Monday, March 9, 2009

Job Searching, Marketing Scams, and You: Northeast Consulting, Inc


Now, it takes a lot to make me mad. Even more to make me angry, and few if any have ever seen me truly enraged. Right now I'm pretty pissed the fuck off. This is why:

So last week on a whim I checked out marketing jobs in Boston and the Boston area. Mind you, this was immediately after waking up, so I wasn't fully awake or anything. This tends to be the time of day that I do most of my job hunting and applying. Why? It's easy to wake up, grab the laptop off the floor, check the email and any postings that came in and just follow it from there. Well, I came across an ad seen in another posting here. Now, my main thinking on this was "well, as a campaign worker I'm selling a candidate all day. I've done this stuff before, I do it well, why not take a stab at marketing?" So, I sent off my resume and stuff right away. Then I started researching the company. I didn't research first because who knows how many other applicants there are? Better get your stuff in faster and research later.

Well looking at their website you see a modern, professional website. It looks snazzy. First thoughts: oh looks like they may be a good sized firm that has their shit together. I dig a little deeper and start looking at the individual pages. Something starts to seem off. What is the point of a corporate website? To instill confidence in the corporation to its potential clients and show off accomplishments. This site seems geared entirely towards those looking for jobs. Here ladies and gentlemen, we have Red Flag #1. Well, ok maybe thats not terrible, their site says they work on relationships with clients and direct sales. Sure, that makes sense. If you're approaching a company they might not care all that much for your website if they aren't looking in the first place, use it to attrack talent, especially when looking to expand like they say. Fair enough.

OK so then we come to Red Flag #2. I get an email within an hour or two. It's a form email signed by the "Human Resources Department" asking me to call THEM for an interview. What? Who requires that you call them for an interview? No one, that's who. But wait! They call me first! OK, so I have a resume that they think would compliment them well. AWESOME! Sounded legit on the phone I guess, so that's great. They want an interview with me on Tuesday at 2:30. Fantastic!

Now it is time for some deeper research on them to prepare for the interview. Onwards, to Google, Master of Company Lore! Wait, what the fuck? Red Flag 3: Googling Northeast Consulting, Inc shows up with nothing but job postings for the past 3 months. "Well, they did say they were looking to expand, it only makes sense that they're posting on all the different job sites, they could really find the cream of the crop so-to-speak." No big deal there. But... still, it goes for over 7 search pages and there's no press on them. Maybe they're a start up? Let's find out when they were started.

Ok, now I don't know if any of you are geeky enough to know that you can find out who owns websites and when they were registered with ease. Now, I hate the godaddy.com commercials as much as the next guy, but you can use their site to get all this information for free. The search is called a "whois" search. Well, turns out that their website was registered in 2008 by a website design company from Colorado or something. Fair enough. That fits the start up motife and the lack of any info on them, they haven't been around long! Great, so while there are a couple "Red Flags," what else have I got to do, get off Cape, go for an interview. What do I have to lose at this point? After all, googling "Northeast Consulting, Inc + Scam" turned up nothing. I also decided to check the Better Business Bureau's website. It turned up nothing on the name or website. I also checked some other companies that I know are real and legitimate, some of those didn't turn up either so I thought nothing of it.

So, I mention all this to my friend AJ from college. He mentions he had applied to something similar and found out it was a scam after he applied. He mentioned that it too was in Braintree, but was called Bdi or something. But so far as we knew, Braintree was the only similarity.

A few days pass, it is now Sunday night and it just isn't sitting well with me. By this point their whole presentation just doesn't feel right, no company should be presenting themselves. I read their email and note they specify what your dress code is. That's odd, shouldn't that be a test of your potential employee? Seeing how they present themselves? If they can't sell themselves, how can they sell your product or that of your client?

I ask AJ again for more details of this company he found out was a scam, and he doesn't respond for a bit, so in the mean time I look up marketing job scams. I found the holy fucking grail of marketing scam company listings here. Reading through there's some good information. In the comments there's a list of known scams. Northeast Consulting isn't in there. Ok, I'm feeling alright about this. Then AJ responds. BSI Boston was the name of it he says. Well, scrolling down the comments further, lo and behold! BSI Boston is listed on that page. He asks me what the name of the person that called me was... sure enough. Same fucking lowlife. Now, when I got her name it sounded really lame and fake: Jen Jenson. I googled it, found nothing related to Northeast Consulting Inc initially. But its a real enough name, people have it. Fine. Now, she's related to a pre-existing scam. Fuck me.

I go find BSI Boston's website. The language and text are exactly the same on the Northeast and BSI sites. They're they same company. Scrolling further on the about.com page reveals that they recently changed their names and phone numbers.

I got pwned. Doomed to remain on Cape longer.

Now, I wasn't planning on writing this up, but Depo asked me to write up some stuff on job hunting and I want to make sure that google comes up with this whenever anyone searches for Northeast Consulting, Inc. I want people to know how fake this is and any further iteration that comes from 100 grossman ave, braintree, ma.

Also, Jen Jenson: Fuck you.


[Edit 09/03/09]: So it appears Jen Jensen and Andrea Anderson may in fact be different people. Good for them. That still doesn't excuse this company from their shady business practices. Scam or not, they're still out to screw people for their own gain. That is not OK in my book. I will not sit idle and allow people to spend money to interview or quit a job or relocate for this bullshit. I'd also like to take a moment to point out that this is the 2nd hit on google after their own website. Awesome.

210 comments:

  1. I can deal with not hearing back from anyone, but getting the false hope of a scam sucks big time. Good job figuring it all out before it went any further.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks a tonne man, I was preparing like an ass for this interview, i came to boston wasted over 200 bucks for this shit, how do i do something to counter this false thing, god, im aggravated !!

    ReplyDelete
  3. im going to the interview tomorrow, im gonna fuck their happiness, can we call the cops for what they doing or what ?

    ReplyDelete
  4. thank you so much for posting this. i am so glad that i did not drive out to braintree for this waste of time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. thanks so much for posting this! I thought this looked suspiciously scam-like. Just FYI, Dynasty is running a similar scam, so watch out!

    ReplyDelete
  6. they need to be reported to the authorities .... i really feel bad for the recent grad/ entry level applicant that gets sucked into this... as they may not know any better

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just had an interview today with Northeast Consulting, inc.!!!!!!! I had no idea!!!!!

    When I went in, I only saw three people in the office: "Jen Jensen", "Andrea Anderson", and the guy who interviewed me. Apparently the guy who interviewed me explained that many of their account executives are constantly meeting with companies face-to-face so they are not in the office. WEIRD He explained that there were 3 phases to the interview process.. 1- the 10 min meeting (which i had today) 2- a full day meeting where you follow an account executive around for the day, 3- final interview....

    Well, within the next two hours I got a call from Jen Jensen saying that they loved me and would like me to come in for the second round of interviews. Which seemed very weird because they said they had 40+ people after me to interview just in that day alone....

    Looking back at their website and everything that happened in the interview today, I let my excitement for a job get the best of me. Don't be fooled!!!

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS! I would never have known if I hadn't done more research and found this.

    Also check out this site: http://jobsearch.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=jobsearch&cdn=careers&tm=175&f=00&su=p284.9.336.ip_p554.12.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http://www.onedayonejob.com/jobs/the-landers-group/%23comment-2170

    http://www.bigbadmusic.com/scams.htm

    ReplyDelete
  8. oh i forgot to include that Jen Jensen/Andrea Andersen is the same person... easy for her to remember

    ReplyDelete
  9. these comments i find hilarious...

    i used to work for northeast consulting for 3 months and everything is legit about the company-

    1st- the do sales/marketing for some of the best companies in the world. Verizon, Staples, At&T etc. they even work with USPS selling overnight shipping packages.these fortune 500 companies would not be working with small companies that were scams.

    2nd- the person who made a comment about a red flag for a corporate company having a snazzy website-what are you retarded? what company doesn't have a website? which company doesn't have a section for "about us" or "employment"? so lets get serious buddy.

    they do face to face sales and marketing and expanding to new locations. so why would they not be hiring?
    i was paid every week and made great money. they have a mix of commissions and salary, but due to the hours and a family i cannot work in the mornings anymore.

    a couple of pointers-
    1-any company you Google-including Google will have bad things written about them.
    2-don't take advice from someone who was to lazy to actually get their ass out of cape and go to an interview-thats why they are unemployed
    3-a company that gives tips to Entry Level applicants on how to dress, is looking out for those who just graduated college-and don't say, oh they should already know how to dress-when applicants who just graduated and have been in the real world still, don't realize that a resume should be one page-and cannot balance their check book.
    4-if you did not get a call back thats because Boston has some of the sharpest candidates in the country and some were just sharper then you-so don't get upset just get sharper.

    just go check it out for yourself and you will see it is 100% legit.

    misery loves company

    ReplyDelete
  10. So many reasons that last post is fake. Two of which: why would a former employee Google that company and the word scam since thats the only thing this blog shows up on Google with.

    2. Google records indicate they haven't even been around since before January, unless it was BSI Boston.

    They call this a one day job scam for a reason and that is the shadowing aspect of the interview. The business runs on misrepresenation and sheer number of applicants.

    As for the website there isn't even a section for potential clients, even on the contact page its all job applicants.

    Nice try. A for effort though.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am so confused!!!! Blumpking help me! So what is the point of this so called scam?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yes, what is the scam about?????PLease get back

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Edited to fix a typo:

    This article covers it pretty well
    http://jobsearch.about.com/od/entryleveljobs/a/entrylevelscam.htm

    Technically the only thing they steal is your time. They use you as free labor to sell their products and never expect to see you again. The "one day, one job" concept. Except they do it as part of the interview process to avoid paying you.

    ReplyDelete
  15. thanks so much....

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank u Blumpking! Did they actually drove u somewhere on your interview??

    ReplyDelete
  17. No, I didn't go. Too many things weren't right about it

    ReplyDelete
  18. like the fact that the website is the same of BSI? Just google it and check!
    I mean, what are they doing then??

    ReplyDelete
  19. Well, I just had my second interview (the day long one) with them (don't really mind the time). They didn't have me sell anything, just go around with one of their employees while they followed up with contacts (some new, some checking back in on them). They also bought me lunch. Some things that raised some flags during the interview:
    - Was told that I could write off 'entertainment' as an expense (and food, but thats less unusual), much as sales jobs usually allow you to write off gas.
    - The person I was shadowing was always evasive about giving out info to the customers. However, that could just be because customers might not be as inclined to buy if they knew the rep wasn't actually working for the company whose product they were selling. Still, it made for plenty of awkward conversations: "You can't give me a business card or leave your promotional material with me?" was the gist of what we heard very often.
    - Huge flag was that the person I was with mentioned several different offices in different states. Unusual, for a company called 'Northeast Consulting,' and with only information on their website about the Braintree office. If I'm going to guess (and give them the benefit of the doubt), I figure that its some sort of franchise system, and that other offices operate under different names.

    However, on the upside, overall, the whole experience seemed legit. There were some happy customers who had nothing but good things to say, some not interested under any circumstances, and some that were potentially interested in buying from them. A realistic mix for sales. Further, nothing was really expected of me, as I mentioned at the beginning. I just kinda watched the sales rep work the customers, and chimed in a bit when I wanted to participate.

    Further, they were upfront and honest, as far as I could tell. The entry level positions, which most are in for about a year and a half, are entirely commission, and then you can move up to salary from there. The salaried positions take some bonuses for the sales of the entry level people, which seemed kinda pyramid scheme-ish to me, however. They also didn't hide that it would involve having to be at the office every morning for training and then every evening for reviews.

    I'm unsure about how legit it is, but I'm going to give the the benefit of the doubt when they call me back for a third interview (which I'm fairly confident will happen no matter what). I'll report back and see how it turns out.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Previous comment = please report back..since I went already for my 2nd interview, after long day going from business to business aka cold walking, I wrote my review of entire day and called upon back into the office and got an offer on the spot...then I proceeded with doing my drug test later in the week and I guess they did my background check as well...but something later hit me and I opened my eyes..this place just wasn't for me. I prefer to cold call rather then go door to door aka solicitating! Thats right..no safety there! People could always hang up on you if they're not interested on the phone, but in person..Beware! Shady!!!!!!! Why did they even have so many damn applicants anyways come all on the same day? There were so many Red Flags! I can't believe it happened to me but I learned the hard way! Research the company first and foremost where you applying people..see some credentials!!! Good Luck!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Just wanted to welcome everyone coming in from the somethingawful.com forums. Stay and check out some of the other posts. Hopefully we're interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  22. this company is a total scam, they have offices all over the nation under different names. They have some in Denver that use the same hiring model. Cute young receptionist, at least 5 or so younger looking college grads, and full of empty promises. Unfortunately they are not doing anything illegal, but they definitely waste your time and money. This is so fucking pathetic that companies like this exist. I went out with some kid named Jarod or something like that, I mean this kid supposedly went to Yale or something , probably 250K in college debt and he is cold calling, peddling phone products. What a dipstick. Anyways, for all you college grads out there, use your degree and find a career at a legit company , not this piece of crap...

    ReplyDelete
  23. In Northern VA they are called, among other names, The Intuitive Group.

    Watch out!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thank you so much! I just receive the first email asking to call them...

    DELETE!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. wow- when i was told that people posted stuff online about northeast consulting they weren't kidding. i have been working there for about 1 month and my buddy just applied and told me to check this out.

    i have an mba in business mngt and i absolutely love what i do. i go business to business doing sales for verizon.

    since the time i was called, to the time i came in for an interview, everything has been legit. you start off Entry level, work 100% commission and get to move up upon performance. which means the harder you work, the more money you make and the faster you move up. shouldn't all business' work that way?

    i have worked in corp. america and since the economy has gone to crap the company i was working for had to down size. so there went my 70k salary. there are not many companies hiring out there, and i new i never wanted to be let go again. so how great is this, i get to make as much money as i want, representing Verizon and will never be let go again. i have never heard of a 100% commission job laying people off. it doesn't happen.

    so everyone who is posting stuff can keep posting. but a word of advice...

    if you did not go through the entire interview process from start to finish, you have no creditability what so ever.
    for the individuals who have not interviewed yet and actually believe everything you read, you have a lot to learn.
    for all the college graduates or individuals like myself who were down sized and need to start over, this is a great place until i see something thats not right, which i haven't.

    last thing to ad-
    with the economy as bad as it is, good luck trying to find a 50k salary job out there. you wont. if you think anything less of a salary is good, have fun trying to pay your bills and living a comfortable life here in boston.

    ReplyDelete
  26. You're awesome, couldn't find any other scam material on this company. Thank you, much time not wasted.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Couldnt find any scam material? Are you kidding me, your probably one the managers that is trying to scam people, your a piece of crap...why dont you stop preying on young entrepreneurs that actually have some talent and education in the marketing industry...

    and to think I bought a suit for your stupid interview...I went out riding with this kid that`s car stunk like stale cigarettes, that had a whole in his shoe and went door to door stinking like shit...great image to have for such a successful company...

    ReplyDelete
  28. I had many interview calls this past week, including this piece of crap company. Who writes a 5 paragraph email to contact them? Every legit company called me and I did not have to call them. Once they called me, they did not leave a message.
    Losers.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hey, thanks a lot for this. I feel like I have done the exact same search, etc. I am currently working and in grad school so I thought I would nose around a bit and see if there were any potential marketing jobs in Boston. I posted my resume/info to careerbuilder on Tuesday morning and had received an invitation to CALL THEM regarding a potential interview. I decided that this was probably a form email or some kind of spam until I received a call from them about 2 hours after the email. I let the call go to voicemail and decided to ignore them. Just this morning (05/29/09) I received a second call and a "Final Interview Invitation" email from them and responded politely with a bit of garbage about not being able to come in for an interview over the weekend - who interviews over the weekend anyway? The emails that I have received were from none other than Jen Jensen.

    Thanks for saving me the time and effort! I appreciate it!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I also almost got sucked into this scam until I googled their company and FOUND YOUR POST. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

    I was planning to travel 4 hours to go to an interview next week, and I also thought it was pretty sketchy that they told me I would already have a 2nd "all day interview" the day after. What kind of company actually tells you that you are guaranteed not just an interview, but a SECOND one?? The brass ring anyone wants in a job search is an offer for an interview. You don't usually get one based solely on a resume alone. Hello? Cover Letter? References? Nothing but a resume gets you an interview with these people?! That was the biggest way-too-good-to-be-true red flag.

    Another big red flag: They name no employees by name on their website, nor do they even list clients on their "Clients" tab. Even my Dad's very small & very local publishing company has a website that lists his name, contact information, and mailing address, as well as displaying his photo so you know him when you meet him at a conference or another meeting place. But apparently Northeast Consulting's employees and their CEO are so magical and powerful that they must be kept a secret, for fear your eyes might just burn away at seeing their elusive greatness. Or they're a fucking scam. Probably the latter.

    I too just graduated two weeks ago, and was psyched to find their email in my inbox today. But Thank God for Google & this post (and several others, such as RipOffReport.com ---> http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/457/RipOff0457511.htm)

    FUCK JEN JENSEN & FUCK NORTHEAST CONSULTING. You're as bad as the "Vector Marketing" Cutco Knives people, and also use your pathetic commission-based pay, door-to-door scam. In fact, Cutco Knives actually looks better in comparison to you, since selling cutlery door-to-door to your friends and family is more plausible than selling business sevices to legitimate companies in person.

    ReplyDelete
  31. As a recent graduate, I have been suckered into not one, but two of these pathetic "sports and entertainment marketing" scams. Both were under the same parent scheme, same number of applicants, same applications, same waiting room, same interview pitch, same looking website...and I didn't put it all together until RIGHT before I was about to go back for the dreaded 2nd interview, thankfully.

    The offices even had the same basic set up; Walk into a shitty office building, open the door to a dimly lit office, see a secretary (who also serves as the "HR Manager," mind you) who greets you and asks you to fill out an application. Meanwhile, music is playing at a pretty loud level for an office setting from a stereo--there is no installed speaker system. From there, you sit in a shitty waiting room with five other unknowing candidates to be interviewed. The interviewee then brings you in, asks you maybe one or two questions ("What are your strengths?" or "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?") then goes off on his own sales pitch to you to make his bullshit company seem legitimate. HE DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT MY RESUME or ask any questions off of it. This was a surefire sign that they don't care what you do, what your background is or how good of a student you were...you are merely a target of cheap labor and nothing more. I got a good laugh out of the "Director of Operations'" Cornell diploma hanging on the wall as well.

    I can't believe I got tricked into this twice, as both companies working under the same scam technique operated under different names. For those of you in the Rhode Island area, beware of NORTHEAST SPORTS GROUP, who also call themselves NSG Inc. In Burlington, MA, avoid Dynasty Marketing Group or whatever they call themselves...they are just as infamous on a U.S. basis.

    Fuck these companies- they have to be put to an end.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I recieved an email from them monday not only 2 hours after sending them my resume. the email asked me to call them but before i could they called me. twice. Jen Jensen said she wanted to ask me a few questions to see if i was a right fit for the company and the only thing she asked me was am i employed right now to which i responded yes. i qualified! after reading about the company i called back and canceled my interview. i am working right now making 55k salary and if i left my current company to work for this bullshit excuse of a company, id fucking walk into that office and fuck shit up. to the assholes here that have an "mba" and cant find a job so they work here, i just graduated 2 weeks ago with an undergrad and i have plenty of interveiws for salary.
    all recent grads do not give this company a chance to suck you in, your better than this...my 7 yr old brother can walk door to door and sell coupons, its a waste of your degree...not to mention humiliating.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Look, I use to work for Northeast consulting and they are a great company with a ton of opportunity. The reason the have different companies in different states with different names is for liability purposes and people work harder for something that is their own. It is a management training program in which you have to work hard in order to get ahead if you don't you will get no where. I use to interview on behalf of the company as well and at no point did I hide anything from the people I was interviewing. The only reason I am no longer working there is because there was a family emergency back home(which is 6 hours from Braintree) that I had to move back home for. And Jen Jensen is her real name and she is one of the nicest girls I have ever met, and you are pathetic for attacking her because you were too lazy to actually check it out. This company isn't for everyone, you have to be willing to work hard, go B2B and develop yourself. If you aren't then don't waste THEIR time. And it is great for Northeast Consulting that you wrote this because it prevents people who don't have the drive and desire to better themselves and try something from wasting their time on you.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Jen Jenson...Andrea Anderson? stupid fucking names. Why isnt Northeast Consulting registered with the BBB if its such a great company guy?

    ReplyDelete
  35. Just like many of you, I got both, an email and a call from them for an interview ASAP. Immediately, I felt something was not right. Aren't we in a recession? Why is it so easy to get a job just like that? So, I went online and checked out their website. At first glance, the website looked pretty legit. But after reading through the pages, it seemed like they were trying to attract employees more than clients. I told my friend about this company and she knew exactly who I was referring too. She had interviewed with them before and warned me that they were a total BS. Initially, I wanted to go just to gain some interviewing experiences. My friend said the interview was legit and professional, and I should go if I have never been to one. I'm having an interview with them this afternoon but I don't feel like wasting my time and gas. I'm actually pissed after reading this post because I woke up early this morning to do some research on the company and found out it was all a scam. I was going to be nice and call them to cancel the interview, but why should I be nice to people like them?

    ReplyDelete
  36. every negative comment ive seen is true. i used to work there. TRUST ME... no one is making money there. everyone is expected to drive their shitty car around and use their own gas. there are people working there that THINK this is a good job because they all believe they will one day run their own branch. obviously that won't happen. most of them have been in the same position for a LONG time and will continue to be until they wake up and face reality. the company claims that you can fly through the system and be running your own branch in as little as 6 months! give me a break. don't be exploited for your labor! RUN!!!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I just got an email/call from Jen Jensen as well. I am not calling back.

    PS - Did anyone else notice that one of the assholes that wrote in here defending the company could barely spell? We're supposed to believe this shit?

    "i have an mba in business mngt..." - Yeah, if you're going to abbreviate the word "management," you should write MGMT.

    "there are not many companies hiring out there, and i new i never wanted to be let go again." - Really, big timer?? You NEW it? Also, here's a tip.....TRY USING CAPS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

    It's no wonder these fuck-ups work at Northeast Consulting. There is not a single, legitimate company out there that would hire them.

    SCAM

    ReplyDelete
  38. Much thanks for all the info on Slim Shady Consulting everyone. I received an email to Call Back either Jen Jensen (J-Squared) or Amanda Anderson (A-Squared) this afternoon only 2 hrs. after I responded to an email this morning from A-Squared stating they don't open MS.Doc Resume attachments due to potential viruses & to include my resume in the body of an email, which is somewhat understandable. I actually fell for this same scam under a different company name after I finished up Northeastern back in 2002, wish I remember what name they were using back then. Absolute Bull-Shizzle, but back then I wasted a day in July trudging around Malden in a suit on a 90 degree day w/ some random dude - but I got a free lunch out of the deal. Can't the Better Biz Bureau do something, or is it somewhat legit and not truly considering a Scam? Simply something that wastes our time??? Thanks again for all the info though. Much appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  39. What a total scam!! It's sickening that people do this for a living. Earlier today I called the office and "Jen Jensen" answered, so of course I asked for "Andrea Andersen," which as we all know is the same person. She quickly responds- "I'm sorry, she's not in right now. Can I help you with something?" To which I reply, "Yes, could you leave her a message that her sister called." She pauses and says "Oh, actually she is in, hold on one second . . " Then I'm pretty sure she put the cleaning lady on the phone. What a PSYCHO!!!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I have no idea what to think I have a interview this up coming week. lol, damn what should I do? I dont think its a scam however I think they should say up front that its 100% commission and the careerbuiklder ad is so misleading.... it is funny when I went there I spoke to Andrea in person however when I call I only get Jen on the phone, lol. Well im up for the whole day interview this week ill write my review next week. who works for the company now?

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thank you SO MUCH for this post, I was able to caution a friend not to uproot her life for a shitty scam job!

    I love the posts defending NE...hilarious.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I am also really confused. I went in for my first round interview and sat with Jim the "President" of the company and I asked him what they do. He said "Business to business sales for Verizon and Quill". I asked him about salary he said "that will be discussed during the 2nd round". So I then asked him if it was 100% commission and he said "Absolutely, it even says on our website performance based compensation."- So I thought that was a little fishy, but it does say it.
    the weird part is, I did meet a Jen Jenson and a Andrea Anderson. Jen is apparently the blond and Andrea is the brunette. So I deeper questioned some to find out how long she has been working there, and Jen has been for 3years and Andrea since January.

    I got a call back for a 2nd round interview which I am going to go to.
    My father who is in the police force also called Verizon and Quill and they both said they work with Northeast Consulting.


    I will let everyone know what happens!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thanks for writing this up... I almost went on an interview there tomorrow!!! I, like you just fel something was wrong and dug a little deeper. Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  44. WOW, i can relate to so many of these postings, I cannot believe people do this, I almost quit my other job thinking this was a better one. 100% commission base is not a viable way to pay rent, and after looking at all these postings I am not going to go to my second round interview.
    I did see this as kind of shady, this sucks.

    ReplyDelete
  45. i love how people just sit around writing about on jobs that they either failed in or just didnt think they can do something called HARD WORK haha too funny .. seriously the economy SUCKS and people have the time to BITCH ! Get a job and stop complaining critics. THANKS!

    ReplyDelete
  46. you people are hilarious commission is the defiention of WORK. weekly pay is people that sit on their asses !!! seriously grow up

    ReplyDelete
  47. yeah really people that can't work commission are either fat/ugly/lazy/not confident of themselves/ bad personality. if you cant do sales then dont apply for it idiot. stop wanting everything handed to you retard that's not what a successful future is. It's people that want to work in burgerking/cvs all there life not get anywhere. Have to start from the bottom to make it to the top people. there's no other way unless your stupid and think you can /


    "you have to learn how to play the game before you can coach it"


    live by it!!!!!!!!!!!!



















    byeeebye!!

    ReplyDelete
  48. really don't hate on other's peoples' success but of course people like to gossip and is ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!




    WEAKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

    ReplyDelete
  49. These companies are total scam and provide people with false hope. I sent in a resume to Dynasty last week for an "entry level marketing position" and received a call for an interview less than an hour later. Seemed a little odd, but I rolled with it since I'm looking to get a real job as soon as I can. I went in for an interview the next day and the HR director made their company sound like a great way to advance up the corporate ladder. I was called back for a second interview and went in. They told me I was going to learn the business by shadowing someone for a day. We spent almost an hour driving to some random town. During the drive, I was told about the history of the company which included a contrived story of them selling tickets for George Steinbrenner in the 90s. We got to the town they were doing work in and basically I followed this clown around all day while he tried to peddle some BS park passes. This guy even went so far as to walk right into places that said "NO SOLICITING" right on the door. Within a half hour, I knew I didn't want this job but was stuck spending a whole day following around this idiot. The guy tried to spend our lunch telling me that it was a great opportunity to make a lot of money quickly even though we were driving around all day in some half-assed car. Finally around 6PM we got back to their office in Burlington and I couldn't get in my car and leave fast enough. These places hire people to be SOLICITORS and completely mislead them about how they can advance in the company. I seriously felt like I was following around a Jehova's Witness all day, but since we were an hour away from the office, I couldn't just leave despite how embarrassed I felt. What a waste of my fucking time. Avoid this place at all costs.

    ReplyDelete
  50. people LOVEEEEE to hate haha GROW SOME BALLLS bitchhhhhhhhhhhhh

    ReplyDelete
  51. Hello, well I also participated in the interview process with Northeast Consulting, Inc. and was hired directly after my "second interview". I accepted the offer, then refused the offer the next morning- feeling skeptical about the entire situation. I later called a family member who is in sales about the situation, and he told that he had googled the company the day before after I told him about the interview. He told me to look at the postings here and RipoffReport.com regarding the company's legitimacy.
    The sales person I went with was very nice and seemed to genuinely like the job. I actually called the person to thank them and apologize for time wasted- on their behalf! After reading these posts, I feel simply stupid for not trusting my initial instincts and for thinking I mattered. The entry-level position must work for some, but I cannot depend on a "potential income"- I need money ASAP and cannot afford to spend the money I have left on gas and suits for a couple weeks while building my base. There are plenty of companies that hire sales' agents and pay base and gas compensation. Just because you cannot depend on commission does not mean that you are in any way lazy/fat/ugly/etc. (as gracefully stated in a pro-NE postee)- it just means that you are not willing to waste your time and energy on a company that is not willing to do the same for you. By the way- pro-NE postee- I consider myself very attractive and do not mind working hard, but I refuse to work hard without a guarantee of a paycheck.
    Companies like Quill and Verizon hire NE,Inc. as an agency because it is cheaper for them to give 500 to 800 per sales person that NE hires rather than hire their own marketing, human resource personel, and pay for benefits if they can hire a company to do the footwork for them. Very smart on their part- and does explain why NE,Inc. focuses their attention on hiring rather than clients. They make the majority of their money on employees; not product promotion or sales- again smart. Waste of time and money? yes. A good fit for someone who can afford to work for them? yes.

    p.s jen jenson and andrea anderson are not the same person and they actually seem cool (probably in on the scam with the incentive to hire) but nevertheless cool.

    Good luck to everyone trying to find a job... its rough out there but it will be worth it to wait for a job you can be proud of.

    ReplyDelete
  52. well if you cant do something then why write shit on it, move on with your life and let the opportunity be passed to someone else. God people like to always make matters worse that's why our world is such a horrible place no one can ever be polite about something. ALWAYS HAS TO BE NEGATIVE! don't stand in the way of someone else's success. Go find what makes YOU happy.


    thank you

    ReplyDelete
  53. Thank you so much for this information. I have been job searching for over a year and was always hesitant to apply to Northeast Consulting because they post ads on EVERY job board/site available, which seemed desperate and scam-like. Last week, I thought I would give it a shot anyway. Like everyone else, I received the e-mail and the phone call from Jen a short while later. She practically insisted that I come in the next business day (I also thought it was really odd that she asked me to bring my resume and told me what to wear... duh). I went in this morning and even though I bombed the 5-question interview (Jim made me nervous), Andrea called back to offer me the second interview. She wanted me to do it tomorrow, but I told her that I had two other meetings tomorrow. She got a little rude and said, "You did put that you were available to start immediately on your information sheet. When are you really available?" I told her Thursday or Friday, and of course Thursday was available. I am so glad I did some more digging. I should have listened to my gut. I have much better things to do with 9 hours (like start a legit sales and marketing firm).

    ReplyDelete
  54. Hey,

    I posted quite a few months back, on April 6th, referring to my second interview. I didn't post again right away, mainly because I intended to ask the person who interviewed me out, and didn't want this interfering with my chances (said interview accepted and the date went well, btw).

    Anyway, shortly after that post, I was called back for a third interview. A side story to all this was that, while on the way there, the subway train I was on was held up for about 40 minutes due to a medical emergency. This resulted in me being 10 minutes late instead of 30 minutes early (as we all know, give yourself an extra half hour to get anywhere). When I arrived, nobody seemed the slightest big concerned about the medical emergency, which somewhat put me off. If someone were to walk into an appointment late, for me, and said "there was a medical emergency on the subway", my first response would be "was everything alright?". No such concern, which annoyed me.

    Anyway, after the third interview, which was relatively short and pointless, they had the interviewer call me up and offer me the position, which I turned down.

    As an aside, half the time I mention the company to a friend, they've also applied for work there, and got offered a job. Often times, the company was under a different name, BSG or something like that.

    Anyway, overall, the company just didn't sit well with me.

    ReplyDelete
  55. wow, i almost went to an interview for this company tomorrow....... ugh.

    ReplyDelete
  56. I got the same email from them on Friday night after 6:30 pm (which I thought was unusual)...thanks for posting this..I am a recently laid off graduate student from TX, so for me to have to fly up there for a bogus interview would have infuriated me...thank you for posting this, I am glad that you did and am sure that many others will appreciated it as well.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Had the first interview (it was close so nothing was really lost) they said they would call back between 1:30 and 2:00, they did. The blonde receptionist "Andrea" said the interviewee "had nothing but good things to say about me". Thinking I got a job I called my mom and told her, but said it seemed like a boiler room type business, and that it didn't seem totally right. Hours later I check my e-mail and my mom sent me a link- "Does this sounds anything like Northeast Consulting, it did. (3 step interview process, entry level, etc.) This place reeks of scam, non-descript office, no name on door, only 3 offices. Thank god I found out before wasting 8 hours on the second interview.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Anyone who is trying to defend these companies just please knock it off. They will hire anyone who will sell their shit and who is clueless enough to believe that they will advance far in a small amount of time. They're going to train new branch managers? I bet they didn't tell you where any of those new branches are opening, did they? Of course not. If you want to compromise your dignity by walking around some town you've never been to and trying to sell random shit then this is the job for you. I unfortunately had the displeasure of going to a second interview with one of these places and wasted an entire day watching a guy do just that. I was straight up embarrassed to be this guy's shadow. I was tricked into thinking this was a "real job" when it's really just a bullshit soliciting gig. They don't care who they hire as long as the people they hire go around trying to sell this crap, as evidenced by the fact that one of the people I was out with was only 19 and clearly lacked any formal education. The three people I was with that day all tried to talk the job up, but since I'm a fairly intelligent person, I saw right through this company's facade. I've been dying to leave my crappy restaurant job and these people did a terrible job of convincing me to bail on it. Their tactics to sell this crap on the cold walks are quite intrusive and unethical, several people we went to pointed out that their door had a "No Soliciting" notice on it. The guy I was with told me basically that all you need is an open door, which is completely shady. Just keep trying doors until you find someone that won't immediately throw you out? Great business model. Pretty much every negative thing that was said about these companies is true, and anyone who defends these places is a misinformed buffoon. If you want to work at one of these places, fine, but don't come on here accusing those of us who wasted their time interviewing there of being "lazy", "haters", and incapable of doing hard work, that is just ridiculous. The reason most of us did not want to work for these companies is because it's clearly a shitty soliciting job. Any idiot can go out and peddle products.

    Other strange things I noticed:
    -For a firm that was supposedly a major player in their area, their office was in a building that looked more like a college dorm than an office building.
    -On my first interview, the HR director told me that they were doing 15 interviews that day and were going to call back the top 4. I refuse to believe that 11 people did a worse interview than me, but the callback came. I'm guessing that the number of interviewees that day was nowhere near 15, so basically I was being lied to.
    -The guy I was shadowing said he was close to becoming a "director", whatever that means, yet in his supposed high-up position in the company, was still out cold walking.
    -On these cold walks, this guy never mentioned the company he was working for by name, and had no business cards to leave with people.

    Like I said, these companies will hire anyone who is dumb enough to agree to go out and be a solicitor for them. Anyone with a college degree out there, avoid these places and stay positive, the economy will rebound eventually.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Okay... I'm still not sure what the scam is? That they don't say up-front that the entry-level positions are based on commission? Or are they scamming their clients? I've read through all of these posts but it's still unclear to me.

    Also, has anyone on here been contacted for an account management position? Is that any different than the entry-level spot?

    Thanks in advance for your input!

    ReplyDelete
  60. I worked for this company for 2 weeks. It isn't a scam in that it's not a real firm that has real clients... They do, I worked for Verizon and I know this bracuse I talked to people from Verizon and filled out real apps. For people's service. But it is a scam in the sense that they totally lie to you... They tell you that you will be in "entry level" for about 2-4 weeks, then you move up to "leader" which means you come in earlier, stay later, interview people, train people, and do all the other work you do in entry level--still no base pay, all commission. You are told that you will be in that possion for 12-18 months and then (if you bust your ass 60 hours a week, have at least 3 one-on-one meetings with mangagment, and go out on office night) you will be promoted to "asst. Manager" in this posission you still go into the field and are payed a base pay of $1000 a week that you can't touch beause they put it in a bank account for "when you start your own office as a manager," which is re next step, once you have $10,000 saved. I talked to a guy that used to work there are he said these things to not happen quickly of easliy like they say. Yeah, some people do make money but they bust their asses and have no socail life with anyone other than office people ( which is incouraged). I went out one night and they asked me all sorts of inapropriate personal questions in order to size me up... ie- what do your friends do? Where do they work? What do you do ok ur train ride in? Prepare for work?... As far as I'm concerned none of that is their business.

    They have good training and a lot of the people are cool but they promise the world if you work hard, but he reality is about 1% of people make it to management within the company.

    Beware, they are really nice, inviting, complimenting, and helpful at first... And although I only worked there 2 weeks I firmly believe it leads to nothing for most people.... They I through employees like crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  61. BTW... I know there are a lot of typos in the last post. I did it on my way home after quitting the job.

    ReplyDelete
  62. I should have followed my instinct on this one! I wish I had run into this website before going through the process myself. Like many of the previous people that posted on here, I’ve been looking for a job for quite a bit, and was happily surprised when I heard back from Northeast Consulting, Inc. I found it a little unusual that they would ask a candidate to call them to set up an interview, but didn’t think much of it. I held back on calling them right away, as I wanted to do a little more research on the company so that I’d be prepared for the preliminary “phone interview.” Before I knew I received a call from Andrea who sounded very upbeat and had nothing but great things to say about my resume, and how impressed they were with my credentials. She asked a few questions, including if I was willing to relocate to the Boston area in case I got the job, which I was, all the way from VT.

    Before I knew it, Andrea had set up an interview for the following day. There was something that wasn’t clicking right, but I dismissed my thoughts as silly paranoia.

    When I walked in for the first interview, both Andrea and Jen (They are two different people btw), greeted me. In the original email I was asked to bring a copy of my resume, which I handed to them. The next step was to meet with Jim, the company’s president (btw no one bothered to tell me his title, not even him, I would later find out he is the president of the company). By now Jim has my resume in his hands, and gave it a quick glance. I could tell this was the first time Jim was looking at my resume! My paranoia and skepticism kicked in again. I have interviewed quite a lot, and the person doing the interviews always make reference to my last job, my academic accomplishments, the languages i speak, etc, but not Jim. He simply asked a few generic questions on what motivates me, how my best friend would describe me, etc

    Soon after he gave me the speech on the company, but was very generic and always avoided the bigger picture. He throws around “fortune 500” like he is actually part of “Fortune 500,” or as if trying to impress me. This is not to say that Jim was not professional, but there was something about him that screamed “Cars salesman.” The interview lasted no more than 15 minutes.

    On my way back home I get a call from Andrea, congratulating me because I had moved on to the second round of interviews. I laughed a little to myself, but heck why not, I said to myself, lets go in for the second round.

    This is where I wish I had stayed home in bed. The second round was shadowing someone all day long as he went from business to business selling Quill products. He even dared to walk into buildings that said “NO SOLICITING.” I have never been so embarrassed. People were shooing us away like flies.

    The whole thing was really not for me, but since we were about an hour from the office I couldn’t tell this guy to drive me back. Northeast Consulting really goes out of the way to put you in this awkward situation. I was told I’d be shadowing someone all day long, but it was never explained to me that it was “field shadowing.” Throughout the entire day I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to come out and tell me I was being Punk’d. Especially when i had to pay for my own lunch!

    When we got back to the office, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. But they had me fill out a questionnaire about my experience out in the field, etc. Next thing I know, I’m going into my 3rd interview- on the spot mind you. All I wanted to do was get out of there. The lady interviewing me, had NEVER seen my resume, and asked me to tell her about myself.

    To make a short story long, I was offered the job on the spot. The entire thing was sketchy, and I don’t recommend it to anyone. I’m extremely mad that I fell for this, especially since I consider myself a smart person. I kindly declined the offer and walked out. On my way home I called my friends and we had a good laugh about it.

    ReplyDelete
  63. to everyone who had a bad experience-

    READ the Website!

    It says- Direct Sales and Marketing Position-
    which means-you go outside to do sales directly-hence direct sales and marketing-

    Performance based pay-which means-you get paid on how well you perform-
    100% commission is not for everyone. it is HARD work. if you don't mind working hard to get good at the business then you will do well and make decent money.

    if they are hiring 100% commission obviously they can hire as many reps as they want.
    so why do individuals feel it is weird if they apply to a job, and get a call back right away?
    i have applied to many jobs and think its weird that i don't get a call back or i have to call to follow up on my resume. (and for all the critics i do have my MBA)

    the only reason i am posting this is because i am bored at my stupid desk job and looking for a new job now.
    i did work at northeast for a short period of time but terrible at sales.
    i can tell you i learned a lot when i was there though.

    and by the way ripoff report is just a blogging website. if you read the fine print at the bottom before anything is posted it is a company over sea's with a weird name, and not held reliable for anything that is posted.

    JUST LIKE THIS WEBSITE- its ONLY PEOPLE'S OPINIONS!

    I highly recommended anyone interested in starting at Entry Level...doesn't mind working for 100% commission-and represent Verizon or Staples/Quill...

    TO EVERYONE ELSE POSTING- Get A JOB-OR STAY IN BED LIKE THE LAST GUY SAID AND SPEAK ALL YOUR FANCY LANGUAGES TO THE UN-EMPLOYMENT LINE!

    ReplyDelete
  64. Will people stop posting here inferring that the people who did not want to work for these companies are incapable of doing hard work. That is a completely absurd and ignorant insinuation to make.

    ReplyDelete
  65. thank you so much for posting this, I'm graduating in May and thought I was way ahead of the game because they contacted me so fast after I sent in my resume. Now I don't have to waste my time and money getting played!

    ReplyDelete
  66. haha always love the followers out there. "THANK GOD YOU (STRANGER) TOLD ME ABOUT THE POSITION, ON NO IM A PUSSY THAT CANT GO CHECK IT OUT MYSELF" hahah lets see if you get anywhere in life.

    THANKS LOVE THIS SITE

    ReplyDelete
  67. I feel really bad for those people defending this company. They clearly work for this scam and are most likely in debt because they do not make money. Most business schools warn you about these places and how the people who work there waste you time. Take the advice of the orignal post and stay away for these dumpy places and people. Sorry Northeast, you lose.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Hi,

    So same thing happened to me right. Right after I almost got scammed by Worldwide Acquisitions another scam don't buy it!
    Any who a Rebecca Schumann Calls me and sets up an interview and goes over details, she had way more info then Worldwide when they called so i was like hmm...most likely a scam...but we'll see. So I go to the interview in RI. and this guy Mark interview, briefly, quickly doesn't give me time to ask questions, and tells me about the all day interview. but tells me hes looking to train someone in 6 months to be manager with no experience...i'm like rrrriiiggghhhttt... So Sent an email asking a ton of questions. about who started the company, where it got its name, and how long they been up and running, etc. Never got a reply, what a waste of time! But hey I'd recommend it for anyone who wants some pre-interview experience.

    ReplyDelete
  69. i just graduated and have applied to a lot of these companies that are talked about on here--

    if they are really scams-then how come companies like Verizon and Quill-both giant companies outsource them?

    to me, most of the post are people who either did it, and it didnt work out or went for the pre-liminary interview and thought it was a scam because it was so fast...

    i went to both interviews and did 1 of the all day interviews-

    i watched the rep go business to business and actually helped out a few companies with their phone lines..

    then they paid for my lunch which was nice, and explained the management training program-also they explained its 100% commission.

    i don't see anything shady with these companies-

    the last post-the manager said he wants to train someone to get to management in 6months and you think thats crazy? so you would rather work somewhere and for it to take longer?

    i dont work at either of the companies and still looking for a job-
    there is no way i can work 100% commission but im tired of reading tons of these post about companies that our legit-

    if they were truly...truly scams and rip offs-they would have been reported and taking out of business!

    ReplyDelete
  70. This co. gets the award for clogging up all the job sites with w/ their worse than minimum wage "opportunity".

    ReplyDelete
  71. i did go on an interview for this company, even after seeing the website (which I thought was extremely vauge on any details) just for the experience. I thought the whole thing was just odd, especially when my first interview was only five minutes long, and I was invited back. I do not consider myself lazy or unwilling to work hard, but I was quite happy to be out of that office. Good for the people who will work on commission, but the job was just not worth me moving out of state for. I never heard back from them after the interview, but I don't really mind. I will wait for the job that is right for me, and this was not it.

    ReplyDelete
  72. I wrote the entry just above. I did go on the second interview too, and that made me realize the job wasn't for me!

    ReplyDelete
  73. I interviewed and I find it quite unusual that I can find their mission statement word for word on 5 other websites. I interviewed in a CA office, but it managed to be the same style website with identical context as companies in St.Louis, Boston, RI, and Walnut Creek.

    ReplyDelete
  74. my aunt who works in sales looked at the site with me, and later on, she heard about the company from a friend of hers, who confirmed what we suspected- that they are not quite as reputable as you would hope.

    i'm glad i did not do this! i make more money now that i probably would if i worked there.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Just cancelled my interview- From the start nothing felt right about this company- as others have stated in detail. I noticed some people asking why this is a scam. I am not sure if "scam" is the right word for it. It is a "legit company"- they hire entry level sales to do all of their work for them and more than likely give you less than your fair share. It is an unethical way to do business, but it is smart for them- stupid for people who accept it. Beware there are TONS of companies like NE out there. Also, this is not illegal at all, most scams must be illegal in some way. To the people that defend this company- its just laughable what you are saying- the errors in language and typing....if you are the bread and butter of this "reputable company"....ill go work for someone else thank you very much. Seriously shut up- you make the company look even worse when you try to defend it with such idiotic comments. Whats even more funny is that its probably their president Jim posting the defense.
    Also, people that think this is a scam are lazy/fat/ugly etc? No. we are just intelligent enough to see through rip offs and look for a legitimate sales job or marketing job.

    Key indicators of a sketchy situation-
    BSI boston yeilded the same press release as NE- if you look hard enough.

    Clients section of their website- states no clients. It basically just says "we are awesome and do great work for amazing companies." give me details.

    The only info or news you can find are press releases on volunteer work that the company does- volunteer work is great. but i need to see more than 6 articlaes about how you help with the special olympics and how the president (who interviews entry level applicants? yeah okay) is running the marathon. I want to know about the company.

    Someone said that Andrea said she has been working there since January- she told me ont he phone that she has been there for 2 years and LOVES it. haha classy.

    Pretty much everything- if you think about it is sketchy about this company.

    Goodluck on the job search everyone! stay smart and stay optimistic.

    J- recent college grad of 2009

    ReplyDelete
  76. I can't believe I'm reading this. I applied to this job the other day, got a phone call the next day and scheduled an interview.

    The inital phone call seemed very strange to me and after reading these posts and I guess I'm not the only one. Now, I have no sales or marketing experience which made it even more strange they wanted an interview.

    Also, I looked on their Facebook page and that looks very generic. The whole thing just stinks.
    It's very sad that you have a company like this taking advantage of people in this current economy.

    ReplyDelete
  77. I posted the last post and I forgot to add that I cancelled my interview...

    I'm so glad that I read these posts. If you type "Northeast Consulting" into google all you get is scam and fraud reports. I'm glad I read all of these posts so I didn't have to waste my time with these people.

    ReplyDelete
  78. This SURE is a SCAM!!! I interviewed there and something didn't seem right. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!

    ReplyDelete
  79. I am so embarrassed that I fell for this and went on a all-day second interview. (Back when this place was called BSI Boston). Apparently the unpublicized changing of a business's name is the number 1 sign that a company is doing something shady. The BSI website isn't even up anymore telling people "we've changed to Northeast Consulting." Hmm why wouldn't you want people to know....

    The 2nd interview was so humiliating and frankly, unsafe.

    I went with my leadership girl in her '83 Honda to represent Verizon. Since most people already have Verizon, we were to look at people's bills and update their account. Yeah right. Let's show these random strangers some private financial info. Plus half of the people said Oh some guy already came by last week. Wow way to define your territories. No professional sales company would ever let that happen. When people were not outright nasty to you, they wanted to know more about us and our company. The girl was so vague it was ridiculous.

    At one point we went down a long dirt driveway to a horse farm in hopes that they ran a business out of the farm. We were in the middle of the woods with these annoyed people who just wanted us to get out of there. No one would have heard us scream if something bad happened. Oh and I got mud on my nice shoes.

    Thinking this day could not get any worse, it was time for lunch! And the company was paying! Then she pulled into a pizza joint. Um, when a real company tries to woo you, they do not take you to a pizza joint. Then the girl whipped out her handy binder explaining the track from sales all the way to company owner. And then she mentioned the commission-only pay and that they do not pay for gas. That was the nail in the coffin. This was clearly not like being a real estate agent where you could wind up with like $10,000 in commission. I'm sure most weeks you are lucky to get anything at all.

    I struggled to pay attention as she explained how you move up from sales to leadership in a matter of months (no mention of actually doing a good job or having high sales numbers, you just automatically get promoted). Then some day you'll automatically get your own office to run. Sure. Right. They won't pay for gas, but they'll pay for an entire start-up office for any employee who makes it past like 5 years there. They bank on the fact that hardly anyone will last that long.

    Scam Scam Scam. Sadly you know there are some broke people who are holding on just waiting for that management position... Don't fall for it. I'd love to know how much people make for commission $ and what's it's based on. A percentage of the customer's phone bill? A dollar for each account update? lol

    ReplyDelete
  80. Worked here for a couple of months, the place is a scam... The managers tell you about making all this money, then when the checks come, you get screwed because someone cancelled, and they dont tell you this beforehand. Dont bother with this place, I wasted two months of my life working in this cult-like office

    ReplyDelete
  81. I saw a job post for them today and decided to check out their website. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something seemed really off. I then tried to look them up, but I didn't get any hits for MA except this website. For a company that supposedly works with all these Fortune 500 companies and does all of this charitable/volunteer work, I would think there would be at least ONE article written about them (or even a mention!) All I can say is I'm really glad I saw these comments. For most of you who posted on here, we all had one thing in common - we all had a gut feeling at one point that something wasn't right. Don't ignore that! It may not technically be a "scam" per se, but it doesn't sound like a reputable business. I'm glad I trusted my intuition.

    ReplyDelete
  82. NORTHEAST CONSULTING, DYNASTY, AQUISITION GROUP= SCAM SCAM SCAM

    I went through interviews with each of these companies like an idiot right out of college.

    You will make NO MONEY and will drive around all day like an idiot approaching people who dont want anything to do with you and harass them to buy office equipment etc. that they ALREADY HAVE.

    There is definetly NO FUTURE. you would be better off waiting tables and continue looking for a job then waste your time

    ReplyDelete
  83. I am glad I saw this. A few years ago I interviewed for BSI Boston and before it was even over I knew something was off. I thanked them for their time and left knowing it wasn't for me. My friend decided she was going to try it and after 3 months of no money and going door to door selling some coupon bull shit she left. I had 3 phone calls from Andrea for the Account manager. Plus a follow up e-mail. I am trying to get out of the restaurant industry but while I do work for tips. I know I am getting tips. I cannot work on commission only. I worked in sales before and while there were commissions I also received a base. Thank you for making this site so I didn't waste my time going all that way for another uncomfortable unreasonable interview!

    ReplyDelete
  84. Whew...if I had a dollar for every post, I would probably be making more than the combined salaries of all NE's staff.
    I received a call today from Andrea and she did seem very nice on the phone and complimented me on my resume (now I just feel like dweeb). We talked for a bit about my past experience and she asked if I was available for an interview tomorrow...I was laid off last June - so yes, I was available. Then came the confirmation email and my start on researching the company prior ot the interview. (if you haven't been to Glassdoor.com, it is a great review site...for legit companies).
    When I couldn't find the company on that website, I knew something was phishy (hehehe), so I goggled and alas, here I am!

    I see a lot of heat on this site from people who have enjoyed their experience. It is unfortunate that their literacy skills do seem limited and that they maintain that they must bash others (clearly many who are college educated or otherwise very intelligent people).

    My main complaints would be the following:
    - post that the position is 100% commission in all job postings
    - fix your website to reflect this as well. perhaps even included a history of the company and what it is the company does (or are they not proud?)
    - post that the job requires a car (I don't have one, which I told Andrea on the phone...huh)
    - post that the job is soliciting
    - post that employee must cover gas expenses
    - give range of sales locations
    - this is not marketing, it is sales - be forward

    From these posts, I can sum up the business structure as thus:
    - Legit company making money from 1 of its 2 major business contracts - Verizon or Staples/Quill.
    - These large companies use NE because it is cheap labor.
    - NE knows they are doing something sketchy which is why they are not upfront about standard job logistics. (some complain the wording on the website is very specific, "based on sales performance"...but there are many jobs based on sales performance that still give a base salary)
    - Fast promotion based little on actual performance cannot build a strong company.
    - If people were actually successful, the market saturation for this type of business would be high or impossible given the small area we live in (the northeast region).
    - Jim, the president (or as I got him...hiring manager), interviews the candidates without first reviewing their resume - this is slightly unprofessional.

    I am a very hard working individual, in fact, I prefer to work hard. However, spending my days soliciting on 100% commission does not seem it would benefit my intelligience, passion for honest hard work or the world in any way.

    I hope for some people this does work out, though I rather feel we could do away with this sort of business all together.

    Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
  85. THANK YOU. i went to look for Northeast Consulting Website and found you instead. Nice. Save me even sending the resume. Keep the scam info coming. This is the only way to stop fraudulent practices! Kudos!

    ReplyDelete
  86. HAHAHA went on an interview...place is awesome...got a good laugh on the way home atleast

    ReplyDelete
  87. Got to meet the managers after going on second interview, Kevin and Jim and both of them seemed like they were jokes. The company is a scam, long hours and "pay on performance" lol what a scam. Kevin and Jim should both be ashamed of themselves!

    ReplyDelete
  88. Sent my resume yesterday around 5p.m. and received a call today at 2 p.m. Thank god I found this blog. I'm interesting in marketing and not sales. This would have been an embarrassing and time wasting experience.

    ReplyDelete
  89. I recently accepted a sales position at Northeast Consulting and I honestly believe that the company is not a complete scam, but more of filling a person up with false hope. In the beginning I gave them the benefit of the doubt with all their childish actions (loud music and idiotic hollering) but after going out into the field I quickly realized that this job is not for me. It was humiliating to go door to door and constantly getting rejected. What really caught my attention is the unprofessional business methods that they use. For example they did not have business cards and no contact information other than that we will see you on a different day.
    Hard work will get a person a long way as many of us that have gone to college and post graduate education, but not at the expense of loud obnoxious "managers' that probably don't know how to tie their own shoe laces.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Just started work at NEC a bit ago. I'll agree that they probably could be more upfront on their website, I thought it was going to be more of a marketing position. The company is not a scam by any means, though.

    So to be upfront, here's what to expect. Entry level at NEC is essentially door-to-door sales, paid by commissions. I work for the Quill(Staples) branch, but their is also a Verizon branch as well. As long as you sign up 8 new customers a week, you'll get a minimum of $400. If you make more than that, you'll get whatever you made in commissions. For the first month, you'll probably get between $400-$600 a week, but once you've been at it and have the pitch ironed out, you can do $800-$1000/week. Just last week, one employee on the Verizon side made $2.4K.

    There are also various bonuses you can get - for example, getting a customer to sign up on the web will net you $20/customer, or signing up 8 customers in a week will net you $100. A good people person on the Quill side can do upwards of $1.3K/week after bonuses.

    The job is tough, I'm not gonna lie. You'll be working 9-10 hours a day, and at first, it's pretty discouraging. You'll see maybe 50-60 potential customers a day, and you'll be told to sod off by 95% of them. But for someone that's driven, confident, and a people person, there is definitely some potential.

    As far as the actual office goes - it's really fun. You're in the field for 90% of the day, but the time spent in the office is super high energy. You play lots of games designed to to get you amped up for the upcoming day, and everyone's got a lot of spirit and personality. They do lots of stuff together, every Tuesday the staff gets drinks at Chilis, and every Thursday the office goes to get wings and beer. Lately, we've been running the Office Olympics, which involves the top sellers of the previous day running around the office shooting targets, or doing slaloms on rolling office chairs. Everyone is really positive and out going, which I guess shouldn't be surprising, considering it is a sales job.

    So just to cap it off, this job absolutelty is not for everyone. If you want to sit at a cubicle, work 9-5, and pick up a check on your way out, don't bother applying. It's for people that are driven and want to kinda take control of their own future. I was pretty close to quitting after the first day, but I'm sticking it out. I'm usually more on the reserved side, but this job has already helped me to develop more confidence in myself(getting told to fuck off by 55 new people a day will do that to you). For that alone, it's been worth it for me.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Also, just to address the driving/gas issue. They do have territories based around the T that you do on foot, so you don't NEED a car. Also, if you make $600/week, NEC will pay for half of the gas spent that week(including gas used off the clock). You can also use gas as a tax write off as well.

    ReplyDelete
  92. I have fallen for was one of these companies before.It was World Wide Acquistion in Woburn, MA.I actually took the train down from Maryland for this job Interview.I wont say it is a scam but it is a very sketchy business as they do not tell you up front was this business is really about.I moved to Boston for school and i just graduated so I applied to NE and was surprised when i got two voices messages from Andrea . I was going to call them back but decided to read more about them and then i came across this site.I knew there was something sketchy and my instinct immediately reminded me about my World Wide Acquisition experience.They sugarcoat it and need to tell people the truth.The fact that NE, Dynasty, Worldwide Acquisition are always recruiting 365 days a year shows that something weird is going on

    ReplyDelete
  93. Most embarassing interview i have ever been in in my life. Walked around in the pouring rain, in high heels nonetheless, while some guy asked people to see their personal verizon bills. and some people were dumb enough to just hand them over, but others said, "Where is your business card?" (he had none) or "It says no soliciting in the front." I was embarassed to go on this all day interview and was annoyed I missed a day of work to do it.

    And, that lunch they pay for? It was in a crappy pizza joint somewhere in Peabody MA, with a broken door. As if all that was not enough, after six hours of this BS, we went back to Braintree and they pulled me in for another 2-minute interview, and told me that I should call them in a few days to see if I got it.

    Yea, fat chance. I never called back, not gonna waste my time with a company that barges into people's businesses like that.

    This company is not a scam in the sense that they do not ask you for money for training or anything like that. But it is also a waste of time to even do the interview.

    ReplyDelete
  94. I am SO happy I searched for Northeast Consulting in google before going to the interview. I recently interviewed at DSTY in Burlington and it was mad sketchy and this seems to be the same thing.

    ReplyDelete
  95. I made it through the second interview (shadowing an employee going door to door for 8 hours) before I finally asked the boss guy, "So, do you actually DO any consulting at Northeast Consulting?" He said something about how after a number of years you'd be promoted to a manager position where you'd be doing some sort of consulting. Total BS.

    The morning pep groups and bell-ringing in the afternoon was creepy. The guy I shadowed only makes commissions if he makes the sale on the spot, so he was pushy, rude and manipulative of the people he talked to. He frequently lied to people and made his biggest sale of the day on an old lady (in her 70s) that didn't know any better. For this, the employee made about $100 in commissions that day. Fucking gross.

    I wish they were upfront about it and just say, "We are a door-to-door sales company" and call themselves "Northeast Door to Door Sales." That way I would have known to stay far away from there before wasting a day and a small piece of my fragile soul with them.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Wow, this is just craziness. Thanks for the heads up, I just saved myself a drive to Braintree. This is a great blog!

    ReplyDelete
  97. My story is exactly the same as every other one here, so I will only offer a few observations!

    1.)The same poster has been defending the company the whole time. Same misspellings, same lack of capital letters or sentence structure. Same b.s. arguments about people not wanting to work hard. If the commissions for those who work hard amounted to more than sub-minimum wage, we'd be talking. I can totally see why people like and become successful at commissions based car sales or especially, real estate.

    The difference is, these people are providing a service that the customer is COMING TO THEM AND ASKING FOR, not barging into their businesses unannounced and certainly unwanted. Work hard in real estate, build a reputation, you'll do pretty well in most cases! Working hard in this scam is no guarantee you will do well as success hinges on how many stupid business owners you will find willing to buy crap they either already have or do not need! It will never be profitable or highly in demand.

    2.)LOL@ the NG poster! Obviously they got wise to the fact that everyone here knew it was the same guy over and over defending them, so this time, they got you, NG to defend them. Congratulations, you can write a little better, but the arguments are still the same b.s. and you feel fit to use the full "f" word in your posts. Professional. Classy. For sure!

    You are guaranteed $400/week for 8 NEW customers! Then you say from your own mouth that most people, new, existing or otherwise, are going to tell you to F off. I was told in my 2nd interview that you are lucky to get 2 of 60 people in a day to even talk to you, never mind 8 NEW suckers in a week. If a person owning a business were truly that stupid and fell for these scams, they WOULD NOT BE IN BUSINESS! So that $400 is b.s. and even if it were a guarantee, it is shit money by any standard, never mind when you divide to get the hourly rate! Better off flipping burgers!

    Oh, but they will give you a route on the T or drop you off in the middle of some sketchy area if you don't have your own car and/or gas money to waste! How loving and compassionate of them to leave you at the mercy of a violent thunderstorm or a gun toting gangster without any means of transportation out of the hell hole you are in! Give me a break- who is paying for your train pass? You! You can expense gas? Tell us something we do not know, of course you can, not the point! You can only write it off your taxable income, which does not reduce your taxes by all that damn much! Its not a credit or a straight tax cut like people think! Plus, you will not even be making enough money to file income taxes, and you can't expense on payroll taxes, so guess what, more than likely, you will not even be expensing your gas!

    NG is probably the new dingbat "manager" Kevin, and he undoubtedly wrote this after one of the management drinking sessions at Chli's or the Wings place, both right up the street from the office! So of course, the management and famous Andrea are the ones sucking down drinks while the loyal foot soldiers work the field in 90 degree heat, suits and uncomfortable shoes.

    In conclusion, the OVERALL SKETCHY ATMOSPHERE is absolutely true, but it is clearly not ILLEGAL, BUT JUST AS CLEARLY IS UNETHICAL.

    The only thing missing from this place is the guy who walks around the parking lot with a slim jim for "safety purposes" and "just in case someone tries to tow you, we'll take care of you!"

    One word about this company: NEXT JOKE!

    ReplyDelete
  98. A follow up:

    Jen Jensen appears to be gone. Andrea has been joined at the desk by a genuinely nice, very attractive brunette named Ashley. It is too bad she is working for such scum bags!

    Read: Andrea comes off as a fake and arises suspicion from the very beginning. Ashley I could see actually getting plenty of people to fall for things. That is if she does not leave there in disgust within the next month, which is probably more likely!

    And obviously, my one word was actually two. That was an oversight, but nowhere near the atrocious English skills of the posters defending NEC!

    ReplyDelete
  99. http://www.facebook.com/jim.rothermel1?ref=ts

    This is the "owner" of the company.

    Also, every single person actually in possession of marketable skills in this world and capable of making a decent and honest living, be it working for someone else or self employed, anything other than door to door scams basically, listen up!

    Don't ever, EVER under any circumstances let this loser, blow out frat party boy who took 5 years to complete college tell YOU or anyone else what a hard day's work is. Or what ambition is, or what anything in life is.

    This guy is a scumbag, a piece of shit and a scam artist who will tell you what success is while he makes 60 grand per year in a good year! His "business" will be there about 2 more months at the most. Please, I know people who made 100 grand their first year in Real Estate back in the boom!

    ReplyDelete
  100. Does anyone know if BSI consulting in FRANKLIN, TN (near Nashville)? is affiliated with this scam? I have an interview tomorrow and ran across all this while researching the company. Scary shit!!

    ReplyDelete
  101. world wide acquisition.. northeast consulting.. same type of companies.. both are scams do not waste your time

    ReplyDelete
  102. Apparently this company has moved south to Connecticut. One piece of advice "STAY AWAY"! Most tactics that they use are the same manipulations used by cults.
    Unfortunately companies such as this have been around for years and will continue to work the system and swindle those trying to earn an honest paycheck.

    See what these people drive when you go out onto your dreaded second interview. That will speak louder than any blog posting.

    ReplyDelete
  103. FYI, Matt has apparently moved onto scamming young professionals in Virginia under the name "The Intuitive Group".

    ReplyDelete
  104. Well this happened to me too. I've been out of work since October due to company layoffs so I was ecstatic to get an interview. Then I did my research and came up with this. I cancelled my interview and told them to never call me again. May not be a scam but extremely dishonest and unethical

    ReplyDelete
  105. Just so people know, they changed their name to DSTY Inc. Website http://www.dsty.us/

    Adress:
    8200 Greensboro Drive
    Suite 933
    Mclean, VA 22315
    781 359 9700

    I had an interview with them in Mclean, VA and it smelled. The guy was dressed to the nines, didn't ask any questions about my resume or myself, and it was located in a big office suite with no names or logos. Told me they had a year and a half waiting list of clients and wanted me to come back to "shadow" someone.

    I skipped it.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Simple Job Hunting Rule:
    (Especially in 'Sales' positions)

    -If it sounds too good to be true... IT IS!

    ReplyDelete
  107. this has been interesting to read all of these, I have an interview tomorrow called BSI consulting does anyone know if its included in the scam or not?

    ReplyDelete
  108. To the people who are saying that, if you don't do this interview or take the job then you are lazy, you must work for the company, because that is not true. I am a very hard worker,I just did not waste my time doing this because it is NOT marketing, which was what I was looking for. Door to door sales and looking at people's Verizon bills is not marketing nor is it truly even sales. Listen to the people above who write that its no good, everything they have to say is true. I wish I'd listened.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Northeast Consulting is the same as Nashville Business Consulting Inc. (nbcinc.org)...exact same website. Not sure about BSI in Franklin though.

    ReplyDelete
  110. BSI in franklin is Black Sea International. They do basically the same thing as NE, outsourced marketing. BSI has an A- rating with the BBB and is not accredited by them.

    ReplyDelete
  111. BSI marketing is sales (door to door and unsolicited).

    ReplyDelete
  112. Haha. I saw this ad on craigslist and right off the bat figured it was a scam. Now I'm embarrassed I even wasted two minutes of my life looking it up on google.

    http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/bus/1768063982.html

    ReplyDelete
  113. This place is a scam! Jim Rothermel and the other manager Kevin try to tell everyone what success is, which is hard to believe because they run a fraudulent business. Dont even interview there and get sucked into their nonsense. I spent a couple months there, and everyone is told to go door to door to "market" verizon.. such a scam.

    ReplyDelete
  114. They changed their companys name again! Its now known as "NEC Incorporated". If you were a legitimate, reputable company, would you need to change the name twice in an 18 month span? Give me a break!

    ReplyDelete
  115. This company has another name which is "Intrinsic Consulting". Check out the website, and you will see so many similar stuff

    ReplyDelete
  116. Thanks for posting. I see their ads every single day over and over and over and over on Craigslist. Very annoying! What company hs that many positions to fill! They post 7 days a week, at least 3 ads a day. It seemed shady from the start.

    ReplyDelete
  117. I'm glad I decided to google this company. I HAD an interview set up with them tomorrow... same thing - they called me within 1-2 hours, told me the dress code, etc...
    Thanks for your research, and saving people from the scam!

    ReplyDelete
  118. Graduated from college in 2009, hired by the "aquisition group" out in Framingham MA. 2 weeks prior to my start date I was "transfered" to Braintree under Northeast consulting. This Scam Empire has many different names and locations. However, they all prey 2 types of individuals. 1-Nieve college grades who dont know any better. 2-Dumbasses who think this is acgtually a real job and continue to get ass raped by Northeast consulting. To anyone who thinks that this company offers real opportunities with a chance to succeed, your a moron as well. Theres nothing wrong with Sales, Infact is an excellent profession to get into. Making 4$ commission on selling a landline is one of the most redicioulous things I have ever heard.

    ReplyDelete
  119. To those that said I was a company head, I'm not. I worked at NEC for about three weeks before I quit. I still stand by everything I said, and the job helped me realize a new sense of confidence in myself.

    Still, there are better opportunities out there, unless you are the 5 percent out there that excel at this type of work.

    ReplyDelete
  120. By the way, it looks like NEC changed their name. Website is down.

    ReplyDelete
  121. I worked for a company in Framingham that did the same thing for 1 year. I moved on because I was offered a really good position with a company in the field I wanted. If you are looking for a fun work environment and a chance to earn money based on how hard you work this is a place to do it.

    The people who say they went on one interview or maybe the second round but never actually worked there have no credibility to make any claim on how this job is a scam or not. As i stated I worked at the company for 1 year and worked on the campaign for Verizon. Which is a very larger client never mind the fact they own all of the land lines so they are the best copper line company out there because comcast runs off of cable.

    All businesses have Telephones, internet, and TV and if they don't they sure can benefit from have all 3 of those services.

    If you complain about not having a job this is a great way to get experience in sales and how to interact with a number of business owners. I learned what it takes to operate a successful business as well as how poorly run businesses operate from my time in the field. This is a great opportunity for a person who works hard and wants to learn and gain experience.

    I know that i would not have the position i have now where I make a base of 50K without my experience doing business to business sales.

    People are going to believe what they want no matter what I say but I believe after being in the business for a year I understand how it works. Hard work beats anything. If you aren't a people person sales is not for you no matter if its face to face or on the phone.

    ReplyDelete
  122. There is something we can do about these companies. I've gone on interviews for 3 separate company scams in the past. In the Boston area, there are atleast 3 separate ones. One selling Verizon phone service (Dynasty, BSI/Northeast Consulting, Worldwide Acquisitions, etc.) Another dealing with selling packages, mainly sports ticket packages, (Lucky 7 Promotions) Lastly, there is one posting as selling non-profit, but I forget the names. Anyway, after the 3rd one, I wrote the Braintree Police and unfortunately, they told me there was nothing we could do. After that I wrote to the BBB and Attorney General in MA, and they gave me a number and address to send these types of things to. I'll repost when I find their response in my e-mail. Let's bring these companies down.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Alright, found the e-mail from the DCS, or the Attorney General. For anybody who has been scammed by any of these companies. Here is something they say we can do.

    Please contact the Fair Labor and Business Practices regarding this issue at 617-727-3465. If that doesn't work, then the BBB referred me to the Attorney General and DOL. The Attorney general Number is (617) 727-2200, and is located at 100 Cambridge Street in Boston. DOL number is 617-727-1090, and is at 1 Ashburnton Place in Boston. Hope it works.

    ReplyDelete
  124. This all sounds EXACTLY like my situation with Boston Sports Group...anyone have a problem with them, too?

    ReplyDelete
  125. Thanks for this. I've been looking for a decent wage job for a while after graduating from school. I saw this ad on Craigslist.com and I knew it looked scammy but I've been a little desperate.
    I actually got a call from "Andrea". She told me her and Jim had been looking at my resume that morning (pffft) and they'd like me to come in for an interview. She had even looked up directions on how to get to their office from where I lived. A little weird but A for effort I guess. I set up an interview time. Then, of course, I hit the internet. Their website is one big fat red flag. No client list, their faq is all about their training, the testimonials are of people who worked there. Also, the picture of the two guys at the baseball field in San Francisco is so obviously a photoshop.
    Fuck places like this.

    ReplyDelete
  126. As an aside, Boston Sports Group is owned by Smart Circle International. Google them too.

    ReplyDelete
  127. Northeast Consulting Group Inc is also operating out of New Haven and Shelton CT, thanks for all the info! After reading this blog i cancelled my interview that was supposed to be a 2 pm today...

    ReplyDelete
  128. Never been on an interview with Boston Sports Group, but that could be the Dynasty scam people talk about above. Do they sell celtics packages and other sports related stuff?

    ReplyDelete
  129. FYI for all you idiots that believe what everyone else says you are all fools and will die that way! havent you ever heard, "just because someone said it doesnt mean its true"!!! and for the fucking know it all (or numerous know it alls) Andrea Anderson and Jen Jenson are 2 totally different people.....what you think people work under alias' or something...they aren't strippers you dumb ass. And norteast consulting isn't working in any other state their only location is Braintree, MA i know this for a fact b/c i am friends with jen and andrea and know many of the people that work there and love it and make far more than all of you losers sitting at your computer all day bashing the only company that gave you a shot at an interview to make some money=people working for scam making money=you making nothing....now who's the loser?

    ReplyDelete
  130. Thanks to everyone that posted. I almost fell for it.

    You can add Northeast Consulting Group, Inc. (in CT) to the ever-growing list of Scams. Like others have mentioned, there were too many red flags. Since when does a credible and reputable company attempt to sell themselves to potential employees?? They don't.

    If you believe them, I'll sell you a set of club speakers out of an Astro van! "The warehouse guys doubled up on my order for delivery! 2-for-1! I'm just trying to make a buck... I have to unload them before I return to the warehouse later today, or I'll lose them. I'll follow you to the ATM!"...-Exposed on "A Current Affair" years ago..

    ReplyDelete
  131. Almost went on the second interview, but read this and it all made sense. It was never made clear to me by the interview or emails that it was only commission. I really got my hopes up, because apparently the woman really liked me, but I didn't think my interview was THAT good. I'm not wasting my time.

    ReplyDelete
  132. Thank god I found this blog before I went to the interview that was scheduled for me tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  133. I totally fell for this scam. I posted my resume on monster and 1hr to 2hr later, I got a call from Andrea telling that she just looked at my resume and she thinks I would be a good candidate for the account manager position. She asked me to come for an interview the next day and to bring in my resume and dress professionally. I didn't think it weird and was so excited for the opportunity since I'm a recent grad. It took me 1hr 20 min to get there, which sucked big time,only to get a f------ 10 min interview. Like everyone said, Jim didn't even look like he'd seen my resume, he asked me to tell him more about myself that the resume didn't tell him. His questions were why apply for this position? name one word you best friend would use to describe you? what are your strengths? and where do you see yourself in 5-10 yrs? That was my 10min interview after driving all the way there. I was so pissed when I left after they told me that they would call me in 1- 1.5 hrs to tell me if i qualified for the second interview. In exactly 1.5 hrs, I get a call from Andrea who tells me that Jim really loved me and he would like me to come for a 9 - 5 shadowing with one of the account managers. Door to door, really! They'd told me that they don't do door to door sales. I decided since its just one day and they'll buy me lunch, I can deal, right. Then I researched more on their company to prepare me for the 2nd and 3rd interview, only to be disappointed in finding that people are complaining they are a scam. I feel so cheated. I'm so not going for the 2nd interview. Thanks to everyone who posted their warnings, now I won't have to waste my precious time going to something I won't even get paid for.

    ReplyDelete
  134. I forgot to mention that while researching them, I fell upon the name Northeast Consulting, who happen to be in the same building, only with a different phone number, but, the person on the phone is still Andrea. This closed the deal for me.

    ReplyDelete
  135. To the poster above who calls all of us idiots, you must really be the idiot who fell for this scam. How many reputable companies do you know that call door to door sales "promotional advertising?" They know nobody would apply to call it what it is. How many reputable companies don't tell you exactly where they are located? This scam gives you a whole area (south shore, weymouth, boston) in their ads. Now why would someone do that? Easy, to avoid detection by the police, which you're located right down the street from the Braintree police....real smart. At the very least you're guilty of misleading/false advertising in your job postings. No reputable company would do these practices.

    ReplyDelete
  136. THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME!!! I am a recent college marketing graduate desperately looking for work, and applied to almost every job that I got a match with through monster etc etc.. well I was emailed from Andrea Anderson at NEC Incorporated, to call her and set up an interview... 2 hours later I get a call from her and had a phone interview- to which she told me how I would be a great candidate etc etc. She wanted to immediately set up an interview with Jim. So, the next day, came in for an interview (10min interview) to which Jim seemed like he never seen my resume before, and never asked anything about anywhere I worked or anything! Didn't seem to care. However, I left the office, feeling confident about the interview and excited to potentially get the "call back around 1:30-2pm" for the all day interview shadowing an account manager. Excited as I was, I came home and at 1:45 got the call from Andrea saying that Jim LOVED me and is excited about asking for another interview... I was very excited and accepted for the following day. I immediately went on the computer to learn as much I could about the company, because I didn't find much the day before... Luckily, I found this blog before going to the second interview, and saved me from canceling another interview I had with a real legit company the next day instead of wasting my time to go to this unethical scheme. THANK YOU !! Although I feel wicked stupid I actually fell into this type of nonsense, because I have seen tons of them online and always stayed away... however, I thought differently from this one, but it makes it more than clear after reading this blog that it is 100% bogus. THANK YOU AGAIN EVERYONE!!!!!! =)

    ReplyDelete
  137. Hi folks. I'm glad to have found everybody here. I am a journalist that is investigating the business practices discussed in the above forum. I have set up a temporary e-mail account for those of you who would like to tell me about your experiences (Bad or Good). Those who contact me should be willing to go on the record (give your name). I will not grant anonymity to any individual during my research. Please contact me at journalismtruth@yahoo.com. Thank you all for your time.

    ReplyDelete
  138. I feel so stupid.. I am graduating from college soon and I spent time bragging to my professor how i was going to be employed in bad times like this..... I was also invited back for a second interview... I am not going to go... Also watch out for bostonsportsgroup.net Both my buddy and I went to the interview, I canceled the second interview because my buddy told me he had to go door to door... I do not have anything against anyone who wants to go door to door, just dont show up to my door and I will be happy....

    ReplyDelete
  139. I just agreed to go to an interview for NE Consulting in New Haven, CT Monday but something seemed off to me so I googled "Northeast Consulting Scam" and a whole bunch of stuff came up! The lady "Pam" on the phone seemed way pushy about getting me in for an interview ASAP and the first thing she even asked me was if the commute to New Haven from my home would be ok. Huh???? Thanks so much for this.

    ReplyDelete
  140. This company IS a scam! I went a couple of years ago for an interview, the same story as everyone else, short,quick, and they were way too excited about my fresh-from-college resume. I went back for the second interview, the 'shadow day' and the guy who I was shadowing was getting his phone fixed and kept me waiting for over an hour before I walked out. The receptionist/HR manager (either Jen or Andrea) couldn't understand why I left. I said, "If this is how he treats potential candidates, I don't want to know how he treats employees." I too went out and spent too much on a new suite for the day, not the best idea I've had.

    I eventually got a job and then lost it and I was on the hunt again. I actually responded to two more ads and went to interviews and enver went inside because they were in the same place that Northeast Consulting was!Not just the same office park, but the SAME place. In Woburn. Boston Sports Group, World Wide Acquistions, and Dynasty, Inc. are all the same as Northeast COnsulting, so BEWARE!!! They are on ALL the employment websites and offer incentives that are impossible to achieve.

    Also, anyone posting how this is a 'legit' company and how you worked there, obviously, they still do work there and are trying to counter-act what is now becoming common knowledge, that they are a scam! And not for nothin' but why should it be reassuring when someone says, "I worked there for three months and it was great." Only Three months? Couldn't have been that great!

    ReplyDelete
  141. Add "Cesi Caseres" at Boston Sports Group to the list. I'm also a recent college grad and have been contacted by these companies. No respectable and established company emails you to call THEM for an interview. It's horse shit. As a journalism major, I can tell you that these phony companies will be outed soon enough. I'm emailing Hank Phillippi Ryan about this one. It's only a matter of time before they're taken down.

    ReplyDelete
  142. There is one holdings company that is affiliated to all of these companies but does not maintain ownership. The reason why companies like Worldwide Acquisitions, Northeast Consulting, and other similar generically named small offices can boast fortune 100 clients is that they actually contract under CYDCOR which is a very large company that actually holds the contracts.

    I would not necessarily classify these companies as "scams" but I certainly would not call them a beneficial or positive work environment for entry level individuals.

    Firstly, lets call these companies what they are, which are cold calling B2B or B2C SALES firms, not marketing agencies or acquisitions groups.. but SALES. If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it is most likely a DUCK.

    The reason why people are so upset at these companies is not what they do, but how they market themselves. They all follow a pretty general sales philosophy in how they hire people which is the more people you get in contact with the higher the likelihood that you will sell a product. That is why these places are revolving doors, they bring in 100 people or so a month, maybe 10 stay past a month, 5 of those two months, 2 of those four months, and maybe one a year past sixth months. Of course I have no proof at all that the ratios are accurate but you get the idea.

    Now, I do not necessarily disagree with this model. What I do disagree with is the fact that these companies will advertise themselves as marketing agencies in order to get more applicants to improve the chances of some staying on and being successful. They also give themselves generic names that are hard to search for on google and will even change names every so often. These are certainly shady business practices and I am stunned that companies like Verizon, Quill, and AT&T will stay on with Cydcor when their subsidiary firms are TRAINED to operate in this manner.

    I have also noticed that a recurring theme brought up by the comments and the author of this blog is that they try to scam applicants by getting a "free day of work" on the second interview. I hardly think that this is the case, in fact I think that they are doing you a favor by showing you EXACTLY how this works on a day to day basis so that you can decide whether or not to engage. I find it hard to believe that someone untrained on the first day could be any sort of real asset.

    The reason I think they have earned the classification as a 'scam' is that you have to work for 100% commission with no benefits for the first year or so and you CAN NOT expense gas, mileage, or food. This means that if you are making 750 a week on average and you are spending 250 on a car payment, 400 on gas, and 100 on food... congratulations my friend because you are working for free!

    ReplyDelete
  143. so i have heard theobvious that this company is a scam, and bs, but i also heard that some of the jobs are worth the time. i was emailed to come in for an interview for "account manager". does anyoe know if this one is worth the time or not. please email me at jaydenloose08@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  144. I saw something about Vector being a scam. I worked that job and killed it. Made good money and got out. I also met hundreds of other kids doing the same thing.

    Northeast Consulting Inc. is the biggest scam of a company I have ever came across. The owner is a sick freak. Do not waste time applying there.

    They will have a new company name in no time after they can't operate under this name any longer, and will continue the whole practice again.

    But hey, PT BARNUM- There's a sucker born every minute.

    ReplyDelete
  145. I am not sure why people keep insisting these companies are a scam? If a company is UPFRONT, telling you it is 100% commission and you are doing B2B sales & marketing for a client, what is the scam? The job isn't for everyone clearly - I went on the first & second interview and made a personal decision that this position just wasn't for me. Doesn't mean it is a scam! Many of you who have posted on this blog sound very ignorant. Just because you don't know exactly what you are talking about or are just listening to other people's OPINIONS - again these are just opinions - doesn't give you the right to PERSONALLY bash people who chose to work for NEC, etc. You sound like classless TRASH by saying "F--- you" to people who work there; get off the computer & find a BETTER job then!

    ReplyDelete
  146. i hope this helps...my wife and I were looking at 2 different JOBS in boston...how often do groups use the same web design? check these out
    http://www.bostonsportsgroup.net/
    http://emichaelsmarketinginc.com/
    let me kno what you think

    ReplyDelete
  147. i got a call from Northeast for an interview, and low and behold my biggest fears are true... I worked for a company like this years ago. Its 100% commision and u get crapped on if u dont make a cent. If u dont mind being outdoors and wasting 2 years of your life give it a shot. I on the otherhand fell behind rent, lost my car and ruined some nice suits before i finally had enough and quit.

    I wouldntcall it a scam as much as I ould false advertisement. Your better off working a sales position in the mall.

    Basically, if you dont have bills, can withstand the elements and getting told by your clients to go fuck yourself on a daily basis, then fuck it try it

    ReplyDelete
  148. oh an PS-

    There will be plent of weeks where you will work over 50 hours and make around 200. You can do the math

    ReplyDelete
  149. Thats not true... Not if you are good at it. No scam here... Love it there! I have made over 900 in just one week alone. Grow a pair and put the work in to reap the rewards. Stop complaining about a company you did not wish to be a part of. There are other people who are not so picky about their jobs and will take risks to make hard earned money. Yes it's commission but that just makes me work harder and feel more proud of the money I earn each day. Also, the relationships you make in this line of business are invaluable.

    ReplyDelete
  150. This company is not legitimate at all. I am sure I am not the only person who was never paid for commissions. It all started with a call from Andrea… we all know how that call goes. The first person I shadowed with was Fred Beddiges.

    Before I left the office I got to see the giant empty room that everyone practice pitches in. Up until this point I was led to believe that behind the door was a series of offices. Fred then told me we would be meeting with clients outside of the office. After an hour or so of playing games and practice pitching we went out to his car.

    We drove to Quincy while he explained that he needed to make sure that I was “normal” and could do the job. He told me not to say anything to clients and to just follow him around. We went to a church and sold Verizon lines/ internet. That was his one sale of the day. Then we went to a couple more call backs. Those people were not interested and he started going door to door. If people were not interested he insulted them and left. It was embarrassing.

    After awhile it was time for lunch. He drove to McDonalds and used coupons to buy me something off the dollar menu. Not exactly what I expected… after he kept bragging about all the money you can make. We went to more places and then he drove back to NEC. I was offered the job. I took it because I needed a job. They had me train with a couple different people until I did it on my own.

    I soon discovered the only way to make money is to deceive customers. If you are completely upfront with people they will never sign up (because of fine print). You have to word it very carefully. You may have noticed NEC people who posted here never said they work for Verizon. No, they represent Verizon or whatever company. Expect to get a huge phone bill because you use your own cell phone to call Verizon. You call some call center in western MA and if you are lucky they answer right away. Otherwise you might be on the phone for an hour. After that you make a call to call center in Utah for the customer to verify account changes.

    If everything works you get paid two weeks later. They hold 10 or 20 percent of the commission in case someone cancels. You do not get your first check until a month later. You can also share commissions with other employees. I did this and never got paid. When I stopped working my commissions also disappeared. Do not expect to work here long. I was there for a couple months and 90 % of people quit. Mostly because you work all day to keep Jim’s wallet plump. One of two things happens when you leave… nobody notices or people say he/she couldn’t handle the job.

    ReplyDelete
  151. Continued....

    During my stay at NEC I was more or less required to go to a CYDCOR convention. There I met scum bags and suckers from all across New England. A few higher ups from California also attended. The conference went over sales techniques and emphasized how smart you are for working for “insert whatever Inc.”We were also told to go to office nights. The office night’s purpose is to build the team. People mostly just drink and sing karaoke. It is held at a bar near Quincy Center. One time we went to a dive in Quincy where some of the leaders got drunk and started screaming “Fuck Asians !” (it was a asian bar in Quincy).I guess that leads me to the type of people who work at NEC.

    Higher Management: Usually bottom of their class with business degrees.
    Suckers: People in desperate need of a job/recent college grads.
    The Brainwashed: People who actually believe what Jim and the leaders say.

    The only reason I ever worked for NEC was because I needed a job. It ended up costing more money than I ever made. Well… I would have made money but they didn’t pay me what I earned. When I was told to leave there was no real reason. I later learned that Jim said something to other employees that is not true. I think some of the questions I asked other account managers helped me get fired. I would ask people if they were being paid/ if they were actually making money. I think those are reasonable questions. Save yourself the trouble and don’t bother working here.

    If you really want to get into this business just save some money and start your own. In a couple months NEC Inc. will be gone or called something else. It looks like Kevin Bouchard is starting a new branch in different state. At the end of the day it works similar to a pyramid scheme. All of these corporations get the contracts from CYDCOR. So the random “ Inc.” you work for is in some way paying CYDCOR. They can get away with ripping people off and screwing over customers because it is incorporated .It is a shell organization. The worst that can happen is they just pack everything up and move somewhere else (or change the name). Even if they are sued plaintiffs will never win any money outside of the corporation. The only asset the company has is a rented office. The only thing you can do is avoid this business altogether.

    ReplyDelete
  152. Fred Beddiges is a fraud, the business that Kevin Bouchard is running out in Denver wont last more than two months. He left the worcester office to start a scheme in Braintree, and had to go on a "re-train" because nobody under him was making any money. The people who left with kevin are idiots. There is no money to be made in this business, and people who believe Jim is making money are wrong. He is borrowing the car that he drives, and might make 45 grand a year. Plus, when you quit.. the people who you work with go to the places you actually sold the product at and "fix" paperwork. Just ask Tom Putzel how this business works. The guy is working as a mechanic in some lowlife town now because his business went under. -Andrew Bettina, former sucker

    ReplyDelete
  153. SUCH a scam! Do NOT go here! It's only commission based so they are clearly screwing you over.. what kind of company only does a commission based job? The guy avoided the question when I asked him too.

    ReplyDelete
  154. Well, last summer I got pulled in by the promises of this company too... and although it didn't live up to any of it's promises (and it's really only because of my lack of experience in the field)... I have to admit the experience was great.

    Sometimes it takes a shit job with shit pay to give you the experience you really need. I'm now in an EXCELLENT position at another company, and as much as I HATE to admit it... I really do owe it to NEC.

    ReplyDelete
  155. Re-reading my last post it sounds like I'm defending NEC... not the case-- don't get the wrong impression... I still wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

    ReplyDelete
  156. "what kind of company only does a commission based job?"

    Car Dealerships, Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Brokers, and a myriad of other sales jobs...

    These jobs, including the ones people are complaining about here, compensate and promote employees based on PERFORMANCE. **gasp**

    That means three things:

    1. A lot of people will fail.
    2. They recruit a lot of people to find those that can succeed.
    3. A lot of people will get online and complain about how they either failed at the job (e.g., "promises weren't delivered") or that they aren't suited for the job (e.g., if I can't succeed at it or it doesn't suit my skills, it must be a pyramid scheme or a scam)...

    The companies in question drive hundreds of millions of dollars a year in revenue for their clients...

    But since many of you insist it's a scam or a pyramid scheme <--LoL, I ask all of you to call the local authorities and report them.

    After you've "blown the whistle" and uncovered this massive SCAM (and you've been recognized on Oprah and CNN for your good-will to all men) a few things might happen:

    1. The executives at Verizon, AT&T, QUILL, Moneris, Intuit, UPS, Qwest Communications, Direct Energy etc. will ALL be arrested for outsourcing their field marketing to these "SCAM" companies.

    2. Thousands of people in this "SCAM" organization will all be arrested.

    3. Hundreds of millions a year in revenue will be confiscated and hopefully redistributed to your pockets as a reward!

    4. The thousands of customers acquired on a daily basis will ALL be arrested for partaking in this "scam" and actively misleading good people (like on this board) in order to get poor, unsuspecting "victims" to "work for free"... <--LoL

    --OR--

    5. Assuming your aren't charged with filing a false report, NOTHING will happen AND you'll realize that you lack the aptitude, skill set, or communication skills to do a job like this and it would be more appropriate for you to wait tables or work at GAP for $8 a hr.

    Here's a simple recommendation for the people on this board:

    Find a job that you CAN do. Avoid jobs that measure your performance. Stop complaining. Whatever satisfaction you think you are deriving from whining online will soon fade and you'll be faced with the fact that you are unemployed and it's YOUR fault.

    TIP FOR JOBSEEKERS RESEARCHING COMPANIES LIKE THIS:

    Avoid these types of career opportunities if you want a basic, low-responsibility job to pay your bills. They aren't for you. However, if you truly have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to take a risk at an opportunity to make a lot of money, go for it. Just make sure you are willing to make a career out of sales. AND BEWARE: NOT EVERYONE SUCCEEDS! **gasp**

    :)

    It's that simple.

    ReplyDelete
  157. "Yea, fat chance. I never called back, not gonna waste my time with a company that barges into people's businesses like that.

    This company is not a scam in the sense that they do not ask you for money for training or anything like that. But it is also a waste of time to even do the interview."

    Perfect example of someone who isn't suited for SALES of any sort but felt this urge to come online and write a defensive complaint. Why? Because she can't do the job (which is fine)...but in her mind, if she can't do it, there must be something wrong with the JOB and NOT her...RIGHT? :)

    ReplyDelete
  158. "The only reason I ever worked for NEC was because I needed a job."

    Sounds like YOU made a CHOICE to work there. Do YOU need to reminded about personal responsibility?

    "It ended up costing more money than I ever made."

    So in other words, you failed at a performance based job. Find a salaried position.


    "Well… I would have made money but they didn’t pay me what I earned."

    This IS one of the most common excuses for failure. LoL

    Same theme of many of the whiners on this board. You failed, but your ego can't allow that, so there must be something wrong with the job.

    Get your facts straight people before you work at a performance-based job. And remember, if you fail, it's YOUR fault.

    ReplyDelete
  159. Add INTRINSIC CONSULTING, INC to this list of scammers! They are constantly advertising and praying on young college grad's. This isn't a REAL job - commission is fine if you actually make money!

    Look at the owners and the dynamic of the office and that will tell you about the company! The reason why the owners act like they're your friends is to built a relationship to get you to buy into their whole PYRAMID SCHEME! Fake fake fake!

    There are plenty of REAL JOBS out there, don't let them tell you otherwise!!!! No need to kill yourself working 65+ hours a week for $400 bucks...

    ReplyDelete
  160. Ha just dropped by and saw someone say I failed because NEC didn't pay me what I earned ? Now that is funny.

    You mentioned a few other commission based jobs.Do those businesses also constantly change their names ? Do they actually pay their employees ?

    You guys have it all figured out. That is why you bust your ass working for this "company"... hoping to someday open up your own office.That haha by the way you do not actually name or pick the location.

    How is that owning your own business ?

    When you Google Jim's name/another CYDCOR person why do you find all these reports of fraud and scams?

    But really have fun walking in the rain selling paper clips and verizon. I must be a moron not to want to do that with my life.

    Haha what is that you say... "delayed gratification". Well it certainly is delayed for Jim.

    Most rich people don't break their backs for some con because they are smart. LoL

    Pro tip: I have a normal job and don't work 60+ hours a week.I make more money than you.More importantly I have a life outside of work.

    ReplyDelete
  161. Strange...the people who are defending this company are ALWAYS anonymous aren't they? They never give their names or anything like that.

    You don't think...GASP...they could be the SAME person do you????

    Noooooooo, not from an outstanding company like THIS!

    ReplyDelete
  162. Anonymous said...
    "Strange...the people who are defending this company are ALWAYS anonymous aren't they? They never give their names or anything like that."

    Funny, you are posting as anonymous accusing other people of posting as anonymous...

    ReplyDelete
  163. "The reason why the owners act like they're your friends is to built a relationship to get you to buy into their whole PYRAMID SCHEME! Fake fake fake! "

    Make sure you report them to the local authorities immediately since you just uncovered a "pyramid scheme"...LoL...

    "This isn't a REAL job - commission is fine if you actually make money!....There are plenty of REAL JOBS out there, don't let them tell you otherwise!!!! No need to kill yourself working 65+ hours a week for $400 bucks..."

    LoL, you just contradicted yourself you idiot...

    ReplyDelete
  164. "Ha just dropped by and saw someone say I failed because NEC didn't pay me what I earned ? Now that is funny."

    Claiming someone didn't pay you on an internet board is as lame as claiming you make more money than some "anonymous" poster...LOL

    "That haha by the way you do not actually name or pick the location."

    Really, so you're admitting that people actually get promoted and make money? Your whole platform for whining is that no one really gets promoted or makes money...

    "When you Google Jim's name/another CYDCOR person why do you find all these reports of fraud and scams?"

    So Why are they still in business and not behind bars or caught up in court for lawsuits by outstanding whiners like yourself?

    "But really have fun walking in the rain selling paper clips and verizon. I must be a moron not to want to do that with my life."

    Verizon? I thought this company was a scam yet they are representing real companies?

    You seem really confused and emotional...

    I recommend you stop embarrassing yourself and FIND a job that you can actually do...

    Let it go...

    ReplyDelete
  165. P.S. Many of you need to look up what a PYRAMID SCHEME actually is before you go on a board whining that a company is exactly that...

    Here, I'll do it for you:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_scheme

    Please, stop embarrassing yourself by making ridiculous, ignorant claims..

    ReplyDelete
  166. OH MY GOD!!!! i CAN'T BELIEVE THIS ISHT...
    I JUST WENT TO THE 1ST INTERVIEW TODAY AND THEY CALLED ME FOR THE 2ND INTERVIEW TOMORROW.
    I'M SO GLAD I FOUND THESE INFORMATION. I WAS ABOUT TO MISS MY CLASS FOR THAT ISHT. I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE MY WIFE QUIT HER PART TIME JOB BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS WAS ABOUT TO BRING REAL MONEY.
    THANKS ALOT...
    F*** THEM

    ReplyDelete
  167. "I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE MY WIFE QUIT HER PART TIME JOB"

    So you were going to tell your wife to quit a job because you had a second interview for a position you hadn't even received yet?

    "I'M SO GLAD I FOUND THESE INFORMATION"

    They should be too...You obviously aren't cut out for sales....Go find a job you can actually do...

    ReplyDelete
  168. "They should be too...You obviously aren't cut out for sales....Go find a job you can actually do..."

    Based on my performance at NEC you'd probably say I wasn't cut out for sales... I made shit there... $250/wk. I'm not cut out for sales right?

    Since leaving NEC, I run the marketing department for a small business. I'm responsible for scheduling 10 estimates a day either myself or with help I've hired, and booking 5 jobs a day which will bring in $500+ profit per job for the company.

    Out of that, I get a secure base pay, a company car to drive out to potential clients... and the gas paid. The company doesn't prey on me... trying to make money with MY resources... that's how a REAL business is run. I sell services that people NEED--not services they already have. That is the main flaw and genius of NEC. NEC convinces people to use their own resources for it's own gain. Your goal is $100-200 a day? Out of that, how much goes to gas? I was spending $60-70 a week on gas. "Office night, business trips, etc etc" The hours involved are 65+ ... even if you make the $500 "goal," you are making less than $10/hr. That $8/hr job at GAP sounds pretty tempting, huh?

    The Verizon market is over-saturated with sales people... any business you come across will have been called 10 times over by some telemarketing agency... visited at least 4-8 times per year by NEC reps, either be locked into a comcast contract, owe Verizon loads of money, etc etc... yes, there IS money to be made... but it's tough money... the real world isn't this "difficult." You're rehashing all the same people when it comes to Verizon.

    With all that said, anyone who CAN succeed at NEC will do very well in other sales jobs, no doubt. The real world isn't as difficult as the sales NEC is doing. As always, I recommend a short stay at NEC if you want to learn a thing or two, but don't stay more than a month. You can land a nice $30-60k base + commission job with the skills you'll take from NEC.

    ReplyDelete
  169. It has been stated before but I will repeat: The Intuitive Group in Northern Virginia (Vienna) is a Pyramid Scheme! Watch out! I had the same red flags when I applied and got their e-mail stating that I was to contact them about an interview just hours after my application.

    ReplyDelete
  170. The Intuitive Group in Northern Virginia (Vienna) is a Pyramid Scheme! Watch out! I had the same red flags when I applied and got their e-mail stating that I was to contact them about an interview just hours after my application."

    It's a red flag to get invited for an interview after you applied for a position?

    How do you know it's a Pyramid Scheme?

    1. Were you asked to invest money up front?
    2. What was the investment opportunity?
    3. How long until your investment pays dividends?

    Do you have ANY idea what a pyramid scheme is?

    Intuitive Group is an outsourced marketing firm that appears to do outside sales for Verizon. It's a J O B! But I tell you what, since you, like many others (LoL) have uncovered an illegal operation, please contact the authorities and file a report.

    Make sure to tell them you got invited to an interview after you applied to a position and that just sent you bouncing off the walls (since obviously, no one in their right mind would hire you so it must be a scam)...

    Please stop adding ignorant hysteria to this already bloated board of whiners, losers, and misfits...

    ReplyDelete
  171. "Based on my performance at NEC you'd probably say I wasn't cut out for sales... I made shit there... $250/wk. I'm not cut out for sales right?"

    Correct, judging by your admitted numbers, you weren't very good at that job obviously. But you sure are loaded with excuses as to why you failed.

    One would think that since you now have a "wonderful" (LMAO) job that pays so well you would have moved on. But given the fact that you are still on this board whining about it means you CAN'T get over it. Which really casts doubt on anything that you are claiming.

    I notice you've made several references to the "real world.." As opposed to what? I guess you're living in an alternate universe, complete with an abundance of high paying jobs to people like you who lack advanced degrees, specialty skills, intelligence, work-ethic, and emotional stability.

    ROFL!

    ReplyDelete
  172. >>Correct, judging by your admitted numbers, you weren't very good at that job obviously. But you sure are loaded with excuses as to why you failed.<<

    How was it doing your taxes with your accountant this year? Break $20k? Break $8/hr? This time of year has got to be a slap in the face when reality sets in.

    ReplyDelete
  173. Businesses like NEC prey on the weak, and can only operate because the economy is in such a bad state, and the unemployment rate is high and there are a lot of desperate people out there. The moment the economy starts picking up again, NEC is going under unless they begin compensating their reps appropriately.

    NEC earns money off the resources (fuel) of those who have no money to begin with.

    You would have to sell 1.5 new internet services per day to earn just $20,000 a year. If you have an off day, just ONCE, you're already behind and aren't likely to get back up.

    For all you DECENT NEC REPS, there are plenty of businesses that can use your valuable skills. We all know that secretly, in the back of every NEC rep is the desire for a decent job.

    ReplyDelete
  174. The person who keep responding to everyone using LoL - does arguing your point to hundreds of people who disagree make you feel better?

    I am sure you are one of the brainwashed losers who ANNOY people door-to-door on a regular basis.

    What type of house do you own? Car do you drive? What is your debt to income ratio?

    Oh wait, if you work for one of these companies I am sure you live with 5 of the other losers who worth there in some crappy apartment and drive a POS car. And I am sure you use credit cards to pay for your gas.

    Take a look back in 5 years and tell me what you have - I am sure you will regret defending these companies as they would turn their back on you in a heartbeat if someone better than you came along.

    Good luck, SUCKA!

    ReplyDelete
  175. I was selected for a second interview but knew immediately after my first interview that it didn't feel right. I asked questions about specifically what they did and what it was they were selling to customers but I did not get a straight answer from them. Not to mention, i'm not going to waste 8 hours shadowing a "representative" for an interview. I called about that too and didn't get much detail of what I would be doing or where I would be going. I was completely sketched out. I'm relieved that I did not pursue anything with this so called company.

    ReplyDelete
  176. I applied for two jobs on career builder, one with NCG and the other with the Maine House Group. I found it odd that they were both locations had the same adress and suite! I called back NECG first asking for "Rose" she wasn't in. I said that I'd call back and proceeded to call the Maine House Group where I spoke with "Jessica". Skeptical, I went in for an interview with Maine House today, only to see the front door said NCG and all the business cards on the table did as well. I inquired about the situation with the two companies and they said Maine House was new and just sharing office space with NCG. I ask Jessica if I could speak to "Rose" and Jessica told me that "Rose" had locked her keys inside her car and was outside waiting for help. Okay, I'm not an idiot I just arrived at the office I didn't click my heals to get there. There was no Rose in the parking lot locked out of her car I'm pretty sure of this. The interview was generic, I wasn't expecting anything less than a door to door sales job though. I found it funny my interviewer failed to ask me if I had any questions at the end. I took it upon myself to begin interigation. The guy who interviewed me was pretty sharp and good at what he was doing. If they call for the second interview I will go and see what's up. I've got nothing to lose at this point. The only thing that worries me is giving my information to this company. I'll send an update, I have the feeling I may not gte a call back though. I wasn't very professional during the interview, I sort of watned to interview them.


    I don't think there's anything illegal going on here, but they're defintaly using there upselling skills to lure in outgoing and intellegent college grads during a desparate time. I'm a great sales person, I'd be willing to try it out and see what happens. I just wish the company would recruit employees using honesty.

    ReplyDelete
  177. I work at one of these companies as an admin - it's not an outright scam but NO ONE gets compensated like they should for the amount of work you but in on a daily basis. It is weird how you are pushed to create relationships within the office. Honestly, I have met some awesome people throughout my experience working there but overall, the only people who are making legit decent money are owners with like 5-10 companies under them. And the percentage of owners who will achieve that level of success is less than 3%.

    It was a great learning experience and actually looks good on a resume as long as the next employer you're interviewing with doesn't realize the last company was a Cydcor affiliate.

    It's not illegal - more like immoral.

    ReplyDelete
  178. Commission only jobs typically pay out 17%. Based on the numbers I ran when I worked there, internet was fair pay... $65 on a $32/month 1 year internet contract. But... let's say brand new single line business pack back then, an unlimited phone line plus internet for 2 years... VZ would make $2061.48 over two years... Agent should make $350 at 17%. But no, commission would be $19/line, $65 for net, $40 (maybe even lower) for the FDM and an extra $33 if it was a winback. $157? What? Where's the extra $200? Jim Rothermel's pocket... that's where.

    ReplyDelete
  179. The sad part is, all the agents struggling to get by on $17,000 - $18,000/yr are generating enough business to be making $40,000/yr.

    ReplyDelete
  180. I worked with Dynasty back in the summer of 2009. Was it a scam, no. Do i look back at it and laugh, yes.

    Everyone that is writing on this blog has some true about the company. The potential for growth and financial success is blown way out of proportion by the owners. From day one they will mind f you into thinking this is the best thing for you.

    I didn't realize it till I left to go back to college how little I made for the time and effort I put in.

    However, I did gain a lot of confidence for sales and learned how much I can push myself with little reward and if giving an aggressive challenge i wont back down.

    I would never do anything like this again, but the experience and tools that i developed from Dynasty definitely laid the grown work for my sales back ground.

    You gotta work from the ground up, and sometimes there is shit on the ground.

    ReplyDelete
  181. Thank you for posting this. I applied to NCG last night and got the "Call me for an evaluation" email back today. Googled a bit to make sure it wasn't fluky, and sure enough...

    ReplyDelete
  182. They're now calling themselves just "NEC Incorporated" instead of Northeast Consulting.

    ReplyDelete
  183. I went there today in Braintree and the place smelled absolutely disgusting, the entire building was under construction as well. Andrea Anderson, the secretary/HR manager (does that make sense?) was very nice and collected my resume, I talked to a lady named Christine for 10 minutes max. I asked her what this job entitles me to do, and she gave me the same speech that she literally said 5 seconds before about how I am going to shadow someone tomorrow and lunch will be bought for me. Selling paperclips and Verizon door to door is NOT something that a self respected college graduate should do, and I sure as hell will not do it.

    ReplyDelete
  184. I nearly fell for this, and fortunately decided to check Google 15 minutes before I drove 2 hours for my "2nd interview". The worst part about the whole situation is how foolish I feel for believing Jim and the rest of NEC's nonsense. I just graduated from college and felt pretty proud that I was getting offers left and right. (My other offer was from Boston Business Concepts, which I have discovered is another branch of the wonderful Cydcor group. I thought it was pretty remarkable how similar the companies were, now I know why.)

    To those defending NEC (Jim, I presume), it is not the difficulty of the work that is the real problem that people have with your business. From my experience, people are willing to do some very difficult work if they are compensated reasonably. The main issue is that you are being purposefully deceitful about the nature of the positions you are offering. Do not insult my intelligence and call this an entry level marketing career. It is a door-to-door sales position. Do not pretend that you are only accepting a worthy few applicants, when in reality you hire whatever poor soul wanders into your office. And do not imply that any person who turns down your line of work is lazy, stupid, or misinformed. Some people just do not want to be door-to-door salesmen/women. Some do. But nobody wants to be lied to about job opportunities. It is unfortunate and disrespectful to try and dupe young (and old) people looking for work into joining something they are not informed about.

    All I wanted was to get an entry level position in a company I could trust so that I would have some money to build a foundation for when my girlfriend gets out of school. And I know that many recent graduates are just like me, trying to get a start on building a family. DO NOT disrespect us with shady business (changing your name every two years, etc.) and dishonest job postings. DO NOT smile and act as if you are our best friends when in reality you just want another body out there pushing your client's products. Honestly, I am glad that I got to interview with NEC, Inc and BBC, Inc because now I know what I want my future employer NOT to look, smell, or sound like. You taught me a lesson, and I'll be damned if I let anybody I know come within 20 miles of your businesses.

    ReplyDelete
  185. I'm pretty sure I almost got suckered into going to one of these interviews. I found and "entry level" job on careerbuilder.com that said "no experience necessary" and "we train you" or something along those lines. I sent my resume and lo and behold the very next day I got an email asking to call for an interview. It seemed very sketchy that they would respond so quickly ( I didn't even send in a cover letter!) so I decided that something was off about this job. Also the website was very vague and said nothing of the employees that work there. Anyway, some lady called me back just 3 hours after the e-mail to ask for an interview. I did agree to the interview because I figured I may have been wrong about the whole thing. But then I did some google searches and discovered all these complaints.

    By the way, the company I applied to was called NCG inc. I believe it stands for Northeast Consulting Group. Another way to cover up their name I suppose. Their website was ncginc.biz. Take a look at it if you want a good laugh.

    ReplyDelete
  186. It's so sad that so many people get suckered in to this stupid shit. The guys that run these stupid companies must be fucking sociopaths.

    ReplyDelete
  187. you're all missing the point. The scam is in having the "office manager" become incorporated and therefore remove any liability for their actions from both Verizon and Cydcor.Essentially, Cydcor pawns off the "employment liability" onto the ICL, or manager's corporation..... meaning all the payroll tax liability falls on the small business owner making $.40 on the dollar, not the corporation making $.60 on the dollar from 200 "office managers" , or ICL's. Verizon doesn't care because they're in the death war with cable companies for the same , limited pool of residential or business customers; they're happy to have the volume , and can't be held liable for any deception. Cydcor's ICL employees average length of employment is 14 days. They average hiring one person per day. They average hiring almost 200,000 people a year and currently have around 210 offices. Their average office size is approximately 12 sales people. The average office "owner" is GROSSING less than $9000 per week. looking at advertising costs ($25/ad x 15-20/week), administrative costs ($500-$700/week); rent for office space ($200-400/week) commissions (averaging around 55% of the sales-$5000/week) and payroll tax liability (mine was 12% of payroll or about $1000 of this amount)......at the low end of the scale, before they pay for ANY miscellaneous operating expenses like phone lines, Internet, meals, their own payroll, (mine was usually around $400-500/week)...they get $70k left for themselves....they pay double payroll taxes ((25%) because they pay employee AND employer taxes.... they do well if they bring home 700-800/week, or about $10 an hour....net income. That's awful for generating as much revenue as they do.....

    ReplyDelete
  188. You should add GSI in Woburn to the list; hopefully no more unsuspecting grads/out-of-work professionals get suckered into this. GSI is definitely this type of scam.

    ReplyDelete
  189. I almost fell for this too! I had an interview today and googled the company to do some research and happened upon this post. I sincerely appreciate it! I've interviewed for some Verizon scams in the past so once I saw this website I didn't even want to chance it- I called to cancel the interview right away.

    ReplyDelete
  190. Yeah. GSI appears to be the old Dynasty/Lucky 7 promotions scam that I ran into a few years back. I think you can find a post about those companies somewhere too.

    ReplyDelete
  191. GSI Looks like a scam to me. Their website is so vague and only geared towards prospective employees. Go to a real marketing firm's website and compare.

    ReplyDelete
  192. ATLANTIC CONSULTING AKA VIGOR CONCEPTS - SCAM

    I went to an interview at atlantic consulting last week. It seemed like a legit company. It was in an office building near woodfield mall. The first strange thing I noticed was that the receptionist in the office never said the company's name when she answered the phone. After filling out a short questionnaire I was greeted by an employee of atlantic consulting. (I later found out he was the President of atlantic consulting and behind this whole scam). The interview was 10 - 15 minutes long. He asked me normal questions that you would expect to hear in a first interview. The whole time while I was talking he was writing on the back of my resume. I guess he was writing down key things that stuck out to him. When I was finished talking he wrote the number 5 in the top left corner and circled it. I thought it was very unprofessional to be writing the entire time I was talking. And also very distracting. If this was a legit interview I would think that the person interviewing me would be intelligent enough to remember what I said after I left.

    After the interview he told me that I would receive a call later that day if they decided I was a good fit. I got the call a couple hours later and they said I was chosen to come back for a second interview. They sent me an email that said:

    "On behalf of Atlantic Consulting, it was a pleasure meeting you. Congratulations again on your interview, we look forward to seeing you again. As we mentioned previously, your second interview will be much more interactive than the previous, so please plan ahead for a full day's time commitment. As you will be shadowing one of our representatives to experience "A day in the life of", attire is business professional and please be sure to wear comfortable shoes.

    As a reminder, please bring a copy of your resume, and I would recommend a notebook to take some notes. Once again, Congratulations on being selected for a second round interview."

    I had a weird feeling about this company and the guy that interviewed me so I did some research. I found out that atlantic consulting use to be called Vigor Concepts or at least they have the same owner. You can see for yourself if you go to godaddy.com and use the WhoIS domain search. Type in "atlanticconsulting.org" and you will see that the owner of this website has a "@vigorconcepts.com" email.

    So I researched Vigor Concepts and I found a lot of blogs about how this company is a scam. They invite everyone back for a second interview and on this second interview they trick you into doing DOOR TO DOOR SALES. (that's why they tell you to wear comfortable shoes). They say you're going to experience "a day in the life of" but they trick you into working for free.

    I read a lot of blogs that talked about the second interview. These blogs say that they take you in their car to go "meet with the clients." But really they take you to some random neighborhood and do door to door sales. You can't leave because they drove you miles away from the office building so you have to spend the entire day walking around trying to sell their coupons. And since it's an interview they don't have to pay you!

    Don't interview with this company!!

    I never went to the second interview but after doing my research I knew that this company was not a legit marketing firm. Do your research before interviewing for a job! Also, a lot of these companies post their jobs on CareerBuilder and Monster. Be careful when applying for jobs!

    ReplyDelete
  193. The bad: dishonest... pumps up the company and your career prospects...

    The good: Top of the lines sales training and a serious makeover on my attitude... got me my current job where I am making more money than I ever have. Horrible pay at NEC... but in the long run it was a good investment. I honestly wish more of my sales applicants had training at NEC... it's tough finding decent sales help despite everyone looking for a job...

    ReplyDelete
  194. Search Marketing Agency

    Email promotion is another strategy that an online promotion company may utilise to advertise your company.

    ReplyDelete
  195. Everything everyone saying about NEC Incorporated and all of these other "companies" is true.

    No one in there right mind would slave away, being degraded by having doors shut in their face, hour after hour, day after day and get crap pay. I'd legitimately rather work at McDonald's as a cashier or chicken nugget baker.

    I went for an interview last year around June-July after I had graduated from college with a Fashion Merchandising (???) degree. I was desperate, yes. I was surprised I had gotten a call back a few hours later. I went for the interview which was an hour away in Braintree, MA near a plaza with a K-Mart in it (in which I bought a $30 blazer?!?!?! for the interview... uuugh could it really get any worse?). Same story as everyone else- the interview was vague and like 10 minutes long max. I left feeling kind of weirded about it but went home and shortly after got a call from Andrea saying I got a second interview!! OMGGGGZZ no WAYYYYyY! Life is awesome!! It's finally looking up!!!

    I go for the second interview a couple days later where I'll be shadowing a Top Account Manger which I thought was going to be so cool-- She'd be presenting PowerPoints to a room full of executives (lol ya- my mind) and I'd be beside her looking cute and professional in my well thought out outfit). Nope- quite the opposite actually. We got in her crappy 2000' something car with another Acct. Manager sitting in the backseat. Put in her GPS and away we were. She then asks me about myself. We have small talk. A few laughs. Then she asks what I know about Fiber optics... uugh now I'm getting nervous but play it off because there's really nothing I can do now that I'm basically being held hostage. I now fantasize about how I'd go about things if I knew how the rest of the day had played out-- "Take me back to my car, NOW!" It was a beautiful, perfect summer day and I found myself walking to a house-- we went through the backyard on their patio to finalize some paper work for their Fios. They seemed slightly irritated as they were doing yard work. After that, we went to a couple other houses where we got denied. Then went to eat where she paid for my mozzarella sticks and soda. She explained to me the process of growing in the company. I didn't really comprehend it all that well. After we ate, she then plugged in another destination in her GPS. Where did we end up? A beach town. Where all of the customers were harassed in their VACATION homes. How obnoxious. And on top of that-- it was around 6PM where people were having dinner. She was relentless though! I gave her props for having the balls she did to convince people to buy this fiber optic cable.
    After hours of walking around door to door- in pebbly sand at some points (in heels)- we left. The guy in the backseat? Chillin' in the car on a "business call".
    Most of the people's excuses and rejection was "This is my parent's vacation home, not mine." Word.

    Now, this is NOT ILLEGAL, however it is EXTREMELY MISLEADING.

    I would NOT recommend this job to someone who wants a normal 9-5 Mon-Fri job because the reality is is that you're going to work 10 hour days Mon-Sat. to barely make any money. On top of that, its degrading and ridiculous.

    It's 2012... why are there still people going door-to-door selling things? Not only is it dated, but its dangerous! They hire these YOUNG, some attractive, people to do this... with out any regards of their well being. It's absolutely ridiculous.

    DO NOT FALL FOR THIS AND GET YOUR HOPES UP. TRUST YOUR GUT INSTINCT- ITS ALWAYS RIGHT
    (that's what I ultimately learned out of this waste of time.)

    ReplyDelete
  196. I went for my 1st interview today there. I left..8mins later..thinking I legit did not say more than 5 words in there. This is funny because the lady that called me back said that me and the guy had a "great conversation". The guy did not ask me anything about my resume and said I seemed like a "pretty cool dude" hahaha

    My dad has been in sales his whole life, worked 100% commission like jobs and said this place does not seem legit.

    I am grateful there are some decent people like you guys out there that care about people and don't want them wasting their time.

    When or if they call looking for me for the second interview (I'm not going to go) I will give the lady some shit and report back.

    Thanks again!

    ps. I had an internship that was 100% commission and they treated me like shit. Beware of turn and burn places like this. They will discourage you a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  197. I just wrote an extremely thorough and detailed account of my experience with Six10 Marketing out of Newton, MA but it got deleted accidentally. DO NOT APPLY THERE, IT IS ANOTHER MISLEADING AND IMMORAL "marketing firm" just like all of these. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME!

    ReplyDelete
  198. NEC is the biggest bullshit you will come across. They put the job listing under "Sports Enthusiasts Wanted" as an attempt to draw in college grads. They make the job seem like a sports marketing job where you have full benefits and get paid $40,00/year. In reality you're not in sports marketing at all. They only put that plug in because they play kickball after work on Thursdays. What kind of job listing includes activities that they do outside of work....seriously Jim? You also don't make a salary, its 100% commision based. They give you the opportunity to work your way up to salary after 2 years if you do a good job selling verizon door to door. All in all the interview takes 10 minutes and they beat around the bush regarding what it is that they actually do there. They will call you back no matter what because their employee turnover rate is so high. For future reference, never trust a company who posts job listings daily all over the web and that has a permanent plug on their website looking for employees, never a good sign.

    And for the record Jim, we all know it's you on here trying to defend your joke of a company so just own up to it. And people aren't mad because they were unsuccessful at door to door sales for verizon, they are mad because THEY DIDN'T APPLY FOR DOOR TO DOOR SALES YOU JACKASS. They upset because you mislead them and blatantly wasted their time. If you are looking for door to door verizon sales people, then make an ad for that. Don't put an ad up claiming the pay is 40k a year and that we will be involved in sports marketing. Jim you're the scum of the earth and I eagerly wait your reply to this comment.

    ReplyDelete