I have read a few rip off reports on various 'Cobra' offices & felt compelled to share my experience with you.
Roughly 2 years ago I was in a situation where I had been out of work & had no luck with many applications sent. That was until I saw an ad in the local press offering me a 'superb opportunity' with 'career progression'. Taken in by this I emailed my CV & less than 20 minutes later was called back to be told I was one of the strongest applicants and how soon could I get in for interview? (NB: It should've set alarms ringing when they were so desperate for me to come in later that day!)
I went for my interview & met the 'MD' Nick O'Connell, he was a very pleasant chap & we spent most of the interview talking about football which I loved being a massive footy fan. (Now I realise it was to distract me from asking exactly what the job entailed!). I was told I would be told by close of play next day if I had been successful or not. Sure enough, come 5:30pm, the phone rang, My luck had changed! They wanted me for a 2nd interview which was to spend the day with them to see what goes on & would be from 12:00 midday until 9pm.
Stupidly, I went. I was assigned to my 'leader' who bought me lunch (bribery) & off we trudged in a clapped out Ford Escort to Ipswich (about 75 minutes away!). We pulled up in a nightmare estate & got out & it was then I FINALLY realised it was door to door.
Initially shocked, my leader took all the rebuttals very well, telling me of the law of averages yada yada yada... Suffice to say at the end of the day I was hired when I got back to the office nearly 2 hours late (& my then girlfriend having kittens as I hadn't turned up to meet her & her friends as planned at 9:15).
Anyway, I accepted the job not having one. The usual first two weeks I was promoted as the 'great big hope' for orbital & was the fastest ever person to get promoted to leadership in orbital history (Check me out!). Despite ringing the bell on many many many occassions I was told I needed to more to get an observation. This is when I noticed something may have been wrong.
People started to drop like flies, road trips were attended, ending up with me losing out financially as I was paying for everything & still ringing the bell every day! (Woking & Oxford isn't a cheaper night out as you'd think!).
Things really took a hit when a pretty young girl was employed. She was so boring it was ridiculous & not the best at sales. She did ok but there were far better sales people than her. All of a sudden, ob's were passed her way over others. It transpired that she was sleeping with the 'MD'. D**n, is that what you gotta do to get an ob?
It all came to a head when after being turfed out of my parents for not paying my way & various people got sick of the same, I decided to quit when after one night I spent nearly 70 to put a roof over my head just for the night. Needless to say I quit the next day. I was later told by friends who left after me, that I had been sacked & they were not to speak to me. Not to meet or even drink in the same pub as me. I'm sorry but thats slander is it not?
Suffice to say I am now working as an estate agent, plying all my honest energy into a job I truly enjoy, working 9-5 & getting paid very well for doing so. (But remember, if you work for cobra, you never have the opportunity to earn this money elsewhere!).
If anyone wants to ggo for this, be very wary.
Paul
Norwich
United Kingdom
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