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tobyd · 21 August 2009 at 9:11AM

does anyone know anything about Centurion marketing in leeds?, i have declined interviws with oms and akwa as they were the above, however cannot locate anything on these guys in leeds, vicar lane? any advise, ? i called them and asked them if they were the same and they denied this which they would but not sure? God you cannot trust anyone no adayys

venus_in_furs · 21 August 2009 at 9:24AM

tobyd wrote: »

does anyone know anything about Centurion marketing in leeds?, i have declined interviws with oms and akwa as they were the above, however cannot locate anything on these guys in leeds, vicar lane? any advise, ? i called them and asked them if they were the same and they denied this which they would but not sure? God you cannot trust anyone no adayys

Yes, there is another thread on here with people talking about similar companies. Lots of the have different names but are all run by the same company, based on the same ideas. They are all identikit!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1153561

Skintslimmer · 21 August 2009 at 11:08AM

Quick note - I have these companies contacting me all the time as I am on monster for a marketing job. You learnt the hard way but the fact is if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

chris_barker · 19 September 2009 at 2:16PM

i went for an interview on wednesday 16th of september at 2.30 pm at pinnacle promotions in derby after applying for the job on fish4jobs.co.uk i recieved an instant reply asking me to attend the interview which i thought was a positive thing........after going to the interview i left with mixed feelings......that same day around 7m i recieved a phone call saying i had got through to the second stage interview which would be on friday......i went to the interview at 12pm by 1pm i was with a team of 4 people going to spondon in derby to do door to door sales(something that wasnt mentioned in the application or in the interview) i spent 10 hours! walking from door to door with one guy observing what he does on a day to day basis in other words THE 5 STEPS!! introduction, presentation, short story, close and rehash. after the day was over i drove yes i drove using my petrol the 4 guys back to derby city centre where i would have my final interview with boss.......i told him there and then i would not be taking the job on the internet it said there would be basic pay and yet when i asked it was commision based only!! the whole experience was shocking and uncomfortable to watch when i saw a 90 year old woman being pressured into giving 6.50 a month to the rspca its disgusting!!! i am writing this to let everyone know to keep away from pinnacle promotions and any toher company that works in a familiar way!!!

System · 20 September 2009 at 3:15PM

There are several up in Sheffield.
I had an interview which went amazingly (surprise surprise..) which when i was desperate for a job seemed like the best thing in the world.
I was unfortunate to have an "experience" day with one called Excelsior marketing and basically got dumped in Rotherham for the whole day with no breaks and had to run around doing door to door sales. I hated them, the charity they were supposedly collecting for was a childrens charity and some of the things the vile woman i was with said were unbelievebale, just to get people to give them money. Plus she never let them do the minimum and prayed on elderly people too. It was horrible. I wanted out but they took my bag off me which had my phone and purse in so i was stuck there

They shouldnt be allowed to operate, its disgusting

trevormax · 20 September 2009 at 8:25PM

very similar thing happened to me about 7 or 8 years ago (so I guess they have been around for a while).

Spotted a job in the paper, phoned up and was invited to an interview. There was no interview though, I was bundled into a car to do some field training and ended up spending the day in Bristol with another interviewee and the "interviewer"(I live in Cardiff so no way to get home).

About 8 hours later after walking about 50 miles around Bristol in a suit and tie trying to sell junk to people I finally got home. I promptly told them to go forth and multiply when they called the next day to set up a stage 2 interview.

jonboy69 · 14 October 2009 at 4:49PM

Hi there!

You all may be interested in these other forums on what seems to be the same company!!!

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/marchant-marketing-c238993.html#c458003

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=937233

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1153561

STAY AWAY FROM THEM AND MAKE EVERYONE AWARE OF THEM!

negg · 14 October 2009 at 4:59PM

you are essentially self-employed meaning they don't have to pay you minimum wage

I don't think that is entirely true. If they tell you where you have to work or what hours you work or set your wage, then you are legally employed and entitled to minimum wage. If they tell you you have to work 12 hours a day, that means you are employed.

terra_ferma · 14 October 2009 at 5:55PM

Hello
I've just seen it, and got particularly interested when you said they work for charities.
I think if you want to ensure these companies cannot run their scams, this needs to be publicised as much as possible.

Charities depend on their image to raise funds, in many cases they patrons and sponsors are very high profile individuals, including royals. The charity's reputation needs to be 100% clean, and they would have to withdraw from employing any company that uses the methods you have mentioned.
What you described above, pressuring old ladies etc would mean very bad publicity for these charities and they could easily lose a lot of money.

Wiseup · 22 October 2009 at 5:16PM

I had the interview thinking how could it be I could get an entry level marketing position so easily without official credentials -well out of curiosity went to the interview in their 'makeshift' offices in Southampton for 'Powerhouse Direct' another alias.

These offices looked like they could vacate at any minute -and really unprofessional loud MTV music and 'Heat' Magazine given to me on arrival -classy -this is a interview not a bar.

It takes a lot to pull the wool over my eyes -I have not done an official marketing degree per se but I understand the fundamentals between marketing and sales and this dodgy door-to-door job is 'sold' to the candidate instead of allowing the candidate to sell themselves as they would in a legitimate professional sales and marketing orientated role.
The guy who interviewed me did not let me get a word in -and it was all very rushed and scripted preventing me from sufficiently understanding the nature of the 'entry level' of sales I would be expected to do.
Apparently some people have parted with money for travel on the second interview as 'investment in the company' instead of legit expenses
The role is said to have a 'performance based sallary' (sic) other than the fact they can't spell -that means no basic

Remember:
*Never part with money before you have been offered employment and check the contract before you do
*Any personal money spent after gainful employment will always be claimed on expenses or reimbursed with any legitimate company
*These people prey on people without sufficient experience because they know they will not have the expertise to be able to question these issues. Inexperienced young people are easily manipulated and flattered -these attributes are necessary to be brainwashed into their sales scripts.
*The sad thing is they are probably 'loosely' following basic EU legal guidelines so probably can get away with this -this is where their scripts come in -However be aware that just because they are getting away with it doesn't mean it is ethical or that you should trust them to be looking out for you personally or that they are a viable company (the lack of website and official offices tells me they are not too official)
*If something seems off -it probably is -trust your instincts and remember the old adage "if it walks like a duck..." or "its too good to be true" -it usually is
*Don't be desperate -you can get something better than this where you don't have to part with your own money
*Genuine companies will have a real website as a real marketing tool for reference -not claim like they did to me that it was 'under construction' -what, for 6 years plus? hmmm.....coincidence?
*Beware of interviewers who 'window dress' jobs to make the role sound appealing

Best of luck

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