NOTE: This is a question and answer e-mail between 13News Anchor/Reporter Janet Roach and Priscilla Krikorian, General Counsel for National Grants Conferences.

Q: Why is your record with the Better Business Bureau so dismal?  You have an F rating and dozens of complaints? Have you settled the complaints?  

A: Our entire legal team recently met with the BBB in person to discuss the F rating and perhaps the most shocking aspect of that meeting was that this new letter-rating system is itself a test pilot program and our local BBB is one of the test locations. 

We were told that the new system was designed to be "stripped of its human factor" and is really a set of algorithms that spits out a result based upon data entered.  When we asked the point blank question "How did National Grants get an F under this new test system", we were told "sorry, but we can't even explain it ourselves."

You can only imagine our frustration because, the fact is, a bright red letter "F" on a company's name ends the inquiry before it even begins -- it is defamatory and inflammatory and leaves an indelible imprint of negativity in the minds of the public, government regulators, the media, our customers, our vendors, our workforce -- there is virtually not a facet of our business that this unexplainable rating has not tainted.  

We were not surprised to see that it was the very first question on your list as well.   The bottom line is that we do not deserve this rating, period, and the reality is that both the process and the result are flawed.  

In our meeting last month with the BBB, they acknowledged that our complaint volume actually decreased and that the reporting of the Vermont matter (I'll get to that below) was itself problematic.  The BBB ultimately recommended that we submit a formal request to the "Rating Review Committee" which we did last week.  

Responsive to your reference to "dozens" of complaints, as we explained to the BBB, that statement is only relevant when viewed in the context of overall attendance at our programs.  When so viewed, our complaint record is actually quite miniscule (less than .01%) over the three-year period contained in the report.   

We would also ask that you take a moment to review the attached statement that was read into the Congressional Record by the Honorable Corinne Brown of Florida.  The Congresswoman's poignant statement brings to light an uncomfortable truth about the BBB (and this statement was made at a time when a BBB rating was either "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory" and certainly did not generate the level of sensationalized hype and stigma that we are experiencing by virtue of having a big red letter "F" that no one can explain slapped on our federally registered trademark and trade name.  

At this juncture, we are prepared to pursue all remedies available to us to protect our company from being further maligned and damaged, including litigation, and have begun to collect evidence and identify potential witnesses in this regard.   

In response to your last question about whether we've resolved the BBB complaints, the answer is yes, and we are not aware of any open or unresolved complaints in any forum or jurisdiction. We are especially mindful of our commitment to customer satisfaction and all complaints and concerns that are brought to our attention are fully resolved consistent with our long-standing 100% customer satisfaction policy.       

Q: Do you track the success of your program? What’s the percentage of the people who buy your materials who have some success with it?  

A: No, it is not possible to quantify a success ratio given that we have no way administratively to capture or control the flow of information needed to generate such a figure.   Successful students are not required to report their individual successes to our organization and we have no way of knowing how many receive government funding awards without informing us of the results.  We run contests from time to time to encourage our students to share their success stories with us and what often happens is that we tend to focus on those students' individual successes that also have resulted in a community benefit or the furtherance of a socially desirable goal, such as a funding award we assisted with for an inner-city after-school youth facility/computer center aimed at eliminating the digital divide in Detroit (for which we received a Congressional commendation from U.S. Senator Carl Levin), and a funding award made to another great customer of ours (who was successful with 4 other separate funding applications) to launch a battered women's shelter.  Those stories are particularly inspiring to us and to our clients.          

Q: What does the $999 get you? After six months, what’s the renewal fee? 

A: See attached " Summary of Services" document, which is distributed to all customers.     

Q: You were the target of a lawsuit in the state of Vermont?  Have you changed anything since that settlement?  

A: In a nutshell, the Vermont matter involved a hyper-technical wording requirement on our sales forms (which we voluntarily acquiesced in at the State's request back in 2005), and the addition of a clause to our testimonial disclaimer, which we also accomplished immediately.  The matter was amicable and voluntarily settled in 2006 with no finding of wrong-doing, no findings of fact, and no conclusions of law being made.   The BBB acknowledged at our meeting that its reporting of the Vermont matter, having been drawn directly from the Vermont AG's Press Release, was outdated and warranted immediate revision (though the revision has not been made to date).        

Q: Your presentation gives the impression that grant money is a simple application away. Isn’t almost impossible for private individuals to get this money or businesses that are for profit? 

A: No, it is not, and we do not agree that our presentation gives the impression that grant money is "a simple application away" because we actually teach a larger concept that begins with an open mind and a willingness to learn about a little-known yet very important topic that is anything but simple --  the federal, state, and local government grant, loan and subsidy system.  

What many fail to appreciate is that even though the actual funding program information is "public information" (since these programs can only exist by virtue of the legislation that creates them), the money that actually finds its way to the intended recipients doesn't reach them just because they want it, deserve it, and should have it. 

The fact is that most don't even know these programs exist let alone how to access them. For example, money that is locked within a politically-pleasing sounding piece of federal legislation, such as the "American Dream Down Payment Assistance Act", has to be identified, unlocked, and distributed downward to the state and local level where it is administered and made available to individuals.  But the government maintains no nationwide or even statewide standardized or centralized clearing house mechanism for this and certainly has no advertising budget.  Each state and local jurisdiction then has to create and adopt their own program identifiers and eligibility requirements for the distribution of these funds. As a result, there is no quick or categorical answer to any government funding eligibility or qualification question because the fact is we are dealing with a system that is vast in scope, decentralized, underexposed to the public and extremely difficult for the average person to  work through on his or her own (otherwise, they would).   

The one constant in the equation is that there are terms and conditions that must be met for each and every program -- and there are many grant, loan and subsidy programs for eligible individuals, just as there are many for for-profit businesses and non-profits alike. For example, grants and low-interest loans offered by HUD, most notably for down payment & closing cost assistance for first time home buyers, are available to individuals because they are the targeted recipient of those funds.  

For-profit businesses that meet the applicable terms and conditions can qualify for training grants, advertising grants, payroll assistance, tax credits and abatements, expansion funding, energy-efficiency and other "go-green" type programs, lucrative government contracting awards, etc., plant and equipment funding, and more.    

As a company, we practice what we preach and have applied for and received funding awards in excess of $350,000 in the form of employment and training grants, wage tax credits, sales tax credits, and other subsidies because we chose to locate our Customer Support and Research Division in an "Enterprise Zone"  located in Rochester, NY. That facility is supported by over 80 employees, 5 of whom are dedicated full time to the task of researching every federal, state, and local government program for each local market we teach in.  This research team identifies the relevant program information which is organized, arranged, and compiled into a multi-volume library (these reference materials are copyrighted, published works of our company). The counseling team is trained and equipped to work through the reference materials with the customers utilizing a state-of-the-art interactive digitized Manual to efficiently cull through the myriad programs for which a given customer might be eligible.   

To give you an example of the scope and breadth of this subject matter, our state and local published government program directories for metropolitan New York span over 2000 pages in total, and these state and local indices are updated at least once if not twice per year.  The essence of our business, then, is teaching the average person how to access the government funding system with the goal of unlocking those dollars and improving their lives.  We are proud of our customers who now own their first homes, invested in real estate, started or expanded businesses, improved neighborhoods and parks, created jobs, hired the disabled, assisted their parishes, launched after-school facilities and assistance shelters, etc., all because we showed them how and because they put in the time, effort, resource, and energy to learn about it and make it happen.  

But, just like a membership to a gym (or any other self-help endeavor), if you don't walk through the door and pick up some weights or jump on that treadmill, you won't get results, period.                          

Q:  What’s your refund policy?

A:  National Grants Conferences refund policy is extremely liberal and customer-friendly and goes far beyond the minimum cancellation period required by law.  We accommodate all requests for refunds and resolve all concerns and/or complaints to the full satisfaction of our customers.   

Q:  How many people purchased your product during your most recent trip to Hampton Roads, Va.? (Hampton, Norfolk, Va. Beach)  

A:  We do not divulge this type of internal financial data.