Hamden Company May Be Preying On Job Seekers

Connecticut’s job market is tough enough without companies using “help wanted” ads to prey on people who are looking for legitimate work. The Better Business Bureau checked into the business dealings of a Hamden-based company called Advanced Safety Solutions LLC, due to an influx of inquiry and complaint activity.

The company has locations in Hamden, Berlin-Kensington, Farmington, and a newly opened office in Warwick, R.I.

Advanced Safety Solutions is placing “help wanted” ads online and in newspapers throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts. The company is promising paid training and tantalizing salaries for people to become “office managers.”

To date, the Connecticut Better Business Bureau has received more than 500 calls from people inquiring about the company. Callers who have been hired by Advanced Safety Solutions state that the company generally hires everyone, approximately 20–30 people per week.

Callers also state that the company requires all new hires to pay a $75 nonrefundable background check fee and a $95 fire safety kit fee, which is to be refunded after the trainee becomes an “office manager.” Callers report that Advanced Safety Solutions has extensive training sessions, with incentive programs, that meet daily and a special training session every Saturday that is run by “Mr M,” Mark Mingolo, regional vice president.

Callers informed the BBB that in order to advance through the training to become an “office manager” earning $4,000–$5,000 per month, they are required to sell fire safety equipment kits (including HalonX or Halon 1211 fire extinguishers) to family, friends, and neighbors.

Some callers claimed to have already purchased $1,400 worth of product. Several callers have voiced concerns regarding nonpayment of monies due for training, and delay in delivery or nondelivery of the merchandise, while others expressed concerns about having to use their social security numbers as their rep identification numbers on sales receipts.

When asked by the BBB, callers have stated that they are collecting sales tax on the products being sold. According to information obtained by the BBB from the State of Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, Advanced Safety Solutions has not obtained the proper Sales & Use Tax Permit that is required to sell products in Connecticut; therefore, the company is not permitted to collect sales tax.

As for the Halon fire extinguishers...reportedly, Halon is a substance that, when released into the atmosphere, depletes the ozone; therefore, its release is only permitted in the case of an emergency. Callers have informed the BBB that the Halon extinguishers are routinely used for demo purposes during training sessions and are encouraged to be used during sales presentations.

Reportedly, Advanced Safety Solutions is fulfilling some fire safety kit orders. The company is using DHL ground services to make those deliveries.

According to a DHL representative, these fire extinguishers are not properly marked for shipping.

According to Better Business Bureau reports, Mark Mingolo previously was the president of several other companies making identical offerings. These companies include: Executive Safe Life of New York and New Jersey; Safety Technology, LLC of Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina; Executive Plus, Inc d/b/a Unique World Wide Services of Tennessee and Alabama; and, Unique Worldwide Services, Inc of Alabama and Georgia.

Advanced Safety Solutions promotes that it intends to open 500 offices nationwide.

For a report on Advanced Safety Solutions, call the Better Business Bureau at 203-269-2700, extension 2, or check the “company report” section on the BBB’s website at www.ctbbb.org.

The Better Business Bureau asks that individuals with complaints or concerns about Advanced Safety Solutions contact the BBB’s Investigation Hotline at 203-269-2700, extension 128, or file a complaint with the BBB online at www.ctbbb.org.