First of all I am very grateful to have located this
website. My name is Patrick and I was victimized by
Bernard Haldane Associates in Louisville, Kentucky.
The thieves names are Jim Valdez and Joe Proctor. I
contacted this agency after seeing their advertisement
in a local paper so I assumed they were safe to do
business with considering I wasn't having much luck
locating work on my own. What a mistake!
I was a little suspicious after the fist meeting and
had pretty much decided not to return since the fee
was so high (almost 5,000 dollars) and Jim Valdez was
saying some pretty outrageous things. He told me I
wasn't having any luck because I did not have any
contacts or access the "informal/unpublished job
market" and, to a extent, that was true. I didn't have
any contacts and certainly had never heard of such
contacts. So, I saw some truth in what he was saying.
What really blew my mind was when he said that he had
direct connections with decision makers and could
provide me with direct access since I had such a
strong skill set. I left his office in shock and
really did not know what to think. I left thinking
that people like him are gatekeepers and that was how
people landed quality career positions. After all, he
seemed intelligent and confident in what he was
talking about; a very convincing salesman.
A week or so passed and he called me at my college
home where I was about to complete my MA degree.
Again, telling me how great I was and how I should
really do this thing. He even made a verbal promise to
repay me if it did not work out. How could I lose?
I went to see him the next week with a checkbook and
prepared to wipe out my savings for an opportunity to
land a great position. After all, the business seemed
legitimate and Jim seemed very prepared to deliver
what he had promised. Moreover, it seemed like a
fantastic deal because I could quickly regain that
5,000 dollars in just a couple of months. That was
another sales pitch of his.
Here is where it all felt strange. AFTER I signed a
check to him he said that would be meeting with a
career adviser in 2 weeks. I ask why I would need an
adviser if I had direct contacts. He said Joe Proctor
is friends with a few of these people as well and it
would make for a better relationship if he could "get
me ready" to meet these people.
Well, Joe was as much of con as Jim except a little
older and a little milder. I met with Joe and he had
me to sign paperwork saying Bernard Haldane had not
made any guarantees. At fist I refused to sign it
because that ran contrary to everything that I was
told by Jim Valdez. He said if I did not sign it he
would not do business with me and that he was prepared
to give me only a small percentage of the almost
$5,000 I had given Bernard Haldane. I went along with
the game because there was nothing I could do and had
no hope of anything else. During first meeting he gave
me this book of helpful hints and told me to return in
a week or so to prepare a better resume. Again, I was
stunned! Why would I need a better resume if I had
direct contacts?
I returned and we reworked my resume a bit and he
provided me with a some copies of it on quality paper
to prepare me for my "job campaign" which was another
red flag that I was being victimized. Why would I need
such an undertaking if direct contacts were just
waiting to meet me?
We scheduled a time to meet again so I could improve
on my interviewing skills. What a waste of time!
Nothing of any importance ever took place. I drove
almost 2 hours to suffer more pain and humiliation.
Still, no direct contacts.
I was beginning to get both angry and depressed. No
job, keeping appointments with people who I believed
ripped me off, little money because I had given them
most of my savings.
It got interesting during one of the final meetings. I
told Joe there were no contacts and Bernard Haldane
stole my money. I told him this very calmly without
raising my voice. He said that if I ever said anything
like that again that he would call the police and have
me arrested because he had connections on the
Louisville police force. He said his secretary would
be a witness to my outrage and that a police record
would keep me from ever finding employment. You could
not believe the shock that I experienced at that
moment.
I said nothing and just sat there even more depressed
while he was looking directly at me. He went on to
tell me more about his connections and how he could
destroy me for life with a few phones calls. I find it
strange how had the connections to "destroy" me but he
had none to help me. Everything turned around. Now he
wanted to hurt me instead of help me.
I have written too much as it is but I want provide a
picture of their techniques. They steal then threaten
people with their "connections"; it is how they
accomplish all of this madness. From what I have read,
this is not specific to the Louisville office. I sure
there are many victims out there who are too scared or
ashamed to speak out against these criminals. They
should be behind bars for feeding people false hope as
they steal their money. They should be behind bars for
making threats.
The strange thing is that these crooks become more
rich as the job market diminishes because then more
people will seek their services. This is scary and
sad.
I am more than willing to fly back to the states for a
couple of days to assist in any sort of investigation
or give an interview for for CBS. Yes, I do have
decent job these days but not because I received any
sort of help from Bernard Haldane Associates. If you
are looking for a job and they somehow find your
resume on-line, run the other way as fast as you can
and tell them what you have heard. Their self-esteem
needs a good beating.
Again, many thanks to usacomplaints.com for providing
this much needed service. I have much more to provide
and, perhaps, I will make another report in the next
few days.
Sincerely
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