Resumes Planet Fraudulent Resume Writing Company They Barely Speak English Internet

On November 04, 2014 I placed an order with Resumes Planet [http://www.resumesplanet.com] for them to write my professional resume.  I ordered the ‘Full Package’, which includes the Resume, Cover Letter, Thank You letter, and Follow-up Letter.  I uploaded my current resume, the one I had written that contained all of my relevant job history and experience for them to use when they worked on my order, to their website.  Here is a screenshot of the order details taken from their site as they do not communicate directly with the client [me] outside of their website.

 I was guaranteed to my have my work completed by November 09, 2014, which is Sunday.  This is significant because I had an important career event scheduled for Monday where several IT Companies would be represented, and I wanted to use my professionally written resume when attending the event.  On Sunday, November 09, 2014 at 17:13 I received an email notification stating I had a message waiting for me in their communication system which is located on their website once you log into their website.  They will not communicate directly with the client [me].  I logged into their website and read the message.  The message stated that they required an extension to complete the order.

When I learned of the delay I inquired if they would issue a partial refund or add an additional service at no cost, as the primary reason I had contracted them to write my resume was for the career event on Monday, 10 November 2014. I received a response from them asking me to extend the deadline.  They did not address my question at all.  After reading their reply, and noticing they failed to address my question I then decided to speak to their customer service department through their ‘Live Chat’ feature which is located on their website.  This was around 21:10 on Sunday, 09 November 2014. Appendix A has the actual chat transcript for your review. 

 My first question in the chat session was asking about a partial refund.  The response I received from the support person was a request to extend the deadline – again not addressing my questions. I then tried to explain to the support person that I needed the resume to be completed that day [09 November 2014], and that extending the deadline was very inconvenient.  I explained that I had a major career event scheduled the next day, Monday 10 November 2014. I also inquired again about the partial refund if the work was not going to be completed.  The response I received was almost nonsensical. The customer service representative stated: ‘Yes, we can recalculate the time difference if you are to extend the deadline.’  I told the customer service representative that I did not understand which she meant.  She responded with essentially the same sentence that I didn’t understand in the first place.  I finally asked ‘What does that do for me?’  The customer service representative then stated ‘We will do the partial refund for the delay.’ I then asked the customer service representative how much time the writer will need to complete the order.  She responded by asking me how much time I can give them.  I told the customer service representative I could give them another 48 hours, and I asked if that was going to be enough time.  The customer service representative then replied with ‘Yes, that is more than enough.’  I then inquired about the partial refund process, which the customer service representative was unclear and evasive about in her answer – please see Appendix A.  I finally go frustrated and ended the chat session, though I did so politely to try not to make the situation worse.  By this point, I was growing very concerned that I had chosen the wrong company to do this work for me.  The chat session ended at around 21:29 09 November 2014.

I suspect that they are very adamant about deadline setting as a means to delay accountability when they are past due.  I think in their eyes it may give them recourse to argue the point with the client as they make the client update the deadline, they do not do so themselves.  On 09 November 2014, I was requested to ‘Extend the Deadline’ at least 5 times. During the chat session a different support person messaged me via their communication system asking me again to extend the deadline, which is actually a setting within their website.  This occurred at 21:17 09 November 2014.  On Monday, 10 November 2014 at 23:58 I received notification that I had a new message waiting for me within their communication system. I received two questions form my writer.  The first question was ‘If possible, I would request you an extension of 1 day.’ The second question was inquiring what my target job expectations are.  At this point I lost all confidence in the company.  Their website advertised professional writers with expertise in writing Information Technology resumes.  Mine is an IT resume, I am a software developer.  From looking at the resume I sent them to use as a basis for the new resume they would have known my target job expectation as it contains the keywords indicating such, and the resume contains job titles and descriptions indicating such.  The writer does not sound as if he is familiar with the English language, and the writer does not sound as if he is familiar with my career field.  Please see appendix B for the resume that I sent them to use to create the new resume.  I then responded to the aforementioned message at 00:56 11 November 2014 denying the extension of another day as I had already given them an extension of 48 hours.  I also informed them that I Was considering cancelling my order as I had not received any product, and did not feel that I would receive a quality product.  I then told them I was considering getting my credit card company involved because I felt as though I was getting the run-around, and not having my questions clearly answered.  Shortly after I responded I received a generic response form their customer service through their communication system.   On 11 November 2014 at 16:03 I contacted their customer support requesting a status update.  I also explained how terribly inconvenient the resume being past due was to my career search. I explained that I was getting frustrated with their seemingly evasive nature with respect to both the delays and the partial refund, and the entire experience has been unacceptable and that I was planning to take action to recoup my losses and warn other potential clients about my experience with their firm.  Again, I inquired as to why there was such a delay with my resume and what I could expect with respect to the partial refund.  Shortly after I posted my message I received a response form customer service on 11 November 2014 at 16:28.  The response did not give any specific details.  Here is a screenshot of that response:

On 11 November 2014 at 16:41 I received an email notification that I had a new message in their communication system.  When I logged into their website I read the new message, and it stated that my order had been completed. I immediately went to the order section so I could look at my documents. I was a little confused why there was only one document, when the package I ordered was suppose to contain 4 documents – a resume, a cover letter, a follow-up letter, and a thank you letter.  I thought maybe they just combined everything into one Microsoft Word document for simplicity.  I both emailed the document to my self and downloaded it.

The document file was in fact just one document, the resume.  There was NO cover letter, thank you letter, or follow-up letter.  I went back into their communication system and saw that there was an additional message from their customer service written on 11 November 2014 at 16:41, again requesting my target job expectation so they could prepare the cover letter.  They did not reference the thank you and follow-up letters.  The order was not complete.

Another message was entered into their communication system at 9:19 on 11 November 2014 thanking me for my patience and cooperation with the deadline.  They then stated that they will give me a 15% discount on my next order.  There was no mention of the partial refund. At 19:27 11 November 2014 I messaged the writer back and stated my target job expectation.  I also inquired why the resume was not complete.  The writer had failed to include job duty descriptions and key achievements for two of the most important positions I have held.  I also wrote customer service on 11 November 2014 at 19:27 about the fact that my resume was incomplete.  I also inquired as to why I was being offered a discount on a future order, and what had happened to the partial refund.  I tried to be nice hoping to motivate them to complete everything and issue the partial refund so I could be done with this company. 

When I wrote the above two messages I had only glanced at the resume they wrote, I had not read through it thoroughly.  Honestly, I was getting burned out on this entire situation.  After writing the above two messages, I closely examined the resume.  I was absolutely horrified.  It was terrible.  The resume read as though English was not my first language, when in fact English is my only language.  The resume has numerous grammar and spelling errors.  It was not complete – there were job descriptions and key achievements missing for two critical positions I held – those being ‘The City of Jacksonville’ and ‘Marine Federal Credit Union’.  The first job on the resume is actually missing the company name – it only displays the location.  The formatting is terrible – if you print the resume from the word document words actually get cut off on the first page at the bottom.  The resume is missing entire sections that should be included in an Information Technology resume – such as a ‘Summary of Qualifications’ and ‘Areas of Expertise’ sections.  The person who wrote the resume is not familiar with writing technical resumes, as the verbiage pertaining to the technical items is completely off, and is written so poorly that it is obvious the writer has no knowledge of it…if I were to submit this resume as written to a potential employer they would think that I have no idea what I am talking about, and just pulled terms off the internet.  The document is completely unusable.  Appendix C contains the document they submitted to me as the completed resume.  I made no changes to that resume.

I went back into their communication system on 11 November 2014 at 19:46 and informed customer service that the resume was not complete.  I also told them that I hired them because my husband had hired them, and he actually received a beautiful resume from them.  I explained that my husband is also a software developer, and that his is a technical resume, and gave them his order number so they could look at his resume to better see what I was expecting as the final result.  I requested to have my resume updated. On 11 November 2014 at 20:45 I received a response back from customer service telling me to fill out a revision form. On 11 November 2014 around 21:00 I filled out their revision form.  I figured I would reference the biggest items first and see how they handled it.  There were so many issues with the resume I figured I would have to re-write the technical information myself as the Resumes Planet writer assigned to me in not knowledgeable enough, and by referencing the technical issues contained in the resume, essentially, I would be writing it myself anyway.  On 11 November 2014 at 21:04 I notified customer service that I had submitted the revision form.  I also mentioned the partial refund, which after seeing the “completed” resume, was even more significant to me because I would have to make edits to the document myself.  Also, the order was still not complete – the other documents included in the order had not been started [cover letter, thank you letter, follow-up letter].  On 11 November 2014 at 22:26 customer support messaged me via their communication system.  They had completely disregarded my last message, and requested that I update the deadline.  At this point I am completely frustrated, and very sad over the entire situation.  I had missed several good career opportunities because I did not have a presentable resume.  On 11 November 2014 I messaged them again asking why they are not answering my questions.  I wanted to know how much longer the writer required, and specific answers about the partial refund. I had also begun checking reviews of Resumes Planet on the Internet.  I felt that I was not going to get a quality resume, and would have to hire a different firm to write my resume.  I also wanted to locate where I could leave a review for Resumes Planet to warn other potential clients of my experience. It did not take me too much searching to discover I had hired the wrong company.  There a literally hundreds of negative reviews about them online, and they have a Better Business Bureau rating of F.  Normally I research companies before I do business with them but I didn’t in this case because my husband had such a positive experience with them. On 11 November 2014 at 23:07 customer service responded to my message stating that they had received my feedback and notified my writer of the ‘improvements’ that needed to be made.  Again, there is no specific information regarding the partial refund.  At this point, I have completely lost faith in getting any answers or a useable resume, let alone a cover letter, thank you letter, and follow-up letter.  On 11 November 2014 at 23:17 I message customer service back letting them know that they did not answer my questions.  I also informed that I would like to cancel my order and get a full refund as I felt that I would not receive a useable product.  On 12 November 2014 at 00:27 I received a response from customer service via their messaging system noting their terms and conditions, that I must make a strong case in order to be issued a refund.  On 12 November 2014 at 08:39 I responded with a list of reasons for wanting the refund.  Please see the screenshot for the list in its entirety.  I unfortunately forgot to include on that list that the cover letter, thank you letter, and follow-up letter were never completed. On 12 November 2014 at 09:16 I was notified that my refund request had been submitted to their “Quality Assurance” department. 

I never received my refund.  Instead, they offered me 150% a future order.  Considering the first order was not completed, and the document they prepared for me was unusable, I obviously will not hire them for any further work thus making the discount useless.

 Other Information/ Points

1.            They will not directly message/communicate with you – everything has to be done through their website which makes a paper trail difficult.  I also have to wonder about the integrity of that system as they can add/delete/modify any of those entries that reside in that system.  I am a software developer – I write systems like the one they are using as a living, I understand how they work.  Also, the client has no paper trail other than screenshots, which makes filing a complaint difficult.  The client cannot forward any of the communication messages, or the feed, to themselves or anyone else.

2.            The refund is conditional, based upon their determination.  I don’t have much confidence in them to be partial when reviewing complaints.  They have been evasive about the partial refund the entire time, and keep referencing a discount on future order in lieu of the partial refund.  They have been using the discount of future orders interchangeably with the partial refund the entire time.

3.            They advertise on their website professional writers.  I did not receive a professional writer.

4.            They advertise on their website writers familiar with the Information Technology field.  My writer was not familiar with the IT field and is evident in the descriptions and term usage in the resume he submitted to me.

5.            The language being used to describe my job duties is nonsensical in some sentences.  If I were to submit this to a hiring manager they would interpret it as such that I do not know what I am talking about, and am not remotely familiar with the software development industry.

6.            The way the resume is written conveys that English is not my first language, when it is actually my only language.

7.            Appendix A – Chat Session

[Elizabeth ] Good Evening -

[Sophia Starr] Hello, my name is Sophia Starr. How may I help you?

[Elizabeth ] My resume was supposed to be completed by today. I Was just notified that the writer

needs to extend the deadline. I have an important job event scheduled for tomorrow where several IT

companies will be represented, and really needed my new resume to be complete. This event was the biggest

reason why I hired you to write my resume. Since it will not be ready by tomorrow, I was wondering if I can

get a discount or something?

Elizabeth

[Elizabeth ] I appreciate your assistance.

[Sophia Starr] May I have your order number please?

[Elizabeth ] Order #

[Sophia Starr]

We apologize for a delay, however your writer is currently working on your paper. Please let us know if you can extend the deadline of

your order as requested by the writer.

[Elizabeth ] It is really inconvenient for me to extend the deadline as I needed it for an event tomorrow

morning. The entire reason why I hired your firm to write the resume was for the event tomorrow...if it is not

going to be ready, can I get a discount?

[Sophia Starr] Yes, we can recalculate the time difference if you are to extend the deadline.

[Elizabeth ] I am not sure what you mean by recalculate the time difference?

[Elizabeth ] How is that going to benefit me?

[Sophia Starr] We will recalculate the time difference of the delay. \

[Elizabeth ] What do that do for me?

[Sophia Starr] We will do the partial refund for the delay.

[Elizabeth ] Oh, okay. Yes, that is fine. Thanks for the explanation. How much more time does the

writer need?

[Sophia Starr] It's okay. How many hours can you give then?

[Elizabeth ] I can give them 48, is that going to be enough?

[Sophia Starr] Yes, that is more than enough.

[Sophia Starr] Expect your paper in the next 48 hours then.

[Sophia Starr] Rest assured that everything is being taken cared of and you will be notified properly through your email.

[Elizabeth ] I've updated the deadline. Will the partial refund automatically be credited back to my

card or is there a form I have to complete?

[Sophia Starr] That will be recalculated after the paper has been completed Elizabeth.

[Elizabeth ] I understand that, but will it automatically be refunded or is there a separate process that I

have to initiate?

[Sophia Starr] This will be discussed after the paper has been completed Elizabeth. But it can be credited directly to your

back if you want.

[Elizabeth ] So this is not going to happen automatically after the paper is complete? I will have to

contact support to initiate the partial refund? I am just making sure I am understanding everything.

[Sophia Starr] Yes, you have to contact support so they could inform you about the refund has been processed.

[Elizabeth ] Thank you for your assistance. Have a great day!

[Sophia Starr] You are most welcome and I highly appreciate your cooperation and patience staying on line. Anyway,

kindly take the survey after this chat, please click "end" to see the form and a 5 will be a great help for me.

Appendix B – The resume I wrote and sent them  - I can provide this upon request, I do not want to post my resume online

Appendix C - I can provide this upon request, I do not want to post my resume online