Beware of attractive, but possibly deceptive job ads which offer entry-level training in management, marketing, and sales especially if the ads state no experience required. If you decide to interview with such a company, ask many questions before accepting employment. Will you be paid minimum wage or commission? Are there company benefits? Beware of invitations for an all-day second "interview".
Website says company name is Pioneer not Pioneer Marketing.
No contact information provided.
Do you really want to work for a company that does not disclose its company location on its own website? If you do not know where the company office is located, how will you know how far you will have to drive to the office?
pioneerla.com
facebook.com, Pioneer Event Marketing
6133 Bristol Parkway Suite #110
Culver City, Los Angeles, CA 90230
(310) 215-3517
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: PIONEERLA.COM
Created on: 10-Feb-2011
Administrative Contact:
Stavis, Ashley ashley.stavis@gmail.com
6133 Bristol Parkway #355
Culver City, California 90230
United States
(310) 215-3517
***
Google search: (310) 215-3517
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chipio-windshield-repair-culver-city
Read and judge for yourself:
Craigslist, Los Angeles, Pioneer Marketing entry level
CareerBuilder, Pioneer Marketing, Culver City, CA
scamchecker.com Pioneer Marketing
This is a scam. After an initial interview, they send you to a Sam's Club, where you meet one of their salespeople. This person then explains to you that you will be making $8 an hour "plus commission." for the first couple months (working very long hours). Then supposedly your salary will start to increase. Of course, they are counting on you to throw in the towel before you start making real money. This is a typical pyramid scheme, and they are selling terrible products. Don't waste your time.
ReplyDeleteThank you, mmxx. I was called back to schedule an interview and came across this after googling the company. You saved me from wasting time and some unneeded stress. :o)
ReplyDeleteWow thanks! I was going to interview with them today but I guess there is no need to waste my gas.
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ReplyDeleteI love how Bmora is defending Pioneer and gave herself away as someone who WORKS for them. Obviously she's at the top of this pyramid scheme.
DeleteIt's not the hard work that people aren't willing to do..it's the deceptive job ads..like they post a job ad for "marketing manager" or "executive assistant" to lure you in..why not just post trade show help or something along those lines and be up front about it.
DeletePioneer Marketing, formerly Primp Marketing, is not necessarily a scam, but they have extremely shady business practices! I worked there more than 7 months. Wage claims have been filed by previous employees as we were paid way below $8 per hour. Not paid for mandatory meetings, store set-ups, mandatory trainings, overtime, etc. Several weeks, I worked over 60 hours, though I was not paid for 60 hours or any overtime. I was told we were exempt, that was not the whole story! When I was hired on they told me there was insurance after 90 days, only thing, there wasn't any.
ReplyDeleteive heard of this compnay and know someone that works there. i am concerned. regarding the wage claims, were they successful?
DeleteThanks you save me lots of gas money! Besides why can't they be real from the beginning and tell you that your job will be to sell instead of calling it Marketing and Management opportunities. I have a degree in Marketing and dont want to waste my time selling crap.
ReplyDelete@bmora I believe the scam that is being described isn't whether or not this is a job. OBVIOUSLY it's a job. What makes it a scam is that there are many recently graduated students from a four year university looking for a job in these difficult times and this company is saying that they are a real marketing or management company, when in fact it is just a door to door sales job. So by its definition it is a scam. And it's not that anyone is lazy, the fact is it is the opposite of that. People have worked very hard to gain these degrees to put them to good use, not to do a job that most elementary school students do as a fundraiser. So before you say people do not like hard work, read what the blog says, analyze it and maybe next time you'll understand what it is saying.
ReplyDeleteWow, aaf. You frickin' nailed it with your comparison of these "marketing" companies as resembling what "most elementary school students do for a fund raiser." And as much as I hate to say it, they both thrive on exploitation.
DeleteThere is no door to door or any cold calls in this job. That is the first thing that Pioneer will tell you in your interview. The second thing they tell you is that if you are looking for $8/hour, that this is not the job for you. Everyone in the office is excited to push for commission, which is easily reached every day. Your supervisors and peers will help you to advance as quickly as possible so that you can hit that managerial position.
ReplyDeletePeople work hard and graduate and think that they don't need to work hard anymore to be successful. The hardest working guy I know works 65-80 hours a week for a financial firm and he is also makes the most out of all of my friends. I think every day about what he is doing that I can emulate. If long hours with potential for huge success scare you, then yeah this isn't the job for you. You can keep waiting for the economy to improve so you can get that easy desk job with mediocre pay, or you can go FIND success with a hard-working but rewarding career.
Something a CEO once told me, "work smarter, not harder."
DeleteI know how to work hard, and I can swear to you I have worked harder than you have. It's called living on a farm, so don't patronize me with a story of a friend who is successful to tell me how lazy I am.
The point is that a college graduate can reasonably want a base salary for an entry level marketing position. Working for $8/hr for this company however is no different that any hourly wage. This company will not help your resume and will not help you advance your career. Why? Because your "firm" doesn't create campaigns or perform any other marketing function.
Without job experience performing marketing functions then how can you blame all these grads for complaining about a "Marketing" job post that does little more than put you next to a desk and tell you to start selling.
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ReplyDeleteI disagree, based on the info given to me in my phone interview a elementary student could definitely perform this job.
DeleteHow do I think businesses sell "crap"? Well that is simple, you should know this too with your 2 degree and all, businesses sell "crap" through a supply chain. Marketing firms don't sell anything. Marketing firms provide research, campaigns, and at times event planning services. In my 3 years at 2 different marketing agencies we never once sent out an employee to stand in a store and try to sell coupons. And I should know because I was an intern, the lowest of the low, below entry level.
Marketing and sales are similar but very very different. Marketing can involved supply chain management, account management, procurement tasks, advertising copy and creative design, even event planning. But I have never in my internships or collegiate career heard of marketing (especially event marketing) consisting of personal selling B2C in the back of a store. Event marketing would be coordinating an event with the release or a product line or brand ensuring the advertising, supply chain, and customer service are all integrated to communicate a single message about the brand or product. These events happen few and far between.
Well, I really don't know what hard work has to do with the price of tea in China. I am college educated with 3 degrees and finding it difficult to acquire work in this economy. I am willing to work hard and start at the bottom in order to work my way to the top, but standing around at a Sam's Club or Costco pushing products for $8/hr (which isn't minimum wage) seems like a job for a high school or college student.
ReplyDeleteI thank creator of this blog, I just had a phone interview with Pioneer’s HR and for some odd reason during my questioning process she had to cut the conversation and could not go any further. What’s up with that? I need to know what this is all about before I go any further. I really don’t know if this is a SCAM, but it does seem a little shady. I'm not knocking the company just questioning it (so please don't write an angry response to my post).
I think people are confusing what these "marketing" companies do and what they tell prospective "employees" that they do in their effort to categorize them as a scam. What they are is not necessarily a scam but how they trick others into to doing it most definately is. If each one these deceptive companies simply advertised clearly and plainly up front in the newspaper, Careerbuilder.com, etc. what exactly it is that they do, then people would less often feel duped or "scammed" and then go on to claim it as such. There is no denying that if these companies wrote in their classified jobs advertisements what the job actually was, then the influx of interested applicants would drop off drastically. That, my friend, is a scam any day of the week.
DeleteThere is a reason why these companies such as 10Bellevue, Impact Management Concepts, or whatever other impressive sounding name they come up with, are constantly hiring new employees. There is also a reason why they very rarely turn anyone down for their incredible opportunity/employment. Lastly, if a company can only boast about ten to thirty employees and yet is constantly attempting to hire new ones, there is a fairly understandable reason as to why all the hundreds of previous employees walked away from such a wonderful opportunity. They can't all be lazy losers, can they? After all, they were once, in the companies stated opinion, considered to be talented and remarkable individuals with endless potential. Think it through and definately don't sign anything without taking a day or two to really think it over. Trust me, the job opening, if actually legit, that they have for you or anyone else with your eagerly sought after abilities or skills, today, will most certainly be there next week.
DeleteHaha I love how the maker of this blog specifically aims at nothing but marketing companies.
ReplyDeleteAs far as pioneer marketing goes, from personal experience the business is not a scam. They work closely with Costco and sams and I doubt that Costco would be affiliated with a company that would be considered a "scam". I say the blogger does a little more research before slandering a business you know nothing about.
Pioneer is a legitimate company, but they falsely advertise the jobs they offer. Standing around at Sam's Club walking up to customers and nagging them to try your products is definitely not a marketing career. They should tell people what they are right off the bat and now sugarcoat the job.
DeleteI'm so glad I saw this blog too. I currently work in retail marketing at a top videogame publisher but don't like the commute so i was toying with the idea of a new job. I came across Event Marketing at Pioneer Marketing (which their website is very vague btw) and I thought what the hell, why not, and applied. They called me back and really sugar coated the position. After doing some research myself, I am almost insulted that they would even consider calling me back after reviewing my resume....obviously I'm too over-qualified to do something like this....I actually have REAL marketing experience. Pssh!
DeleteDo they really expect college grads to be able to support themselves on $8/hr? Even with some crappy commission, that wouldnt be enough to live off of independently in L.A!
I totally agree Alekinz! Pioneer is a genuine marketing company but what makes this job a scam is that their executives do NOTHING. Their only job is to recruit people to earn them money. All companies have a hierarchy but at least corporate executives WORK to earn their money. The fact that any brain-dead person can work their way up scamming other people is what makes this company a joke.
DeleteIt is a real company, they do nothing illegal.
DeleteBut they advertise for marketing opportunities. This job requires the ability to stand up and speak english.
Literally anyone can do this job, which is why it is so frustrating for those of us with a degree and in my case 3 years of experience in the field; get irritated by these job postings. I had a phone interview where they refused to tell me the commission options. The only info provided was that you will be paid $8/hr plus commissions. If commissions is part of the pay structure and you are going to tell me in person then why can't you explain it on the phone?
Another thing: we do work hard for success. No one would be on this site complaining unless they needed a job. If you need a job you have to work for it. If you don't need to work, then you either already have a job or will NEVER need one. So don't you dare say we aren't willing to work for our success. I worked through college, took out loans, and now I want full-time employment. If you think I didn't work hard then you can go fuck yourself.
They actually do several illegal things, such as not pay their employees properly or making sure they take all required breaks. They tell their employees that they are "exempt" from overtime, yet they are not!
DeleteThe job has absolutely nothing to do with marketing, it is sales. Standing inside a Sam's Club or Costco up to 12 hours a day selling jewelry, fudge, car cleaning products
They do not have a close relationship with Costco, as Costco has no idea that most of the people coming in for roadshows is mostly the same people. This company has used many names since 2009, such as Revamped Inc, Bella Marketing, Primp Marketing, Pioneer Marketing, as well as Chipio
My husband worked for them briefly. He was pulling days where he left home to get to a meeting at 8am then got to the store by 10am then was off on average around 9pm. They had him take a half hour break for lunch only, and had him count it as a hour break. The reason he quit was he was getting only minimum wage pay, the commission was never more than the $8/hr for the long days and for every two weeks, he had a half day off (meaning, he would go in in the evening on the second sunday for a meeting, then would drive to the new store to set up the stand they would be using to show the product). Another reason he quit was the lack of OT pay. We ended up getting a check for the amount he was being jipped on the OT pay abt 3 months after he quit and talked to EDD abt the situation. I believe he got about $400 OT pay check.
DeleteI love how Bmora gave herself away as someone who WORKS for Pioneer. Their obviously at the top of that pyramid scheme.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand. i thought the job was handing out samples during my interview, not selling coupons. :( that sucks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this...was going to apply, but read the blog instead. Why waste peoples time Pioneer? I've been an event manager for 7 years. I work for companies with a recruiting dept that lists jobs for what they are. If you are paying people $8/hr to sample at Costco - list that in your ad. Also, if you do decide to work as a sampler at Costco, they make $17-25/hour. Find another company and stop listing yourself as "Marketing Events." So sad.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that there is a blog that is writing about the concerns of this business practice should be a red flag in itself. Companies like Nike and Google don't get these sort of blogs primarily of how they handle their business. When looking at the job descriptions, the title itself should be self-explanatory. The job requirements should be specific.
ReplyDeleteMost importantly, when researching a company, you want to see the work that they have done (that company should want to show it off too). This company promotes itself as an events marketing company. Why do they not list the events that they will be attending? Why do they list the sort of things they do and not back it up with customer cases or customer reviews. How do we know that this company is legit? Where are the examples?
All of these things are red flags...
Most of us do know these things, and most of us end up on this site while researching the job opportunities listed on here.
Deletethe site itself does not make any accusations but rather provides basic info and allows US the users to post our experiences.
I knew this job was not for me, but researched anyways because that is how bad the job market is. What is so frustrating is that 90% of jobs on careerbuilder.com; monster.com, even linkedIn lead to companies mentioned on this site.
it is too easy for people to use shady practices. and it makes it that much harder for the honest, hard-working grads who are out there looking for the next step rather than just another hourly paycheck.
I went to school for a career and all I got was a piece of paper
It is very easy to fall into that trap. Especially MLM which offers you a way to make thousands of dollars. I fell for the lure of becoming a manager and making thousands of dollars until I got my first check...done with that! I figured the harder I worked the more money in commission I would see..NOT! Don't fall for the scams and anything that sounds to good to be true usually is. Find a job that offers base(above minimum wage)and commission if you want to work those types of sales jobs, otherwise you won't make a damn dime...no joke. It happened to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this.I just went out,bought a new outfit..the works..to "impress" for this interview tomorrow.I feel so let down,but I'm glad I don't have to waste my time going to the interview,wasting the gas,rushing to leave my *other* job..just to be let down in person.
ReplyDeleteUgh @jess I just did the same thing! I'm pissed. oh well i"ll keep looking.
ReplyDeleteLol omg they just called me and I totally for got that I applied for them they left me a voice mail and I said to myself I don't remeber applying so I type in the companies name and #BOOM the first thang that pop up was this blog so thank you I will stay the hell away and get looking.
ReplyDeleteOoops I meant to say keep looking not get lookingo_O
ReplyDeleteAnd another one. Saved me a lot of time and headache. Was supposed to go to the first "interview" in Culver City, CA. Knew something didn't seem right - hence why it's always a good idea to google things. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI dont personally believe that there is a need to bash a company. Of course unless it has robbed people of their life savings or caused some sort of catastrophe. I agree, full disclosure should be a consistent practice across the board. I have no feelings one way or the other but allowing people to make their own choices, ask their own questions and make their own decisions should be upheld and promoted too, right?! I could be wrong, and im sure there will be some truly intelligent and well thought out rebuttasl to this, to which my response to them will be nothing. However I still look forward to reading everyones inspirational acumen.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually shocked that this was advertised through my university's legitimate job search database. I went to USC and I might just urge them to remove this listing. $8/hour for a university graduate is appalling. I was actually kind of excited after being jobless for a month. I got a list of previous clients and thought it was a pretty cool gig. I even checked out their website and saw the employee feature and it sounded like this person was enjoying the job. But I'm glad you all have commented on this. You saved me the time, money, and gas. I set up the interview and all but will definitely cancel now. Thanks a lot everyone.
ReplyDeleteA heads up to those in San Diego. A previous employee of Pioneer has branched off with her own company in the San Diego area. Bloom marketing is conducting the same business with the same hiring tactics. Beware and report these people.
ReplyDeleteThanks for saving me the headache!! Just cancelled my interview
ReplyDelete