Job opportunity, or dirty scam?

Niceguyeddie616

I'm in the market for a part time job right now, and I recently came across a flyer that interested me. It's a customer service/sales job from a company called Vector that has flyers all over my campus. I decided that I needed all the help I could get and went to their website to apply ( which is www.WorkForStudents.com). I was told by them to come in monday afternoon for a full application and an interview, and at first I was pretty stoked.

My mother saw the flyer and suggested the possibility that this looks like a scam. I dismissed that claim at first, but now that I think about it the job seems a little too good to be true. They're offering mostly part-time positions, days, nights, or weekends, at $18.50 an hour. So what do you guys think? Should I go to the interview tomorrow, or avoid these people so I don't get scammed?

stigweard

You will likely be selling knives, or that is what google has gleaned about the company. They are up here in America's Hat, like head lice.

edit: Knives, definitely knives. There are plenty of horror stories too.

JebusUD

I did this for like a week.

First you have to go through a 3 day unpaid training. Then you have to buy a 120$ knife kit. Then you have to be good at selling to your friends. Then when you run out of friends you are likely done, unless you are actually a good salesman and can get your way into strangers houses.

Thanatos

Vector is infamous. It's a total scam.

kaliyama

If you want a job that pays OK, look for a local temping agency - they always need decent typists and people with computer skills.

JebusUD

Unless you have some mad car salesman skillz then yeah, you would be better off getting a normal job.

Besides, they hire like 20 people at a time every month, because once you finish selling to your family and friends you are pretty much done.

Also, oftentimes appointments take more than 1 hour so you end up getting half of that. Its actually 18.50 an apointment, not an hour. Then drive time and gas are unpaid. Plus you have to do some paperwork, and you use your own phone.

So I would say, at that pay rate, it probably actually totals out about 8-9 bucks an hour. Commision is on a ramp too. It starts at 5% then after you sell a crapton of stuff you get up to better rates. So, once again, if you arent a salesman, don't do it.

ihmmy

Vector is a scam. A horrible horrible scam that's targeted at students in particular. I used to deface their ads on campus, and erase any of their website things written on the blackboards (which you aren't allowed to advertise on at our campus anyway)

Wezoin

Hmmm, one of their employees actually requested to leave little ad cards in my store (a university campus print shop/book store) and I had said sure thinking it might be helpful to some people... Time to destroy those...

Raiden333

I had a friend get roped into Vector back in my senior year of high school, despite my warnings that it seemed like a scam. He ended up in the hole, owing his parents the money they fronted him for the sales set, never even selling one set. Every time I joke about it to him, even though it was like 3 years ago, he punches me in the arm and tells me to shut up.

Unknown

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TL DR

Huuuuge scam. Since you're hired as an independent contractor, they don't have to pay you an hourly wage. You'll end up with a bunch of knives that you can't sell, and your friends and family will hate you.

Niceguyeddie616

Wow, I think I've got the message loud and clear . Thank God for you guys, you just helped me dodge a bullet.

I have a friend who did a similar job for Kirby Vacuums, he only ever got close to selling one, and the woman who paid with her credit card had a credit score of 0.

I knew something was off about it, looks like I'm sticking to my other applications.

Hevach

I will say one thing: They're one of the best knives on the market, but it's a shame the only way to get them is by helping a student get out of Vector's claws. Everybody in my family ended up buying a set just to help my cousin out, but really, they're not good enough to justify the price (which is almost as high as those premium German surgical steel knives), and you're not making much on them. I make more breeding guppies than my cousin ever managed to squeeze out of the knives.

grungebox

Here's a lesson for everyone out there- if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I need to just wear a T-shirt with that everywhere, hope it gets ingrained in people's heads.

BTW, OP, there are LOTS of these sorts of companies out there. Kirby vacuum, like Niceguyeddie616 mentioned, does this. Also beware of envelope stuffing scams and any telemarketing scams that you might see on flyers around campus.