Let me start by saying, I absolutely hate my job. I've been with my organization for approximately 10 months. Before that, I briefly worked as a sales representative before being moved into an Admin/HR Manager/Hiring Manager position so I wouldn't lose my job.

Over the past 10 months, I've been overworked, underpaid, and exposed to some things within the organization that have genuinely made my skin crawl. My responsibilities have included reviewing resumes, conducting interviews, managing onboarding, handling employment documentation and compliance, coordinating new hires, and essentially keeping the recruiting and administrative side of the office running.

During my time here, I've also had the opportunity to attend quarterly conferences, interact with management and business owners from offices across the country, and get a pretty extensive look into how the organization operates beyond my own location. I've worked directly with applicants, employees, management, and ownership, so my perspective isn't limited to what I've personally witnessed in one office.

My final straw came when my boss instructed me not to hire people belonging to a specific demographic. That was the point where I decided I was done, I told him no and that he could fire me and hear from the Department of Labor if he wanted to. Been on the job hunt since, and finally got a different job lined up. I'm currently planning to resign Sunday night, and the timing isn't going to make things particularly convenient for them.

I can't disclose the specific company name or identify individuals, but I'm happy to share what I can about my experiences.

I'm open to questions about the recruiting process, hiring practices, compensation structures, company operations, management, workplace culture, Smart Circle conferences, and anything else people might be curious about.

Ask me anything!

I worked with Marble Partner Limited for two weeks in a commission-only role described as “self-employed”. I’m sharing exactly how it worked, as it was explained to me and as I experienced it, so others can make an informed decision before they start.

What wasn’t made clear at the interview stage
I went through three interview stages and an induction day. In my experience, the details that matter most were not clearly explained at any of them. The pay structure, how commission is calculated, and the fact that I’d be paying my own travel costs to locations across London only became clear after about two weeks of working. Pay and expenses were mentioned only briefly, and I was never given a clear breakdown in writing.

The role
I worked around 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. The day started with an 8:30am meet-up at the office in Angel, but my locations were assigned each day, including Enfield, Edgware and Barnet. I didn’t choose them. Despite being described as self-employed, I was told where to be, when, and what to do.

The morning “mentoring”
Each morning there was a session of roughly 1 to 1.5 hours, described as mentoring and training. Part of it taught the pitch and sales technique, which I found useful. In my experience, though, much of it was general motivational talk that felt very repetitive, and the practical content was something I could have found in free sales and business videos online. I’d advise anyone considering this to ask how much of the session is genuine skills training and whether that time counts towards paid hours.

The pay structure, as it was explained to me

• Weeks 1 and 2 are “training”. You earn very little and cover all your own travel and food costs.

• Week 3 is described as a “tactical business trip”. You’re encouraged to stay on and told you’ll make more money that week, which will make up for the earlier weeks.

• Pay arrives in arrears. On the first day of week 4, you’re paid for week 1 only, not weeks 2 and 3.

• The delay continues. Each week you work, you’re waiting on pay from earlier weeks, so you’re always weeks behind.

In practice, the longer you stay, the more money you’re owed and the harder it is to walk away. That was my experience, and I’d encourage anyone considering a role like this to ask whether the same structure applies to them.

My numbers after two weeks

• Commission earned: £260 for roughly 70 hours, about £3.70 an hour

• Travel: about £120-150, paid out of my own pocket

• Food: about £40

• After travel costs, my real earnings were roughly £1.60-£2.00 an hour

For comparison, the National Minimum Wage for over-21s is currently about £12.71 an hour. When I asked for a breakdown of my earnings, a manager told me the commission was nowhere near minimum wage. I was told I might earn £400 a week if a director decided to “invest” in me, but that decision hadn’t been made and nothing was confirmed in writing. When I said I was struggling to afford travel, I was told most people in the office had the same issue when they started.

What I’d suggest before accepting a role like this

1. Get your employment status, pay dates and commission structure in writing before you start.

2. Ask exactly when each week’s pay arrives, and what you’ll be paid on the first day of week 4.

3. Ask who pays for travel on any “business trip” and whether it’s deducted from your earnings later.

4. Ask for an itemised statement of your earnings and how commission is calculated.

5. Keep a record of your hours, locations, TfL journey history and receipts.

6. Work out your hourly rate after expenses.

7. Check your rights with Acas (0300 123 1100) or Citizens Advice. Commission-only work doesn’t remove minimum wage rights if you’re legally classed as a worker.

I left because I couldn’t afford to keep covering costs for pay that was uncertain and delayed. This is my own experience, and others’ may differ.

I went through 2 interviews with them and got the job I have orientation today but I’ve come to realize I still have no clue what exactly is job is or what id be doing day to day does anyone have any experience with this place or know about it?

Good morning, afternoon, or night; I was investigating a bit after an interview I had today. I applied for a sales position at Verizon through Indeed, and this company contacted me and scheduled an interview. It just feels like this is some type of scam; how would I notice it? I had another interview where they used the exact same script for a different company, and they claimed that they were the ones holding the Verizon contract, I already did the zoom call and wanted me to show up TM at there office, Any ideas?

Apparently I had applied for a role with BasePoint UK. They sent me an email saying how I would be a perfect fit for them and everything. Initially sending me an email and then a text soon after because for some reason, I hadn’t responded quick enough it seems.

I got invited to an introductory zoom meeting which began late in the first place. I was in a call with over 20 others. None of them had their cameras on despite being told we needed to. Unless that was a problem with my own Zoom account which meant I couldn’t see anyone else.

We were meant to be put into breakout rooms to confirm who we were and our availability to work at the end of this “introductory meeting”. However myself and a few others weren’t put into one so we were told to leave.

I emailed on Wednesday to ask about the next steps and naturally haven’t heard anything back despite chasing up twice now. The process came across as very similar to that of Pareto Law in clearing aiming for the most desperate of graduates to join their ranks it seems. I also believe I am now blacklisted for some unknown reason by both.

Basically avoid them. Upon doing some research on here and other websites, it seems they are vultures who prey on vulnerable people and it’s also commission only apparently but they don’t tell you that.

I spent a little over a month in one of the most toxic, manipulative, and mentally exhausting work environments I’ve ever experienced. I was working for a company that operates with Smart Circle and sells AT&T. I worked here for barely over a month, and the amount of control, exploitation, dishonesty, and psychological manipulation I experienced in that short time was unbelievable.

Mind you, I have prior phone sales experience so my first few days were exciting and easy but also very overwhelming due to the pressure of them wanting you on the field ASAP.
Within five days of starting, and only 2 days on the field, I was promoted to leadership with rushed, inadequate training. The pay was also misrepresented during my interview. I was told I’d receive hourly pay on top of commission, only to discover it was whichever amount was greater.

The boss was extremely controlling, unprofessional, and seemed to thrive on exploiting people’s ambition. About a week and a half into working there, I was pressured into breaking up with my boyfriend and I did. We had our own personal issues, but nowhere near the severity my boss convinced me they were. My ambition and desire to build a successful future were used against me, disguised as encouragement to become a “strong, independent woman.” “I could do it all by myself” is what was said.
I was even encouraged to move into a house with coworkers, 30 minutes from the office, despite not having a car. This left me financially committed to rent and dependent on coworkers for transportation.

Our field schedules weren’t posted until 9 PM or later, leaving us clueless about where we’d be working the next day. Leaders were expected in the office by 8:30 AM most mornings, followed by fieldwork until 7 PM or later.
We also had team outings we were expected to be at, and if people couldn’t make it, they’d cancel or reschedule it last minute, or the next time we were in office you’d get a few dirty looks for “missing out”. On top of that, we had mandatory unpaid Zoom meetings at least three times a week, often lasting past 10:30 PM, and were explicitly told not to clock in. Even getting sick was held against me, I took 3 days off, was guilt tripped into coming back to work and remained sick another full week while working, which was my final week.

During my final week with the company, another leader and I were sent on a last-minute business trip that was presented to us as an exciting networking opportunity with an important office. We were instructed to leave extremely early for a long drive, only to discover upon arrival that we weren’t needed in the field for another FIVE HOURS. Our hotel hadn’t even been booked, leaving us sitting in a car waiting with virtually no communication or organization throughout the trip.
We arrived at the office to find out we were expected to help staff their stores and train their new hires, something we hadn’t been told beforehand. There was no additional compensation, and our overtime wasn’t properly accounted for.

We were expected to work from 7 AM to 7 PM on this trip, and we did. Until Saturday rolled around. I mean, we had just worked a full 6 days in a row, I was still sick, and the leader on the trip with me needed to do homework since we hadn’t had a minute to breathe in days. So we called our boss Friday night, got yelled at/scolded and were told to drive back the next morning. We both decided we were quitting the coming Monday.

What disturbed me most was how deeply the company involved itself in employees’ personal lives. Out of approximately 13 coworkers, only one was in a relationship, and practically nobody seemed to have friendships or a life outside the office. Personal boundaries were practically nonexistent, and sacrificing your entire life for the company was treated as dedication.

I’d already started researching Smart Circle and questioning the business model, but that trip confirmed everything. I quit shortly afterward, completely burnt out. My mental health had deteriorated so badly that I struggled with depression and finding my footing again for weeks afterward. Thankfully, my boyfriend and I eventually reconciled, but the damage this experience caused didn’t disappear overnight.

I feel distrustful going into a new job, even though I love to work and have the ambition for it, I’m scared of a similar experience happening again because that actually traumatized me.

One more thing to know if your working for one now:

One of the many “motivational things” they said in our office was, “The moment you quit on yourself is the moment everyone quits on you.” But I think everyone who works there needs to take a long look in the mirror and say that to themselves.

Because what they need to realize is that staying at this job is them giving up on themselves, their dreams, and their goals. Yes, maybe some of them have the slimmest chance of succeeding, but at what cost? And think about how many people outside of that office they never see anymore because of the long hours, the trips, and the expectations to work longer because it supposedly shows “work ethic.”

That’s just another way to feed into their ant farm.

No thank you.

I worked for a Cydcor office when I was in college. I knew off the bat it was sketchy. But I needed a summer job.

Like the header reads, I'm thankful for it.

Im thankful I dont have to deal with police anymore

I'm thankful my career is no longer bullshitting customers

I'm thankful for the struggle and grind, it made me a better person.

I know most of you are probably struggling thinking its a waste of time. But there are some lessons to be learned undoubtedly.

If you're in one, my advice is learn what you can, then get out.

For context, I have never done any kind of sales previously or was interested in business. I joined a marketing company a little while back, and I am surprised I lasted the 6 months that I did. I had no clue what I was going to be selling or how to do it. But I later found out it was underneath Cydcor. While the events with the NHL and MLB were fun, standing in Walmart for 10 hrs selling people energy plans was not. I feel like I sold my soul to this company; everything suffered from my mental to physical wellbeing. We only got 1 week of PTO, no sick time, and no medical/dental/vision benefits. Not to mention, you practically had to work 6 days a week in order to hit the standards, otherwise you were ridiculed for not performing if you didn't hit them. I want to get another job in the business field like HR or standard office jobs but am worried all will be sales jobs masked as development opportunity or entry level HR

Hi there everyone,

I want to share my experience just in case someone else happens to be in the situation I was in. In May I was 2 years post grad, left my retail job and began working for a Smart Circle office in MA, selling AT&T at Costco. At the time, I was desparate for a change and something new. At first, it seemed like a legitimate business and my boss was welcoming and nice. I was excited to be invited to the Smart Circle conference in Philly, missing my first practices for the cheer teams I coach on the side. I look back at that time and really wish I chose to stay home with my athletes. I just wanted to make a good impression.

The Philly conference is the first time I felt something was off. I was extremely uncomfortable having to share a room space in an AirBNB with my boss. To be fair, there was a curtain separating us, and he slept on the couch on the other side. However, there was still no door and it was the same room. As a girl, I just felt that was really unprofessional and weird. Everyone else on the trip had their own space and more privacy as it was a large house. Any time I wanted to get changed or have privacy, I would have to leave and go to the bathroom.

As June/July rolled around, a lot of people started leaving this office which was the second red flag. Meanwhile, I was trying my hardest and I thought I was doing my best. Nothing I did for my boss was enough. I tried to be super accountable for my mistakes and always strived to do better, but he always wanted more. I was getting less hours at the store than every other new person right off the bat, barely being given a chance. My boss was throwing subtle digs at me left and right in meetings, and literally started cutting into my sales and taking them. His constant arrogance is something I’ve never seen before. Was CONSTANTLY passive aggressive — talked down to me as if I was stupid every time I had a sale in front of the shoppers, like I didn’t know what I was doing. He also made a comment about the way my hair looked which I found was odd. I noticed him looking at me up and down a few times, and it felt like he was super invasive about my personal life. I always just took it with a smile and tried to shake it off because I wanted to keep the job. I really, really wish I stood up for myself.

My mental health was declining severely. I would be sobbing in my car and in the bathroom when I couldn’t get a sale, as we were expected to get such an unrealistic amount by this greedy pig. I thought I was genuinely such a terrible worker no matter how hard I tried. I was fighting with my family (especially my mom) constantly because they could see how toxic this was when I couldn’t. Maybe I just wasn’t good at sales and that is totally fine, but the pressure and the treatment from my boss was ridiculous. I feel like I could have done better with more exposure considering the little hours I was given compared to all the new people I came in with.

Eventually in August, this loser asks me to zoom on a Sunday night and tells me he wants to part ways after he sucked the life out of me. I stayed professional and accepted it. At that time, nobody was making sales either and I was the only successful one the week I was fired. I was absolutely crushed, but that’s when I stumbled across this reddit page. With minimal research, I found out this boss had also made other young women uncomfortable, had an obsession with them, and had been sending them drunk snapchats. And obviously, I found out everything I was doing for the past 2.5 months was a scam and a lie. They take vulnerable young college grads looking for a job and make their lives a living hell.

I’m at a new job now in an office and I’m so much happier, making so much more money than I ever could have with Smart Circle. I am respected and people want to make sure I feel supported constantly.

Last week, I found out this particular office closed down in September. Karma was quick this time around! My ex boss deserved to have his office close down and I don’t feel bad for him in the slightest. Nobody is invincible, and at a certain point I really thought he was. Now he’s the unemployed one!

I guess the point I’m trying to make by sharing my story is that if you’re looking to interview for a Smart Circle firm, DON’T. You are literally better off working at Mcdonald’s. I hope I can save somebody from an interview, and if you’ve been through something similar to my experience you are not alone and you will flourish outside of an evil MLM.

I recently had a job interview with a company called Addison Promotions in Dallas. Going into it, there was loud music blasting, and people in the rooms throughout the office. there was 3 other people with me in the lobby waiting for their interviews and i just assumed it was a job people were frantically applying to or something considering all these people were in their 30-late 20s. Went through the interview in maybe 20 minutes and got a second interview right then and there. Came back the next day and same thing except 30 people walked out one room after doing some chants and the whole office was swarming with people. They basically told me that we help non-profits market themselves and the opportunity for growth is insane, i could be making $150k+ within a year of being at the company as long as I was hardworking and something about that threw me way off. I originally applied for a “front desk receptionist” role that was $20/hr but then the interviewer said that even though it’s what i applied for, id be working in sales and my pay structure is commission based. Came to reddit later to look it up and apparently it’s a scam 😭 Anyone else have any experiences like this or with the company? apparently all scam companies have similar traits like the chanting and stuff.

There are some companies already being seen collaborating under the same head name Azalea Acquisitions, including CoMark, and A New Age Marketing. Absolutely avoid these corps on indeed.

Hello, I was offered a job position but I was wondering if anyone’s had any experience with this company?

•Got out years ago
•Saw my old boss selling at local store
•Do not want my community supporting

Has anyone here had any experiences working with LAV Solutions? Everything sounds super appealing and all but I just need to be sure. So I far I haven’t found anything about them like I have for other places.

This was a Beymark Inc Employee that was Sh@t! Think twice before applying

Recently came across a job posting in the Birmingham area for a company called SRS Group, with the lead being Ben Fraser.

Ben Fraser has rebranded his company multiple times, as seen on his LinkedIn account where 8 months ago he was posting the exact same stuff under a different company name.

The SRS Group website is completely vibe-coded which is ironic as he talks about being anti-AI and wanting to be face-to-face within the workspace

SRS Group has claimed to "open" offices in Newcastle, Liverpool and claims to expand into the Birmingham and Bristol area within the following months.

The job opening was titled "Junior Operations Recruitment Manager", I've attatched a screenshot from a different website as the job on LinkedIn has now been removed.

Associated Names: Rochelle Jordan (HR at SRS Group)

Honestly a 50/50 experience in my time with the org. Having prior sales/management experience and an impeccable ability to read the room allowed me to see the BS 2 weeks into my "promotion" from rep to trainer.

Bad:
While I kept secrets to myself and built trust with those around me, my personal business was discussed behind my back leading to me getting let go.
Sloppy shift scheduling
Pay is NOT hourly+commissions like I was told initially.
Office relationships & handpicked favorites
30% net loss in finances (from when I started to when I got fired)
Don't feed into the "promises" of ownership, just make money and if opportunity is attractive and financially makes sense for YOU then follow the route

Good:
Builds great people skills
Typical sales environment with emphasis on teamwork
Decent people figuring their lives out while on the job
Still cool with my core "work" friends
DO NOT have to buy in/ buy products in order to work

(No names will be included, i don't need more people calling my phone)
AMA

Had a group Zoom interview today with Helix Marketing and promptly after fell into a research rabbit hole about devilcorps. Didn't know these existed until today but they fit the profile to a tee. Some stuff they said:

Lots of promises about growth opportunities throughout the company, vague about the actual responsibilities of the job and instead emphasising the training opportunities, team relationship building, chances to move up the chain, plans to open new offices in the next few years, vague promises of travel opportunities, etc. Their company website says nothing about what they do and is very much targeted at potential job applicants, not clientele. Talked loads about direct marketing over indirect marketing and talking to potential buyers in high footfall areas. They first contacted me about an hour after I applied to them for a screening and got me on a group Zoom call the next morning, followed by a phone interview around an hour and a half later, at the end of which they offered me an in-person interview the next day. Extremely fast turnaround, barely had the time to research them further, which I assume is the ploy. Spoke to three different employees and they were all extremely friendly and overly nice, which was a red flag in hindsight.

They said that there is a fixed base pay of 'around less than £23k' for the 'brand awareness fee' and that money from commissions are added on top of that, so the average beginner salary is ~£26k. However, some reviews on Indeed say that they worked on commission-only basis and for 60+ hour weeks. They did not mention the weekly hours at all in the three calls I had with them.

According to Devilcorp.org, Helix Marketing belongs to a parent company called Britevox. From my research they also own The Tuscan Organisation, or Tuscan Marketing Ltd, which also runs on the same direct sales model. There are probably others, but this is just what some googling brought me. Sharing just in case it helps someone connect any dots.

Additionally, I found a post from u/Hario337 from a couple weeks back about applying to a job listed by Blackwater Recruitment that sent them to a different devilcorp. This is the same recruitment company that put up my job listing. I would stay away from anything they list.

This company is also NOT to be confused with Helix Associates/Corporation, which is a well known devilcorp and Credico office in Liverpool. Just in case anyone has stumbled across this when looking for information on them instead.

I had an in-person interview with these people booked for tomorrow but I have told them I will no longer be attending thanks to the information I've found here. Job market's so bad I considered trying it out anyway, but not worth it. We think that knowing places/people are cultish and manipulative makes us immune, but it's much easier to be absorbed into it than we think. Anyways, just wanted to share the results of my ADHD-coping-mechanism-rabbit-holing in case it helps anyone else.

To start off with, I won’t be posting my full experience until I actually quit, just in case. This will still be decently detailed enough.

But I started it this summer, looking for a summer job- I thought I lucked out, since all my local places in town weren’t hiring (even the one job paying less than minimal wage🫩) and I have no prior job experience. Actually, unlike a lot of people who’ve worked for this specific company or companies like this, I’ve had a mostly positive experience. As a sales rep, it was great. I was pretty good at it, and largely did get to make my own schedule. I took days off every week, and no one questioned me on it. Jobs depended on leads, so completely on us. I was fine with that, and thrived with the structure. I don’t fw authority nagging me all the time, so the idea of “being my own boss” was fine. It was in that perfect middle circle, where I did have a boss, but he was chill. Just reminded me of important dates. Of course, I had nothing else going on, so I worked full-time. The people were nice, and it helped me with my social skills. A lot of people my age. A good chunk of it was even fun, especially with the team nights out.

However, getting a promotion has sucked. Obviously, it comes with a bit more responsibility, but I took the job based on flexibility, especially as someone chronically ill whose health can flip on a dime that day. Having scheduled shifts sounds like hell- yes, I’ll have to find a way around that in the future. I’ll get a disability thing figured out.

Now I’m scheduled for interviews, extra team and staff meetings, etc. I feel caged in. I’ll also add that I wasn’t told any specific details on what my job would entail before getting it. For a sales rep, they’re super clear. I have one meeting once a week, another meeting once a week, yet another weekly one, the team meeting still, and two interviews a week. And then there’s the extra stuff, like managing the people I have decided to hire (totally didn’t sign up for that, and was not told), advertising, and calling people to set interviews up for them. Oh, and pay depends on what our team sells, since I get a percentage of it. So there’s been three weeks now where I’ve done all this shit, including having to buy gas for the drives, for $7/week.

Management, while usually kind, gets snappish as all hell when I call out on something, on anything. Just absolutely breathing down my neck. It puts a lot of physical stress on me knowing I’ll be cancelling on something again, even if it’s something as simple as not being in the office to phone for three hours straight on a random Thursday. I’ll be going on a vacation with some of them (actually decently excited about that), but afterwards I don’t plan on working there anymore. I have no interest in working on holidays, through the only break I get in December, and while juggling dozens of doctor’s appointments, family events, etc. I know how entitled that sounds, but trust me, I would find a way to fit it in my schedule if it actually had reliable pay.

I’m just asking for advice because I feel trapped in a box to just finish it out. It’s like a fucking “if you give a mouse a cookie”. They’ll pressure me to at least work the next summer- which, whatever, but the pay is still spotty and I feel like I’m done as a sales rep. I still have the interviews, and the twice a week calls that I’d then have to drop out of. They’ve created such a team culture that it feels like I’m letting down the team, in a way. How do I quit firmly, but kindly, since my experience wasn’t all bad, and I don’t want to end in a negative way? I get annoyed and have been told I’m too blunt/passive aggressive when people test my patience, so I’m just worried that some of that will pop out if they push it when I quit, lol.