Aardvark Research Group

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted]. Unfortunately, [redacted] (Aardvark Research Group) was inconsistent in his communication with me. In my initial Revdex.com complaint, I included the copy of our ongoing email dialogue to illustrate [redacted]'s adamant response(s) that two DD214s could not be sent to two separate locations. To resolve this issue, I acquiesced and requested the DD214s be sent to me directly. In my communication with [redacted] on Friday, May 20, 2016 2:11 PM, we agreed and he confirmed Aardvark was going to send the two DD214s to my house that day.At this point, I was satisfied that we had agreed on a solution. However, after weeks went by and I hadn't received the DD214s from Aardvark Research Group, I reached out to them again [hence, their response that they hadn't heard from me for a period of time]. [redacted] responded stating "the DD214s were delivered to the address I provided on the order form, which was [redacted]" [Tuesday, July 19, 2016 8:09 PM]. At this point, he has now contradicted his earlier communication in which he stated they were going to be sent directly to me. Moreover, at no point does he indicate the DD214 was also sent to the second institution (Charter Oak State College). When I questioned him why they weren't sent to me (per his previous email), he responded he was "sorry and that the timing was such that they probably didn't read my email until the following morning, and by then they had already sent them."As you can see, Aardvark's communication was inconsistent, at best. [redacted] and I agreed to have them sent to my house [Friday, May 20, 2016 2:11 PM]. He never indicates the DD214s were sent to both institutions. Had he communicated this to me (as the company claims in their response), I would never have made the Revdex.com complaint. Furthermore, [redacted] also never conveyed that they "upgraded me at no charge to include a digital copy being sent to the registrar's office of each institution." Moreover, since he communicated earlier the DD214s would be sent to my house, but later conveyed they were sent to [redacted], the company inadvertently created unnecessary confusion and frustration. They are erroneous in their response that they didn't hear from me for two months until yesterday. On May 20th, they conveyed the DD214s would be sent to my home. When I never received them, I followed up with them in July. We exchanged email communication on July 18 and 19 in which I was led to believe the DD214s were instead sent to [redacted]. For full transparency, I contacted [redacted] at Aardvark yesterday and advised him I filed a complaint with the Revdex.com and included a full transcript of our email communication, as well as a copy of the detailed Revdex.com complaint I made. I will contact both institutions to confirm the DD214 was received. In the interim, it is evident Aardvark could benefit from some internal customer service training. It would appear as though there is a lack of communication and transparency internal to their organization, hence the lack of accurate communication to me versus what was told to the Revdex.com [aka: false representation]. Moreover, I find it distasteful that their response included an unwarranted comment, "that I was dealing with issues." Yet somehow, this comment shouldn't surprise me  - as this tactless response is commensurate with their lack of professional communication and customer support. In closing, it would be advisable if Aardvark modified their website advertising slightly so that consumers are aware that although they can get two copies of their DD214 for $89, they can only be mailed to one address. Since I hail from post-secondary higher education, most universities are very clear that when you pay for a school transcript, it only goes to one address. If you want a transcript to go to two addresses, you must pay for two transcripts. Clear and transparent advertising helps avoid the "Buyer beware" repercussions - for all consumers, let alone - veterans.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

I submitted my request for my husband’s DD214 on Monday April 9,2018, I received the form on Thursday, April 12,2018.
I was very pleased that the process was so fast..

I am happy with the service I received. My DD214 was emailed to me along with hard copies that were sent via USPS priority mail.

I received my copies in the mail today. I want to thank you for such prompt and great service. I understand sometimes things don't go as desired but it was like clockwork with your service. In 7 days I got an e-file of my DD214. A few days later my certified copies arrived in my mailbox. Thanks again you were lifesavers.

This customer requested a copy of his DD214. We provided him with the copy that was in the Defense Personnel Records Information System (DPRIS). He then asked for a different DD214. We double-checked with DPRIS but his personnel file only contained the DD214 that we had already provided him. He...

asked for a refund, so we refunded him in-full minus our search fee, which is $25. We have no idea if he has a different DD214 or not, but we provided him with the one in his personnel file, and then refunded him when he wasn't happy. That is pretty much all we can do. We aren't in charge of the military, the federal government or the universe as a whole.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2015/12/14) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Research Director
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@att.net
We ordered this customer's record on 11/24/14. He emailed us twice asking for a status update, and we emailed him back both...

timesthe same day. We emailed him the DD214 on 12/3/15, which was day 7 of what we advised him would be a 7 business day turnaround (the Thanksgiving holiday was 11/26/15, which always slows the process down because the federal employees at the archives go on leave). The customer never advised us that he hadn't received the emailed copy. The first we heard of it was when he filed the complaint. If he had asked us about the emailed copy, we would have re-sent it to him, or advised him to check his spam.

We responded to multiple emails from this customer. He may have called but he did not leave any messages--everyone who leaves a message gets a call back. His request was scheduled to be completed in 14-28 business days. Prior to the expiration of the 28 business days, and the same day that we...

responded to his most-recent email, he filed a complaint with the Revdex.com. At that point we felt we couldn't make him happy no matter what we did, so we cancelled his order and refunded him in full minus our search fee.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Research Director
Contact Phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@aardvarkresearchgroup.com
The records this customer requested were for service in the Army National Guard. National Guard requests can take up...

to 6 weeks to complete, because the National Guard military personnel file can be at any one of several records repositories. This information is on our website on both the FAQ page and the Turnaround Times page. In accordance with the customer's wishes, we have cancelled her request, and given her a full refund.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

I have never recieved such great service before. Aardvark is truly a great company. Their support is always prompt and cordial. The services rendered where way above expectations. I will recommend this company to anyone needing records in a quick and timely manner. Thanks again!!

Could not find my DD214 for a job offer. Aardvark Research was able to get it to me by the short deadline well ahead of the projected timeline. Thanks again, you saved me. Outstanding Job!

We have cancelled this customer's order and refunded him.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: Once again not what I asked for. This companies customer service is absolutely terrible. Glad to see this is how they treat veterans needing their service. As a business owner myself I would never allow my staff to treat our customers in such a manner. An A+ rating should not be held by people like this. I can only assume they make their money by keeping the "search fee" and not providing an actual service. Since this company is unwilling to do the service they were hired to do when can I expect a refund? 14-28 days? I have yet to see the amount debited back to my card. I can only hope that the Revdex.com takes notice of this companies treatment of its customers and evaluates their rating accordingly. They will never receive a reference from me. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

This poor woman ordered copies of her DD214 through our website and requested that we send them to [redacted], Office of the Registrar. She contacted us the same day and asked us to send additional copies to [redacted], Office of the Registrar. Because we typically only mail...

one package to each customer (not multiple packages to several locations), we offered to upgrade her, at no charge, and email her copies of her DD214's, so that she could print them out, and mail them to whoever she wanted. She insisted that we send the DD214's to both locations, because "our website doesn't say that we can't do that." Rather than argue logic with a customer, we agreed to mail them to both schools, and did so, on May 19th, 2016. We also upgraded her, at no charge, and emailed her a digital  copy to the email address she provided on the order form. Later that same day, the customer contacted us requesting that we send the DD214's to her house. We responded that we had already mailed them to both colleges, as she had requested. We heard nothing from her for two months, until yesterday, when the customer contacted us out of the blue to tell us she had filed a complaint with the Revdex.com. We have no idea why. We complied with her demands, and tried to keep her happy, because it was fairly clear to us from the beginning of the transaction that she was dealing with "issues." We wish her well, and good luck.

You don't hang on to someone's money for 9-10 days and then refund it. They took my money on my account on  4/21, right then and there. I don't care when they ordered it. Today is the first and they have had my money and now want to say they don't like my attitude. I don't care if they like my attitude or not. This is unbelievable. They would not call me until this complaint and it was to tell me that I am disrespectful. What is disrepesctful is they held my money and were holding government documents.

Very positive experience using Aardvark Research. Timely updates on progress of my inquiry for military records, and I received them in 8 business days.
My case was complicated due to my own earlier request to a Gov't agency for those records, which meant that the file likely was already in process and sitting in someone's in-basket. Aardvark delivered!!!

I was looking for a job. And had found one. But needed a copy of my dd 214. And due to you prompt response and help I was able to get the job. And it was a great relief for me and my family thank you again.....

I hired Aardvark research group to retrieve my dd214. After several attempts, I could not reach them via phone or email. so on the third month I decided to ask for a refund. A refund was established, after three months,and it was partial. I paid 89.00 and was refunded 64.00. they stated that a 25.00 fee was charged for their services. I believe that no research was done and that they are just scamming people for services that are not rendered. I didn't receive any information regarding my order. Further, they have a guarantee posted on their website that a dd214 can mailed within 7 days. this is fraud in any book. please investigate this company so that other veterans don't lose money to this fraudulent company.

Great to deal with! Fast service!

I carefully researched free, government provided DD 214's and expedited services for my father. Private information required to obtain a DD 214 requires due diligence before communicating with a DD 214 provider as retired, older individuals are prime target for identity criminals. All the information provided on Aardvark Research Groups website assisted in making the decision to go with them to retrieve my Dad's service records. The website informs a visitor of the free government service as well as how they conduct their research and associated fees. I was informed that records from WWII may take longer than 28 days to obtain. I was very pleased to have received a digital copy of Dad's DD214 in 9 business days. Outstanding service!