Career Transition Centers Deceptive Practices Fraudulent Trade Misrepresentation of Services Phoenix Arizona
The Industrial Commission of Arizona
Labor Department
I went to Career Transition Centers without properly investigating the company prior to investing my money with them. Rick Davis seemed to be a sincere, sweet, older gentleman in the business long enough that he must be honest (right?) When I interviewed with him, he repeatedly stated that the difference between his company and all the Free options or industry-supported options was that his company would actually get me in front of the hidden market for interviews.
He said his company had job orders, personal contacts, hidden market opportunities, and unidentified job market leads to aid employment opportunity. In seven months of working with CTC I spoke to only one person as a result of their efforts (& he didn't have an opening). I had, & expressed to Rick, several complaints concerning the lack of professional care I was receiving & the fact that they were not getting me in front of interview opportunities as he expressed verbally I wrote him a total of six letters [#s 7-12] (attached) attempting to remedy CTC's apparent lack of commitment (including one, three months into the contract, asking to re-ignite efforts).
In other words, three months into my year contract, I could already see what was not happening. The lack of professional representation from CTC's actions is self-evident in just one letter, from CTC to a potential employer, dated October 1, 2002 [#5]. Short though it was, it had two very apparent misspellings & needless to say, it cost me an interview opportunity & a potential job. I do have other examples of the poor way they represented me.
I have found three individuals who have been persistent enough through the media, the courts & through your organization (The Industrial Commission) that they have actually been able to get their money back. I have found 15 complaints against CTC in the courts & numerous complaints issued against Richard Davis. People have invested time & risked embarrassment to pursue this man for fraudulent practices (including Forgery) & money has been returned, only confirming this man's lack of morality, bad business practices & the legitimacy of the claims.
Again, I was defrauded through intentional verbal misrepresentation and a contract that went unfulfilled. My personal relationship with this company has cost me, not only financially, but emotionally as well. The public should be protected against the type of business practices this man utilizes.
**Deceptive Practices, Fraudulent Trade, Misrepresentation of Services
Martin
Tempe, Arizona
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
K
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Buyer Beware!
#6UPDATE Employee
Sat, October 09, 2004
1. Martin, I am sorry to hear you are disappointed in a transaction you had with one of Discover's merchants.
2. Having said that...regarding your statement:
" went to Career Transition Centers without properly investigating the company prior to investing my money with them. Rick Davis seemed to be a sincere, sweet, older gentleman in the business long enough that he must be honest (right?"
This is a hard lesson for many people. Anyone who knows they are about to spend a large amount of money with an unfamiliar company should educate themselves as to the company's performance and background. This doesn't mean you weren't wronged, it just means you went in blind. And just because someone comes across as kind and trustworthy doesn't mean they are. Honest people lose money every day to con artists. This is not to imply that CTC is in any way guilty of anything. I'm not here to point fingers. After reading all posts, I don't know who is right.
3. As for RG of "CTC" you state that "Discover Card refused to give him any refund.". It is not our responsibility to refund his monies. It is yours, and only yours, if you have done the man wrong. We have no liability in the matter. We did not place the charge on the account. You ran his card, you made the charge. We are just a middle man...we grant credit to Martin so he can "buy now, pay later" and the funds Martin requested you to have were deposited into your merchant account. The very suggestion that Discover owes Martin something as the result of his unfortunate experience with YOUR company is completely backward.
4. Although I make no accusations against CTC or its employees, in my experience throughout the years, their are several obvious "scams" out there in regards to moneymaking: "Work at home" scams, "pyramid" scams, MLM "Scams", and "EDGE" scams. Edge scams are anytime a company promises to give someone an edge over someone else...whether it be for jobs, winning the lottery, or whatever. There is a lot of evidence out there to support that more of these companies are dishonest rather than honest. Yes, there are true "work at home" opportunities, and yes, there are certain seminars or programs that can better prepare a person for things like job interviews or academic tests. But the majority are just very well thought out, well backed up SCAMS.
Martin, I feel for you. CTC might be a legitimate company or they might not. I'm sorry Discover couldn't help. We are bound by certain policies and we do have a 180 day time limit on disputes that are not fraud disputes. I know you say the company CTC committed fraud against you. And they may have. However, because you willingly gave them your card # in good faith, it is not actually fraud in the sense that someone did not use your card without permission. That is why, unfortunately, we couldn't help. We definitely feel for our customers when things like this happen, but our hands are tied when a customer willingly gives the number out. It is a hard (and no doubt expensive) life lesson.
Dina
Spokane,Washington,
U.S.A.
Hope you get 'em, Martin!
#6Consumer Comment
Tue, October 05, 2004
I, too, have had dealings with this type of "non-performer". I am also not surprised at DIScover not helping you out - even if some time had not passed you probably would have still gotten the shaft from them, too (do a search within on "Discover"). I commend you for your perseverance, and hope you come out a winner. And good luck to you in all your endeavors... at least YOU put in your whole name, Martin; "R.G." couldn't/wouldn't/didn't!
R.G.
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Final response to Rocky
#6REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, October 31, 2003
Rocky has never contested that he received at least the following services:
38 meetings with his counselor (we provided him with the date of each) for at least 51 hours of one-on-one time
209 letters written and prepared for him by my staff
He had at least 14 interviews which we can document because we prepared 14 post-interview thank you letters
Attended 7 seminars of about 2 hours each
Nor has Rocky denied that he insisted that his counselors review the Sunday newspaper classified ads and the Internet to find jobs that he might be interested in specifically in lieu of his looking for any advertised jobs for himself.
Yes, it is an unfortunately comment on our society that there is a small percentage of people out there who rip off as often as they can and as much as they can. In almost 15 years in business, out of about 2,200 clients we have serviced, we have had 11 file small claims court actions (which is about of one-percent).
As to Rockys specific complaint: Rocky is an intelligent, well-educated (he has a Masters degree) man who signed a written contract after he read it and after he negotiated for a discounted fee; he received a ton of services, including many special services beyond those covered by his written contract; Rocky has been provided with documentation of those services on four occasions and has never contested receiving those services; he then gets a job and demands a 100% refund of his contracted fees; and when he doesnt get money back, he causes all the trouble he can with smoke, mirrors, distortions and some fairly outrageous language (for an educated man), hoping to have money thrown at him to make it go away. Im not inclined to reward bad behavior.
This is all I intend to say on this matter.
Martin
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Loser ,, Discover Card said that they didn't have the power to act because of the amount of time that passed from my original billing date.
#6Author of original report
Fri, October 24, 2003
Rick is a loser. Yes, I have filed with the Atty. Gen. Office, The BBB, Discover Card, The Industrial Comm., and with you. (It is difficult in this day and age to get results when dealing with this type of individual). Contrary to what he stated, the BBB did not dismiss the case they said that I would need to bring Rick to court for further satisfaction. The Atty. Gen. said the same thing (that they were overwhelmed with other cases and didn't have the ability to further investigate at this time. Discover Card said that they didn't have the power to act because of the amount of time that passed from my original billing date. The Industrial Commission is my last hope of dealing with this swindler. Hopefully, I will be successful and I will be able to prevent him from screwing people as he has done for the past several years. Read my original complaint. He has been brought to court almost 20 times in the past 10 years. What does that say (to you) about the way he does business?
R.G.
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
BBB & Discover card dismissed Martin complaint
#6REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, October 23, 2003
This is the fifth (5th) forum used by Martin to lodge this bogus complaint against CTC regarding his June 4, 2002 written contract. (Martin insisted on using the nickname "Rocky" exclusively while he was a client).
Martin/Rocky's first forum for his complaint was his credit card company (in March 2003), from whom he requested a refund of the fees he paid under his contract. My staff prepared a detailed response, including among other things: a 4-page, single-spaced, day-by-day list of his appointments with his career counselor, the letters written for him, calls made for him, the counseling sessions, etc. Discover Card refused to give him any refund.
Rocky's 2nd forum for his complaint was the Better Business Bureau (in May 2003). My staff prepared a detailed response and included the 4-page, day-by-day list of services rendered, our letter to Discover Card and their response. The BBB dismissed Rocky's complaint based on all the documentation provided.
We invite you to check the Phoenix BBB's report on Career Transition Centers at www.phoenix.bbb.org/ which was updated by the BBB after Rocky's complaint.
Rocky's 3rd forum for his complaint was in August 2003 to the Arizona Department of Labor, which licenses CTC. We responded by sending the DOL all the paperwork we sent to Discover Card and the BBB, including both organizations' dismissal of Rocky's complaint. We have a hearing set for November 3, 2003 at the DOL and look forward to meeting and defeating these charges again at that time.
Rocky's 4th forum to lodge his complaint was the Arizona Attorney General's Office (Sept. 2003). We supplied the A.G.'s Office with the replies that we sent to Discover Card, the BBB and the DOL, along with the dismissals from Discover Card and the BBB. On October 10, 2003, the A.G.'s Office advised us that after they reviewed our reply papers, they also closed their file on Rocky's complaint.
Usually I prefer to ignore pure mud-slinging charges, however Rocky's reference to a claim of "forgery" requires a specific response. In 35 years as a professional executive, I have never signed anybody's name to any document other than my own. In the 14 years that I have been at the helm of CTC, we have provided a broad spectrum of services to satisfy our clients' career search needs. Approximately 7 or 8 years ago, one of my career counselors was working with a client who was currently employed, working long hours and was very anxious to obtain another position as quickly as possible. Unbeknownst to me, that client had an arrangement with his counselor that the client or his wife would call in advertised positions and the counselor would have letters prepared, the counselor would then initial the letters for the client and fax them with resumes for him. A month or two into this process, a blind ad was called in which seemed a very good fit for the client's qualifications. The counselor had the letter prepared, and as per his usual practice for that client, he initialed the letter and had it faxed. Turned out that the blind ad had been placed by the client's employer (apparently seeking to fill his position). The employer confronted the client; the client promptly sued CTC for a 100% refund, which I paid. From that day to this, I have instituted a firm policy that under no circumstances may a CTC staff person initial or sign anything for a client. Regularly I have clients request this service and many have good excuses for needing it. However, I do not permit exceptions.
As documented in the 4-page day-by-day list which was sent to Discover Card, the BBB, the DOL and the A.G. - and to Rocky - he received the following services: (a.) at least 38 counseling / career coaching meetings for a total of at least 51 hours of one-on-one time, (b.) 209 letters prepared for him with almost all of them composed for him by his counselor, (c.) he attended 7 career pursuit seminars (2 hours each), (d.) he had at least 14 interviews, for which CTC staff prepared "thank you" letters, (e.) CTC staff faxed a total of 81 pages for him and (f.) my staff spent literally dozens of additional hours scouring the Sunday newspapers' classified ads and the internet because Rocky didn't want to have to search for advertised jobs he might be interested in.
Rocky certainly was never defrauded or misled.