Before you use Bernard Haldane Associates, you should read what the Attorney General in Kansas said about this company - my husband's experience with the Atlanta office was exactly the same.
It is too bad Georgia's government does not look out for its citizens like Kansas, New York, California and the eight other states investigating this New York Based company - otherwise we would not be out over $4,000 while my husband is unemployeed.in reading the complaint, I also see from another complaint that there has been articles in the New York Times & Seattle Times warning people about this company.
I wish I had read the complaint before agree to have my husband sign up with this company.
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Stovall and career counselors agree to judgment
Attorney General Carla J. Stovall announced today that an agreement has been reached between her office and two companies doing business as Bernard Haldane Associates which she alleges engaged in deceptive business practices. The agreement, in the form of a consent judgment, was filed September 13, in Johnson County District Court.
Defendants in the case are DRB, Ltd., d/b/a Bernard Haldane Associates in New York, New York, and Reed Freeman Management Group, Inc., which runs Bernard Haldane Associates franchise offices in Overland Park and Wichita, Kansas.
"In today's tight job market, it is understandable that so many people are using the services of career counselors, " Attorney General Stovall said. "Adding to the stress of finding employment, these job seekers were unfairly taken advantage of due to the false representations made by these Bernard Haldane companies."
Attorney General Stovall alleges that the companies engaged in numerous deceptive acts and practices when providing career counseling services to their clients, in violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. She alleges that they "willfully used exaggeration, falsehood, innuendo or ambiguity as to a material fact" in the following ways:
Representing that they could bypass the normal human resources and personnel departments of employers when they could not; claiming that their services were tax deductible when, in some cases, they were not;
representing that they had access to the "hidden job market" which they did not; posting solicitations disguised as job openings in newspapers to recruit clients; gathering prospective clients' resumes from the internet and contacting those individuals for a "job interview" which was in fact a sales presentation; and
charging clients for the production of a videotape of the clients when that service was not provided.
The companies deny the allegations.
As per the consent judgment, the companies agree to pay up to $300,000 in restitution, plus $100,000 in penalties and fees. Any consumer who paid for services provided by Bernard Haldane Associates offices in Overland Park or Wichita, and who alleges the same violations outlined in the consent judgment, may be eligible for a refund. Eligible consumers may file a complaint and make a refund request with Attorney General Stovall's Consumer Protection Division by calling 1-800-432-2310. The deadline to file a complaint and make a refund request is Monday, October 28. Any refund request made after that date will not be eligible under the consent judgment.
Assistant Attorney General David Harder handled the case on behalf of Attorney General Stovall.
M.
Atlanta, Georgia
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