My Negative Experience with South America Snow Sessions

[japollner]

http://jackpollner.blogspot.com/2010...rica-snow.html

I wrote that blog tonight after talking with Travis Moore, my previous employer and Director of Sales for the newly founded SASS Global Travel.

Check it out, and let others know. Where I might have stood up for them in the past, I will no longer. They owe others money as well. Those people may stand up and announce themselves if they choose to.

[JoeStrummer]

I am SHOCKED. SHOCKED to discover a tour company in South America is operating on shoestrings and slender margins and empty promises!!

In all seriousness, sorry for your bad experience. Sucks to run through all your cash in a foreign country.

[neufox47]

Hire an attorney. If what you say is true, an attorney may be willing to work for 30% of the amount received and no risk of cash out of pocket. If a contract expires and both parties act as if the contract is still ongoing, the contract if often still in force. Save all your emails. This is such a small amount of money though that you will probably have to put the whole package together and do all the footwork for your attorney. Calculate what you are owed in commissions, get all documentation supporting the debts, etc or no one will take your case. Then what may be really frustrating is that one call from the attorney may get you paid but you still owe him /her 33%.

[japollner]

I am SHOCKED. SHOCKED to discover a tour company in South America is operating on shoestrings and slender margins and empty promises!!

In all seriousness, sorry for your bad experience. Sucks to run through all your cash in a foreign country.

It's an America company. Incorporated in CT (and NH) and run out of an office in North Hampton, NH.

[tylerjames]

That sucks. I was about to become a rep for SASS but ended up rethinking it due to the weird vibe i got off my interview and their commission only pay, which they would be writing and processing.

I feel for your situation and you really should be speaking with a lawyer.

I am SHOCKED. SHOCKED to discover a tour company in South America is operating on shoestrings and slender margins and empty promises!!

Thats not really fair, i know of plenty of reputable tour companies in South America esp in Argentina that do amazing work. This is just over one bad company that took advantage of people.

[Hugh Conway]

Sucks you got screwed

[summit]

Didn't SASS have an incident where one of their campers was buried?

EDIT: Ah yes... Randall Stacy, 16 y/o, 8 minute burial with multiple fractures
Start video at 2:20

[ame="http://vimeo.com/1868541"]Randall Stacy 2 on Vimeo[/ame]

[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135780"]Catedral Avie Footage - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]

http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1.../buried-alive/
http://www.wickedlocal.com/ipswich/f...oarding-future

EDIT 2: He was mentioned by name by another poster and the OP in this thread BEFORE I added the name... then both posts were deleted... that is fishy...

[OrganicSkier]

"Give me any SASS, and we will stiff your ass!"

[boltonoutlaw]

Hi, I'm Jack (a mag), and I work for SASS...

What a difference 12 months make...bummer dude.

[icelanticskier]

sorry to hear this. i see that dood out in the ocean from time to time. just the tone in his voice makes me weery when i hear all of the jibberish coming from his direction. i usually paddle the other way.

i'd push the issue.

rog

[Mathematics]

That sucks. I dont know anyone that routinely plans ski trips to S.A. but if I did I'd steer them away from SASS.

Good luck on the money though, for that small of an amount I think you're going to have a hard time getting them to pay what you are owed.

[tylerjames]

Good luck on the money though, for that small of an amount I think you're going to have a hard time getting them to pay what you are owed.

Im not a lawyer, but i did stay at a hoilday inn express last night. I am fairly confident that if you sue, you would be sueing for; what your owed+ intrest, court costs and lawyers fees (hourly or a %) I dont really see you coming out under in this or losing money from hiring a lawyer

[covert]

180 from spewing to whining. tough life you got there. i'm tearing the fuck up. you even made hugh sad.

[Gman]

It sucks that you got hosed but what did you expect, you worked for some bootleg ass operation. My experience in a lot of the "action sports" industries that if you don't take certain precautions people will fuck you just because they can. If you're not looking out for yourself, don't bet on some shady ass people doing it for you. I know you probably want to believe the best in people but sometimes that doesn't work out.

Strike 1: going down without a contract

Strike 2: No payment after 2 weeks, this isnt some big ass corporation where your expenses get sent to an accountant at the corporate office. You tell them to pay your ass or you're gtfo.

Strike 3: THEY WERE IN AN AWFUL FINANCIAL STAKE! It's now almost mid november, a full two months after they fucked you and you're just now blogging about it? I would have served them as soon as I got back to the states.

[LightRanger]

A quick google search shows that New Hampshire small claims accepts suits up to $7,500. Go get 'em tiger.

I'm serious.

http://doj.nh.gov/consumer/scc.html

[Ripzalot]

man that sucks. file a claim. if that doesn't work sic the maggots on them via twitter and facebook. a little negative social networking press can go a long ways.

[Vt-Freeheel]

Hate to see anyone get hosed like this. Small claims court, today.

SASS is now involved with Lodge Theory in Jay VT. buyer beware.

[mtnbiker/boarder]

Wow that blows .. i hope that this gets resolved and you can move forward....Good luck with your journey.......

[snomaster]

Didn't SASS have an incident where one of their campers was buried?

EDIT: Ah yes... Randall Stacy, 16 y/o, 8 minute burial with injuries
Start video at 2:20

Randall Stacy 2 on Vimeo

EDIT 2: He was mentioned by name by another poster and the OP in this thread BEFORE I added the name... then both posts were deleted... that is fishy...

Woah. That was scary shit. Pretty big slide. OP, what's up with the deletions?

[AdironRider]

Giving NH a bad name. Fuckers.

Im pretty anti lawsuit, and Id be suing the shit out of them right now if I were you.

I think your internet campaign should pay dividends as well, but more on a personal justification level. I know I wont support them (and Im in the market for a SA trip next summer).

[My Pet Powder Goat]

well, I know who I WON'T be traveling to SA with in the future.

hope it turns out well for you, they sound like scumbags.
denying your salary once your out of the country=dick move.

[Canada1]

I had to do this when a guy buonced a few pay checks to my wife in Colorado. There was a law there that allowed 3X damages for not paying an employee. Went to small claims court and it went down fast and easy. The hard part was collecting. Had to go after assets the guy owned with the sheriff.

good luck

[SASS]

Hi everyone,

Ryan here (yes, that's my real name) from SASS Global Travel. I had the pleasure of working side-by-side with Jack this past year and am sorry that this has happened to him. We are doing our best to get through our current predictament, with Jack's payment being one of the priorities on our list. South America Snow Sessions had operational issues this year and now SASS Global Travel, under new management and separate from South America Snow Sessions, is trying to move forward; South America Snow Sessions' owner quit the company and left us with unpaid debt to our employees and no money. Not to mention that the current employees of SASS Global Travel are suffering from the same wrong-doings as Jack, including ME, both for commissions owed like Jack and also expenses incurred developing environmental and community projects in Argentina this summer. We are all working extremely hard to resolve the situation, but must respectfully state that employee-employer grievances are not the kind of fodder for internet forums, and that this kind of activity also lays blame on lots of people, including myself, who don't deserve it and are in fact working to create solutions themselves. This is clearly a serious matter and one that should be handled professionally, and we are doing our best effort with the small resources we have at the moment to resolve the very difficult situation we have been left with.

You are all completely entitled to your own opinions and we will not spread any nonsense about any of you for having negative views of our company. We are going through quite a serious transition period and our main goal is to restore faith in our operations and our people now that both of those have been seriously re-examined and reset. We are decent, dedicated skiers and snowboarders like all of you and strive above all to provide a great service to our clients. If you have further things you'd like to discuss, please feel free to call us at our New Hampshire office at 1.800.851.4660 - we'd be happy to talk to you.

Best of luck to everyone this winter and happy shredding.

[strawjack]

what sucks is that these clowns are in the highest rent district of NH...meaning they have the money to pay this kid. F'n Sea Rd! Christ, Dan Brown (the author) lived on that street. He recently moved around the corner into his new place.

[Edgnar]

Holy crap, that was a bad place to get slid.

edit to add: SASS- come back when you've paid your employees and made good.