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I received a phone call from a sales representative claiming that Prestige Management sells high quality sales leads. I was informed that the leads were pre-qualified and waiting to received a phone call from a local insurance agent. Upon receiving the leads, we started calling immediately. It was quickly apparent that the leads were not pre-qualifed. All of the 50 plus people we were able to reach were irritated and did not understand how we obtained their name. They all indicated that they were not in the market for any type of insurance products. We had to stop calling out of fear of angering any more people.
When we called to ask for proof that the leads were legitimate, we were told that they could not do that. Doing so would jeopardize their trade secrets. Also, they insinuated that we incompetent telemarketers and didn't know what we were doing. Little did they know that they were dealing with an individual with over 20 years of experience in telemarketing.
I hope that some day this company will wrong someone with enough money to sue the life out of them. I also hope that people researching this company will read this complaint and that I will have saved a lot people from getting ripped off!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I would like to thank Matt and Rhonda Aylward. I worked for them, several years ago during the recession of the late 2000's/early 2010's. Jobs were hard to find, and they were hiring anyone who walked in looking for employment.
Matt, a spectacular malignant narcissist, had a different management style than I'd ever seen before, or since. Like a cartoon character, he hunted and stalked his employees with the fervor of Elmer Fudd and the enthusiasm of Yosemite Sam. I once saw him swing a gold club at someone's cubicle wall. The action scared the crap out of the salesperson working in the cubicle, who had her head down making calls. He praised her, because she was working hard... Otherwise his actions wouldn't have scared her because she would have seen it coming -- brilliant?
Rhonda, who was the very definition of an enabler, was second in command. From what I could tell, her job was to stand next to Matt, her son, and nod along while giving employees the stink-eye, and she was fantastic at her job! She ran around and tried to put out the numerous fires Matt started, so she was quite busy. Matt was always starting metaphorical fires. Rhonda was always sweet talking whoever was threatening to quit or sue.
I worked there for 6 months (most people didn't make it that long)... Long enough to collect unemployment after they wrongly gave me the axe. They lied to the unemployment agency about the terms of my termination, but the unemployment agency told me they had dealt with them so often, and had caught them in so many lies, that they were apt to believe any former employee instead of them. So, that's another thing they are awesome at... Lying to the government!
Because of all these wonderful qualities, I learned a lot through working for them. I learned that I need to research any company I'm applying to work at. Before my employment with this company, I never thought to look up a prospective employer. I've done so ever since. If I HAD looked them up, I would have seen how fantastic they are at defrauding people, and I would have deemed myself too good to work for them.
A week into my employment I suspected that I was being a willing participant in some shady dealings. I had no proof, except for a gut feeling. I'm ashamed to say I continued my employment with them, and that I only did so out of desperation. Jobs were few and far between. It's no excuse, but it's the only one I have.
So, thank you Matt and Rhonda. You taught me some valuable lessons about myself, how I should research prospective employers, what I'm willing to never do again, and the type of behavior I should run away from.
I currently work for an amazing company who treats their employees like gold and sells an actual product and provides real services. I've been there for six years, and I vetted them thoroughly before applying for employment. Without this hellish experience, I wouldn't have taken such precautions, and I probably wouldn't have held out until I found this job.
I'd like to amend part of my statement. I'm not a psychiatrist, so I cannot say that Matt IS a malignant narcissist, I can only say he displayed the signs of being one during the time I interacted with him.
For the few (very few) that sang the praises of Matt and his mother, they must be paying you off...with the money they owe other people. Not only does Matt fail to pay his employees for work completed, he fails to pay subcontractors as well. His excuses run from "my mother pays the bills" to "we didn't receive that invoice" to "please send it again and I'll take care of it personally". I don't know many people that like working for free but I would like good, ole Matt to try it for a couple of months. I agree with a previous post about Karma and for the one above that think they are so awesome? I don't hold much faith in what you're saying as your spelling and grammar were horrendous. I thought maybe he "paid" a 1st grader to type a post for him...oh wait! You might STILL be waiting on that candy bar!
I am a business owner who owns several businesses and have been buying leads for over 15 years, I bought leads from this company 1 time and never again. I was promised leads I never received. I called over 20 times to either get the leads delivered or a refund. Got nothing. Everyone there was a clown. After reading these comments and reflecting on my own interactions with them, it now makes sense that they were probably under the influence of something. How sad. I did not get my money or the leads but I did go to my carrier about it. We have over 12, 000 agents countrywide and we got them removed from our approved vendor list. If you want to put these people out of business, that is how you do it. Get your carriers to remove them or to go after them on your behalf. Good luck to all...
Scam? Oh yes...nothing but a scam! Matt is a drunken, belligerent little boy who screams at people when he doesn't get his way. His mother Rhonda is nothing but an enabler to him who acts like he isn't that bad. RHONDA...YOUR SON NEEDS PROFESSIONAL HELP. I worked there long enough. I was the top producer for the entire time I was there. So no...I did not get fired because I couldn't produce results...I produced more results than anyone there. The reason their call center is not produce anything is their fault. They try to blame the old manager, but she just did as she was told. Then she quits, and they tell everyone they fired her! They lie, cheat, scam, and that is just how they start their day. That's ok though. Karma always comes around to those who need it most. Their clients WILL know just what a scam they are. Telling people there is a research department there that researches all the facts for those lead lists? You buy those lists for $10 then sell them to those poor people for over $350! Then your "sales manager", Matt Soldner, who owes what? About $30, 000 to Rhonda and her family for bailing him out of God knows how many DUI's...he comes in and sells the call center package, knowing full and we'll all those leads are bogus. Then you have Matt getting married to the receptionist. Wow. I mean...Seriously. How do you look at yourself in the mirror knowing that fat, ugly, drunken pile of crap is going to be laying on top of you just so your bills can get paid? Yep...you can see the true love when you see those two together. You guys are going to have a wake up call unlike you have ever seen. Hope Matt is sober to take it all in when it happens. Meanwhile, I am going to sit back and laugh while you run your business into the ground.
Prestige is a sales organization...if we are not making sales...the organization cannot survive. No different than a new insurance agent meeting his production requirements. What do you think happens to agents/sales people who do not meet their production requirements...Yep you guessed it...OUT THE DOOR! This is very common practice for all sales organizations. Some of these comments are absolutely outrageous! I am an employee of Prestige and from what I see the management is enjoyable to work with and the 2 owners Matt & Rhonda are absolutely passionate about their business...AS THEY SHOULD BE! SCAM...I think not. The only SCAM here is the previous employees that couldn't hack it in the sales field.
We have been using Prestige Management to supply leads for several years and have been always satisfied with the results and timing. Monica Haxton and Matt Soldner were responsive, dependable, and helpful, particularly in making sure the leads best fit our needs. The service provided by Prestige Management has never been disappointing.
I am a current employee of Prestige and I love the company. Matt and Rhonda are great and they care about there employees to much. We sell a great product but it is a cold call list . I dont understand why employees would bash this place unless they are the problem. I have a great re pore with my customers and sell every day to new people. I think the problem is the employees that lie to customers about the product we sell. I always get my check and on time and this company is a lot of fun working for. I think that maybe people should try telling the truth and know that we have a great product it is just bad sales people that sell a product we do not have and then they get fired and then come on sites like this and bash them. If you had a sales person that didnt give you great customer service then shame on them. We are here to help our customers and to give a product that can grow there business. Thanks for reading the truth...God Bless
I used to work there as a call center rep for 9 hours a day with only a half hour lunch. I was there for 6 days and was "let go" because another employee and I caught on that it was a scam. I've tried contacting Lexis Hardney who is the Manager for the Call Center 3 different times and have gotten no response regarding my check nor have I gotten my check. Granted it was only like 30 hours but I don't work for free. I have a child to support.I also got written up on my second day for being literally 3 minutes late and for my tattoo sshowing. Matt is just an arrogant SOB who enjoys scamming people out of their money!
I was a former employee and after working there for 5 full days I never went back. I was told by several people after I started to get out of there and after seeing first hand how it works I left. If you don't have a sale before lunch only a half hour lunch is permitted and then no break until you leave at 530 pm with no sale. Treatment of employees was rude to say the least. In addition I have made several attempts contacting the owner Matt Alyward via e-mail to receive my pay check for a total of 48hrs with no success. I have been completely ignored regarding this issue and I should of received the check September 26th. Although its only 48 hrs of time that is due to me, I will be contacting a friend of mine who is a lawyer regarding this matter. I would have never even mentioned this matter but its illegal not paying your employees what is due to them and from previous complaints it happens on a regular basis with this company.
Is this the same thing as Illinois-Financial? I have had a similar experience with them. I think the names are a scam. Someone named Madison is the one who called me. Anyone know if this is a related company, perhaps rebranded due to the negativity of Prestige? Or maybe the same type of scam just a different outfit.
THIS PLACE IS THE BIGGEST JOKE EVER. I WORKED THERE 2 WEEKS AND THE OWNER IS THE BIGGEST LOSER EVER AND HIS MOTHER IS JUST AS BAD. THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS RUNNING A BUSINESS AND THE LIE LIE LIE ... THE NAMES ARE A SCAM I REALLY DO NOT KNOW HOW THEY STAY IN BUSINESS. OH THATS RIGHT THEY NEVER REFUND ANY ONE THIER MONEY AND BLOW THEM OFF AND KEEP TELLING THEM THEY WILL RETURN THE CALL. HAVE THE SALES PEOPLE ARE OUT DOING DRUGS AT LUNCH, AND THEN TAKING DRUG CALLS AT HIS DESK.. ( JASON ) ... DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS PLACE ! HUGE SCAM...
I am glad I stumbled onto this site. I have been hounded by these folks for about 2 months. Angela gave me the same talk as others and then mentioned Mutual Funds, when I questioned about more on this a second person grabbed the phone quickly and tried to come in for the kill. I was trying to get in touch with a fellow agent who is very successful to see if he used them but he wasnt available. I looked them up and found this. I explained to them that at this time my budget would not allow it, I didnt receive any flack from this answer, but they said would call back in 60-90 days.
I just received a phone call from a young man named Kelly who said he was from Prestige Management Services, LLC. He told me pretty much what everyone else reported here. He also mentioned he had just been talking with one of my Senior coworkers, insinuating that he knew him. I asked him to call back next week regarding my purchasing leads from him, (as I wished to check them out first). I am so glad I did, after reading all the reviews (complaints) about this company here and with the BBB. Ugly. I have just faxed in a directive to take me off of their phone and email lists, cc's my attorneys and a government oversight official that I know. If they contact me again, I will report them to the authorities also.
This company calls my office every week and I can not get them to stop calling. When they call now I tell them I am interested and put them on hold until they hang up. Sometimes they stay on the line for 10 minutes or more and when they call back I tell them to hold on again. At first I hated getting calls from them now it is fun.
Just got a call from "Matt" at Interactive Strategies. I assume this is the Matt that has been referred to in the above complaints. I was pitched the leads for sale for a financial advisor; told Matt that I got my leads through referrals and I wasn't interested. He quickly threw in a couple of jabs by stating that I must be a "newbie" by the way I was acting and ended with a sarcastic "good luck succeeding in this business with your attitude". As I reverse checked the phone on caller ID and researched the company, I stumbled upon this blog. Glad I accepted the verbal assault and didn't cowtow to his high pressure tactics. Stay away!
I worked for Prestige Management, my time there was anything but exciting nor a good working enviornment. Half the day I would sit in my chair and feel sick to my stomach about how I was attempting to make a "Honest" buck. I only worked there a few days and did not suceed in making one successful sale of a list. Matt Aylward walks through the office along with his mother Rhonda yelling at people to get back on the phone and fix your voices and sit straight up in the chair. I am here to help people gain a better knowledge of what they do at Prestige Management. They call and promise that this is the greatest list you can buy and it has been compiled by the top three compilers in the nation Dun & Bradstreet, Infoseek, and Experian "the credit reporting service" this is a LIE! To be completely honest as they call people they actually make up the amount of leads in your area judge by the population and if you say your too busy to call [protected] people they offer the "Extra-Affluent Leads" that are ppl who have 500, 000+ in a pension of 401K for $1 dollar a name. I just quit this job not because I wasnt making any sales but I have honor and integrity and I dont think screwing people of out of their money is either. What this PONZY SCHEME does is takes your order of "X" amount of leads and looks through your phonebook and sends you the name of a person that fits the description. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND BUY A PHONEBOOK IF YOU REALLY WANT TO CALL PEOPLE AND HAVE THEM HANG UP ON YOU. AND ONE MORE THING YOU ARE HURTING YOUR BUSINESS BY BUYING THESE LEADS GIVING IT A BAD NAME SO DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND ONLY WORK REFERALS FROM THE CLIENTS YOU ALREADY HAVE, OR DO IT THE OLD FASHION WAY AND MAKE A DAMN COMMERCIAL!
I checked the BBB web site, and there is no log of complaints against this firm. I also checked the IL Attorney General's web site and saw nothing.
Prestige Management cold called my office offering leads for $400 for 800 leads specifically scrubbed to my requests. They never delivered the leads or refunded the money. They gave me the run around for 2-3 months about getting my leads to me. I found they work very hard at stalling practices and really must need the money. I filed a complaint with the Attorney General's Office of Illinois, so you need to do the same. If they get enough complaints, they'll go bye bye. I have another fellow CFP(R) that was going to buy leads from them but after talking to me he stopped.
10 years of service and 93 complaints...that's not bad for a company supplying the u.s. Everyone has complaints, im gonna give them a shot. Ill let you know how it really is.
This company is a rip off! Stay away from them at all costs! They get their names from the website infousa.com. The names are NOT pre-qualified at all and they are NOT ran against the Do Not Call list! The turn-over rate at this company is unbelievable! I've never seen a company go through so many different employees! Matthew Aylward is a creep! He is selfish & self-centered & doesn't care about anyone else but himself. He just thinks he's more important than he really is. All this company does is lie about everything so please stay away! Don't let them take your money. If you do, you're just throwing your money away. Customer Service is a joke! They'll just give you the run-around & won't help you out at all! Prestige does not give refunds either so this is another huge red-flag! Check out the St. Louis, MO area Better Business Bureau website. Their rating is an "F". This company is a rip off! Stay away from them at all costs! They get their names from the website infousa.com. The names are NOT pre-qualified at all and they are NOT ran against the Do Not Call list! The turn-over rate at this company is unbelievable! I've never seen a company go through so many different employees! Matthew Aylward is a creep! He is selfish & self-centered & doesn't care about anyone else but himself. He just thinks he's more important than he really is. All this company does is lie about everything so please stay away! Don't let them take your money. If you do, you're just throwing your money away. Customer Service is a joke! They'll just give you the run-around & won't help you out at all! Prestige does not give refunds either so this is another huge red-flag! Check out the St. Louis, MO area Better Business Bureau website. Their rating is an "F".
Unfortunately, I did not see this article before I gave them my money. This company also sold me the “call services” with the leads. I paid them $945.00. They did not make a single call! I’ve asked for my money back but they won’t call me back. There has been huge turn over of employees. Mathew Aylward, the CEO/Owner is a coward and a con artist.
This is about the worst lead generating company out there, i have read every single report on the company after getting a call like what is metioned above. I have NEVER read anything on a company that was as horrrable. Try it Google the name and read some of these post. WOW
Thank you so much for your post about Prestige Management!
I almost purchased a $300 list from PM, but the two salespeople just came across over the phone as a bit "cheesy", if you get my drift. I asked for two advisors who had bought their lists in the past, and they had ONLY TWO in the ENTIRE UNITED STATES that they would give me. Funny, eh?
The first person's name they gave me (who had supposedly puchased their list) was a stockbroker with Northland Securities, in Wisconsin. I point blank asked him if he was receiving ANYTHING from PM for recommeding PM investor lists. He said he was NOT receiving anything. So I called PM back and asked if they were giving the broker anything for giving PM a good recommendation. The PM rep said that they gave 200 free leads to anyone who gave PM a good recommendation. She said this as though it was a selling point for me to buy their lists.
When I told the rep that I had changed my mind (since I'd already given them my credit card number) she became audibly nervous and irritated and tried in vain to talk me into buying the lists. In this case, the old saying holds true: "In sales, he or she who talks the most loses." She lost, and I won, thanks to your published complaint and complaints of other people on the Internet.
The second name they gave me didn't even respond to my inquiry.
As of today, 3/14/09, Prestige has at least 10 major complaints at the Illinois Atty General's office and 53 at the BBB. They are extremely misleading and their approach and hopefully will be put out of business, SOON.