The Landers Group DONT BELIEVE A WORD THEY TELL YOU! Sherman Oaks California

I'm not going to say that I made a mistake working for this company. I'm 20 years old, and began to get a little bored with going to school so I decided to get on monster and see what jobs I could find that were full-time and entry level. I found the listing multiple times on monster all promoting "Sports Marketing, earn 32-40k a year".

I was currently working a part-time job at a retail store making a pretty good wage, so I wasn't going to leave for just anything. I received a call a day later and proceeded to set up a first interview. I showed up and was interviewed by a woman (there was nothing but younger women there which was a good start).

The first interview is the one I look back on and laugh at the most. As with most retail jobs, one of the things that always seemed to bother me is how just about anyone with a pulse and people skills could get a job there. She agreed with me and told me that they dont hire that often, then asked me if I could clear up a full day for an interview with an "account director". I told them I wouldn't be available until Saturday, which she then told me they do not do interviews on that day. I agreed to cancel plans the following day to go ahead with the interview, and that is one of my biggest regrets.

I showed up the next morning patiently waiting in the lobby. There are 3 of us, both of the other 2 having college degrees, one of them fresh outta Berkeley. I started to get a little nervous but I'm a confident person. One by one we were introduced to the account director we would be with for the day, and lucky me, I got a pretty nice guy who for his confidentiality we will call Tom.

Tom and I walked downstairs and he proceeded to just make small-talk with me. We met up with a girl downstairs who was on her 2nd day, and from there we took off in her car to Oxnard which is atleast an hour away. The whole car ride there I'm really skeptical, wondering where we are going and what the heck he has in a box in his hand.

On the way there, he explained the company to me by exaggerating everything he could. He explained their ONLY high profile client to me, the LA Dodgers, and what we do for them. He told me that we sell ticket packages worth 500 dollars for 50 bucks, and that we sold 1000 a week at no cost to the company, meaning to company makes 50,000 a week from just one campaign. It didnt hit me until later that if a company is pulling in that much money from one campaign that they wouldnt be more well-known, or have a much bigger office than some cramped up 3rd story space in the valley.

Any questions I had, he told me to save them for the lunch period, when he would break the company down for me. We finally arrive in Oxnard, and go business to business trying to sell people coupon books. I'm a great salesman, so I thought, "To make 32-40k at my age, I could do this 9-5, 5 days a week". So I ran with it, just let him do his thing and followed him around.

We get to the lunch, and he absolutely insisted on paying for me. Ok, I'm not one to turn down a meal so that works for me. He then broke down the company for me.

BE CAREFUL AS THIS IS WHERE THEY GET YOU!!!!

He broke down the company, telling me that I could have my own office in my own city making 6 figures in just 8-10 if I do well in the management training program.

I asked him how the pay would be, and he told me the best part about the job is that its all performance based and that there are no sales quotas or anything.

Fair enough, I listened to him give me his figures that alleged I would be making 300-600 a week within 1 week with the company, and that when I got promoted to account director like he was(and I did in 3 weeks), that I would be making 600-1000 a week.

From there, he told me I would be making 75k a year as an assistant manager, and 6 figures as a manager of my own office in my own city. This was too good to be true. He mentioned the no seniority and no politics and I was sold. The pay he promised me was just great.

So we finished up our day, headed back to the office, and on the way back, he told me that 300 people applied for this job, 12 people got 2nd interviews(what I was on), and only 3 people will get the job. He said he was going to do what he could to get me in to the company, but no promises.

Of course, they hired me. The thing I didn't like is they wouldn't let me do a 2-week notice with the job I already had. With no choice, I simply accepted their terms of working a final shift and then starting two days later.

My training and everything went well. About 4 days into the job, and no going back to my retail job, they had me out on my own selling product which I found out that very day I would only make money for what I sold.

Wait a minute.. I thought this is performance based, and not commission based? How are the sales figures promised to me guaranteed?

They preached their "5 and 8 steps" and that if I follow their guidelines that I would make atleast 100 a day.

BULLSH**. All of our expenses like food and gas would come out of our pockets. We had to be there at 7 am and wouldnt leave until 7 pm in most cases, and as a n account director, you would leave at 8-9 pm. EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I remember one day in particular that simply set me off. Me and a girl were assigned a map to sell Dodger tickets on. Turns out, this place was 3 HOURS AWAY FROM DODGER STADIUM IN OJAI, CA. They dont even know what baseball is out there. Between the both of us, we spent about 30 bucks on gas since it was such a far drive, and she only made 40 bucks, me getting a BIG FAT DONUT. People would simply laugh at me at the mention of the Dodger tickets. They left us out to dry, and I couldnt be mad around this chick because you cant be REAL, or what they call negative, around others. Constant "positive", or in other words, BE AS FAKE AS POSSIBLE!

I got promoted to account director like I said, and I had to stay after all the newer guys left for "leader meetings".

This was the most disgusting, dishonest, bullsh** I've ever heard in my life.

The managers of the office would walk in and talk to us and ask us HOW WE LOST INTERVIEWS. How did you not persuade that person to work for us? Where did you lose them? Did you tell them only a few people are going to get hired?

It all flashed before my eyes that week.. this is a pyramid scheme built off illegal soliciting of products.

My last day with the company, much to my own fault, I did show up a few minutes late. It was a Saturday and we had to be there at 8:30 and I was there at 7 the previous 5 days so cut me some slack, I'm human.

Saturday is a team day, and its normally 2 people going out selling Dodger tickets in an area of their choice. Since I showed up late, they decided to set me up with an assistant manager and two other gentlemen ALL WHO DO NOT HAVE CARS OF THEIR OWN, INCLUDING THE ASST. MANAGER, and have us drive out 2 HOURS TO NORCO, CA SELLING GOLF PACKAGES IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA.

It cost us 40 dollars in gas to get there and back, and I ended up making only 25 bucks that day. On the way back, I told the asst. manager and the other 2 guys with me that this drive out simply was not worth it and I'm pissed I just went house to house in the blistering heat doing this on a Saturday, which is optional.

I get back to the office and the asst. managers in the office proceed to chew me out for being "negative" and getting on me for my attitude being so shitty.

I noticed what they were saying, and I was determined to get this turned around and show them wrong.

When I got home, I got a little curious. I googled the name of the company, and low and behold, ripoffreport.com with MULTIPLE listings is there. Everything you read related to this company is absolutely true. I called the person who interviewed me, my "leader" and he told me its just pissed off ex-employees. I quit that night.

It's been about a month now, and I've found employment and am back on my feet, but this company and their dishonesty definately gave me a ton of grief.

They promise great salary, when really there is no guarantee. They dont pay for anything. They dont pay to relocate you to a new office.

I'm probably leaving out some details but I just want people to know of the principals they practice.

Matt Kelly is a disgusting, dishonest, soliciting pig and his cult needs to be stopped.

Awi
Winnetka, California
U.S.A.