Complaint Review: Primerica - Columbus Ohio

I cannot thank Fred enough for posting this. Let me start by saying my background is Human Resources. What kind of idiot tries to scam an HR person? OK - story time. I too had red flags. My initial gut feeling was the fact that they were seeing how far they could make a candidate stretch. I was asked to interview tomorrow at 11 - "Can't," I replied, "I'll be out of town." This guy Josh Jackson has the audacity to tell me to cancel my plans. Of course, I reply - "No. It's a family trip and I won't be cancelling it. If they want to interview me, it will be after Monday." He comes back with Tuesday evening at 7pm so I agree. Well, as I thought about it last night, that began to really concern me. I have no business at all meeting with a stranger in an 8 story building at 7pm. Right? Well, so I call him back today and find out there will be others there. But still, I say, no dice to 7pm. He figures out he can meet up with me tomorrow morning before I leave, and to make it easier, since he lives in my general area, he can even meet me at Starbucks at 8:45. Hope he enjoys his coffee because I sure won't be there. In addition to the pit bull approach to getting me to interview, there was the evasiveness. I flat asked him, what is the title of the position I will be applying for? He never told me. He said, "Everyone here does basically the same job." Emmmm, oooooook - NOT. So when I spoke to him today, I asked if it was a call-center. He said that it wasn't but still made no offer to fill me in with more detail and assured me he'd tell me all about it when we met. Again, I sure hope he enjoys his Starbucks. Thank you Fred. I knew there was a reason my gut insisted I look this company up. Anything I can do to help get folks to RUN AWAY from this, I'll be happy to do.

First off... Way to go Fred!!!! I know this happended to you a few years ago but the strategy for Primerica has not changed one bit!!! Everything you have said about going into the "so-called" interview was TRUE!!! I live in Columbus, OH and I just went through the same exact experience this afternoon (Aug 5 2004) thinking this was going to be a job interview for an IT position. The individual even stressed that this position can grow into a possible managerial role. A phrase that caught my excitement for a great opportunity and great chance for work experience. Yesterday I got a phone call and was told to come to 6200 Busch Blvd at 12PM. My contact would not go into details about the position but told me I would be informed about the position more in detail when I saw him. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Well, earlier this morning before the interview, I tried to do some research on the company to prepare myself. I ended up mispelling the name and missing out on Fred's great insight. I spelled Primerica... "Prime America" not knowing. Walking into the interview turned out to be a recruiting event. They bombard you at the door and then ask you to sit down in a room filled with posters of what a meeting room in a "financial services" company should look like (flow charts, pie graphs, etc). A big joke if you ask me. By this time I looked like a deer caught in headlights but I continued to analyze the situation because too many red flags seemed to be popping up all over the place and I had no clue what I got myself into. All I could think about was a similar "pyramid" scheme I knew about a few years back. REALLY think about what they are saying! Look at what they are showing you. Ask ALOT of questions because I got the exact same vibe Fred had about how this business is run when I walked into that place. Even though they had a VERY PERSUASIVE presentation, I noted a number of red flags within the following: - My distrust for my contact. How my contact continued to ignore or sidestep any of my questions that I asked him about the company or what the product they were trying to sell, how they used their product, or even how people get paid in their company (commission along with managerial fees). For somebody who worked there for 12 years, he really didn't seem to know alot about his company nor what I was asking him in regards to how privacy is handled for financial institutions. What kind of company would pay somebody like this? - Sorry to say this but the demographic of people sitting with me at the event. Out of the 20 people or so, maybe only 2 had a financial background that made the rest of the group aware but they didn't seem to raise any concerns. Why would a company like this hire a bunch of people inexperienced in this area? What's the benefit to both parties? Why are they trying to hire people from a different gamut of backgrounds? How do these people get paid? These questions just kept popping into my head. How do you finance someone and what do you use? Do you have any software or tools for determing a financial analysis? My contact couldn't even answer these questions. He does recruiting during the day and training at night. So what type of training does he do? Basically he just regurgitated back to me what his wife told the group in the "PERSUASIVE" presentation. She kept telling us to keep an open mind about this resource. And in my mind, I gave it a chance but how am I suppose to trust a bunch of strangers that don't clearly explain what their product is. Sure I'll keep an open mind but its kind of difficult to do that. In the end, I flat out asked my contact how he got a hold of me because a few people in that meeting room started to wonder the same thing. The answer they all came up with was ColumbusJobs.com. The answer he gave me... ColumbusJobs.com. I know my resume was never posted out there but I am still wondering how he would have obtained this information about me. I have applied for a few companies through this web site and the only thing I can think of is that they could have possibly created a false identity/company front to lure people like myself into their office. I would love to hear other people's comments about how they were contacted by this specific office. How did they hear about you?

I was just contacted at the end of last week by this company asking me to set up an interview with them.Apparently my information came across thier desk as "someone that they would be interested in for employment" My first thought was how in the world did my info come across their desk when I have been a stay at home mom for 7 years and have not filled out an application or sent any resumes in that time?? I previously worked for Citicorp and actually knew that Primerica was a sister company to them so thought maybe there was a connection there?? Anyway, I called back just out of curiosity and found that the person I was speaking to was very evasive about any specific ?'s I asked .He also made it very clear that if I were to attend the "career night" that it was important for me to bring 6 local references.Odd?? Sure..but I still was considering it a bit since I have been thinking about going back to work part time and the recruiter/employee told me they had part time positions. All I can say is I'm glad I am a proactive person and decided to check this out online ahead of time.I would have been irked if I had wasted my time to find out all of this on my own.Thanks for posting your stories so that you could atleast save the rest of us from making the same mistakes.Good luck to anyone that does get invovled with this companies recruiting tactics and to the "recruiters" I hope you can sleep at night!!!

Carl, "Fellon" is spelled FELON. ONE L. And to my fellow professionals looking for ACTUAL JOBS, I cite this as yet another RED FLAG---eg, a PROFESSIONAL should not suffer an IDIOT who cannot even SPELL his POINTS correctly. HUGE red flag!

I agree that Primerica seems to be a scam. I mean sure it looks too good to be true, take me for instance. I've just recently posted a resume on monster.ca that stated that I was looking for part time employment seeing as I'm only 20 and still in school.I have no priar training and out of the blue, here's this email. I called Wally Chow and he gave me practily the same spiel about helping families and preparing people for retirement. Sounds great! Wow, if you are willing to put your life insurance, retirement and cretit status in the hands of a kid, (sounds harsh but I can take it) then you've got to be the biggest fool out there. It goes to show people, if it looks like a duck, talks like a duck and walks like a duck, IT'S A DUCK! SCAM! SCAM! SCAM! RUN AWAY!

I would just like to add that a company can not charge you for prelicensing classes, nor background check. That is entirely up to you once you have found a licensing school. Yes, a company can make you pay for it out of your own pocket, but is not allowed to collect those premiums from you. It is not a government fee. There is no such thing as a government fee to be pre-licensed in the state of Ohio. You just simply go to pre-licensing school (of 40 hours), and take a test after you have completed the pre-licensing school. In which the test is only $67! And is through the state of Ohio. I fully believe that this is a scam and should be stopped! FYI: I am currently licensed and have done this within 6 months, so therefore I do know how the procedures go.

Fred I would like to say that I congratulate you. I did not personally deal with mike...but an office in columbus, ohio that had branched off of Mike's. I have had similar experiences with both offices , however. So .. let me just say again...WAY TO GO :)

I too was approached by a man from Primerica with a "job opportunity". He said two different versions of how he "acquired" my information. First he said that someone referred me to Primerica then next he said that my resume was online. Of which the later couldn't have been true as I have been self-employed for over a year and a half now. He then proceeded to tell me that I would be an excellent candidate to work at their company and could I come in for an interview. I told him that I own my business and was not looking for a job -- I have a career. He then asked me what it was that I did and when I began telling him, he said that he and his boss would like to meet me and find out more. He said that what I could do is come and hear what Primerica was about and then I could get up and tell them what I was involved. (Which sounded like a networking meeting) So I agreed. But as the days went on, I felt very uneasy about going. So I called him back and asked him again how he "acquired" my information. After telling me another version of how he "acquired" my information -- I told him I wasn't coming. I'm glad that I read here what kind of experience I would have walked into because I would have been very upset at being mislead into coming. That is not the way you recruit IBOs. You let people know upfront that what they are getting involved in, ie. a business opportunity or a job position.

This is quite interesting to have found these comments today. I have a relative that just posted his resume last week. It is also in IT. He sent me an e-mail today stating that he has an interview tomorrow with Primerica. He said he doesn't know why they called him because his resume is posted in IT, not finances. While Primerica may possibly function in a perfectly legal manner once the employee is established, IMO it is painfully obvious that they are deceptive in their recruitment. Diana p.s. Sorry, Michael; I never interviewed, so you cannot add my last name, as you did with the others.........

Well it appears Primerica got another $199. Despite being told I would be eligible for a full refund if I decided not to join. To bad Mike lied over and over in his rebuttal. But that?s to be expected from someone trying to cover their tail. I shall paraphrase Mike?s falsehoods. . We also do not ask for you to reference a friend you know. >>Lie number one, it asks for a friend or family members name and phone number at the bottom of the card, you may not call it a reference but that?s exactly what it is. The card states, and I quote,"Please contact__________ (phone)____________. They would want to hear about Primerica Financial Services." You do not have to include anybody on this card, now or ever. If you are interested in seeing this blue card, I can show it to you. I can even show the one that Mr. Fred Lust filled out. >>That would be great and you would notice the contact "ie reference" are not filled in. We do offer a scholarship to reimburse the $199. Also, the $199 pays for background checks, as well as the state required pre-licensing school. It would make absolutely no business sense for me to pay for your schooling to have you quit and produce nothing to offset the cost. It is your license, which means if I pay, you get licensed, you switch to work for another financial services company, I lose $199. That would be insane. >>That?s to bad, American Express pays for their employees training and even covers the cost of their licensing. But afterall what could a company that?s been in business for over 125 years know compared to a puppet company that?s been bought and traded since the mid 70?s All of the Primerica representatives that are interviewing in my office are licensed for insurance with the State of Ohio, and are appointed for mortgages in Ohio. >>That?s nice, but wouldn?t you rather have a Human resources department do the recruiting, so your Primerica reps can go out and work, making use of all that valuable licensing that you are "paying" for via tuition. Or is it because both you and your employees realize that the warm leads they can get off of potential employees are way more valuable than the real presentations they do? The $199 is not a fee to work here, but is for pre-licensing classes and background checks. Real estate brokers and agents, CPA's, lawyers, medical doctors, and insurance agents and brokers all must obtain licensing for their professions. In almost all cases, they are required to already have the license, or to pay for it themselves. >>I was told I could get this initial fee back If I decided that the job was not for me before I took any classes. I have not taken any classes. Yet I was charged $199. How can you justify the charge when your Wife even told me I could get the whole $199 back if I decided the job was not for me. I think you need to talk to your wife, otherwise you have a case of libel within your office. Our map in the office spans an eight county area surrounding Columbus, in which there are already 17 offices. The target is a total of 30. >>Its to bad I do not have that map in front of me, for sure your office was the only red office on the map, and I am pretty sure the other colors all represented "future expansion" or "target offices" Our policy is to leave a person alone to fill out the IBA, so that you have time to read over the papers that you are filling out without any pressure or coaching from the representatives. Mr. Lust had every opportunity to read the IBA he was filling out. >>Another lie by your company, your wife sat across form me the whole time and watched me fill it in and kept reminding me to only worry about the highlighted fields, in other words she encouraged me to ignore the rest of the doucument. Next, he was not interviewed in my office, he was in my wife's. The pictures he saw were from a company incentive trip that took place in February of 2002 to Maui. Margaret and I were married at that time (February 23rd). There is only one of those pictures in my personal office. I cannot attest to what other states still require in addition to the $199, but in Ohio, Primerica takes care of the other processing fees that are involved. Had Mr. Lust let me know of his concern for this, I would have been more than happy to have told him this fact. >>I asked your wife at the time of the Interview about the fee and she assured me that I could have a refund up until the point I took the first class to gain licensing via Primerica. Why would I have to ask you, if you wife provided the answer and never mentioned "I will have to ask mike about that," or "I am not sure". Now, to later find out I should have asked you and told your wife that she has no idea what she is talking about? Even though she represents your company? What would you have said differently? Mr. Lust refers to us hiding his original IBA. The originals are not kept in our office. They are sent immediately to the state regional processing center. All we keep in the office are copies of the originals. Because of the fact that these papers contain confidential information about our associates and our clients, only I have access to those files. We do not tolerate anybody riffling through them at their leisure! If Mr. Lust was in our office at 11:00 am, he would not have seen a seminar being conducted as we do not do them at 11:00am. My wife and I do go to lunch together, which is one reason we enjoy this career choice. It is very probable that we were out to lunch, as there is another RVP that shares this office, and we each do seminars and corporate overviews. I do not do them all. My associates are allowed to use my wife's office if she is not there to get paperwork done. If they were doing a "working lunch" in her office, I have no problem with that. >>So your wife lied to me again, she said I had up until the time I took the first class to get a refund, when in fact she knew the whole time it was less than 24 hours. You need to communicate these things to your wife, and what not a better time than over you special lunches. The scholarship reimburses the $199 in full, however, if you quit, the contract signed by Mr. Lust clearly states that $40 is a non-refundable processing fee. The $159, that would have been used toward pre-licensing classes, is refunded. >>Once again your wife assured me that this $40 could also be refunded if I changed my mind within the "first few days" I was lied to again, it was less than 24 hours and not "days" When Mr. Lust was in my office he stated that he had never worked for a company that had required his social security number on on application before ours. >>incorrect, I stated I had never had to provide a Social security number for a resignation, not to mention a FORCED resignation. Most employers not only require it on their applications, but also require a copy of your actual social security card and your drivers license. Because the refund is not handled in the local offices, it is done at the state regional processing center, the applicants social security nuber is the only way to make sure the proper person is refunded. >>Or in other words the copy of my application still in your office was not good enough, so you needed the social security number again. I really think you need a Human resources dept rather than what turns out to be a room full of Primerica reps that have no real power in your establishment. Did you call the Better Business Bureau before filling out the IBA? >>I called them after the fact, and they had mostly negative things to say, especially about people being lied to about the $199 fee Yes, I did mispell the word license. However, I counted 15 grammarical errors in an e-mail typed by someone who is supposed to be an Information Technology Specialist. >>Wonderful for them, glad I was not that individual and glad I am not you. I am not sure where Mr. Lust did his research, all I can say is that you can take his approach to career seeking, which has landed him, by his own admission, absolutely nothing in the last 3 months, or somebody who has been with the company for 3.5 years, loves what they do, makes about $100,000 a year, gets the opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives, and gets to set their own work schedule. Only you can decide. >>I was not working for an employer during those 3 months. I worked on my own. I decided to seek additional income by working for a company. I am glad to know you made about $100,000 last year and to do so only had to use the tool of deceit. STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, its paid for!

Well it appears Primerica got another $199. Despite being told I would be eligible for a full refund if I decided not to join. To bad Mike lied over and over in his rebuttal. But that?s to be expected from someone trying to cover their tail. I shall paraphrase Mike?s falsehoods. . We also do not ask for you to reference a friend you know. >>Lie number one, it asks for a friend or family members name and phone number at the bottom of the card, you may not call it a reference but that?s exactly what it is. The card states, and I quote,"Please contact__________ (phone)____________. They would want to hear about Primerica Financial Services." You do not have to include anybody on this card, now or ever. If you are interested in seeing this blue card, I can show it to you. I can even show the one that Mr. Fred Lust filled out. >>That would be great and you would notice the contact "ie reference" are not filled in. We do offer a scholarship to reimburse the $199. Also, the $199 pays for background checks, as well as the state required pre-licensing school. It would make absolutely no business sense for me to pay for your schooling to have you quit and produce nothing to offset the cost. It is your license, which means if I pay, you get licensed, you switch to work for another financial services company, I lose $199. That would be insane. >>That?s to bad, American Express pays for their employees training and even covers the cost of their licensing. But afterall what could a company that?s been in business for over 125 years know compared to a puppet company that?s been bought and traded since the mid 70?s All of the Primerica representatives that are interviewing in my office are licensed for insurance with the State of Ohio, and are appointed for mortgages in Ohio. >>That?s nice, but wouldn?t you rather have a Human resources department do the recruiting, so your Primerica reps can go out and work, making use of all that valuable licensing that you are "paying" for via tuition. Or is it because both you and your employees realize that the warm leads they can get off of potential employees are way more valuable than the real presentations they do? The $199 is not a fee to work here, but is for pre-licensing classes and background checks. Real estate brokers and agents, CPA's, lawyers, medical doctors, and insurance agents and brokers all must obtain licensing for their professions. In almost all cases, they are required to already have the license, or to pay for it themselves. >>I was told I could get this initial fee back If I decided that the job was not for me before I took any classes. I have not taken any classes. Yet I was charged $199. How can you justify the charge when your Wife even told me I could get the whole $199 back if I decided the job was not for me. I think you need to talk to your wife, otherwise you have a case of libel within your office. Our map in the office spans an eight county area surrounding Columbus, in which there are already 17 offices. The target is a total of 30. >>Its to bad I do not have that map in front of me, for sure your office was the only red office on the map, and I am pretty sure the other colors all represented "future expansion" or "target offices" Our policy is to leave a person alone to fill out the IBA, so that you have time to read over the papers that you are filling out without any pressure or coaching from the representatives. Mr. Lust had every opportunity to read the IBA he was filling out. >>Another lie by your company, your wife sat across form me the whole time and watched me fill it in and kept reminding me to only worry about the highlighted fields, in other words she encouraged me to ignore the rest of the doucument. Next, he was not interviewed in my office, he was in my wife's. The pictures he saw were from a company incentive trip that took place in February of 2002 to Maui. Margaret and I were married at that time (February 23rd). There is only one of those pictures in my personal office. I cannot attest to what other states still require in addition to the $199, but in Ohio, Primerica takes care of the other processing fees that are involved. Had Mr. Lust let me know of his concern for this, I would have been more than happy to have told him this fact. >>I asked your wife at the time of the Interview about the fee and she assured me that I could have a refund up until the point I took the first class to gain licensing via Primerica. Why would I have to ask you, if you wife provided the answer and never mentioned "I will have to ask mike about that," or "I am not sure". Now, to later find out I should have asked you and told your wife that she has no idea what she is talking about? Even though she represents your company? What would you have said differently? Mr. Lust refers to us hiding his original IBA. The originals are not kept in our office. They are sent immediately to the state regional processing center. All we keep in the office are copies of the originals. Because of the fact that these papers contain confidential information about our associates and our clients, only I have access to those files. We do not tolerate anybody riffling through them at their leisure! If Mr. Lust was in our office at 11:00 am, he would not have seen a seminar being conducted as we do not do them at 11:00am. My wife and I do go to lunch together, which is one reason we enjoy this career choice. It is very probable that we were out to lunch, as there is another RVP that shares this office, and we each do seminars and corporate overviews. I do not do them all. My associates are allowed to use my wife's office if she is not there to get paperwork done. If they were doing a "working lunch" in her office, I have no problem with that. >>So your wife lied to me again, she said I had up until the time I took the first class to get a refund, when in fact she knew the whole time it was less than 24 hours. You need to communicate these things to your wife, and what not a better time than over you special lunches. The scholarship reimburses the $199 in full, however, if you quit, the contract signed by Mr. Lust clearly states that $40 is a non-refundable processing fee. The $159, that would have been used toward pre-licensing classes, is refunded. >>Once again your wife assured me that this $40 could also be refunded if I changed my mind within the "first few days" I was lied to again, it was less than 24 hours and not "days" When Mr. Lust was in my office he stated that he had never worked for a company that had required his social security number on on application before ours. >>incorrect, I stated I had never had to provide a Social security number for a resignation, not to mention a FORCED resignation. Most employers not only require it on their applications, but also require a copy of your actual social security card and your drivers license. Because the refund is not handled in the local offices, it is done at the state regional processing center, the applicants social security nuber is the only way to make sure the proper person is refunded. >>Or in other words the copy of my application still in your office was not good enough, so you needed the social security number again. I really think you need a Human resources dept rather than what turns out to be a room full of Primerica reps that have no real power in your establishment. Did you call the Better Business Bureau before filling out the IBA? >>I called them after the fact, and they had mostly negative things to say, especially about people being lied to about the $199 fee Yes, I did mispell the word license. However, I counted 15 grammarical errors in an e-mail typed by someone who is supposed to be an Information Technology Specialist. >>Wonderful for them, glad I was not that individual and glad I am not you. I am not sure where Mr. Lust did his research, all I can say is that you can take his approach to career seeking, which has landed him, by his own admission, absolutely nothing in the last 3 months, or somebody who has been with the company for 3.5 years, loves what they do, makes about $100,000 a year, gets the opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives, and gets to set their own work schedule. Only you can decide. >>I was not working for an employer during those 3 months. I worked on my own. I decided to seek additional income by working for a company. I am glad to know you made about $100,000 last year and to do so only had to use the tool of deceit. STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, its paid for!

Well it appears Primerica got another $199. Despite being told I would be eligible for a full refund if I decided not to join. To bad Mike lied over and over in his rebuttal. But that?s to be expected from someone trying to cover their tail. I shall paraphrase Mike?s falsehoods. . We also do not ask for you to reference a friend you know. >>Lie number one, it asks for a friend or family members name and phone number at the bottom of the card, you may not call it a reference but that?s exactly what it is. The card states, and I quote,"Please contact__________ (phone)____________. They would want to hear about Primerica Financial Services." You do not have to include anybody on this card, now or ever. If you are interested in seeing this blue card, I can show it to you. I can even show the one that Mr. Fred Lust filled out. >>That would be great and you would notice the contact "ie reference" are not filled in. We do offer a scholarship to reimburse the $199. Also, the $199 pays for background checks, as well as the state required pre-licensing school. It would make absolutely no business sense for me to pay for your schooling to have you quit and produce nothing to offset the cost. It is your license, which means if I pay, you get licensed, you switch to work for another financial services company, I lose $199. That would be insane. >>That?s to bad, American Express pays for their employees training and even covers the cost of their licensing. But afterall what could a company that?s been in business for over 125 years know compared to a puppet company that?s been bought and traded since the mid 70?s All of the Primerica representatives that are interviewing in my office are licensed for insurance with the State of Ohio, and are appointed for mortgages in Ohio. >>That?s nice, but wouldn?t you rather have a Human resources department do the recruiting, so your Primerica reps can go out and work, making use of all that valuable licensing that you are "paying" for via tuition. Or is it because both you and your employees realize that the warm leads they can get off of potential employees are way more valuable than the real presentations they do? The $199 is not a fee to work here, but is for pre-licensing classes and background checks. Real estate brokers and agents, CPA's, lawyers, medical doctors, and insurance agents and brokers all must obtain licensing for their professions. In almost all cases, they are required to already have the license, or to pay for it themselves. >>I was told I could get this initial fee back If I decided that the job was not for me before I took any classes. I have not taken any classes. Yet I was charged $199. How can you justify the charge when your Wife even told me I could get the whole $199 back if I decided the job was not for me. I think you need to talk to your wife, otherwise you have a case of libel within your office. Our map in the office spans an eight county area surrounding Columbus, in which there are already 17 offices. The target is a total of 30. >>Its to bad I do not have that map in front of me, for sure your office was the only red office on the map, and I am pretty sure the other colors all represented "future expansion" or "target offices" Our policy is to leave a person alone to fill out the IBA, so that you have time to read over the papers that you are filling out without any pressure or coaching from the representatives. Mr. Lust had every opportunity to read the IBA he was filling out. >>Another lie by your company, your wife sat across form me the whole time and watched me fill it in and kept reminding me to only worry about the highlighted fields, in other words she encouraged me to ignore the rest of the doucument. Next, he was not interviewed in my office, he was in my wife's. The pictures he saw were from a company incentive trip that took place in February of 2002 to Maui. Margaret and I were married at that time (February 23rd). There is only one of those pictures in my personal office. I cannot attest to what other states still require in addition to the $199, but in Ohio, Primerica takes care of the other processing fees that are involved. Had Mr. Lust let me know of his concern for this, I would have been more than happy to have told him this fact. >>I asked your wife at the time of the Interview about the fee and she assured me that I could have a refund up until the point I took the first class to gain licensing via Primerica. Why would I have to ask you, if you wife provided the answer and never mentioned "I will have to ask mike about that," or "I am not sure". Now, to later find out I should have asked you and told your wife that she has no idea what she is talking about? Even though she represents your company? What would you have said differently? Mr. Lust refers to us hiding his original IBA. The originals are not kept in our office. They are sent immediately to the state regional processing center. All we keep in the office are copies of the originals. Because of the fact that these papers contain confidential information about our associates and our clients, only I have access to those files. We do not tolerate anybody riffling through them at their leisure! If Mr. Lust was in our office at 11:00 am, he would not have seen a seminar being conducted as we do not do them at 11:00am. My wife and I do go to lunch together, which is one reason we enjoy this career choice. It is very probable that we were out to lunch, as there is another RVP that shares this office, and we each do seminars and corporate overviews. I do not do them all. My associates are allowed to use my wife's office if she is not there to get paperwork done. If they were doing a "working lunch" in her office, I have no problem with that. >>So your wife lied to me again, she said I had up until the time I took the first class to get a refund, when in fact she knew the whole time it was less than 24 hours. You need to communicate these things to your wife, and what not a better time than over you special lunches. The scholarship reimburses the $199 in full, however, if you quit, the contract signed by Mr. Lust clearly states that $40 is a non-refundable processing fee. The $159, that would have been used toward pre-licensing classes, is refunded. >>Once again your wife assured me that this $40 could also be refunded if I changed my mind within the "first few days" I was lied to again, it was less than 24 hours and not "days" When Mr. Lust was in my office he stated that he had never worked for a company that had required his social security number on on application before ours. >>incorrect, I stated I had never had to provide a Social security number for a resignation, not to mention a FORCED resignation. Most employers not only require it on their applications, but also require a copy of your actual social security card and your drivers license. Because the refund is not handled in the local offices, it is done at the state regional processing center, the applicants social security nuber is the only way to make sure the proper person is refunded. >>Or in other words the copy of my application still in your office was not good enough, so you needed the social security number again. I really think you need a Human resources dept rather than what turns out to be a room full of Primerica reps that have no real power in your establishment. Did you call the Better Business Bureau before filling out the IBA? >>I called them after the fact, and they had mostly negative things to say, especially about people being lied to about the $199 fee Yes, I did mispell the word license. However, I counted 15 grammarical errors in an e-mail typed by someone who is supposed to be an Information Technology Specialist. >>Wonderful for them, glad I was not that individual and glad I am not you. I am not sure where Mr. Lust did his research, all I can say is that you can take his approach to career seeking, which has landed him, by his own admission, absolutely nothing in the last 3 months, or somebody who has been with the company for 3.5 years, loves what they do, makes about $100,000 a year, gets the opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives, and gets to set their own work schedule. Only you can decide. >>I was not working for an employer during those 3 months. I worked on my own. I decided to seek additional income by working for a company. I am glad to know you made about $100,000 last year and to do so only had to use the tool of deceit. STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, its paid for!

Well it appears Primerica got another $199. Despite being told I would be eligible for a full refund if I decided not to join. To bad Mike lied over and over in his rebuttal. But that?s to be expected from someone trying to cover their tail. I shall paraphrase Mike?s falsehoods. . We also do not ask for you to reference a friend you know. >>Lie number one, it asks for a friend or family members name and phone number at the bottom of the card, you may not call it a reference but that?s exactly what it is. The card states, and I quote,"Please contact__________ (phone)____________. They would want to hear about Primerica Financial Services." You do not have to include anybody on this card, now or ever. If you are interested in seeing this blue card, I can show it to you. I can even show the one that Mr. Fred Lust filled out. >>That would be great and you would notice the contact "ie reference" are not filled in. We do offer a scholarship to reimburse the $199. Also, the $199 pays for background checks, as well as the state required pre-licensing school. It would make absolutely no business sense for me to pay for your schooling to have you quit and produce nothing to offset the cost. It is your license, which means if I pay, you get licensed, you switch to work for another financial services company, I lose $199. That would be insane. >>That?s to bad, American Express pays for their employees training and even covers the cost of their licensing. But afterall what could a company that?s been in business for over 125 years know compared to a puppet company that?s been bought and traded since the mid 70?s All of the Primerica representatives that are interviewing in my office are licensed for insurance with the State of Ohio, and are appointed for mortgages in Ohio. >>That?s nice, but wouldn?t you rather have a Human resources department do the recruiting, so your Primerica reps can go out and work, making use of all that valuable licensing that you are "paying" for via tuition. Or is it because both you and your employees realize that the warm leads they can get off of potential employees are way more valuable than the real presentations they do? The $199 is not a fee to work here, but is for pre-licensing classes and background checks. Real estate brokers and agents, CPA's, lawyers, medical doctors, and insurance agents and brokers all must obtain licensing for their professions. In almost all cases, they are required to already have the license, or to pay for it themselves. >>I was told I could get this initial fee back If I decided that the job was not for me before I took any classes. I have not taken any classes. Yet I was charged $199. How can you justify the charge when your Wife even told me I could get the whole $199 back if I decided the job was not for me. I think you need to talk to your wife, otherwise you have a case of libel within your office. Our map in the office spans an eight county area surrounding Columbus, in which there are already 17 offices. The target is a total of 30. >>Its to bad I do not have that map in front of me, for sure your office was the only red office on the map, and I am pretty sure the other colors all represented "future expansion" or "target offices" Our policy is to leave a person alone to fill out the IBA, so that you have time to read over the papers that you are filling out without any pressure or coaching from the representatives. Mr. Lust had every opportunity to read the IBA he was filling out. >>Another lie by your company, your wife sat across form me the whole time and watched me fill it in and kept reminding me to only worry about the highlighted fields, in other words she encouraged me to ignore the rest of the doucument. Next, he was not interviewed in my office, he was in my wife's. The pictures he saw were from a company incentive trip that took place in February of 2002 to Maui. Margaret and I were married at that time (February 23rd). There is only one of those pictures in my personal office. I cannot attest to what other states still require in addition to the $199, but in Ohio, Primerica takes care of the other processing fees that are involved. Had Mr. Lust let me know of his concern for this, I would have been more than happy to have told him this fact. >>I asked your wife at the time of the Interview about the fee and she assured me that I could have a refund up until the point I took the first class to gain licensing via Primerica. Why would I have to ask you, if you wife provided the answer and never mentioned "I will have to ask mike about that," or "I am not sure". Now, to later find out I should have asked you and told your wife that she has no idea what she is talking about? Even though she represents your company? What would you have said differently? Mr. Lust refers to us hiding his original IBA. The originals are not kept in our office. They are sent immediately to the state regional processing center. All we keep in the office are copies of the originals. Because of the fact that these papers contain confidential information about our associates and our clients, only I have access to those files. We do not tolerate anybody riffling through them at their leisure! If Mr. Lust was in our office at 11:00 am, he would not have seen a seminar being conducted as we do not do them at 11:00am. My wife and I do go to lunch together, which is one reason we enjoy this career choice. It is very probable that we were out to lunch, as there is another RVP that shares this office, and we each do seminars and corporate overviews. I do not do them all. My associates are allowed to use my wife's office if she is not there to get paperwork done. If they were doing a "working lunch" in her office, I have no problem with that. >>So your wife lied to me again, she said I had up until the time I took the first class to get a refund, when in fact she knew the whole time it was less than 24 hours. You need to communicate these things to your wife, and what not a better time than over you special lunches. The scholarship reimburses the $199 in full, however, if you quit, the contract signed by Mr. Lust clearly states that $40 is a non-refundable processing fee. The $159, that would have been used toward pre-licensing classes, is refunded. >>Once again your wife assured me that this $40 could also be refunded if I changed my mind within the "first few days" I was lied to again, it was less than 24 hours and not "days" When Mr. Lust was in my office he stated that he had never worked for a company that had required his social security number on on application before ours. >>incorrect, I stated I had never had to provide a Social security number for a resignation, not to mention a FORCED resignation. Most employers not only require it on their applications, but also require a copy of your actual social security card and your drivers license. Because the refund is not handled in the local offices, it is done at the state regional processing center, the applicants social security nuber is the only way to make sure the proper person is refunded. >>Or in other words the copy of my application still in your office was not good enough, so you needed the social security number again. I really think you need a Human resources dept rather than what turns out to be a room full of Primerica reps that have no real power in your establishment. Did you call the Better Business Bureau before filling out the IBA? >>I called them after the fact, and they had mostly negative things to say, especially about people being lied to about the $199 fee Yes, I did mispell the word license. However, I counted 15 grammarical errors in an e-mail typed by someone who is supposed to be an Information Technology Specialist. >>Wonderful for them, glad I was not that individual and glad I am not you. I am not sure where Mr. Lust did his research, all I can say is that you can take his approach to career seeking, which has landed him, by his own admission, absolutely nothing in the last 3 months, or somebody who has been with the company for 3.5 years, loves what they do, makes about $100,000 a year, gets the opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives, and gets to set their own work schedule. Only you can decide. >>I was not working for an employer during those 3 months. I worked on my own. I decided to seek additional income by working for a company. I am glad to know you made about $100,000 last year and to do so only had to use the tool of deceit. STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, its paid for!

I would have to agree with Fred about the above point made. If he took the time to write in detail about what happened, it seems he was mislead about what had happened. I have also attended interviews and saw what was happening right away. The leads Primerica has are from the sheet people fill out during interview time. They ask for 10 people. That fact, in and of itself, is why I do not want to work for Primerica. I also don't care to work for a company that incorporates a pyramid scheme. There are a few things I didn't understand from Mike's rebutal. First of all, Mike if your going to attack someone's creditability by pointing out gramatical errors don't include some yourself. I also laughed at the end when you threw in the sales pitch...that was the funniest thing I read on here

I do not normally respond to or even read comments on the internet, however, this was brought to my attention by a long-time client of my office so I thought I would take a moment and respond to Mr. Fred Lust's allegations. I noticed on Mr. Lust's resume when it was posted that he was looking at the IT field, however, since he called me to schedule an interview after receiving the e-mail, and claimed he had been to the website for both Primerica and Citigroup, and that he would be interested in looking outside of the IT arena for a career, we invited him to a corporate overview. If he was not interested in a career in financial services, all he had to do was tell us. The "Rule of 72", which is referred to by Mr. Lust, is a common banking rule on how to figure compound interest. The accounting information which he is referring to are pages from a sample Financial Needs Analysis (FNA) to demonstrate what we offer to our clients. Much the way a paint company in an HR office will put pictures of the products offered or the things that their paint covers. As far as the numbers being realistic, it is very common for a younger couple to be sold a large "cash value" policy to "save" for college. Make no mistake, I do not "diss" Wal-Mart greeters. It is strictly an observation. Why do companies have active recruiting policies for seniors. Because many of them did not prepare correctly for retirement. That is why they work there. It is not, for the most part, to give themselves something to do. Is that the way you see yourself spending retirement? The blue cards which are filled out at the end of my corporate overview do not now, nor have ever, asked for a social security number. We also do not ask for you to reference a friend you know. The card states, and I quote,"Please contact__________ (phone)____________. They would want to hear about Primerica Financial Services." You do not have to include anybody on this card, now or ever. If you are interested in seeing this blue card, I can show it to you. I can even show the one that Mr. Fred Lust filled out. If you would like to see login passwords on the website, just go to the account specific links. We do offer a scholarship to reimburse the $199. Also, the $199 pays for background checks, as well as the state required pre-licensing school. It would make absolutely no business sense for me to pay for your schooling to have you quit and produce nothing to offset the cost. It is your license, which means if I pay, you get licensed, you switch to work for another financial services company, I lose $199. That would be insane. All of the Primerica representatives that are interviewing in my office are licensed for insurance with the State of Ohio, and are appointed for mortgages in Ohio. The $199 is not a fee to work here, but is for pre-licensing classes and background checks. Real estate brokers and agents, CPA's, lawyers, medical doctors, and insurance agents and brokers all must obtain licensing for their professions. In almost all cases, they are required to already have the license, or to pay for it themselves. Our map in the office spans an eight county area surrounding Columbus, in which there are already 17 offices. The target is a total of 30. Our policy is to leave a person alone to fill out the IBA, so that you have time to read over the papers that you are filling out without any pressure or coaching from the representatives. Mr. Lust had every opportunity to read the IBA he was filling out. Next, he was not interviewed in my office, he was in my wife's. The pictures he saw were from a company incentive trip that took place in February of 2002 to Maui. Margaret and I were married at that time (February 23rd). There is only one of those pictures in my personal office. I cannot attest to what other states still require in addition to the $199, but in Ohio, Primerica takes care of the other processing fees that are involved. Had Mr. Lust let me know of his concern for this, I would have been more than happy to have told him this fact. Mr. Lust refers to us hiding his original IBA. The originals are not kept in our office. They are sent immediately to the state regional processing center. All we keep in the office are copies of the originals. Because of the fact that these papers contain confidential information about our associates and our clients, only I have access to those files. We do not tolerate anybody riffling through them at their leisure! If Mr. Lust was in our office at 11:00 am, he would not have seen a seminar being conducted as we do not do them at 11:00am. My wife and I do go to lunch together, which is one reason we enjoy this career choice. It is very probable that we were out to lunch, as there is another RVP that shares this office, and we each do seminars and corporate overviews. I do not do them all. My associates are allowed to use my wife's office if she is not there to get paperwork done. If they were doing a "working lunch" in her office, I have no problem with that. The scholarship reimburses the $199 in full, however, if you quit, the contract signed by Mr. Lust clearly states that $40 is a non-refundable processing fee. The $159, that would have been used toward pre-licensing classes, is refunded. When Mr. Lust was in my office he stated that he had never worked for a company that had required his social security number on on application before ours. Most employers not only require it on their applications, but also require a copy of your actual social security card and your drivers license. Because the refund is not handled in the local offices, it is done at the state regional processing center, the applicants social security nuber is the only way to make sure the proper person is refunded. Did you call the Better Business Bureau before filling out the IBA? Yes, I did mispell the word license. However, I counted 15 grammarical errors in an e-mail typed by someone who is supposed to be an Information Technology Specialist. I am not sure where Mr. Lust did his research, all I can say is that you can take his approach to career seeking, which has landed him, by his own admission, absolutely nothing in the last 3 months, or somebody who has been with the company for 3.5 years, loves what they do, makes about $100,000 a year, gets the opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives, and gets to set their own work schedule. Only you can decide. STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, its paid for!

I have been a rep. of Primerica for almost a year now and have made significant changes in the lives of the people that I love and care about. You couldn't of understood the opportunity that was presented to you. Primerica does not hire employees, it hires independent contractors to distribute products. I'm not sure how much it costs to get a life insurance liscense in your state, but in New York it cost about $400. So if you submitted your IBA in NY, $45 would go to the government to make sure your not a convicted fellon, and the rest would be used to help pay your liscensing fees with Citigroup paying the difference. The 199 isn't an application fee. It goes to the government. How could that be consrued as an application fee? And I'm not possitive about this, but I got the impression from your comments that you never even considered going to the Better Business Bureau. Wouldn't you think it wise to go to a regulated institution to find the facts rather than going online and reading material that anbody and his brother could have posted for what ever reason? I'm just worried that you got a confused vibe from a rep. who didn't fuller understand what your worries were. So please, for the sake of truth and understanding call a creditable and regulated institution before continuing your disgruntled comments.