Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Primerica Scam

This post is intentionally titled "Primerica Scam" with nothing else. Because I feel like I need to do some sort of public service announcement. And hopefully I can save one person from falling into the trap I almost did when they search on "Primerica Scam" like I did.

As most of you know, I'm looking for work. In recent months the effort is increasing at an increasing rate (or so I told Professor Joe over the phone when he asked). Since my resume is online I get semi-frequent calls and emails. Most of the calls and virtually all of the emails are off target (I'm sure I won't have the energy to write about them tonight, but hopefully I'll get to them soon. They're amusing).

So, onto Primerica. "Primerica Financial Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Citigroup, is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia. It is the largest financial services marketing organization in North America, with more than 100,000 licensed independent representatives." That sounds reasonable, right? Citigroup is the parent organization. I can deal with that. In fact, getting a little bit of financial background would be nice.

The conversation went something like this (I'm leaving out lots of pieces because I don't feel like writing all night):

Recruiter: Are you looking for work?
Me: Yes.
Recruiter: Great. I'm with Primerica. Are you familiar with Primerica?
Me: No.
Recruiter: Primerica is a wholly owned subsidiary of Citigroup... blah, blah, blah.... And we already have 15 offices here in Orange County. We're looking to expand to 45 offices. We need managers for the additional offices and that's why I've called you. Would that be something that would interest you?
Me: (Actually kind of flattered but very, very skeptical)... Well, sure.
Recruiter: Tell me a little bit about your previous job....
Me: I was working with... (at this point I know the dude has completely zoned out, at which point I ask him)... Before I get into the details, are you familiar with the IT industry?
Recruiter: Me? Well, no. Sorry.
Me: (Realizing that this seems really strange)... Do you have my resume in front of you?
Recruiter: No. You were given to me by our "Regional Vice President". He was very impressed with your resume and passed your information along.
Me: (I'm probably the only idiot who really thinks, "Wow. This could really be a great opportunity for me. I wonder who this Regional Vice President is. And I wonder what on my resume really stood out.) I probably said something here, but I don't remember and I don't want to make up any more of the details than I already am.
Recruiter: Well, I've been very impressed with you so far. We would like to bring you in for an office interview. We're located in Santa Ana. We have openings (he rattled off a bunch of times over the next few days all an hour apart). Would you be interested?
Me: (I'm still an idiot here and I'm flattered. It's also a short drive from where I live and I have nothing else to do.) The 3pm slot tomorrow works great for me.

He proceeds to give me directions and his cell phone number and that's that.

Alright. I have an interview. That's good. It could be a new opportunity in a new field. That's also good. The phone conversation still didn't seem quite right, almost like the guy was overly eager to get me into his office. Especially since I didn't really talk a whole lot about myself and, regardless of what I said, he was thrilled with the answer.

I wanted to be prepared for the interview, so I research the company. The first result is their website, as you would expect. Then I check out Wikipedia (which isn't always accurate, but it might give a little different insight). I find out that Primerica is a Multi-Level Marketing company.

What's a Multi-Level Marketing company? It's a Pyramid Scheme. So I continue with my searching, wondering what search terms I should use to get more information on a potential pyramid scheme. I've got to either confirm or deny this, right? If you have Google Toolbar on your browser, you'll know what I'm talking about - I started entering "Primerica" and they give you a list of the most common searches with whatever you've already entered. Fourth on the list... "Primerica Scam". Bingo.

The first search result was key - Here it is. This guy went through the same thing I was about to. And as far as the "Regional Vice President" liking my resume? "In Primerica, you are not a Regional Vice President for the company itself. These people are independent agents at which they are at the Regional Vice President level."

The following morning I was unsure whether I should just cancel the interview or not. I wasn't thinking about going for the normal reasons, like I had already committed and am obligated to go or that this might be different than what I was reading online. I wanted to go because I was bored. And I wanted to just mess with this dude. Not in a mean way. But in a way that I would ask the exact questions that he wouldn't want to answer. And I would keep asking until I got an answer to my satisfaction. At around noon, I started looking up local news channels, thinking that maybe they could give me a hidden camera and we could "out" Primerica and what they're all about. Long story short, my mom talked me out of it. And I left the guy a voicemail. It was something real simple like, "I'm calling to let you know that I need to cancel today's interview. I did some research on Primerica and it's not the direction I want for my career. Thank you for your time and the opportunity. Best of luck to you."

So that's that. My apologies to the thousands of people that make their living with Primerica. This post isn't intended for you. This post is to be informative for people like me who are looking for work and have their resume online. You may very well get a similar phone call. And I hope that this post will help better inform you of what's in store. As always, your input is welcome, whether it be a story like mine or a defense of Primerica.

1,182 comments:

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Anonymous said...

I received a call from this company today. When I talked to the lady I asked whee she had gotten my information from, she said from a job fair. I never attended a job fair! I'm a college student with a part time job already and although this might seem like a great idea it is just not for me. Never do something you don't feel 100% sure about. A little doubt for me is enough to think twice about things. This blog was informative and helped with my curiosity over this Priamerica.

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I realize that this post is 5 years old, but I wanted to let you know that Primerica is actually not a "Pyramid Scheme." MLM and Pyramid Scheme, those two things are actually different from each other as well, so it would have to be one or the other.

The primary reason Primerica is not what you claim (an MLM or Pyramid) is because no one gets paid to hire anyone.

Before I continue, I will admit that the representatives of the company have deviated from Art Williams initial process. This is something a select few offices have been attempting to rectify, but it will likely take just as much time to fix as it did to break.

Now, Primerica representatives cannot wholesale any product or offer discounts to anyone. Additionally, Primerica runs more like AllState, State Farm and other insurance comapanies or Real Estate Brokers. The difference is that corporate does not advertise, so you do not get flooded with a random reptile, duck or some other gimmick on TV about insurance. Those companies are not referred to as MLM's, even though they employ the same structure. You have some very bias and misleading "facts" that I assume are based on your (admittedly) horrible experience.

The fact remains, though, that companies (insurance and real estate especially) are generally the same in that sense. Very few good interactions, especially when the other representatives are trying to get you to buy in to products you do not need. For example, whole life insurance or some variation of it.

Anonymous said...

"Primerica is not MLM" says the Primerican who has absolutely no problem telling an outright lie that has not one shred of truth to it.

The corporation has structured the compensation model for up to 11 tiers of payment for each sale. A tier is a level. If there is more than two levels then it is multi-level. The structures of the realtor and insurance brokerages (you say are similar) have two payment levels. One for the broker and one for the agent. Not MLM. Primerica is MLM. An MLM is not by definition illegal, fraudulent, or unethical. Just how people get paid.

Lying however is unethical. Do not trust people who just repeat lies that the corporation fed them in order to increase their profits.

HGI Crusade said...

thanks for the information

Anonymous said...

I got a phone call from Primerica too and was asked to sit for the interview. Glad to find your article. I am not going to set up an interview with them.

Anonymous said...

As a young adult and looking for work, I was offered a Primerica carrer. Note, I do have a wounded husband from marine corp and a 4 month old son. As I researched the company on their website it seemed great, almost too good to be true. I have went to the interview, orientation, and asked TONS of questions. And I see truth in most of these comments (no offense intended to Primerica employees or other commentors on here). I understand that it is commisiion based but that DOESN'T make people millionares. The downside I see to Primerica is that its recruiting people who aren't always a good fit for the job just to get commission., Which could potientally create a downfall in business. On the other hand I'm sure that Primerica employees keep the information about different dues owed for certain classes or seminars to get commissioned on their behalf, but creates more financial issues with people living pay check to pay check like 95% of the united states. So there are always 2 sides to every story (kinda like a book you need a front cover and a back cover to hold it together). As an opinion on the topic of this website, Many people get on here and try to defend the company but the way some of them are expressing theirselves seems to be unproffessional which really doesn't create a positive reaction towards the company. So like any other "own your own business fast" businesses there are always going to have fees and other charges that they require and don't inform the average interviewer about. So for advice to any person trying to get rich quick, well sadly it almost never happens quickly without some money put into it, or some type of huge scam. As far as the Primerica company, try telling a little more truth to recruit people instead of false hopes. Luckily I worked my butt off taking financial classes on my own time (in NO WAY related or in conjunction with Primerica) and paid off my husband's $14000 of debt in 2 years. Coming from a family FULL of debt thats an accomplishment at the age 22 yrs old. Once again it took hard work and dedication to myself and my goals, and I had to schedule, pay and show up to classes. So as ANY company goes, please do research, but also be careful how you present yourself and remember to look at multiple website and opinions because many, well most, people write when upset with the company and based all reviews upon opinion mostly and facts secondly. There are facts in most review but are more of opinion.

Anonymous said...

primerica is NOT a scam...

its a real opportunity for someone who wants to work hard and become some body on life...im actually working to get my license and just with the time i been here i learned a lot of how money works and that i should be saving instead of spending..THE problem is that most of the people are used to have a boss, and someone telling you what to do if you are one of this people that like to be say what to do this opportunity is not for you..i want to own my own business and this is a great chance to do that..money is real and if u work hard u will make a lots of money..people that complaint is primerica are people that dont work and make no money. You cant go by what your friends tell you or believe your mom that cuts chicken part-time SHE DOESNT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BUSINESS. because someone tried it for 5 days doesnt mean it not gonna work for you..the opportunity is so big thats why people dont believe it..

Anonymous said...

Hello, I have done the Primerica thing and I don't think it is a scam in the since of the word scam. Yes you have to pay for the background check and the other stuff about $100.00 give or take. The thing that I don't like about them is that they pray on people that are looking for a job. When someone has been out of work for awhile they are willing to try anything. So when someone starts to wave the thought of making hundreds of thousands in your face you want to believe that it could really happen for you. Now I do think that the fact that they will pay for you to receive your insurance license is a great thing, because even if you don't stay with them you can take your license and move onto another place. The one thing that I had a problem with is that I worked this for about three months and never made a dime. They want you to call all of your friends and family and try to sell to them (my friends and family started to avoid me) I don't think that should be something that they should try and make you do. They have you go through your contacts and write down the names and numbers of all the people in your contacts, then call them. If you don't have friend and family that have money for things like this or you don't have people in your life that will back you with this kind of cash money indever then you won't make any money... It takes years and years to get to a leavel that you are sitting pretty and you have to remember that if you don't make sales you don't make any money, point blank. The only way I see someone really having the time too put their all into this is if they have another person in their houshold that is working and taking care of all the bills because it is really not possiable for the normal person to get into this business and take care of all the expencies at home. Just my opinon...

Mcsuperstar said...

For those of you who say or think it's a "Scam" It's not. Do your research. I'm 19 years old and I am a division leader with Primerica. I work hard and it is commission based. But I rather get paid for what I work than to get paid Hourly and what I am not even close to being worth. Check out the Better business bureau, check out they NYSE under ticker symbol PRI. we are a legit company bringing financial help to the middle income market. If I'm 19 and make about 4-6k a month I'm sure anyone else could, it just takes some dedication and a thrive to make money and help people(:

Anonymous said...

I would like to take this opportunity to clear up one thing PRIMERICA is no longer a part of CITIGROUP. Primerica is a company in a federal regulated inductry. The $99 is to pay for a background check. Mainly you can earn as much money as you are willing to WORK FOR ON COMMISSION BASE ONLY!!!!. Yes this is not a business for everyone, but if you are tired of working your but off and seeing the other person doing nothing and at the end of the day you both get paid stay where you are at. NOW HERE IS THE REAL DEAL...I AM AN AGENT WITH PRIMERICA and just like I did as a real estate agent I talk to everyone. I was talking with a young person that had no LIFE INSURANCE. Good job with very little benifits. So later I met with him and his wife. Wrote life insurance for a very small amount of money (they had more debt than money) THREE MONTH LATER the 3yr child caught a virus and died Primerica was there and paid. I am a full time PRIMERICA REP. Please understand that we are helping people in a time of need.

Natasha said...

I got a cold call from a Primerica guy yesterday for a phone interview... I was pretty flabbergasted and told him I wasn't really looking for work (I already am pretty happy) and that I really hate sales so if this was a sales job, I wasn't interested. We went through with the phone interview and I got a call today saying I've progressed to the next level and that I have an appt for an in-person interview... I was so flummoxed, I just took down the info. But I really have no idea how he got my number or what qualifications I might have or even what position they are looking to fill... after reading your post, I'm going to call back and cancel the interview...

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, just got a call from my online resume and went on just a one to one interview with Primerica and he did most of the talking and showed me a flip colored book with stats and tried to sell me on Primerica. Not once did he mention a upfront fee and more money to spend down the road.

I just a few weeks ago was called from my online resume again from a person who had a great "opportunity" for me. Met her at Panera bread restaurant and tried to sell me on AMWAY. This may be legit but there is something fishy about this one too and she told me that she just left her
FT job as a RESTAURANT MANAGER there.
Would you believe this guy told me from Primerica that he left his job to join Primerica FT from being a RESTAURANT MANAGER AT PANERA!! And he had the balls to tell me that his wife also worked as a RESTAURANT MANAGER AT ANOTHER LOCATION PANERA and just quit her job to join Primerica!!!!


Let me tell you....this is way to coincidental and very wrong!!!
This may be not a SCAM but somehow like AMWAY these companies really have a great way around finding loopholes in business and I do not want a part of it.
There is something very underlying wrong about these companies.

Anonymous said...

Another thing that disturbed me a lot was for a multi million dollar so called company. The guy who interviewed me sent me an email with his company address for interview.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE: For God sakes any company that is this huge ALWAYS has there reps and associates have a SIGNATURE with their name and company at bottom of email.

His email was very bad and NO SIGNATURE AT ALL!!

BE AWARE AND BE SAFE. DO NOT DO THIS.

Anonymous said...

All you people are rediculas Primerica is not a fuckin scam me and a whole bunch of my friends are in it u people need to do more research before you guys accuse a business of being a scam. They have a 34 year provin track record and are mentioned on the new york stock exchange. as well as being licened all over the country. when they went public theyn had an 80 foot banner put up were the american flag was, with 150 thousand plus representatives just wait.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for posting this blog. I just received a voice mail from a gentleman claiming to be a manager with Primerica. He said he was following up on a 2008 phone call, which I know nothing about, and was interested in speaking with me via phone and eventually in person about a part or full time management position with the company. I am also a college graduate open to new opportunities in the job market. HOWEVER, I NEVER answer phone numbers I don't know and never call anyone back without doing a little research. Fortunately, this research took about .2 seconds thanks to this blog! Although I am open to new opportunities, I am not interested in this type of employment. I mean no offense to those who make a living with this company. I'm just not interested. I wish they didn't make it sound like they had my resume and were interested in ME in particular. Thanks for the heads up!

Anonymous said...

I went in for an interview the other day. A friend from school told me about it and talked to a guy from Primerica about me. needless to say I was interested and decided to give it a try. My interview was at 7pm, which I thought to be very odd. After the interview I was led to a room with a bunch of other people and had to sit through a 2 hour power point presentation. The whole presentation was about how much money you can make, how you will become a millionaire at age 67, not to mention all the luxurious places you get to visit thanks to Primerica. Finally at the end of the powerpoint they say you have to pay $99 for a background check, $25 a month to have a Primerica website, and some other bs fee's. All of these things they want you to do within 24-48 hours as well as to sit down with your parents, friends, family, etc. My recruiter came up to me right after the powerpoint presentation and was all high ho on doing my background check at 9pm, then meeting with my boyfriend the following night after I got off work, and then meeting his parents a few days later to sit down with them and discuss Primerica. The whole thing was overwhelming and seemed very strange. It was not the sort of job I was looking to get into so after the interview I went home and discussed it with my boyfriend who told me I should call the guy and cancel. The next morning I called the guy to cancel and spent 30 minutes on the phone with him telling him it was not for me, while he proceded to tell me I should do it, it would be great for me, I only had to sacrifice every Tuesday night and Saturday morning and it would be no problem to fit it in with full time school and full time work. Mind you my only days off are Saturdays. He would not take no for an answer no matter how I phrased it or told him I was not interested in selling anything or trying to work for commission only pay. The whole thing made me extremely stressed out and I felt I was being bullied into doing something I didn't want to do. I agreed to call him over the weekend if I didn't have school work, his response was that he would call me. I don't intend on answering.

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT THIS EVIL SCAM SCAM BOILER ROOM ILLEGITIMATE COMPANY CALLED PRIMERICA. THEIR TROLLS CIRCLE THE WEB SPREADING THEIR DIRTY LIES TRYING TO DEFEND THIS PYRAMID SCHEME.

Anonymous said...

WOW....! im so happy i came to this blog first !!! you guys really let it out. i just hope for my friends sake, his not being taking for a long ride. he just left my house with a manager from primerica, and they were trying to get me aboard with the company, witch had me thinking off the back, PYRAMID !!!! i remember this oh to well from the early 90s
im sure theirs some true to the entire thing, but im just not willing to waste my time nor money on these chances...... good luck to all that moves forward with the venture...

Anonymous said...

to the waitress about bottom feeders:

While Primerica is for only a small % of people -- its is not a scam. Many finacial companies will not talk to you if you dont have six-figures of $$$$ that they want a piece of. Primerca will take your small fund and $50 a month for an IRA --- so the same finacial guy that described Primerca as bottom feeders would likely not waste his time with small accounts or average joes....where Primerica will and does.

It would seem from my limited understadning --- that this is part of this busiess model.

Anonymous said...

Just go to sites like term4sale.com and you will see that other life
insurance companies have rates that are 10-50% less expensive than
Primerica. Did I mention that the 35 year term policy isn’t guaranteed
past the first 20 years? Hmmm, they tell their clients to “buy term and
invest the difference” but what difference is there when Primerica
insurance is way more expensive? They employ captive gents which means
they can’t shop around and look for what’s best for the clients.

ALL of their mutual funds are load funds. So much for helping middle
America. People that are duped into buying Primerica products could buy
term life for much less with other companies through non-captive agents
and the hundreds less per yer could then be put into mutual funds with
lower fees and this could potentially mean tens of thousand of dollars
or even hundreds of thousands more for the client in the long run.

And for those of you that think its actually owning your own
business, just check the fine print in the IBA supplement and the
advertising handbook. You don’t even own your book of business and there
is a 2 year non competition clause if you decide to go independent. You
cannot have your own independent website because the company wants to
control all content.

For anyone considering a career in finance, go independent. There,
you truly own your own book of business, can shop round and you can
always recruit other agents to get the overrides without your
prospective recruits thinking its a pyramid scheme like most of the
population today thinks of Primerica

Raquel H. said...

Its very funny to me when I read the blog above. He didn't even make it to the office yet he took the time to badmouth a company as if he knew it all. Unbelievable, its what's wrong with society today. So many people complaining about their crappy situations but don't want to make any effort to change. I was an office manager for seven years and peaked. There was no further growth available. Many people are fine with that a job (just above broke) where your making someone else wealthy. I started with primerica about 4 months ago. I got my big $99 investment right back in about two weeks a 1200 bonus and I was licensed in 30 days. Now I'm averaging between 700-800 a week. Did I have to work? Well of course. But it my $ and my schedule and there is no cap on my income. If I work hard I make more $, if I slack then I don't. Its the way your own business works. Its not for everyone of course. You have to be an entrepenuer at heart and want a different lifestyle. I now have a team of ten people, they are also doing great. My advice, don't knock it till you try it. For Petes sake google is full of people saying Jesus is a scam or God himself. Just negative folks who will always work for others and never be accountable for the path they cut in life. Remember, there is no traffic on the extra mile. As for the "pyramid" umm I passed the person who recruited me. I make more then her. But think for a minute...at your current employment is there an owner or CEO? So when are you getting his position? Does that make it a pyramid too? Ah ignorance, the devil would have no prey if they were obsolete!

Anonymous said...

I was a district leader, made several sales (on face value – insurance sales of a million and a half dollars and an 80,000 dollar mortgage), hired seventeen people, and earned less than six hundred dollars in the six months I was active. In the meantime, I spent over fifteen hundred in gasoline prospecting. When I left active service, only one person I had hired was active.

You can argue all you want FOR the company, but it’s a model that fails the vast majority of people who join and that speaks as much of mismanagement as willful corporate malfeasance. The relative few who made is big had solid warm markets to begin with and hired like crazy and it was the latter that provided their fortune not the former.

I sat in a business training seminar in Ohio in May 2009 and listened as my RVP’s boss stated that eighty percent of those who entered the business failed. More like 99% but even at eighty, it’s an appalling record.

Here’s something you cannot argue. As a district leader with considerable responsibility, my rate of earnings on an insurance sale was little over four tenths of one percent of the face value. I sold time clocks thirty years ago and made twenty percent. This is an insult to a good sales rep but there is worse. You don’t get a commission check. That’s a lie. You get an advance. If your client stops paying, you lose your alleged commission, because the company isn’t going to sustain the loss. You are.

It’s not illegal, but it should be and for all the endless Christian fundamentalist preaching their do in their supposed secular business, they should be ashamed

Anonymous said...

Primerica is not a scam... Nor a paramid sceme. What company do you know today tha isn't set up like this. McDonald's for ex. At the bottom you have the employees, then above them you have the managers and then above them you have the CEO of the company. You can go to any McDonald's and see that the CEO is never there. That is the same scenario the difference is instead of being at the bottom your at the top. Any business starts with the business owner then a level down is the managers and the next level down is the employees where the average person works. And all of the employees are working to maintain while the owner is wealthy and sending their children to the best schools while you tell your kids that you can't afford it this week. Go figure.... Primerica is not for the weak..

Anonymous said...

everyone that has posted a negative response has not had a first hand experience to back up their comments. This is not a coincidence, these people are not built for any type of sales position and if they ever work for any type of marketing or sales job with any quota they would be fired within the first 2 months. What kind of coward agrees or goes to an interview then either cancels or walks out? They are the type of people who are definitely clock punchers and low level employees and will be for the rest of their lives. In Darwinian terms these people make up the majority of our species and they will always be outcompeted. They will either change or reproduce and raise more cowards. but as humans we do need these type of people to make up the masses and continue to make the world go round. If you are going to present your opinions on any subject matter try actually finding out for yourself rather than providing second hand accounts and relying on assumptions and search engines for your answers. Face your fears stop running from them they are eventually going to catch up with you. Im sure you are all doing great in regards to your job searches by sitting on your couches and waiting for something to fall in your lap. Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. Welcome t McDonalds can I take your order

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the information. I received a call from the company as well. In fact I had an interview set for this morning. After quite a bit of research I have come to the conclusion that, while it is a legit company and not a pyramid scheme, The 100% commission base is not for me. Plus the out of pocket fees I can't afford.

Anonymous said...

primerica is not a scam.. actually you need to take some 30 hours classes, take the pre-license test.. then the state exam to get a Certificate of Authority. Entering primerica is not that easy.. you need to be smart if you plan entering primerica..

Anonymous said...

They have established a new 24 hour hotline to provide for full refunds of anyone who paid agents fees and POL fees, and never got licensed. Within the past 2 years. Call this number for a full refund:

1-519-978-9780

Anonymous said...

Concidering? Where do apples come to play in this business model?

Anonymous said...

This is definitely a multilevel marketing scheme. What makes it different from a legitimate company isn't the fact that it's commissioned based but rather the fact that there is a pyramid (they call it a hierarchy) and people at the top make money off of the people below. The goal of the company is actualy to recruit as many "sales people" as possible and have them pay some fee for training or materials or whatever then that money goes up the pyramid incrementally. The people at the top have enough people that they've recruited and people that they themselves have recruited and those people have recruited and so on, that they don't have to do anything other than encourage the people below them to keep on recruiting. Companies like this often have recruiting events hosted by the top-of-the-pyramid people in which the middle and bottom people bring one or a handful of potential recruits to a corporate seeming local and they get a song and dance including motivational speeches and success stories and are encouraged to sign up and buy in. These events are very much akin to time share condo sales events. These companies skirt the line between legal and illegal, but completely cross the line of ethics.

The main thing to remember is they will almost never turn anyone away. They aren't looking for the best salesmen, they are looking for the most salesmen. Most people who don't stick with it will sink a few hundred dollars into the process. A lot of people will keep paying in over a period of time. Either way the money floats up.

Anonymous said...

I was approached by a Primamerica manager just last week with a phone call. As a college student looking for a job during the summer, all the benefits sound great. I went to an interview earlier this week where I was further informed about the job. A relative of mine dropped me off but the manager urged him to join me in the interview which I thought was odd. This is when I began to question Primerica. During the interview I was shown examples of how I would help people get out of debt. One example was about life insurance and the manager told me that the company pushes customers to invest in term insurance. My relative and the manager argued about whether or not people need life insurance for 15 minutes. Then the manager kept asking my relative if he had his insurance looked at, and what kind of insurance he had. During this whole argument all I kept thinking was, "Why is he worried about what insurance he has? That's none of his business." This was MY interview and I felt like he invited my relative in just to make a possible sale. Then towards the end of the interview I was told that I had to pay $99 for a background check and classes for the company. I wondered why I wasn't told this on the phone. He said the state won't let the company pay for a background check. I didn't buy into that because all jobs do background checks, even work study on campus.

The next day I went to orientation. The presentation was basically all the examples I was told at the interview which was a waste of time. The speakers made it seem like Primerica was a hero to the middle class for financial advising compared to other companies. They focused mostly on their partner company more than themselves. They also down talked their partner companies while at the same time used them as their bragging rights for being established in the business industry. As I looked around the room I noticed that there were a lot of reserved seats but only a few actually attended the meeting. Most of the people who attended the meeting were people who had worked with the company for years. I filled out paperwork afterwards. One part of the applicantion asked what insurance I had. I thought to myself why do they need to know this information? Are they trying to persuade me to buy their product too? I went home and did my research about Primerica and found out that there are a few things that they fail mention at orientation:
1) After you take the classes to recieve your license you cannot use it until 6 months later.
2) Those 6 months you are strictly referring customers to others and only recieving 20% profit.
3) You have to actually drive and meet the customers at THEIR location (which does not sound safe at all.

Primerica use the people they hire to persuade their friends/relatives to buy their products and it branches out from there. All this information just screams scam to me. When one is hired to a job that individual shouldn't have to pay for a background check. Also, I would advise someone who is considering Primerica to look at the history of it's founder Art Williams and how SEC fined PFS Investments (Primerica's security arm)for failure to supervise a group of registered representatives. The company quickly hired a consultant to review and prevent further violations of the federal law. The company then changed names from A.L. Williams to present day Primerica. That's another important fact that orientation fails to mention.

Anonymous said...

I am going to an overview tonight. I have read a lot of the blogs and it doesn't sound much different than working for Pampered Chef, Avon or Mary Kay, as far as the commission goes. Professional fees are quite normal to pay and I would expect to be charged a fee to be an insurance agent. You have to pay to be a professional driver, you have fees to pay to operate a small business, etc. My sister sells Pampered Chef and she has a team whom and she earns more based on their sales, too. Commission based sales are not for everyone. They are risky, but for some people risk pays off.

Anonymous said...

I had the online resume interview setup in 2005. In fact I have been laid off 7 times from different companies. I listened to the presentation, I was mad as hell, and I took my things and left.

Even thought the information I had just received, I knew to be true. But I needed a job that would pay me, and I needed it ASAP. I didn't have money to spend to eventually make some money.

I moved in November of 2010. The lady across the street is a PFS Agent. For a year and a half, she tried to recruit me and a friend.

Needless to say, She showed me a great deal, and I always had questions. I researched the company frequently.

I understand most of the complaints people have posted on this site. They have a misconception, about the company.

If you really want to get an understanding, I suggest taking the State Licensing course.

Or just look up the Whole Life Insurance policy, this are perfectly legal, although they screw the policy holder at least 5 different ways.

Then research the Group Plan Life insurance offered by employers.

In fact, you need to pull out your policy and.... Oh Wait, you wont have a policy!!! That policy belongs to your employer, and they can do with it as they like. And almost always have a way to deny the claim. Here is another term you should know.

THE DEAD PEASANT POLICY,

The information I learned made me furious. And will do the same for you.

Primerica does not offer these policies. They sell Term Life, at a fraction of the cost of whole life.
All of the products/ services they offer are a financial plan to get out of debt and begin saving for retirement. Follow the presentation they have outlined and all products will sell themselves.

I have watched her sell the services, however, she educates the client about how money works.

The You do get a commission on everyone you recruit, and the people they recruit, etc. You also go up in rank accordingly.

The higher your rank they higher your commission % is. Lets face it, this is not an easy career choice.. You will not succeed if yo are not driven and get out to do the business.

I've joined and going through the training process. I would not have joined if she didn't have the drive and success, I know I will learn to be successful from her.

The recruiting is done that way because they DO NOT ADVERTISE. Without new

Anonymous said...

Primerica is NOT a scam at all. This guy that posted this is just one lazy stupid individual that wants to become rich quick. His brain is poor. A pyramid scheme is that that you're probably in at your job. Where you have a job but are working for someone else and have NO chance to make it any higher. At Primerica you have a shot to make it high if you are willing to work..and not be retarded and lazy like this idiot. This guy didn't even get licensed and he's saying it don't work. The guy that posted this can go suck his boss's nutsack and stop being a lazy dumbass.

Anonymous said...

Food for thought:

Would a scam company be allowed to be a publicly traded company?

Old Post. Primerica is no longer Part of Citigroup.

Anonymous said...

I received a call from them too that they got My resume, and it was the RVP that recommended Me. Bla Bla bla. I went to the interview. It reminded Me of Amway. They were talking about the amazing incomes. Umm. excuse Me? I can size a Mother fu**er up real quick. I call bs. Every vehicle in that parking lot was either a cheap new car, or a used cheap car. I didnt see any BMW, LEXUS, Benz, Lincoln, or even to of the line flagships of the cheapies. Many of the vihicles there were beaters.. I am just saying, If Ya make $44,000. a month, I think You would be driving an executive level vehicle. not only for status, but reliabilty too. Come on, really? just really sad all these kids were signing up. after 10 min. I called BS and kindly thanked them for their time, and the escorted Me to the front door.

Kimberly said...

First, I completely advocate the starting of this blog regarding Primerica and the "perceived job interview." Bankers Life and Casualty is doing the same type of recruiting. Can we all agree, shame on these executives for allowing such recruiting practices within their organizations.
For the record -- MLM or Multi-level Marketing is nothing more than direct marketing for a company at a commission only rate. There is no hourly pay or no reimbursement for expenses. It is similar to owning a franchise without a storefront. Franchises are very expensive and it takes 3-5 years, sometimes longer, to begin making profit. A lot of people do not have the resources to buy a franchise or to build a commission only business.
In a traditional company, payroll is usually the largest expense. In direct marketing you are paid if you perform, make sales. The MLM aspect to the business, in theory, recruiters share the business opportunity, hopefully to people who can afford to be commission only for some period of time, train them and help them make sales, and in turn receive bonuses or percentages of the overall sales. In traditional business, the executives all ways make more money than employees. However, those employees get some form of pay even if it is just minimum wage. Job seekers are hungry right now and I can see how the "job interview" persona would be very upsetting to most people who are seeking a traditional job.
A direct marketing company is not a pyramid scheme. In most sales industries, even the ones with some sort of salary attached, the trainers usually get a commission split for helping out a new sales rep. Brokers make a percentage of an agent’s commission in real estate. Direct sales companies offer people the opportunity to build a business of their own through retirement. Some of these companies even allow their business partners to transfer their book of business to their heirs upon death. Something a traditional company would never do.
Personally, I cannot afford to accept a commission only position. I have children and cannot spend the little food money I have on gas and trainings until I make a sale. These recruiting practices are unethical, whether they are working to get a few members or not, it is just not right to be using the last resources of any family for a perceived job. These are NOT jobs. These are business opportunities. Gas is $4.50/gallon, not to mention other costs to preparing and attending a ‘job interview.’ This is taking money away from homes -- milk out of the baby's mouth so to speak. I can see a class-action lawsuit building now.
However, these direct marketing companies are not pyramid schemes. Pyramid schemes are illegal and are usually shut down within a year or two of their existence. These companies, Amway, Primerica, Banker’s Life and Casualty, AFLAC, Farmers, Legal Shield (formally Pre-Paid Legal), Herbal Life, Avon, Mary Kay, etc., etc., etc., have been around for years and have many successful people making a great living with these companies. These are not “get rich quick” schemes as it takes years of hard work and commitment to build a solid network marketing business. Say what it is -- it is a commission only venture with potential for residual income over time. Most people are unable to do direct marketing sales, for many reasons. If you tried it and were not successful at it, you are part of a large number of people who could not make money at a commission only sales position. It is not the company's fault or even your fault. It is just statistics. It is what it is.
As for the recruiters using the "job interview" tactic for recruiting, shame on you, deceit is never a way to build trust in a brand or a company.
Kimberly M. Paris

Anonymous said...

http://www.teamnowonline.com/trainingdocs/credibility.pdf

Anonymous said...

I wonder if this loser ever found a "decent" job? It is no wonder that he was unemployed in the first place. I bet if he typed, US Military, Walmart, and Jesus... he would find some "research" that would be labeled a scam as well. Grow the hell up. If you are scared of sales, just say it. There is NO difference between and All State, State Farm or any investment brokerage. You are the fool for not "getting all the info" of what Primerica is all about. P.S. I hope you still enjoy living in your MOM's basement!

Anonymous said...

I THINK YOU'RE A LOW LIFE PIECE OF SHIT LOSER WHO DOESNT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT BIG IN PRIMERICA.

Primerica takes hard work, you are your own boss and it takes hard work and discipline. All of our agents have to go through licensing through the state and we go through background checks, we are not a pyramid or a scam.
I THINK IT IS HILARIOUS THAT PEOPLE CAN'T BELIEVE THERE IS SUCH A PURE AND GREAT COMPANY OUT HERE. It is actually quite sad.

Me and my family have only benefitted greatly from Primerica and I am sorry there are negative losers like you in the world.

Anonymous said...

I just bought 1.3M in term life insurance and set up another Roth IRA with my Primerica financial advisor. He informs me of my options, does all the paperwork, sets up the ETF, handles any future modifications I want to make, answers my calls, and will handle death benefit management for my wife if anything happens to me. He is wholly commited to service through financial management, never once tried to recruit me, and doesn't cost me a dime. He's good...probable the reason he is the regional manager.

FYI, MLM companies you may already be familiar with include Mary K, Melaluca, Avon, Scentsy, Cutco, and Ameriplan. All MLM companies have a strong corporate culture...otherwise potentially successful salespeople might give up before realizing their potential. MLM is TOUGH if you lack people skills, salesmanship, and a servant heart. It is NOT something an IT tech should pursue. I tried out the times at current companies as side jobs and couldn't hack it.

Kudos to you for skipping the interview. Focus on your certs instead and try volunteering your skills at the local HS while you wait for a phone call.

Colby F. PFS District Manager said...

wow your such a loser, you should have just gone to the interview, what are you scared of that theyll lock you in the office and wont let you leave after they prequalify you... lmbo grow up.

Anonymous said...

Thank you sooo much for this post!!!! My belief is this...IF YOU HAVE 3 OR MORE SITES IN THE RESULTS OF A SEARCH ENGINE QUERY ON YOUR COMPANY BEING A SCAM, CHANCES ARE THIS IS NOT THE ORGANIZATION FOR ME!... I have an interview today so I needed some conviction... as to if I should attend this meeting or not.... and I WILL NOT. Thanks a million!

Anonymous said...

You can't help people who are struggling with money by selling them any Primerica service because it's an inferior service and more expensive than the better ones out there.

Anonymous said...

I answered an ad from Craigslist and called the number provided. "Hullo?" was the hesitant,suspicious greeting I got from Thania, the contact person in my area. She then went on to ask if I could meet her to talk about my opportunites with her company. Okay, what is the name of your company and where are you located? "Well we are located all over but based out of Dallas..." Okay, what is the name of your company? "Primerica, now if you meet me at UT campus in Austin (where I am located) then we can talk about what exactly it is that we do here..."
Okay stop, you can't tell me now what positions or experience you are looking for, I need to meet you somewhere potentially wasting both our time? I just told her thank you and hung up.

Anonymous said...

I was grocery shopping when a man stopped me, said he liked that I smiled while I shopped, and offered me to come in for an interview. They never explicitly told me the name of the company or the job title I would, so I had to go online to research it, not that I was planning on going in anyway due to the sketchy way I was recruited.

Anonymous said...

Hi there ... I actually work with Primerica (started this year in fact). I wish you could have gone to the meeting. It's an amazing company, helping families with financial problems. In reality, we are financial problem solvers. We do not advertise, which is one big way we are able to save so many families so much money. In a nutshell, here is what we do for people. We ask them if we can see their life insurance policies (if they have any) go over them, and get them a quote on what we can do for them. Generally, we are able to save people between 25% and 50% while giving them almost double the coverage (which is what most people really need, but don't know it). We then show them how to invest the money we saved them (that they were already spending anyway) ... we show them how to 'skip the middle man' (aka, the banks) and invest it somewhere that will average out making them between 8 and 12 percent on their money vs. the .06-3 percent the banks average out at. Again, they aren't spending any money they weren't already spending. We've saved them a ton of money while giving them more coverage on life insurance, and shown them how to invest the difference. And that's just a small percentage of the things we can do for people. We also give people a plan that they can follow, showing them the quickest way to get out of debt, while saving thousands of dollars in interest. It's quite an amazing thing, and I get paid to do it! I love this business with all of my heart and soul. Helping people is something I have always wanted to do, and now I get to do it. I have been through so many companies, and been like a little worker drone, hating my job, being frustrated with employers, it was awful. Now I get to do something everyday that I love, and that loves me back :) Helping people financially is the most rewarding thing I can think of. So many people are frustrated living pay check to pay check, we can get them out of that :)

When you said it was a 'pyramid' you were kind of right, because we hire recruits to go out and help others just as we are, to spread the word that it is possible to become financially independant ...
... But isn't Corporate America a pyramid? Only there, the little man is kept down, while the CEO is the only one getting the benefits/all of the money. It's quite sad. In Primerica you have the potential (within a couple years) to make RVP which gives you a $100,000 per year Contract. Then you can just keep climbing up from there, all the way to Owership. Some of the people I work with make $1,000,000.00 per year (i know that sounds insane) especially when they are making that money, by helping people. I love my job.

This was just a small 'tip of the iceburg' of what we do in Primerica, but I can't get it all onto this comment! It'd be way to long (it may already be! haha). I truly hope you will call that guy back and at least look into it. Best of luck to you :) I wish you well in whatever you choose to do!

Anonymous said...

Did you know that Primerica is actually the #1 company out there in their field? You just don't hear about them, because we do not advertise. That is how we save people so much money ... I actually work with Primerica (started this last year in fact). I wish you could have gone to the meeting. It's an amazing company, helping families with financial problems. In reality, we are financial problem solvers. We do not advertise, which is one big way we are able to save so many families so much money. In a nutshell, here is what we do for people. We ask them if we can see their life insurance policies (if they have any) go over them, and get them a quote on what we can do for them. Generally, we are able to save people between 25% and 50% while giving them almost double the coverage (which is what most people really need, but don't know it). We then show them how to invest the money we saved them (that they were already spending anyway) ... we show them how to 'skip the middle man' (aka, the banks) and invest it somewhere that will average out making them between 8 and 12 percent on their money vs. the .06-3 percent the banks average out at. Again, they aren't spending any money they weren't already spending. We've saved them a ton of money while giving them more coverage on life insurance, and shown them how to invest the difference. And that's just a small percentage of the things we can do for people. We also give people a plan that they can follow, showing them the quickest way to get out of debt, while saving thousands of dollars in interest. It's quite an amazing thing, and I get paid to do it! I love this business with all of my heart and soul. Helping people is something I have always wanted to do, and now I get to do it. I have been through so many companies, and been like a little worker drone, hating my job, being frustrated with employers, it was awful. Now I get to do something everyday that I love, and that loves me back :) Helping people financially is the most rewarding thing I can think of. So many people are frustrated living pay check to pay check, we can get them out of that :)

When you said it was a 'pyramid' you were kind of right, because we hire recruits to go out and help others just as we are, to spread the word that it is possible to become financially independant ...
... But isn't Corporate America a pyramid? Only there, the little man is kept down, while the CEO is the only one getting the benefits/all of the money. It's quite sad. In Primerica you have the potential (within a couple years) to make RVP which gives you a $100,000 per year Contract. Then you can just keep climbing up from there, all the way to Owership. Some of the people I work with make $1,000,000.00 per year (i know that sounds insane) especially when they are making that money, by helping people. I love my job.

This was just a small 'tip of the iceburg' of what we do in Primerica, but I can't get it all onto this comment! It'd be way to long (it may already be! haha). I truly hope you will call that guy back and at least look into it. Best of luck to you :) I wish you well in whatever you choose to do!

Shaun said...

This article is dead on with the details of the company, especially with the term 'pyramid scheme'. I was contacted in person from someone of this company while shopping for light bulbs at Wal-Mart..very professional. This was about 2 years ago. I went to the 'interview' and was pulled from the seminar becuase I was 'important' and they liked me very much. I did a one on one in a empty room with nothing but 2 chairs like some kinda of interrogation. They did explained to me that they needed $90 for an 'advance' background check. 2 years later I got a call from them again, explaining that there will be a seminar and blah blah.. scam. scheme.

Anonymous said...

So, let me get this straight: you heard that this was not an actual job, where you get paid on your own efforts, run your own schedule, operate your own business, have to produce results, recruit and train your own people, and decided that this is not for you?

Good. Thanks for saving them the time.

Look folks, this is not for everybody. It's hard work. Money is a sensitive issue. But let's review the facts:

THE MASSES: Retire without enough money.

THE MASSES: Work at jobs that let people go years before their retirement age because they find someone else "half the age for the half the wage."

THE MASSES: have no idea how money works, and continuously get ripped off by others, and then go through life skeptical of everything.

No thanks.

I realize I'm absolutely wasting my time writing this blog, but I thought maybe with consideration for what the truth really is would read it.

If you want to be your own boss and start your own company, then great - Primerica has the most 6 figure earners and 7 figure earners in the world. If you want to find success, it breeds here.

If you want to feel smart because you feel like you've just uncovered a scam, then congratulations: continue happily on your way, since ignorance is bliss.

Anonymous said...

So I have to say that there are contradictory comments on this blog. I just went in for an interview this week. My friend told me about the company monday and I went in on Tuesday to find out more. It was not a sketchy building it was a nice office with a meeting room and smaller offices. They taught where our money goes and how we can invest in global market directly. I wanted to learn more how money worked because I havent been in the best situation debtwise myself. And just a taste of what I learned made me want to teach all my friends who just graduated college and are married that have the same situation going on. My boyfriend and I both bought into life insurance the next day. no matter how broke you are if you were to die, who is going to pay for your funeral? do your parents just have 20k saved up for a rainy day? nope didnt think so And Primerica has the best policy prices around. And if being around fun, outgoing, independent, and motivated people is not your forte then don't try to be a candidate. Yes in some aspect it might be sad that they are using your death as an eye opener into the terrors of the global market but it seems that is what it has come to. And people dont think of these things. I was just going day to day and thinking about traveling in the future and wanting to build a house... but I can't do any of those things 1 if im not alive and 2 if I dont have money saved up. I would say if you hear about Primerica from a friend it can't hurt to go in and learn more from a recruit or one of the Vice Presidents of the region. But if you are going to use these types of blogs as judgment then stay at your job you have now.

TheGuyThatWon said...

There's nothing wrong with having salary based job. Especially if it's a high paying salary with benefits. However, to me, it's not worth working for someone and a receive a small benefit (that everyone else gets also).You see I've always wanted to start something for myself and eventually get to the point where what I created would grow large enough that I would have people that worked under me and I would get paid for not only my work but also the work they do, like any other business. OH SHIT I JUST DESCRIBED PRIMERICA!

Anonymous said...

8-9 years ago when we were 15-16, a friend dragged me to a meeting where a charismatic ex-football player tried to convince us that Primerica was the best thing since sliced bread. As an introvert I wasn’t about to be convinced to sell anything especially on commission. I had to tell this guy I was younger than I was to get him to back off and stop pressuring me (maybe I was 18 and told him I was 16). I told my mom about it and she immediately said it was a pyramid scheme which was appropriate given the diagrams we were shown via PowerPoint. My friend never joined and I never heard any more about it.
Now I'm 24 and in grad school but still keeping an eye out for jobs. I was thrilled when Justin (who never disclosed his full name)called saying that he worked for a Pikesville financial services company (which he never named) and that someone who had come through their office spoke very highly of me and recommended me to help out their expanding company. He said I could work part-time and that they did their interviews on Mon., Wed., and Fri. @ 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 his wording and the hour-apart interview times were odd but I let it go. It was weird that anyone I knew would recommend me for a job in financial services because to me finance=math (in my mind) at which I'm terrible but surely it was a clerical job because whomever suggested me must be familiar with my history right? I set my interview for 6/21/12 at 1:30 (turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far) and said my goodbyes to Justin who ended the conversation with a "God bless". I looked up the address (3655 Old Court Rd. Pikesville, MD 21208 Suite 5) and Pikesville financial services, "Primerica" would pop up but I dismissed it.
...cont

Anonymous said...

...cont.

The day of the interview I headed out with my resume (which was never asked for). Right at the entrance is a sign "Primerica Suite 5--->" along with other businesses (facepalm). Well, I'm here now and I might as well go in because it is hot as hell outside. Oh, well it's still possible it's a clerical job. That train of thought was derailed as soon as I stepped in and was told the interview would be conducted in a room already occupied by about five seated people and lurkers near the back. I was handed a Primerica screening application and instructed that I must have all five references completely filled out. At that point I figured that's how I was recommended in the first place and put down some names but with numbers that would lead back to me. I was wary but still optimistic. The presentation began and I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore. The guy (not Justin) made sense but never really explained what we were expected to do. When I realized I was suckered, part of me mentally checked out (especially after the you-make-money-when-your-agents-do pyramid diagram). Also as the guy was talking, it was the agents in the back not the guest that were making most of the ejaculatory remarks like "that's right!" and "you bet!". We were informed about an application fee (99$) a 25$ monthly fee for something else and a $1000 fee to get licensed w/the state.
After the first presentation, we met with the agents that called us and basically filled out an actual application and gave our info. I stupidly gave Justin my SSN and credit card number and after that we sat back with the group where we were expected to provide a list of at least 25 names (potential recruits for them I guess). Far too late I grew a pair, walked to Justin and told him "This is not for me". He asked "what's not?" and I said "Primerica...selling stuff to people, having to convince people to use or buy things". He asked if I thought It would be hard to convince people to save money to which I said "no, but it's not for me." I asked to keep the contract half of the application and the preliminary screening application back (with my five references on it). He would not give me back the other half of my application with my sensitive info on it claiming that it was already in the system so now I have to fight to get that 99$ back and hope they don't start charging me the 25$ monthly fee.
That's not all. On my way out, I saw another girl who was inside with me and asked her why she left. She said she had to go t work and that the meeting was taking too long but that they didn't back off until she gave up and rescheduled the interview. She said that she will not go though. When I asked her how she found out about the job she said they called her and told her she had been recommended by someone (gasp shocker!). I asked if she knew who recommended her and she said no and that they would tell her if she joined Primerica. What's funny is that I had a dream i was in a waiting room asking the person sitting next to me about how they found out about the job and it was the same. Go figure. Next time I'll definitely follow my first mind. And to whoever put my name down for this mess, we are no longer friends. Half kidding.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

My name is Joel. I am an inactive Primerica Rep. I am also an insurance adjuster (lisc A204193 in Florida and 1643296 in Texas. You can say I know a little abaout insurance. Let me tell you primerica is not a scam. It is a business opportunity, just like insurance adjusting or any other insurance sale opportunity. My license and training to become an adjuster ran me around 5 thousand dollars between licensing, training in Texas for Xactimate, Flood certification, Califormia quake certification, Adjusting courses, construction clases, etc, plus two years of exoerience, before anyone would give me the time of day. My primerica license cost me 200 (they paid the other 200 portion) and training is free for the most part and they will give you the experience. No this is not a job. As an adjuster I make 60% of the billing so the more claims I close, the more I make. If you are looking for a job, then this is not for you. If you are looking for an opportunity to have a part time business to SUPPLEMENT your income, this might be a good thing to try. Get ready to study. Primerica is almost as hard as becoming an Adjuster. I know, I;ve done both.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this. I was notified the same way (resume on monster). I have been doing some research and have met with a Regional VP for Primerica twice. I have my 91.25 set aside to start. Yes it costs to get in. It's not a job, it's a business and an investment(in yourself). I am always skeptical, but will have to find out for myself. It can't be as bad as all of the people who were gullible enough to vote for Obama. The economy is getting worse everyday.Where is the hope and change? The only change I have seen is his spending spree,and know first hand that the private sector and small business are not doing fine. Obamacare is a joke and will cost us all.

Anonymous said...

Just so everyone know pyramids have been illegal since the 70's. A pyramid is where there is no product or service being provided so the "company" bottoms out and whoever is on the bottom gets screwed. To the person who lives in MI, you should have went to that interview, take what you can get in that state. Yes, I am from MI but not anymore! Primerica is not a get rich scheme. You have to work for your money and have sales skills. Does this work for everyone? No, Just like any other job, everybody has different skills.

Anonymous said...

Just so everyone know pyramids have been illegal since the 70's. A pyramid is where there is no product or service being provided so the "company" bottoms out and whoever is on the bottom gets screwed. To the person who lives in MI, you should have went to that interview, take what you can get in that state. Yes, I am from MI but not anymore! Primerica is not a get rich scheme. You have to work for your money and have sales skills. Does this work for everyone? No, Just like any other job, everybody has different skills.

Anonymous said...

This entire blog is hilarious. So many of you are just uneducated. Every complaint I have heard is baseless. Primerica sells quality financial products. They are also on the New York Stock Exchange. They have gotten a perfect rating from the better business bureau. If you actually knew what you are talking about you wouldn'be writing like you are. Primerica sells quality products, the best in the industry actually, for the best prices and people involved make money doing it. What is the problem? Please explain to me one valid reason why this is some kind of scam because I have not heard any.

Chloe said...

Primerica is a great opportunity for people who are open minded. Its not like you cant make money or you have to quit your job. They actually incourage you NOT to quit your jobs. Its part time... If your looking for a quick fix for cash you wont find it here. They help families beyond "selling insurance". Just because you had a bad experience with one office doesn't mean every primerica office is like that. Everyone has the opportunity to do great things if thats what they want to do, but its hard work. When you are sitting with a family and they are struggling and have no idea what to do, Primerica helps!!
So you have to pay a fee. Trust me, Primerica could get it from their own pockets and pay for it but its not about the money its to show your commitment to the Company and i havent seen one person say this yet which is proably the most important part.. THE MONEY IS 100% PAID BACK TO YOU!!! I think you should just be open minded and at least hear what they have to say, try any other financial company and they will asking for a lot more out of you then Primerica ever will. Also, If its not for you then leave. But dont call hard working people bottom feeders because not everyone in this world is out to get you. There are good people in the world.

Anonymous said...

Actually yes, an independent contractor DOES have to pay fees up front. Technically it's your own business and you are responsible for covering fees to get started.

Anonymous said...

This is unbelieveable. I am a limo driver and my customer claimed the same promises to me adding the "better life" and "life owes me something" bull. i knew this was a scam. Why would i be the perfect person to go "under her wing". i only picked you up at the airport lady!

Anonymous said...

Here is the TRUTH behind PRIMERICA that you people need to understand.

This is a BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY.
YOU OWN THIS BUSINESS, so yes, you have to invest in yourself. That means costs, fees, and money put down in advance.
THESE AGENTS HAVE TO BE LICENSED. So it is IMPOSSIBLE for them to be a scam. Surprise!
EACH AGENT IS BACKGROUND CHECKED. So really? if they are being thoroughly investigated, can't have a felony AT ALL then how exactly is this a scam?
CITIGROUP BACKS IT. So you really think a big titan in the banking industry is going to allow its own branch to be a scam? Do you know how much bad PR that is?
THESE BUSINESS SEMINARS (Opportunity nights) ARE SIMPLE BECAUSE YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE BASICS BEFORE IT GOES INTO THE COMPLICATED PARTS. Obviously a portion of you need things to be simple before it gets complicated, as is apparent by your comments.
A multi level marketing company is ALL COMPANIES. WALMART, TARGET, BEST BUY, EVERYWHERE YOU GO IS MULTILEVEL. YOUR JOB IS MULTILEVEL! Multi level marketing is simply that you have to move up. promoted, earned, gained, what have you. A pyramid scheme is different and NOT what PRIMERICA IS. This is apparent because ANYONE WHO GIVES THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF EFFORT BENEFITS AND MOVES UP! There is not restrictions except how far YOU will go to move up.

I know these things because i watched many of my family and friends do Primerica. I understand why they operate and how the operate. I am not making assumptions on a phone call or what i saw when i went searching for the word SCAM. But what i experienced and saw with my own eyes. This company saves people thousands of dollars. and oh yeah, that bullshit statement from your life insurance guy saying if you die your family is taken care of. Read the fine print. That whole life policy is going to eat itself so that your family is left with nothing. Ask a primerica agent. I bet they could highlight each statement in that policy saying you are paying for nothing in under 10 minutes. Then who really is the bad guy?

Keep on helping people Primerica. Don't let stupidity bring you down.

Anonymous said...

I was approached and offered a job while shopping at Wal-Mart. Enough said. Guy said I looked "bright", lol.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if they're a scam or not; however, the one thing no one can debate is the fact that they're unethical. The fact that they are bringing people in who OBVIOUSLY NEED money and they're asking them for money is just wrong.

Anonymous said...

This is a scam point blank!!

Anonymous said...

Scam is a strong word. Difficult would be more appropriate. I just signed up with Primerica and while I certainly don't have the credit history of someone who should be offering financial advice, I am certainly capable of connecting people with the correct financial services. I just saved my mother $1800 a year on home and auto insurance. She was my first client. She didn't have to pay for the service. With the money she saved she enrolled in a life insurance policy and still has hundreds of extra dollars per year left over. I paid a hundred and saved my mom thousands. Doesn't sound like a scam to me.

If you are not a sociable person and you don't like talking to strangers and you don't know a handful of people already who pay car and home insurance then you will probably fail.

I'll admit the recruiters and the seminar speakers are full of unwaivering optimism and B.S. enthusiasm, but the fact of life is that those two traits are a common denominator in most successful people. That is also what will motivate the followers. And believe it or not, you nay sayers: some of those followers will blindly follow until they become more successful than you for the simple fact that they have more determination and bigger dreams.

Anonymous said...

I recently joined Primerica less than 6 months ago. I changed my Auto Insurance to a top rated insurance company referred to me by Primerica and saved $1000 per year with better coverage.

I am getting a financial education that exceeds anything I received in college and I have gone all the way to MBA in graduate school and never was introduced to such much common sense principals applicable to real life.

Everytime I go to meetings and conferences I am around highly motivated positive people with financial dreams and goals. I have met many part time people making 50K and up and many other people making between 100K and up and a couple of million dollar per year earners.

The concept of their business model is similsr to a real estate or insurance agency in which I had previous experience in.

I myself make over 100K per year in my profession but I wanted to make part time income, get a financial education,and be able to eventually become full time and own my own business. I have met several people who have done that and don't regret it since they make high level incomes now after leaving their prior jobs with Primerica working less hours and enjoying what they are doing.

Primerica's mission is to make people financially protected and debt free. Their Goals are God, Family and Job.
If you look at their active brokers the ratio of people making 50K or more, 100K or more and 1 million or more is higher then any other company I have seen.

I have read many of these comments and many of them come from people who have not really looked at the successful people vs the non succesful people in the company and we all know that those exist in any company.

Primerica is a great company and their commission base and incentives are increasing after August 1st 2012 which will enable hard working people in the business to get their faster towards the goal of Regional Vice President (business owner) earning above 100K plus to SVP Million dollar club income.

Even if I don't get to that level I have already been given great deals on insurance, annuities, mutual funds, legal, Debt watcher service, etc. I am overwelmed with how much I have learned about insurance, social security, pensions, mutual funds, 401K, etc and for those of you out there who are depending on your buddy or another company to educate you on making the right financial choices in your life. GOOD LUCK

Anonymous said...

Don't know if anyone will ever read this anymore, but you do NOT pay anything for training like someone at the beginning said. You also do NOT pay for everything they mentioned! People should really get their facts straight before they go on and on...

Lee said...

Excatly how many stupid drug addict idiot there are in America?
Answer: Way Too Many of you talking bad about the fact that you never god an education, shame on your mothers brainless, that is why your camarades are shooting you like pigeon, you don't have a brain, your best friend don't have a brain, too much drugs damm it. Sorry I never done any type of drugs and I think that is why I love PRIMERICA.

Unknown said...

primerica a scam ?? ya right . anyone that doesn't know how a business structure works say that! get a paper out and draw out where u work at and write down you team leader , manager, supervisor, human resource, owner, etc etc now from the top of the paper put down the ones who makes the most money and work your way down to the one who makes less money. does that look like a pyramid also to you? if that doesn't still make you think otherwise this how about this on the better business bureau statefarm is rated c+, new york life is rated b+ , allstate is rated f+. PRIMERICA is rate A+ wow.. if primerica was a scam dont u think the business bureau would of rated us at least a b+??? if that still doesn't help your thinking then check us out in the new york stock exchange listed under PRI... since we are on the NYSE and so is facebook and all the s&p 500 companies does that make them a scam too? youtube primerica fox news we recently came out on it and talks about the company that right there should give u the truth!!

Devo said...

First, A number of times throughout these posts Primerica supporters have fallen back on the fact that agents are "Federally Licensed". If you have a driver's license, you are legally entitled to drive...having a license does not mean you are a good driver. I am a licesned Insurance Broker...for the record I do not work in the insurance industry. I spent 4 days in a course, wrote the exam, paid the $125.00 and presto...I'll be the first to admit I don't know jack about selling insurance. So point 1 is really just a caution that being licensed doesn't equate to legitimacy.

Second, a number of times it has been mentioned that there are other commissioned business models that require you to pay up front like Real Estate, Financial Services, Car Sales, etc. While this is true, the difference I see is that none of these other comissioned sales professions have a subsequent recruiting component involved in order for you to make money. These other comissioned sales roles allow the individual to make money as a percentage of their sales. Yes referrals are a huge part of that...but referrals are not recruits. So point 2 is that it is the recruiting component that makes Primerica closer to a pyramid scheme that an business opportunity.

Third, there are a number of very successful pyramid style home based businesses out there such as Avon, Epicure, Nowax, Silipada, etc...and yes you make more money as you recruit more consultants under you. Where I see the difference here is forthrightness (pretty sure that's an actual word ;-) These "business opportunities" are marketed as such...small home based businesses perfect for the stay at home mom to make a few extra dollars to suppliment your income. You should not have to pay for additional educational seminars and none of your earnings should go up the pyramid. And for the most part you are selling something tangible where product and dollars actually change hands. Someone I used to work with said "There is no retail therapy in buying insurance". The reality of insurance is you either have to have it because the government mandates it...or you buy it for security in the event of a worst case scenerio (which then plays on peoples fears). So point 3 is that there are legitimate pyramid type business opportunities out there, and yes you will get out of it what you put into it...but consultants are never headhunted online and these business opportunities are rarely initiatied based on a promise of making you a millionaire.

Bottom line with all comissioned sales (not just Primerica) is that if you don't sell, you don't get paid. So yes, it takes a very special type of person to be sucessful in that world. The downside is that you will likely only find a small percentage of really successful comissioned sales people, who have gained their financial freedom going down this road. That need to sell in order to get paid, usually tends to drive comissioned sales people to be very aggressive and pushy. Ever been to a store or car dealership with commissioned versus non-commissioned sales people...I think you have...and I'm sure I don't need to expand any further. A very wise friend of mine (who does happen to be a sales person) said that Sales is really about relationships...its not about selling something, its about helping people understand the reasons behind why they buy. So point 4 is that, it is hard to seem genuine and sincere about taking care of someone's financial stability and their future when you keep trying to push a pen into their hand and tell to sign here, then try to recruit them to your team.

So in conclusion...is Primerica a legitimate company? Yes, for the right people, in the right circumstances who are willing to work hard and get out of it what they put into it. Would I go anywhere near Primerica...either with my money, my insurance or my career? Not in a miilion years!

Ahhhh, I feel much better now.

Anonymous said...

It is interesting that it seems many of the pro-Primerica / Primerica employees posting on this blog are lashing out, becoming defensive, name-calling, saying people are lazy and stupid...hmmm, appears to be a pretty good indicator of the type of people that work at Primerica?

Choose wisely my freinds...

Unknown said...

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all your comments because I actually went to a "Interview" last night I really need a part time job to support my family. They showed the presentation then ask you questions if you would like to make money(of course everyone wants to make money what kind of question is that)then they want you to pass a background check pay $99 dollars to go do the training than after the training they pay you $100.00 just for passing the training. So you made your first $ 1.00 with them plus then become a client with Primerica so you can get out of debt. I really don't know to me the people that where their seem like they just wanted you to sign on with them and pay. I'm still going with my fiance to there other meeting from there I will see what we want to do.

Anonymous said...

Whether Primerica is a scam or not, I have no idea. But I do know that they called my son offering him an opportunity to interview for a job and worded the conversation specifically to make him believe that he would be interviewing for a position similar to what he was currently doing. He was deliberately NOT told any details because the "recruiter" wanted to get him in to give him her pitch. The company might not be a scam, but the recruiting strategy sure is, which begs the question "Why?" Legitimate financial services companies simply don't operate in such a shady manner.

Anonymous said...

Look up the better business bureau's grade and accredibility, A+ and fully accredited. Now compare that to state farm and Allstate, lower grades. Just because you don't see the company on TV during football Sunday doesn't mean it's a scam. Learn to do credible research people instead of reading disgruntled opinions and blogs

Cosmico said...

I hear about these types of companies all the time and I just don't understand how and where the money comes from. If you are helping families get cheaper insurance and paying less for their bills. How is te company even getting so much money to cover people's lives insurance and Paying you millions all at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Well Kevin Castro,

Primerica is a direct seller of financial Services. These services are from other companies. The companies they represent pay Primerica. Primerica pays a portion to the representative based on their contract level.

Insurance, people a premium every month. That money is pooled together and invested in various markets. They earn income off the investments which is used to pay the bills for Primerica, the shareholders, the salaried employees in Duluth, GA, and the salesforce.

Anonymous said...

A few things you should know to make a more informed decision.

If you're not interested in starting your own business, this isn't for you.

If you think you can own your own business; this isn't for you.

If you have always wanted to own your own business and have mentally and financially prepared yourself to not earn a $50,000/year until your third year in business you may have a fighting chance.

If you think Primerica is a scam; then being a real estate agent, a hairdresser, an electrician, carpenter, plumber, franchise owner, steelworker, mason, small business owner, barber, car salesman, employee in the Appliance Department at Sears, Best Buy, Lowes, Home Depot isn't a right fit for you.

If you think Primerica is a pyramid scheme...think about this:Corporate America Structure- A CEO, C-level Executives, High level managers, Mid level managers, Entry/low level managers, many supervisors, many team leaders, many hard working employees. Got Pyramid?

If you feel this is an opportunity to get rich quick...this is not the opportunity for you because you would have to work harder than Olympic Athletes traning for the 2012 London Olympics to get rich quick in this opportunity.

Primerica is the model many other insurance companies are leaning towards for their salesforce.

When you work a job you get paid an hourly wage or specified salary and are expected to work the hours assigned. You sign a contract to abide by the laws of the government and the policies and procedures within the employee handbook. Essentially, they cap your salary because they pay for your training, your benefits, the computer your using at your desk, your software, your id badge. You get paid the same amount each week regardless if the CEO's kid is sleeping on the job in the cubicle next to you which forces you to bust your hump. You give up a certain amount of time each week in exchange for a set wage. If your boss says no to you leaving work early to go to a concert your friends are going to on Friday night, or can't get that week of vacation off that your significant other does so you can go away together just remember...you agreed to work those hours and accepted the policies and procedures in the employee handbook in exchange for that set hourly wage.

Unknown said...

Hi, I just got a call from an old Supervisor, trying to recruit me for this company.... This is my take on reading the preceding blogs... It is hard creating a client base, I've done sales before, I didn't like it... It reminded me of being a waitress.... If you didn't have "customers" you didn't make very many tips... And I can even admit that I fell for this kind of thing once before, remember rainbow vacuums? I do... I was very angry I wasted my time, I'll even admit, I can not adapt to the culture shock of a sales company, I am a time clock person... I'm just not a people person, I work security in Texas, I'm armed and I'm female and I work at night....I deal with some of the most retarded individuals I've ever had the misfortune to come across... I hate dealing with the public... Until you carry a gu for a living you won't know what I deal with... So, I admit, sales is not for me, the P.F.S people, are people people...i just want to go to work, make my money and go home, don't get me wrong, I'd love to have my own company, especially in security... but it's true too you won't get results unless you work hard... so, just say it ain't for you and go along, don't put the ones down that succeed, and they shouldn't put you down that you stay with what you know.... everyone should know their limitations..... yes we are all just trying to survive... That's my rant...

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primerica said...

Im feel sorry for the lazy sad people who feel primerica is a scam.

The problem people are lazy and dont want to work or to sad to believe in themselves!!!!

Primerica has made me free because i believe in my self!!

All of the jack a.. that make comments about muti level , you in every job it is multi level, you have to kiss ass every day, when you grow up and believe in your self , try to learn what primerica does.

It is an awesome company if you go to work and your not a sad lazy person , who would rather believe everyone than believe in your self!!!!

Anonymous said...

I have been in the financial services business for a while now. I was called out of the blue by a recruiter who had got my name from a friend. I had heard of Primerica before so I decided to do some research. Through my research I learned that Primerica has been around since 1977 and is no longer affiliated with Citi Group. In fact, when they became a publicly traded company on NYSE, (which is a big deal actually) they were the highest performing IPO in 2010. If you dont know what that means then you should educate yourself. They are also backed by two of the largest investment firms in America. Oppenheimer and Baron Funds. Also, I learned that Primerica is regulated by the SEC and FINRA. Primerica also has an A+ Rating from AM Best and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. So after learning all of this I decided to attend the overview. After it was all said and done I realized that Primerica teaches sound financial concepts to their clients. Given the experience I have in the financial sector, that is a rare thing. The opportunity that Primerica offers is real but it is not for everyone. My advice to you would be to check it out first and then decide. I joined because I believe in what Primerica really stands for.

On another note, I read a comment saying Primerica is the lowest of the low? In my experience, financial companies are very hostile toward one another. Usually when one makes a comment like "lowest of the low," its because the accused company is taking clients from that company and the losing company cannot compete so the only retaliation that can be mustered are trite insults and juvenile words.

Anonymous said...

I wanted to add that I was also brain-washed by the hype of one of the regional v.p.'s. What they don't mention, ever, is that the new recruit is expected to find and convince their leads to commit to becoming an agent. Secondarily, they are also selling insurance, loans and mutual funds. The program seems to work great for people who can bring all their family members on board, as well as all their friends and acquaintances. If you don't know at least a dozen or so unemployed people who want to invest, it doesn't pan out so well.

Anonymous said...

What part of " Earn extra income without jeopardizing your current job, and helping people you didnt like ? "

Anonymous said...

First of all Primerica does not brainwash people you moron. It is a legitimate company with many different people making more money than you ever will in your life time...and what kind of company makes you pay fees up front? Are you stupid? There are many companies (especially in finances) that make you pay fees. For example Wells Fargo...Fidelity...American Income Life...etc. So why don't you explain to me why the company which I am working for...known as Primerica has been in business for over 35 years with more than 2 million SATISFIED clients...oh and not to mention the 1,000 companies that we put out of business because we uncovered the lies and SCAMS that other financial companies were "selling" to consumers. So honestly who's brainwashed? You and anyone else who can't think outside the box...because you've been trained since a child to just be another employee within a company...and guess what you'll die as an employee in a company that will NEVER pay you what you deserve because if you have any degree it doesn't matter the government has bracketa for minimum and maximum pay in each field of work. Unfortunately for people like you that are blind I guess you'll never really know what it's like to make really good money because most people like you are afriad of a good opportunity. So don't complain about your life in the end if it's not up to your satisfaction all due thanks to your fear and your misconception of a good company. Enjoy your life.

Anonymous said...

I also received a call from Primerica. I did the whole job interview thing. I was pretty excited about it, cause quote "You can make millions if you work hard,". I told my boyfriend about the job interview and how it went. He assumed it was commission based, and to ask his grandmother about it. I put it off, thinking that this was such a great oppourtunity that I wasn't going to let anything stand in my way of getting it. They toldme I would need to pay for a background check and for a class and book. That was the first red flag for me. If you brag about how much money your company makes, shouldn't they be able to pay the $100? Also, I was told the company does three back ground checks. I can honestly only think of two. and the fact that the two I wasn't paying for cost $1,700; raised another red flag. The inteviewer didn't really answer my questions, she just evaded them. She said they had a lot of fun, and they usually had a game night every week, where you just all hang out and have fun together. Apparently those "meetings" were mandatory. I'm sorry, but hanging out and playing around, isn't a "meeting" and I shouldn't have to go to it if I don't want to. That was yet again a red flag.

I had a meeting to turn in my Top 100 list. A list of 100 people I know, names, numbers, age, married, kids, house. That struck me as odd. I didn't feel comfortable about giving all that information over, so I didn't go.

I waited for them to call me at the said meeting time, wondering where I was, why I wasn't there. You know, a typical response if you're late to a meeting for work or a potential job.
Absolutely nothing.
No calls, no texts.

I told my boyfriend about it, though I told him I was sick, and he said it didn't sound right to him, and to call his grandmother and see what she thought.

I called her, and explained everything, and the first words out of her mouth were "Don't take it. It doesn't sound right."
We chatted for a little while longer, but after talking with her, someone who has had a job working for a financial company, I was absolutely sure I would never contact these people again.

Out of curiousity for the company though, I decided to do some research, almost everything that popped up was a website that somewhere said Primerica was a scam.

I don't care about all the people that say it isn't, that its just a commission job that us "simple-minded" people don't understand, I want absolutely nothing to do with this so called "company".

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately you ran into people who do the business in a different way. I can't necessarily say wrong because there is not right way to do Primerica, its just an unethical way that you came across. For those of you who say it doesn't work, I'm sure its because it didn't work for you! I'm here to tell you the business didn't fail you, you failed yourself. If you want something to work, get off your ass and make it work. There's a reason why Primerica has the most six figure earners in the country. Do yourself a favor and purchase a Primerica income book. Yes, I said book because Primerica does in fact publish their incomes. Numbers don't lie people. For those of you that say Primerica is a scam, too bad for you. You'll be working until the day you die. Thankfully I'm bright enough to think outside of the box, work my ass off at making this business work for me and I'm on my way to being just as successful as the many million dollar earners in the company already! Stop utilizing google and yahoo answers people and get out there and see that it does in fact exist...the number one opportunity in America, PRIMERICA!!!!!

Missy said...

Hi and thank you so much for this review I for the same call today I knew something was wrong never applied or heard of them so I started googling and all I seen was scam and for that ill save my gas and not go and im not calling because they call you like they no you which they don't ...they also asked me do I no what they are I said no cause I never heard of it so why would I really go some were I dont no smh

Anonymous said...

Priamerica almost caused my family to lose everything my husband is a very hard worker but with him going on appts and not getting sells and spending the money we do have on gas to make it to appts we nearly lost everything with not getting money in the home for months at a time, you can not souly depend on 100% comission it is very missleading.

Anonymous said...

You stupid fucking cunts, Primerica is not a scam. It's a legitimate business for individuals who want to start something without investing so much money into it. It's not a scam!!! You fucking ass holes who give the company a bad name are stupid corporate minded fucks who are pathetic fucking robots to corporate America!! This is a business not a fucking job. We need to recruit because we do not advertise like the other companies. You dumb asses are just fucking used to getting paid hourly and not by commission. COMMISSION is better because you don't have a limit unlike your stupid fucking jobs. You CAN NEVER become filthy rich at your jobs because they control you. GET THE FUCK OFF THE COMPUTER and quit writing shit like Primerica is a scam. JOIN THE FUCKING company and Get CALIFORNIA LIFE LICENSED and sell one fucking policy and tell me if it's a scam. You dumb cunts are worthless idiots. Go back to your jobs you fucking idiots.

Anonymous said...

First off a MLM company is not a scam or pyramid scheme. a pyramid scheme is where there is no service or goods being sold or given. With a MLM you make 50%-90% of your money off from just recruiting people. A MLM has to be licensed in each state the MLM company works in. In that fact MLM are not scams cause "in a prefect world" if you do the work just like those seminars tell you; you will make money, how ever it take alot of hard work and time. Primerica is NOT a MLM their agents get paid the same way every single finical company does. And you do not have to recruit anyone to make money working at Primerica, only real reason to recruit would be if you would like to open your own office then you have to. Let me ask this question take the structure ladder of your current JOB. Is there a manager above you who makes more then you? How about a supervisor above that manager doesn't he make more. and what about the owner? hmmm sounds like a pyramid to me. You want more ex. Every Branch of the armed service, boy scouts, the church structure. WOW lots of pyramid scams!!!! Lets use some brain power people, cause lets level with each other; most of you who said no to that Primerica agent are just lazy and like don't want to work for your money. You would rather just do the minimal amount of work and get paid, but you are the same type of people who complain about the jobs that they are at and that they are not making enough.

Anonymous said...

Well just because your mom wasnt successful in the business it shouldn't discredit the entire business. Your moms failure is related to her efforts primerica is not a scam you get out of it what you put in. And as far as the pyramid scheme and multi level company aspect I don't understand why people look down upon that this it gives everyone the opportunity to keep moving up compared to a regular job.

Anonymous said...

Stop the insanity!
What it all boils down too is do you want to be financially independent or a 9-5er. Being in the work force for over 40 years I've been both. I have a Masters from NYU and have started two of my own companies. First: For God sake Primerica is no longer owned by Citi. They are free from those chains.
Second: My first two businesses I didn't make a DIME for two years. You have to invest in order thrive!
You wa wa's who complain about investing $99 dollars need to suck it up. I invested 80 grand on my first company.
Primerica has brought me nothing but joy. I just paid my first claim that tragically lost the husband in a drowning. They were insured for 100 thousand with WHOLE life. We got them 500 thousand coverage for the same price. He had the policy for two months and the accident happened. The wife had a check in her hand the following week!
Taking control of your life is what's it's ALL about people. Taking control of your finances is what will set you free!
I'm NOT brainwashed, and I'm NOT a financial guru, but we have some of the greatest financial minds that work for us so we steer families in the right direction. Stop bashing this company if you've never taken the time to investigate it for yourself! If you have done the investigating and still consider the company a, "scam",congrats, you're right up there with the other 95% of Americans that will NOT retire in their lifetime.
Just quoting the facts friends!

Anonymous said...

I went to one of those meeting for Primerica and at the end of the meeting it was a pyramid scam.
So at this meeting there were several people listening to this so-called presentation. Each different presentation had a different representative talking about this company and how great it is to work.
During one presentation they stated that after you join, you should recruit three other people who will be under you and each of them recruits three other people. Geee that looks like a pyramid scam to me..
So at the end of the presentation that had the "top level" rep talking about how anyone can do it blah blah..So what this guys does is points out to someone in the back and says "Sir is it true that we never meet before?"
DING DING DING Hello that was final straw that convinced me this whole thing is a scam.
That line is the oldest con on the books.

Why this so-called company is still operating and not shut down by the Justice Department is beyond me.

Primerica IS A SCAM they are not a legitimate business.

Brooke said...

This was my experience. I had a friend refer me to them and I got the phone call that was similar to what the initial post described. I have worked overseas before and they seemed to latch onto that immediately and tell me they have offices overseas. What I found odd was that I asked for the business name several times and was never given one. They gave me an address though so after I ended the call I did a google maps search for it. I looked it up and decided it wasn't for me. Not because it was a scam, but because I thought the man on the phone should have been more professional and answered my questions especially when I asked the name of the business.

I asked a friend to call the same guy at the number he left me so that they could get the name of the company and they had to interrupt him over and over just to get the name of the company. It was indeed premerica.

I left a voicemail to the man stating I was no longer interested due to the blatant deception on his part and was never harassed again. A few months later I was at Walmart and I struck up conversation with someone about a product. Out of the blue they said that I would make a great employee and asked if I was employed. I was, but I am always looking for opportunities for friends so I said no. She gave me a card and asked for my information. I asked for the business name and she wouldn't give it to me [red flag]. So I asked what kind of work I would be expected to do. She said "team building exercises". That was kind of odd because I wasn't sure how money was made off of that.

Since she was unable to give me an answer of exactly what the work would entail, I asked her what a day at work entails for her. She looked kind of startled and didn't have much of an answer for me. Which was fine. Finally I said, "you stated the name of the business but I forget what it was". I of course was lying but I knew she had the intelligence of a potato so she would fall for it. She quietly squeaked "Primerica". I immediately laughed and said "no thank you".

Scam or no scam, I have no clue. But based on how evasive and vague both individuals were, I have a hard time taking this business seriously. Even if it is recognized as being legit; I wonder why they would be hesitant to answer my questions.

WORD OF CAUTION: for any business no matter what it is; DO NOT get caught up in the financial aspect of it. Ask questions that have zero relation to money. Ask about holidays, healthcare, hours, and day description, how many employees a company has. It is a good way to tell if they have been trained to respond to certain questions of if they genuinely know the information.

Also, my roommate has been recruited by a friend of his who works for primerica, he is going to his orientation tonight at 7PM. I will write about that when he gets back. I want to have him record it and post the video on youtube so people don't have to go to the seminar in order to make up their mind; however I suspect they will complain about the video and have it taken down. So it will probably be pointless to do so.

ANOTHER TIP: schedule interviews for various jobs just for the hell of it. It will give you a clear understanding of how an interview process works as well as how orientation works. It is a good tool to prevent people from falling into traps.

Anonymous said...

I actually worked for Primerica for about a year. I am a professional firefighter and figgured it might be a fun way to spend my 48 hours off. Actually when they contact you and say "the regional vice president" gave me your name and number - thats instant B/S. They scroll thru the phone book and cold call trolling for people. I got in with them. Took my insurance license school and passed the state test but for some reason I never got my insurance license in the mail. Which mean any of the insurance products I pitched while on my training interviewes went to my "coach" since I didn't have my license I didn't get any residuals or dividends from the "sale". I went on about a dozen "interviews" with clients to show them the way primerica can teach them how to manage their money. Give them better rates on insurance etc etc. But with my "coach" if we ran into someone who already had their finances on track and had finances in check - my "coach" would almost call them a liar. It was very disrespectful. I made it clear to my "coach" that I was only going to do this part time since I had a good job with benefits already. After a few months they started to pressure me to quit the fire department and go full time with primerical. When I resisted they almost became hostile when I did not conform to their view points regarding Primerica. They guy that ran the local office was always giving me his financial resume' and telling me about how much he had. How big his house was. How he drove a BMW (lower model). How his daughter and son were all primerica VP's and how much money they made etc. I went to his house one day and he had a big nice looking house. But the inside was trash. Cheap furnature. Crappy furnishings. His car was the same way. It looked nice on the outside but the inside seats were cracked. the knobs were missing off the radio and shifter. It looked like crap. When he and his wife were not able to sway me to quit the FD and go primerica. I refused their final push when their daughter and son came into town from where ever they lived and filled my head full of primerica dreams. I didn't go for it. Their daughter actually told me if I came full time with the company she would sexualy make it worth my while. This was the point where I knew this company was B/S. The problem I had with Primerica was not with their program - it was how they went about their business. Members were required to attend a weekly "meeting" where they were given the guidelines for the company. It was all hype. Their theory to pay off debt and save money is not that bad. What I didn't like was as soon as a "coustomer" would get something paid off and had some extra money - the primerica agent would expect them to get more primerica products such as life insurance or some kind of a retirement IRA etc. They did not want to let the person taste the fruit of their debt pay off labors. They wanted every extra penny to be spent on primerica products. Everyone that I met that was associated with primerica was broke as hell. I finally had enough of them when they started pressing me hard for names and phone numbers of friends and family and in the end had to get a little nasty with the local guy who ran the office and suggest a harrassment charge if they didn't stop calling me. It is a definate pyramid scheme where only those on top get the cream. But even they are not "all that" from seeing the way my local VP lived. So as long as you keep your eyes open there is probably money to be made with hard work - but from what it seemed to me it was a long hard ladder to climb. JMO

Anonymous said...

Im 19 in the bussiness and bust my ass and i am already making 7000 + a month its not a scam just a different type of work , instead of sluging and lugging boxes , stay smart think smart and teach smart

Anonymous said...

It is funny how Primerica people are SO defensive and ridicule those who realize what type of company this is. It is true, with hard work, it is easier to succeed. But wouldn't you rather get financial advice from someone who actually went to college to work in this industry and is employed at a reputable institution? These representatives are basically just peddling different financial products to hard working folks. The products may or may not be good for them is not the point. It is that all the work you do may still make you fail if you do not receive any orders. On top of that, you have the ever-looming pressure of recruiting people under your "leg" of the branch.

Anonymous said...

Primerica is a RACKET! If you think selling life insurance to your friends or recruiting them into a pyramid scheme is anything but insanely hard, you have another thing coming!

If you sign up for this B.S. business be prepared to be absolutely miserable every day you are in it. People who who were once close friends will avoid you like the plague and your relatives will resent you. If you think strangers are the way to go; guess again! Every day you will hear PYRAMID... SCAM...SCHEME, etc. from people you talk to. The negativaty is enormously overwhelming.

This deal is saturated from 35 years of being in business. If you took the top reps who joined back in the 80's and made them start over from scratch... they would starve just like everybody else.

Anonymous said...

I joined this scam in Sprinfield Illinois. My upline was Mike Gaston Primerica Financial Service 2815 Old Jacksonville Rd Springfield, IL 62704 Phone: 217-698-5050

He is a fucking dirtbag asshole who ripped me off. Avoid this snake at all costs. You were warned, he is evil.

Anonymous said...

Mike Gaston Primerica Springfield Illinois 2815 Old Jacksonville Rd Springfield, IL 62704 Phone: 217-698-5050 is a lying piece of crap asshole. This guy would screw his own mother over for a nickel.

Anonymous said...

Mike Gaston Primerica Springfield IllinoisTotal piece of shit liar. Avoid at all costs. Will screw you over. Total ASSHOLE!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I see a lot of pro Primerica people posting that it is not a scam, and then post the same arguments over and over telling people why it is not a scam. They say it is a legitimate company, regulated and complies with all the laws. Okay, it is not a scam, but it sure as heck is not as ethical as many people would like it to be (in terms of working there and their recruiting tactics, I am not talking about their products and their BBB rating).

Many pro Primerica people also seem to be very defensive and ready to use degrading terms and language such as stupid and lazy among others, which, to me, is not very professional. There have also been many spelling and grammatical errors along with an abundant misuse of capitals on seemingly random words.

Yes, they also boast they are the largest insurance marketing company (or something along those lines) but that is because the company really has nothing to pay for. 'Corporate America' companies have to pay for the offices, the supplies as well as payroll. Primerica has nothing to pay for since the representatives all pay their own office rent and must sell before they make any income. Of course it is easy to become large when they have no steady payrolls, benefits or pensions to pay out of their own profits to whoever they hire.

I read many posts here claiming they make thousands per month and there are also others with first hand experience that see these same people in their 'upline' driving beat up cars.

Sure, there are those who are making a lot of money in Primerica and I am not denying this; but they are not making this money from their 'hard work' or their 'sales skills'. They are simply making this money because they receive a cut from everybody below them for any sale. This, of course, leads to greed and deception by bringing in anyone they can and use up their warm market. When this new recruit has run out of contacts, the company already has more recruits lined up with fresh warm markets for them to make an income off of.

CONT...

Anonymous said...

CONT FROM PREVIOUS...

Their 'bonus' for 'training' is not really training at all. They first told me during my interview that they would give me up to $1000 in bonuses just to get trained and I thought I just had to sit through some training, a couple of classes and pass the test and I would receive my money. I was dead wrong; I had to recruit 4 people and make 4 life insurance sales before I would get this money and I was not told this at the beginning. Had I known this, I would have walked out before the end of the interview!

And it gets even better, I cannot just recruit 4 people to get money, I need to recruit the same number of sales I make to get the money...

It doesn't even end here; I did recruit 1 person and I made 1 sale, I never saw the money for this sale and I never even saw the 'bonus' that was supposed to come with my first recruit and my first sale! I have contacted my upline countless times and the only replies I receive are that he will ask head office for it. It has been 4 months since the last time I messaged him about the money and he has never gotten back to me about it since. Which leads me to believe that he probably signed the sale to his own name and took the commission for himself leaving me out in the cold.

They drill you on memorizing a script to pitch to potential clients at their dinner table and they make us brain storm ways to get around when someone says no or is uncertain. They have tactics for guilt tripping (your parents will have to pay for all your expenses if you die), sugar coating (when someone says 'Ill have to ask my parents about this' they told us to say 'do you ask your parents if you can buy them a Christmas present?') and many more.

The greed that Primerica has generated in its representatives is the cause of the negative reputation they are receiving in terms of recruiting and employment. The emphasis on recruiting, recruiting and recruiting hurts the company. So for all you pro Primerica people who are going to defend the company, please, there is no need because we are not bashing the company; we are bashing YOU for the tactics that you use to rope people and their friends/families into this whole mess. Primerica could be a great company but there are always those who ruin the name.

Anonymous said...

Go back to your cult. Primerica is a scam and your in denial. If any job asks you for money to work, it's a scam! Quit fucking trying to annoy people and get people "under you". Instead use your time to go to school and get a degree you can actually use. The only person you are making rich is the dude above you. Duces!!

Anonymous said...

People don't argue, its not worth it. People call google and other sites research and its okay. People are use to the same day to day job! Yes its true at first its seems fishy. i think everything you do does. Just take a risk, Primerica is not for everyone. its for people who are willing to make a difference. Do the work, just do it. You will succeed. If not well complain all you want, you are still going to get now where by making blogs. Don't argue whichever side you are on. Freedom of speech, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Have a great night.

Anonymous said...

Primerica is 100% commission based. If you don't work, you dont get paid. To the person who's mother is always borrowing money, she is probably into other things or is not out doing what she is supposed to do. Primerica agents are supposed to help people, not force people to buy something they don't need. For example, if your auto premium is already great, agents are supposed to try to get you to switch over just to make a buck. I have helped a lot of families but I have done it the right way. The testimonies I have read so far are signs of bad agents. However, you shouldn't take that out on Primerica as a whole. There is always a bad apple in ANY company you look at. I also wanted to point out that EVERY job is a pyramid. You have to have the people on the bottom layer "Employees" The people in the middle "Managers, GM's, etc" and the ONE person on the top "OWNER". Except in Primerica you may start off on the bottom, but you can get to the top as fast as you want. You just have to work. (Imagine that someone working hard to get to the top. I thought that was the American dream, but maybe that's a pyramid, too?!)

The moral of this is don't read into everything you read or hear. Yes there are a few agents who aren't doing everything properly. But there are agents in other companies who don't as well. You just believe them more because they have lizards and ducks, and what not all the time on TV.

Anonymous said...

ACtually commision based jobs are way better than hourly, primerica is a legit company i have just started yea so what if you pay a hundred bucks for backround check, they pay for all your licensing dumbo, insurance series6 and 63. My regional vice president started last year as just a rep and now well he is rvp! That there shows you this is no scam if it was a scam the company would be done for. The company is on the nyse for god sake. No scam here its just the people that go to the meeting so . Oh well this is to good to be true its a scam! Well the facts are this is to good and it is true. You just need to be motivated

Anonymous said...

I got one of those calls too other day when I was at work. When I'd told him I was busy, he still asked if I wanted to talk.

He set up an interview with me for 5:30pm yesterday and called on the dot but I never answered. They left a message but I didn't bother to reply.

Kind of a d-bag move as they were just doing their job, but they'll get over it.

I'm sure they're talking to someone else right now as you read this.

Anonymous said...

Another business pyramid opportunity name for Amway! Period

Anonymous said...

Primarica is like any other company in that there are people who want to do a job and there are the sharks. Most of the people that i have met are honestly trying to help with insurance and investments for your future. They honestly provide advice and products to enrich your life. Then there are the sharks who suck you in, signup an IBA, and are not honest in that the bucks are there but it takes time and really not a lot of money in that they will reimburse a lot of your costs. However you must obtain licences to sell most of their products such as insurance and mutual funds. A shark only tells you about the money you can make and nothing about the time and study required to get these licences. They have the attitude that a failed exam is good because the ones that fail 2 or 3 times are the ones that will stay for the long run. i recently got my mutual fund licence, with my life licence it took less than 6 months. i get the impression that i go for the licences and don't recruit i'm a second class rep, a real rep brings in 2 or 3 or more recruits every month. i found out that i have more licences than my upline. they are one of the eager ones who failed numerous times and after 7 or 8 years still only has a life licence. all they want to do is recruit and get passive income, from your hard work. mutual funds pay trailer fees which motivates your agent to keep on top of your financial picture but i won't be eligable to receive it because i haven't brought in any new recruits. i could sell a million in insurance and another million in securities but without recruits i will still be at the bottom of the ladder and still be only just a rep. Recruits are the key to making your fortune in PRIMERICA. with recruits did i mention your commission also increases that is your commission becomes a bigger % of your sale. primerica is not a scam however some reps prey on anyone to get passive income and a few sales is their pasttime.

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Anonymous said...

Primerica is a scam. First of all, the anonymous postings defending that company is someone who had spent some years imprisoned by deceit drying out the unemployed and employed starting on the bottom of the pyramid. They as well, had invested time (years!) and money. Most times, it’s too late for them to turn around and too late to quit their scam selling membership/b.s. fees. There are so many of these Pyramids you have to watch for, Primerica is one of the biggest one. They feed off membership fees, seminar fees, fees to collect from you while you go thru a never ending training that just talks about motivation and success. So, you can sell the same motivation to bring more revenue which all trickles down to the leaders (top of the pyramid). Im sure you all get it, some of these posts are from personal experiences and I wouldn’t doubt it one bit. Save yourself the pain and money, put that $100 membership fee away (it may have increased) and find yourself a real job. They tell you to do your research but they keep all the dirt off the web, Im sure Primerica pay good buck$ for that. That’s just another way for them to say come join and find out how we can f()ck you in the a$$, so our cult leader can keep living their wealthy lives, as you try to come up with monies to pay seminar fees.. The closest Primerica almost got me was when I was a teenager, I was unemployed and no experience but Im street smart, my recruiters paid for my membership and a few seminars, I was young and curious. I had all the time in the world besides party and school. I went along with them, so I can learn what this whole financial giant is about, they keep you interested and drag your time by listening how “rich” these Primerica veterans are, there’s no core to their topics, just positive reinforcement and motivation. Yeah, anyone can use positive reinforcement but at your cost and drive to bring members/revenues to keep the Giant Pyramid going. They HATE that word being called a “pyramid” because the shape of the pyramid explains exactly how they operate. They want the drive because the more members, the more suckers that will pay to make them rich. It was an awesome experience, I carpooled with some awesome people, had great laughs, made friends of different ages, killed time, I was young and it was good to know, they didn’t get me. Several years later, I work for a real financial giant now. Chase =] benefits, real $$, got a great feeling job position, Community Volunteers Event Coordinator. My purpose is helping people, not taking their money. Especially the ones in need. God Bless =] pay it forward. good karma

Anonymous said...

Primerica is a scam. First of all, the anonymous postings defending that company is someone who had spent some years imprisoned by deceit drying out the unemployed and employed starting on the bottom of the pyramid. They as well, had invested time (years!) and money. Most times, it’s too late for them to turn around and too late to quit their scam selling membership/b.s. fees. There are so many of these Pyramids you have to watch for, Primerica is one of the biggest one. They feed off membership fees, seminar fees, fees to collect from you while you go thru a never ending training that just talks about motivation and success. So, you can sell the same motivation to bring more revenue which all trickles down to the leaders (top of the pyramid). Im sure you all get it, some of these posts are from personal experiences and I wouldn’t doubt it one bit. Save yourself the pain and money, put that $100 membership fee away (it may have increased) and find yourself a real job. They tell you to do your research but they keep all the dirt off the web, Im sure Primerica pay good buck$ for that. That’s just another way for them to say come join and find out how we can f()ck you in the a$$, so our cult leader can keep living their wealthy lives, as you try to come up with monies to pay seminar fees.. The closest Primerica almost got me was when I was a teenager, I was unemployed and no experience but Im street smart, my recruiters paid for my membership and a few seminars, I was young and curious. I had all the time in the world besides party and school. I went along with them, so I can learn what this whole financial giant is about, they keep you interested and drag your time by listening how “rich” these Primerica veterans are, there’s no core to their topics, just positive reinforcement and motivation. Yeah, anyone can use positive reinforcement but at your cost and drive to bring members/revenues to keep the Giant Pyramid going. They HATE that word being called a “pyramid” because the shape of the pyramid explains exactly how they operate. They want the drive because the more members, the more suckers that will pay to make them rich. It was an awesome experience, I carpooled with some awesome people, had great laughs, made friends of different ages, killed time, I was young and it was good to know, they didn’t get me. Several years later, I work for a real financial giant now. Chase =] benefits, real $$, got a great feeling job position, Community Volunteers Event Coordinator. My purpose is helping people, not taking their money. Especially the ones in need. God Bless =] pay it forward. good karma

Anonymous said...

I was contacted by Primerica for an interview as well. My opinion is that it could be a decent investment in the right situation, but if I had the money for "seminars" I wouldn't be there at the interview. Secondly, even if I did make it through all the "certification"/money sinks required, the economy is in the dumps right now, and people are not going to spend money on anything they are giving me to sell.

Daz said...

Your telling me that the guy that I works with,( labor ), is going to show me how to handle my finances! I'm trying to make him see the light...
These assholes find idiots like my coworker to get them the leads.... that how they get business!!!!! And they get these idiots to pay them for that privilage!!!! What a Scam. A wolf in sheeps clothing..

Anonymous said...

The question as to whether or not Primerica is MLM is very easily answered by the Federal Trade Commission. Multi-Level marketing companies are required to register with the FTC as such. If you look it up on the FTC's website, you will see that Primerica is registered as a business, and not an MLM. The specific reasons why have been outlined on this blog, but if the FTC says it's not MLM, that's good enough for me.

Anonymous said...

A couple of other observations I would like to make, if I may:

People who work in Primerica are not "employees", nor to they collect a "salary". These are words I have seen thrown around on a lot of various blogs, and they're just inaccurate, as they are job-related, and Primerica is not a job, but an opportunity.

I have yet to see anyone in Primerica promise anyone that they can "get rich quick", nor promise that they'll be a millionaire (an opportunity is one thing...a promise is quite another). In fact, when I interview people, I tell them flat out that this is not a get-rich quick scheme, and that it's hard work. Can people make good money if they do the work? Sure, but that's entirely up to them. Whether someone wants to make $200/month or a six-digit income in this business, I'll work with them toward achieving their goals if they're willing to put in the time and effort, but they've got to decide if they're willing to work for it. The potential is there, but nobody gets something for nothing. That doesn't just apply to Primerica, but to life in general.

Someone mentioned how real estate offices and insurance agencies are structured on a two-level model...the sales agent and the broker, and that is true. What that means is that the sales agent has to constantly make sales, or they don't eat, while the broker can make much more money off of their agents' commission splits. So, the agent has no possibility of enjoying those time-leveraging advantages unless they become a broker and open their own office, which runs into a lot of capital outlay.

Oh, and there many businesses out there that operate on more than one compensation tier. Let's take car dealerships as an example. When you buy a car, the sales person makes a commission on the sale, but so does the sales manager, the finance manager, the general manager, and ultimately, the owner. Yet, car dealerships are not considered "multi-level"

Again, Primerica is not a multi-level marketing company as defined by the Federal Trade Commission. If they were, they would be registered as one, as is required by law.

Finally, for anyone who says that the money-earners in this business are getting rich off the backs of others, just ask the counter-worker at McDonald's or the service clerk at Walmart, working for minimum wage, if they think the corporation is getting rich off their hard work. Chances are they'll say yes. The difference is, most corporations offer a slim-to-nothing chance for their for their front-line people to advance to upper management, so they continue to work hard for a low wage and minimal benefits, and on a schedule that is determined by someone else. So if you're going to work hard, why not work hard for yourself? Nobody says it'll be easy, but it could be very rewarding.

Unknown said...

Hello everyone! I just got home from what my suspicions became true the moment I stepped out of the damn elevator! The guy called me the day before, saying how "impressed I am with your resume, customer service skills, and bilingual! That is an untapped market and you are the ideal person for this! 57% of this business is Hispanic and we need more people like you to inform the Hispanic community" blah blah blah! He doesn't mention what company is, just that he was impressed with my resume he saw on CL. I was skeptical still, but decided and sent him a text to setup the interview today. I got ready, headed to downtown where the offices were located, and still no sign, just a huge beige colored building with a lot of offices being rented there (I did some research on that address and that's what popped up!). After wasting gas and time, as soon as I stepped out of the elevator, this huge red, white & blue sign on the suite number door, which BTW was open, and the words in bold "PRIMERICA". Some blonde chick popped up on the side so I am assuming it was the wife of the guy who called me, so I immediately went back into the elevator and started laughing so hard I almost lost it there! Years ago me and a friend of mine went to one of their "seminars" and we both laughed afterwards! What makes me mad is the fact that they contact you and don't tell you first hand what they are about. Sorry Primerica believers but that is poor business ethics to me! Needless to say I sent the guy a text saying the same exact thing on the post, and this is his response: "Ok-we are very good people-wish you were open. No problem-thanks for responding-so wish you were open-this is our 6th office-have gone well over 6 figures-57% of Primerica is Hispanic-maybe down the road-thanks!". Sorry but you may be "good people" but this pyramid scheme has left many people in a financial bind! If you want some kind of insurance, trust Mutual of Omaha, or Aflac. I will never give my time, skills, or work ethics to this company! BLUGH!

Unknown said...

Another thing, just because we are bilingual, it doesn't mean we are idiots! Yes it awesome to be of many languages, but do not take advantage! It is poorly done business-wise! I so want to contact any news channel interested in showing what a scam this is! Now I am getting more pissed, really!

Unknown said...

AND MAY I ADD? While you may think someone who works for Wal-Mart or McDonald's is working minimun wage, they do offer management for those who work hard! Last time I worked for McDonald's (yrs. 1988 through 1991) my last wage per hour was $13.75 as a shift manager, and I started at minimum wage which was I think almost $7 more or less? I think the more people against them give them grief about their business tactics and schemes, we can make a case on how what a bunch of liars and thieves they are, and with the economy the way it is today, you cannot keep doing this to America!

Marymary said...

helllooo - Aren't all Business you work for in US a Pyramid? Only the owner makes the big bucks? Here's your pyramid : The OWNER at the top > departments are next > sales people who makes the sales. Now can the sales person make more than the Owner? Maybe maybe not depends on how he's getting paid. But Primerica has no limit of incoming so you can make more than your upline. LEARN SOMETHING BEFORE YOU TALK BECAUSE KARMA IS A BITCH! I'M SURE YOU DIDN'T GO TO THE SEMINARS TO FIND OUT ABOUT IT. YOU JUST WANNA TALK CUZ UR BORED.

JD said...

I too have fallen victim of primerica. I dont blame anyone but myself and honestly learned a few things along the way. While the company is legit and it is not a complete scam in the legal sense, there recruiting tactics are a bit deceptive. They basically train or brainwash each recruit in the same way which is why the majority of posts here recount the same experiences. They get their recruites from job boards and word of mouth referrals from others within the organization. My recuitment was do to the later, a friend and collegue. I work in insurance and have a strong aptitude in finance, dabbling here and there and working with people that have come out of wall street banks and hedge funds. I have been working on my own doing some consulting and equities trading and even more advance derivitive trades. My friend knew of my interest and assets management skills, suggested i go with them to learn more. I, being skeptical(the way i always am) agreed to go, and perhaps learn a little more in the fields of insurance, finance, personal investing and advising than i currently do. Basically my experiences were the same...go to meeting where my skills matched the job, go to a meeting where they portrayed vast sums of money waiting to be earned all while being surrounded by 'positive' people. Lets start with this, vast sums of money come from hard work or luck, or a combo of both. This opportunity was neither. As a multi level marketing company everyone above you gets a piece of whatever you do or sell. Realistically your commissions would be small and I felt surrounded by dreamers. Aside from that my basic experience was that these people knew little of how to manage their own finances let alone give someone else advice. Of the four people I talked with at least three knew little of equity trading. That is scary to me since basically any advice always includes equities or savings to some degree. They talked of selling life insurance.... yes this is an important item to consider. Ok so life insurance sales upon further review is commisioned based and since PFS is multi level marketing everyone above you gets a cut. They also use a warm market approach to sell meaning you start with friends, family and your own contact list. You will be selling them a (fair) product at a above average price for those who research what they are buying. As far as advising...yes you will teach people that know nothing of finance a little more than they currently know. Basically the programs and people just didnt sound like something im into. I just filled my calendar and stopped going. To a certian degree some people may have been 'offended' as I was part of their team or their recruit. Even reading these posts I can see that some responses are people that are offended at the mere suggestion that PFS is a scam. (its not in a legal sense) Im reading people saying go back to a 9-5 job or PFS doesnt need negative people. Right. Im just writing for information but anyone in PFS that doesnt understand our financial markets and then wants to sell products that revolve around them.....i suggest you work a 9-5 where you actually learn how they work instead of dreaming at meetings.

kawtar said...

Thank you for your post. I actually got a call from them today and I was curious to know about the company and the background before even calling the guy and give it a shot but that was pretty helpful. I got into those weird interviews from bunch of other companies such ad Red 10 and other fundraising companies in whom the manager makes you talk to the people in the street like an idiot and ask them for their credit card to help kids in poor countries.
I will give one advice to people who are looking for job. I know how hard it is to find a job nowadays but don't loose faith and go to such interviews without getting information about the company.
Good luck for everyone!!

MrHobbit said...

The phone call raised my hackles. I distrust anyone who tries to flatter me through my resume. He also said remarkably little, which always worries me, when I am getting approached for an interview I want the position to be clearly defined in the opening moves, the hollow sales pitch had me reaching for google soon as I got off the phone. I think I will skip out of this one.

Anonymous said...

In order to call something a scam, you first have to define what a scam is. One definition of a scam is that it is the taking advantage of the trust placed in one by others to defraud them out of their money.

By its very design, MLM is a scam where you are being asked to trust the person above you and asking the people below you to trust you while you are taking the money from the people who trust you and passing it up the the people who are taking advantage of your trust. Any MLM pyramid is a scam by this definition.

Unknown said...

After reading a small handful of comments posted on this website, all I can say is that soon after joining Primerica, the following month my checking account was drained. I think my team leaders with this company are somehow involved because something like this has never happened to me before. My account is currently under investigation.

Anonymous said...

Primerica may be legal, but it is unethical and run by con artists. I knew a couple who were very shady people. They look for the gullible, the childlike, and simple, the vulnerable. They sell life insurance and mutual funds that can be found for half the price if one just did some shopping around. Imagine the lies they must tell people:

Client: Is this a good deal? I haven't shopped around yet.

ConArtist Primerica person: Oh yes this is the best deal you will find, trust me, I go to church.

THeir culture has been compared to a cult because they rope people into parties where they pretend to socialiZe with their victims. I have seen what this couple really thinks of their customers: They think they are losers and look down on them. THey tend to join clubs the downtrodden frequent to look for their prey.

Anonymous said...

99 Dollars to start your own business????? try that if you want to own your own McDonald's store. I understand that most people are scared to work and get paid with commission, most just want to go to work, punch in and out and get paid hourly....

Getting state license is not cheap... I was skeptical to pay 99.00 to start with this company but i got my license within 60 days. Now, i sell life insurance, i get paid...I DO NOT SEE ANYTHING WRONG ABOUT THAT. THE MORE WORK THE MORE I GET PAID.

but yeah.. maybe you just wanna settle for hourly rates, maybe your fine with that.

Good luck everyone.

Examine the people you are listening to. Do they have what you want? if they don't? why ?

Anonymous said...

I've wondered the same thing. Probably the same person defending the company.

Anonymous said...

Primerica is a legitimate Company.
It is a multilevel Company, it is a good opportunity for some. I work for them a couple years, I loved the field, but I do not like multilevel. I hated, that before I had a license they were selling to my leads they told me was to train me...was boloney! I was making zero money,!they were making the money! Don't give them your leads until you have a license and YOU can make the money yourself.
I do not think is a good opportunity for the consumer at all. Primerica is much more expensive than most, have very little riders, they brain wash you, in the believe that cash value insurance is terrible, but they have no clue of how great it is!
I owe a good amount!
Term is like renting a house for 30 years...who would do that if they understand it? No one in the right set of mind, unless is all they can afford"
Insurance and finances are not like selling hot dogs, people need to be trained in each product, each company is different but Primerica criticize them all. They are pretty arrogant most of them.
Most of people who works in Primerica has no idea of what is doing, they do that on the side, is like been a cardiologist on the side with out going to school.
Are you having your heart replaced by the truck driver who do hearts on the side to make a bit more money to survive?
Well that's how is Primerica.
The Company makes great money charging people to pay for the License, but only about a 2% percent go through the process and do take the test.
So they keep the money for the license and he money for their website as well. If people pass the test they reimburse them. on the license and website when
That's how they make money on recruiting someone in their pyramid. It is not illegal, is like getting into Amway or Mary kay. Pyramids are illegal and it is not the same as a multilevel structure which is legal.
If you want to be in the Insurance Industry research top Mutual Insurance Company's/Financial. They are not in the ups and downs of the stock.
There are no stock holders in a Mutual Company, people who owes policies with them, are the owners/Share holders. This Companies tend to be the best and most solid ones. Go to Forbes.
Primerica Claims to be the number one in the Nation, they are not even on the list. Most of people they recruit believe in all they are told. They are not top by any means.
If you are interested in the Industry go for the best, get license,
Insurance and Finances can be one of the cheapest way to have your own business in the long run, is very lucrative if you are honest professional and good" Go for a mutual company with the top ratings. Those have the top training and best pay structure"

If what you want is a great thing there is a loot better than Primerica, but that does not make it illegal or a bad Company...Thou I will not do my finances with them now that I know better!

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Primerica is a legitimate Company.
It is a multilevel Company, it is a good opportunity for some. I work for them a couple years, I loved the field, but I do not like multilevel. I hated, that before I had a license they were selling to my leads they told me was to train me...was boloney! I was making zero money,!they were making the money! Don't give them your leads until you have a license and YOU can make the money yourself.
I do not think is a good opportunity for the consumer at all. Primerica is much more expensive than most, have very little riders, they brain wash you, in the believe that cash value insurance is terrible, but they have no clue of how great it is!
I owe a good amount!
Term is like renting a house for 30 years...who would do that if they understand it? No one in the right set of mind, unless is all they can afford"
Insurance and finances are not like selling hot dogs, people need to be trained in each product, each company is different but Primerica criticize them all. They are pretty arrogant most of them.
Most of people who works in Primerica has no idea of what is doing, they do that on the side, is like been a cardiologist on the side with out going to school.
Are you having your heart replaced by the truck driver who do hearts on the side to make a bit more money to survive?
Well that's how is Primerica.
The Company makes great money charging people to pay for the License, but only about a 2% percent go through the process and do take the test.
So they keep the money for the license and he money for their website as well. If people pass the test they reimburse them. on the license and website when
That's how they make money on recruiting someone in their pyramid. It is not illegal, is like getting into Amway or Mary kay. Pyramids are illegal and it is not the same as a multilevel structure which is legal.
If you want to be in the Insurance Industry research top Mutual Insurance Company's/Financial. They are not in the ups and downs of the stock.
There are no stock holders in a Mutual Company, people who owes policies with them, are the owners/Share holders. This Companies tend to be the best and most solid ones. Go to Forbes.
Primerica Claims to be the number one in the Nation, they are not even on the list. Most of people they recruit believe in all they are told. They are not top by any means.
If you are interested in the Industry go for the best, get license,
Insurance and Finances can be one of the cheapest way to have your own business in the long run, is very lucrative if you are honest professional and good" Go for a mutual company with the top ratings. Those have the top training and best pay structure"

If what you want is a great thing there is a loot better than Primerica, but that does not make it illegal or a bad Company...Thou I will not do my finances with them now that I know better!

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Primerica is a legitimate Company.
It is a multilevel Company, it is a good opportunity for some. I work for them a couple years, I loved the field, but I do not like multilevel. I hated, that before I had a license they were selling to my leads they told me was to train me...was boloney! I was making zero money,!they were making the money! Don't give them your leads until you have a license and YOU can make the money yourself.
I do not think is a good opportunity for the consumer at all. Primerica is much more expensive than most, have very little riders, they brain wash you, in the believe that cash value insurance is terrible, but they have no clue of how great it is!
I owe a good amount!
Term is like renting a house for 30 years...who would do that if they understand it? No one in the right set of mind, unless is all they can afford"
Insurance and finances are not like selling hot dogs, people need to be trained in each product, each company is different but Primerica criticize them all. They are pretty arrogant most of them.
Most of people who works in Primerica has no idea of what is doing, they do that on the side, is like been a cardiologist on the side with out going to school.
Are you having your heart replaced by the truck driver who do hearts on the side to make a bit more money to survive?
Well that's how is Primerica.
The Company makes great money charging people to pay for the License, but only about a 2% percent go through the process and do take the test.
So they keep the money for the license and he money for their website as well. If people pass the test they reimburse them. on the license and website when
That's how they make money on recruiting someone in their pyramid. It is not illegal, is like getting into Amway or Mary kay. Pyramids are illegal and it is not the same as a multilevel structure which is legal.
If you want to be in the Insurance Industry research top Mutual Insurance Company's/Financial. They are not in the ups and downs of the stock.
There are no stock holders in a Mutual Company, people who owes policies with them, are the owners/Share holders. This Companies tend to be the best and most solid ones. Go to Forbes.
Primerica Claims to be the number one in the Nation, they are not even on the list. Most of people they recruit believe in all they are told. They are not top by any means.
If you are interested in the Industry go for the best, get license,
Insurance and Finances can be one of the cheapest way to have your own business in the long run, is very lucrative if you are honest professional and good" Go for a mutual company with the top ratings. Those have the top training and best pay structure"

If what you want is a great thing there is a loot better than Primerica, but that does not make it illegal or a bad Company...Thou I will not do my finances with them now that I know better!

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Primerica is a legitimate Company.
It is a multilevel Company, it is a good opportunity for some. I work for them a couple years, I loved the field, but I do not like multilevel. I hated, that before I had a license they were selling to my leads they told me was to train me...was boloney! I was making zero money,!they were making the money! Don't give them your leads until you have a license and YOU can make the money yourself.
I do not think is a good opportunity for the consumer at all. Primerica is much more expensive than most, have very little riders, they brain wash you, in the believe that cash value insurance is terrible, but they have no clue of how great it is!
I owe a good amount!
Term is like renting a house for 30 years...who would do that if they understand it? No one in the right set of mind, unless is all they can afford"
Insurance and finances are not like selling hot dogs, people need to be trained in each product, each company is different but Primerica criticize them all. They are pretty arrogant most of them.
Most of people who works in Primerica has no idea of what is doing, they do that on the side, is like been a cardiologist on the side with out going to school.
Are you having your heart replaced by the truck driver who do hearts on the side to make a bit more money to survive?
Well that's how is Primerica.
The Company makes great money charging people to pay for the License, but only about a 2% percent go through the process and do take the test.
So they keep the money for the license and he money for their website as well. If people pass the test they reimburse them. on the license and website when
That's how they make money on recruiting someone in their pyramid. It is not illegal, is like getting into Amway or Mary kay. Pyramids are illegal and it is not the same as a multilevel structure which is legal.
If you want to be in the Insurance Industry research top Mutual Insurance Company's/Financial. They are not in the ups and downs of the stock.
There are no stock holders in a Mutual Company, people who owes policies with them, are the owners/Share holders. This Companies tend to be the best and most solid ones. Go to Forbes.
Primerica Claims to be the number one in the Nation, they are not even on the list. Most of people they recruit believe in all they are told. They are not top by any means.
If you are interested in the Industry go for the best, get license,
Insurance and Finances can be one of the cheapest way to have your own business in the long run, is very lucrative if you are honest professional and good" Go for a mutual company with the top ratings. Those have the top training and best pay structure"

If what you want is a great thing there is a loot better than Primerica, but that does not make it illegal or a bad Company...Thou I will not do my finances with them now that I know better!

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Google: “primerica scam”
Result: 20,100 results (in small print below the Search bar)

Google: “microsoft scam”
Result: 29,800 results

Google: “coca-cola scam”
Result: 37,900 results

Google: “royal bank scam”
Result: 56,900 results


Check OUT THE SCAM!!
http://youtu.be/bljUDBb8oQ8

Anonymous said...

To the writer of this Blog and those who post negative comments about Primerica....

The Highest Form of Ignorance is Rejecting Something You Have No Real Knowledge of in the First Place.

BTW.... how's your 9-5 minimum wage J-O-B going for you anyways?

Anonymous said...

Amazing... Both Sides of America ! The Leaders and the followers. Its a scam when it doesnt work for you beacuase your a follower.. Like any self made millionaire, they work hard to get where they are at. "IF YOU DONT BUILD YOUR DREAM, SOME ONE ELSE WILL HIRE YOU TO HELP HIM BUILD HIS". Yes, Primerica may not be for everyone simply becuase not everyone is a leader and takes control of there future.. It doesnt matter what you do for a living.. If you are an employee, you are building someone elses dream.. If you work for yourself even part time with primerica or invested in your own buisness you are a leader.. moving forward.. Life is short so live it your best..

Anonymous said...

Horseshit

Anonymous said...

I recently had an interview with a Priamerica recruiter.

First the recruiter explained what the company was all about, but then it started sounding like an infomercial.

Second, when the recruiter started explaining how his business worked, it went like this: "I would get 50% of profit from each entity/agent I would manage. An example, if Entity A put $125 of their money in their account, I would get $125." In other words, I would be STEALING all their money! That is wrong!

Then he stated:
"We've been in busy for 37 years. Your training & classes you need to get your state license are paid for by the corporation....you never have to worry about getting laid off...you'll be financially secure & make good money" Big red flag went up!

Then the recruiter said that once I become "vice-present" I could start my own "branch"...which I thought was unrealistic.

Then he told me "I had to pay $99 for a background check". Another red flag went up!



I have filled out enough job applications to know a scam when I see one & THIS was an obvious scam.
If a company is requiring you to pay just to be employed, it's not legit.

Eventually, I got up & said to him, "Thanks, but I'm not interested." & walked out.

IT'S A SCAM PEOPLE! RUN!

Anonymous said...

I am really glad I saw this. I was in Army Active Duty for 6.5 years and got out to go to college. Now currently Army Reserves. I went to a job fair met this RVP there. I handed her my resume and she didnt even look at it and said your exactly what we are looking for seemed strange to me. It also seemed to good to be true cause I have been out for over a year and thought I caught my big break. My unit knows my situation and helps me with employment as much as possible but since I am using the GI Bill I am getting paid by the govt to go to college so not so worried about full time but part time would be nice. My unit asked me about my employment statues to see if I was looking and I told my NCO/ Supervisor Primerica offered me a job. His exact words dont you fucking do it your better then that garbage. He explained it was a scam and that some of the soldiers in our unit got dragged into it and were fighting to make ends meet. I thought it was an exageration. We even have breifs that unemployed soldiers avoid companies like this. I went to the interview showed up 5 mins early. We met at Barns and Nobles. She immediately started talking about how much money she makes and asked me if I have lots of friends, a wife, single, divorced, house, apartment, and ect. I thought this was quit unprofessional and answered her I wish not to disclose that information she looked offended and kept going about her personal life it lasted for 15 mins. After 15 more mins of us sitting there she is really trying to sell the job to me my dumbass was thinking wow they really must want vets at this company. The meeting was done and we set up another meeting for next week which is tomorrow. On my way home I started to think hard about it and thought why the hell would she want to hire me I have no experience in finance or sales or a degree for that matter. After reading all this it makes since now. How to know its really a scam your unit tells you not to do it. So i will cancel the interview tomorrow thank you for all of yalls input. One more thing seen lot of the Primerica comments defending the company. One thing is if you neglect someone cause they dont want to join and say have fun in your uniforms you already show how immature and unprofessional the employees of this company really are. Just seeing that comment is all I needed to see to say no. So thank you Primerica employee for helping me be 100% sure. I want to work with professionals not little kids who go on temper tandrims.

Anonymous said...

The people that think prI'm Erica is a scam are idiots and will work for the rest of their lives and would t retire when they want most of them not all of them I make 8000 a Month so I'dk how that's a scam plus it's listed on the new York Stock Exchange and regulated by the government you must have been horrible at it so you're trying to bring the company down or you probably work for state farm

Anonymous said...

Only stupid ppl cant do primerica. If u cant succeed in a business that is basically given to you then your dumb as rocks. Warren powers ex football player google him works for primerica. My RVP makes 400k a year. You have to actually be smart. Its not a scam. They give the opportunity for everyone but everyone cant do it. They dnt say only people with degrees can do it bc thats not fair for the people who come out of high school with a 4.0 and doesn't want to go to college. Sorry to burst your bubble. And uneducated one please look up pyramid scheme. They're illegal. So not primerica isn't a pyramid. Primerica is an agent brooker business just like Real estate. So instead of just going and going the business and making money you dumbed yourself down in missed out on something great. N this is why the rich get richer n the poor get poorer. Understand capitalism hun. And when you google ppl being a jehovahs witness its gonna say cult and they dnt believe in jesus n blablabla but thats not true either. They're the only legit christian religion on earth. But google was made for gullible ppl like you. Who believes Christmas is good. Having a job is great n working for yourself is bad. And helping families and making money is a pyramid scheme. If you learned how primerica helps middle income families you'd delete this post.

Anonymous said...

You are a monkey ass dumb fuck for compaing it to a drivers license. You know you take a test to get a drivers license right? Do you take a test with Primerica to become a salesman? Nope, they just take your money and only because my office doesn't hire monkey ass dumb fucks like yourself are you stuck doing this shit.

Anonymous said...

This comment is supposed to be credible when you say this is the finance industry? I actually work in finance, and this is the worst lie or largest twist of words in history. Insurance firms are scam artists that only last long enough to pretend to be moral. There is nothing finance related to it besides racking in money based off of people's fear, to only pretend to be useful to a small proportion of their revenue stream.

Anonymous said...

I was invited to attend a meeting, it was a recruiting drive to build on their MLM.

I got as far as taking the Insurance course and registering for a Licence.

I was told the easy way to get started was to sell to my families members and friends.

Then one of my friend reminded my that was the first step in loosing families and friend.

I can not denied the concept of "Buy term and invest the different" is bad.

But can people invest the difference when there are so many of them jobless and can not afford to eat.

I could not live with though of selling to someone and them selling the dream to join my network of fellow MLMer.

Anonymous said...

Primerica went public in 2010. that means other companies had to invest millions of dollars into the company. do you think they did their research before they wrote a check like that? they more than likely did a lot more research than whoever wrote this article. also, if primerica was a pyramid scheme, it would no longer be a company because pyramids are illegal.

Unknown said...

Hello

Anonymous said...

Wow I wouldn't respond to you either your level if ignorance is ridiculous

Anonymous said...

Priamerica is not an scam. Its an business like any other. Except for, its part of the financial industry like any other major companies. Most small companies who branch off from big companies always have some "scam" alert, that's because their not big and not known. The big companies are well known because they bring in the big buckaroos.Think of it as Wall Street, their market is big and makes billions because they invest 99% of companies and people invest in companies by buying stocks and shares. Its a win or lose because the average stockholder puts in about $500 per st stock. Over the years you can millions, thousands, hundreds or lose. Financial companies are like.casinos. Whar you put in isn't what your going to get out until you have tried an x amount of times and you won or until you have reached your spending limit to put in. S
A few may even.go.broke necause its habitual.for them to.keep playing until they nothing left in their pockets. In order for small financial companies like Primerica to gain clientele, you must have the right leaders and you have to have the right representative who is going to show, train, and explain everything you need to do correctly. For example, my rep, is going to be by myside once I get my license and trained. You cannot.go into the field and expect to gain money and thinking you are going to make millions. Think about your communities, churches, or other small organizations that you can.help.people who are struggling who needs resources to learn how to.survive and.gain their financial freedom back. You don't have to sell anything, you can help people. Its not all about selling Products and getting people to buy. People are paid to educate people, like teachers, professors, and even people that are working for non profit organization are getting paid something although it isn't much. Its about reaching to people who are within the middle and poor class and cannot understand or get the financial freedom they want because they are not taught how important budgeting is. For example, companies Like JP Morgan, and Merrill Lynch are Financial companies that only help wealthy clients. You wouldn't see them in any projects or such urban areas. Only around wealthy areas who are making more than $70,000 Per year. Anyone making less and are in debt, won't be financially stable in the futurefuture. #1 rent is getting higher and more eexpensive, #2 food is getting expensive, #3 more than 70% people in America don't have life insurance, #4 remember anything can happen to you or your loved ones and if you don't have life insurance along with the correct medical insurance, then you as POA or next to kin will be responsible for you loved one's bills especially medically. I, personally come from an medical background and medical bills can raxk up to $3000 easily. Its sad, but true. An.average stay is about $1000 per night. If you want an Private room, you pay more. I truly want to help people, not sell. Remember, its not just about selling its about understanding securing your future financially!! If anything happens to you, do you have enough, right now, to secure your future for the.next 15-40+ years if you are no longer able to work? Especially if you are living pay check to pay check. This type of financing industry is not for everyone, because you have to think.outside the.box. You cannot be a follwer nor everyone is an leader. How many jobs have you been thru and your managers or leaders are always excellent and say the right thing or try to help? That answer, maybe 1% or 2% of people who has leadership positions are leaders and the rest only for the money or whatever reason. I am concluding this. Everyone has their own opinion about Priamerica. It all starts with you and who your leader is. If you feel your leader isn't showing you or training you correctly, of course you are going to feel so,e type of way and refuse. I wish everyone luck on their jpurney into securing their future and be debt free. Goodbye and.good luck. God.bless all.

Nathan Argenta said...

Great article on Primerica Jennifer... And your right about Primerica financial services. The only way you can make a full time income in Primerica business is by working hard by building your team and selling people overpriced insurance!

Anonymous said...

I got this same phone call yesterday and was very skeptical. Started researching the company and behold, found this blog. Thanks for the heads-up. My gutt was correct.

Carlos Miguel De Villa said...

Hi thanks for posting something about scams! I really can't believe that they have issues about philippine prudential scams.

tolobelt said...

2014 annual report......avg policies sold, per rep, for the entire year.....2.28 I dont know about you, but selling one policy every 5 1/2 months wont put foot on anybody's table. Even if their sales force was reduced 90% (to 10,000 reps), selling even 22.8 policies (less than 2 a month) still makes it a bad choice as a second job, especially considering you pay all your own expenses, and spend 30 hours a month at company meetings alone.

Anonymous said...

I've been working with Primerica for about three months. Inititally, I had reservations and actually used the phrase "Pyramid Scheme" when speaking with the Regional Vice President. He is young man and someone who grew up in the business, so he got very offended. He put no pressure on me to join, just pitched to me honestly about the benefits if I put in the work.

I've only paid the initial $99, which covered the background check and independent business license. They paid for the classess and for me to get my providers licenses. I feel VERY STRONGLY that they've been open and honest with me from the very start. But what convinced me to proceed was that my girlfriend, an ivy league graduate, had been a customer for a few years and raved about the service she'd gotten from Primerica. She said they "changed her life".

This is just one person's experience. And as each office is independently owned and operated, you may run into some people who run theirs a little less ethically than others. My experience has been positive. They've allowed me to move as slowly as I want and I'm just now getting into it. And in all honesty, I've learned more about managing my own finances, and the basics of finance management, than I had at any point in my life.

Anonymous said...

i find it amazing as to how many people are stuck in what i now call the primerica bubble. i used to be one of the primerica guys that was saying all the same stuff you primerica guys are saying now and you only know what you know about the industry because of what your rvp or upline wants you to know. now before you say oh you quit because you couldn't make it happen or you couldn't build a business just stop. i had a very large team and was running a satellite branch and was making $75000 per year which is a lot more than the majority of people will ever make in primerica so i was very successful. i was just one of the smart ones that explored the products available and the comp system to know that primerica is a scam in a different way than most of you are referring to. they don't scam money from clients as a matter of fact buy term and invest the difference is a great philosophy which i still teach today. but they do scam the money away from its sales force and you are all severely under paid. as for their products they are expensive and now i belong to an mga and am able to find the most valuable product best suited for the clients needs. now i practice buy lower cost term and invest more of the difference (argue that one for a while if you like). i bought my policy in 2006 and pay 159 monthly and am now replacing it 10 years later for 120 per month with a term policy with more options. so once you primerica guys learn the comp system and get out of your bubble and realize there is more than one company serving middle income familys properly and there are products out there that you don't have access to or even know about because primerica tells the investment reps not to tell you about them than you have already failed your clients. after i left my investment reps shook my hand and said let me show you what else we have that is way better for the clients with lower mer and better returns i was floored. i know storeys of pfs reps investing 1.6 million for clients in common sense and back end loading it and making huge commissions for a client that doesn't have a 7 year time horizon so they can get a huge check and chase a ring or a watch rather than do a Low load for the client which is the correct thing to do. oh wait common sense doesn't have a low load just dsc and front end. and if you want to do a front end well good luck getting approval as your upline won't let it happen as they won't get paid, instead your uplink will tell you all the money they will make in commonsense will offset the dsc when they withdrawl. get your head out of your a$$ and learn something new not what you are told by someone who doesn't know more than your. do your due deligence for your clients sake!

Anonymous said...

If he got hit with charge backs he must really not been that good.

Anonymous said...

I was in Pfs for 8 years. I'm not proud of it. When I quit my level was a district manager. Then I found out how little needed to be done to be a RVP. That made me smile 😊. So, now I have my own agency with my own brand ULKing.com . If you really want to be in the financial services business I will tell you how to do it for free.

Unknown said...

You have a cap on your salary or hourly pay when you work your daily job. But with primerica, you make as much as you want.

Anonymous said...

I am 29 and make money with Primerica. The initial fee was $99 and was worth it. There are tax write offs for being a business owner. The state of California allowed me to become licensed for life sales. I've done several policies and have had others join me. The state won't issue legitimate licenses if it was a scam. People who are happy working 9-5 and want to get SS at the retirement is fine. But there are a select few who actually can see the bigger picture beyond $99. I will be getting my securities licenses soon as well. This company has paid me back for what I put in. The thing that keeps me motivated is the fact that I know what I am offering people is money if their loved ones die for a fee. I know what its like to lose a loved one and seeing the family lose everything as a result of no life insurance.
Working for yourself is not for everyone because not everyone is good at explaining the way things work to others. Without that basic skill it leaves them with whatever job they have. Very seldom do people see this as an opportunity to break free from Just Over Broke into a career.

Unknown said...

As I read through quite a few responses. I began to realize I went through something very similar but with a different company.
It all started my senior year in high school. Graduation was coming up. I was approached by someone. They said the were from the local college. I gave the guy my number. A few days goes by and I get a phone call from this guy. He asks to set an appointment with me. I set one.

(At this point I am going beyond were Mr. Nachosrule had the courtesy to stand the poor guy up, wasting the guys time that he set aside to meet with Mr. Nachosrule.)

I showed up. Sat through a presentation and a Q&A session. I found out I either had to pay a large amount of money up front or take out a loan before I could start. I decided to go for it and I signed up. I went home a talked to my friends and family. To find out that my uncle tried that college thing. He did it for two and a half years. The whole time he never made any money. He had to keep paying for the classes and books. My mom told me he had to live with my grandma because he was not making money. Some of my friends that are doing this college thing said that if I worked hard, studied and learned, that one day I could make a lot of money. That is if you can find someone to hire you after you graduate. They said some doctors and lawyers make around $100,000 a year. I thought, well since I have to put money up front, I have to work hard and not get paid, to hopefully make a lot of money if I find employment. Sounds like a scam to me. Maybe I should put out a public service announcement to warn people against the scam of that college thing.
What it truly comes down to is people do not want to take a risk on themselves to make it work if it requires hard work. It is not a get rich quick. It is like any other business, it requires time, energy, effort, sweat and tears to get it going. If you are lazy and/ or lack work ethic Primerica is not for you.

Uzma Mir said...

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Anonymous said...

If you already have your insurance license prior to working with Primerica you do not pay and fees. Only if you are not licensed do they give you the option of doing the prelicensing through their classes and you paYing $99 for that. They pay for your state test too.

BigC said...

I agree with you 100%

BigC said...

Yeah they usually just target low income people around my area. Some on my friends got a call from them.

BigC said...

Ikr

Anonymous said...

Do some real work work you Primerica Thugs instead of luring innocent people in your trap. You are nothing more than a blood sucking parasite who lives on other's hard work and money.

Wake up dum dums said...

Primerica is NOT the largest financial services company in the world.

One thing you Primerica fanboys all seem to have in common (at least here in this comment section) is that you all seem pretty soft-headed, easily programed to spout this nonsense without ever actually considering if any of the nonsense they pump your tiny minds full of has any basis in reality.

The HILARIOUS irony here is that you fanboys actually have the audacity to think you're better than an average employee because you've been told that you're a "business owner." You goofy, fail-at-life clowns DON'T OWN SHIT! You get paid commission after selling a product, guess where all the money from your sale, minus your commission, goes? Hey you wannabe business owners, WHY DON'T YOU ACTUALLY START YOUR VERY OWN BUSINESS? Primerica has clearly done a number on your weak, child-like minds, you work for free until you make a sale, they give you the tiniest portion of the revenue you just generated and you're okay with it because they tell you you're a business owner, "workload creator not workload processor", etc, etc pump you full of this misguided sense of superiority over typical employees getting paid for their time, probably making loads more than you are because they aren't working for (mostly) free like you poor saps.

Go start your own successful business from the ground up, then you can brag to typical employees. A typical employee is higher on the foodchain than you Primerica fan boys, at least they don't work for almost nothing- all you get is a small commish and a pat on the back along with a bunch of lies about you owning something. You don't own shit.

Unknown said...

It's the sly way you do business the trickery and the seeking of vulnerable people and easily brainedwashed people that i have a problem with. and how amazing it is that all of your recruiters have drs and mba and have people quit there high paying jobs to work for you. To sum it up primamerica is a commission based job if your good at sales then you may do well with them but could do just as well in any type of sells ie cars, real estate. The difference is that to be a car salesman or real estate agent you're not being milked out of your hard earned money to pay unnecessary membership fees and unnecessary seminars. If every one that works for primerica think they are working for themselves they are lying to themselves if you really think you're that smart then become I truly independent broker and go on your own without the primerica umbrella that scams hard working people out of there money

Unknown said...

Samir Quereshi does make around 30k a month. He has been working at it for a long time. His hard work has let to a ton of exposure for Primerica and a ton of people who enjoy being a customer of theirs.

Unknown said...

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Unknown said...

Derival
I have only 3 questions:
1- Why hiding your identity if it is so true?
2- why not talking so good about your company and your boss the we do in Primerica?
3- If we decide to spend money in Primerica for our retirements, Insurances, and more. Why you so care?
Don't you have a family to care and a life with dreams to pursue?
check out how much they say about God, Boyscouts, Girscouts, Walmarts, Bank of America, Wellsfargo and many more. Why? some people that is what they are good for.

Anonymous said...

Recently I was in Primerica and when I realized it wasn't for me, the higher up started using manipulative language to try to get me back in. Definitely not for me.

By the way, do you think you could give some tips for aspiring business owners?

Anonymous said...

I hate to revive this post but I will say my experience...I used to be part of Primerica and even made it to district leader but overall the experience was not for me and my passion was in engineering and I couldn't give that up no matter how good it may have seemed... and being paid by commission and making cold-calls was not for me...I'll admit there were millionaires in the company and it can work for some but you have to recruit and build a pyramid...essentially when people beneath you make money you make money and when those people's direct recruits make money it goes up the hierarchy onto you and then to the guy who hired you... there is also a very complex system when you reach a certain level you have to give up a few of the people you trained to the guy above you and you start over. . Let this sink in for a moment suppose you train a person who eventually becomes a millionaire their benefits won't go to you because you had to give them up when you had to get promoted. From the outside it looks like a shady business but on the inside it's like clockwork... it's not for everyone though...you can go months without making a sale and that's the tough part...also be prepared to have family and friends begin to avoid you... I'll say it this way, once you start pitching the idea their way they'll immediately start to avoid you. I'll admit one thing the culture and atmosphere was great. And if there was nothing else to do I would have done it but it just wasn't for me.

Slainoracle said...

Hey, this is crazy, I've actually seen your post a few places. My dad too was scammed by these buffoons, luckily he got out of it. I hope your mom got out of it eventually. Do you have any more stories about these reprehensible pieces of human debris? I'd love to hear more from you.

Slainoracle said...

Hey, this is crazy, I've actually seen your post a few places. My dad too was scammed by these buffoons, luckily he got out of it. I hope your mom got out of it eventually. Do you have any more stories about these reprehensible pieces of human debris? I'd love to hear more from you.

Skippy said...

Any company selling another company's Mutual Fund (not even their own funds) and charging 5% front loaded fee with a 1% annual fee is a scam!

Unknown said...

Proof of how America is great. Even clueless people have the right to free speech

denish said...

http://usahotelcontact.info/

Anonymous said...

Sat through two of these presentations (i mean sales pitches) with an PFS agent.

They got my wife to agree to a meeting because her close friend reached out to her for help saying "I'm training and need your help going through a presentation" With her being a close friend, she agreed. They wanted me (the husband to join) which made me laugh - because i new this was going to turn into a sales pitch,

Showed up because i wanted to help my wife's friend. First time I actually gave the Agent real numbers because I didn't know any better. Well turned into a sales pitch. Eventually he pressed hard and I declined due to the initial reason I came to the meeting "was to help a friend." Primerica still sends me advertisements in the mail 3 years later.

Second time I gave them fake numbers. PFS Agent was irritated and kept asking me for my personal information. (i.e 401k balance, savings, checking, net income) I declined multiple times and said I was uncomfortable with giving them that information. Re-iterated I was there for training purposes and they should be ok with using fake number

They asked the trainee to drop off the call and started to press harder and harder. I told both agents that I'm here just for training purposes. The agents then refused to give me the quote on the investment. I said that's fine, I wasn't there to purchase their services anyway.

Agent said to me "That's fine, you're just another client."

Extremely happy I did not sign with Primerica after hearing that. I could give the presentation if I spent enough time studying it. Will definitley use a different company once I'm in the market.

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