Before drafting my review, I tried to have a suppressed my sarcasm and agitation in my response. It is very difficult to do that, and describe what a poor opportunity this job is for 99% of those who will fall as prey to this company....as someone who read all of the horrific reviews on here before STILL deciding to give it a shot, it is my wish that you be VERY cautious as to what you are getting yourself into. I sincerely hope one person will reconsider, and possibly look for additional opportunities in an already tough industry (sales+insurance). Which, as I can see if HR's biggest rebuttal to negative responses on here (sales is tough). Well yes, sales is especially tough when the company you work for is a complete mess.
First off, I would like to talk about the corporate training in Chicago. This is an absolute nightmare. Get ready to be roommates and sleep several feet away from another grown man or women, like you are living in college dorms again. Also, be ready to feel like you are in school again. But not college- the responses on here from HR about "extensive classroom training" is among the most absurd things I have ever heard. You are micromanaged worse than anything I have ever experienced in my 5+ years of college, and anything prior. As "students", you are treated more like children at a Kinder-Care facility. Expect strictly timed breaks and lunches, with some of the most monotone, boring lectures I've sat through in my many years of schooling. Then, what do you get to do when you go back to the hotel? Well, you will know not to go anywhere near the bar-since grown adults shouldn't be allowed to go have a beer and a meal. You will not have time to have a beer, and barely a meal-because when you get back you are scheduled (yes, you are literally scheduled even when you are not at the training facility) to perform homework assignments for nearly the entire night. We had several students actually go home after they found out that at age 50+ they would expected to complete homework assignments, unpaid, for the entire night, after training all day. Of course, our instructor found excuses as to why all of them mysteriously left....ironic that they all just had to leave at the same time, but of course it couldn't be anything relevant to them being smart and getting out while they could. You learn in a cult-like environment where you are expecting to scream and chant ridiculous things, all for the sake of "PMA" (Positive Mental Attitude). To further describe the massive disconnect between corporate and territorial and divisional levels, my territory manager even described this "excellent training" HR describes, as "memorization school" and "ridiculous".
Next, we'll move on to all the fun when you return home!
First, it starts with an extensive process to be reimbursed for your baggage fees. You will then start to find out all the talk about "this job is so great, you get to set your own schedule", is true. But, the truth lies in the fact that you will set your schedule from 8-9PM. I had some pretty good success in making sales in my short time with this company, but I will tell you right now between the wear and tear on your car and the amount of hours-you'd be better off looking for a position elsewhere if you can qualify for jobs paying 9/hr +. It is imperitive to your success that your life revolves around insurance. When you wake up, you will have a meeting with your "team" on most days. You are expected to call to make appointments after that time, then go to appointments scheduled for that day (often driving up to an hour and a half away-in hopes of landing a sale to pay for gas-which isn't reimbursed). Then when you get home, you are expected to call more, and more, to set appointments and prepare for appointments. Most of my days consisted for 8am-8pm workdays. As someone who considers themselves to be a hard worker, this is not where the problem lies. The problem is, when you are working these hours and not making money.
For awhile, I thought I might be the only one...until I talked to all the people from sales school that I met and exchanged numbers with, and found they were sharing the opinion of myself and most of the reviews on here. This opportunity is sensationalized and is not what it is made out to be. Some will still be curious (as I was), even after reading my review and others, but I wish I had known some of this information prior to making that commitment and getting on the plane ride to Chicago. After that kind of torture at sales school and being trapped there (if you leave early, you will pay your own plane ride home), it almost seemed ridiculous for me to not "give it a shot".
Fast forward to now....
I forwarded my letter of resignation (as I found nearly everyone from my sales school group did), and Combined took their good old time to process the letter and finalize my resignation. At first, I thought just due to it not being their priority. Then I learned that the shady waiver I signed, allows them to chargeback policies 60 days AFTER they officialize my unemployment. Them stalling the finalization of my unemployment, allowed for them to have about an extra month to allow customers to cancel policies (which happens often, after speaking to other people from sales school-opposed to the recruiter and local management that were misleading about the frequency of chargebacks).
Now, quite some time after quitting Combined Insurance, I have a great job in the insurance industry. Don't kid yourself, sales is difficult, insurance sales is VERY difficult. If you put some of the things they teach you at sales school, and use it at a legitimate company-it could be somewhat helpful. Portions of my checks from my current job now go towards paying back policies that were sold by my Territory Manager during the "PAL ride-along week", as well as a few of my own. Do your own research on consumer complaints against Combined, there is a reason so many cancellations occur. At my new current position I have had 0 chargebacks.
The last thing I will say, is that after this entire review (and reading other frightful reviews), if you are the slightest bit concerned about Combined, or even thinking about giving them a chance...find other employees to talk to! Don't be influenced heavily by tales told by management and corporate, because most are misleading. Goodluck!
