anonnystate

Thank you all for the feedback. It has been helpful.

One was a friend and I nearly damaged that relationship yesterday in course of asking. Thank God his calmness saved our friendship. The other 2 are merely colleagues.

what do you mean exactly by "done right"? Appreciate the social engineering tip!

Exactly. But they have given this excuse to the hiring agency and tarnished that relationship. Do I literally have to take them to court to find out? I have asked in a very friendly manner explicitly stating I have no interest whatsoever in their company -- again, the interview process was mutual -- but they are claiming that confidentiality regulations prevent them disclosing it. This is a small startup but they do have an adult CEO.