Complaint VIP Arbitration Program
In re:
GSA Access Group, LLC,
Complainant, v.
Anonymous,
Author.
Consumer complaints No.:
685715
Arbitrator decision
Bruce Meyerson,
Arbitrator
Complainant, GSA Access Group, LLC, has challenged the truthfulness of certain statements (each, a Statement) posted by Author Anonymous on the complaint website at usacomplaints.com on January 22, as complaint No. 685715 (the Report). Both the Complainant and the Author have agreed to submit the dispute to the complaint VIP Arbitration.
In addition to challenging the statements made by the Author, the Complainant is also challenging the status or role of the Author. Based upon the nature of the Statements set forth in the Report, the Complainant is unable to identify the status of the Author and asserts that the Complainant has no connection whatsoever to the entity that is the subject of the Complaint, or its proprietors.
Each Statement challenged by the Complainant has been considered, together with any Witness Statements and Documents provided by the Complainant for determination of the truth or falsity of the Statement. The Author has not provided a response to the Complaint.
I have been asked to decide whether the preponderance of the evidence submitted establishes that each Statement is true or that it is false. If the statement identified by the Complainant is determined to be an opinion, no determination will be made as to that particular Statement because an opinion cannot be determined to be true nor false.
Each challenged Statement submitted by the Author is set forth below together with my comments and ruling:
1. Statement: After doing some checking, youll see that GSA1000 goes by many names, including GSA Access Group, GSA Preview, Federal suppliers, countryside publishing, and who knows how many others.
Discussion: GSA Access Group, LLC provides professional assistance to businesses to present their products and services to the Federal Government. GSA Access Group, LLC has submitted the Declarations of its President, James A. Zach, and his partner, Richard Allen Frueh. Mr. Zachs Declaration states that GSA Access Group, LLC has no affiliation with GSA 1000 or its proprietors. Mr. Fruehs Declaration states that he does not have any affiliation with Fred Steinberg, Larry Pino, GSA 1000, GSA Preview, or any other company associated with the foregoing companies or their principals. The Author had the opportunity to provide evidence supporting the Statement but did not do so.
Ruling: I find this Statement false.
2. Statement: GSA1000 GSA 1000; GSA Preview; GSA preview; federal suppliers; gsa access group; b2g institute; telligenix, dynetech; fred steinberg; larry pino[.] If it sounds to (sic) good to be true, it must be GSA1000, Oldsmar, Florida.
Discussion: GSA Access Group, LLC has submitted the Declarations of its President, James A. Zach, and his partner, Richard Allen Frueh. Mr. Zachs Declaration states that GSA Access Group, LLC has no affiliation with GSA 1000 or its proprietors. Mr. Fruehs Declaration states that he does not have any affiliation with Fred Steinberg, Larry Pino, GSA 1000, GSA Preview, or any other company associated with the foregoing companies or their principals. The Author had the opportunity to provide evidence supporting the Statement but did not do so.
Ruling: I find this Statement false.
DATED this % day of September.
Bruce E. Meyerson, Arbitrator
My copmany had a long track record of successfully selling about 50-50 to both businesses and government. When the economy stalled in our sales to businesses dropped about 40%. Thats when we got the call. It was Carol Tights, calling from the GSA, to tell me that they needed my company for several contracts, but I had to first get a GSA schedule. Actually, Carol was working for a GSA contractor, GSA1000, and the contractor was helping the GSA to locate vendors. Because GSA 1000 was working directly with GSA, they could help me to get a GSA schedule, and much of the cost would be subisidized by the government.
I called other GSA Schedule consultants, and Carols story seemed to check out. The other companies were charging twice as much. I spoke with some friends, who had also paid more than double for the same services that GSA1000 was offering. GSA1000 also had great references on their web site, and guaranteed that they would get me a schedule, something the other consultants would not do. I had no idea how they could make money if htey were chargng half of what all the others charged.
As promised, GSA1000 delivered the schedule. We were amazed how fast and easy the process was. Friends who had used other consultants spent hours digging up data for those consultnats, but GSA1000 took care of all that. We gave them some basic info about our company, and they took care of everything else.
We were delitghted, because now we could grow the government side of our business, and replace the revenue lost when our commercial customers reduced their purchasing. All was good for the first year. Then the other shoe dropped.
Last August, two gentlemen from the GSA Inspectors office, with blue blazers, badges and side-arms, showed up at our business. They demanded all kinds of documents, bills, contract info, etc etc, and told us that we were being investigated for FRAUD!!! We couldnt believe it. Wed been in business for alomst 40 years, with never a complaint from anyone, and now the federal goverbnment was accusing us of fraud. They demanded that we produce our GSA schedule, but we never received the actual documents from GSA1000. But we felt we were OK, because we could see our schedule right on the GSA. Gov website
Then the inspectors produced a stack of paper 3 inches thick, and asked if that was our schedule We hadnt seen it before, other than the top page, which we had signed when we hired GSA1000. As we looked through the document, we saw projects we had never done, employees we had never hired, and invoices we had never sent. GSA1000 had made up all the information, put our signature page on top, and submitted to the government.
Thats when I understood how they were able to charge half, ask for barely any data, get it to GSA in a matter of days, and guarantee a schedule. Theyve been using the same data over and over again for all their clients. Naturally if the same application worked yesterday, it would work again tomorrow, so they could guarantee their work. And they were making money charging 50%, because they were only doing 2% of the effort that the other consultants do.
GSA cancelled our schedule, and banned us from doing business with the government for 3 years. Needless to say, the ban has destroyed our business, but the other option was to fight the ban, and risk charges of criminal fraud against the government and maybe even JAIL. Im a 61-year old service disabled Viet Nam veteran. Im too old to be worrying about lawyers, courts, judges and jail.
Now, you may be thinking that Im just some poor dope, or a disgruntled customer. Im not disgruntled. I tried to save some money, I didnt believe what my friends said or what the established and successful consultants told me. I tried to get something for less than I should have, and I got burned. Shame on me. After all these years, I should have known better. GSA1000 will self destruct on their own, they dont need my help. But you dont need to make the same mistakes I did.
So forget my story if you want, and check the facts for yourself. They are all in Florida, and are the apparent spin-off of the B2G Institute, Telligenix, Dynatech, Fred Steinberg and Larry Pino, who were closed down by the attorney general in 2009. They are all in the same part of florida, all have the same photos on their websites, and (unlike reputable consultants) none of their sites list their owners, partners, exec team or anything else. These guys have long running arrest records throughout the US for all kinds of get-rich-quick scams.
If you dont want to do all the research, Ill help you out a little.
Check out the attorney generals report: http://www.courthousenews.com/09/22/_Cash_Flow_Institute_a_Fraud_Texas_AG_Says.htm
Check out the expose from San Diegos Channel 6 http://www.sandiego6.com/mostpopular/story/B2G-Get-Rich-Scheme-Targets-San-Diego-Business
Check out the expose from Huntsville, ALs Channell 19 http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-b2g-investigative-report-tease, 0,1774507. Story
Whnt.com / news/takingaction/whnt-b2g-institute-free-workshop, 0,2140248. Story
Check out Freds trial for bribing a fed http://cases. Justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F2/551/510/43536/ http://cases. Justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F2/551/510/43536
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