The Better Business Bureau has mentioned Raven Media, Governtment Grant Solutions, Grant Instructor, and Grant University in a 3/3/2009 Better Business Bureau alert with the headline:
BBB Warns Grant Companies Exploit Confusion over Stimulus Bill to Rip Off Consumers
Note: in the BBB warning they state: ‘Since this press release was first issued, some websites have been taken down or edited. Contact BBB for more details on the original content.’
Back on December 13, 2008 WorkAtHomeTruth posted a warning about fake “blog” sites promoting government grants here similar to the ones mentioned in the recent 3/3/2009 BBB warning which states: “In February, ads on Facebook directed the public to Web sites such as www.davidgetsgreen.com* and www.jakecutler.com which were set up to look like blogs written by people who are sharing the secret of how they received $12,000 in grants from the government to pay off their debt.”
The BBB gives specific complaint and rating details about the following companies in their warning:
- Raven Media – BBB has logged 495 complaints as of 3/3/2009. F rating at the BBB.
- Grant Instructor – BBB has logged 295 complaints as of 3/3/2009. F rating at the BBB.
- Grant University – BBB has logged 300 complaints as of 3/3/2009. F rating from the BBB
Specific websites mentioned in the BBB warning are:
- FederalGrantSolutions.com
- FederalGovernmentGrantSolutions.com
- OfficialStimulusChecks.com
- ObamaStimulusGrant.net
The BBB warning says:
“According to the BBB Serving Utah and the BBB Serving Las Vegas, complainants state that they ordered a “free” CD and were promptly charged as much as $69.95 on their credit or debit card. Some complainants also stated that their credit card was charged by other companies as well.
When complainants contacted the businesses about why they were being charged for a “free” item, they were told that they had actually signed up for a “free trial”—as explained in the terms and conditions on the Web site—and they needed to cancel within seven days of requesting the CD or they would be charged monthly.
Complainants also stated that they never received the “free” CD, received the CD after the free-trial had expired or were unable to log into the Web site to access grant information as promised. These companies fail to provide refunds and some complainants tried to contact the company to cancel the service but ultimately had to cancel their credit card to stop being billed as much as $69.95 every month.”
Additional notes from WorkAtHomeTruth:
The following sites are Grant offers or redirect to Grant offers from Raven Media Inc:
- Free Grant Connection
- 36HourFunding.com
- SBAGold.com
- SBAFundingExpress.com