Telemarketing

    “NOW HIRING START $10 AN HOUR GUARANTEED + BONUSES” the sign read in big bold orange letters. Underneath in smaller letters it said, “apply inside”. The building was part of a chain market place with Osco Drug and a few other small restaurants and small businesses comprising the rest of the shopping chain. The business hiring had no sign proclaiming who they were, just a small logo on the front door that said “Corporate Marketing Services.” I walked inside the building hoping to get a job, even though I had no idea what this business did; but ten dollars an hour plus bonuses was enough for me to do just about anything.
      The room I walked into was small and held nothing but a desk with a young lady, about 24, and a couple of small tables with chairs placed around them. There were three doors with electronic keypads leading to other parts of the building; each table had a pen attached to it and small stacks of papers that looked like job applications. The receptionist’s desk had a partition in front of it, and you had to stand to see the girl behind the desk. The girl had a short skirt and a flashy outfit on. She informed me that after I filled out an application on the desk I would get an interview. I spent about fifteen minutes filling out the application, in which time an old couple came in and filled out applications, too. When we were finished, a man escorted us through one of the doors down a hallway into his office.
      The office had about 12 small TV’s in it with security camera coverage. Some “do your best” posters were tacked to the wall. The man who was going to interview us, namely the old couple and myself, was short, skinny, and balding. He barely skimmed the applications. He then asked us a bare minimum of questions and told us we all start Monday. I asked a few questions to find out what starting meant. He explained that this was a telemarketing business that sold credit cards to people with bad credit. I would be on the phones for five hours a day, six days a week. Everything else would be explained during my training session on Monday. I left a little bit dazed that I had gotten the job so easily.

      I arrived five minutes early on Monday to begin my training session. The room was full of other guys! I quickly gathered that they were all starting that day also! When three o’clock rolled around we were all escorted through a different door than I had been through when I had had my interview. The room I was now in had a long table with chairs around it. I sat in one of the chairs and waited further instructions. There were nine other people besides myself, all guys. A short fat lady with red hair came in; she introduced herself to us as Andrea, our trainer for the day. She explained to us the rules of the company. We all had thick sheaves of paper in front of us and each page had a place for a signature. I skimmed each page as Andrea explained them to us and signed my name at the bottom of each one. We would be getting $10/hr only for the first week and then it would change to $7/hr plus $5 for every sale we made. If we were ever late for work our pay was docked to $5.15 an hour with no bonuses. Our pay per hour would go up if we made lots of sales too. I mentioned that there were more signature places on these forms than anything else I had ever done in my life. Andrea explained that it was because we would be handling people’s checking, saving, and personal information. This answer satisfied me, and I continued skimming and signing. We were all told that we could view our contracts at any time if we wished to review it.
     We each received a Script (See below). Everybody was also told that nothing could be taken out of the building that you didn’t take in. Nothing at all.

Hello, this is (first and last name) calling from American Financial Savings regarding the approval for your new major credit card!
How would you like your name to appear on your card?
Before we continue, let me ask you four quick questions to verify that my records are still correct:
You are over 18, correct?
And your household income is still over $1000 a month?
And you still have a valid checking account, correct? (if savings account), oh, I’m sorry, that was a savings account, correct?
Have you filed for bankruptcy or had any major repossessions in the past six months?

GREAT! YOU'RE NOW ELIGIBLE FOR YOUR NEW CREDIT CARD WITH AN INITIAL CREDIT LIMIT UP TO $3,000.

Okay, you’re going to receive your BENEFITS PACKAGE within 14 business days. In addition, your CARD can be used anywhere MAJOR CREDIT CARDS are accepted. And nothing looks better on your Equifax credit report than a MAJOR CREDIT CARD. Now like most CREDIT CARDS there is a one-time processing fee, which covers the cost of your benefits package and allows us to eliminate all annual fees, and renewal fees; the one time fee is only $219.90, and for processing today you will also receive A 3-DAY/2-NIGHT vacation, and travel club enrollment with up to %50 off hotel rooms throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. For your security we have arranged for you to charge the processing fee through a bank-to-bank transfer, therefore I will need additional information from your (checking/savings) account, but first I have some important information for you to write down; do you have a pen?

(If no) no problem I will hold while you get one.

My name is ______. I am the representative handling your account. YOUR FILE # IS 4940 (MAKE SURE YOU GIVE THIS # TO THE CUSTOMER.) The office hours for customer service are 9-5 M-F Mountain Standard Time. Keep that pen handy because our verification representative will be giving you the customer service number for your region.

OK, do you have your checkbook handy or do I have to hold while you grab that?
What is the name of the bank you have an account with?
What is the address and phone # for your bank?
And what are the first 9 digits on the bottom left hand corner of the check?
And what is the next set of numbers
OK, make the check out to AMERICAN FINANCIAL SAVINGS for $219.90 and keep that check for your records until your CREDIT CARD arrives.
You are the authorized signer for that account, correct?
The funds are available today, correct? (IF SAVINGS IT MUST BE FOR TODAY).
(Stress today or tomorrow as the draft date!).
WHAT IS YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS?

When you receive your benefits package, don’t forget to sign the forms and immediately send it back, because the bank requires a signature to ensure no one else uses your CREDIT CARD.

I’m going to transfer your file upstairs to the verification department. They are going to be calling you back in about 5-10 minutes to give you the customer service number for your region, and you APPROVAL CODE FOR YOUR CREDIT CARD. Mr./Ms. ____________ you will be billed on (POST DATE) for your CREDIT CARD, however please stay by the phone so the verification officer can reach you, because you’ll need to have your approval code in order to activate your CREDIT CARD. Thank you and have a great day!

      Everybody was then taken into a room with about 40 cubicles. At each cubical was a headset and a computer. I still didn’t really know what I was doing, but I read my script anyway. The sixth person I called wanted the card. He had hardly any questions and it was a sure sale. I got his checking account info and promised him that we would send the card out as soon as the verification department called him back in 10 minutes. I marked it as a sale. People around me and a couple of managers were surprised; most “newbies” don’t make a sale on their first day. I had one in the first ten minutes. I figured I was an excellent salesman and at this rate I would be making $600 a week. The feeling of elation passed as the evening wore on. The sale I made was not verified, and therefore did not count. I made no other sales, and people were hanging up on me and cussing me out over the phone. When I went home I decided I would probably only last three weeks since the best salesman in there made only four verified sales.

      Tuesday I came in after school and worked only four out of the five hours I was supposed to because I had Institute class at eight. I made no sales.

      Wednesday was going to be a day of decision; if I made no sales I would not continue to work there. I planned to work all day. I showed up at nine and worked until noon. I made no sales. I then came back until three and continued working. By break time at 6:30 I had made no sales. Well, I figured I just did not have the touch, or my sales pitch was bad. I mentioned my bleak position to the girl in the cubicle next to mine, Angela. Angela agreed to help me out since she was experienced and had held several telemarketing jobs.
      On my first call that seemed interested I told the man that I was going to transfer him to my manager. Angela took the head set and talked. She smoothly talked the guy into it and when she was sure that it was going to be a sale she told him that she was going to transfer him back to the original representative, namely me. I got his information and asked if he had any other questions. Angela was listening on the other line. He asked if the card was refundable if he didn’t like the credit limit or the percentage rate. I didn’t know so I looked at Angela. “Tell him yes!” she whispered.
      I was pretty sure that it was a lie, but I said, “Yes, of course, you can get a full refund within thirty days if you are not completely satisfied.” The guy was satisfied and I made the sale. Later that night using Angela’s advice I got one more sale. In three hours I had gotten two sales compared to the zero I got in the previous twelve hours. I might hang onto this job after all!

      It didn’t dawn on me all of a sudden that the whole business was a scam operation. I did know by Thursday night, though. It was a combination of things, really, that made me realize that I was not selling anybody credit cards, only coupons and an application.
Sometime during the week one of the managers had told me that I was not allowed to tell details about the credit card since we didn’t actually send a credit card to them, but only an application from a bank that was likely to accept them. If you read the script closely, you’ll see that it says you’ll receive a benefits package, and it mentions “your credit card” and “major credit card” several times, but it does not actually say that they’ll receive a credit card.
     Another cause for suspicion was that many people that I talked to on the phone told me that companies had already called them for credit cards like this for $220, and all they had received was coupons and a credit card application. But my company name was never mentioned, so I didn’t correlate it with my company. I just didn’t think.
     But inside my head was growing the idea that my job was to swindle people out of their money. What our company did was take $219.95 out of people’s bank accounts and then send them some coupons and a credit card application. I was telling people that the credit card would be there within 14 business days and that only one percent of people had a credit limit under $3,000.

     I had another promising sale Thursday night. The woman I was talking to had sent in an application for a credit card earlier that month. I told her that we had received her application and could get it fully verified after I made sure my information was still correct. She answered yes to all four of my questions. She then began to ask questions. I vaguely answered all of her questions. Half of everything I told her was a lie that the managers had told me to say. The woman was satisfied. She told me that she was glad that she would finally get a card since another company had taken $220 from her and only sent her a bunch of coupons. I told her how horrible I thought scam organizations were. This was going to be an easy sale. The woman said she would go get her checkbook, but first she had to take her crying baby out of the crib. The woman gave me the name and address of the bank she banked with, but before she could give me her checking account number her baby spilled yogurt all over her face and highchair. My heartstrings strained. This was a regular person I was talking to. She had a husband, friends, kids, feelings…I couldn’t do this!
      “I have my checkbook here”, she said, ready to give me her checking account information.
     “You know,” I said making a final decision, “this is just a big scam organization.”
     After a long pause she said, “Excuse me?!”
     I talked to the lady for about half an hour. I told her my whole story and everything I knew about the company I was working for. She was furious, not at me, and asked lots of questions. She told me that a company like this one had already billed her $220 and sent her nothing but a bunch of coupons. She could not recall the name of the company, but when I mentioned “Corporate Marketing Services” she remembered. She trusted me because I had talked bad against “those scam operators” at the beginning of the night. She had tried again and again to try and call the customer service number, but the number was always either busy or disconnected. She told me that she would contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and file complaints. I then gave her my home phone- number in case she had any other questions. She thanked me several times and we hung up. By this time there was only half an hour worth of calling time left. I finished the night without even any possible sales by mumbling everything and asking “are you interested?”

     Friday morning I was busy. Not only did I want to reread the papers I had signed for my soon-to-be old job, but I had to pack and drive to New Mexico for my Eagle Scout board of review. I was at my job at 9:00, one hour late. I walked up to the secretary at the front desk and asked to see my records. The same secretary was there with another short skirt and flashy jacket. She told me that she would have to go in the back to find them and that there were a lot of records. It would take 5-10 minutes. She made a couple calls, and rummaged around in the file cabinet next to her. She then went into the back room, empty-handed. She returned, empty-handed. She made a few more phone calls and chatted with some of the employees walking by. Finally a manager came in and asked me why I wanted to see my records. I recognized him as Tye,( they only used first names). He was 6’2” and looked like he weighed at least 200 lbs. Big guy. I told him that I thought that it was odd that I had signed so many forms and that I had never put my signature in so many places in so little time before in my life. He seemed satisfied and picked my folder up off of the desk. Yes, right off the desk where it had been sitting for the past ten minutes.
     I opened the folder titled Ben Martineau. It contained the packet I had signed so many times, my job application, and a photocopy of my Social Security card and drivers license. Tye, the manager, sat across from me and watched every move I made. He made sure I had no questions I started on the first page and read as slowly as I could. After two minutes Tye got bored and left. Then I started reading in earnest. I skimmed most of the papers and underlined some things I had questions about. I was ready to do battle. Interestingly, that was exactly what happened.
     Tye came back and asked again if I had any questions. I prided myself in my debating and fault-finding skills. I started with the questions. I showed him where it talked about disclosing “Confidential” business information and secrets in several places in the papers. Tye handled it smoothly; he told me that it referred to the banking and personal information that I receive from customers over the phone. I was expecting this reply so I used it to my advantage.
     “Look”, I said, getting my game face on. “It says here that I will not disclose any confidential business information or use any personal information that I obtain from third parties. Now there is an or there so they are two different things.”
     “Well”, he stuttered, searching for an explanation. “The lawyers put that in to make sure that there were no holes; they wanted to make sure that it was in there more than once so that it would be guaranteed. You know how lawyers are; it’s lawyer stuff.
     I couldn’t contest that, lawyer stuff, so I moved on to my next question. “It says here that I will abide by          ‘FCC guidelines;’ Where are the FCC guidelines that I said that I would abide by?”
     “It’s in there, I don’t know exactly where, but I know it’s in there.” he said; he had a look on his face that I could not interpret. Was it anger that I had so many questions? Or was it surprise that I was asking such hard-to-answer questions? Maybe it was confusion on how he should answer this one. I quickly skimmed the remaining pages. “I can’t find it,” I told him. “Here,” I said, handing him my folder, “It doesn’t look like it’s here; you find it”
     Time, it slowed down, remembering it seems like a blur, but when it happened it was all slow motion.
     Tye took my folder and said “Why don’t you just get the H*LL out of here.”
     “Excuse me,” I blurted. “I signed that.” I took the folder from his hands and…
     Tye jumped up, He moved around the table fast and snatched the folder from me, ripping it in half. Rage filled his contorted face. Papers spilled all over the floor. “GET THE &$#@ OUT OF HERE!” he screamed. He grabbed me and threw me up against the wall; I was powerless. I forget what else he screamed at me, but it was nonstop profanities and yelling. He tossed me against the table closest to the door and lifted his hands. His hands were balled into fists and his face was as red as a ripe tomato. I put my arms up to protect my face before the blows fell. They never came; instead he grabbed me firmly by the shoulders, still yelling, and threw me out the door.
     I was amazed. I could not believe what had just happened to me. I strolled down to the Osco Drug, several stores down. My knees were weak and I was shaking. I called the police and waited half an hour for them to arrive. Two of them showed up in one police car. I told them my story, even telling them that the whole organization was a big scam. They sympathized. They told me to wait outside the building while they went inside. I waited. I could hear the cops inside laughing and joking with the secretary with the short skirt! They came out still chuckling. I knew that I was not going to get any justice.
     The cops told me about what really happened. I grabbed the folder, pushed the giant man aside and made a dash for the door. There were two witnesses inside to confirm that the story was true, the secretary and Tye. What about the video camera? What about my contract that I signed? Arizona’s finest explained to me that if I wanted to go that far I would need to get a lawyer. I could see that the cops were useless so I tried for one last thing.
     “What about my check for working there for a week?” I could see that that really irritated the senior cop.
     “Anything else you want me to ask them while I am in there?” he snapped. I shook my head. Betrayed by my manager, let down by the cops, assaulted, and fired before it was even noon. This was going to be a bad day. The cop told me that the check would be sent in the mail. They left. I left.
     Eight hours later I completed my Eagle Scout board of review. A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. It was not such a bad day after all.
--Benjamin Martineau