Family Readers Service Inc. In Oshawa
Family Readers Service Inc. Wasted my time, ripped me off

Hello. I'm warning people so they don't waste time in this trap. Stay away from Family Readers Service Inc. in Oshawa.

I found this company on jobbanks.gc.ca. They claim that they work for MacCleans and are an affiliate of Rogers, but I've seen no proof of that. They run out of a stingy office located at 286 King St W in Oshawa. I applied online for the telemarketer position, which is code for 'door-to-door magazine salesman'. They do NOT pay on commission, it's an hourly job. It's still a rip-off.

I had an interview one day, the next day was unpaid training and I started work that afternoon. I was concerned that there was no employee-employer contract; it was almost like they didn't want a paper trail linking me to them. The supervisor assured me that pay was $10 an hour with 35 hour weeks, but I have no proof of this either.

The job: You walk door-to-door for 7 or 8 hours a day. It's a basic scam where you pretend to be doing a survey, promise a free gift, and then convince the owner to buy 6 magazines for $2.79 a week. (Everybody has internet and the entire magazine is available online. Nobody buys magazines, especially not from strangers at the door. And we're in a recession.)

While you do this, the supervisor (named Cam) will sit in his car and follow you door-to-door. In the unlikely chance that you make a sale, he closes it and gets paid a large commission. This seems ironic because he didn't actually do anything to win the sale.

Problems:
-I was told to show up at 10am, and was kept waiting until the supervisor drove us to the canvas area; it would be 11 by the time the clock starts. The hour spent waiting is unpaid.
-Most days would not end until 7 or 8 at night. The supervisor would fudge the numbers so that 9 or 10 hours of work is 6. I've never seen him write anything down, so I guess he keeps all the numbers in his head.
-The supervisor (named Cam) is racist against non-white people. He seems like an angry man and I was worried he would drive off and leave me in a strange area of some other town.
-I worked at least 35 hours. The supervisor told me he was being generous to pay me for 20.
-I am still waiting to get paid. If I don't get paid by next week I will take legal action.
-The supervisor was really creepy. Instead of dropping me off at the office, he insisted on driving right up to my home after the first day of work; even though I told him not to. It was like he wanted to know where I live, or something.

I was fired on my fourth day for 2 reasons:
-That morning I insisted an employee-employer contract. He basically said no, business has been running for 25 years and not a single employee had ever asked for a contract. I assume he was lying. He acted like it was childish to ask for a legal contract.

-After 4 days of work I couldn't find anyone interested in buying. The supervisor blamed me. Apparently 'Family Readers' will give an employee 4 days to make a sale and then toss them aside. Most companies give a month, or at the very least a week. 35 hours isn't a very long probation period.

I hurt my leg, I wasted a lot of my time, and I still haven't been paid. If you have any sense you will stay away from this company.
*Sorry to all the people I bothered at home. I feel bad about it now.

Adam
Oshawa, Ontario
Canada

Company: Family Readers Service Inc. In Oshawa
Country: Canada
Province: Ontario
City: Oshawa
Address: 286 King St W
Phone: 9057236900

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