Primerica Reviews

Most individuals are not groomed for this type of business. One has to be completely focused 100% of the time, with 100% commitment. Anything less, 100% of the time you WILL NOT succeed. No different than a person who wants to become a professional athlete. If you like Life Insurance sales or find it interesting, this is a great business to learn from and generate great income. If you want to learn how money works and possibly teach others the same, this is the perfect company to learn from. It doesn't cost you anything but your FREE time. You cannot rush any part of this business. It's EXTREMELY important to be as thorough as possible. If not, you look shady and hiding something.

The $99.00 covers your background AND business website. The $25.00 monthly covers keeping your website up. Pretty cheap if you ask me. Try starting a business of your own from scratch and see what that will cost you, much less, a professionally designed personal website. If you don't like to talk to people, shy or continuously tell yourself you don't have extra free time to squeeze in anything else in your daily agenda... then this business is NOT for you! This is how the company should be represented. No other way! If you got it, I did my job! Straightforward and to the point. Hope you can make a great decision for yourself no matter what you decide. Good luck either way!

5. Many people will recruit anyone, as long as they can pass a background check.

Now here's what I like about it: (and why I've been an active part timers for 5 years)

12. Everyone is welcome. They let anyone join as long as you are over 18 and don't have a felon.

Now I know Primerica is not for everyone. It takes effort that many people don't have. I've seen a lot of people come and go in my career. They all have their various reasons why they quit. If you're considering the opportunity to join Primerica, give it some serious thought. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme or a pyramid scheme, or anything like that. It's a business that allow you the opportunity to own your own business within it. If the person you met with in Primerica isn't professional or "rubs you the wrong way", talk to someone else. Don't just assume everyone in Primerica is some pushy sales person. With almost 100,000 licensed reps, and many more not licensed, there's bound to be some bad fruit. I've seen people that aren't professional get terminated from the company so I know the company stands behind a good set of values.

Weeks later, I got a called about if I'm looking for a job and I responded of course. The individual told me the requirements of the so-called job and I say, "Sure, I think I qualify." The individual ask me if I have management skills and I responded with a no. The individual then continues saying, "That's okay, we will train you anyway." So that was another red flag. The individual scheduled a date for our so-called interview and I told that individual that I have several appointment that day and I may not be able to make it for that time. I was told if I won't be able to, just to call to reschedule. I was like, "Wow, they must really need people." Then I was asked to bring a reference list with 5 contacts.

I then began to think to myself how can you schedule an interview if I never applied for. Eventually I reschedule my so-call interview two days later. I was given the location of the meeting point, it was an business complex. What surprised me was that there weren't any logo of the business at the door. Then I saw another door and I said, "Oh wait, may this is the place because the person told me the name of the business," and I searched online looking for the business. Didn't find no such thing and I was like, "Oh I perhaps heard wrong and maybe misspelled the name." So I was like, "Okay this is company." I went on the day of the interview and my instincts was right, it was the door without any logo. When I entered what hit me was the presentation of the place.

I was then asked to take a seat and to filled out a form so they could know more about me. At first I thought it was an application, then I was like, "okay what is this." Anyways the person then move me to a room and began the presentation. As soon as the presentation began, I finally knew what was it. Why I have fallen victim to other pyramid schemes before. They all work the same, you invest money to a so-called business and only those who are already at the top benefit from it, and you are simply the workhorse. You have to work for it and if you don't do anything, you don't make any money. I was even told I have to go to classes to obtain two state license and it would cost 1800, that primerica would pay most of it. All I have to pay is 99 dollars.

I knowing what the business wouldn't want to waste more money because of my past experience. I'm not gonna lie the info that the reps gave me was very interesting and I will do my own research on saving toward my retirement and I'm only 22. So thanks for the heads up. But as for joining, I'm not falling for that trick again. According to the reps, they want to be like Mcdonald, the largest financial service in america. Again those on the top, benefit from those like us on the bottom and those who have been in this business for year without a lot of us knowing about it only until now, are living extravagant lives and we will be adding to it.

The second year we were full-time agents with Primerica, we made over $100,000 in a twelve month period. Our income grew every year and reached $300,000 in 2005. Is Primerica for everyone? As a client - yes! As an agent - no, just like everyone is not meant to be a teacher or doctor, but everyone has an equal opportunity to try to be a successful financial services representative with Primerica . . . and we challenge you to find any financial services company that will train you and pay for your expensive licenses with only a $99 "I'm serious fee", entrance fee before the company sinks several thousand dollars in you!

Unfortunately, every career has it's less than professional, less trained, less ethical individuals but that does not negate the value of that career field. If Primerica was not an ethical, viable company, how could it have survived the continuous attacks of it's enemy agents and individuals who did not experience the true Primerica? Primerica has been helping middle income families for over thirty-five years and has become the largest financial services distribution company in North America without having to advertise. How is that possible if the negative comments read here are the norm?!!

I am heartbroken for the experiences of these individuals (except for the ones planted by our enemy agents whom we have exposed). I would only say: Would you swear off education or medical help because of a bad experience with a teacher or a doctor with poor bedside manner? We help families get out of debt, become financially free, and ensure families are not destitute after an untimely death . . . and we do it with our clients as a first priority, not what commission we can make. We are proud and blessed to have been introduced to this unique company.

During the conversation no information about the business, she just keeps showing me the chart of the members making million of dollars. She did not mention about the pyramid business. For sure she is working for me because if she is at the 50 percent level, each deal she closes she has 50 percent of the premium. I strongly feel that if anyone of you encounter someone from Primerica, please leave or run as fast as possible. These employees are not truthful.

Please get the facts about Primerica by meeting with a Regional Vice President in your area who has been here for a few years. If you are 18 and have no felony, you are able to join the business, but you need to pass state and federal exams and get licenses, which would cost you over $1,000 if you got them on your own. For $99 we allow people to get into financial services and help families as an independent contractor. No quotas, no sales pressure, people comment like we're the son of Satan, it's really funny how humorous most of these posts are about our company. This website does little to help people really understand who Primerica is and what we do. GET THE FACTS!!!

My advice to others thinking about Primerica as an opportunity is to give it a shot. $99 for your IBA, $25/mo. for the online site access (very useful and sadly many don't understand or ask what this $25 is for. Plus you can log in and cancel it), $52-$55 state exam fee which is reimbursed by Primerica after you pass. There are non-mandatory trainings a couple times a week which I LOVE and reminds me of what I am doing and where I'm going with my future.

Primerica is a great company, please don't judge it based on the "word of mouth" or "warm contact" soliciting. It's the only advertising we have. Kindly say no if you're not interested. So really, if you think about it, you're investing $99 for a chance to make thousands. You owe yourself the opportunity. I feel very lucky to have the team that I have. Best of luck to you!

It is not a question of whether this is a real company or not, it is a matter of how much longer will the American public be blinded by the program the national banks and insurance companies are marketing? The company is not for everyone's ambitions (as a rep), it is for the people that really want to change their loved ones circumstances and change the perspective from ignorant to educated financially to people that otherwise would not have any idea! We work on this everyday and with certainty improve on their TRUE financial picture.

This is what we do. If you signed up and saw people in the meeting from a "different category" than what you believe yourself to be in, then I am sorry you missed the boat and you were not taught better principles. Success or wealth does not have a face. Ask the 6 Million plus clients we service every single day. Ask BBB, Ask AM BEST, ask your insurance agent who their REAL competition is. Ask FINRA, Ask Beatriz Perez from Pepsi, Ask Barron Funds, Ask Warbus Pincus Funds, Ask George Soros, Get used to hearing from Primerica because the future is so bright you gotta wear shades. See you at the Top!

They try to look out for and help the middle class. "The rich help the rich and the government helps the poor. There's no one to help the middle class". Primerica offers ways for people to get out of life insurance that just rips you off. Why would you put money in life insurance as a savings and when you die you only get your death benefit or savings. Not both. Not right in my opinion. I personally have life insurance through primerica and thought the rate was competitive. That may be biased since I am also a recruit, but it's my opinion nonetheless. Just the same as everyone else on this site.

I would just invite everyone to do their own research and look at the facts of all other insurance companies out there, before taking someone else's word for it off of a review. Also I would just like to say that I think that people who don't get into this business because they think it is a scheme, are afraid of change, a better way of life, and have gotten comfortable with where they're at in life. "The pain of change is great, the pain of regret is greater". Thanks for reading.

Do yourself, friends and family a favor and RUN. Those who don't aren't doing their loved ones any favors. For all the others that were scammed like I was, report it to the FTC at Ftccomplaintassistant.gov. It's the only way we are going to get people like this to stop taking advantage of desperate people.

So I went down to the office because I had lost her number, and they had moved out so I called customer service. That's when I found out the letter was never faxed. The next day I tried to access my policy online and it would not let me because it said my information did not match when I had just spoke to customer service and made sure all the info they had was correct. My mom tried to access her policy and the same happened. I'm so irritated with primerica, my mother and I will be canceling both our policies and I will never do business with them again nor will I recommend for anyone to do business with them. I had a horrible experience.

We all know that when we get a job, we hope that our head manager is a nice guy and not an **. A manager that works from the heart and not from his wallet. Well the thing about Primerica is that the company gives you the opportunity to grow your own business. And this is how. Representative 25%/ District 50%/ Division 60/ Regional 70/ RVP 110%. These are the percentage contracts of the commission for each position. If I'm at 50% which means if I sell I life insurance policy and the client pays 1000 a year. 1000 - 50% = 500$. I get paid 500. I can make 4 sales in a month and make 2k. BUT here is where Primerica gives you an opportunity. If you recruit someone. By the way no one gets paid from the submission of the 99$ to pay for the IBA. If your recruit makes a sale, then you get a residual difference of percentage from that sale that they made. So say they are at 25% contract and you are at 50. If the sale was 1000$ a year.

Your recruit made 25% of 1000 which is 250. But since he works under you, you get the percent difference. So 50% (which is your contract) minus 25% is 25%. So you get paid 250$ for his sale and you didn't have to even know about it. It's just money in your pocket. But say if you both were at 50, then you would get nothing because 50 - 50 = 0. So the point is always to stay a step ahead and have the higher percentage. But anyways here is where the recruiting "scam" comes into play. I showed you that you can make an extra 2k a month on your own. You DONT NEED to recruit anyone to make money BUT if you want to make more money, then OBVIOUSLY you will recruit someone. Also once you have a team of people working for you and you reach the position of RVP (which is not impossible at all, it's not like you have to recruit any number of people or scam anyone, it's nothing like that) you can then lease your own office and move into that office with the team that you have built for however long you have been there. Which is usually at least 10 because by that time your recruits will have at least 2 recruits each. And you yourself will have about 5.

And then from that point once one of your recruits which are regional at this point manage to get the position of RVP then they will do the same and move into their own office and etc. the company does not open a location for you, like Geico or Allstate. Since you make the money and handle all these recruits, you can decide to do whatever the hell you want. Which is why Primerica is such a great opportunity because your income goes up based on your work ethic, not the amount of education of time you've spent with the company. But here is where the bad things happen. As people go up in position, they begin to want to just get results immediately, so when they hire you, in their mind they are thinking "ok either this guy is gonna be a great worker and be another team member to my office or he's just gonna walk in and walk right back out, it's not my problem if he stays or goes, I'm just gonna let the system sort him out because I don't have time to hold this recruits hand forever and have him end up being a waste of my time".

Here's the truth 90% of people who come for an interview in Primerica leave extremely soon, why? BECAUSE the person who hires them doesn't tell them WHY they should give their contact list or why they should tell everybody they know or why they want to sit down with their parents. They simply ORDER the recruit to do everything and that is BAD!!!!. If I walk into a company and they demand that they know everything about me I'm gonna be like "YO ** CHILL OUT! Stop breathing in my freaking face you thirsty ** scamming **." BUT if they we're to simply tell me WHYYYYYY they want me to do all these things so quickly, it would not only take away my fears of this company being a scam but it would also make me WANT to do these things instead of just doing what they order me to do because!!! I myself see what it is that I am doing. Not you telling me what I see, it's me seeing the truth for myself.

And the reason why they move so fast with all the recruits is because they "let the system sort it out" and just go through everyone they've recruited as quick as they can because the people who are very interested will stay and the idiots will leave. But here's the thing if they were take a little extra personal time and tell each recruit the full explanation of the company, then the reputation of the company would be completely different. But since they don't, Primerica has because a scam company that recruits tons of people to take their money. And yes people do submit the 99$ and do stay with the company for a little bit and don't make money, but it's because they simply did not do the work that the job required. And obviously this is a JOB TOO. It's not a get rich quick with no work type of deal. There is no such thing as that and if it were, it would be a scam. The reason why so many people don't make money in the beginning or don't do the work necessary to make money is because it's a different kind of job.

Obviously a car salesman has a different role to play as the guy who checks you out at 7-11. In this job you actually have to talk and have full conversations with regular people. And again TALK! this isn't just work for hours and get a paycheck. This is do the work and receive a commission. And most people are used to the jobs that don't require you to talk full time. So again please believe that Primerica is not a scam. I'm sure I left a lot of stuff out but I can't detail it all in writing. If you have a question about a certain part of Primerica that you still think is "scam-ish" that I didn't address than please call me. If you call me, I'm not gonna try to recruit you or try to give a big sales pitch about joining Primerica, I will simply answer your question and once you're done with the questions, say goodbye and tell you to have a nice day.

Nothing's perfect and agents do need to realize you can't help everyone, only those who want to be helped so don't get disappointed primerica reps! Some will some won't, so what! We just hate to see people struggling financially when it can be prevented but they have to want to help themselves, we are looking for those looking for us! You can take the horse to the water but you can't make them drink it! Keep up the great work! Go help the middle class save money and retire wealthy!! Go primerica!

Next month....same issue...no payment made. Now the scary part.....I had to schedule my own medical exam and the medical exam practitioner wanted to come to my house at 4 am on Saturday. After going round and round with that part, I finally got the exam. Now for my wife's policy...not so easy. She did not require an exam; however she needed a statement from her doctor. The Primerica agent repeatedly told me that all the paperwork had been faxed to her...and it never was. So I called the doctor 3 times.... After each time the insurance rep had told me that he faxed everything to her and it would be taken care of. Long story short here....I have been the middle man in this whole fiasco for 2 months.

I finally got tired of it right before I wrote this review and cancelled the policy. The one good thing I can say about the policy is that it was straightforward and easy to understand.... The customer service was absolutely horrible. The agent that I worked with was what seemed half-hearted in his work and the sense I gained was that he never faxed any of the paperwork that needed to get filled out. I will warn you.....if you do business.....be extremely cautious of your agent. The first red flag I should have noticed was that Primerica is "closed" for lunch from 1230-100 pm. Complete horrible customer service........

Original Review: June 4, 2014

I got a term life insurance with Primerica in 2010. Originally, It's for me and for my husband but I am the primary owner and the one paying for the premium. My husband and I got divorced so I dropped him and applied only for me. I issued a void bank check so it will automatically be deducted in my bank account monthly and also their requirement. After few weeks, I got a past due statement telling me to pay the whole quarterly amount because “my bank notified Primerica that they cannot process my premium payments through my account”. I called my agent because I was surprised with that statement. I have been with the same bank for years and been using that account for automatic deductions for my bills. My agent called the CS of Primerica and was told that my bank can't locate my account. Then I called myself the CS to hear exactly what they say. The CS told me the same.

So I went to my bank right away because I was so furious. The bank told me everything is alright; the routing and account number are fine. That can't be denied. I called CS in front of the bank rep. Somebody answered then said “I’ll talk to the billing specialist.” I WAS ON HOLD FOR 15-20 MINS. Me and the bank rep were looking at each other. Then finally the CS told me, my account is ok and will start charging my premium. I asked the CS to explain why that happened and why they said the bank denied it. Ignored! I WAS SO MAD THAT I INSTRUCTED HER NOT TO CHARGED MY PREMIUM BECAUSE I'LL DROP THAT INSURANCE AND GET FROM ANOTHER ONE. The bank rep told me there were other complaints about this Primerica. Premiums were deducted from the accounts even applicant didn't sign the insurance policy. That happened to me also but I didn't pay much attention to it - THOUGH IT 'S NOT RIGHT.

Please be warned of this insurance PRIMERICA. One, they'll deduct your premium even you didn't sign the policy which is wrong. 2nd, they make up story like telling the bank denied your check so now you pay quarterly. IT'S A TRICK SO INSTEAD OF PAYING MONTHLY BETTER NOT TO GET FROM THIS INSURANCE COMPANY. I TOLD MY AGENT THAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO ME, I WAS NOT COVERED.

So after all transactions made for Primerica, this RVP invited me for lunch with her 4 friends. I was being introduced to one of them, and convinced to invest to another venture which travel ticket investment. Based on their both stories, they been doing that together for quite sometime and pretty successful. Their first try to us to join them, was declined by my son. And this RVP continuously encouraged me to try, and because of her perseverance and positive testimony towards this business, I was enticed by 10% interest offered by them then I joined. After few months, her friend failed to pay the interest of our money, and tried to contact this Primerica RVP. Unfortunately, I got no reply from my text messages about her friend and eventually found out, it was scam with many victims and her friend was convicted in the US, same scam different product.

How can Primerica protect us from their hired licensed positioned RVP, where she has to be after our welfare keeping our confidentiality and instead of leading us to invest more to Primerica, she intended to share my net worth to her friend and encouraged to invest and lured by this scam. Based on her story at the beginning, two of them are the pioneers of this investment. I lost huge amount of money, and intended to go bankruptcy for my loss. I worked for 13 long years to save and have decent life for my retirement but intentionally somebody took away that dreams. I even encouraged my son to put his savings and lost too. Our situation now is like buried alive by debts, savings was gone, left nothing with so much desperation. Person involved was already in jail, but not the RVP, washing her hands of connivance.

When I asked to be removed, I got silence. I went to my business and they told me to state that actions would be taken if the line was not removed. I got a response that said I needed to call a number to remove. I called and was pitched the job offer, I hung up. I AM NOT looking for a job, do not need a JOB and would NEVER sell insurance. I do not care if I could make a billion dollars. I like my job, make decent money and can provide for myself. I will continue to try and be removed from the message list. This is typical bait and hide tactics that Primerica uses in its day to day business. I would never work for a company that allows this type of recruiting tactics.

At Primerica we want honest, driven and ambitious people who want success. It's so easy to say it doesn't work but what about all those people who are killing it and making so much money. Helping families and making a difference. There are some bad seeds. People that are greedy and will abuse their power but that is not what Primerica stands for. I was approached three times before I took advantage of the opportunity. It was because I listened to people like these idiots who knew nothing about the company but what they heard People that were going nowhere in life and comfortable in their misery. I am so grateful that I finally took the opportunity. The rest of you negative people can stay where you are, go back to work at Walmart after retirement because you don't have enough money. That''s the difference between winners and losers. Winners don't make excuses. We just DO IT.

I could never get a straight answer out of anyone about the pay structure as they were desperately trying to downplay the role that recruiting took in the whole scheme, but I finally cornered an "employee" at a weird faux-Christmas party thrown at a rented house temporarily occupied by my recruiter and his poor family who were like hostages in a suburban domicile stocked with every gaming system available as well as air hockey and ping pong tables, all for the sole purpose of mindlessly entertaining the current (mostly young) recruits, blinding them with the sheer boundless consumerism and wealth that supposedly awaited them.

The guy I talked to told me that it wasn't until he realized that the way to make money was "to get the recruits to purchase the Primerica products". In other words, it's a numbers game of getting as many recruits to purchase term life insurance while giving up lists of all of your contacts from your cell phone (what they call a "data dump") for more recruiting. It doesn't matter if you quit because you've already given them money and more contacts. Meanwhile if you decide it's not for you, your manager will become very angry indeed, carping about the time he spent ON YOU "away from HIS family".

They're very big on family and there is more than a hint of born-again Christianity lurking in the rhetoric you will be swallowing. Never mind the hours you yourself have spent going to "classes", (glorified pep rallies that never actually impart much in the way of knowledge about being a financial planner), seminars (you pay for those too), countless meetings attempting to recruit family and friends. NOT FOR ME. No.

Next I had insurance from that big rock company. They used to have lots of tv ads. I was paying 800 dollars a year for 100000 dollars of life insurance. After I switched to Primerica I pay 600 Dollars a year for 490000 dollars of insurance. So I benefit from the insurance. Saving money. Here are the people we are NOT looking for: someone who wants to earn 40 000 dollars a year for 40 hours a week for 40 years, and be broke at retirement. Here is who we are looking for: people who want a better life.

By the way if you have a JOB, and you train your replacement (that young kid who you are training who works for half the money you make)... When the company lays off someone, who do you think it will be - the cheap kid or expensive YOU?

Primerica is a business. The start up cost is 99 dollars. I did real estate before Primerica. The tax lien course cost 1650, and the house cost 2000 dollars. A friend of mine paid 6000 dollars to learn real estate boot camp. A Mcdonald's franchise costs over 500000 dollars. By the way college (no job guaranteed) cost over 20000 dollars a year. I know doctors who paid 250000 dollars to get their medical license. So if you are complaining about a 99 start up cost, then do not try real estate, any franchise, or college.

Then when I wrote my first policy, I REINVESTED THAT MONEY, paid for a health class, took the health test, and had that line of authority added to my life license (the one that PRIMERICA paid for) for only $5.00. In Illinois the cost for my license would have been $430.00 ($150 for the class; $100 to take the test; and $180.00 for my license fees.) I also took the $99.99 and turned it into $1,600.00 net profit. Not much, but that's one hell of a return for part-time work in 2 months. ALSO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY THE $25.00 for the online access. Pay for 1 month, and then cancel it! You can go into your own account, and stop billing. I had to write this because I get sick of people lying, and acting like victims, when all they have to do is read, and say no.

At this point I had already signed papers and given my debit card information to pay for my "web fee" and " background check" which was $125.00 at first then $25.00 per month for access to the Primerica support website now that I was a rep (???!!). I did a little bit of too little too late googling and decided I didn't want to be "that family member/friend." You know... The flighty flaky one that suddenly texts you out of the blue about some jewelry/purse/plastic container/essential oil/or God forbid religion/convulsion they are having. I. TOLD. THEM. NO. Then came the best part. One high dude texted me to say less high dude was "hurt" (his words not mine) because he had "thought we were great" before we declined the Primerica KoolAid. This only made me REAL mad.

I told said HIGH-er-up the Primerica ** dude that I had never seen such unprofessional behavior out of anyone representing a company whose services I had decided to pass on. I informed Mr. high that the correct response to my cautious declination was "Okay, well thank you for your time. Here is my card if we can ever be of service" NOT "Oh my GOD and we thought you guys were so AWESOME!! How COULD you!!!" *sniff sniff.

Primerica's response was to DRAFT my checking account for $25.00 EACH month for 5 months as I called, emailed, cursed, for them to STOP drafting the "web support" fee. Keep in mind I had signed up... and changed my mind within 48 hours. I was told the rep had given me outdated cancellation paperwork and to basically go ** up a flagpole because I should have somehow submitted a better "Please stop taking my hard-earned money and making my power bill bounce" paper. Only AFTER I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau was I able to recoup SOME (not ALL) of the loss.

If YOU are getting a taste of the Prinerica KoolAid... RUN. FAST. HARD. STRONG ... Oh and here's when you see the trap... Ask your "rep" with the dum-ass grade school "who's going to make the most money here" flip chart if he can take a check for your initial $99.99 fee... And listen carefully. I PROMISE you will be pressured for your debit/credit card. Now I know why.

He replied through text that, "I was ignorant to think an A plus company like Primerica was set up like it is. He then told me to have fun working in a cubicle for $9.50 an hour all my life. Then concluded with “see you at the top!" I replied back to him saying, "My parents had your insurance and dropped it within six months.” I also said “please do not be an ** because you are not getting $90 from me for training." He then replied to me, "You are not the brightest. You should stay in school and get some more education. :)" I would just like to say I don't know any professional company that texts and harasses people to come work for them. I would also like to say that the other posts on this website helped me notice the sleaziness of the company before committing to it so thank you!

Been a sales position I could make as much as I wanted to, there was no cap. To me that all sounded great. But something inside of me screamed get out! So I told him that I wanted to do this part-time because I still liked my current job. He told me I could do it part-time, that it was no problem. Matter of fact he stated that he started out part time and now him and his wife are running their business with Primerica and work there full time. Clearly the company worked.

He told me that I would need to pay $90.00 application fee to enroll and then a $25 or $35 monthly fee to access training classes and my website. Also, he advice me to get business cards and all of that. It all felt so rushed because I hadn't even taken a look at the company. The following day he had scheduled me on a meeting with the Primerica peps. I was excited to meet the corporate people of Primerica. My agent asked me if I could bring one or two people with me. I didn't and lied to him and told him that my friend got sick last minute. I was just unsure as to why he wanted me to bring other people.

In the meeting, it was more like a seminar to bring people to sign up. Long story short, it was a pyramid scheme. You bring two people, they bring two people and so on. You also get money for the people that you bring in and you make profit from the people that they bring in. I guess you can make good money like that as well, but it was not a career that I was interested in.

I left to the bathroom and decided that I would just leave, as I was approaching my car the agent rushed out of the building and asked me if I was okay. I felt bad and I told him that I was just getting some fresh air. He pulled me back into the conference room and I had to sit there and finish the whole presentation. I wanted to quit but I was nervous to disappoint and make my agent feel like I had wasted his time. He asked me to gather 20 people so that we could go meet with them and I could try to sell them the financial product that we were selling. I attempted to make 3 with friends and they all told me, "it's a scam, don't do that job," and I felt more discouraged. The following week I attended another seminar and there they distributed checks to the best employees. They also showed examples of employees that had climbed up the ladder and were making millions of dollars.

The following day I called the agent and told him that I didn't wanted to do this anymore, that I wanted to quit. He kept me on the phone for 25 minutes trying to convince me to stay and give this a try. I decided not to stay and quit. I did get my $25 or $35 dollars back but not the $90.00, I used that as a reminder not to throw my money on a job that I'm unsure about. People were nice, but I'm not too into working in pyramid schemes. I'm too shy for that, I guess.

Original Review: March 22, 2014

I contacted the person that sold me my policy if he could give me a quote for a 30 year policy, he never responded. I found a better quote so I contacted him again and asked how I could cancel my policy because I was dissatisfied with his service. He said only he was able to cancel it, and he would take care of it. I attempted to contact him to confirm it was canceled and no response. The money is still being taken from my account and still no response from the person that I was working with. I would never recommend this company to anyone!

Monday came, I went to FedEx and completed the finger prints and called him to see where we were to meet. He told me to find 2 people that we could go visit. In my head, I was questioning this because we had discussed just him and I meeting to discuss my next steps. I set up a meeting with a relative and told him that it was about purchasing life insurance and for him to listen for details and see if he was interested. Todd arrived at my house and met my cousin and to my surprise, he was actually talking to him about joining the company. I was floored because I felt as though this is something that should have been discussed with me prior.

Then he went into detail with him about the company, the same as he did with me on Saturday and my relative agreed to give it a try and paid his $99 fee. After he collected his fee is when he gave more details on what is required before we can earn 50% profit off of our sales. I had no idea that it was a requirement to recruit at least 3 other individuals to join. I explained to Todd prior to signing up that I am a single parent, I am in school full time, I am a volunteer coach for 3 little league basketball teams, and I teach teens church. If he would have told me that I had to actually recruit 3 individuals I would have NEVER agreed to join the Primerica network. I understand he is a sales person, but it is unethical to leave out important details when encouraging someone to join your company. I told him my schedule prior to joining and he said that it was no problem. But then after I joined he starts giving me dates that I need to attend meeting and a whole weekend that I had to leave town, when he knew I was already involved in other activities.

This was a learning experience for me. Money is already tight as is with me being the only provider in my household with a young son, so me taking a risk putting up $99 that I honestly didn't have to spare to begin with to try to help my family and friends get life insurance and to have information withheld hurts. I emailed Primerica last Thursday morning requesting a refund of my IBA fee and the POL fee advising I no longer wanted to be involved with this company. At that time the funds had not been taken out of my account and it was less than 7 days since I joined. I received a letter in the mail yesterday that said they would not refund me the $99 IBA fee. I feel like this company is fraudulent at this point. I try to look at everyone as God's children and trust that company's run ethical practices, but not in this case. I now want to cancel the life insurance policies all together because I do not trust them at all.

Original Review: Feb. 20, 2014

So I went to a meeting in Ann Arbor, MI after I got a call from a man named Terry who said he had heard I was looking for work. 9/10 I am extremely cautious and have already worked for a company that followed a "Multilevel Marketing" structure aka "Pyramid scheme". But at this point in my life I was desperate and from my personal life being pushed to take whatever opportunity came my way. So I came to the "office" which I naturally would have turned and walked away from after seeing the Arial printed title Primerica on printer paper which would've been more appropriate for a drug house than a professional office but I drove almost an hour and was desperate so I went in.

The setup was deceiving enough. Just your typical boring office. I met the few people including what I suspected were secretaries at the front. I didn't encounter anyone rude although during the presentation I couldn't help feel out of place while everyone seemed a lot more optimistic than I did. Against all better judgement and I know I'm a disgrace for doing it but I signed up and paid the $99 fee for the application. I didn't have to give Terry a list of anyone I knew however he did insist on meeting my parents who are very respected in my small town. I am doing another sales job (which is a single level marketing job) and after work on 2/19/2014 today I woke up from whatever curse allowed me to lose my sense and tie my hands (and money) to this company who I knew had no intention of taking care of me.

I looked up complaints and this site appeared at the top of my Google search and I began feverishly reading through the heaps of complaints and affirmed my all-too-real nightmare. I'm sure Terry is still awaiting me to tell him to visit but I don't want anyone associated with Primerica trying to get at anyone from my family or friends for that matter. It has only been a day since I filled out the application but after reading these complaints I can only imagine that I will have to fight to get reimbursed or I might just end up empty handed regardless of what I do. Another note, I looked for the tab described in fine print in the application for deactivating the POL service of $25 a month but wouldn't you have guessed... The tab where you deactivate the service doesn't exist on my profile at all. The only way to deactivate is to contact an employee of Primerica. Convenient... Well I guess I'll see how this goes and hopefully my added warning will help to save someone else's hard-earned money.

As of the training... We knew we wanted to do this with our lives the minute we saw the opportunity so we didn't only go to the 4 hours a week worth of training that was offered, we self educated on our own. I wanted Primerica to pay me like a business so I treated it like a business and put time and effort and guess what... Now it pays me like a business with $25k month residual income.

My goal was to get as educated on the policies as I could in an effort to help my friends and family protect their loved one's future. But more and more all I heard from the RVP (Regional Vice President) and others was getting more people in the door to sell policies. It was obvious that recruiting was way more important than educating the sales force. One evening a sponsor and I went to an appointment I set up with a good friend of mine. When my sponsor couldn't answer a simple question about investment fees, after he bragged on the ride over he'd been doing this for over 9 years and had over 100 clients, I really began to doubt the legitimacy of Primerica. Before we left my friend asked for a quote on a 30 year term life policy. My sponsor agreed although when we got in the car to leave he explained to me it wasn't a good idea because he likes to go over the policy in person.

My friend called me a week later when he received his term policy quote. He ask me if I was aware that the 30 year term policy, that Primerica had bragged so much about and pushed so hard, was only guaranteed for 20 years? I was floored! I brought it up to my sponsor and he passed me on to the RVP for an explanation who came up with a number of reasons why it was set up that way and although it says it's only guaranteed for 20 years it won't go up after that. I asked "Then why isn't it guaranteed? " He once again tried to give me an explanation that didn't matter. I now realized that I was expected to sell a policy to my closest friends and family that I knew wasn't guaranteed when there were several 30 year term policies on the market that were. When I explained to the RVP that I couldn't in good conscience sell an inferior policy to people who trusted me I was given some desperate validation for what Primerica did. He told that those other companies who offer 30 year guaranteed term policies also sold whole life policies that were not good for their clients so they didn't have their best interests in mind. I've learned a lot from my experience at Primerica, be careful who you trust and if you've bought one of their 30 year term policies look at it! I've already stopped payment on mine and gotten a new "guaranteed" one.

In a year you're out $300. So if you don't sell or recruit, however they work you're out of luck. That was my second red flag. Why must you spend money in a company that isn't yours? You are not buying an uniform, PPE, you are pretty much buying bragging rights or "franchise" from the company... at $25 dollars? What company sells their name for $25? One of the biggest, brightest RED FLAGS, if anyone can join in, and make millions, how are you going to make your millions? Of course we all want to be rich and successful, but we will be it at different levels, and there has to be customers.

The presentation was very brief for the actual insurances you are selling, but it was very over-elaborated in the recruiting part of it!!! Telling me how if I make money some else makes money and his superior makes money. So if I recruit I make money off my recruits, then my superior makes money. What you have to wonder is what about the 10th generation of recruits, how does the company will make any money for itself if they all make money off a single customer? It is just a pyramid scheme. I know I'm at a young age, but if you are hungry for wealth and power just climb the corporate ladder or be an entrepreneur, or both. Remember if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. I hope I help someone avoid headaches. This is my good deed for the week lol. Good luck everyone!!

Soon after I was in the Primerica class which was stone cold boring and pointless. Soon after, Dru learned about my automotive experience and introduced me to her friend, **, who at the time owned Dass Complete Auto in 6525 Southern Blvd. I worked for him for a few months till he turned into a cheapskate and refused to pay his employees. What was even more scandalous was Dru was horsing around with my boss ** who is a married man! It just comes to show you how someone’s character is. Scams, **, and scandals...Only @ Primerica.

Seriously, I am tired of being harassed by her. Is her pay that bad where she has to bug family to get paid like no means no! Not only does she bug me but the man who recruited her called me 3 times trying to set up a meeting. I'm like, “I’m not interested,” and he continued to say, “When would you like a meeting?” I’m like, “Are you deaf **?” I had to change my phone number!!!!! Seriously sick of them and I never signed or was interested in the first place.

I also attended one of their "meetings" and they are all robots that do and say whatever the VPs make them. Needless to say, I was done with that place! I was a sales person around that time and I know a SCAM when I see one. This company is one! I now work at a financial office that helps people come out of debts and I have heard of a few complaints from Primerica from our clients, WHAT A COINCIDENCE!! I hardly speak to this person anymore, and I figured if he was really a friend, he wouldn't be trying to scam his own people! If you want to work here or consume their products, YOU WILL BE LOSING TIME AND MONEY!!!!!!

Currently working on my Securities license 6/63. The company pays for all my education and pays for my license test and fees. The position in the company is strictly commission and those that have bad experiences I find never even get licensed. The test to get licensed are hard but the rewards are great. I run a great base shop with a great RVP that will work with ANYONE to achieve maximum potential in the company. I don't know if there is a way to get a hold of me on here or whatever but if a person is serious about selling and obtaining a license, I will help them out starting from A all the way to Z.

They then whisked me and a few others into a small room to listen to an hour-long slide presentation by this kid who was full of bull from the get-go. It was a sales pitch. I wish I had my car to leave at that point, but was a prisoner. Whatever questions I asked were dismissed with vague answers. Each time I found an error in what he was saying, he got flustered. Then the guy who brought me there said he wanted to personally introduce me to some hotshot leader of their group. The two of them took me into yet another office and started saying there was something "special" about me, and that they didn't accept just anyone into the program (Yeah, right). I was asked a lot of personal questions, and then they asked how many friends and family members I could connect them with, so that they could "present" the product.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know this is an MLM. Of course, they deny it. But the earnings structure is quite suspect and only those higher up in the pyramid actually make the real money. The business model depends on you connecting them with your friends, who won't be your friends after you inflict this sales crap on them. I politely passed on getting involved. This infuriated the guy who brought me, and he insisted that I was an idiot and a loser for not doing it.

Now, this was back in March. I distanced myself and never spoke to the guy again...until he mistakenly texted me last night, rather than the intended recipient. After a few text messages from him where he bragged about how much money he's making, allegedly opening new offices, and saying that I missed out on a great opportunity, again I tried to politely end it. He then became hostile and nasty, texting me again that I'm a loser. RUN from any MLM, especially this one.

I have been told that their product is barely an actual product - which would categorize them to be somewhat of a pyramid scheme. If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. They require license training through ONLY THEM, even if you already have a license, but tell you that it is a state license. They try to tell you that the background check is through the FBI....which is BS because they also say that they only look for criminal records. An FBI check would involve way more than that. They act all nice to you, regardless of what you do. They are super fake, and you can always find their eyes glistening at the talk of money or clientele. They are desperate money-hoarders, you pay in to get into the company....former employees have reported that they got terminated for reasons they simply made-up. Primerica is not even supposed to terminate people! But they found a way around that. Just took their deposit money as well as many other things and sent 'em to the dogs, refusing to give them a refund.

Don't apply for this company unless you're a multimillionare who has enough money to invest in it, preferably someone with a corporate background that can easily outsmart the RVPS. Even then, you'll have this on your conscience for the rest of your life - ruining families who are already in debt with ** products that cost way more than any of the other ones out there. Who are actually licensed and BBB approved. Primerica is not, from what I believe. They also get involved in a lot of political affairs and opinions - they try to show you a scheme to illuminate the financial system in America and conform to their ways. So this is either an anti-government conspiracy, or a government conspiracy. I'd say I'd go with the first.

Either way, Primerica sucks. You'll lose over 600 dollars working with them for only a couple of months, and the fake pats to the ** stop after a while, and they suddenly get really abrasive with you.

Once I purchased pre-paid legal for legal advices. She made $50 commission off me. I only spoke to an attorney twice asking minor questions. Attorney wound up giving me inaccurate information. I check the background of the law firm, and they are under federal investigation for approximately two years. I wasn't surprised. I spoke with this recruiter on the phone and asked for possible refund. Needless to say, it was denied. She even told me some lame excuses and hang up. I canceled this program immediately. I haven't spoken to her since. This recruiter harassed me for a long time and practically ripped me off.

I too was approached by a Primerica recruiter, a very nice and personable gentleman that had a very pleasant disposition, with a natural born salesman type of personality. The discussion was upbeat and motivating, and since I was looking for a job, I listened. I set up an appointment for later in the week to meet and discuss the opportunity in more detail.

At the scheduled meeting, I was told that there was a fee of $99 to obtain a life insurance license and start my new career. In my case, the application was done online at the recruiter’s office and afterwards, I was given a paper copy of the Independent Business Application (IBA) which contains the contract details between you and Primerica. I would suggest you read this BEFORE completing the online application. It is about five pages of very fine print, but you are required to verify that you have read it in its entirety, understand and agree to the terms on the online application.

On the application, there was also a section to sign up for the reoccurring fee of $25 per month to have access to Primerica Online which provides a wealth of training classes, manuals, and videos to make sure you pass the exam. You are not required to sign up for the online access, but I recommend you do, at least until you become licensed. You can stop at any time. The online service also tracks your licensing progression, your clients and contains all the tools to make money - tools like the competitive financial analysis, the instant quotes for life insurance, annuities, and mutual funds, plus a wealth of other information. I was impressed with the online website because I know what it takes to keep something like this updated and current, but I feel this should be a tool that the company provides for free. After all, it would be difficult for a salesman to be successful without the online tools and calculators.

The $99 application fee was to cover the $42 fingerprinting fee, the $50 state application fee (which includes a background check), company administrative fees, and a company sponsored 30 hour pre-licensing instruction class. Being licensed before in another state, I thought this was a very good deal. Just google the cost of pre-licensing and you will find that the $99 fee for all of this is a huge bargain.

The pre-licensing class is provided twice per month. It is very intensive, but good. You learn a lot, and fast. The class starts at 6:00pm on Friday night and all day long on Saturday and Sunday. The recruiter met me at the class at 6:00pm on Friday evening to give me a pep talk, wish me well, and provide a bag of snacks and two bottles of spring water. I thought, wow, pretty nice treatment. I completed the course with no problems and took the state exam three days later and passed. The only thing that the recruiter failed to tell me is that when I went to take the state exam, I would have to pay a $52 exam fee to the administrator company called PSI. When I contacted the recruiter, my recruiter told me that Primerica would reimburse the $52, and they did after I passed the exam. So far so good.

It has now been two weeks since I passed the state exam, and I still have not received my license yet. The recruiter has called twice trying to get me to make appointments with friends and disguise it as a sample training exercise. I understand that most recruiters will want you to provide a list of all your friends and family members to them so they can contact them in the event you don’t and try to arrange meetings to sell insurance, annuities and mutual funds.

Personally, I do not have many friends because I am new to this state and none of my family lives here either. The recruiter said cold call prospecting will make it a lot harder for me. Well, I expected that. If you do have a lot of friends and family who will buy from you, DO NOT go with your recruiter before you have been issued a state license because he/she will be the one getting the sales commission since you have no license yet. In fact, I would not supply a list of your prospects to the recruiter at all. Guard your list with your life. This is your future income, not theirs. If they don’t like it, tough, you are not an employee. You are an independent contractor. You have paid for your own license.

The bottom line is that this is a basic life insurance sales job. Until my license arrives, I will not be able to compare Primerica products with those of other companies so I can’t speak as to whether they are competitive or not. To be successful and make any money, you will have to sell to your family friends and people you don’t know. You will need to approach people everywhere you go and become aggressive in a non-confrontational way. You had better learn to market yourself in every way possible. Certain people are more suited to this type of business than other. If you are honest, naturally friendly and have a bubbly personality, you will probably do fine.

Keep in mind that Primerica places a lot of importance on recruiting new sales people. They recruit approximately 20,000 new people each month in the US and Canada, but only about 20% ever last more than about a year. Yes, you heard it right; they recruit 240,000 new people each year. Of those, most only sell a few products each year on a part-time basis. On the Primerica website, they state that out of the 80,000 sales people licensed with Primerica, the average annual compensation is only $5,400. So, if you spend $99 to get your license and pay the $25 monthly fee ($300 year) for online access to the Primerica tools, you will earn about $5,000 part time.

And let’s face it, this is really not hard work. The more effort you expend, the better you will do. At least that is how it looks to me right now. Of course, if the product prices are not competitive with what you can obtain from other life insurance companies and investment firms, you will only be able to sell to stupid people or folks who don’t investigate prices. Hope this helps those people looking at Primerica.

I was suggested to apply across the hall. Lol, guess where broke people work. For my second response to the ad, on 6/5/13, I went in for interview, same thing; I have no money, they have no interest... however, that info, pay $100, my first month I get $500 back in bonus maybe to entice me to send the $100, Idk. My hunch is that as brokers, their job is to keep the money coming in. I think I'd rather get involved.

Primerica still believes that its Independent Business Associate agreement gives it the right to keep the $99 enrollment fee. The problem I have is that numerous representations were made orally by Primerica's own Regional Vice President, who made various oral representations to me that were a part of the contract but not documented in writing. Anyone who meets with a Primerica Regional VP, and there are thousands of them, be sure to force the RVP to put in writing on the agreement each and every statement on which you rely. I want to clarify what I mean this time with a written statement from the RVP. Here is an actual email message that I received:

"Mike, I have been with the company for 14 yrs. I would not do anything else with my life. We are rated A+ by Better Business Bureau & traded on the NYSE! Our Stock has doubled in the last two yrs. Before you shut the door, please go to Primericabusinessopportunity.com & get the real picture. Last year, I relocated my family to TN from Michigan. I think it would at least be worth your time to talk with me. I will answer your initial questions this way. In 1998, I made roughly $40,000 part time; then I quit my Job in which I was a District Mgr & my wife was VP with a large bank in which she also quit to stay home & raise my children. My 1st year full time, I was paid $114,000 then $212,000 on my second yr. Also, I am very interested in opening another office in Oakridge. We are the largest financial services co. in North America! We deal with every mutual fund co. We are the largest life ins. co. in the world rated #1 by Findthebest.com, & have more people that make $100,000 a year than any other company in the world. If you have an iPhone ask Siri. That was just to at least make you smile. I hope that you at least checked into what I have said. I am looking for quality people who are leaders & from what I read in your post, I think that's you. I would again at least like to talk to you & see if we are right for each other. Thanks!"

Here are the problems with the email message. It implies that he is earning a steady 6-figure income. In fact, his wife admitted that he hit a low point around December 2009 and was making the lowest earnings of his career with Primerica - and that would have been after 10 years with the company. Imagine, 10 years and your income reaches a low point! Do you think that would be relevant to a new recruit? Oh, I guess Dave forgot to mention that. Note where he says, "We are the largest financial services co. in North America!" The financial services companies include investment banks like Goldman Sachs, and commercial banks like J.P. Morgan-Chase and Citigroup, the former parent company of Primerica. These firms are approximately 50 to 100 times larger than Primerica in terms of market value, assets under management, impact on the economy, etc. The only category in which Primerica would be larger is in employing non-salaried, paid on commission independent contractors. But who cares that they employ a huge number of independent contractors? What prestige is there in that fact?

It is a simple fraud to state Primerica is the largest financial services company in North America. Also, this is not a simple one-time misstatement. I heard Dave ** deliver presentations over the phone and in front of groups including members of the public. I heard him repeat that same claim on four separate occasions. Second, notice the claim "We are the largest life ins. co. in the world." Again, that is a fraudulent claim. Do you remember when the nation's largest insurance company, AIG, was in danger of collapsing? The Federal Reserve and Treasury Department had to arrange a bailout of AIG. It was such a large insurer that it threatened the entire economy if it had collapsed. Primerica is a dwarf in size compared to AIG or Metropolitan Life, which is something of the gold standard among life insurance policies and carriers. Again, I personally heard Dave **, RVP of Primerica, make this fraudulent claim on four different presentations to members of the public. If Primerica's own Regional Vice Presidents are loose with the facts, what does that say about the company? At the very least, it means there are a lot of loose cannons out there that need to be reined in by the company.

Finally, I urge Primerica to stop coming up with an excuse to keep the $99 application fees. Do the honorable thing and offer people who were giving your company a chance the right to a no-risk full refund of their "enrollment fee." If you were really as good as your company is billed by these RVPs and their cohorts, then you would not have to issue many refunds. But with the reality of your company's business model, you would likely have to refund 99% of the fees you charge. So why not just stop charging any fee at all?

Anyway, of course it was a sales pitch and after being in there for like an hour and a half or something like that, he told me there are charges/fees if I am interested in joining them. Anyway, he then got into what he said was an application. He didn't have me write anything on the application and just read aloud to me the boxes he was checking off as it was just questions like any criminal background, that type of thing. Well, I got home and got thinking about it and something about it all was bothering me. Someone brought it up to me if it was salary or commission-based. I said it sounds like commission to me. So that's no good, as I have no job, no money right now and no car, so getting around to people's homes is kind of silly. But anyway, I suppose if it's something you want bad enough and to make some money for, you do any job and do what you have to, right?

Well, so to cut to the chase, here's why I am writing this right now. I read some of these reviews and fear I may have signed a contract today instead of what he said was an application. I mean did anyone sign what they thought was an application and hand over their bank account number and branch number only to find out later on it was actually a contract? I mean I feel like an idiot now hanging over my bank account info when I hadn't yet signed up for anything, nor did I read the fine print. I am usually smarter than this and I guess I got taken in by how personal the guy was with my family member and me. He said in a couple days to come in for a thing that would be, I take it with other people, for even more information into the company/business. So as far as I know, I didn't sign anything about the $99, etc. type fees. However, and I am usually so much smarter and more cautious about these things, the fine print, asking more questions, but I didn't actually read the fine print.

There were pages and pages covered on both sides and he said it was just my info, like full name, address and then just a bunch of checkboxes to mark off about if I had a criminal background and things of that nature. I could see him filling it out on the desk in front of me and I should have asked to see the fine print. I guess I was being too trusting and didn't want to be rude which is unlike me when it involves these types of things you got to watch out for. Well, I was led to believe you know I wasn't yet signing up for anything, it was just an application and in a day or two, I would be coming back in for more detailed info about Primerica. And now I am worried about why he wanted my bank account number. But as far as I know, someone with your bank account number can only deposit something, not take something out.

Please help. I am worried that this guy has my banking information and didn't make sure I read the fine print before signing anything. I thought the fine print on the application was just going into more detail maybe about what each criminal type offense was that he listed off. The worst part, so far anyway, is that I just felt like a fool and was taken advantage of. My family member got into some really personal background stuff about his family who grew up in the area and problems with past jobs giving him money they owed him and the time wasted. My family member and I get that it's a scam and that I need to keep trying to get a hold of the guy ASAP to tell him I am not interested.

But I have a feeling I stupidly signed a contract today and that this won't be the last of it all, even if I don't hear from him for a while or a long time. I saw a post on here that said money was being taken out for something they didn't sign up for or register for or whatever. I'm worried. Anyone run into a problem with this or is it actually an application? I have had to sign applications before but why did he need my bank account info. And again, he has my bank account branch number and account number so someone could ever only deposit money with that, right, not take money from it once there's actually money in there of course? I didn't even sign up for anything or was told I was hired, so believe you me, I am feeling mighty stupid over here for giving him my bank account info, period. Please help. Thanks.

The first red flag I should have noticed was that this company would let in any Joe Schmo off the streets and hire them. It cannot be legit when they are so desperate for people to join. When I met privately with Pam (Frankfort, IL rep), she basically masked what the job was about until after I signed for $99 to be taken out of my account and $25 for Internet services I never used. Well, after she got my money, then she proceeded to tell me that I need to recruit people and give her my family and friend's phone numbers. If I had known that prior to signing a contract, I would have never joined. Then she wanted to meet w/ my boyfriend at our house so that "he knows what I'm doing in this business," but really she tried to recruit him too. She would try to make him come to meetings. I never once brought him and never intended to.

As for their educational classes twice a week ... it's totally garage. They are not educational. They sit there and tell you the same thing every week. They teach you "how to talk to people", which really is they teach you how to try to push people. It is nothing but a scam and all they care about is recruits because that's how they make money. Be aware of Pam ** from Frankfort office in IL. She is pushy and will not leave you alone until she gets her way. She still tries to contact my friends after they told her no. I am totally embarrassed to have ever been affiliated with this company. Also, anyone who has rated this company 5 stars works for them as it's part of their scheme and they are trying to get higher ratings for this company.

When I complained to both MetLife and Primerica, a lawyer from Primerica called me to investigate it, not to help me, but to cover their liability. She kept telling me that she would try to get my tax penalties back for me if I submitted paperwork even though I kept telling her I didn't care about that. I just wanted to leave Primerica. She really didn't care about my problem at all. In the end, she concluded that I was at fault.

All I asked for was to transfer my account to another company (keeping MetLife). I didn't ask for any refunds or compensation for my losses in any form, and they basically spit in my face. Now if I leave, they will hit me with another penalty (MetLife). The really bad thing is I didn't even ask them for anything other than to leave. This company does not care about their customers or take responsibility for their actions. They are parasites who just want to take as much of your money as they can. Do not use Primerica! They are crooks!

I just found out now, again about a year and a half later, that they've been charging me $25 a month for their online services, that I have never used, and didn't even know I signed up for! I called Primerica, and they said that I signed a contract authorizing the charges, and that they won't refund me even though I was never told that I was signing a contract (I was told it was just for the $99 thing) and the guy said he understood I didn't want to work with Primerica! The RVP won't answer or return my calls now. This company is a scam. Don't work for them and don't do business with them.

From that list, the good thing I did was give them a very well-educated list. A lawyer, an MBA business manager and a business owner. The MBA business manager (my buddy) came to my house, so the Primerica recruiters came and were trying to recruit him more than offering him their services. Big mistake. My buddy held them for almost 4 hours. Yeah, he knew his business and made them all look silly. Then the lawyer (my neighbor and friend), the RVP from Primerica came to this presentation offering them like insurance. So the lawyer said, "No thanks, we are all set. We have all we need - a very good life insurance and I have a good job. Thanks, but no thanks." The RVP got very feisty and made her feel very dumb. So right after we left, the lawyer texted me and said, "He was very rude and unprofessional. I was biting my tongue not to say anything unintelligent and rude to him."

I was embarrassed and felt like a ** for bringing this man to her house. That was it for me with Primerica. The only people they get easily are the very low, uneducated, low class. My goals and dreams are bigger than selling insurance to people who do not know what they are getting themselves into. Follow your dreams, not others.

I had my interview today. She didn't have my resume and I had to provide her one. I had to fill out an application and I am sorry, when someone uses the words unlimited income opportunities, I grow very suspicious. Ding #2. Ding #3, 10 references? Really? The questions sounded more like a sales pitch than a job. Do I want my kids to be proud of me? I am child-free. I don't have kids. Something that was brought up repeatedly. I sat for an hour listening to Janelle go on and on about this company. Finally, this was the conversation:

"Well if this is what I think it is, then I want to hear about the job. Then if I like what I hear, you can tell me about the company."

When she told me I was providing financial security to a family who really needed my services, so it is sales? Commission only? No, if you go out and spend 4 hours at a client's home and they buy, then we reward you. So commission only. I worked as a travel agent for 12 years and made the same about of commission, had a salary and all my expenses paid for me. So what is it going to cost me to work here? Only the $99 that is required for your licenses and $72 for a background check (I have never paid for my own background check). I also did not like the fact that she asked me for full disclosure on my background despite the fact that they only wanted to know if you have a felony or were a registered sex offender.

I know people who do this for other companies and they all are struggling and have to have 2nd and 3rd jobs to pay to work for these companies. They have to pay for gas and other expenses even if they don't sell a thing. They also told me they wanted me to own my own office sometime. I have no desire to own my own business. I personally do not feel comfortable going into someone else's home that I do not know. I told her that I had no desire to sell insurance and work for commission only. Then she had the gall to ask me if I was interested in their service. I told her I wasn't giving her company a dime. She asked if I mind if she contacted my references to see if they were interested in working for them. I told her hell no and they would all be given her name and number so they could avoid her call.

I came home and told all 700 friends on my Facebook list and the 1,000 on my fiancee's and have asked people to share so no one is sucked in by the company.

For those people who have problems with the direct withdrawals from you bank account, follow the instruction you have been given. To cancel you Primerica online, call the number in your help desk menu. To stop your IBA, which is the digital or paper form to start, call the home office. To stop your direct withdraw for your life insurance, which I do not recommend, first call the client help line in your policy book. Then, pay your premium for the year. This will then start a quarterly, bi-annual or annual option much like your auto insurance. This company requires you to work, study and master your trade. This industry requires you to have a thick skin and a thin skull.

Primerica is not for everyone, but every one needs Primerica. They've helped me and several friends and family get on the path of debt freedom and financial independence. I challenge all you naysayers to name another company that has your best interests in mind. They helped my investments, my mortgage and my life insurance. Many of the agents I worked with became some of my best friends. Do not let a few incorrect, irresponsible agents obscure the truth. Don’t let a disgruntled "former" representative twist the facts.

With that said, it is their recruiting practices that are shameful. They scour the internet looking for recruits. They will tell anyone with a pulse that they are offering them a wonderful business opportunity and hire them. They will tell them they will be their own boss, run their own business and make mountains of money. One of these statements is true and that is the potential to make mountains of money. Since you sell primarily Primerica Life insurance, you do not own your business, Primerica does. You are also not your own boss as you work for and represent Primerica. You may have a high degree of freedom however you are not truly independent.

In regards to the mountains of money part, making it is not easy and most people will not cut it. In order to sell Primerica life insurance, you only have to take and pass a state licensing exam which is way too easy to pass (why do you think there are so many life agents?). Then if you want to sell mutual funds through them, you must take and pass an exam called a Series 6 (which also is not difficult) and the Series 63 (which is even more of a joke). Believe it or not, a lot of people still fail these exams. After passing these exams and making through the period after you gave away all of your family and friends' names, you now are on your own.

The majority of the commissions made off the sale of insurance and investments went to the agent that recruited you. Now, it is your turn to recruit people to do the same for you. This is not a scam, it's just misunderstood and poorly explained (also it is cheesy). You have to be very outgoing with skin as thick as concrete. It is purely a numbers game. Ask 100 people to join, 10 will maybe check it out and 5 will try it. All 5 will wash out but hey, you sold life insurance to 3 of their friends who care. Next 100, here we go. Some agents for Primerica look for sales in more traditional ways and don't do the recruiting stuff.

Now to comment on the people who claim their insurance is a scam, it is not. It is just poorly explained and understood. Primerica only sells term insurance. Term insurance is just that, insurance for a term of time. There is no value and no payout unless you die! It is awful that these policies are sold without being explained. It is pure protection and nothing more; that is why it is cheap. Everyone's term insurance is cheap, not just Primerica's. The idea is to buy cheap insurance with a large death benefit and take the difference you would have spent on a permanent policy and invest it. The goal is to invest for 20-30 years and have so much money later that you are now self insured and no longer need insurance.

They have a one size fits all mentality in regards to investing and insurance. This mentality applies well to lower and lower middle income families but it is not always the best solution. They preach the evils of whole life and permanent life insurance but most of them don't know everything about it or alternative uses for it. ("Estate planning, what’s that?" they say. Passing on income tax free for generations using a trust? Huh?) They don't do these things for their clients so they don't need to know about them.

With all this said, I must also say that not all Primerica agents are bad people looking to take advantage of people. In fact, most are trying to help. However, since they come from all walks of life, many are blind to the fact that their products and solutions are not the best, cheapest or appropriate for everyone. I have an acquaintance that works for Primerica and he probably makes around $70,000 a year but he recruits and prospects his butt off. He works 24/7 and asks just about everyone he meets to work with him/for him, whatever. It is not the job for most people and I could not work with clients like that.

If you want to work for a firm with less controversy, you will need to get many more licenses, college degree and you won't have to recruit employees. My qualifications: Series 7, Series 66, Life agent, Health agent and Variable Annuity agent. I'm also studying for CFP exam.

They then showed YouTube clips on marketing (which I had already seen while I was in college) and Richard asked me why I wasn’t taking notes. Later when I asked questions, he kept referring to the movie "The Avengers" in which they use a referral method. I was then asked to make a list of my family and friends and list their phone numbers. As I looked on the list, that's when it hit me that this was a scam. I was then taken inside an office and asked to give my credit card number for the $99 fee. Like an **, I did. I finally realized that this was a scam after I left and looked to see if the payment had been processed. It is still in the "pending" stage. I then went to my bank and cancelled the card and was issued a new card. If you ever see them at a job fair, run from them!

We stuck to our guns and escaped the building that night without signing anything. The couple found us on Facebook that same night and sent friend requests to both my wife and I. The guy that works with my wife began emailing her each day and coming to her desk to see if we had made our decision. This went on for almost two weeks, then, my wife finally told him that we would give Primerica a try. He gave her a paper to fill out which gives them authorization to run background checks on us as well as deduct our $99 fees.

After providing him with that information, he told her that he was going to fax that information to corporate and make her a copy of it as well. Two days later, I got a promotion at my job and with my new job title, Primerica just didn't fit into our very busy schedules. We went to the Primerica office and spoke with the reps that recruited us about cancelling our background check since we were no longer interested. We specifically asked if we would receive a refund and we wanted to make for certain that our bank information would be destroyed and we wouldn't incur any more charges.

The rep looked us square in the eyes and advised that Primerica has a 100% nonrefundable policy for IBA fees so unfortunately, we could not get our funds back. They thanked us for stopping by to let them know we were no longer interested and told us that we had nothing to worry about, all of our personal information including banking information would be destroyed and we wouldn't be charged another dime.

Eight months later, we were reviewing our accounting report and noticed that for the past eight months, we had been charged $25 monthly by Primerica. I was livid. I contacted the rep myself to get this issue resolved. The rep informed me that they submitted a written correspondence to the corporate office to cancel our contract immediately after we had left their office eight months prior. They apologized profusely and provided us with the contact information for the corporate office to get a refund and cancel any future debits.

We called the corporate office and spoke with a very rude representative. We explained our situation and she stated that we were not entitled to any refund but that she had cancelled the automatic debits so we shouldn't be charged anymore. We demanded to speak with a manager in regards to our refund because we weren't giving up that easily. She placed a woman named Doris on the line and this woman had a very nonchalant attitude and stated that she would need to speak with the rep that recruited us.

We informed her that the rep told us to call them for assistance with obtaining our refund. She grew silent before telling us that there was nothing she could do. We immediately contacted the Attorney General's office for the State of Texas as well as the Better Business Bureau. Two weeks after filing our complaint, we contacted BBB and we got a response from a woman named Laura ** at Primerica.

She shifted all the blame upon us and stated that as a "good will gesture," she would refund us our money back. I am disgusted with this company and the lack of morale and ethics throughout their entire business. I would not recommend this company to anyone for any reason. My worst enemy doesn't even deserve the torture of being affiliated with such a deceitful company and as long as I'm alive, I'm going to tell everyone about this horrible experience.

When our representative found out that my husband didn't have a job, he asked if he could come by and talk to him about an opportunity with Primerica. We signed up together and paid our background check and licensing fee required to start up. My husband, a month or so later, decided it wasn't for him. We were refunded the money for the classes he didn't take and not the money for the background check (which the representative told us beforehand). I, on the other hand, have earned back all of the money I put into starting with them, as well as gotten paid nine times the amount since I began four months ago. Needless to say, I'm very happy working with and being protected by Primerica. And I have learned a lot about life insurance and other aspects of the financial services industry.

For most people, they don't understand why they have to "pay" to get in. It's simple. The $99 covers all of the legal costs and classes required to take your state license exam (repeatedly, if necessary), to license you to sell life insurance and other products, including securities licensing. This is a ** sweet deal, as it points out in the presentation. You would spend well over a few hundred dollars (of your own money) if you do it on your own. Why do Primerica? It is because there is no other business in the world, that I can think of that respects and treats you the way you want to be treated as a human being. Not only are you paying $99 for a licensing fee (which should cost more, but that's Primerica's way), you are also joining a family of people who only want you to grow your own business, and will help in any way they can (including sitting down with you at home) to get you prepared and started.

Most people are so lazy, that they will not even try to start their own business, and expect everyone and everything to come to them and do it for them. This is a very goal-driven business. You have to set a goal, a financial one, so that you are driven to do what you need to do to get to where you want to be. Everyone's goal is different, but everyone's destination is the same (grow a business, help families out by helping them save money, and make money for retirement and move on.)

The only way you don't make money in this business is either you don't work, or you don't take the time to get good at what you do. There is a host of people here who are willing to help you out (millionaires including) and grow your business. You have to do it. You have to open your mouth. Even if, you are shy, you can do this business. I was shy my whole life, and I have talked to people with more confidence than I've ever felt in my entire life. Why? It is because I know where I'm going, and I've set a goal. That's it. If you wanted to stay where you're at (accept mediocrity) then this business, is not for you. These people have felt success, and nobody, not even you, are going to stop them. That's why they are so excited for you to join, because they feel that everyone has a deep secret of goals hiding away, that truthfully, only money can bring. Rich people do not get there over night. This is not a get rich quick scheme. The system works! It's you who is the problem if you don't find time to get good at what you do, or set an appointment to meet people. That's it. You meet and talk to people every day. That is your "warm market". Those are people you can sit down with and either recruit, or get them to save money by switching to Term Life Insurance.

When the twin towers hit, Primerica was the only company to pay out on the families of the victims; they do not have a clause that states an "act of war" is voided in a policy. They cover suicides. Most policies (the corrupt ones) do not show you the fine print. Primerica helps families, and when you do the right thing, you will always succeed against anyone competing with you. There really is no better company out there that I can think of that is structured and provides for families and individuals out there than Primerica. Life insurance is a necessary evil. Money is a necessary evil. Unless you're satisfied with mediocrity, or are selfish, you will want to do this business. Why? You want to help yourself, and you want to help your family by saving money for retirement, and growing a business. That's it. If you have questions and comments, please contact me at **@yahoo.com.

First, to pay only $99 to cover my background check, and licensing tests and fees...that is a freaking DEAL! Second, the only way YOU fail is if YOU don't do the work. Obviously you have to sell things and get people excited about something, and if YOU can't do it, Primerica isn't for you. To top it off, paying $25 a month to keep your business running is just a hassling expense that needs to be done. Woe is me! I'm a single mom and that $25 could have bought my son new shoes! Yes, but that $25 is keeping mommy employed and keeping our butts off the street in a cute little rental property!

FYI--If you work at a car dealership, they usually have you sign a clause that states you cannot work for another car dealership within 200miles for a period of 2 years after your quitting or release date. Did any of you know that? Same with fast food, rickshaw companies, and virtually anyone with competition. EVERY JOB HAS A CATCH, Primerica's catch is probably having to actually use your brain to make things work. Duh!

Like any company there is bound to be a few bad eggs, people who are not honest upfront and only want to make a sale. Truth be told I believe Primerica to be one of the best companies Ive ever researched and worked for. If you notice all the people who had a bad employment experience resulted from the inability or reluctance to do the job. Why should you be paid if you dont work? If you applied to be a handyman, spent hundreds of dollars on your own tools and never did the work should the company reimburse you for those tools? This is a career and all careers require some sort of expense whether it be clothes, textbooks, tools, or something else.

If you had a bad experience with a certain office or rep don't blame the company, thats like a waiter being rude to you and instead of directing the manager to the problem waiter you just stop going to the place and tell others not to go there either, despite other people saying they've never had a bad experience. With that all I have to say is do your research, do the work, and dont blame others when you fail. This job is for the business driven, and the motivated...not the lazy or people just trying to get rich quick...it doesnt work like that outside of the Lottery.

I had to cancel her credit card and call bogus numbers given to her by this Jason **l (the boy who asked her to come). If a company is on the up and up then why the bogus numbers and when I called the regional Vice President named Buzz Walters have they not returned my calls for the application back?

My daughter didn't sleep all night worrying and being upset about being used by someone representing this company; i.e the boy Jason **. His number is 1-757-899-0983. Thank you for your help.

They tell you like a 100 times that all your money is going again in your pocket. But then, when you get out, because you saw that Primerica is garbage, they tell you that now you are not getting your $99.00 dollars back, but now you are getting $69.00 because of some other fees. What a great company that "helps people".

So did I just get interviewed for a job? I was so confused. I thought what could it hurt? I really needed a job, and I had been hurting for money. So I told her I needed to write a check and that I would have to post date it. She said okay. Fast forward, and I make it to one of their meetings. I listen. Again, they accentuate all these things I will be able to buy, and all these places I will be able to go to because I will be making so much money! At the end of the meeting, Ro comes up to me and says,"Is there anyway we can date the check for the second? " (it was dated the 4th).

"No, there's not going to be anything in the bank! " I said. "Don't worry, it won't be out until the fourth, it's on a Sunday," she said. "I don't know. We'll talk about it on Sunday," I told her (it was Thursday). "What if you just initial the change on the check? " Ro kept bugging. "I don't know, maybe," I said, just so she'd go away. "I wonder if I could initial it for you," Ro said. "What? " I asked, freaked and uncomfortable about that question. "Is it okay if I initial it for you? "Ro asked. "I said we'll talk about it on Sunday," I told her.

She went away to a meeting but, I had such a bad feeling. Ro kept calling me from that night through Friday, through Saturday. Come Saturday morning, I go to the training. I'm introduced, more blah blah. I tell Ro I'm feeling uncomfortable, she texts me later saying some kind of quote that's supposed to make me feel better. She thinks I'm feeling uncomfortable because I have to sell stuff. I didn't tell her it was about her or Primerica.

I called her after training on Saturday, and asked her if I can just give her cash. Ro says we can't accept cash. "What? Why?" I asked.

"We are a business, so we just can't," Ro says. We get into it a little, then I hang up. Now it's 10:30 pm Saturday night. She texts me asking again about the check, says she needs to give the check to her managers or something because they have to go to the bank. She wants me to give the okay to initial the check again. I get ** off. I call her, there is no answer, so I leave a message. "you have not stopped calling me for the past three days, ever since I met you. My life wouldn't better because you try to say buying things makes me happy, being this thing that you are is not what I want in life. You look so stressed every time I see you. I want to b a designer, not you. You have bugged me about my check, and I've had enough. I am stopping payment on the check and I never want you to contact me ever again. you seem like a nice person, so I am very sorry about this. I am done with Primerica, it was all those agents, and the company I was uncomfortable with!"

That was the last time I heard from her. I stopped payment on the check the next day. But someone from Primerica texts me the next Friday, "hope to see you tomorrow for training, we are happy to have you as part of the team. I text back and explain what Ro tried to do, and say I stopped payment on the check. I tell them nothing went through, and leave me alone. I don't know whether they still have me as a member, but I check everyday and will for awhile whether my checking account is messed with or not! I'm more paranoid, and frightened now. I am just recently separated and really struggling. I'm afraid to apply again for other jobs.

I got promoted to RVP, made the Financial Independence Council (earning $100,000 in a 12 month period). I am working on my next promotion to Senior Vice President by helping others get promoted to Regional Vice President. In 23 years in Primerica, I have never had a complaint from one of my recruits or clients. If you work this business right and do unto others as you want to be done unto you, you will succeed. I'm a living proof. Let my record stand for itself!

I feel obtaining reference information while waiting, and deception of innocent job seekers is a very bad business practice especially in these hard times. It is a waste of everyone's time and effort. I would never want anyone to support this company, let alone my friends! It's a waste of time for job seekers.

Like many of the others, my indoctrination fee was also $99 per month and $25 per month from there--still a challenge for someone living in Michigan's economy. I'm currently not in a position to divulge my own experiences online, but I would give anything--even considerably more challenging payments than those mentioned above--to have a face-to-face discussion with Mr. Tom **.

If this can't be achieved, then I'll settle for a telephone discussion. Somebody needs to wake him up, and I would love to be the one to do just that; and if nothing else, I do hope that Mr. ** finds this website to become informative about the fact that my experiences are not isolated. Anyone in Primerica's hierarchy listening out there? Would you care to give me a call? I think it's very sad that Mr. **'s contact information remains unknown to the newcomers.

As a recent college graduate desperate to find a job in this sluggish economy, I gladly called back and set up an interview. So I met with the guy who was to become my "field trainer" or whatever and he explained to me what I would be doing. As a journalism major in college, I hadn't the slightest clue or interest in selling insurance, which is what I got out of the interview. But being desperate to work, I agreed to a second interview, and the really weird part is that he asked me if I wanted to meet at the local office or if I wanted him to come to my house (strange).

I always felt really pressured when I met with him, and I found it strange the way he always had me write down names of people who I knew. He told me that there was a $99 fee but that if I didn't have it, I could do a "scholarship" program to where I go with my field trainer on three "successful" interviews with prospective buyers/victims in my "warm market" (people close to me - friends and family) to waive the $99 fee, which is what I chose to do.

So we went on several interviews to houses of people I knew and the whole process just seemed a little strange to me. I found it weird how I wasn't participating (I would just sit at the kitchen table watching him explain all this information to my friends who were just as confused as me) and how he always left papers with everyone and asked them to fill out names of people they knew. Even to customers who didn't or wasn't interested in the whole process, he would constantly call me and ask if I had gotten the list of names. Finally after the third client, my field trainer just stopped calling me and that's when I knew that I had been scammed. I could tell from the beginning that it was a little strange and didn't seem like a real job, but being the desperate unemployed college graduate that I am, I accepted.

I feel absolutely embarrassed to have to tell my friends that it was a scam and I am constantly apologizing to them for putting them through this and for giving out their personal financial information to these crooks at Primerica. These cronies are a weird bunch as well. My field trainer told me that I needed to go to the weekly meetings which were every Tuesday night and this was during the summer and Tuesday nights were volleyball nights for me so I rarely showed up and just made excuses as to why I wasn't there.

The few meetings that I went to were absolute repeats of one another. The same people got up in the same order and talked about the same old stuff - about how great Primerica was and how it's changed their lives, etc. I spent the entire time asking myself, "What am I doing here with these scammers?" To top it off, my field trainer told me that I needed to go to a regional meeting in St. Louis, which was the biggest joke and waste of time of my entire life. All of these Primerica people are the most brainwashed and ridiculous-acting people I've ever met. I thought to myself that it was just a big cult. To anyone who comes into contact with these people, I would say hang up the phone or slam the door immediately before they lure you in before it's too late. I made no money but lost no money either. The only thing I lost was some respect among my friends and a great deal of time that I could have spent looking for other jobs.

Many potential clients and recruits seem to have issues not because of how the company operates but how the representatives treat them. We are all sorry for the actions of these few individuals. However, I ask that you do not write complaints without looking up the facts.

We are a major company with a 30 year good standing with the BBB. We currently have an A+ standing with the BBB and an A+ rating from AM Best. Our company stock is even hitting the market soon. Some recruits have complained that their rep wanted to go on client appointments to make themselves money. This is for training and not mandatory. You could very well choose to do no training appointments until you have received your license and can receive a commission of your own. The company even refunds you for the cost of your life license (gained through the state) and will pay for your securities license once you have reached a certain level with the company. Understand that an individual rep does not gain money by recruiting. They can only succeed by helping the people they have recruited to succeed.

This is a good company that does right by its clients and employees. I have seen so many people that would have lost their homes, paid extravagant prices for other companies' services or simply had no help at all with their finances if not for Primerica. I am sorry for the individually bad experiences some have had, just please don't apply that to the entire company. Thank you.

After being laid off in December 2008, I really didn't think I would have trouble finding a job. I have a graduate degree and ten years of corporate experience. However, I was wrong. I had applied to over 40 places in one month and couldn't even land an interview, as most companies at that time were either laying people off or were in the beginning of a long hiring freeze.

Needless to say, I received a phone call from a good friend about three weeks later asking me if I would be interested in going to lunch with him. He had something he wanted to discuss. I agreed. I met him and another gentleman for lunch who discussed the business with me and answered all my questions. He brought some papers with him, showing me how much earning potential there is in the business.

I honestly wasn't really concerned with how much one could make at this point, as I simply wanted to make enough to provide for my family. He told me that working full time, it would be very feasible to make between $50,000 and $60,000 the first year, which was what I had made before being laid off. So I decide to join up.

I had $125.00 in my account the day I wrote the $99.00 check. I figured if all I had to lose was $99.00, I'll give it a shot. I worked with PFS full time from January to May. By the middle of April, I had a good idea that a great job offer was coming my way, so I slowly started pulling out of the business. I dabbled in the business part time over the course of the summer and fall of 2009. By the end of 2009, I started receiving nasty letters from PFS, which I will get to in a moment.

With all that said, there are good and bad things about the company as mentioned. I think it best to break it down and explain each one in detail. Before reading these, however, please understand, I no longer do business with PFS, which you will understand why as the story unfolds.

Products. Honestly, I think PFS has decent products. After a lot of research and my own study in the industry, whole life insurance really is a bad product when compared with term insurance. And PFS does really seem to want to help people get out of a bad whole life product. As far as PFS term insurance is concerned, they are not necessarily the cheapest, but they are very competitive. They have high industry standard ratings, and honestly, if you are considering purchasing a term policy through PFS, you are purchasing a good product. The SMART loan from Citi is also a decent product. People get a little confused because the interest seems high, but they don't understand the interest is simple interest. At the end of the day, I was able to help take several years off a few home loans for friends and family using the same money they were used to spending each month on their traditional fixed loan.

From a products standpoint, simply do your research and compare with other companies. If it's something that meets your family's needs, PFS does have decent products--life insurance and home loans.

Solicitation. Unfortunately, the negative aspect of their products is how the products are marketed. You are asked to build a list of names. Anybody and everybody you know or ever knew. You then take a "training" script and convince these people that you basically need their help while you're in training. What they don't realize is that, yes, technically, you are in training, but your end goal is still to sell them products. And worse, recruit. If you are not comfortable soliciting friends and family, then Primerica is not for you. If you are, then this won't be a big deal. I was somewhat uncomfortable, but I still did it, because I needed income.

Recruitment. Possibly, the worst aspect of the company is the ridiculous pressure to recruit. You can make a little money selling products, but you are not going to make any real money until you start recruiting and recruiting very heavily. I recruited six people in two months, and I got a little effort out of one individual and decent effort from another individual. But in both cases, the effort was short-lived. They were sold an idea, as are many people, but because Primerica takes almost anybody who is breathing and has $99.00, these folks really lacked the skills required to sell and run their own business.

I was embarrassed going with my trainer to the early sessions where I had asked a friend to let me come over for the purpose of training, only to have my trainer spend thirty minutes trying to recruit him. I wound up learning the presentation on my own very quickly, so I could go out on my own as fast as possible, because I didn't want my trainer pressuring my friends and family who were doing me a "favor" into joining the company.

It started to actually irritate me. The pressure they put on reps is not products or helping people (though they do talk about this); the real pressure is on recruiting. A good company screens qualified candidates and selects the most capable. PFS takes anyone, and I do mean anyone. Needless to say, the six individuals fizzled out before I did.

I was told by the RVP that it takes an average of 30 recruits to find one good one who will stick. If you need income sooner than later, don't depend on overrides for at least 9 months to a year.

Training. This is another area that really lacks. Because my background is Sales Training in the corporate world, I had a strong skill set when it came to presenting and selling. However, the training process is a joke. My upline was somebody who wanted to build his business by merely recruiting. He had no interest in learning the products or doing appointments. So I basically had to rely on the RVP for training. His efforts were decent in the beginning, but there were a lot of broken promises and business left unfinished because of something he forgot to show me or tell me.

There are no training standards in place or formal programs. The reason this process frustrated me is that I broke the selling process down into three phases: the presentation, the sale, and the delivery. I nailed the presentation almost immediately. I nailed the close almost immediately. However, I was never really shown how to deliver the policy or what was expected once the sale was made. I didn't know what to ask, because I didn't know what I didn't know.

Because of this, I wound up with a lot of sales that fell through the cracks, thus a lot of charge-backs. While recruiting they talk about how you can make all this money for a few hours of work. And by setting 8 - 10 new appointments each week, you can make a ton of money. Well, that's true to some extent, but what they fail to mention is that each potential customer who has interest turns into 3 and sometimes 4 appointments to finish business.

If you have several go-backs, closes, and deliveries to make in a week, how the heck are you still supposed to schedule 8 new appointments? Then if I decide I need to take a little time off to spend with my family, I am criticized because my priorities are screwed up and am not committed to the business. PFS reps will tell you that they say: 1) God; 2) Family; 3) Business.

But that is not true. They hide behind God-mask, but it is clearly business first. They tell you what you want to hear about making time for family and working when you want to work, but once you're in the business, if you're not working on their terms, they let you know about it. They tell you how you get to run your own business, but after you sign up, scrutinize you if you're not running your business on their terms.

Meetings. This was perhaps the most irritating thing about PFS--the meetings. We had a weekly Opportunity meeting that met one night per week, and it was expected that we be there regardless if we had potential recruits or not. Kind of irritated me because it was the same thing week after week after week! And it took a night of appointments away from me or time with my family. Everybody was also told that the meetings would last one hour, but they always lasted very close to 2 to 2.5 hours, which is why I never invited anybody.

When I approached the RVP and told him that it might be a good idea to keep our meetings to whatever time frame we tell people, such as start on time and end on time regardless, he became furious. "We only started 20 minutes late! That's why we ran late!" Instead of taking constructive criticism, he became defensive. I stopped going to the Opps meetings, and I was constantly harassed about it.

Then we were expected to also attend the Saturday morning training sessions, which again, were very repetitive and always lasted three or more hours. Again, time away from potential appointments or time away from family. If you miss, then you are harassed and told you are not committed to the business. This doesn't even include the big events that are held in hotels and halls. These events are expensive and more of the same thing that's been shoved down your throat the entire time.

Except now, you have hotel, food, and travel expenses. You go to the event and listen to a handful of people talk about how rich they are for six hours. Again, if you don't go, you are harassed and told "How can you afford not to go?" These sessions did nothing to help my business but take money out of my pocket as a tax write-off.

The meetings are really designed to keep people plugged in and motivated. If the business is so great and so easy, then why do you have to constantly have rah-rah sessions?

Financial Planning. In the beginning, I made mention of how PFS products are good. I spoke strictly of life insurance and home loans. Avoid any financial planning with PFS. Their people are securities-licensed (as I was with a previous employer), but very few reps actually have any clue how to invest other people's money. I thought my RVP was investment savvy, until after watching him suggest the same exact fund family to the fourth client in a row. He did not take suitability or risk tolerance into consideration at all. He simply suggested one fund family, because that happened to be the fund family he knew a little about, and so could speak semi-intelligently about it.

Rich people seek out the best advisors with experience. PFS takes anybody off the street regardless of education, ability, or experience. Are these the people you want handling your investments? No!

From what I can tell, the RVPs I met all had the same story. They started with PFS in their late teens or early 20s, because college wasn't for them. And nobody would give them a chance. PFS would though. And so, while they didn't have families, any debt or living obligations, they spent the next 2-3 years of their lives building their business while living in mom and dad's basement.

If this is a sacrifice you're willing to make, then yes, you can probably make RVP. Unfortunately, I have a mortgage, bills, and a family. I can't afford to make a living off $1000 a month selling as a senior rep whoI couldn't afford to wait the 6-9 months they say it takes to really start building your business. And my kids are at the age that I didn't really like the idea of working every single evening and all day Saturday and Sunday (which was happening despite being told I could make a ton of money working a few hours each day).

All in all, is PFS a scam? No, it's not a scam necessarily. It is multi-level marketing. It's not a pyramid scheme as many claim (real pyramid schemes eventually collapse because no product or service is exchanged, just money). Where it becomes hazy and suspicious is the fact that PFS doesn't give you the whole picture up front. They have shady recruitment practices, paint this picture of getting rich working a few hours each week, and many in the business have bad manners and poor business etiquette. Unfortunately, this is the face of PFS. You just need to know what you're getting into.

Would I do it again? Not in a million years. I made about $1,000 a month for five months working 60 hours a week, only to walk away owing the company $2,500. I was constantly told "Keep persisting and you're going to go RVP in 15 months! You're doing great! Charge-backs are part of the business!" Well, you do the math: 1200 hours of work for $5,000 income minus $2,500 in charge-backs = $2,500 of gross pay (which doesn't include taxes)--a far cry from the $50 or $60,000 I was told a full-time person could make in the first year. And it wasn't for lack of trying. I worked my ass off. And now, I'm being constantly harassed with letters telling me PFS wants their money.

With PFS, the people make the business, and I have yet to see a truly good person working with PFS. They talk about how they want to help you and all these people. And guess what? They're no different than anybody else--they're trying to make a buck just like the next guy. There is so much more I could say. But I think, you all get the idea from this post. I hope this post has helped even one person make a more informed decision.

My rep came, introduced herself and took me into this room with other people. She told me that the information that she was providing me with should just stay between her and I and that I could not discuss anything with any of the other representatives either (weird). She gave me her life long story on how she was raised on a farm far away somewhere and how she got to where she was today. I guess she was trying to relate to me in some way being that I live in the south. The story didn't touch me any because I'm from the west coast. So, she hands me a paper and leaves me for a second and wanted me to jot down names of people I know (with kids, without kids, with jobs, etc.) so I did. And when she seen my list, it seemed as if her eyes screamed "money!" So she took my paper when I was done and left me in the room by myself while she made copies. The whole time I didn't feel too good about the situation. I sat there for some time until someone approached me and said that I was free to go. I felt robbed from something. So I left.

The next meeting, I came professionally dressed and ready to work. The lady I was working with came to me and basically said that I was over dressed and told me that next time I could come in something a little more comfortable. But I didn't see the reason to why. I had spent so much money on a week’s worth of business clothes that I felt the need to wear them only to Primerica because I felt like I needed to look professional. So that was a waste of money right there.

Anyways, she takes me a room in the back and tells me to sit down and take a test that was on the computer. It was so hot and stuffy in that room. No vent and the desks were cluttered with papers making it so uncomfortable to work. I clicked through the test just trying to get out of there, with people sneezing and coughing, I didn't want to get sick. So after I was done, no one was around so it was like she stood me up like the first visit. So I got up and walked out.

The next day at work, my co-worker came up to me smiling and grinning saying that he got a call from the same job company I was "working" at (Primerica). My co-worker said they were looking for someone like him. The same crap they said to me! So, I told him that they were frauds and to not waste his time with them. After blowing $99 with them, I didn't want my money gone to waste so I was thinking of ways to just play everything out so I can hurry and finish the course.

The next meeting, she set up with one of my "clients" a good friend of mine. My representative and I met at my friend’s business and sat her down to talk with her. My rep told me to just sit back and watch, so I did. And at the end of all the number talk about how my friend can save money for having Primerica as her insurer, the price came out on how much I would have made. I already told my friend about the whole scam thing before we arrived so my friend turned it down and said she would wait till I finish so she could know that her money would be safe with someone who wasn't a stranger. But that still didn't work! My rep told me the only way that I would start making money is if I had three of my clients take her offer. So by the time I make one cent, I'd have to give up about $4,000. I then said forget it and that was my last day of even dealing with them.

I wanted to make sure my name was taken off the whole Primerica company so I called up to the office and said that I wanted my refund back. The secretary said okay and that she would tell my rep about it. But just to further make sure things were going in my way, I decided to take a visit to the building. I spoke with the secretary and told her that I wanted to see my rep so I could further see how everything would come along. I waited in the front for some time and I heard my rep in the back finally, saying to tell me that she was not there. So, I said fine and walked out.

They didn't take the money out of my account yet so I called my bank and closed my account, which was another thing that I shouldn't have done. So, I had to open it back up with a $30 fee and let them stick their nasty little hands in my account again for $125. My dad wrote to their company head boss in charge where it seemed they didn't even know who it was. My dad then told me that the refund was going to be made. I was happy that I could get my money back. But about a week later, I got a note in the mail reading out the numbers of what my money was used for! I know what it was used for. I just wanted my money back! My dad told me not to worry about it but it just upset me so much the way people are.

So to break everything down for the next person, Primerica is a company that likes to feed off of people really going through the struggle of this recession and wanting to hang that $125 over their heads so they can chase their own money while making more for themselves. And by the time you’re tired of chasing your own money, they hope to gain $4,000 off of you plus your lousy $125 that they don't even care for. My advice to anyone is to stay away from them! The damage done, $300 spent on business clothes for a better presentation of myself that I never wore again, $30 for closing down my bank account, $35 in draft fees, $15 in gas to make it to the meetings and $125 from Primerica itself.

The fee to join was $99. Although this seems like a small amount, it was incredibly difficult to come up with at the time. It took me two weeks to accomplish. From the moment I signed up, I said I work Saturdays and could not attend meetings with Primerica. Before signing up, Sunny called me nearly daily. I went to the second phase and spent 20 minutes with Sunny's son Austin and his wife Geeta. Austin explained the process to get online to me while talking to his wife and mother. He walked away several times and told me to "poke around in there" and I would be able to figure out the computer process. His mother, Sunny, was useless.

On Saturday afternoon, Austin called and asked where I was. There was a meeting in progress and I was expected there. I reminded him I could not make the meetings on Saturdays. Two days after this, we had a serious car accident and I was unable to work for over a month. I communicated this to Austin via text message and never received an answer. Later, Sunny called me and asked why I wasn't at the meetings. I told her about the accident and she was less than supportive saying, "If you aren't making any forward progress, we aren't going to mess with you."

In the meantime, $25 was drafted from my account for computer access. I sent a text message to Austin and told him I needed to cancel the web access for now as I couldn't work and therefore couldn't afford to pay for it. He agreed to take care of it. He didn't! The following month I came home to no electricity. The check I wrote to the electric co-op bounced due to the Primerica draft that Austin didn't stop - he broke his promise. This cost me overdraft fees ($35) and a reconnect fee ($50) for the electric. I sent Austin another text message in caps saying I needed the draft stopped now! He said he would take care of it. The following month I ordered a small birthday cake for our daughter's birthday party. I went to get it and my debit card was declined. Austin bombed again! So, there’s no birthday cake!

Austin contacted me via text message a couple of times and I told him to leave me alone. He had done enough damage. That was a couple of months ago. Today is Christmas and Austin sent me a text message! The guy just doesn't get it! I am out $175 for Primerica and the OD fees and reconnect fees. Neither Primerica nor Austin nor his mother will step up to the plate on this. It is all numbers for these fine Primerica folks - not human kindness and emotion! Just numbers. Stay far, far away!

As was stated earlier, I did eventually learn that this was an MLM company and because I had no interest in working for them, I immediately withdrew my name for consideration. A few weeks later, I noticed the first $25 charge on my credit card statement. The charge was dated two weeks after I declined the job offer at Primerica. I attempted to contact Primerica Corporate. Each time I called, I was prompted to enter my Primerica employee identification number. I obviously had no number, at which point the answering system leaves you no options but to terminate the telephone call. I did locate an additional phone number for their Accounts Payable department, but the line is always answered by an automated system with an outgoing message stating that the department is in a corporate training meeting.

Eventually, February 2nd came about and another $25 was charged to my credit card for computer access. At this point, I contacted Nick ** at Primerica's Woodbury, MN office. Nick was the so-called vice president that I had interviewed with in December. I related what was occurring to him, at which point he told me that he did not appreciate my lack of professionalism and that I was stupid for declining the job offer. He then went on to say that he would terminate the $25 monthly charge only if I provided him with 25 names of friends and family that he could contact regarding Primerica's services. He communicated that I owed him this for wasting his time and that I consented to the $25 charge and therefore was required to continuing to pay it until I provided the aforementioned list of names and telephone numbers. On May 2nd, my credit card was once again charged for the fifth time by Primerica.

The sales pitch was this: that they didn't need your $199, but that they collected it to make sure that people were serious about completing the process, once you did complete the licensing process your money would be given back to you. At one meeting Mr. Andlovec even stated that I would be receiving a check for $200 and so "you will even be making a buck on the deal" is what he said to me. At another group meeting that I attended I personally witnessed the owner, Roosevelt Kirby hand a couple $200 in cash, the statement he made about it was that he was refunding their fee early (they had not passed the exam yet) because they had recruited other people.

There was also a fee of $65.95 for having fingerprints taken for the process of becoming licensed. Primerica also promised that this fee would be refunded upon passing the examination. I did everything that was asked of me, paid the fees, took the training course and I passed the examination on June 21, 2007. After passing the examination I tried to make inquiries about when I would be receiving my refund and I would not get a response to that question or I would get a vague response. After not receiving my license or being contacted by the company by approximately August 27th, I called and spoke to Ingrid, who is the company secretary I believe. She acted like she had no idea what I was talking about in regards to a refund and told me there was no refund of the $199. In regards to the $65.95 she said they needed more information about my employment which I faxed to her promptly. I was told she would inquire about the refund situation and get back to me but I have again heard nothing from them. I now feel that this is some sort of scam.