Agave Mountain

We got these too! It really does look like an official government or tax document or something like that. I looked into it because I was really concerned about it. Turns out you can buy them from lots of places, not just them as they would lead you to believe! Glad to know you can get these for free. Even if I wanted one of these all in one posters and was willing to pay for it, I sure wouldn't buy from those guys! Thanks for your post!

Hi,
I received this one too. 'As a registered employer you must....'.

I am not even a registered employer. They've just digged up my company name from somewhere (probably from one of the free magazine databases).

They really did their best using terms like 'fines up to 17.000$','this attorney-approved poster','save 40% of wall-space','Space-Saver-1 (tm) All-On-One-State and Federal Labor Law Poster'.

And, of course, the 'We Pay The Fine' Reimbursement Guarantee.

We got one too !
March 27, 2007

A year later and nothing has changed.

In the 8 years I have been with my company, I never received a notice of compliance so I thought it strange that I would receive one this year. When I received the FINAL NOTICE with all their OSHA (it's the law) and Fair Labor Standards Act Notice with a $17,000 fine verbage, I sent in my $45.90. Today I received a call from them stating that I needed to send in another $118.00 for another government required poster. That's when I went online and discovered it was a scam. I called my bank immediately and put a stop payment on the check which, thankfully, has not cleared our account.

I was just "bullied" by them too. After telling them that my payroll company was taking care of these updates they told me that they had additional info that we needed. they just sent me some info and a bill for $175!! Does anyone know what will happen if we don't pay them?

Oh common!!!It's just a piece of paper. It's just a mailer. The letter is intended for EMPLOYERS, if you receive it and you are not an employer then simply use your common sense and throw the letter away since it does not pertain to you. Why do you waste your time complaining about it? Learn how to read and understand.My husband got one too and just simply ignored it and he has a business. They're other things to do out there.

I don't think anybody is really paying attention here. It's NOT a SCAM. The reality is if your not compliant then you leave yourself open to fines that YES can be up to $17,000 PER VIOLATION stated by law. That is the truth!!! What you're seeing is aggressive marketing not false advertising. If this was really a scam why does almost every legitimate business out there that has employee's religiously have these posters on their break room walls? I know several corporations that have internal auditors check their facilities and make sure they have the most up to date and compliant posters. It's that serious of a matter.

Is it possible you may be compliant? Sure! Is it possible that you think your compliant and not? Yes! Can you get this information from your state department for free? Sure! Are they going to keep you up to date when changes are made. Definitely not unless you contact them first. Could your employees rat you out? Yes! Would they? I'm not sure but the last I remember we live in a law suit happy world where people with no life are always looking for an opportunity to make their selves bigger than what they are.

Every employer knows the difficulties in finding good, hard working, honest, and loyal employees. Of course the reality of the actual number of employees going into the work place and making sure your compliance posters are compliant is probably slim I do know there are always people trying to sue their employers for something done against them. Of course when it comes time for legal action their lawyers can and more than likely will pull you apart and check that information. So when in front of a judge or jury their lawyer is going to show your carelessness, and lack of ability to do the right thing. This will only further validate their point that you (the employer) does not do the right thing making the reality of a $100k law suit more real and now obligating you up to $17,000 (per violation) in fines from the state and federal government also. Aside from lawyer fees, at a minimum you could of avoided at least $17k in fees and depending on the suit perhaps an additional $100k or more.

As far as getting this information from the state, yeah you can get it for free but do you know where to look? Do you know who exactly to speak to at the department of labor and what to ask for? Can you trust that person? Do they know all the laws and recent changes? From my own experience dealing with any government regulated agency they could care less. They're state workers...might as well call their selves a union. They work on their schedule and sorry to say it's not yours. They are just handing you the information that was handed to them. I can barely recall any body that I have ever know to have a state job and really care about customer service and having the dedication to understand their job as a leader and reputable source. Companies like this make it their job to provide you (the employer) with the most up to date and accurate information while guaranteeing their work and paying any fines due to their works mistakes. I find it more of a service to have a "All-in-One" poster with all the necessary information that is pertinent to my company, in my state, in my industry instead of having ten separate pages stapled to my wall. I will gladly pay the $50 and if during the year there are changes to the law it's nice to know that someone will contact me and offer me an update that only cost $10-15. Do you really expect with all your tax dollars you pay the state is going to contact you and take care of you? Think again and come out from under that rock and join the rest of us.

So what does this all mean? It's insurance on your company's well being. It doesn't cover everything (fire, theft, tornado etc.) but I much rather pay a couple hundred dollars a year to keep my self out of paying the state and federal governments/agencies thousands of dollars in fines. I'm speaking from experience. I had to deal with this before and it cost me a lot of time and money that could of been spent on more important things i.e. taking care of my family (which is first) and growing my business. Had I done my homework life would of been easier. I got my compliance posters but I didn't get them from Personnel Concepts and that ended up being part of my problem. They didn't keep me up to date and after doing some research they weren't even up to date or compliant. What I also found out was out of all the companies that provide compliance assistance Personnel Concepts was the best source. They were the pioneers of the All-in-One and Space Saver compliance posters. They started this industry of posters and are definitely a dedicated source that has some of the best customer service out there for this industry. I use them now. I like the convenience of having a one stop informative source for my business needs...and my time is important. I do agree their advertising sometimes is a bit aggressive however we all get junk in our mail. So stop being a baby and do what most people do...throw it away...if you really don't care about your business.

It's funny...how we never think about insurance or how we need it until it happens to us. Good luck finding the truth however, in the mean time I'm not going to take a chance again...besides the fines are written in law in black and white.

To the person who posted on July 23, 2008...How long have you worked for Personnel Concepts? I just got one of these mailers and, yes, it is advertising but it is made to look as official as possbile and is clearly a ploy to get people to pay for something they can easlity take care of themselves. If you don't have a payroll company, look at this website...its free. http://www.dol.gov/osbp/sbrefa/poster/matrix.htm

p

I faxed a copy of the mailed items to the Police Investigation Department of Ontario California where this originated. They are interested and investigating now. It may end up being legal to sell things given free by the government but it is just plain dishonest business using intimidation to make unsuspecting people buy into it. I am not a business owner and received their letter anyway. I also submitted a complaint to the Better Business Bureau of California. This kind of sales tactic needs to stop and people need to know.

All you people are a bunch of babies. If you get something you don't like whats so hard about throwing it away in the trash. I guess wasting more of your so-called valuable time on trash is more important than taking care of your business.

I agree with the previous poster. I am more concerned about huge government bailouts that reward incompetence and mismanagement than a company who sells state and labor law posters.

I am a paralegal and in my opinion this company provides a service that some businesses would rather pay for than to spend the time researching themselves. You can wash your car for free but there are still carwashes who will do it for you for a price. Is that a scam too??? There are many legal issues surrounding employment law that companies such as this one take the time to research on a regular basis and keep their customers up to date. Large companies employ a full staff of HR personnel just to make sure that they are in compliance. Smaller companies would do well to pay the small fee that companies such as Personnel Concepts charges to avoid incurring large penalties.

I am a small employer and received this notice too, but it was clear to me that it was not coming from a government agency. I read the advertisement, but instead of running out of my office in a panic after seeing the words "Final Notice", I chose to do a little research of my own. I'm acually happy I received it, because it prompted me to look into their claims, and as it turned out, I had been out of compliance for some time. I ended up spending way too much time researching all of this on my own, so I contacted them and had a pleasant experience. I was not sold anything I didn't want, and I now have piece of mind that I'm totally legit.

If the person that posted in June works for Personnel Concepts then so be it...It only makes a stronger case for buying from them because that person knows what they are talking about. That is the kind of company that I'd want to do business with.

My husband, who is a small business owner, received one of these and it didn't freak him out. He knew it was advertisement, but it got him to thinking that he needed to get something posted to cover his bases with his employees. Works great!

No matter what the benefits of a company like Personnel Concepts may be, by sending out bullying and purposely frightening letters to scam people into buying from them says more about the kind of company they are and the kind of people they employ. How do you sleep at night knowing you spent your day scaring people and taking advantage of the uninformed. Why not send out a letter advertising their wares and tell what that advantages are of doing business with them, instead of harrassing the unexpecting. It is wrong, dead wrong to do business in this way.

Read the back of the mailer and it says, "Notices are available FOR FREE from the government." What they are selling are "All-On-One" Posters and protection against any DOL disputes. I do agree that the advertising is a bit misleading, but take the opportunity to become versed in the labor laws and requirements. Any business owner should have already done their due diligence and this should be nothing new to them.

Perhaps someone should be scared if they are uniformed. If I take my car to the mechanic and he says something needs to be replaced then I need to be able to trust his/her reputation and take action as he see's necessary to prevent further problems. However I can go teach myself how to fix my own car and save some money but I don't have the time or patience. I much rather pay a professional. If I don't change the oil when recommended I definitely could be causing damage to what is for most people their second most valuable possession they own next to their home. How much is your business worth to you?

My point is it's not a scam. Just because it scares the uninformed does not mean it's a scam. People pay for services and products all the time that they can get for free or do their selves. I wouldn't call it bullying but creative marketing with a true message. Really if it was the government that sent that message you wouldn't have time to react so stop your belly aching.

That's true...it does say those posters can be obtained from the government for free. How come no one ever mentions that. I was about to say something bad against them but I have no right. I didn't read and they clearly state it. I guess people are quicker to judge than they are at reading first. What a shame. I guess you can't blame Personnel Concepts. After all it's not there fault people are uniformed.

State and federal labor law posters are in the public domain, like most everything the government publishes. This company can do whatever they want with them. They put them all on one poster and sell it, along with the guarantee and all that jazz. I kinda wish I would have thought of doing it myself. I paid the 40 bucks and other than dealing with a crafty sales rep who tried to sell me other stuff, I had an okay experience.

To the guy who posted a link to the DOL website, that's not everything you need to post. That's just the federal stuff. I started my business a year ago, and I downloaded stuff from the DOL, then I found out I had to post state posters as well. I tried to research it, but I couldn't figure out exactly what I needed. These government websites are hard to navigate through. I just got a mailer from personnel concepts, and I'm thinking about buying. Reading over everyone's comments, I don't think it's a scam.

I got this letter too. First time, I threw it out without another notice. When I got the second one saying Final Notice, I took another look and quickly googled it and found this site.

it is obvious deceptive marketing. there's a difference between deceptive marketing and aggressive marketing. I'll report it to the BBB too and let them decide if it's "aggressive or deceptive".

By the looks of it, it looks like the owner/employees of PersonalConcepts.com is taking a lot of time to write numerous comments defending their letter. Most of the comments are condensing to the recipients and I wish they would put as much time into changing their letter as they do the comments on this blog.

Can someone please describe aggressive marketing and deceptive marketing and provide an example as it relates to personnel concepts. It would be nice to know what both sides (pro's & anti's)think the differences are in aggressive and deceptive marketing. Please help!?!?

I don't trust the BBB. I have yet to see their purpose. Over the last 15 years I have been business I have had fifty or so complaints against my business (all of which have been resolved) but according to the BBB I'm a bad company. Then again I file a complaint with the BBB against a company as a private party and just because they respond the BBB says the complaint is resolved. I don't understand. Personally, I think it's ones own opinion.

In response to the previous poster if you disclose who you are then it can't be deceptive. Does Personnel Concepts do that? I found the company by natural search and found Personnel Concepts to be much more professional than other companies. That's just my opinion.

I have never received the "Final Notice" so I can't say anything about it. I do know that I have had a good professional experience with Personnel Concepts. My company requires me to have all my OSHA and Labor Posters up and current. If I don't it counts against me in my audits and can affect me getting my bonus around 50k at the years end. I have seen OSHA inspectors fine other company locations but luckily not mine. Though I have never seen any labor fines yet. Regardless its a something that needs to be done and I don't have the time to worry about that. I'm all about being effcient and personnel concepts provides a great product and service.

It sounds like most of the negative posters are small business owners that don't have enough business and to much time to look up current posters on the DOL website. Maybe thats why they're a small business still.

I am former employee of Personnel Concepts who laid off 2 months ago. I do agree the words on the maiers "Final Notice" are misleading' it is used for the deadline of the free item (poster, etc. I tis true that all employers who have one or more non family paid employees need to post their federal & state labor laws. I am not taking any sides. When business owners had called the company, I have told them what the law was to the posting requirements & also to let business owners know that Peronnel Concepts supply a all in one poster that have the specific posting requirements for their state as well the federal laws. If they chose to contact DOL & the State DOL, they would receiving indiviual panels. If you do wish their mailers, you can contact the company directly by mail, fax, email(on their website their is section in which you can you busienss removed on line). Also if you chose to call in the Customer Service Representative who answers the phone has nothing to the content of maiers. I have been yelled,cussed out, & call the "n" word several by customers who received maiers.

Thank you for this website and your guys posted those scam personnel concepts messages, I received them second times, these kind of people they are doing business by threating and harrassing to get money from customer. Too bad, their scenario were too bad as well.

Good god. The last two posters need some help. It sounds like english isn't your first language. I think your problems are bigger than a final notice.

For the person who poted the website address July 23, 2008. Thanks a bunch!

Here it is again! Get your posters for FREE

http://www.dol.gov/osbp/sbrefa/poster/matrix.htm

personnel concepts uses bait and switch tactics.I sent a payment for the poster,then they called to sell another "state poster" for additional money. I told them to cancel my order and refund my payment. over 2 months now with no refund.

I don't own a company and still got one. It doesn't make sense, it doesn't feel right, it should not be this way. It's not a matter of wasting my time, but "come on" - how can I trust in a company that, to start, doesn't know I'm not an employer? Can you imagine if everybody outside starts to "helping you out" offering all kind of "done" services, I mean, you just need to call them and even though you never heard of them they know everything about you and they already have your case open and a confirmation number waiting for you? It's a jungle outside. Good luck to you all.

Obviously you are not a government
agency, you are a store who sells these packages, like Office Max, for example. I totally understand the need for this when appropriate.
However, my little Petey would rather have cat treats than a paycheck.

I am the only employee, I work out of my apartment making crafts. I also end up giving what I make to my friends, so I don't even have an income from it.

I am also on disability and you
scared the,(insert word here)
out of me. Your "officialness"
reminds me of computer scam
letters that say they are from the FBI.

I totally agree that the mailers that are sent out are VERY misleading.. But if you are NOT a business owner, you should obviously disregard the mailer. I actually WORK at Personnel Concepts and we do NOT try to scam people. I don't try to force my customers to buy ANYTHING they don't want to buy. Have you ever been on the OSHA or DOL website? How are you supposed to know WHAT exactly you are required to post? Each state has its own posting requirements and the purpose of compliance is to notify your employees of their rights. If you look on the DOL site, you will see that it says, COMPLIANCE IS THE LAW. Bottom line, if you don't wanna buy, don't buy. It benefits a lot of employers because it saves time and our products provide them with what they need. Water is free, why would you want to buy it? A car wash if free if you do it yourself, so why would you want to pay someone to do it for you?

Personnel Concepts is a legit company. If you wanna research and get your shit for free, go for it. But for a lot of big business owners, its a time saver.

Personal Concepts tactic is to send you shit you didn't order with an official looking invoice. If you are like all busy business owners you don't have time to inspect every invoice. They are banking on the fact that the invoice will be paid before anyone in the company will ask "Who ordered this stuff". Personal Concepts and its employees are as dishonest as they come.

It is obvious that anyone who writes in favor of the ease and convenience of this company works for them. Their tactics are scare tactics and it is NOT that hard to download the free items from your state website. For the person who wrote on May 13 AND identified him or herself as an employee of this renowned company, using vulgar language in a blog and then using your employer's name speaks of the quality of people that they do hire. Report them to the BBB if they harrass you. And DON'T buy their one stop shopping poster. Download what you need for free.

Hey Personnel Concepts employee: Thanks for the vulgar language in defense of your company. Your disgruntled attempt at defending your company's tactics only proves everyone's concerns. Mislead, scare and misinform in order to get someone's money. Hey that's your business. I'm not saying its unlawful, just distasteful.
Your method of marketing doesn't extoll the benefits of your product, it preys on the fear of non-compliance by disguising yourself as one that can enforce it-- a sheep in wolves clothing, if you will...

To the person who posted a very very long explanation.. you dont know what does it feel to received this FINAL NOTICE letters because you're working for them. Because the first time I received this letter I was so shock, we didn't do anything and been receiving a lot of phone calls from them. Finally I found out that this is really a marketing scam. My advise to all DO NOT ORDER YOUR POSTERS FROM PERSONNEL CONCEPTS. You can order your poster from Office Depot or Staples.

You can get these posters for free at your local government labor office. Personal Concepts sells them for a rediculous fee and scares small business owners into thinking they must buy from personal concpets or they will be fined in some way.

I received a phone call from Personnel Concepts saying that they had talked with my boss and that they were "just callling to verify some information." I answered their questions, and then they said they would send me an invoice for $205.00. I thought that seemed awfully expensive for posters that were required by law, but they told me that they my boss had ordered it so I said okay. We received the posters and the invoice a week or two later. My boss saw the invoice and wanted to know why it was so high. We then started talking and we realized we were being scammed. My boss had in fact ordered the Space Saver poster for 19.95 and sent them a check. After doing an internet search for their company, we found this website and luckily we caught this before we paid the 205.00 invoice.

my best friend worked for personnel concepts and sold posters to my mom but was fired for not selling enough according to my friend they actually supply some governmet agencies but those agencies know what actually has to be posted and what you just have to address in some way or another so they just buy what they need i think personnel concepts is good if you think of it as buying a poster with insurance on it since they do actually pay fines then find a way to fire the employee who sent the wrong poster or whatever but bad in the sense that their posters come with annoying letters and phone calls

scam scam scam! I am so glad I google to make sure this indeed is real and legit by THE GOVERNMENT!~

The only thing more annoying than these ridiculous scam letters is the Personnel Concepts business owner pretending to be a disinterested site visitor and trying to shame posters for exposing his disgraceful scam operation. Hey stupid, we know it's you.

Damn, these $H!T$ caught me. There goes my sales

Well it's a shame that a business owner can take the time to hear the importance of being compliant to avoid fines then have the order held for a follow up call to convince me to buy more. This is over kill when does it stop?