BBB cautions students seeking traveling sales work
GREATER AKRON — The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Akron is sending a word of caution to college and high school students who find summer employment with traveling magazine sales crews.
According to the BBB, information has revealed these offers often begin with ads promising good pay, all-expenses-paid travel, free training and interviews conducted in hotels or motels. Students may be pressured to sign on quickly, but young adults may potentially be working with dangerous individuals.
Parents should be aware that traveling sales crews may pose dangerous working conditions, according to the BBB. Complaints have included being forced to work long hours, unsupervised co-ed living conditions in motels, and the risk of arrest by local authorities for not getting legally required permits to sell door-to-door. The BBB cautions consumers to keep their homes secure and resist the temptation to answer the door when a stranger knocks.
The BBB also offers these suggestions in considering traveling sales employment:
• Request written details of travel, food and housing arrangements.
• Determine who pays for expenses, how long training lasts and if you will be paid during the training period.
• Get documentation of your rate of pay and how often you are to be paid.
• Ask what happens if a customer cancels an order. Will the canceled order be deducted from your income?
• Find out whether you can return home or call home any time you want. Ask how family and friends can reach you while traveling. Anyone joining a traveling sales crew should have a way to call home if they become stranded with no money available. • If you feel in danger, call the local police department and ask for assistance.
• Check the company offering employment with the BBB. Reliability reports can be obtained by calling (330) 253-4590 or (800) 825-8887, or by visiting the Web site www.akronbbb.org.
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