Cornerstone America reviews and complaints

If you are considering a career in the health insurance field with Cornerstone America / Alliance for Affordable Services, UGA - United Group Association / NASE National Association of the Self-Employed, MEGA, MidWest National Life Insurance Co of TN, HealthMarkets or ANY of its "affiliates" DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you sign your independant contrator "contract"...SUGGESTION #1 - Ask to take a blank copy of the contract so you can properly review it prior to signing it...don't be suprised when you can't or are given an excuse as to why you can't...and this should be a big RED FLAG! Run & Run Fast - AND don't look back!

I have personally been bombarded by these folks over the past few years while living in the Chicagoland area. Once I posted my resume online - it was over...constant emails offering me an "opportunity for interview" - "Our Sales Leader, Tom Haberkorn has reviewed your resume and would like to meet with you for interview this week...". Early on, I actually made an appointment to go and check them out. When I arrived at the office I was quick to discover that there was no interview with me and "Tom Haberkorn" but a sales pitch from this guy to a group of 7 people whom got scammed to show up like I had for an interview. Needless to say the lot of the room seemed quite discouraged. It seemed like a used car salesman or timeshare sales man pitching a room a folks about him and the company and how great it and he is. This guy was boasting all about himself - showing me from the get-go he was not a "Sales Leader" nor in my oppinion a Manager. He showed all of us that he is a "I" guy...I do this...I make that...I ..I...I...

After the group sales pitch, it was offered to the folks in the room that if interested - stick around and Tom Haberkorn would call to us one at a time for our "interview" with him from which he took all of about 5 minutes with a candidate...(to see if you bought his pitch)...

On my way out, I had an opportunity to take a look around the office and I found it quite interesting that there were very few agents there...those that were seemed to be starving to make sales, the few I did speak to said that they had gone weeks without "leads" or making sales!

BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE! That is all I can say...do your homework before you might sign a contract so you don't make a mistake and make a blind leap of faith!

Thank you for posting this. I was going to go in but now I will reconsider. It seems it is common in this city to have insurance scams this is my 4th one... this one will not happen...

I find these sites so amuzing - it should be considered on-line entertainment! The fact of the matter is: go to the Department of Insurance in any state and check up on the insurance companies you are questioning. If the company is as bad as you say, then you have a reason to complain. Otherwise, you are wasting valuable energy and time.

Outside Sales: All it takes is one unsuccessful individual who cannot sell, is not motivated enough to make calls and set appointments and who needs to blame others for their failures to make ANY company look bad. Unfortunately, we live in the BLAME SOMEONE ELSE SOCIETY.

It takes time and patience to be a good sales person - and very thick skin. Being self employed, working from home is VERY difficult. I've done it selling bank card services so I know what I'm talking about. Youare are either a workaholic or a lazy bum. Most people cannot sell...they just get excited at the thought of the idea of making all the dough (look at Mary Kay, Jafra, and other multi-level businesses). Some do very well and are proud to flaunt their success while others of us make enough to buy the products at cost. It's sort of like the old Tupperware parties...bring the catalog to work and you'll have outstanding sales...require ladies to attend a party and you'll sit in the livingroom look at the dealer and your mother and/or sister...

As for being contacted by mass emails for jobs, that is the reality of life on the internet. Companies buy the rights to search resumes and use key words to find potential workers. Based on keywords within your resume, you are bound to be hit by numerous companies without you ever contacting them. With my experience in Monster, Career Builder, HotJobs and Craig's List, the computer selects key words and sends employer letters out automatically. It is MY responsibility to stop getting hits by declining, accepting or ignoring. It happens repeatedly if one posts their resume more than once (i.e., every 30 days, etc.) which is really frustrating.

Okay, so I got off base for a minute, forgive me. When you are a seasoned employee you have the right to do that once in a while. Back to Cornerstone. I personally know people working for the company and they are doing very well financially. As with any sales job, they work hard. The first of the week they're setting appointments, the middle of the week writing business and by Friday they are off for a long week end doing a favorite hobby with family and friends. Me? If time allows, I catch up with them on the week end and try to have some fun...that is if my boss hasn't sent me home with one of his overdue projects.

Cornerstone and UGA have been around a long time. If they were as bad as some of the blog imply they would not be in business, period. My friends have been taken care of - they make good commissions, win bonus money, trips and the best yet - stock. Even in the downturn of the economy, their stock is around $24 a share and that is not bad - look at AIG. Cornerstone and UGA have changed with the market to stay competitive and offer services to the public. Many of us have lost our jobs and our benefits.

I bought a Mega policy and my needs have been met for services when I needed them. Why? Well, first and foremost I understood the coverages that I purchased for myself. Any when I became ill in 2008 I knew I'd have expenses that I'd have to pay. However, I also know that a patient can negotiate deals with hospitals and physicians under certain circumstances. When they know of your situation, they work with you! I was even provided help from the drug company to offset my cost for expensive treatments.

In closing I'd like to offer this: No shoot the messenger. If you wrote a negative blog about any company it was probably from one denominator: YOU. None of us want to admit failure - at anything. I am not a sales person and I bet you bloggers are not either. You, like me, tried and failed. I just chose not to blame anyone but myself for those failures. I decided that working for a company, working within the box provided for my experience, is where I need to be.

Chin up fellow job seekers. Get over the blame game and move on. If you wasted an hour at a Cornerstone interview, consider it a lesson learned. You now know what to look for in the initial contact and realize that if you reply, "no thank you", you won't be contacted again (unless you post more than once like I did) and you move on. I am happy that my friends at Cornerstone are doing so well. They are glad that I found a corporate job that is working for me. For my friends still seeking that "perfect" job, I continue to wish them well. But I don't like anyone who cannot accept their own failure. That is not the American way. Personally, I do not believe that President Obama is going to bail any of me out of anything.

1/2009

I disagree with nearly all of the complaints about Cornerstone Marketing... and invested 6 years of my life there, and know the skeletons in the closet as well as the promises which were lived up to.

The real issue is not the company. It is the simple fact that most people should not be self-employed. They don't have the sales skills, and for the poor fellow who spent two years there and earned an average of $500 / week... you would think that someone of his caliber could figure out that $24, 000 a year just isn't a good income.

All insurance sales companies require a person to be a) licensed, and b) able to withstand several months without a steady income. If you interviewed properly (i.e. asked intelligent questions), you would quickly realize that cash flow only happens after you sell something.

No sales = no income.

I have trained more than 186 people over the years at Cornerstone. Very few of them succeeded (read = make a living), because they "went off message", meaning that they wanted to do it their way. I begged. Pleaded. Nagged and did all the things good managers do... and still lost most of them to sloppy habits, and "I want to do it my way". You can do it your way, but you'll soon hit the highway, because not just the strong survive, but the bruised and experienced survive.

I developed a following of over 1, 000 clients, never received any complaints from any client, always assisted those who wanted to switch to other carriers. It isn't the best plan on the market, nor were they the worst. If you are very honest with what the plans provide, and sell to those types of coverages best for your client, you won't mislead them or yourself.

I've actually given some thought to re-joining Cornerstone again. Like all companies, they have good and not-so-good people, but for the most part, they are there to help those who are serious, (and here is where you need to look in the mirror), and those who like sales and want to be good at it, and who take instructions well.

I averaged about $1, 600 a week in income, went on several world-class trips, but always hated the time from Thanksgiving past New Year's. Why? Who wants to find an insurance card under their tree instead of a present? Nobody. So there are several weeks during the year that you just don't have new clients... the lifeblood of this type of sale.

If you don't like prospecting, calling for appointments, qualifying the people you serve, then just be honest with yourself and go look for something you are good at. When you work in a retail environment, you may "think" you are selling... and that is a mistake, because your real goal should be to serve the customer.

Get an hourly job, read some introductory books about sales, and then work into it, rather than dive in unprepared. New kids out of college usually are not successful in this type of field.

Older and experienced people are not successful at this either, if they do not want to be "self-employed", which brings us back to the start of this long message. Good luck in your career choices, but take responsibility to search out the company, the products, but most importantly, your personal desires and skills.

Becoming self-employed is usually a very expensive (time & money) process. Have a successful 2009, and remember that the only place SUCCESS precedes WORK... is in the dictionary!

~ ghi / AZ

To stop these emails, do the following. Scroll down to the bottom of the email you received from them, and you will see the option to Block this employer from viewing your resume and sending you candidate emails. Click on this link if you don't wish to receive any more of these.

I was just about to response to the email regarding a job interview, but could not recall applying for this position. I decided to Google the name and discovery all the complaints and I glad I took the action I did. I didn't waste my time and gas driving to San Jose. If you didn't apply for a position check them out first so you won't become a victim.

Hi,

I agree I got that company TODAY

There are so many companies that are trying to SCAM you!

Also, if you get a message from someone who identifies herself as Tiffany Hopper in your city…
Do not respond and always research online!

PLEASE DON'T BELIEVE in this company called “4D Miracles” --- a sonogram company in Fremont, CA?!

Foolish, I thought that was a good job in the beginning and over a month now while I easily got HIRED and no interview?! Just a phone and address was required to work for them.

Now, I will not easily give my personal information online. Thanks and this site is amazing.

I am just a College graduate trying to get a better job in this slow ECONOMY… Will Karma (Websites/Government Law) get these these ### offline!

*** Thanks and everyone take care***

CALL THE DA's office on then AND EVERY ONE ELSE. IF NOTHING HAPPENS THEN GOD HELP
US

Deborah Oconnell & Associates Complaints - THREAT LEVEL-EXTREMELY SERIOUS: IDENTITY THEFT is the smallest.RACQUETERING- Conspiracy to DEFRAUD.
Review all Deborah Oconnell & Associates complaints
Deborah Oconnell & Associates
Posted: 2008-11-02 by HATE_FRAUDS [send email]
THREAT LEVEL-EXTREMELY SERIOUS: IDENTITY THEFT is the smallest.RACQUETERING- Conspiracy to DEFRAUD.

Complaint Rating:
Company information:
Deborah Oconnell & Associates
22 GreatOaks BLVD SUITE # 260
San Jose, California
United States
Phone: San JOSE, CA 95119

I have heard of two people who WERE BILKED of A LARGE SUM OF MONEY BY THESE people promising services that THAT dont have the wherewithal to OR that OUTRIGHT DONT EXIST.

There BILK people in instalments-RELYING ON PEOPLE to Throw good money after bad!

They should HAVE a CEASE AND DESIT ORDER IMMEDIADELY PUT OUT ON THEIR OPERATIONs in changing VENUES- AND THEN INVESTIGATED FULLY ON ALL COUNTS AND SEVERE PENALTIES LEVIED- CRIMINAL as were as civil.

IF AFTER ALL THIS NO ONE IS TAKING NOTICE -THEN CAREER BUILDER ITSELF SHOUD BE PROSECUTED FOR SEVERE NEGLIGENCE-in Pretending there is not a problem with THEIR AIDING AND ABETING SUCH FRAUD AFTER IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THEIR NOTICE REPEADEDLEY AND SUSTAINDELY. THEN WE WILL SEE WHERE THE SUIT WIILL GO!

THUS will be potentially class-actionable.

P.S I am writing this because like others THEY CONTACTEDE TOO. and all that baloney etc.

ONly that others FELL for it and were BADLY DUPED!

I interviewed, and everthing sounded good until I read your comments, oh thank goodness. I wrote a check for $250 to pay them for me to work for them! I just got off the phone with the bank to cancel my check, thanks for the warning.

Thanks I had the same e-mail so I search for information about the company thanks God I found your page.

I got the same exact message but with my name in it. I never recalled applying for such a position and then I received that email. For some reason it says that it was routed to me through monster... which is basically the only place I'm posting my resume.

Isn't there any way to stop them?

Thanks for the heads up everyone, I recieved an email today, thru a posting with Monster. The email requested an interview in the next 2 days, which I will not attend after reading all this negative stuff!

You people are weak minded. The opportunity is not unlike any other in the insurance industry. Let's face it you negative thinking people. Any opportunity in life depends on what you put into it. It is to easy for some of us to waste time, complain, and live with the idea of entitlement. Most employee mentality based people live with the idea of entitlement. Come to think of it. 95% of the population is broke at age 65. I could waste more time and explain to you the complexities of this theroy. The only problem, your delicate sensibilites could not handle it.
Cornerstone is the reason I live debt free. Just like anything else it takes hard work. Something the liberal minded entitlement seeking majority of the population is very unfamiliar with.