By Regina - 03/07/2009 06:19 - United States

Today, I got a job selling knives. I had training for 11 hours. At the end of the training session, the instructor promptly informed everyone that they had to pay $145 for a set of demo knives. I paid the $145. I went home and learned that it was a scam. I went back for a refund. They said no. FML
I agree, your life sucks 16 417
You deserved it 55 559

Same thing different taste

Top comments

Haha lol that sucks...let me guess it was that student for part time work where you can get like $15/appointment lol Yeah I've seen that before too and I almost went untill I googled it haha

Comments

Haha lol that sucks...let me guess it was that student for part time work where you can get like $15/appointment lol Yeah I've seen that before too and I almost went untill I googled it haha

Its not a scam I work for Vector/Cutco and i started 3 weeks ago and im about to break $500. Give it a try its pretty cool. But dont think its a scam, it aint. Sell the knives on Ebay for twice what u paid.

Nemesis.....I have a friend from Nigeria I'd like you to meet. You're retarded, this is 100% SCAM!

Vector is a complete scam. Nemesis I suggest you quit immediately.

kingbeau 0

Strictly speaking, its not a scam, its just a really bad job... It takes a lot of work for not so great a salary, and you have to set your own appointments, pay for your own gas to get to them, and do your own (unpaid) paperwork.... However, if you're willing to put in a ridiculous amount of work and know enough people you CAN make money off of it... Or so I've heard anyway, I wouldn't try it myself..

Yeaaaaaaaaah welcome to Cutco.....but to be fair...I think almost every student in north america has gone to at least the interview...however they wait until they have you good and roped before they actually tell you what you;re gunna be doing. I walked out as soon as he started demoing withthe knives. and the knives are Ok.....but not worth what they want people to pay for them.

greenltrn2003 0

wooowww...I didnt kno so many ppl knew about this. I was supposed to do this but the office is too far and I cant afford the commute or the demo knives so I said **** it. I woulda been training this week. It actually sounded good for a person who has the reasonable accomadations like a car and such. But no wonder why they get students to do it

Any company that expects their employees to pay for their merchandise is a scam.

russianspy1234 11

its not a scam PER SE, but it definitely isnt what it seems. you just have to deal with being the two most hated professions in the world, telemarketer+door to door salesman. if you can handle that, its not a HORRIBLE job.

jesserzthemaniac 0

when they first tell you about it it sounds great. 15 dollars an hour is amazing.... too bad you hav to set up everything yourself, and they stuff is so expensive people will let you demo for them but no one can afford that in this economy. they have like a 2000$ knife set... who wantsto pay 2000 for a set of knives....

Dude I work for that company and it freaking rocks. Your just too much of a lazy ass to do the work yourself. Last week I sold 300 dollars from 4 shows and got 75 bucks for 4 hours of work. My first week I did 7 shows which is 7 to 8 hours and made 274 dollars so I don't know what you are talking about scam but this job is beautiful.

I agree with #260. If ur lazy u wont get paid, but if u get off ur ass and actually TRY U WILL get paid. I live in NYC so i got alot of demos and most people buy at LEAST one knife. I dunno about u guys. I made $600 in 3 weeks, (did a few demos today and got 5-6 more tomorow). Plus the knives are good to use at home. My mom wont let me give em back and wants a Homemaker set. If ur a lazy bastard DONT work for em. But if u know alot of people and u are a people person got for it, its an awsome summer job. Might do it while in school. Easy money for me. Parents dont like it though : Plus up here in NYC, its $17.25 an apointment. At least get some family to SIGN the paper and u get paid.

If they are so "upfront" about everything then why do they hide behind the name "Vector Marketing" instead of just using the Cutco name. It's because every already knows CUTCO is door to door sales and a huge scam. They decieve people into thinking it s a legit company, and hence a SCAM.

you do now door to door sales and if they do they will fire you. you get shows by recommendations. You show people you know and they recommend you to people they know and would be nice enough to do a show for them and the customer is told up front they don't have to buy anything. The person who gives you the recommendations call up their friends and ask if it would be ok for you to call them if they say no then you don't call them. So I don't know where you got the information about it's door to door sales but you are extremely mistaken and need to research what you are criticizing or you will look like a complete ass like you do right now.

This is a message to all those doubtful of Vector's malicious schemes. First and foremost, the posts that are rebutting these claims are C&P responses from Vector managers. I'm a scam reporter and the number one thing these guys try to do is regain credibility, which involves having mass accounts and people to paste their script into message boxes such as these. Those who say they love Vector work for the company, plain and simple. These are tendentious opinions. Next, you need to ask yourself how legit a company really is if they hire untrained college students with little to no experience to market their "Top of the Line" products for them. Don't you think that if their product were really genuine, they'd employ a professional sales team? Do you see Car Salesmen or Real Estate agents recruiting with deceptive flyers that say "$18.00 B/Appt"? Is Base Appointment so hard to print? Of course not. The ads are purposely deceptive because Vector knows that in order to get you, they need to trap you in the interviews. The reason Vector does not operate on a legit level is because they know that their knives are overpriced and they would never sell in a retail environment. Using college students has an advantage, as they rely on their friends and family to make purchases from them on impulse. A lot of scammers use this tactic. Publish America, an infamous scam publishing company, comes to mind. They make their authors write down a list of their family and friends in order to spam them. Vector follows the same principle. The comment "Vector isn't for everyone" is 100% correct. It is for snakes and scum, nothing more. If you are an honest individual, you will resent all Vector stands for. If you're a sleazebag you'll fit right in. Vector is a tried and true Pyramid Scam company. These were quite popular in the 70's, but notoriety put a lot of these guys out of business. Vector is a typical Pyramid scheme, complete with the high turn-over rate and useless product (Sorry, but $1000 for a set of knives is NOT a value, despite what Vector tells you). Ever get those emails that tell you how to make a lot of money from home selling product, but in order to sign up you need to pay for an access code? That's a Pyramid scam. Vector makes you purchase their knives before you start. (What employer charges their employees to work for them?) Vector has PLED GUILTY to Fraud in three different states. If that doesn't convince you that they are scam artists, you're hopeless. If you're considering Vector marketing, consider Telemarketing instead. They are at least honest about what they do and you don't need to feel guilty for taking advantage of your friends and family. http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=13862&page=2 /Vector Info

Raptorace22 0

uh ok... not a copy and paste message here. My friend does this job and makes good money off it. It really isn't for lazy people; that's it. QQ moar. So what if you have to buy your own gas? Doesn't everybody? I have yet to hear of a company who pays for the commute of its employees. 2nd, using college kids is just business strategy. They cost less than a sales team. They're willing, they can use the money. In no way is this a scam. You scam yourself by half-assing it. **** I hate lazy, ignorant people.....

DEVIL WORSHIPER!! Haha ANYWAYS.......I think you underestimate the power of viral marketing and the resources company's invest on controlling their brands on online forums and supposedly unbiased reputable outlets such as YouTube, Twitter, Wikipedia and even FML. Companies spend millions creating fake messages disguised as home videos/personal reviews because they know our media savy generation is all but immune to traditional forms of advertisement yet highly susceptible to such messages. EXAMPLE: Go on you tube and search "why every guy should buy his girlfriend a wii" or something like that. It's a home video of a girl with a nice ass doing wii fit in her underwear. Why am i telling you this? The couple in the video both work for an advertising firm hired by Nintendo. This video probably cost a few thousand dollars to make and has over 8 million views. Compare that to the BILLIONS spent every year on traditional advertising medians such as television, magazines etc. The cost of paying someone $10 to watch internet forums is PENNIES compared to the damage that can be done in these discussions (and counter intuitively the favourable promotions as well). BOTTOM LINE....YOU CANT TRUST THESE AS LEGIT SOURCES. Are my counter arguments over the top and ridiculous? Absolutely, they are intended to be. Fight fire with fire. the smart people will figure it out and the idiots will be so confused they just wont care anymore. I hope this put some justification for my responses in the minds of those who seek it. Cheers.

Crasher quick question. By your reasoning, couldn't the posts defaming Vector be construed as originating from Cutco's competition as a way of industrial sabotage?

Absolutely!! Indeed this COULD be the case!! (It isn't...but why should you believe me?). That being said, you argument has one fatal flaw. I'm primarily attacking their HR relations, i.e. Company to employee relations. If i were concerned about gaining a competitive advantage as a competitor I would attack their products (i.e the company to customers). What's important is that you are doing some CRITICAL THINKING and that is important because so many people don't. Such practices DEFINITELY occur. I strongly encourage people to get the facts before taking ANY job, but if the company is deceptive about how you get paid and forces you to buy stuff before you start working for them this should be a no-brainer. Bravo, I'm glad you mentioned this. Bottom line is that people that THINK will not get SCAMMED BY VECTOR or any other company the practices similar scams.

Fair enough. It's not the strategy I would pursue I suppose that could be the case. All of my points still stand though, it's about people not getting duped by THE VECTOR MARKETING SCAM or any similar scam. All I ask is that people don't misconstrue facts based on fake posts being made here by vector reps trying to defend their brand. The fact they hide behind the name VECTOR MARKETING (= SCAM) should raise a red flag right away. VECTOR = SCAM.

kflaherty008 0

i got accepted to the job and the next day i thought it was a scam so i didnt go

#283 GREAT POST (Also read post #299 for further elaboration of this issue) I'm glad I'm not the only one that realizes there is mass fake posting by Vector reps going on here. I have an Strategic marketing MBA and even i didn't realize the degree to which this fraud was occurring. I will be a formidable opponent of Vector until they remove themselves from campuses and stop trying to steal money from students who have enough problems as it is. I have already sent out letters to local student unions urging them to ban vector from their campuses. I gain nothing by telling you the truth....VECTOR IS A HUGE SCAM, THEY WILL STEAL YOUR MONEY! DONT BE A SUCKER!!

ladycoyote 0

Bravo, Dragon. Well said, and thank you.

WackTastic 0

That's hilarious I clicked on this to see if it was Cutco who screwed you over because my ex boyfriend totally got ripped off by them...turns out lots of people have posted stuff about them. They never sent him his refund for his kit like they were supposed to and he was too much of a lazy @$$ to fight them. I don’t care what anyone says they are defiantly a shady business. Of course you can make money of you subject your self to that way of life enough and close your eyes to all the crap that company pulls. Hell no matter where you get a job if you pimp your self out enough you'll make cash. Cooperate drones are awesome profit for them, just don’t ask questions and drink more of the Cool Aid..try not to drown in it

muell151 1

SHUT YOUR MOUTH, and come tell me when you can afford to own something that is the BEST IN THE ENTIRE WORLD

hahahahaha I worked for vector/cutco too like 7 years ago! it sucked!! but I still have the knives... lol ydi op for not checking it out before spending the money.

it's not a scam, I'm 19 and already an assistant manager. it's only a scam for those morons that can't cut it.

what company is. it called, around graduation time they put this ad up in my school under the jobs section place called vector and our demo knives were more expensive I couldn't afford it so I quit right after our second day of "training", and the. way it worked for us is we make a "certain percentage" off of each set we sold.....the knives were good thou

Odd that the Wall Street Journal would do a feature on a 'scam.' But I guess that's what you get when you call a quick google search 'company research.' http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121789140861111649.html Even worse that the Children's Wish foundation is getting donations from this giant con. http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services/4346128-1.html But seriously. This company is such a big scam and is so whack they even helped build a hospital and support several local colleges and universities. http://www.cutcofoundation.org/cutco.htm FYL OP, FYL indeed.

DoomJeff91 2

Or how they donated $350,000 for "Go Red for Women" instead of the $30,000 they promised. Those fiends!

My derogatory comments come from in depth research done during MBA case studies. Vector uses deceptive tactics to trick students into working for them for free will forcing them to buy their products. The knives are not refundable and there are hundreds of other ways to secure product without FORCING PURCHASES! You will not make any money. You will lose your money and your dignity. Don't be fooled by VECTOR SCAM ARTISTS!

OfficerPat works for Vector and is paid to make these comments. You will make no money. Unless you like giving your money to some asshole who drives around in a ferrari with his bad hair piece laughing smugly at you, stay clear of VECTOR because they are a SCAM and will steal your money.

I hope don't expect people to believe this shit. These are MADE UP STORIES AND NUMBERS. Vector gives nothing to society, they only steal money from poor students, there is nothing charitable abou them. Do not be fooled by these FAKE POSTERS who are Vector employees trying to selvage whats left of their brand in order to steal more money. VECTOR = SCAM. Don.t be fooled by these con artists, they work for vector.

The critical flaw in your 'argument' crasher is that the links are to actual sites with actual articles from actual companies. Your insistence that the Wall Street Journal is a fabrication of Vector Marketing completely discredits your opinion.

You're misconstruing facts. I can write a Wiki article on anything and source it, it doesn't make it true. VECTOR = SCAM

Great, but i'm not referencing a wiki article. It's the Wall Street Journal website. Your position is falling apart around you.

271 is right actually. They DO give to charities like the childrens wish foundation, and they even give out scholarships to top employee's who are in school. I work for them and as long as your confident in yourself and actually try, it's a great job. The guy who recommended me to the job is already a Manager and has only been working for them for a couple months.. And to anyone saying cutco is overpriced, considering it's the last time you'll have to spend money on those knives it's a damn good deal. Forever Garuntee FTW

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It is definitely a scam...they take advantage of young and desperate people. They are notorious. Try looking a place up in google before you work there! Good luck now that I am sure you are pretty upset to find out your job is a con!

RLJJ 0

How can you claim you work for the SAME company since the OP didn't mention it ?

It's pretty easy to figure out because there is a certain company that sends out letters about a "summer work opportunity" to high school and college students every year. I don't know if I'm allowed to say this on here, but it's called Vector.

dreams_infinity_fml 0

lol wow I wet for a session, when I heard you have to buy the knives and go door to door, I was like hell yeah this is a scam or a pyramid scheme, i bailed.

rottenryhmer 0

Yea I work for the same company. It sounds pretty sketchy and I was about to bail on it after i heard you have to buy your own knives but in my case you can return your knives for a full refund or just sell them at a higher price. Its not a scam, its just hard to stick with and actually succeed with it. Most people just quit right after they start and end up losing money.

DoomJeff91 2

Hate to tell this to you man but almost every real job works like a pyramid. And I'd rather work in a company that promotes from within than one that looks for a stranger that might be more qualified.

These are lies from a Vector representatives profiting off deceptive and coercive tactics used to trick students and steal their money. You will not make money, you will waste your time and lose your money like any other get rich quick scheme. Don't be a fool and let these con artists trick you. VECTOR MARKETING IS A SCAM. They are leaches on society. SPREAD THE WORD!! Real jobs pay YOU money, not the other way around.

#356. i wish I could get you to stand up in front of one of my business classes and say that line about business all operating on pyramids. The comedic value would be unprecedented, i could charge admission. I hope you're really not that stupid. Face the facts, VECTOR IS A SCAM!

hahaha. I was thinking the same thing...Why not pay for the knives..then threaten him with them? That should work!

Is that the Cutco/Vector Marketing deal? I sat through their pitch about 20 years ago... Wasn't impressed. My neighbor bought into it last year - It took her less than a week to throw in the towel (It didn't help that our "old" Henkel knife cut through the rope in three strokes).

mytwocents 0

What did you pay for your Henkle 20 years ago? Do you have any idea how much a Henkle 5-star costs NOW, as compared to Cutco? A Henkle 5-star is better, and more expensive, than Cutco, but the more common 3-star is inferior, and naturally costs less, than Cutco.

foxwithit420 19

I have worked for Cutco/Vector for 3 years now.. I don't know where you are but it's not a scam

666HailSatan666 0

YDI if they weren't push daggers or butterfly knives.

Don't feel bad about falling for the cutco/vector marketing scam. A lot of people do! At least you learned your lesson and at least you didn't get conned into something worse, like selling vacuum cleaners!

QueenOfMelodrama 0

Oh man, I have quite a few friends that worked as telemarketers for a vacuum company. It's so hard, and such a horrible job, most of them either quit within the first couple days or got fired within a week or two. My brother has a friend that did the knife-selling thing for quite a while and was actually pretty successful with it, though. No clue if it was the same company though.

dotgov1369 1

Hahaha my older sister and her husband got screwed over trying to sell vacuums!

Count yourself lucky. I brought those knives from some guy and now they keep talking to me telling me to go stab old ladies and kitteh's.

It's funnier when you realize the poster is saying the knives are telling him to cut people.

that's too bad. at least you only lost 145$ instead of many thousands. you learned a lesson. : it doesn't cost money to get a job. and you got knife training ! actually, you got off cheap!