Consumer Alert: Arm Of Cutco Corporation Targeting V.I. Residents With Deceptive Marketing, DLCA Warns

The Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs (DLCA) has alearted consumers, primarily job-seeking students, about Vector Marketing, LLC, the sales arm of the Cutco Corporation, which DLCA says has demonstrated questionable business practices.

Virgin Islands residents have been receiving letters and emails promoting summer employment beginning at $17/hr for accepted applicants. There have also been reports of promises to give workforce skill development and a live interview at a location in the district of choice. However, Vector’s claims of job recruitment have been unsubstantiated to date, according to DLCA.

DLCA says Vector Marketing is a marketing company promoting direct sales of cutlery on behalf of Cutco, and is represented as a company that sells knives and other cutlery throughout the United States and its territories. Accounts have alleged that Vector Marketing attempts to attract high school and college students by offering a well-paying part time job as a ploy to have them invest in the cutlery sales as independent distributors. This practice can be seen as deceptive because the promised job opportunity is used to ultimately persuade students into purchasing cutlery kits sold by Cutco, DLCA says.

Individuals would sell purchased products to the general public without any direct compensation from Vector Marketing.

“Technically, an individual that were to benefit from using the Vector Marketing job placement would be a self-paid entrepreneur. This would actually cost the individual, since they would now have to obtain the proper licensure in order to sell these products. On the other hand, the age of recruits may also be an issue when considering labor laws,”said DLCA Commissioner Devin Carrington.

Vector Marketing, LLC and CUTCO® are not licensed to do business in the U.S. Virgin Islands, DLCA says.

For more information or to file complaints, contact DLCA. Send emails to [email protected] or call the Consumer Protection Services Unit on St. Thomas at (340) 714-3522, or on St. Croix at (340) 713-3522.