Warning!!! I was searching the net for information about an SBA Loan for a business that my wife and I want to start and found a link to Business Consultants, Inc (BCI)/ Consultants Group International's website. I contacted them for information on what type of services they offer. My information request was returned several days later with a phone call by one of the companies' consultants by the name of Joe Arnold. He started telling me that BCI was a consultant firm that takes a business owners' idea and puts it to paper, then submits that idea to the SBA to guarantee and after that is complete, BCI goes forth to find the necessary funding from one of an unlimited number of resources.
Joe made it sound like an excellent opportunity! Hah, little did I know what I was in for and that is what I want to warn you about.
Joe told me that there would be a fee of $2500-$3500 for preparation. I would be responsible for sending in a $1500 retainer fee (which they wanted a wire, but I sent a US Postal money order) and the rest would be taken at loan issue. Additionally, there would be a loan issue fee of 1%-3.9% that would be taken from the loan at issue as well. Joe assured me that I would not have to pay anymore out of pocket. That was a big concern for me considering I wasn't able to fork out any more cash any time soon. Hmmm, considering I pay $500 to get my taxes done, $1500 was not an unquestionable amount to risk to have a plan put together, submitted to the SBA, and funding found. However, I did not intend to lose the money the day I put it in the mailbox and that is what has happened so far!
Here is where it gets good. After I sent the money in, I was then thrown over to Denise Kirkland (supposedly the owners wife) who informed me that she had received payment and that it would be non-refundable after we started. I immediately sent an email back agreeing to the conditions as long as they understood that I was not going to pay anymore out of pocket and if at any time before loan issue they were expecting me to pay more out of pocket, to send me a refund immediately.
She sent me the requirements for phase one and I had it done in a couple of days. A couple of weeks later, they send me the phase two requirements and guess what, yep, Denise wants me to pay the additional $2000 before we move forward to the SBA application. And again, it had to be a money order and this time they wanted me to send it FEDEX or UPS and send them the tracking number as soon as I mailed it. Now, does this look sketchy? Hmmm, YEA!
Well, here I am now trying to get my money back. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and haven't heard anything back from them yet. I wonder if I will ever get my money back?!?
Oh yea, remember Joe? I have left him message after message to call me and he has not contacted me yet. I have sent him several emails and I can't get in touch with him. The communication was another huge issue. I would call or send an email and it would be four to five business days before I would get a response. Now, you tell me how a "consultant" is supposed to put a business plan together for someone and they rarely even contact them?!?
Finally, I receive a call today from another sales person for the company (come to find out that's all Joe Arnold is/was) wanting to know if anyone had contacted me yet concerning the services BCI offers. Well, I went into telling him what had happened and apparently, according to him, they have changed their "pitch". This guy had the audacity of trying to sale me again. Ain't happening! I was born at night, but not last night!
Bottom line folks, these people are scamming off hard working American people who serve this country and put their life on the line everyday. I am a paratrooper in the Airborne and proud to serve the people of this country! I feel that it is my duty to get the word out to everyone possible about this company. I will not tire, I will not falter, and I will not fail!
David
Hope Mills, North Carolina
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