Bernard Haldane ripoff: Full of false statements and provided little to no help, Lied Columbia South Carolina
I first went to Bernard in July 2002 after I sent them a resume. They took me in for an interview and talked all about my career objectives including salary. The VP went on to tell me about how Haldane could help me tap into that hidden job market that nobody seems to know about. He even used examples stating that the folks at Bank of America in Charlotte were looking for people and had contacted them.
He made it clear that I would be working with a counselor that world guide me in the right direction.
Then he required my wife come back to a second meeting in order for her to be up to date on what we were going to do. So she did and the VP gave the exact same stories and scenarios on how they could find me a new career in the Greenville/Spartanburg area of SC.
He said they had some good contacts in that area and should have no problem helping me. He really made it sound grand; all they could do for me through all their network of contacts and websites. So of course then he laid out the amount we needed to pay to have it all done, which was $4500.
I had to swallow twice. My wife and I talked about it and believing all his promises about getting the money back probably before the first payment on the credit card came in, we decided to do it. I myself was feeling somewhat desperate in that I had just finished a masters degree and was in somewhat of a dead end job.
For someone who finished a masters degree I was pretty stupid. There is no Database of jobs and contacts. There is however a lot of paper work to analyze oneself. I thought it may be somewhat necessary so they could get to know me better. Well it was just a long list of everyhting I had to do myself.
The only thing they did was re-write the resume (not much Different) and meet with me once every two weeks to see what I had done; who had I called, did I get any Appointments to talk to anybody.
My wife started asking what they were doing for me, and the only thing I could say was nothing. The full day seminar was pitiful and that's when I started to catch on that I wasn't getting much out of it.
They even have you fill out a progress form and sign it saying everything is going ok. Of course I signed it thinking I was doing what I was supposed to.
The only thing I could say i got from thiem is a couple of pointers in job serching, but it was by no means worth the $4500 I spent. I would direct anybody I find, away from this company becasue they are truelly a rip-off. The employees don't even stay around very long, it seemed they kept changing.
I accepted a new job with my current company in Nov 03. No thanks to the folks at Haldane, and of course they don't care they got their $4500
Ed
Greer, South Carolina
U.S.A.
CLICK HERE, You must read this!! ..Financial Post Article LINK - Haldane not up to the job ..exposing this company for what it really is - a huge scam
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Anna
Columbia,South Carolina,
U.S.A.
Haldane in SC ..Thank God for this site!
#2Consumer Comment
Thu, August 14, 2003
My experience was quite similar to yours with the exception that I didn't have the *start*-up* money to give Haldane and didn't go through with the program. I was worried about money because their site didn't mention it and the *counselor* dodged the issue during my initial visit.
On the second visit, the *counselor* told me the fee was over 3000.00 She told me that I could put this on a credit card that day or pay in three month installments. At that point, I told her I needed a day to think about it.
She contacted me a few days later expressing concern and I responded by telling her that I simply could not afford to pay for a service when I was unemployed and had no immediate prospects for a job. She didn't respond back so I assume she was quite angry about not earning a commission off my unemployment woes.
For the record, I thought I did research on Haldane by calling the local BBB office and state consumer affairs division, but they didn't have any complaints on record. I came online and typed in Haldane and rip off and found this site. I was sadden to see that this company had taken advantage of so many people during a tough economic market. I also was disturbed because the local newspaper did a report two months ago on the high number of unemployment in the area and when guy was working with Haldane to find a position. The paper also quoted a Haldane *counselor* to comment on the state of the job market.
Looking back, the signs were there albeit subtly, but they were there. The insistence that I come back for a second appointment, the flattery that they only accept a small percentage of people, the refusal to discuss money and so forth. It was definitely a learning experience and I'm glad that time was the only thing I lost out of this shady deal. I don't know how a company with as many complaints as Haldane has manages to stay in business for fifty years and why they aren't permanently shut down in all states and countries.
Thank God for this site!