Pinnacle Systems ripoff pyramid scheme lie to employees dishonest about pay Lafayette Indiana

My name is Sara, and I am a 26 year old married female living in north central Indiana. A month and a half ago I responded to an ad placed in the Lafayette Journal and Courier for customer service agents. Before arriving at the office, I first called to see what the position entailed. I was told on the phone that the job was Indoor Air Quality Specialist. The receptionist didn't give much more information besides that, other than the location of the office. We set up an interview the same afternoon, and I waited with bated breath.

When I arrived there were several people filling out applications, and a woman named Carrie explained a brief overview of the company. It all sounded good and looked nice on paper; $1100 a month guaranteed so long as you met your quota for 'running appointments'. What she failed to mention initially and only briefly mentioned later was that the appointments were set by telephone solicitation, gift card raffles in which contestants dropped entry blanks containing pertinent information into a box, and third party sources.

This was only the first day, but after telling me I was 'qualified', I left, returned a call to the office after arriving home, and set out the next morning for what I thought would be my new job endeavor.

The first day of training, I still didn't really know what to expect, so I kept an open mind. I still really had no idea what Indoor Air Quality Specialist really meant. The first machine was an air filter called the Defender 360. In all honesty it is a great machine, and I do have one placed in the home of my parents. The second machine is called the Majestic 360, and wouldn't you know, it's a vacuum cleaner. Carrie and her husband (the office owners) were insistent that it is *not* a vacuum cleaner and in fact a deep cleaning system. Alright, so I'll give it that-both machines were amazing, and after doing a demonstration for my own family, I was convinced the product was great. See also: Filter Queen.

After my initial weekend, I experienced big time car problems that prohibited me from driving to and from the office in Lafayette at 30 Professional Court. I had sold a set to my parents, and according to what we were told, we would have checks waiting on Monday morning for us. So, with an eighth of a tank of gas and no heat in my car I embarked on the 45 mile one way trip to the 'office'. Imagine my anger when I was told that until the paperwork from the FINANCE COMPANY (the set was upwards of two and a half grand) was approved, I wasn't going to receive any funds. I haggled with them to at least give me $50 of the supposed $250 coming to me so that I could get to and from the office. With a great amount of haggling, I was able to get it. In the days that followed I did not run appointments because of the car, was forced to find a way up to my parents' house to deliver their machines and upon return of the paperwork, still waited two weeks for payment. I was told any number of conflicting stories by various office personnel who told me anything I wanted to hear so that I would leave them alone. When I finally received the check on December 26, 2006 (2 WEEKS LATER THAN PROMISED!), I opened it up to discover it was for $150-- $50 short of the total amount I was promised, including the $50 advance I was begrudgingly given. By this point I was so p****d off that I left, cashed it, and never returned. I turned in my kit bag with the paperwork, unsure of whether or not I'd be returning once the car was fixed.

In my exprience I can say this: If you're young and broke and looking for a job that seems almost too good to be true, it probably is. These people lie, cheat, and do anything they possibly can to get one over on the people they employ. They make false promises and leave employees with grandiose illusions. The equipment that they sell is phenomenal, especially for the elderly or people with sinus and allergy issues, but my advice? If you want a Filter Queen set, buy it on ebay from some other disgruntled ex sales person.

Sara
Kentland, Indiana
U.S.A.