This entire organization is based on lying and each lie seems to be worse than the last. This is done because anyone who accepts their initial lies will be more apt to accept future lies and the ungodly system that smart circle has created. If you are reading this, you are probably aware of the abundance of negative reports available online with just a quick search. People in their thousands have taken the time to warn their fellow man about the horrendous working conditions and the lack of monetary reward regardless of whether or not you can sell. Like a vampire from a b grade film, this company has sucked blood from millions all so that the few at the top of the pyramid can live in their mansions and fill their stomachs with caviar. A regular nosferatu trawling the internet and hoping to abscond with your children.
Although the great majority of reports about this company are very true, they don't tell the full story. Most of these reports come from people who have spent a very short time with smart circle and are unaware of the true evil that lurks behind their thin veneer of decency. No strong willed individual would ever put up with their bullshit and will usually leave well before they find out about the demonic despotism which would best describe this organization. The higher you climb, the worse it gets. It's no secret that the vast majority of their "owners" are uncouth criminals who prey on desperate job seekers. Unfortunately, their "regional managers" and "national consultants" are much worse. Like the mafia, a foot soldier in the smart circle crime family doesn't get to be the boss until he has stepped on the throats of the innocent. The inner circle of this organization prides it's self on being ruthless, conniving, and cold hearted. They are always on the lookout for weak willed individuals so that they can first steal from them then mold them into despicable parasites who will do the same to others.
No one report will ever cover all of the tricks used by smart circle to corral the masses. Below is just a short list.
Recruiting lies
Smart circle starts it's relationship with it's employees by lying in order to get them to come in for an interview. They promise positions in marketing, advertising and campaign development knowing full well that these jobs do not exist. Why not? They deliberately search for the weak so why not start with outright lies to separate the wheat from the chaff. Their subsidiaries use similar and often identical advertisements to lure unsuspecting job hunters. It's very easy to spot a smart circle ad. If you start looking on job boards you will see the same advertisements being posted all over the country. This is quite the coincidence seeing as that their subsidiaries are independent entities.
Brainwashing
There are entire articles posted online outlining the manipulative tactics used by smart circle to brainwash the gullible. I will not go into detail here, just know that this company is a cult where individuality is not tolerated and all are made to worship the organization and believe that no success can be achieved unless through smart circle.
Dishonest postings
Knowing all too well that their organization is terrible, smart circle feels the need to post positive comments about themselves online. This is necessary because nobody would ever write anything complementary about their business. All you have to do is go to career websites to see what i'm referring to. You will find that the great majority of postings are rated one star with in depth accounts of every facet of their scam. People have written pages and pages warning the world about what smart circle will do to them. You will then find the odd two or three sentence review from a "current employee" raving about smart circle and giving them five stars. They do this in order to improve their ratings.
Financial mass murder
The fact that smart circle steals from it's reps is not in dispute. Even if they didn't rip their people off, they would still be stealing because it's their reps that do the work while the powers that be profit the most. Although most reps will be with the company for a very short time and not care about getting their last paycheck as they run towards the door, those who remain will be controlled with their own money. Smart circle will control a rep by holding their pay back for three weeks. Anyone who has spent time with the company knows that reps who quit seldom get their last check. This is just another tool used to keep people coming back seeing as that no one wants to lose the money that they have already earned. Owners are controlled in much the same way. In order to be promoted to "ownership", a rep must give smart circle power of attorney over their bank account. Once an owner starts to ask questions, they will be denied access to their money. Who in their right mind would give power of attorney over their own bank account?
Demeaning their stars
Keeping in mind that their reps generate all revenue, smart circle feels a need to demean and berate the people that make the most sales. These people will be put on a pedestal during the morning meeting giving all who work in that office something to aspire to. They then will be pulled aside by the owner and told that they really aren't that good. Best in the office? They will point to the best in the state. Best in the state? They will point to a rep in california who just happened to beat you last week. Best in the nation? No worries! they will find a way to put you down because why should someone so good be stuck with such a crummy job? They don't want you to know how good you are because you might wake up realize that you are doing all the work. The people that run this company don't generate revenue and are nothing more than useless eaters. Some take home millions of dollars every year by sitting on their behinds and telling tall tales. They want to keep you in a state of confusion and insecurity so that you go out everyday and make sales. They believe that putting you down will make you want to prove them wrong by writing more apps. These are genuinely filthy people who will use every dirty trick in the book to get you to sell.
Deceptive promotion process
In much the same way that a rep is made to work in order to fund his owner's escapades, smart circle gets their owners to fund theirs. They have more stores than they do sales reps and have devised a devilishly delightful system that will stock their retail locations at their owner's expense. They convince their owners that "promoting" their top guys will end up putting more money into their pockets but this is just more smart circle bs designed to get others to do the work. They cannibalize their owners' offices and send reps to rural locations where the possibility of finding genuine talent is nonexistent. Is it any wonder that most of their "outside deals" fail? Meanwhile, the promoting owner has just lost his best guys and is stuck having to start all over again.
Constantly changing names
In my time with the company i never met an owner, regional manager or national consultant that didn't change their business name at least once. Some of these guys have name changes numbering in the double digits. This is no surprise considering that their parent company has changed it's name many times. The internet would have to be the worst thing that has ever happened to these people. We now live in a age where the truth can be told and demons like those who run this company can be exposed. There is no legitimate reason for a company to keep changing it's name. Fortunately, most of us know that smart circle and it's subsidiaries are anything but legitimate.
Sound familiar? It does if you've worked for these bastards. It also sounds familiar if you've done any research on smart circle. Isn't it strange that thousands of people all over the world have written reports detailing similar experiences? Not if they're true it isn't.
Bought a customer appreciation card for 20.99 for pizza hut worth over 200. Added up to less. Pizza hut knew nothing of this customer paid appreciation card
If you go to thedevilcorp.wordpress.com, you will find a wealth of information about this business. Be sure to explore all pages available at the top of the home screen.
Smart Circle would have to be the most malign company I ever had the misfortune of working for. Without a doubt the most vicious, evil-minded and hostile work environment I have ever had to suffer. They offer slave hours for slave wages disguised as an opportunity for financial freedom and their owners are nothing more than professional dream sellers who will do anything to keep you around as long as possible. Drug dealers deserve more respect. The dream of owning your own business is just a dream because there are no business owners at Smart Circle. Anyone unfortunate enough to be promoted will be required to give Smart Circle power of attorney over their corporation and bank account. They incorporate their managers only to have a ready made scapegoat on hand for when something goes wrong. You will be maltreated by this organization in ways you thought were not possible. It is a barbarous cult. If you Google search 'Smart Circle scam', you will find an oversupply of complaints and testimonials damning this company. The lives that have been ruined due to the greed of the 'people' who run this abomination are countless. The turnover rate is amazingly high and they like it that way because it's much easier to dupe someone who hasn't witnessed the perverted, vile and nauseating activities of this enterprise. Since the creation of the Inernet, people have warned us about this business. This is why they keep changing their name. Before Smart Circle they were known as Granton Marketing, before Granton it was DS-Max and Wholesale Warehousing Industries before that. Don't take my word for it, do some research. Then take into account the fact that all their affiliates go by different names and come to the realization that they have used THOUSANDS of them. It's the only way to keep new recruits in the dark and is a necessary safeguard because this organization has been stepping over people for decades. In a perfect world, the light of truth would be shined onto this business like a kitchen light being turned on in the dead of night exposing a solitary cockroach. Although this world is not perfect, I hope this review as done it's part in uncovering the tangled web of lies being woven by this company on a daily basis. If you just take some time to research this business, you will find reports from an army of disaffected, dissatisfied and aggrieved ex-employees all saying the same thing. STAY AWAY!
Smart Circle would have to be the most malign company I ever had the misfortune of working for. Without a doubt the most vicious, evil-minded and hostile work environment I have ever had to suffer. They offer slave hours for slave wages disguised as an opportunity for financial freedom and their owners are nothing more than professional dream sellers who will do anything to keep you around as long as possible. Drug dealers deserve more respect. The dream of owning your own business is just a dream because there are no business owners at Smart Circle. Anyone unfortunate enough to be promoted will be required to give Smart Circle power of attorney over their corporation and their bank account. They incorporate their managers only to have a ready made scapegoat on hand for when something goes wrong. You will be maltreated by this organization in ways you thought were not possible. It is a barbarous cult.
If you Google search 'Smart Circle scam', you will find an oversupply of complaints and testimonials damning this company. The lives that have been ruined due to the greed of the 'people' who run this abomination are countless. The turnover rate is amazingly high and they like it that way because it's much easier to dupe someone who hasn't witnessed the perverted, vile and nauseating activities of this enterprise.
Since the creation of the Inernet, people have warned us about this business. This is why they keep changing their name. Before Smart Circle they were known as Granton Marketing, before Granton it was DS-Max and Wholesale Warehousing Industries before that. Don't take my word for it, do some research. Then take into account the fact that all their affiliates go by different names and come to the realization that they have used THOUSANDS of them. It's the only way to keep new recruits in the dark and is a necessary safeguard because this organization has been stepping over people for decades.
In a perfect world, the light of truth would be shined onto the this business like a kitchen light being turned on in the dead of night exposing a solitary cockroach. Although this world is not perfect, I hope this review as done it's part in uncovering the tangled web of lies being woven by this company on a daily basis. If you just take some time to research this business, you will find reports from an army of disaffected, dissatisfied and aggrieved ex-employees all saying the same thing. STAY AWAY!
If you go to the world's #1 consumer advocacy website (RR) and search for DEVILCORP, you will find a plethora of links to news reports, government rulings, lawsuits and video footage showing how these people do business. They are corporate Nazis.
What do all of these companies have in common? They all claim to be the leading advertising, marketing, and acquisitions firm in Southwest Florida. Another thing that they all have in common is that they are all affiliates of Smart Circle, one of the biggest Multi-Level-Marketing scam companies in the country.
You've probably seen their ads spammed all over many job sites across the internet such as indeed.com, Craigslist, Zip Recruiter, Monster, and Career Builder. They often advertise for positions such as: Entry-Level Management, Public Relations, Account Managers, Junior Account Managers, Customer Representatives, and other legit-sounding positions. Below are links to a few ads from the above-mentioned 'companies' so you can see how similar they are, and also to see what to look out for.
Sun State Solutions indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=3ed80534f24c71ce&from=serp
Rise Media indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=cf3b4b73b4b021d9&from=serp
These positions DO.NOT. EXIST! All they offer is: door-to-door Verizon FiOs Sales, kitchen upgrades, or selling DIRECTV in big box stores such as Walmart, Best Buy, Sam's Club, Lowes, and Home Depot.
Their 'guaranteed weekly pay' is also a lie. Their weekly pay is subject to what they call a 'claw back.'. What that means is that any sales you make are deducted from your weekly pay, so that weekly pay is essentially a cash front, but they won't tell you that. Also, it will take you about 3 weeks to get paid oft of any apps you get. If the customer cancels, your don't get paid either.
You're not reimbursed for your mileage, your not paid for the mandatory meetings you have to attend, which is nothing more than chanting, clapping, and ringing the bell.
They don't offer ANY benefits either.
Their websites are almost all identical and have a combination of generic cityscapes, pictures of fake employees smiling and shaking hands with people, and all of them claim to be experiencing tremendous growth!
Their Facebook pages have the same motivational posters, links to pointless articles. Look at some of their Facebook Pages and you will see just how much alike they are. The best thing you can do is alert all your friends, flag their posts on Craigslist, and post on as many consumer protection and complaint sites you can find!
This entire organization is based on lying and each lie seems to be worse than the last. This is done because anyone who accepts their initial lies will be more apt to accept future lies and the ungodly system that Smart Circle has created. If you are reading this, you are probably aware of the abundance of negative reports available online with just a quick search. People in their thousands have taken the time to warn their fellow man about the horrendous working conditions and the lack of monetary reward regardless of whether or not you can sell. Like a vampire from a B grade film, this company has sucked blood from millions all so that the few at the top of the pyramid can live in their mansions and fill their stomachs with caviar. A regular Nosferatu trawling the Internet and hoping to abscond with your children.
Although the great majority of reports about this company are very true, they don't tell the full story. Most of these reports come from people who have spent a very short time with Smart Circle and are unaware of the true evil that lurks behind their thin veneer of decency. No strong willed individual would ever put up with their bullshit and will usually leave well before they find out about the demonic despotism which would best describe this organization. The higher you climb, the worse it gets. It's no secret that the vast majority of their "owners" are uncouth criminals who prey on desperate job seekers. Unfortunately, their "regional managers" and "national consultants" are much worse. Like the Mafia, a foot soldier in the Smart Circle crime family doesn't get to be the boss until he has stepped on the throats of the innocent. The inner circle of this organization prides it's self on being ruthless, conniving, and cold hearted. They are always on the lookout for weak willed individuals so that they can first steal from them then mold them into despicable parasites who will do the same to others.
No one report will ever cover all of the tricks used by Smart Circle to corral the masses. Below is just a short list.
RECRUITING LIES
Smart Circle starts it's relationship with it's employees by lying in order to get them to come in for an interview. They promise positions in marketing, advertising and campaign development knowing full well that these jobs do not exist. Why not? They deliberately search for the weak so why not start with outright lies to separate the wheat from the chaff. Their subsidiaries use similar and often identical advertisements to lure unsuspecting job hunters. It's very easy to spot a Smart Circle ad. If you start looking on job boards you will see the same advertisements being posted all over the country. This is quite the coincidence seeing as that their subsidiaries are independent entities.
BRAINWASHING
There are entire articles posted online outlining the manipulative tactics used by Smart Circle to brainwash the gullible. I will not go into detail here, just know that this company is a cult where individuality is not tolerated and all are made to worship the organization and believe that no success can be achieved unless through Smart Circle.
DISHONEST POSTINGS
Knowing all too well that their organization is terrible, Smart Circle feels the need to post positive comments about themselves online. This is necessary because nobody would ever write anything complementary about their business. All you have to do is go to career websites to see what I'm referring to. You will find that the great majority of postings are rated one star with in depth accounts of every facet of their scam. People have written pages and pages warning the world about what Smart Circle will do to them. You will then find the odd two or three sentence review from a "current employee" raving about Smart Circle and giving them five stars. They do this in order to improve their ratings. They also post rebuttals on Ripoff Report and get their secretaries to flag Craigslist postings that warn job seekers about the miserable position they are about to apply for.
FINANCIAL MASS MURDER
The fact that Smart Circle steals from it's reps is not in dispute. Even if they didn't rip their people off, they would still be stealing because it's their reps that do the work while the powers that be profit the most. Although most reps will be with the company for a very short time and not care about getting their last paycheck as they run towards the door, those who remain will be controlled with their own money. Smart Circle will control a rep by holding their pay back for three weeks. Anyone who has spent time with the company knows that reps who quit seldom get their last check. This is just another tool used to keep people coming back seeing as that no one wants to lose the money that they have already earned. Owners are controlled in much the same way. In order to be promoted to "ownership", a rep must give Smart Circle power of attorney over their bank account. Once an owner starts to ask questions, they will be denied access to their money. Who in their right mind would give power of attorney over their own bank account?
DEMEANING THEIR STARS
Keeping in mind that their reps generate all revenue, Smart Circle feels a need to demean and berate the people that make the most sales. These people will be put on a pedestal during the morning meeting giving all who work in that office something to aspire to. They then will be pulled aside by the owner and told that they really aren't that good. Best in the office? They will point to the best in the state. Best in the state? They will point to a rep in California who just happened to beat you last week. Best in the nation? No worries! They will find a way to put you down because why should someone so good be stuck with such a crummy job? They don't want you to know how good you are because you might wake up realize that you are doing all the work. The people that run this company don't generate revenue and are nothing more than useless eaters. Some take home millions of dollars every year by sitting on their behinds and telling tall tales. They want to keep you in a state of confusion and insecurity so that you go out everyday and make sales. They believe that putting you down will make you want to prove them wrong by writing more apps. These are genuinely filthy people who will use every dirty trick in the book to get you to sell.
DECEPTIVE PROMOTION PROCESS
In much the same way that a rep is made to work in order to fund his owner's escapades, Smart Circle gets their owners to fund theirs. They have more stores than they do sales reps and have devised a devilishly delightful system that will stock their retail locations at their owner's expense. They convince their owners that "promoting" their top guys will end up putting more money into their pockets but this is just more Smart Circle BS designed to get others to do the work. They cannibalize their owners' offices and send reps to rural locations where the possibility of finding genuine talent is nonexistent. Is it any wonder that most of their "outside deals" fail? Meanwhile, the promoting owner has just lost his best guys and is stuck having to start all over again.
CONSTANTLY CHANGING NAMES
In my time with the company I never met an owner, regional manager or national consultant that didn't change their business name at least once. Some of these guys have name changes numbering in the double digits. This is no surprise considering that their parent company has changed it's name many times. The Internet would have to be the worst thing that has ever happened to these people. We now live in a age where the truth can be told and demons like those who run this company can be exposed. There is no legitimate reason for a company to keep changing it's name. Fortunately, most of us know that Smart Circle and it's subsidiaries are anything but legitimate.
Sound familiar? It does if you've worked for these bastards. It also sounds familiar if you've done any research on Smart Circle. Isn't it strange that thousands of people all over the world have written reports detailing similar experiences? Not if they're true it isn't.
I am writing this now, because I feel my story must be told. I have waited so long because, as you will see in the telling of my story, I believe I am beyond the statute of limitations for further false legal action to be taken against me.
My name is Chris. My last name is not important for the purposes of this. For my story is a similar story to most that have worked for Smart Circle or any of its subsidiaries.
Now, before beginning, I wish to let it be known that I am not writing this to say Smart Circle is a scam. It technically is not. I am putting my story into text because Smart Circle and its managers lie to their employees to get them to work for them. They promise them lofty goals that only a few ever reach. They make their living stepping on the backs of the hard working men and women. Then, when you try and leave, it is just like the mafia. No one gets out without an attempted assassination. Smart Circle, unlike the mafia, attempts to assassinate your character.
I started out in a Door-To-Door division. After training I started to do well and was making money. Not a lot, but a decent amount. Since I was making money, I started to buy into the indoctrination that they feed you on a constant basis. After a few weeks of doing good I was promoted to a leader position, as they promised in their hiring spiel. No pay increase, but I was able to start "building my team".
I became good at it. In a short amount of time I has trained people who were training people. All was going well. No more money was coming in, but my manager was filling my head with false hopes and promises to keep me going.
At this point, most people who were in the system began to ask their manager about the assistant manager position and the guaranteed pay. Which is exactly what I did. That was when I was told there was no room in that current campaign for growth and I would need to move to a different state.
Having been heavily swayed by the lies of the company, I eagerly agreed to move in order to move up in the world. I uprooted my life and moved north. It started out well enough. Myself and one other person went up north for training and located an office to move "our" business into.
A year later we were doing decent. We had an office, a small team and I was making some money. Not assistant manager money, but money none-the-less. Then, about a year and a half later, it happened. I got promoted to manager!
I was all hyped up. For the first month or so, it was all great. I couldn't pay myself that much, but I was a manager. This is what I got in the business for. I was happy. I was loving it.
Fast forward a few months later. I was having the usual Smart Circle issues. My crew was getting "negged out" because we were in a small market doing very little growth. Ex-employees from my promoting manager, who had completely vanished by now, were coming back looking for him and causing a scene. I wanted to stop any negativity from affecting my business. So I called my hiring manager. He gave me Brian Mcguigan's number, who was his promoting manager. So, I call Brian and ask for advice: "Your business, your problem." and hung up.
Feeling a little more than "negged out" I pressed on. I kept the business afloat for a few more weeks. I had to pay myself less and less. I saw all the signs, so I emailed my hiring manager, promoting manager and Brian, stating I couldn't make it work and without help I would have to resign. My response? An email from Brian stating I was under a "company investigation".
I thought that was odd, but was in such a bad place I agreed without question. He tore through my office and paperwork. After he was finished, he told me he had found nothing, but he was going to shut the office down. He had fired me before I could quit.
I left the business with my head hung low. I went home and started job hunting. A few days later I get a call from Brian later telling me I had stolen from my employees and that he was taking me to civil court. I freak out and called a lawyer. The lawyer told me to wait until I got served papers before doing anything. A week passed. No papers. Two weeks. Still nothing. After a month of nothing, I figured I was clear and relaxed.
I has started another job and was rebuilding. One month after Brian's "scare tactic" I received a call from someone from Smart Circle I had never talked to or met, Ryan Irish. He told me that if I did not come to New York and work in his campaign, Smart Circle would come after me for several thousand dollars that I supposedly owed them. When I stated I could not move and I had another job he verbally berated me and laughed at me. Ending his call with "See you in court pussy.".
This time, I do not freak out, but simply waited. Months pass with no incident. I get a job offer out of state. I begin to pack my things and get ready to move and start my life anew. About two weeks before I move, I receive a call from my promoting manager who had vanished. He makes small talk and I mention I am moving. He says he's sorry I can't stay with the company, but he understands and wishes me luck.
Three days later, I receive a letter in the mail from the Circuit Court stating that I am being accused of embezzlement, check fraud and tax evasion by Smart Circle and have to appear in court next week. I call a lawyer and state how scared I am because, while I did not do any of those things, I do not have anything proving I did not do those things.
The lawyer tells me to just keep calm and we will get through this. The day of the initial hearing comes and no one from Smart Circle shows up. It is just me and my lawyer. The judge reschedules for one week and if no one shows up my case will be dismissed.
I start to get a little hopeful. The day before the trial Brian gives me a call. He tells me he will give me a chance to avoid jail if I will just sign an admission of guilt and pay what I owe. He does not say how much it is, but if I just admit I stole from them they will not press charges. I tell him I have to contact my lawyer first. He tells me that I "do not know who I am dealing with" and they will "run me through the ringer and send me to jail to get raped." and hangs up.
I call my lawyer and tell him what happened. He tells me just show up to court and ignore any calls they try to make. The day of the hearing arrives and Brian, Ryan and several lawyers are there. Brian stops me and tells me I have one more chance to sign an admission before going to court. My lawyer asks to see the paper, but Brian refuses. The lawyer advises me to let it go to trial and everything will be fine.
Our case is called and we all walk up to the judge. The judge asks me how I plead to the accusations. My lawyer asks for a discovery before entering a plea. The Smart Circle lawyers state that they have no evidence and that they need an extension. The judge grants and the trial is moved two weeks.
At this point, to avoid losing my job I have stopped the move for legal reason, but have been living in a hotel near my job and commuting to court. I get several more threatening calls from Brian and various other Smart Circle people, but I follow my lawyers advice and wait for the court date.
The date finally arrives and none of the Smart Circle lackeys are in sight. We go before the judge and he throws out the case. I breathe a sigh of relief and move to my current location and put this horrible incident behind me.
The moral of the story is not the Smart Circle is a scam, or that they lie to you. It is that if you do not succeed in their business, they will try and take you for all you are worth. They hate to see anyone who used to work for them succeed in any aspect of life that is not through them.
Many of us have been hurt by Smart Circle either directly or indirectly. We ourselves or a loved one may have been involved with this organization. We may have been lied to by one of their reps and now find ourselves in a two year Directv contract. The recruiting lies, the treatment of their representatives and the handling of their clients are atrocious. There is no need to go into detail here. The testimonials on the Internet speak for themselves.
This organization has been in existence since the 80's and it spans many continents and languages. They know how to word documents and how to promote what they do in ways that will not violate existing laws. This organization is made up of hundreds of independent corporations that have informal relationships with each other so there is no central authority that could legally be held responsible. Thus, pinning anything on these people can be very difficult. Nevertheless, there are many courses of action that can be taken to help halt the growth of Smart Circle companies.
Do you want to do your part to fight back and make the world a better place? People always ask what they can do to help stop this business. There are many steps that can be taken.
Action plan:
1) Take the time to write to your local, regional and national leaders to inform them about how these organizations affected you. Which independent office were you in? Tell them about the group, their business practices and how you or your loved ones were treated.
2) Educate yourself. Do some research on Smart Circle as well as other multi-level marketing companies. Go to sites like Ripoff Report, Glassdoor, pissed consumer and entry level job scam blog. Read up on about at least three different types of cults and mlms so that you can get a perspective on how these groups operate. Knowledge is power. Another bonus about educating yourself on these groups is that you will start to become an expert on coercive business tactics and be able to spot the subtle (and not so subtle) uses of manipulation that are employed everyday by these multi-level marketing companies.
3) Don't support the business monetarily. Don't buy from Smart Circle reps. If you just want to help out an individual that's fine - have it stop with just that guy (buy the rep lunch or give cash). DO NOT purchase or sign up for any products which will put money into the pockets of the owner and the powers that be.
4) If possible, when you meet a Smart Circle rep, tell them the truth about their organization. Be non-confrontational, treat them kindly, civilly and let them know that you respect them as individuals. If nothing else, let them know about the Mt. Everest of bad press that can easily be found about their employer.
5) Contact the media that advertise Smart Circle jobs in your locale and let them know that you are dismayed that a legitimate newspaper/Internet job board would run false ads filled with half-truths and gross misrepresentations. At the very least, contact the media outlet that you first used to find out about the business and inform them about the illegality of the ads that they run.
6) If you have been mentally scarred from your time in the business, get the help you need. See a doctor, go to a work shop or to church. Education and time are the keys here. If you have friends that were mentally impacted from being in the business, try and get them help. Do what you have to do keep your mind on healthy productive thoughts and not on their business.
7) Contact companies that do business with Smart Circle. It can be campaigns that you worked on or companies that you know have relations with the group. Write to them and let them know that you are displeased that they would use an unethical outside sales forces like Smart Circle. At the very least, write to companies that you or your loved ones represented while in the business.
8) Get the name of your local Smart circle affiliate. In the last decade affiliates have been downplaying the big names of Smart Circle and Cydcor and have instead concentrated on shifting focus to the "independent" offices. With thousands of office names that come and go, it is much harder to tie them to Smart Circle. You will make it easier for people doing Internet searches to discover the truth about the vast organization they have been affected by.
9) POST, POST and POST. The more information that gets out, the harder it will be for them lie and steal.
It is my firm belief that if America knew of their unscrupulous practices, they would be out of business overnight. Please do your part and help end the madness. JUICE!
Smart Circle International Reviews
This entire organization is based on lying and each lie seems to be worse than the last. This is done because anyone who accepts their initial lies will be more apt to accept future lies and the ungodly system that smart circle has created. If you are reading this, you are probably aware of the abundance of negative reports available online with just a quick search. People in their thousands have taken the time to warn their fellow man about the horrendous working conditions and the lack of monetary reward regardless of whether or not you can sell. Like a vampire from a b grade film, this company has sucked blood from millions all so that the few at the top of the pyramid can live in their mansions and fill their stomachs with caviar. A regular nosferatu trawling the internet and hoping to abscond with your children.
Although the great majority of reports about this company are very true, they don't tell the full story. Most of these reports come from people who have spent a very short time with smart circle and are unaware of the true evil that lurks behind their thin veneer of decency. No strong willed individual would ever put up with their bullshit and will usually leave well before they find out about the demonic despotism which would best describe this organization. The higher you climb, the worse it gets. It's no secret that the vast majority of their "owners" are uncouth criminals who prey on desperate job seekers. Unfortunately, their "regional managers" and "national consultants" are much worse. Like the mafia, a foot soldier in the smart circle crime family doesn't get to be the boss until he has stepped on the throats of the innocent. The inner circle of this organization prides it's self on being ruthless, conniving, and cold hearted. They are always on the lookout for weak willed individuals so that they can first steal from them then mold them into despicable parasites who will do the same to others.
No one report will ever cover all of the tricks used by smart circle to corral the masses. Below is just a short list.
Recruiting lies
Smart circle starts it's relationship with it's employees by lying in order to get them to come in for an interview. They promise positions in marketing, advertising and campaign development knowing full well that these jobs do not exist. Why not? They deliberately search for the weak so why not start with outright lies to separate the wheat from the chaff. Their subsidiaries use similar and often identical advertisements to lure unsuspecting job hunters. It's very easy to spot a smart circle ad. If you start looking on job boards you will see the same advertisements being posted all over the country. This is quite the coincidence seeing as that their subsidiaries are independent entities.
Brainwashing
There are entire articles posted online outlining the manipulative tactics used by smart circle to brainwash the gullible. I will not go into detail here, just know that this company is a cult where individuality is not tolerated and all are made to worship the organization and believe that no success can be achieved unless through smart circle.
Dishonest postings
Knowing all too well that their organization is terrible, smart circle feels the need to post positive comments about themselves online. This is necessary because nobody would ever write anything complementary about their business. All you have to do is go to career websites to see what i'm referring to. You will find that the great majority of postings are rated one star with in depth accounts of every facet of their scam. People have written pages and pages warning the world about what smart circle will do to them. You will then find the odd two or three sentence review from a "current employee" raving about smart circle and giving them five stars. They do this in order to improve their ratings.
Financial mass murder
The fact that smart circle steals from it's reps is not in dispute. Even if they didn't rip their people off, they would still be stealing because it's their reps that do the work while the powers that be profit the most. Although most reps will be with the company for a very short time and not care about getting their last paycheck as they run towards the door, those who remain will be controlled with their own money. Smart circle will control a rep by holding their pay back for three weeks. Anyone who has spent time with the company knows that reps who quit seldom get their last check. This is just another tool used to keep people coming back seeing as that no one wants to lose the money that they have already earned. Owners are controlled in much the same way. In order to be promoted to "ownership", a rep must give smart circle power of attorney over their bank account. Once an owner starts to ask questions, they will be denied access to their money. Who in their right mind would give power of attorney over their own bank account?
Demeaning their stars
Keeping in mind that their reps generate all revenue, smart circle feels a need to demean and berate the people that make the most sales. These people will be put on a pedestal during the morning meeting giving all who work in that office something to aspire to. They then will be pulled aside by the owner and told that they really aren't that good. Best in the office? They will point to the best in the state. Best in the state? They will point to a rep in california who just happened to beat you last week. Best in the nation? No worries! they will find a way to put you down because why should someone so good be stuck with such a crummy job? They don't want you to know how good you are because you might wake up realize that you are doing all the work. The people that run this company don't generate revenue and are nothing more than useless eaters. Some take home millions of dollars every year by sitting on their behinds and telling tall tales. They want to keep you in a state of confusion and insecurity so that you go out everyday and make sales. They believe that putting you down will make you want to prove them wrong by writing more apps. These are genuinely filthy people who will use every dirty trick in the book to get you to sell.
Deceptive promotion process
In much the same way that a rep is made to work in order to fund his owner's escapades, smart circle gets their owners to fund theirs. They have more stores than they do sales reps and have devised a devilishly delightful system that will stock their retail locations at their owner's expense. They convince their owners that "promoting" their top guys will end up putting more money into their pockets but this is just more smart circle bs designed to get others to do the work. They cannibalize their owners' offices and send reps to rural locations where the possibility of finding genuine talent is nonexistent. Is it any wonder that most of their "outside deals" fail? Meanwhile, the promoting owner has just lost his best guys and is stuck having to start all over again.
Constantly changing names
In my time with the company i never met an owner, regional manager or national consultant that didn't change their business name at least once. Some of these guys have name changes numbering in the double digits. This is no surprise considering that their parent company has changed it's name many times. The internet would have to be the worst thing that has ever happened to these people. We now live in a age where the truth can be told and demons like those who run this company can be exposed. There is no legitimate reason for a company to keep changing it's name. Fortunately, most of us know that smart circle and it's subsidiaries are anything but legitimate.
Sound familiar? It does if you've worked for these bastards. It also sounds familiar if you've done any research on smart circle. Isn't it strange that thousands of people all over the world have written reports detailing similar experiences? Not if they're true it isn't.
Bought a customer appreciation card for 20.99 for pizza hut worth over 200. Added up to less. Pizza hut knew nothing of this customer paid appreciation card
devils
If you go to thedevilcorp.wordpress.com, you will find a wealth of information about this business. Be sure to explore all pages available at the top of the home screen.
Smart Circle would have to be the most malign company I ever had the misfortune of working for. Without a doubt the most vicious, evil-minded and hostile work environment I have ever had to suffer. They offer slave hours for slave wages disguised as an opportunity for financial freedom and their owners are nothing more than professional dream sellers who will do anything to keep you around as long as possible. Drug dealers deserve more respect. The dream of owning your own business is just a dream because there are no business owners at Smart Circle. Anyone unfortunate enough to be promoted will be required to give Smart Circle power of attorney over their corporation and bank account. They incorporate their managers only to have a ready made scapegoat on hand for when something goes wrong. You will be maltreated by this organization in ways you thought were not possible. It is a barbarous cult. If you Google search 'Smart Circle scam', you will find an oversupply of complaints and testimonials damning this company. The lives that have been ruined due to the greed of the 'people' who run this abomination are countless. The turnover rate is amazingly high and they like it that way because it's much easier to dupe someone who hasn't witnessed the perverted, vile and nauseating activities of this enterprise. Since the creation of the Inernet, people have warned us about this business. This is why they keep changing their name. Before Smart Circle they were known as Granton Marketing, before Granton it was DS-Max and Wholesale Warehousing Industries before that. Don't take my word for it, do some research. Then take into account the fact that all their affiliates go by different names and come to the realization that they have used THOUSANDS of them. It's the only way to keep new recruits in the dark and is a necessary safeguard because this organization has been stepping over people for decades. In a perfect world, the light of truth would be shined onto this business like a kitchen light being turned on in the dead of night exposing a solitary cockroach. Although this world is not perfect, I hope this review as done it's part in uncovering the tangled web of lies being woven by this company on a daily basis. If you just take some time to research this business, you will find reports from an army of disaffected, dissatisfied and aggrieved ex-employees all saying the same thing. STAY AWAY!
A Corporate Horror Story
Smart Circle would have to be the most malign company I ever had the misfortune of working for. Without a doubt the most vicious, evil-minded and hostile work environment I have ever had to suffer. They offer slave hours for slave wages disguised as an opportunity for financial freedom and their owners are nothing more than professional dream sellers who will do anything to keep you around as long as possible. Drug dealers deserve more respect. The dream of owning your own business is just a dream because there are no business owners at Smart Circle. Anyone unfortunate enough to be promoted will be required to give Smart Circle power of attorney over their corporation and their bank account. They incorporate their managers only to have a ready made scapegoat on hand for when something goes wrong. You will be maltreated by this organization in ways you thought were not possible. It is a barbarous cult.
If you Google search 'Smart Circle scam', you will find an oversupply of complaints and testimonials damning this company. The lives that have been ruined due to the greed of the 'people' who run this abomination are countless. The turnover rate is amazingly high and they like it that way because it's much easier to dupe someone who hasn't witnessed the perverted, vile and nauseating activities of this enterprise.
Since the creation of the Inernet, people have warned us about this business. This is why they keep changing their name. Before Smart Circle they were known as Granton Marketing, before Granton it was DS-Max and Wholesale Warehousing Industries before that. Don't take my word for it, do some research. Then take into account the fact that all their affiliates go by different names and come to the realization that they have used THOUSANDS of them. It's the only way to keep new recruits in the dark and is a necessary safeguard because this organization has been stepping over people for decades.
In a perfect world, the light of truth would be shined onto the this business like a kitchen light being turned on in the dead of night exposing a solitary cockroach. Although this world is not perfect, I hope this review as done it's part in uncovering the tangled web of lies being woven by this company on a daily basis. If you just take some time to research this business, you will find reports from an army of disaffected, dissatisfied and aggrieved ex-employees all saying the same thing. STAY AWAY!
DEVILCORP
If you go to the world's #1 consumer advocacy website (RR) and search for DEVILCORP, you will find a plethora of links to news reports, government rulings, lawsuits and video footage showing how these people do business. They are corporate Nazis.
Innovate Industries
Sharper Advertising
Next Global Solutions
Stalwart Concepts
Rise Media
Premier Media Concepts
Sun State Solutions
What do all of these companies have in common? They all claim to be the leading advertising, marketing, and acquisitions firm in Southwest Florida. Another thing that they all have in common is that they are all affiliates of Smart Circle, one of the biggest Multi-Level-Marketing scam companies in the country.
You've probably seen their ads spammed all over many job sites across the internet such as indeed.com, Craigslist, Zip Recruiter, Monster, and Career Builder. They often advertise for positions such as: Entry-Level Management, Public Relations, Account Managers, Junior Account Managers, Customer Representatives, and other legit-sounding positions. Below are links to a few ads from the above-mentioned 'companies' so you can see how similar they are, and also to see what to look out for.
Innovate Industries:indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=d7d8d2618759cef5&from=serp
Sun State Solutions indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=3ed80534f24c71ce&from=serp
Rise Media indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=cf3b4b73b4b021d9&from=serp
These positions DO.NOT. EXIST! All they offer is: door-to-door Verizon FiOs Sales, kitchen upgrades, or selling DIRECTV in big box stores such as Walmart, Best Buy, Sam's Club, Lowes, and Home Depot.
Their 'guaranteed weekly pay' is also a lie. Their weekly pay is subject to what they call a 'claw back.'. What that means is that any sales you make are deducted from your weekly pay, so that weekly pay is essentially a cash front, but they won't tell you that. Also, it will take you about 3 weeks to get paid oft of any apps you get. If the customer cancels, your don't get paid either.
You're not reimbursed for your mileage, your not paid for the mandatory meetings you have to attend, which is nothing more than chanting, clapping, and ringing the bell.
They don't offer ANY benefits either.
Their websites are almost all identical and have a combination of generic cityscapes, pictures of fake employees smiling and shaking hands with people, and all of them claim to be experiencing tremendous growth!
Their Facebook pages have the same motivational posters, links to pointless articles. Look at some of their Facebook Pages and you will see just how much alike they are. The best thing you can do is alert all your friends, flag their posts on Craigslist, and post on as many consumer protection and complaint sites you can find!
This entire organization is based on lying and each lie seems to be worse than the last. This is done because anyone who accepts their initial lies will be more apt to accept future lies and the ungodly system that Smart Circle has created. If you are reading this, you are probably aware of the abundance of negative reports available online with just a quick search. People in their thousands have taken the time to warn their fellow man about the horrendous working conditions and the lack of monetary reward regardless of whether or not you can sell. Like a vampire from a B grade film, this company has sucked blood from millions all so that the few at the top of the pyramid can live in their mansions and fill their stomachs with caviar. A regular Nosferatu trawling the Internet and hoping to abscond with your children.
Although the great majority of reports about this company are very true, they don't tell the full story. Most of these reports come from people who have spent a very short time with Smart Circle and are unaware of the true evil that lurks behind their thin veneer of decency. No strong willed individual would ever put up with their bullshit and will usually leave well before they find out about the demonic despotism which would best describe this organization. The higher you climb, the worse it gets. It's no secret that the vast majority of their "owners" are uncouth criminals who prey on desperate job seekers. Unfortunately, their "regional managers" and "national consultants" are much worse. Like the Mafia, a foot soldier in the Smart Circle crime family doesn't get to be the boss until he has stepped on the throats of the innocent. The inner circle of this organization prides it's self on being ruthless, conniving, and cold hearted. They are always on the lookout for weak willed individuals so that they can first steal from them then mold them into despicable parasites who will do the same to others.
No one report will ever cover all of the tricks used by Smart Circle to corral the masses. Below is just a short list.
RECRUITING LIES
Smart Circle starts it's relationship with it's employees by lying in order to get them to come in for an interview. They promise positions in marketing, advertising and campaign development knowing full well that these jobs do not exist. Why not? They deliberately search for the weak so why not start with outright lies to separate the wheat from the chaff. Their subsidiaries use similar and often identical advertisements to lure unsuspecting job hunters. It's very easy to spot a Smart Circle ad. If you start looking on job boards you will see the same advertisements being posted all over the country. This is quite the coincidence seeing as that their subsidiaries are independent entities.
BRAINWASHING
There are entire articles posted online outlining the manipulative tactics used by Smart Circle to brainwash the gullible. I will not go into detail here, just know that this company is a cult where individuality is not tolerated and all are made to worship the organization and believe that no success can be achieved unless through Smart Circle.
DISHONEST POSTINGS
Knowing all too well that their organization is terrible, Smart Circle feels the need to post positive comments about themselves online. This is necessary because nobody would ever write anything complementary about their business. All you have to do is go to career websites to see what I'm referring to. You will find that the great majority of postings are rated one star with in depth accounts of every facet of their scam. People have written pages and pages warning the world about what Smart Circle will do to them. You will then find the odd two or three sentence review from a "current employee" raving about Smart Circle and giving them five stars. They do this in order to improve their ratings. They also post rebuttals on Ripoff Report and get their secretaries to flag Craigslist postings that warn job seekers about the miserable position they are about to apply for.
FINANCIAL MASS MURDER
The fact that Smart Circle steals from it's reps is not in dispute. Even if they didn't rip their people off, they would still be stealing because it's their reps that do the work while the powers that be profit the most. Although most reps will be with the company for a very short time and not care about getting their last paycheck as they run towards the door, those who remain will be controlled with their own money. Smart Circle will control a rep by holding their pay back for three weeks. Anyone who has spent time with the company knows that reps who quit seldom get their last check. This is just another tool used to keep people coming back seeing as that no one wants to lose the money that they have already earned. Owners are controlled in much the same way. In order to be promoted to "ownership", a rep must give Smart Circle power of attorney over their bank account. Once an owner starts to ask questions, they will be denied access to their money. Who in their right mind would give power of attorney over their own bank account?
DEMEANING THEIR STARS
Keeping in mind that their reps generate all revenue, Smart Circle feels a need to demean and berate the people that make the most sales. These people will be put on a pedestal during the morning meeting giving all who work in that office something to aspire to. They then will be pulled aside by the owner and told that they really aren't that good. Best in the office? They will point to the best in the state. Best in the state? They will point to a rep in California who just happened to beat you last week. Best in the nation? No worries! They will find a way to put you down because why should someone so good be stuck with such a crummy job? They don't want you to know how good you are because you might wake up realize that you are doing all the work. The people that run this company don't generate revenue and are nothing more than useless eaters. Some take home millions of dollars every year by sitting on their behinds and telling tall tales. They want to keep you in a state of confusion and insecurity so that you go out everyday and make sales. They believe that putting you down will make you want to prove them wrong by writing more apps. These are genuinely filthy people who will use every dirty trick in the book to get you to sell.
DECEPTIVE PROMOTION PROCESS
In much the same way that a rep is made to work in order to fund his owner's escapades, Smart Circle gets their owners to fund theirs. They have more stores than they do sales reps and have devised a devilishly delightful system that will stock their retail locations at their owner's expense. They convince their owners that "promoting" their top guys will end up putting more money into their pockets but this is just more Smart Circle BS designed to get others to do the work. They cannibalize their owners' offices and send reps to rural locations where the possibility of finding genuine talent is nonexistent. Is it any wonder that most of their "outside deals" fail? Meanwhile, the promoting owner has just lost his best guys and is stuck having to start all over again.
CONSTANTLY CHANGING NAMES
In my time with the company I never met an owner, regional manager or national consultant that didn't change their business name at least once. Some of these guys have name changes numbering in the double digits. This is no surprise considering that their parent company has changed it's name many times. The Internet would have to be the worst thing that has ever happened to these people. We now live in a age where the truth can be told and demons like those who run this company can be exposed. There is no legitimate reason for a company to keep changing it's name. Fortunately, most of us know that Smart Circle and it's subsidiaries are anything but legitimate.
Sound familiar? It does if you've worked for these bastards. It also sounds familiar if you've done any research on Smart Circle. Isn't it strange that thousands of people all over the world have written reports detailing similar experiences? Not if they're true it isn't.
I am writing this now, because I feel my story must be told. I have waited so long because, as you will see in the telling of my story, I believe I am beyond the statute of limitations for further false legal action to be taken against me.
My name is Chris. My last name is not important for the purposes of this. For my story is a similar story to most that have worked for Smart Circle or any of its subsidiaries.
Now, before beginning, I wish to let it be known that I am not writing this to say Smart Circle is a scam. It technically is not. I am putting my story into text because Smart Circle and its managers lie to their employees to get them to work for them. They promise them lofty goals that only a few ever reach. They make their living stepping on the backs of the hard working men and women. Then, when you try and leave, it is just like the mafia. No one gets out without an attempted assassination. Smart Circle, unlike the mafia, attempts to assassinate your character.
I started out in a Door-To-Door division. After training I started to do well and was making money. Not a lot, but a decent amount. Since I was making money, I started to buy into the indoctrination that they feed you on a constant basis. After a few weeks of doing good I was promoted to a leader position, as they promised in their hiring spiel. No pay increase, but I was able to start "building my team".
I became good at it. In a short amount of time I has trained people who were training people. All was going well. No more money was coming in, but my manager was filling my head with false hopes and promises to keep me going.
At this point, most people who were in the system began to ask their manager about the assistant manager position and the guaranteed pay. Which is exactly what I did. That was when I was told there was no room in that current campaign for growth and I would need to move to a different state.
Having been heavily swayed by the lies of the company, I eagerly agreed to move in order to move up in the world. I uprooted my life and moved north. It started out well enough. Myself and one other person went up north for training and located an office to move "our" business into.
A year later we were doing decent. We had an office, a small team and I was making some money. Not assistant manager money, but money none-the-less. Then, about a year and a half later, it happened. I got promoted to manager!
I was all hyped up. For the first month or so, it was all great. I couldn't pay myself that much, but I was a manager. This is what I got in the business for. I was happy. I was loving it.
Fast forward a few months later. I was having the usual Smart Circle issues. My crew was getting "negged out" because we were in a small market doing very little growth. Ex-employees from my promoting manager, who had completely vanished by now, were coming back looking for him and causing a scene. I wanted to stop any negativity from affecting my business. So I called my hiring manager. He gave me Brian Mcguigan's number, who was his promoting manager. So, I call Brian and ask for advice: "Your business, your problem." and hung up.
Feeling a little more than "negged out" I pressed on. I kept the business afloat for a few more weeks. I had to pay myself less and less. I saw all the signs, so I emailed my hiring manager, promoting manager and Brian, stating I couldn't make it work and without help I would have to resign. My response? An email from Brian stating I was under a "company investigation".
I thought that was odd, but was in such a bad place I agreed without question. He tore through my office and paperwork. After he was finished, he told me he had found nothing, but he was going to shut the office down. He had fired me before I could quit.
I left the business with my head hung low. I went home and started job hunting. A few days later I get a call from Brian later telling me I had stolen from my employees and that he was taking me to civil court. I freak out and called a lawyer. The lawyer told me to wait until I got served papers before doing anything. A week passed. No papers. Two weeks. Still nothing. After a month of nothing, I figured I was clear and relaxed.
I has started another job and was rebuilding. One month after Brian's "scare tactic" I received a call from someone from Smart Circle I had never talked to or met, Ryan Irish. He told me that if I did not come to New York and work in his campaign, Smart Circle would come after me for several thousand dollars that I supposedly owed them. When I stated I could not move and I had another job he verbally berated me and laughed at me. Ending his call with "See you in court pussy.".
This time, I do not freak out, but simply waited. Months pass with no incident. I get a job offer out of state. I begin to pack my things and get ready to move and start my life anew. About two weeks before I move, I receive a call from my promoting manager who had vanished. He makes small talk and I mention I am moving. He says he's sorry I can't stay with the company, but he understands and wishes me luck.
Three days later, I receive a letter in the mail from the Circuit Court stating that I am being accused of embezzlement, check fraud and tax evasion by Smart Circle and have to appear in court next week. I call a lawyer and state how scared I am because, while I did not do any of those things, I do not have anything proving I did not do those things.
The lawyer tells me to just keep calm and we will get through this. The day of the initial hearing comes and no one from Smart Circle shows up. It is just me and my lawyer. The judge reschedules for one week and if no one shows up my case will be dismissed.
I start to get a little hopeful. The day before the trial Brian gives me a call. He tells me he will give me a chance to avoid jail if I will just sign an admission of guilt and pay what I owe. He does not say how much it is, but if I just admit I stole from them they will not press charges. I tell him I have to contact my lawyer first. He tells me that I "do not know who I am dealing with" and they will "run me through the ringer and send me to jail to get raped." and hangs up.
I call my lawyer and tell him what happened. He tells me just show up to court and ignore any calls they try to make. The day of the hearing arrives and Brian, Ryan and several lawyers are there. Brian stops me and tells me I have one more chance to sign an admission before going to court. My lawyer asks to see the paper, but Brian refuses. The lawyer advises me to let it go to trial and everything will be fine.
Our case is called and we all walk up to the judge. The judge asks me how I plead to the accusations. My lawyer asks for a discovery before entering a plea. The Smart Circle lawyers state that they have no evidence and that they need an extension. The judge grants and the trial is moved two weeks.
At this point, to avoid losing my job I have stopped the move for legal reason, but have been living in a hotel near my job and commuting to court. I get several more threatening calls from Brian and various other Smart Circle people, but I follow my lawyers advice and wait for the court date.
The date finally arrives and none of the Smart Circle lackeys are in sight. We go before the judge and he throws out the case. I breathe a sigh of relief and move to my current location and put this horrible incident behind me.
The moral of the story is not the Smart Circle is a scam, or that they lie to you. It is that if you do not succeed in their business, they will try and take you for all you are worth. They hate to see anyone who used to work for them succeed in any aspect of life that is not through them.
Help Stop The Smart Circle Scam
Many of us have been hurt by Smart Circle either directly or indirectly. We ourselves or a loved one may have been involved with this organization. We may have been lied to by one of their reps and now find ourselves in a two year Directv contract. The recruiting lies, the treatment of their representatives and the handling of their clients are atrocious. There is no need to go into detail here. The testimonials on the Internet speak for themselves.
This organization has been in existence since the 80's and it spans many continents and languages. They know how to word documents and how to promote what they do in ways that will not violate existing laws. This organization is made up of hundreds of independent corporations that have informal relationships with each other so there is no central authority that could legally be held responsible. Thus, pinning anything on these people can be very difficult. Nevertheless, there are many courses of action that can be taken to help halt the growth of Smart Circle companies.
Do you want to do your part to fight back and make the world a better place? People always ask what they can do to help stop this business. There are many steps that can be taken.
Action plan:
1) Take the time to write to your local, regional and national leaders to inform them about how these organizations affected you. Which independent office were you in? Tell them about the group, their business practices and how you or your loved ones were treated.
2) Educate yourself. Do some research on Smart Circle as well as other multi-level marketing companies. Go to sites like Ripoff Report, Glassdoor, pissed consumer and entry level job scam blog. Read up on about at least three different types of cults and mlms so that you can get a perspective on how these groups operate. Knowledge is power. Another bonus about educating yourself on these groups is that you will start to become an expert on coercive business tactics and be able to spot the subtle (and not so subtle) uses of manipulation that are employed everyday by these multi-level marketing companies.
3) Don't support the business monetarily. Don't buy from Smart Circle reps. If you just want to help out an individual that's fine - have it stop with just that guy (buy the rep lunch or give cash). DO NOT purchase or sign up for any products which will put money into the pockets of the owner and the powers that be.
4) If possible, when you meet a Smart Circle rep, tell them the truth about their organization. Be non-confrontational, treat them kindly, civilly and let them know that you respect them as individuals. If nothing else, let them know about the Mt. Everest of bad press that can easily be found about their employer.
5) Contact the media that advertise Smart Circle jobs in your locale and let them know that you are dismayed that a legitimate newspaper/Internet job board would run false ads filled with half-truths and gross misrepresentations. At the very least, contact the media outlet that you first used to find out about the business and inform them about the illegality of the ads that they run.
6) If you have been mentally scarred from your time in the business, get the help you need. See a doctor, go to a work shop or to church. Education and time are the keys here. If you have friends that were mentally impacted from being in the business, try and get them help. Do what you have to do keep your mind on healthy productive thoughts and not on their business.
7) Contact companies that do business with Smart Circle. It can be campaigns that you worked on or companies that you know have relations with the group. Write to them and let them know that you are displeased that they would use an unethical outside sales forces like Smart Circle. At the very least, write to companies that you or your loved ones represented while in the business.
8) Get the name of your local Smart circle affiliate. In the last decade affiliates have been downplaying the big names of Smart Circle and Cydcor and have instead concentrated on shifting focus to the "independent" offices. With thousands of office names that come and go, it is much harder to tie them to Smart Circle. You will make it easier for people doing Internet searches to discover the truth about the vast organization they have been affected by.
9) POST, POST and POST. The more information that gets out, the harder it will be for them lie and steal.
It is my firm belief that if America knew of their unscrupulous practices, they would be out of business overnight. Please do your part and help end the madness. JUICE!