MBAA

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
Firstly, when I purchased, the materials, I was not told that I would not be given significant support beyond months.Secondly, the reason it dragged on for over two years is precisely because of the negligence of MBAA in responding to my questions, which were hardly excessive Moreover, *** *** continually made promises to answer questions, promises that simply weren't kept In a number of cases, I suggested that if it was easier, we could discuss the questions on the phone, so that ***, or whomever, would not have to take extra time to write down responses, and we would have the benefit of immediate feedback *** did not take me up on this suggestion.It should be noted that MBAA did not contest any of the particulars in my complaint, which demonstrate egregious delays in answering questions.MBAA's response is entirely unacceptable
Regards,
*** ***

We have
worked to help Mr*** over the last two years answer what questions he has
presented but while we are wanting to help Mr*** out we have never offered
lifetime support for the training manuals. We have went above and beyond
to answer the many questions that were sent to us and
the questions have never
been one or two but almost entire pages of questions. This industry is ever changing and would require additional training outside of the
initial set of manuals and therefore we cannot offer lifetime support as each
year brings new regulations and changes. We are more than happy to continue to help in a timely and appropriate manner, however, we do feel that a continued three months of support is more than adequate and certainly
after two years we have completed our responsibility to Mr***. We have
had many clients either purchase the training program or attend the on-site
training but have not been asked to provide continued support past the three months after the
program. Even if Mr*** had a situation that required support six months after the training, this would have been acceptable, but not more than two years later

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
While I am happy that MBAA is finally answering my remaining questions on 'The General Advocacy,' (TGA) I cannot accept a response that misrepresents what happened The fact is that MBAA's support, after the first few weeks, was utterly appalling I had to remind them constantly in order to get any questions answered Often, a pledge would be made that they would get back to me by a certain date, and then I would hear nothing for months after that date (one would hope, at least, that they would phone or email saying they hadn't forgotten about me and give some idea when they would get to my questions), and have to pester them to get anything at all If MBAA's courses are so time-limited, it is odd that they don't indicate anything to this effect prior to or at the time of sale Certainly, when one is purchasing several hundreds-of-pages-thick courses at one time, one expects, unless informed otherwise, that they will be given support over an extended time period.MBAA is using my last email to paint a distorted picture of the situation Here is part of what I wrote in the previous email, sent to MBAA on November 7, 2014: "Also, while I still want you to answer the questions (several of which were just follow-ups) I posed many months ago, I figure I might as well finish my certification in General Advocacy, so please send me the exam. In addition I am wondering what sort of overhead I would have if I went into business for myself How much would Encoder Pro (and would I need the 'expert' level?) run me with an MBAA discount, and how much would the on-line Red Book access cost? What level of MBAA membership, at what cost, would I need to qualify for discounts on these products?" Four days later, on November 11, I received a reply from Ms*** that included the following: "... we discontinued the MBAA membership about 1/years ago But we are in the development stages of a new membership Once I have the details, I will have *** *** send you the information I did locate your questions and I do see where questions were left unanswered and I should be able to get those answers to you tomorrow [emphasis mine]." Note that this unsatisfactory response was after considerable delay on the part of MBAA (hence my statement that I had been waiting "many months" - since July to be exact) And, "tomorrow" was November I heard nothing until today, April 14, about months later, and months since I originally posed the questions Moreover, my email was either read quickly and without care, or my specification of 8, not questions was purposely misconstrued, as was my request for the certification exam In light of the substance of the previous emails - mine showing explicit interest in membership, and Ms***'s response recognizing this while stating that MBAA's memberships were not being offered until further notice - it is disingenuous, to say the least, for MBAA to assert that I didn't show interest in a membership.The fact is, if MBAA had lived up to their end of the transaction, I would have completed TGA a long time ago, and would have bought an MBAA membership if they were still being offered It is nothing short of chutzpah to stall and delay for years, then claim I should buy additional courses because by knowledge may be out-of-date After TGA, I have one more course which I have not been certified in ('Critical Analysis of Provider Billing and Coding') It is not crucial to starting an advocacy business, yet it contains valuable information and I paid for it, so I expect reasonable and timely support
Regards,
*** ***

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.  Please see attached email containing multiple correspondences back and forth with Mr. [redacted].  He has sent us numerous emails, letters, and messages requesting assistance multiple times. We have been as timely as possible in assisting him with his multiple requests.  Mr. [redacted] did not obtain any type of membership with MBAA upon completion of his training.  MBAA offers support and we are here to answer questions in a timely manner to those that have taken our training course.  Please keep in mind we have to allow time to answer questions to all inquiries and those who have taken our training courses.  Mr. [redacted]'s inquiries for assistance have gone above and beyond what most inquiries have, with that being said, we have attempted to assist him as timely as possible given the extent of the requests.  Mr. [redacted] was sent the certification exam, the results, and the certification in a timely manner.  In the attached email Mr. [redacted] begins an email by stating he had not correspondent with our company for some time.  This is the last correspondence we have received from him.  MRS will respond to this request in its entirety within 48 hours by email to Mr. [redacted].  If any further assistance is needed, given the length of time since Mr. [redacted] has taken the course, it is recommended that he contact our office for further training. [redacted], VP MRS

Review: On April 4, 2013, I purchased three training courses from MBAA, for over $1000, with the understanding that if I had questions, MBAA would make a good-faith effort to answer them in a timely fashion. The price also included certification testing in the three disciplines. The staff at MBAA seemed somewhat disappointed that I didn't opt for in-person training, but I explained to them that I have dietary issues that preclude eating off someone else's menu. So, I went the home study route.

At first, the staff at MBAA were good to their word, and quickly responded when I had questions. However, the situation quickly deteriorated, and I would email or call and they would not respond for weeks or months. Eventually, I had to nag incessantly to get any kind of response, and then the quality of the response was spotty (although sometimes excellent). With proper support, I felt that I should be able to get through the courses within 6 months to a year, but here it is 2 years later and I have only completed certification of 1 course. As an example, on July 12 of 2014 I sent 8 questions related to "The General Advocacy" (TGA) course via email. I got no response and sent a reminder email on August 5. [redacted], the President of MBAA, replied that day, stating "I do have the first email and will get to the additional questions as soon as I can." No apology, this after 3 1/2 weeks of no response whatsoever. Weeks more went by with no response. I was upset but leery of burning bridges with an association I expected to join once I was certified. I sent another email on November 7, asking that my questions be answered, and that I also be forwarded the exam for TGA (figuring I could probably pass it at that point, even without the questions being answered). On November 11, I got an email that indicated that Ms. [redacted] would answer 3 questions from long ago that I had asked follow-up questions about (that is, for which I had had questions on her answers). Her email did not address my new questions, nor did it acknowledge my request for the certification exam. At that point, a family health issue took my attention elsewhere, but still I kept abreast of my email to see if I had gotten a response. On February 4, 2005, almost 7 months after my initial request, I sent another reminder via email. When I got no response, I sent a formal letter to [redacted], the founder of MBAA (and Ms. [redacted]'s mother), complaining of poor support. I have gotten no response to that, either. This is not the support I was promised. It should also be noted that, thanks to MBAA's foot dragging I was not able to start my business in 2014, and thus made no income, and will now have to pay back my entire subsidy I received to procure an ACA health policy, because I didn't make enough money to qualify for the subsidy.Desired Settlement: I would like for MBAA to fulfill its agreement, answer my questions, and provide the certification testing that was promised me. An apology would also be nice, as would a partial refund on my courses, but I really just want them to fulfill the agreement.

Business

Response:

We have

worked to help Mr. [redacted] over the last two years answer what questions he has

presented but while we are wanting to help Mr. [redacted] out we have never offered

lifetime support for the training manuals. We have went above and beyond

to answer the many questions that were sent to us and the questions have never

been one or two but almost entire pages of questions. This industry is ever changing and would require additional training outside of the

initial set of manuals and therefore we cannot offer lifetime support as each

year brings new regulations and changes. We are more than happy to continue to help in a timely and appropriate manner, however, we do feel that a continued three months of support is more than adequate and certainly

after two years we have completed our responsibility to Mr. [redacted]. We have

had many clients either purchase the training program or attend the on-site

training but have not been asked to provide continued support past the three months after the

program. Even if Mr. [redacted] had a situation that required support six months after the training, this would have been acceptable, but not more than two years later.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Firstly, when I purchased, the materials, I was not told that I would not be given significant support beyond 3 months.Secondly, the reason it dragged on for over two years is precisely because of the negligence of MBAA in responding to my questions, which were hardly excessive. Moreover, [redacted] continually made promises to answer questions, promises that simply weren't kept. In a number of cases, I suggested that if it was easier, we could discuss the questions on the phone, so that [redacted], or whomever, would not have to take extra time to write down responses, and we would have the benefit of immediate feedback. [redacted] did not take me up on this suggestion.It should be noted that MBAA did not contest any of the particulars in my complaint, which demonstrate egregious delays in answering questions.MBAA's response is entirely unacceptable.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Please see attached email containing multiple correspondences back and forth with Mr. [redacted]. He has sent us numerous emails, letters, and messages requesting assistance multiple times. We have been as timely as possible in assisting him with his multiple requests. Mr. [redacted] did not obtain any type of membership with MBAA upon completion of his training. MBAA offers support and we are here to answer questions in a timely manner to those that have taken our training course. Please keep in mind we have to allow time to answer questions to all inquiries and those who have taken our training courses. Mr. [redacted]'s inquiries for assistance have gone above and beyond what most inquiries have, with that being said, we have attempted to assist him as timely as possible given the extent of the requests. Mr. [redacted] was sent the certification exam, the results, and the certification in a timely manner. In the attached email Mr. [redacted] begins an email by stating he had not correspondent with our company for some time. This is the last correspondence we have received from him. MRS will respond to this request in its entirety within 48 hours by email to Mr. [redacted]. If any further assistance is needed, given the length of time since Mr. [redacted] has taken the course, it is recommended that he contact our office for further training. [redacted], VP MRS

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

While I am happy that MBAA is finally answering my remaining questions on 'The General Advocacy,' (TGA) I cannot accept a response that misrepresents what happened. The fact is that MBAA's support, after the first few weeks, was utterly appalling. I had to remind them constantly in order to get any questions answered. Often, a pledge would be made that they would get back to me by a certain date, and then I would hear nothing for months after that date (one would hope, at least, that they would phone or email saying they hadn't forgotten about me and give some idea when they would get to my questions), and have to pester them to get anything at all. If MBAA's courses are so time-limited, it is odd that they don't indicate anything to this effect prior to or at the time of sale. Certainly, when one is purchasing several hundreds-of-pages-thick courses at one time, one expects, unless informed otherwise, that they will be given support over an extended time period.MBAA is using my last email to paint a distorted picture of the situation. Here is part of what I wrote in the previous email, sent to MBAA on November 7, 2014: "Also, while I still want you to answer the 8 questions (several of which were just follow-ups) I posed many months ago, I figure I might as well finish my certification in General Advocacy, so please send me the exam. In addition ... I am wondering what sort of overhead I would have if I went into business for myself. How much would Encoder Pro (and would I need the 'expert' level?) run me with an MBAA discount, and how much would the on-line Red Book access cost? What level of MBAA membership, at what cost, would I need to qualify for discounts on these products?" Four days later, on November 11, I received a reply from Ms. [redacted] that included the following: "... we discontinued the MBAA membership about 1 1/2 years ago. But we are in the development stages of a new membership. Once I have the details, I will have [redacted] send you the information. I did locate your questions and I do see where 3 questions were left unanswered and I should be able to get those answers to you tomorrow [emphasis mine]." Note that this unsatisfactory response was after considerable delay on the part of MBAA (hence my statement that I had been waiting "many months" - since July 12 to be exact). And, "tomorrow" was November 12. I heard nothing until today, April 14, about 5 months later, and 9 months since I originally posed the questions. Moreover, my email was either read quickly and without care, or my specification of 8, not 3 questions was purposely misconstrued, as was my request for the certification exam. In light of the substance of the previous emails - mine showing explicit interest in membership, and Ms. [redacted]'s response recognizing this while stating that MBAA's memberships were not being offered until further notice - it is disingenuous, to say the least, for MBAA to assert that I didn't show interest in a membership.The fact is, if MBAA had lived up to their end of the transaction, I would have completed TGA a long time ago, and would have bought an MBAA membership if they were still being offered. It is nothing short of chutzpah to stall and delay for years, then claim I should buy additional courses because by knowledge may be out-of-date. After TGA, I have one more course which I have not been certified in ('Critical Analysis of Provider Billing and Coding'). It is not crucial to starting an advocacy business, yet it contains valuable information and I paid for it, so I expect reasonable and timely support.

Regards,