There are 3 different parts of the company I wanted to highlight in this brutally-honest review: the products, the selling program, and the recruiting/leadership program. PRODUCTS: The books are good quality, the apps could use some work. Altogether, they are good products. If your kids use them, they are worth the price. The cancellation policy (3 days) is a little ridiculous and the customer service kinda blows. You are better off reaching out to the student dealer directly. SELLING PROGRAM: This door-to-door sales program is one of the most frustrating and challenging experiences because of the long hours, pay structure, and rejection. However, you learn a lot from the experience. I ONLY recommend the program for young people who want to humble themselves, travel somewhere new, and learn the skills of sales/communication. I've seen students profit anywhere from $500 to $20,000 (with expenses around $3,000 for a summer). They have all the profit stuff listed under www.southwesternadvantage.com/disclosure if you're curious. RECRUITING/LEADERSHIP PROGRAM: Mixed feelings here. I think MOST students benefit from having a door-to-door experience, whether to humble them or build some work ethic in them. The leadership team is great. However, I think there are a handful of students who are encouraged to sell multiple summers who shouldn't. Overall, good program. Will change your life. Not for everyone. Doing this program doesn't mean you'll be a successful person, not doing this program doesn't mean you'll be a shitty person. read more

See all

The books are fine not worth 2.5k the app is trash it hasn't worked one time and customer service won't help but they are perfectly happy to keep charging me for it no pause payment till it's fixed no we are sorry just we sent it to IT and any other email they respond with we sent it to IT nothing more. Had high hopes but they horrible do not recommend. read more

Total waste and they have been charging a monthly subscription fee for the application which they insist was registered by you. The seller walks you through on how to register but little do they tell you that they're actually subscribing you. I've been getting charged a monthly fee which has been undetected and they are extremely rude and unwilling to reverse any fees. Don't support this scamming company! read more

I rented an apartment to some of their "interns". They lived in and left my place disgusting. Their "rep" said she would forward my cleaning bill, but will not reply to my inquiries. Do NOT house anyone from this organization. They are door to door sales people for home school books. read more

See all

Loophole "legal" pyramid scheme. Can't believe my school allowed them on our campus. They want you to work 80 hours a week and if you don't end up losing money, which most do, you'll come out averaging $1-$12 an hour (even from their forged numbers on their website check it out). Attended an information session and saw right through the scheme. They forge their reviews online with bot accounts and recruiters high up in the pyramid. They rely on young people that can't do math. The "interns" are their customers and not their employees. STAY AWAY read more

I detest companies that talk you into a subscription and then don't remind you that it is coming up. My kids never used the online stuff, I forgot about the subscription. I was charged $274 that they refuse to credit me, even though I cancelled right after the annual subscription was pulled out, telling them we never used it. It's a crappy business model and I have no respect for them. read more

They don't send reminder emails about their subscription renewals and will not refund the charge. Terrible business model and terrible customer service. read more

Ironically I found this business when I googled #SouthwesternConsulting. Highly ironic that they have ever called themselves "advantage." I have received business coaching through several reputable companies, to include Tony Robbins. Southwestern Coaching is NOT reputable. These people are CROOKS! Do not sign any "contracts" with them EVER! Hindsight is 20/20. Now I pray that I will get help in stopping them from harassing me. If the coaching industry were heavily regulated, they would be knee deep in manure.... Unfortunately, the coaching industry IS NOT... So... Stay away from these folks... read more

Very creepy. I found it odd that he came to our house and no on else's. I told him we weren't interested before he could even start. Then he asked me if I was the mom of the house which is none of his business either. How does he even know we have a kid!? It took alot of no thanks to get him to go away. I hope he doesn't come back. He took forever to take his backpack and bike and leave our driveway. Literally this guy gave me chills. read more

Southwestern Advantage - I don't trust this company. - Business Consulting Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Pyramid scheme. Got roped in by a high school 'friend' with the allure of money (he said he made $17,000 over the summer) and "developing a strong work ethic". Then I asked him how much he made per hour, and it was around $17hr. They also work 80-hour weeks. Absolutely ridiculous and not worth it. I instead got an internship with Walmart and made $22 per hour, working about 45 hours per week. Much better outcome. I made $10,000 over the summer, made great connections, and actually learned a lot about the supply chain field. This Southwestern Advantage "internship" is NOT an internship. They just say that to rope in college students. You're literally just going door to door selling books. How is that an internship? An internship means that you're shadowing a particular job field and learning what a full-time position would look like with the company. If you work for Southwestern Advantage, YOU are the front-line worker of the company. That is not an internship. The company makes all its money off YOUR ability to sell. If it was a real internship, that pressure would not be placed on you. The purpose of an internship is to learn as much as possible about your field and focus on improving a particular aspect of your department. The people that recruit you to be an "intern" make money based on how many people they recruit and they get a percentage of your profits. They are not your friend. read more

They are not honest upfront. There was no mention of $24.95 monthly fee at the time of purchase. Salesgirl only had us install the app but did not mention it comes with a very expensive monthly charge. Canceled it as soon as I saw this billed to my card. Stay away from them! read more

This company recruits students to work for them for commission only. The big problem is when you want to return the products, get a refund, or your books are late. The company doesn't take the responsibility for anything because you made business with an independent student. So, your contract was with an independent student, what shields the company from been sued! Now, if you are one that they are charging monthly fee for a service their independent student set up for them, you may be able to sue them. read more

I hlave done the programe in summer 2012. I was after my second year in uni, studying law. I come from Slovakia, studied in Prague, Czech Republic. I was recruited to the program by my friend from high school who had done it the year before. I was not told, what the programme is about, only that it's work and travel programme and that average income is ca USD 8 000 and that I would have a wonderful time in the US. Then I attended a recruiting meeting with a more senior representative, who finally explained what the programme is all about. I deliberated a long time whether to participate, surprisingly I was not worried about the money (because the representative presented it in a way, that it is impossible no to earn money in the programme), I was worried about the safety in the turf and about the accommodation and generally about spending three months on the other side of the world. After I decided to participate I started to prepare for the summer. I had to learn the sales speech by heart, we had to rehearse it completely, along with the way of knocking on the door, the time and manner you put you book bag on the floor, how to pick it up or how to wriggle your way into the house of the potential customer. We met two to three times a week for at least an hour (while this seemed a bit weird to me, I went along, when it really started to bother me was during my exam period, when I needed to study and, you know, take exams, and the student representatives pressured on me, that I am prioritising the wrong things [sic!]. Most of the students leaving for the summer from Prague were from other school than me, thus I had to start my summer two weeks later than them, I was also reproached about this fact and pressured to speed up my exams... The visas were quite funny issue as well, you pay them for yourself, SW related company acts as a "guarantor" for your visa, however, in fact the do nothing for you. The visas along with the compulsory health insurance cost USD 700 at the time. I paid another USD 1 200 for the flying ticket to and from Nashville (where the sales school takes place). Remember that I was told I was going to earn ca USD 8 000 so this did not concern me. I traveled on the J1 visa (student working visa). Nor company neither the guarantor explained exactly how to visas worked, I as a law student studied this quite in detail and adjusted my travelling arrangement around it, but some students (mostly from Poland but also some other from CZ) were quite surprised when they, upon their arrival to US (!) found out that if they went on with their planned travel arrangements, they would breach the rules of the visa. During the sales school in Nashville, we stayed in a hotel of vicinity of the company (by vicinity I mean ca 15 minutes of walk). We had to participate in another sales trainings (lectures in the morning, sales speech training in the afternoon). We had to train outside, even though it was around 35 degrees C, because "you need to get used to the weather". We paid for the hotel ourselves and were encouraged to live in bigger groups than the rooms were designated for (this is the reason some of the hotels in vicinity of the company did not allow the SW students anymore). After the sales school, we transported to our turf. I was supposed to spend my summer in Orange County, California. I knew this before flying to US, so I already have bought my flying ticket, though I know, this is not standard for the US students who often get to know their designated destination only after the sales school and thus their flying tickets can get quite expensive. I was staying in Irvine, a city with perfect school system, "safest city in US" for who knows how many years. But also city with great percentage with Chinese, Indian and Mexican population. And while I was mostly not in turf where people struggled with money, the Asian population is not so open to let a stranger to their home. Generally, what was the problem was, that still in Europe, we were told that door-to-door sales is still very common in US, that people are doing great deal of their sales this way and that it is nothing unusual. What we were not prepared or trained for, was how to communicate with the foreign ethnics. E.g. how not to offend some ethnics just by the way of communication, about the family dynamics in some cultural groups (that you must always communicate with the woman / man of the house, because that is who makes the decisions and mere attempt to communicate with the other one, can offend them - we should have been taught this not only to increase our chances for sale, but merely to be properly polite). As for the product itself, I did and I still do think it is of moderate quality. I would have found the high school books quite useful when I was in high school. What I am not and was not sure in the time, is whether the price is reasonable (it cost ca USD 140 for one high school book at the time, tax and shipping incl.) read more

I initially heard about Southwestern Advantage from my roommate, Christian, who had done the program the summer before.  When Christian returned to school in the fall, I noticed he was a good bit more confident and driven than before the summer.    As I was weighing options for the next summer, Christian explained to me what he did during his first summer with the company. He told me about the motivating aspect of owning your own business, the incredible communication and leadership training, all the famous politicians who had done this, and then of course the money (which was more than my engineering internship had brought in that summer). Everything he told me sounded really intriguing, but then he told me that I'd be selling books... door to door. He went on to tell me about the long hours, no guaranteed pay (straight commission), and the rejection... lots of rejection. After hearing the whole picture of the program, I had a few question marks on my mind. This all sounded ridiculous, but then I remembered all of the tangible positives he had clearly taken away from the experience and was still benefitting from. During my decision, I realized that Christian had simply grown much more than I had during my traditional summer internship (and made more money!). Early on that school year I committed to a position with Southwestern the next summer. Being an engineering major, my parents were beyond confused, but I was really happy that they let me make this decision on my own. Now, make no mistake, the job was certainly tough. Working long hours often filled with rejection after rejection could make you doubt yourself and your abilities, but by the end of the summer, I had had more personal growth in a 3 month period than in any other period of my life. Period. I achieved a new level of emotional consistency, drive, leadership ability, focus, and ability to be present during conversations and life. I also benefitted heavily from an extremely motivational, positive culture with incredible leadership. And hey, I made $14,000 too :) Joining Southwestern Advantage has been the best professional decision of my life thus far, and, though not required to partake in, I look forward to many more years with the company, during which the benefits will continue to multiply. To my fellow students/young professionals: Our quality of life and degree of future success is correlated directly to the individuals and attitudes we surround ourselves with. In that and many other regards, this company is a true gold mine. read more

See all

If I could give them 0 stars I would! They're an absolutely awful, fraudulent, predatory company! Do not buy their overpriced books! Customer service does absolutely nothing to help you. I called customer service and emailed them; I asked for them to cancel my order and I requested a refund and they refuse to help me because of their 3 day cancellation policy. I didn't even have 3 full days to cancel. I had until midnight before the third day (Saturday) to cancel, but their office hours are Monday-Friday 8-4:30 pm which conflict with my work hours. I wasn't informed about the 3 day cancellation policy until it was too late and my credit card had already been authorized. I think it's wrong for them to not allow me to cancel when I was lied to by the salesman. I was told my books would ship in 10-12 business days. It has been almost 2 months already and I still haven't received them. The salesman was super pushy and he wouldn't take no for an answer even though I kept saying it was too expensive for me. He would keep trying to spread out the payments and took advantage of me being home alone without my husband. I let him know I didn't want to take a picture for social media and he insisted and posted it on his page. Super pushy, predatory, and inconsiderate. I wasn't even going to open the door for him when I saw he was a salesman with a clipboard, but he rang the doorbell twice and started banging on my door while my baby was asleep so I felt forced to answer. This company preys on college kids overseas, pays them crappy commission, and has them figure out their living arrangements on their own so they end up begging strangers to let them stay in their house for free. Absolutely despicable company! read more

I found several websites and links on this company after doing 30 min of research. Apparently they go campus to campus to scam college students like me with the promise of making BIG bucks. They are an MLM based company that have been accused by MANY students and parents of being a pyramid scheme. They are BANNED by several campuses INCLUDING Harvard and many college students at ASU and my friend's campus at NAU are trying to blacklist/ban them from entering since many of the campuses that have banned them have stated that they do false advertising to what they do. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE 5 STAR REVIEWS HERE. Many of them are either fake reviews as bots or are the recruiters themselves that made 8k or higher which in truth, is actually only showcasing the top 5-7% salespeople. Not the majority. According to Glassdoor and on Reddit, many of these students make from an average of $450-$2000/mo which is earning either less than the minimum wage or barely scrapping by with it but work more. They make students work long and strenuous hours for 70-85 or even sometimes 90 hrs/wk which breaks the Labor Fair Act but avoids it by making these students be an independent contractor. EVERYTHING that you do, YOU have to pay for it. They make you pay the shitty textbooks that you have to sell just to make a 60% commission out of. But that's not taken the expense of traveling to Tennessee by either driving/flying, food, gas, housing/rent, etc. In total average a lot of students end up paying $2000 for the entire trip with some making less than what they actually earned. Don't buy their $400 textbooks either. I can promise you that you will find more updated and more homework/practice exams/reviews as well as MANY online professors or Youtube videos or even just from Khan Academy that can show you so many ways and techniques to solve a problem fast or to understand them thoroughly for FREE because it's the on the internet. They gave me a packet which showed me more information about them which included how their interview process works. Even their interview is complete bullshit because they tell you in a packet that it's a 3 day interview process when in reality it's literally all part of recruiting people as much as you can. They don't ask for your resume and why you should be qualified to join which are very basic questions in any job interviews. They ask for how many people you can recruit. This took me only half an hour to find all of this information. BELIEVE THE PEOPLE'S 1 STAR ACTUAL REVIEW ABOUT IT! This company doesn't even enlist Yelp onto their own review website cause they want to be biased and they know that they have a shit reputation as well as trying to make other innocent students be unaware of what they do BTS. There's a petition in ASU right now to get them banned. I have included some photo attachments on what they have sent me. The txt msg one was an actual worker from this company themselves that had the audacity to txt my friend back after he asked questions in regards to why so many people gave them bad reviews and why many called this business a pyramid scheme. Extremely unprofessional and rude, and especially weird for them to ask me to return this specific packet to them because it be out of "professional courtesy" if I don't? I have never in my 20 years heard of a salesperson asking someone to return something they were meant to give you. Lastly, if you want help on researching this company, here's a Twitter thread that basically summarizes what I had said that provides additional links. If you can find more information about them please spread the word! I almost got into their scamming intern program until I researched after their info meeting. They also do not provide any employment benefits or some sort of insurance except a shitty safety app service that (surprise surprise) you have to pay out of your own pocket. And make these students knock in your door after 8 or 9 pm to make a sale. They have also been involved with the police with many families concerned with how they go to your house that late at night and ask about your kids and how young they are since they want to sell those textbooks to you about them. https://twitter.com/koreandaughter/status/1123294886822682624?s=21 Tldr;; PLEASE PLEASE RESEARCH AND DO NOT INTO THEIR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM OR BUY FROM THEM. read more

See all

This company disgusts me. They exploit young college students for labor by offering "internships" that are actually terrible door to door sales jobs. They work them like slaves, and try to excuse it as an experience that teaches lessons to grow character. Lessons like 'not quitting even when you want to'.... hmmm interesting. They couldn't actually care less about their employees, they only care about profits. Notice how a vast majority of the 5 star reviews are young employees who've been brainwashed by this cult of a company into thinking work needs to be extremely difficult and miserable to be worthwhile. Meanwhile a vast majority of customers leave 1 star reviews, often citing dishonesty and exploitation - not surprising. This company is a scam in the truest sense of the word. read more

Unfair business practices. Will not accept returns after THREE DAYS....even if product is unopened! BEWARE!!! read more

I called to follow up an order and the agent who picked up my call, Carl, was very unprofessional. Worst customer service experience ever, and this is not even a hyperbole! He referred to me as "bro" and first asked for my last name and zip code. I gave it to him and he again asked the exact same question, which I then gave the same answer. He then fuzzed up and said with a tone "you know what bro, i dont know how to spell your name so you gotta spell it out for me". I called him out on this disrespectful remark and as I was speaking he kept on repeating "just give me your name! just give me your name! just give me your name!" It is obvious that Carl did not receive any training on telephone etiquette and professionalism, which undoubtedly reflects the lack of accountable this company has over its customer management services. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY AT ALL!! read more

Their books are amazing and helped my kids grow significantly in school. Highly recommend

I heard about Southwestern Advantage through a corporate recruiter at my university. Initially, the high potential to earn good money and gain new skills is what appealed to me. My first concern was being away from my friends and family for the summer time. I was able to get past that concern through talking to Alumni of the company who are successful in their fields now. This experience was tough for me because I worked harder than I have before. Overall, this experience has impacted every area of my life. I received many job and internship offers after my first summer. My confidence and belief in myself has increased dramatically and I have made some life long friends. I would recommend learning about this opportunity if you have a hunger to learn, earn, and grow. read more

The consultant who came to our door was lovely, however customer service has been terrible from the national company. I initially purchased a partial set of the books, the paperwork guarantees 3 days to change my mind. I submitted paperwork to the email indicated within 24 hours of purchase and have heard nothing from customer service, it has been 2 days now. All books that had been left with me were returned to the consultant brand new. Very disappointed. read more

I grew up with these books and also sold them in college! My mom, a 4th grade teacher at Millstadt Consolidated School in Southern Illinois, purchased the Volume Library for my older sister and I when I was little. They were kind of like a school subject oriented encyclopedia. Then, when I attended college at the University of Colorado, I was recruited to sell the products. It was one of the most incredible experiences in my life. EXTREMELY challenging; one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I grew a ton from it. Not only did it help me mature and give me invaluable life experience, but it helped me pay my way through school. Now I'm graduated and completely debt free, something not a lot of college students can say. It's definitely not for everyone, but for the people who are willing to work hard enough and persevere through failure, it can be life changing. Reading through some of the negative posts, it's hard for me because I can understand where they are coming from. At the same time, I can't count how many times someone had told me no before they knew what it was I was doing, and then after taking a quick look, they enjoyed the products enough to purchase some! I never mind if someone says no, I just believe in our products enough that they should at least KNOW what they are saying no to. Many people say no before they ever even get a chance to see what they are. Of course, I understand I'm biased... but for good reason. Because I've experienced both sides of this company; I have the information to allow me to be biased. It's a shame people only feel the need to write review when they are upset by something, I personally know hundreds of people who have sold for the company and had great experiences, and thousands of customers (including my own) who love their products and the experience they had with their sales person. I guess the old saying is true, unfortunately bad news spreads faster than good. Oh well, I hope you find my review helpful! read more

A young (maybe Russian) woman knocked at my door trying to sell books. My German shepherds were going ballistic and she said I must be a busy mom (yes, a mom to two dogs - not children!) She wouldn't take no for an answer and was trying to show me her binder so I had to shut the door on her. I later came out to find her business card under our mat. After reading several Yelp reviews I realized my suspicions were right, this company is a SCAM. I kinda feel sorry for these "interns" because it sounds like a total cult. Anna "book girl" Masnikova (if that's your real name) get out of this pyramid scam now! read more

Southwestern Advantage - Business Consulting Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

See all

My dad, five siblings, and three cousins all sold with southwestern - so I grew up understanding the value and experience of the program. My first year I still had concerns about how well I would perform at something so rigorous that I had never done before; but I was always coached to keep things simple by working hard and having a problem solving attitude. It was extremely challenging, but extremely fun and rewarding. Now I get to lead organizations, train, and mentor others. I've made lifelong friends and been able to travel more than nearly anyone I know my age. Southwestern Advantage is the best opportunity in the world for ANY college student with a disciplined work ethic and growth mindset. read more

See all

We've had the same sales pitch every few years. Claiming to be working in the area for the summer, sometimes quoting teachers names implying endorsement. Selling overpriced books. Sometimes they have been a bit pushy implying that if I didn't buy I was doing my children a disservice. The interesting thing, the business card I was given, was identical to the one in the review here posted by a user from Canada. Either it's an odd coincidence that two students hundreds of miles apart selling door to door are both from Estonia, or it's part of the scam trying to make you feel sympathy for the hard-working poor foreign student. FYI, Skype was NOT invented by Estonians as claimed by the company. It was invented by A Swede and a Dane, they just happened to hire an Estonian firm to program it. It would be like saying Apple didn't invent the iPhone because it was made by another company China. If they can't fact check their business card, I wouldn't trust their books. read more

DISGUSTING BUSINESS PRACTICES!! One star because its mandatory by yelp. i want to say 1st that i HAVE been messaging whomever runs the fb page for company. ok so this past thursday at 10pm im in the farthest room and bathroom from the front door. IN THE SHOWER. I hear one of my dogs barking and then a few min later i hear YELLING. and its NOT MY HUSBAND!! so of course hearing this over the shower was alarming. i quickly got out and through on a robe and ran out. where i heard my husband say "No no do you know what time it is?" so what happened while i was in shower a man came to the door at 10pm knocked two times VERY softly and when answered started with "oh i think i have the wrong house, in looking for parents of school aged children!" AT 10pm!!?? CREEPY!! my husband informed him of the hour being late and the man at that point started yelling "i have a permit i can do whatever i want whenever" husband explained "no not for this late" (its illegal after 8pm in my town) he refused to say his name, business or show us his permit (which is required by law when asked to see it) we asked him about 7x or so to please leave or property and he just kept standing there YELLING AT NIGHT AT US that he had a permit!! ugh FINALLY my husband had to inform him we are armed and man just said "go ahead and shoot me then, shoot me, call the police, shoot me!" As we went inside to call police he hauled butt down the sidewalk and a truck (im betting him) zoomed off down our street a few min later. now i have talked to ALL the houses around mine. and he ONLY came to OUR HOUSE!! stalker? creep? NOBODY referred him to my house. especially not my neighbors since he never went to them. sooo who is SELLING MY INFO?? also after doing some investigating and work with the business ive discovered WHO he is and i will post his photo here! This man had No logo, badge or anything. was extremely unprofessional. hostile. who starts yelling when you tell them its too late for house calls?? just say "i apologize, thank you for your time and please enjoy the rest of your evening" see simple. police were called. our towns fb page and surrounding towns have been blasted with his image and pics of other rude "bookmen" and nobody plans on buying. read more

Southwestern Advantage - PROOF! he left this a few streets away!! another citizen had a similar encounter - Business Consulting Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Please please have them respect the no soliciting signs. I have kids and animals that freak out when company arrives. They get excited. Hey who doesn't love company? Well we love company when it is expected. We do not love people who cannot respect the NO SOLICITING signs. The gal was nice enough, but too pushy. No thank you means no thank you. read more

I was "successful" making thousands of dollars the summer I did this program, but it comes at an almost inhumane cost. You are required to sell yourself, giving all your time (5:50 am - 11pm) and are praised to disassociate yourself with your own emotions. There is no rest for 12 weeks straight and although it is marketed as "your own business," you are publicly viewed as week and failing if you do not work more than 82 hours a week. Yes, you will make money, but at what cost? read more

This company is sketchy. They say it's an internship but then they hire students as independent contractors. If you know anything about business law you would know that if you are an independent contractor the company has no liability. They don't protect you which is crazy bc you sell their products and they make you go to a week long training. Also makes sense on why they have been along for so long because you are legally not an employee so you get no benefits. In 2007 they lobbied against a bill that protects sales workers from dangerous and unfair conditions. So that really shows that they really don't care about you. Also the recruiters act like you need this job to get your dream job and that if you don't want to do this it's because your scared. That is completely unprofessional. I think they are just desperate for students. They even have the audacity to ask you why you apply when they literally just hand you the opportunity. There are so many more opportunities to get experience on your resume and to learn the "life changing" skills they like to promote. Also they have been banned from recruiting at colleges across the US. This company has also made it so that if you search them only positive reviews show up. It is actually really hard to find the negative reviews and even yelp says that some of these positive reviews are sketchy. Also looking at these parents reviews is so frustrating bc they act like they are making a difference in people's life by selling educational products door to door. Yeah you can make money from this but NOT an internship just a way to get college student to sign up. read more

If I could leave 0 stars, I would. I am a current student as ASU, and was approached by Southwestern Advantage. From the beginning, the recruiter (Elyse) was extremely unprofessional. For starters, this began on a Sunday night past 8pm, when I receive a phone call from my area. Thinking its either my school or doctor or something, I let it go to voicemail as I am driving home and if it was something important, they would leave a message. The number immediately calls again, and so I get worried that its an emergency or something happened to my roommate, so I answer. Instead, its Elyse, telling me about this opportunity to gain "professional experience" over the summer, and how the average person completing their program earned over $11k last summer. As a broke college student, this obviously caught my eye, and I agreed to attend an informational session the following day. I was a little skeptical, but my suspicions grew when at the end she told me how "exclusive" and invitation to this session was, and asked me "Are you a reliable student? Can I count on you to show up to this session tomorrow at 2?" It felt very manipulative, and I felt pressured to attend (up until this point, I had every intention of attending anyway) - little did I know it was just the beginning. The following day, the informational session was littered with similar manipulation tactics and intentional language. It was hosted by a few employees of Southwestern, as well as "student leaders" who had already sold for them prior. They talked about giving students the opportunity to "run their own business" as an independent contactor, which translates to "we aren't held liable to any dangerous situations or work conditions". They boasted about their 80 hour work weeks, and how they are able to use that to boost their resume. They shared how the top earner of last summer was able to make $40k! However, it is clear that is not the normal, and taking into consideration the fees, expenses, and long work days, most students end up making less than the would at a minimum wage job that would be significantly less work. They had an entire slide explaining how they were NOT an MLM (if you have to explain you're not an MLM, odds are you're just as bad or not much better). At the end of the day the company only cares about how many units you sell rather than your safety, comfort, or experience. At the end of the session, I met again with Elyse who asked me a few questions to "get to know me" and see if she would want to work with me. She then invited me to a follow up meeting, where we would talk 1-1 and so she can get a better understanding of who I am, and vice versa. She explained that when she went through the process, she felt a little unsure, and even considering not showing up to her follow up meeting, but she knew that would be unprofessional and she was a "woman of her word". She said that the more information she got, the more confident she felt in the program. She then asked me if she could count on me to be a "woman of my word" as well, and attend our follow up meeting, because "we have already dedicated this time in our day". I have been through many internship interviews, and never have I been guilted in such a way. No professional interaction had left me feeling so slimy and disturbed. After doing some more research confirming my suspicions about the company, I left her a very polite email that I was no longer interested, thanking her for her time, and asking that she not contact me anymore. She proceeded to both email and call me, both of which I have ignored. I can only hope other students are able to see past the empty promises, unrealistic expectations, and false incentives. They are banned from recruiting at certain universities for a reason, and should be ashamed in themselves for taking advantage of college students who don't know any better, under the guise of internship experience. Overall, the most disgusting company I have ever had the displeasure of meeting with. read more

Thankfully Southwestern advantage I have reached financial stability, a lot of successful friends, skills that I won't be able to develop in my home country, great guarantees for future, business partners, goals for life. Southwestern has helped me to step out of average life and start living life that I want! Thank you so much. read more

Southwestern Advantage - Me introducing my own family members with our awesome products. Everybody loved it. - Business Consulting Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Student rep provided incorrect information about the products I purchased and by the time I found out it was lies, customer service told me there was nothing I could do. I spent over $600 for an incomplete set of books and garbage apps with no way at this point to get my money back. Like many reviews here, if I could give zero stars, I would. Do not purchase from this company. read more

Yesterday somebody from Southwestern advantage knocked on my door at 8 PM and woke up my children. Today they came back at 9 PM and knocked on my door very loudly and woke up my children. These people are so rude and have no common courtesy. read more

We paid over $200 for a set of books. Told the sales person that we did NOT want to sign up for the monthly subscription. 5 months later I realize we have been charged $19.95 / month for the past 5 months. Company refused to refund the unauthorized charges. Beware!!! read more

No customer service, on the phone for over a hour. Every ten minutes it said someone would be with me in 10 minutes. Never happened. watch what you sign up for and just say no to the sales person. They take your money. read more

Southwestern Advantage - Terrible customer service - Business Consulting Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

I highly value programs and internship opportunities that are designed to build character and the value of hard work into college students. I know that Southwestern Advantage has been around since the late 19th century and can tout an impressive roster of alumni made of of folks who have taken those hard earned lessons and applied them well. I also know that not everyone who participates in such internships has the integrity and self-awareness to know when the door of opportunity has closed and it's time to shove off. Such was the case today. Mike (an eager college student from Poland) came knocking on our door this afternoon. I answered and we chatted a bit and I encouraged him to come back when my wife and daughter were home so that we could all go over the materials he was selling together. Well, he showed at about 7:30pm and rather than the 10 minutes he claimed to need, he spent an hour asking questions and presenting materials. The materials were only average in our opinion (both my wife and I have bachelor's degrees and I have a master's degree in our respective fields) and the cost for the materials was extravagant to say the least. I could hire Albert Einstein and Blase Pascal for less. I had to step away and in the interim he wrapped up his presentation and asked my wife for a yes or no on the spot. She gave him exactly what he asked for... she told Mike we wouldn't be interested and thanked him for coming back. He continued to press and my wife continued to say no... 3 more times. He asked, "Is it the money or do you believe she won't use the materials?" My wife replied, "It doesn't matter why my answer is no... it's no. Thank you for coming." Now, here's the reason I'm writing this review... Mike then proceeds to disengage from my wife by turning to my child and asking her, "Can you promise your mom that you will use the books if your mom buys them for you?" Nope. That level of desperation clothed in sleazy emotional manipulation crossed the line and Mike was politely asked to depart. He will not be permitted to return and we won't be recommending him or Southwestern Advantage. I have been in sales off and on in my life (currently on) and I know when the "party's over"... especially when in someone else's home. Manipulation and high pressure tactics are never effective and always leads to customers having buyer's remorse which then creates more work to either refund the money or justify why you won't. Either way, it's bad for all involved. This is both a personal integrity issue and likely a training issue as well that SW Advantage needs to address in the case of one of their reps for sure and if it's a systemic issue, they need to retune and retrain. read more

Salesperson ignored our signs, claiming she wasn't selling anything but was there for educational purposes for the schools in the area. I was curious as to what a representative of our school system was doing at the door until I caught sight of her customer list sheet and pamphlets in her folder when she went to show me hand-written reviews from other customers that may or may not even exist. I kept telling her that I wasn't buying anything. She assured me, again, that she wasn't there to sell. She then pulled out a giant binder packed to the gills with pictures of (guess what) more merchandise. She then started name-dropping neighbors and cooing about how nice everyone was - so I had to be nice too. She kept acting like she had no idea what I was getting at or what my 'No Soliciting' sign meant because as she said "I'm from Europe". She made moves to get inside, grabbing her back-pack and stepping towards the door so we could 'sit down and discuss it' after all the time I spent telling her no. I told her I'd take her business card but I didn't want any materials she had to offer and she was not coming inside. I do not like slamming doors in peoples faces or being brusque. It's rude and aggressive and some salespeople seem to think that it's okay to then retaliate in some way, but they don't leave a person much choice if these are the tactics they're using. I shouldn't have even answered the door, but I hate hiding from salespeople and being made to feel trapped in my own house until they leave and might come back to catch me next time. It's my property and I said no! I should have called the authorities. Don't even open the door to them. read more

First I will say...This company teaches some great values which I have taken and capitalized on in personal adventures. Mainly Facebook marketing and confronting fears. Now with that being said take your cool cards and shove them right up your a**. I was the man in 2016 who unexpectedly received the biggest cool card in front of the whole organization who then proceeded to laugh and tell me to rip it up at which point my old ways would disappear. As a 19 year old I didn't know how to respond properly and conceded to do as told. Now for the best part. I walked away 8 weeks into the program at which point I immediately started my own company. I fully embraced my inner drive and natural attitude which has resulted in a company bigger than any of your year 1-5 salesman can compare to. Don't want to overstep my bounds, possibly we are possibly competing with your higher ups as well I personally do not wish this treatment upon any other students and hope y'all can find other ways to try and get young students to do things exactly as you want them to. If that doesn't work, maybe try working with them one on one and realize every human has their own way and when given the opportunity they can really do great things. Sincerely - a person who was fortunate enough to use this cult tactic as motivation rather than self implosion. read more

We live on a private drive with visible signage stating no trespassing. 2 young men came to my house, asked to come inside (ummm no) and talk about my child's education. I assumed they were people for our local school district so I told them we could talk outside. I didnt like how nosey they felt asking questions about my child and i felt uncomfortable throughout the whole sales pitch. The books didnt really impress me and i hated the pressure of having to decide on the spot. To me that is always a red flag. If a company is comfortable in their product they shouldnt mind if a consumer takes time to do some research before making a decision to buy (especially when it $500). Once i said no they continue to ask me to buy other products and then began fishing for more information on other people they could go bother. read more