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CB Unauthorized Charges Review of Maintenance Engineering
Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance Engineering review: Unauthorized billing 8

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8:25 am EST
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I am currently a sales person for Maintenance Engineering and was perusing through my e-mails while in my rookie training period when I encountered a sales position opening in my area for Superior Lamps. I did a little further investigation to find that their products and training material is 99.9% the same as ME's (The only difference was Superior calls their lights 'Enviro-safe' and ME calls theirs 'Earth-Safe').

Now, the product itself is great. It truly is as I have done research on it. The problem is that it is grossly over-priced.

I mentioned this company to my rookie sales manager and he advised that Superior and ME have a 'financial agreement' but they are competitors of ours. He even went on to give me some BS story that he once owned a hot tub store and when another hot tub store opened up next door that their business actually improved. What? OK, I get McDonalds and BK being next to each other may have this effect, but not when McDonalds is next to McDonalds! Superior & ME have the same exact product with the same exact price.

I have read other ex-employees of Superior's complaints and only wish that I had read them before giving my $495 to ME for 'training materials' (Superior only charges $399). The person that interviewed/recruited me did say that trainers would be sent out to me during the first 12 weeks which they did, but the process/pitch is so simple (and rather pushy and unprofessional I might add) that I learned nothing from these trainers that I didn't already learn from the DVD's they sent in the training package.

Of course it wasn't until the day prior to the first trainer showing up did they tell me that the trainer would get the commission on any sales that day he came out. I had already busted my ### to schedule as many appointments as possible, and yes we made two sales (that I could have sold just as easily) that I did not get the commission on (oh, but the customer is mine for repeat sales).

I am so glad I read the testimonials regarding all expense paid trip to NJ (written by ex-Superior employees). I can only imagine the nightmare of having to make 8 hours worth of phone calls and freezing my ### off in North Dakota.

I do have to say that the sales managers are quite pleasant and frequently say 'good job', which is different than I have read from other complaints. Maybe that is because I paid $95 more for my training materials.

Just recently ME increased the warranty on it's fluorescents from 60 months to 84 months. Now I see why - I read from other complaints that Superior made the customer purchase a pack of bulbs to replace a lamp if it failed within the warranty period. It all makes sense now. They want more customers to call with a failed lamp so they can sell a pack (minus one).

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

8 comments
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MrJohnCool34
Coshocton, US
Aug 22, 2014 12:30 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Superior Lamp is nothing but a Money Greedy company. Preying on Low Income people like myself. I tried to work with them and confronted them about the lies I was told. Telling me no one would be within 50 miles of me and found someone was closer. Also stated about a Web Conference for training and it was a Phone Conference. Was told 2 different things for the Leads that you can email them and they will contact leads and setup appointments and the manager over me or my supervisor said it to get me started and I do calls myself while on the road. Liars, Cheaters, Scam and worst of all won't REFUND you but THREATEN you with having to pay for a conference and training. That is a LOAD OF BULL CRAP! I tell them I am done with them and want a refund and they THREATENED me to pay for training / conference calls? Come on that right there tells me they have no real work ethics and need SHUT DOWN! Plus charging me for products for Demo's to possible clients? That is totally wrong and bad BUSINESS! Charging me for Flashlights and other products I may want to send to clients out of a catalog as well. WRONG KIND OF BUSINESS. You want to show appreciation to your business to business sales then the BUSINESS pays for it NOT THE EMPLOYEE! WATCH OUT FOR SUPERIOR LAMP INC! FILE COMPLAINTS WITH THE BBB! THEY NEED AN F RATING AND SHUT DOWN FOR THE LIARS AND SCAM THEY ARE!

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Dan The Closer
, US
Apr 23, 2012 1:00 am EDT

Yep - you called it - scam city. Now the fee is down to $99.00 but everything else is the same - total ###. The co called "trainer" came into my town for a day. We walked into 25 businesses made 10 presentations and sold nothing! They try to strong arm clients into buying after only a 2 minute presentation - the gimmick is to hand them a swiss army flashlight (costs the sales rep $12.00 each) and if the client does not buy - they ask for it back as it's only given with new orders today! I've been in direct sales for 43 years and never seen such a rude, crude way of trying to sell over priced goods. When I contacted them the day after training and told them I was sending their "sales kit" back and expected a refund of my $99.00 - they basically said good luck.

Naturally, I will dispute the charge with my credit card company and get the money back but if you were running a legitimate company, would you want all this to happen for a lousy $99.00? It will be all over the blogs - the BBB is involved, really - for $99.00 and you got your goods back?

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1 john boy
Duluth, US
May 27, 2011 2:35 pm EDT

If you have a heart beat you can have a Job selling for Superior Lamp, Inc. or Maintenance Engineering, LTD. Two companies selling the same thing, light bulbs at huge mark ups.(Example: F32T8 $21.96 each, you can purchase a bulb of the same brightness at any decent electric outlet for 1/10th the cost) They will want to interview you. Asking all the correct questions. You'll hang up the telephone wondering if you have scored a really good job that's going to make you lots of Moo la.
Surprise -- They want you to go to work selling for them.
One more thing I forgot to mention, You will need to purchase a sales kit $399.00. No return's

You'll start prospecting all your warm leads and setting up appointment so when the trainer comes to your town your not just cold calling.

You'll sell $2000.00 in bulbs your first week. Then the next week comes and another trainer comes to town and you'll sell another $2000.00 in bulbs and your mouth is watering because you can taste the commission. The third week comes and you have exhausted all your warm leads and you sell $300.00 in bulbs.

You are thinking wow 40% of $4300.00 = $1720.00 in commission. NICE!

Then you get your commission check and its only $120.00. You call up your primary contact person and he will tell you that when the trainer is helping you learn, he is the one receiving the commission. The trainer did not pay for any of my gas for two weeks I drove them around in my car, I even bought the ###'s their lunch, and they smiled and they thanked me.

I'm telling you now Run Forest Run, Don't walk away from the opportunity to sell for Superior Lamp, Inc. or Maintenance Engineering LTD they are both the ### of the earth.

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Richar Prior
Richfield Springs, US
Sep 14, 2010 12:04 pm EDT

I worked for superior lamp for about five months and found out exactly what kind of business they were. Whatever you do read the sales agreement before doing anything. They held on to 25% percent of my commision for 150 days and when the time came to colllect they said I owed them 85 dollars. The Matches that they offer to tempt you to sell more can be charged back if you leave the company. So every time they put a match dollar amount on the books its just money in the bank for them. They also said that some of my customers did not pay for the full amount of the bulbs...when I called the customers I found it to be a lie and that threy also had done phone sales calls to all of my customers trying to trick them into more bulbs. While I was a salesmen for them i was offered a job where i currently work doing marketting. I took the job after selling them some of the superior lamp bulbs. They had some cheeseball call here and tell the guy I sold the bulbs to here, that he was going to send him a package of golf balls. He sent out the golf balls and a six hundred dollar order that I had sent in five months ago. They changed the name on the order and had yet too pay me on either of the orders that came to my current employer. Little did they realize that I was working at That business. I caught on and called them only to find some clueless salesmen that they conned into doing all of this... Theres more but I havnt got the time to go on and on...Im planning a trip to new jersey...I cant wait.

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didmewrong
, US
May 31, 2010 10:14 pm EDT

Not to long ago Maintenance Engineering took my $495.00. The way i got it all back and what they won't tell you is that all you have to do is call your Bank our your credit card company and ask to speak with the fraud department. Tell them what happened and they will give you your 495 dollars back now all you will have to do is send back the stuff with a tracking number so you can prove that it all went back if you have any questions about any of it just e-mail me and i will help you get your money back my e-mail is doubledelectrical@yahoo.com

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capriatdave
Brownsville, US
Jan 03, 2010 10:21 am EST

The people in these complaints were disgruntled past employees that want a free ride with no ambition to work. You are actually self employed and only selling the products of these company's. It is up to you to get out there and work ! ME invests a lot of money to train you at no expense to you and your commitment fee is returned within 3 months if you are comitted even if your not a hard worker you can usually make that goal in 4-5 months. In the meantime your building a customer base and making a good living. ME lamps are made in America and are earth safe as far as mercury. I have never witnessed a better company that backs up there products and stands by their warranty.

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Electrical Guy
Carpentersville, US
Nov 27, 2009 9:06 pm EST

This company is a scam, they want sales people to PAY for traing material. Do not send them money! Their bulbs are not made by them, they are made out of the country, and are WAY over priced.

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AmericanPatriot
Rock Hill, US
May 07, 2009 11:54 am EDT

I just turned down an "offer" from Superior Lamp (Hiring Manager w/zero OSR experience: "You're in the top 2 of over 200 job applicants for your area, but we must fill the two positions for your area by noon tomorrow!"...yea, right.) based on my extensive online research (indeed.com, message boards, etc), and numerous email responses I received from current OSRs and former OSRs for both ME and SL. Nope, not going to PAY a company to go to work for them as a 1099 contractor. Buyer beware...do your research...better yet, look elsewhere.

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