Yesterday I requested for professional services on Shine.com. I got a call from Aman who explained to me about the application booster package and asked me if I would like to move forward I went ahead and I was asked to pay my first amount of 3292. I was told that since I was looking for senior roles I will have to do more to make my CV visible so the team will make suggestions to me on what I should go ahead with. Next I received a call from Rohit saying he will be my personal adviser and he mentioned that shine offers assistance in 10 countries and also due to the pandemic companies or other countries don’t look at profiles unless they are per-verified. I argued with him on this but he assured me that based on their experience candidates received better offers I’d their profiles are verified after which I was charged for more services of 5545 and 10244 rupees respectively. By now I’m out of 18000+ rupees already and too deep into the process to back out.
Next he said that I should go all in because I’m applying for a senior profile and I should calibrate my CV to guarantee my changes of landing a job with a good brand and that Shone offers professional CV writing services and said that this will be the last step of the application and you won’t have to pay after this and then I was given an invoice 16634 rupees. I went ahead after some back and forth.
He said that now considering you have busy schedule and you want to be apply jobs using your phone and on the move so you will get WhatsApp notifications on matched jobs for you to apply. That service is an additional buy and I was asked to pay 24779 at this point I got more skeptical and said that I don’t want to. He said that you’re already investing so much and you will anyway recover all the investment from your first salary. I became insistent that I don’t want to pay and that the remaining services should be activated. He duped me by saying that until you complete the whole process he cannot start my application. When I asked why, he said because we have a set process and we do not offer refunds so you have to buy this last service and then you’re good to go. I’m already out of a lot of money and I still trusted this man and went ahead. Now I am out of 58000 rupees and I now know that there is no refund available. I’m complete stuck.
These guys have to audacity over that to upset me a certification saying that it’s government recognised and if I do 1 certification I will be able to access better paying jobs and it’s a very small investment towards a bright future. And then send me an invoice 30323 rupees.
At this point I fully lost it and was transferred to Shivam who said the certification is essential for me to move ahead in the process and they will not be able to refund everything I have paid for so far so I should take the course up. I was adamant and then the call was transferred to Jatin - he yelled at me and spoke to me rudely and didn’t give me a chance to speak and then I was transferred back again to Shivam. He played the good cop now and assured me that each of the services I have paid for will benefit me and this certification is government approved and that they are a Hindustan times company a known and trusted brand. The certification of master of workplace skills is recognised and recruiters prefer hiring people with the certification. If I don’t want to do it I can skip it but I should still play for it so that the recruiters know that I am pursuing it.
Considering how stuck and vulnerable I am feeling at this point I made the decision to go ahead and make the payment and requested them to immediately start my services. At this point they said they will have Rohit get in touch with me again. Rohit took my call and said that I am left with one last step and I’m set - in between all this he kept asking me to compose an email from my ID and send it to [protected]@shine.com mentioned that my services should be started at an urgent basis.
Next he said that I should undergo 2 more certifications to make my profile stronger and sent me an invoice Of 53098 rupees. At which point I lost it and started holding him accountable and then he transferred my call to Shivam who kept saying and tried to gaslight me by saying that I already told you you have to do multiple courses and I’m trying to help you. This is the point where I told him that I will right now send out a tweet and threatened to take legal action and raise a complaint. He backed down and said that if you don’t want the certification you don’t need to take it and the other services that I paid for will be activated.
With this entire experience I have completely lost trust on the brand and I just want a refund. I don’t want any of your services just please refund my money and I’ll be at peace. You looters have taken terrible advantage and I don’t know how you’re able to operate but you should be disgusted at yourselves and step up if you had a conscience and do the right thing for once. Was this information helpful? | 
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