University of Portsmouth

Portsmouth

has anyone worked for zenith windows in southsea?

I just got a job there. If i make an appointment i get £35 which seems good, and the manager said if i don't make any appointments he will still give me £70 or so it woldnt be work for nothing. I thought hey, i dont have a job at the moment, at least trying to earn money is better than nothing til i get myself a proper job, so i took it. But today when looking online i keep reading really bad things about working there...

Could anyone share any experiences?

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Reply 1

jakemittle

Im surprised a job like that isnt mostly commission-based :P

Good luck!

University of Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Reply 2

blondyx

jakemittle

Im surprised a job like that isnt mostly commission-based :P

Good luck!

It is commission based... I just read something worrying about the company though on a website: Zenith are immoral in as much as they employ youngsters off the street with the promise of £40 per appointment secured then a few weeks later when payday is due they sack all the staff and reemploy without paying any salary. Shame on you Zenith.

First shift tomorrow :s-smilie:

Reply 3

jakemittle

blondyx

Lol

As I said..

Good luck :biggrin:

It wouldnt make any sense to pay youngsters who are un-productive would it? :P

P.S. Is there a written contract?

Reply 4

blondyx

jakemittle

Lol

As I said..

Good luck :biggrin:

It wouldnt make any sense to pay youngsters who are un-productive would it? :P

P.S. Is there a written contract?

Its still not right if they really don't pay properly!

Reply 5

jakemittle

blondyx

Its still not right if they really don't pay properly!

But if there is no written contract then they can cheat the system.

Reply 6

PortsmouthLawSociety

If you can't get them to put it in writing at least tape a conversation about your payments so you have something to work on.
Might not need it, but doesn't cost much.

Reply 7

psychocustard

I worked for a bit of a dodgy firm last summer. Didn't get paid til I threatened legal action, and even then it was about £500 less than it should've been overall.

Just be aware. If you don't feel comfortable, then don't do it. I wish I hadn't done that job - I won't get a reference from them ever, seeing as I just got so angry about them not paying me that I never went back after my holiday.

Reply 8

rielala

Ahh, I walked past this place when I visited Portsmouth to put the deposit on my house last month, they're the one with the big sign asking students to apply, handwritten in felt tip pen, no? Thought about it for a second, then actually looked inside and thought I may fall into a deep depression if I had to spend any time in there - looked crazily dull. Let us know how it goes though as if they're not dodgy and I can't find anything else I might go back providing that sign's still up :smile:

Reply 9

Cherry Black

rielala

Let us know how it goes though as if they're not dodgy and I can't find anything else I might go back providing that sign's still up :smile:

That sign was in the window 5 years ago when I lived near there, so I wouldn't worry about them taking it down any time soon. Unless they get shut down, of course.
I knew someone who "looked at" working there a while ago. I say "looked at" because she spent all of 10 minutes being fobbed off by them and politely declined their generous offer.

My advice: don't bother. There's a recession on, so times are tough and jobs are scarce, but this is just a waste of time for no money. You may think it's better than nothing, but it's not- you could spend the time you would waste there looking for something better. Hell, if you spent that time picking your nose and watching paint dry it'd still be more worth your while.

Reply 10

Taiko

Worked for them as my first job.

I was travelling in from Havant, so a bit of a trek. I had turned up only to be told my shifts had changed and I wasn't needed. I also arrived at work 30mins early one day, with a kebab from the shop opposite, which I took into the small staff room out back.

Sent home, and sacked. This is back in 2003 though. Wonder who is in charge now.

Reply 11

emilyyy

Don't do it.
It was my first job too. While I never had any problems with pay it's just simply not a place I'd recommend you work. I'm not into slander so if you want anymore details PM me.
Just don't do it to yourself :tongue:

Reply 12

Mo3

The Zenith franchise in Bedford is recruiting because of company expansion. I don't know whether this is because of increase in sales but if they're recruiting more employees they must be doing well as a business. I start next thursday.

Reply 13

Richie J

I know this forum is from 2 years ago but I actually work for Zenith and they're very good company to work for. I work at the Guildford branch and I've never had any problems with my pay. They pay me £50 for every appointment I get and they do ensure that you don't pressure anyone into in having an appointment, especially when it comes to older and vulnerable people. They have a strict code of conduct which ensures this. Yes its all commission based but they train us for 1 hour everyday we work to ensure we know everything we need to know to make money. When i started I was earning £50 a week but now I'm earning £300+ a week which is around £15,000+ a year. I think people get the wrong idea about Zenith and door-to-door sales men, people should try the job first before mocking it.

Reply 14

Hadron collatir

Zenith, like Anglian and Everest sell Home improvements. Like everyone else they have a website so clients can and do contact them, get an estimate, a survey, and get work done.

However in a competitive market it is hard to expand.
so what they do is never these little franchise branches to recruit local business. The manager is not a company employee, he needs to send the company real contracts so they can go and install their products and charge the customer for the work.

Most jobs are done on finance, through Barclays. The client takes out a home improvement loan, Barclays pay Zenith the cost of the job, the client pays back the bank over time with interest, as with any loan.

The branch manager is actually called the Area Sales Agent.

He has self employed Sales Agents working for him, trained by the company, who sit the leads and get paid a commission if a sale is made.

The agent uses his own car and petrol and is totally self employed and self sufficient, responsible for his own taxes.

The way leads are made in by cold calling on phones and, more so by Zenith and Anglian than some other companies by canvassers knocking doors to get the rep an appointment.

The plan is that a canvasser is self employed and, if a lead you make turns into an appointment that becomes a sale, you get a cut of that money.

How much it is depends to vary, as the ASA needs to pay the marketing manager who then pays his team members. It seems to be a set amount for each pitch, and it is unclear whether you get paid if a pitch is made from your lead or just when it becomes a sale.

As the ASA pays the marketing manager who pays the canvasser you can imagine they would try to keep as much back for themself as possible. This is of course an individual thing, not a company policy. The company pays commission, a percentage of the profit back to the sales agent.

Of course if everyone does their job right everyone will make money so it can be viewed as a lucrative business opportunity whichever role you are doing, or a rip off or con, depending on how well you do.

Would you carry on knocking doors to make leads if you never made any money, if those leads never became sales?

Would you want a canvasser on your team if he never made any decent leads that became appointments which sold?

Would you be a rep if you never got any leads or got crap leads that never sold?

Would you run a branch and hire people who could not make leads or who could not turn those leads in to sales? Would you give leads to a rep who could never close a deal?

As with any business, you can look to blame anyone else if you fail, or you can make it work for yourself an succeed.

Are you a canvasser knocking doors and getting great leads that those reps can sell?

Are you a rep taking those leads you are given and doing your best to close those deals at the house?

Are you a manager who is recruiting and training great canvassers and great reps so the leads are made, the sales and made and you are all getting paid?

Ultimately it is up to you.

Reply 15

anglianguy

Hats off to you, if you are good at what you do you can earn bundles of money. Trouble is people think the world owes them a living, Zenith were always good to me.

Reply 16

sagaboy

Are trainees liable to Zenith for training and accommodation costs if they leave before a set time frame? - If so, how much is it? I know some companies see this money spent on new people as an investment and often ask Trainees to sign a binding agreement promising to work for, say, a year to avoid reimbursing the employer. Thanks.

Reply 17

Pat abbott

Hello mate i worked for zenith and if u have a decent manager and locality u can earn decent money. Dont be too pushy when trying to get appointment and just by the numbers u will earn money. Hope it helps.

Reply 18

benjamin10

Hey Emily, I have a job offer from Zenith and seriously considering it, they told me a "low average" I could make in my first year is £25,000, is this total bull****? The manager kept on saying about how much money you can make and talking about all this great stuff, but in all honesty it seemed a bit farcical.

Any advice or experiences you've had with them would really be appreciated!

Thanks

Ben.

Reply 19

benjamin10

Original post by Pat abbott

Hey man, I have a job offer from Zenith and seriously considering it, they told me a "low average" I could make in my first year is £25,000, is this total bull****? The manager kept on saying about how much money you can make and talking about all this great stuff, but in all honesty it seemed a bit farcical.

Any advice or experiences you've had with them would really be appreciated!

Thanks

Ben.