Too much strife

A friend referred Rob Ridout to me. Rob's company, Isantya Search Partners, offers various services. In specifically two services, one to rewrite my CV, and the other to create a professional LinkedIn profile, were of interest to me. The primary value proposition, both told to me by Rob and described in one of the documents sent to me by Isantya, is that Isantya has s****s and experience. Rob has written a book, as he eagerly and repeatedly told me, named CVforLife. Rob advertises CVforLife on his website as both a bestseller and a free download.

On Mon the 24th of June 2019, I was sent an "Engagement Pack," which is a set of documents by a writer working for Rob. The documents make clear the requirements which Isantya have of their customer. Contained in these documents are requests for various materials and pieces of information to be used to create a new CV and profile. Rob scheduled a meeting with me at his premises, conditional on having received full payment.

I found that I had to coordinate the Isantya staff members who were to deliver the purchased services. Having dealt with professional writers previously, I expected the supplier to manage the process, though this seems not to be the case with this supplier.

I obliged and delivered all of the required information, answered all of the questions, and began to coordinate efforts. Some issues arose when I sent the information needed, the writer didn't respond at all, so I was unsure whether the information had reached her. When I called to follow up, I was told that the e-mail systems were temperamental.

After submitting all of the information needed within the periods specified by Isantya, the writer called and arranged an appointment with Rob.

I went to meet Rob at the arranged time and was surprised to see that the Group operated out of the front room of the Ridout household. The house was in a state of disrepair, and there was a makeshift photography studio in one of the front rooms. It turns out I had given Rob far too much information. Since he was disinclined to come to understand what was and was not of value in a CV, he asked me to send only that information I felt was relevant. Again I felt that this was the very thing I paid Rob for, but I agreed. Rob committed to delivering the first draft of the Linkedin profile on the Tuesday of the following week.

In the interim, the staff member who had sent me the engagement pack, a writer, appears to have left the organisation, mid-contract and without a thorough handover. Isantya is prepared for this eventuality; the writer was given a generic e-mail account (writer@). I did find myself wondering if "Writer@" was perhaps a freelance writer and not someone s****ed and experienced as the primary value proposition suggests. An idea further alluded to by an E-mail subject line which was inconsistent with the Office365 mail platform in use elsewhere in Isantya. I wondered whether "Writer@" meant disparate when she had said "temperamental."

"Writer@" had also scheduled the appointment for the Photographer, Rob's wife Carike, to have the Profile Photographs taken. Carike was friendly, and we quickly completed the photoshoot in the makeshift studio using a pressed tin barstool as a prop.

The Tuesday to which Rob had committed came, and when nothing had happened by four in the afternoon of that day I followed up by sending Rob an e-mail

A week later, I hadn't heard the outcome of Rob's checking with his team and followed up again. Rob asked me if I hadn't received my CV from Carike. I felt he was throwing his wife under the proverbial bus. It's impossible that he didn't know he didn't reply to my follow up.

A week later, I followed up again. Rob dismissed my question by replying something to the effect of "I can't help now, I'm moving house."

A week later I sent Rob an e-mail asking for a refund.

I have yet to see any direct response from Rob. He did, however, feel the need to contact the friend who referred me to him and make all sorts of slanderous, unfounded, accusations. I find this unprofessional if not creepy and stalkerish. Not behavior worthy of a CEO.