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I advertised in their 100,000 mag. My company got wind of their circulation scam and canceled the AD.

We got harassed through phone calls. They sent a very threatening letter saying they would sue us and take us to court, we have to pay legal fees etc.

So we replied saying that we need evidence of print records and mailing receipts as we need independent verification of their circulation claims.....

That was 10 months ago. Have not heard as much as a whisper from them....

Pass this around because if every advertiser stops paying unless they get this information GDS will be out of business tomorrow!

Originally posted by 'former GDS employee':
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Every single day all over the office people are becoming experts at adobe, by customizing the information sent out to prospects.
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We are trying to build a case AGAINST the management at GDS. For obvious reasons, this doesn't help. Please delete your post.

It's just a matter of time.  Period.  The offices of GDS International in New York, NY could be raided any day now by the Feds.

I worked for GDS for a week and was appalled at what I saw.  During that time I learned that the magazines were Fed-Ex'd to a list of CxO's, and that was the circulation.  In other words, it was unsolicited/sent to clients.

Jim Craven is a monster.

they won't stop! you need to change your number or call 212.335.8900 and complain.

I remember working at this place for a little over two weeks. My first "real job" (so they told me). I went through a week of training that was a total joke: I learned to scream into a phone (I had a hard time not laughing) and read from a script that looked like it was written in Russian and translated to English by somebody not familiar with either language.
The hiring manager / trainer / company cheerleader loved to tell us everyday during training what his success ratio was for new employees: 89% one day, 94% the next; it changed each time he told the story.

So I made it through training with only 6 of the 14 people I started with making it with me (at 47%, I guess my class sucked), was assigned to a "publication", and was told I needed to change my name to something easier to say (and boy howdy am I happy I did that!!!), and was screaming that hi-larious script into a phone within 15 minutes.

I never made a sale, maybe because I kept laughing as I read the script. I guess the end came when I was on a call just before lunch and the lady I was speaking to (nope, not a C-level, I never made it that far) said she liked my voice and laugh and wanted to know if I was interested in PR. I told her I might be and I would love more info. After lunch, I was called into the office and fired. I was told the reason was I didn't seem to be taking the job seriously. I remember thinking, "gee whiz, ya got me," (they can listen to employees calls) grabbing my bag and never looking back (until I found this amazing site).

There are two good things about working for GDS: the people and the money.  I really enjoyed the people I worked with, and the money was very attractive.  HOWEVER.  I cannot fathom people who stay there for very long.  There is 0 real work experience.  You will learn nothing outside of some VERY aggressive sales tactics, which personally made it difficult to switch to a new job where I was selling a legitimate product: I was good at lying to people and being a snake, but you can't actually operate that way when you work for a real company.  As far as career advancement goes, there is no chance to move up, and one does not gain "management" experience from the "manager" position.  I was in shock and awe when I landed a new job (GDS was my first out of college) at how a real company operates (I have my own desk?! I CAN SIT?! I CAN TAKE LUNCH WHENEVER! I CAN WALK IN AT 9:01 AND NOT GET SCOLDED LIKE A BABY?! NO WAY!)  

I wanted to have a career, to grow with a company, and of course, make good money.  But it's difficult being an intelligent, educated, and hardworking person who gives a [***] to see some dumb, lying and manipulative womanizing dirtbag get lauded.  Congratulations, you called the CEOs nanny and told him his wife was in the hospital to get a cell phone number.  Then you called Germany and said there was an emergency landing at Logan airport and you needed him ASAP, and got the VP of Sales cell.  WOW! Then you spoofed them all day and settled on a half package. Nice life.  

I was outraged when I learned the products were garbage, the entire pitch was a lie, and can't believe I didn't sense it sooner (and by sooner I mean: during training).  I guess I was naive.

To anyone that's still there: WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU DOING?  Most of the people that I met were decently intelligent human beings, and while making $80K ot $100K is amazing, I'd rather make $65 and have job security and the chance of making something of myself later on in life.  And you'd be surprised how much easier it is to sell something legitimate, when you have a marketing team and an operations team supporting you, etc.  You can make so much more money if you stick with a company for long enough and start to acquire actual clients who will "rebook" with you for years on end, not because you force them but because you are working for a legitimate company with a legitimate product and can be honest with who you are and what you do.  While being 24 and making $100K is nice, you can work for a real company and make hundreds of thousands more over time.  I remember "EVERY CALL IS A BATTLE! EVERY CALL IS A FIGHT!"  Not in the real world.  While I admit not everyone can sell, and it's not always easy, it's not a BATTLE. You don't need to harass people endlessly to get them to say yes.  What you do at GDS is not sales, and I'm sliglty embarrassed to say I ever did it, though it does make for some solid stories.  It was fun while it lasted, and I really think the people who work there are generally smart, fun, and good people, so I have nothing bad to say about anyone there minus a few dirtbags here and there.  I just think people get trapped if they stay too long and are enticed by the big payouts, but most people there are better than that.

I am the VP of a major computing company based out of the US. I travel a lot and am always at seminars and conferences. These guys hassle the hell out of me all the time! One will phone and tell me he's the MD from such and such Group, get me interested with some info from my own website (??) and then scream down the phone at me countering my objections with some scripted lines he obviously got spoonfed a week earlier. Another will say shes the VP Sales from X summit and conveniently talk about all these lovely titled, large enterprise customers that have interest in doing business in a company like mine! I have been in business long enough to know that a product that is sold over the phone with that amount of urgency and volume, normally isn't anything like the product you think it is! Incredibly, they're still in business in the UK, US and probably some other part of the world waiting to go public. It must be stopped, the shares will be worthless! I feel sorry for any employees that have been paid bonus that way. Yes I get told the company's been in business for over 13 years, yes they are a self called, self audited worldwide organisation, yes they do seem to recruit an aweful amount of people because in the 6 years i've been in this job, I must have been called and emailed by over 40 MD's / VP's from the same company! Farse. No, I don't believe any of it and I'm not interested in anything produced from any of their affiliations. And moreover, I urge you to not to pay for a thing and simply hang up on anyone you suspect until they send you an intro email. If you see GDS - then you were lucky - until the next time!!!

GDS is a scam from the top down! Everything you read on their media kits are customised to you and you alone, often with content from your own website so it looks like a perfect fit for what you do!  I know, I've been there, done it and seen it done on the instruction of thier so called sales managers.

It's not about delivering a great product for thier clients, more about scamming money from them as quick as they can for as much as they can. If your considering an event or advertising package from GDS hand the next person you see $10,000 and you'll get better ROI.

Pretty much everything the Ex employees have said is TRUE it's not bitterness! One thing you learn from GDS is how not to sell:)

IS Amir Nikaeen aka Jack Parrish still there?

I worked at GDS for a year and then moved on to another sales and marketing job. Within my first few weeks at my new job, it was very interesting to learn the sales operations and logistics of a normal company when compared to that of GDS. A normal company uses advanced software to store information about prospects and track the opportunities that come from contacting them. GDS however, just hires massive amounts of kids fresh out of college, tells them to find leads on the internet, print them out and get the boss' cell phone number for the pitch. You can't tell them that you want to be taken off your call list because one doesn't exist. You'll get a call one day from a kid telling you to attend his energy summit, then get an advertising sales call from business management magazine, only to get another fresh call about the utility event from a new guy on the team that just found you on google that day. Depending on how many different industry verticals you sell to, it's very possible you'll get 10 more calls from GDS the following week about 5 more magazines and 5 different events. The whole system is just incredibly unorganized, unethical and very far from environmentally friendly. The amount of paper that gets wasted from people printing out leads in that office is absurd. The magazines don't go anywhere, and the event delegate lists include the names of many people who will NOT be in attendance. Caveat Emptor!

I think you'll find we are BPA audited.....they are going to float the company..... Im assuming that you understand what that means?? the company - regadless of what you think is whiter than white or why open your doors for the world to see.....im happy to put my name to it - i dont have problems sleeping at night - and as for being a criminal...... clean rap sheet too. funny that!! whats funnier is that you call yourself SCAM - if this meant that much to you surly youd have NO ISSUE posting your name, or ringing to complain. eh? funny that, my phone isnt ringing!!!

its a shame that you adopted such a below the belt attempts at getting people on the phone, and not getting the facts while you were here... all publications are now BPA audited - it just takes a while to get done thats all sweet! check it out for yourself

then stand outside a phone shop and try dragging people in, or you could sell cars, i mean you shouldnt limit yourself!! the possabilities for you are endless im sure. After all you did a training week at gds so you must know EVERYTHING about the company and all who work here eh?? GDS and its managment has helped me through some awful times in and out of work. They have enabled me and my child to live!! lituraly!! they are flexiable, kind, and understanding, WHEN I WAS IN HOSPITAL, THEY HELPPED, WHEN MY CHILD WAS ILL, THEY HELPED, WHEN I HAD NO WERE TO LIVE THEY HELPED!!!!.....your that unhappy that your not here your googling gds to complain!! how small minded are you? you just wernt capable - get over yourself!

We know about it!! Happy blogging!! :)

get a life sweet!! ever heard 'what goes around comes around' when she came to the uk she was diligent, hardworking, patcient, gave awsome training, ethical - well worth a very good wage

FUNNY THAT - why would the founder of the company write such TRIPE.... im only in my 20s and cant think of a better word - and yes i work in sales (and im muted) why would you take the time to falsify yourself, and write an essay about a company you dont like.....i dont get it. I dont pretend to be from the tax office - and post a blog about how shite tax is (and i HATE paying it) do you sit at home bitter and twisted, hunching over your pc all angry writting stupid (and please read it again...please) blogs? i would be worried for you if i was your mum. Speak to someone sweet - we're all worried for you (but admitedly had a laugh at your expense - sorry about that, i feel awful)

if i remeber correctly you re-booked......
then you couldnt pay, and got all arsey....and it seems trying to stir some trouble.

I worked in the Bristol GDS office for about a year.  Made some good money but sold my soul doing it.  Basically anything goes and there is no question that you will be told whatever it takes to close the deal.  I once pretended that my manager was a very satisfied previous advertiser based in Eastern Europe (the mag i was on Was Business Management Europe) and pretended to patch him through to the prospect.  He then, in his best polish accent, proceeded to tell them how many leads they had recieved from their advertising and how glad he was they'd done it. Done deal.

FYI...

GDS and Meettheboss.com (which was mentioned on DIGG today - unfortunately) has some great SEO + SEM. Anytime someone types in "GDS + Scam" or "Meettheboss.com + scam" into google or any other search engine, gds's and meettheboss.com's own articles come up so you cant find complaints written about them unless you scroll deep deep into the google search.  They do this with every publication, and everything associated with them so that it does not show up as a scam.