September 12, 2005
Clarification of the San Diego County Better Business Bureau Business Reliability Report Re: U.S. Financial Management, Inc.
Why did the San Diego County Better Business Bureau Business publish an unfavorable Business Reliability Report about your company?
The gradual decline in the housing boom and the October 17, 2005 bankruptcy reform bill, have allowed U.S. Financial Management, Inc. to experience extraordinary business growth. As a result, we've seen a substantial increase in clients that have suffered substantial financial hardships, had little or no ability to pay their debts, or were facing insolvency. Although we endeavor to provide quality service to all of our clients, it is not surprising that this recent growth may have contributed to a proportionately higher amount of local BBB complaints. What's troubling is that despite our fair and ethical business standards, the San Diego County Better Business Bureau published untruthful allegations about our organization. Thankfully, due to the inaccuracies of these allegations, the report is under review. What is your actual performance record with the BBB? Notwithstanding the recent increase of consumer complaints, U.S. Financial Management, Inc. has always maintained a good performance record in satisfying all local consumer complaints. This is evidenced in our online San Diego County BBB Business Reliability Report, which indicates that ALL consumer complaints were either "Resolved" or "U.S. Financial Management, Inc. made good faith effort to Resolve." What wrongful allegations caused your "unsatisfactory" rating? U.S. Financial Management, Inc. was reported with an "unsatisfactory rating" due to the following untrue allegations, which contend that consumers: 1. Do not seem to have a clear understanding of the procedures by which USFM services are provided. 2. Consumers do not seem to understand that USFM does not pay creditors immediately, but rather allows the consumer's deposit account to build funds for several months before the negotiations with their creditors begin. 3. Do not understand that their credit rating may be adversely affected because their bills are not being paid. 4. Several consumers have been met with lawsuits and wage garnishments. Why do you consider the allegations to be untruthful? We consider the reported allegations as "untruthful" because they do not represent the physical business practices of U.S. Financial Management, Inc. In fact, our bankruptcy avoidance program has always worked in the spirit of "full disclosure." In maintaining the highest quality assurance standards, we physically conduct a "Recorded Underwriting Verification Call" to ALL new clients soon after enrollment. Our verification policy not only contradicts the actual BBB allegations, but more importantly, it ensures that all new clients receive proper disclosure of the following program "terms and conditions" also in the signed, written contract: 1. Once you are accepted into the program, you will defer payment to the creditor until a settlement is reached. 2. Our negotiation process usually does not begin until you have saved enough money to make a reasonable offer to the creditors. 3. Once your creditors agree to the settlement amount, we will present you with the offer. If you approve the offer then the agreed upon amount will be paid by you out of your savings to the creditor. 4. All cards that are enrolled into the program will not be active and you will no longer have credit privileges. 5. Your creditors have every right to contact you in order to collect the amount you owe. 6. Your creditors have the right to file a judgment against you in order to recover the money that is owed, but usually the purpose of a lawsuit is to come to a settlement. 7. Your credit scores will be affected while in the program. Why did the BBB report allege that consumers were "having difficulty in receiving refunds?" It is not clear why the BBB reports that consumers had difficulty in receiving refund as the report also states that ALL consumer complaints, including any "refund issues" were either "Resolved" or "U.S. Financial Management, Inc. made good faith effort to Resolve." The present U.S. Financial Management, Inc. contract also states that we issue a FULL REFUND due to any cancellation received within 30-days of date of enrollment. Additionally, while most debt management services abide by a "3-day rescission period" for issuing refunds, we provide all clients with a full, 30-day window of opportunity to receive a complete refund for any cancellation reason. Why did the BBB assert that "30-days" is not enough time for consumers to realize any benefit by being in the program?" It is vague why the BBB made this assertion. However, we have made them aware of all of our business services in addition to the debt settlement benefits that we provide for our clients. During the first 30-days of enrollment and throughout the duration of our program, U.S. Financial Management, Inc. provides all of its clients with extensive ancillary debt relief services including: 1. Providing full phone and fax support 2. Issuing and preparing creditor correspondence on behalf of clients 3. Issuing and preparing "cease and desist notifications" to debt collectors on behalf of clients 4. Providing information on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to educate clients on how to prevent abusive collection practices. Is U.S. Financial Management, Inc. is affiliated with any organization similar to the Better Business Bureau? U.S. Financial Management, Inc. is proud to be affiliated with the Netcheck Commerce Bureau (Netcheck). Netcheck operates globally in real time and was the first alternative to the Better Business Bureau to promote ethical business practices and to increase consumer and corporate confidence in purchasing products and services on the Internet. Since being established in 1995, Netcheck had over 32 million site visitors and they process online complaints concerning fraud, refunds, copyright infringement, false advertising, spam or unsolicited bulk email as well as provide the public with the first and only global consumer complaint search engine on the Internet. You can view our Netcheck Business Report at: http://www.netcheck.com/usfinancialmanagement.shtml Is U.S. Financial Management, Inc. a member of any local organization? U.S. Financial Management, Inc. is a member of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. This non-profit organization is one of the most influential forces in local government and regional economic development. With more than 3,000 members, the Chamber of Commerce is actively involved in public policy and providing valuable resources to its members. Their website is: http://www.sdchamber.org. Is U.S. Financial Management, Inc. listed with Dunn & Bradstreet? U.S. Financial Management, Inc. is listed with Dunn & Bradstreet "D&B" (NYSE:DNB). D&B is the leading provider of global business information and insight, has enabled customers to Decide with Confidence for over 160 years. The U.S. Financial Management, Inc. D&BR D-U-N-SR Number is a unique nine-digit sequence that is recognized as the universal standard for identifying and keeping track of over 80 million businesses worldwide. This makes it easier for prospective customers to do business with U.S. Financial Management, Inc. enhancing our credibility and enabling potential customers, suppliers and lenders to easily identify and learn about our company. (Note: the U.S. government and many major corporations require their suppliers and contractors to have a D-U-N-S Number. The D & B website is: www.dnb.com. Are you a member of any debt management organization? U.S. Financial Management, Inc. is a member of the United States Organizations for Bankruptcy Alternatives (USOBA). USOBA was founded by members of the debt settlement industry that were seeking representation specifically outside of the credit counseling and bankruptcy fields. The mission of USOBA is to create and advocate an agenda only for the debt settlement industry. Their website is: www.usoba.org. |