Complaint Review: Merrill-Adams Associates

My saga began June 1999. I met Mr. Tabler in the Merrill-Adams' Princeton "office". Therein started the impressive promises. Seems I was fortunate: paid only $3850 (compared to other reports filed on various complaint sites). Their fees swelled each year, apparently. Sorry for those signing up later.

Having a night job, I explained that I was seeking their expertise to market my skills for me, as my daytime availability was minimized by a 4-hour commute. I was assured they would handle all the leg-work and take the lead for me, as I was such a "multi-talented, personable, marketable client".

The end result was utterly unsatisfactory. Similar to other reports, I was sent to a consultant in PA (1 1/2-hours west of our home, which was 2 hours west of my work in NYC); expected to meet w/my "career counselor" repeatedly; expected to rewrite my resume (which was originally included in their services); contact some of the thousands of leads handed to me, readily accessible on the InterNet; research all leads available myself. The reasuring fact was the safety-net they provided, even 'tho their "ability to place me in a new position was inevitable". If their efforts did not yield a new job, my money would be totally refunded.

Bogus, bogus, bogus. I found my own new position within six months, after it became clear they were not helping me. Attempts to reach them have been thwarted to this day. My last conversation was with a woman in Parsippany on March 3, 2002 who explained the former CEO was deceased, and the new person in charge was a James Marken. He would be back in touch. Always, politely, someone would get back to me.

Today I called that same number, 973-884-2833 to learn it has been disconnected with no fowarding number. No kidding. For any others hoodwinked but this con game, one way to recoop some of our loses is to take their fees as a tax deduction in our job search process. PS - Thought it was curious that a reference was made to a Mark Peterson from Pennington by James Marken who had kissed and made up with M-A, supposedly. Isn't it curious that I am from Pennington, and that no Mark Peterson is listed in the phone book here?

Robin
Pennington, New Jersey
U.S.A.