'Scams' Make for Good SEO! NS International Helps Me Get Hits

Haha funny. You see, I haven't been able to log in for a long time, hence the very long time gap.  What's funny is that, even if that's the case, I still have regular site hits on my blog.  Of course, thinking about the reason why that's so, isn't really very great.  That's because it means that NS International is still alive and kicking and pestering the heck out of a lot of people!

To tell you the truth, their activities just scream 'desperate'.  Can't they find people by giving their company information? and by company information, I mean facts, the real whole name of the company and all the details?  I personally believe that their strategy is insulting to our intelligence.  If it's such a good deal, why not give me all I need to know so I can make up my own mind in my own time?

I sure hope that you're reading this BEFORE you actually go there, or BEFORE something like that happens to you.  If its too late, then friend you've found someone who can relate.

15th Flr Octagon Bldg Ortigas - Scam or Not?

I bet that your primary objective for being here is to find out whether NS International, or however they introduced themselves to you, is a scam or not.  Well, to the best of my knowledge at this time, the answer points to a NO.

Now, I am sure many would question this assessment, and there are also those who would agree.  Like some of you, I am tempted to believe in the worst.  However, merely thinking that it must be so, doesn't really make it so.

The real business is Nu Skin Philippines and 15th floor Octagon building (Teleperformance bldg), San Miguel ave, Ortigas is their walk in center.  The company is a legal company, and they are selling legitimate products.  These are health and beauty products. 

Now, there are some who say that they have a pyramiding scheme going on.  I myself after hearing their practice thought so as well.  However, it is not a pyramid scam that they are implementing.  It is actually called an MLM or Multi-level Marketing scheme.  Now, some would argue that MLM's are just pyramid scams.  There is a difference however, and although it is a fine line, it is probably enough of a line to regard MLM as a legal business practice.  I will not expound on the subect of MLM's just yet but I shall provide a comparison between MLM's and pyramid scams later on, as well as the guidelines of this.

Now, there are actually many layers to this onion, and I will expound on the topic further later on as well.

The Modus Operandi

After doing some extensive research on experiences of other people as well, this is their mode of operation:

1. You receive a call from a professional sounding individual who quickly gives their name and then proceeds to pitch to you an offer for a job. 
2. Complements aplenty are given to you on how you are an 'excellent' candidate.
3. They are inviting you to an 'appointment' rather than an interview or even a test.
4. You are NOT asked to bring your resume.
5. When asked who referred you to them, they may cite an acquaintance or your old school, although sometimes this is not really the case.
6. They do not have your information (those often found on your resume); often, all they have is your contact number, name and very few information if any.
7. They will tell you that they are not a call center.
8. They will advise you that there are NO COMMITMENTS yet; but then
9. They will tell you that you sound like a professional so he/she hopes that you're professional enough not to cancel the appointment at the last minute.
10. They will neglect (or avoid) to provide you some vital information such as: the details of the position (only general descriptions) and the details of the company (they only tell you its not  a call center and its related to healthcare).

 The information that they DO give you may vary which includes their:

Company Name : NS International, NSE Philippines, Synergy1, Synergy One, Synergy Global International, Nu Skin, Pharmanex
Company Address : 15th flr Teleperformance bldg, San Miguel ave, Ortigas; 15th flr Octagon bldg, San Miguel ave, Ortigas (this is the same building actually)
Salary : Anywhere from Php10,000 - 30,000 working part time
Interview schedule : Usually they ask you to choose between 3:30pm or 6:30pm

Please note that this information was gathered from experiences of other people who encountered the same MO.  Information may not be 100% accurate, and do not rely solely on these information.

NS International - 15th flr. Teleperformance bldg. San Miguel ave. Ortigas

It was a busy monday when I received a call from my cellphone.  The person on the other line introduced herself as working for an international company.   The call went something like this:

Hi!  Is this *Chatty Katty*? 
Yes, speaking.
This is *blahblah from blahblah* (she said it too fast for me to catch the words).  We're actually looking for a few people for a leadership and management position.  The position is part time only but you can earn from Php15,000-20,000 and you only have to work for 8-10 hours a week.  Actually you come highly recommended to us so we'd like you to come to an appointment so we can discuss the details further.  There's absolutely no commitments yet before you are able to come and get the full details of the position.  So, can I schedule you for an appointment? 
Sure, when will that be?
Okay, I can schedule you on Friday, there's two times available 3:30pm or 6:30pm, what time would you like to come? 
3:30pm
Okay, I'll give you the address, its 15th floor Teleperformance building, San Miguel avenue, Ortigas.  It's right by SM Megamall.  Can you repeat the address so I can make sure you wrote it down correctly? 
 Okay, 15th floor Teleperformance building, San Miguel avenue, Ortigas.  Then almost as an afterthought I asked, what's the name of your company again?
Oh, its NS International, we're not a call center.  Now just look for Ms.  Bleepbleep and please come in business attire. 
What should I bring?
Since its just a pre-qualification appointment, just bring one ID. 
Okay, thanks.
And Ms. *Chatty Katty* you seem to be a professional person so I hope there will be no cancelling of appointment at the last minute.
Okay, bye!

Alright, knowing what I know now let me tell you, I feel like quite an idiot not questioning most of what she said.  My only defense is that I was pretty busy and I didn't think too much of it at the time.  In any case, at that point, I had fallen hook line and sinker.

On Tuesday, I decided to start going over the details that I had written down for the appointment.  Take note, she mentioned a job, but she did not say it would be for an interview.  Anyway, I went here, to my trusty computer and decided to research the company.  As I would later point out to Ms. Bleepbleep, no one goes to an interview (because that's how I saw it at the time) without a background of the company.

Open, Yahoo! Search keyword NS International Philippines, and I came up with a dozen possibles, including Nutri-System and Nippon Shaft.  So new search, Yahoo! Search keyword 15th flr Teleperformance bldg Ortigas.  Here gentlemen (or women as the case may be) is where it got interesting.

Wouldn't you know it?  Dozens of blogs, forums, comments, all about my appointment and how it was a scam.  Yup, that's what they said, its a SCAM.  Of course, in court, all of what they say would be hearsay, and after reading all the people said about the call I received, I was still a bit hesitant to label them a scam.  So what I did instead was pester the heck out of the person who called me.  (Twenty or so text messages later, I bet she wishes she hadn't called me). 

In that vein, I pursued an alternate route to get to the truth.  I texted her on the pretext of wanting to get more information about the company and to confirm its validity.  The very basis of going to an unknown place just because someone told you to go there is ludicrous, which is the reason I gave for demanding the information out of her.  In the end, it got me nowhere.

It was at that point that a part of me really started to believe all those blogs and comments and notices about that call.  Thankfully it wasn't because they were able to con me into going there, but it was because of the extremes that she went through just to avoid giving me any more information while trying to persuade me to come there.  It was, in a word, ridiculous.  But that, my friends, was only the beginning.

Coming up! Our text conversation...

Why Call for Ethical Business Practice?

Like many Filipino's out there, I have also experienced being contacted by an MLM company.  Let me tell you, the encounter left a very bitter taste in my mouth.  Which is why I have decided to set-up a blog explaining what I have experienced, what I have come to learn because of it, and what I hope future readers of this blog will do if in case they are also called by this MLM outfit.  I hope you will read it all, and learn from others experiences and mistakes, and be able to judge for yourself.  God speed everyone!