Menu
American Income Life Insurance

American Income Life Insurance review: scam and cheating! 84

T
Author of the review
12:00 am EST
Review updated:
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I was an employee of this company who relies on the inexperience of new agents to run this scam on union members and their friends (family). Many of the agents truly believe that they are helping out union members due to the fact that they themselves have been brainwashed. The objective is to get as many sales as possible regardless of what means they need to use. The agents will lie to the union members on the phone in order to book the appointments, and if they miscalculate the costs of a policy, they will simply leave products promised to them off of the policy. Though it is unethical, they will encourage people to drop their other policies for American Incomes more expensive policy. And when they are unsure of facts they make them up, including scaring people into believing that they will not have enough money for burial. The agents also sell products to people without making them aware of the fact that the products will change or drop off at a certain age. And falsely advising them on policies that they are unfamiliar with.

After doing my research I could no longer sell the product. I just wish I could encourage all the union members to be cautious!

Resolved

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

84 comments
Add a comment
N
N
Neit Ojeda
Miami, US
Jul 30, 2022 11:38 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

AIL IS A 100% SCAM! I worked with AIL for 6 months and it’s about recruiting And building a pyramid . It’s a cover to get rich by people’s saving. Stay AWAY!

F
F
FrancesHenry
, US
Dec 04, 2019 10:40 am EST

So here it is again. I received an email from giglionr@zazrow.com and the person who wrote it was Luisa Martines Head of Recruitment.
Good thing I look here first!

A
A
AmandaHeckle
Reno, Nevada, US
Nov 06, 2021 9:12 pm EDT

I know someone personally who's ruined their life far worse than it was before by joining Ail. This person is the type of person Ail hopes to catch: entitled loser with a crappy apartment and car, good at talking a big game but has a bad work ethic who believes he's too good to lift a finger at a job.

This guy is in his forties with a business degree and has worked as a hotel accountant at least once. You'd think having those experiences would make one savvy to mlms, but you can't fix stupid.

Before you judge that as harsh, this guy really is gullible and constantly makes the wrong, stupid decisions. He is a job hopper who can't keep a job more than a year. He takes a hotel manager or gm position, does the bare minimum, brings down employee morale and pisses off the guests, then, once upper management gets a whiff of how he operates and he feels the walls closing in, he frantically starts applying to jobs until he weasels his way into another one and the cycle starts all over again. He's never at fault though, it's always someone else's fault that he has to leave. Wouldn't be so bad except he has 2 small children depending on him and when he hops jobs, he hops to a new state as well. His ex ended up divorcing him for that very reason.

Anywho, right before covid hit, he had been the gm of another hotel for almost a year. As you can imagine, he was on his last ropes with this hotel and he knew he was about to get fired, so he started posting his resume and applying to management jobs on Craigslist. He got a call from Ail and they told him how impressed they were with his resume and how the owner thought he'd be the perfect addition to the team; they needed strong mangers and leaders, and he was IT! Boy his head ballooned up about three sizes that day I'm sure.

He went to the interview and quit his hotel job that same day. He was on cloud 9 talking about this amazing part-time job with full time pay; how he was already vested and would be earning residuals on allll the money he was going to make, how he could retire in 10 years, and how they had sooo many clients in this area because they worked with all the unions (trying to rope me in as well, but I'm no fool), he was sold!

I looked up the company he was so proud of and reading the reviews on indeed and glassdoor told me all there was about this company. But who am I to dash his dreams? He wouldn't have listened anyway, so I sat back and watched it unfold.

He was with ail for almost a year, in not one, but two different offices. Apparently he felt the first office wasn't giving him good leads like he was promised. His day consisted of calling the same people from his "lead pack" over and over again; never leaving a message just dialing them until he was blocked, cursed out, or they agreed to a meeting. These were not true leads, most people unknowingly filled out a card through their unions offering them free benefits, or people who found a posting for a free child safe kit, if they were union people, then this guy would pretend to be from their union, Ail sells to ANYBODY, not only unions like they have you believe.

Once a meeting was set, then he would go to their home under the guise of this free item and then aggressively pitch life and final expense insurance through a script that also contains scripted rebuttals. Most people are angry that they've been the victim of a bait and switch and demand he left, but those who were a little more timid are the ones who are scared or insulted into signing up (they use your current financial situation against you and tell you what a burden you'll be on your family when you die because you're already poor). Ail preys on the poor and elderly, people who can barely afford a place to stay or to feed their family. I find that despicable.

So this guy spent hundreds of dollars driving around all day, showing up at homes and banging on doors of people who ignored his calls, all in an effort to make a small comission. Ironically he worked longer and harder at this job than any other job before in his life lol. I think he sold a couple of policies, that all canceled because they couldn't afford it. He had to pay all that money back. He also recruited a couple of desperate job seekers with lies about how much money he was making, he thought he would get to boss them around and have them make money for him. He received a bonus for recruiting, but again had to pay it back when they quit a few weeks later..

So eventually he quit, not because of moral or ethical reasons, but because people weren't as stupid as Ail told him they were and it wasn't as easy to get them to part with their hard earned money as he thiught it would be. With covid in full force, it was impossible for him to weasel his way into another manager or gm position due to his job hopping resume and the fact the hiring process was tough, as people were looking for good candidates for those positions.

He still thought he could make a living as a con man, he got a job at a bottom of the barrel used car dealership here, the kind that sells junkers at high prices to people with credit issues, only to repo them the first time a payment is missed, just to resell the car to another victim. He lasted less than a month there, again, like Ail, he assumed people would be lining up to hand their money over to him.

Last I heard he managed to get fired from a food delivery service (something about not taking orders and collecting the guaranteed pay from his couch) and now works for whatever warehouse or company that will hire him. He now HAS to work for his money as he has someone over him making sure he's doing what he's supposed to do. Hope this saves someone from joining...

N
N
Nick_9787
, US
Apr 01, 2022 8:44 pm EDT

Wowww! you must be one of those ignorant type or you watched the wrong person...lol...i been with AIL for 5 months now so im not new but im not seasoned either. I was never promised the world either, i was told this job is simple but not easy! I was also never told we only sell to unions but that unions were just alot of our business and i never pretended to be from someones union. Im sick of a few idiots ruining it for the rest of us, im even sicker of idiots like you putting us all into 1 category because of 1 jerk. I make decent money, about 1 to 2 grand a week. Also we are supposed to leave messages and send informational text and emails. Soooooooooo your very misinformed and extremely ignorant.

E
E
Evand
, US
Mar 31, 2017 11:52 pm EDT

I love AIL. This career saved my life. It is a legitament 6 figure opportunity providing excellent benefits to working people. There is no substance to any of these complaints. The company is aggressively hiring, that's not a crime. It's also 100% commission, also not a crime. I made $148, 000 last year and I loved ever minute of it. I've never had significant disagreements with any of the management and on the corporate level they are inspirational and supportive.

T
T
TracyB1
, CA
Feb 15, 2017 11:39 am EST

I had a call from a lady today, wouldn't tell me the name of the company and just kept saying that she was calling from HR. I then put the phone number into google and found this. Never once did I submit my resume to them and I am employed full time so I am not sure why they were contacting me. I read through all of these comments and as far as I am concerned any reputable company wouldn't have the amount of complaints and issues that this does and the employees who actually still work there wouldn't feel the need to get angry and defend the company by putting the people who posted complaints down. A great company will speak for itself and won't have to fight to try and look good, word of mouth spreads like wild fire and will either make you or break you. The complaints about the company isn't what turned me off the most, what turned me off the most was the unprofessional behavior and comments from the people who work there trying to defend themselves. That in itself makes AIL a company that I would not want to be a part of.

N
N
Nick_9787
, US
Apr 01, 2022 8:49 pm EDT
Replying to comment of TracyB1

AIL has agressive recruitment tactics, they are expanding faster than they can handle, alot of quickly growing companies do this, i have even been recruited by the big companies I.E. New York Life. Managers pay recruiters to find them good candidates but the recruiters dont care who they send over so the manager is stuck with whatever the recruiter sends. Definitely not the greatest system but it should make NO difference on if you think you would want to work there, try asking an employee who still works there if they like it.

A
A
ArtVandelay
, US
Sep 18, 2016 9:55 pm EDT

This is a complete scam. I was invited to interview and went without any prior knowledge of the company. I should have listened to my instincts from the second I walked through the door. It was completely unprofessional and bizarre from the get-go.
First, the young woman sitting at the front desk was wearing street clothes, and had a piece of junk boom-box sitting behind her playing rather loud r&b music. I thought, "this is odd, " but my need for a job outweighed my better judgement and I followed her instructions to hand her my resume, take some sort of packet (which I never had a chance to fill out) and wait to be called in to 'interview.'
At this point it was even more obvious that this was a complete farce as there were multiple people being ushered very rapidly in and out of random offices. Two younger guys who I can only assume worked in this office were having a loud conversation with many expletives. I made it obvious that I was confused by looking at the office, then looking at the girl at the front desk. Her response was to get up and go halfway through the door and whisper something to them and closed the door.
At this point I was wrangled into my pre-screening 'interview, ' that was a complete and utter joke. Whoever I met with asked me all of two questions and had no interest in anything i had to say. It was as if he were repeating a script and tried to instill some sort of confidence in me that he saw I had potential.
It is at this point that you are taken into a conference room with an overhead projector with a presentation that is going to take place. First, let me just say, the room is covered in random basketball cardboard decorations hanging from the tiled ceiling and basketball brackets hung on the walls as well as random basketball trophies around the room. They explained this by saying they like to be competitive and they enjoy betting on the outcome of games, etc. But, that's just the culture they cultivate because they're go-getters! That's what they want to convey and what they tried to equate it to. They also gave trophies in the form of basketballs to those who deserved them through some sort of work related nonsense.
Any way, then you are made to sit through a long and boring presentation, where they tell you prior to going in, "they're going to be watching you to see if you take notes." And most people did. But, as with everything else it was completely pointless. During this nonsense forced presentation three different presenters outline the companies approach and values, etc. All BS. Not to mention each of them are so successful that they are being transferred next week to different branches to 'TCB', one to Florida and the other somewhere else I can't remember. I think this was supposed to be enticing, as if having to move thousands of miles away were appealing to anyone.
Eventually somewhere near the end of this exhausting tirade they finally reveal the cu de gras. You will be required to pay out of pocket, $350 for a 'license' to sell insurance? Nowhere up to this point was that information made available. To make things worse they actually made it a requirement that upon leaving they were to call out everyone singlehandedly by name and they were to stand and give three reasons they might be an asset to the company if hired. I watched in horror as everyone ahead of me went, and when it was my turn I mumbled something and was told some fake encouraging jargon and given fake encouraging words of wishing me luck in being considered for the position and told to leave. But, before you even get to do that you have to shake hands with two of the presenters that are standing near the exit of the presentation room.
This was the ultimate slap in the face, and in retrospect anyone who wasn't aware this was a scam should have been able to tell exclusively from how that last interaction went. The guy who not even 10 minutes ago was bright and lively and excited to talk to us about becoming apart of their team was standing there with a stone cold expressionless face and gave me the weakest, most pathetic excuse for a handshake I have EVER received. I ended up walking out to the receptionist area toward the door to leave and saw another group of individuals being corralled through this insane process. I walked out and honestly felt stupid and shamed for being dumb enough to have put myself through something like that. To make things worse, I was immediately, and I mean, immediately contacted for a second 'interview.' I replied to the email by saying that I had to remove my resume from consideration for the position to which I received no reply.
This company is a complete fraud. I now peruse Craigslist (where they targeted me, and countless others) and flag every posting of theirs I see relentlessly. This company needs to be stopped. No one should waste their time, and I regret that I did.

N
N
Nick_9787
, US
Apr 01, 2022 8:53 pm EDT

That doesnt sound like a scam it just sounds flat out unproffesional, but definetly not a scam. Either way its a horrible process, sorry that was your experience.

D
D
Domtely
, US
Apr 10, 2016 11:42 am EDT

This is wrong. They are A+ rated, and in business over 60 years. Do your research on AMbest.com which is a 3rd party rating company for the insurance industry. Sounds like you weren't a good sales person.

I've been with the company for 2 years 4 months. My first year I made 77k and my second year 118k. I sell people the best priced whole life insurance on the market. So while everyone is crying the blues, I'm doing quite well for myself and my family.

E
E
Employee12321
, US
Sep 14, 2015 10:40 am EDT

You guys are hilarious! All these people and not one of you were successful? This is a life insurance company and you are all complaining because you were called for a job>? If you spent this much time working and not complaining you would do a lot better in life! One question, how could the company be a scam if it has a A+ rating from standard and poors and is primarily owned by a huge big name investor and lastly has been in business for over 65 years? Its such a joke people saying they almost fell for it! because of these negative people who have no sales skills you missed out on a career that you make solid money and residual income for life. ouch

T
T
TellitAsitIs
Richmond, CA
Oct 20, 2014 2:14 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

The number of AIL shills on this thread is impressive indeed; I think AIL is just about as prolific at shilling as it is spamming on job sites. I commend the original poster for having their crisis of conscience. As for the above reference to Jesus, AIL is as ungodly as it gets. If I spent my life ripping-off desperate job seekers and spamming every job site conceivable (so many that most managers can't even keep track of the number of spam accounts they create) I would be very worried about the outcome of my eternal soul when I died. In a ponzi scheme or MLM company, scammers always blame the victim if they are not successful - for not trying hard enough; just as the shills posting on this thread do. A company that churns through employees (victims) by the thousands is the failure, not the employees/candidates. "The Opportunity" and "Residual Income" are the motto phrases of MLM and Ponzi Schemes. That being the case, ask yourself why AIL / American Income Life uses these phrases as their rallying cry? Could it be AIL is a scam too? Furthermore, the insulting vernacular language of the AIL shill/employees on complaint forums should serve as a warning as to what kind of people comprise this vile company. Incidentally, does AIL ever turn away a "job" applicant (even if they are a monkey or a horse) who is willing to pay for their licensing? I have yet to hear of one. It is also interesting how most shill accounts here only perform one post; I wonder how many accounts the average AIL shill/spammer creates? Why is this deception necessary on their part? Deception is the American Income Life Modus Operandi with regards to human resource acquisition.

E
E
EssexKiwi
, NZ
Oct 17, 2014 3:13 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I stand by comments posted back in July: AIL IS a legitimate opportunity. And it is usually those that don't have the guts to push on through the tough times, that come with Every opportunity, are the ones who bad mouth the opportunity and the company that provide said opportunity.

A
A
Anonymous1901
, LU
Oct 17, 2014 2:49 am EDT

Or maybe you guys are all just upset that you didn't succeed and make it big like y'all thought you were? Yeah probably. Stop wining and go do something with yourselves JESUS AIL is the reason I grew up in a wealthy family get a life people

E
E
EssexKiwi
, NZ
Jul 13, 2014 12:38 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have read through the comments, and I am amazed at the comments posted. I am contracted to AIL here in New Zealand, and at NO stage has anybody ever told me they thought we were a scam. From my observation of this and other opportunities that I have been involved in, is that when somebody claims that the opportunity is a scam, the person making the comment is usually somebody that thinks the world owes them a living.
AIL is NOT a scam, never has been, and will never be one. It is a legitimate opportunity, that provides legitimate products and services that meet a need, if, there is one.
I am reminded of the parable in the Bible that Jesus taught about the wheat and the tares. There are fine and upstanding people that contract to AIL, unfortunately just like the Kingdom of God, a few bad people(tares) will creep in. But, you can be sure of one thing, their sin will find them out!

A
A
anonymus_canadian
Mississauga, CA
May 17, 2014 8:23 pm EDT

Everyone on this complaints board has an opinion and you are all entitled to your opinion. However, the fact is that AIL
is not a scam. AIL is licensed in every US state and Canadian province it conducts business in and it pays out over $100, 000, 000
in claims every year to hard working people who purchased AIL policies.

AIL is rated A+ superior by A.M. best by its financial stability.

The opportunity to be an INDEPENDENT CONTRACTED AGENT and earn based on your performance IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.

I was called also by them back in November of 2002, I also attended the interview and did my research before I committed to this
company. I knew it would be hard to be successful, I knew many others had posted negative comments online and inspite of that I decided to join them and have never looked back.

I'm sorry for those that feel that we are a scam. We are not, simply what we do is not a fit for everyone. Commission sales in general is not for everyone. In my personal case, I would never work for a salary or hourly because I feel that limits my potential for earning.

If you are reading this and have been contacted by a local AIL office, I invite you to come to the interview, simply be aware that it is not a job, it is not hourly paid, it is 100% commission based like many other business opportunities. In addition, your local state or province will require that you earn an insurance license which will require self-study courses and a full criminal background check.

AIL is a legitimate career opportunity and people CAN SUCCEED in our company. It is hard work, in the beginning you may think of quitting 50 times. I did, but I never quit. 11 years later, I cannot believe my income and more importantly the difference our products have made to countless families in the communities we serve.

Thank you

Anonymus

J
J
jstringfellow
Indianapolis, US
Sep 20, 2012 12:13 pm EDT

I worked for AIL for about two weeks. Like everyone else I was "cattle-called" into an interview process with 30-40 others. I almost left immediately, but I happened to know someone of good character who is above the pay grade of even the highest ranking agent in the office. My friend is a Regional manager OVER the State General Agents, and he assured me that the particular agency I was being interviewed for was indeed "OK". When I asked if he could do one-better than "OK" he said that after I got involved the agency would be GREAT and to stick with it if I could. He indicated that the agency was young, up and coming, and needed the expertise of my maturity, experience, and sales track record. The real problems began immediately. We, the audience, was expected to stand and clap our hands at the sight of the SGA! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? He is a nice guy, sure, but we're suppose to stand up and clap for him JUST because he walked into the room? Well, it got worse. EVERY step you make, every turn you take the SGA would micro-manage. He absolutely demanded your time from 9:00 a.m. until the work was done, which in my case (because I was training with a 22 year old MGA who hadn't even shaved yet) meant that I was 1.5 hours from home at 11:45 p.m. making the last sale because the appointment before it ran a bit late. NO. I'm not going to come home at 1:00 a.m. get my paper work done, and be in the office at 9:00 a.m. ready for more rah-rah.
Then there was the issue of the base pay not being there. It's a commission based job, but they tell you that you'll be paid in a week after training. The kicker is: TRAINING goes on for about 3 weeks. This office made you KNOW the script 100%, not 98%, 100% verbatim and he wouldn't let you out into the field without recording it 100%. So that means you're not selling, which means you're not being paid. You're in a perpetual cycle of training until you can recite it 100% to his liking. Sounds to me like SOMEONE has control issues. It goes further, it got worse. We were to administer swaps for detection of tobacco, only the swabs were clearly marked for HIV research. We weren't telling the clients they were being tested for AIDS. We were lying to them and saying they were being tested for tobacco and/or drugs. OK, so why were we not testing EVERYONE? Just those who said they did not smoke. STILL we never told them we were testing for AIDS. The training films indicated that you're to return the swab ASAP and they give you full video instruction on how to do that - - NOT THIS GUY; he wanted to be the one to turn them in AFTER they had been sealed; which could actually be unethical and illegal. The chain of custody is too important to be played with; and I explained that. I was ASSURED that they would be handled correctly. REALLY? Because I witnessed a swab NOT being sent out for an agent that the SGA was not happy with. The SGA HELD THE SWAB in his office for over a week...to teach the agent respect? WHAT? NO!
Too many issues at American Income Life to mention. Is it a pyramid? Sure...it is, but that's not the biggest problem. American Income Life enjoys a great reputation. They are in danger of losing that with multiple lawsuits from union members and "sponsors" or referrals from union families. It's just too sad. It really really is just too sad that they can't tell the truth across the board in every office - - I bet the company is a great one, but the agencies are one of a kind, and they are not necessarily part of AIL in that the AIL umbrella does not protect the individuals who call themselves State General Agents. Check it out before jumping in.

J
J
jake696
Staten Island, US
Jul 18, 2012 8:36 am EDT

I had just called and set an interview for this National Income Life insurance. the woman said i can come in for an interivew after telling her i had exp. in sales and told her about myself she said great were llooking for exp people to join our team and bla bla bla. Then i came on this forum and did some research, i called her back on private number and said my name is (fake name) and im interested in the position. its obv she said the exact same thing but one thing was off, she said the company was esp in 1924? clearly on the website it says 1951, so i asked her and she then replied with an answer, " well sir we are insurance company this is how it works and outside of nyc our company is call American Income". Okay so inside ny its called National income life insruace and outside newyork it is called "american income"? haha that made me laugh never mind the fact that she told me the 1st time we need esp. people for sales and then the 2nd time i called back she asked well what do i currently do, i said i flip burgers at wendys she said great why dont we set something up. Okay so your looking for exp burger flippers or sales agents? and NEVER in my life have i heard of a company having 2 different names esp in NYC. NYC is the king of growing companies so why in the world would you change your companies name after making a name for yourself and aslo keeeping the old one? This is BULL**** whoever says their making money is either working for the company obviously ripping people off. Ive been ding esearch on opening my own business since i am 14 years old. and changing your companies name is OK but not changing it and keeping the old name only in NYC. so i complete my case, and i still may go on my interview tomorrow if they offer 350 a week paid training? screw it ill ride it out for 2 weeks make a quick 700 bucks and tell them ur a scam how does it feel to be scammed out by the person you were sujpposed to scam!

M
M
Mee45
, US
Oct 05, 2011 9:18 pm EDT

If you do work for them - you're the foolish one - you fell for it.

T
T
to hell with them
, US
Jun 16, 2011 4:27 pm EDT

I got the same call for an interview and I really need a job so I found them on Craigslist. I hope your right because I don't wanna work for pieces of crap. P.S. I had to quit U.S. for the same reason they sold polices at high prices to people that didn't even speak English. I think those parasites go by the name of just energy now. They would have you go into people neighborhoods that were already Brooke and try to rip them off. Thanks for the heads up.

H
H
hg3038
, CA
May 05, 2011 11:05 pm EDT

I just received a call from the Edmonton office today for an interview. I had no clue who they were and did not recall applying at their place of business. Same thing, phone interview, the 3 second pause. I accepted the interview for the next day, however I googled them today to see who they were. I am soooo glad I googled this company and saw all of this. During the phone interview she was asking me questions and I started to wonder have you even seen my resume? I had been applying at other business lately but I never would of applied at this type of company. As soon as I saw their website, I knew I never applied. I have no clue how they got my phone number and name. Interview has been cancelled.

OzzyOsborne
OzzyOsborne
Soddy Daisy, US
May 03, 2011 7:08 pm EDT

My name is Anthony Osborne, CFO of American Income Life and Regional Manager in Southeastern TN. Need help learning how to work your way up in this company? shoot me an email: anthony-osborne@utc.edu... I collect a salary of over a million per year and I can teach you the tricks!

J
J
Jay Ron
, US
May 02, 2011 4:16 pm EDT

My name is Jason, and I have recieved several emails, and I mean several like 2-4, from differnt accounts, a day since October 2010, and I got a call saying how impressed with my resume they were and thought I would be a perfect match for their management team, not to mention he spoke to me in slang and acted like he knew say something about your friend Joe told us to call you, I dont have a friend named Joe nor do I know any Joe's other than the crab shack, and when I corrected him he said "Oh sorry, I meant James, my bad", lol, after giving me directions, he then said, oh could you bring a copy of your resume? WTF? He just said how impressed he was, its a scam!

L
L
llzardklng
Smallville, US
Apr 18, 2011 2:33 pm EDT

i did one better for these fools... I reported these SPAMMERS to there domain host providers, and there ISP for abuse:

For all concerned, I've been getting emails from one of your hosts *.*.*.* tmkrms.com at the rate of 1 to 3 a day and I'm probably not the only that this host/company has been spamming. I never sent them a resume nor had I contacted this company via any communication means.

This is unsolicited spam, and in most cases against the law.

These are the mail hosts:
Roger Smith [HumanResources-AIL3@tmkrms.com] HRDepartment-LNL@tmkrms.com HumanResources-AIL2@tmkrms.com HRDepartment-LNL3@tmkrms.com

Which all point back to *.*.*.*

Also copied jpoole@torchmarkcorp.com whom was the POC for their IP address.

A
A
Adam H.
Staten Island, US
Mar 16, 2011 1:10 am EDT

Its funny I got a call about a position with nilico, and I set up an appointment. I had an emergancy (family) and I was unable to tell them, so I no called no showed. A day later I got a call asking me why I did not show. Odd? a bit. Normally a no call no show does not get you a call back reguardless of you resume or whats on it. So I said, can I still come in they said sure. Odd? a bit. So I went to the interview/presentation, and the manager started telling me about all the$$ and opportunity, meanwhile he looked like he had not showered in a couple of days and was wearing a sweater that had a big rip in the under-arm. Odd? a bit. For someone supposably earning thousands and thousands a month wouldn't you say. At the office in the 90 min I was there I heard a phone ring twice. One call was someone who was late in arriving for there interview, and the second one I could not make out. I am (of course) invited back tommorow when they will ask me for money I'll bet. After reading not one but 50 horror stories about this. I dont think so!

T
T
ToTom
Fictionalville, US
Feb 17, 2011 8:31 pm EST

Here's a quick rule of thumb that has served me well in life: Any company that uses "Pyramid Marketing", "Multi-level Marketing", "Network Marketing", "Matrix Marketing", or whatever the latest variation is on the same basic term ... IS A SCAM. A tiny, tiny, tiny percentage of people working pyramids will make a modest living. An even tinier tiny percentage will do well and make the kind of money that allows for the finer things in life. And the vast majority of people - well over 99% - will lose their shirt, their self-respect, their dignity, and finally their support network of close friends and family - because they will have pestered and annoyed them so much.

I have seen many people lead dismal and desperate lives chasing one MLM "opportunity" after the next. I have never - repeat NEVER - known a single person who "made it big" in MLM.

Here's another handy rule of thumb: If a company habitually misrepresents themselves by offering "jobs" to people who's resumes have nothing to do with their core business (e.g. offering an insurance sales position to somebody who's resume shows them to be a database specialist), that company is probably built on a foundation of misrepresentation - from bottom to top and inside to outside.

N
N
Nighthawke
, US
Jan 24, 2011 8:16 pm EST

I got one of their emails saying pretty much the same thing, save that their claim was that they were out of Waco. The phone number they listed backtracked to a San Antonio office space. [protected] NE Loop 410 Side 108 Since I only live 2 hours from there, I got half a mind to take the trek up there, kick their door in and start yelling at them regarding unsolicited email.

But my other half decided to start forwarding their messages to spamcop.net and watch as their internet service gets cut off by their provider, Sprint.

A
A
AILScamCANADA
, CA
Dec 21, 2010 4:27 pm EST

Funny how some are defending this company! I can assure you they are mangers told to do this. The company itself sells policies to every day blue collar people. No scam in that. Well, just a little if you read between the lines. It is how they hire and treat their employees. I was a hiring manager there for about 2 years. My job was to call and bring in as many people to interview as I could. We would push anyone through to the second interview that had a pulse. I was told to look for people who could afford to pay the $850 to the company. I’ll get into the fees later. During the second interview a manager would do a presentation and show a video that pumps up the company. If anyone said a word during this presentation the manager would make some smug comment to try and shut this person up by embarrassing them. After the hour presentation they all would be invited back for a short 1 on 1 interview with the manager. A lot of the times people would just leave after the second presentation. During the 1 on 1 you are asked if you can afford the schooling and you are given an information package to go home and read. You are also told to wait by your phone the next day as you may be called back for the 3rd and final interview. If you made it through the second interview (anyone breathing would get a call) then you are called back for the 3rd interview. During the 3rd interview they put you on the spot. They want you to feel small and act like they are taking something away from you. They then pump you up and get you to pay the $800 plus.
Here is how your money breaks down once you pay AIL. The hiring manger receives a chunk of it. I was given $200.00 for every person we hired. Torchmark pays AIL monthly for new hires. So the more AIL hires the more money they make. The first 2 people they hire they get $150. per person. Every person after that, they get $400. So you see they are making a lot of money just off hiring people.
Now your $800 doesn’t go just to books. AIL takes half and says that goes to admin fee’s ect. Well it took me an hour to process your information. Then they say it goes to mentoring as well. Shouldn’t a manager be doing that anyway? The schooling can cost anywhere from $150-300. Depending on the company you go with.
I just left this company a month ago after they fired two agents for speaking out on a couple issues. Please save your money and time and stay away from this company.

C
C
C10EC
Nashville, US
Nov 14, 2010 10:29 pm EST

For those of you who are looking for jobs, please do COMPLETE research before you bash a company on a complaint board. If you do not understand how a company works, then do not discredit the corporation. I am a former employee of American Income Life - Altig International; and I hyphenated that for a reason. American Income Life is obviously an insurance company and they are 100% union based. Altig International is a distributor of American Income Life that is ran by Rick Altig, who receives no additional funds from American Income to provide salaries or monies for HR Teams, etc. Rick Altig started his company with his father and pays his coworkers at his home office in Redmond, WA out of his own pocket. When you start to work for Altig Int'l, which remember is the DISTRIBUTOR, your INDIVIDUAL territory is responsible for all HIRING, TRAINING, ETC. So, when you have over 80 offices nationwide and 3 or more HR reps at each office sending emails hiring, you will have 240+ different emails/addresses circulating the Globe at a given time. This is not meant to look as a scam, it is just every office on their own with their own hiring team. The process is A LOT more complicated than you may think, as there are different territories and blocked areas for American Income Life and Altig Int'l. Although they work together, they still have assigned territories, and you can imagine how difficult this could get. When you have two companies coming together, joining forces, and selling the same product - it is going to seem as if ONE of them are COPYING websites and emails, when in fact, this is not the case. So, please, do your COMPLETE research...for both companies are generally good companies. Just because a "Mass" email gets sent out to you from the CEO, doesn't mean it is spam. That email is circulated to all matching resumes on Craigslist, Monster, JobMagic, etc; and they actually have to pay for this service, so give them a little break. They are just trying to hire some people to serve their customers and maybe you make some money while doing it. Thanks. C

L
L
Lavon821
Richmond, US
Oct 19, 2010 1:10 am EDT

I agree with you all! I got the same email too and I did research IMMEDIATELY!

Hi, my name is Roger Smith and I am the president of American Income Life Insurance Company (AIL). I recently looked at your resume and I believe your qualifications might be a good fit for our organization. Currently we are hiring for our Sales team and looking for people from varied backgrounds. We are interested in career oriented candidates like yourself and believe that this could be a good match with your qualifications. We provide comprehensive training for you to be successful in this field.

Contact us about this opportunity by going to our website at www.workatail.com or call us at [protected].

Sincerely,

Roger Smith
Chief Executive Officer
AIL

We will continue to alert you when we have openings at our local offices because you placed your resume on an internet job board or responded to one of our job ads. Compensation is on a pay for performance basis. To avoid future updates from us, please go to our optout link.
Our privacy policy is at http://www.tmkrms.com/Response/PrivacyPolicy.aspx
AIL Company - 1200 Wooded Acres, Waco, TX 76710.

Now I've never recieved an email for an interview from the President of a company. He should be WAY too busy for candidate emails. Luckily I already have a job but I feel sorry for those trying to find a job only to get scammed by these people!

D
D
DWAW
, US
Sep 27, 2010 4:17 pm EDT

I actually received an email today from the alleged CEO Roger Smith of American Income Life. The email seemed very legitimate, only before I took into consideration that Gmail had already correctly deposited it into my spam box, not my inbox... curious. The email uses the correct CEO's name, but why in the WORLD would the CEO of what appears to be a large corporation ever email a potential candidate for employment? That's what HR departments are for. CEO's outright emailing you unless you know them personally is completely unordinary and should be met with skepticism. I have posted the entire body of the email in here for comparison and factual purposes:

"Hi, my name is Roger Smith and I am the president of American Income Life Insurance Company (AIL). I recently looked at your resume and I believe your qualifications might be a good fit for our organization. Currently we are hiring for our Sales team and looking for people from varied backgrounds. We are interested in career oriented candidates like yourself and believe that this could be a good match with your qualifications. We provide comprehensive training for you to be successful in this field.

Contact us about this opportunity by going to our website at www.workatail.com or call us at [protected].

Sincerely,

Roger Smith
Chief Executive Officer
AIL

We will continue to alert you when we have openings at our local offices because you placed your resume on an internet job board or responded to one of our job ads. Compensation is on a pay for performance basis. To avoid future updates from us, please go to our optout link.
Our privacy policy is at http://www.tmkrms.com/Response/PrivacyPolicy.aspx
AIL Company - 1200 Wooded Acres, Waco, TX 76710."

I received this email from at 8:00 a.m. EST on September 27, 2010. They claimed they got my resume from Monster.com, which is more than likely true. My resume is fully visible to the public and I'm certain that's how they acquired my email address.

If you go to (the company website provided in the email I pasted above), you will see what looks like a legitimate website. However, go to the legitimate American Income Life Insurance Company's website and you will find the original. The web address provided in the email I received is a copy cat, almost verbatim, and the creators of such website are clearly in violation of copyright law. American Income Life Insurance Company (the legitimate one) has an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau's website. If you conduct a search for this company on BBB's website, you will come up with at least three pages of companies, only the first of which has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau. See what I mean by going here to the search results page I came up with on BBB's website:

I also received two similar emails, one also (suspiciously) from the company CEO. The email addresses used ALL HAD THE SAME DOMAIN NAME, and included some sort of HR title in the name:

HumanResources-AIL1@tmkrms.com
HRManager-FC1@tmkrms.com
HRDeparment-LNL1@tmkrms.com

The "@tmkrms.com" part should be different as these are all allegedly different companies. However, it is quite obvious that all three of these email aliases have been propagated by the same individual or organization. Report these types of emails to job search engines like Monster.com and especially to Craigslist.org if you come across them. Stop these A**HOLES from taking advantage of good people that are hard pressed to find a job in these awful economic times. Thank you for reading and good luck to anyone out there still looking for an honest and positive way to make ends meet.

K
K
kak0414
Clarks Summit, US
Sep 01, 2010 9:21 am EDT

Thank you is all I can say to the other posters. I received a phone call from someone from this company to come in for an interview. They called at 7pm yesterday and I was caught off guard. They said they saw my resume on Monster.com (which it is) and they were only interviewing today (the day they called me) and tomorrow. I agreed to meet with someone at 10am. The girl said something really strange to me...she said "you will meet with Chuck and he will tell you "WHAT HE THINKS OF YOU" when you meet. It made me think twice so this morning before went for the interview I researched this company and low and behold I found this site. I'm glad I saved myself the time of meeting with these scammers.
Thanks Again!

T
T
thesisters
, US
Aug 02, 2010 2:05 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

FUNNY HOW THESE EMAILS ARE STILL GOING AROUND FROM THIS GUY AND HIS NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS CHANGES, HE IS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE AND HIS ADDRESS IS ACTUALLY FROM A SUPPOSED HUMAN RESOURCES AND HE IS A CEO SENDING ME THIS EMAIL..NOT TO MENTION NO ONE CONTACTED ME OR EMAILED ME, HOWEVER I DID GET A CALL FROM A JESSICA SMITH (HOW ORIGINAL) AND WANTED ME TO COME IN FOR AN INTERVIEW, UMM.. YEAH! NO AND COULD NOT GIVE ME AN EXACT TITLE FOR THE POSITION AND WHEN I CALLED BACK, IT WENT TO VOICEMAIL OF COURSE IN WHICH SHE CALLED ME BACK AND I LET GO TO VOICEMAIL, NOT GOING IN FOR THE INTERVIEW. ALL THIS INFORMATION HELPED A LOT.

From:
"Roger Smith"

A little more than two weeks ago, we pulled your resume and tried to contact you either by phone or email. As of this date, our records show we have not been able to set up an interview with you. Our ability to search resumes online has allowed us to grow at a pace second to none in our industry. Because of this, we are touching base with individuals who have posted their resumes that meet our requirements for the opportunities we have available.

We are still interviewing and believe you are an excellent candidate. If you are still in the job market and are looking for a highly rewarding position, I encourage you to learn more about this opportunity.

For immediate consideration or to learn more about the position we have available, visit our website at www.workatail.com or call [protected].

Sincerely,

Roger Smith
Chief Executive Officer
American Income Life

BurgerMeisterMeisterBurger
BurgerMeisterMeisterBurger
, US
Jun 27, 2010 9:02 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

First off, J Brown, I wish we could all be as strong as you. And if you have better things to do, then why waste so much time basically telling us we're wasting ours?
I have just been hired. I have accepted, but did not pay the money for the course, and after reading so many complaints, will not. No, that is not a scam. You need a license to practice insurance and you actually get a discount where I am. I do think you can make money here. That is why I accepted. I do have a problem with ethics. That is why I don't want to continue. Anyone who calls people stupid for not wanting to make a ton money probably lacks them. I was hired, and I'll bet none of my former employers were contacted. No references needed. I am going to be a manager, and I showed no experience. Union job and no drug test! Anyone get tested? Being a former union member, I can't stick other brothers and sisters, unless it was a couple I didn't care for. My local will get a call wondering about these people. I will say the final interview was all about money, money, money, and nothing about clients needs. Go, go, go; balls to the wall, man. The recruiter's business card only had an office number, and nothing else. I went home feeling serious doubts, even more so now. You wanna make money, fine. I'm not ripping you. But don't call me an idiot. We can both sleep well at night. You will just be on more expensive sheets.

A
A
Alexwonderland
Portland, US
Jun 25, 2010 6:07 am EDT

I interviewed with AIL two month ago and got accepted. However, I didnt accepted the offer bc the whole interview process seems werld.

AIL hold an on campus career fair saying that the cadidates need to go through three interviews: one on one - group interview-0ne on one final interview. I didnt send my resume but was called for an interview . AIL asked me to answer the essay questions for three times, and they gave me the same question each time. Then, I did my first interview with HR, which lasted for 15 min'. After I finised my first round interview, the HR asked me to wait in the lobby and he will give me the interview results within 10 min'. After 10min', HR brought me to his office and said that I got admitted. Right after that, they asked me to pay almost $550 for training and lisence fees. I was told that the training will start on the next day right after the day I had the interview with them. I was shocked bc I never happen to see I was told to pay that much to get a job. When I refused to pay, the HR seems pissed and told me if I dont pay they will hire someone else. I told them I dont have time for the training. The HR rescheduled my training plan which is three weeks later. After two weeks, I called AIL cancelled my training and told them I wont be able to work there. The botton line is I just dont wanna work there even though I cant line up for another job.

First, the interview process is not the same as AIL promised. I only got one-on-one interview with HR for once. What happened for group interview and another one-on-one final interview? On the top of that, I feel uncomfortable and sketchy when I was told to pay almost $550 for getting a job. A friendly reminder, be cautious when a company ask you to pay huge amount of deposit or registration fee during the job interview. Def it is not just for the exam or training, it is the money that will go to their own pocket. Also, if you feel bad about the way the company treats you during the interview, dont work for them. The company which didnt conducted the whole interview process as they promised, will also not treats their employees or their clients as professional as they said, too.

C
C
ConcernedaboutAIL
, US
Jun 17, 2010 5:12 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I once worked for American Income. Not as an agent, but as a telephone recruiter. It was my job to call potential interviewee’s and hype them into coming in for an interview. And I apologize to everyone for this and I want to give you a little insight on this whole fishy company.

The manager DO NOT look at your resumes. Ever. Neither did I. I was given a list that consisted of names, phone numbers, and a website where the person’s resume was posted. Then I would call these people, read a script and hope they didn’t ask questions. When they did, I would try to answer them, yet I did not have the answers at all. When I asked my manager about what to tell them I was told not to talk about salary. IT IS COMMISSION. Don’t let them fool you. I was also told to tell them ‘We have several positions open which include…’ but never tell them a specific spot. I eventually started telling people the managers discuss where you would be best suited in the company during the interview and these are the spots that will be considered. Lies. There is nothing the manager saw on your resume that interested them because they never saw it. Even if you’re resume was posted for something in the medical field, mechanics field, or anything, they’ll still call you and ask ’Oh, are you interested in a career change?’ and you’ll be double called…believe me…that is embarrassing. The list will repeat names, and if the recruiter doesn’t remember the names, you’ll be getting a call back with the same script. Yeah. Bad isn’t it?

The office I worked at has been doing this for about a year now. They hire then fire. Or people leave. You do need an insurance license to work here. So YES YOU DO HAVE TO PAY MONEY TO GET YOUR LICENSE TO EVENTUALLY WORK THERE. A recruiter will tell you anything to schedule you so they can make their quota and get a pay check. Why I stuck around…well, as sad as it is…I’m a broke college student who had been job hunting for 4 months…without a family to help out with funds. I took what I could get in these economic hardships. I eventually got fired without warning through a text message at 9pm on a Sunday, the day before I was to come in again for work. Cause for firing me? They couldn’t afford me anymore. I want to let everyone know this so you can decide if it’s a scam or not. People will say it isn’t because ‘it’s all about go getting and working on your own.’ well, that may be true…I didn’t know much about the agents because I was kept in the dark as much as possible…However, is American Income really that legitimate if they are willing to hire whoever without even looking at that person’s resume?

K
K
kikiboom
Mississauga, CA
Apr 28, 2010 4:41 pm EDT

Do not go for an interview in Kitchener or London. MOFO of all managers in these offices. Lying and scamming big time. The SGA only cares about his Audi R8 he bought and doesn't care if his agents can even pay their bills or put food on the table. Someone I know worked for them and sold very well, but when the SGA decided it was time to pull the plug on his income, the leads stopped.

K
K
kikiboom
Mississauga, CA
Apr 28, 2010 4:34 pm EDT

Total scam! They make money off the school. They promise and don't deliver. If you pass the training and start selling they will provide you with good leads only in your first 6 months because that is when managers make the most money off they agents. After that they starve you in a hope you leave and they can scoop your policies and renewals.

T
T
thick skin
, US
Apr 20, 2010 3:22 pm EDT

TOTAL SCAM

Not sure what they offer but the phone number they list doesn't even go to the correct person/company.

Email header says from "Rick Altig" but email is closed with "Christopher Clark".
--------------------------------------------------------
Hello,

AIL is seeking dynamic leaders in our fast-growing, people-first company.

We are a professional service firm that delivers insurance services and solutions to clients and have been providing benefits to families for over 50 years. AIL is directly affiliated with Fortune 600 company; Torchmark Corporation.

Our mission is to protect every child and to serve all working people.

If you are a leader who cares for people and have mentored others to reach their personal goals, then this company may be for you. We are seeking leaders and mentors who can follow our mission and embody our great tradition.

Im sending you this email because your background has you communicating with others, and what looks to be some solid management experience. If you dont hear from us today call the HR Department right away before our final slots fill up.

Christopher Clark

Regional Manager

[protected]

HonoluluHR@AILHawaii.com

WWW.AILIFE.COM

We alerted you about this opportunity since you placed your resume on an internet job board or responded to one of our job ads. If you do not want to receive job alerts in the future, please visit here. Compensation is on a pay for performance basis.
Our privacy policy is at http://www.tmkrms.com/Response/PrivacyPolicy.aspx
Liberty National Life Insurance Company, 2001 Third Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233.

A
A
agogodaddyo
Los Angeles, US
Mar 11, 2010 12:33 pm EST

Natechamp above defends the company, as does cdny01. They say that the people on this complaint board have no substantial evidence and are just lazy. I have read through about one hours worth of these posts and from what I see, there is a real problem with the company. These posts are not just from people that have received emails. I discount all of them. What I don't discount are the posts from employees. The only defenders talk about the money they make. So what. Maybe they are the best scammers and the best liars. I am more interested in the people that have worked for the company and seem to have very honest and concise information about negative practices. I especially don't like the many complaints regarding unethical tactics, missleading and false information given to clients, and what seems to be the diliberate attempt to not pay salesmen for policies sold. If there was a missing signature on a policy, just mail it out for a proper signature. Why demamd that the saleman drive 120 miles or they get nothing. Of course the compmany WILL get that signature one way or the other. I looked at the Advisory Board.
http://www.ailife.com/main/forms/2009-LAB-Report.pdf

Congressman Richard Gephardt is on the Board as are many other powerful people. I wonder if they even know how sales are made.

Our company is expanding during economic slow down, and our responsibility to the people of North America is to offer strong, stable union jobs, with benefit contributions, and stock options to help stimulate an end to the recession.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Oh and here is the email that I received. Notice how they insult me ... lol

We received your resume, and while it is hard to tell if you are the right fit, there are some things in your background that peaked our interest. You seem to interact well with others, and believe in the team atmosphere.

What I am still unsure of is your work ethic, communication skills, and whether or not you have a positive attitude/disposition.

We are finishing conducting personal interviews this week so if you do not hear from us by 2p.m. tomorrow please give us a call; hopefully we still have a spot open to squeeze you in.

Talk to you then;

Nicholas Lorence
Regional Manager
[protected]

T
T
theonewhowon
Dallas, US
Feb 26, 2010 8:36 pm EST

to the people who think this is a scam.. i was a union member and had an agent come to my home and sign me up for a policy. my wife died 3 years later, i took my freedom of choice to the funeral director and it was taken care of like the agent told me. i had my agent come to my home and he helped me with everything. i asked him how he got the job and we started talking.. 2 weeks later i got my insurance license and a few weeks later i was writing buisness and making amazing money. the harder you work the more you make. i have made on average of $3000 a week. some weeks are better some are worse. so the girl who said she worked for ail and said it was a scam was obviously not good at her job and needed to make ail look bad because she is ###ed.

A
A
alpacino2
surrey, CA
Jan 28, 2010 1:36 pm EST

all you people who think ail is a scam your all goofs

ail was 33 for yahoos top 100 jobs of the year.. your all complaining cus u cant make it in sales and couldn't make any money so this is what u do to feel better

each ail office is different culture wise im from surrey office in bc we dont do hard pressure sales

im one of the managers making over $6000 a month and $800 in renewal income... if its not for you thats fine but dont complain about it ail is a legit company it was bought by torchmark which is traded on the nyse

hiring bonuses get paid to the managers... everyone pays it its part of the policies its another way to earn income stop com[plaining u low life losers

M
M
Miru
Bayonne, US
Jan 27, 2010 9:09 am EST

Def a scam! the guy talks about Enron/Anron(whatever) being a scam! yet the same hierarchy this company follows which Anron did!

Residual income! SCAM! No interview requires resume, pen and a notepad. Remember that!

N
N
Natechamp
Puyallup, US
Jan 13, 2010 1:13 pm EST

To all of you out there trying to figure out if this is a "scam" or not, this is the last place you should be looking. Complaintsboard.com? Honestly, of course you are going to get a biased view. I have read this whole page and have heard not an ounce of real valid evidence that AIL is a scam. I am an agent in WA state who has been with the company for 6 months. For the last two I have been averaging 1200 bucks a week. Scam? My checking account says no. I can't believe people are upset that they use a script to hire! Many large companies use scripts. It takes a bumbling idiot former electrician like myself and allows me to make 1200 bucks a week! Do I follow the script like a robot? No. Scripts are used by companies all across the country so that people are able to be provided a better service. Does a pastor just get in front of people without preparing? Of course not he writes a sermon which is basically a script. If AIL is a scam, then 54 presidents of the nations largest unions that are on their labor advisory board are being scammed too. An amazing opportunity comes to you people and you act like a bunch of scared cattle. But whatever, I don't care. Its your loss. I am making the best money I ever made in my life. This job definitely separates the men from the boys. I have seen many new agents come and go since I started, for the simple reason that they couldn't handle the freedom. When they don't have someone telling them what to do they just simply don't go to work. You have to be a self-motivated person to thrive here. If you are an entrepreneur at heart then this is the job for you. If you are not a leader, but a follower who needs someone looking over your shoulder then you will not succeed here, and you will end up like the rest of these people on this site who are a bunch of losers who have nothing better to do than to get on and blog, because someone didn't give them a free lunch.