I have received a long distance call from 1-800-378-0894 on Friday evening. The man told that he is calling from York Regional Police. That pretty much alerted me. He had a deep voice and was not really polite. “Police officer” continued that I had some problems or contacts with police and that my voice sounded impaired. These words alerted me even more, as I have not ever had problems with police and I was not impaired. It looks like psychological trick to scare potential victim, and then relieve by letting know that police is not going to put me in jail now. It appeared suspicious to me also because it was a long distance call starting with 1-800, but YRP (York Regional Police) phone number should start with 905 or 416.
Then the man started approximately 2 minutes story about former police officers, about children, about communication and so on. Actually his words were extremely unintelligible, I could understand only separate words or phrases like kids, children, sick, lack of communication, retired. He also mentioned about “Family Fun Days” at Canada’s Wonderland for children. After this introduction he started to describe the real reason of call in very clear statements. They are looking for donations. That is York Regional Police is asking for extra money from taxpayers who already paid a lot to them. Does it sound strange? He described possible levels of donation: gold – $100, and silver – $50. And asked me – “What do you prefer to start with?”. I got 100% assurance that it is typical phone fraud.
So, I have asked the man which number can I use to call back in couple of minutes to make a donation. Guess what?! He did not know his own phone number! He asked me to hold on. In a minute he arrived and was trying to give me the phone number. It was really hard for him, because he did not clearly remember the number which his boss just gave him. Finally the number was 416-646-3141 ext 116. I said thanks and hung up.
Investigations showed that the phone number which fraud man gave to me belongs to Xentel Corporation, not York Regional Police Assiciation. Their website states that Xentel is “North America’s leader in profile enhancement for community-based organizations”. Actually, this company is just telemarketing scammer which grabs money by phone through “donations” claiming to be a real organization.
If you receive call from 1-800-378-0894 or 1-416-646-3141 phone numbers, or someone on the phone pretends to be from:
– York Regional Police Assiciation (YRPA) or even York Regional Police (YRP)
– Firefighters Association of Ontario (FFAO) or Mississauga Firefighters
– Teachers Association of Ontario (any schools)
then it is most likely fraud attempt. Scammers just want money from you on some “charity event” and have absolutely no relations with the above organizations like YRPA, for example. So money go directly into their pockets for personal needs.
If you are in doubt if it is real organization or scam, ask the caller which number you may call back later, and what is their address, so you will be able to send them a cheque. Search for this information in the Internet, or write to us – we can quickly made an investigation and give back a response if it is a fraud. Then you can safely make a donation if you want by calling the phone number they gave to you or sending a cheque.
Let us know about other phone fraud attemts or suspicious calls in your area through comments. Thank you for your cooperation!
They’re crooks from a-z. To hell with Platz, Kidd, and all the hierarchy there. I worked there for a long time and they all stink from corruption as well as how cheap they are to their employees.
As for anyone delusional enough to still think Xentel DM is a good, honorable and reputable company, simply take a look at this posting on the Government Of Canada website:
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/vt101216.htm
I can assure you that anyone who is ripping into this company is entirely legit, and anyone else who feels the need to shower praise upon Xentel DM is obviously getting kick-backs from this illegitimate fundraiser, because ultimately, the only funds they’re raising is for themselves. I used to work for them harassing homeowners to donate what little money they did not have to needy charities that would see next to none of that money.
The call floor was every bit the cut-throat boiler room you could imagine, where we were provided with information about whichever charity was assigned to us, but as far as management was concerned, their no-holds-bared, take-no-prisoners guerrilla approach to donors basically instructed us to do whatever it took to get donors to agree to coughing up the cash, and use any means necessary to lock in their credit cards.
It was never a charity call.
It was an ambush.
So, whenever you Google Xentel DM and find all the disgraceful news articles about it, trust me, it’s all true.
This is a load of shit! Xentel
is hired by these companies to get donations
IAnyone that has negative things to say about XentelDM is eitger a disgruntled ex-employee that lost thier job for not doing it properly or a costomer that has a lot more on thier plate causing them stress than a XentelDM representative calling for a donation for a worthy selfless cause like “Shiners Hospital that provides free prosthetic lips for children. And acute care for children inflicted with burns allowing free skingraphing and life saving surgery.
I was released from prison in 2011 for greed motivated crimes that cost me a 21yr sentence. I wasstuck in a province where I knew no one and and no community supports. And Let me rell all of you something. It was a breaking piont in my life an Xentel DM taking a risky chance on my by giving me a job. WAS THE NUMBER ONE MOTIVATOR THAT CHANGE MY PATH OF VIOLENCE RONBERIES AND A LIFE OF PRISON TO A LIFE OF HONEST WORK THAT I AND MY FAMILY MEMBERS COULS BE PROUD OF!!!!
If it wasnt for Xentel DM Winnipeg & Xentel DM Toronto Id of returned to prison like I had always done in the past, tgey gave me a chance to make my life better and the experence and knowledge to know that I could become a productive member of society, “AND I’M NOT RELATED TO ANU OF THEM!!!
So just because of a few bad examples do bash the company’s name as a wholeok!!
Everyone I ever met were good people that believed in the causes they were calling and raising money for, Kid’s Cops, & Canadian Tire Fishing days that happens every year in Toronto down at the harbour that hudreds of pwople volunteer for is a real charity that benifits greatly by the fundraising efforts of then Xentel DM staff and thier executives.
Stivk that in your pipe and smoke it, as 7yrs ago throughout my life from age age of 12 I couldnt stay out of some form of governmental lock up from JDA centers to federal institutions fo more than a month,, Thanks to Xentel DM I’ve been out 7yrs now!!!! Thank You Xentel DM
i used to work for xentil xentillians they suck shit pay and wouldn’t advise anyone to work for them shriners toronto police firefighters hogwash.
Ill keep the juicy workplace drama and after hours shenanigans to myself..LMAO
Thething most people never understood about xentel is that we didnt call as a charity we called on behalf of charitiesand that several of the events were THEIR events which they owned the rights to
.such as the circus..xentel produced this event all over north america they bought these rights from the shriners and payed a lot of cash for them im sure and donated tickets for less fortunate kids to go..those were sponsorships solicited on the phone as an alternative to buying for your own family…xentel was a thriving multifaceted business ..and the work place was no boiler room..we had a great facility and always got payed on time and were allowed proper breaks ect..they provided a lot of jobs for students and retired folks too…in my above post I said there was little real loyalty to staff…in general that was true but its only fair that I mention the one great acception that I saw…there was a very old fellow whose name I will not use even though he has passed now..this guy was very old and he had worked for mike platz a long time I was told..back in the days when the call center was a hotel room and a local phone book in whatever city….and even though this gentleman slept far more than he worked he was kept and paid and was very well respected and treasured by everyone in the office..it was in itself an act of charity to employ a poor man in his 90 s who slept half the day.. it was his reward for yrs of successful campaigns and dedication..
I think it useful to post these comments because the company may have been sold or whatever but the process used for fundraising is still the same today…it costs a lot of money to raise money..for anything..and its crazy for people to think that all these random people are donating all their free time and not.being paid…but people really should be educated about that process and how it all works…I cant tell you how many people ive explained it to and it gives them the tools to make proper decisions and ask the right questions when solicited by phone
Had fun reading these posts..i too used to work for Xentel DM…I was able to find out a lot of info about the company and how it grew and how it does business..first Great western entertainment was a long running moderatrly successful company geoff pickering and mike platz and the late alan kidd devoted a lot of time to the enterprize…the purchase of or merger with Xentel was the game changer…xentel pioneered the.automated dialer and did a big biz in selling the equipment and software to well…everyone…the automated dialer uses lists that are uploaded but can also simply call every combination of numbers as well…in ref to do not call lists..at the end of a day the tech inputs all numbers that are not to be called…however..the request must be made for each client list for each charitable fundraiser…if they call you on behalf of the firefighters christmas magic show and you say you want to be put on the do not call list that request was only good for that event and you would likely be called all of the other campaigns…..in ref to the actual lists…there are diff levels of solititation..”cold calls” are the phone book…if you give to a cause then you go onto the “semi” file which means you have give to a campaign and are likely to do so again..”Tap” files are regular yearly contributors or ticket purchasers specific to a cause..tap files are highly valued and only the most capable employees have these calls sent to their work stations..(employees on the phones do not make calls..the automated dialers do based on list complilations….the charities tell the company what they need and xentel would raise those funds..PLUS their fee and costs…costs being hourly wages for every employee who worked that campaign..the office has sections that can be used for one charitable campaign while another is happening across the aisle..typically about four campaigns can be worked at once….i worked the busy downsview/toronto location and counted among my “friends” managers and tech staff ..I worked the phones…I was good at some campaigns and bad at others and I often verified calls and took card info..also “ran a shift” on occasion…haha that meant monitoring a computer terminal to see what campaigns were producing and who was producing and who needed to be moved…these various jobs would be used to see if you were capable…unfortunately there was no real loyalty there ..we always had to stay focussed on keeping the numbers up and if you couldnt produce you d be stuck on cold files which essentially sorted the disconnected numbers and garnered new clients for the semi files..if yoy sucked at that you were fired…boy could those managers party…it was a good time FOR A TIME. There were some shady characters running couple of the offices at operations manager level hamilton/ woodbridge people..they hired their relatives and created little family dynasties within the company…platts and the kidds were happy to leave the day to day to these yukyuka and were out of sight in the executive suites and only came thru our offices to enter and leave the building usually ..had some fun..made lotta cash for prominent charities and attended lots of fun events and got free tix to circus old timers hockey challenge concerts ect.. they were legit but not in the way people like to hear…when it comes to charity people dont get that ita not done for free
Here is my two cents.
I can’t speak on behalf of what the company used to be.
I CAN say that after I had to return back to Vancouver after my old fundraising job racking up too many changes and costs, I went back to apply, because I had applied before, but turned down the job at the time because I was not comfortable fundraising for political parties and because I still thought that it was better to stay with a bad job — a job before I ran a fundraising office — than not give two weeks’ notice.
Anyway, I went and applied in person. Told them that I had applied before, that I came back to Vancouver after running a fundraising office, yadda yadda.
See the job for what it is:
By law, the company is only allowed to contact supporters. If people are undecided or no longer supporters, we have to act accordingly. These are among the first things we are told going in. There are other things that I can’t say because of I agreed to confidentiality, but, this is one of the LEAST sketchy jobs I have ever worked for.
Yes, you’re promoting political parties…but you are literally preaching to the choir.
And we have very strict rules with how we promote political parties. Very strict.
When I ran a fundraising office for charities, some people thought it was okay to almost get into a full-on argument with someone.
At this job, they would rather you get 0 sales than have a poor attitude and poor approach…because they’re not doing themselves any favours making the supporters angry or, worse, the parties angry.
I actually got pulled aside and had to sign a sheet saying that I got a verbal warning…because they wanted me to tone it down. Now, I didn’t call people names or anything…but this is a sales job…and as such, I’m used to thinking that you do anything you can get away with besides being a jackhole, yelling, and lying and continue on until you are CERTAIN you are just wasting time.
This job DISAGREES…which, in all of my past experience, is unprecedented.
I wish the charity job I worked for had this attitude. You’d think that they would! And this job raises money for *politicians*. So, given that alone, that’s some impressive work ethic.
And these are some of the best people that I have ever worked with. Yes, I’m not crazy about what I actually DO for my job, but the environment, the people, the work ethic — it all evens out pretty well. This job attracts some characters, but good characters.
And Gerry? I love Gerry. There’s no BS in him. There’s no slimy salesman in him. Clever? Yes. You have to be. Slimy? Never. He’s one of the best bosses I’ve ever had. He bawled his eyes out and told everyone to take a break when a co-worker passed away. I really doubt that someone as “bad” as these posts are implying would take the time to break down into an Oscar-winning cry. I really, really, really doubt it. I’ve known a good share of really fake supervisors and managers…and anything where you deal with the public on a regular basis means you better start to get good at acting…which means you notice more and more when people are less sincere.
This job cares about process more than results. *And we still get results.* Do things right. Period. The end does NOT justify the means.
This approach needs to happen way more often.
I’d leave this job for three reasons, none of which have to do with it being a “bad” job…
1) It has little to do with my field of study/I’m in school.
2) The base wage isn’t much. At least they don’t try to hide that.
3) I’m not a fan of political parties in general and I’m pretty sure that I’m starting to get sick of fundraising itself…which is a personal problem, not a problem with the job…that’s like working in a pet store when you don’t like animals. I don’t see the difference.
As far as work enviroment, management, work ethic, level of “sketchiness”?
Gerry is getting a gift when I do find another job, just for being a swell boss. I can honestly say that it’s very rare with jobs for me to say
“I’m going to miss this place and these people.”
Great place to work, especially if you’re trying to get back on your feet.
Which I am.
August 28, 2014
Xentel is now iMarketing Group Solutions Inc., et al. They are the most corrupt organization imaginable. The CRTC is being negligent not taking there computers when they use the same software as the Robocall issue and will also use pirate software.
They will lie and steal from employees and the public with non permission charge card entries to make there quota. The office located at 3292 Production Way, Unit #205 doesn’t even pay rent or electric and not registered with the Workers compensation Board which is fraud and against the law. The Management is young 30 year old punks. Gerry has a spread in Maple Ridge and used to hire drug dealers. Revenue Canada should do an audit. He also smashed up two high vehicles (BMW) when stoned. Something has to stop.
They are fundraising for Stephen Harper, Christy Clarke and stories they tell to get a donation are unbelievable. Wildrose was another and other charities. The public need to donate based on there own free will and not hounded.
They are not licensed with the Workers Compensation Board, expired licensing with Burnaby City, Telemarketing, Consumer Protection. The government is sensoring articles in the newspapers and makes more money with fundraising than $2.00 per vote. There are criminal harassment issues and a system in BC where Workers Compensation and Emplyment Canada pass the buck and don’t do anything.
iMarketing Solutions Group, et al spreads out throughout Canada and the U.S. They are going through bankrupctcy protection and Andrew Lange, CEO recently again lied to the Supreme Court Judge of Ontario, The Honorable Francis Newbould.
They do not honor the Do Not Call list and totally corrupt. How can this organization be shut down? Currently, they are issuing termination notices and I don’t know how many people are remaining, but advertising for at home positions is also illegal with no compliance.
Everyone literally hates there jobs and even those that are given the hot prospects to attain high bonus hate it and have the same low integrity. The Ottawa Citizen has posted articles and know one has the legal fees. There should be something to make the politicians accountable. Harper is not controlling this but the cause and affect.
CBC said he is going to crack down on political and charity fundraising. This is an outright lie. Everyone hates harper but the retired and those with a lot of money. I think he will step down before the next election and a new leader might gain back some voters.
Trudeau is gaining on the poles due to young voters and the immigrants his father brought into the country. Although he lacks the experience I am thinking maybe after listening to all the complaints directed at Harper and how desperate they are using this company which has already been fined a half million dollars through Xentel that we should all vote for Trudeau or give the NDP some votes. Harper has screwed everyone and not for the people. These politicians work for us and the RCMP have to go as well. What happened to Canada? The jobs are going to immigrants. Some people are off work for two years that are Canadians. Caucasian Canadians are now the minority.
Start some changes in Canada.
I just skimmed over a few of the more recent posts and would like to clarify a few points , Xentel DOES make a percentage and is not paid hourly….those claiming to know the percentage are simply full of shit it is kept secret between the charity and the fundraising company as it is negotiated on a contrct to contract basis and trust me the charities I have dealt with are VERY good at negotiating
As for drug use , again horse shit , yes many of the employees may indulge but NEVER on the job , you need to remember that this is a job idealy suited to panhandlers and carnys and if you have that type of personality you probably need close supervision ,Myself , I worked business , wasn’t paid hourly but depended on commission and did pretty well at it but NEVER at anytime did I misrepresent the charity…. I didn’t have to, if asked I said I was a paid employee raising funds on behalf of the charity
having worked for Xentel DM and another fundraising company I stand behind them 100% yes Xentel makes money but the charities and service clubs do as well , I remember a charity we worked for tried to handle their own fundraising one yr , donations for the attempt was close to 100,000 dollars BUT the cost incurred by the charity was close to 85% of the money brought in …..the following yr we were contracted to do it and the charity BANKED over 225,000 because we had the experience and knowledge to do it properly yes we made money but we also provided jobs for the community and werwe able to let the charity continue in the black
Xentell could of been a good place to work if you’re heartless and smoke medical in the director of operations. I lasted one week after being promoted to verification from sales because supposedly I didn’t generate enough revenue for the company when I thought I was receiving positive feedback concerning my performance. ..and 90 % goes to Xentell while 10% goes to actual charity. This has to stop !
Fuck xentel and everything it represents..
Yours truly,
Top sales associate
You people need to find something better to do with your time. yes telemarketers are annoying. yes it often sucks to work as a telemarketers. yes they need to always find new ways to contact people. yes they employ anyone with a basic grasp of the english language who might be hard to understand. yes you might not be giving them your attention, miss parts of what theyre telling you and therefore think your being scammed by them. BOOHOOHOO, ask to be put on the do not call list, whine about it to your whiney little friends and move on.
I used to work for I marketing solutions till it closed down in Thunder Bay. I found out that all first donations called( acquisistion donations we 100 percent kept by the company and all these people were called about 20 days later to ask for more money even before there tax receipt was issued than all donations after company kept 55 percent of it they used to tell us that it was just a percentage but no one knew what it was then I found out through 1 of the management members. This company is a joke.
these people are the lowest form of human life you can im ine, I know, I knew two of them., both
crack heads, need I say more
what scams do zentel do, thank hyou
GWE – Xentel
As an employee of GWE (Xentel) I was the whistleblower with my face obscured on CTV’s “W5†in 1985 exposing this fraud. The reason they exist today is due to the corruption in government… It is that simple.
You have no idea what I have been put through as a whistle-blower against charity fraud and later pyramid/Ponzi fraud…. retaliation for exposing, police, and government malfeasance.
I also appeared recently (2009) on CBC Marketplace where hidden cameras caught my false arrest by RCMP as we exposed TTI & Bim pseudo Corporations engaged in pyramid fraud. Google… bim marketplace thornton
That is the truth… That is the reality.
David John Thornton
Google my name and add fraud and just see what our government and police and prosecutors do to a whistleblower attempting to protect fellow citizens, particularly students and seniors from fraud, when it is these very authorities who are supposed to shut them down.
And be informed: The BBB is one of your least reliable sources in predicting or exposing fraud; in fact they have in the past, and still do, associate with, promote and protect rather than expose, many pseudo corporations engaged in fraud. That too is reality!!!
Well they just went out of business.
The manager in the Hamilton Office (Tom) is a drunk, i used to work there, and he would go on break and come back stinking like booze, if we didnt make enough money he would yell at us, screaming that if we dont make enough money we will get fired, i didnt make him enough money so i get fired, i tell everyone not to work there,, its a joke..
To all current and past employees. I don’t believe any of you understand how this business works.Xentel was originally GWE. It was started by Geoff Pickering,Mike Platz and Al Kidd.Next,you have to understand what the laws are in each province in regards to how much money has to go to the charity. Most provinces are in the 30% range-AFTER EXPENSES. After expenses is the key. Example is office rent and the cost of printing the souvenir program for Special Events ( Legends of Hockey )Geoff was the smartest business man I have ever met. He owned the company that he rented office space from (charged himself high rent to put against cost of fund raising)He owned the printing company that produced the souvenir programs. Again, a high cost to apply against expenses for that charity. Many years ago,Mike Platz was on W5, where he was called the biggest legal crook in Canada.So, if you are one of the people calling other people and asking them to please sponsor several under-priviledged children to attend a Legends of Hockey charity game, ask yourself this.
How can Xentel have sponsors for 40 thousand children when the arena holds 3 thousand?
i believe what this company does is called cause affinity marketing and for a disgruntled employee to warp and misrepresent the facts because they believe in pinko/Marxist ideas is beyond debating, why don’t u take a good look at all the other companies who partner with social causes and mouth them off ya commies!!!
I think most of you need much more clarification as to how the process works. A charity approaches an outsourced company (in which case it is Xentel,) they state that they need X amount of dollars in donations. Xentel agrees but tries to make more than that to profit their company as well. Which is not wrong in my opinion. You have to pay the middle man somehow. These centers do not work for free. And for people who think it is a scam you are wrong. Sure not all the money goes directly to the charity but the amount the charity asked for goes towards the charity.
These people are scum pocketing 85 percent i can
See 40 maybe 15 but this is ridiculous. I saw a ad for
A marketing job went to interview and it was telemarketing at xcetel i
Was pissed they even deceive perspective employees and dont say
What the job is really doing
Xentel (or whatever it’s name may be now) has been calling me relentlessly for months. I donated last year for an Old Timers Hockey event for underprivileged kids. No matter how many times I ask them not to call or ask to be “removed” from their list I still recieve 3-7 calls a day. When I pick up either no one is even there or I’m rudely harassed to donate. I am considering getting a new number just to avoid having to deal with all this BS. I’m a stay at home mom and I feel like my phone rings off the hook from telemarketers.
Not a scam what so ever, Charities hire Xentel to raise funds for them. Xentel does not get a percentage but a fixed hourly rate. So all the money goes to the charity, BUT the charity has to pay Xentel certain amount of money per hour. Like 20$ an hour or X amount of money. There is a contract involved as well. Say Xentel agrees to raised 100 000$. They must do so in X amount of time or else the charity doesn’t have to pay them anything.
It’s not a scam it’s not even bad at all. It’s a business, small Charities simply cannot just get donation’s so they hire professional fundraisers to get it. The fundraisers really do help the charity raise money, and the charities help the fundraisers have a job and make a living.
The problem is that some people you talk to might not a have any Integrity and lie and pretend that they are actually FROM the charity in which that case it’s against the law.
Xentel DM Is a respectable company helping so many charities
Reach there goal. Sorry you had a bad experience with one caller who may not have explained it very well. But it’s not the companies fault but I’m sure if he did something wrong not following script etc he would receive a warning or more training….
You can read an extensive account of my experience at Xentel here, as well as some more recent dirt on them.
@OP, the reason the person calling you didn’t know the number they were calling from is because Xentel (and MOST call centers) use an auto-dialer.
@Ex-Hamilton Employee
I can confirm that Xentel employees making calls from Saskatchewan made up to 14.50 an hour.
I was a former employee at Xentel the company was hit with a huge fine from the CRTC for violating the Do Not cal list we were told by our supervisor not to remove any names off our List since that was our Bread and Butter. Late last year Xentel changed its name to I Mark Connect and continues to use Shady Practices to bilk the Elderly out of their Pention money.. As a employee I witnessed the use of Drugs on the premises as well as the use of cell phones on the sales floor. As you know most cell phones have cameras and as they are collecting private information including CREDIT CARD numbers this puts your Credit at risk I would not at anytime encourage you do do any business with Xentel AKA I MARK Connect and if ytou wish to help these charities contact them directly
I worked at the Winnipeg office they fired me for having morals because an elderly lady was gonna give $50 but I knew she couldn’t afford it being low income so I let her go ten min later I was let go and didn’t get my last check. I wish somebody could close them down
I worked in the Edmonton office last summer. It’s cute how they claim to solicit funds for charity, and yet we had at least 7 televisions in our office, as well as 3-4 foosball tables, countless quality paintings. THAT is where the charity money goes.
I just quit working there. I have mixed feelings about the place. Yes, it employes the unemployable. Gives them a second (third or fourth) chance to work for a living. It is in the business of making money, and they do.
I feel that the managers did everything they could to push me out when they couldn’t straight out fire me, but that’s neither here nor there.
I’m not sure how it was in the past, but they do make sure that we follow proper disclosure procedures now. However, they still want us to badger and bully people as nicely as we can to get money. They insist that sounding like a used car salesman will make sales, and being fake is too taxing on one who battles depression most days.
I didn’t see a lot of drugs, although there were a couple weed smokers on the other side of the office. Management does like to fuck with peoples pay though. The whole bonus system tracks from Thursday to Wednesday morning, so anything that comes in Wednesday afternoon gets lost i suppose… They stay as inside the letter of the law as they think they have to, as to not get sued. However, the verbal abuse that I’ve heard go on there makes me wonder why others haven’t gone to the Human Rights Commission and get paid.
I should add that the BBB search turned up nothing for Toronto but it does show Calgary & Saskatchewan, Kitchener too.
Xentel is now iMarketing Solutions Group INC.
I posted in another discussion re xentel & I’ll say similar things here: if they are scammers or, you suspect that they are, then report them to the police, file a coplaint with the BBB & even take it to the media if you must. Take more action to get them shut down if they are scammers. Write formal complaints, make phone calls to the appropriate people who have the power to look into it & take care of it. The more people who take action the better. This is how you’re going to help people, warnings on the internet are great but it’s not enough.
Btw I checked the BBB & did not find anything under the company names listed above. I did find the firefighters association they are not BBB accredited. To those griping about low pay guess what? Many jobs pay min wage & NO commission!
You know what i w ork for Xentel now and i see more drugs flying around the office than on the streets including the managers.Everyone gets high on break and they all are very good at tricking people out of money because every one of them is a drug dealer or a drug addict. Its true about getting a job there is easy because the boss made me fill out my application twice cuz the first time I answered yes to having a felony so he made me fill it out again and told me to lie and put down no. The place is a joke. Ive worked there for months and scammed people out of thousands of dollars and still have never made any money in commission. Don’t ever donate to them fucks cuz only 10% actually goes to the charity. All 15 of us bring in about 50k/wk so where is the rest of that cash going ?
why the fuxk do i make 10$ an hour only….. thats fuxking bullshit…..fuxk xentel, i quit soon.
Re: Ex-Xentel Employee
October 7, 2011 at 11:25 pm
That is total bullshit. You were never instructed to tell someone you work for minimum wage. In fact in Canada it is illegal for anyone to ask you what wage you work for, you are not obligated to tell them. And you don’t earn $14 an hour. A manager in Ontario doesn’t even make that so nice try. And minimum wage in Canada is $10.50 an hour. Sad to see you didn’t like your job there. The only reason I left was because of stupid laws in Ontario. I was employed at minimum wage, I was on Disability. I made $10.50 an hour. Half of that went to child support. Then half of the other went to ODSP. I was left with $1.75 an hour after taxes and deductions that is why i left. No money in it. I was a pro at what I did. I helped to raise $750,000 in funds and out of that $200,000 of it went to the charities. Now out of that year, I was able to help feed children, give them necessities and help save lives. I was never dismayed about it. Go talk to the government about how much they actual contribute to these causes. $0. Go complain at them.
Oh and I forgot to comment on a few things from other posters.
1. Xentel uses outdated computers to save costs
2. Xentel maintains its own lists and doesnt buy new ones every year to increase costs. It goes with what it can.
3. Commissions in Canada are based upon performance to increase moral
4. Xentel is CRTC regulated and registered. BBB registered.
5. Xentel does issue tax reciepts on DIRECT DONATIONS NOT RESULTING FROM A TICKET PURCHASE OR SPONSORSHIP. That is illegal in Canada to issue a receipt for a product.
6. Canada centres train for 3 no’s then on to next call not harrass a user to no-end.
7. @Trueler … Why would Xentel be a registered Charity? Its a registered For-Profit Corporation. Get your facts before you pout.
OK Folks, some of you Ex-Employees out there obviously had bad experiences but let me tell you something. I used to be employed from Xentel in the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada branch. There the job isn’t that bad at all. Yes Xentel is a Corporation, obviously you need to make a profit to keep the lights on. What most people in the general public don’t know is what kind of costs are associated with fundraising.
1. Utilities
2. Rent
3. Taxes
4. Insurance
5. Wages
6. Upgrades
7. Fees for Registration
8. Event Costs
9. List Maintenance
10. Mailing Costs
the list goes on and on.
Most telemarketers out there are the type of people that can’t get employed elsewhere, or perhaps just down on their luck. I know that in Hamilton, Supervisors are the only ones authorized to take a credit card or payment information to ensure the safety of the called person.
They fund raise by contract to Organizations that request their help in their fundraising goals. Typically these are Shriners, Police Organizations, Fire Fighter Organizations etc. To the person that thinks that the YRP is the one making the call. The Caller probably misrepresented himself, maybe he was having a bad day. I know that when I was doing it, yeah i made a few mistakes in words, but you try making 400 phone calls in a day and see if you can do it perfect everytime. These organizations from Police and Firefighers are professionals and their families that start non-profit organizations to represent the community. They do good and are NOT TAX-PAYING FUNDED. It is not the actual FF or POLICE, it is their workers trying to do some good outside of the Profession. Most of these charities can’t maintain a fundraiser by themselves. It takes almost a year of planning, over 100,000 hours of phone calls just to fill a 20,000 seat event. Even then, most of the time only 3,000 people show up. That is sad for public support. The National Do Not Call list is a good thing. Yes Xentel was guilty of not following it and Paid the price. $500,000 is a huge fine but you have to remember that it is that high due to 100,000’s of calls that they made thinking that because the charity was registered they were excepted. Which they weren’t so they got nailed. Lesson be learned. But next time you get a phone call, don’t be rude folks. It takes 2 minutes to blast and profaine a telemarketer, it takes 30 seconds to listen and politely refuse.
Remember, Telemarketing isnt as bad as the Governement in spending. Since when did Telemarketers spend $50 on a roll of toilet paper.
My biggest issue with the Saskatchewan branch of Xentel was out rules on what EXACTLY someone had to say to be put on our “do not call” list. They had to say “Remove me from your list”. Not “Take me off your list”, “Put me on your do not call list”, “do not call me”, or “If you call me again I will sue and personally kill you after receiving my settlement”. They had to say “REMOVE me from your list”. And we were told “Don’t EVER take no for an answer” – we were instructed to keep pushing until we were verbally assaulted AND hung up on (we could NEVER hang up, no matter what sort of abuse we were being dealt – and if I had been on the receiving end of some of the shit we spewed I would have been doing a LOT of abusing, so I can’t blame the people – but it still sucked being forced to listen to it) or the answer changed to a “yes”. We were instructed to say we made minimum wage, but we actually made $4/hour OVER that, not including commission. (We were ABSOLUTELY NEVER supposed to tell anyone about the commission) After I tried to kill myself rather than continue my employment as scum of the earth, I quit.
I myself am a Xentel employee and I can agree with you, Xentel is just as much as a scam as all the other telemarkters out there. Yeah, there raising money for an actual organization, such as police, veterns, etc. But, there only giving them 15% of there profit. And 15% out of such a small donation amount of 100, 50, and even, and quite often, $17 donations is just chump change. Xentel employee is correct, its a place for people who cant get a job anywhere else, My cousin is actually a floor manager, and got me the job, I didn’t even have to apply, or interview, I just had the job, That was 4 days ago. Turns out this job is nothing but a bunch of money thirsty dicks, harassing out of state citzins. I am in the office in Denver, and we never call residents of denver getting donations for denver, Its always out of state charitys. I honestly don’t know where all that money goes either, they have out of date computers and technolodgy, the numbers they are calling are about 10-15 years old, and never change, most of them have been disconnected. They treat there employees like dirt, you work 6 days a week, and you MUST get in 39 hrs a week, or your not getting paid the full $10.00 an hour, they drop it down to $7.36 and hour, unless you want to come in and make up your hours on your only day off, they don’t even give you a lunch break. And also, Onxe, I am a female and was hired as well as a handful of others, but I was told the same thing, that there were a lot of guys, and and girls arn’t as assirtive, or some bullshit. Oh and one more thing about the hole, “No call list” If you’ve donated before you CAN’T be taken off the no call list, they tell us to file it under a “not pitched” and we’ll call them next year, wich is come bull. Xentel is a joke. And no ones laughing.
Ann, I’m surprised you were able to work there at all. from all I’ve heard (here in Denver at least) they only hire men, because women ‘don’t sound authoritarian’ enough. They get around discrimination laws by claiming ‘women don’t apply here’ or ‘We just happen to have a lot of guys working here.’
I applied several times, and despite having extensive telemarketing experience never made it in I think I should be grateful for that, from what I am reading.
Ann,
You are entirely right. I myself, unfortunately, am employed by Xentel, and know for a fact that it is a botched “charity”. The job is typically for people who lack high school education or are dead beats. We are treated as the scum of the earth by managers who are trained to display complete authoritarian dictaorship around us, and parade about as if they are somehow better than us — HA, yea fucking right.
Most of us are good people that have made mistakes in life and as a result, we are forced to working at this horrible dead end job. Not to mention, we are not the least bit proud that we are scamming good people out of their hard earned money,ecspecially seniors. I often relate this line of work to classical liberalism, with us(xentel employees) being the oppressed workers, and our managers being the rich capitalists that benefit off of the exspense of our suffering. I really wish more people were more aware and informed about Xentel and it’s corruption.
Anyway, I won’t be there for much longer, I am much to young to spend the rest of my life at that miserable shit hole making $10.50 an hour.
Julian,
Xentel is not a registered charity organization. They were violating national “do not call” list and faced $500,000 fine. Xentel representatives were rude on the phone. They introduce themselves as Police, Firefighters, etc., sometimes telling about “association”. Xentel used extremely unfair and illegal approach to raise money for their own profit and for paying fines…
Xentel raises money for community services organizations, including many Police Associations. These groups do many amazing things in the community, and it is a shame that either you misunderstood the person calling or they didn’t represent themselves properly. But in this day in age, people should throw the baby out with the bathwater because they aren’t sure.
Judging by this article I can assume the writer did not contact Xentel to find out exactly what they were raising money for.
The company represents organizations, and it seems the writer is confused about that. No, they are not the Police, but the organizations they represent are made up of Officers that do real good work in the community and it is a shame that someone would launch a personal vendetta against people trying to make a difference.
Ann,
I guess you work for Xentel, right?
It is not “just one phone call”. Many thousands of people suffering from this kind of fraud. Why police and firefighters need to raise money? Don’t taxpayers pay enough?
Xentel is not registered with CRA in any of the charities listings! It is not a charity organization allowed to operate in Canada.
Charity organization should not work only for profit! If Xentel indeed performs fundraising on behalf of other organizations, how much of the donations do you keep in Xentel? 80%, 90%, 100%?
Fundraising calls should not be so rude and unethical! Personal should not be so uneducated!
If people make a donation to Xentel, do they get a tax receipt? No! They get another phone call later!
It is totally unacceptable “fundraising” practice from Xentel.
Trueler
I’m sad to hear you feel that way about Xentel it’s too bad because i love raising money and that person should not have said he was calling from somewhere else when it was on behalf of Xentel we have very strict policies and if breached the person will be let go because we are not out to committ fraud it’s a real cooperation that helps so many organizations reach their fundraising goals please don’t change your mind over one call
Um that’s not phone fraud it’s that the public makes almost impossible to charity fundraise expecially over the phone, I could over a million excuses but none of those don’t matter Xentel is a real business that raises money for many worth while causes , why you think it’s fraud youonly recieved one call that sounded odd but i’m sure that person was let go because our calls are recorded it’s sad to see you changed your mind over one simple phone call remember the next time that someone calls in regards to sick children etc it’s just a phone call