Smart Circle International
Reviews and Complaints

I was a manager and I made 30 sales in one week and my employee made 25 sales. $1200 was all I recieved when they were suppose to pay managers $160 for every att cellular line you sold. So either way they owed me money. after I quit and left the business they blocked me from using my business bank account and put fraudulent checks into my account and made my account negative over $18,000

Everything that went down in other offices happened in mine. We were sold on the “opportunity” instead of the real problems at hand. Kim York was the head of the office. Not only did she steal money from all of her employees checks, the only 2 people she didn’t steal from were the employees she was sleeping with. She was a undercover racist. She made somebody who had braids go get them taken out of their head the next day because it was “tacky” in her words. She has 2 people in her office that help hide what she does by covering everything up. Things are soo bad to the point they are paying sites just to hide complaints. She also changed her name from York to Paul to hide all the complaints. Changing your name from your government to your post marriage name won’t cover up your illegal activities sweetheart. She’s also been money laundering large sums of money. I’m just waiting to see how many people from her team are going to be locked up within the next few years for all the illegal activities going on behind the scenes.

And be careful. Most of these too good to be true reports are being made by owners inside the smart circle. I have yet to see the smart circle go send a cleanup crew to some of these offices to get the bad owners out. It’s all a big money grab. Your voice doesn’t matter. Only fake loyalty matters so you can continue to work for pennies and waste your time and money when you could be in a different company/field getting the money that you deserve.

I am sagar from Jaipur, India I joined this group on 19 Sep. and specifically in this card asked for 4 persons (adult), but as its was clearly mention in booklet that 2 persons (adult) and 2 children. Your representative Mr. Arjun told me there will be no problem in this you can use as per requirement. On this condition I bought this card.
There were many offer also but when I asked to particular hotel. they directly denied and said only 'buy one get one' is useable.
Then I called your so called DCM or whoever he is Mr. Gaurav Swami, I talked him about this issue, his words was like 'aap pade likhi nahi ho kyaa.'
this a way to talk to your customer.
I taken this for my birthday event that was on 21 Sep. But didn't fulfil my things.
So, its better to refund it.

Details shown below:
Sagar Chandwani
[protected]

My daughter was working for this man for a quick stint. During which period of time I am informed of a series or sexual innuendos that Mr. Powell had directed towards my daughter. According to my daughter, this man, who was appointed by executives I would assume even went into detail on how the company is just a big pyramid scheme. We are speaking with an attorney to see what can be done about the sexual harassment.

On june 19, 2019 I used smart circle retail at the sam's club in houma, la to switch from uverse to directv (order id: spm15478497). During the sales pitch the smart circle retail manager mentioned I could get free hbo if I had a wireless at&t phone plan and no exclusions were mentioned. I contacted at&t and was informed that I had to have an unlimited wireless at&t phone plan to qualify for the free hbo which I do not have. The next day, I went back to the smart circle retail sales manager and he confirmed that I needed only my current wireless at&t plan to qualify for the free hbo. The smart circles sales manager said that at&t would call me back within 24 hours which did not happen. Then I went back to the smart circle sales manager and informed him that I did not receive the phone call as promised. He then suggested that I go to the local at&t store for assistance, which I did. The at&t store rep could not help me because they were not aware of all the incentives that smart circle retail could offer for procuring directv. The at&t rep did provide me with another phone number which I used but with the same results.

I have spent half a day to get what I was promised without results. I found the smart circle retail manager to be very courteous but nor very helpful. I felt that he just wanted to pass the buck. The service after the sale provided by the smart circle retail manager was horrible. It should be noted that the order summary did not mention the free hbo

All I want is my free hbo as promised by the smart circle retail manager without changing my at&t wireless phone plan.

Regards,
Terry nezat
(phone [protected])

I answered an ad for a customer service/marketing rep position. Little did I know it was a smart circle subsidiary and the following weeks would be terrible.

I had been looking for jobs through temp agencies with not a lot of luck for months. I decided to apply to some places upfront and the first ad I answered was for a company called North Chicago Marketing in Gurnee, Il. They were looking for a customer service/marketing rep. This is not typically the type of position I would apply for but it said entry level, no experience needed, management training and gas reimbursement. It sounded really nice. I was called the next day saying they could squeeze me in for an interview. I was excited and obliged.

I arrived at nondescript business park and found my way into a seemingly nice office. I met with the "owner" Manny Lopez. The interview lasted less than 15 minutes. I was asked very briefly about my work experience. I noticed he didn't even have a copy of my resume handy. We went over some basic interview questions, like what I was looking for in a job and where I saw myself in a few years. That was it. At the end of the interview we hadn't talked about compensation, any job details, or what types of hours I would be working. Never mentioned why on the ad "gas reimbursement" was listed. He told me they were interviewing dozens of candidates but hadn't found the right one. He told me they usually don't do this but he'd would like to schedule me for a second round interview the next day. I was skeptical but agreed.

I went home that night and researched North Chicago Marketing on Glassdoor and found outstanding reviews. I felt a little better. The next day I arrived at the office and was told I would be going to one of their "client locations" with a "corporate trainer". I was excited to see what type of work I would be doing considering I had heard very little actual details about the position. It was a Menards. We walked to the back of the store by the dog food and door knobs to a little kiosk where my interview would be conducted. The corporate trainer asked me questions about my work experience, if I knew anything about marketing (I do a little) and some customary interview questions. I was filled in a little more on the position. It was a management training program! They were ACTUALLY looking for a market director and haven't found the right person yet. My job would to be to learn their system from the inside out (by a doing a ton of recruiting and training) so I could become the "owner" of a branch wherever I wantend to open a market. This sounded pyramid scheme-y but I'm not one to deny a challenge.
The "corporate trainer" then asked how much I would like as starting pay. I requested $15/hr based off of my education and experience. I was told that no one in the office was making that LITTLE and he laid out numbers that sounded a little too good to be true telling me I could expect to be making 45-50k a year just as a client rep. When I became an owner I would apparently be making 6 figures. I left the second interview knowing that he had tried really hard to sell me on a job that I was very weary of. However, I took it because I needed income and the prospect of growth within a company seemed appealing to me.
I spent a week of in office/2 hr a piece sessions of training called "atmosphere" where the owner talked about how much money he was making, one day spent an entire hour belittling people with college degrees, and generally babbling about "making the system work for you" and "not getting negged out." During these sessions I was able to absorb product knowledge, how to sell, tips and tricks etc. however, the rhetoric seemed a little cultesque, overly positive, and any one who wasn't a "high roller" was talked down to by peers. It was really sad in some instances.
I spent another week at a Menards, 45 mins away from my home, with the same corporate trainer I interviewed with trying to sell directv packages. I made one sale and was excited. During this week though I can't count the times my "trainer" would make inappropriate comments to me, snap my bra straps, or even throw things at my butt. After only making one sale during that time the following week they put me with another trainer. She was awesome and during that time I had the most faith in this business. Then some weird things happened.
We entered sams club one day to find someone with direct tv already set up. They weren't from our office, looked high, disheveled, didn't know where his office was but kept mentioning the name Cydcor. He was asked to leave. I did some digging of Cydcor and a bunch of stuff from [redacted] came up and I kept seeing the name Smart Circle pop up along with it. As far as I knew, smart circle was only the name of the call center we used to process orders for directtv and we are with something called "solution nation" (which I could find nothing on only something called Seven nation solution.. probably an older name they used before changing). I spoke with the girl that was training me about pay and found out she wasn't making the numbers everyone claims to be making and that often what she does make barely covers her bills. Also found out "corporate trainers" are required to buy their trainees lunch which made me feel bad knowing how little some of them were making and how much time and effort they were investing into something that probably won't pay off.
I was continuously told not to focus on numbers and just keep a positive attitude and sales would happen and to make the system work for me etc etc. however, all the "owner" really cared about were numbers and would make you feel bad if you were performing really well or not. It didn't matter.

I was promised gas reimbursement and I know now that that will not happen. I was promised management training and received nothing but how to manipulate people into listening to a sales pitch and how crappy this business is. I was made to participate in conference calls at a whim even when I was driving or being charged for the service. Our schedule would change at weird times and we wouldn't know until the very last minute. The owner barely ever answered calls or texts. All the while no one ever mentioned smart circle or described to me what role smart circle played in our business model. We had an entire meeting once about why we're not a pyramid scheme. And yeah it doesn't fit the definition but it's pretty much the closest thing you can get to it legally.

It was so weird because they told me the position that I was being hired for was highly sought after and I assumed it was because of the lengthy interview process but the same week I was hired they hired four other people for the same position.

Any skepticism was met with sharp rebuttals that seemed prepared. If you were negative people wouldn't talk to you.

It may not be a down right scam but they lie to and misguide job seekers to keep their revolving door of an office open. They would have a lot more luck just being honest and calling the position what it is and being upfront about expectations instead of filling your head with false positivity and passive aggressive behavior.

Avoid this company at all costs unless you're super good a sales and enjoy working 40+ hrs a week with one day off, no benefits, and no time for social interaction except with your coworkers.

Please read! Please read!

I worked for smart circle for 3 years so im very familiar with the ends and outs of the company.

First of all, you will never apply for the actual company smart circle you will apply for one of their subsidiaries. The most telling sign that its one of their companies if it has "marketing" in the title but you've never heard of it but it sounds like the best opportunity on the planet thats them.

To but it simply your job will be selling directv in retail stores like costco, wal-mart, sams club, best buy etc.. I was a 21 year old fresh out of college kid and was sucked into the promise that I could make more money then I have ever dreamed of and that I could one day own my own business if I worked harder than I ever have. So I did. You will for minimum 6 days a week with approximately 55 hours a week yup that much. Now most employees will fail and get fired or quit. But some including myself will believe that these are the weak minded employees who lack vision and drive. So I continued on for a year and a half like this. All the while moving 3 times across the country helping people open their "markets" waiting for my chance. I personally hired and trained dozens of individuals and taught them how to sell and buy into this cult montra that I had and believed in.

Then it happened, I became an "owner" for 2 years I had been promised that the grass is greener once you become and owner and I soon found out it was far from the truth. I left everything I owned in iowa which is where I was living at the time and moved to california with nothing but a suitcase and 2 directv polo's. Soon I started realizing what a brainwashing scheme the entire thing was. You're supposed to be a business owner but you are required to get on conference calls everyday and they track if you are on the call or not. And if you miss enough calls they can pull your contracts with directv at any time. But when your on these calls they constantly train you on how to build better relationships with your employees and get them to do what you want while they think it was their idea. But still I stayed with this organization because I was so brainwashed I couldnt think of anything else.

But the money, at the height of my crews production we were making 12, 600 a week in 2 stores. Now that sounds fantastic right!?!?! Here's what they dont tell you. Number one you as the owner are not making that much money first of, you have to pay uncle sam taxes which will take a huge chunk of that. Second, you obviously have to pay your employees which is 2/3 of your total profit. Third, you have to pay for your "head office" account which a bank created for you based in canada that you cannot touch. Now that im out of it I realize this is their franchise fee's that they will keep of you quit or are let go. And the list goes on and on of things you have to pay for until finally at the end of the day you have maybe saved 400 after paying yourself maybe 600.00 before taxes for the week. Thats it. 600 this is what you have to show for working 60 plus hours a week, interviewing 5 days a week, managing your employees, getting on 4 conference calls a week and still going into the stores and selling yourself to make sure you make some kind of profit.

This went on for months with me treading water and barely keeping my business account from going negative. I began to ware down physically and began making mental mistakes like showing up late for interviews leaving the store before it closed things like that. I eventually lost my contracts because I accidentally started someone who did not have a completed background check. My fault completely taking fault for that. But what happened next crushed me.

My promoting owner who convinced me to move across the country who had spent years molding me and grooming me and gained my trust so I was willing to run through a wall for him, asked me to keep my employees working until they got someone else out there to take over. I of course agreed because this was someone I trusted deeply. I told him I dont think thats a good idea because I wasnt sure they would be profitable without me working. He eased my fears by saying if they are not profitable he will pay for them. I of course agreed. So after a month I compile a list of employees that didnt make money and sent it to him. He told me no worries it will be taken care of and thanks for the hard work.

I took some time off to gather myself from this exhausting job that I had and was considering going back for a "re-train" which to but it simply means starting all over again. But 2 months after we had the conversation about him paying for my people, I get a call from the labor board saying one of my employees filed a claim against me and I am being sued. I of course immediately called my former boss and he did not answer. Then I sent him a text telling him the situation asking him whats going on. He then tells me he's just not going to pay them. So a 268.00 check has turned into a 2500.00 settlement that I now have to pay this person and im sure the irs will be coming after me soon because they give you no instruction on how to properly shut down a business and im sure I did something wrong.

Furious, I called some of my friends that where still working in this owners office explaining the situation to them. They of course had been brainwashed like I was and didnt listen to me. I had heard for years now of bad complaints about smart circle for years but never from owners being screwed. Curious, I called some of the other owners in his organization that had also been let go and they gave me similar stories. Not to the extent of being sued but being dropped by the company no better than before they started. I called 5 former employees before I reached out to other former owners across the country who I had met on trips thoughout the years and they all gave me the same story.

It was then I realized that it was all a lie. Everything that I worked for all the sacrifices I had made had been for nothing. And that is the theme of this organization you'll work your tail off for nothing in the end. I wasnt a low level employee that worked at this company for 6 months I reached the highest level you can and im telling you its a scam. A pipe dream taught to young desperate for money college kids that are manipulated, brainwashed and used until there is nothing left.

I hope that I can be a cautionary tale for someone who has started working for a marketing company and just learned the company behind them is smart circle. Please read this and get out before you get too deep like I did.

The manager of this Independent Corporate Distributor of The Smart Circle is Robert (Bobby) Brown. I started a position at this company, at face value! I tell you one thing, I made one of the biggest mistakes in my life. GET OUT OF THESE SMART CIRCLE CORPORATIONS RIGHT NOW! I read a lot here on the board and I vouch for all of the complaints, as well bear witness to the worst side of things. The office has the Verizon campaign as client. You work 6-7 days a week, at times more that 70 hours in that week door-to-door in ALL TYPES OF WEATHER CONDITIONS! There are NO DAYS OFF! BOBBY WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO CALL OUT OF HIS OFFICE ON ANY WORK DAY! BOBBY WILL SHOW YOU HIS TRUE COLORS OF ANGER AND ULTIMATELY MANIPULATE YOU INTO THINKING THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR MENTALITY AS A WHOLE! BOBBY IS COLLEGE DROP OUT, WITH LIMITED EDUCATION AND SHOWS IT, HAS NO PROBLEMS WITH BRAINWASHING OTHERS TO FORCE CONFORMITY WITH THE SMART CIRCLE SYSTEM! I was promoted to what they call "Leadership" very quickly during my time. Hey I believed in what they said, I was sold on making 6 figures in a very short period of time, I knew my potential and I knew that I can make it happen. However, there was something wrong with the system. You ever had a feeling that something wasn't right, well this was me in my entire duration of 8 months with the company. The internal environment was corrupt and corroded with disrespectful and unethical standards! I can go on and on about this office, but what will seem concerning will very well end up sad! They prey on the Naive, poor, hungry and determined with lies! They do use that horrible cult language talking like juice, ringing bell etc. They do clap and run around slapping palms at the end of the night. They do you want to lose your life and work like a dog constantly in their offices. They do many things that are along the lines of cult like behavior including shacking up each other apartments. The opportunity, is not an opportunity! Your just a sales rep, you will be a sales rep for a very long time because this is what they want. No one truly cares for one another as many of the people realize at some point or another that the business is a complete JOKE! Don't believe the lies, don't believe that its the grand opportunity and you amongst the lucky, don't believe that you will make a lot of money as many of my co-workers were constantly borrowing and going broke. Don't live on any promises what so ever, the only reason your there, is to help build on someone else's situation to get promoted, and let me tell you that getting promoted to assistant manager and manager is not all that glamorous and are just new levels with more lies! In order to be a manager, you have to learn to lie, and learn to brainwash others so that they continue to come into you business and work for you! I've seen so much turn-over, so much deceit that it's unbelievable. GET OUT OF THESE COMPANIES AND DON'T WORK FOR BOBBY'S OFFICE! BOBBY DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY RUN AN OFFICE AND LEAVES IT UP TO HIS 20 SOMETHING YEAR OLD ACCOUNT MANAGERS, WHO ARE ALL TRYING TO GET PROMOTED ON FALSE PROMISES AND CAN'T LEAVE BECAUSE THEY'VE ALLOWED THEMSELVES TO BE MENTALLY LOCKED INTO A SYSTEM! BE SMART AND FIND ANOTHER JOB! DON'T WORK FOR ROBERT BROWN!

Have you ever been involved in a cult? I don’t mean a maniacal satanic cult that perpetrates murder on the streets but a cult nonetheless? I have.

Like most naive subscribers to cults, I wasn’t aware as I walked through the door of the world that I was entering although in retrospect, the signs were always there. The cult in question was something I joined with the best of intentions. A new "respectable" job in marketing which would be pertinent to my business and journalism degree. Of course, the city center location and enthusiastic suited workforce created a favorable impression and a promise of great things to come.
Happiness and positivity were rewarded in kind with smiles and pats on the back. Shyness and negativity were rewarded with dirty looks and complete elimination from any future conversations as if that person had never existed. Morning meetings consisted of clapping and chanting as each cultist became more wrapped up and devoted to the system while brainwashing was taking place via so-called Impact lectures. Each and every morning we were told how lucky and privileged we were to be with a company where major things were happening and sports cars being bought daily. We were regularly reminded that there was recession outside but inside the office we had made the right choice as we were on the path to riches.

I’m guessing you may have realised that these riches never came our way. It turns out that the position was simply a 10hrs a day 100% commission sales job build up to appear as important as being the President of the United Sates.

There is nothing more demoralising than approaching irritated customers only to have them berate you with the occasional expletive. Then having to stretch the truth and guilt vulnerable people into handing over their card details and signing up for the product you are immorally pedaling in order to save your job and avoid ending each day in the red.

There is no question in my mind that the techniques used by Smart Circle constitute brainwashing, yet there are many other examples of companies that use other tactics to control their staff. Uniforms, jargon, meetings, incentives, harassment etc are all forms of brainwashing. The insidious side of Smart Circle is the manner in which they take over the lives of their people. The amount of time for laborious meetings, going out with your crew to the movies or for dinner, calling them at night. Gimme a break! Why? Why do they do these things? Why do they want you to "get with" only positive people? Answer: To keep you cocooned in a shell of their own making. Just think, if you were a steadfast capitalist and were kept in a communist village in China without news from the west for ten years while constantly being bombarded with Chairman Mao's propaganda, you would probably end up being a communist as well. They don't want you to spend any time away from their business because you might remember who you are and realize that you are being scammed.

Understand that "owners" have been figuring out how to get people to stick with their business since 1980. They have been through countless teams quitting on them. They have plenty of ammunition to give reps or their family members when they rail at them. They practice rebuttals to get them to calm down and stick it out. Advice is given at rallies and phone calls are made all the time just on these topics. They have years of trial and error on their side. On the other hand, an anguished girl friend or worried parent is dealing with something they have never heard of. Something that someone they love has embraced. Such a person wants to be open minded but when they see that their loved one is working 70 hours a week and not making money with a changed personality; they worry that he might be in a cult. Their loved one is not worshipping a strange God. They have been enslaved by the Smart Circle psychology of financial independence through retail sales.

Think about it people, if all that talk about money were true, wouldn't you have seen some?

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.

The sales rep at Sam's did not inform us that a third party is involved, if that was revealed to us WE would not have agreed. As it stands we were told a date for installation. On that day we received a call stating their truck had broken down 2 miles from our house. As a result we were moved to the back of the line and told we had to wait for four more days. My wife just had surgery and now we have no tv service as we foolishly cancelled or previous service. Calling Smart Circle was extremely frustrating as they had no help to offer. My decision was to cancel everything with Direct TV, never do business with Direct TV, file a complaint with Sam's and the BBB, and return to Charter.

Do not work for Elite Marketing for Carrie Mason in norristown pa. She is a rookie manager and made it to management in 3 months. If you trust a person who did not go to school for anything that has to do with business management and now runs a office after 3 months of "being in the field" then your crazy and go ahead and work there (you'll leave after you wait 3 weeks for your first check and then SEE your first check). It is a comission base job but you do not make the money that is discussed with you in the interview. You put out a whole bunch of gas money traveling to home depot stores that are 30 min to an hour away. Don't get me wrong there are successful people in Smart Circle but you have to have a good manager or you will not suceed in the business. Don't waste your time with her. If you do you'll see a whole bunch of people in the office getting brain washed about being the top person in the office and going to dallas texas if you stand out and this and that "all your hard work will pay off" and new people are always coming and going in that office. Because people that work there realize eventually all she wants is people to work for her because she makes money off the leads people do so it doesn't matter who stays as long as there's always someone she can make money off of. Good luck with elite marketing...JUST KIDDING! DON'T WASE YOUR TIME!

I don't know if this is the right place to add my complaint, but here it goes anyway: for anyone considering signing up for directtv through costco, please be advised that directtv does not do the service—all installations are done through the sub-contractor smart circle, which really is not very smart at all. All within 2 weeks after sign-up:
7 phone calls, 2 visits, 1 no show, several more calls and messages, but no answer to messages left, 1 "cannot help you". Also, main installer, jorge, was very difficult to understand; however, what we could understand was ridiculous. He was on the phone more talking to someone in spanish, as he tried to get instruction or information. Left a message with a heather at another number—no answer—no follow up call, as of this date. Then, I got the bright idea to contact directtv directly, and whoa, and behold, prayers were answered: a person, who understood the problems we were having, went through everything the original installers did, and as far as we know, we are on the way to happy tv viewing! Poor guy even went up to check the dish, undid and redid the whole thing because there was no sealant applied for water leakage, which was a big concern at this time. Can you see water leakage through the walls? I wish I knew where else to complain to because that company is stupid, stupid, stupid!

This job is a scam. They tell you will get paid an hourly wage but, that is not true. Everything you get paid on your hourly wage has to be repaid through your commission of sales. You could make $1000 dollars in commission and actually receive no paycheck because the manager of this company took all your money. I was told only a small amount would be taken out of my paycheck each time to cover the hourly rate that must be repaid. This was not true almost my entire check was taken out. I was expecting to receive a thousand dollars and instead got three hundred. I hate this company and the way they do business. It is a scam and is not a good place to work. Everyone that works for this company is brain washed into thinking they will be the next boss so people are constantly fighting each other and stabbing each other in the back so that they can get ahead of each other. This company and its managers do nothing but lie and steal which leads me to believe that is nothing but a scam job. I hope this helps people stay away from this job do not waste your time.

I.A.B. Concpets is a horrible place to work at. I wokred for this company for three months and witnessed every sort of abuse from physical to mental. The owner of this company is a racist, he talks about how only certain kinds of people can work in this company and threatens that if anyone screws anything up for him he will send some hitmen to come find you. He also called one asian worker Kung Fu Panda to the point that everyone in the office called him that. The owner Peter Naer also constantly lies to you about how you get paid. He says you will make commission off the Vizio products you sell but, he keeps that money for himself and then yells at you and tells you how the amount of money is too small to matter anyway. That might be true but, I want to get paid for the job I did. He also refuses to let you see any sort of tracking sheet and denies you the ability to see anything official when it comes to your paycheck. The entire time I worked for this company I tried to find out exactly how I was getting paid and why my paychecks were consistently wrong. I then started to call the customer that supposedly had not gotten Directv and I found out they had been installed and I was not getting paid for the install. When I mentioned this to the owner Peter Naer I was then told to go [protected]@#K myself and that I was fired. I am still in the process of getting paid what I am owed and have now gone the Michigan Attorney Generals office to complain. I would not work for this job it is not worth the problems you have to go through to get paid. In the end it is just a scam with a owner that says he cares which he does but, not about you or anyone that works for him. He only cares about himself and the money he can steal from you.

I bought a cirtificate (for mountain mikes pizza) from my workplace at a little expo put on by smart circle

I must tell you though that this was a terrible experience...! Going into a place of business and trying to use the coupon and being turned down.. ; ((

Then in processing my refund I had to pay 75cents to send the thing back to get the refund.. So all in all I got embarrassed and lost 75 cents and got nothing in return..

In a situation like this I'd think you guys would include with the refund a new certificate to use for the pizza.. Kind-of a sorry.. we're trying to make it right for you..

BTW the manager called me back and said they will now honor the certificates, but of course I had to send mine back to get the refund...

I purchased a fan appreciaton coupon packet for $39.99. This appeared to be a very good deal, as I was told I was purchasing 4 free game tickets. Upon calling to verify how to order the tickets, I discovered that I had to purchase 2 tickets in order to get the 2 "free" game tickets - in other words, nothing is as the package was described to me. I'll never allow another Cardinal representative into my business again.

100% satisfaction guarantee means NOTHING ! What did my $39.99 give me?

(I posted this as a comment to someone else's Smart Circle complaint, but thought I'd start a new thread).

I just bought my Directv service through a Smart Circle rep (Drew) at Best Buy. I will start off by saying that Drew has been excellent throughout this whole ordeal. Now, I will warn people, that from the point of signing the contract in the Best Buy to the installation of the satellite, the Best Buy Smart Circle rep will be your middle-man point of contact with Directv for all issues. Need to change installation date/time? You must call the rep, who will then call installer scheduling (with Smart Circle), and then call you back. Want to make a slight change to programming before installation? Gotta call the rep. I tried calling Directv directly, but they did not have access to the installation schedule (the installers are contracted directly by Smart Circle) and if they changed my programming, the original contract for the Best Buy perks would then be null and void. This is the hassle factor you will have to deal with.

In my case, we signed up at the beginning of June. We went through weeks of installers cancelling and showing up at the wrong times. Each time, I had to call the Smart Circle rep at Best Buy (Drew), who would have to call someone else to sort things out. I also called once during this period to ask to add whole-home DVR to the installation. I don't fault Drew at all, but he initially didn't know anything about this service, and it took him a few days of back and forth phone calls to figure out they would have to send out a "special" installer, and thus another round of rescheduling. Drew was very apologetic and said he would get us extra Best Buy gift cards for all of the inconvenience.

Installation Day: The installer surveyed the roof and said there was only one place on the roof we could get a signal - right smack in the middle-front of the house, directly above the entrance. I asked him to please find another spot, but he said that was the only spot. Little did I know how large the HD slimline dishes are. He installed it while I was inside. Four hours later, after getting all of the inside equipment hooked up and working, he asked me to sign the work order saying work was complete. I wouldn't do it, as the on demand still wasn't working. He said he would have to run more cable for that, and that he was out of cable today (he may come back Monday). He went outside (I thought he was getting something), but next thing we knew he was driving off. My wife and I take a look at the satellite, and are mortified. I called Smart Circle immediately to voice my displeasure about the installation and the installer, and they pretty much ignored my complaint, and said that after installation it was out of their hands (even though they confirmed it was their contractor, not Directv's).

That night, we got 3 neighborhood complaints about the huge eyesore in the neighboorhood (we are in an HOA). Our next door neighbors are trying to sell their house, so you can imagine their reaction.

I called Smart Circle again two days later and asked them to send someone to either take down or find a better spot for our dish. They asked if I signed the work order, and I told them no. They told me they'd have a manager call me back within the hour. No call back. I tried calling them again with no success. I tried calling Directv, but they said I should be talking to Smart Circle, since it was them who did the install.

With the neighbors getting restless, about 6 days after the installation I called SatPro Atlanta to survey my roof. They found many other locations for the satellite! They couldn't believe the tech just installed it right by his ladder in front (probably just a lazy installer). They said it was one of the worst installations they had seen (as far as location goes). I had SatPro move the dish to the back of the house, out of site. Yes, there was the chance that Smart Circle may have eventually sent someone out to move my dish free of charge, but who knows if their tech would have given the same prognosis (or, worst case, they send the SAME tech out as before). I wasn't chancing it, and I didn't want to take any more time off of work.

It cost me $174 for the survey and moving the dish. Now I'm upset. I call Smart Circle a few more times. They say it is out of their hands and that I should call Directv. However, I know already where that gets me. And actually to their credit, Directv ended up giving me $10 off for 6 months on the premium stations to partially compensate me. But again, is takes only a small bite out of the $174, and this is Smart Circle's problem in my mind (though ultimately it is Directv's fault for contracting out to this crummy operation).

I had been calling Smart Circle without results. So now I've turned back to my Smart Circle Best Buy rep buddy, Drew. He has been nothing but helpful, but there is only so much he can do. He can't believe I've been treated the way I have, and he has filed a complaint on my behalf twice. I keep asking him, "What about the extra Best Buy gift cards you said you could get me"? He said it is up to the folks in the main office. I'm not very hopeful at this point.

Anyway, just wanted to tell my story so anyone considering this will know what to expect (and of course, your experience could go just as smoothly as justoneguy in the post above). I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, as it depends on your particular offer and how much hassle you are ready to deal with. The original offer gives me a $50 Best Buy gift card upon installation and another $300 gift card upon purchase of a TV. Was it worth it to me? No. Especially when you consider the TVs are a few hundred dollars cheaper at Brandsmart (here in Atlanta), thus offsetting the savings gained with the gift cards.

I will post again if Smart Circle actually respond to my complaint.

BBB Reliability Report for
Smart Circle International, LLC.

Smart Circle International, LLC. D 1
Rating Explanation

Company Rating D
Our opinion of what this rating means:
We have enough concerns about this company (for example, their offer, customer complaints, advertising, etc.) that we recommend caution in doing business with it.

I'm writing this as a warning to people like me who may have been wondering what exactly this company is about (since apparently they are new to my area). I can't say for sure if they are a scam or not, but I can tell you from firsthand experience that the company left me with a really creepy, bad feeling (especially once I read the complaints about Smart Circle.)

I saw the ad for a Sports/Entertainment marketing firm (Divine Edge, Inc.) on Craigslist.com. The ad seemed really spammy, scammy, and not all-together real, but when I saw it again on CareerBuilder.com and other job search sites, I figured it was legit. Let me just tell you people, go with your gut instinct. I'm sort of desperate for a job right now, so I figured, what the heck, I'll submit my resume and see what happens.
Well, a day later I got an email from the Human Resources person (who happens to be the sister of the office "manager" ) saying they are interested in interviewing me for the position. My first interview took all of 5-10 minutes, which was really quick I thought. "Tara" asked me a few basic questions about myself, my job goals, etc. and gave me a VERY brief description of the company. She said they market companies in ways that most companies don't think to use. She made it seem like having a billboard was a ridiculous idea. She also said that since they are a brand new office, they're looking to hire a lot of people and get people into higher management positions ASAP. She drew a nice little diagram that showed how I could move up to Assistant Manager within 6 months and onto Manager within 6-12 months. She told me to come back a week later for my second interview where I'd be spending the day with an Account Manager and they'd decide to hire me or not at the end of that day. At this point I still have no idea what this company does exactly, and there is nothing on the internet to help me out. Their website is very vague.
So a week later I show up to the office at 9:00 am and the receptionist has the same exact playlist of songs blaring from her laptop that she was playing at my first interview. I thought it was strange how not only were the EXACT SAME songs playing when I had come in the last time, but she was playing it a little too loud for an office environment. When certain calls would come in, I could not hear what she was saying over the phone, even though I was sitting about 3 feet away. However when she was talking to the UPS rep on the phone, I could clearly hear that. I'm 99% sure she was lowering her voice when talking to someone within the company.
About 10 minutes later, a group of about 15 people walk out of a door that led to who knows where and out of the office. My first thought was that even though this was a professional business, none of them gave off that professional vibe. A lot of them were very chipper too and greeted me and the other 2 interviewees waiting with odd enthusiasm. I'm connecting this with the brainwashing I've read about in other complaints. I've lived in the South for 5 years now, and I've never been greeted that much by a group of employees. Just really weird. So "Tara" pairs me up with "Joe", an account manager. "Joe" takes me and 2 guys (one who is still in training and the other is on his first day of work.) "Tom", who's on his first day, asks if he can drive his own car to where we're going, but "Joe" says no. I'm a little hesitant about getting in a car with 3 random dudes I don't know, but I went. No clue where we're going until "Joe" whips out his GPS and plugs in Dahlonega--which is about an hour away from the office. When I ask why we're going so far, "Joe" says he likes to take the harder territories because not a lot of people want them so that leaves more opportunity for him and his team. He keeps saying he wants to set "Tom" up for success (basically to make as much money as he can today.) So on the hour long ride, I bombard "Joe" with questions because I need to know what the hell this place does. I end up finding out that this company goes business to business selling discounted services for a low, low price. We were on a mission to sell the Atlanta Braves campaign. $40 for $300 worth of tickets. That seems fine and all but once we got to Dahlonega, "Joe" drops "Tom" off at some random Dairy Queen and tells him to start with that business and work his way throughout the little town. "Joe", "Bill" (the trainee), and I went to another area of town and literally walked to EVERY business in the area. We tried EVERY door even if the business looked closed. We parked in the parking lot of some random orthodontist and walked I'd say about a total of 3 miles in the area. Mind you, this was a 90 degree day, we're all in business professional attire, and I'm in 3 inch heels (no one told me what the hell they do so I'm expecting to just be in an office somewhere for an interview.) So we tried every business we saw...from a Papa Johns, a probation office, random medical plazas and all the offices inside, a hospital (which we got kicked out of), a Century 21 office...you name it, we stopped in. We did this from about 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. with a short lunch at McDonalds. I have nothing against McDonalds either, but I was thinking, if there's opportunity to make $300-$500 a day, why are we eating at McDonalds? And yes, "Joe" said that the minimum brand new employees usually make is $100/day but most everyone makes at least $300. They do this by getting $10 commission off every $40 package they sell. By the end of the day, we had sold 13. Made a whopping $130 that I think was to be split between "Joe" and the trainee. "Tom" sold 7.
We ended up back at the office around 5:45 p.m. On the way back to the office, "Joe" taught me the 5 steps to a pitch and 8 steps to success because I'd be quizzed on it when we got back. They were all amazed that I could remember 5 words after 10 minutes. I was confused why they were making it such a big deal...is this really a company I want to work for if it's an amazing feat to remember 5 words? So apparently "Joe" gave me a great review and "Tara" offered me the position. Thank goodness I wasn't able to start Monday morning because it gave me time to research the company. Divine Edge, Inc. isn't on the BBB or Complaints Board websites, but I remembered hearing the Smart Circle name (who I believe is the company that manufactures the discount cards we were selling). Lo and behold, Smart Circle had a ton of complaints. I want to get Divine Edge out on this website in case anyone in my area happens to get caught up like I did.

A few other creepy similarities between what happened with Divine Edge and what I've read on these complaints:
-the word "juice": the trainer kept saying this over and over. He's from Boston, so I thought it was a Boston thing...apparently not.
-ridiculously loud music for a professional office
-everyone seems brainwashed ("Joe" gave the SAME EXACT pitch to EVERY single person we approached. I was sick of hearing him reference me as his "ninja bodyguard" after about the 3rd time. Ended up hearing it about 103 times.)
-the "atmosphere" room
-when we got back to the office, "Tom" had to yell "hey guys!" to which everyone else would yell "hey what?" and then he'd ring a bell
-Also, the office was painted horribly...fire-engine red walls with black doors and black trim, generic sports posters on the wall that said like "Do your best!" Shouldn't they have had posters up of like the Atlanta Braves?...considering the Braves are their clients?

Again, I can't really say this company is a scam, but the similarities to other companies with different names is too creepy, and I wanted to speak up. I hope anyone out there who sees their employment advertisement does some research first. This company doesn't give you any details. Just have to experience it for yourself.