Door To Door Magazine Sales, Scam?
Tonite we got hit up by a sales rep from Direct Subscription Services, or DSS Inc. The individual was able to talk us into purchasing a subscription from him at what seemed an inflated price but at the time appeared to be only slightly over retail. After he left I checked the online price for a subscription, $26 less than what I was charged. Boy am I a sucker sometimes. Anyway I looked into the company DSS Inc, which is owned/operated by All-star Promotions based out of Texas. Well All-Star has had 49 BBB complaints in the last 36 months so I have issued a stop order to my check and I am sending the cancellation in tomorrow via Fax. Apparently if you do not cancel your order within 3 days before midnight in writing All Star et al will pursue you with a debt collection agency. Just a warning, don’t buy magazines from door to door sales without checking the current price. I don’t mind helping someone out if I am not getting Royally Screwed in the process. For magazine subscriptions look for free signups online. Hopefully this is the last time I have to discuss this.
More Info on Door to Door Magazine Sales:
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/
Josh Smith is a blogger, database manager and adjunct professor of business and technology. 
I got nailed on 6/5/06. The salesman wrote my address so badly that they couldn’t read it. After contacting the BBB in Texas I found that they had moved. I finally found the company and they explained what happened. To this day I only received one subscription. If anyone knows how to phone this company please send me an email with DSS, inc in the subject.
Smart. I got hit up for $70 way back in Jan ’07 and never saw a single magazine. Working with my bank, but I’ll probably never see that money again. The e-mail on the web site is also invalid- sent my complaint e-mail back to me as “undeliverable.” Consumers be warned, these people are smooth talkers. I realize the original post here is old, but it came up when i googled “DSS Inc.”
I got taken for $73 back in May ’07 Now I am not receiving any magazines and I can’t find a way to get ahold of them. We had someone come to our door saying that they were trying to earn a trip and I decided to help out. Boy was that a joke. I am now finding out that there is nothing I can do about this
A very nice and charismatic young man named Hector Perez came to my home last night, with this exact sales pitch. He claimed he was trying to earn money to get to London where he had an internship waiting for him at the BBC. Wow, that’s cool, and it completely sucked me in.
Now maybe, from his perspective, that’s the truth — and I hope it is because he was such a great guy and interesting to chat with.
But I became suspicious after I asked him how old he was. (He said 27, and that seemed a bit too mature to be doing fundraisers for cash. That sounds more like a high-school or college activity.) I also felt like he was just a little _too_ charismatic, like he’s been doing it for a long, long time.
So I googled, and have found a bajillion pages about this scam.
I managed to stop payment on my check this morning after reading about this. Who knows if I’ll have to tangle with a collection agency. I thought I was buying childrens books to be given to a local hospital. But I got no receipt (slaps forhead — doh) and I actually bought his line that the receipt would be sent to me after the hospital got their books.
Like I said, he was very personable and knew how to keep me distracted. (One trick he used, just as I became interested in reading the fine print on the “order form” I put my signature to, was to show me a collection of old “garbage-pail-kid” stickers he had on the back of his wallet. They were cool; hadn’t seen those for years. Nice trick, if it was one.
This took place in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Tonight, 9-21-2007, two people with the same MO, came to my door as well, wanting me to renew or buy a magazine subscription. They were very nice, like the last gal stated, but on the other hand, I was very suspicious. It smelled like they had just smoked pot, and were telling me how they were raising money to go to “ireland” for a school trip. I was very suspicious, and didn’t buy anything, but they had lots of checks from others in my apartment building, which leads me to the next thought, how did they get into our secured building????? stay clear of these people… they will screw you left and right!
Luke B
Lincoln, NEBRASKA
I got scammed today 11/07/07 by two friendly guys who said they were earning points to go to mexico for a trip, if they graduated. i stopped my check, but hopefully it isn’t too late.
i am in college station tx
A guy by the name of Aaron, just left my home (Boerne, Tx), where he fed me the story of a trip to Cancun for the most subscriptions sold, thankfully I only bought one, but immediately went to google this DSS company due to a $40.00 subscription for Outdoor Life and I just finished a stop payment on my check, hopefully it’s not too late, ughhhh!!!!!!!!
Had one of these guys come by yesterday 12/14/07. bought 1 for $34.00. later checked and over double the price from the magazine direct.
After checking the web realized they are mostly a scam, but now have my name, address, phone, checking acct number AND ROUTING NUMBER!!
There is nothing standing in the way of them doing an electronic transfer of money IN ANY AMOUNT, if they do that, you are screwed, you WILL NOT get you money back. I went to the bank today and closed my account and opened another so when check is deposited, it will come back to them as “Account Closed”. Then if they send to a collection agency I am not worried because without a social security number they cannot put a collection notice on your credit report.
They might call for a while but for the $34.00 I wrote the check for they will give up soon enough.
I sold magazines for 3 years & everyone received there magazines. Actually I know people that are still receiving them years after they expired.
hey,
thought i got suckered by this scam last year….but the magazines came! odd! i probably paid a little too much, but hell, it’s still better than the newsrack price.
i think the real victims here are the salesmen and women. the girl that sold the subscription to me last year told me she lived far away and that she and her “team” travel place to place all over the country working. she didn’t seem to be very happy, but she was a superb salesperson! wonder what is really going on…
i just go played but the short blond one for 74 dollers in cash money for two weak mags. I started to check the site on my labtop by he kept distracting me with weird jokes and lies. just get you mags form the store and get your subscription inside.
oh i’m in casto valley cali near hayward and Oakland
I was on my way up to my aptartment in Lewisville texas when I was suckered. I was told of a Cancun trip. I had bought magazines before and actualy recieved them. But this time I have not. So I tried to reach the DSS company with failure but found this site. This was back on 10/4/07 and now I’m out 46 dollars. And thats alot of beer money. I feel for the ones that lost more.
I can’t believe it!! When this guy came to the door, he seemed SO sincere, explaining how he was in this program, so that he could earn points, and $$, so that he could pay for school , etc. Like an idiot, I ended up buying a subscription to ESPN from him, for $35. And THEN- not an hour later, I discovered my bank Acct was overdrawn, and I lost my job, too. So, I immediately sent one of the copies of the invoice, along with a note immediately cancelling my order. I mailed it THAT SAME DAY, so I know it got there within the required 3 days. And yet, I was just told by my bank that they had deposited it ANYWAY!! I have a stop put on it, and can only hope that that takes care of it. But- like Glen said- who knows what these A-holes will do!! If ANYBODY finds out any info on this company- phone #’s, etc.– I would VERY much appreciate knowing it!! Man, NEVER AGAIN!!!!
They hit Rancho Cucamonga in Dec 2007.
You reap what you sow!
I was hit by DSS in July of 2007 by 2 young men who were “earning points” for a trip to Cancun. I didn’t save my receipt like an idiot! After they left I looked up DSS online and everything checked out. It is now April and my check has been cashed but I have never received a magazine nor has the magazine fulfillment company received my order.
I have sent correspondence to DSS and have never received a reply.
HERE IS THE WEBSITE: http://www.dssinconline.net
The PHONE NUMBER is 940-686-5430
I’m still hopeful. GOOD LUCK!!
this is a great company i sold magazines for dss everybody gets magazines some pepole can’t handle spinding a little more so kidds can do positive thangs so do what u do and if u don’t like this message u can{ take it deep}
Alan, thanks for stopping by. I hope next time you visit to advocate for a company you can string together an intelligible sentence.
I hardly think carrying teens across the country and withholding them from their families counts towards paying a higher price in order to do “good thangs”.
Another story for you guys…
A guy came to my house about 2 months ago, (haven’t really thought about it since).
I bought a year subscription to several magazines which came to around 90 bucks. The guy was VERY nice, a little too nice but I figured he was trying to sell his way to Italy……dumb me…..
Haven’t got a magazine yet, but I got an interesting phone call today. Some guy from FTFI INC. called and said that they signed me up to some anti-theft credit program and something else which came to $28 a month, and he said he would use the routing number on my check to get the money. I tried to cancel, but he said the first payment would have to be taken out first.
In the morning I’m closing then opening a new bank account,
From my story and everyone elses, Don’t do this, don’t buy, kick the little bastard off your property.
The whole reason I did this to was to help some kid out, I don’t even care about the magazines but to go through the B.S of changing accounts, which really sucks because every bill is through direct deposit, means I got screwed in the end.
I just got hit up this evening. Nice guy came to my apartment complex and (as most salesmen do) pressurred extremely hard to get me to buy a subscription so he could go to Cancun. I figured what the heck and signed up for one.
After reading these testimonies, I’m going to my bank tomorrow to stop that check, faxing in a cancellation and calling their customer service to make sure they know that I am cancelling. Switching bank accounts doesn’t sound like a bad idea at the moment.
I know most people wont think to look until after they’ve gotten screwed, but for those that do. Take heed and be warned! I’m probably now out 90 dollars or more (stopping check has them try to draw it out of your account electronically for more). Well, we’ll see what comes of this… be careful everyone!
I got scammed by door to door magazine sales. The company is called Platinum Sales and A E Consultants. The address on the paperwork is 8557 W. U.S. Hwy 20 W, Michigan City, IN 46360. Phone #219-809-2323. The check was cashed at a B of A inNewbury Park, CA 91320. Acct#0671541512
After talking to the police & city offices, I have learned that these scammers are quite well known, but no one can shut them down & suckers like me keep feeding them.
Location: Bergen County NJ, USA
My wife was scammed by organization called Prestige Sales USA, on July 21, 2008. Individual introduced himself as a college student, raising money for study abroad.
Wife wrote a check for children’s books that would be donated to a hospital.
I was home at the time, but did not know she was at front door falling for this.
After reading this thread and many others, I knew it was bogus, and had the check stopped.
Also called local police department, who had other complaints from yesterday, including magazines and also raising money for the troops in Iraq. Police dispatcher said someone else complained that “Jason” got very angry when they refused to contribute.
Don’t understand why people with such sales skills don’t realize they can make more money at legitimate sales jobs – guess they like the thrill of ripping people off…. sad.
This website will give you pause, and you will be thankful that you just got ripped off – instead of worse. http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/
Call me a sucker, but I’ve bought magazine subscriptions from a number of people who do this thing. And while the magazines always cost WAY too much, I always get the magazines. The point is supposed to be you’re supporting the troubled “kid” who is selling magazines rather than being in a gang or something.
Recently I got a letter saying the magazine I ordered isn’t available, but I got a list of alternate magazines. Seems like an attempt to be semi-honest — even though I’d rather have my money back. Tried calling and just got a busy signal. Like Joan above, the company name is AE Consultants, Michigan City, IN, but a different phone number: 219-809-5732.
Note the apparent president of AE Consultants is Albert Ellis, who seems to have plenty of money to contribute thousands of dollars to political campaigns (he always donates Republican). I found him listed on a few website, such as here:
http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/albert-ellis.asp?cycle=04
@Rob: Thanks for sharing, that’s some interesting info.
Prestigesalesusa.com and others are scam artists! Several ex-cons work for them. Stay away. Smooth talkers!
Referring back to post#23 from Private. They left Jersey & headed into the Lehigh Valley in Allentown, PA. Same scam – Temple Broadcast student going to London – donate books to CHOP in Philly. He even asked to “come in to sit down & write up the order ” NO WAY was I letting this joker in my house. I called the cops. The guy said he was my neighbor “from up the street.” The cops found him & his friends in a van with Texax tags, a FL driver’ license with a AZ address. He had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation in GA. He gave the cops a bogus phone number & I’m filing a complaint with the AZ state attorney general.
Man did I get taken in by one of those DSS Inc. guys. He had me ordering a subscription and I didn’t even want one! He said he was in a contest and whoever got the most “points” won a trip to Mexico. He even asked me what designs were on my checks because he said he gets bonus points for getting orders from people who don’t have boring checks. He said he was involved in a group that helps kids have better futures and it was really important. I wonder now why I didn’t ask him why he didn’t have any literature on this all-important group he was involved in. As soon as he left I was kicking myself, then I got online and read all these comments, then called my bank to stop payment on the check-the fee for that is way less than the price of those mags!
Hi, my brother in law and i both got scammed yesterday in RI. Same old stories as above.
They are in RI today with the same story.. young blonde woman with an internship to the BBC in London
Found one of them going door-to-door in Taunton MA. Story line was earning $ to go to London (BBC trip) for 2 weeks. Ran the kid through the system. No warrants. ID seemed to check out the best we could tell. Claimed to be a neighbor but was from TN. Unknown if the company would deliver the books, but either way the story he gave was a lie to coerce customers. BEWARE! Supposedly “leveled” with me and said he works for the company on commission and is shepherded around in a van by a “handler.” They hit various communities and move on from state to state.
My roommate just answered the door; I didn’t realize he was getting solicited until they left. He’s too nice of a guy and almost caved. Told them he had no money eventually. I told him to come get me next time and they can have a look at my Mossberg 500…;)
BTW I’m in Manhattan, KS. I agree with #23 wholeheartedly…bad things can happen if you’re not prepared for them with something as seemingly innocent as answering your door…
I had a very young looking guy at the door yesterday telling a story of how he was traveling and selling to help him learn public speaking and to help stop a stuttering problem. He never could look me in the eye and never stuttered. When I refused his magazines, he said “well, maybe you could just give me a tip for being cute.” My cold stare made him leave.
Just got back from work and wanted to lay down for an afternoon kip (start work at 5am and finish at 3pm) When i here a banging on the door. I get up and answer the door and theres some hot chick standing there with the same old piece of laminated paper, talking about a holiday and fund raising, i cut straight to the chase and asked what she wanted. which was magazine subscriptions. i told her i wasn’t interested, her whole attitude changed and she walked off in a Huff. 5 mins later i take the dog out so he could goto the bathroom. i comeback up to my apartment door and theres some type of scrawling with a pen just under my door bell. leads me to believe they have multiple people working the area. I’ve actually had it before at my parent in-laws whilst working outside on my car. some kid came up to me and started talking about a placement at the bbc/magazines, Turned him inside out. One, I’m from London. and two i was a film student. It turned out he was full of shit. The last line is. do not trust these people. They have tactics in making you feel guilty to hand out cash. If you want a magazine go out and buy one, if you want to help a charity out. source one out and help them. me? I’m keeping all my cash myself!
“Scott Johnson” from Points Across America, Inc is working his way through Virginia. He claims he is earning points to travel to Amsterdam. I gave him a check for a magazine subscription, but immediately after he left, I called the customer service number on the receipt and it was disconnected. Next I went online and there is no Points Across America website. All of the search results said it was a scam. He is driving a green Chevrolet Suburban with Texas license plates. Just don’t answer your door if you don’t know the person. I’ve have stopped payment on the check and learned my lesson. I’m going first thing in the morning to change my back account and pray nothing catastrophic happens.
Like #19 Alan witch is funny because i know exactly who he is. I too sold magazines for D.S.S. Inc. for about a year and a half of my life! It was definitely the most fun and the biggest learning experience of my life! To collaborate on some of the other things said on this site- Yes there is probaly more magazine companies that rip u off as opposed to the ones that send them too you i know. D.S.S. is not one of them! Sometimes it could be the company not sending them, or it could be the salesperson keeping the order and pocketing the money? Sure it costs a little more than getting the renewal card out of the magazine or doing it on the internet. But like Alan said that’s not helping a young kid doing something positive! Sure there are scams out there for instance A.C.I., P.M.A., Sucess Unlimited, or Urban Sales are some that I’ve ran into. But before slamming the door on an innocent kid there are signs that u can look for like them saying hospitals, needy kids, troops in Iraq, or COLLEGE its a lie don’t do it. Any one in D.S.S. Inc. would get in big trouble for speaking about anything accept, A real live contest that u can check on the website, collecting 20,000 points for a trip to Cancun Mexico and A thousand dollars! And for your information “Josh Smith” as D.S.S. might be formaly known as All Star Promotions is Because the owner Russell Wood had a total of 12 sales crews at one point. In witch a handful of his crew managers started getting greedy and was falsely using the name A.S.P. and keeping the money for themselves, witch is how they got the bad name! All Star Promotions hasn’t existed in about 5 years now. And I have got TONS of family and friends not to mention myself who still get several Magazines every month. So next time don’t go out pinpointing companies giving them a bad name before you get your facts straight! Sounds like to me your just a tight wad and you were mad because you got talked out of a little bit of money!
ok i just fell for this too! they are in charleston sc now.
tonight a pretty fast talking young blonde girl named amanda from points across america came to my door, looked like she was in high school, at first i thought she wanted money for running a race or something through her school… i was confused. anyway she said she was trying to win a trip to cancun. i caved and bought a gift subscription for my sister and gave her a check for $50. (i thought it $15 was a steep price for shipping /handling but i was trying to be nice). anyway, she left and the next place she went after me apparently she got yelled at and threatened with calling the cops, so she came back to my house and asked to use the phone. i heard her talking to her car handler asking to get picked up and learned that i was her only sale that night. huh, i’m the only sucker. the rest of them all sent her away and she said they were very suspicious.
b/c of the yelling and threat to call the cops, and she seemed really scared and said that they have permits to sell and that whenever they have to deal with the cops it’s a pain the ass that takes over a half hour to deal with. i thought she seemed scared for her safety b/c of the yelling man but now i think she just didn’t want the cops to come.
anyway. so i am in the unique position of having the car handler’s phone# if i just hit redial …but i don’t want to go there.
she told me that they live in hotels and travel around but didn’t have much time to tell me more b/c the car handler beeped his horn outside and she left. she was nice and i felt bad for her.
— i just put a stop pymt on my check and i hope that i don’t have to close my checking acct. i also just dropped into the mail the cancellation. but you know the kids could ruin that just by dating the sales receipt a few days earlier or something and changing the date on your check. so who knows.
i hope i am not getting screwed and that my bank acct is safe and that no money is taken out.
i feel so naive and stupid for falling for this.
Having fallen for this in college once, I had to say no to a girl at my door last night.
“I knew you wouldn’t help” she told me. “You have an attitude.”
Crack-a-me up!
well ive sold mags for 6years an all my nice costumers did get all there mags every one is not a scam an some people like my self do it because it”s positive an it teaches good work ethics to those whom may not have skills also it has tought me how to manage money an deal with people world wide also there silly attitudes also i have very great social skills so to peolpe who think about not helping mag agents think agina u could realie change there life like so many people have did for me never judge a book by it’s cover all people are not the same
I just got scammed by these people last night. They are in Statesville, NC… extremely good salesman! He asked for cash instead of a check saying that he’ll get the points faster.. he had the silver van with texas plates.. magazines were expensive but he was just that good! i canceled my check right away and closed that account.. i just dont feel comfortable with someone walking around with my account info.. better to be safe than sorry!! this is all just more of a hassle than anything and i couldnt feel more stupid and naive like #38.. =(
I live in Tempe, AZ. Kid just came to the door selling magazines for a trip to Cancun. Said they were doing it to work on their public speaking, had been doing it for 4 weeks and this was the last week. Asked me what I did, because they were supposed to get “inspired” by their customers. Very nice, smooth talker. As soon as I said no he walked away pretty quick.
They’re still working Tempe, AZ tonight. Just turned one away with the same point earning story, but claiming the magazines would be sent to children in hospitals.
I got suckered. He was so clean cut and seemingly sincere. The actual money I lost is trivial, but I don’t like the feeling of having fallen for a scam. It didn’t occur to until a few days later it was probably all BS – too late to stop the check. If this ever happens again I’m going to follow them back to their ride. If I get a picture of the license plate and the driver that should at least cause them some anxiety.
I’ve gotten these kids many times before but last night was different because there was two of them. They were probably late teen to early 20′s and when I said I don’t want magazines they tried to sell me on the children’s books for hospitals. After I said no again they wanted to come in and use my table to write on so I told them there was one outside and they got pissed and walked away. Boy did I want to knock that punk out. The one that did all the talking was either the worst salesman ever or an obvious scammer.
dss…formerly allstar promotions…formerly pma…formerly circulation builders of america…and russel wood et al…have been stealing from americas youth and doorsteps for literally generations. he promoted mag guru “vinnie” pitts…myself and others back in the seventies. if it pains readers that they are paying bloated rates for mags they may or may not receive…heres another blemish on the magcrew industry that goes unchecked…the magmrs/clearinghouses do NOT pay for the subscriptions they DO bother to fill. this is the holy grail of this byzantinne industry…and a closely guarded secret never revealed to the kids hitting doors. now why is this?! because publishers presell pagerates based on guaranteed delivered household circulation…and when the numbers fall below the mark guaranteed to advertisors…the publishers “dump” free circs for the magmgrs to add to that list the kid wants you to choose from…my old ‘friend’ russel wood has been gleaning 50k a month from the porches of this country for many, MANY years…as have belo kellam, vinnie, the late robert spruiell, kay hillery and a host of others’. they are…to a person…NOT very nice people…they have criminal histories…indenture young folks…leave them wondering how they ever got stuck with a whopping 1099 bill…and too often beat/abuse the very ‘kids’ who pay for the escalades they cannot live without…sad stuff. he was never big enough to inflict harm to me…but i was in the room many, many times when russel wood beat the likes of j tardivo…s bander…and many more when they displeased him. he was a coward though…because if he couldnt dish it out…he paid someone who could. he is STILL collecting money everyday…although he now is a shriveled old man who relies on younger, more agile trash to contol his kids in a contest. in a sad irony…robert spruiell…overlord of integriysales…was stabbed to death in a seedy hotel in miami, fla…a dive i stayed in with wood and company 30 yrs ago…after he attempted to inflict a beating on a hotel guest who had no business with spruiell…karma at its best, some would say…i now live a comfortable life…AWAY from the likes of these predators…and they are predators in every sense of the word…ALL of them…and i devote many hours trying to convince these kids to go/stay home…and what have you been doing lately?….getabunch.
Individuals who sell magazines door to door come from many different backgrounds, some which are bad, some that are drug-infested and some that have been perfect. I started in the business 9 years ago as a sales agent. What I appreciated so much about the business is that MY mentors believe in teaching the basic American fundamental, work ethic.. The business teaches individuals to work hard, gain self confidence, honesty and many other basic virtues left ignored by many parents. The objestive of the business is to refine young adults into the future leaders of our country. In 1952, 2% of the American workforce was in door to door sales. That 2% includes dads, moms, uncles, grandmas and grandpas. For anyone to categorize an entire industry over an INDIVIDUAL independent contractor`s action is irresponsible and ignorant. The magazine industry, at least 90 percent or more of them anyway encourage young minds to accomplish things in their life and do and see things that they would never have a chance to. People from rural Oklahoma will live dreams such as seeing both oceans, going to places like New York City, L.A., Hawaii and more, these kids get LIFE experience in meeting people, practicing business skills and broadening horizons for people in very stressful times. The business teaches self worth in an era when shutting people down seems the norm. Yes, the prices may be a little more, but that little bit is making a big difference in that “kids” life. The company i work for is not on this forum. Which is great because it gives me a feeling ive been doing my job right and teaching the job right.
I had this happen to me recently, but the company is called Applied Motivation. It was a college kid earing points for a trip. Being the nice person I am I fell for it. I called the phone number on my receipt…it was disconnected…I emailed them….that was returned for unknown address!!! But what gets me the most is I live on an ARMY installation. That is one of the reasons why I didn’t think it was a scam. I can’t understand how they were able to get on post as scam artist. They were all over post..even at the post exchange..???.. How did they get in the gates is my main concern. ARMY intalations are supossed to be safe….I didn’t see it coming!!! So just because you live on post doesn’t mean you are safe from scam artist!!!
Well, I wanted to chime in here because I too worked for Russel Wood for a couple years, and was a “car handler” who dropped off people for an hour or two in areas, parked the car, sold magazines, then picked up everyone and moved on to the next neighborhood. Not everyone that get’s in to the business is a scam artist, not everyone is a drug addict, but in my experience, the one’s that run these companies are. They literally churn through young people like you wouldn’t believe, hiring constantly in every city, most of which last maybe a day or two before quitting. They teach the kids using humilitation, degradation, and competition in a very negative manner.
Eventually, people will resort to unimaginable things in order to NOT be humiliated. Basically, if you are a car handler you make a profit off your passengers if you meet your quota each day. If you fail to do so, not only do you not make a percentage of their sales, your at risk of losing your “keys” to someone else and being a rider again. In the small world that is magazine sales, when you have 6 cars and 40 teens/20 somethings; having your keys means freedom. You can go eat what you want at night, people flock to you, and on the odd occasion when you stay in a city more then a week, you can go out on a Saturday night to the place of your choosing.
I was a roommate with a “trainer” when I first started, and he taught me the speil, the sales tricks that helped close deals, etc. However, he was very inconsistant and kept losing his keys. Eventually it became a source of great stress for him, I had earned my keys and when he finally got his keys back, he was determined not to lose them. Well, one night he had a car full of people that had done very poorly that day, and instead of driving back to the hotel to get screamed at and most likely lose his car again, he decided he was going to rob a convenience store and use that money to purchase fake subscriptions. It was common practise to buy a magazine sub for a relative or friend if you were just under your quota so you could earn a commission off the car and avoid the torment the owners and managers would give you for a bad day. Well, basically to make a long story short, two of the kids in the car were not cool with robbing a store, so they killed them. You can read the article about it here.
http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/traveling%20salesmen%20murdered%20all%20star%20promotions.html
This guy Jacob was my roommate for close to a year, and what did the owners do in response to this disgusting and traumatizing act? They packed everyone up that evening, and we drove 13 hours straight from upstate NY to Oklahoma to avoid the bad press and disruption of sales, and we slept a half day, and went to work the next afternoon cause god forbid they take a loss one day on our hotel rooms with no sales.
These people are disgusting human beings and I feel for the kids that are still falling for this scam of employment, do them all a favor and don’t buy their magazines no matter how nice they are, make them go home and find a real job. I stayed for almost two years because I was honest, articulate, and good with people. If I had sold less and had a harder time, I would have come home a lot sooner where I was supposed to be.
They are working Mechanicsville, Va today (just outside Richmond). A young man came to my door when I was expecting UPS and totally caught me off guard. I always thought I could read people very well but this guys was a smoooooooth talker!! After buying an overpriced magazine from him by check, he literally ran down the street which I thought odd. Immediately got online and looked up DSS and saw I had been scammed. In the meantime, he came back 10 minutes later because I had accidently postdated the check. (ha ha) I told him I wanted my check back because it was a scam and he gave it to me (of course he had time to record all my personal and banking info before he came back) I think he gave my check back because in the course of our conversation I had told him my son is a police officer( which he is!). I feel so stupid because now i feel like i need to close my bank account. What a hassle for trusting someone for 10 minuts!