So I read Girl Gone by Gillian Flynn and loved it. Then I proceeded to read all her other books, which I also loved. Then I was desperate for more books and I remembered I had a book on my wishlist by an author I had never read before- Lisa Gardner. The book was Hide. I read that book. Loved it. Then I proceeded to read all her other books, which has led me to The Neighbor. Almost right away I started getting déjà vu. Wife goes missing, strange scene at the home (where she was last seen), even the damn cat is the same, story changes perspectives throughout, female and male detectives, husband comes off as unlikable, then you're led to believe maybe it's the wife that is unlikeable and has a deep, dark secret past, wife shows up alive- after killing stalker, semi-happily ever after, etc. I find the similarities too many and too close to be coincidence. I really liked Gillian Flynn as an author, but I have to say that my respect for her has just gone down a few notches. I understand authors steal from each other all the time, but this isn't just taking the seedling of an idea- it's a uprooting an entire friggin tree!
I did a quick google search of both authors names together and got one sort of hit (the person writing the review got the story in The Neighbor wrong by writing the husband had a son to protect, but it was actually a daughter, and that's not a typo or a misunderstanding- it's central to the story so I have doubts on the authenticity of that reviewer, needless to say. Anyway, I was surprised there wasn't more internet buzz about this and I'm not sure why. It was a total coincidence that I found these two authors because I had the Lisa Garnder book on my wish list from two years ago and had totally forgotten about it until after I read Gillian Flynns' books, which was only last month, and needed something else to read. I didn't even start with The Neighbor, but read Hide first. Well, it's comforting to know that Lisa Gardner has a ton of books and I've only been through two so far and really like them. That should keep me busy for another month at least!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Monday, December 31, 2012
Update on Resume Writing Services & Reviews
It's that time again for me to revise my resume and I thought I had done a pretty good job of it myself, until I went home for Christmas and my brother-in-law basically told me it was worthless. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have told him to shove it and his assessment would not have had any impact on me whatsoever, but the fact is that it has been four months and I have yet to land one interview. Something is obviously not working, so once again I am on the quest to find a legitimate professional resume writing service and once again, it is an enormous project. The last time I did this, I ended up getting completely disgusted with the majority of resume writing websites and decided not to use a service and try it myself. Since I knew what I was getting into this time around, I started from legitimate websites like the NY Public Library and used the links/resources they provided. After I narrowed it down to a handful of legitimate professional resume writing services, I did a general google search for each one to find any complaints, reviews and comments from real people who had used their services. I found a lot of the same type of fake reviews and fake review websites that I had the first time around, but I also found some real reviewers and real customers and I was sure to read all the fine print on the websites carefully. (I will let you know which service I ended up going with and I will give you an honest review of their services and my level of satisfaction in another post after I get my resume and have had time to evaluate their services.)
In the mean time, I want to mention the fake review sites that are either paid to write positive reviews about the company or are an affiliate of the company or are part of a combined agreement between several companies to create a fake review website in order to provide a facade of legitimacy and make it seem as though the review site is in no way affiliated with the companies being reviewed. I know this sounds confusing if you don't know what I'm talking about so let me put it this way. Company XYZ provides a resume writing service and they have a website companyXYZ.com where you can purchase resume writing services from them, BUT they also create a website called resume-writing-services-reviews.com. They create and pay for this fake review site and the reviews are not real because they are either written by the company or by someone who has been paid by the company to write a great review. Sometimes multiple companies will team up and pay to create a fake review site together. Here is an example:
Compare Resume Services
This is what they state as the purpose/description of their website:
"To assist you in your search, we have compiled not only a list of the top 10 resume writing services, but an in-depth analysis of their guarantees, credentials, turnaround time, service fees, and much more! If you are looking for an unbiased, third-party comparison of the best resume companies in business today, simply visit our Resume Service Reviews page to learn more."
I added the emphasis to show you that is a blatantly FALSE statement. It is most certainly NOT a third-party nor is it unbiased. For one needs only scroll down the page to find the contradiction and proof of an affiliation at the very bottom in small print:
"Disclosure: The owner of this website is an affiliate for providers of services mentioned on this website and may be compensated when you purchase from a provider."
It is almost laughable to take companies like this seriously. Almost. It's not laughable because they actually succeed in tricking many people to hand over a lot of money for something that most likely will not be up to par. That is not to say that all the companies are horrible or should not be used, but any company that participates in false advertising or pays money in order to deceive people is not a company I want to do any business with- especially for something as important as a resume. I should note that it is not just resume writing services who do this. Virtually any product or company does it. If you are looking for a TV or a smartphone and google "TV reviews" or "best smartphone" you will find all kinds of sites like "best-tvs-reviewed.com" or "compare-smartphones.com" etc.
When it comes to reading reviews online, the bottom line is: don't believe everything you read. While I suppose a large number of reviews for any company or service are legitimate, there is also rampant abuse of the reviewing system no matter what the site. Desperate companies or individuals will spam sites with false reviews or pay someone else to do it or even have something along the lines of a spam-bot do it. Always use common sense and check to see if the reviewers have other reviews about other services/companies. Are there multiple reviews that all seem to be posted around the same date/time? Are there several reviews that seem to be using the same wording or wording that sounds like it came from a commercial or just sounds inauthentic? If it's an interactive message board or forum, reply to a reviewer and see if they reply back. If they do, ask for specifics. If they start to fall apart or seem way too invested in defending the company, then it's very likely that person is affiliated with the company and not an actual customer.
As far as customer satisfaction and professionalism are concerned, if you really want to check up on a company or service, go to the BBB website. Even companies that are not accredited by the BBB can have a rating and helpful information. For example, Careers Plus Resumes is NOT accredited by the BBB and has a rating of C-. It also has more information on legitimate complaints made against the company and the company's responses to those complaints. Any information on the BBB website cannot be faked, so this is a good way to go if you are getting contradictory information online. Here is the link to the BBBs rating and information for Careers Plus Resumes, which is just one example of a company I would never use:
http://www.bbb.org/nashville/business-reviews/resume-service/careers-plus-resumes-in-gallatin-tn-37018432
In the mean time, I want to mention the fake review sites that are either paid to write positive reviews about the company or are an affiliate of the company or are part of a combined agreement between several companies to create a fake review website in order to provide a facade of legitimacy and make it seem as though the review site is in no way affiliated with the companies being reviewed. I know this sounds confusing if you don't know what I'm talking about so let me put it this way. Company XYZ provides a resume writing service and they have a website companyXYZ.com where you can purchase resume writing services from them, BUT they also create a website called resume-writing-services-reviews.com. They create and pay for this fake review site and the reviews are not real because they are either written by the company or by someone who has been paid by the company to write a great review. Sometimes multiple companies will team up and pay to create a fake review site together. Here is an example:
Compare Resume Services
This is what they state as the purpose/description of their website:
"To assist you in your search, we have compiled not only a list of the top 10 resume writing services, but an in-depth analysis of their guarantees, credentials, turnaround time, service fees, and much more! If you are looking for an unbiased, third-party comparison of the best resume companies in business today, simply visit our Resume Service Reviews page to learn more."
I added the emphasis to show you that is a blatantly FALSE statement. It is most certainly NOT a third-party nor is it unbiased. For one needs only scroll down the page to find the contradiction and proof of an affiliation at the very bottom in small print:
"Disclosure: The owner of this website is an affiliate for providers of services mentioned on this website and may be compensated when you purchase from a provider."
It is almost laughable to take companies like this seriously. Almost. It's not laughable because they actually succeed in tricking many people to hand over a lot of money for something that most likely will not be up to par. That is not to say that all the companies are horrible or should not be used, but any company that participates in false advertising or pays money in order to deceive people is not a company I want to do any business with- especially for something as important as a resume. I should note that it is not just resume writing services who do this. Virtually any product or company does it. If you are looking for a TV or a smartphone and google "TV reviews" or "best smartphone" you will find all kinds of sites like "best-tvs-reviewed.com" or "compare-smartphones.com" etc.
When it comes to reading reviews online, the bottom line is: don't believe everything you read. While I suppose a large number of reviews for any company or service are legitimate, there is also rampant abuse of the reviewing system no matter what the site. Desperate companies or individuals will spam sites with false reviews or pay someone else to do it or even have something along the lines of a spam-bot do it. Always use common sense and check to see if the reviewers have other reviews about other services/companies. Are there multiple reviews that all seem to be posted around the same date/time? Are there several reviews that seem to be using the same wording or wording that sounds like it came from a commercial or just sounds inauthentic? If it's an interactive message board or forum, reply to a reviewer and see if they reply back. If they do, ask for specifics. If they start to fall apart or seem way too invested in defending the company, then it's very likely that person is affiliated with the company and not an actual customer.
As far as customer satisfaction and professionalism are concerned, if you really want to check up on a company or service, go to the BBB website. Even companies that are not accredited by the BBB can have a rating and helpful information. For example, Careers Plus Resumes is NOT accredited by the BBB and has a rating of C-. It also has more information on legitimate complaints made against the company and the company's responses to those complaints. Any information on the BBB website cannot be faked, so this is a good way to go if you are getting contradictory information online. Here is the link to the BBBs rating and information for Careers Plus Resumes, which is just one example of a company I would never use:
http://www.bbb.org/nashville/business-reviews/resume-service/careers-plus-resumes-in-gallatin-tn-37018432
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Hulu's New Format - FAIL! (And a dirty little secret)
If you are an avid hulu user, as I had recently become, you've noticed their massive site overhaul. It's a complete and utter disaster and anyone looking for more specific details on just how the new implementation affects users, needs only to read the comments on their blog (http://blog.hulu.com/2012/08/21/launching-a-new-hulu-a-fresh-look-for-the-shows-you-love/ ) or their Facebook page. I'm sure that this only represents a fraction of the users who are unhappy, as many users won't even bother to comment or won't care enough to find their blog and complain. It took me exactly 11 days to do so and by then I was so annoyed, I had to blog about it here.
What I find particularly amusing is that if you google, "hulu new layout" you will get a bunch of articles and reviews praising the new design and saying how great it is, which would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. This is the dirty little secret of the industry. The articles were all written by those employed by hulu or those who have a stake in keeping hulu relevant, like the networks that allow their shows to be streamed through hulu, for example. Nearly every single article or review praising hulu's new design happened to be posted on August 22, one day after the official launch, and the others were posted on the day the new format launched. Coincidence? No, they are actually just disguised press releases, as surely none of the authors really use the site regularly or had taken the time to understand and appreciate the utter fail of the new features and design and how it impacts actual users. They post on a variety of different sites and media outlets, hoping to work up a false positive buzz to hide the actual dissatisfaction and legitimate comments from actual users. They also use these fake articles to placate advertisers and give them a false sense of security (and probably jack-up their ad fees.)
This is a prime example of how little concern and respect companies have nowadays towards customer service or making customers happy. While I'm not sure exactly how the new format benefits advertisers, I'm certain that it does since there can be no other logical explanation for implementing such a train wreck. Obviously, the user is irrelevant to them since any company reading the comments and taking customer feedback seriously would have immediately reverted to the old layout. Eventually, the site will fail, but it will take a while before advertisers catch on and for many users to find an alternative. When that time comes, hulu will scramble to win back viewers and advertisers, but it will be too late, as people will have found another, better, more user-friendly alternative and be unlikely to switch back to a site that completely dismissed them in the first place. Once you lose advertisers, they don't come back.
Of course, there is always the possibility hulu will come to their senses and revert to the old layout or at the very least, give users the option of reverting to the old layout (impossible), but I'm guessing they don't give their users enough credit for being able to find alternatives. I have several, but I liked using hulu and I liked using it to find new shows or shows that I might not have otherwise watched. Oh well. I am giving them until September 21 to roll back to the old format or I will delete my account (free account that it is) and never return. I will still not watch any shows on hulu in the mean time. Most networks post their own shows on their webpages and of course there is always the reliable torrenting method of obtaining shows (commercial-free, I might add.) I will be choosing those methods until (if) hulu gets its shit together.
What I find particularly amusing is that if you google, "hulu new layout" you will get a bunch of articles and reviews praising the new design and saying how great it is, which would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. This is the dirty little secret of the industry. The articles were all written by those employed by hulu or those who have a stake in keeping hulu relevant, like the networks that allow their shows to be streamed through hulu, for example. Nearly every single article or review praising hulu's new design happened to be posted on August 22, one day after the official launch, and the others were posted on the day the new format launched. Coincidence? No, they are actually just disguised press releases, as surely none of the authors really use the site regularly or had taken the time to understand and appreciate the utter fail of the new features and design and how it impacts actual users. They post on a variety of different sites and media outlets, hoping to work up a false positive buzz to hide the actual dissatisfaction and legitimate comments from actual users. They also use these fake articles to placate advertisers and give them a false sense of security (and probably jack-up their ad fees.)
This is a prime example of how little concern and respect companies have nowadays towards customer service or making customers happy. While I'm not sure exactly how the new format benefits advertisers, I'm certain that it does since there can be no other logical explanation for implementing such a train wreck. Obviously, the user is irrelevant to them since any company reading the comments and taking customer feedback seriously would have immediately reverted to the old layout. Eventually, the site will fail, but it will take a while before advertisers catch on and for many users to find an alternative. When that time comes, hulu will scramble to win back viewers and advertisers, but it will be too late, as people will have found another, better, more user-friendly alternative and be unlikely to switch back to a site that completely dismissed them in the first place. Once you lose advertisers, they don't come back.
Of course, there is always the possibility hulu will come to their senses and revert to the old layout or at the very least, give users the option of reverting to the old layout (impossible), but I'm guessing they don't give their users enough credit for being able to find alternatives. I have several, but I liked using hulu and I liked using it to find new shows or shows that I might not have otherwise watched. Oh well. I am giving them until September 21 to roll back to the old format or I will delete my account (free account that it is) and never return. I will still not watch any shows on hulu in the mean time. Most networks post their own shows on their webpages and of course there is always the reliable torrenting method of obtaining shows (commercial-free, I might add.) I will be choosing those methods until (if) hulu gets its shit together.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Fire Island (Sunken Forest)
My favorite place to go in the summer is Sunken Forest at Fire Island. I love the fact there is never anyone else around and I feel like I have the whole beach to myself. The only drawback is that it takes forever to get there and it's gotten ridiculously expensive compared to how much it cost just a few years ago. I think now it's $29, whereas a few years ago it was $14.50. It's double in price in three years. Ugh. Otherwise, it's like a mini-vacation. I just walk up and down the beach looking for pretty rocks and shells. I'm thinking of going there tomorrow, but we'll see...
Thursday, June 7, 2012
We the Corporations...?
There are two ways in which money has destroyed our democracy and the entire political system. The first is the easiest and most straightforward way- buying politicians who are already in office. When corporations or special interests "donate" to those politicians, there are specific strings attached. Once a corporation buys a politician, they own them. Then they simply direct them on how to vote when it comes to legislative bills. Individual citizens can never hope to raise enough money to buy legislation and compete with the massive and continuous flow of money available to huge corporations.
A corporation is made up of people, but a corporation is not a person. A gang is made up of people, but a gang is not a person. A union, a school, a hospital are all made up of people, but none are or are representative of an individual person. Collectively, any of these groups is obviously larger and more powerful than any one person, but none of these groups' primary purpose is political activism. Corporations provide goods and/or services. Unions represent workers. Schools educate students. Hospitals care for the sick and injured. None of these groups should have an "extra" say in our political system, but especially corporations. The goal of a corporation is to make money. There is nothing wrong with that, until it goes wrong. When corporations do things that hurt the public or the environment or buy politicians in order to enact legislation that helps them be more profitable- that's when things go wrong.
The second way money has destroyed democracy is more complicated, but it involves actual elections. The sickening amount of money spent on attack ads and trying to discourage certain groups from voting and suppressing voter turn-out. One national trend going on right now is individual states trying to suppress the Latino/Hispanic vote by creating laws that require a person prove citizenship before being allowed to vote. While this may discourage illegal immigrants from voting, it also discourages legal immigrants as well. The right has an amazing ability to rile people up and get them motivated enough to get up off their fat asses and vote. They do this by tapping into their base's hatred and bigotry. The people on the right hate Obama so much and are so angry and do not want him to win again so much that I predict they will be showing up in record numbers in the upcoming presidential election, while the people on the left have become so disenchanted and disappointed with Obama, there is no way they will show up in the same numbers they did in 2008. The republicans have dominated the debate no matter what the issue and no matter what it means for the country. They are experts at taking over and twisting an issue to their favor and they are never called out or punished for their tactics, which often involve outright lies. Republicans are admirably united and unwavering in their talking points and stance. Democrats are so weak and so pathetically incapable of fighting back or uniting or taking a stand, they are utterly useless. What bothers me the most is that despite the fact Obama has been more to the right than Bush and Reagan, the republicans have succeeded in convincing a huge portion of the American public that he is a far-left, liberal, progressive, socialist. I am not going to vote for Obama not because he IS any of those things, but because he is not. No, that does not mean I am voting for the alternative, and should my non-Obama vote mean that the other side wins, so be it, but that is not my fault.
And this is how I arrive at wondering what's the point and why should we bother anymore. Even if Obama wins, it's still Obama and Obama is not progressive, not liberal, not even a democrat. There is no candidate who represents me and my values and my views and even if there were, once elected, there is no reason whatsoever to assume they would govern that way. I've written about this before, but I honestly believed in Obama. I believed him and his campaign promises, his promises for the country and to not have "politics as usual," I believed in his message of hope and I felt excited for the future. I'm embarrassed at how naive I was and my cynicism is bordering on turning into complete indifference. I find it very hard to believe there is any way to win back democracy without having the country fall so hard, it leaves no other choice but for the people to take it back, but even then I have my doubts.
Every time I hear about the millions and billions being spent on campaigns and Super PACs, I can't help but think how awesome this country could be if that money was actually spent on something real- like high-speed rail or just improved public transportation, infrastructure, education and research, technology, science, even a fucking awesome theme park, for crying out loud! Anything other than "air space" to spew bullshit. If all those corporations and super rich "donors" reinvested that money into their employees, into improving their products, into the public sector, into making the country better for EVERYONE, this country could be better than ever and a place to be proud of again. If we could get true campaign finance reform and get the money out of politics, corporations and the rich "donors" would save a lot of money or they could choose to spend it elsewhere. It's not as though they would lose as this is not about anti-capitalism. It's just about having a fair and just political system where the individual citizens have the most powerful voice and we decide how the country is run and most importantly, the politicians WE elect, represent US- you know, as in, "We the people..." Remember that?
FedEx World Service Center Bronx, NY
FedEx World Service Center
670 East 132nd Street, Bronx, NY 10454
(6/18/2010) I wasn’t home for the delivery and usually the FedEx guy calls me and we coordinate, or if for some reason he can’t reach me, he leaves it at my door or he knows my downstairs neighbors will take it. Maybe it was a different guy today, but I can't wait until Monday for the package so I'm thinking, OK, I’ll go pick it up at the Bronx location. I don’t know my way around the Bronx, but how bad can it be since it’s a FedEx World Service Center? I tried to get directions from hopstop. Their first direction after exiting the subway is to turn right on “unknown street.” Wtf is that?! Next, I tried google. I kept thinking there was a problem with the map because there were no streets listed, but obviously it’s not a technical glitch. I don't know what to do. I need my package, but I don't want to go to some sketchy neighborhood in the Bronx, especially alone! Plus, I get lost really, really easily. I don’t really have a choice but to go, so when (if) I return later tonight, I will write another review and tell you what happened. If I don’t write again, you know I never made it back…
Update: I made it! OK, I went and I took photos too so I am going to post them here so people know what to expect. First of all, it wasn’t as difficult to find as I had anticipated, but that is only because I finally got decent directions by combining directions from FedEx and studying the map before I went. Prepare for a strange, long walk though. It IS in the middle of an empty field and it’s definitely in the middle of nowhere. Here are the directions from the subway that worked for me.
Directions:
1. Take the 6 train to BROOK AVENUE (& E 138 St.)
2. When you exit the subway station, walk South on Brook Ave towards E 137 St.
3. Keep walking south several blocks until you get to BRUCKNER BLVD.
4. Make a LEFT onto BRUCKNER Blvd and you will hit ST. ANN’S AVENUE (which runs parallel to Brook Ave.)
5. At St. Ann’s, cross Bruckner Blvd and continue going South until you get to the next block (which I think is E 132 St.)
6. You will see a little red guard booth in front of what looks like the entrance to a parking lot or the back entrance to a building. Walk towards the guard booth.
7. You can ask the guard to point you in the right direction or just walk past him as if you were a car driving into the “lot” and turn LEFT following the road (there is only one way to turn anyway). Just follow the road.
8. When you turn the corner, you will see a bridge, a field, old train tracks and a couple of old train cars and pretty much nothing. Just follow the road to nowhere until you get to the bridge area and by then you’ll see the FedEx building on your RIGHT. Just walk along the edge of the road and it will lead you there. It does feel really strange walking in the middle of nowhere. There aren’t many cars, but a few FedEx trucks passed by.
Like I said, it’s strange, but I felt pretty safe and I’m a girl and I was by myself. I wouldn’t go when it was dark out, but as I was leaving it was starting to get dark and it was fine. Anyway, I hope this helps! Good luck and tell FedEx they are insane for putting this “World Service Center” out in the middle of nowhere!
(6/18/2010) I wasn’t home for the delivery and usually the FedEx guy calls me and we coordinate, or if for some reason he can’t reach me, he leaves it at my door or he knows my downstairs neighbors will take it. Maybe it was a different guy today, but I can't wait until Monday for the package so I'm thinking, OK, I’ll go pick it up at the Bronx location. I don’t know my way around the Bronx, but how bad can it be since it’s a FedEx World Service Center? I tried to get directions from hopstop. Their first direction after exiting the subway is to turn right on “unknown street.” Wtf is that?! Next, I tried google. I kept thinking there was a problem with the map because there were no streets listed, but obviously it’s not a technical glitch. I don't know what to do. I need my package, but I don't want to go to some sketchy neighborhood in the Bronx, especially alone! Plus, I get lost really, really easily. I don’t really have a choice but to go, so when (if) I return later tonight, I will write another review and tell you what happened. If I don’t write again, you know I never made it back…
Update: I made it! OK, I went and I took photos too so I am going to post them here so people know what to expect. First of all, it wasn’t as difficult to find as I had anticipated, but that is only because I finally got decent directions by combining directions from FedEx and studying the map before I went. Prepare for a strange, long walk though. It IS in the middle of an empty field and it’s definitely in the middle of nowhere. Here are the directions from the subway that worked for me.
Directions:
1. Take the 6 train to BROOK AVENUE (& E 138 St.)
2. When you exit the subway station, walk South on Brook Ave towards E 137 St.
3. Keep walking south several blocks until you get to BRUCKNER BLVD.
4. Make a LEFT onto BRUCKNER Blvd and you will hit ST. ANN’S AVENUE (which runs parallel to Brook Ave.)
5. At St. Ann’s, cross Bruckner Blvd and continue going South until you get to the next block (which I think is E 132 St.)
6. You will see a little red guard booth in front of what looks like the entrance to a parking lot or the back entrance to a building. Walk towards the guard booth.
7. You can ask the guard to point you in the right direction or just walk past him as if you were a car driving into the “lot” and turn LEFT following the road (there is only one way to turn anyway). Just follow the road.
8. When you turn the corner, you will see a bridge, a field, old train tracks and a couple of old train cars and pretty much nothing. Just follow the road to nowhere until you get to the bridge area and by then you’ll see the FedEx building on your RIGHT. Just walk along the edge of the road and it will lead you there. It does feel really strange walking in the middle of nowhere. There aren’t many cars, but a few FedEx trucks passed by.
Like I said, it’s strange, but I felt pretty safe and I’m a girl and I was by myself. I wouldn’t go when it was dark out, but as I was leaving it was starting to get dark and it was fine. Anyway, I hope this helps! Good luck and tell FedEx they are insane for putting this “World Service Center” out in the middle of nowhere!
Careers Plus Resumes - They are insane!
(Originally posted Jan 29, 2010 on my old Wordpress blog)
I have been absolutely dreading the whole resume nightmare. I decided that because of my unique employment history, I need a professional resume writer to tackle the task so I have been researching various websites and services. It’s very difficult to assess some of these websites because there is not really a way to ask questions before signing up and paying for them. I have very specific needs and I want someone who has solid experience with career changers, since that is the entire reason I am willing to hire someone for this in the first place. I don't need help with job descriptions and wording since I think I do a pretty damn good job of that myself, but I do need help with figuring out the format and how to address the major career shifts (i.e. medical research in a hospital to horse trainer/riding instructor) and gaps (which weren’t so much gaps as multiple part-time jobs and reconfiguring my life post Hurricane Katrina.)
Anyway, so after visiting several of the major resume writing sites out there, I decided to google each of them to find any reviews, complaints, satisfied customers, scam alerts, etc. Resume writing is not a cheap service and I’m not going to plunk $250-$400 down without having some kind of assurance and confidence that I am going to be getting my moneys worth! One of the companies I googled was “Careers Plus Resumes” (http://www.cpresumes.com) which led me to a complaint board with a complaint about them. I ended up registering on the complaint board because I wanted to contact the poster so I could ask them a few questions. Then I noticed that another user had posted three messages in a row defending the company and claiming to be a satisfied customer, which immediately raised a red flag. If he was truly a satisfied customer, why would he visit and register on a complaint board just to respond to a complaint about the company? When I am happy with a service, I don’t go looking up information and complaints about the company to defend them! I might give a positive review somewhere and move on. I certainly would not try to debunk another persons experience- even if it was nothing like my own! The whole thing is very suspect and I think it’s reasonable to assume that it is actually someone from the company who feels the need to defend themselves, which in turn makes them look extremely unprofessional. There is no reason for anyone other than company employees to invest in such a personal defense. So I made a very rational, measured comment that by posting such a vigorous defense of the company, they were actually doing more harm than good because there would be no reason for a satisfied customer to seek out and defend a company against one little complaint on the internet. I added that I was definitely opting NOT to use Careers Plus Resumes, as it seemed very strange and unprofessional to pose as a satisfied customer. (Well, I didn’t actually write that last bit, but you get the idea.)
Having ruled out that company, I went on to research the others on my list and forgot all about it until I got an email message from a newly registered user on the site who claimed to be the CEO of the company and who had threatened me with legal action for posting negative comments. First of all, I only posted one comment- as a reply to another comment. Second, I was not the one who wrote the complaint. I have had no direct experience with this company! Third, my comment did not include any false information. Lastly, legal action? Seriously? On what grounds? It was one of the most pathetic attempts at intimidation I have ever seen and it failed miserably. This is the exact message copy and pasted:
"My name is Justin Olsen, President/CEO of Careers Plus Resumes, Inc. We have evidence to believe you are either a direct competitor or an administrator of this website. Our corporate attorney has partnered with our local Law Enforcement agencies and have detected and logged your IP address which is a physical address of your computer and can be traced to your exact location. We are hereby demanding that you cease and decist from posting anymore defamatory/false statements about our company and have the other posts removed immediately or we will pursue damages in Federal Court to the fullest extent of the law. You will be held liable for damages and attorney fees for your criminal actions against our organization. Good day."
Aside from being laugh-out-loud funny, it is false and ridiculous on so many levels. I responded to him saying as much and I’ve since received several other “threatening” messages from several “different” users, all of whom coincidentally registered within the last 24-48 hours and who have only made posts concerning (and defending) Careers Plus Resumes. The funniest part of this whole thing is that I wasn’t even the one who wrote the original complaint! Lol! They are insane. Every single company that provides services or goods to the public will ALWAYS have some unsatisfied customers. That’s natural and expected. What is not natural or expected is for the company to waste time and energy posing as various users to defend the company and insult those who “have the nerve” to write about their negative experiences.
I’ve replied to two or three more messages, including another from the CEO who claimed that in addition to being a certified writer, he is also an attorney. If anyone is propagating false information, it is him! Based on his other statements, it is painstakingly obvious he is no such thing. An attorney would know that everything I’ve posted is 100% protected and that libel cases are heard in civil courts and not Federal court- even criminally libelous cases are state-by-state and not federal. Nearly every single thing he has claimed thus far has been false and incorrect. It’s ridiculous.
This is the reason it is so important to do research, and I am writing this blog entry to expose their complete lack of professionalism and moronic behavior so that other people who are looking for information about them can see and judge for themselves. I have had no experience using their services so I can’t even say this is a review, however, I would certainly not recommend them, as they clearly lack professionalism and credibility.
Here is the link to the original complaint and thread for your amusement and should you wish to follow-up on any new developments, though I’ve certainly lost interest in this game. Btw, my user name on the board is “imanygirl.” http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/careers-plus-resumes-c299050.html?selcom=579716#c579716
To view the original Comments for this post on my old blog, you can go here:
http://july7nyc.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/careers-plus-resumes-they-are-insane/
I have been absolutely dreading the whole resume nightmare. I decided that because of my unique employment history, I need a professional resume writer to tackle the task so I have been researching various websites and services. It’s very difficult to assess some of these websites because there is not really a way to ask questions before signing up and paying for them. I have very specific needs and I want someone who has solid experience with career changers, since that is the entire reason I am willing to hire someone for this in the first place. I don't need help with job descriptions and wording since I think I do a pretty damn good job of that myself, but I do need help with figuring out the format and how to address the major career shifts (i.e. medical research in a hospital to horse trainer/riding instructor) and gaps (which weren’t so much gaps as multiple part-time jobs and reconfiguring my life post Hurricane Katrina.)
Anyway, so after visiting several of the major resume writing sites out there, I decided to google each of them to find any reviews, complaints, satisfied customers, scam alerts, etc. Resume writing is not a cheap service and I’m not going to plunk $250-$400 down without having some kind of assurance and confidence that I am going to be getting my moneys worth! One of the companies I googled was “Careers Plus Resumes” (http://www.cpresumes.com) which led me to a complaint board with a complaint about them. I ended up registering on the complaint board because I wanted to contact the poster so I could ask them a few questions. Then I noticed that another user had posted three messages in a row defending the company and claiming to be a satisfied customer, which immediately raised a red flag. If he was truly a satisfied customer, why would he visit and register on a complaint board just to respond to a complaint about the company? When I am happy with a service, I don’t go looking up information and complaints about the company to defend them! I might give a positive review somewhere and move on. I certainly would not try to debunk another persons experience- even if it was nothing like my own! The whole thing is very suspect and I think it’s reasonable to assume that it is actually someone from the company who feels the need to defend themselves, which in turn makes them look extremely unprofessional. There is no reason for anyone other than company employees to invest in such a personal defense. So I made a very rational, measured comment that by posting such a vigorous defense of the company, they were actually doing more harm than good because there would be no reason for a satisfied customer to seek out and defend a company against one little complaint on the internet. I added that I was definitely opting NOT to use Careers Plus Resumes, as it seemed very strange and unprofessional to pose as a satisfied customer. (Well, I didn’t actually write that last bit, but you get the idea.)
Having ruled out that company, I went on to research the others on my list and forgot all about it until I got an email message from a newly registered user on the site who claimed to be the CEO of the company and who had threatened me with legal action for posting negative comments. First of all, I only posted one comment- as a reply to another comment. Second, I was not the one who wrote the complaint. I have had no direct experience with this company! Third, my comment did not include any false information. Lastly, legal action? Seriously? On what grounds? It was one of the most pathetic attempts at intimidation I have ever seen and it failed miserably. This is the exact message copy and pasted:
"My name is Justin Olsen, President/CEO of Careers Plus Resumes, Inc. We have evidence to believe you are either a direct competitor or an administrator of this website. Our corporate attorney has partnered with our local Law Enforcement agencies and have detected and logged your IP address which is a physical address of your computer and can be traced to your exact location. We are hereby demanding that you cease and decist from posting anymore defamatory/false statements about our company and have the other posts removed immediately or we will pursue damages in Federal Court to the fullest extent of the law. You will be held liable for damages and attorney fees for your criminal actions against our organization. Good day."
Aside from being laugh-out-loud funny, it is false and ridiculous on so many levels. I responded to him saying as much and I’ve since received several other “threatening” messages from several “different” users, all of whom coincidentally registered within the last 24-48 hours and who have only made posts concerning (and defending) Careers Plus Resumes. The funniest part of this whole thing is that I wasn’t even the one who wrote the original complaint! Lol! They are insane. Every single company that provides services or goods to the public will ALWAYS have some unsatisfied customers. That’s natural and expected. What is not natural or expected is for the company to waste time and energy posing as various users to defend the company and insult those who “have the nerve” to write about their negative experiences.
I’ve replied to two or three more messages, including another from the CEO who claimed that in addition to being a certified writer, he is also an attorney. If anyone is propagating false information, it is him! Based on his other statements, it is painstakingly obvious he is no such thing. An attorney would know that everything I’ve posted is 100% protected and that libel cases are heard in civil courts and not Federal court- even criminally libelous cases are state-by-state and not federal. Nearly every single thing he has claimed thus far has been false and incorrect. It’s ridiculous.
This is the reason it is so important to do research, and I am writing this blog entry to expose their complete lack of professionalism and moronic behavior so that other people who are looking for information about them can see and judge for themselves. I have had no experience using their services so I can’t even say this is a review, however, I would certainly not recommend them, as they clearly lack professionalism and credibility.
Here is the link to the original complaint and thread for your amusement and should you wish to follow-up on any new developments, though I’ve certainly lost interest in this game. Btw, my user name on the board is “imanygirl.” http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/careers-plus-resumes-c299050.html?selcom=579716#c579716
To view the original Comments for this post on my old blog, you can go here:
http://july7nyc.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/careers-plus-resumes-they-are-insane/
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