Complaint Review: The Barrett Group TRUSTED Business | Ripoff Report Verified Safe™ …businesses you can trust. Over 27 years The Barrett Group has provided the highest quality of career management services to senior executives attorney and entrepreneurial clients worldwide. The Barrett Group are all personally dedicated to their clients and providing clients with everything they need to be successful in their transitions. The Barrett Group’s specialty is helping clients land their dream jobs.

ABOUT THE RIPOFF REPORT BELOW:

Ripoff Report would like to let readers know that Ripoff Report emailed this customer, so the member business could make things right with them. When a business joins the Corporate Advocacy Program, Ripoff Report emails everyone from the past so the member business can make things right with them. Of course, everything within reason. In order to confirm that the complaints were resolved, Ripoff Report is copied on all responses, so we can insure that the member business did right by their customer. The author of the Ripoff Report below never responded to our offer to help them.

STATEMENT FROM THE BARRETT GROUP:

This person never signed up for the service and is unfairly describing our sales process and business presence. We have many references and are happy to give them to serious customers. How does he know we send the same pricing/proposal to everyone (we don't). And how can he criticize a service that he never purchased or tried?

NOW TO THE ORIGINAL REPORT THAT WAS FILED

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This group probably provides some services, but nothing like they advertise or promote.  I contacted this group from the internet and went through 2 rounds of interviews.  Michael was very professional, and said all of the right things.  The first tipoff is that they are under-priced, but ask for the money upfront.  $9-12k for any job filling.  They claim most of their clients are in the 7 figure range, that would be way underpriced for the service they claim to be offering.  On the flip side headhunters charge 20%+, they get paid when they fill the job, and they get paid well.  

Here is how they work, on the first call they make claims about 3000 applications/month, 300 accepted per year.  They give you an overview to the process that makes it sound like you are essentially interviewing with them.  They will tell you the price, but may leave out the important part about it being upfront, they make it sound like they get paid when you get hired.

They setup a follow-up to supposedly further qualify you, with basic business questions.  They will make it sound like your experience and resume is a perfect fit, that is what scammers do!!!  

From there they will probably tell you that the committee is meeting within the next week and ask if you want to be presented, no fast/hard sell, very professional.  After that, you will be accepted, but your handler will be a little unhappy because x other candidates didn't get accepted.  Further, you won't get to talk to any of your 'team' until after you have paid, because they aren't assigned to you until after the 'custom' contract is signed and they are paid.

So how do you know they are a scam?

1. Ask for a real life recommendation, even better, ask for 2-3 with full contact info.  They cannot provide it, after being in business for 22 years and having 1,000s of satisfied clients with great jobs, you would think they can find a verifiable recommendation.   If I had a great experience with them, I would be happy to be a reference.

1. Take a look at their LinkedIn page, is that the presence of a professional recruitment company? 

1. Take a look at their Facebook page, practically no activity.  Nothing professional about their presence

1. During one of the calls they will show you their fantastic database that they keep private, but could charge $10k+ for access to.  For a company dealing mostly with 7 figure executives, is a $100 listing app with 10-20 listings what you would expect?  Compare it to verifiable executive databases and it doesn't compare.

1. It is suspicious that everyone gets the same 'custom contract' for the same amount, ~$9000 or $12,000 depending on the 'package' you select.  

Once I asked for contact info to verify their claims it fell apart.  They sent a very unprofessional email, not even offering any way to contact a reference.  Basically trying to make it sound like it is very unprofessional to ask them for references.  I never heard from them again.

They do a great job of sounding professional and saying the right things, however they cannot provide a verifiable reference, after being in business for 22 years!  They claim to be experienced professionals in the job search/marketing arena, but cannot even have a professional online presence in 2012.