Vector marketing-- Big scam

These videos seem to sum up th 2 sides of the story about Vector.

www.indeed.com/forum/cmp/Vector-Marketing/05390c183c137e1b767b4101

Well first of all, if you are not dressed professionally then why would you think that ANY ONE is going to hire you. Second there is no door-to-door. And third, if you were paying attention in the ad, phone conversation, or interview you would know that to start most jobs you have to buy something... example, if you work at friendlys you have to buy your uniform and no-slip shoes, hollister, you have to buy hollister clothing etc... don't be mad because you probably didn't get hired!

Shan in Nashville, Tennessee said: This company calls you for an interview, and some people as soon as they walked back would walk right back out. Well come to find out he says that if he didn't like the way you looked when he first met you then he won't hire you. Then we find out that we are trying to sell knives and things. But of course he didn't mention the fact that we have to invest over a 100 bucks to start the job. We have to purchase the knives and then use that as our sells guide to show customers. This was the biggest scam I had ran across yet. Any business you have to invest money in to get hired, you should know it just ain't right!!!How do they expect you to purchase something like that and you are trying to get a job. Oh you don't want to talk about the door to door sales. Yeah you need to find your own people to sale to by the way. If this sounds like the job for you, then goodluck to you!!

Queen B in Cheshire, Connecticut said: Well first of all, if you are not dressed professionally then why would you think that ANY ONE is going to hire you. Second there is no door-to-door. And third, if you were paying attention in the ad, phone conversation, or interview you would know that to start most jobs you have to buy something... example, if you work at friendlys you have to buy your uniform and no-slip shoes, hollister, you have to buy hollister clothing etc... don't be mad because you probably didn't get hired!

so far, 0 out of the 2 jobs i've had required me to buy something.

BT in Las Vegas, Nevada said: This guy is full of crap... don't believe him. He obviously works for Vector Marketing and doesn't want the truth of his scam to be exposed. This is the way VM works---they are a select group of salespeople who lure in young kids looking for a job...and tell them that they have to buy a set of knives in order to get the job. Half the kids probably buy the knives and then can't sell anything, and quit after 2 weeks...which leaves the VM people with a profit. There are two types of employees at Vector Marketing: those who are ripping off the new employees, and the new employees who are being ripped off. Now the only way to be a part of the first group is to probably know someone in that group---but even then, would you really want to have such an crooked and unethical job, where you are ripping off young naive kids who are technically your own employees?? Shameful, evil.

well got the same letter in the mail and i went to the interview and i just purchesed the knives the other day but my dad was mad and said it was a scam, so i just simply returned the knives and got my money back. no harm no foul! what ever it was no big deal they tell you strait out and it was in writting that you have 15 days to return them.

Hey guys I actually got the job, went through two days of training and realized that this was complete B.S. Well, when i called them to tell them I was no longer interested, they sounded angry. I might be paranoid, but since they have all my information, could they somehow steal my identity?

Ryan in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania said: Hey guys I actually got the job, went through two days of training and realized that this was complete B.S. Well, when i called them to tell them I was no longer interested, they sounded angry. I might be paranoid, but since they have all my information, could they somehow steal my identity?

If they actually broke the law, they wouldn't be in business anymore. They're just Extremely selective in what they tell you, which is harder to prosecute.

just a tip... if you are going to post about Vector being a scam when thousands of college and highschool students have benefitted from the experience of it, then you might want to atleast use proper grammar and spelling. half of the sentences in 75% of the posts that i have read don't even come close to making sense in the english language. If you want to be a credible source, you might want to sound like one.

Zoheb Hassanali in Dallas, Texas said: Yea I posted on this site the day before Memorial Day. I was hired on the spot and went through the 3 days of training, I even got the sample kit. Their office had pop music, and the office was s***ty. We had 50 people there on the first day and all of us could not fit in their biggest room, then it went down to 30 and then 10 of us on the final day.
What makes me mad is that they tell you they have a low-key approach to customers and that they know the product is good. Yet in training, they tell you what to do and to say each and every time the customer says no. Stupid hypocrites. Anyway I quit yesterday, and I didnt make any sales. Best advice from me.... do your research and dont believe everything that you read about the company.

I a person considering this job is in college than they can probably do much better than fast food or retail if they put some effort into a good job/internship search. they could find a nice steady high paying job whiuch will look good on a resume. So what im saying is vector is not truly worth it to a college student, plus come on you've gone this far stop taking the fast food jobs from the people who need it. If you are a manger its understandable but if your still heating french fries and casheering than you NEED to get another job so that your resume doesn't look so s***ty.

Hey guys, I posted the other day saying that I just got this job.

Like Ryan, I quit this morning after the second day of training. The trainer was a cool guy and was really disappointed that I left since he was going to have myself and 3 others be the 'leaders' of the group.

I think that if you're REALLY hardworking and don't have any other commitments you can really move up in the company, but beyond that, it's a LOT of bulls*** (phonetime and travel time, unpaid) and I felt that the training seminar was more of an all-day sales pitch.

If I could sum up my experience in one sentence...Vector marketing is like any other marketing company, their system exploits most while those who excel can become really rich, but it takes a lot of dedication, and for lack of a better term, blindness, to not realize how much bulls*** it is.

Hi,I do not think you are justified by saying you are looking for job and you are asked to pay for sample kit. I do not think you understand the vector marketing's stand on asking payment for the sample kit.
Firstly they do not hire you to work as any other job where you go to your office or wherever to work,rather you are to look for your potential customers and this is why they ask you to list down tons of people you know and later their phone numbers.They then go ahead to show you what to do with those numbers.They show you how to build relationship with those people you know and kind of getting more closer, in so doing getting them to look at their cutco products.So here is when you get paid for showing them the products, and besides you get commission on each item sold.
I think its not bad idea at all to ask you for payment as a kind of deposit for the sample kit.
Now lets assume you get them fake details of yourself and go away with the kits how do you think they can they can retrieve their sample kit?
I went to the interview the first time but could not pay for the kit so I did not go to the training., however I later went to the training after I have gotten some money to pay for their sample kit. I know I can return the kit for my money but I have decided to keep it as my property.
My advice to all is that if you want to sell this cutco products be sure that you know more than hundred people who are will to allow you come to their homes to make those demos which you are paid for. Otherswise you will need big luck in order to earn enough money for your pockets.

i just quit Vector last week. I like many others went to the interview. Sat through the roughly 75 minutes of non stop talking. Yes it all seemed promising, but then the truth kicked in. Yes you make $ but you have to be good at it to make a decent pay check. You get paid per application. Guess what.Sometimes you can be sitting there for a while with no applications going through. was the case with me. There was dead time, down time and no pay. Then I was told i had to BUY the sets before they were sold. Ok. So say I make 16/hr (16.50 in some cases from what i understood from a friend who works there still). thats great. But thats like saying I have to do 10 hours of applications just to make even with the cost of the set. Not exactly how I invision making tons of cash. I love the people who say they work there yet they find time to use name calling on here. Obviously if they DID work there they wouldnt be doing this. As it is now boarderline illegal/unprofessional conduct to call potential customers/fellow co-workers names. So everyone who speaks negatively on here and claims to work for Vec. doesnt. And if they do their time is limited.

Word to the wise:

Dont work for this company. it is not worth the time/stress. Youll make just as much if not more working a normal non door to door sales job.

joe in La Fayette, New York-

If your going to criticize people for their "poor grammar" perhaps you should learn to structure your sentences properly. First off each sentence starts with a CAPITAL. Not a lowercase. Secondly this is about Vector not how well you know english. Some people are in the USA and are still learning the proper way to speak/write the language. Try to learn not to attack people based on how they write. It will get you a lot further in life. Does a man who is of hispanic heritage and nationality need to have proper english sentence structure immediately? No i believe they learn it as they go. I would ask you how old you were but it's not really a benefit to me or anyone else and not to mention you showed how immature you can be by attacking people for their ability or lack of ability to form sentences.

Grow up. n00b

Haha,

I get such a kick out of these posts. I posted earlier in the week, and yes I do work with Vector. I don't really give a s*** what people think about it, I just love all the drama that surrounds it. But to get a few of you off the fence...

Okay so I've worked selling Cutco for 10 days, and I've sold $4,500 worth of the stuff to mostly friends of the family. I've already made a pretty penny in commission and won an entire block of knives. Also, it is true that the job becomes a bit more difficult once you exhaust most of your friends and family. The leads and references become a little harder to follow, so for those of you who were discouraged right off the bat, it only gets harder. This simply means that the amount of effort in calling and scheduling appointments should increase. All I plan on doing from this point out is to sell some knives on the weekends when it's easiest and work a full time job during the week. Now that's a solid college student income. =)

As for the "scam" nonsense you people love to point fingers with, man f*ck that s***. The job's legit. Just because your office is dingey doesn't mean anything.
Get off your ass and sell.

I have had many firends that have worked for Vector, and they too say it is a horrible company. The claim that Cutco will not refund the sample kit you paid 150 for, simply claiming that the blades are "damaged". Also the representitves often times do not get paid for appointments in which they do not make a sale, as they are supposed to. Vector simply claims that they are in the process of verifying that the appointments were valid. This process for one of my friends took 7 months and he only got paid for about 33% of appointments made with vector saying the others were unqualified. This may just be certain branches though.

See i agree with steve in fort collins.
here;'s the thing. i apllied for the job falling for the enticing offer of a college scholarship. as a 17 year old kid, the company assumes that i am naive enough to fall for this marketing ploy. i intend to attend the interview....i have one of those personalities that how do you say... allows me to sell ice to penguins.
but theres the catch.
who says i want to be going door to door selling knives that will outlast their buyers? doesnt that seem frivolous?
plus the people that are going to buy them are most likely not going to live long enough to use the frickin knife. so they never see the outcome of their investment... i took the time to read all the comments on this forum... it made a lot of sense and the warnings are much appreciated. $15.50? you couldnt pay me enough to do this kind of work. especially not $15.50.
i agree with a lot of the negativity on here. im glad i did the research before getting hooked into it. thank you to shan and steve. you guys were posting the most educated comments on here.
lets just be glad this isnt some sort of conspiracy that will end up with the ones who criticize vector laying in a pool of blood somewhere.
hah
those knives are sharp enough. pfft.....
thanks again
oh! and ed?
get a real job

It's amazing how people do their "research" and don't actually try the job. It's amazing that "research" only consists of listening to those who weren't willing to do the work or just simply didn't have the people skills to do it. Our work program is actually used at schools like Purdue University, Illinois State, and North Carolina State as a college marketing class. Was that in your research? Something tells me that they wouldn't include us in their program if the company wasn't what it said it was. But I guess it's just like anything else in the world. A few people aren't doing well....and the info is distorted, and unfortunately, most people believe negative things instead of positive things.

I think you office might be similar like ours.I see each people getting interview and training.People keep coming in.If its all that bad I do not think people will be coming in.
I have not sold more than once.
Can you inform me how you able to sell so you can get $4500? I have made less than $40 in over 14days.

Hi,
I have been in the selling for over 14days and made only33.50 bucks.Thats because my demos were not all accepted as qualified or something else.I will inform you that if you will really get about 500 people who will allow you come to their houses to make the demos then you will get money.However if not then forget it.There is only one secret there.You must know a lot of people in other to sell or at least to make the demos to.
They pay for the demos you do.which they estimate it to be an hour per demo.So be sure to get about 500 telephone numbers and start calling some of day with the intention getting closer, so when you ask to them to let you in their houses they will not refuse you entry.
If you are through with it then you will certainly be through with payment.
At least out of this 500 people 200 to 300 may place order and here you are really rich.you get commission on items sold and your base of what ever is being paid to you.
I hope I have been of some help.
Good luck.
NB-You will also need to pay about 150 bucks once you are given the job.That money is worth paying because its a deposit.You can return the kits for you 150 bucks.

New Commer in Washington, District of Columbia said: Hi,
I have been in the selling for over 14days and made only33.50 bucks.Thats because my demos were not all accepted as qualified or something else.I will inform you that if you will really get about 500 people who will allow you come to their houses to make the demos then you will get money.However if not then forget it.There is only one secret there.You must know a lot of people in other to sell or at least to make the demos to.
They pay for the demos you do.which they estimate it to be an hour per demo.So be sure to get about 500 telephone numbers and start calling some of day with the intention getting closer, so when you ask to them to let you in their houses they will not refuse you entry.
If you are through with it then you will certainly be through with payment.
At least out of this 500 people 200 to 300 may place order and here you are really rich.you get commission on items sold and your base of what ever is being paid to you.
I hope I have been of some help.
Good luck.
NB-You will also need to pay about 150 bucks once you are given the job.That money is worth paying because its a deposit.You can return the kits for you 150 bucks.

Dude, I could not understand a SINGLE thing you just typed... You have the grammar of a Neandorthol. Go back to school.

taymar from cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio said: its funny how all these people claim vector is a scam but still don't have a job. just because you actually have to invest your time and do work and not sit on your ass and ride the clock all day does not mean its a bad job. you have to work to get paid. isnt that how its supposed to work? how can you complain about having a flexable schedule? for all you people that have an issue about the sample kit, ask your self how are you supposed to sell a product the customer cant see or use? dont people use their products in an infomercial? its basically the same thing but your live and in people homes that want to see the product and is expecting you to come. if you want to quit the position, you can return the kit and get your money back or keep the kit. its that simple. so basically what im trying to say is just becase your close minded and sat on your lazy ass and had a bad experience with the company doesnt make us a scam. we wouldnt be apart of the better business bueru if we was a scam. and people wonder why they dont have a job lol.

Wow you must be a very professional receptionist to have so many errors in your comment. You talk about lazy people, yet you didn't event take the time to use spell check. I must say that if you were representing my company, you would be fired. I would be appalled to have my "receptionist" speak to people in such a unprofessional manner.

I haven't read this entire thread, but I'd like to comment on what I've seen so far. I'll be as unbiased and logical as I possibly can.

Vector Marketing used to engage in some seedy business practices, such as very vague ads. The ads possibly were very vague as to whether or not it was a sales position. Sometimes they would print pay to look hourly. Now we have a policy of transparency in our ads, For example, the word "sales" must come before "service" in our ads. Pay must be stated per appt.

Each region of Vector is different. However, I can assure you that we do not lie at any point to our representatives. One main reason we run the 90 minute interview is to give a very thorough position description. Every single thing is explained to them in the interview. If they don't like it, they can leave. It's that simple. I don't think a gun was held to anyone's head here. At least I hope not.

I've seen several errs in logic so far. One big one was, "They recruit a lot so they must be a scam." We have a high turnover because sales is not for everyone, and many college students feel uncomfortable with our business. If it's a problem, then leave, but don't gripe about my business being a scam.

Many of our reps make well over $100k/yr selling Cutco. Many of our reps don't follow the program or don't see prospects and quit. I strongly encourage self-motivated young people to give it a shot. I had very poor communication skills before I started here a year ago. Now, I'm extremely happy with my personal growth and advancement.

I just started a 7 hiur training course the first one and we had no break, no food just a long trainging. We did howerver get to meet each other by walking around and asking questions, we also roled played we practice seeling to each other. We aslo cut carrots and grapes with some of the knives. That goes to show they do not put you out with out feild traing and coaching. We were never told about buying knoves yet anyway. The coach said he gets paid nothing for being their just how well he traines. The first interview, I did seem him cut some people before the training, so they do not hire everybody. If anyone has had the same experience or this sounds fimilar pls let me know my email is kgs8@students.uwf.edu. I am very new to Vector and nervous. Thanks

Kristi. I have to be honest. I hardly understood a damn thing you said. and yeah they hire pretty much everybody. If you don't see some people during the training then they might have just got a different training schedule to make it seem like ur special. but they take everybody cuz all they need is new people so they can expand the selling to more people. and the coach does get paid. and he gets like 2.5% of your sales. like a pyramid scheme.

Shan in Nashville, Tennessee said: This company calls you for an interview, and some people as soon as they walked back would walk right back out. Well come to find out he says that if he didn't like the way you looked when he first met you then he won't hire you. Then we find out that we are trying to sell knives and things. But of course he didn't mention the fact that we have to invest over a 100 bucks to start the job. We have to purchase the knives and then use that as our sells guide to show customers. This was the biggest scam I had ran across yet. Any business you have to invest money in to get hired, you should know it just ain't right!!!How do they expect you to purchase something like that and you are trying to get a job. Oh you don't want to talk about the door to door sales. Yeah you need to find your own people to sale to by the way. If this sounds like the job for you, then goodluck to you!!

First of all it is illegal to pre judge a person by their apperance so I seriously doubt that. Secondly selling knives isnt anything to be ashamed of, what do you do thats so awesome?? Third thing is when you do get out into the real world to work, jobs require that you make time and sometimes investments. If you were going to be a construction worker you would have to buy your own tools. If you were doing any kind of nursing or CNA you have to buy scrubs. Even people who work in restaurants or fast food joints have to buy their uniform. The big difference here is it is a security deposite you put down. when you return the knives you get ALL your money back. And finding people to see the product is not hard... it just takes a little effort, then again you sound like the type of person that is happy wearing their hair net flipping burgers for minimum wage :)

shan in Nolensville, Tennessee said: Yeah right you must be one of the people trying to hire folks to do this so called business. Isn't it funny how you are the only one that says something good about it. Makes people think. Read the other post. I am not the only one that knows about how this company is a HUGE SCAM!!!! Come on folks how real is it that you made 50k in one year. Like I said you are the one that's probably trying to hire people for this business wasting their time. Misleading them in the ads and everything else. Don't be pulled into the lies folks it's just not true and it just isn't going to work like that. I don't care where you live and who you know and what you do, the only ones that profit are the ones in the ownership of the business. Of course unless you invest in this scam and find some old couple that has nothing better to do with their money and falls for the tired sales pitch and pay for some knives that cost an arm and a leg. I don't even think it's too many of those people left. Just be prepared to go door to door knocking, begging and trying to sell. How about that!!!!!!

Hey buddy learn to say would you like fries with that? Just because you didnt care for what vector had to offer doesnt make it a scam... not to mention I work here and make good money. I dont do any hiring!! I am a med student with more credentials then you will probably ever have. So before you go spouting off and being disrespectful to someone about a job they like maybe you should step back and take a look in the mirror and see what you have to offer. I bet its not much! Not to mention Vector never did anything to you. You didnt give it a chance which is your perogative but you judged a book by its cover.... your not going to get far in life with such a negative attitude. You have just painted yourself in to a box of stupidity

kev said: The first time they called me the secretary said their openings were very limited. The secretary was a liar, and she told me she I had to go there that day for the interview.I told her I had school and then 3 weeks later as stupid as she is, she called me back and said we forgot to schedule you for an interview.If the openings were so limited why they post the ad up on job searches everyday?They also post up ads all over campuses.Anyway The way she responded to my questions on the phone proves that she has no customer service experience at all. I would have gotten better responces from outsourcing in Indian. Things started getting fishy, the way they describe things is exactly the way 2by2 and citigroup does. As you know 2by2 and citigroup are pyramid scams. They will entice with individuals that work for the company which made it big and is "rich". In vector like any other scams you have to pay first before you start getting paid yourself. If start telling you how big their businesses then the businesses wouldnt be asking you for money. What I feel bad about is this company is targetting High School students and seriously something must be done about it. I decided to ditch the interview because I probably would have punched the interviewer in the face and than throw the knives I purchased at the secretaries.

First of all it is not a pyrimid scheme. Second of all if the secertary were to schedule you for an interview 3 weeks from that day would you probably have gone??? No. People are natural procrastinators. Third the receptionist only knows interviews up to 3 days in advanced thats why she said limited. she only knows the times she is given. They dont really want your money... they give you $517 worth of knives. If one decided sales is not for them then the company is out $517. When you put down a SECURITY DEPOSITE (just like if you were to rent an apartment) it makes sure they get their knives back and u get your $ back.

kev said: Whats also sad is that they are destroying the future of high school students. I actually teach tennis to seniors for high school and I know many teenagers that would just fall for this. Like any other pyramid scam, students always end up starting college late or not attending at all. So please high school students if you really want to work for free you can clean my house, atleast I can offer you milk and cookies.[/QUO

Wait a second... those poor inocent high school grads... they are so nieve...Vector takes away their self confidence... NO THATS WHAT YOU AND A COUPLE OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING!!!! You dont know what your talking about and you are acting like Vector is belittling these young adults. thats hippocritical on your part. Again another person who only see and hear what they want to. You have never even worked for them so how would you know? you must not make very much money not being able to pay these kids to clean ur house :(At least I would pay these poor sorry kids to clean my house because i am not a scam and neither is the company I have PROUDLY worked for for 3 years :)

Mr. Elusive in Toronto, Ontario said: Liar... you probably work for vector. Provide proof.

Nobody has to prove anything to you....your nobody!

Joey in Camarillo, California said: joe in La Fayette, New York-]
Some people are in the USA and are still learning the proper way to speak/write the language.

Could you please not generalize people by where they live?

I was excited when the secretary told me that I had an interview tomorrow for Vector Marketing. It would be a great increase from my old $6.55/h job, right? When I asked the secretary what the job was like, she was very evasive and vague. This didn't bother me too much so I made the 45 minute drive to their less-then-professional office where there was no secretary present, loud rap blasting in the background and a bunch of kids sitting around in ties and nice clothes filing out as application. The place seemed kind of corny and shabby but I thought nothing of it at the time.
The 2 hour long session basically tried to sell the company to us young adults. I was dismayed to find you only get paid $15 per appointment, not per hour, but not completely discouraged.
After the entire session was over I got a call from the manager reminding me that only 20% of the people would make it and that I was one of them.
One I had finally made it home, I told my friend that I had gotten a new job that paid pretty well. He asked for the name of the place and I gave it to him. After a bit, he replied saying that one of our friend's older brother had worked there and it was a scam. At first I didn't believe him (I thought he was pulling my leg), but then I did a quick Google search. After scrolling past the few Vector websites, I found quite a few sites that claimed Vector was a scam.
I went over everything and came to this conclusion:
Vector is not a scam necessarily. That being said, it's not for me. Some things that didn't appeal to me were 1.) no paid training, 2.) only paid for an appointments (what about the time it takes to get there? gas?), 3.) you have to find your own appointments through referrals (pyramid scheme?), 4.) large up-front fee (refundable?), 5.) not paid for team meetings and 6.) the organization of it all.
It sounds to me like they're trying to milk as much work out of you as possible without paying as much as possible. If this sounds like fun, go for it.

Hmm... didn't know the forum appended your ISP's location to your name, too bad I don't live close to Lindstrom.
And sorry if my sentences didn't all make sense, my keyboard is a little messed up (skipping keys and all).

So all you people that say it is a scam are just bad sales reps, find a different job and quit bashing mine. just because i spent 141 on the kit doesnt mean im getting scamed. most jobs you need uniforms right huh that cost money does that mean you got scammed. if your a good sales man and you do the things vector teaches you then you,ll be sucessful. so get a life and learn the facts before you talk s***

You don't have to be a bad sales rep to find this job a net loss.
You aren't paid for meetings (which is absurd, even McDonald's pays for that because you are on company time), and if you have a gas-hog vehicle (which I do and I live in the middle of nowhere) you won't be making very much per each appointment.
Oh, and a $10 uniform for an hourly secured job is nothing close to a $141 deposit on an iffy job (besides, the kit is a small portion of the "scam").
So Ben, please get a life and learn the facts before you talk s***. Vector is not a "scam," but they sure as hell are screwing its employees out of a lot of money that other companies would pay you for. Your probably just being way too defensive. Have you ever had a job before Vector? If not, then you have no basis to say whether Vector is screwing you or not if your only experience is with Vector.
I'll agree that Vector could be very rewarding for a few individuals who are in the perfect conditions, but with so much of their time you have to be on unpaid, it certainly doesn't work for me.

OMG!! I just finished my training and I am DEFINATELY about to quit this job. First of all, when you get there they tell you that there are two parts to the interview and if they like you during the first part they will ask you to stay for the second part. There were about 15 people at my interview....including my boyfriend and we ALL were asked to stay for the second part which is a group interview that last about 2 hours. During the interview they DO NOT tell you that you will be selling door to door, and they DO NOT tell you that you will have to be paying about $150 just to get started, they keep stressing this "wonderful" $18 base pay. Then after that the manager calls you in one by one and tells you if you're hired and stresses the fact NOT to talk to any other applicants on the way out. My boyfriend and I both got the job and decided to cheat and ask some of the other people if they got hired.....they ALL got hired. But, much to my suprise only four people from my interview were in my training class. the manager LIED and told us not everyone was going to be hired and instead just put us in training on different days. Did he not think we were going to talk to each other?? Then you go to training for three days.....which you are NOT paid for, and these training sessions are 5 hours long each!! They make you sit there in these hard metal chairs, for 5 hours, with no lunch break. They tell you to do these assignments like writing LONG lists of people you know. Don't get me wrong, the assignments they make you do are valid and do make sense, and will actually help you sell more and more, but I've spoken to some former reps and a lot lot of them DID NOT get their money. Now, the first two days of training they avoid telling you prices and they don't mention the fact that you have to pay $150 until the DAY BEFORE they want you to bring it in....they even go so far as to say "borrow the money from your friends if you can't afford it". DONT WORK @ VECTOR!!

o yea....if you ever went to a Vector interview or training seminar and were bombarded with words like "rock" and "awesome" you are probably going to be a victim. It is true that the knives are nice, I may actually keep the kit when I quit. O yea, and Ben....you need to think twice about your job with Vector. Its cool that your making a lot of money but do you realize you're an "independant contractor" and NO taxes are being taken out of your check. This means you are going to owe the government money in back taxes, one kid brought this up during training and the manager got FURIOUS and eventually brushed him off. So I'm not trying to bash your "wonderful" job or anything, just giving you somthing to think about. And to everyone else....DO NOT listen to those post from people who still work for the company.....they wouldn't be "awesome" or "rock" at their job if they didn't post positive things about the company. If anyone out there still wants to work for Vector good luck, just be careful.

Oh man...I was interviewed/hired for Vector and training starts on thursday for me, I was psyched until I got online tonight and read all this...I don't know what to do anymore. I really need a job, and I've been looking for a job for a year and this is the first one that's hired me (the reason I was so excited) but now I'm anxious. And a lot of these things are true, I got a letter in the mail (I just graduated high school a few weeks ago), I called the lady and she said the same thing (limited positions, no door-to-door, etc) and I wanted to go the next day but she insisted I go that day for the interview and wear formal clothes, so I did. I walked in and there were around 10 other people, there was music playing, there was stuff all over the walls, and I was interviewed, hired, and told to come back for training. They said no questions til the end, they told us that they offer scholarships, that it's great on resumes/applications and that Vector workers applications are favored for jobs after college. Some fishy things that they didn't tell us about paying for our own kit, the manager told us that he was interviewing all of us to see who would stick around for the 2nd part of the intweview, and we all did, this one girl came so informally dressed, yet she also stuck around for the second part.

but after researching Vector for more than 2 hours online, it seems that it would be a good job for the right person, but it would also be hard, competitive, there's also a chance you'd lose some money and you'd have to do anything you can to get to the top, which isn't illegal but it seems kind of morally wrong. I'm a pretty good salesman, and I'm thinking of majoring in Marketing, but I don't like to lie or push people into buying something that I know they can't afford. But there are so many mixed comment on Vector. I have 3 days before training, I'm going to talk to some people/college counselors I know and ask deep questions if I decide to go to training.

you dont know what your talking about in Browder, Kentucky said: First of all it is not a pyrimid scheme. Second of all if the secertary were to schedule you for an interview 3 weeks from that day would you probably have gone??? No. People are natural procrastinators. Third the receptionist only knows interviews up to 3 days in advanced thats why she said limited. she only knows the times she is given. They dont really want your money... they give you $517 worth of knives. If one decided sales is not for them then the company is out $517. When you put down a SECURITY DEPOSITE (just like if you were to rent an apartment) it makes sure they get their knives back and u get your $ back.

Actualy schecduling the interview for the very same day and usually within a few hours is a terrible idea because it shows a blatant disregard of potential employees' personal time, and more often than not it proves to be inconvenient. I much prefer to have several days notice, at least 24 hours, so I can plan around it.

Please refrain from personal attacks on the forums
Thanks!

I went for a job some years ago when I was looking for summer work. All I have to say it was weird. The place I went to was behind another building and had no distinguishing features. I would say they had about 10 people in there waiting to be interviewed. It seemed almost fixed because they kind of separated the people. When I walked in for the interview the guy was creepy. He wasn't reading from a script but it seemed he had memorized what he was saying. What I mean by that is the cadence of his voice has almost robotic. It seemed like he was in a trance. I think he offered me the job on the spot. I said I needed to think about it. He called back and I declined. I don't want to sound like I'm putting down Vector but the experience was freaky.

I'm a receptionist for Vector in Omaha and I've discussed with the other receptionists that the position DEFINITELY isn't for everyone. You're not paying the co. to work there, as others have commented, it's a safety deposit so you don't rip off the knives, which DO work insanely well.

And you don't work only on commission - our office offers a $15 base pay - if you get an appointment, then you get $15. Yeah, it's HARD work b/c you have to be a good sales representative, which includes being personable and well-expressed; most people aren't this way and they are SO quick to become bitter and angry. I deal with hundreds of applicants on a day-to-day basis and SO many immature, unprofessional people come through the office and leave shouting.

I understand why someone wouldn't want to be a rep - shoot, I don't even want to be!, but just b/c you'd be no good as selling like me, doesn't mean you have to be so bitter about it.

If you want to report Vector to some sort of bureau, your attempts will most likely be unsuccessful - there really is nothing to pin the company on. The interview process is unconventional - so what? The training isn't brainwashing, as some have said, they get the new reps pumped up for their appointments b/c they're nervous a/b direct sales.

Anyway, I understand why people would be upset, but I also think that those people are not made to work in DIRECT sales and I think if they were more open-minded, they wouldn't feel so jaded.

I'd love to answer any questions, if you have them!

Jon in Mobile, Alabama said: I went for a job some years ago when I was looking for summer work. All I have to say it was weird. The place I went to was behind another building and had no distinguishing features. I would say they had about 10 people in there waiting to be interviewed. It seemed almost fixed because they kind of separated the people. When I walked in for the interview the guy was creepy. He wasn't reading from a script but it seemed he had memorized what he was saying. What I mean by that is the cadence of his voice has almost robotic. It seemed like he was in a trance. I think he offered me the job on the spot. I said I needed to think about it. He called back and I declined. I don't want to sound like I'm putting down Vector but the experience was freaky.

Jon,
Chances are, the manager who interviewed you DID actually have the stuff memorized. Vector managers go through so many interviews and repeat the same information regarding the company, the product, and the office that it often sounds like a recording after a while.

While you were waiting for the 2nd part of the interview to begin you were spaced from other applicants purely for the sake of comfort - everyone has a personal bubble! The people who seat you space you out to give you a better sense of being an individual, as opposed to part of a group.

If you're not going to work with Vector or you skip your interview, it's important to call the office and just TELL THEM. THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED. The receptionists are required to continue leaving messages or calling until you either reschedule an interview or simply tell them that you're not interested. It's a pain in the rear for them to keep calling and a pain for you to keep hearing from them. Keep in mind that the receptionists and managers are people, too - they don't want to keep contacting you if nothing's going to come from it.

Eric in Everett, Washington said: Kristi. I have to be honest. I hardly understood a damn thing you said. and yeah they hire pretty much everybody. If you don't see some people during the training then they might have just got a different training schedule to make it seem like ur special. but they take everybody cuz all they need is new people so they can expand the selling to more people. and the coach does get paid. and he gets like 2.5% of your sales. like a pyramid scheme.

Eric -
Vector does not hire everyone who interviews. I'm not sure from whom or where you received such information, but as a receptionist, I see several people both invited to work with our office as well as several turned away.
It's not a pyramid scheme, it's network marketing. Pyramid schemes are illegal and Vector is part of the Better Business Bureau, which not not allow for illicit marketing.

I agree they dont hire everyone. I remember because there was a cute girl interviewing the same day as me and I didnt see her later in the day. I think that if you know alot of people, you will be very succesful. My problem was that most of the people I know are not married, 30-60 years old, or living in a house, which is what Vector targets.

Hey, the reason u probably didn't see the girl that got interviewed the same day as you is because she probably had training on another day. When I went to my interview there were 3 girls that told me they got the job but i never saw them....i later found out they were in another training class.....thats the reason they tell u not to talk 2 the other applicants on your way out. SHADY SHADY SHADY SCAM SCAM SCAM!!

Miranda in Marlboro, New York said: I agree....I too fell for this stupis scam. Except i didnt pay for the knives. Because by the time they said that we had to pay for them, i never came back.

I almost fell for that, as a matter of fact, I went to an interview today, and they told me all about how the employees were all around my age, and it was a laid back, relaxed, atmosphere. Come to find out, I get home, and look this up, thanks to people like you, I won't be buying that sample set. To think that people could actually do that way??!? It's insane. They told me about how much money I would make, a base pay of 15/hour, and that it would be great if I was going to school, because it would give me the opportunity to choose a schedule and all that mess. Thanks, because I almost did the same thing.

Hey, does anyone know where I can find a copy of a manager training manuals? I am taking these jerks to court and I want my money. I already have my own training manuals but I wanna expose these crooked con artists and their crooked tactics with the proper eveidence.

Well after talking to my parents and some of my older friends, I decided to pass. This sounds too shady and honestly a lot of it is just weird, like some kind of twilight zone episode but anyway, I'm sure it can be a great job for the right person but I don't want to manipulate any one in any way and I don't like the idea of doing anything/stepping on anyone to get to the top, I like doing things the honest way.

Boy, sure am glad I found this site! I had an appt. scheduled for this afternoon but will be cancelling. I don't know if this truly is an outright scam, but it is questionable at best. Definitely not what I want.

I have been working for Vector Marketing for a little over 7 days now (counting training). I live in northern Florida and have had ill feelings about this company. I, being a relatively smart human, am doing my research. I am new to this forum and would like to state a preliminary disclaimer: I do not support the allegation that Vector is a scam, nor do I defend the position that it is not. I am here to learn what others are saying and give my true, unbiased opinion (and be one of the few to use proper grammar and spelling) based on what I have seen.
First of all, Vector is not a “Pyramid scheme”. Many of the opponents to this company use this term, probably without knowing what it actually means. Vector uses a multi-level marketing tactic. A local manager hires salespeople and receives commission based on their sales. You will notice that all the managers are extremely pushy to help you to sell. A pyramid scheme is illegal and according to the Better Business Bureau, Vector, Alcas, and Cutco are all in perfect alignment with United States and Canadian marketing laws. It is not uncommon for a sales representative to make a deposit on show items. It is common sense people. However, this is a relatively expensive deposit for people scrounging for money at the end of high school and in college. The deposit is fully refundable or the sample kit may be sold based on the rep’s discretion. It is a mass employment type deal and as long as you aren’t Egor or dressed like a concubine you will probably be hired. Cont.

As with anything based on commission (or mechanical physics) your input equals your output. Though, also like mechanical physics, we find that most machines are very inefficient and your investment return may be slightly lower than you might hope. They do also offer a base pay per appointment so you are not required to sell. There are many people who do well in this company from what I have heard and read (none of which do I ever put much stock in) but all of that depends on what you put into the job you are working. Appointments are based on referral. You start with people you know and work outwards from there. You must have permission to call a potential appointment and they must be expecting your call. It is direct marketing, which is good experience for anyone whether the company is corrupt or not. You build confidence and speaking ability. When I started 7 days ago I hated the idea, but after several appointments I feel much more comfortable with the prospect of entering a home to sell an expensive item. CUTCO is expensive, there is no doubt. But it is fine cutlery and their price is sound. CUTCO is a great product and I know many people who swear by it. The guarantee, the construction, and the aesthetics are all very appealing. To the right person the product will sell itself. It does take a bit of a risk to do this job I have found, but as with any entrepreneurship, you must take high risk to have high rate of return. The program is endorsed by a few colleges one of which being Boston University and I have also found it sound. The training is brainwashing to an extent but none of it is a lie. To sell a luxury product, the salesman must be confident in the luxury it will bring to the consumer. I agree it is shady and perhaps an unstable and unpredictable income. I personally intend to stick with it for a while to be sure. If my gas, time, and resource consumption do not equal a considerable profit I intend to quit and sell my parents the s