As a former Bernard Haldane LHD Enterprises employee, (this includes the following franchise offices: Boston, Ma/Nashua, NH / Hartford, CT / Portland, Me/Colorado Springs, Colorado/Fort Collins, Colorado/Buffalo, Ny / Worcester, Ma / Albany, NY / Denver, Colorado) I was involved in my opinion an morally and ethically challenged operation.in the end, they, in my opinion cheat both clients and employees out of money. It is very important that you listen intently to the sales pitch. This franchise group will tell you that they had a database of contact names of over 6000.
If you don't sign early, the pitch is escalated to include the contact database.in my opinion the database is all smoke and mirrors. If you sign on to be educated about the "hidden" job market and how to market yourself and write letters and improve interview skills, then okay, but don't spend more than $1000. Why this franchise will charge fees anywhere from around $3000 to $20,000 for the same basic service.
Oh sure they will tell you about the elite program, but it really won't matter much. If you sign on with this group, do not sign a Market Prep sheet stating that all items have been covered. Yes this is the part about how the fees are frontloaded. This is to get you to sign the Market prep sheet where once signed you have agreed that they have provided 90% of the service, which if you want to cancel you will only get 10% back. They will tell you sometimes that they are thinking of someone who you can talk to but they are not going to give the name until you sign that document.
I suggest that from the very beginning you ask for a list of companies that they have in mind for you and the level of contact they will be providing. Yes they may say that its to early, but press on. Oh and by the way, if you do sign and want out and they want you to meet with the "big cheese", don't go, because the chances are that he will try to belittle you and get you to agree that they have provided the service contracted for. Forget Lawsuits, they don't care about that, its the media that frightens them.
I had a client who wanted to cancel after market prep. They offered him 10%. He thought of a lawsuit, but as soon as he threatened to go to a relative who produced a consumer report program for a local television station, they relented and gave him approximately 50% back. It is very important that you understand that the hidden job market does not mean that they know people who are looking to this group to provide them with employees or to set up interviews. Some of the words used are similar to we need to get you in front of the right people, leaving out the senario that you are the one responsible to do all the work.
Yes, once in a while, they can provide the service, yea about the same amount of times a blind tiger can catch its food. Why am I writing this? Well, just like a lot of clients believe, I believe that they ripped me off. They owe me money for services rendered.
They showed me an employment agreement (unsigned) that stipulated that they could make all kinds of deductions at the end of my employment. However, when I asked that they produce the agreement that I signed, they could not find it.
You see, I don't have a copy of it and never remember signing it. I did not know this and this is why advisors suddenly disappear. They have to get the last check, cash it and leave.
The LHD franchise is in my opinion a one way operation. Remember BUYER BEWARE, if it sounds to good to be true, then in my opinion it probably is to good to be true.
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