The Standard Design Group Nurseries Reviews

Having a background in hospitality/ travel & no job opportunities during the Covid-19 pandemic I decided to take a chance on a new venture! What a mistake... I started working with the Standard design Group in Dec 2020. 8 days later I contracted covid from an employee and was out for 3 weeks. They did not pay any sick time. At the time of hire I was promised $XX hourly wage plus commission to train for a month or two max until I would be promoted to running a boutique location in Beverly Hills with a decent salary & health benefits that never happened. Even though I immediately became the #1 selling sales person at their Pacific Palisades location, for the entire time I was employed by them. Red Flags that you should NOT ignore - P.S. I apologize for all the details but I feel they may be helpful. * I was locked out of ADP for the first 2 months of employment and so I kept questioning why my pay was so low with no answers. Once I gained access I realized they were paying me the wrong hourly rate. It was $3 less per hour than the agreement. Easily correctable so I brought it to the payroll person as a mistake. She said she was told to only pay me XX dollars and to take it up with the owner. I did and I asked for a check of back pay yet I was given the run around until eventually he said he was doing me a favor paying me anything at all and to hang in there as we'd need to meet to discuss my promotion. In addition to me I found out they did the exact same thing to another female employee. Offered her an hourly rate, hired her and then decided to pay her much less without telling her. *Bait & Switch on days you will work. Also upon hire I told them I would only be ok working an occasional weekend and that I was available M-F. I started working Monday - Friday but when I came back from being out with Covid in Dec they forced me to work Wed - Monday, it was supposed to be temporary but that was what they chose to "sentence me" with for the remainder of my employment because I was not one of the original guys. Thus no true days off because Tuesdays & Wednesdays the crews are working so you will be getting upsetting calls from the buyers, planters, sales people and definitely the customers. *They don't pay you for time worked, essentially stealing your time... After working for them for 4 months I found out they were docking me (and everyone) for a lunch hour every day! Even though I didn't clock out and the COO and Owner Dave knew I never took lunch. After finding this out and reporting this I was not reimbursed but told it was my fault for not taking a lunch break. Even though 2 days a week I worked at a retail location alone with zero help to cover or given an opportunity to take even a 5 minute break in a 9 hour day. *Verbal abuse: I was constantly verbally attacked by a male sales representative, Each time I reported it they somehow managed to make him treat me worse and never reprimanded him or did anything, in fact they continued to schedule me alone with him. If i wasn't being attacked, i was being belittled or bullied. Other male sales reps who have been in the "business together at moon valley" will go behind your back to steal sales on your off days. I also reported that but the COO Jake felt it was just too awkward to address so he put it off until I dropped it. He claimed it only happened to me however other female employees confided in me that they were being bullied and having their sales stolen. *Bait and Switch to the clients: I sold items that they gave to other sales people ( the good old boys) and delivered less than desirable products to my clients. The quality of work on the hardscapes also leaves a lot to be desired, they cut corners and buy cheap materials & also overwork the laborers and do not supply water. *How they treated me for getting sick & ending the employment by ghosting* towards the end of May I came down with Covid symptoms again with high fever of 103 and migraines for days. I did a teledoc / urgent care appointment and was told I had to quarantine for a minimum of 7 days & then get tested to return to work. I texted and sent an email to Jake the COO alerting him that I had to quarantine and that I would cover as much as I could for my clients, as I felt bad leaving people in a lurch. So I worked about 7 hours but billed the company for only 4 of them ( which they never paid). After 7 days I went and got a negative covid test and excitedly told Jake that I could return to work the next day. But alas I didn't get a response so I got up extra early the following day, got ready for work and reached out again to ensure it was ok I went in. It was then that I received a harsh "No, you cannot return to work without a doctor's note"... I explained I had been trying but the soonest I could be seen by my primary to get the note was June 9th. I touched base the first week of June & let him know I was trying but still June 9th was the soonest appointment. I received a rude reply immediately, demanding a positive covid test from me & that he never approved for me to work the 4 hours, yet before I could respond they terminated my email. One June 9th I received my doctor's note excusing me for the time missed and emailed both Jake the COO and the HR/payroll person and asked if I was fired or what was going on and they ghosted me. I had since followed up numerous times and never received a reply. I am still trying to decide if I should take legal action. Today 8/17/2021 I went into ADP and noticed besides all of the other ways they stole from me. I had a bank of 27hours of sick time that I absolutely should have been paid while I was out sick but instead they paid me nothing the entire time I was out ill. Please do yourself a favor and don't let them abuse and cheat you too.