I had the unfortunate displeasure of doing a few IT contract jobs for Highwire Networks Inc and only wish I had found the warnings before signing-up with these crooks. The work was completed back in Feb and I have yet to be paid, which is to the sum of $7200. I have been in contact with the CEO Mark Porter who does a fantastic job of telling me what I want to hear and that "I'll get paid soon" but I put too muchfaith in his words and empty promises because here it is nearly a year later and I'm still waiting.
From the postings here and at a few other sites, there looks to be anumber of folkswho have fallen into this trap. Between myself and a handful of otherformer Nortel employees who got caught in the layoffs after it went bankrupt, there are now a few more to add to the list. We saw this as at least a way to make money vs. Going on unemployment but all of us have been victimized for roughly the same amount.
For anyone considering doing contract/1099 work, DON'T DO IT. If you do, you will only regret it. Try this as a test: ask for any travel money and half of the negotiated pay up-front and watch where it gets you.
If you decide to go ahead regardless of the warning, or have recently completed work for HWN, Irecommend filing what's called a "Mechanic's Lien" against the customer and naming HWN as the general contractor. I am no lawyer and these are technically for construction, but depending upon the work done there is some wiggle room and worth a shot.
Please note: the lien MUST be filed in the state where the work was done and there IS a deadline. For most states it's between 60-90 days from completing the work but some are sooner and it will vary for each. There are a number of self-help sites out there with links to the proper state forms and deadlines so do your homework and research it.
From what I've seen elsewhere the lawyer route hasn't gotten any better results. I have to giveMark and his side-kick Jonathan Leuck credit here and just how much thought they put into this. They are hedging their bets that it's too little of an amount for a lawyer to go after or even as an individual to pursue in small claims. I got burned because the work was done in two different states. Taking travel cost and time off from work now that I'm employed again, it just won't happen.
Along with this post I've already filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission andplan on filing a report with the MinnesotaAttorney General for what is essentially work fraud. I'm not sure how much attention it will get, but it's something. And if more people complain, the better so I encourageeveryone who's been preyed upon by this company to do the same. Just to add some tags for search purposes: highwirenetworks, highwire networks inc, high wire networks inc
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