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If you have been hurt severely call 911 immediatly! If you have been injured or violently attacked while on the job selling magazines or cleaner products, contact the local police immediatly. If the owner of the company, the manager, or the car handler have physically hurt you in any way for any reason get away from them as quickly as possible and call the police. Make sure that you file a police report against whoever attacted you and if your injuries require medical attention get to a hospital or medical clinic. The following link will assist you in finding a local law enforcement agency: officer.com: law enforcement directory by state If you are currently working for a door-to-door traveling sales crew and need help or if you are a parent looking for your child and you believe they are working for a door-to-door traveling sales crew: Watchdog Help Resources |
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There are many people and many businesses that benefit financially from the sale of magazines and
cleaner products on a door-to-door basis. The National Field Selling Association (NFSA - www.nfsa.com): National Field Selling Association is the trade group for many of the magazine and cleaner companies. The Magazine Publishers of America (MPA - www.magazine.org): Magazine Publishers of America is the trade group that represents over 1200 magazine publishers. Connected to these trade groups are the magazine clearinghouses, distributors, magazine and cleaner sales companies, and the magazine and cleaner sales crews. These companies and the people that serve them are using exploitation, false advertising, false representation, and physical and psychological abuse against the sales agents. This exploitation against teens and young adults represents nothing less than human rights and labor violations and has been an ongoing and well documented problem with the "traveling door-to-door sales" industry for well over thirty years. The sales company classifies the sales agents as "Independent Contractors" as opposed to "employees." This is done for several reasons. Reasons that have been well thought out and put into place not to benefit the kids selling the magazine and cleaner products door-to-door but to make the sales company owners and the publishers a lot of money. If a sales agent is classified as an "Independent Contractor the door-to-door sales company does not have to pay workmen's compensation, the company does not have to provide any benefits like health insurance and the company does not have to pay minimum wage. This saves the door-to-door sales company a lot of money while basically leaving the kid with no rights. In the unethical and immoral "traveling door-to-door sales" industry "Independent Contractor" is just another name for slave or indentured servant. See Nancy Stancill's: "Slaves to the sale" articles - 1992: Slaves to the sale However, with respect to the law, the sales companies classify their workers as "Independent Contractors" to distance themselves from any legal problems if the sales agent gets in trouble and harms someone. "The dirty business of sales by exploitation without legal entanglement." Sales Agent Abuse and Exploitation Here are some definitions of abuse. If any of these things are happening to you on crew - call the police and get as far away from the personal that is abusing you as soon as you can.Physical Abuse: Hitting, slapping, shoving, kicking, punching, burning, choking, not allowing you to leave, using objects to cause injury (guns, knives, baseball bats, etc.). Psychological Abuse: Threats, telling you what you can or cannot do, name-calling, put-downs. Sexual Abuse: Rape, unwanted touching, forcing sexual acts, refusing to practice safe sex, withholding sex as punishment. Property or Economic Abuse: Stealing or destroying personal belongings, hurting pets, taking money, withholding basic needs such as food and clothing, not allowing you to work. With regard to the "traveling door-to-door sales" crews, taking away any of your personal belongings such as you cell phone, identification, wallet or purse would be considered Property or Economic Abuse. Specific to the "traveling door-to-door sales crews" other forms of documented abuse and exploitation include: 1) Not allowing the sales agent to call home (isolation from family and friends). 2) Girls being sexually assaulted or raped by the managers or other members of the crew. 3) Working 14 hour days, 6 days a week. 4) Forcing the boys to box each other when their sales are low. 5) Forcing the kids with low sales to sleep on the motel room floor. 6) Physically beating the sales agent, sometimes so severely that they must be taken to the hospital. 7) Introducing kids to dangerous drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine. 8) Using the drug dependancy of the sales agent to keep them employed selling door to door. 9) Harassment and belittling of the sales agent in front of their peers. 10) Teaching the sales agents to lie to the consumer to make a sale. 11) Not applying for solicitation permits which ends up getting the agent arrested and thrown in jail. 12) Not paying the solicitation fine which leaves the agent with an outstanding warrant/criminal record. 13) Giving the sales agent a minimum draw to live on: ($10 - $15) when their sales are low. 14) False advertising "truth in hiring" violations. 15) Promising the newly recruited agent they will make $500.00 - $1000.00 per week. 16) Telling the sales agent that they own the company money if they are fired. 17) Not filing 1099 which gets the sales agent in trouble with the IRS. 18) Labor violations: hiring underage children. 19) Abandoning the sales agent when they are sick or cannot sell for whatever reason. 20) Leaving the agent hundreds or thousands of miles from home, without money and food. 21) Maiming or killing the sales agent in a vehicular accident. In many cases after a van rollover that injures or kills an agent the sales agents personal belonging are distributed among the surviving crew members. The surviving agents and manager then leave immediately. The owner/manager of the crew never contacts the parents of the kids what were maimed or killed in the accident. No phone calls are made and no letters are written. The remaining crew makes it's "jump' to the next town or state to continue selling door to door. If a sales agent is picked up and arrested by the local police for solicitation without a permit he may be held over in jail for a court appearance. If the agent is not a "good selling machine" the manager of the crew will just leave the agent in jail and go on to the next town. If the sales agent is a "good selling machine" and making the manager a lot of money then usually the manager will pay the fine for the solicitation violation. Crew life is dangerous, not only for the sales agent but also for the homeowner. The NCL (National Consumers League) has listed "Traveling Door-to-Door Sales" as one of the top five most dangerous jobs for a teen in the USA today. 5 Worst Jobs Over the last few years the Dedicated Memorial Parents Group (DMPG) has logged extremely serious crimes. The DMPG's members have worked with all levels of law enforcement and all levels of the justice systems across the country to document these crimes. These crimes have been committed against both sales agents and homeowners. Crimes against sales agents range from physical and psychological abuse, beatings, abandonment, wage violations, labor violations, sexual assaults, rape, vehicular homicide, and murder. Crimes against homeowners are so numerous that we can not list them all here. So we will list the most serious. The following list of crimes against homeowners is well documented and is a very serious and ongoing problem with the 'door to door sales' industry: Sales fraud, mail fraud, trespassing, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, breaking and entering, burglary, arson, assault, sexual assault, rape, and murder. Other sales agent crimes that the DMPG has documented include: Possession of a controlled substance, distribution of a controlled substance, accessory to a crime, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, bail jumping, solicition permit violations, and the list goes on and on. For a detailed list of crimes committed against sales agents and crimes committed against homeowners: Criminal Profiler For a detailed list of unsolved crimes against sales agents and homeowners: Wanted Links To Related Articles Regarding Traveling Sales Crews:
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May 17, 2004 Knock Knock Desperate, young magazine peddlers are out there, roaming America in search of the next sucker. Have you been conned? By Rupal Parekh The New York Review of Magazines Read This Story |
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April 4, 2004 Former magazine seller shares stories of life on the road By BRIGID O'MALLEY Naples Daily News Read This Story |
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Febuary 3, 2004 EXPLOITED YOUNGSTERS SELLING MAGAZINES DOOR-TO-DOOR MAKE SALES COMPANIES RICH: AN INSIDE EDITION INVESTIGATION Youngsters abuse drugs while driving in vans, party in motels every night, and are exploited by managers Inside Edition Read This Story |
How Sales Crews Can Be Operating Illegally
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In most cases when door-to-door sales crews come into town they do not register with the police
department, the clerk of courts, or the town hall for a solicitation permit. If the town requires
door-to-door solicitors to register, the sales crew has just broken the law. This presents an
immediate problem for law enforcement because no one is aware of their presence. This condition
now leaves the entire community vulnerable and homeowners at great risk. The following list based on police reports and court records obtained by the Dedicated Memorial Parents Group will demonstrate the many ways in which sales crews operate illegally: 1) Recruiters and managers supply false information to the kids during the hiring process. Claims of making $500 to $1000 dollars a week are simply not true. Note: Several courts across the country, both state and federal, have imposed liability on employers who fail to deliver the kind of employment experience that was promised during the hiring or promotion process. Known generally as "Truth-in-Hiring" lawsuits. The door-to-door recruitement process includes fraud, fraudulent inducement, misrepresentation, negligent hiring, and failure to disclose. 2) Under age children have been hired by the sales crew recruiter/manager. 3) The driver of the van (car handler) does not have a valid drivers license or his license has been revoked. 4) The driver of the van is under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. The Dedicated Memorial Parents Group has documented many cases where this action resulted in the death of one or more sales agent/s. 5) The recruiter, car handler, enforcer, or manager are actively involved in procuring illegal drugs for the sales agents or they will tell the sales agents to procure drugs: "joints for points." In many cases these drugs are discovered in the van used to transport the sales agents as well as at the motel room where the agents are staying. Sales agents have also been arrested and convicted of distribution of a controlled 6) There will be sales agents in the crew that have outstanding warrants for their arrest. The warrant/s may be for a misdemeanor or a felony. In some cases when you open your door to a sales agent you will be looking at a convicted felon, a sex offender, or a sales agent that is currently in flight from justice. 7) IRS tax fraud and conspiracy to fraud the IRS. 8) Mail fraud. 9) Fradulant selling practice, false representation, sales fraud, identity theft. 10) For a more detailed list of crimes committed by door-to-door sales agents please visit: Door-to-Door Sales Crimes |
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By virtue of the existence of this website there is no good news about "door-to-door sales crews."
Door-to-door sales crews are dangerous for everyone involved. Young children, teens, and young adults will always face great dangers when employed by this immoral and corrupt industry. Labor violations are legion. The companies that employ the kids fall through the legal crack. There is currently no state or federal legislation in place to regulate and protect the sales agents. The door-to-door sales companies can literally get away with murder. Abuse and exploitation against sales agents is rampant as are the crimes against homeowners. Documented sales agent abuse takes on many violent forms. Physical and psychological abuse is a common practice throughout the crews. Abandonment, beatings, lack of proper nutrition, assault, battery, sexual assault, rape, drug abuse, death by drug overdose, death by van roll over, death by vehicular homicide are all common occurrences when employed by a door to door sales crew. See: Sales Agent Abuse and Exploitation on this web page. Homeowners and children are also at great risk when the door is opened to a 'traveling door-to-door sales' agent. The lack of proper background checks combined with the documented fact that door-to-door magazine and cleaner companies hire convicted felons becomes an extremely serious problem. The Dedicated Memorial Parents Group has documented over 300 felony cases as of August 11, 2008. Door-to-Door Sales Crimes The Dedicated Memorial Parents Group also maintains a wanted page: Wanted As of August 11, 2008 we have documented 3 unsolved murders, 3 unsolved rapes, 1 unsolved attempted murder/sexual assault, 1 unsolved assault/attempted rape, and 2 unsolved cold cases. All of these cases are directly related to the traveling door-to-door sales industry. |
Wisconsin Department Of Justice Response
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In response to the March 25, 1999 van roll over that killed 7 kids and maimed 5 for life:
See: Janesville Wisconsin Van Roll Over March 25, 1999 See: Dedicated Memorial.org The Wisconsin Department of Justice issued the following statement: Wisconsin DOJ on Traveling Sales Crews |
How Do I Contact My Attorney General Office To File A Complaint Or Report Fraud
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Use the following links to contact your Attorney General: National Association of Attorneys General http://www.naag.org List AG by State: http://www.naag.org/attorneys_general.php |
What Legislation Should I be Aware Of
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One of the greatest and most serious problems related to the 'traveling door to door sales' industry
is the fact that as of August 17, 2008 there is no state of federal law regulating the daily operations
of door to door sales companies across the country. This allows the door to door sales companies to flaunt
law enforcement at all levels. The sad fact is that on a daily basis hundreds if not thousands of labor, civil,
and human rights violations are being committed against young door to door sales agents. Coupled with this sad fact
is the increased and devastating crime that is devouring families. It is a known fact that door to door sales compaines
employ convicted felons and dangerous individuals with outstanding warrants. This continued practice of irresponsible
hiring practices is not controlled or regulated at any level. The consequences of this are sales fraud, burgularies,
assaults, sexual assaults, rapes, and murders against homeowners. Over the years several attempts have been made to pass legislation that would address and resolve many of the on-going crimes and labor issues: http://www.parentwatch.org/legislation.html http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/federal.html http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/wisconsin legislation 2006.html http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/wisconsin legislation 2007.html Unfortunately for everyone the above legislation, both state and federal, has never been enacted into law. Legislation that was intentionally designed to protect young sales agents, kids, and homeowners from the continued crimes that infest this immoral and corrupt industry. How could this happen and why would anyone want to interfere with legislation that would save human life? The answer may be found by looking at the large multi-billion dollar a year companies, trade groups, and corporations that do everything in their power to defuse and destroy this legislation. These greedy money hogs are not concerned in the least that occasionally a kid or homeowner is raped or murdered or that seven kids are killed in a van roll over while selling their products. These unfortunate incidences are looked upon by the corporate heads, owners, and CEO's as collateral damage and the price of doing business for a profit. Profits soaked in the blood of our children. The following Compaines and trade groups have actively fought against both state and federal legislation: Direct Selling Association http://www.dsa.org Kirby Vacuum http://www.kirby.com National Field Selling Association http://www.nfsa.com Lobbying against legislation and representing Members of the NFSA. Lobbying against legislation and representing the best interests of: Magazine Publishers of America and their associated members and magazine publishers: http://www.magazine.org Southwestern company http://www.southwestern.com Research the Southwestern Company: Southwestern Company Research |
Names Of Publishers, Clearinghouses, Door to Door Sales Companies and Crews
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List Companies |
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Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
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Main Index Site Map Door To Door Criminal Profiles Magazine Scams And Rip Offs Wanted |
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Return To Home Page FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TRAVELING SALES CREWS: Parent Watch || MagCrew || Dedicated Memorial Cagey Consumer Youth Field Sales Alert Disclaimer || Contacts || Site Map Introduction || Public Warning And Help Links Copyright ©2002-2008 Dedicated Memorial Parents Group
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