Financial Approval Network

Revdex.com:
I would like to reject the offer of Arbitration for complaint ID [redacted].IwI will let my bank handle getting my money back as they told me they could do.I still want my complaint on file for anyone looking into this company.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/11/11) */
Dear Ms. [redacted],
Our telephone system is set up to allow a customer to cancel during non-business hours simply by inputting their telephone number. The customer then has the option of choosing to cancel their account or receive an offer of a...

lifetime membership for a discounted price. If the correct telephone number is input and the telephone instructions are followed, either one of the options selected would provide the customer with a verbal confirmation number as well as a confirmation email. It appears that you may have disconnected the call prior to choosing one of the options, thus your account remained active.
However, if there was an error on our part and/or the telephone number you input was not correct, the system advises you that you are calling outside of business hours and to visit the financialapprovalnetwork.com web site if you want to cancel your account. Our server did not record an attempt to cancel online during the weekend days we were closed. In fact, the server recorded that on 11/7/15, through the automated telephone system you stated did not work correctly, you successfully cancelled your account.
Financial Approval Network provides several avenues of cancelling an account to avoid billing. This is to ensure that even if one of the options is not working correctly, that the customer can utilize another option.
Your credit card will be refunded $79.97 within 10 business days, and per your request via the automated telephone system, your account has been cancelled. We will be looking into the accusations you made regarding the customer service you stated you received.
Thank you,
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/11/12) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Thank you.
However the card on file is no longer in use. I would need to give updated information or be issued a check.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/11/20) */
Dear Ms. [redacted],
Per [redacted] regulations, all credits and refunds must be transmitted to the card number used in the original transaction. The refund was issued on 11/15/15. Please contact your banking institution for instructions on retrieving your funds.
Thank you,
[redacted]
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 12, 2015/11/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
It has been refunded. Thank you.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/10/06) */
Dear Mr. [redacted],
We are in receipt of your complaint to the Denver/Boulder Revdex.com in which you state that you paid $1.95 to receive a loan, and that you did not receive an explanation when you contacted us to cancel. Our program provides...

lessons and information on the correct processes in applying for grants, business loans, and scholarships. We do not provide loans or any other type of monetary assistance.
Our server recorded that on 8/21/15, you placed an order on our web site. When you placed the order, you were provided with a username and password for a 10-day trial of access to our web site. You check-marked a box that you had read and agreed to these terms prior to placing the order, they were reiterated on the confirmation page, as well as reiterated a second time in an email sent to your email address.
Since you did not cancel within the 10-day trial period, your account was charged the membership fee on 9/2/15. On 10/1/15, you contacted us and spoke with a representative who explained to you, in detail, what our program provides and why you were charged. She also explained that because you were calling a month after the billing took place, that your account was not eligible for a refund. Please visit the order page at Financial Approval Network.com to see what you agreed to when placing the order, as well as our Refund Policy.
In lieu of a refund, we would be happy to re-activate your account for an additional 30 days of access at no additional charge. Please contact us directly if you would like to consider this offer.
Thank you,
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/10/07) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Unsatisfactory. Very misleading and fraudulent. Incredible poor service and terse response. Instructed credit card company to be on the look out for more of this from this group.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/10/09) */
Dear [redacted],
Our records indicate that you disputed the charges with your credit card company and have been issued refunds for $1.95 and $79.97. An email was sent to the address you provided when you placed the order for our services advising you of the credits.
I do hope this satisfies your request.
[redacted]
Financial Approval Network

As stated in my previous response, the refund provided was fair due to the fact that the customer extensively used our services and did not contact us to cancel until after the bill date. Partial refund of any amount charged is detailed in the Refund Policy as listed in our Terms and Conditions that the customer agreed to when placing the order. Thank you,[redacted]

Dear [redacted], Your account has been cancelled and you will not be billed anything further. Per your request, a refund of $79.97 for the monthly membership fee has been issued. Please allow 5-7 business days for this refund to post to your account. Please visit the Financial Approval Network’s order...

page atfinancialapprovalnetwork.comto verify that when you placed the order for our services, that you did agree to participate in the 10-day trial period of access to the Online Training Center. The terms also specifically state that you are being provided a username and password for the trial period and it is your responsibility to log onto the site and view the lessons and information we provide. Unfortunately, our records indicate that you made no such attempt to view the information. Therefore, your statement that FAN didn't provide you with the grant kit is inaccurate. Per the Terms and Conditions that you agreed to when submitting the  order, the $1.95 charge is non-refundable. Thank you,[redacted]Financial Approval Network

Dear Mr. [redacted],On 6/6/16, an order was placed on our web site for access to our Online Training Center. The order was placed under the name of [redacted] with the email address [redacted]. Please be advised that whoever is placing the order must have the credit card in hand as we...

verify the CVV code with the credit card company/banking institution to ensure it matches. We also do an address verification (AVS) to ensure that whoever is placing the order knows the address that the credit card company/bank has on file. Please be advised that the order could not have been placed had your bank indicated that either or both of those filters were not a match. You may visit financialapprovalnetwork.com to view the Terms and Conditions of our offer and see what was agreed to when placing the order.Dear Mr. [redacted],On 6/20/16, Ms. [redacted] called our Customer Service Department to inquire about the billing on the account. The order process and review program was thoroughly explained to her. It was also explained that several logins had been made and several lessons were opened. Notes from the agent indicate that Ms. [redacted] stated that she had older children in the home, and they may have placed the order. After going over this information, Ms. [redacted] became upset and eventually started cussing at the agent and then disconnected the call. Mr. [redacted], you stated in your complaint that the agent refused to take your calls. This is not accurate, as you did call back and spoke with the same agent that spoke to your wife. You indicated to the agent that Ms. [redacted] was not an authorized user on your bank account and therefore, you thought the charge should not have been processed. It was explained to you at that time that since Ms. [redacted] knew all of the information pertaining to what was on file at your bank, and had the actual card in her hand, that we would have no way of knowing you did not give her authorization to place charges on it. You were then offered a prorated refund of $61.00, which you accepted.Your complaint also mentioned that your wife’s cell phone started receiving harassing text messages from us. Mr. [redacted], this is a very serious accusation to be placed on our company, so please provide to us the telephone number(s) that these messages came from. Thank you,[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  Their response said I extensively used their services.  I never used their services because I did not know I had signed up for any type of membership.  As I said previously, I thought I was being charged $1.95 for one thing.  That was it.  This website is just another scam to charge people's credit cards without them knowing they had inadvertently signed up for a membership.  By the time they see the charge, it is too late and the company says we didn't cancel within the trial period.  SCAM, SCAM, SCAM!!!
Sincerely,
[redacted]

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]

Ms. [redacted],I am not quite sure how you not being able to access our email due to your Outlook is the fault of FAN. Also, the email was the third notice provided to you in regard to the review program. Therefore, even if you did not receive it, you were provided and should have read the information twice before.As for your refusal to work with us regarding your refund, that is your decision to make. However, it appears as though your bank did not fully disclose to you how the dispute process works. That is unfortunate, since the processes for a dispute can drag on for months, with money exchanging hands and you receiving temporary refunds from your bank, and then them taking them back, normally at the most inopportune times for the cardholder. As stated in the previous response, we will not issue a refund to a dispute charge.Thank you,[redacted]

Dear Mr. [redacted],Our server recorded that you placed an order for our services on 4/6/16. On the order date, you check-marked a box indicating that you had read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions of our offer. The terms state that the customer is being charged a $1.95 activation fee to be...

provided a username (your email address) and password (generated by FAN) for a 10-day trial of access to our Online Training web site. After the box is check-marked and the order is placed, details regarding the review program are again listed on the confirmation page, as well as in a confirmation email. Therefore, you were advised three separate times on the order date of your obligation to cancel within the trial period to avoid further charges. You may visit financialapprovalnetwork.com to read the details of the review program and what you agreed to at the time of your order. Our server also recorded that you logged onto the web site and viewed lessons on how to apply for government grants, which indicates that you did receive the confirmation page and confirmation email.Since you did not contact us to cancel within the trial period you agreed to, your credit card was billed the membership fee of $79.97 on 4/17/16. On 4/25/16, you called our Customer Service Department twice. During the first call it explained to you in detail how the order was placed, what was agreed to, that you utilized our service on more than on occasion, and that you would receive a pro-rated refund of $50.00 because of the amount of days you were cancelling after the bill date. It was during the explanation to you of the pro-rated refund that you started to cuss and yell at the representative. Therefore, you were advised that the agent would not allow you to speak to her in that manner and that she was disconnecting the call. It is unfortunate that you took her not allowing herself to be cussed at as rude. You then called back, apologized to her, and requested that the $50.00 refund be processed.  At no time during either call did she advise you that she was issuing the refund so that you would "shut up about it" as you stated in your complaint.Mr. [redacted], as was requested of you several times during your calls, please visit the web site at financialapprovalnework.com so that you can see what you agreed to in regard to the review program and refund policy. The pro-rated refund of $50.00 has been issued and will post to your account within 5-10 business days. Thank you,[redacted]

Dear [redacted],
Unfortunately, our records do not indicate that you contacted us until 12/31/15 to cancel. Therefore, per the terms you agreed to when placing the order, your account was charged accordingly. I am confused as to your claim that cancelling an account "would take time for this to process", considering cancellations are done immediately upon request. In addition, our system sends an automatic email to each customer at the time of cancellation, which includes the confirmation number. In your case, the confirmation email would have been sent to [redacted]. As the representative stated, we will be happy to issue a full refund of the three charges if you can forward us the automatic email you would have received. Again, since you made statements about how long it would take to cancel an account, and the fact that we don't have a request prior to 12/31/15, it appears that you may have our cancellation policies confused with another company.
In the effort to provide good customer service, I have made the exception and issued the remaining refund balance to the 12/26/15 charge and also a full refund of $79.97 to the 11/26/15 charge. The 10/26/15 charge will stand and will not be refunded. Again, please allow 5-10 business days for these refunds to post to your account.
I do hope this satisfies you request.
[redacted]
Customer Correspondence Manager

Dear Mr. [redacted],Our server recorded that you placed an order for our services on 3/23/16. On the order date, you check-marked a box indicating that you had read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions of our offer. The terms state that the customer is being charged a $1.95 activation fee to be...

provided a username and password for a 10-day trial of access to our Online Training web site. Once the box is check-marked and the order is placed, details regarding the review program are listed on the confirmation page, as well as in a confirmation email. Therefore, you were advised three separate times on the order date of your obligation to cancel within the trial period to avoid further charges. You may visit financialapprovalnetwork.com to read the details of the review program and what you agreed to at the time of your order.Since you did not contact us to cancel access to the site within the 10-day trial period, per the terms you agreed to, your credit card was billed the membership fee of $79.97 on 4/3/16. As stated above, information regarding the review program, as well as the multiple options to cancel including our web site, were provided to you on the order date. On 4/4/16, through our web site, you cancelled your account. However, to date you have not contacted a customer service representative to request that a refund be issued back to your account. Mr. [redacted], please be advised that a refund can only be issued by a customer service representative. Unfortunately, since you did not contact us directly, your refund has been delayed as it is just now that we are able to issue it. Please allow an additional 5-10 business days for the $79.97 refund to post to your account.Mr. [redacted], I do hope this satisfies your request.Thank you,[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/02) */
Dear Ms. [redacted],
Our server recorded that on 6/16/15, you accessed the Financial Approval Network's order page and input your personal and billing information so that you could become a member of our program. You were billed a $1.95 fee and...

provided a username and password for a 10-day trial period of access to our Online Training web site. Please be advised that you indicated by check-marking a box on the order page that you had READ and AGREED to the Terms and Conditions of our offer, which clearly states that the $1.95 is solely to activate the trial period and provide you with a username and password. It appears that even though you check-marked this box, prior to actually submitting your order, that you did not read the terms you indicated that you did. Please visit financialapprovalnetwork.com to view the Terms and Conditions you agreed to when placing the order.
On 6/16/15, our server also recorded that you logged onto the Online Training web site with the username and password provided to you and you did a live chat with one of our representatives. It appears you were requesting information on how to navigate through the information on the site.
Since you did not cancel within the trial period, your credit card was billed $79.97 on 6/27/15 for the monthly membership fee and you were provided with an additional 30 days of access. On 6/29/15, our server recorded that you contacted our Customer Service Department and requested to cancel further charges. The notes in your account do not reflect that you requested a refund during that call. In addition, since you contacted your banking institution and instructed them to dispute the charge, the customer service representative you subsequently spoke with was unable to issue a credit.
Ms. [redacted], per your request your account was cancelled on 6/29/15 and no further charges will be assessed. However, we are unable to issue a refund for the transaction until we receive notification from your banking institution that the dispute process has been stopped. Please forward that information to [redacted]@financialapprovalnetwork.com.
Thank you,
[redacted]
Customer Correspondence Manager
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
One, again I only remember paying the $1.95 to look at a site briefly and thought it was for a temporary search, and pretty sure I didn't do any live chat with anyone, IF SO WHAT DID I SAY?, as I believe your so called server automatically shows this per every call. Secondly, the first time I spoke with [redacted] the phone rep for this company, it wasn't until I hung up that I starting thinking about the date she gave me July 26th, and that she was still charging me for a month where I immediately called her back, got her on the phone and asked her did she charge me for a month. As I did the first time I said that I did not mean to do any monthly membership, and that I wanted my money back, and let her know I had called my bank to challenge this, where by she said no and that I would be charged and her company would be challenging my banks challenge for the month, where by I said to her, the company was a con game and this is BS. She knew from the first call that I wanted my money back, but was so smooth at saying her lines about stopping membership on July 16th, as I'm sure she has to do this many times a day> it wasn't until I hung up immediately after the first call and thought wait...I bet she is still charging me and called her back up immediately to confirm. I called in plenty of time, as there so called server should show I never logged onto that site again except the day I paid that $1.95 call, as I had no intention to use it, nor think much of it, nor was I thinking there were a laughable $79.97 monthly charge. I can only guess how many people there are that do this and become easy prey to these hide and seek scheme fees and they go unchallenged. I tried to call immediately on Sat 6/27 once I saw a pending charge for $79.97 but they were closed and that was about 1pm in the afternoon. I had to wait till Monday morning. That would of been about a 30 day notice had they been open that Sat. afternoon. Again I had NO INTENTION OR KNOWLEDGE OF A $79.97 MONTHLY FEE, as my expenses cannot afford such a ridiculous amount, and would of NEVER SIGNED UP FOR THIS KNOWINGLY!!!!!!!
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2015/07/21) */
Ms. [redacted],
Due to confidentiality restrictions, merchants are unable to contact customer's banking institutions. The bank and/or credit card company will not provide any information to merchants regarding billing, refund, or dispute transactions.
As I have stated multiple times, it is your responsibility to retrieve verification from [redacted] that the dispute has been stopped. However, you stated in your latest rebuttal that [redacted] advised you to "see it through." I can only assume that you are referring to the dispute process, and so I again am unable to issue a refund.
Please refer to my first response in which I provided you with specific instructions on the correct steps to take so that a refund could be issued.
Thank you,
[redacted]
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 15, 2015/07/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I was merely going through what my bank had said to do in this situation. I will inform my bank [redacted] to stop the dispute process,> so you can refund my money as you said you would.
Thank You, [redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/10/19) */
Dear Ms. [redacted],
Our server recorded that you contacted us on 10/16/15 to request a refund for two charges of the $79.97 monthly membership fee. You stated to the representative, as you stated in your complaint, that you had called the...

previous month to cancel and that the representative had told you that she would refund the charge since you had not used the service. Ms. [redacted], per the refund policy you agreed to when placing the order, FAN does not issue refunds without supervisor approval. Therefore, the representative would not have offered you a refund. In addition, our database records all incoming call information and we do not have a record of you calling in previous to the 10/16/15 date.
We have made the exception and issued a refund for the 10/14/15 membership fee of $79.97. Please allow 10 business days for this refund to post to your account.
Thank you,
[redacted]