Headhunter took my check

are these companies so bad? i mean they have been in business for years. as we know, among seaman there will be much gripping. some of which is valid and some may be not? for someone like myself; i have been out of the profession for some time, i have licenses etc. but not all of the needed endorsements, and i can’t afford to get them right now. and, i don’t live in the gulf area. i think that i am going to need help getting a job. and hope i don’t get screwed!

[QUOTE=malik;83253]are these companies so bad? i mean they have been in business for years. as we know, among seaman there will be much gripping. some of which is valid and some may be not? for someone like myself; i have been out of the profession for some time, i have licenses etc. but not all of the needed endorsements, and i can’t afford to get them right now. and, i don’t live in the gulf area. i think that i am going to need help getting a job. and hope i don’t get screwed![/QUOTE]

Never used one, but if you read all the comments here, it sounds to me like you are bent over and just waiting for the screwing now.

In general, as Anchorman previously said on here several times “never pay for a job.”

Headhunters that are paid by the company are ok: Fairstream, etc.

Long ago, I used two different headhunters in Seattle at my expense. One of them never did a thing so very small expense. The other one placed me in a good four month tugboat job for a modest fee and was worth it. I worked for the the same company again at various times over the years.

If you have been ashore for a while and really can’t find a job yourself after door knocking trips, it might be worth using a “mariner-pays” headhunter, but only pay one lump sum with a credit card and don’t pay a fee more than five days wages. Have it all in writing.

If there are any improper charges to your credit card, protest the charges with the credit card issuer and file a police report. If the headhunter won’t accept a credit card for payment, he is probably a crook that cannot qualify for a credit card merchant account. You have some rights with a credit card that you do not have with any other form of payment.