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News :: Labor |
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Students Campaign For Truth In Vector Marketing Job Advertisements (Illinois State University Daily Vidette) |
Current rating: 3 |
by Matt Buczynski
(No verified email address) |
28 Oct 2003
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The position may appear to be exactly what a college student wants - a great paying job with flexible hours. But recently, a group has emerged with allegations that Vector's business practices sketchy at best. |
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Around campus students are bombarded with advertisements - soft drinks, credit cards, chalkings of archaic letters, and events sponsored by RSOs.
Some ads are nestled in the upper corners of chalkboards, briefly outlining a company willing to pay $14.50 per appointment.
If one looks into the ad, titled "workforstudents.com," they will find an offer - a position selling Cutco knives door to door for Vector Marketing
The position may appear to be exactly what a college student wants - a great paying job with flexible hours.
But recently, a group has emerged with allegations that Vector's business practices sketchy at best.
Students across the country are collaborating on a campaign titled Students Against Vector Exploitation in an effort to halt what they see as the exploitation of students. David Ferris, a student at Columbia University in New York and co-founder of SAVE, had his own experiences with Vector.
"I sat through both the interview and the training and I can tell you that there is so much propaganda, so much deception, they use to lure kids in," he said.
Junior public relations major Hussain Marrar said he was hired by Vector a few years ago. After a month on the job he quit.
Marrar said Vector's marketing strategies were misleading.
"They should be more upfront about it," he said.
Ted Taylor, public relations secretary for Vector Marketing, denied these allegations.
"These complaints are from students who get a rude awakening and find out they'll have to bust their ass to do it," he said.
Ferris responded, "The only rude awakening is to the greed and immorality of corporate America, which is particularly bad in this company."
"The company is not set up to function for you, it's set up to function for them," Ferris said.
Taylor did acknowledge that problems may persist in the local field offices, but, he said, the company will take action.
"I think one of the big problems is that managers are young and they will make claims based on their own experiences, and these experiences may not match up to those of new employees," he said.
Taylor said the majority of the recruiters' words are true in the interview process.
However, he said if managers are found to be deceiving their potential employees, the company will respond.
"These are kids recruiting other kids. We'll whack somebody if we find out about it," Taylor said.
Taylor said he understands that some people are not fit for a sales position, but commented, "There are thousands of young people who have had wonderful careers."
But Ferris questions the means by which these careers are attained.
He said, "Yes, there are a few who make a lot of money from this, but only if you are willing to put ridiculous hours into it, sacrifice your ethics and values, and basically become a corporate slave at the age of 18 or 19."
"The managers can be very controlling and domineering," he added.
Ferris said SAVE's campaign is primarily focused on educating the public through press releases and mailings, but in the future he said they hope to target employees of Vector directly.
"We wanted to get our message out peacefully to let students know what they are getting into, since Vector suppresses the truth about the negative side of their company." |
See also:
http://www.dailyvidette.com/main.cfm?include=detail&storyid=456136
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/savecampaign/
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Re: Students Campaign For Truth In Vector Marketing Job Advertisements (Illinois State University Daily Vidette) |
by No One
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
30 Nov 2003
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A few Vector Marketing links:
http://www.petitiononline.com/vector/petition.html
http://www.marketingcritic.info/
http://www.geocities.com/cutcocomplaints/cutco_vector_alcas.html |
