Consumer Complaint on
International Profit Associates, Inc.
Buffalo Grove, IL
After meeting with a rep from IPA that arrived after a rep cold called, we agreed to have a sales analyst come to look over our company. Once here, he met with employees, owner, and gathered multiple documents to assess what needed to be done to "Fix" our situation. Once the analyst had determined what our company "needed" it was constant pressure to sign the contract. The following day, 2 men arrived to start the consultation part.
For a month we were fed reports, projections, forecasts - all of which we needed to sign at the end of each week (we're assuming) to acknowledge that we were in agreement with what they were handing us. We found the information to be very general and most figures and "specific analyzed reports" were amounts or areas we were already aware of, but signed because they were the experts, or so they said. The reports and manuals were of cookie-cutter layout that could pertain to any company in any industry, not tailored to our company.
For the month that the Senior Business Consultant was in our office, it was constant interruptions to the entire staff, along with majority of the questions being asked to the wrong employees. The accounting/billing/settlement programs we were using needed updated, however, what we ended up with was one upgraded accounting program and the rest conglomerated into spreadsheets that were suppose to be tailored and cost/labor effective, but have proven to be anything but that. There were trucking programs that would have benefited us greatly, costing less man hours from the consultant and tailored for the trucking industry, but were not recommended. When asked why it wasn't made part of the system, the consultant hadn't heard of it.
After conversations with the other depts. We found that the health ins accounts are not figuring the taxes and that the consultant was aware of prior to him leaving. When this was mentioned to the consultant from IPA again, he told us we'll have to write yet another check to purchase a tax program to get it fixed. The hours that have been contributed to fixing accounts and troubleshooting what the consultant set up; have been a far cry from cost effective.
Sales and Marketing were to be addressed from 8/3 to 8/23 according to the task schedule given to us. Other than small talk occasionally throughout the month, the sales/marketing was addressed for approximately 1/2 hr on the final day. Furthermore, giving us ideas and tactics that could be found in any type of general sales guide on our own. He suggested sending letters, getting prospects from SIC codes, and putting our name on placemats to be put in truck stops. We have been sending letters for over 15 years already, I already had SIC codes printed and in a filehe added additional states, although having no idea if any of them had facilities with in the lanes we run, and throwing our names onto a placemat for yet another additional feethat was their suggestion for top notch marketing.
The payment schedule that was set up by the consultant and his supervisor was unrealistic and unattainable for this company's cash flow. This was addressed with the consultant's supervisor and he had payments pushed back. Even with this meek attempt to do what's best for the company, they are aware that we are still forced to take out operating loans to cover daily costs. A line of credit was also recommended to have put into place. Although after watching the daily cash flow suffer, especially due to the payments expected each week to IPA, we know now that this was to be implemented to protect and ensure IPA received their money. Not enhance our business operations.
We are now beginning legal action with IPA... We would like to hear from anyone that knows of a class action law suit or has already reached this point.
Sincerely
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