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Updated by user Jun 19, 2014

After Smart Circle corporate reached out to me on here, I went and found the paperwork I was served with. And, I have to say, the suit did not come from Smart Circle, but from ADCO Management.

Which is/was run by Brian. So, being the clever business it is, Smart Circle has all of it's subsidiaries under different names. So that when the managers do illegal things Smart Circle can say: "We had nothing to do with it." and be 100% free and clear. Also, since ADCO is now Entourage, there is absolute nothing, legally, that can come of these practices.

So, I suppose I cannot speak ill of Smart Circle corporate, but only it's subsidiaries. Which it has no control over.

Original review posted by user Jun 05, 2014

I am writing this now, because I feel my story must be told. I have waited so long because, as you will see in the telling of my story, I believe I am beyond the statute of limitations for further false legal action to be taken against me.

My name is Chris. My last name is not important for the purposes of this. For my story is a similar story to most that have worked for Smart Circle or any of its subsidiaries.

Now, before beginning, I wish to let it be known that I am not writing this to say Smart Circle is a scam. It technically is not. I am putting my story into text because Smart Circle and its managers lie to their employees to get them to work for them. They promise them lofty goals that only a few ever reach. They make their living stepping on the backs of the hard working men and women. Then, when you try and leave, it is just like the mafia. No one gets out without an attempted assassination. Smart Circle, unlike the mafia, attempts to assassinate your character.

I started out in a Door-To-Door division. After training I started to do well and was making money. Not a lot, but a decent amount. Since I was making money, I started to buy into the indoctrination that they feed you on a constant basis. After a few weeks of doing good I was promoted to a leader position, as they promised in their hiring spiel. No pay increase, but I was able to start "building my team".

I became good at it. In a short amount of time I has trained people who were training people. All was going well. No more money was coming in, but my manager was filling my head with false hopes and promises to keep me going.

At this point, most people who were in the system began to ask their manager about the assistant manager position and the guaranteed pay. Which is exactly what I did. That was when I was told there was no room in that current campaign for growth and I would need to move to a different state.

Having been heavily swayed by the lies of the company, I eagerly agreed to move in order to move up in the world. I uprooted my life and moved north. It started out well enough. Myself and one other person went up north for training and located an office to move "our" business into.

A year later we were doing decent. We had an office, a small team and I was making some money. Not assistant manager money, but money none-the-less. Then, about a year and a half later, it happened. I got promoted to manager!

I was all hyped up. For the first month or so, it was all great. I couldn't pay myself that much, but I was a manager. This is what I got in the business for. I was happy. I was loving it.

Fast forward a few months later. I was having the usual Smart Circle issues. My crew was getting "negged out" because we were in a small market doing very little growth. Ex-employees from my promoting manager, who had completely vanished by now, were coming back looking for him and causing a scene. I wanted to stop any negativity from affecting my business. So I called my hiring manager. He gave me Brian Mcguigan's number, who was his promoting manager. So, I call Brian and ask for advice: "Your business, your problem." and hung up.

Feeling a little more than "negged out" I pressed on. I kept the business afloat for a few more weeks. I had to pay myself less and less. I saw all the signs, so I emailed my hiring manager, promoting manager and Brian, stating I couldn't make it work and without help I would have to resign. My response? An email from Brian stating I was under a "company investigation".

I thought that was odd, but was in such a bad place I agreed without question. He tore through my office and paperwork. After he was finished, he told me he had found nothing, but he was going to shut the office down. He had fired me before I could quit.

I left the business with my head hung low. I went home and started job hunting. A few days later I get a call from Brian later telling me I had stolen from my employees and that he was taking me to civil court. I freak out and called a lawyer. The lawyer told me to wait until I got served papers before doing anything. A week passed. No papers. Two weeks. Still nothing. After a month of nothing, I figured I was clear and relaxed.

I has started another job and was rebuilding. One month after Brian's "scare tactic" I received a call from someone from Smart Circle I had never talked to or met, Ryan Irish. He told me that if I did not come to New York and work in his campaign, Smart Circle would come after me for several thousand dollars that I supposedly owed them. When I stated I could not move and I had another job he verbally berated me and laughed at me. Ending his call with "See you in court ***.".

This time, I do not freak out, but simply waited. Months pass with no incident. I get a job offer out of state. I begin to pack my things and get ready to move and start my life anew. About two weeks before I move, I receive a call from my promoting manager who had vanished. He makes small talk and I mention I am moving. He says he's sorry I can't stay with the company, but he understands and wishes me luck.

Three days later, I receive a letter in the mail from the Circuit Court stating that I am being accused of embezzlement, check fraud and tax evasion by Smart Circle and have to appear in court next week. I call a lawyer and state how scared I am because, while I did not do any of those things, I do not have anything proving I did not do those things.

The lawyer tells me to just keep calm and we will get through this. The day of the initial hearing comes and no one from Smart Circle shows up. It is just me and my lawyer. The judge reschedules for one week and if no one shows up my case will be dismissed.

I start to get a little hopeful. The day before the trial Brian gives me a call. He tells me he will give me a chance to avoid jail if I will just sign an admission of guilt and pay what I owe. He does not say how much it is, but if I just admit I stole from them they will not press charges. I tell him I have to contact my lawyer first. He tells me that I "do not know who I am dealing with" and they will "run me through the ringer and send me to jail to get raped." and hangs up.

I call my lawyer and tell him what happened. He tells me just show up to court and ignore any calls they try to make. The day of the hearing arrives and Brian, Ryan and several lawyers are there. Brian stops me and tells me I have one more chance to sign an admission before going to court. My lawyer asks to see the paper, but Brian refuses. The lawyer advises me to let it go to trial and everything will be fine.

Our case is called and we all walk up to the judge. The judge asks me how I plead to the accusations. My lawyer asks for a discovery before entering a plea. The Smart Circle lawyers state that they have no evidence and that they need an extension. The judge grants and the trial is moved two weeks.

At this point, to avoid losing my job I have stopped the move for legal reason, but have been living in a hotel near my job and commuting to court. I get several more threatening calls from Brian and various other Smart Circle people, but I follow my lawyers advice and wait for the court date.

The date finally arrives and none of the Smart Circle lackeys are in sight. We go before the judge and he throws out the case. I breathe a sigh of relief and move to my current location and put this horrible incident behind me.

The moral of the story is not the Smart Circle is a scam, or that they lie to you. It is that if you do not succeed in their business, they will try and take you for all you are worth. They hate to see anyone who used to work for them succeed in any aspect of life that is not through them.

Location: Augusta, Georgia

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If you go to thedevilcorp.wordpress.com, you will find a wealth of information about this business. Be sure to explore all pages available at the top of the home screen.

Guest

It would appear as though it was Brian's corporation that filed the case. I wonder what actions have been taken to remedy the situation.

Maybe their short post was all that was needed.

Guest

We at the corporate office of Smart Circle have reviewed the post above and want to take the opportunity to reach out to you. Based on what you have written, we are led to believe that you are either a former owner of an independent corporate distributor (ICD) for Smart Circle, or a former employee of an ICD.

We donโ€™t believe you are a current or former employee of Smart Circle. We require the ICDs to comply with the law, in contract and practice, and accordingly, we are very concerned by your post. We contacted our legal department and have confirmed that Smart Circle has not filed any type of lawsuit against a current or former Smart Circle employee, ICD, or employee of an ICD, with claims of embezzlement, check fraud or tax evasion in any Circuit Court (or in any other court). If true, the behavior described in your post is not acceptable.

The statements in your post are extremely concerning, especially if someone is filing false legal claims in Smart Circleโ€™s name.

Unfortunately, without additional details, we are unable to investigate this matter further Our ICD compliance team invites you to contact us at icdcompliance@***.com so that we can gather additional details and investigate this matter further.

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