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Sunday, November 12, 2006

Networking

Titles edited May 27, 2009





Last Friday night, I received a call from someone I didn't know.

And, somehow, I entertained the call.

The caller started off by saying that he got my number from a high school classmate of mine (whom I won't name for now because she's really nice to me). Then he goes on by saying that I was highly recommended by her, saying that I was supposedly "outgoing" and "easy to work with." Then he threw a question at me and asked if it was indeed true--was I really outgoing and easy to work with?

I said, "Well, I hope I am."

Then he goes on to explain that an American company is interested in recruiting students from UP, Ateneo, La Salle, etc. and asks what school do I go to. I said UP. Then he asks for my course. I said Film. Then he asks about my extra-curricular activities, and I said I used to write for the Philippine Collegian but that I quit months ago.

Then, it was his turn. He explained that he was from a blah-blah-blah, working for blah-blah-blah and was looking for blah-blah-blah. The blah's were interspersed with words like "business" and "marketing" or something. He then asked me to attend this seminar or meeting to see if I was interested and if I was the kind of person they were interested in. He emphasized that this whole thing was non-committal and that there was financial compensation involved.

In as much as the words "financial compensation" were very attractive to me, I knew that there was something fishy about his proposition. In fact, the reason why I don't remember much of what he said is because I tend to block out things that I find questionable and suspicious. I wanted to get over the conversation as quickly as possible.

Eventually, he told me to meet with him in his office at the 15th floor of the Ericsson Building along San Miguel Ave. in Ortigas. He made me choose between Saturday afternoon or Monday night. I picked Saturday, and he made me promise that I would go by saying that "I'm sure you're a professional, and you wouldn't just back out on appointments such as this," and that his oh-so-packed schedule cannot accommodate any indecisiveness. He then instructed me to come in business attire and simply approach anyone in the 15th floor because the whole floor was apparently his office. As if to convince me further (I did put on an indifferent tone), he explained that he was an executive--a position that merited an office with a huge floor area.

After that call, I immediately researched on the matter. Apparently, there really is no building called Ericsson along San Miguel. There is, however, an Octagon Building that has a huge Ericsson sign on it. The 15th floor of this building is occupied by Nu Skin, Inc., and a little research on this company made everything clear to me.

Nu Skin is a network marketing or direct selling company. Several blog entries have already related similar stories of strange phone calls and promises of money. Some call it a scam while some insist that it is just an alternative form of marketing, but either way, it's still pretty weird.

Now that I think about it, his phone call had all the qualities of a scam. He started off by complimenting me by indirectly calling me outgoing and easy to work with. He was talking very fast and vaguely, and his insistence on my attendance seemed more threatening than inviting. Also, a few days before that, a guy with the same name as this caller had already called up when I was out, claiming to be my classmate this time around.

The following day, he called again to confirm our scheduled meeting, and I, more enlightened by that time, called off the meeting and told him that I was no longer interested. He understood and asked if I had any two people in mind to recommend, preferably ones even more skilled than "outgoing" and "easy-to-work-with" me.

And in case you were wondering, no, I didn't recommend anybody.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

omg! i got the same call yesterday, but i made the tone of indifference in my voice quite clear. i also had a friend (who worked for the company mismo) invite me, and then i went to like the orientation thing (this was last year), but then it's basically one of those things na you have to sell stuff. and i DON'T want to sell stuff. i'm soo not ma-PR. and i didn't refer anyone either.

Ana said...

Haha! Yeah, I was just thinking that even if I desperately wanted to work for them, they would probably fire me themselves because I would'nt be an effective salesperson.

Anonymous said...

Hahahaha! Thanks for your post i guess... same call came in to me just recently (nov 19, monday night around 930pm)... so i started to do my research... hahahaha! i was shock upon reading your post because they have exactly the same question and dialogue (being professional, my extra-curricular, work with). However, the person told me that their company name was Synergy Global... Hmmmm?!? Hehe! Anyways, thanks again for the post! Nice day! =)

Ana said...

Hello Gerry! You're welcome. :)

Ana said...

Hahaha! It's funny how you recommended Patty!

Ana said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
kimie_me said...

I encoded the words "15 Octagon Ortigas" in the Google search bar upon receiving a phone call from someone. Aba't I landed on your site! Thanks for posting this Ana. :D

Anonymous said...

omg. i was scared. so this was really a prank. O.O thanks for posting. it would cost me my life and time. i hate selling. haha.

Anonymous said...

i got the same offer via a call two weeks before the finals week. kaso i didn't go to the appointed date kasi mejo busy at mejo suspicious ako dun sa job. hehe.. yeah.. sabi din sakin dun sa octagon building.. good thing di ako pumunta kasi i have this feeling na networking sya. hehe.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for that post! It really saved my time! It really sounded very fishy when the caller was still complimenting over and over and talking sooooo fast! LOL

Anonymous said...

12executives.livejournal.com

"Visionary ideas are always violently opposed by mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein

Anonymous said...

anna thanks for posting it! good thing haha.

well here is my story if u are interested ^_^



I was at the sm megamall and it was first week of august 2007. A man came up to me. he convinced me about a flexible part time job where i can earn lots of money. I asked him almost 5x what to do in that job and he never told me and he just said that I must go to their office at octagon building 15 floor and that i must wear business attire.

He asked for my number so i gave it to him. He kept on calling and convincing me. he set an appointment. so saturday it is. he told me that it will just be a short meeting. oh my gosh... is 2hours short?!! dang it a waste of time.

At first we got to watch this video. there are so many people in the room with different faces of course, i thought it was something like a professional meeting! grr pissed off. when the movie was shown it was not even straight to the point, they even explained about a biophotonic scanner blabla. All i want is to know what to do!! but there presentation about the company didnt gave me a clue what to do there! am i also gonna recruit?? i asked myself.

I was really shocked when they told us that we need to pay 12600 pesos and use their products. I was thinking if, am i going to sell it? but the answer is no. i asked the recruiter what to do in the business and he said that he will say it only if we pay and then after that, the training will start. the heck?! its like applying for a job that u don't know.

He told me that his life changed and that it is a very big opportunity. he told me to trust him! but he gave me 48 hours to comply.. is that pressure selling? so that i will decide right away? he even told me to borrow money from other people. who will ever lend money in such amount for 48hours only? i already had a doubt. it was a scam. networking is like a pyramid too. the first recruiters will benefit. they will get the money from the people below. the people below will recruit so they will go up. the money goes up and up and up. a pyramid. the structure that u can find in egypt haha.

48 hours had pass. Its the third day already. Maybe they are really very desperate because they called me again.I am skeptical about joining because they are really good in convincing. Thanks to the INTERNET! it made my mind crystal clear about not joining. I typed nu skin in google.com and learned a lot about it. haha i texted the recruiter scam scam scam hahaha and now he didnt text me,, i dont know.. maybe he is guilt.. haha kiddin! but if he called again im going to inform you right away.

Thanks for your blog site! I felt a sudden relief that someone like you felt what i felt too.

Moral lesson: Easy money is never true. Easy money = Easy to buy= poverty.
Hard work is real because you will put in value in whatever you have and you will watch whatever you will spend on.

Goodnight fellas! :)

I hope his made sense to all of you.

Anonymous said...

well my mas madaling company na pdeng salihan. d mo kailangan maglabas ng 12000 para sa NU SKIN n yan. my nkita ako 3000 lng tas pde kapa amg upgrade pag malaki n kita mo. ayus nga eh. parang installment try nyo to http://www.adpost.com/ph/employment/12083/ at d xa scam. mganda nga eh. d mo need kung ayaw m mag benta. pde kapang mag loading business. sa LOAD EXTREME kc eh 16000 ang babayaran m.

Anonymous said...

well my mas madaling company na pdeng salihan. d mo kailangan maglabas ng 12000 para sa NU SKIN n yan. my nkita ako 3000 lng tas pde kapa amg upgrade pag malaki n kita mo. ayus nga eh. parang installment try nyo to http://www.adpost.com/ph/employment/12083/ at d xa scam. mganda nga eh. d mo need kung ayaw m mag benta. pde kapang mag loading business. sa LOAD EXTREME kc eh 16000 ang babayaran m.

Anonymous said...

well my mas madaling company na pdeng salihan. d mo kailangan maglabas ng 12000 para sa NU SKIN n yan. my nkita ako 3000 lng tas pde kapa amg upgrade pag malaki n kita mo. ayus nga eh. parang installment try nyo to http://www.adpost.com/ph/employment/12083/ at d xa scam. mganda nga eh. d mo need kung ayaw m mag benta. pde kapang mag loading business. sa LOAD EXTREME kc eh 16000 ang babayaran m.

Anonymous said...

hahaha! You guys are unbelievable!!! yYou haven't even seen what's in it for you if you just see the presentation and here you are trying to KNOW IT ALL and CONCLUDE that it's a SCAM??!!! hahaha! This is just so funny...

Anonymous said...

i don't think it's a scam. i do think that their method in getting people to work for them is super lousy. anyway, i really don't want to earn money by selling stuff.

Anonymous said...

i don't think it's a scam. i do think that their method in getting people to work for them is super lousy. anyway, i really don't want to earn money by selling stuff.--I totally agree!

Anonymous said...

Before you posted this bag of craft have you checked Nu Skin's company profile? Go and check it go to New York Stock Exchange's website and see it for yourself that this company is a publicly traded company under the symbol NUS. Do you think it's a scam if its publicly listed. Even the biggest company in Pinas which is San Miguel won't make it to NYSE. I really hate people who think they know everything. I thought you researched on this, you just actually assumed.

Anonymous said...

"bag of craft"?!

Anonymous said...

I don't like their system. my friend told me that they are more of headhunters than sellers of their products. Their products are too expensive so to earn more, they have to have more downlines.I don't like their recruitment method also (using names of other companies and even schools, and all the different names and addresses of their company)

"Visionary ideas are always violently opposed by mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein
--> If you don't go, it doesn't mean you opt for mediocrity. I don't even believe that joining that company is something that is visionary..I mean the industry is quite saturated already...and selling may just not be good for you.

Furthermore, even a company that is not listed in the NYSE, it does not mean it is not a good company. San Miguel is considered to be a Blue Chip company (Meaning it has high dividend payout and share values even at worst times in the industry). I think the guy/gal who posted about this has no knowledge in Economics or Management...tss.

Anonymous said...

hmm, i have the same situation but this time? it's my former clasmate. is it true? this chuva what so ever? my god. pls. reply.Ü u can reply tru my multiply. tnx.

Anonymous said...

Got this link through a friend of mine who experienced the same deal. Taga "Synergy Global" daw. Sayang naman. I know NuSkin and I LOVE the products kasi sinasideline yun dati ng mom ko (all the girls in the house ended up consuming the product more than selling it, hahaha!)...yun nga lang sana hindi sila ganun magrecruit at magbenta. People tend to think of them as annoying salespeople. Sayang kasi hindi nabibigyan tuloy matry yung product.

Anonymous said...

I'm a bit confused about all the stuffs I've read here. Someone called me few hours ago, introducing himself as an HR person from Synergy1, 15 Octagon Ortigas. Just like the ones posted on this blog. He said he was this person, whom I know, because he is a former batchmate from college. So might as well give it a shot, because of the person. Maybe he got my number from a former classmate too, because he said something to me relating to another company where I didn't worked at all (which he said that he got my number from a company's "something list").

He said that they are opening a new IT project, looking for part time takers, and their company has global connections. As a person inclined in IT and curious about their non-committal offer, I agreed to have a meeting with him this coming Saturday.

I came across this blog entry because I was also looking for the company's website to research about their products and services. For when my appointment on Saturday comes, I have this idea of what I would be expecting. But all that I read here made me more confused. I also read about a blog that said that it is really Nu Skin and that Synergy 1 is their group of distributors. So there is really no Synergy 1, an IT company. Or is there? Sigh.

A contradiction. If Synergy1 is an IT firm, why is it that it serves as a distributor for direct selling products for face and body? I'm very confused. Plus the fact that it came from a former batch mate, whom I don't know if he really was that person, makes it more confusing.

If anyone could message me just to clear my head about the issue, it would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

OMG!!! i was just reading this thread as well as some other blog about this 15th floor office at Octagon Bldg. And ditto...same story. I was called last night about a part time opportunity and was given the same address. So I decided to google the address coz I forgot to ask the company's name and this is what I found out. Thanks to all the bloggers at least you gave me a warning about this. Well would like to give them the benefit of the doubt but ust like others pipz here... I am NOT into selling stuffs. Thsi to all yah bloggers for the warning. You've made me aware and avoid this kind of sad experience.

Anonymous said...

Hi! i was also a victim of their false recruitment strategy. After experiencing it again yesterday, i decided to post my experience and comment about it. Hope people would become more aware of this.

My post is at: http://pusangkalye.com/2008/09/09/beware-of-pharmanex-nuskin-recruitment-strategy/

Anonymous said...

NU SKIN, old scam

read an outline of what NU SKIN does at http://silkenhut.com/synergy-one-international-synergy-global-international/

please sign the petition to call for INVESTIGATION of NU SKIN.
http://catchdascammers.multiply.com/links/item/16

You can modify the petition letter, to suit you. Even if they just called you up, and you decided not to go, please sign the petition. You can sign a complaint form online too.

Anonymous said...

Haha...

Wow! Never imagined na ganyan kadami ang stories for this incident...

Well, my dad got a phone call too...

Then when I got home after school, my mom told me to research about this octagon blah blah blah.. Because I was the one handling my dad's applications for other companies so normally I should know who called but NOT...

And also, isn't it weird to have a meeting in the Afternoon? Talk of such interviews... and they call themselves professionals... Gees... Wrong timing... XD

Well anyways, there are hundreds of stories posted on the net about this incident... Well, think of it first... Did all you posted some resume or something on the net? Kac its weird for the caller to have your contacts as well as my dad's... Un lng... XD

vlori said...

Hello. I was a victim too of this scam. An hour earlier. And quite doubtful if the caller was really my elementary friend since I asked something and answered it correctly. Thanks for the article. It helped me in knowing that that was a scam. Btw, can I post your URL to my multiply blog. As my reference link in finding out that I was scammed?

voxx said...

anna!

I'm actually about to go to octagon tom.
Im the kind that would research on everything so i decided to google it and boom! i landed on your blog.
thank you for posting it! buti nlang nakita ku ung site mu. =)
di na aku 22loy.

SPO4 Bantay Scam said...

Hi there. Though this blog post is dated 2006 pa, this is still valuable info especially to the unsuspecting who'd fall prey into these con schemes. Ang nakakabuwisit pa, ang Pilipino niloloko ang kapwa Pilipino. Saan pa kayo? As the saying goes, there's a sucker born every minute! Once again thanks for informing the public and for not falling into their trap.

I have had some of these NSE scammers placed under surveillance by my team.

Unknown said...

(2)Anonymous said...
Before you posted this bag of craft have you checked Nu Skin's company profile? Go and check it go to New York Stock Exchange's website and see it for yourself that this company is a publicly traded company under the symbol NUS. Do you think it's a scam if its publicly listed. Even the biggest company in Pinas which is San Miguel won't make it to NYSE. I really hate people who think they know everything. I thought you researched on this, you just actually assumed.
2:32 PM

*** hello!! have you heard of ENRON??? that company was listed in the New York Stock Exchange for years before it went zero. and people don't assume when they receive calls telling them to go there by an effing stranger who got their numbers from who-knows-who.

maybe it's you who haven't done your homework coz you're obviously defending this company. if you're a member of nu skin, what you're trying to do is just put yourself and your company's reputation in hellhole even more. if you want to defend nu skin's scheming-scamming way of recruiting downlines, then something about it so people won't complain about the way you recruit them or call them as if it is the best decisions of their lives.

i've done my assignment and look what i found:

an excerpt from:
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=9th&navby=docket&no=9515870

"Despite the lip service to "products," the true structure of Nu Skin is a classic pyramid scheme in which members/distributors focus their efforts on recruiting new distributors rather than on selling products, and must maintain "personal volume" of wholesale purchases in order to remain members of the distribution chain and reap commissions from the efforts of their "downline" distributors. . . . Thus, true success comes from recruiting active recruiters . . . in an effort to establish a "downline" which will generate profits for the participant."

so it is true that your company is pyramiding and yet those recruiters won't say anything and the leaders even deny it on the spot.

who's the liar? who's not making research?

the products are good and many people can attest to that. but the quality of a product can be overshadowed by the reputation of its company. in the Philippines, there are more poor people especially now that there where billions of pesos in damages and millions lost their home, and hundreds lost their lives due to the typhoons.

now, tell us, is this the right time to recruit fellow Filipinos who may have some spare cash but they also have families to take care of? do you think scamming them with your lies can make a huge difference in their lives and status right now?

don't boast your achievements of blue diamond whatsoever, feeding the children with your products because the local governments you approach are paying for them in subsidized fees or they have rich families as sponsors. Everything is paid in your company- memberships, partnerships, shelling out capital blindly just because people want to earn extra.

now tell us...is this the right way to uplift the life of the average and poor Pinoys???

tell us...

useful links:

http://bewareofnuskin.blogspot.com/2008/06/more-nuskin-victim-stories.html

http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/feu-eac-ialap/message/239

Unknown said...

this post is a big help.. i just got the same call today about 1hr ago.. same din mga sinabi sakin.. i said yes for the meeting she set this friday afternoon 3:30 in the same blg.. She knew everything about me.. like where i graduated. ngulat ako kaya i ask her kung san niya nlaman mga info n yun. sabi lng niya some referred me pero d n daw niya mtrack kung sino.. she gave me the exact address and even instruct me how to go there.. i ask the name of the company she said the company's name is NS international.. bgo plng dw yun kaya nghhire sila ng mga key person chorva.. i just said yes lang after that call i decided to google about it kase gusto ko mlaman kung anung meron sa company n sinsabi at npakalaki ng offer 15k-20k. i typed the address and found alot of links that said n SCAM nga xa.. lahat ng link binukasan ko including your blog.. buti nlng talaga ngresearch muna ko.. im so thankful salhata ng nag post about sa SCAM n toh.. and also sayo.. salamat ng madami.. d ako nloko. haha.. nkaka tuwa lng kase ako ata ang latest dito n ngpost telling n tinawagan sila.. hanggang ngayon nangloloko parin sila.. anyways thanks ulit..