I just wanted to warn people of a bad experience I had. Recently, I responded to an advert from the Cooperative Gardeners Limited who were looking for a sales and marketing person. [Name Removed] who is the major owner of the company called me back after looking at my website to come along for an interview with them at the Cooperative Gardeners Limited.

My website clearly states that I am a PR and Communications professional. On answering his question, "So what do you think marketing is?" I gave him a detailed response to which he then said, "So it's sales." That afternoon, he asked me to stay and work and I found myself for the next two days managing and organising door to door canvassing. When I told him this was not the kind of thing I do and not a good use of my skills he said, "So what can you do then?" I told him a website and PR and marketing materials.

He agreed to this on the basis that I work for significantly less money than I would ordinarily, worked on it for four weeks and for the final week he refused to pay me on the basis that I hadn't brought any cash into the business in the time that I'd been there.

I have written this as a warning to people considering using the gardening company because he is selling the service to customers as it being a cooperative. This means that clients, investors and staff all take a share in the profit. He has been running for three years however, has done the same thing to a few people as he did to me, pays all of his staff low wages which means that if they do become profitable, the Cooperative Gardeners Ltd investors get a bigger share because there will be even more profit because staff are on low salaries.

I would caution anyone doing work for small businesses to get an agreement in writing for work that you are going to undertake for someone and the rate you are willing to do it for within an agreed time frame. Luckily, I retained administration rights for their website so have at least been able to take it down due to non-payment however, I would rather have been paid the money and had the website running for them.

So anyone thinking of working for or using the Cooperative Gardeners Ltd in Richmond. Please take care.

Please note that all negative facts are completely false. Cooperative Gardeners are a group of qualified garden designers, gardeners, landscapers, tree surgeons and support persons working together. We are a very fair bunch who like to give people a chance. To quote Nicola Carley’s personal website: ‘Having worked only 7 weeks in the past 9 months Cherry Picked was a bid to create an income and potentially, further down the line: jobs.’ See: http://www.thesassyminx.com/girls-on-top/the-cherry-picked-pop-up-pamper-parlour/. This lady was given a chance to work with us but failed by far to reach our professional standard. She was paid for the little work she did at more than a fair rate.
She offered to do the web site in her own time and ended up doing it in ours, which she then demanded payment for with a number of threats, which was of poor standard so there was no payment outstanding.
On a number of occasions she turned up and told everyone in the office that she was hung over and in a mess. The job description was clearly stated as sales (please see her twitter entry below) and marketing which she accepted on a self employed basis.
We requested a contract of services from her which she never supplied.
We pay above the national rate to our labourers gardeners and other contractors, please see our recruitment adverts on gumtree £8 to £15 per hour plus.
We have formed a 3 way cooperative which shares a portion of our profit remaining after re investment, equally between investors, workers and clients. This is a new and fairer way of working and in principle wouldn’t be our aim if we were not a fair and honest bunch.
Nicole Carley puts herself forward as a PR consultant but consistently publishes self- deprecating blogs about her lack of employment (clearly through no fault of her own) and resentments towards the world.
In our opinion she has been the PR lady from hell, not just for us by posting false facts on this consumer website, but evidently for herself. Please note Nicola Carley was note willing to put her full name against her false negative comments


@MissCherryPickNicola Carley
Anyone with a vacancy in #sponsorship sales, please get in touch! PR looking to make career move
25 Jul via Twitter for iPhone