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If you're reading this, you're probably wondering about the legitimacy of a company called Urban Nation. In short, don't give their door-to-door salesman a penny, unless you are willing to throw your money away.
For the longer version, here's the story... Although their office is listed in Willis, Texas, a salesman representing them came to my door in Brookfield, Wisconsin, in August, 2006 to sell his magazines. The salesman was upfront with me and told me that this was not a non-for-profit organization but was rather an organization that helps youth and adults get back on their feet by letting them sell their magazines with a large mark-up (with large portion of the mark-up going to the salesperson). After looking at the list of magazines, I purchased six months of Architectural Digest for $53. I figured, if this guy was legitimately trying to get back on his feet, why not... worthy cause. Well, it's now the end of December 2006, and I haven't seen any magazines from Urban Nation. I've tried repeatedly to call the phone number listed on the receipt and only get an answering machine. I've left several messages, and have threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). I called the BBB, and found out that these guys have 20 complaints filed and unresolved in the last 36 months. So, again, if you want to donate to a worthy cause, give to your favorite charity... if you want to get suckered, give to the salesman from Urban Nation standing on your doorstep.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Like most people posting, I don't normally order door to door items, but was impressed with the gentleman who knocked on my door and his "story". I bought two magazines on November 8th 2018, one for me and one for my niece. Neither of the magazines have been received as of Jun 4, 2019. I started leaving voice mails at the customer service number [protected]) on April 4th. I have also sent emails almost weekely to urbannationent@gmail.com. Big shock, but I have not received a call back or an email response. For those of you saying "have faith", I believe that 7 months time is demonstrating some amount of faith. Apparently, some orders get through, others do not. It's a gamble. Sadly, I strongly suggest not buying from these people, no matter how good their story is.
Ordered in February and never received magazines.
Taking hard earned money from people is not right.
Urban Nation has its flaws and success. The salesman works hard day and night to change their lives. True enough, there are better jobs but at the end of the day these salesman are just making a living for themselves. Alot of customers tell us that they couldnt walk in our shoes or be as brave enough to go door to door. Urban Nation salesman should not be judge for what some one did because they hire new people everyday. So just think what you say people because we are still people.
I paid $75.00 for a magazine order for my granddaughter on 5/1/2015. To date, 150 days later, she has not received an issue. I wrote to Urban Nation via email on 9/19/15 and have had no response. Today I telephoned and left a message to call me. Still zip...
I did not order The Nation - I was sent a sample copy - returned the invoice with "CANCEL" across the front - and continued to received for awhile. I am not liable for the $13.95.
The Correct Date is 4/4/14-- not 4/4/13.
4/4/13! WATCH OUT MOTEL/HOTEL OWNERS! DO NOT BOOK You WILL BE DISAPPOINTED! We held 11 rooms and made a special effort to convert 2more rooms for URBAN NATION's Meeting office and Conference room they said needed for their sales youth.Along with Irons and iron boards, breakfast needs, etc. HOGWASH! We were contacted thru QS4 Travel Agency-- LAS VEGAS Travel Agency-- Ms J. Walker And Ms Cherry-- Mr William Cooley insisted would arrive 4/4/14-- We had all ready-- NO SHOW! NO Calls from agency. We called them come 5pm. MS Walker said Mr Cooley did not feel like traveling and had his days confused. .
He wants to come early Sunday though. We advised he needs to pay for the Conference rooms, meeting rooms and booked rooms. I fax his total invoice due Sun upon arrival to QS4 Travel Agency. Ms Walker calls back 30mins later. Mr Cooley will not pay a cent for any rooms nor any inconvenience he has caused. WE advised of 24hour policy for cancellations and he is responsible as we had turned away business from a huge convention weekend. We could have booked rooms all day long, Ms Walker said Urban Nation will not pay and there is nothing that can be done about it. Well I will advise others on this blog. We like to help causes out. This one will only burn your helping hand! Beware of booking with QS4 Travel agency and Urban Nation!
I just called and I got a answer I think it was twaana that's Lawrence wife and j.p sister trust me they ### gone be on American greed serving 15 years cars gone home lost I no them he drives rolls Royce Bentley maybach and ### got a jewelry company
Just wow. "Our company is n[o]t a scam...it[']s...you."
I thought the company was pretty shady to begin with, but this comment and the blatant disrespect from other 'co-workers' on this site and in real life just puts it over the top. I saw two young men tonight taking people's 'No Soliciting' signs right off their houses, then laughing about it. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Hello complainers my name is jerel davis and i love this urban nation company. IT saved
My life as well as provided a better life for me as well as my family..Mr Engerman is very
Kind hearted fello he does his best when it comes to giving ppl second chances to ppl going in the wrong direction.Our company is nt a scam its the person at your door its also you. EVERYONE HAD TO START FRM SOMEWHERE RIGHT? OR DID YOUR MILLION DOLLAR HOME AND OCCUPATION FALL FRM THE SKY ? Nobody likes to get sold but this world is full of buyers and sellers which one are you? Going door to door isnt the best job to have but its a start to a better future. If your child needed a oppertunity you would want someone to buy frm them right? Open yo eyes and your hearts ppl thossame
I just bought a subscription for my daughter and my husband from a 19 year old woman who had been walking around all day in the wind and snow on Valentines Day. I don't want or need the magazines. I knew it was probably a scam after the first sentence of her spiel. But, I invited her in because it was getting cold and dark and she was obviously desperate to get warm. I told her to take her snow-caked shoes off and realized that both her socks and shoes were soaking wet. I gave her a new pair of dry socks to keep and made some hot chocolate to warm her up while her shoes were drying in the dryer. I chatted with her a little bit to try to get a better understanding the offer and what her life was like working for this company. As she continued to tell me several stories of how the company is run, I knew something was not right. I googled the company. I read a few really bad reviews. But, I agreed to write the check anyways thinking maybe I was making a difference in this girls weekly quota. While her shoes dried, we continued to chat, mostly about her life, her family, where she'd come from, where she hopes to go, etc...This was a young woman who was trying to better herself working for what she knew was an obviously crooked company, but she felt she had no other choice but to continue on. I thought about asking for the check back and giving a personal check directly to her, but she said she didn't have a bank account and couldn't cash a personal check even if I gave her one. So, I figured perhaps my sale could potentially help her reach her weekly quota and it gave her the 75 points she needed towards her "goal". I was deeply saddened by the circumstances this young woman was faced with. Here she is trying to better her life, working her ### off in the snow and cold for pennies (literally). It was such a horrible dilemma. On one hand, I felt like I did the right thing by supporting this woman who would eventually like to go to nursing school. On the other hand, I highly doubt she'll ever see the money or the benefit from the "points" I contributed. I feel like this company is so so evil for taking advantage of these poor, unfortunate young people by having them sell these ridiculously priced magazine subscriptions and misleading them into believing there is hope for them by working for their for-profit company. Shame on those soul-less crooks! I know I could have easily said "no", but my heart is too big and it's freakin Valentines Day and it was snowing sideways, so not only did I give her socks, but I gave her a winter hat and some winter gloves that were in the Goodwill box in our basement. I wish I could have done more for her, but all I can do is write this complaint hoping someone with the power to do something to turn this potential "business" model around (or put them out of business entirely) will read this. The thought of helping unfortunate young people succeed and grow their sales, confidence and personal skills is a great idea, but you gotta treat your people right while running a legitimate business at the same time.
I purchased magizines for 166.00 on 10-22-2012, here it is 2-7-2013 i still havent seen any magizines, Nobody better come back to my house & sell me any magizines, I wish i would googled these people before i bought them.
Paid for a subscription for a magazine for my grandson ($45) in August 2012. It is now January 2013 and no magazine.
Called their number early last November and actually spoke with a young lady who said she would take care of it. Two months later still no magazines.
As others have said, the young African American sales person was a very nice guy with a good spiel. He rang my bell one evening and I invited him in. What a shame this isn't real. They must be all over the U.S. I am in upstate NY. Bob M
Met a sales rep talking up my son in our driveway on 8/14 /12 in Canton, MA. Very similar story to many of the other posts. Felt sympathetic and while story was not totally believable I decided to take a shot. Used this as a lesson for my son. These are bad people any way you look at it. Spent $147 for 1 yr of Smithsonian and 2 yrs of Newsweek. I will contact state and local authorities as well as magazine companies. It's always a tough call buying anything on the street from so called 'gypsies' - Buyer Beware!
NOT a well run organization. I'm thinking the people at the top are making a lot of money at the expense of people trying to help out by buying magazines at a premium. Black people should not get involved with this organization. Reputation is everything. Do everything you can to improve the reputation of your race. Not hurt it even more.
these companys use these kids and get rich off them what boss beats up employs if they dont do what they are suppose to beware of sean nation some of these kids have family these kids are left in hotels high and drunk all under age whos buying all this so they can control the kids who they are supposed to be helping
wow, i was debating whether to cancel the check until i saw the post by roguesoldier. now i know what kind of people i gave my hard earned money to.
i worked door to door sales and we dont intend to scam yall we just do our jobs its not our falt if u dont get ur magazines we don diliver so fucc all the haters
i worked door 2 door sales and as far as we new we werent scamin yall we dont diliver so all we can do is put ur order in its not our falt u never got ur magazines we did our part so fucc u all
Ok, these "poor, unfortunate, inner city kids" aren't learning valuable sales skills; they are learning to commit fraud, which is a crime. There's a sucker born every minute, and I'm not one of them. I could tell it was a scam, but to give them the benefit of the doubt, I excused myself for a moment, googled urban nation and came right to this web site. I went back to the door and told them to have a nice day.
I have been ordering magazines from this company for years and I always receive my magazines. I feel good about helping out the young person that comes to my door. I don't buy the magazines because I really want them, I purchase because I really want to help out the young person who came to my door.
Yeah, me too with the compassion quotient. The two girls that came to my door were engaging and obviously trying to get a leg up on life. I donated a Nat. Geo Kids for $90. My wife came home as I was writing the check and immediately checked it out. I really don't care about the magazines. These kids that are dropped off in neighborhoods are developing some excellent sales skills and I hope my little bit helps them to achieve something more than the Urban Nation hustle. I think it will...wishful thinking?
I can't say whether or not it is a scam, but I ordered a single comic book subscription as a Christmas present for my son on October 9, 2010, realizing that it might not start arriving by Christmas. Today is February 14, 2011, and although my check has long since been cashed, there have been no deliveries. The phone number listed goes directlyl to a full voicemail box, the website is a joke, and I definitely feel ripped-off. I guess I'll stop buying things from door-to-door salesmen, and stop trusting polished, pleasant young people who seem to be trying to get a decent start in life.
Urban Nations is still a scam...it is too bad because I really liked the young girl who came with such a sad story how she was trying to get back on her feet. I bought a 2 year magazine subscription, thankfully only $50.00 on Sept 9, 2010. Still to this day have not gotten and see now I will never get. This experience will hurt the honest people, as I will never buy from any salesperson coming to my door ever again!
Like BeachBend5 above, I live in Central CA. I purchased a year subscription to Consumer Reports on Dec. 2, 2009, Correspondence Number 876827 from a salesman named Kevin Johnson. Nice guy ... my neighbors were having us over for dinner that night, and he was invited too. But ... the magazine never came. Consumer Reports says they didn't receive anything from Urban Nation on my behalf, and I have had the same experience everyone else has had trying to contact them ... "the voice mailbox is full." I am also leaving a voicemail on the 480- number in this thread, and e-mailing the aol.com address to give them a chance to make this right.
Lawrence Engerman is slime, pure and simple. The address for Urban Nation is not even a legit location. It's a UPS store in Willis, TX.
Lawrence also runs a "cash building website" called mycashchain.com. I'm guessing the only person building cash here is Lawrence himself. Nevertheless, he registered the website using his personal address and email.
engerman79@aol.com
9731 west shore dr
willis, Texas 77318
Check google maps. He's living really well on our dime. As someone else pointed out, he also appears to own a 35.8' boat named... get this... Wet Dreams - http://www.boatinfoworld.com/boat/registrations/willis-tx-77318.asp
I guess I shouldn't expect much from King L the rapper - http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/artist/King+L./a/albums.htm
This seems to be a family affair too.. do yourself a favor and Google for Twanna Engerman and/or Freedom Sales. Her company rips off just as many people.
First I want to say thank-you to the person who started this thread. Like many, I wanted to help out the two young men that came to my door. Their story seemed legit, but they told me that I needed to purchase four magazines for them to make their commission. I was shocked by the price, but still wanted to help out. My husband and daughter were more skeptical, so after I completed the transaction, I looked up the company online and found this site. This morning I tried calling the number, and like many of you, got a full mailbox with no way to leave a message. I immediately put a stop payment on my check. Any business that does not have a way to contact them in this day and age has major issues, if not a complete outright scam. Ironically, I live extremely close to the owner of the company - my boat is in the same general area also, so I guess I could go by his house and ask him about all this, but I think I will rack this up as lesson learned... I feel sorry for the kids that get scammed into working for this company.
Here is their updated information. Looks like they change company names every couple months to allude authorities and continue their scam.
http://www.stricklybusiness1.com/
Ok, within one hour I am totally reversing my comments above. I left a message for Mr. Lawrence Engerman
using the number listed in the blog above and he called me back directly in less than an hour. He is refunding my money (obviously remains to be seen) and is still giving me a free one year subscription to my magazine (also remains to be seen).
I myself sold educational books door-to-door two summers while in college back in the seventies, so I hate to see
door-to-door students get a bad name. There is always a few that taint the whole barrel, but anybody that is hooked up with a legitimate business and goes door-to-door is tackling a very, very tough job.
I'll give them 30 days to see the check and or magazine, and will report back what happens.
Same-same, I'm in Portland, Oregon - bought a subscription to HandyMan for 5 years, $135 paid on January 2, 2010 - 10 months later, no magazines, nobody answers the phone, voicemail box full, no email contact possible from their website. Also thought I was helping a struggling young person get off the street - and I think he
may be a victum of a crappy company as they probably have no idea how this company treats potential customers. I'll be writing the BBB and anybody else I can.
Complete rip off - it has been 6 months and i still haven't received anything. I also don't have a way of cahnging my address as I have since moved. I encourage everyone to register a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
Call Sonia Byrd at [protected] she is the office manager of this magazine company also known as SB Magazines/Strictly Business Magazines or Urban Success...the owner is Lucius Pierce. They are a very fraudulent company that goes around the U.S. taking peoples money for magazines subcriptions but never sending the magazines. I too have been a victim and am assisting people to get their money back.
I live on the Central Coast in California. In December 2009 I purchased a magazine subscription ($58) from the sob story kid who came calling. I always give people the benefit of the doubt. Well, for the past few days I have been calling Urban Nation, getting a recording, sometimes I can leave a message, sometimes I get in a loop that doesn't allow messages. Needless to say, I am without my magazine subscription and feeling duped. This organization should not be allowed to continue. When I read all the comments about it being a scam going back years and years, I feel like an idiot for trying to help out the salesman that came to my door. Never again! And I will spread the word about this scam organization...buyer beware.
P.S. Regarding the above comment. I'm not holding my breath (but never hurts to give a guy a chance.)
Dear Lawrence Engerman (owner of Urban Nation?)
Four months ago, while I was visiting a friend in California, I purchased a three year subscription to National Geographic For Kids from one of your saleskids who stopped by their door. I bought a $75 subscription ($15 to $20 over the direct-buy purchase price) plus the $10 processing fee. I asked that that subscription be donated to a Battered Women's Shelter in Watts, CA (that was one of the choices the salesperson gave me.)
I have since called your Texas phone number multiple times and left messages. I want to know which shelter is benefitting from my donation. I want to call that shelter and have them say "Yes, We started recieving that National Geo Kids Magazine last month. Thank you." No one has called me back with the information I requested.
This makes your "donate a magazine of your a needy charity" feel very much like a scam. My correspondence number is: 876378. Please let me know which shelter I can call.
I ordered three magazines from Urban Nation in July 2009. As of February 2010, I have yet to receive one magazine. I do think that this organization and everything they represent is a SCAM. I always get the answering machine whenever I call and I've never received a call back. Those that were lucky enough to receive their products should not belittle or demean the experiences of those of us who have basically been robbed for trying to help others.
Urban Nation may be a poorly run organization, and they may have a few bad apple salespersons, but my magazines eventually did arrive. Like many who have commented here, I was impressed with the salesperson and I purchased 2 subscriptions, even though I was uneasy about it. 120 days came and went, so I left a complaint message on their phone system (which no one ever answers). Of course I received no response, but finally, about 150 days after I placed the initial order, my first magazines arrived. I have to wonder how many of the people who posted here eventually did get their product, but never bothered to come back and post an update.
It's a scam. I've looked at the domain name's WHOIS record, and found the following information:
Administrator: Lawrence Derek Engerman
Phone: [protected]
Address: 904 W MONTGOMERY ST WILLIS, Texas 77378
Creation Date: 2005-05-27
Expiration Date: 2010-05-27
Last Update Date: 2009-05-28
I ordered magazines a few months ago, from Donnell Tyson, and hadn't received them. Much like everybody else, I only got an answering machine and never a response:
General Voice Mail: [protected]
Lawrence's Voice Mail: [protected]
Lawrence's Office Phone (but really Cox Communications): [protected]
Looks like somebody just got away with my money. SCAM all the way.
It is a scam. > 3 months, and no delivery of magazine ordered. We had a similar experience as many of the above people who commented...felt it was a good cause, etc. I have left several messages on the Urban Nation #. No return of phone call, or delivery of magazine.