.

Enough anyway, needless to say things didn't get any better from then on, on the roadtrip. When it was over, I was almost glad just to have Elouise and co to deal with. And, I probably would have stayed... except for my second issue which arose a few weeks after the Newcastle trip.

Now, I was reluctantly building a friendship with my second generation leader at this time - who had started in October. His leader (my first gen) was away on roadtrips so I took the newbie under my wing and worked with himrather intensively for a week or so.

In this week, we worked a few shifts with just us on, and the journey was over an hour so it's natural to chat away. I wanted him to get promoted (for himself because he lacked confidence and was quiet around the rest of the office) and he did it the last day before we left for Newcastle. Okay so I gave him a sneaky last sale - but we all used to do it!! The owner and I decided I should be roomed with him in Newcastle because I knew his hot spots better and the rooms were mixed anyway.

And that's the only thing that made my week bearable. I let the side down I'm afraid, I was in tears after Murph ripped me to shreds and I couldn't lie so he wised up pretty quickly after that. Anyway, that was the beginning of our relationship, and also of waking up to Cobra.

Around three weeks later, after numerous denials to my owner (they don't miss a trick) I felt loyalty kick in and came clean with him. After that he became very different to the jolly Yorkshire comedian I had seen before. Regularly, he had me in the office for 'chats'. He tried the guilt trips first, and then he started threatening my career. I almost called it off several times, but my partner didn't pressure me and I saw sense.

The day I knew I was going to leave was when my owner went too far. I'd figured out he was a shark the week before when he had me in tears and then snarled at me to hide them as others arrived in the office. But the way he treated me on that occasion was far worse than anytime before and even though I feel humiliated I will tell all because I'm sure it would have been serious if I was an employee.

We were last out the office, it was late for an events office and I was bloody tired! He started laying into me on the stairs, and then he said stuff that implied I was a s**g. He told me it was no wonder no-one had any respect in the office for me if all I did was drop my knickers for the lads. How my partner must be well chuffed he's s***d a core leader, that he was using me and how self-degrading it was. He even had the audacity to say I was just having some fun and 'It's not like he's the one or anything so stop f**g around and try to salvage your reputation before it's too late'.

We went on Xmas break which gave us time to consider our options and we left a few days into the new year. I think my owner was pretty surprised, he just took the b/s excuse I gave him and I left pretty fast. Don't even care what excuse he gave for 'letting me go'. I'm surprised to say, that it was an extremely easy decision to make considering I'd married myself to the business for a year.

I never told my partner how badly our old owner was to me, because he'd be furious. And besides we have better things to think about now all is said and done. As it happens, we have moved in together and are happily expecting our first child.

I've felt too ashamed to say anything til now, but I wanted to make people aware that things aren't as they seem in Cobra-land. What's even worse, is I'm only just coming out of the Cobra fog and admitting to myself what was really going on there. I worked with a health care product that i hope helped the many people who I signed up, I do feel guilty as I was convincing! I used to reel newbies in like my leader did. Still I think it's best to put the whole Cobra experience behind us, and take away from it what we can.

To end this on a good note, call it my 'Cobra positivity' I have a few good things to say.
There are exceptions to the Cobra family, who are simply brain washed as everyone seems to call it. I mat some quality people in the office, a couple of the male leaders were lovely, especially my first gen Ash - I hope he makes something of himself he is a fantastic guy - I'm so sorry I left him to the mercy of Elouise.

And, one person I looked up to, not because she was a vice-president, but because Mars was the only person who was truely herself. I knew her on a personal level when she came to help my owner's struggling office for 5 months, we used to go for a drink most nights and talk about life, YES life outside of Cobra. I honestly believe she's an inspiration (but not in a Cobra way). You'll just have to trust me!

Also, I can say that I've learnt a lot about people, I can spot fakers and sharks a mile away now, and I know I'm good at sales for future careers. Best of all, I have a lovely little family thanks to Cobra... So cheers Franks x

Laura
Hull
United Kingdom

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 04/02/2007 10:49 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/cobra-group/nottingham-other/cobra-group-marketing-machine-cobra-holic-anonymous-nottingham-nationwide-241946. 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. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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