Advance America Reviews

Pros

there are many branches, so it's possible to work close to home. closed sundays. very little if any overtime. good training for polishing your people skills.

Cons

being spoken to /treated like you are sub -human by a majority of the customers. management breathing down your neck because you are not able to collect lots of money from dead beat customers.it's difficult in a normal economy let alone the one we are in now. being put on probation or something similar because the quotas aren't met.

Advice to Senior Management

if you worked your way through the ranks, please remember where it all started and how things have changed. also suggest you take a better look at people you are promoting. ever wonder why you have such low retention?

Pros

It was a good job for awhile. They were kind of flexible with work schedule (as long as there was two people working at a location).

Cons

If you were the only person at a location you had to work all the hours. That helped the paycheck but gets old fast. Also, I got tired of defending where I work (most people had payday lenders).

Advice to Senior Management

Stop trying to sell products that customers don't want. Like prepaid debit cards when they already have checking accounts.

Pros

The company does offer good benifits, and better retail hours.

Cons

Upper management will tell to do one thing, the swear they never said that when the heat comes on. Poor communications between DDO and center staff.

Advice to Senior Management

Proper training, and listen to the people who run the centers. They are there very day with the customers and can help the process if their voices are heard!

Pros

Good work enviroment, friendly coworkers, loyal customers. The company did not try to hide that it was having difficulties with the new law changes.

Cons

There are only two downsides for working for Advance America in Washington state. The first is that there is limited room for advancement due to consolidation. Second downside is that you could be laid off also due to consolidation

Advice to Senior Management

I feel that the company as a whole and the leadership of Advance America due understand the current market conditions. I feel they are doing a good job in the current market conditions

Pros

Offers management experience and skills, and lends some autonomy

Cons

Workload increase outpaces compensation
Working at AA places a stigma on your resume and work experience

Advice to Senior Management

Offer better benefits

Pros

The base salary pay is ok for retail business.

Cons

I can honestly have nothing really good to say about this company. As long as you dont have children or a life outside of work the job itself isnt that bad. Job duties are easy except when they expect us to knock on doors for collections. The turnover rate is so high the company never has to pay out benefits. And, the overall culture of the company is unprofessional. How can you expect to grow as a company, team and individual if there arent any standards.

Advice to Senior Management

Does Management really care? Before I waste my time and who is Ken Compton (we never see or hear from him on center level)? If upper management would take the advice of center associates Advance America wouldnt be the worst company ever.

Pros

You can go as high as your skill level will take you.

Cons

NO Life out side of work. I work six days a week.

Advice to Senior Management

Area Managers should have a csr and an assistant so he can be free to be productive in his centers of responsibilities.

Pros

Hours of operation are decent for a retail business.

Cons

Poor communications between DDO and center manager. The "field calls" are not explained to a new hire and appear dangerous. Company places too much emphasis on collection calls as their only source of income from a negative customer base. I was brought in, unable to complete my training without persona distractions from the manager and was forced to listen to personal problems of this person for 10 hours a day. DDO was told that I was unable to learn the simple day-to-day operations when it appeared the manager was incompetant at training! Entire day was spent "worrying" about sales numbers and how to "outsmart" the upper management so they wouldn't see what was truly going on there. Frustrating and horrific way to manage people!

Advice to Senior Management

Please separate the " training" portion of the employment phase from the actual center operations. This way the employee can come into the center with the knowledge and a strong sense of job duty awareness. This would also prevent the center managers from making personal observations and possibly slow turnover rates when the employee is so disappointed at the lack of respect shown to them as a person because of not being propery trained by the manager!