I look forward to the time when you find a job at a good company (and I really hope you do), see that we offer our program there, and find that it's a huge hit with all the employees.

Write back when you get honest work ... that way we son't have to hear from you again, scammer.

Let me first start by saying that I currently work for the company that offers Appreciation Events' services. So, at this point, you'll either make up your mind and think whatever I say is bs since I work for the company, or, you'll be interested in what I have to say.
A lot of people have been saying that Appreciation Events is a scam. This almost makes me laugh and blows my mind. On what basis is this a scam?

Is it because it's full commission? Well, then, dang.,,, I'd better think twice about buying a house from a real estate agent since a majority of them are full commission so they must be a scam.

Or is it because the average rep works a lot of hours? Oh, shoot. I'd better call the local news station and let them know that the hospital down the street is a scam because the doctors and nurses there work insane hours.

Could it be because the name of the company people are applying to is not really Appreciation Events, but a private business? (ie.Global Advertising, Bay Marketing, Metropolitan Group, etc.) Well, then, I guess I shouldn't eat at Taco Bell because those franchise owners don't really OWN Taco Bell but have their business corporation name set up under a different name.

Now, I get it. Sometimes it's really hard to understand an infrastructure that is Appreciation Events by just looking at a job posting or talking to someone on the phone. But, does that really warrant an uneducated assumption about what the company is all about? The positions that these Appreciation Events offices are looking to fill are definitely NOT for everyone. Just like how being a surgeon and cutting and sewing people up is not for everyone. It has to be a fit. It's hard work, it's full commission, and requires a certain quality of person to be able to do it. But, amidst these "negatives," there is also opportunity to make great money, opportunity to grow, and opportunity to learn so much.

One last thing and I'll let you folks go. We offer discounts for entertainment and dining venues like the Oakland A's, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Coldstone Creamery, Subway, Carl's Jr., Crowne Plaza Hotels, Malibu Grand Prix, Boomers, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm. iFly Indoor Skydiving, and the list goes on. We've been able to sit down with them and negotiate huge discounts that we can offer. And then, we offer these discounts to companies like Google, Yahoo, IRS, Oracle, SanDisk, General Electric, Hitachi, and again, the list goes on. If all of the companies I just listed work with us, wouldn't you think that there has to be legitimacy with the company? The taste of this company may not agree with your palate, but that doesn't mean it's poison. Just something to think about. Cheers! - PJ

You are correct that it is a legitimate business but if you are also lying saying that you worked in the human resources department for Appreciation Events.  Appreciation Events is a spinoff of Smart Circle and all Human Resources done for the actual company Appreciation Events is done through Smart Circle headquarters located in Richmond Hill Ontario.  There are no actual other Appreciation Events elsewhere.  There are only Independent Corporate Distributors who operate for Appreciation Events and distribute aka sell their products.  Appreciation Events aka Smart Circle does this to avoid labor laws when it applies to W2/W4 employees.  Everyone is a 1099 unless you work in another spinoff division that signs up people for Directv, home improvement services, or sells victoria jackson makeup in retail locations such as Sams Clubs, BJs, Costcos, or Best Buys.  They utilize this structure to avoid having any type of violations pinned back on them.  All federal and state law violations are tied to the independent corporations since that are the ones whom actually employ the sales reps and "human resources" reps aka administrators whose sole responsibility is to call and book as many interviews each and every day.  They are actually trained on how to be vague during the phone calls and actually are graded on how many interviews show up out the ones that were booked.  The Independent Corporate Distributors go a by a ton of different extemely vague names in order to avoid bad publicity when Google searched.  Such names could be Worldwide Marketing or Premier Event Marketing.  Again these are legit companies run by extremely hard working people who have put in a ton of time and invested a ton of money and are just trying to make a better life for themselves.  I respect the majority of you.  It is a great learning experience.  Appreciation Events aka Smart Circle is the actual culprit of the less than ethical practices.  But to make a long story short, you worked as an Admin aka secretary for one of the ICDs and not in the actual Human Resources Dept. for Appreciation Events because that does not exist unless you worked in the Human Resources Dept. for Smart Circle.  If that's the case then I apologize but you should've been honest and have said Smart Circle.  If I am correct, then everyone who's reading this please be wary of people who say this is an amazing job because 9 out of 10 times its an Admin who's owner asked them to do so.

not for nothing but i use to work in the human resources department of appreciation events and its not a scam. their are similar jobs like this all over. i think people now a days are just very skeptical. Now im not saying this job is for everyone because if you don't work hard you wont make squat. but their is a real opportunity to make money. it is commission based. im glad that i read these articles cause i just accepted a position somewhere else and i decided to look up their website. now when i googled the web site i saw that they were a scam. i read many many negative comments about the company, which was quite surprising. now as i read them most of the people who had something negative to say either didnt even work their or didnt even stay for the interview so its hard to be reputable when you didnt even get the job or give the job a chance. so i decide to google appreciation events because i worked their and its also one of those fishy sounding corperations, but i know its not a scam because i worked their. so as i am reading the comments about how its a scam and blah blah blah. i realize it does sound a little odd. but  i know its legit because i worked in the human resources department. and yes you do get call from all over the us, and that because the human resources department is located in nj but their are other people who work in the human resources department who conduct the phone interviews all over the us. and i got the question all the time when i worked there. " if your hiring in canada than why are you calling me from nj" Appreciation events is not a scam! and by reading these comments i am self assured that my new job is not a scam either. i think people are just being skeptical.

These guys are a scam.  The only people that make money in this business is if you have been involved for the past 10 years ripping people off.  They do not represent their clients professionally and they have no regard for how the program effect their clients.  They kill the people they make money off buy selling their services, to "increase foot traffic"  yea if you give away the farm for 20 bucks yea id use coupons too.  Matt Kelly is one of the people in charge and he does not care about anyone or anything that is around him.  He will act like your best friend then throw you under the bus the next second.  Everyone from this company is money hungry and will make money at all cost.  If they truly cared about their clients they would present information about how their program will effect their business

This Company is a Scam!!!! I did my research and it did not Add up:(((

I just got a call from appreciation events and on the job description it said 40 -60 thousand but it didnt say salary. I wish i would have never decide to get my degree in marketing, i'm sick of tired of these fake marketing jobs waisting my time. Bump this I'm going back to grad school.

I got a call from multiple marketing firms today...i dont have a college degree yet just military experence..I also got called to this appreciation event planning place! Thanks to all of you guys for your good info im not even gonna waste my time...Not only seeing this but when i asked the company simple questions like "are we getting benefits, the pay" and what not they were hesitant...so i already was scemed before by this place called American Income Life i wont do it again and you all just saved me from another mess...lol thanks

Thanks for all the help i Just got a call today from them to answer questions on their website. I will not be calling April back from Clark, NJ.

I spent 3 days in Oakland, and I did not feel 100% sure about this company but agreed to join the team at Bay Marketing in Walnut Creek, CA. I came home and really thought about the company and what they had said, commission only, no insurance, no security.
And did a search on the internet and found this:
http://entryleveljobscamsblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/bay-marketing-emeryville-appreciation.html
I called back immediately and said I would not take the job.
Please everyone do your full search before comming for an interview for any company, don't just visit their "official" website.
Good luck in your job search!
and I really hope this helps everyone

Please keep in mind, the Independent Corporate Distributors use very vague company names like Premiere Marketing, Worldwide Marketing, etc.  This makes it very difficult to find any information on the company and protects against negative info (sites like this or ripoff report) being the first result of a search engine.  Also, in general, be wary of job postings that use phrases like "Entry Level", "Recent College Grads", "Sports-Minded People", "Promote From Within", "Entrepreneurs Wanted", etc.  Make sure compensation type for the position is listed.  The posts don't have to list the exact amount but they should say if the position is salary, hourly, contract, or commission.  If the post does not list this, then the company is usually trying to hide something.  Watch out for "Compensation: Competitive" if you're not looking for a commission job.  This usually is just a clever way of saying it's a commission position.  This differs, though, from "Competitive Salary", since that means a company is willing to pay you a salary that takes into account not only the the requirements of the position but also your skill set.  Always make sure you fully understand what a company does and what the specific position entails before going on an interview.  If you can't find any information on a particular company or their website is vague and unclear of what exactly they do, then this should be a red flag!

And if you're really lucky, you can get hired to post how legit this outfit is all over the internet. What a frikkin scam!

Appreciation Events is the parent coporation.  There are individual independent corporations spread throughout the US and Canada.  So Hunter Marketing would be the independent coporate distributor for Appreciation Events, sort of like franchises.  It is a legitimate company.  Appreciation Events is the sister corporation of Smart Circle.  Smart Circle handles the sale of the discount cards door to door and in retail locations.  Appreciation Events sets up events at corporations to sell the discount cards, sort of like a Scholastic Book Fair.  As an event coordinator, your designated an assigned territory where you obtain leads for the corporations in your territory by walking in and asking for who you need to make an appt. with.  Then, your goal is to call those leads and setup an appt. to pitch the corporations on allowing you to setup an event to sell the discount cards.  After going on the meeting, if the corporation agrees then you have to promote the event in order to inform the employees of what you're doing.  You also are the one who works the event and sells the discount cards to the employees.  Your compensation is solely commission based on a percentage of the total sales at each event.  You are responsible for all expenses incurred while working also, whether it be flyers to promote the events, gas, etc.  Please keep in mind also that you are an Independent Distributor, not an employee, so no taxes will be taken out of your paychecks which means at the end of the year you will have to pay taxes based on your income bracket.  All and all, it's not a bad gig, but it is very time consuming and difficult.  Some people make a good amount of money and others go broke.  It just depends on the type of person you are.  If you're born to do sales and don't mind cold calling then you can do well.  If you're not the type of person who enjoys calling strangers on the phone, then you won't do well.  There is a high turnover rate, like many commission only companies, so the companies are always recruiting which is the reason why you were called for an interview only a day after you applied.  PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE AN INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTOR, NOT AN EMPLOYEE! (Same goes for Smart Circle) This means there are different laws that apply like you cannot be told what to sell, where to sell, when to sell, etc.  Since you are not an employee, you cannot technically be "Fired" although you can be refused product to sell.  But also, since you are not an employee, you are not eligible to claim unemployment.  But if you are ever treated as an employee (the things just mentioned before plus others) then you should file a grievance with your state's labor dept. or attorney general and you should be compensated as an employee (which would mean at least minimum wage plus unemployment).

I just got a call back from them. Now is a lady called Camille, she ask me to look at the website and then call her back. I just applied for this job on Friday!! the number this time was 201-917-9256

Jen ....you are right...thanks for the heads up

I checked them out...they are NOT real. They are attempting to desqise their interest in selling insurance....they assumed their own name by making it up...they are NOT a liscensed company in Seattle WA. I would blow them off.

I just got an e-mail and called their number- talking to the girl they seemed legit, except the position i applied for was in New Brundwick, NJ and no clark. After google search this popped up. I am in no way looking to go door to door, didnt spend money on college for that. Has anyone actually gone on a interview or worked there for a little in clark nj

This thread has  been helpful, I've applied to Appreciation Events too and two different companies called me back, and it didn't sound too legit. Now I know for sure, and won't waste my time. Thanks!

I too got a call from two different NC area codes from two different women. one on Friday and one today. Their BBB profile looks OK, but their website is iffy and After reading this page I don't think I will be calling them for that interview.

I have also received calls from them but for some reason I cant find a website or a location for their business. What's even more weird is that they have contacted me a second time after I didn't get back to them. It's kind of like they don't have anyone else to hire, which is pretty odd since these days there are plenty of people to pick from. Is there anyone out there that has gone in to meet them?

it's the HR depart of the Metropolitan Group...scam? IDK! I can't really find info on them

I think they're scam because I called and asked to speak with someone in said "HR department" and not only was no one available to speak to, the "receptionist" couldn't answer basic questions like, "how long have you guys been in business?". They were supposed to call me back but that never happened....

Just spoke with them. She told me the job was to increase foot traffic to the New York Yankees, 76ers, Knicks, Nets, etc. Then I asked what their website was and she responded with "not for another week or so" thats sort of funny since how many websites stay down for that long, and my interview was in a week haha. She also wanted to have me come in today for an interview. Def a scam.

I just applied to Appreciation Events just a day or two ago, and wanted to learn a little more. A simple google search popped up "Apreciation Events scam" and lo and behold here I am. I went to their website and it seemed cheesy and poorly put together indeed. I noticed on their website that they are accredited by the BBB. So to double check I went to bbb.org and they are listed, on the website anyway, as an accredited business, with an address listed in Foothill Ranch, CA. I am however in Boston, MA. So I myself am still slightly skeptical since the only address listed for contact are in Canada and California. And also that it is noted of having 4 employees. Hm.

I got a phone call from a NC number..Appreciation Events, said they are in San Jose, CA.  I have an interview set up with them...is this legit?  I found them also, on monster.com I THINK as Appeciation Events in San Jose, CA...but they called me to set up the interview..

The person who called was very nice, however did not have a profession voicemail?  I am not sure what to think..the position is for an event coordinator..

same thing as the rest of you...
-found it off Monster.com as Appreciation Events in Emeryville, CA
-got a very quick response
-asked me to call them & listed that same number

their email and website are so tacky, terribly written, and the photographs are totally staged. I should have checked them out before I sent my resume, but they were the first ones I applied to simply out of naive excitement. Never again.

and when i worked for them they were known as metropolitan sports marketing group and now they are known as appreciation events and go by a bunch of different names. if you keep changing your name then that should tell you something is wrong. the turnover rate in there is ridiculous. they promise you sweet nothings and if you fall for that, which I did smh, then you find out the job is some bs. and whilei was going door to door I ran across a few people who previously worked for them and they told me to leave asap. on top of that i was walking around one day with someone and some random bellhop at a restaraunt asked if he could work there and he ended up getting an interview without any college education at all. it is a complete scam but the people are so nice and believable that sometimes people fall for it

if they tell you to come in for on job training and on that day you ride out with someone who shows you what you are going to do then yes that is the job im talking about. You usually get interviewed by a sharp looking young white guy by the name of Max or a fast talking latina by the name of Jesslyn. If those names sound familiar then run!!!!lol. also when you walk into this place they have the couches in the lobby with the plasma tv that plays espn all day long. if all that sounds familiar then yes that is the place im talking about

Did yoactually work for Appreciation Events? Or was it masked by something different? Because a company called Hunter Marketing wants to hire me to coordinate their appreciation events and I went to the appreciation events website (separate from hunter marketing, which they never mentioned it was separate but i figured it out after some research) and it's like a completely different thing than Hunter Marketing. They say I wouldn't be doing the traditional door to door sales. Did you go through any formal training? I'm supposed to call back today with a yes or no!! I don't know what to do! I was figuring out the math and it just doesn't seem to add up.