The company offered me a contract and said that it charged $500 for joining, even though I already had five contracts in that position. I later joined another crewing agency for the same vacancy without paying anything.
I dealt with this company and its intermediaries. They insisted that my medical examination in Poland be repeated because the medical documents I already had were not accepted, and they also rejected certificates that were still valid. They kept pointing out alleged deficiencies in my sea service and treated people rudely. Although they did not directly demand payment for joining, there were hints that money was expected.