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Vector Marketing/Cutco Being Investigated by the Oregon Attorney General

According to the Salem Statesman Journal, the Oregon Attorney General is looking for people who were misled in any way by Vector Marketing/Cutco- a company that recruits students to sell very expensive kitchen knives through in-home demonstration starting with their friends and family.
They said they will take action if they can find people in Oregon to substantiate the well known complaints about Vector. Vector is under an agreement with the Marion County court to be "truthful in representations made to induce persons to sell Vector's products" and tell jobseekers "exactly what the job is about before they get there."

 http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=85450

This company advertises vague "Customer Service and sales" work in "housewares and sporting goods" with "no door-to-door or telemarketing" for over "$12/base-appt" all over the nation and it's main recruiting website is www.workforstudents.com

It turns out to be a kitchen knife selling scheme: after you pay about $150 for a demo set (that may be refundable) you are turned loose to sell these knife sets to your friends and family costing anywhere from $200-$2000 with a starting commission rate of 10%. Then you're supposed to ask them for the contact info of their friends and family and do the same. There is no pay for training, meetings, soliciting appts over the phone, writing reports, driving to appts, etc. As reps are often misled about their job, they are also often misled abot the quality of the knives. You are hired as an independent contractor instead of an employee and that basically allows them to withhold pay for training, phone time, etc. There is a base pay per appt you don't sell at, as long as it is qualified by their standards (one-on-one done fully to someone over 25 with a job). They've admitted to fraud in settlements with the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (1999), Wisconsin Consumer Protection Dept and a Court in Marion County(1994), and the Arizona Attorney General (1992). Wisconsin surveyed 940 Vector Marketing recruits in 1992 and found that almost half either earned nothing or lost money working for Vector and they earned less than $3 a day on average selling cutlery for Vector. Vector has settled several wage claims that were filed at the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries last year, although it did not acknowledge any law violation.

The Complaint Station, a Web site where consumers can post messages with concerns regarding a product or company, has logged more than 2,000 complaints against Vector Marketing and Cutco. An online group called Students Against Vector Exploitation, or SAVE, has an online petition against the companies with almost 3,000 signatures since it began last year.

Many sites and newspaper articles have done stories on Vector:
RipoffReport:
 http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff71189.htm
Channel 10 News Albany:
 http://www.wten.com/Global/story.asp?S=682631
Cornell University:
 http://www.cornelldailysun.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/10/23/108143310240755c0e1bbe5
Known False and Misleading Claims:
 link to www.thecomplaintstation.com

If you've been misled by Vector, please don't let the get away with it! You can contact the Oregon Attorney General's office and let them know at:
(503) 378-4320 from Salem
(503) 229-5576 from Portland (toll free)
1 (877) 877-9392 elsewhere in Oregon (toll free)
 consumer.hotline@doj.state.or.us email-24 hours

homepage: homepage: http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=85450


Holy crap I almost worked for these people! 04.Oct.2004 17:48

Colby

I applied with them in the summertime. The receptionist on the phone told me that it was a receptionist position, so I took the interview, as I have that training. I get there and they give me the spiel about selling the knives. They also told me that it was $15 base pay and no commission, and no cold calls. I didn't take it because I didn't fancy the idea of going to strangers' homes with sharp objects.

Polluters too 04.Oct.2004 19:34

litter gitter

We've had problems with them in the past flyering cars at the community college. I've called them to complain about the major litter mess this makes and they had a really bad attitude about their responsibility. Judging from how many flyers I found on the ground I'd say not too many folks were interested in their wonderful offer.

Thank you for having this information! 10.Dec.2004 12:54

Michigan Gal

I applied for this thinking it was a part-time phone customer service job on nights a weekends. I didn't even waste my time attending the interview because I found all of this information on the internet first! Thank you.

shady dealings 12.Nov.2006 20:14

Portland lady

I couldn't believe it when I was called for an interview for a customer service job that paid $15.25 an hour. I called on the phone the day of my interview to get some more information about the position. To my amazement the receptionist told me that she didn't know anything about it and that I would have to come in and meet management. I decided that if the person responsible for handling all the incoming calls didn't have any knowledge about the company she worked for it wasn't somewhere I wanted to work.

you can't sell 23.Feb.2007 11:41

closer

the reason you didn't make any money is because all of you can't sell. its a sales job, not a come get free money handout. learn how to sell, and you'll make money

I Worked For Them Also 23.Mar.2007 14:21

Anonymous

I worked for them also they got 145.00 dollars of my money!!!!! It is a really big scams 145.00 dollars for a set of knives taht sucks

Working for the commander 18.Dec.2007 21:29

anonymous clue_in@yahoo.com

Wow is this article true. I am finding this out a little late seeing how I work for them from about june of 2006 to august. They paid "$15/per hour" which was really by appointment, and they constantly harrasse you. Thats right harrase you. I used to get about 3 or more calls a day from my "boss" he also when a "optinal" conference was coming up, requireing $99, he stepped it up to about once every two hours. When I got sick and tired of him demanding I go I gave the phone to my mother, who he argued with for an HOUR. Vector should have its shady practiced shut down.