I just found this site (too late) after reading a National Post article, and felt I had to add my experience to the list.
I was fired from my job, but was provided with a large settelment, as it was determined that there was insufficient cause to terminate my employment. After trying to get back on track for a couple of months, I contacted BHA after hearing about them through advertisements placed in our city paper.
The other reports have dealt with the procedure to get you hooked, so i will not go into it, except to say that there was every indication from Suzanne Fortier that I should be making at least 50% more than I had earned at my last job. This was repeated during my second visit, accompanied by my wife.
After paying the full amount up front, a meeting was scheduled with my advisor. I was told that, although my experience was less than some of the other people Pierre Plamandon advised, my presentation skills and polished resume made them confident that I could land that high paying job.
Well, it turned out that my advisor was anything but a top level advisor. He was extremely lacking in basic computer skills, and navigated the internet with some difficulty. Also, when asked for the names and contacts of several agencies that they worked with, he was only able to provide 3 company names, and only 1 contact among those three. He suggested I call directly and use his name to find out who the other two were.
When I did get an interview with American Express, I called to make an appointment with Pierre to go over some strategies. He told me that I had not given him enough time to prepare a meeting, and so he gave me some vague tips over the phone. I managed to get a second interview, but again was told that I had not provided sufficient lead time to arrange a meeting in Pierres office. Again, the same advice was given, along with the suggestion that when it came time to talk about money, to mention a complete package, including benefits. Tt no time did BHA give me an idea of what I should be looking at as a range for the position I was interviewing for.
To make a long story short, I went in for several more meetings for my bi-weekly pep talk, but was given no advice on how to broaden my search, other than to check a list of internet sites they had provided. All letters and mailings were typed and posted by me. No office support was provided. Also, I did not participate in one mock interview to evaluate my performance, and was never told how to address the situation leading to my termination at my previous employer. I was also never given access to their web site, in spite of being given the file, disc and password.
The light finally came on the week that I missed an appointment. I had written down the wrong date, and when I called to confirm what I thought was the proper time, I was told that the appointment was the week before. At no time did any body contact me to inquire about why I had missed the appointment, and in 15 months, I have not heard one thing from BHA.
I think, up until now, I felt pretty stupid about not being able to find a job with such "High Powered Help", but I now realize, based on the experience of others, that I was not to blame for anything, except giving Bernard Haldane my $5400.00
Click here to all the others who have been victimized by Bernard Haldane Associates
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