This company on the very thin surface claims to offer students an opportunity to make money to help them with their exchange programs/tuition. In reality, they use these students as "independent dealers" in order to wash their hands of any responsibility with their product.
Never in the sales pitch I revived was I informed of a 3 day cancellation policy. I do realize that it is on the receipt, but that does not make it right that, from what I have seen, no customers have been verbally informed of this policy.
On top of that, I have a "No Solicitation" sign on my door, in a very obvious spot, so the fact that this person even rang my doorbell is pretty obnoxious. The fact that they are Revdex.com accredited, with an A+ rating is mind blowing when I read through all of the complaints leveled at the company. They participate in shady practices, in my opinion (and many others).
I was also pretty disgusted that I was urged to tell this salesperson other households that had kids, and their names. The person on my doorstep was pushy, would not take "no" for an answer, and I felt very pressured to purchase this product. If I hadn't paid a lot of money for the books I will be receiving, I would toss them in the garbage.
This company does operate legally, but in a very shady and insincere way. Not only will I never recommend this product to friends, but I will actively inform people without prompting to never allow these "independent dealers" into their homes.
I would like to take a moment to explain my experience with a Southwestern Advantage salesperson. I met him at the door, and he seemed polite, and explained why he was there. He came in with my permission, and started to go over some of the books he offered. The first bundle he offered was an outrageous amount, and before he asked if I was even interested in this, he was asking for payment information. I told him that was too much for some books. He kept trying to pressure, and I kept declining. He then offered some other smaller bundles, but no "pick and choose" type bundles. I ended up agreeing to buy a 3 book bundle. He then asked if I had [redacted] on my phone. I told him I did. He took my phone out of my hand, added himself on my friends list, took a picture, posted it on my [redacted] wall, and tagged himself in it. I find this behavior totally unacceptable. And I'm sure I'll get a response from SA, saying that the sales people are independent contractors, so it's not SA itself. That seems more like a strategic ploy minimize liabilities by SA. I have read so many reviews from all over the country about these SA salespeople. There are way too many similarities in the complaints, which leads me to believe that this is the way the salespeople are trained.
Southwestern Advantage has changed my life. Through working with this college internship during my sophomore and junior year at Texas A&M, I received great mentor-ship from both my managers and peers that has empowered me to improve my confidence in myself, my conviction in my own abilities, my ability to concentrate focus on school, and my consistency in my relationships with both friends and family. This experience has given me both life long friends and had a positive life long impact on my future.
I am very pleased with the books. It's easy to understand and read. The books are great for any grade level according to the need of the child/children. The payments were easy and affordable. The representative was organized and knowable of the products being sold.
I have twice had interaction with Southwestern Advantage student salespeople although I have not bought their product. In both instances, the students were pushy. I work frequently with international students in my job and am aware that some of them would go to great lengths to be able to earn money in the US. My concern is that the young people working for Southwestern Advantage may be exploited in a way that leads to their pushiness. If it hasn't already, I wish the Revdex.com would investigate the recruitment and hiring practices of this company, look into what the students are promised and what their actual work conditions turn out to be, and double check that the company is above board in securing work permits and visas for these young people so that their future is not compromised. The product the company offers does not impress me (I am an educator), and my sense is that the company teaches its salespeople to prey on people's concern for their children's future. But whatever I think of the product, I also wonder if the company preys on the vulnerability of the young people working for it. I want to see young people have opportunities for work and travel around the world. However, I don't want young people to be exploited, and I don't think it serves any purpose for them to be taught to use exploitative tactics in their work. I have read through the company's Q&A, and nothing reassures me, including a 30% drop-out rate and the note that success depends on how hard the student works. The web site suggests that students work 12-13 hours/day for 6 days/week. I hold to hard work, but I also hold to fair earnings within a 40-60 hour work week. There are labor laws in the US for a reason. I only hope my suspicions of exploitative practices are unfounded!
Yesterday I had one of Southwestern's sales representatives come to my door. Rang my doorbell, then continued to knock on my door until I answered. I very politely pointed to my No Soliciting sign I have on my door. City ordinance in my city is that if I have this notification on my door any accredited company (which Southwestern is) is to comply with this sign and not contact me. When I pointed this out to the salesman he said he wasn't from the United States and did not know what this means. I explained it to him at which point he tried to sell me books anyway. This is not my first rodeo. I wished him a good day and shut the door. I know these young people have to go through orientation. Do not teach them how to skirt the law by feigning ignorance. I have reported this to the local authorities so they are aware of what your salesmen are doing. Do you think I will ever purchase from your company? Not with business practices like yours.
I'm not very fond of people coming door to door selling items, and in this instance I was fooled again. I'm sure the books themselves are extremely useful. But after we waited weeks for the sales lady to come and show us how to use them, which was promised PRIOR to me buying them; we realized she wasn't coming and tried to get a refund. Of course, they only allow 3 days to return their items. THIS IS RIDICULOUS! How can you expect people to know if they like your product enough when your salespeople don't even keep their appointments to show you and your children how to use their product. I will never tell anyone to spend hundreds of dollars on these books.
What an amazing company from the top leadership to the students that participate in the program. From first hand experience I have seen incredible people made in this program. I definitely recommend this company and purchasing their products.
A young man just left my residence attempting to sell the study text books. During his presentation he said this is a one time offer, and he will not return, plus he does not give business cards nor brochures. This is not good business practice. I'm self employed, and I would never tell my customer "buy today or never get an opportunity again." I need a day or two to review the material, a website, or brochures. I have been a victim to pressure tactics in the past so I am very weary of door-to-door sells. Telling me the names of my neighbors don't impress me!
This is a door-to-door hustle. The young person who came to our house had a gee-whiz, naive manner more reminiscent of religious proselytizing than offering a legitimate educational product. He made it sound as if the neighbors have provided a positive referral by knowing my name, implied he had been approved by our school district, and produced sample lesson materials that were laughably incorrect and unscientific in content. This may not be a scam if you want that sort of product, but it is definitely being sold in a misleading manner. Be careful!
Terrible company. Never received books, but they sure did try to deduct out of my account 3 times this past month. IM NOT PAYING FOR NOTHING!!! Dont come to my house again!! Take me off your stupid list. Thank you...
I am so very thrilled with our experience with Southwestern Advantage. From introduction to enjoying our books daily, it has been a blessing to our lives. Our sales representative was sweet, kind, and genuine. An extremely positive face for your company! I loved having payment options that we could work with, and our books came right on time. We got the Bible story set and they are beautifully done--fascinating for the whole family. Thank you so much for enriching our lives!
I purchased a set of books from Alex, Southwestern Advantage representative. He was professional and knowledgeable and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience!
Terry was an amazing young man and wonderful at interacting with our boys. My oldest was engaged and sold on the books. He was easy to talk to and was a pleasure to visit with. He knew his product well and beloved in its success. Thanks so much Terry!!
Love the company and the level of effort they put into ethics and teaching that to the students. With 1500-2000 students selling door2door, it is unavoidable that things do go wrong but overall I love the way they handle business.
Have had great experience with them so far!
It has been a pleasure to work with Southwestern for a number of years and I have enjoyed everyone that I have worked with at the Company. My kids have learned so much from their books!!
Our salesman, Alex V[redacted]t, was charming and polite. He respected my husband when he said he needed to delay the decision until we could discuss the purchase together, and arranged to come back a different day. He was friendly and patient when I asked him to show my elementary student the material, so I could get authentic feedback on the product. He wasn't pushy, but he was straightforward in asking for the sale. I think some of the negative complaints on this site may simply be a result of people being unfamiliar/uncomfortable with direct sales or the inexperienced techniques used by some other salespeople. Our experience was positive, and we purchased our set to use for a donation to our local school. Quality product, moderate pricing.
Two salesman came to my home after 9:30 pm. This is unacceptable. While they were friendly, they told me they would not be coming back to my home and if I wanted to buy, now was the time. This was too pushy and deceitful as I saw they had visited some of my neighbors earlier in the day at a more reasonable time. And then I saw them today when they were trying to sell to my next-door neighbor. They were polite and said hi but did not try to sell. The whole thing seemed fishy. I know they are students working hard to help pay for school but knocking on my door so late at night is unacceptable business practice.
This company on the very thin surface claims to offer students an opportunity to make money to help them with their exchange programs/tuition. In reality, they use these students as "independent dealers" in order to wash their hands of any responsibility with their product.
Never in the sales pitch I revived was I informed of a 3 day cancellation policy. I do realize that it is on the receipt, but that does not make it right that, from what I have seen, no customers have been verbally informed of this policy.
On top of that, I have a "No Solicitation" sign on my door, in a very obvious spot, so the fact that this person even rang my doorbell is pretty obnoxious. The fact that they are Revdex.com accredited, with an A+ rating is mind blowing when I read through all of the complaints leveled at the company. They participate in shady practices, in my opinion (and many others).
I was also pretty disgusted that I was urged to tell this salesperson other households that had kids, and their names. The person on my doorstep was pushy, would not take "no" for an answer, and I felt very pressured to purchase this product. If I hadn't paid a lot of money for the books I will be receiving, I would toss them in the garbage.
This company does operate legally, but in a very shady and insincere way. Not only will I never recommend this product to friends, but I will actively inform people without prompting to never allow these "independent dealers" into their homes.
I would like to take a moment to explain my experience with a Southwestern Advantage salesperson. I met him at the door, and he seemed polite, and explained why he was there. He came in with my permission, and started to go over some of the books he offered. The first bundle he offered was an outrageous amount, and before he asked if I was even interested in this, he was asking for payment information. I told him that was too much for some books. He kept trying to pressure, and I kept declining. He then offered some other smaller bundles, but no "pick and choose" type bundles. I ended up agreeing to buy a 3 book bundle. He then asked if I had [redacted] on my phone. I told him I did. He took my phone out of my hand, added himself on my friends list, took a picture, posted it on my [redacted] wall, and tagged himself in it. I find this behavior totally unacceptable. And I'm sure I'll get a response from SA, saying that the sales people are independent contractors, so it's not SA itself. That seems more like a strategic ploy minimize liabilities by SA. I have read so many reviews from all over the country about these SA salespeople. There are way too many similarities in the complaints, which leads me to believe that this is the way the salespeople are trained.
Southwestern Advantage has changed my life. Through working with this college internship during my sophomore and junior year at Texas A&M, I received great mentor-ship from both my managers and peers that has empowered me to improve my confidence in myself, my conviction in my own abilities, my ability to concentrate focus on school, and my consistency in my relationships with both friends and family. This experience has given me both life long friends and had a positive life long impact on my future.
I am very pleased with the books. It's easy to understand and read. The books are great for any grade level according to the need of the child/children. The payments were easy and affordable. The representative was organized and knowable of the products being sold.
I have twice had interaction with Southwestern Advantage student salespeople although I have not bought their product. In both instances, the students were pushy. I work frequently with international students in my job and am aware that some of them would go to great lengths to be able to earn money in the US. My concern is that the young people working for Southwestern Advantage may be exploited in a way that leads to their pushiness. If it hasn't already, I wish the Revdex.com would investigate the recruitment and hiring practices of this company, look into what the students are promised and what their actual work conditions turn out to be, and double check that the company is above board in securing work permits and visas for these young people so that their future is not compromised. The product the company offers does not impress me (I am an educator), and my sense is that the company teaches its salespeople to prey on people's concern for their children's future. But whatever I think of the product, I also wonder if the company preys on the vulnerability of the young people working for it. I want to see young people have opportunities for work and travel around the world. However, I don't want young people to be exploited, and I don't think it serves any purpose for them to be taught to use exploitative tactics in their work. I have read through the company's Q&A, and nothing reassures me, including a 30% drop-out rate and the note that success depends on how hard the student works. The web site suggests that students work 12-13 hours/day for 6 days/week. I hold to hard work, but I also hold to fair earnings within a 40-60 hour work week. There are labor laws in the US for a reason. I only hope my suspicions of exploitative practices are unfounded!
Yesterday I had one of Southwestern's sales representatives come to my door. Rang my doorbell, then continued to knock on my door until I answered. I very politely pointed to my No Soliciting sign I have on my door. City ordinance in my city is that if I have this notification on my door any accredited company (which Southwestern is) is to comply with this sign and not contact me. When I pointed this out to the salesman he said he wasn't from the United States and did not know what this means. I explained it to him at which point he tried to sell me books anyway. This is not my first rodeo. I wished him a good day and shut the door. I know these young people have to go through orientation. Do not teach them how to skirt the law by feigning ignorance. I have reported this to the local authorities so they are aware of what your salesmen are doing. Do you think I will ever purchase from your company? Not with business practices like yours.
I'm not very fond of people coming door to door selling items, and in this instance I was fooled again. I'm sure the books themselves are extremely useful. But after we waited weeks for the sales lady to come and show us how to use them, which was promised PRIOR to me buying them; we realized she wasn't coming and tried to get a refund. Of course, they only allow 3 days to return their items. THIS IS RIDICULOUS! How can you expect people to know if they like your product enough when your salespeople don't even keep their appointments to show you and your children how to use their product. I will never tell anyone to spend hundreds of dollars on these books.
What an amazing company from the top leadership to the students that participate in the program. From first hand experience I have seen incredible people made in this program. I definitely recommend this company and purchasing their products.
A young man just left my residence attempting to sell the study text books. During his presentation he said this is a one time offer, and he will not return, plus he does not give business cards nor brochures. This is not good business practice. I'm self employed, and I would never tell my customer "buy today or never get an opportunity again." I need a day or two to review the material, a website, or brochures. I have been a victim to pressure tactics in the past so I am very weary of door-to-door sells. Telling me the names of my neighbors don't impress me!
This is a door-to-door hustle. The young person who came to our house had a gee-whiz, naive manner more reminiscent of religious proselytizing than offering a legitimate educational product. He made it sound as if the neighbors have provided a positive referral by knowing my name, implied he had been approved by our school district, and produced sample lesson materials that were laughably incorrect and unscientific in content. This may not be a scam if you want that sort of product, but it is definitely being sold in a misleading manner. Be careful!
Great learning products from reputable company. Salespeople are well trained, friendly and trustworthy.
Terrible company. Never received books, but they sure did try to deduct out of my account 3 times this past month. IM NOT PAYING FOR NOTHING!!! Dont come to my house again!! Take me off your stupid list. Thank you...
I am so very thrilled with our experience with Southwestern Advantage. From introduction to enjoying our books daily, it has been a blessing to our lives. Our sales representative was sweet, kind, and genuine. An extremely positive face for your company! I loved having payment options that we could work with, and our books came right on time. We got the Bible story set and they are beautifully done--fascinating for the whole family. Thank you so much for enriching our lives!
I purchased a set of books from Alex, Southwestern Advantage representative. He was professional and knowledgeable and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience!
Terry was an amazing young man and wonderful at interacting with our boys. My oldest was engaged and sold on the books. He was easy to talk to and was a pleasure to visit with. He knew his product well and beloved in its success. Thanks so much Terry!!
Books were very informing, and sales rep was amazing. Price a little high.
Love the company and the level of effort they put into ethics and teaching that to the students. With 1500-2000 students selling door2door, it is unavoidable that things do go wrong but overall I love the way they handle business.
Have had great experience with them so far!
It has been a pleasure to work with Southwestern for a number of years and I have enjoyed everyone that I have worked with at the Company. My kids have learned so much from their books!!
Our salesman, Alex V[redacted]t, was charming and polite. He respected my husband when he said he needed to delay the decision until we could discuss the purchase together, and arranged to come back a different day. He was friendly and patient when I asked him to show my elementary student the material, so I could get authentic feedback on the product. He wasn't pushy, but he was straightforward in asking for the sale. I think some of the negative complaints on this site may simply be a result of people being unfamiliar/uncomfortable with direct sales or the inexperienced techniques used by some other salespeople. Our experience was positive, and we purchased our set to use for a donation to our local school. Quality product, moderate pricing.
Two salesman came to my home after 9:30 pm. This is unacceptable. While they were friendly, they told me they would not be coming back to my home and if I wanted to buy, now was the time. This was too pushy and deceitful as I saw they had visited some of my neighbors earlier in the day at a more reasonable time. And then I saw them today when they were trying to sell to my next-door neighbor. They were polite and said hi but did not try to sell. The whole thing seemed fishy. I know they are students working hard to help pay for school but knocking on my door so late at night is unacceptable business practice.