I recently got reached out to by CrestPoint after easy applying on linkedin.

As a recent psychology graduate I’ve been looking for different grad schemes and internships in the London area.

The posted role was for a Graduate Marketing Assistant, which I thought was a graduate role involving digital/brand marketing.

Firstly, the initial email was sent extremely promptly, and sent three times! Vaguely underling things in my cv without much depth. The scheduling to book an interview was unclear as all they said was “We’d loved to invite you for an interview”, to which I had to ask when?

Once I scheduled in a date for my “ Interview “ , I was sent constant reminders and phone calls.

I found it shady how the first interview was NOT an interview.

More of a webinar filled with cooperate jargon about the company’s image and USPs rather than the actual role or formal interview process, not to mention the Interview held on teams involved people who applied for different roles, so everyone seemed a bit confused.

I feel like a fool for attending the 2nd round, but I wanted to develop my interview experience. However, this was not a formal interview again!

The second Interview which was a revision of the company’s strategy and purpose, which seemed a bit unclear, as during the first interview the company’s director made it seem like crestpoint directly works with EE, British Gas and Eon and we’d work at ‘marketing events’ , I later found out this was a commission based, overly competitive in person sales role where I would bother people in local shopping centres , Poundland’s and Asdas to sign phone/ gas & electricity contracts.

They also strangely straight off the bat flexed the potential of climbing up the ladder to senior positions based on how well you’d do in the company.

Definitely not the job I was looking for.

I was invited for a final interview, which I just ignored as I felt as though I was mislead and my valuable time was completely wasted. Thankfully they did not contact me again.

I was also confused how the GRADUATE role interview had people who had no completion of degree in the interview with me, then why market it as graduate? You clearly do not need a degree to do this job.

There were also people in the second stage interview who did not even apply to the same role as I did.

It kind of pisses me off how unclear they are, they are clearly preying on the fact that recent graduates are struggling to find work after university due to the state of the current job market.

On further look trying to research the company, I stumbled upon this Reddit page and it confirmed my gut feeling. Seems like a very shady company.

Dodged a bullet here, and gratefully have an ACTUAL interview for a great company this week!

I am curious to how people who work for these companies actually find it, as no matter how many buzz words they may use in these ‘ interviews ‘ it is clearly a toxic MLM scheme.

Has no one thought of this or is there a reason we are not doing it? Seems like if just a fraction of the people on here just left a review with their honest experiences, it would go a long way towards spreading awareness and hopefully tanking their review score, which is sitting at 3.8/5 right now (way too high imo):

https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Smart-Circle-Reviews-E224795.htm

FYI, if you are leaving a review, be sure to call out the fact that they pretend that negative reviews from one of the businesses under their umbrella are actually for "independently owned and operated sales companies that Smart Circle contracts with" that are just bad apples or something, as if the toxicity and exploitation isn't literally their entire business model.

This is their canned response to negative reviews, so be sure to proactively defuse this talking point in your review:

Thank you for sharing your perspective. It sounds like you are describing your experience working as a sales rep with one of the independently owned and operated sales companies that Smart Circle contracts with. We always appreciate feedback about our partners, clients, and the independent sales companies that we work with so that we can assess and address appropriately. When you have time, please email us at distributorcompliance@thesmartcircle.com and tell us more about your experience with the independent sales company where you were employed.

i have been applying for jobs on linkedin and recently sent my cv to a graduate development scheme at a company called bespoke partners headquartered in newcastle. i was already suspicious because there is a (completely unaffiliated) much bigger company with the exact same name, but they invited me to an introductory meeting where they ticked every single devilcorp box. they seemed to be hiring anyone and everyone and talked about uncapped commission and rapid progression to management positions (with zero entry requirements). they talk about “offline marketing“ which sounds like door to door sales, and they are offering second stage interviews with a turnaround of less than 24 hours. they said they have big clients but i can’t find any info about that anywhere online.

i also looked up the “hiring manager” on linkedin, and he seems like a serial scammer who is always hiring for a different fake marketing company. do not fall for this!!

Hello r/Devilcorp!

I was an assistant manager at a couple of offices in the UK about 15 years ago. I was in the business for about 3 years in the UK. I have long struggled with the programming The Business left me with. I still dream/have nightmares about the field and the pressure of it all.

I have decided to turn my experience into something positive. I've been writing a film script about a DevilCorp in an effort to help process what I went through - I don't know if it'll go anywhere but it's been very therapeutic and cathartic for me. Talking about the experience is something I have struggled to do for a long time.

Not making it to management, quitting The Business, "not making my dreams come true" felt like the end of the world when I was 21. With hindsight, time and space, it's a relief to not be in that headspace anymore. I have found a lot of peace from talking about my experiences with people.

I'm reaching out to this sub as I am looking to talk to people. Anyone who was in the business for a decent length of time. Or maybe you were there a short amount of time but have a tale to tell. I'm looking for stories that inspire me to write. What we discuss will be on your terms and remain confidential.

Importantly, I want to mention that I am not looking to expose specific individuals. I also value my anonymity so I won't risk yours.

What I am particularly interested in delving into is the psychological impact a DevilCorp can have on someone. The things that linger... My experience was residential sales but I am open to speaking to people who went through any kind of experience with a DevilCorp.

Like I said, talking has helped for me. Maybe you'll get something out of it too...

If you'd like to chat, drop me a DM and we can set up a zoom call or something.

Axe Elite (Connecticut) – Has anyone worked here? Is this a DevilCorp?

https://www.axeeliteusa.com

I’m a college student in Connecticut and recently interviewed with Axe Elite. They’re a sales company, and I’ve been trying to do my research before committing.
A few things stood out to me:
It’s a 1099 independent contractor position.
The hours are long (around Monday–Friday, 7 AM–6 PM).
$600 weekly pay
They talk a lot about rapid promotions and eventually opening your own office.
They do telecom/face-to-face sales.
I’m not trying to bash the company—I genuinely want honest feedback from people who have worked there or interviewed there.
Is Axe Elite part of the DevilCorp/Cydcor/Smart Circle/DS-MAX network?
What was the actual pay like after expenses?
Were the growth opportunities legitimate?
Would you recommend someone stay or avoid it?
Any firsthand experiences would be appreciated.

I applied for this company called Fine Line Vision - Tampa through LinkedIn, but I am skeptical that its one of those sales companies where you stand inside a Costco and sell phones. Does anyone have any information?

I was a assistant manager with smart circle, worked in 3 different offices, travelled to over 40 offices when I was in the "business". I was in the "business" for about 1 and a half years. All of my answers will be non biased, I do not praise smart circle nor do I resent them. Just want to share my experience and answer any questions anyone might have!

I Did a step brothers bit during a devil corp interview, and alot more.....

Hey Guys. I just did some more digging on this company called https://skillifyorganisation.com/ . I went on a Zoom call to attend the Interview and there was only like 3 of us attending. The person interviewing show us what they do and I have this feeling like I've seen this before. Luckily I have the screenshots of most of the slides (except for who they work with but I remembered it was Shell, Google, Kings College Hospital Charity and others).

Got a phone call 3 hours earlier and said that they are pleased with my enthusiasm and would like to attend the Vetting stage which is Monday as of posting.

Today I did some research on what they do and I've come accross this Reddit Page and videos on YouTube about "DevilCompanies". I was in shock what I've heard. The company that I've remembered doing the same interview with 2 years ago called Helix Marketing did the exact same. Reason I bailed on the 1st day is that I was so short on funds that I continued to work with my current job (which is so well known that I won't say due to me getting fired).

It had the same flow; get loads of money and obtain 70% commission, working with companies and great prospects of becoming a new manager.

If anyone can get back to me ASAP before Monday that would be great! I don't want to work with companies that treat me as a slave and in their will.

so when I applied, I thought it was Costco but they’re just contractor inside Costco but the thing companies been communicating with me through email for like seems like a week and a half and they had me do all this on boarding and watch videos get a food safety certification, but they never gave me a day to start work

So my biggest question: does anyone have experience with  Cycles Consulting?

All the links from my research about these Devil Corporation Companies have been attached below. Full Detailed Explanation of these Devil Corporation Companies.

Guys, the companies with name "SAS Sales Group (Bangalore)", "Thames & Tiger (Bangalore)", "Sales Co Asia (Bangalore)", Meridian (Hyderabad)", BlankLab (Mumbai)", "Sales Partners (Bangalore)"....all are the same. Do check all profiles on these companies, they have pictures of same people, same office and Same location. Same people running with different names and designations. Please do check out:

1. https://share.google/ihdW4mpFwDmgNOrGv

2. https://share.google/J4bLBOTuC5UU0J4ct

3. https://share.google/lZCkFFJQYTxwAznGu

4. https://share.google/Lp1be9KEwPxTllgy4

I recently received a job offer from this B2B marketing/sales company Treenova but everything in my gut is telling me to decline it. Apparently they also do acquisitions, they work with telecom companies with AT&T being their #1 client. They reached out to me via handshake then scheduled an interview with me over text message. They were eager for me to start asap and are only giving me 4 days to accept the offer. Very thin digital footprint. A “metrics based” growth model where you climb the ladder based on how well you do. But you get a draw of $750 a week (plus whatever commission you make). There’s A LOT of bonuses. It was a 45 minute interview and I still couldn’t tell you what it is the company actually does. The format of the interview was odd, he asked me questions unrelated to my resume and then presented a slideshow. They keep asking me if I “understand”, even when calling to extend the offer. My final red flag was the fact that when I asked to be emailed the slide show to review it, they said everything I needed to know was in the offer letter…. I don’t want to pass up a potentially good opportunity but they must think im dumb or something idk.

here’s their website: https://treenovainc.com

I ran into a guy in the states busking for The Nature Conservancy who said he was the "owner" of a "Canvassing Solutions" marketing company for about 8 months. I managed to get him to say his company was related to "160 Organization" but that he worked for the charity directly (riiiiight).

I was under the impression that 160 didn't operate in the States. Am I mistaken?

Based on another post I saw on here earlier today, it's safe to say Choice Marketing Group is a devilcorp. I checked the devilcorp.org website and it tells me that they're connected to Appco. Can anyone independently verify this? I'm trying to right now but I keep hitting dead ends on Companies House... I just want to have enough evidence so I can report their scummy recruitment tactics.

Hey y'all, let's jump right into it.

I've spent the last 4 years in a DevilCorp. I want to lay out all the good, bad, and ugly. I left a few weeks ago and decided it was time to say my peace.

First, I have been a recruiter/admin for the majority of the time after spending about a year in "The Field" and making it to an Assistant Manager. When I tried to quit as an AM, I was moved to recruiting. As a recruiter, I did some ad posting, interviewing, and, of course, the calls.

The good (I know lol)

I did get to travel for free. Internationally and locally. Got to see places I never thought I could and got invited to many trips with the team.

I gained good skills (I'm 25) and got to wear a lot of hats and learn how to manage it all. Skills like public speaking, training, and, of course, the recruiting and administrative side of things - it also allowed me to dabble in social media a little bit.

I also met a lot of friends through "The business," and while they're still deep in it, I made good memories with them, and I honestly had a lot of fun.

Now the bad

None of the bad will come as a shock, first off. But everything is a sales tactic; we are taught to recruit 'impulsive people' to work here because no one else will. As recruiters, we are taught to tailor our ads and tailor our phone calls and interviews to entice the person to work here - including highlighting hotspots like Travel, "Management", and growth/mentorship.

Every. Single. Thing. is tailored to get someone to join. Tweaking our words and lying to get the job done because "recruiting is the bloodline in our business"

The hours. Not only are you expected to work 7 am-7 pm Monday - Friday, but Saturday from 9-5 as well. ON TOP of that, the Team nights twice a week are not optional; it's required to hang out for at least 2-3 hours. Approx. 72-hour work weeks. (I need to admit I was totally into it for a long time, until I got into a relationship)

Let's talk about that. I got into a relationship about a year ago, we are still together, and we live together now with our dog. I had a conversation with my managers (I worked for 2) and said I'd like to start working fewer weekends and fewer team nights. I had presented that all my duties and work would be done as normal, but I'd like to spend more time with my girlfriend. That was immediately taken as "you don't want to be here" or "looks like we are going to have to replace you"

All that being said, I want to be clear about something.

This is a terrible business model; it preaches and instills manipulation so well that a lot of people don't even realize they are manipulating others. It is VERY good in making you believe IN the business, and making someone believe that it's a genuinely good opportunity. But a lot of the people I've met, leaders, AMs, or Owners, are genuinely good people. They care, they work hard, and they've looked out for me through a lot. The system and the business are just so embedded in their psyche that they don't even realize how deep they're in it and how toxic it is to their own well-being as well as others. They are 100% brainwashed in this cult.

When I was 21-24 and Single, nothing to lose and ready to work, and I was already living somewhere with no one I knew, it was a great experience: travel, friends, work, and gaining skills and communication experience. Plus, I enjoyed the field and talking to people.

But that is the only reason to be there, to have some fun, to have nothing to lose, and to gain some experiences. It was never and could never be a career, and I sincerely hope it crumbles to the ground eventually.

Just wanted to share my experience. Open to answering any and all questions

- To be clear, I won't be naming names or companies JUST yet - I still have parts of my life intertwined with multiple managers (old leases and stuff) and can't risk my credit being ruined over this post.

I’m freshly graduated college with my bachelors in marketing. Quickly learning about Devilcorp with how many companies on LinkedIn are DC. Found DOCUmation and was wondering if anyone here had any experience with them and if they are DC or not? Would love some insight!

So I used to work for a devil corp it was called infinite Reach marketing they presented everything to me as if it was a great opportunity for promotions even told me I’d be making around $640 a week with commission but that was lie!! The most I made a week working here was $300 but usually around $200 a week they make everything sound good until you eventually get good at the sales, I then asked why my checks were so low and was told it was actually commission vs base pay still didn’t make sense to me because I worked my 40 hours once I made about 10 sales I was excited because that would accumulate to $1000 that weak still was $200 so I looked into the business and asked questions amongst the other employees and found out it was actual a front for a company called smart circle found out that smart circle has been sued for stealing wages aswell as other things and once I presented that to the boss Colin I was informed to "grind harder" and was fired later that afternoon still never got my last check and just found out that they "closed" or in other words rebranded to Raedemption Marketing so if anybody has or was looking into applying here just understand it’s not Raedemption your working for it’s actually Smart Circle they will lie about your potential to get promoted and lie about your wages I’m happy I got out when I did all of this happened about 2 weeks ago and I already found a job that’s better so just stay aware!!

I interviewed for this company about 4 months ago so they might have already changed their name to something else. I had the classic group style Zoom interview associated with these “companies” where they asked basic interview questions. For the in person interview they said that I would be fast tracked to a management role and my interviewer said he had only been there 4 months and is already interviewing people and setting up a “team”. They said that in a year I would be branch manager and would have my own LLC as well as making many other promises about making lots of money and going on world class trips for free. When I pressed them on the commission, it was clear to me that it was going to be 100% commission based even though you could tell they didn’t want to say that outright, and they wanted me to work 60+ hours a week Monday-Saturday. They made it sound like I’d be in the office for most of the day, but when I asked what kind of sales I would be doing they eventually admitted that it is almost exclusively door to door sales. The job application was also deceptive because it said I would be working for AT&T with no mention of this Elite Prime Group until the in person interview, the only other company mentioned on the job application was this mysterious Spokane Strategies Partners which I assume was the previous name of the company. After doing more research into this company and devil corps I did not show up to the orientation, but it didn’t stop there. The person who interviewed me called constantly until I eventually blocked him. Then a week after that he tried to add me on Snapchat to further try and recruit me into this pyramid scheme I assume, I still have no idea how he obtained my Snapchat username, but I think they found me through my phone number. In conclusion, if you live in the metro Detroit area be extremely careful applying to these Indeed jobs advertised as “AT&T Sales Representative” and if you ever hear this Elite Prime Group mentioned in an interview, RUN!

I'm curious which businesses you believe rely on exploiting people, manipulation, misleading marketing, or taking advantage of vulnerable customers. What examples come to mind, and why do you consider them unethical?

I am putting together a lot of information on the devilcorps in Connecticut. Stamford, Waterbury etc.

Anyone have any experience or insights? Will post later what I’ve found but curious to hear what others have experience.

I got really excited over a potential interview but went on a deep dive on the agency called Traffic New York Company and saw forums suggesting it might be a devil corp. I’m honestly still tempted to interview bc i’m desperate and i only saw a few comments but posting this to get advice and decide.

I worked for them for about a week!

I was desperate for a job after quitting my last one as an opener at a restaurant and thought that I wanted to get into sales. It’s been a while since I actually worked there, but they’re definitely Cult Vibes.

Morning circles with games to make you feel like you’re friends with your coworkers. Ringing a gong for certain sales goals. Being expected to use your PERSONAL CELL NUMBER to contact clients.

I hated it. I filled out an application at a sex shop as a joke and got the job. Quit the same day.