I was intrigued by Onyx Wholesale when they first called me about an interview.
"We are closed Fridays," they said.
"It's the only day I can do it."
"Oh shit girl."
"We are closed Fridays," they said.
"It's the only day I can do it."
"Oh shit girl."
"I know. Sorry."
"Girl. Let's work this out."
Suite 204 is a hip hop video:
Several men in suits and cornrows disperse when I enter.
In reception sits a gigantic boombox like a computer. Rihanna wails and we all raise our voices.
Three dancers pirouette in and out again.
Pollock-esque triptychs hang on the walls. "The boss did those."
ELLA ELLA ELLA ELLA.
Three dancers pirouette in and out again.
Pollock-esque triptychs hang on the walls. "The boss did those."
ELLA ELLA ELLA ELLA.
Everyone beautiful and loud and dancing down the hall.
The receptionist talked breathlessly to me. She left friends and family behind in Los Angeles to pursue the American Dream in Arvada, Colorado. She had no idea that an earthquake hit California. She kept the conversation going, boom boom boom, never allowing a lull.
Kyle wore a navy, pinstripe vest. He had the "Jack Sparrow sparrow" (his words) tattooed at sunset on his forearm, and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He took me and another young girl into a white room with a desk, no computer, and a framed Obama poster on the wall. Kyle said I was "challenging his English skills" with the word emphatic. He babbled about how perfectly wonderful my personality is. "I'm weird too," he offered out of nowhere, "I'm into weird stuff, too." He said entry-level assistant manager positions paid $30,000. He said the fragrance business was "recession-proof."
Kyle manipulated me and the other girl against one another.
Kyle: Would you need to give two weeks?
Girl: Well I'd like to, it's courtesy, there's one guy who's really mean and nobody seems to like me, people don't like me for some reason, I really hate Papa John's, it's a bad environment for me.
It was easy to act like he was blowing her off with the way she behaved. He gave her a time to call them later that night and dismissed her from the room. I was held back for further questioning. I told him our schedules were incompatible for a second interview. Kyle was getting frustrated.
"The second interview is about three hours long, but it's worth it."
I would have seen that other girl again, among a coliseum of weary-eyed degenerates with eating disorders. She wasn't blown off, she was pushed aside to bait my ego.
The Scam
This is an alleged pyramid scheme that has allegedly done hideous things to other girls. You can find my favorite report here at ripoffreport.com:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/Sales-People/Onyx-Wholesale/onyx-wholesale-fraudulent-perf-e2y7f.htm
The most ticklish moment of this report is the raw hot dogs. By ticklish, I mean horrifying.
"They paired us up for a contest. Whoever out of the two people sold more bottles didn't have to eat baby food and raw hot dogs when they came back. I thought great. They gave us our box again and sent us out with different leaders."
"When the day was finally over and we showed up at the office with no bottles dropped, i really didnt care.
That is until i found out that the girl i was in the contest with, didn't come back. So i was now competing with some girl who didn't drop any either. So i was happy that i didn't have to eat baby food. Then they made us have a dance contest. Well since i won, I didn't have to eat it first! What?! I still had to eat baby spinich? OH no!!! I refused and almost threw up from the smell alone! Chris dragged me out of the bathroom and forced it down my throat!!!"I was suspicious from the first phone call when they seemed so clingy and accommodating.
And this poor, poor dummy made it to the hot dog suffocation stage.
I don't wish to discourage people from speaking out against disturbing and humiliating scams. I'm sure this report saved a lot of time and money for tens of people. Those that Google a prospective employer before it's too late.
But god damn dude. They sang songs calling you a "weak piece of shit." I bet nobody's ever gotten that far before. They were running out of ideas.
"We learned horrible songs that downed people and we told we were FNPs. Famously New People, or F***ing new People. We were also told if we quit we were WPS. Weak Piece of SH**."
Also, I love this moment of honesty. I tried to screw my friend over, but little did I know...
"Well Monday we were all to write down a list of people we knew and we were going to have a contest to where we could make $950 dollars. It was to go to our friends and family and sell these perfumes. They were rendition but we had to tell them they were the real thing.
I tried it. I sold two bottles to an old co-worker and she said it was out of sympathy because she used to work there. She also said she would let me find out on my own how the company was because she didn't 'want to kill my dream'."
Kaboom! Don't cheat.
The owner of Ripoff Report is being sued for extortion* and still I think this woman's story is real. Even if the owner is guilty, honest people can go on there and file grievances. I could go on there and click "file a report" if I felt like it. People should have a forum to speak out against mistreatment.
The description of the first interview is identical to my experience:
"I called the number and a girl named Ashley had answered and there was music playing so loud all I could understand was over 18 and come for an interview in 45 minutes. I had to call back 3 times to get clear directions.
When I arrived, there were 3 boys and another girl sitting in chairs, music playing pictures of parties all over the walls and a young girl telling cheesy jokes.
I gave her my name and she gave me questionnaire to fill out and told me that Iris would be with me shortly. I went into the "group interview" with a guy and another woman. It was very short, but the questions entailed of what my goals were, how much money I wanted to make and why I wanted a new job.
Iris asked us 3 all the same questions and gave us each a call back time to see if we made it to the second interview.
I called later that night and was told what time to be there for the 2nd interview."
When I arrived, there were 3 boys and another girl sitting in chairs, music playing pictures of parties all over the walls and a young girl telling cheesy jokes.
I gave her my name and she gave me questionnaire to fill out and told me that Iris would be with me shortly. I went into the "group interview" with a guy and another woman. It was very short, but the questions entailed of what my goals were, how much money I wanted to make and why I wanted a new job.
Iris asked us 3 all the same questions and gave us each a call back time to see if we made it to the second interview.
I called later that night and was told what time to be there for the 2nd interview."
Post-Interview
My interview was yesterday, and we had scheduled a second interview for the following week. I was just so fascinated by how far I could take this.
Now that I know how bad it can get, I'm amused but uneasy. It's creepy, knowing you've walked in and out of the spider's lair.
Some woman called me early this morning.
"Hi this is random calling from Ox!"
They always slur the company name. I didn't understand the first time they called me.
"Oh hi I've accepted a better job offer. But thanks."
The nasal mew, "Awwwah! I was really hoping to see you!"
That upset me. Her role is to fuck with the heads of desperate people. "I know!" I exclaimed, and then in a casual voice, "I actually found another pyramid scheme, so I'm going to go with them, but thanks and have a good one."
As I hung up, her disembodied voice droned in the balance, devoid of charm and humanity, "O..h. Okay..."
She may have actually been a man. Her voice dropped so low and metal like a robot.
If the attendance policy at my current job allotted more breathing room, I'd have gone to that second interview with a cameraman.
If you didn't visit the website like I probably wouldn't, this is the company video.
*http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=11587
