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Updated by user Oct 11, 2013

This sleazeball has pulled another trick to avoid paying the Small Claims judgments against him. He shut down the company that owed me and others money & started a whole new company.

He has a brand new web page but trust me - he's still the same crook he always was. By the time Small Claims was done he owed me close to $800. Another person I talked to was owed around $500 but he just closed the business that owed people money so the collection agency I assigned the case to has nothing to collect.

We'll never get what we were owed but spread the word - this guy is a crook, his "professional" resumes & cover letters are junk & if you're not happy with what he produces, good luck getting your money back. Prepare to be screwed if you do business with him.

Updated by user Aug 26, 2012

On 8/24/12 I received a notice from Small Claims Court stating I\'d been awarded a judgement of $523.45 and that it\'s due on 9/18/12. I didn\'t mention it in my last post but I already knew the outcome prior to leaving court on the 21st. I\'ll let you all know if I receive a check by the due date.

Updated by user Aug 21, 2012

Hereรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs an update to my last post on 6/18/12. I left out that Iรขโ‚ฌโ„ขd contested the $388 charge with my credit card company. They refunded the money on 6/22/12 and opened an investigation into the charge.

On 6/14/12 Mr. Mariani filed a Counterclaim alleging I filed suit against the wrong company (Resumes Etc. Staffing LLC instead of Resumes, Etc.) In his Counterclaim he said I owed him approximately $1500 for legal fees and loss of income.

There are a couple of problems with his assertion; (a) he filed the Counterclaim vs. having a lawyer do it so there were no legal fees and (b) in order for him to be awarded damages heรขโ‚ฌโ„ขd have to prove that he actually lost income because of my suit. According to the companiesรขโ‚ฌโ„ข website, รขโ‚ฌล“We have a sister organizationรขโ‚ฌยฆรขโ‚ฌย so that sort of self-cancels the question about them being separate businesses. Strike One.

The CT BBB lists Resumes, Etc. as an Accredited Business and under the รขโ‚ฌล“Additional Informationรขโ‚ฌย heading it lists Resumes, Etc. Staffing LLC as an alternate business name. I asked the BBB where they get their alternate business name info and they said it comes from the company, in this case Resumes, Etc. Strike Two.

When I called the CT Attorney Generalรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs office they said thereรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs a business license holder with the name Resumes, Etc. Staffing LLC but not Resumes, Etc. That means if Resumes, Etc. and Resumes Etc. Staffing LLC were two separate companies then one of them would be operating without a business license. The Court agreed with me and the Counterclaim was rejected. Thatรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs Strike Three.

On 6/27/12 Mr. Mariani faxed a letter & what looks like an invoice to my credit card company to dispute my dispute. They sent me copies and in a letter he states, รขโ‚ฌล“We created the resumeรขโ‚ฌโ„ข and cover letter and added interview skills.รขโ‚ฌย Huh? What interview skills? I never agreed to that. The invoice shows I was charged $199.00 for รขโ‚ฌล“Competency Based Interviewingรขโ‚ฌย and another $189.00 for a รขโ‚ฌล“Power Cover Letterรขโ‚ฌย which, if it would have been any good I would have happily paid for. Next to the รขโ‚ฌล“Resumeรขโ‚ฌย column he circled $199.00 and wrote รขโ‚ฌล“No Charge.รขโ‚ฌย During our initial conversation Mr. Mariani said heรขโ‚ฌโ„ขd also give me a free (รขโ‚ฌล“Normally $169.00รขโ‚ฌย) list of manufacturing companies in my area along with the contact names & phone numbers of their H.R. people. What I received was a list of company names & addresses without any contact info. Iรขโ‚ฌโ„ขm sure glad he didnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt charge me for it because on the invoice, next to the heading รขโ‚ฌล“Recruiter Listing/Corporate Listingรขโ‚ฌย is the word รขโ‚ฌล“Included.รขโ‚ฌย Wow รขโ‚ฌโ€œ he gave me a free list for free!

Take a look at the evidence รขโ‚ฌโ€œ thereรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs an invoice showing I was charged for something I didnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt even talk about. The invoice also shows I was given a free resumeรขโ‚ฌโ„ข that Mr. Mariani claims I owe him money for. The cherry on the cake is the free item that he said me heรขโ‚ฌโ„ขd give me for free. My credit card company reinstated the $388 charge on 6/27/12 but after today I donรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt think Iรขโ‚ฌโ„ขll have a problem getting it removed again.

On 7/26/12 Mr. Mariani requested a Continuance so he could go on a pre-planned vacation. Although I objected the Court ruled for him and the trial date was moved from 8/1/12 to 8/21/12.

On 8/9/12 I was emailed a copy of a letter to the Court requesting a Change of Venue. Itรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs unclear if Fred wrote it but based on the complete sentences, correct punctuation and proper grammar Iรขโ‚ฌโ„ขm guessing someone else did. The reason a Change of Venue was requested was based on a letter from Mr. Marianiรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs Doctor stating he has a medical condition that doesnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt allow him to leave his residence. I asked Fred to email me a copy of the letter but he stated I couldnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt see it because of HIPPA regulations. Oh well รขโ‚ฌโ€œ in legal terms itรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs called รขโ‚ฌล“discoveryรขโ‚ฌย when you want to see the other guyรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs documents and the Court sent me a copy. Since all of this stuff is public information you can probably find it online somewhere if you feel the need. When I objected to the Change of Venue I asked the Court how Fred could go on vacation if he couldnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt leave his residence. Apparently the Court wondered the same thing because they denied the Change of Venue.

On 8/17/12 a Motion for Continuance was filed by an attorney representing Resumes, Etc. / Resumes, Etc. Staffing LLC / Mr. Alfred Mariani. Why did the attorney need a Continuance? Because he didnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt have enough time to prepare for the trial. The Suit had been served to the same attorney on 5/3/12 by a State Marshall but perhaps 3-1/2 months isnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt enough time to prepare for a Small Claims trial. There were a couple of other problems with the Motion as well;

(a) The Motion wasnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt filed at least 3 days before the trial as required by the Court.

(b) In the Certification section of the Continuance is this annoying little bit of text that the attorney attested to: รขโ‚ฌล“I certify that a copy of this document was mailed or delivered electronically or non-electronically on 8/17/12 to all attorneys and self-represented parties of record and that written consent for electronic delivery was received from all attorneys and self-represented parties receiving electronic deliveryรขโ‚ฌย. Since Iรขโ‚ฌโ„ขm the รขโ‚ฌล“self-represented partyรขโ‚ฌย and never provided a written or verbal consent to electronic delivery maybe I should contact the CT State Bar Association about this attestation.

Today is 8/21/12 and I went to court but the attorney didnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt show up even after the Magistrate gave him extra time. Most likely weรขโ‚ฌโ„ขll see a ruling soon so letรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs all hold our breath and see what happens next.

So why am I posting all of this? Iรขโ‚ฌโ„ขm trying to warn you what might happen if you conduct business with this company. Given the odds Iรขโ‚ฌโ„ขll bet others have had negative experiences with Resumes, Etc. / Mr. Fred Mariani and I urge them to post their stories. What kind of company allows its clients to become so unhappy that theyรขโ‚ฌโ„ขll post the whole sordid mess on the web? If Fred is willing to go to the expense of hiring an attorney in order to hang onto $388 perhaps he has some รขโ‚ฌล“issuesรขโ‚ฌย when someone disagrees with his version of customer satisfaction. Hopefully youรขโ‚ฌโ„ขll have a wonderful experience and everything will work out fine. I had an anti-wonderful experience.

By the way รขโ‚ฌโ€œ did you notice that donperonace3721 posted glowing comments about this company on 6/18 & 6/19? And Iรขโ‚ฌโ„ขm sure itรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs a coincidence that Don from Southbury, Connecticut displayed his love and affection for this company today and hours before I posted my update.

Hey Don รขโ‚ฌโ€œ it looks like youรขโ‚ฌโ„ขve had three jobs since June. Itรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs a good thing this company keeps finding you work or youรขโ‚ฌโ„ขd be in an awful spot.

Updated by user Jun 18, 2012

We\'ll soon find out who\'ll be vindicated because the Courts gave Resumes\' Etc. until June 21st to answer my charges. If they don\'t agree to refund what they charged me plus the associated fees I\'ve incurred then a trial date will be set. At that time we\'ll both get our chance in front of a Magistrate & a decision will be made. If the Magistrate decides in favor of the Defendant then so be it. At least I\'ll have my day in court.

Regarding slanderous comments; break out your Funk & Wagnalls. Slander is defined as, \"the act or offense of saying something false or malicious that damages somebody\'s reputation.\" Nothing I\'ve stated in my post has been untrue or malicious. All I\'ve written are the facts of the matter and what I\'m doing to be reimbursed. As far as contracts, I didn\'t sign anything nor was I offered a contract to review.

I\'m glad you had a good experience with Resumes, Etc. Some of us didn\'t.

Updated by user May 14, 2012

I formally filed my lawsuit today with the CT Small Claims Court. I had a State Marshall serve Mr.

Mariani\'s attorney with the Notice of Suit on 5/3/2012 so now it\'s up to the Court to assign a date for the hearing. Once the date is assigned I\'ll post an update.

I\'m confident that I\'ll win this case or I\'d never have filed a lawsuit. Although it\'s a pain in my neck to spend time on this matter in the end Mr.

Mariani will be forced to refund my $388 plus associated costs. So far; Small Claims filing fee = $75.00. Attempted delivery (refused by Mr. Mariani) of Suit via USPS = $10.45.

State Marshall fee = $50.00. That\'s $135.45, or nearly 35% of what he originally charged me. You have to question the intelligence of any business owner that would deny a refund and risk having an upset customer post the dirty laundry on a site like this. Wouldn\'t it just have been easier to refund the charges vs.

having their company\'s reputation called into question?

If you\'re thinking about hiring Resumes Etc of Monroe, CT please take into consideration what I\'ve documented. If it\'s happened to one customer it may also have happened to others that haven\'t complained.

Updated by user May 05, 2012

Since my original post I\'ve now started a lawsuit against them via the CT Small Claims court. This required having a State Marshall serve them with the papers so I hope my experience will help you decide if you want to do busines with them. I\'ll update the post as the process continues.

Original review posted by user Apr 23, 2012

Alfred (Fred) Mariani, owner of Resumes, Etc. has used wording on his website in an attempt to avoid refunding my money. Part B of his Satisfaction Guarantee states, "We keep the resume and/or cover letter and our client keeps their money. Exceptions occur if clients want an advanced email copy." http://resumeetc.com/satisfaction.shtml

Note the wording carefully; "Exceptions occur IF clients WANT an ADVANCED EMAIL copy." His office emailed me documents without my permission and when I was unhappy with the quality of their work I requested a refund. He tried to invoke the "หœException' clause but as of this date there's no explanation of what constitutes an exception other than what's noted above and what's in his head. Under no circumstances agree to accept an email copy of any documents! If his office emails you a copy of a resume, cover letter, etc. and you're not happy with them he uses the "หœException' clause as he sees fit. He refused to refund my money so I filed a complaint with my credit card company and gave him 3 days to process a refund. If the funds are not credited within that period my next steps will be to file complaints with the CT Better Business Bureau and the Department of Consumer Affairs and/or the Attorney General's Office. The Better Business Bureau can't force a business to comply but filing complaints with them will show up as a negative whenever anyone looks up his business.

If you decide to conduct business with this company either visit his office in person to review their work or request that documents be faxed or mailed via the USPS. Since the exception to his guarantee only mentions emailed documents any document delivered to you by other methods is automatically excluded from his self-made rule and a refund must be made. If he refuses to make a refund on a document that was delivered by the USPS you should contact your local Postal Inspector and file a complaint for mail fraud.

This company has a very nice looking website and Fred is quite proud of himself. Although he claims to be an author with an MBA the resume he provided contained punctuation and grammatical errors. If the resume had been of a very high caliber his price of $199 would not be out of line. For an additional $169 he'll write you a cover letter but what I received was generic and pitiful. Since cover letters need to be tailored to fit the position you're applying for his product would be a waste of money.

If you'd rather avoid these hassles just don't do business with him.

Monetary Loss: $388.

Location: Colchester, Connecticut

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Guest

Your review is spot on! Don't be fooled by his "impressive" website like I was.

Fred is a bully and is very arrogant and condescending. Each and every time I reviewed his work, I found typos, spelling mistakes and formatting issues. When I received the first draft, my initial reaction was that this looked like something that was created back in the 90's, it did not look modern or professional. The content was basically all of mine from the resume that I had provided and he tweaked here and there with some key words which was fine.

However, there were typos, spelling errors and formatting issues in each revision...which is clearly unacceptable when spending $399. When I first supplied my feedback, his response was unprofessional, belittling and not at all one would expect from "professional" resume company or how a businessman (and I use that term lightly) would treat a customer. Please do your homework before you even consider doing business with this crook.

He's a fast talker and has a great sales pitch...don't be fooled. Read the yelp reviews.

Guest

Thank you for your review. I had a very very similar experience. Such a Sicko.

Guest

Fred is a bully and tries to "force" his customers to write stellar reviews of his mediocre resumes. Avoid this company, and man, at all costs. I am embarrassed for him at the way he conducts business.

Guest

Does anyone else notice FRED makes his own posts, posing as his "customers". He is the only one who refers to him as "Mr Mariani".

Why doesn't he just write the posts as himself? He has one post listed as "Fred". Kudos! Why hide behind donperonace3721 and VaS?

Blame the politicians. Nice try for your lack of compentence. He also posts all of his own "testimonials" on other websites.

If he is as great as he says he is, why do you have to self-promote? Just face the facts!

Jame Drb

Huh? Now I'm being accused of blaming Freddie the Flake for the terrible job market in CT by magically placing politicians in government jobs?

Wow - no wonder you have to keep finding new jobs - your employers can't understand your twisted logic either. Maybe the people at the State Employment Office want you to move out of state so they won't have to deal with you anymore.

As you can see by the comments from people other than myself ripping people off is a pattern with Fred. He produces *** work, blames his own customers and when the Court orders him to pay up he bails out of one LLC & opens a new one.

Yep - it's a legal way to not pay people but it's unethical and that fits his pattern.

A warning to anyone who might be considering using this company; save your money, time, and aggravation for something more important.

Guest

I have to totally disagree with this posting. I have used Resumes Etc for the past 20 years.

I have had hiring managers and recruiters call me in to interview just on the merits of my cover letter! I am returning in the next few weeks for an update as I am again on the hunt. I can't help but wonder if the "complainant" is expecting Mr Mariani to shoulder the burden of our current job market and the fact that Connecticut is 47th (that's 3 from the bottom of the pile) in job growth in 2013 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I was told by both the CT Dept of Labor & Dept of Housing to move to another state.

I think that's sad. And you seem the hold Resumes Etc responsible.

Why don't you look to some of the politicians you have put into office??????? :eek

Jame Drb

Fred, your spelling and grammar is so bad someone else is writing your comments.

You claim I "...got a judgement against a company that does not exist...." - the Court ruled that the two company names you were using were actually the same company - "....to avoid his tiny $200.00 claim..." There never was a "tiny $200 claim" and since you've just admitted there WAS an actual claim against you if it was so tiny why didn't you just pay it & move on? You actually charged my credit card $388 on Day 1 and when it was over the Court ruled you now owe me over $850. If you weren't such a crooked businessman you would have refunded the fraudulent $388 charge & the whole matter would have been done. You even paid an attorney to file a Motion to postpone the final hearing and I beat HIM as well! I wonder how much money you've spent to avoid being an honest businessman.

Heads up to anyone that might consider doing business with Fred Mariani and/or Resumes, Etc of Monroe, CT. Run, don't just walk away because Fred preys on people when they need help. Once he's done screwing you out of your money you'll wish you'd taken my advice.

Jame Drb

*** - you don't even know how to read. I used to live in Colchester when you began fleecing me but I don't even live in CT anymore.

Guest

I just noticed something else about this post. This says we are located in Colchester.

We are in many areas in CT but not Colchester. Whos company is this guy talking about?

Jame Drb
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-738643

Who's the "incompetent fool" that won the court judgments against you? The CT Judicial System didn't seem to think I was.

You managed to slither out of your financial responsibilities like the slimy snake that you are so now you're free to screw others out of their money.

Your new website is nice but it's like putting lipstick on a pig. You just end up with a better looking pig.

Guest

This guy is such an incompetent fool. Yes we put up a new website.

YES we are still under the same Company name Resumes Etc. We still have many customers and a great business.

Guest

Mr. Al Ewers appears to have some personal issues along with the inability to tell the truth.

He requested a resumรฉ from Resumรฉs Etc. It was emailed to him and he kept it, refused to work with Resumรฉs Etc. on any edits and then tried to get a chargeback on his credit card. His credit card company ruled against him and so did his bank, because of his refusal to work with Resumรฉs Etc.

on any edits. In other words, Mr. Ewers wanted something for nothing. He then filed a claim in small claims court, but being the incompetent person he is, he filed his claim against the wrong company name.

So Resumรฉs Etc did not respond to his claim since his claim did not name them as the resumรฉ writing service. So Mr. Ewers got a judgement against a company that does not exist. His own dishonesty and incompetence caused him to make-up stories about Resumรฉs Etc.

claiming that the company changed its name to avoid his tiny $200.00 claim. In fact, Resumรฉs Etc. has an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, over 500 testimonials and over 450 Linked-In endorsements. Mr.

Ewers tried to beat the system and was instead, beaten by his own incompetence and dishonesty. Therefore, he has lashed out against the company who tried to work with him in a honest effort. This man is a chronic liar with some deep rooted issues and she should be ignored. Consumers should look at facts, not the tirades of a mad man.

Resumรฉs Etc. has an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, over 500 testimonials, over 450 Linked-In endorsements, quoted by Fox Business and had a two year career counseling spot on WICC radio.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-734298

Wow Fred I see you have quite the history of ripping people off - how do you sleep? Karma has a way

Guest

DON'T BELIVE THE POSITIVE COMMENTS ON OTHER WEBSITES!!! I've been to other webesites like "Merchant Circle".

All of the truthful or "negative" comments are deleted! Furthermore, Fred posts his own comments on that website prentending to be clients!! Notice how some of them are posted right after one another, and are all written alike.

HE HASN'T WORKED IN THE CORPORATE WORLD IN OVER 20 YEARS!! How can he tell everyone else about the corporate world??

Guest

Met with Fred years ago. Right off bat - wanted me to run across the street to ATM to get cash - almost $500 - to take advantage of his "great offer".

Product was garbage - copy and paste of my original resume with some bold lettering. Cover letter was generic. Found numerous spelling mistakes.

Had his son run a "job search" and he proved to be incompetent. Pelase stay away.

Guest

HAving the same problem with this clown myself. Basically copy and pasted my original resume and added a few key words.

When I explained his product sucked after numerous misspelled words and other grammer issues he got very upset. Refused to make any other changes even though he only produced three drafts. All of which by the way consisted of myself telling him to take things out or add things to which he would do probably 50% of what i said.

Causing e to have to point it out over and over again. Guys a fraud, AVOID

Guest

Another judgement today against Resumes, Etc! If you have had similar experiences, please continue to hold this company accountable.

File a claim in small claims court, notify the attorney general's office, and send your notification of judgement to Monroe, CT.

Better Business Bureau.

Guest

I'd love to join your lawsuit to!! Oh, and something tells me that "donperonace3721" is really Fred pretending to be one of his customers!! nice try, but we're not fooled!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-541047

Of course it's Fred pretending to be a customer... all of the negative experiences are legit (read Yelp and BBB) and he cannot take constructive criticism.

I, too, was fooled by his "impressive" website and his fast talking sales pitch. Typos galore and when confronted, he immediately became defensive.

Dutchie C

PDX1953--Please contact me @ aawesomeone71@***.comI'd like more info on your small claims court case and in which court you sued. Thank you.

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