QuickBook Nationwide Worldwide (qbnw.com)
Consumer Inquiry
This company says they have been in business since 1973 with affiliates throughout 61 countries. They promise to pay entire cost of printing Zed Cards (composites) and express them to clients (around $23 each). They charge 10% commission on each booking. The letter I received states:
"We can not however invest our money in people that may leave a major client waiting - not show up at all! Normally (to insure that you will in fact show up to job offers and will represent our agency with high standards at auditions) you pay $33 per month paid yearly in advance, $396. We have found that models and actors are far more likely to be sincere and serious about showing up to clients when they have something invested. We are in our 31st year of referring talent to over 7800 companies. We simply can not afford to have a hiring client drop us due to one bad model or actor.
Right now, as an on-line applicant we will
pay 1/2 of your 1st year:
1/2 off Winter Special Ends 3/23/04
Plus QBNW offers a written guarantee if you earn under $1000, QB will pay the cost for a 2nd year.
After calling the company for more information, I was told that I could pay the $198 in 2 payments and it's a one-time fee, which cancels the promise to sign you for another year at no charge. Is this legit? Can and do companies charge an insurance fee like this?
I've searched the web for information about this company with no luck. I did find a "resolved" complaint with the BBB but it gave no specifics and it said the customer was not satisfied with the conclusion. Can you refer me somewhere or tell me if you have heard anything?
Reply
Why should they get insurance but you get nothing? This is not how it works. Look at other modeling company websites, call different agencies, and see if you can find one other company which does what QBNW does. It is certainly not an industry standard.
It looks too much like emodel and Pro Images Studios. They both charged upfront fees and said if you weren't satisfied, you could get extra time with their service or whatever free. That's not good enough. Consumers who paid got nothing and didn't get their money back.
Notwithstanding how long QBNW have been in business, or the number of jobs they *claim* they have got models, although those numbers have not been verified, there is too much potential money involved in their arrangement not to be highly suspicious. For every 1,000 people who sign up, $396,000 lines their pockets. For what?
Most agencies do not take out the QBNW "insurance policy." They interview the potential models and determine if they are responsible. The model commits in a contract to show up when called to an audition. Then they take a risk.
The QuickBook Nationwide arrangement is weighted for QBNW and against models. It is not an equal arrangement. They want you to take the risk, not them. They want to have insurance but they offer you no insurance.
The only way this could possibly be fair is if the models are offered in writing a full money-back guarantee if they fulfill their obligations as stated in a contract.
Their upfront fee amounts to a registration fee. Any required fee before you get work is a registration fee. Many states ban upfront fees, because what happened was consumers would pay upfront fees, then not get work, and never see their money again.
