Complaint Review: Stanley Barber Company

Stanley Barber Company, 2025 Gateway Plaza, Suite 116, San Jose, CA 95110, (SB), recruited me as a result of submitting my resume at their booth at a job fair. SB contacted me in May 2002, and indicated they were in a position to aid me in finding employment. The sales presentations strongly focused on SB's established network of professionals. A computerized network of high-tech professionals that SB has compiled since 1974. He stressed that access to this network would enable me to secure employment, since 70% of new jobs are obtained through networking.

In March 2002, as part of my severance package from IBM, I received career counseling, resume preparation services, interview and negotiation coaching from Drake Beam and Morin (DBM). DBM provided exactly the same services as SB with the exception of maintaining a network of professionals that would be utilized in aiding a client find employment. It would have been ridiculous for me to pay SB $5,175 for a duplication of services I already received from DBM. This I made clear to Nigel.
In turn the sales rep focused his sales strategy on the fact that SB's established network of professionals, in the Silicone Valley, was the major advantage that SB had. He convinced me that access to this network would result in employment in two to four months.

Within four month I realized that this was a non-existing network. SB and the network did not produce any employment-related opportunities. SB was never proactive in using this network to identify potential job prospects and SB never sent me on a hiring interview. Most troubling and discouraging is when I applied for 76 open positions. In each case I asked SB if their network database had any contacts within the hiring company. In all cases the answer was no. That is when I realized that I was ripped-off and SB was not in a position to aid me in securing a job for me in the Silicone Valley / SF Bay Area.

By this time I have been unemployed for over seven-month and concluded that finding a job in my area of expertise, Operations Management or ERP Systems Implementation Consulting, was doomed. On my own, without any SB involvement, I decided on a major career path change. I secured retraining funds from the state of California, obtained a commercial driver's license, joined the Teamsters and in one day found full time employment.

I met in person with the owner / manager, of Stanley Barber and explained my disappointment in his organization's effectiveness. I also indicated that my career as a Teamster is long term, the pension benefits are substantial, and that I do not want or need any ongoing services from SB. He was quick to say customer satisfaction is Stanley Barber's and my personal goal, even if it means a refund. For four weeks I unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a partial refund process. He refused to begin that process and indicated that litigation is my only course of action available.

Jack
San Leandro, California