UNIVERSAL NETWORK INTELLIGENCE

UNIVERSAL NETWORK INTELLIGENCE (UNISTRATEGIC) are known as UNI Strategic Pte Ltd (Singapore Headquarters), UNI Strategic Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia Subsidiary).

UNIVERSAL NETWORK INTELLIGENCE is legally known as UNI Strategic per their Contact Us page http://www.unistrategic.com/eng/contact.asp

This is another strategy by UNIVERSAL NETWORK INTELLIGENCE (UNISTRATEGIC) (also known as UNI Strategic) to manipulate search engine results and distance itself from all the negative reports concerning its shady business practices circulating on the internet - Singapore's The Straits Times news, prominent former speaker's blog, trainer emails, forums, labour department and employee disputes, court cases etc.

UNIVERSAL NETWORK INTELLIGENCE, UNI Strategic Pte Ltd (Singapore), UNI Strategic Sdn Bhd (Malaysia), UNIVERSAL NETWORK INTELLIGENCE (UNISTRATEGIC), UNISTRATEGIC, and UNI are all one and the same.

Do not be fooled. 

Headquarters : UNI Strategic Pte Ltd 20 Science Park Road, #01-26/30, TeleTech Park, Singapore Science Park II, Singapore 117674 Tel: +65 6825 9579 Fax: +65 6825 9550

Malaysia : UNI Strategic (M'SIA) SDN. BHD. 30th Floor,Menara Bank Islam 22,Jalan Perak 50450 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Tel: +603 2773 5555 Fax: +603 2262 7188

Middle East & Africa : 30th Floor,Menara Bank Islam 22,Jalan Perak 50450 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Tel: +60 3 2773 5555 Fax: +60 3 2162 7188

UNI Strategic Blog - Below is a snapshot of the website as it appeared before being REMOVED

Tip for any prospective facilitators who are interested in working with UNI Strategic

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Author: Paul Cherry  Date: Apr 1st, 2009  Category: Sales Training

A division of the Singapore-based UNI Strategic Pte Ltd. has hosted corporate and training conferences and workshops for organizations all over the world, including many Fortune 500 companies. They attract top speakers for their well-attended events.

Numerous trainers and lecturers have reported problems doing business with UNI Strategic. A while back, PBR went to Singapore to do a training program with them, titled Strategic Sales Leadership. This exciting international opportunity turned into frustration where it took us months and endless contacts to Roger Tie, President and Pan Tei Boon, Conference Manager to get the payments we’d been promised. We soon discovered we weren’t the only ones who were challenged collecting appearance fees from UNI Strategic. Several other instructors and facilitators shared their own stories with us about their difficulties getting paid from www.unistrategic.com.

Uni Strategic recently reached out to me stating that due to the economy they had some challenges but are now on great footing and are focused on taking excellent care of their vendors and suppliers.   If that's the case, terrific, and I hope it works out for you and Uni Strategic.  But for now, my only suggestion: Ask for your money upfront before you get on a plane to deliver your program to UNI Strategic or with any organization you're absolutely not convinced is 100% above board.  The fact is that as soon as your work is completed, your bargaining power is gone.   Why take unnecessary risks?   Good luck and and let me know if you had a good experience with Uni Strategic.

Read Comments   (Tip for any prospective facilitators who are interested in working with UNI Strategic)

From EX UNI Staff  |  Oct 6th, 2010  |  
I have to say that in addition to UNI's crappy management,the staff also have 2 b blame coz they played a part in people leaving the company. The management is already treating the staff bad enough. But some of the staff there really make the environment even worse. UNI have 1 of the worse office politics in my history of employment. Jz imagine...my Sales Dir,HERSELF(hint)is busy "digging" gossips,making unnecessary speculations & talk bad abt ppl behind their back,get herself involve in a love triangle with a guy in the company, EVERY SINGLE DAY!! Wt kind of sale dir is diz??!! Shldnt a DIRECTOR b busy bringing in revenue for the company,constantly guiding her team members so dt they cn make money for themselves instead of wasting her time wif all the other nonsense??!! Ive struggle for more than a yr n my sales dir dnt even care about me. She's always busy asking me "so any new stories??" & everytime I'll give her the same ans..."I dnt noe". I tink those ppl dts still wif UNI hv so much time & so rich dt they hv time to waste their time on all diz. Im very disappointed coz wen I joined,UNI was never like diz. It started 2 bcome like diz wen the management didnt do anything 2 rectify all the small prob by jz sweeping it under the carpet. Even wen things gt out of hand,they still dnt do anything. I strongly advise against any1 2 werk in this very sick environment. U'll regret it for the rest of ur life!!
From Miss Z  |  Sep 24th, 2010  |  
Hi all, as a ex personnel from UNI Strategic. I am sorry to hear about your bad experience with UNI Strategic. With all the bad press the company is getting nowadays, it is nothing new and to some, it was just something they had seen coming. It still puzzle me though how only Roger Tie and Stacy Yeong are the only people giving they statement to the press. What about Wing Tan? Wing is by the way the Chief Financial Officer (Well he use to be).... As the biggest share holder of the company, shouldn't he be questioned too?

In my opinion, when it comes to wellbeing of guest speaker, the correct person they should look for is Stacy. Roger,CEO, has not much say as to how the company is run as he is basically the talking dummy for UNI Strategic. I have to agree with some of the comments made by user about refund to delegate. Through out my course of employment, I have never heard of UNI may any refund for shitty events. They either postpone the program entirely or play deaf to all companies that demanded refund.

I have to give credits to my fellow colleagues that is still working hard to make their events successful for UNI (a company that don't appreciate their sales personnel). Especially now with the bad press the company is getting you guys did great, making 900k in revenue. Kudos to that!

To those who had a bad experience working with UNI Strategic, maybe there is nothing wrong with the company. Yes, they may treat the staff unequally and the wellbeing of staff is not their top priority but if you can't handle the office pressure at UNI then you should look at yourself and ponder how are you going to manage elsewhere.
From A  |  Sep 23rd, 2010  |  
For employee/salary concerns: seek advise and help from Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Central Provident Fund Board (CPF). File your claim and complaint with MOM and CPF Board.
From Mark Brewerton  |  Sep 17th, 2010  |  
I wish I'd read this blog before we signed up & did a programme for UNI. We did at least get 50% upfront so we have had something but otherwise our experience is the same as everyone else on this blog. They were very professional before the event, we got our 50% upfront payment on time but from then on it has just been a nightmare. What I have started to do is contact speakers on their future events & told them of my experiences so at least they don't suffer the same fate. This might also lead to a lot of problems for UNI as speakers start to demand full payment in advance - maybe then they will stop their fraudulent practices. I am also getting in touch with the Commercial Affairs Department in Singapore to see if they can help. Will keep you posted on progress (if any)
From Yet Another Ex-UNI Sales  |  Sep 15th, 2010  |  
Wow! Glad that I left more than a year ago - I always said they would make the papers. They were always cutting our sales commissions and I just heard they were delaying staff salaries and bonuses, and blaming it on the banks. Probably the banks don't like them.

I am with a competitor now (along with other ex-UNI) and we couldn't stop laughing all day. Apparently their Sales Director (my old boss) also left.

I am glad the speakers are exploring their taxes. Al Capone was brought down by a single count of tax evasion.

Below is a crap email from Roger Tie trying to make us happy just when he was about to cut our salaries (you know it is from him because he had been spelling "staff" wrong for over a year I was there.) Maybe the Straits Times can check the figures.


Dear Colleagues,

Happy New Year!

It has indeed been a challenging year in 2008 for most companies, especially with the global credit crunch that turned into a real nightmare for the global financial systems. The global banking landscape changed significantly and will continue to do so. Going forward regulators around the world will tighten their regime as a reaction to the many banks which failed to adequately cope with the crisis of the financial markets.

Amidst all these economic gloom, UNI had on the contrary, performed its best in all its 7 years since the incorporation of the company. Our revenues for the 9 months as at 30 Sept 2008 was at S$6.7M as compared to S$4.8M for the entire year in 2007. Although this revenue is nothing to shout about, it does show that with the coordinated effort of all staffs and management, UNI can continue its massive growth even in uncertain times like these.

In 2009, we expect all divisions to experience continued recruitment, training and better performance. Our SG office will continue to be the main driving force of UNI with projections of more than 170 staffs by the 1st quarter of 2009 while our KL office will continue its exponential growth to reach 80 staffs by mid 2009.

Our growth story does not stop here. As we expand, we will continue to evaluate suitable locations to start our 3rd office. Trainings, promotions and massive opportunities will be given to exceptional staffs with good performances and ambitions who are committed to our cause. So do not rest your laurels and be contented with your performance in 2008! Plan for what you want to achieve this year. Give yourself a deadline to achieve your goals. Work hard to ensure that 2009 will be a career-forming year for you and the company!

Together we can make UNI a regional conference company that exceeds our customers expectations! Together we can grow our company to be one of the best financially solid company in this industry! Together we can make it happen!

Go For It UNI and have a great year ahead!
From Joe M  |  Sep 15th, 2010  |  
I hope my comments will add value and perspective to this tread. Probably its in my nature to raise up points from the other side of the coin at first instance.

I have never doubted the accusations against this training firm.

Pardon my perspective.

Paul, you may remove my posts if it doesn't fit into the overall theme you would like to achieve for this blog.
From UNI Insider  |  Sep 14th, 2010  |  
This is not a 'sign of the bad times', or the recent economic crash. Singapore is gunning for record quarter-on-quarter growth for 2010. Heck, there wasn't even a downturn this side of the planet. The 'stretched payment terms' (from 30 to 60 days, to 90 and 270! days) are just a clear sign of one thing - a failing company.


No company in their right mind would risk their reputation by breaking contracts.


UNI Strategic is doing this because there is not enough money to go around. Simple economics.


Their cash flow is being stretched till breaking point. They will have to downsize, (and it seems relocate to a lower cost country - Malaysia), delay (and cancel) payments, get sued, investigated and brought to court, get into the news etc.


The problem will escalate, and the vicious cycle will eat the company up, and very quickly (due to the operational costs still being incurred, but no revenue in sight) they will go bankrupt. I will not be surprised to find the office suddenly locked and barred from entrance - either by the building management, the authorities or the management themselves (absconding away no doubt).




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UNI Strategic - Scammers Exposed! The Straits Times Singapore News

Source: http://www.pbresults.com/Sales-Blog/article-tip-for-any-prospective-facilitators-who-are-interested-in-working-uni-strategic.html

From The Straits Times Singapore  |  Sep 12th, 2010  |  

You may contact these 2 reporters from SPH

Sep 11, 2010

Events organiser under fire over late payments

Speakers complain online; firm says fees withheld due to poor showing but all will be paid

By Liew Hanqing & Carolyn Quek
hanqing@sph.com.sg
carolynq@sph.com.sg

A GROUP of foreign corporate speakers is crying foul over a Singapore company that they claim did not pay them for their services on time as promised.

A few have even gone as far as hiring debt collectors to obtain tardy payments, after coordinating strategies with others who posted their complaints on blogs, websites and online forums.

The company, UNI Strategic, an organiser of corporate events, told The Straits Times that it had no choice but to withhold payment from certain speakers because of what it considered poor performance, which it said was detrimental to its reputation. It later said, however, that its speakers would all be paid eventually.

At least 20 overseas professionals engaged by it to speak at a number of conferences posted complaints on various websites after allegedly not being paid according to their contracts' timelines, which range between 30 and 60 days after an event.

Speakers contacted said their appearance fees typically ranged from $4,000 to $8,000 each. One of them, Mr Paul Cherry, 48, president of a company providing sales training and leadership development, detailed on his website the difficulties he had in getting paid his fees of US$4,000 (S$5,370) after giving a talk on strategic sales leadership here in 2008.

He has since been contacted by other speakers with similar experiences. His online post received more than 50 comments, mostly from other speakers.

Mr Cherry, an American, said: 'UNI Strategic was great to work with up until the programme. As soon as I left Singapore, very few of my e-mail requests for payment were responded to.'

He was eventually paid, three months late, after threatening to go to the Singapore and the United States authorities for redress.

Another speaker, Mr Peter van Veen, 40, from boutique strategy consulting firm De Ruijter Strategy in London, said he had difficulty getting paid US$3,000 for a course he ran in Singapore last November.

He said the course had been well received by its 25 participants, who gave it an average rating of 7.84 out of 10 on feedback forms.

'UNI Strategic has never disputed the amount in question. They just don't respond to e-mail and if we do speak to someone, they apologise and tell us they will look into it, never to be heard from again,' he said.

UNI Strategic paid Mr van Veen on Monday - about 10 months after the event.

Another US-based speaker, who declined to be named, said he had to engage a debt collection agency to obtain his fees of US$6,500. He paid the agency about a quarter of what he was owed.

UNI Strategic was also sued twice over the past year - by Amara Hotel and Air Services International - for $4,066 and $12,332 respectively. It later paid up the amounts and the cases did not go to court.

Mr Roger Tie, chief executive of UNI Strategic, said that while the company paid most of its speakers on time, it had no choice but to withhold payment from those who he claimed had not delivered what they promised.

He said the company, formed nine years ago, encounters 'one or two' speakers a month - out of about 200 a year - who deliver sub-standard programmes that receive poor ratings from participants.

Its benchmark: fewer than half of participants giving speakers an 'acceptable' rating - or 5/10.

Asked if speakers' contracts contained clauses indicating payment would be withheld if they performed poorly, Mr Tie said there were no such clauses, but added that the speakers would be offered the chance to make good - for example, by providing proper course materials later.

'In some cases, our clients complain and demand refunds. Even though the fees are non-refundable, we sometimes have to bite the bullet and give refunds as a form of goodwill,' he said.

Every year, the company writes off an average of $100,000 in bad debt, due to non-paying clients or refunds issued to clients who were not happy with the programmes, said Mr Tie. The most common complaints were that speakers' course materials were different from what was agreed on, and that course content was irrelevant or inadequate.

Mr Tie later said the company eventually 'always paid' its speakers, whether or not they met expectations.

It costs each participant between $2,500 and $3,500 to attend a programme.

At least one speaker, however, has had a good experience with UNI Strategic.

Mr Monty Sacher, 52, from Melbourne, Australia, who has conducted workshops for the company, said: 'I've not had a payment problem with them.'

Other industry players said it was not standard practice to withhold payment from invited speakers.

Ms May Koh, a training and resource manager with Avantus Training, a company that organises training programmes, said her company usually paid its speakers whether or not they met expectations.

'It's not possible to withhold the entire amount owed - after all, the speaker has already rendered a service,' she said.

Ms Stacey Yeong, UNI Strategic's conference director, said the company sources its speakers online. Before hiring one, it would typically request a copy of the prospective speaker's resume.

'If they fit the events we are organising, we will engage them,' she said.

UNI Strategic Pte Ltd - Trainer Not Paid

This is an email I received from one of the speakers who taught a class for UNI Strategic Pte Ltd in September 2009.

'I am a professor from the United States, and I presented an oil and gas course course for UNI last year September. Like many before me I received an invite from one of UNI Strategic's conference producer.

The email was vague and had little input on the extent of topics to be covered, the level of knowledge or experience of the intended audience. I basically had a free hand in developing the course.

After a few weeks of marketing and sales however, they told me to change the program - not after spending several hours trying to figure out what they wanted.

The workshop itself turned out to be successful and was well attended by all the major O&G operators and service providers. I have still kept in touch with most of the students and have provided further advice and gave brief reviews on some of their projects.

Unfortunately, as of May 2010 [eight months], I have still not received a single cent for my efforts. Most of the students were shocked to hear this as UNI has always pushed them to complete their payments before attending workshops.

The conference producer who I was in contact with has also left UNI Strategic, and eventhough she has tried her best to solve this, I cannot help but put some blame on her. It seems to be common knowledge amongst the producers of UNI's corrupt practices which have been on-going since their inception. I've been told payments and fees are fully handled by the 3 people who own and run the company and nobody else has any say in it.

I feel really disappointed with this treatment, and unfortunately I did not come across the blogs and websites warning vendors, speakers and attendees of them early enough. I have been educating students and professionals my whole life, and have worked with numerous continuing education providers, but this is the first time this has happened to me.

They charge attendees the equivalent of US $ 2500, and made roughly US $ 50,000 for the course I presented, but felt the need to have to lie and deceive and give so many excuses when it came to payments. First they said the person handling payments had left (not true, as no one actually handles it - its all up to 'upper management'). Then they told me they had lost the contract. When finally the contract was sent, along with the bank details, they said it was a busy month.

UNI Strategic, Chairman Wing Tan, CEO Roger Tie and Stacey Yeong, if you are reading this, you could have just told me you weren't going to pay the fees - it would have saved me so much anguish.

For the other trainers or speakers (presently engaged, have yet to present, or that received their invitation) let me warn you that you will not get paid the course fees. If you are able to live with that, with only your cheap flight tickets covered (on horrible schedules/itineraries), then by all means go ahead and present.

If you are like me, if you have given time and effort into preparing the course, travelling, and then presenting the course to the best of your abilities, then I believe you would expect to be paid your dues. The amount doesn't matter to me - its the lying and cheating when vendors have provided services in good faith that disgusts me. UNI Strategic is a fraud.'

As with the links in this earlier post, there is no disputing the fact that all parties - trainers, vendors, hotels, or employees will be victims of UNI Strategic's fraudulent activities. My advice is to get FULL payments BEFORE the course dates itself, or threaten to cancel. Anything less, and you will get burnt.

UNI Strategic is a SCAM

Beware of UNI Strategic Pte Ltd and UNI Strategic Sdn. Bhd ( www.unistrategic.com ) - so many have been SCAMMED. They DO NOT pay trainers and speakers their fees, hotels and suppliers, and their employees. This is how their SCAM works - They engage speakers or trainers from the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Middle East, and 'promise' to pay after the event is held. When its completed and these trainers/speakers return to their countries, not a single cent is paid, because what can YOU do to them? Look at these links below and see for yourself the ugly truth about UNI Strategic.

• http://www.pbresults.com/Sales-Blog/article-tip-for-any-prospective-facilitators-who-are-interested-in-working-uni-strategic.html
• http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/969180
• http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/905747/+20
• http://unistrategic.net/

They are able to continue organising events, scamming trainers and speakers, companies and businesses, delegates' and employees, because they know that they cannot be caught, and no legal action will be taken. The total number of people that have been scammed throughout the years all adds up. But they know it is spread across many individuals, making it impossible for a concerted effort to be brought about. And they continue because every single speaker, supplier and employee out there just wants to forget and put aside their HORRIBLE experience with this company. Until now.