HO Neglect: My Experience with a Terminated Consultant - Can I Just Gripe?

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Discussion Overview

The thread centers around participants expressing their frustrations regarding communication from Home Office (HO) when a consultant is terminated. Several users share personal experiences related to the lack of notification about the status of their recruits and the challenges this poses for their roles as consultants.

Discussion Character

  • Opinion-based
  • Anecdotal
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, expresses frustration over not being contacted by HO regarding a terminated consultant, relying instead on their director for information.
  • Another participant shares their experience of feeling excluded from communications, noting that Future Directors (FDs) receive limited notifications.
  • Several users mention that it would be beneficial for FDs to be cc'd on communications related to their recruits to better support them.
  • One participant highlights the importance of being informed about changes in recruit status, sharing a personal experience of discovering a recruit's leave status only through their IPT.
  • Another participant acknowledges the legal complexities involved, suggesting that while some information may need to be withheld, basic notifications could still be provided.
  • One participant recounts a similar experience with a terminated consultant, noting the challenges faced in obtaining information from HO during that time.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need for better communication from HO regarding the status of consultants, particularly for those in recruiting roles. However, there are differing views on the extent of information that should be shared, with some acknowledging legal and ethical considerations.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects personal experiences and frustrations related to communication practices within the consultant community, particularly concerning the handling of consultant terminations and the impact on recruitment efforts.

Who May Find This Useful

This thread may be of interest to consultants who are involved in recruiting and wish to understand the shared concerns regarding communication from Home Office during consultant terminations.

AJPratt
Silver Member
Messages
6,674
Let me just run something by ya'll/gripe... I had a consultant who fell into some financial problems, which I am still not sure of what happened. What I do know is that HO terminated her. From what I heard, she would collect money from her shows and (I think) her husband would just see money in her account and take it, leaving nothing to pay for the products. From what I understand, she never did "pay" for the products but HO fulfilled the orders. For the record, of course, I think what she did was wrong.

Anyway, this is my gripe: Through this entire ordeal, I was never contacted once by HO. MY director received ALL communications regarding this. I am fortunate because my dir did the best she could to keep me in the loop, but she is ridiculously busy and some of it fell through the cracks--not really her fault. Ultimately, I learned the girl was termed through my IPT. How does PC expect consultants to work on promoting, learning how to encourage others, and handle situations, if they don't involve those of us who recruit in issues like this? I would like to write an email to HO about this, but I don't know where to begin. I know I am not a director, but if all of my recruits were active at the same time, I would have been a director last year.
 
I understand your frustration! I, too, think it would be nice if HO would include us in some of that communication. I know that once you achieve FD, you receive some, but not all of the notification.

You're not alone in feeling this way!
 
That stinks, Anne! But how nice that HO honored the orders and sent products to the customers. I agree - FD's should be at least carbon copied on communication like that with the affected Director.
 
chefann said:
That stinks, Anne! But how nice that HO honored the orders and sent products to the customers.

I agree - FD's should be at least carbon copied on communication like that with the affected Director.

I definitely second that one - It's hard for us to help if we don't know what's going on.
 
chefann said:
That stinks, Anne! But how nice that HO honored the orders and sent products to the customers.

I agree - FD's should be at least carbon copied on communication like that with the affected Director.
ITA! I'm FD and did not receive inactive notice for one of my team members but I got a foward email from my Dir. It would be nice to be CC'd!:(
 
I also think that recruiters should be cc'd on the emails sent to the consultant and the director. My director has never met most of my recruits and doesn't always send me the emails so that I can work with them. I keep a very close eye on my IPT and talk to my recruits as much as possible so can stay in the loop.
 
I have to address the flip-side although I THOROUGHLY understand your frustration. Directors have signed an additional agreement above and beyond the consultant agreement. Also, in this case, it is potentially a legal matter too and much more personal. I understand the caution.There is hopefully some middle-ground where they can notify you of status only or that SOMETHING is under investigation without saying what.I don't believe they should be disclosing all the information if you are not a Director. We have to understand the business and legal side of it and also remember AJ, you are one of the RESPONSIBLE Future Directors and Consultants. You care about your recruits and what is happening and will treat the information right. Many FDs out there may not.
 
Also would like to add...I think all recruiters should be notified of potential inactive status of their recruits. (Separate from this specific issue).
 
ITA, Janet. Inclusion on a CC: would be too much info, but SOME notification would be helpful. One of my recruits submitted a request for leave last month, and I wouldn't have known about it, except that I saw her status on my IPT change from A to L. Heck, for all I know, it had been L for a week before I noticed it. :rolleyes: But that affects my goal of promoting, since now she doesn't count toward my 5 necessary to promote (must be active). A very brief "your consultant is now on leave" note would have been very appreciated.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #10
It would have been nice to get a notice saying "We are having trouble processing a show. Could you reach out to xxxxxxx?" Or a phone call, or something. I mean, I had the girl's cell number that no one else has. I think I might have been able to help. I mean, she doesn't know the HO or really my dir, but she knows me. I could have stopped by her house at least.

And, fwiw, as far as legal things with a director, I know some that have serious ethics issues.

Now that I think about it, tt would be nice to get some sort of warning on any kind of change of status.
 
AJPratt said:
It would have been nice to get a notice saying "We are having trouble processing a show. Could you reach out to xxxxxxx?" Or a phone call, or something. I mean, I had the girl's cell number that no one else has. I think I might have been able to help. I mean, she doesn't know the HO or really my dir, but she knows me. I could have stopped by her house at least.

And, fwiw, as far as legal things with a director, I know some that have serious ethics issues.

Now that I think about it, tt would be nice to get some sort of warning on any kind of change of status.

I agree and wish those were reported and corrected as much as something like this.

It is hard I'm sure to 'police' a bunch of "self-employed" consultants. They can only address what they know about.

Write a nice letter about your concerns. Like I said, I agree on the notice of status change would be nice.
 
As a FD - I agree - We should be CC'd on all that has to do with our personal recruits AND that of our downlines.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #13
janetupnorth said:
I agree and wish those were reported and corrected as much as something like this. It is hard I'm sure to 'police' a bunch of "self-employed" consultants. They can only address what they know about.
janetupnorth said:
Directors have signed an additional agreement above and beyond the consultant agreement. Also, in this case, it is potentially a legal matter too and much more personal. I understand the caution.

I was referring to the above statement, about directors being privy to something like this because of the additional agreement they sign. I'm just saying that PC wouldn't tell me, the recruiter, about this situation but some director (who isn't a good director) would know more about the situation than I would (the person most likely to be able to fix it) because they signed an agreement.
 
I have had a consultant get terminated for basically the same thing. I have to add that there are some really big cracks that these people sometimes fall through at the HO level too. It was right before I promoted and I was pulling my hair out trying to get them to actually do the termination, but I couldn't get much info because I was only a FD at the time. As it turns out, this same consultant was on my "we want you back" report just a month or two ago. Go figure!
 
ShanaSmith said:
I have had a consultant get terminated for basically the same thing. I have to add that there are some really big cracks that these people sometimes fall through at the HO level too. It was right before I promoted and I was pulling my hair out trying to get them to actually do the termination, but I couldn't get much info because I was only a FD at the time. As it turns out, this same consultant was on my "we want you back" report just a month or two ago. Go figure!

I'd write to HO about the one or tell your upline to talk to them about it. As far as I understood if PC terminated you for a serious violation, your SS# was flagged so you couldn't become a consultant again. If that is true, then that same "flag" should apply to when they do these reports.

I know it is hard to keep track of all of us, but I agree there is much room for improvement!
 
I think the recruiters should get some sort of info...one of my recruits went inactive and I didn't know until she was removed from my list. As far as legal matters are concerned I would think that disclosing information such as "this consultant is taking orders and spending the money on herself" situations would be confidential information between HO and the actual consultant. I would think the only info that could be passed to anyone is "this consultant is on leave until further notice" or something similar. We sign a contract with HO and the things we do or do not do is between us and HO not our recruiter or director. I hope this is coming out right and not sounding hostile or silly. I just think that there are some legal reprecusions in this somewhere...as far as privacy issues go.
 
I was surprised when I logged onto CC yesterday - there are some new Fture DIrecotr reports that weren't there, before.
 
I would have to agree with all of you. I just promoted to Director, but the status still hasn't changed on the computer so I do not have access to anything yet....so frustrating. Anyway, I needed to find a hospitality director for one of my consultants and wasn't able to because I was not listed as a Director. Then one of my consultants got their show placed on hold because a CC was declined, I had no clue until my director contacted me. Luckily I have an awesome director so I am always in the loop on everything. I could not imagine having a bad director. That would really suck!!!

Maybe if we all write the home office they will listen and allow FD to get some info, at least a general email, telling us to contact our consultant to find out more or something. Just my thought.
 
they will listen and allow FD to get some info

I think they should email the same stuff to any recruiter, not just FDs.
FD is when 2 recruits are signed.

If I've signed one person, I need to know their status, duh.
 
Last edited:
You do know their status and what they submit if you care to look at your IPT.AJ is talking about a little more than that and some earlier warning.
 
AJ, are you able to contact the hostesses and get their info to help w/ the "bad vibes" that are now out there?

This situation happened w/ a consultant in my area before I signed and when I did sign I didn't know about it. I was having a tough time getting bookings and even customers, most people "had a bad experience" and wouldn't give more info.

Well since I wasn't aware and my director wasn't aware she helped me to get in contact w/ this former PC person to get leads, unknowning of the situation until her director said STOP CALLING HER NOW and told us of the situation.

Once I was aware of the situation, everything started to make sense. It took me a full YEAR to rebuild the reputation for PC b/c of what she had done and now it is much better and I have a good client base.

While her scenario wasn't quite the same, no one knows why she was pocketing the money, and she wasn't giving ANYONE a receipt so hostess's didn't even know who ordered what, It was such a bad situation. But PC corrected it the best they could.

There was a lot of hard work on my end to get people to trust a PC consultant. I mean the woman did a fundraiser for the Special Olympics and never turned it in on top of a show hosted by her best friend.

It is such an unfortunate situation you are now put in and I wish you the best.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #22
Chris, I don't know who the people were, or if there is a way to get a hold of them. I would like to help, but it has been a bit since this happened.

kspry said:
they will listen and allow FD to get some info

I think they should email the same stuff to any recruiter, not just FDs.
FD is when 2 recruits are signed.

If I've signed one person, I need to know their status, duh.
Kaye, I COMPLETELY agree! Knowing the status after everything has happened (the term.) is useless. I think once a consultant starts recruiting, that person is saying to PC "Yes, I want to be involved in the development of new consultants--good or bad." I can understand PC not disclosing all of the details (for whatever reason, legal or not), but I think a familiar, friendly face (me) might have made a difference. I mean, I would explain an embarrassing situation to someone I know before some complete stranger. On the flip side, when my newest consultant makes the smallest accomplishment, I get an an email. Why doesn't it work both ways? If they tell me the good, they should at least let me know about the "bad".

And, fwiw, my initial post has nothing to do with the We Want You Back report. This is something that happened before the report came out.
 
Oh and I forgot to say. I agree w/ the recruiter should be included on ALL email contact w/ home office that they would send to the director. It would help alot. I live 2 hours from my director and am friends with my recruits. My director has to send me the information and I have to talk to my recruits and then get back to my director still. Such a pain.
 
AJPratt said:
Chris, I don't know who the people were, or if there is a way to get a hold of them. I would like to help, but it has been a bit since this happened.


Kaye, I COMPLETELY agree! Knowing the status after everything has happened (the term.) is useless. I think once a consultant starts recruiting, that person is saying to PC "Yes, I want to be involved in the development of new consultants--good or bad." I can understand PC not disclosing all of the details (for whatever reason, legal or not), but I think a familiar, friendly face (me) might have made a difference. I mean, I would explain an embarrassing situation to someone I know before some complete stranger. On the flip side, when my newest consultant makes the smallest accomplishment, I get an an email. Why doesn't it work both ways? If they tell me the good, they should at least let me know about the "bad".

And, fwiw, my initial post has nothing to do with the We Want You Back report. This is something that happened before the report came out.


this is a really good point and I think you should say as much to HO.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #25
Thanks for all of your feedback. I will put together some sort of letter.
 
How did you word it? I think I'll write them, too.

My director is completely useless, and I'd like to steer my recruits away from her. She gets their reports, not me.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #27
Hi, Kay... I haven't sent it yet. I have been busy with the cafe, but I will send it soon.
 
AJPratt said:
Let me just run something by ya'll/gripe... I had a consultant who fell into some financial problems, which I am still not sure of what happened. What I do know is that HO terminated her. From what I heard, she would collect money from her shows and (I think) her husband would just see money in her account and take it, leaving nothing to pay for the products. From what I understand, she never did "pay" for the products but HO fulfilled the orders. For the record, of course, I think what she did was wrong.

Anyway, this is my gripe: Through this entire ordeal, I was never contacted once by HO. MY director received ALL communications regarding this. I am fortunate because my dir did the best she could to keep me in the loop, but she is ridiculously busy and some of it fell through the cracks--not really her fault. Ultimately, I learned the girl was termed through my IPT. How does PC expect consultants to work on promoting, learning how to encourage others, and handle situations, if they don't involve those of us who recruit in issues like this? I would like to write an email to HO about this, but I don't know where to begin. I know I am not a director, but if all of my recruits were active at the same time, I would have been a director last year.

Hi Anne,
just wanted to see how things were going at the coffee shop? Hope all is well!
 
I was just thinkg about Anne yesterday....how is everything going?????
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HO Neglect in the context of Pampered Chef?

HO Neglect refers to the perceived lack of support or attention from the Home Office (HO) towards consultants, particularly those who feel abandoned or unsupported after a consultant's termination. This can lead to frustrations among current consultants who may feel that their concerns are not being addressed adequately.

Can I share my negative experiences with a terminated consultant?

Yes, you can share your experiences, but it's important to do so in a constructive manner. Focus on your feelings and observations rather than making personal attacks. Sharing your story can help others understand the challenges faced within the direct sales environment.

What should I consider before expressing my grievances publicly?

Before expressing your grievances, consider the potential impact on your reputation and relationships within the Pampered Chef community. Ensure that your comments are respectful and factual, and think about whether your concerns can be addressed through official channels rather than public forums.

How can I address my concerns about HO Neglect effectively?

To address your concerns about HO Neglect, consider reaching out directly to your upline or the Home Office. Provide specific examples of your experiences and suggest ways they could improve support for consultants. Constructive feedback is more likely to be taken seriously than complaints alone.

Is it common for consultants to feel neglected by the Home Office?

Yes, it is not uncommon for consultants to feel neglected, especially during times of change or when they encounter challenges. However, experiences vary widely among consultants, and many find adequate support and resources available to them. Open communication can help bridge any gaps in support.

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