Complaint Review: Empower Security Services

 Amy Lin from Empower Security Services, Inc. called me from 718 291-5100 to respond to a FRONT DESK RECEPTIONIST job I applied for either on Career Builder or Monster. I believe she called me on Monday, July 1, 2013 to make an appointment with her for an interview Tuesday, July 2, 2013. I showed up and interviewed with her with the understanding that I was going to get a position. After interviewing with her, she told me how I would be a great candidate for one of her clients in Manhattan. She asked me to give the company a check or money order of $439.00 for three training courses: 8HR ANNUAL IN-SERVICE TRAINING COURSE, 8HR PRE-ASSIGNMENT COURSE, AND 16HR ON-THE-JOB TRAINING COURSE. Originally, the balance was $539 but she added in a $100 discount so it came to $439. She had me to fill a contract with the receipt stamped NO REFUNDS! ALL PAYMENTS ARE FINAL. I was instructed to show up for the FIRE GUARD training course which was not even part of the deal on Friday, July 5, 2013. The FIRE GUARD course was taught by a man named Frank, whose last name was unknown. I do have his cell phone number and it is (347) 418-8153. Frank collected the contracts and receipts from mostly everyone attending the course without the option of making copies for his reference. The originals were collected. When I asked Amy Lin and another supervisor, whose name was Melendez, for a copy of the contract, they replied by telling me that the original would be returned upon completion of all of the courses. I took the 8HR ANNUAL IN-SERVICE TRAINING COURSE, 8HR PRE-ASSIGNMENT COURSE, AND 16HR-ON-THE-JOB TRAINING COURSE on Thursday (July 11), Friday (July 12), and Saturday (July 13). The instructor of these 3-day courses was Andrew Okorie-Ama of Rock Security of America (90-48 160th Street 2FL in Jamaica, New York). I was awarded the two certificates (8HR PRE-ASSIGNMENT TRAINING COURSE FOR SECURITY GUARDS and 16 HOUR ON-THE-JOB TRAINING COURSE FOR SECURITY GUARDS). I returned to Empower Security Services for job placement by Frank on Monday, July 15, 2013 between 8:30 and 9:00 AM alongside another applicant named Anthony Goode. Frank sent me to Honor Guard, which was located at 90 Maiden Lane 3FL in Lower Manhattan. I went there with the intention of letting them I was referred to them by Frank but all of the applicants had to fill out applications. No one was able to speak to any interviewers on that day. Frank advised me to call him at the end of the afternoon to give him feedback. I told as instructed but did not get a callback. I waited for a week but no reply still from Frank. I left a message or two with Frank. I called Empower Security and Amy Lin answered the phone. I requested to speak to Frank, but was told he was not available and to leave a message. I told her I already did. Somehow, he called me back then to send me to Defender Security at 97-29 64th Road 3FL in Rego Park. He sent me to speak to either Jasmine or Ines/Inez at 10:30 AM. I went there but to fill out an application. I spoke either with Jasmine or Ines/Inez for about 5 minutes. I was told there were only on-call positions and the application was going to be sent to the headquarters. I called Frank again but no reply. I called Andrew Okorie-Ama the following Sunday to ask him a question but he was away on a trip to Atlanta and wanted me to call that Monday morning. I just wanted to know the status of NYS security guard licenses since he filled out all of our forms to send to Albany during the courses. He alerted me that I had to take fingerprints to get the license but Empower Security Services did not tell any of this about that step. He also went on to reveal how Empower Security Services does not find the applicants job and how they take everyone's money. I called Frank the next day and inquired about the security guard license status. He told me how I had to pay for fingerprints separately and how Empower Security Services was a security training school, not a job placement center. I called around two weeks later to the office to check up on where I stood, only to hear that the phone number had been disconnected. I realized that Amy Lin, Melendez, Frank, and Andrew all played roles in giving the mostly Black and Latino applicants false hopes and promises of employment and feeling they were able to get easy money from a bunch of gullible people or so they thought. I called today but the line is still disconnected. I left a message with Andrew Okorie-Ama at 718 341-7964 in his voice mail, asking if Empower Security Services relocated to another place and letting him know I did not appreciate exploited out of money I needed to go on job interviews, expenses, and rent.