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Review 2/28/2011
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***Edit (2/28/10): Sorry, I'm not sure why there's no proper spacing, but bear with me and read this complaint***
Back in October 2010, I also found myself at the office of the Van Nuys location in hopes of boosting my career in law enforcement by doing loss prevention jobs. I found this place by looking on Craigslist and called the number provided, only to get a recorded message telling me which days the "special interviews" were held. Right off the bat things were fishy: the job posting had no name or other information other than a phone number, and he recording said the days listed in that recording were the ONLY days the interviews were going to be held. I later confirmed that this recording is constantly updated to new days to give a sense of urgency to the new people their Craigslist ad baited.
I showed up to the office building in Van Nuys, and this location was named Loss Prevention California Association at the time (Address is 6819 Sepulveda Blvd Suite 207, Van Nuys, CA 92405). The application, just as the poster says below me, was about as basic as it got: name, DOB, address, driver's license, etc. The office was about as run down as it can get, and the "secretary" was just a high school kid. I was then led into the back office to meet with the leader of this operation; he introduced himself as "Jose", and along the walls were the silliest decorations to suggest this company was legitimate. There were pixellated print outs of people being arrested taped on the wall on one side, and a pair of handcuffs and law enforcement badge hanging on the other.
The suspicion list goes on: his credentials posted beside him on the wall was a different name altogether; the contract I was required to sign didn't have his full name either but only had "Jose"; the contract also had several typos and contradictions--in one clause it said I could not get any refunds, and nother clause said I can get refunds if I attend both classes and then ask for a refund; "Jose" claimed the company did not have a credit card machine of its own and instead had to go next door to WestCoast Bartenders Association to use their credit card machine, and I was required to pay $300 upfront to sign up for their loss prevention classes; the packet that I was given to browse or study to prepare for the class was filled with photocopied papers, with information most likely put together from searching "loss prevention" on a search engine; when my $300 payment was confirmed, I was told to wait until the 27th or 28th of October which was roughly two weeks away from the day that I paid for these classes (I suspected they would flee in this timeframe); after the paperwork was signed and the money paid for, I was given a brief tour of the facility and where the classes were to be held, and I must second and confirm the previous poster's reaction of disgust.
I came back home with a terribly nagging feeling that I may have been duped, so I tried searching for a website only to come up with nothing other than review sites such as this discrediting this company altogether. For a company that boasts 15 years of training and certifying loss prevention agents, it shouldn't be unreasonable for a person to expect this company to have a website up, let alone a full name on an application or contract (I later found out this guy's real name was Steven DiTullio). I disputed the charge towards WestCoast Bartenders Association with my bank immediately.
HOWEVER, what set me apart from the other posters/victims here was that I luckily caught onto this very early on and filed a claim with the Department of Consumer Affairs, and did not attend the classroom lectures. I provided two copies of my complaint along with any other evidence supporting my claim (this site was definitely credited), one of which went to Steven--or "Jose" at the time. About a week into the claims process, Steven got a copy of my packet and called my cell phone directly with a private number and verbally harassed me, saying that I was "borderline psychotic" and that he had been helping loss prevention agents get hired for the past 15 years with only "two complaints". He also claimed that he would have given me a full refund if I had shown up to the classroom lectures, but obviously this would have prevented me from getting a refund altogether, as he could he easily say that I had used the services I had paid for. Choosing to take the high road, I declined to speak with him directly and allow Dept. of Consumer Affairs handle this issue. Everything worked out courtesy of our government.
Another week or so later, I got a call from my case handler saying that Steven will refund my $300 back to my account no questions asked: going the extra mile through the proper channels definitely paid off. His swift refund to my account after I took the legal route was further evidence to me that Steven and this company know very well of the fraudulent nature that is their business.
I wish the others posting about this company had contacted the Dept. of Consumer Affairs earlier; it would've saved them money and irreplaceable time that they have wasted with the false hope of finding a LP job, only to find out last minute from legitimate businesses that their certification was useless.
NOTE: For anyone else looking for a loss prevention job, take heed of this fact: any store needing loss prevention agents WILL provide training on THEIR dollar. You need to be certified based on the standards and training that the store/company provides, NOT from a third party like Loss Prevention California Association.
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