This company is the most unprofessional company that has EVER tried to contact me. You get email after email. If u respond to an email. They NEVER contact u back. The email link provided to get u off their list is UNVALID. And, u can't even contact the main office via telephone. I've kept a record of all the idiots there that have sent me emails and all my many many emails back to them asking to be removed. I got another entail from them today and plan on sending all the correspondence, along with my requests for them to quit contacting me. I suggest others do the same. Basically, at this point, I've built up about 10 emails asking them to stop contacting me.

This company is not worth dealing with.

The sad truth is that Anyone can contact you claiming to be someone from a recruiting agency, even if the real recruiting agency is fairly reputable.  For example, anyone could call you up and say, "Hi, my name is Joe and I work for Kelly Services. I came across your resume on Monster.com and would like to speak with you about a job opening for...."

NOT all recruiting agencies are scammers.  But there are so many others out there that Are scammers, that it makes it hard for all of us to know who to trust.  My advice (from personal experience) is to stick with the bigger recruiting/staffing companies.  Companies like Kelly, Manpower, etc. don't just fill temp positions, they also fill long-term and "direct-hire" positions.  Or if you work with a smaller recruiting/staffing firm, work with someone local so you can actually stop by their office and meet with someone.  Hint- if they don't actually have an office, then take that as a bad sign. :)

The most important thing to do before you deal with anyone is that you should First verify they actually work at the firm they claim to be working at.  Look up the company's Toll Free number (any decent company should have a toll free number). Then Call the company, don't just email them. Tell them you want to verify that someone works for them.  

If you find out the person Doesn't work for them, then I'd suggest you give them all the information you got about the person who contacted you.  There's a good chance that their legal department will track down that person and deal with him/her themselves.  This can give you a little satisfaction that you've probably caused some trouble for the scammer.  :)

If the recruiter checks out as working for the company as claimed, the Next thing to do is be sure they actually have an agreement with the client (i.e. they have been approached by a company looking to hire for a position).  

After that, you Really have to do your research on the firm, especially the smaller firms working out of a single location.  They might not actually have business relationships with a large number of  companies, even if they claim to be working with 100's of companies.  

One scam-ish thing that some recruiters do:  Some of the less reputable agencies take the fishing-expedition approach, where they'll post a fake listing just to get people to send in their resumes. Then they'll have a bunch of job-specific resumes on file if a real opening comes up later.  Plus, the more resumes they have on file, the more they can tell a potential client (i.e. the company looking to fill the job) that they have hundreds/thousands of job-seekers who have registered with them.

Another scam approach out there: Some recruiters will even find a publically listed opening (i.e. listed by the actual company that has the job opening), and then the recruiter will list the position as though they're "recruiting" for it. Then they'll approach the company (without any prior agreement to recruit for them), and say "hey, I've got a great candidate for this position".  Then they'll try to get the company to agree to consider you, then they'll try to claim the placement commission.   So basically they're running a scam on both ends - trying to trick the job-seeker into working with them, and trying to trick the employer into getting a commission out of them.

Unfortunately there are so many scamming recruiters out there, that it screws up the whole thing for the job-seekers AND the Legitimate recruiters.  So we job-seekers are stuck with the task of having to verify every/any person who contacts us.  As if we don't have anything better to do with our time...

TFG is not a scam, and not the same company accused of negative business in Utah. They are a real business, in a real location, that has really been doing just what they say - placing those individuals who put their job-seeking information out on the web (for the world to see) in positions they are appropriate fits for. They hire contingent labor, so of course the jobs are not permanent. They have no reason to be harassed for doing what they say they are doing, honestly and to the best of their ability. Go get a real hobby, instead of searching the web for hard-working companies to write false negative reviews about.

TFG does staff for Abbott. They provide a lowball offer, the benefits are way over priced, no holiday pay, sick or vacation time, The position I applied for was misrepresented as "temp to hire" when it is only contract. I'm also working way beyond my title. There is a conflict between IRS definition of "Contractor" & the way it's being used here. Beat's unemployment, but it is insulting.

Actually, they do staff for Abbott.  Sorry.

STAY AWAY FROM THE FOUNTAIN GROUP?

Really. They got you not 1 but 2 jobs and you are telling people to stay away. I honestly don't care about how they run their infrastructure or the fact that a different recruiter calls each time. I CARE IF THEY CAN GET ME A JOB OR NOT. I don't understand what your issue with them is but the fact that they got you 2 jobs with 2 different well known companies proves they are a legit staffing company

What exactly would these people have to gain by posting fictional scam reports of your company? Because you can quote an "About Us" for TFG and you have a domain name, does that make you a credible source? No. Anyone can do that. And considering that you're a representative of the company, you're not exactly an unbiased source. It's not like if I contact you for more information, you're going to say "Yeah, about 50% of the people we work with would not recommend us..."

A lot of the reviewers do back up their posts with information as best as they can. They provide readers with the name of the representative they talked to, what area they live in, when it happened, where they found the ad, the phone number that called them, etc. That's about all they can do to prove their side.

Would you still think that the influence of the postings was "scary" if they were predominantly good reviews of your company? Or are you just trying to sway people into not believing the negative reviews posted on these sites? If I see the same issue creeping up again and again, they're most likely true. The main issues posted about your site seem to occur with a lot of people in a lot of different areas, so in my eyes, it's safe to conclude that those reports are true.

On October 12, you say you were contacted by Robert Young. A post in April of 2010 from a representative of The Fountain Group states that Robert Young no longer works for the company. Maybe Robert Young quit and then got rehired, but something about this company just doesn't sound right to me.

I came across this site because I was researching TFG after reading a listing they posted on CraigsList in the NYC area. I would definitely recommend contacting BBB, and I'm going to do the same. There is no need to be getting people's hopes up and wasting their time when it's hard enough to find a job out there. There are numerous reports of this company either never following through with a job, scamming people with mass amounts of emails, or setting them up with fake interviews--in these cases, the candidates called the actual company and they had no knowledge of TFG or the "available" position.

Is this true J Woods.  Is The Fountain Group a fake/fraud. I was just contact by Robert Young yesterday 10/11/2011 regarding a position in NJ.  Should we contact the BBB Better Business Bureau and have them flagged.  What do you think?



Kim

I am chiming in on the Fountain Group based out of Florida. They are a legitimate Recruiter. I just received my notice from Abbott Diabetes Care, here in Alameda. I started in January 2011 and my assignments ends at the end of August. I have nothing but positive feedback to say about TFG. They worked with me diligently to get a job with Abbott. After working here and getting to a know a lot of people, Abbott used a wide pool of job recruiters both in state and of state though they have to go through MANPOWER admin to set up the employee so whatever recruiter you sign up with is who will pay you but MANPOWER internally handles all the logistics on site. However, the MANPOWER on site liaison, Christina Dorsey is a horrible administrator mgr, who will set you up initially for employment but should you have any problems which I and several other temps have had, she is totally unresponsive in trying to contact her and getting corrective action. She has a real cushy job!  Also, Abbott Diabetes Care is a terrible place to work as far as the environment is concerned. They are under FDA scrutiny and everyone there is under stress causing most people to be very bitter, discourteous to one another and lacking apathy. They have just laid off  a lot of people. They also are unfair when it comes to hiring for a position in the sense, they don't advertise and typically hire from within but don't let others know that they are hiring. I have seen  people get hired permanently that they did not even advertize for and one was  that was not even qualified. So a lot of unfair hiring practices which I believe violates some employment laws. Also, a lot of the managers are very political and to a point, I believe racist. I have seen  a lot of unprofessional behavior especially from upper mgmt. Also, they string along temps up to the legal limit of a year then lay them off, then re-hire them as a temp and string them along for another year or so typically not hiring. I am glad that I am ending my assignment here. Not a pleasant environment. See their review under the site glassdoor.com

I have a great job thanks to TFG.  Worked with Tracy, she is awsome.  They have never been as unprofessional as the underemployed in this forum are claiming.  I am fresh out of college, working for a company I wanted to work for and just want to let you know that scammers ask for you to send them money or cash fake money orders.  That is not what is happening here, as posted before, don't let your paranoia prevent you from getting a good job.  Also be careful what you post about a company that might provide you a chance to get you foot in the door of a fortune 100 company,  what you say will be held against you.

The Fountain Group doe NOT staff for Abbott Labs. Abbott is a local company that ONLY uses LOCAL recruiters.

I got 4 phone calls from them yesterday, 4 different recruiters, all asking the SAME questions. Claimed they would submit me for work to a local company called "The Nelson Group" company does not exist at the address they provided.

If they would have said they were recruiting for Abbott, and were up front with me about the position, I might have been able to deal with them. However, 4 calls from 4 different recruiter from the SAME office, I could here the other voices in the background, is NOT the way to recruite people.

I asked EACH time if they READ my resume, if they understood my qualifications, each time they answered the questions incorrectly.

The offer was good, for LOCAL companies, but NOT for a company like Abbott that clearly is able and willing to pay substantially more than their trivial offer.

They got the brush off... as they are NOT professional recruiters, and do NOT know how to treat applicants for LOCAL positions.

Try again scammers... you are not catching me.

I got a call from a guy called Robert Young trying to sell me womens shoes. It was rather spooky.

I get calls from them all the time. Different recruiters each time. They have actually placed me on 2 assignments with well known companies. How ever each time I do get called it's by a different recruiter and they never have the info on me, such as when I worked with them. It's weird, most staffing agencies I have worked with, I work with one recruiter and it's the same one all the time. Personally the fountain group is a "labor mill". I actually got a call from the fountain group last week for a position and again different person. I asked her why they have different recruiters contacting me and I asked to speak with the recruiter that placed me in the last position he was amazing. I gave her the name and was told he was no longer employed there. I said wow he was a good recruiter and the girl I spoke to the other day was pretty blunt she basically said that they hire and fire people for internal positions. She opened up and really let it out she must have a had a bad day because she wasn't holding anything back. She told me alot of info and the way they treat their employees is not a good way to 
manage peole. I guess that explains why each time I talk to someone there they have no idea what's going on because the company clearly hires and fires. I'd just stay away from this company. P.S. It's funny that they have people inside the company monitoring these blogs because obviously they know that there is negative press about them. 

STAY AWAY FROM THE FOUNTAIN GROUP

These people are a huge scam. Even if they place you in a "long-term" contract position it ends in a week and they won't tell you why. They refuse to return your phone calls or e-mails. I will never do business with them again - they are the worst of the worst. I can't believe anybody would hire these guys to provide staffing - you have to wonder what's wrong with Abbott. Nothing that comes out of their mouth is the truth. Do not do business with these people - huge, huge waste of time.

Glad to see that the smarmy way they do business is finally getting some attention and catching up with them. They are the WORST!

youre a FRAUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I find it funny how people seem to believe that any sort of calls from a number that you do not recognize followed by a voice mail from a person with a name you are unfamiliar with is an automatic red flag for "scam".

People that post their resumes on Monster should know better. I know there are some pretty grand scams out there, but try not to let your paranoia get in the way of a good opportunity.

TFG has been an active staffing vendor for Abbott Labs since 2006. During my tenure as Recruiting Manager, our firm has successfully placed over 400 candidates into contract and contract to hire jobs with Abbott. These positions include the following skill sets: Scientific, Information Technology, Clerical/Administrative, Engineering, Accounting and Creative.

We are very proud of the service we have provided to both Abbott as well as the candidates who have found careers due to this relationship. Unlike, the anonymous posts found on this site, I am more than happy to provide all of my contact information and discuss any questions or concerns. Also, you may feel free to contact Dunn & Bradstreet to gather any verified data that you might need in order to make a decision on whether or not you would like to conduct business with our company.

Eric Thompson
7861 Woodland Center Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33614
(813)748-7783 mobile number
eric@thefountaingroup.com

The Fountain Group LLC is a staffing firm that has been in business since 2001 based out of Florida.  We provide contract staffing to many of the Fortune 100 companies throughout the United States.  In a age where we all have to protect ourselves from identity theft it seems the internet has given people the ability to hurt individuals and companies in the form of reputation theft.  The Fountain Group has worked hard to service its clients and contractors and build a reputation within the industry that we can be proud of.  Unfortunately, the web has given people the ability to write anything they want about an individual or business without having to back it up with factual information.  It is a little scary the influence these postings can have on others.   With anything you read on the web make sure the information is coming from a credible source and do your own due diligence to make sure what you are reading is factual not fiction.  

If you would like any information on the Fountain Group, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Or you can visit us at www.thefountaingroup.com

Thank you.

Hunter Cone
The Fountain Group
813-356-0033

There is another company out there named Fountain Group of Utah allegedly involved with  scam financing.

Most are/were real estate projects, with $80,000 advance deposits which have yet to be returned. It's been a couple of years.

The "set-up" allegedly was to purchase discounted instruments to be used as substitute collateral for large loans. I believe many legit brokers also fell for this alleged scam, and dragged in borrowers.

There are other names, but they took down a blog that became inactive I guess. That blog had been the scene of at least 18 months of concern, info sharing, etc.

Rob Young was employed as one of our recruiters but is no longer with our company. We are a Tier 1 provider of contract staffing to Abbott labs and receive quite a number of job openings from them. Please do not hesitate to call me with any questions.

Thank you

(813)356-0033.

Hunter Cone
huntercone@thefountaingroup.com

The Fountain Group has placed me on three contract assignments. I have no issues with them. The recruiter i work with found my resume on Monster.com and has been great to work with. I am not sure why people are posting negative items when your resume is posted on monster and they call you about a job? isnt that the whole point of putting your resume online to recieve information about job offers?

They are calling me, too, They said they found my contact no. in monster.com. That is why I will change my status visibility. Are they really scam ?

Definitely a scam.  Google Fountain Group of Companies.

job offerings

they keep calling me under different names saying that it is Fountain Group and they have contract job for me. I never pick the phone they leave messages and email me.

all blank pages on their website.

Robert Young is a Recruiter with The Fountain Group. They are a Nationwide staffing agency with contracts with multiple fortune 100 and 500 companies

States they are a recruiter looking for people to do contract work Abbott Laboratories.  Caller states his name as beeing Robert Young.  I don't know if this is a scam or not.