Complaint Review: Express Employment Professionals Joseph Cole 8379 Perrin Beitel Rd San Antonio TX

I replied to an ad on Careerbuilder.com for a Videographer opening placed by Express Employment Professionals 8379 Perrin Beitel Rd, San Antonio, TX 78218 that paid $18-22 an hour. They submitted my resume to their client Deaf Interpreter Services and they wanted to met me right away.

On my interviewed with Express Employment Professional on April, 10th, a shabby dressed with a frayed shirt collar recruiter, Joseph Cole, said if they like me today they would want to move quickly to fill the job and I would start the following Monday on April 16th. After I worked 720 hours, I would come full time. I went to the interview and within a hour the owner Marilyn Weber wanted to hire me. We exchanged contact information and she gave me her business card and number to have landlords verify my employment as I was moving from Houston. I talked salary with her and told her I know what was in the ad and with my experience I wanted to be compensated the highest amount. Marilyn said, they just send me the bill.

I called Joseph and said, I wanted $22 an hour base on my 20 years experience. He agreed and call the company. He calls back and said, " It has to be in the middle" They will only do $20. $22 an hour was if you had equipment. I said, that was not in the ad and if it was, I would not applied and when asked if I had my own equipment I said no it always been provided she said that was not problem. She had equipment I can used. Also, she said this was not a temp to hire full time after I worked 720 hours. Joseph says, "Maybe I need to ask better questions.' Do you want the job or not." I accept because, I was homeless sleeping in my car. I knew when they low-balled me my gut was right and there will be more problems. Especially when she lied to Joseph, she had to buy me equipment and they just acquired 1000 square feet. I said, I saw the space they are filming and it looked smaller than a 700 square foot one bedroom apartment and they were moving in November.

It is standard practice when a job offer has been made the company and the employee signed a company head job offer letter. Joseph would not give me one.

April 16th, I emailed Marilyn to confirm if the starting date was between the 23rd to the 25th. She never responded. I had interviews set up for places to live and reservations with Penske to move. I called Marilyn on April 19th and Tina did not know who I was even after I her on the interview. I told her I emailed Marilyn and got no response and heard she was out of town. I said, I am supposed to start work on Monday or Tuesday and getting ready to move this weekend. I said, I emailed Marilyn Monday and got no response. She took my name and number and I never got a call from Marilyn. I called Joseph on Thursday April 19th and he was clueless and got no response at the end of the day. Friday April 20th, I called Joseph and he said he will call Marylin on Monday. Leaving me hanging and string me along over the weekend. I said, I just canceled my storage unit and moving truck and places I could move into and I am supposed to start Monday or Tuesday maybe Wednesday and I am packing a bag and coming.

Monday April 23rd, I sat at Express Employment parking lot waiting for a call. At 11PM I walked in and Joseph had not called Marilyn. He calla D.I.S and tells me they have all their material with the Department of Education and the official start date is May 14th. I will be getting a call from Larry Smith Program director that my start date may be May 1st or May 7th. With so many delays and Joseph out of the loop, I asked is this was a real job and Joseph said, "Noting is Guaranteed in Life"

Larry emailed me and spells my name wrong with no information. Four days later on April 26th I emailed Larry and he will tell me a start date at the end of the day. Never heard from him. Spoke to Kay at Express Employment telling her all the problems with Joseph and Deaf Interpreter Services how they and Joseph keeps is out of the loop and does not communicate with me or the client and have no idea this is a real job or not. Kay called and spoke to Larry and she said, I think it might get pushed off. I said this totally unacceptable and unprofessional, you hired me and said the 16th then I go on the interview and learn it is the 23rd to the 25th and there is no job yet. I think the owner is waiting to get paid before she will start us. I called Larry on an hour later and he said he will tell me in a few hours. He said the owner does not want to pay for people to start earlier (which I was right) to get trained and they still have not got all their graphics from the Department of Education. I said, that is not what Joseph said. He said you have all the materials and the official start date is the 14th of May I may start on the 1st or the 7th. There was a dead silence . Larry never calls me or emails me. I call him back and get voice mail. Later I get an email the training could start on May 24th. I told them I could not work for them if it I don't start by the 7th and quit.

The job was still posted the first week of June.