Dear The Pampered Chef, Where Are the Ethics?
I initially hesitated in writing this post because I came to find out that the same parent company that owns one of my favorite chocolate companies also owns The Pampered Chef. However, this is my blog and I share my honest opinions, as well as my experiences (both good and bad) that I have with various companies. If I’m not honest in my thoughts, I lose credibility to my readers and the companies I work with. So here we go…..
A few years ago, I signed up to sell The Pampered Chef products. I sold products for a few months but couldn’t really get into “salesman” mode. The problem was selling something that I really wasn’t sold on myself. If I love and use a product, I can easily promote it because I believe in it. At the time, I didn’t really understand or use Stoneware and wasn’t about to promote something I couldn’t stand by. So I didn’t. The Pampered Chef was all about promoting Stoneware at the time. My director was “disappointed” to say the least. Sorry but that’s who I am.
Through a few months of sales (and making about $400 plus products), I stocked my kitchen with products from The Pampered Chef. There are some that I stand by and use on a daily basis and others I think were a waste of money and wish I had never bought them.
I had a friend come to my house and she was amazed by all of The Pampered Chef products in my kitchen. I told her she should host a party and try to earn some of them at her party. She scheduled a party and I, along with about 5 other women, attended. The consultant, who also happened to be a Director (or whatever position is higher up in the network), set aside a section (taking up about 1/4 of the party time) to talk about selling The Pampered Chef products and how it benefited her and so on and so on. She passed around a copy of a check for a little over $4,000 and said she made that in a month easily. WHAT??? That is not true and almost anybody who has ever sold anything with a Network Marketing Company knows this. I held my breath and let her continue with her show.
She then tried talking my friend into signing up to be a consultant and that she should have all of us host a party for her to support her in her new endeavor if she chooses to sign up. I was starting to fume just a little bit but still refrained from saying anything. I was counting down the minutes, wondering when we could get cooking and looking at the products. She then said, directly to my friend but talking to everyone, that if she signed up before the end of the weekend, she would receive $250 in free products. OK, that’s it! I couldn’t hold it in any more. I caught her attention and asked, “Isn’t it true that you need to sell so many dollars in products before you earn the $250 in free products?” She stumbled on her words and said “Yes, but it really isn’t that hard to do.” OK! Maybe for 1 out 10,000 people???
I didn’t care for this lady or the “lack” of information she presented in her sales pitch. However, my friend and her sister decided to sign up that night.
My friend worked her tale off doing shows and gathering sales and had earned her $250 in free products before the end of the deadline. There was only one problem! She didn’t know that she had to choose her items within a specified frame of time or she would lose them.
Things slowed down with her business, as they tend to do with most Network Marketing Companies, and she became “inactive.” Please keep in mind, this was all over a month or two. She went online to redeem her “free” products and was denied access. She then called her director, who in turn told her to have a show by the end of the month because she was considered “inactive.” She set up the show, invited people, and then went online to set it up. Access was denied again. What the heck?
She called The Pampered Chef Headquarters and spoke with a Supervisor who basically told her, “Sorry, but you don’t work for us anymore.” She couldn’t get her free products. They then proceeded to tell her that the information was in the contract and all over the site. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter. She made them money and they promised her products. They should keep their half of the bargain!
I think it is one thing to be excited about the company you represent or the products you love, but it’s another to exaggerate the truth or omit pertinent information that could make or break the deal. I am really disappointed in the way The Pampered Chef treated my friend. Could they not have sent a letter telling her that her Pampered Chef money was about to expire? Could someone not have helped her to reclaim her products? I won’t be buying any more Pampered Chef Products in the future.
I am really disappointed in The Pampered Chef!
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I am sorry your friend and her sister had these issues with Pampered Chef. I am currently a consultant with The Pampered Chef and from reading your article and my own experience, I feel as though your friend and sister suffered from having a TERRIBLE director. My director is awesome, as is our Executive Director. My director was quite clear that I had to achieve $1250 in sales in my first 30 days to earn my free products (A grill pan and press $189 value). I easily achieve that in 2 shows. I also was informed (even though it is plainly written in the Consultant Agreement) that you must sell $150 per month to remain active or you will no longer be a consultant after 3 months of inactivity, unless you request and are granted an extension. I have been with Pampered Chef for 11 months and love the flexibility of my business. My director and uplines are great! I also am NOT required to keep inventory on hand unlike companies like Mary Kay, Origami Owl, etc. I feel that your opinion was burned by a bad director. It has been several years since that experience, I would urge you to find a NEW consultant and give The Pampered Chef another shot. This is NOT the experience the company endorses and has been the polar opposite of my own experience. Best wishes to all.
I agree with you. I didn’t reach the $1,250 in my first 30 days, but I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t get my free products. However, I WAS surprised to earn $100 PC bucks (for use on PC products) for reaching $1,250 in my first 90 days. I was even more surprised that I got another $100 PC bucks just for getting a recruit… a friend of mine who hijacked one of my shows so badly that she intimidated everyone else. SHE hit the $1,250 in the first 30 days, and so did my next recruit. (I’m apparently better at recruiting than sales!)
My Director has been fantastic! She lets me know what’s real, and has NEVER put the hardsell on me – or my friends. She waits for us, until we have questions and then is there.
I”m sorry you (and your sister) had such an awful experience, though. That’s really harsh, and I agree, they should have upheld their side of the bargain. At least someone should have pointed out that she should have redeemed her free things, or made sure she did, etc.
I do have a question for you – does the Stoneware still not make sense? To be honest, it didn’t for me either… for a long time. I actually like our new Rockcrok better. It’s a dutch oven that can go from the microwave, to the stove, oven, broiler, and even the grill. I’m all about one pot cooking, so this is my new baby.
It is just a little interesting to me that the only ones defending such an “awesome” company are people still working for them. The crockpot cooker they sell I saw is nearly $200 for a 4 qt one. WOW I have a 6 quart BRAND NAME crock pot and it was $50. Shady to say the least.
I agree with you about Pampered Chef being overpriced and under performing. My stoneware toaster oven tray broke the first time I used it ( I think it got up to 450degrees ). The party host would not refund it. Luckily, I called Pamper Chef’s company and got a refund. They are not made to get very hot. My microwave pot handle broke off. My manual plastic food chopper also broke around the edges. For how much the products cost, they should last for life, like old Tupperware etc. I
I whole heartily agree. I recently was drawn in by the online pitch this is not an easy or even fun experience.i had to purchase my kit . What is promised as a credit is really a redistribution of the money from the host free product. You can not use all host money either. Then you are taxed on the so called credit.
Facebook virtual parties ….not easy to set up and will probably be attracting the same people the consultant who recruited me will. So I will become that person that people block because I would constantly be pitching to them. I was recruited with the belief that we would all be working to support a young man with autism .A very worthy cause indeed, until the mom stopped selling right after I joined. Probably won’t even host or solicite a show . That disappointed.
Hi
this is good information and thanks for sharing. I am new to direct sales, can you explain how the crednit is a redistribution of the money from the free hostess product? How does that work? Also how would we be charged tax on the credit, how does that work? Great information! I would really appreciate any insight!
Oh my- this is only the tip of the iceberg of pampered chef‘s unethical behavior. If you only knew how many of their products they stole from small companies and then bullied those companies into not suing them for patent infringement… Reading their code of ethics is a joke. This company is a monster!
That’s sad that your friend had to deal with that. Thanks for your honest post on this, it’s good info to have!
I learned my Multilevel marketing lesson the hard way through a company called Melaluca… Although I liked the products I foudn them extremely high and not sellable in my neck of the woods.. I made my director a good chunk of change with what I did sell , but I never made anything I think I got 2 checks for like 9.00 and I was ticked considering I had a start up of nearly 500..
Me too ! And if u earn dollars ur not gonna get those back either
It’s things like this that I think are important for people to know because companies sometimes don’t let anyone through the red tape. Great post Shannon.
Wow…I am sorry that happened to your friend! That will certainly make me think twice about purchasing something from them.
That really stinks!
I never have gotten into anything like pampered chef or mary kay because I know it’s just not my style. But it was SO completely wrong of them to deny her the free products she earned!
That is awful and horribly unethical!!! It won’t be hard for me not to purchase from them. I already have their best products and the rest are really junk with a high price tag. Thanks for being honest!
That’s terrible. Unfortunately that seems to be the way these businesses do things these days. Thanks for letting all of us know. I’m sure everyone will be thinking twice in the future about purchasing Pampered Chef products.
That totally sucks for your friend and I think it is a crooked policy. Just like I can’t take away anything my kids ‘earned’ as a punishment, your friend should be entitled to her earned items as well.
This story reminds me why I never go to any Candle or Silpata or wine tasting parties anymore. Too much pressure to buy or sign up for things I am not really interested in!
How terrible! I have learned through many trials with companies such as this that they are more about recruiting then pleasing their current “sellers.” I am sorry your friend went through that, she deserves her products! Pampered Chef should do the right thing and let her have what she EARNED. Geez!
I really hate those pyramid schemes and no matter what they are: avon, pampered chef, Lia Sophia, I don’t trust them. I’m sorry to hear that happened to your friend :-/
I would blame the director more than the company…my wife sells for them and never has had issues…she makes sure the customer or seller below her knows when and how to redeem products, that’s part of her job…like I said…blame the director, not the company
I would like clarify that I do believe it was the mistake of the director to exaggerate the potential of most consultants and to not follow up with my friend on her earned free products. The Pampered Chef overall is a good company to work with and they sell great products. I do blame the director more than the company itself.
Pampered Chef offers great training for consultants. I see time and time again where people sign up, and never take advantage of that training. There is also a weekly update in The Stir that keeps everyone aware of all things pertaining to the business. Their recruiter should have encouraged them to do the training, and should have overseen them. With so much information freely available, your friends should not have been surprised about deadlines, and sales goals. Not the company’s fault.
I was a Pampered Chef consultant for a few months. I only had a few shows and they were not happy about that. I was not a pushy saleswoman like they want you to be. They want you to hassle and stalk your friends and family and I did not want to be like that. I decided to take a short break and when I was ready to do a show, I realized I did not have the new catalogs. they told me because I did not sell enough products, I had to buy the catalogs and pay another $150.00 to stay active. The money I put out was not worth it. They were not happy that I didnt go to conferences and meetings because I had a full time job. I was also not 100% satisfied with the products and received many complaints from my clients. Unless you are selling $1,000 a month in shows, the directors consider you dead weight. If you are the type of person that can get anyone to have a show (yes, they want you to ask strangers in a grocery store), then this is the business for you. It was not for me but I still have the products and use some of them everyday.
You would not have to pay 150.00 to stay active you have to turn in a show of at least 150.00 to be active. And that is only every 2 months. None of this is true we have many hobbyist consultants ones that hold shows 1 a month or every 2 months just to stay active and get the discount. You would have had to be inactive for 6months before you wouldn’t be able to buy supplies. If you didn’t show up to your full time job for 6 months you think you’d still have a job? I think not. Geeze people get real.
That’s what i was thinking. As a consultant herself, why didn’t she speak up and tell her friend? Something seems fishy about this story. Sometimes people forget (directors too), also you get an email stating that you have a certain date to accept your free products. So it’s the director’s fault that she didn’t check her email? Did she sign up up under her or you? It’s possible, that’s were overrides come in, but it’s possible.
Pampered Chef…It angers me to know they can sell their goods and wears, which are not cheap and don’t care if they fall apart. A mandolin, Pastry gun and spatula all broke at the plastic part where there is pressure. Today while I was using my bar pan I noticed the pan was cracking and peeling. Now I could understand if I put them all in the dishwasher, however my husband (the chef) and I do not have a dishwasher because we have expensive utensils and want them to last. When I called Pampered Chef they told me we are two months over the warranty and they couldn’t do anything to help. But if I’d like I could purchase another one from my rep. I will NEVER purchase from them again. Thanks for allowing me to rant. Denise
FYI, something I learned QUICKLY is that if you buy your items on eBay or simply don’t have an order number, Pampered Chef will not live up to the lifetime guarantee. One of my saucepans (VERY EXPENSIVE saucepans) got damaged and they wouldn’t replace it! I replaced my Pampered Chef set with a nice T-Fal set for a quarter of the price that works just as well. I will NEVER buy their poorly made products again!
I threw out my of pots and pans, except the grill pan. I still use it. I’ve had a hard time finding someone to show me how to use the mandolin I bought 6 years ago and have never used.
I don’t know where you live but any consultant in the area can show you and shoulf be happy too
You can find YouTube videos also. I live in Oklahoma but have clients in Colorado,Texas,New Mexico and Kentucky
I believe in full service
When you sign up to be a consult with Pampered Chef, it explains in detail in the consultant agreement. That you need to have at least one show a month or $150 in sales. After 6 months with no activity you are considered inactive.
I have worked with other direct sales companies and I will stand by Pampered Chef. I have received many incentives, and do not feel pressured to sell. My director is fair and understanding and is not pushy.
Alright everyone, lets all take a deep breath! Pampered Chef is about SOOOOOOOO much more than JUST selling products and inviting people to join the family. It’s about getting people together around the table more often. Look, we as a culture NEVER see anyone anymore… We go out to McDonalds and gain a huge amount of weight eating fast food… The Pampered Chef gives us and opportunity to learn how to cook again (PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW HOW) and gather around the table with friends and family. Obviously, your friend had a bad coach and didn’t give her positive things to look forward to… And why would your friend wait THAT LONG to get her FREE product?!?!?!? If I got the goal, I would be all over that!… When you start your own business, you have to remember that what you put in to it is what you get out of it! If you don’t get active in your business, how can you expect to be successful?
Pampered Chef has a great home office that will gladly help out with any situation and I’m proof of it!
I’m sorry that you and your friend had some bad experiences with Pampered Chef.. But I’m still on Pampered Chef’s side because I know their mission.
Signed,
A Pampered Chef Consultant 😛
Amen!
I’m in my first month as a Pampered Chef consultant and love it!! I made my $1250 sales goal the first two weeks, & Pampered Chef automatically sent me my free grill pan SET themselves!! I did nothing but submit parties!! I’m not sure what the aforementioned consultant needed to do. It just doesn’t sound quite right.
Awesome response Malissa! I was searching the net for true Pampered Chef consultants that are committed. I have been an entrepreneur for over 20 years and my wife is interested in Pampered Chef. Business takes commitment and Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway is a very reputable and solid company. I would think that the world’s top investor would back a very solid brand. I have reached out to you and will try to make contact with you.
Hi Kirk, please don’t be discouraged by some of the above stories. There are two sides and we are clearly missing some information. They do not make you pay them $150 to reactivate. You simply sell that amount and automatically reactivate. I’ve been with Pampered Chef over 20 years and still love it. They are fair, ethical, encouraging and responsive to our needs. And tye only one to pressure you is…yourself! I sincerely wish you the very best.
Maybe she waited on product because it wasn’t in stock. I’m in the middle of having a party for someone and nothing is in stock and won’t be for three months. I’m going to be out $800 in sales because of it. That was supposed to be free product for me, the very reason I had the party in the first place. And it’s double rewards so I just lost $400 in free product.
I find the “Pampered Chef Consultant” comments interesting. She posits that her company is all about “getting people together around the table more often.” Forgive my English, but I do not believe it.
For example, note the Pampered Chef cutlery made is claimed to be made from “German Cr Mo Va steel”, but manufactured in my country. It is perhaps the cheapest grade of stainless steel made with a small amount of Chromium, Molybdenum & Vanadium from which one can draw blanks for manuacturing knives. They will not maintain their sharpness (“hold an edge” in American vernacular). You will be lucky if the metal does not start flaking at the edge, thus turning a conventional cleaver into a serrated knife.
These, and other Pampered Chef products are designd this way to keep costs low, and profits large. They are not decent quality items.
In short, they glamorize cheap, unreliable products. Money for the company, many ladders at the bottom, few at the top.
“Pampered Chef Positive!” is what you would call a “hack” for that company.
I bought a set of Oampered Chefs knives back in the early 90s. I have moved numerous times since then, and some were lost .. but I still have my original serrated bread knife and chefs knife…. they are still very sharp (even after using the bread knife to literally cut six inches off the bottom of a Christmas tree!) and are still mu favorite knives. I would not quantify PC knives as cheaply made, at all! And for the record, while I was a PC consultant back in the 90s, I haven’t been one in decades, and have no loyalty for the company for any reason except for the fact that I like their products and can vouch for their quality.
I am a Director for The Pampered Chef. First of all she would have had to be inactive for 6 months before she looses access to her account. Also, I ask too why in the world would she wait that long to use her PC dollars? 1 in 10,0000 you say earn that bonus? Nope try again I earned it and live in a very poor rural area, 3 out of 6 of my consultants under me have earned as well.
When working for PC it is your business you will get back what you put in. If you sit on your butt waiting for people to knock on your door and ask to buy from you it’s not going to happen. Pampered Chef is a Great company and I have sold for 2 other direct selling companies. There is tons of training online and at team meetings. It is up to you or in this case your friend to seek out that training. Not Pampered Chefs. Also, as far as them getting mad about you not selling as for the company NOT true. Can not speak for the recruiter personally. I have had one kit snatcher on my team this is a person who signs up just to get the kit at a deep discount and never sells a thing. Once I figured out that’s what her plan was I just let it go. As far as I know PC never contacted her again either. So as you said I don’t like when people pass out misinformation and that is exactly what you have done.
Paula
Independent Director with The Pampered Chef and proud of it!
I am disappointed to read this about Pampered Chef. I will be hosting a show soon and I have become leary about the whole scenario. I wanted to have my husband who is a Chef contribute in the cooking part. However, the consultant says when we become consultants or when we host a party for guests who want to do a show then we can do the recipe we want. But, I am supposed to pay for an entire dinner for a recipe she wants to present at supposedly a party I am hosting? Controlling, much. I am having seconds thoughts about the whole thing.
Vivica, yes that Is correct, the host supplies the ingredients for the party. For supplying the ingredients you automatically get $15 in free credit when your party qualifies ($150 in sales)
In regards to this specific situation, all consultants do this differently. As a consultant, I choose to split the recipe shopping list. and the host still get all her benefits. My director chooses to buy and cook everything because she really does make several thousand dollars every month doing this business. Yes, You CAN make that much if you reach a high level. I just don’t have the motivation to get there.
As for the rest…
I’m very sorry these ladies had a bad experience. With any business there are different practices. The great thing about PC is you work for yourself. If you didn’t like the consultant you chose, never choose her again. Every consultant has a different approach. I signed twice with PC. I was bummed to find out that I had to buy in again the second time, and that I lost my free product that I forgot to order the first go-round. But it was my fault that I forgot to order and it was my choice to stay “inactive” for a year. That meant I had to buy in if I wanted the benefits and income. Now I’ve enjoyed the benefits, and again I’m inactive, but that’s just what is fitting my life now. Furthermore, I have had numerous issues resolved well with PC customer service as both a consultant and customer.
I’m not a PC consultant but over a decade ago I had their pots and pans and I believe there was a lifetime warranty. To my dismay they discontinued them and started a new line. Of course then my handles broke off after the new line was introduced, but honestly, I got my couple hundred dollars use out of them. (I had had them for years). It wasn’t the lifetime guarantee – but it was ok. A little difficult because it didn’t seem like they had a “Warranty” listed for me at corporate but because consultants sign up and quit after the next great thing you have to get used to keeping warrantys and receipts safe somewhere. People use hyperbole in sales without knowing they are adding their dreams into the sales price. I like big dreamers. But realize many are just like you and me. “Hopeful”. Enjoy what you can. I have the Masher Spatula, liquid measurer, waffle pan, kitchen shears, a few of the lowest priced things as a courtesy buy from friends parties; but I never would have thought of a taco ring from a creseant roll tube on the stone (displayed by a party I attended) which after all of these years is my favorite pot luck standby. Always makes me a winner. 🙂
It makes me so sad that you would write an entire article about something you know NOTHING about!!! The Pampered Chef was started by a stay-at-home mom, in the basement of her home almost 35 years ago! They must be doing something right, huh? I have been with them for 3 years, and cannot praise what it has done for me as a person, for my family, and for my 3 children! It has allowed me to take them on vacations, pay for dance and gymnastics, a car, and more! Your friend put in what she got out of it! Not saying that at home businesses are easy…it takes drive, motivation, and constant support from your spouse, loved ones and team!! One person wrote “THEY were not happy with her…” Well, this is MY OWN BUSINESS, and there is NO “they!” In NO way is someone telling me what i “have” to do!! If I want the rewards they offer, and the reward of being financially stable, then I am the only one responsible for that!
You said “this was all in a month or two” and either you know that’s not true, or your friend lied to you. Honestly. Whatever she earned, she had a FULL SIX MONTHS to claim! She didn’t submit a single show for 6 months, and so PC assumes you’re done, and let’s you go. Pampered Chef is a wonderful company, and the people I have met, amazing products they sell, and their mission to get families out of the kitchen and to the table faster is something I absolutely stand behind! You are mistaken, and I’m sorry you were misinformed, but next time you should dig a little deeper before slandering a wonderful company you know nothing about!
Rachel is right on, and this blog post appears to be based on misinformation. I have sold Pampered Chef for a year now and have received everything I was promised, plus a lot more. I receive e-mails letting me know that I need to choose products or lose them, and so can only assume that your friend received the same emails. When you sign up you are also given a website, and a page that is specific to your business. This page has all of the information that you need to have a successful business, INCLUDING any reminders that the company has for you. Using these tools I have NEVER missed a Pampered Chef deadline. Either your friend was not properly instructed about the website and e-mail, or she was not checking them or just plain was not serious about her business. Either way, the kit she would have had to buy features at least $600 worth of products for $150, so your friend got her money’s worth, without receiving the additional $250 in products. And yes, when I got my kit I sat down with the catalog and added up how much I would pay for everything I got, and the regular price adds up to be $600 of Pampered Chef product. YOUR FRIEND GOT MORE THAN $250 WORTH OF PRODUCT, along with an opportunity to use that product to make money. Additionally, the company asks that you hold at least 2 shows every THREE months. Those can be shows on Facebook, catalog shows, cooking shows, fundraiser shows, etc. It is NOT hard if you work it a little bit. In summary, this blog post is unfair and not based on all of the facts. I hope that people do not use you as their only source of information.
Just as I was leaving a local tea and crystal shop a good friend of mine invited me to a “cook out” happening the next day. Along with this invitation was the Pampered Chief product catalogue.
Along with this cookware racket is a sense of community, that you are forming a sense of bounding with your family and friends. Forget where this junk was made and how much money you are making for your director.
If you really want to be independent work for your self and forget the middle men or middle women.
When I left the franchise I was working for, within 3 years when I prepared my 1040, schedule C, and other forms, I was surprised to find that I had grossed over 384000 dollars. My cost of goods was well under 30%. Yes I had advertising and taxes and all of this expense is listed on your schedule C.
So on the 1040 there is a line, I think it might be line 43,taxable income. My taxable income was over 161 thousand dollars. The federal tax was about 56 thousand dollars and don’t forget the state and county taxes. You pay your own social security which is around 13.875%. So the bottom line was 78thousand dollars for the year of 1988.
Here is all you have to do: first plan you work for each day of the up and coming week and do this on a Sunday starting about 4 pm because it will take about four hours to do this and do not stop until you have planed your work for the week. You can visualize yourself out in the “field” and go to sleep with happy dreams of success. Monday morning when your feet hit the floor at 6 AM
there will be no uncertainty about working your plan. Second, sell from your heart. Be honest to yourself for you will be honest to others. My experience with direct sales is that over 95% of people will trust you and they will make this judgment on you within seconds after they meet you. They may not know it but they know how to read body language. Third, people don’t care how much you know but how much you care. Never put down your competition. Complement them.
The only competition is yourself, as you think you will be. All this is no pie in the sky, it works. You will be getting referrals, all you need to do is to ask for them.
Stop working for chump change and set yourself free to be whomever you want to be. Thank you Mommy Shannon.
Can you say pyramid !
It’s multi-level marketing. Not Pyramid. There’s a big difference.
I think this is why I don’t like to attend these parties, not just Pampered Chef all of them. I hate the high pressure to have a show or sell the product. The Pampered Chef can really be a fun experience if you like to cook but a bad rep can ruin the whole experience. I do like that Pampered Chef can now do a Facebook party much less pressure but you don’t get the cooking experience.
I dislike posts of this nature. The whole story is not being told and the brush being used to paint it is way too broad.
Place the blame for the bad experience where it belongs. On the dirty playing consultant that is pushy, rude, & deliberately misinforming her customers and new consultants. I finally had a PC show over a year ago out of the blue. My lady has been with PC for 26 years. She did the “This is what I make, this is what you can make” spiel during the show, but it was a MINIMAL portion of the show. She might have spent five minutes on it and ended that portion with, “If you want to know more, I am always available to talk to you about it” THEN LEFT IT AT THAT!
She did hint maybe twice to me that I might have fun being a consultant, but they were passing remarks clearly designed to get me thinking about it but not feeling PUSHED. I actually surprised HER later when I called and said I wanted to join PC. I told her up front I WILL NOT RECRUIT. She had no issues with that. I told her I was looking to do it as a hobby for extra money, not a career. She was fine with that too. She also gave me a TON of info and made sure that I understood what she was telling me. She also informed me that she had a rule for the people on her team: NO FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS AFTER YOUR FIRST FEW SHOWS! She believes that it is a bad habit to start and keep. She believes you will be more successful when you break away from that and become a true salesperson for YOURSESLF. And she is right. She was 100% transparent. I have been selling it since then. When I took a few months break because of health issues, not one time did she harrass me about getting sales, doing shows, or recruiting. She only said, I am here for you if you need me and here for you when you are ready.
Are all directors like this? No. But she is successful BECAUSE she is. Very few of the successful consultants or directors for any of these types of companies are successful if they are akin to the one described in the OP. Those people should ALWAYS be reported to the company because 9 times out of 10, the company does NOT want that kind of consultant/director as it gives them a bad reputation.
As for the crappy products mentioned in some comments: Yes every company whether these kind, national chains, or plain old store brand has products not on par with the rest of their stuff. An honest consultant will tell you that.
As for not honoring warranties or product failure: My friend was given a DCB as a gift a few years ago. She now buys PC from me when she wants something. Her lid broke and she called the company to see if she could get a replacement. Knowing she received it as a gift and had no receipt, they still sent her an entire brand new DBC after she followed the instructions to email a pic of the broken lid along with a reference number written on it in marker. It took less than a week for her to get it.
It is all in how you go about it.
Hold the person being a food accountable, don’t bash the company.
I would like to comment on one of their products. Today I bought a pampered chef stoneware roaster at a second hand store. I looked up information on the internet about how to clean it. I bought a pork roast and put it in the roaster with some veggies. Then cooked it for 3.5 hours. It looked delicious. It smelled great and tasted good at first.
But it didn’t taste good after it started to cool down, and the smell was like old gym socks.I had to air out the whole house. Never buy one of these used. You have no idea what has been cooked in them.
What really concerns me for others is the design. It is very hard to hold onto the roaster as you lift it out of the oven. It has a lip around top that acts as handles. It is angled so it could slide right out of your cloth oven mitts. My oven gloves have a rubber grip pattern on them. If not for that I could have easily dropped the whole thing taking it out of the oven.
This is an MLM. That’s how it is with MLMs. Why do women keep falling for these and selling themselves short? Get a real career going. MLMs such as Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Scentsy, etc are not real careers. They prey on women because women tend to be foolish and financially illiterate. You don’t see that many men falling for these schemes.
Ouch! Women are foolish and financially illiterate? Nice job making absurd generalizations. Direct sales business are absolutely real careers as much as any other business is a career if you make it one. Working at Starbucks can be a little spending money or a career, depending how you approach it and the path you choose. It seems unlikely that you know more about what constitutes real business than Warren Buffet (who owns Pampered Chef). 🙂
Some of our too sellers in the company are men and make 6 figure incomes. Lol maybe do a little research. I sold Pchef for 14 years and was making $5500 a month. Not bad for a side gig. I had to take a break for a while and sign back on a year ago. I made $8400 in June and $9300 in July. And about 1/2 of the ladies on my team made over $5000 every month. Just like any other job, if you take your training and work, you will make a very nice income. Problem is, many women don’t work and don’t attend any of the training. That’s on them. You would never go to a job and sit on your butt and do nothing and expect to make money. So why would you think they would. We are considered a direct sales company and not a pyramid scheme. You work, you get paid. It’s as simple as that!
I remember my husband and I sharing a cab ride to Chicago O’Har with a lady named Lilly. She was a nice lady, but during our entire ride she wouldn’t shut up about PC. She had just left a PC seminar and was a director. They must have really pumped her full of their greatness at that seminar. It was like she had diarrhea of the mouth about PC. We were trying to remain kind to her, but she was PUSHY. All we wanted was to get our flight on time. She figured that we were literally a captive audience, and took that opportunity to work it to her advantage. My husband and I still laugh about Ms. Lilly. Yes, she made sure that if we were EVER going to purchase PC, it was going to be from her. We had her card and a brochure, to prove it. Ladies, you know that your pitch is unwelcomed, when your audience stops talking, and starts looking for an escape route.
No idea what all these bad reviews are all talking about! LOL. I became a PC constant a month and a week ago. I work hard, am enthusiastic, had 5 nice online parties my first month (last month) and my first paycheck was $1,365. Now this is the 10th of the month I have had 8 parties so far, 8 more scheduled to start before the end of the month, and my next paycheck will be over $1,600 (we get paid every two weeks). I love cooking and good quality kitchen tools, love people, and love what I do! I have also earned a TON of rewards as a consultant: a full, gorgeous set of knives and block, honing tool, 4 cast iron skillets in various sizes, a non-stick frying pan, egg cooker, spatula, tortilla warmer, an air fryer… all for free, on top of my paycheck, just for working my biz! Unethical -my foot! This is the most generous company I have ever worked for!
Does everyone notice the only ppl defending PC are PC consultants… interesting huh… sorry but the items are crap and the sales ppl are pushy as hell. Online parties plague my FB. I used to by a few items to support my friends who were trying to be nice and have parties for their friends but after getting crappy items to see pushy directors go to the Bahamas while the ppl under them struggled to have parties each month with the same ppl over and over I am at my limit.. shame on the way the program works… the directors should have to sell the stuff to earn the perks not recruit ppl with elaborate embellished lies of the future success (if you are pushy enough). Most ppl fail but they don’t care about the ppl who fail and lose money as long as you pray on the kindness of others to “support a business.” That’s why I buy, out of sympathy for my struggling friend who is badgering their 5th cousin twice removed who they haven’t seen in 8 years … sorry but I don’t think I will ever but again… it’s a complete scam where the top ppl get suckers to make them money.
I just wish more ppl were willing to speak out on the negatives instead of all the pc consultants trying to convince you it’s great (ya know bc that is literally part of their job, how else will they recruit you).
Does everyone notice the only ppl defending PC are PC consultants… interesting huh… sorry but the items are crap and the sales ppl are pushy as hell. Online parties plague my FB. I used to buy a few items to support my friends who were trying to be nice and have parties for their friends but after getting crappy items to see pushy directors go to the Bahamas while the ppl under them struggled to have parties each month with the same ppl over and over I am at my limit.. shame on the way the program works… the directors should have to sell the stuff to earn the perks not recruit ppl with elaborate embellished lies of the future success (if you are pushy enough). Most ppl fail but they don’t care about the ppl who fail and lose money as long as you pray on the kindness of others to “support a business.” That’s why I buy, out of sympathy for my struggling friend who is badgering their 5th cousin twice removed who they haven’t seen in 8 years … sorry but I don’t think I will ever buy again… it’s a complete scam where the top ppl get suckers to make them money.
I just wish more ppl were willing to speak out on the negatives instead of all the pc consultants trying to convince you it’s great (ya know bc that is literally part of their job, how else will they recruit you).
I understand that this is an older article, but there are so many things here that are not accurate. You can be inactive for 6 months. WHat you do or don’t do when you are an independent consultant is 100% up to you…. plus Pampered Chef spoils the consultants ROTTEN even when meeting minimum sales goals… I do it part time and I am amazed at how much and how often cool stuff shows up.. not to mention the money is GREAT… I work on my Pampered Chef only maybe 2 to 3 hours a day and make what many around here (NE TN) consider full time money.
There are “bad” directors out there no doubt, there are unethical folks in all parts of our lives but Pampered Chef is a WONDERFUL company and I am proud to be part of it… I am even planning on going full time in the near future!
This is all the fault of the bad director. It works for some, it doesn’t for others. There are many variables.This director should have given more info. But, that is not Pampered Chef’s fault that the director didn’t do her job. And also, unless you’re talking about many many years ago,they literally give you training that is up to uou to watch or not that explains all that. Its the first thing that pops up when a consultant logs on to the site. And if friends dont like being asked, they should tell you no and not say “ask later” or “not now” etc. If they dont say a definite “no” thats on them. And pampered chef does NOT teach you to hound them. They teach that if they say an actual no, stop asking. If friends dont want to be ask they should get mad at you if THEY didnt actually tell you no. As for the people making comments on products breaking easy. If it broke that quick it was something in the way it was handled or not following care instructions properly (a chef either by you or shipping carrier. Even a company that makes cheap bad products doesnt have that many breaks that quick. (A chef also knows you dont put pressure on a spatula by the way. I lived one and worked in food service my whole life and thats something anyone who uses them knows). And for the comment about they won’t honor warranty if bought from ebay, etc… that’s the same with pretty much any company. They can’t warranty a second hand purchase. That’s like buying used furniture from a yard sale and telling IKEA to pay up when it breaks in a week from the previous owner’s treatment. Almost no company will warranty purchases baught from someone else because there’s no way to know how the person before you treated it or stored it etc. I’m sorry the authour had a bad experience. But the ethics is not the company issue but the people that didnt do they’re job right in explaining. Avon and marketing like them is worse, they make you spend your own money after sign up. Pampered chef does not require spending beyond what you’re told at sign up. If dont make money you didnt lose more than your start up kit. Other marketing (avon, mary kay, scentsy, essential oil companies, etc) makes you buy things required to sell with. Pampered Chef does not. So, unless you are going to say all marketing companies are unethical, you really shouldnt call out the name of just one whose ethics lapse was the person you worked through not the company format itself.
Hi I am not new to direct sales but disappointed in the limited means you have to sell the products. I do very well if I sell online but Facebook, and Instagram shoot so many ads people pass them by it’s hard to get sales. Your not allowed to sell on Amazon or places like that where you have a shot. I loves the appliances, but unless the landlord is open minded I still have to pay rent.
I am not sure how the company Pampered Chef has done anything wrong. It sounds like the rep (who is INDEPENDENT) gave half truths. In your review. she was even called out on one of them. There are bad people in the world and some that are just doing what they want to get what they want. That is NOT the Pampered Chef way. In fact, there is a Code of Ethics in the paperwork when you become a consultant. There are rules and stipulations to receive rewards, it is a JOB. So, again, Pampered Chef didn’t do anything wrong in that either. Documentation is available with your consultant kit and all over the internet. The rules and minimums for qualifying are laid out clearly. If you go inactive, there is nothing they can do to “re-create” what you didn’t take advantage of. Blaming someone else for you not reading the paperwork doesn’t seem right either. Pampered Chef has quality products, and they last many, many years. Most items have a lifetime guarantee/warranty. The supervisor on the phone couldn’t look anything up due to the consultant going inactive. I don’t know of any company that would give product away on someone’s word, inactive means no longer able to find in the system. The person that should have been reviewed is the Director.