JobVent - Recent Company Reviews

lowe

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:49:58 -0700

Pay	-2
Respect	-5
Benefits	-1
Job Security	-5
Work/Life Balance	-5
Career Potential/Growth	-4
Location	0
Co-worker Competence	0
Work Environment	-3

Well lets see at the store I work at they are backstabbers so bad you cant trust too many people! I have seen people get in trouble for no frickin reason hmmm like me! It is just if you tell a manager something about someone else funny you get in trouble and they dont! Well all I know I have spent too much time at this place and now I am looking frantically for a new job! All I have to say is dont work here and dont trust anyone! Because even the manager and HR will throw you under the bus!

Enterprise Rent-a-Car

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:39:52 -0700

Pay	-5
Respect	-5
Benefits	3
Job Security	-5
Work/Life Balance	-5
Career Potential/Growth	-3
Location	-5
Co-worker Competence	0
Work Environment	-5

Pay: "Six-figures in six-years." This is the biggest lie to all incoming applicants. $30k for a 52 hour work week when starting but since hours are being cut you can expect less. If you're able to be promoted to assistant or branch manager expect an extra 2-10k with at least an extra 10-15 hours a week. You are drilled that ERAC is a sales company and thus you are graded on your perfomance of selling fake car insurance but is truly a retail job. You do not recieve comission from direct sales of said fake insurance and thus this is not really a sales company.

Respect: Upper management sees you as drones: expendible and easily replaced. Expect to be called buddy beacause turn over is so high and names aren't worth remembering. Customers are shocked to learn you need a four-year degree to rent cars or treat you rudely because they rear-ended someone else and now have to deal with their insurance company. I was embarassed to tell friends where I worked but everyone who graduates from university knows someone who took a job with the "Big Green Machine."

Benefits: Pretty descent considering how terrible the job is. Basic medical and dental. Nice 401(k) match up to 3% through Fidelity.

Job Security: All dependent on how much a** you kiss and how much fake insurance you can sell. "Insurance" sales are emailed to everyone in your area daily. If you are low on this matrix expect a write-up and later termination. ERAC use to pride on never having lay-offs, well that has truly changed. Cut-backs are rampant due to the failing of Detroit and the overpriced purchase of National/Alamo. If for whatever reason you make an enemy above you they will find a reason to terminate you.

Work/Life Balance: HA! 12 hour days. Often six day weeks. "Happy Hours" which are company outings which are voluntary but upper management are noting who are not there and thus not team players. Voluntary classes where you are scolded if you don't show up. Most ERACers are looking for new jobs but can't get time off if they do happen to score an interview. In short: a joke.

Career Potential: You can score an assistant spot pretty easily (10-18 months) and if you want to stick around your own branch in another six-12 months. After that it is timing, brown-nosing, and luck play a huge part to get the coveted Area Manager spot. This is where the bottle neck starts with only around 25 of these positions in the city of Atlanta. Area managers are entrenched and do their best to stay their which includes not promoting potential threats to their positions.

Location: Any convienet ghetto or snobby dealership near you!

Co-worker Competence: Most ERACers are in the same boat you are and ready to jump ship, even branch managers. Everyone has a four-year degree so most have half a brain. Some bust their tales, some leave you picking up the slack, but most are just trying to get to 6pm so they can stop answering the phones. Sadly I completely checked out my final 6 months at my branch because I was so burned out and just waiting to hear from other potential employers.

Work Env: Some branches are nice, new, shiny, and in freestanding buildings. Others are in drab strip malls with the wallpaper peeling. Expect to have wet clothes because you'll be washing cars in a suit or high heels. You learn to buy cheap clothers since they will ruin within two weeks.

Alas, unless you are completely desperate don't do it.

Gogotech Inc

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:22:16 -0700

Pay	-2
Respect	-4
Benefits	-3
Job Security	-5
Work/Life Balance	-5
Career Potential/Growth	-5
Location	5
Co-worker Competence	-5
Work Environment	-4

Not sure what happened to the older reviews, but here is mine. I worked as a Buyer, life was hell. The CEO would make us do homework like he was a teacher or something. Not sure what his problem is but he would come in 90% of the time like he is having his period. The Director of Marketing is known as a molester, rumor has it he was about to be fired for touching many females at a company party a few years ago...I have no idea what he did to keep to his job but he's still there. Everyone knows about the situation, but people dont say anything out of fear for there job, as he has a tendency of talking junk about people and the partners believe him. Not really any other issues except the CEO being crazy and most of the Managers being nut jobs from the street. Pay was decent but not worth the aggravation. I left around the Holiday season after realizing there was no growth. Company makes money by hiding themselves behind shell companies and fictitious names then market against themselves so they can control the pricing....basically they trick customers. Rumor also has it one of the partners is knee deep in the drug business...dont know, dont care enough to know. I make 3X more working in Sales...never looked back.

USAA

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:14:37 -0700

Pay	0
Respect	-2
Benefits	0
Job Security	1
Work/Life Balance	0
Career Potential/Growth	1
Location	0
Co-worker Competence	0
Work Environment	1

USAA is hypocritical. They have whats called this "5-step" call structure. One of the things in there is "take care of the immediate need first". But that doesnt mean its the most important thing. Frankly USAA could care less if you took care of the member's need. It's all about did you sell them a product. Oh and they also want you to mention a laundry list of other things too - offer electronic document deliver, offer auto pay, mention usaa.com, offer "share" (a free way of advertising). This is ALL in ADDITION to taking care of what they were calling about AND the sales pitch. It is insane pressure. Oh and USAA doesnt even care what the member is calling about - they want you doing this whether it is a homeowner policy quote or a call to get an auto id card (which typically takes 2 minutes tops). If you dont do ALL this on EVERY call, you are in serious trouble! Oh but it gets better! They want you to basically argue with the customer if they say no to your sales pitch (they call this "overcoming objections"). They are so vicious about this that after you quote them something, you just assume they want it without even asking the customer's input! They want you to just say "ok, let's get this started for you today". Like someone else said, if you work in policy service, you will basically be a telemarketer who just happens to be licensed in insurance.

And then they will have what is called "y-cording" sessions where you will sit at your managers desk and listen to a call you did that they recorded. No matter how good a call it is, they will always find a way to nitpick about it and say "yeah you tried selling them this, but why didnt you sell that too?". It takes me all my strenth not to scream back at them "I did everything on your laundry list, isnt that enough!!".

Yes they have decent pay and great benefits, but oh man how you have to earn them!!! And then you will have your end of the year review (which actually will take place in late February instead of early january so they can force you to stay longer before they have to give you your performance bonus). Ther performance reviews are COMPLETELY subjective and it wouldnt be shocking to see someone get an average review from one manager but a great review from another.

Moving up? You better be a great seller!! They promote you to senior only if your sales skills are great. They dont even care about being knowledgeable about insurance. It ALL about selling. I am only an average seller but I think pretty knowledgeable about insurance and even have 2 professional insurance designations yet I cant even get lateral positions. Your chances of even getting lateral positions really depends on how your performance eval goes which again depends on how good you sell stuff.

I still work at USAA but am very unhappy with my job and will keep my eyes open for jobs with other insurance companies. I would even be willing to give up some of my salary just to take a job with less sales pressure. It is getting unbearable at USAA.

Comcast

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:05:57 -0700

Pay	5
Respect	5
Benefits	5
Job Security	5
Work/Life Balance	5
Career Potential/Growth	5
Location	5
Co-worker Competence	5
Work Environment	5

Great Company Great Job!

Cerner Corporation

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:55:41 -0700

Pay	2
Respect	2
Benefits	1
Job Security	4
Work/Life Balance	4
Career Potential/Growth	4
Location	4
Co-worker Competence	3
Work Environment	5

Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones but I've had nothing but good things to say about Cerner since I started. I've been working for three years and received promotions every year. They are very in tuned with pay for performance. The review process is keen around who you know and how much you write in your self evaluation.

With this company I have more opportunity then I would with likes of giants like GE. I've been to major cities and lived their on the client's expense. As a consultant implementing their software, most travel is paid and you collect on the rewards, it works out quite nicely when you're ready for a vacation.

I think where some of the fall out lies is that a lot of Associates are new grads from college and think they can continue to party without being proactive with their work. Just doing the bare minimum all the time won't get you a promotion. It's also linked to their failure in time management. The work is challenging but requires you to balance out the efforts by seeking more effective ways to accomplish them. A little team work never hurt anyone either.

It upsets me to read many people who have worked at Cerner for 2+ years and trash it like there wasn't even an ounce of goodness they experienced. They economy was not shaken up for the entire 4 years you worked at Cerner so why did they stay so long? Because Cerner is a very social company. It's a great place to meet young professionals and build networks all across the nation and internationally. The communities in consulting are very strong and you can find communications for nearly all the company happenings in weekly e-mails on the intranet.

Yes, I'm still talking about Cerner here. Now I can't speak too much for the management/sales side of the coin myself. But in what company would they keep a sales associate who never sells anything. It's a cut throat business and that should be understood in your acceptance of the position. From the managers I've interacted with, there does seem to be a level of stress at certain times of the year. However, if you perform well, you're at a tier where Cerner can help releive that stress. Every year many managers/sales associates are sent on fantastic vacations to the bahammas, given bonuses, and all sorts of compensation. Even at my level if I'm doing a great job working in the field a manager can submit for me to have a night on the town on Cerner's expense.

So for anyone who may be discouraged by some of the negativity posted here I'd say keep investigating. Of course someone is going to be bitter after having lost their job. But their are success stories to be had and I stand as one example. I've saved enough money to buy my first home in 3 years and I still find time to golf on fridays.

Boston Scientific

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:30:26 -0700

Pay	-5
Respect	-5
Benefits	3
Job Security	-4
Work/Life Balance	-5
Career Potential/Growth	-5
Location	2
Co-worker Competence	-4
Work Environment	-5

The corporate culture is that of a fraternity or sorority and the only way to get noticed or move ahead is to play their fraternity/sorority games. If you look, act, or dress any differently than the guys who wear blue button-up shirts and brag about their Stepford wives, you will be treated differently. In fact, if you don't have photos of a spouse of the opposite gender, or photos of a boyfriend/girlfriend, on your desk, rumors will start circulating that you're a homosexual, and you will be treated very poorly. Sexual minorities are not welcome and need not apply. If you come to the job with any other type of real world experience, your input will not be respected as BSC has the arrogance that they are the only ones who could ever do anything correctly or ever think of new ideas. This is why they have been under an FDA warning letter for 4 years. Their internal process drive towards inefficiency and any attempts to improve things will lead to a dead end. Stay away from this company at all costs. The only people who work here are people who could not otherwise get jobs in the medical device industry due to their lack of qualifications and experience.

Pamida

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:57:39 -0700

Pay	-3
Respect	-2
Benefits	0
Job Security	0
Work/Life Balance	3
Career Potential/Growth	-5
Location	5
Co-worker Competence	3
Work Environment	1

At this Pamida, you always start at minimum unless you are being hired on for a management position. The managers often give you large workloads that would be straining and difficult even for proficient workers, but then put you high on the checkstand schedule (all employees are expected to serve time checking customers out) so you are constantly back and forth between floor work and the register, then they reprimand you for not having all your work done on the date they expect, rather than a reasonable one. You'll probably keep your job as long as you stay on their good side, but if you're not, they will do whatever they can so that your first slip-up will also be your last. At this Pamida store, there is NO room for moving up; the management positions are filled by the district manager, not hired locally, and key carrier/shift manager positions tend to go to favorites. Go elsewhere if you plan on ever moving up. The location is on the edge of town, but isn't too bad itself. The co-workers are usually fine, though many are liable to talk about you behind your back, then be happy to see you when you're around. Also, don't expect the manager to do anything you request as soon as he can; the manager tends to conveniently forget, and when anything he does is questioned, he will probably get confrontational. The work environment at Pamdia is VERY stressful unless you're hired on to be solely at the register and you enjoy interacting with people and doing that.

Sears

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:51:51 -0700

Pay	-5
Respect	-4
Benefits	-5
Job Security	-5
Work/Life Balance	-3
Career Potential/Growth	-5
Location	-5
Co-worker Competence	-5
Work Environment	-5

Sears really is a bad place to work at due to them trying to constantly always drilling you to sell like crazy their products. I have sold a few times in the range of 8,000 to 9,000 dollars in products in one day only to realize that when I got my check it was really deppressing!!! The check was only 240 for 2 WEEKS!!! Also they now make people carry a notebook for you to take customers info so that you can call them at home to see if you want to still by the product. Also you can give them a card with your associate numbers on it but none of the other associates wont ring it up for you so you tell me if that doesnt blow. Then they want you to change price sale tags because they dont want to hire people for it and that takes you away from the floor making sales. So from a current employee YES IT REALLY SUCKS BUT A BROTHER NEEDS TO PAY BILL AND THAT IS THE ONLY REASON WHY I WORK IN THAT SORRY ASS PLACE.....

Whole Foods Market

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:35:01 -0700

Pay	2
Respect	-5
Benefits	-2
Job Security	-5
Work/Life Balance	-5
Career Potential/Growth	3
Location	0
Co-worker Competence	-3
Work Environment	-4

No respect, no security, ok pay but worked to death, health benefits suck, no work/life balance- you have to be married to them, no one ever knows whats going on, the environment feels like the military. awful, awful, awful company under the disguise of awesomeness.

Lipari Foods

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:20:08 -0700

Pay	4
Respect	4
Benefits	3
Job Security	5
Work/Life Balance	5
Career Potential/Growth	5
Location	5
Co-worker Competence	5
Work Environment	5

Lipari foods is a great place to work. it's clean with new equipment. I couldn't ask for better co workers. If you show up, do your job, and b professional your job will be secure.

Digestive Disorders Associates

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:43:12 -0700

Pay	0
Respect	-5
Benefits	1
Job Security	0
Work/Life Balance	-5
Career Potential/Growth	-5
Location	0
Co-worker Competence	-5
Work Environment	-5

I hate my job! The management teats up like was are retards!

IQPC

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:15:23 -0700

Pay	-1
Respect	-1
Benefits	-4
Job Security	-1
Work/Life Balance	-3
Career Potential/Growth	3
Location	4
Co-worker Competence	4
Work Environment	-1

tough job but decent pay. some seriously bad balance issues at times. Location great and my coworkers were fine. Just a really tough market right now and these guys squeeze every penny out of you and clients. I guess that is to be expected. Would I work there again, knowing what I know now? Nope. Other better companies out there at least as far as employement is concerned.

Louis-Dreyfus Highbridge Energy

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:14:55 -0700

Pay	2
Respect	-5
Benefits	4
Job Security	0
Work/Life Balance	-3
Career Potential/Growth	-5
Location	2
Co-worker Competence	3
Work Environment	-5

The job is dull, boring, and dead ended. The boss makes the place miserable.

He is a horrible person. He can't teach. He can't communicate. He doesn't have any patience.

He doesn't show respect to anyone. He is an expert at kissing his boss's butt.

There is more work than one person can handle, yet they laid-off a bunch of people last year.

They have announced there won't be any raises this year, just twice the work load.

It is no longer a nice place to work.

ikon office solutions

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:07:19 -0700

Pay	-3
Respect	-3
Benefits	-3
Job Security	-1
Work/Life Balance	3
Career Potential/Growth	-1
Location	4
Co-worker Competence	4
Work Environment	-3

I agree with the low pay respect and the incompetent managment, but there are OK sides to this job. I have been with the company for a while, so I think the recent downturn and changes might reverse once the economy gets better. I can see how someone new to the company would be dissapointed.

GAF/elk

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:01:54 -0700

Pay	2
Respect	0
Benefits	-1
Job Security	-2
Work/Life Balance	0
Career Potential/Growth	0
Location	0
Co-worker Competence	2
Work Environment	1

I watched this organization come off the best financial year in its total history (2008), both in sales and profits, and then lay off 33% of sales and mktg. this was approx the 3rd time in 5 years. "long term" should not be considered as part of this organization. Some good people in the trenches here, but little upper mgmt skills as it relates to long term direction. tremendous "knee -jerk mentality. With new people @ the helm, could possubly become the "world class" organization it claims to be internally. But will continue to alienate all levels of their distribution until that occurs. internal raw materials used are far from world class.

Heartland Payment Systems

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:34:54 -0700

Pay	-5
Respect	1
Benefits	-4
Job Security	0
Work/Life Balance	0
Career Potential/Growth	-3
Location	0
Co-worker Competence	-5
Work Environment	0

This job is a joke. Working in the most corrupt industry in the United States you will come across some very interesting things. Their sales force philosophy is one I like to refer to as "churn and burn". They put a lot of reps in a confined space without territories and let them slug it out. The company itself serves well to the industry as being an ambassador to merchants and informing them of better ways to process credit cards, however that doesn't help you put food on the table. My advice would be to stay away unless you are familiar with the industry and know what you are getting into.

Commerce Bank/TD Bank

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:01:50 -0700

Pay	-5
Respect	-5
Benefits	-5
Job Security	-4
Work/Life Balance	-5
Career Potential/Growth	-5
Location	-2
Co-worker Competence	-5
Work Environment	-5

The pay is AWFUL for the amount of work they make you do! I worked in the call center in Mount Laurel where you have to basically do everything and search for a supervisor when needed without having the customer on hold for more than 2 minutes. They were changing all the rules when I left and now they are making the reps sell EVERY call!!! There is really no respect there from other employees or from customers and the leaders NEVER back you up they just make you look like an idiot - even when they tell you what to say. The benefits are expensive... the turn around time for an employee is about 3-7 months... if they last past training. Sure, you could move your way up if you kiss butt and the pay STILL isn't that good. The location is good. Seriously, most of the problems that we have to fix are ERRORS FROM OTHER EMPLOYEES!!! It's ridiculous! If they would just train people right there wouldn't be so many problems!! The work enviroment sucks and it is the most stressful place I have EVER worked!!! I was pregnant and working there and I cannot tell you how much stress they put me under telling me I shouldn't be going to the bathroom that much. I even got a note stating why I had to go more frequently (as if they couldn't tell by the bump on my stomach) and they said it was not acceptable! Awful place to work and just getting worse!!! Don't do it!

Verizon Wireless

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:57:33 -0700

Pay	-1
Respect	-2
Benefits	1
Job Security	-2
Work/Life Balance	-1
Career Potential/Growth	-5
Location	1
Co-worker Competence	-3
Work Environment	-2

Been with company 4 and a half years. Pay is a -2, because they pay better than other call centers around, like cable companies, airlines, etc. but I have a degree and am getting paid less than others who don't. The benefits are good, however, as many have mentioned, the job will drive you insane. My feelings are, when the benefits are needed to get a pill from a shrink so a person can get through the day, then what's the point? I should just quit, then I wouldn't need the pill, and the question of benefits would be moot. And concerning vacation benefits, I use my time to simply not be at work, since it is so intolerable. Again, what's the point? Job security is also negative, as it is true they had a reduction in force, and the rumor is that they will be tightening the reins on stats to eliminate more people. Stats can be manipulated, so of course only people they don't like will go, not the rampant call avoiders who have managed to weld their brown-stained noses into management's posterior. Which brings me to what they call "career progression." What a joke. Again, as others here have said, it's all about who you know. Management is scum at this company. Hard work and achievement mean nothing, so even if you have good stats, don't bother going for supervisor unless you've performed the aforementioned nose-weld operation. The location is fine, whatever, I live here, so that's why I work here. Co-worker competence is low: people ask me for answers instead of their lame-brain supervisor, which impacts my stats, which gets me in trouble. Whereas if my supervisor liked me, they would totally spin that as me "demonstrating leadership" on the floor, and give me bogus projects that I could later exaggerate about in an interview and get promoted. I've seen that happen, seriously. I feel like vomiting daily. Good thing I have that pill that helps me just nod and smile, nod and smile...

Alpine Access

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:57:33 -0700

Pay	4
Respect	4
Benefits	4
Job Security	4
Work/Life Balance	5
Career Potential/Growth	4
Location	5
Co-worker Competence	4
Work Environment	5

I have worked for Alpine Access almost five years. I have seen many people come and go. I have helped in the training process and have watched the company grow. I think every job has it's ups and downs. When you are seriously looking for a job that let's you work from home, this is one of the best. I work with people from all over the country, while I get to remain home and take care of my daughter. They even have benefits you can purchase and are increasing the number of full time positions. This is not a make money quick game. It is an honest hard working job. I wouldn't want it any other way