UGA Corp

Kevin   Texas

3:38pm on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 

I resigned from UGA after coming to understand their tactics were immoral and deceiving the customers. I then received the 1099 and had to pay $800 in taxes on a little over $2000 in extra income. Now they have sent me the dune letters. The first one was for $604.12. I requested more information to explain where this came from. Then later sent me a letter saying the amount was 884.56. I again requested that they explain the formula and allow me time to confirm the amount. I received today a letter from the collection company fro $764.66 I still have not heard from them to tell me where this amount is derived from. I will take you advice and have a legal letter sent to them. I will also report them to the insurance board of Texas. What a scam... Stay clear of these guys and their products are hockey at best with all the exclusion. One of the insured I sold a nice young family took his 3 year old to the emergency room on a Sunday night with 103 temp. The claim was denied because it was not an accident. I was not impressed.
Kevin

George   Texas

1:14pm on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 

Tom, Maryland - I appreciate coming upon your remarks. I am knee deep in Mega/UGA right now threatening to file suit against me over a policy that one of my customers canceled. Mega is now claiming that I owe them over $500 for the canceled policy and the collection agency is threatening to ruin my credit and take me to court, and I haven't worked for them for over a year and a half!! The collection agency has even informed me that the amount I owe is interest accruing, so the amount I owe keeps rising!! Since you have already been through this experience can you enlighten me on how best for me to handle this situation? Should I just ignore them or have attorney contact them? Your guidance would be much appreciated. We all have to look out for each other against these large tyrannical companies like Mega. Hope all is going well for you now.

Tom   Maryland

1:06am on Friday, May 29th, 2009 

I see they are doing the same crap they did back in 2003. I actually "made some money" with these guys, a whole 957 bucks in two months working my butt off, I got a 1099 and paid taxes on it and then discovered I had to pay it back? With interest?..They even sent me to collections and tried to ruin my credit. Gf at the time was a tax attorney..she sent one letter...and poof! they went away, we disputed the credit file entry and it went away too... took 90 days. What a farce!

Janet   IL

3:21pm on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 

I have to thank all of you who have taken the time to bring your horror stories about this company to the attention of the people who are seeking employment. I did receive a call from them today to come in for an interview and now I will not even bother with a return phone call because of what you all had to say. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

hova   chicago

1:26pm on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 

do not waste your time here with UGA. you are better off working legit at starbucks with health insurance.

AJ   IL

9:33pm on Saturday, February 21st, 2009

Good look'n out on this site... I was about to go in on Monday and begin having all my complianc docs. filled out! I like how they attempt to legitimize the hiring process by telling you they need to perform a background check on you to disclose your criminal record and credit worthiness... If a violent felony, or bankruptcy is found, it will exclude you. Haha... it sounds like after 6 mos. of working here, you'll be on a fast track of inheriting debt and possibly be up on criminal charges for going postal after discovering all of the lies and misleading information you've been sold on for 6 mos...

Phil   Maine

7:25am on Friday, February 6th, 2009

Lindsay, will you post again in say 6 month's time. I and everyone else would love to know your thoughts on this company at that time. I too thought like you at the beginning, we all do otherwise we wouldn't have taken on the job. You obviously haven't read my posts. I sincerely hope you do buy that product you are now selling. See how it works for you and your family when you desperately need it like I did. Oh, and don't even think that I am faint of heart, you would be shocked at the risks that I have take both professionally and otherwise.

Lindsay   Wisconsin

2:20pm on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 

After 8 months of unemployment you listen to anyone that will offer you a job. They approached me twice. The second time I bit. What a bunch of great people. This is a legitimate opportunity. BUT it takes a special person. 100% commission is not for the faint of heart, but those that know themselves and understand the opportunity, the sky is the limit. They offer you every opportunity, great software, POSITIVE PEOPLE and a great product. It takes personality and drive. Do you have it? I am done working for bad bosses in a worse economy. I have taken control of my destiny and things are happening.

Nick   Channahon

6:47am on Friday, January 30th, 2009 

Thanks for your input on UGA I am so desperate that I almost went and sat through this thanks.

E. Ferguson   Livermore, CA

7:22pm on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 

I received the e-mail saying from Phil that he had read my resume and that he had a position for me. I called back and went to the "group" Interview. I have never done any sales related job in my life. The "orientation" as it was called, was vague. My curiosity, made me schedule an interview for the next day. When I looked at the reviews here, I can feel good about just not going and I'm not even going to call to cancel. He wasted my time, I can waste his while he waits for me to show up. Thanks for everyone's input.

Stacey   Florida

10:29am on Sunday, January 25th, 2009 

Hi yall, I have no clue why I am coming to the defense of this company. I am in no way shape or form associated with it. HOWEVER, it seems that 99.9% or those who are reading this are ignorant to the overall tactics of hiring independent outside insurance sales agents. KNOW WHAT? ALL the big companies will bring you into a sales pitch interview group. some do it at the 1st interview, some do it at the 2nd, but they ALL do it. WHY? because if you are a salesman, and going to work totally on commissions, then you need to be SOLD on THAT company! its just how it works.... and know what else? they don’t give a flying flip WHAT your past experience is. your education has NOTHING to do with your sales and motivation ability! not to mention you will be required to obtain your state license to sell the product. so if you don’t have it, then you will have to prove your trainability by going to the course and taking the state exams.

I actually did go and get my license after attending several of these types of interviews and choosing the company I liked best. I had been a domestic queen for 10 years with a background in medical information. I wanted to go back to work and like most of you I posted my resume, and I was "found" now after 3 weeks in the field I am bring home about $800 a week. and that’s with me being brand spankie new! (I honestly want to double that to about 2k a week and it is definitely possible!) Maybe its not much money to you, but to me... well, all those big bonus checks are realistic now!

I am not saying that insurance is for everyone, but don’t bash the industry just because of hiring techniques. its a field wide open and hungry for new agents, because most people are not cut out to be in business for themselves, which you are in insurance! You get paid exactly what your worth, for exactly how much you will work. PERIOD! no salary, no bad days allowed, buy your own benefits, and make what you want. no limits!

Angel   Reno

3:57pm on Sunday, January 18th, 2009 

Thank you for posting this information. It took me a while to find it, I kept getting the University of Georgia. You saved me precious time and heartache. I received a call from these people after posting my resume on Careerbuilder and Monster. Now I wished I hadn't done so.
Best of luck and God bless you all,
Angel

C   N Illinois

5:28am on Friday, January 9th, 2009 

My resume was posted on careerbuilder on Monday. This company has e-mailed and called and been told that I'm not interested. I had not searched the internet about them because I wasn't interested in their job, but they called me using Relay for the Deaf at 4:40 am this morning, which no legitimate employer would EVER do. Not only are they exploiting job seekers, but it appears they're exploiting services for the disabled too. (Relay services allows them contact with you through an interpreter who is using a tdd so you never hear their voice.)

brian   lombard, IL

8:56pm on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 

If you are unemployed they will prey on you. Charge you $250 to teach you a pretend insurance class and never show you the actual policies you sell. Most customers will call within hours after they realize you sold them quicksand. After the "pretend" commissions with interest add up the company will leave you bankrupt.

Joe   Lombard Il

11:49pm on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 

Went throught the process of paying $250 for the start up, $140 for the insurance class, but never got the license which cost another $250 or so. Went to the training and just like all the others on this page agree....its a bullshit set up. Straight commission with advances that have interest rates attached to them....the interview is more like a sales pitch which I explained to the interviewer who simply responded with, "I know thats what it sounds like because it is so easy, its not rocket science, and its made for people like you and me, self starters." It doesnt matter trust me, dont work for these people.

Randy   Tn.

4:31pm on Friday, December 5th, 2008 

Damn I'm glad I googled uga. I too submitted my resume today and got a call back within minutes!! I set up a interview for tuesday.This evening I did some research. The night mare RETURNED!!! MY wife and I were workin the Bahamas in 04 I was a 1099 employee and had to find my own insurance. We were told by the rep in flordia she would be covered for pregnancy so we went ahead with our plans to concieve!! We did!! When she went to the doctor we got the suprise of our lifes ! The insurance we purchased for nearly a thousand a month would not pay anything for the first year and only 50% of benefits after 1st year and 100% of benefits after 2nd year AND THAT WAS ONLY 10% OF TOTAL BILL!!!!! Boy did I feel stupid We contacted the Insurance commisioner for the state of flordia The agent lost her lincene and the company got off without a scratch because they were out of TEXAS!! DAMN THIEVES

Rob   Illinois

11:00am on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 

Thanks for the information on UGA. I am not going to waste my time going to the interview.

Renee   Ohio

10:06am on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 

Hello Everyone!!! I am so thankful I decided to research UGA before talking with them. I just received an email telling me how impressed they were with my resume...finally! I thought, I am going to have a career, not just a job!!! However,checking with the BBB and thru the internet I have now realized I'd be wasting my time. Thanks to all of you for caring enough to put your comments on here and saving my ass!!! I wish you all well and the best of luck.

S   Wisconsin

1:45am on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 

Thank you all so much for your comments. I just posted my resume on careerbuilder and monster and immediately received an email saying they had reviewed my resume and wanted to set up an interview. I wasn't sure about it at first as it listed Sun Prairie, WI as its office. Then, when I saw the listing on careerbuilder it said Platteville,WI which is closer to me and I thought they might actually be legit. However, something told me to google them anyway. Thank you so much for protecting me from this scam. May God bless you.

Jim   Detroit

4:08pm on Monday, December 1st, 2008 

I am sick of getting calls from these types of scams. Thanks for saving my time!

James   Reno, NV

1:18am on Sunday, November 30th, 2008 

I was contacted by these same people Thursday by a woman name Beth or Bev. Asking me to set up an appointment with Rodger Morrison. That They had a job for me that I qualified for.
Saying they looked at my resume. I did call. Mr Morrison did call back. I began to question him about my resume and all he would say. The computer picked out key words. That he never actually looked at my resume. Please bring my resume with me to the interview..
Now I've been out of work for almost 10 years. I really want to work and be a self-reliant guy again. But I had this nagging pain in the back of my neck that something wasn't right.
I couldn't find anything on this company at the Reno, NV address he gave or anything on his local number.

After he said it was based in TX then I looked up the info. Glad I did. I can't afford to be scammed. Thanks I'm glad I read your post. Saved me alot of headaches.
James
Reno, NV

Phil   Maine

7:32am on Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 

Successful agent in Houston,

If you really are what you say you are you wouldn't be wasting your time on this blog. You have no idea about my integrity, ambition, work ethic or success rate in all of my endeavors. A scam is a scam and you are a part of that scam. How do you sleep at night? Do you own the product you sell. I did and when my wife was diagnosed with cancer we were told by EVERY SINGLE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER that we dealt with that we were better off not having any insurance at all than the crap we had from MEGA. We will be in debt for the rest of our lives because of this scam operation. UGA should be prosecuted for what it really is - slave labor and MEGA for what it is FRAUD.

successful agent   houston

2:34pm on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 

its a place to make good money. I find it irresistibly funny that there is so much ignorance on how this company works and that they are so quick to judge... You have to actually try to do this job... its not easy... and you have no one behind you telling you what to do... SO!!! its not surprising that there are failures out there that have no self motivation... Not to mention that they blame the company rather then them selves for their failure... or they are not sociable enough to be able to relate to others and understand their needs... OH and also, you may have to pay a processing fee to work for this company but legally they can not pay for your license and they don't want to pay for all of your crap if your going to sell out... You definitely have to be a self motivated individual to be in this business... so don't let these fools scare you away from a good business opportunity...

Jack D   Greenville, SC

10:00am on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 

For all of you that are reading this. Companies have individuals that find these blogs and try to protect the scam. If a company is honest and runs a true product and service for its sales teams then you wouldn't get the amount of distaste as exposed here. UGA corp is a bunch of scams rolled up in to one big scam. However, any sales person not reading what they are signing when coming on board for a company gets just what they should get...A SCAM. Don't be your own worst enemy, use an attorney for contract negotiations.

wow   houston

4:10pm on Monday, November 24th, 2008 

wow... i find it funny that i only see 1 or 2 articles in here that say anything about uga... the rest of the people here dont have a clue and are being passed judgement by people who have never worked for the business... i will be researching more into this.

Kevin   WI

3:30pm on Sunday, November 16th, 2008 

I too was taken on the proverbial ride by UGA. From the first interview all the way until the time I walked out the door, it was smoke, smoke, and more smoke up the you know what. The "interview" and I'm smirking when I say that, was all about the cash. The first meeting and all that followed were about money. When I decided that this place was a joke and left, they then wanted me to pay back all of my unearned commissions. I must remind all of you something if you are considering working for this group. My district manager failed to tell me in the "interview" smirking again, that when or if you leave UGA, you must repay back all unearned commissions. How this works is that all of your earnings for your first 2-3 years, are not your earnings. It is a loan, which collects interest. I say 2-3 years, because it takes that long for you to “break out” as they call it. That is when you will earn a residual income, and no longer earn an advance paycheck. Then if you leave, they expect you to pay back every cent of your so called debt. That is of course if you buckle under the collection calls and actually pay them back. There is another option however, and it is the route I took. They try and play hard ball with you, but all you have to do is get nasty back.

The first thing you will receive is a letter stating you owe X amount of dollars. Keep this in your possession and don't lose it. You will eventually have to respond to this letter, and I will tell you how.

1. Go online and look up the fair debt collection practices act. Read it, and let it become your best friend.

2. Mail a certified letter to UGA (you can address it the person that sent you the collection letter) or the collection company that they are using, and order them to cease and desist all calls and letters to you from this point forward. If they continue their efforts, you can report them to the feds and B.B.B. because they at that point are breaking the law.

3. This was my favorite thing to do. Mail another letter to your District, Divisional, Regional, and to the person who mailed you the collection letter. You can all mail them the same letter. In this letter you need to get very specific. Let them know the reasons why you quit. My reasons were deception, misleading clients, not having MEGA policies explained in detail about the limitations, and being undertrained. Also include that you will be contacting an attorney if you continue to be pursued, and you will do anything in your power to ruin UGA/Association Field Services/MEGA's and any other name that is associated with it. By ruin, I mean go public. Trust me, they don’t want any more heat on them then they already do.

All you have to do is go onto the Better Business Bureau website and you will see what I am talking about when it comes to complaints about this company. And FYI, there is currently a 35 multi state investigation regarding this company. Make no mistake about it. Even though they act like they care about you, all they want is for you to pedal their products, and make them money.

Marcie   IL

12:02am on Sunday, November 16th, 2008 

I began my 'Career' with MEGA in April this past year, paid the $250 sign up fee, paid for the licensing and testing for the licensing and went to every meeting and training they held for 4 months. My manager was biding her time to go with another insurance company as her friend who worked as a manager for MEGA had left (the rumor was that he stole from the company) and she could care less if we made any money or not. I was making phone calls everyday from their office, set up some appointments for the 'higher ups' to run with me and never saw a sale made. The products are garbage but they brainwash you into thinking they are better than anything out there, It took 2 months to get paid on a group presentation and one of them I wrote in July,I never did get paid on. What a scam. I waisted 6 months working 30-40 hours a week and driving all over the Chicagoland area at $4+ per gallon without making a dime. Now they tell me that I owe them more than I received in commissions. PLUS they charge interest on the advances. I complained to the corporate office about the situation and all she said was "All of that information was in the contract you signed. You should have read it."
As for the rating I would have given a '0' but that wasn't available.

Geotreo   St. Louis, Mo.

10:20am on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 

I also received an exclusive interview opportunity, they saw my resume & profile on Monster.com. I was seriously thinking of calling them for an interview. I am certainly glade to read these comments. Thanks to all of you. I don't need a problem, I need a job. I will stay away.

John   Tampa, FL

6:40pm on Saturday, November 8th, 2008 

I am an ind. ins. agent and I wouldnt sell a Mega policy to my worst enemy. It can barely be called "insurance". People have lost everything because of the limitations in thier health plans, and I'm sure thats why they recruit "green" agents who dont know any better. I doubt they even let thier agents see the policies, just marketing materials. If you sell uga-mega life health plans and know how the policies pay, you will probably go to hell.

Amanda   OR

3:13pm on Monday, October 27th, 2008 

I applied for a job on monster.com. The position was for a sales manager. A few days later I recieved a call from UGA. It was a voice recording claiming to have a position for me and wanting to set up an interview. So, I came online to find out what the call was about. I have a big family and I was not sure if someone else had applied for the position. The call was a real annoyance because they did not even identify who the call was for. Noone in my family had even applied with a position for UGA. Because of this call, I believe this company is likely running some form of scam. Otherwise, they have a weird way of finding employees!

Phil   Maine

7:29am on Friday, October 24th, 2008

Really D, WI,

I have been running a successful business after business hours and on weekends since 1986. Some of my clients would shock the hell out of you. Out of privacy I will not mention them here. You can go to my website at northerncrane.net and see for yourself, knowing where I am located who they may be. The reason I sought other work was because I needed a change in what I had been doing that's all. I was burning out on doing massage therapy all day long, day in and day out. It was some of my massage and martial arts clients that first started to let me become aware of the crappiness of the policies I was attempting to sell. It took me half a year to realize for myself how I was ruining my own reputation in this community with this job, not to mention the pay which turned out to be a loan - not even a real paycheck for all the work I put in. The customers I lost after signing them up I lost due the deceitful nature of the actual payout on their policies. My family has also suffered the consequences of theses policies since I bopught one myself. I was one of the few agents at my location who actually bought one of those crappy policies! This in itself speaks volumes about the integrity of these people, they don't even believe enough in their own products to buy them!

lucas g   wilmington, nc

5:23pm on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 

I am so sick of companies like this wasting our time and trying to set up job seekers up with these fake, worthless jobs. There must be a way to keep these people and others like them off the career web sites. They ruin the whole system for everyone else. Damn these people make me mad, 99% of emails i get about job opportunities are from BS people like this. something must be done to stop these scammers, i dont care if its a real company or not its still a SCAM!

D   WI

12:47pm on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 

If you believe everything you read on the internet, you are crazy! All of this negative press is from people who are not motivated at all and obviously do not know how to run a business!!! They are just upset because they could not make it in this business!!

Ed   Virginia

10:01pm on Sunday, October 19th, 2008 

Phil hey man thanks for the reply back and I have to say that no... The companies I've worked for didn't do the things discussed on this page, and from what you and everyone else has said it definitely sounds like UGA is one to avoid. Sorry if I kinda got on my soapbox a little in the previous post. I'll be the first to admit that there are definitely some companies out there that are bad. I just wanted to let everyone know that its not all like that. I'm sure that all the bad things listed here are legitimate and it's a shame that a few bad apples can give an entire industry a bad name.

Phil   Maine

11:02am on Thursday, October 16th, 2008

Yes Ed from Virginia but did those two companies recruit you in this deceitful manner AND did they mis-inform you every step of the way, including mis-informing you about the very products you sold. MEGA has by far the worst health insurance products imaginable in the state of Maine. Essentially - NO ONE ever get more out of that company in claims than what they pay in premiums. Mostly they are looking at getting 10 to 15% of what they pay into the premiums. The MEGA sales force is duped into thinking otherwise. So yes they pay out on their claims but at a dismally small percentage of what they pay into it. I got sick of hearing nightmare stories from potential clients that I called on. They just about ran me off their properties or shouted at me on the phones - they were more than aweare of the scam MEGA really is because they had been taken in already and knew better. The pool of ignorant consumers does dwindle down after a while. Add to that the huge amounts of NEW recruits taken in this deceitful manner pursuing them and you have the almost criminal entrity that UGA really is. You can't compare this scam company to any legitimate insurance company, they are neither legitimate nor an insurance company except in name only. This is why they go under so many names UICHI, MEGA, UGA, NASE. etc.

Ed   Virginia

3:18pm on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 

Alright everybody I read the posts in here and I felt that I had to say something. I've worked in the insurance industry for over three years and I've worked as an agent then supervisor and trainer. I have to say here that it was NOT with UGA it was two other companies, but while I understand the concern that some people have about starting this kind of career I feel that I need to speak out about a few things.

Both previous companies that I've worked for did things in a very similar fashion as to what has been described here, and to the best of my knowledge all insurance companies do things in a similar fashion. I just wanted to take a moment to outline the reasons for this in an effort to help people make a more informed decision. The first thing that people need to understand is that when you work for an insurance company in a sales position YOU ARE NOT AN EMPLOYEE. You are an AGENT an insurance AGENT and this is very different from being an employee as defined by the various state and federal organizations that regulate the industry. This means that you have certain freedoms that employees do not. You can choose when you work and (as long as it is within the confines of the law) how you do your job. You really are in business for yourself. To anyone who doesn't believe this I would advise to look at your IRS statement. You do not receive a typical W-2 you get a 1099 meaning that as far as they're concerned you're an independent contractor. That's why you have to pay for your own license. The license belongs to you and not your company, why would they pay for it? Also since you are an AGENT and not and EMPLOYEE it's actually illegal according to state law (at least here in Virginia when I got my license) for the company to pay for it for you. It's the same with any office expenses and equipment. They belong to you, and they are a tax write off for you just like any other business owner. If you want to open your own McDonald's or Subway you have to pay for the franchise rights because its going to be YOUR store. They don't just give you a fully stocked building because they like your resume and you pass an interview. There are costs involved any time you start a business except that here the costs are MUCH less than the SEVEN FIGURES it costs to open a fast food franchise. That's the main reason that this career isn't for everybody. Not everyone is interested in or is able to successfully own their own business. That's the reason that your resume is not as important as the qualities you possess as a person during your interview. I've PERSONALLY known and trained MBA holders who washed out in 2 weeks and I've known and trained people who were working as wait staff in a restaurant who were very successful. Before I started in insurance I myself was a musician. Again this is NOT for everyone but if you have the ability to learn and the desire to keep going when things get rough the success is there. Is it overnight? NO! Is it in one year? Possible but probably not. Within two? Absolutely. As far as the people out there who waive their commission checks and bonus check around to impress people into working there.... I agree with you one that one. If You're a professional you should act like it.

This leads me to another thing I wanted to touch on; the idea of commissions not being commissions but loans. First off for any one who makes this distinction I would simply say that you've probably never worked on straight commission before, at least not in the financial services industry. Again EVERY company does this, and here is why: When any insurance policy is sold the company has expenses associated with it, things such as physical exams for the customer, obtaining medical records and various other expenses. It is because of this that most companies don't actually make a profit on any policy that is sold until sometime between the 2nd and 4th year that the customer pays on it. Yet they still pay you right away. In fact, they usually pay you more than what you collected from the customer. Most insurance policies are paid on what's called an "annualized" basis meaning that the agent gets paid based on the total money that is expected to be brought in for the entire year when all the agent did was collect a check for one month. For example if I get a 50% commission rate and I sell a policy for 100.00 per month I get a commission check for 50% of that first year's income. In other words... the customer gives the company $100.00 and the company gives me $600.00. They've already paid you more than you've actually earned so it's your responsibility to keep that customer happy. It's a loan because if that customer cancels that policy in the first year they take your commission back. They have to. Remember they paid you off the basis of one full year already. A lot of people say that this "isn't fair". Well it's also the only industry where you get paid ahead of time in good faith that you'll make good on it, and the fact is that being a good sales person means that people not only buy from you but feel good enough about what you've sold them that they actually keep it. Anyone can get someone to fill out an application and pay for the first month, then go cash a commission check and have the customer second guess it two weeks later. The modern commission practice requires you to actually learn how to be good at your job, and it also prevents you from taking advantage of people by selling them something you know they can't afford just so you can cash a quick paycheck. That's not ethical and this is one industry where you can't do that even if you try. This is also the only industry where you continue to get paid on previous sales just for keeping the customer happy enough to stay with you. I still have policies that I get commission checks from that I sold over two years ago. All because they understand the value of what they have and didn't ca... read more »

Larry   Reno, NV

10:02am on Saturday, October 11th, 2008 

Hi and thank you for sharing your feedback. Common sense is telling me to look elsewhere for a career.

Below is an e-mail I received from careerbuilder.com after posting my resume.


West Coast Office Expanding / Call Now !!!
Hi, I reviewed your resume today and I believe I have a position for you. We market and sell association benefits to small business owners. Individually, small business owners do not have the negotiating or purchasing power of a large company like Starbucks or a Microsoft. So what we do is take the small business owner and apply them to our group, a not-for-profit called the National Association for the Self-Employed. We have negotiated over 100 different benefits that will save them time and money in their business that they otherwise would not have access to. That is where we need more help. We get thousands of inbound requests every week from small businesses interested in our services in your local area. There is no door knocking or cold calling like your typical sales job would have. You just call the lead, set up an appointment and show up to share with the small business owner what they are entitled to as a member. Our average sales representative makes 60K to 80K their first year. Every sale we make has a residual income tied to it so even if your performance level remains constant your income will grow. One of biggest financial reasons people chose a career here is because of the stock/retirement program that we have. Many of our sales people can financially retire after 10 to 12 years because of the residual income and stock ownership program. Our belief is when you own it you will treat it differently. Ultimately, the biggest reason we are is because we help people instead of just selling people. When you can help someone it take selling to a totally different level because it's fun and passionate. You can feel good about what you do. If you are looking for a career and not just another job your next step is to set up an interview.

Please call me or reply to this email to schedule a time to meet.

Rodger Morrison
District Sales Leader

I did speak with Rodger on the phone and asked him what amount of money I would be required to invest and he told me that a health insurance license would be required and gave me a ball park figure of $700.

Best of luck to all in your job search...

Elizabeth   North Carolina

9:00pm on Thursday, October 9th, 2008 

I was recruited by a top UGA sales office. The agent-in-charge was very smooth and didn't have any of the antics described in the others posts. However, the real details of the program were hidden from me until it was too late. I worked hard to gain my licensure and concurrently trained in their office. When I passed my test and training, I was then told I had to pay for my own "set-up" fees, etc. to establish my business. It wasn't until later that I found out that my "commission" checks were actually loans. Additionally, when I was recruited I was told I was going to be selling to business owners, thus this was "business to business", when in actuality this is individual insurance, often in private residences, sometimes alone late at night. Shady business practices and dishonest people. NO THANK YOU!!! I resigned before I got into this so deeply I couldn't get out of the hole.

Phil   Maine

3:13pm on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 

James in Michigan if you are that simple minded to have read these postings and still want to work for them, well God bless you buddy - go for it - they would love to suck you in, wring you out and leave you high and dry (and in debt), which of course will make more money for Blackstone. I guess you will have to learn the hard way like I did. then of course this blog wasn't here when I got sucked in. There are worse things than nothing. You can study your butt off to pass the licensing exam then work 60 hours a week, put hundreds of miles on your car and then still owe them money at the end of the day. Essentially I paid them to work for them. How can they lose with that kind of work force.

James   Michigan

11:45am on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 

I would like to know someone from Michigan if possible or Ohio that has really worked for this company?? Dont get me wrong I understand you will NEVER 100% please everyone in anything we do but I see nothing with putting guns to peoples heads or forceing anyone to join things people can read and decided for themself whats best for people or thier situation. Let me ask you this is you have nothing this is 100% better then having nothing correct??

I am sorry but untill someone can say something for certin or fact about this company why should I feel this is a bad company to work for, they have no worse rating then any of the other carriers out their, what is it their proven method of sucess that scares people?? Do you all really think they could be in the states they were in IF FOR A MINUTE they were frauding people everyday Com on people really?? Theri comany they are with in BlackStone on the NYSE, worth Billions of dollars.

Please any help would be great.

JP   Wi

9:50am on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 

Got an email from UGA thanks to monster. I went to their website and couldnt get any information. I called her back and immediatly told me theres offices in madison, sun prairie, and lacrosse. So she schedules me an interview in.... milwaukee? It already didn't made sense, and after a few co-workers warned me on selling insurance and the scams out here i googled UGA... came to this site. I'm not even calling to cancel. They deserve to sit there and wonder.

Joe   Orange County, CA

11:44am on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 

I am also among the rank of job seekers and have seem countless amounts of these types of emails coming my way. The sad thing is that ANYONE can get in the insurance business it seems, but the worst part is that these insurance companies will put anyone in to their business. This one is obviously a scam to make you an "independant agent" of my very own, wonderful insurance brokerage! Wow, if only that is what I said I wanted on my resume!
Beware of ANY type of insurnace job for all of the sales people out there. They prey on job seekers (like myself) assuming we are too stupid to make sense that a commision only job would be a sound move for our futures. Overall, I think it is a sad state of affairs that such a massive industry (insurance) is one of the most deviant, low and sneaky industries to recruit for "jobs" within the industry. Makes me really think next time my wife and I need to buy some insurance!

BEWARE AGAIN OF THESE EMAILS...IF THEY CHARGE YOU MONEY TO "GET A JOB", THEY ARE NOT HIRING YOU! Rather, they are licensing you to become an "Independant Agent" where you will pretty much be left to your own devices and offer you a simply "good luck" on actually earning a living to support yourself and your families.

Jean   Missouri

1:06pm on Thursday, September 25th, 2008

Thanks for the heads up. I too received an email after posting my resume on monster.com and was curious if the company was legit - so I googled it and got this page. The email promises $75-$150 thousand in the first year plus bonus checks and commission. Instantly I was suspicious. If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is. Besides, I am not a salesman nor do I like sales people. Thanks again for the information and comments.

Mike   Arkansas

11:06pm on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 

I also just recieved an email from a UGA recruiter wanting to schedule an interview after posting my resume on Careerbuilder.com. Thanks for the heads up. Now I don't have to waste my time and money as it would seem.

JC   Phoenix, AZ

1:26am on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 

BEWARE of any email stating it is an OUTSIDE SALES position and can make anywhere up to $500,000 a yr or $9,000 A MONTH.

JC   Phoenix, Az

1:19am on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 

I received this email just like everyone else here, and I am no different then you, seen this email sent to me while job hunting and did a little research. What I'm coming to find out is that when you put your resume on hotjobs or monster you receive many emails and phone calls from staffing agencies and scams involving insurance sales that require some sort of fee for a license or start up cost. Im not PAYING to WORK, they pay me!!! These are not no name companies either. I have recieved emails from such companies as AFLAC and Farmers Insurance. This is totally scaring me away from job hunting on the internet. What happened to the good ol' days of calling an ad you see in the paper?Technology has allowed predators to pounce on more suspecting victims than ever before and are allowed to skate past spam laws because its not considered a business opprotunity or sales pitch, it is considered a "JOB INTERVIEW."

Anonymous   NC

4:49pm on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 

I went to a UGA interview today after doing a little research on their site. I got a lot of sketchy information in the email I initially received. They actually never even referred to UGA in their email, only healthmarkets, so I was a little hesitant when I heard the guy referring to numerous companies (UGA, NASE, healthmarkets, MEGA, and some others) and their products.

Luckily, I did a background check of the interviewer I spoke with today. His profile on the UGA site mentioned that he had trouble finishing school and ultimately didn't. Imagine my expression when he told me he not only graduated, but holds a PHD from a very prestigious local university.

Anyway, he told me about the $280 license and $200 start-up fee as well. The loan program was definitely the most shady part. If you're making a steady income and have a good bank balance, why the hell does the company continue to send you loans? That sounded worse than any potential credit card problem.

Maybe it's a legit company but after reading this site (which was pretty much consistent with my experience) and having him pretty much shut down any potential questions I had, I'm gonna reconsider.

Ellie   Corpus Christi, TX

1:29am on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 

A very popular TV Station held a Job Fair at their Station and UGA - Association Field Services were represented. My daughter went to this and has an appointment tomorrow... I have copied this article and comments for her to read...I had never heard of them, having lived here all my life... I'll also check them out w/Better Business Bureau...if these are the same people, they may be listed w/them as a scam...I'll see....

thanks for all that posted...my daughter needs a job very much and I hate that they prey on hopeful people looking to work...

joy   arkansas

9:53pm on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 

HA HA.... I rarely check my Email, and I guess these clowns set up some kind of interview for me ...they got my info from career builders.com ...here I am... 7 days later after supposed interview is supposed to take place, FAT CHANCE..... EH!!!! I am so sick of high presure scam artists.. Thanks for the heads up.. I HATE SALES any way... they want us to PAY to Sell...
YEAH RIGHT BUDDY Can you say BLOW ME

Shirley   Florida

11:30am on Monday, September 8th, 2008 

I just recently got a call and was told that they had found my resume on monster.com and they would be very interested in me for their outside sales position. I asked what the company was about and they told me that I would be selling to small businesses in my area. They told me I would be selling life, tax insurance ext. I could also recieve an advancement on each sale. No gas allowance. I asked the lady if I needed a licence. She told me yes but they would help me get one. I was a bit weary of going to the interview and pushed my interview date to a later time so that I could investigate them a bit more. I am so glad I read these comments..Thank you

tina   Brownsville, tx

5:29pm on Sunday, September 7th, 2008 

I went to their interview. I was the only one, but he did waive around his stock card and everthing else that you all said about the hype is true. It will cost me $353.50 exactly to start. What I'm looking for a job moron not to spend money I dont have! Thank you for this, I hope the guy that was waiting outside after me investigates them also. I guess I'm going with State Farm.

Ron   Fraser

1:51pm on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

I just received a phone call from this company. When I answered the phone no one spoke, so I did a reverse search lookup and looked them up on the internet. I found this page and I now know not to try an call them back or go for any interviews for this company.
Thank you very much for the information.

Kim   Orange County

6:05pm on Monday, August 25th, 2008

Thanks for the information below, I have an interview scheduled and I am definately going to cancel, especially when they have a website and "WHAT DO THEY SELL, IS IT ADVERTISED" the website leaves you too much in the DARK.

Signed: Already scammed by too many other not to be aware of the signs.

steve   portland

3:55pm on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 

I received c call from them today. I immediately googled them and spent 5 minutes on their website. when you go through someones website and cant figure out what they sell or who they're its a scam.

I would never attend any meetings without drilling down on a 5 minute call.

Greg Adkins   Detroit area

3:32pm on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 

I recently went to a group 'interview' held by a guy named Kirt at a UGA office in Birmingham, MI. All went much the same as described in your warning/letter.
Detroit area job seekers beware. It's a shame there are so many scam operators flocking to Michigan to take advantage of the hoards of unemployed here now!

Jeff   Springfield,Mo

10:15pm on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Steve,
I looked up UGA Marketing and read your article and all of the comments that other people made about this article, I definitely am going to report it as a scam and delete from my e-mail.

Thanks for alerting us, ya done good Steve

jason   indiana

9:26am on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 

Thanks to all of you for posting your info on this page, I received my 2nd call from them today...I will obviously avoid them...

Chuck   Nebraska

10:26pm on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 

I worked for them for about 6 months and I too am now getting threatening phone calls demanding repayment or they will take action and ruin my credit. How did you fight them? Or did you just ignore them? Please tell me.

Sher   Missouri

8:34pm on Monday, July 28th, 2008

Thank you, I just got an email from them too and it just seemed fishy. I appreciate the heads up.

John   Oregon

5:48pm on Monday, July 28th, 2008 

Thanks for the write up. I just got the phone call from them. It sounded like from the message the guy left this was a scam and sure enough it is.

Shalamar Petty   CC, Texas

9:51am on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

I had an interview scheduled and have now cnacelled it due to these comments. It's good to hear people speak out.

Chase   Nebraska

2:31am on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 

Thank you so much for the heads-up. My wife received an e-mail to the same effect, luckily it got debunked right out of the gate thanks to these postings. Unsolicited job offers are tough to take serious.

Dana   Wiscosin

1:52pm on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

Thank you! I received an e-mail from them also. Good thing this site popped up when I searched the company name.

Paul   TX

11:17am on Monday, July 7th, 2008 

Just got a call from them. Whew! Good thing I saw this. I actually called them at the number they asked me to call at and described everything said in this article. The woman that I said this to asked how I knew this and I promptly told her that most people are intelligent enough to avoid a scam like yours. Thanks to the poster.

Natalie Doza   Missouri

2:08pm on Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Hey thanks for the warning! I just got an email from them and it seemed telemarketing -ish! So I googled them and got this page thanks so much! I tried to post a copy of the email they sent me but it said my message looked like spam so they wouldnt let me post it! But thanks to people and web sites like this hopefully they will be a thing of the past! They wont last long! -Natalie Doza

Anonymous   Location unknown

6:30pm on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

These are the exact same comments I read about this company on a similar site.

Kim   Illinois

3:58pm on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

Thank you very much to everyone who posted. I received an e-mail and a phone call, looked up company on internet and found you....thank you very much for the information.

Tara   Grayson, GA

7:38am on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008

Thanks for the heads up. I too had an email invite for a sales postion & before I responded did some research about this UGA name I never heard of before. I now will ignore this recruiter.

Phil   Maine

1:36pm on Friday, March 28th, 2008 

I worked for them for 6 months and the commissions I earned they are now calling a "loan" and are harrasing me to pay it back with interest or they will "destroy" my credit. There should be legislation in place to stop this form of employment abuse.

Tom   Wisconsin

4:31am on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 

When my newlywed bride movied to WI from MN she did not have a job, and she spent a lot of time looking. She came across this opportunity, advertised in the paper classifieds like a real job. She went to what she thought was an interview but instead was more like a recruitment event. I was originally suspicious, and told her that if they expect you to pay money to do this job then it is likely a "business opportunity" and very possibly a scam if not just dishonest or deceptive. Thankfully she heeded my warnings and advice ( having personally been scammed by a home business opportunity that I fell for back in 1999, it took a lot of effort to fight that and recoup my costs. But I learned a lesson. If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is ). So she got out of that meeting, and I assured her that at some point she would get a real and legitimate job, because she had a lot of great qualifications. Indeed less than a year later (after a different part time job she held for 9 months) she got a high-ranking position with a non-profit organization that works to support efforts in adult literacy. I am so very proud of her and thankful she did not take up with "Team UGA" as they are sometimes called.