Complaint Review: Ronnie Haran Mellen Santa Barbara Location Services LLC

For those who have experienced or posted negative comments about Santa Barbara Location Services or have hesitated to do business with the company because of the information here, you should know that the company is now under new onwership.  The new owner was Santa Barbara County Film Commissioner for the past ten years and has a stellar reputation and knowledge of locations and production throughout Santa Barbara County having worked on literally thousands of productions as Film Commissioner.

Please reach out to the new owner, Geoff Alexander, with any questions.

I'm sure the response in all capitols is Mrs. Mellen herself writing. While working for her I (and others) were tasked to give good comments about her and her company several times on differing websites where her actions were being brought to light, these "reviews" were all written by Mrs. Mellen herself.

I personally only worked for her for a short time and I am grateful for not wasting any more time with a "company" that ends up abusing their employees. I know several people that did work for her for a much longer time though. I personally was cheated by her, I am a computer tech and was there to update and upgrade her system and after giving her my bill I was told a check was in the mail several times, even in emails directly from her and then after two weeks of no "mail" arriving from her I was told I would not be getting anything. They actually denied I ever worked there and then would put me on hold and never pick up again. This was all over around $200 and to me is such a small amount that I gladly would give it up for the knowledge to never work with her again. In the end her husband denied even knowing who I am. The astonding thing is that I had access to her whole network system, if I had gotten that without permission I would have been guilty of several federal wirefraud crimes, when I informed them (the Mellens) I made this very clear.

I personally work for a major land developer in montecito and I understand the idea of trying to get the most out of your employees but the abuse I witnessed and the constant calls I received from her at all times of the day were not the actions of a stable person that is running a professional company. I not only advise that NO ONE WORKS FOR THIS PERSON but also I would advise NO ONE ENTER INTO ANY BUSINESS WITH HER AT ALL. I cannot over state my concerns about this woman being allowed to have any employees under her control at all.

I was on Craig's List and heard the same thing being said about her and her business.  Thanks for info! 



She just posted more jobs openings.  Don't forget to update your Craig's List warnings about her if you're her former employee. 



I'm passion about this because I was screwed by a company a few years ago.  It looks like there's a lot of losers out there these days who will do anything to gain from others so that they can get ahead in life and it's not us being lazy.  Talk about lost of innocent!



I don't believe she has any former employees who would be on this site defending her.  From reading the responds by 3 former employees, the writings are very similar.  I've the feeling it's Ronnie herself who is responding to you in rage.



People like that is so sad... She and others like her dosen't have a clue as to the meaning of living.  

I worked for Ronnie many years ago at SBLS for about a year. I just came across this site today and I'm not affiliated with anyone who has submitted anything here as far as I know. I will verify that the complaints are consistent with my experience there, and that there could be literally dozens of ex-employees who will corroborate them. I know a few of them personally.

I was never unpaid myself but I did work a lot of overtime that was underpaid - sometimes 80 hour work weeks. During my time there, I was the only employee who lasted more than a couple of months, with most leaving or being fired within a couple of weeks.

I don't have any axe to grind with Ronnie - it has been a long, long time, but yet I'm still thinking about my time there, grateful for not having to work in place like that again, and curious whether people are still being treated like that year after year. Although I witnessed a fair amount of bitter fights with her clients, by and large it is her employees who are being psychologically abused. I'm sure for many if not most of her clients, she performs her services well, and indeed, she does try to do that.

It's hard to know how to relate her in the context of the industry as well. She may not be any worse than any other Ari Gold character in LA, so in that sense, she may well be doing her employees a favor by showing them what Hollywood is all about. I'm rebutting the rebuttal here, rather than posting a new report, because I can't let people who are telling the truth be maligned. I can forgive Ronnie for acting like a sociopath or being depressed or whatever and running a kind of college student concentration camp, but I won't remain silent while it's being publicly denied.

First of all, anyone who feels they have been wronged in any employment situation has legal recourse in the State of California.  Anyone, it appears, can get on a site like this and spew all kinds of garbage and slander about any business owner without having to prove their statements.  I have been dealing with Ronnie Mellen professionally for a considerable period of time and have found her to be a no-nonsense and fair business owner.  I have never had any problems in my dealings with her. 

However, I have been witness to and been subjected to the problems that come from the actions of Mellen's incompetent employees.  If Ronnie has a flaw, it is that she will give inexperienced, but enthusiastic young people the opportunity to learn the entertainment business as part of her company.  As a result, she has been repeatedly victimized by an assortment of kooks, flakes, drunks and slackers.  Ronnie Mellen has maintained relationships with every competent person she has worked with, and has been in business in Santa Barbara for many years, providing services to the entertainment industry.  Her business has suffered and been damaged, not by her actions, but by the actions and unfair characterizations of disgruntled ex-employees. 

Please remember that there are always two sides to every story.  And after reading what has been posted on this site, it is clear to me and should be to any other reader, that something is very wrong with the slant of everything negative written here.  Can you spell vendetta?