Thanks, Clark Howard...
My story will sound familiar. Nice office, lots of VP's, etc.
My VP was very complimentary and very encouraging. I left after the first meeting with a hastily scheduled second meeting the next day. I had already figured out that it was a fee-based service, but it still sounded like there was a *service* somewhere.
The next day, there did not seem to have been any preparation. We beat around the bush quite a bit... A beating that continued to stroke my ego... And finally got around to the truly astounding fee proposal. I tried to follow up on the earlier comments that indicated a contingency basis of some kind, but that turned out to be a 25% 'risk factor' and then 50% of the new total up front.
I asked about references, but "We don't do that. We respect our clients' privacy." I asked for suggestions on how to verify their credentials, and (surprisingly) they did NOT mention this site.:-) I still left feeling positive about the "service", but vaguely aware of nagging doubts.
Next morning I'm lying in bed listening to Clark Howard talk radio on my alarm clock, and someone calls in describing the same pitch I heard. As I began to recognize how little actual content had been included in my conversations, I began to identify the source of my nagging doubts. Then Clark interrupted the caller and said something like "You're talking about Bernard haldane, aren't you?" Suddenly I was wide awake.
Thanks to him (and Google), I found this site and kept my wallet closed. Thank you Clark and thank you consumer complaints!
W.B.D.
Boston, Massachusetts
U.S.A.
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