Bernard Haldane contacted me, having harvested my personal information from legitimate job sites on which I'd registered, representing themselves as executive recruiters. I was told that I was selected because of my unique qualities, and I was scheduled for an interview.
The interview turned out to be a high-pressure sales pitch in which I was told I would be put in touch with high-level, high paying executive jobs that were hidden from the rest of the job market. They told me they would market me in this unannounced, executive job market, and that they would negotiate my salary once I landed a job.
I was charged $6450.00 for the service. I paid $5,000.00 up front with $1,450.00 due after I landed a job paying over $60,000.00 a year. I was also credited $450.00 if I paid right then. I charged $4550.00 to my VISA, with whom I've also lodged a complaint against Haldane.
To access these unannounced jobs, I would be given access to some exclusive Web tools and sites. I was told that my expenses with Haldane were tax-deductible, and that the high-caliber companies Haldane serviced would repay my fee. Once I signed on and paid the exorbitant fee, the relationship changed drastically.
Haldane provided no marketing whatsoever, and I was left on my own to come up with business contacts. I'm convinced their Web tools and sites are fake:
A Web mailbox that was supposed to fill with contacts from hiring employers, remained empty for over five months, despite being set to accept messages from all over the US and parts of Europe
A job board containing few announcements, many over three years old, and all gleaned from unrelated recruiter Websites
A search engine that simply didn't work
When I pressed the issue about negotiating my salary for me, they admitted that their role was only to tell me what to say when I negotiated myself. Haldane's services are not tax deductible, and since they don't have contacts with employers as they claimed, there would certainly not be any compensation for the outrageous fee.
I asked Haldane why the service seemed so different from what was promised, but they brushed my questions aside, saying things like it's too early to worry about that now. As I began with Haldane, I was asked to sign forms indicating that I had finished a module and was ready to proceed to the next. I've just recently learned that these forms act as some type of affidavit proving my satisfaction with the service.
The Haldane Method is basically over-pushy salesmanship. I was to write to an executive, asking him or her to help me develop my resume, and informing them that I would call later to set an appointment. When challenged by the receptionist, I was to tell him or her that Mr. Or Ms. X was expecting my personal call. Once in, the executive would then be tricked into reviewing my resume with me. After I interviewed this executive, I would then ask for other executives with whom I could speak. Theoretically, my contacts would expand virally until I finally found one that happened to have a job for me. For announced jobs, I was to ignore the instructions on the ad, and send only a teaser letter. When I called the contact later, I was to then ask for an interview during which we could discuss my complete resume.
In practice, none of my executives were fooled. They never answered my calls, and never returned messages. About four very close friends in high positions reviewed my Haldane resume, each horrified at the poor quality, but refused to give references to other executivesapparently a very unprofessional thing to do. The strategy for the advertised jobs was equally ill-conceived: 100% of the responses to that gimmick were, you send the information for which we asked, and if we have any more interest, we'll call you for an interview. Needless to say, they never called back. After five months of this, my family and I finally ran out of money.
When I confronted Reed Swain, the salesman with whom I'd spoken, he recommended I take the first little job I could find, even suggesting a telemarketing job of which he knew. He went on, exploiting our common religious faith, citing his service in three consecutive bishoprics, and telling me to go on LDS (Mormon) church welfare. He scolded me for not having done it sooner. When I insisted on my money back, he simply enforced the contract. That's when I knew I'd been taken.
I've since landed a modest job by using my own resume and the tried and true methods. We'll be OK now, but my family has been severely set back by this scam.
Richard
Pleasant Grove, Utah
U.S.A.
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