Encore Nationwide review: retaliation 57

Sorry you feel that way Rosa. I wish you well in all of your future endeavors.

Larry Hess
lhess@encorenationwide.com

Such responses from the CEO are enough to deter me from even thinking of doing business with Encore. Wow. Just disgusted.

I work for encore and im not impressed at all. In the short time I have been working with them my experience has not been pleasant. My main concern is not being paid in a timely matter. According to there company they pay 6 to 8 weeks and that is far from the truth. I am waiting payment from july for some work that I did. I am amazed at how a company can pick and choose when they pay people, I have never seen anything like this before. I am in dyer need of income and thats why I got caught up with this company, they also don't have alot of work available. I have sighned up with many event companies and I will continue to work with them in the future over encore any day. I am also noticing, people are nice when they book you and when they want you to work, but the moment there is a problem or you try to inquire about your money no one is nice anymore.
Triple Point and sunflower are both great companies and they have steady work. Each of these companies pay within two weeks, unlike encore that pays people in THREE months.

Hello Dallas,

Sorry you feel that way and sorry you do not like my responses. All I try to do is lighten the mood and get the facts. Not everyone will like my humor or responses. But at least I am out here and responding and not hiding.

You shouldn't believe everything you read on-line. Again, what you do not take into account is this is just a micro "set" of people who have complaints. We have been in business for 13 years! How many complaints do you see here? Maybe 75 or so? Of those, how many are legit? Maybe a dozen, maybe less. Over a 13 year span, I am not naive enough to think I will never get complaints. But I am OK with the legit complaints because it allows us to grow and fix the issues. We are not above mistakes, we make them all the time! However, sadly most of these complaints are just bogus or an unrealistic opinion and not actual facts.

I wish you the best of luck with your program. If you would like to entertain a conversation to judge me on something other than the things you see on-line, I would be more than happy to jump on a call.

Larry Hess
lhess@encorenationwide.com

Wow what a reflection of Encore. Based on the immature & unprofessional behavior portrayed by the CEO of this company, we have decided to go with another staffing agency to staff our event executions for our well known world wide client. We based our decision on the "F" BBB rating and all the negative complaints from this site and many others.

terrible company & shame on a CEO for acting so unprofessional & rude. No wonder Encore Nationwide has a F rating w/ the BBB. Companies seeking to staff their executions look elsewhere for your temporary staffing needs.

Larry,

Thanks for getting back to me. You sound like a good guy who cares a lot about his company. I do agree that a lot of these complaints are bogus I just wanted to share my opinion. I just really like to see myself on the internet because it makes me feel important! Just kidding. thanks for clearing up my concerns. best of luck in your future endeavors.
Madface

Wow, this site works well! Put up my last post multiple times. Odd.

Good morning Madface,

For starters, let's clear a few things up.

• It was 5k and a two bedroom apartment to start. Then it was a 3 bedroom apartment a few months later. Three guys in a two bedroom was a bit too tight!
• GMR is an Experiential Marketing Agency, not an Event Staffing agency. Companies like GMR and others like it, are our main clients. We are an event staffing agency that supports the event marketing industry. Two VERY different companies and core competencies. I believe we have been around the longest at this point. Sure there might be a few mom and pop regional staffing companies here and there, but on a nationwide level, Encore has been around the longest. Event Pro Strategies comes in at a close second.
• You say you are not trying to insult me or Encore, but when you use words like "unprofessional" or a phrase that "we are the worst agency that you have ever dealt with" there is not too many ways to take those comments. Especially with no valid details to support your claim. When I have a complaint with a company, I cite specifics. It allows the company to look into the issue and maybe spark a change. It also, in my mind, lends credibility to the complaint. It is easy to just say Continental is the worst airline in the world, but when you cite specifics it allows the company to make change.
• I never lie. You may not like my answer. You may not agree with me or my answer. But we do not lie.

Again, in the grand scheme of things, you are seeing a very small cross section of complaints. Do the math, it is pretty simple. Let's go on the low end here, 50 people per day for 13 years. That is 237k people that has worked through Encore over 13 years. How many complaints do you see? Maybe 50-75 complaints or so spanning a few years. Of those complaints, how many are people that really have no complaint but just like to ###? While I am not happy with any complaints, that turns out to be a very small percentage of actual complaints.

Again, I would never assume that we are not the ones making mistakes. We are human, we make mistakes all the time. We try different approaches a few times a year to try and make the experience better. Some work and some fail. Sometimes it is just a matter of someone missing a name on a timesheet and we do not get a check out. It happens.

My stance has always been the same with regards to these boards. I love them. If used correctly, it gives us unbiased feedback on our work and allows us to make changes. We have intuited new policies based off of the feedback we have received on message boards. However, in reality it turns out that most of the complaints hold no merit at all. What I love the most though are the people that see these boards and either applaud our stance or better yet, they email me with their issues directly and I can rectify them. I love that the most, because it shows us our flaws and allows us to focus on making the experience better. Sadly though, for the most part it is people who have been deactivated for poor performance that usually take to the boards because they do not agree with our decision. They sling insults and lies and it is not productive for anyone.

You sound like a rationale person, I am sure you realize that at least some of these complaints are bogus. Right?

As far as our practices. Are we dialed in perfectly? No way. Will we ever have "perfect" practices that address every possible scenario? I doubt it. Not only that, but that perfect balance will always be evolving and changing. But in 13 years of supplying staff for events, we have it pretty well figured it out.

Your general tone seems to be about payments. You are not alone. It makes sense that would be the topic most talked about. Payments will always be a topic of concern for all the parties, our clients, our database of IC's and Encore. I mentioned this in a post higher in this thread, but I will mention it again. We averaged 3-4 weeks on payments for close to 13 years. For a few months at the end of 2010 and into 2011, we ran into a perfect storm of issues. A new payment software that seized up and didn't work along with a few sluggish clients. So we pushed out payments to 8 weeks. We were as unhappy as the staff, but we maintained our agreement within the IC agreement that everyone signs, and payments were made within the 8 week time frame. There were a few instances where we pushed beyond that, and we did just what you mentioned. We proactively called everyone and talked them through the situation.

In my experience, we cannot make everyone happy. We do our best, but at the end of the day not everyone is going to agree with us and our practices. If we pay in 3 weeks, they will want it in 2 weeks. If we pay in 2 weeks, they want it in 1 week. It is never ending and a cannot win scenario for us. So in the end, we do our best to service our clients and take care of the people in our database.

It is up to individual to make up their minds to stay within our database according to our terms and it is up to them on who to believe on these boards. I come under considerable scrutiny for the way in which I answer some of these complaints. Can I be a little sarcastic? A little antagonistic? Sure. I try to mix it up and not take things so serious and try to keep things light hearted. What I hope people can see in all of this, is an owner that truly cares. Cares enough to respond to almost every post. A guy who really does want to know what is going on out there.

Thank you again for your feedback. Again, if you have any specific examples of issues you have experienced, I want to know about them. My personal email address is below. Feel free to contact me anytime.

Larry Hess
CEO/Owner

lhess@encorenationwide.com

Larry,

I have nothing to resolve. The only fact I am stating is you have more complaints than any other agency I have worked with. By the way there are quite a few agencies that have been around longer than 13 years with just as large of a data base as encores(GMR marketing) for example. So obviously there is something wrong with the way encore practices. You are being a victim and claiming that everyone on here "thinks the world owes them something" when really there are changes you could make in your company policey that may eliminate these long threads of complaints. Maybe you should be proactive and have a meeting with your employees about payments being a few days late and notifying your staff in a timely matter. I'm sure that small step would cut down a lot of the complaints. I am not saying this happened to me or that its a fact it happened to anyone else but why lie? Larry, I have the utmost respect for you. You started this business in a one bedroom apt with $4000 I don't know if I could ever do that and I think that is an amazing accomplishment! Hey, I like encore nationwide I mean its a good agency I just think it could be better. I hope you dont think I am trying to insult you. I just notice your rebuttals are very generic constantly asking people for specifics.. Well the complaints are also very generic usually outlining some sort of payment issue. So instead of insinuating that these people are lairs and victims. Be proactive and address the main issue with your employees. You dont have to address staffs concern if they dont provide the necessary information to resolve the issue, however, take steps to have it from happening again.

Good day sir

Good Morning Madface,

Thank you for your feedback. If you have any specific issues please send them to me directly. Or feel free to post them here on-line. You are just posting your opinion. Send me supporting facts. Things like your name, dates worked, location worked and what promotion. Also let me know what the issue is you are experiencing. If you do, I will be more than happy to look into it for you. If you do not send me anything to support your claims, then there is nothing I can do for you.

I agree, we seem to have a long thread here. However, let's put this into perspective. We have been around for 13 years. That is more than any other event staffing agency in the country. We have hundreds of people work through us every day. Do the math here, literally hundreds of people per day for 13 years! You are just seeing a very small fraction of complaints in comparision.

If you are so unhappy, why work through us again?

Feel free to send me your supporting facts and details to the email address below. Or post them here. Without those details, your post will not resolve anything. If there are issues, I want to know about them. That is how we grow as an agency.

Larry Hess
CEO/Owner
Encore Nationwide
lhess@encorenationwide.com

Larry,

As stated before there are no other reputable agencies with a list of complaints online as long as encores. I've been on three different discussion boards with the same pattern of complaints from former BAs. You're rebuttal is that these dissatisfied workers are expressing opinions rather than facts so their original complaint has no validity to it. There may not be specifics in these complaints, however, I believe it is a pretty good indicator Encorenationwide is unprofessional compared to the hundreds of promotional agencies out there. I have worked with several agencies that are A. more consistent B.Pay more C. paid out every two weeks D. Address questions and concerns in a timely matter. I have worked for Encorenationwide and probably will work for them again. They are just the worst agency I have ever dealt with. Larry you need a little brushing up on your people skills.

Hello Trofsky…..

Thanks for your feedback. I come under some considerable fire on these boards for my responses. However, what you should look at in my responses are me asking for facts. Give me the details. I need names, dates and promotional event, so that I can look up the details. Do you ever see anyone on this board give the details? Nope. Seem odd to you? If I were looking for payment and I had the ear of the CEO, I would supply every last detail. I would do it privately first and then if I received no results, I would post on-line. No one ever sends me the details.

I am not saying we are right 100% of the time. I would never claim that. We make mistakes all the time. We are human, just like you. If we make mistakes, I am the first one that wants to know about it. That way I can make adjustments and maybe those mistakes will not happen again.

Truthfully, that is the goal of any message board. Sadly though, that is not what these have become. They are just an avenue for someone with an axe to grind to come on the web and see their words. Typically when we can find out the details on someone that has posted, it turns out that they no showed to an event, their address changed and they didn't notify us or they did a really bad job out in the field. So we deactivate them and they get upset and post lies on here. It is sad really. As one of the owners of Encore, I take lies as a slap in the face and I will come on here and post my view. You by all means do not have to take my word for it. But it allows people to see both sides and they can choose for themselves who to believe.

As for your theory on how we like to take payments from clients and put them in an interest bearing account for a few weeks. That is a straight forward bold face lie. However, you are not the only one who believes this story. As a matter of fact this theory has been around for years. I will tell you what I tell everyone who thinks that is our angle. Put your money where your mouth is and come to our LA office and I will be glad to show you our books. I will show you when we get paid and when we pay out to staff. Often times it is the same week.

Just like you all, we often have to wait forever on payment from our clients. We try and cover as much as we can on cases that push really late on payment to Encore. However, on bigger orders sometimes it is mandatory that we wait until we receive payment. For 13 years we averaged about 3-4 weeks for payments. That being said, from November 2010 to about March 2011 we ran into a perfect storm. We launched a new software for payments and when we launched it did not work correctly. We also have several large programs come through and some of our clients decided to pay us VERY late. So payments to staff pushed out to 8 weeks. Our IC agreement, that everyone signs, says you can expect payment in 6 to 8 weeks. For 13 years we average 3 to 4 weeks and for a 4 month period we had no choice but to push out to 8 weeks. I think that is a pretty good track record. We are currently back on track with all payments within the 3 to 4 week zone.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me any time.

Larry Hess
CEO/Owner
lhess@encorenationwide.com

I apologize, computer issues. ... The companies like to sit on the payment from the client, for at least a month, to accrue interest before they pay out. A little sleazy? Yes, but that's the industry. I personally have not dealt with the CEO, so I cannot attest to his integrity. I am a little surprised at his attempted damage control on this forum, but he has the right to do that. I would NOT be surprised if Encore did deactivate the one user's account as some type of retaliation, I obviousy cannot state this as a fact. I would also not be surprised if most of what users in this forum are saying is true. My overall experiences with Encore have been sub-par. They CAN treat you as if you're disposable. Take everything on these forums with a grain of salt, including and especially the CEO who's company is under fire and scrutiny. I can tell you that if there are two events that I have to choose from on the same date from Encore and another company, chances are Encore will be my second choice.

I have worked with Encore on and off for about six years. I, too, have had small issues that I have tried to deal with the staff on, but to really to avail. As far as the pay situation is concerned, I am with about 50 agencies and Encore is by far one of the lowest paying agencies I am with--though they used to pay more a few years ago. As far as how long it generally takes to get paid, Encore takes a little longer than others, but it is pretty much industry standard. The companies like to sit on the payment from the client, for at least a month, to accrue interest before they pay out. Abut that industry. I personally have not dealt with the CEO, and I'm a little surprised at his attempted damage control on this forum, but he has the right to do that.

[protected] and I have worked 4 events since Jan 29 2011 and I havent seen a pay check yet from Encore. You guys payroll department is terrible and so is RedPegs...

Rag...

Thanks for the link. I am currently working with the LA BBB to furnish them with the real background information.

And yep, I know full well what the acronym stands for...very professional.

For someone who is so insulted by my comments and never wants anything to do with me or my company, you seem to want to spend some time responding to me on these boards. Why? For what? Do you think you will change me? And you are so insulted by my words...yet you call me names and curse? Oh, wait you used an acronym...and didn't actually curse. Clever.

Good night Rags! Get some sleep.

Larry Hess
lhess@encorenationwide.com

P.S. http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/Encore-Nationwide-Inc-13175590

Larry, do you know what the acronym "STFU" stands for?...

Rag….

I will always defend my company and our policies. Always. I will never hide and not respond. That is just not in my nature. I have worked hard for 13 years to build a reputable company and I am very proud of not only the company but my wonderful staff in the office.

When I do not respond….I am hiding and not taking an active approach to feedback on Encore. When I do respond, it is how can a CEO waste his time. Some people like my responses. Some do not. I cannot win. I cannot make everyone happy.

Listen, most of these complaints are in fact not complaints. They are just rants. And on top of that, it provides us with NO useful information at all to fix the issues, since no one posts or emails me the details of their issue. Most of the time, they do not want to send me details, because they know I will find out that they canceled out on an event last minute or pulled a no-show. So I take ALL of these posts with a grain of salt.

I will never understand the concept of [censor]ing for the sake of [censor]ing. If you have a legitimate complaint, I want to know about it. That way I can see what we did wrong and fix it. But that never happens on these boards…..not ever. And no one reads all the posts or takes me up on emailing me privately.

Again, sorry you do not like my tongue and cheek responses. What you find insulting, others find funny or intriguing or enlightening. So my humor is not your cup of tea. It isn't like we are dating. This is business. You had no issue with the work we supplied you, the pay…..but yet because I get sarcastic on a board that holds NO merit, you want to never work through Encore again? Odd. But hey, ok. It is your opinion and you are entitled to it. While it is a loss for both of us, we have plenty of people who love working through us and I am sure we will find someone else easy enough.

When you open your own company, feel free to respond to your negative posts anyway you feel fit. I will continue to do the same.

I wish you the very best in your future endeavors. And if you would like for me to deactivate your account, please send me a private email with your information.

Larry Hess
lhess@encorenationwide.com

Larry--congrats on not "resorting to name calling", like I did. Really, it does show your maturity. (See, I like sarcasm, too!)
Let me tell ya something, I didn't "take time out of my day" to post on this board, I merely happened upon it & felt the need to respond when I saw everything you had written. I had told my friend about your company because she wanted/needed some part-time work, and I said she should check you guys out. Well, she searched for you guys online, and told me about many, many complaints about your company that popped up when she did. She asked me what I thought. I told her, "Well, I've never had any trouble...", but I decided to also google the complaints to see what could possibly be said. I was totally shocked to see the CEO of what seemed like a reputable company slinging around patronizing, sarcastic, and very rude remarks to people that were merely expressing their opinion and experiences. It just seems like poor business practice, Lar.
Bottom line, people who have bad experiences are going to want to talk about it. If you can't solve the problems they're having, or if they're just being rude/in the wrong, it doesn't give you license to treat them like the [censor] of the earth. But you did, Mr. Hess. You belittled and taunted ("...call me directly [but you won't...]") people simply because you didn't like what they had to say. Now, sure, maybe these people did the same to you or someone at your company by calling you out on the internet after you/your employee gave them an answer they didn't want to hear. The difference is, though, they are not in charge of a large company nor are they at risk to lose face, except to maybe whoever knows what really happened. All I was saying with my first post was that because of how you responded to others' posts, no matter if they were in the wrong or not, you are really giving your company a poor image to someone who had nothing negative to say before reading those responses. Is that really how you want your company to be perceived? Do you see other successful business owners doing what you're doing? Does it honestly benefit anyone for you to come on these websites and prove others' points about you being unprofessional?
Think about it, a little humility goes a long way.

Oh, and just so you don't have to repeat yourself over and over--I KNOW I'm entitled to my own opinion, that is why I'm posting it here. You don't need to know my personal information in order for us to have a discussion online, either. And don't worry about deactivating my account, as I said before that I won't be working with your company again.

Good luck...

Well hello Rag!

Welcome to the party and thanks for your input. I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to post to this thread.

I am sorry to hear of your position. It saddens me to think that there are people out there who will shoot themselves in the foot and decide not to work through Encore, just because you do not like my tongue in cheek responses. We both lose in that situation. You lose out on work and extra cash and we lose out on maybe a good promotional person. Personally, I do not have any understanding why anyone would do that to themselves, but you are certainly entitled to your position.

What is funny is I get tons of emails from both staff and clients, and they love my responses to these posts. Even some of our competitors like my responses!

Listen, am I sarcastic at times? Yeah, of course. I even admitted that somewhere in this thread already. However, if you look through this thread it can get pretty frustrating answering the same questions over and over again. Especially when people can easily shoot me a private email and I would be glad to handle their request.

My favorites are the people who come on here and complain and have no first-hand experience with us at all! How do you come on here and post on a complaint board for the public to see, when you have absolutely no basis for that opinion?

Even you have no complaints about Encore and our policies, but you chose to post on a complaint board. Your complain is not about our services but about my responses!?!? C'mon! Really? Maybe you should relax a little and take these for what they are worth, which is not much.

I have said this before and I will again. I love the idea behind these boards. If used correctly, we can learn and become a better agency. However, very few use these things the right way. Mostly people like to see their words on the World Wide Web.

Again, sorry you feel this way. I would be more than glad to deactivate your account. Send me a private email with your information and I will take care of that for you right away!

Good luck with your future endeavors! (notice I do not resort to calling people names as you did)

Larry "[censored]" Hess
lhess@encorenationwide.com

Wow, Larry. You are giving your company a very bad name right now. Without any hesitation, and without skipping a beat, you immediately belittle and sarcastically reproach anyone who says something even somewhat negative about your company.
If you and your company truly aim solve the problems of your BA's in a professional manner each and every time, you wouldn't need to be on this website acting like a sarcastic jerk. Plain and simple. Your actions speak louder than any of the complaints coming from your former BA's.
And, FYI, I have worked for your company before, and I have NO complaints from doing that work! That being said, now I won't ever be working for your company again, and do you know why Larry? Because of the way YOU responded to people who helped out YOUR business. Way to shoot yourself in the foot!

Good luck out there, [censored]!

Hello Woah!

How are you today? Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts. I appreciate your feedback.

It is really a shame that people come on to these boards and make the decisions that they do based on what they read. You do realize that anyone with an internet connection can write on these boards, right? There is no verification process. So these are just opinions and while I will never condemn anyone for their opinion, most of them on these boards are 100% incorrect.

I just love how you read into my posts that I have anger issues! That is great. You don’t even know me! Or my company for that matter! You have come on here and posted about a person and a company with absolutely NO basis for your thoughts other than what you have read on a board.

For starters, I do not have anger issues. I will however defend my company and our policies all day. If you owned a company, wouldn't you? Are my responses a little sarcastic at times? Yeah, sure. I am from New Jersey originally, I can't help it. But when the same thing is posted all the time and I ask for specifics and get no response, it does get a little frustrating. Some people LOVE my responses and others are put off by them. Have you ever heard the statement, "you cannot make everyone happy?" I am sorry you do not like my responses. Plus I put all of my contact information on every single post, so people can reach me directly.

Second, the SS# is used for tax information. How are we supposed to pay you without it? I have no idea what other companies you work through that do not require you to give your SS#, but that is shady! We run our business by the book and report all earnings and withhold taxes (where applicable) and we need a SS# in order to do that. That is the law.

Third, our IC agreement does in fact state that we will pay people within 8 weeks of working a promotion. We usually average about 3-4 weeks. If that does not work for you, simply do not sign up with us. No need to complain, it is our policy. We make it known up front. You can then decide if that is right for you.

Fourth, I love the notion that we would "plant" people on a board like this to post positive remarks. We have been in business for 13 years, sending literally thousands of people out to promotions each week. Is it that hard to envision that the majority of people have great experiences working with us? We have some people that have been working through us for all 13 years and only work through us. How could we be in business that long if we constantly pissed people off?

And finally, I will never understand why anyone without direct knowledge would complain on a board like this. You have never met me, never signed up for our service, never worked through us……you do not have any experience to base your opinion. If you had worked through us and had a bad experience, I could understand taking the time to write. But in your case, you read some random opinions, made up your mind incorrectly and then you take time out of your day to post as a complaint? Really? Seems odd. Do you go and review restaurants that you have never eaten in as well?

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to email or call me directly (but you won't).

Larry Hess
CEO/Owner

Encore Nationwide
[protected] ext. 1010
lhess@encorenationwide.com

I've worked with a BA companies in Michigan for a number of years. Working for Verizon and Nextel at big events like Nascar and NBA playoffs. I had never heard of this company untill I moved to Florida (they post on Craigslist which is already murky but most modeling gigs around here are for porn so I thought I had gotten lucky). I had just received a invite from them but when I went to join their site I found they wanted a SSN... Well that was a red flag to me so I checked them out (Like I always do before I give anyone personal information over the Internet) That and I have not once had a BA company ask for my SSN unless it was in person.

But judgeing by this "Larry Hess" and his apparent anger issues and non professional approach to these kind of websites or the fact that he feels the personal need to interact on them himself (this is what a secretary is for or PR/HR) tells me I am making the right choice in avoiding them. I have done BA jobs for years and 1: have not heard this level of grievances and 2: Have never had to wait more than 2 weeks for a check to arrive and it seems most people have trouble with this working for encore.

There are apparently a few people that have a "good relationship" with this company but who is to say they are not Larry Hess? Far more likely that a grimy company would make a fake account then a bunch of people would band together to attack this companies image.

To anyone looking at this, wondering if Encore is a good company to work for, please consider all points of views. I have done several events with them, and I have always been paid. Sometimes it takes longer than others, but you have to understand that usually the company waits for the Client to pay them, then they write the checks to the Brand Ambassadors. That's just standard procedure. Most companies do it that way, so good luck storming off to another one and hoping to be paid in a more timely fashion every time. Also, I have always received timely responses with inquiries. Am I questioning that some of you may have had a bad experience? Of course not! Sometimes things fall through the cracks and sometimes not every person that works in a company is perfect. That's how it is with anything though. Are you entitled to voice your complaints and concerns? Absolutely! I accidentally stumbled upon this page, and I realize that the posts are old, but I just wanted to represent another side of the story. I am sorry to those of you that have had a bad experience. But just to let any people that may be considering working for Encore Nationwide in the future know, so that they can make an informed decision, I've never had any problems with them. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant, and had a bad experience, but other people rave about it? It doesn't mean that the company itself is bad, it just means that something went wrong that time.

Larry Hess,

I was actually looking to come on board.. that's why I looked up the company. I work as an Event Coordinator so I understand that client and employee complaints can be unfair and overwhelming sometimes. That's why we have to take everything with a grain of salt, but be as fair as we can at the same time. Also, sometimes we need to take a look at ourselves and learn from every situation. Often times we could have done something a bit differently. Every time we learn from a situation we grow stronger- and so does our company!

Good luck to you, too!

Good morning Sunshine!

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate you taking the time to come on here and respond.

First, do you or have you ever worked through my company? What has been your experience? Good/bad?

Second, I understand you concerns and can appreciate your position. However, I do not feel like I personally attack anyone. Yes, it gets frustrating to see the same ole' thing over and over. And yes, I tend to get sarcastic every once in a while (Hey, I am from NJ). I also agree with your assessment that people can see both sides on an unbiased site like this to make a rational decision.

However, my issue with these boards is no one uses them correctly (rational rarely enters the equation with these complaints). First, there is no way to substantiate any of these claims, this site is just another discussion board. If they really wanted to act as site to help people, they would do some due diligence and look into the issues and erase bogus claims….but they do not. Second, you will notice that in these complaints there are no details given….ever (names, dates, event worked, etc.). I always follow up and ask them for more details. I never get any response…..ever. So I can never lend any credibility to these complaints or look into them to see if we were in fact in the wrong.

Most of the complaints here are people who cannot take responsibility for their own actions and feel the need to lash out to make them feel better about their situation. For example, there was one person on here that was selected for a promotion and elected to not show up to the job. They gave us an excuse and we gave them another shot. Well, they didn't show up again. In this case, we deactivated them. Their response? They started to write angry and defamatory posts on discussion boards and even complained to the BBB. So we gave them an opportunity for some extra promotional work, they blew it off TWICE and they are upset with us? I find that disturbing and sad. It is a true representation of our times. No one takes responsibility for their own actions or inactions anymore. It is always someone else's fault and not their own.

I always post my contact information on these boards. If anyone has a real issue with my company or any of our actions…..by all means, I want to know. Post the gory details here or contact me directly. However, remember, I need the details.

Thanks again for your post. Sorry you do not agree with my tone. I try to keep this light hearted and have some fun with it. But sometimes (like in your case) it rubs some people the wrong way. I also get quite a few people who email me that like my approach. So this falls under, I can't make all the people happy all the time.

Good luck out there!

Larry E. Hess | CEO-Owner
Encore Nationwide, Inc.
2980 Columbia Street | Torrance, CA 90503
Main: [protected] ext. 1010
lhess@encorenationwide.com

I believe that it is important for employee's opinions to be out in the open. This way clear headed people may make a rational decision on whether or not they will work with this company. However, I completely agree with Ryandun101.. There is a civalized way to bring things out into the open. Larry Hess, I understand your need to defend yourself and your company, but you are not really taking your own advise. You are acting like this is all so personal, when really people just want a voice to be heard. Remember that slamming people back (even if they slammed you first) just buildws on top of the anger. If you really believe in your company you will respond in the kindest and truest way you know how, and leave the personal attacks out of it. You are obviously a hard working, ambitious man. Be proud of this!

Hello Picked over...

Please email me directly... lhess@encorenationwide.com

Thanks,

Larry Hess
CEO/Owner
Encore Nationwide, Inc.

I have less of complaint and more a concern, and that is the fairness in how talent is booked. I have inquired about the process with the company and received 0 response. I have worked some events but I've been skipped over for waaaay more work and a few of the events I landed seemed only by default. I discussed this at one of the last events I worked and another B.A. told me that account managers hand pick who they know or their favorites and book them or those are the ones who get submitted to client for bookings. I found that very disheartening, especially considering that I am such a hard working professional, with great personality, wit, attractiveness and warm and inviting which are the things that have allowed me to do well at the events I have worked; no matter how crappy the weather was or how disgruntled the people were. And if clients are giving feedback, I would like to know what they are saying. And not to pass judgement on anyone, I've wondered how certain people have gotten booked for jobs after working with them. The B.A. also pointed out that race plays a factor, because clients prefer certain types over others, as I'm sure it does, but that shouldn't be tolerated by any staffing company especially in such a diverse country. Anyhow if anyone can provide some insight on their process of picking or picking over people that would be great. Thank You

Hey JJ…..

Thanks for your note. Sorry you feel that way. We both lose when someone like you decides to not work solely based on opinions you read on an internet site. We lose by potentially losing out on working with you and you lose out on potential extra opportunities to make some extra cash.

We have been in business now for close to 13 years, providing promotional work to thousands! What you don't see on sites like this are the THOUSANDS of happy people that have received work through us over the years. The internet seems to be just a place to [censor].

And in every single one of these post, you see me asking right away for the details, so I can look into the situation. Do you know how many people actually send me the details once they post on a board like this? Next to none. Why? Because more than likely there is more to their story and they don't want it posted live.

So yeah, there is some sarcasm in my posts. There are only so many times I can come on here and tell people that if they have an issue, email me the details. Or post them on-line. It tends to get old when all people would rather do is "[censor]" as opposed to finding out how to better the scenario. And if it is Encore that is in the wrong, I REALLY want to know so that I can correct the situation.

My advice….draw your own conclusions. Do not let the opinions of the very few hold you back. You will miss out on a ton of things in this lifetime if you adhere to that rule.

Good luck out there.

Larry Hess
CEO/Owner
Encore Nationwide, Inc.
lhess@encorenationwide.com

I was trying to look for a temporary position for the winter and somehow ended up on this site and another forum where I got the impression I should stay away from Encore. I know Encore helps land jobs, but it seems like what people are having the most trouble with is the payments and the customer service. And as a general suggestion to any employer, let your actions speak for your company. In all honesty, the sarcastic rebuttals in a public forum are not creating a positive image and are just helping keep the issues on the table without any substantive resolution.

Having said that, are their any other companies that people would recommend?

Good morning!

Amanda and Fizzy…..thanks for the positive notes. I really appreciate it. It makes my day to know people are enjoying working with Encore and that people appreciate me taking the time out of my day to respond to concerns posted on web-sites.

As for my "anonymous" friend named "couldn't agree more, " I will never understand why me coming on here to defend the actions of my company or address concerns seems to be a negative. Why wouldn't you want me to take some time out of my day to keep a finger on the pulse of what people say out there? To me, the companies that do not take the time to respond are people that do not care. Well, I do care. And if that makes me a "jerk" in your eyes…..well, so be it.

And let's just talk about your word, "constantly" for a minute. We have been in business for close to 13 years now. We have just about 35K ACTIVE people in our database and close to 100K people that are not active, but work sporadically. We supply hundreds and on some days thousands of people out there…..every single day. I think even you might agree that what you are seeing on these "type" of boards is a VERY small percentage of unhappy people. And the reasons you do not see "positive" notes is that not a whole lot of people take the time to write a glowing remark on a "gripe" board if they are having no issues. You do not see the hundreds of emails and cards we get thanking us for the work we supply. So I am not constantly responding to negative remarks. However, I do go through the web-sites once or twice a week to keep tabs on any remarks (both good and bad) that are made about my company. For me, I look at it as a way to get insight on how to become better. Listen, we make mistakes….we are human. If we do, I want to know about it.

My one gripe on these boards though is that it is anonymous. The people who complain never state any facts. Tell me your name, dates you worked, the promotion name. If you give me some valid information, I can look up your scenario and tell you what happened. We keep very detailed records on everyone and there is usually more to the story that what people claim on these boards.

I highly doubt that we deactivated you simply because you didn't show to an event because your friend was shot. I will bet just about anything, there is more to the story.

Now I am sure you will respond with no real facts and no real information about who you are so I can look into the situation. However, if you use these boards the right way, then the company that you [censor] about might actually be able to use the comments to make themselves better. But with no real information and just "your side" then there is nothing that can be done. It is just a waste of both your time and mine. I challenge you and anyone else that has a negative feeling about Encore to be productive when using these boards.

In the last few weeks I have received a few very interesting calls. Three new clients that decided to work with me because of my hands on approach to these boards. The other calls are from companies that call themselves "internet reputation" firms. For a fee they will suppress these negative boards from appearing in searches. So for some dollars I can actually "bury" these posts to some degree. Well, I am not interested in that notion. You see, I have no issue with people having an issue with Encore. Again, we are human and we are prone to mistakes like everyone else. Plus, you simply cannot make everyone happy. With thousands of people working through us each day, someone walking away from the experience with a bad taste is bound to happen. However, I want to know about it. But give me facts along with your story.

Now you can respond again with some real facts and we can use these boards productively. Or you can email me privately so you are not posting your information publicly. Either way, I would be glad to look into the scenario. But unfortunately, my guess is you will not do either of those things. I guess it is just easier to come on here to complain that to work towards a solution. Especially if that solution require YOU to be better.

If you do not respond, then I wish you all the success in your new found professional career.

Look forward to your response.

Larry Hess
lhess@encorenationwide.com

Funny how Larry Hess seems to spend most of his time responding to negative online reviews of his agency. If you have to constantly defend your company's practices, something is OBVIOUSLY amiss.

I had a similar experience with him on another message board a few years ago. I was blacklisted from their agency because I could not make it to a promotion due to a friend being shot in front of my apartment as they were leaving. I called and emailed to apologize and offered to supply a copy of the police report and never received a response - I was simply blacklisted.

I'm now a professional in the industry, and I would NEVER, ever deal with Encore Nationwide. Let Larry Hess pen more nasty responses - it's just deterring future clients.

I have worked for Encore too over the past few years and although at one time I encountered an issue with a Team Leader on the Nintendo DSi tour, that was very disorganized and put together very poorly for such a huge event. After a hour of waiting to get up to the festival and another half a hour to park, because there was no list for Encore and the Manager on duty was a completely unorganized fool. I ended up being sent to an overnight parking lot, where after a hour of trying to get out of the lot I just had enough and at this point in time the event had been ongoing for awhile now. I called and left emails in regards to what had happened and left message after message to no avail. I was then deactivated from Encore for no reason other than a very disorganized event. (Keep in mind I had worked several events with Encore without incident). It took me almost a year to get back into the system and since then I have worked an event, but I have to agree one bad time or even being deactivated if you continue to call and talk to someone they do give second chances or in this case realized that it wasn't fair to let me go over something that was uncontrolled to being with.

I like Encore I like the people that work for them I have a great time with this company. Once you get past that it does take a while to get paid and you just accept it then its no big deal. I know from being there that if you really didn't do anything wrong then chances are they would reinstate you.
I love Encore and hope that more jobs come out this way. The East Coast! I also have to add people like Diana are wonderful...she is an excellent liasion between Field Agents and HQ. She goes out of her way to help, listen, and fix issues that may otherwise not been fixed. I have never spoken to Mr. Hess nor have I ever had too, I must say on their website it says under FAQ's how long does it take to get paid it clearly states 4-5 weeks in some cases longer. It is what it is! I love the events, people, and clients that work with them!

All the best,
Amanda
East Coast

I just want to point out something that is very refreshing about Encore.

I worked a promotion with them awhile ago and payment was taking a little longer than it has before in the past. They do pay, so I wasn't worried about getting the money. I had never contacted them before, so I fired Larry an email and he responded less than a day later, he explained to me why it was taking longer than usual and directed me to a woman who works at the office who closely handles the payment process.

I think this is awesome. Why?

The CEO of a company is taking the time to respond to me, someone who has only worked for Encore a handful of times, and he addressed the issue and everything was taken care of.

I actually like to see Larry's responses on here, because it's clear he doesn't take [censor] from anyone, probably why his company has been in business for so long, just saying. Just because you own/run a business doesn't mean you have to kiss everyone's [censor].

Well said Stealth...

Hello LG!

So let me get this straight, you are putting down a comment about my company on a complaint board, yet you have never worked with us or had a bad experience with us? Is that right? Really?

Interesting concept. That is like complaining about a restaurant that you have never tried but saw some complaints. You do know the difference between opinion and fact, right? They are two very different things.

What you see on these boards posted by others are opinions. My posts are facts.

We have been in business for over 12 years. Do you think it is possible for us to stay in business that long by continuing to not pay staff that worked through us? If you can explain how that works, by all means let me know. Maybe if I were a new company around for a few months, I could understand the concern. But over 12 years? C'mon now.

In the end, if you choose to believe the few people who put up complaints on a board with NO real facts, dates or names to the complaint, that is up to you. Or you can believe me, a guy who never hides my name on these boards and answers each complaint and ask for the details to get to the bottom of the issue. Read above, do you see ANY details in any of the complaints? Or are they just rogue complaints with no real truth behind them?

The loss is both yours and ours. You lose out on potential work and we could be losing out on possibly a great independent contractor. All because you want to believe opinions and not make up your own mind based on your own personal experience.

We pay our independent contractors. Every time.

Larry Hess
CEO/Owner
Encore Nationwide, Inc.
lhess@encorenationwide.com

I dont consider it a loss to not work for a company that is not honorable. I want to thank all those who posted the truth about rogue companies that dont pay their employee's. I saw you add Larry Hess in Craigslist for a promotion in my area and I am so glad I saw the complaint before it was too late. I too have been a victim of a company that didnt want to pay me and It took them over 2 monts to get me my paycheck.