01603230202

It's just another dodgy employment Scam.  In Norwich they are calling themselves MG Limited but they were previously advertising themselves as SMS Marketing and they were called SRM marketing before that.  Anyone looking for a job will have seen their advertisements under one of their many aliases.  They can be found festering on many job search sites.  They claim to be a marketing company but are actually just an multi level marketing (pyramid) scam .

http://www.mglimiteduk.co.uk/
http://www.smsmarketinguk.com/contact-us/
http://www.cobra-group.co.uk/

Yes, I agree. So are a company called Morton Solutions who work in the same office block as MGlimited. I previously went through the interview process at MSolutions and the whole thing is basically an elaborate scam. Lucky I cottoned on quick before I I got in too deep.
Morton Solutions website: http://www.mortonsolutionsltd.com/
Their old address is also identical to MGlimited/SMSmarketing's old address if you google: "Morton Solutions: 11 Orford Place, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 3RU" which strikes me as odd.

Yeh I nearly fell for it today, the promise of becoming a manager in 12 months seems dodgy and so did the 9 hour interview I got asked back for, they're now based at 3 merchants court in Norwich which is the same address funnily enough as Morton soloutions

I too was contacted my MG Ltd after spotting them on Edp Jobs 24 - a reputable site or so you would naturally believe I thought. I had previously seen Morton Solutions and thought that looked suspect and steered clear but had not seen MG before so I went to the interview in hope of a new job perhaps.
On arrival I found myself in a well hidden, small dentist waiting room type office which had just two others waiting to be seen. Although it was indeed a bit small and with no signage and a little in need of a paint job I had been in worse. I was then greeted by a leggy Latvian 'secretary' who's patter was that more of a 'gentlemens' club than a professional and clearly there as decoration.
I'd arrived as instructed on the hour but was made to wait thirty minutes as the person ahead of me in smart business dress went in and eventually came out smiling - a good sign perhaps.
Likewise although told it was informal I'd decided to suit up and look smart. I was beginning to wonder why the secretary? As surely just two or maybe there were more before were being seen today.
I was duly called in and greeted by a short, stocky stock-exchange type called Sheridan who I was told was Mr Halls.
He had a cheesy grin I didn't much like and an air of smugness that belied his stature along with a self assurity that I've only come across in Oxbridge types of watching Made In Chelsea - a Spencer type if you will. Nevertheless I've been there before with those types and could handle them being a man of 40.
After a while of him motor-mouthing through the product - LoveFilm, he asked me some simple questions and I was glad he'd stopped talking (at me) as it seemed a touch rehearsed and uninteresting, still I smiled politely and asked the usual relevant questions, pay, history of company, etc and he answered them satisfactorily saying that after a few weeks I would be trained and earning around 20000, I'd fully expected this as the ad had said this and I've been a Project Manager before, I presumed it was the starting wage (I shall never presume again!) as Stephanie (another secretary) had explained my CV was more 'Management material'.
Mr Halls proceeded to show me his business model which seemed fine, in fact I've been presented with similar ones before. Then the meeting ended suitably and I was told to expect a phone call later.
After receiving a successful call I was invited my email to an 'Observation Day' again I've been on these before as a Manager at various retail establishment which is what I was led to believe I was observing - promotions and marketing in a retail field!
The day arrived and I was met at the same office by a plethora of people of say around 30, some of whom were in the next door office which at the time of interview was closed and looked unused, not today. For around 15 minutes we were made to wait as around half the group were being seen by what we were told was a separate company and nothing to do with MG....Morton Solutions - a sign had appeared albeit small and another demur lady was manning their desk this time. My first eyebrow raised ever so slightly and a doubt crept into my head.
I was then called in the office with 2 others and Mr Halls and a young chap called Nick who would be training us today, another eyebrow raised when he was dressed identically to Mr Halls - same paisley tie, tight suit and University hair, think Spencer and Proudlock - same accents too! To my amazement another 4 or 5 mini Mr Halls all around 21 yrs old and same outfits came up the stairs and went into Morton's office - clearly connected then!
Anyhow I went along with it and thought just see what happens, I was there now and I'm a big boy so if I smell a rat...
After being led outside by Nick and his sidekick - a wet behind the ears chap called Steve we went toward the City and it was then we were told we were going on a train to a nearby town and that any questions would be answered whilst we were on the move. Oh I thought.
The other two ladies with me didn't seem to flinch and were at ease with what they were doing and I said ok let's see what the day entails.
On the train Nick continued to flex his brain power and quote from business guru books, explain economic theory and other rubbish but avoided all direct questions about the company instead preferring to talk about LoveFilm, seemed normal you might think.
We arrived at the town and proceeded to our mission - it was only on the way that we were then told we were door knocking and I became unhappy to say the least but still I lingered.
After 2 hours of unsuccessful knocking we retired to a nearby pub where I was treated to a can of coke - no expense spared. Some even took the liberty of asking for crisps.
I was then called by Nick to have a chat - he explained to me the business model and proceeded to write it down except this time it wasn't the same as the one the slimy Sheridan had showed me, I'd seen this type before - a pyramid scam whereby you work on commission virtually for free for a time before moving up but then you get the big money he said - all lies I thought but kept on nodding.
After our stop it was dark and around tea time and having secured no sales in the first part we were to.d this was the best and only time to achieve sales so we walked to the nearby estate once more. Nick became something of an arrogant idiot in this time and although achieved 2 or 3 sales after an hour I'd seen enough and left the group to go home as it clearly was a scam!
A few things I haven't yet mentioned - the agent (Nick) gives you meaningless tasks to door whilst you walk around and spaces you out so you can't confere - it's a tactic so you can't discuss or see him at work - this is in the first part. The second part involves you more and going into homes if invited - on the doorstep he was so pushy yet polite, even trying to get an old lady to find a pen and paper so he could write it down for her - another trick - no clip board so gets invited in - he's got a notepad in his jacket - use that.
I smelt a rat at the offices and as soon as I returned home saw this site - I'm glad I've experienced it but it's a scam that will catch many out as they won't pay you or give a contract - on this site also they are blogging so watch out!
They're smart though and like religious types they prey on the weak and gullible using mind brainwashing games like giving you compliments or getting you talking about yourself , don't be fooled they are wealthy con artists who care not a bean about you or what stands in their way.
I'll be reporting this to the EDP and Trading Standards if I hear from them ever again.

I had an identical experience with the partnering company Morton Solutions. I think it's diabolical they advertise their jobs on reputable job sites under a plethora of names - SALES ASSISTANT/GRADUATE TRAINEE etc. It's no wonder a majority of those seeking jobs - namely graduates who are struggling to find work - get sucked into their slickly written job advertisements. When I received an interview, I was very excited. I traveled a significant distance and attended their interview which was extremely brief - despite not being to many interviews before.

As you point out, the guy who interviewed me - a lackey of Lewis Morton - sounded very rehearsed and avoided any direct questions about the company. I left the interview with my brain trying to absorb a wealth of misdirected information but nervously excited about the phone-call if I made it through to the next stage of interviews. Surprise, surprise the phone-call came at the promised time and I made it through! Hurrah! The receptionist Catherine sounded very pleased for me. So the next day, I dressed to the nine's and headed into Norwich for a full-day interview. Essentially, I thought it would be team-building exercises with other hopeful candidates - how wrong I was. I entered the office and sat down near the receptionist who was constantly calling other people who had applied for their job adverts, with the same rehearsed, honeyed dialogue. After filling in some poorly photocopied documents I was introduced to a team-leader who would be training/interviewing me for the day,

Off we went into the heart of Norwich, and all questions I asked about the company/pay/history were met with the answer "Questions come later at lunch-time." It was only when we stopped walking down some unknown street I realized it was door-knocking. Suppressing my frustration and misgivings, I stuck it out in the merciless heat writing down different types of marketing on my notepad whilst lurking suspiciously around houses as my interviewer worked the field. Lunch-time came and we bought some cans of coke and sat at a pub with our own drinks. Top notch.

Like you, I was given a different breakdown of the company but even with my lack of sales experience, becoming a manager and owning my own company in a year was beyond stupidity. Unnervingly, my "interviewer" zealously believed this "system" and I said multiple times he never wants to work for anyone but himself. Fair enough. At least be realistic here. He was the same age as me,and already thought he was Lord Sugar.

The day came and went, and at 8o'clock I left, tired, hot, and grump - oh and I got the job. At this point, I should have walked out but I had been seeking decent work since graduating and I thought maybe if i worked hard something would come out of it. Until I found out about employment scams and this website. After doing some thorough detective work and research, I found everything I needed to know. Suspicions confirmed.

Armed with this knowledge, I quietly walked into my first day of "work". There was a  lot of noise coming from a room downstairs, which upon entering, was brimmed with salesman role-playing their pitch. I know this is the norm for the sales business but this room had big silver writing on the walls, like the ten-commandments if you will, giving the whole place a very cult-like feel. A meeting commenced and I found out the pay was purely commision which you do for free, discovered it was self-employment and unsociable hours.

I certainly don't fancy organising my own taxes so soon after graduating, especially in a job as seedy as this. Needless to say, I walked out after another day exploiting vulnerable people.

I know this job isn't for everyone, and people can be successful but it makes honest people into liars, condemn your social life, and burn a hole through your wallet with travel expenses. It's not a reliable business and these people know what they do is immoral but it's not necessarily illegal. If more people spread the word, then they can at least be aware of what these companies are like and then the choice is up to them.

More on the Norwich based Cobra scam companies here...
https://whocallsme.com/phone-number.aspx/01603230186

https://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/02072343560/34#p540266187386439532

read this too

They now have a new name Iconic solutions. I did almost fall for this once I too went door knocking for 3 hours but by then my kids were ringing every 5 mins and I had to take a train back to yarmouth because one had to be taken to hospital because she was very ill. the guy was like well if you go dont expect to get a job from us or anything i was like my kids need me.
They are now trying to get me to go to a interview today for iconic solutions. they should be banned from everything papers, internet, working in this country or any other!

also with a new number which is apparently from italy the number is

00393738630445

They are back again under another new name.... AGM the facebook page being AGM Norwich

I've had an experience with these scammers today. Luckily I knew something was up as soon as I got off the phone with them. I applied for a load of jobs on jobs24 and less than an hour later, I received a phone call from 'Iconic Strategies,' inviting for an interview the next day. They are located down St. George's Street, Norwich. Of course because of how quickly this happened, alarm bells rang. I did a quick search. Their website looked well done, and legitimate. So I thought, maybe I will go. I still had a bad feeling so I tried a few more searches then found this. So in return, I sent them a sh*tty email to tell them that basically I wasn't gonna fall for it! and they can forget it. And surprise surprise, not heard a thing back. Stay clear of them. Thought I'd comment so people will know their current name...

Yesterday I had a very unprofessional interview with iconic strategies. Safe to say a few hours later I was offered to attend part two of the interview process. Feeling uneasy about the whole thing, I did some research and came across this! Obviously I didn't attend today. This morning I received a phone call from their receptionist who still avoided my questions about salary, door to door sales and if the job is 100% commission based. Why can't they just be honest!? Thankfully I avoided anymore time with these idiots but are they allowed to advertise an £18000-£22000 salary and completely [***] what the job actually is? Is there anything we can do? I'm pretty annoyed that I wasted my time and travel expense on these clowns. Just to let everyone know the address is Merchants Court, St Georges Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1AB. I received calls from 07876191568 from another company name they are under called North Star acquisitions. Simon Reynolds (manager of iconic strategies) rang me on 07956718118. Ofcourse they will change company names, numbers and addresses so it's good to keep everyone updated! Thank you for this thread and confirming my suspicions before I wasted anymore effort, time and money!

north star acquisitions limited
https://www.kompany.it/p/uk/08936872


http://doortodoortruth.wordpress.com/

I recently applied for a graduate scheme with North Star Acquisitions. I received a phone call telling me that my CV was exceptional and that they would like to see me for a 15 minute get to know each other chat. On arrival to the office I was greeted by a friendly man, I thought it was slightly strange that the office had loud music coming from down stairs and lots of shouting and yelling. In the "chat" a gentleman told me about the scheme and how the role offered plenty of development meaning that I would be an expert within 9-12 months.  I was phoned later that evening telling me I had passed and could I come in for an observation day the next day to which I agreed. I returned to the same office to yet more shouting and whooping, I was asked to go into an office where I was told I had excelled in the interview and I was a strong candidate. The manager who was taking me out for the day told me a little more about the scheme but was very vague and didn't answer questions which I asked, telling me to write them down and ask them later on. We got a bus to somewhere in Norwich where two other members of the team met us, whilst on it the manager talked up marketing theory which was pretty simple stuff but yet again still not really answering my questions. After we got off the bus the manager gave a piece of paper to one of the other staff with a route on it and gave him some words of wisdom to supposedly energise the guy. I started to feel things were not really as I thought they would be, then the manager and the remaining member of the team pulled out bibs with a charities name on them and identification badges and said that we would now be doing laps knocking on peoples doors. This is when I was bombarded with theory about how this direct form of selling was the best way to do things. After a "lap" where we had not signed up no one, the manager told me this was expected as we were knocking on doors of people unemployed. We went and bought lunch and sat in a park where the other members of staff came and gave the manager their figures so far. Staff are not allowed to talk about their figures but what i could work out it stated how many doors you knocked on, how many responses you got, whether or not you got inside the house and if you had signed someone up. After seeing one of the staffs figures the manager gave advice on how to be more friendly and tips on closing deals. I started to feel this wasn't right for me but kept saying that its a career and the development scheme really appealed to me. Loop two was very similar to loop one with people saying they couldn't afford to give money at the moment or even swearing at us. One gentleman seemed interested in the charity and was told that no money would be collected today, this is when the manager used his sales experience and got inside his house and as quickly as that had signed the man up, which i personally didn't feel he actually wanted to do at the time but he was told the opportunity would go if didn't sign up today. Another thing the manager did was suggest to people that their neighbours were very keen on the idea to try and make them feel like they also should, when in reality they hadn't. We had another break again the other staff told the manager their results. Before we started loop three the manager again started motivational advice as this was "the most profitable loop" and how we should not "pound the neighbour but pound the beat". On this lap we were literally running from house to house as it was getting dark and close to eight at night. During the sprints I was asked to write down some answers to questions the manager had set, at times I could barely see the page. After he got inside another house to sign someone up he suggested I waited outside and finished my answers. I finally saw sense whilst contemplating running off but when he came out the house I told him I didnt want to be considered for the job, he put up a little fight and told me about the development again, but I didnt want to be considered for it. This was before i found out that the role would be 100% commission based and not the salarly advertised on the job role (£16000-£22000). After researching companies like this it is clear to me that it is almost a pyramid style company with little chance of progression.

I recently had an experience with Iconic Strategies, i applied after finding myself out of a job, i thought i'd give it a go,
within a day i had a phone call and an interview arranged,
Simon Reynolds, seem to have everything rehearsed, and the receptionist made sure you were at ease, very chatty.

Seemed a little too good to be true but i carried on, and got told i would get a phone call later, and to not let it go on voicemail as they do not like that, i thought that was weird as most companies if they liek you would leave a message, and not judge you on whether you could at that moment answer.

Anyway got invited back, making me feel that no one else was selected, making me feel extremely special,
Got told to attend a observation day the next day,

After arrival i met the people i would be spending the day with, which was this girl that was apparently senior, and two others, one was only on her 3rd day, and she was not allowed to talk to me about the job, which i thought was very strange,

After being expected to get into a strangers car and drive to Downham Market, i sat outside, freezing cold allday, expected to do tasks, to take my mind off what they were doing, When anyone tried to talk to me they got told not to.


If it werent for the fact i was stranded there i would of walked off, However on my return i had to wait another hour for the final interview where i got offered the job, and they told me exactly what the pay was, and i was advised by another member in secret to not take it, so i didnt.


After reading this, it is a scam

Iconic has nothing to do with these other businesses. It has some Amazing people! I built so much confidence and made some awesome money at the same time working there!

I worked there for over 3 months before going back to collage!:) EVENT MARKETING is what they do.

ANYONE can create a blog its called freedom of speech:
(Company Check / Company House an official website)
Iconic has never changed their name since they opened 2013 my dad is a solicitor he checked so can you do your research.

I was representing the British Red Cross, Talk Talk and The British Heart Foundation! Obviously, these clients do extensive research before attaching their names to the service.

It is unfortunate that most people would rather believe anonymous posts on blogs who, by the way, earn their income on attracting people to their site :)

How much is the starting salary please? I really need a job. Are these guys any good? Desperate

went to their interview was sat in the cold and watched 2 people working on commision stopping people in the streets none of the sold anything so worked the whole day for free. definately a scam.

You posted the EXACT same comment on another site that called this company out for being a SCAM. Damage limitation? So transparent. I think all the testimonys given by REAL people show where the truth really lies.

I applied for a marketing assistant job for Iconic Event Strategies on a Sunday night and by 8.30 Monday morning, I had received a TEXT telling me that they were really interested in my CV bla bla bla and to give them a call as they had had a lot of applicants and the interview process was moving quickly. I thought this was a bit odd as I have never received a text from a potential employer. I called back and spoke to a friendly young lady who said she had some interview slots available and which one would I like to have. She also mentioned again that there had been loads of applicants particularly from degree courses like mine. I know for a fact there are very few courses like mine so felt that this was a bit of a lie to make it look like loads of people were applying. So this was an odd experience particularly that she let me pick and interview slot which was on the Wednesday.
I got some emails on what to bring and where to go and turned up for my interview feeling very unprepared as I had not had chance to look a the company in depth due to having another interview the day before. I turned up and it was in what looked like a rundown house in Norwich. There was a tv on and a radio playing loud music with a very chatty receptionist. They had plaques on the wall with big brand names which felt a bit suspicious to me. I went through to my interview with this young guy which was very brief and ran me through a presentation which was so quick I couldn't read it. He stated he was picking 5 people to take through for the next stage of the interviews. I was in there for all of 10 minutes, he asked me no questions about myself particularly so my initial thought was he has already found his 5 final people. I left thinking what the hell was that. I definitely won't get it because he knows nothing about me and we only had a very brief chat. Surprise surprise, I got a call at 5pm saying I was one of the final 5 and that I was invited to the next stage of the interview which was taking place on the NEXT DAY and I would need to bring comfortable shoes to walk in. I accepted being desperate for a job. I really got the feeling something just was off about this company and did some research later that evening. I found this website and once I had registered everything that had happened and how quickly everything was happening, I decided to give the next stage of the interview a miss. I called and emailed and heard nothing back, proving that this company was not professional in the slightest and that I had had a lucky escape.
Whether it is a scam, I am unsure but I do feel that they hide the truth from you. The job I applied for had no salary figure and the website they had was very poorly written stating how great they are but not actually stating how or what they did! (most likely door to door sales). I also noticed that evening that they had numerous different job vacancies open for various different roles which made me wonder whether they have high staff turn over or are expanding. I don't think its the latter! My friend later told me this company had tried to call her numerous times trying to get her to come in for an interview and she also felt there was something dodgy about them!

I believe they probably are a real company but I feel they word things very careful to make the job sound different to what it actually is. I don't know why they feel the need to hide the truth from you but maybe if they were more honest upfront, people would be less likely to brand them as a scam and people might actually take a job with them!