US Federal Contractor Registration, Inc.

Please find below our response to Complaint [redacted]. We dispute her claims that she requested a refund within 48 hours of signing her contract; that we have not been in touch with her or communicated with her; that we made unlawful promises of what she can and can’t do with the federal government;...

and that we’ve resorted to extortion, bribery, and blackmail. According to our records, she reached out to us at the end of December 2015, wanting information about doing business with the government. Between those initial phone calls and January 26, 2017 (which is beyond her contract period and also the last time we were in touch with her) we have spoken with or e-mailed our former client (here, I opt not to use her name, given your request that we not include information that could identify the person who filed the complaint) 97 times. I include below a timeline of our business relationship with the woman who filed the complaint. This timeline includes the types of contact we had with her as well as disputes her claim that she asked us to cancel her contract within the 48-hour cancellation window.On December 20, 2015, the woman who filed the complaint reached out to us about completing her SAM Registration, which all government contracts must have in place prior to receiving a government contract or being paid for services performed for the government.December 21, 2015, a sales rep reached out to her to explain the SAM Registration process and why she needs to have a SAM Registration to do business with the government. He also explained the charges associated with the services we provide. She wanted to pay with a check; we said we could accept a check payment, but would need her account and routing information (since we take payments directly from banks). She didn’t want to give us this information, and said she no longer wanted to be involved in the process. Again, this communication WAS BEFORE she signed her contract with us. A sales rep explained why and how we used this information, and she agreed to give it to us. She signed the contract and used a credit card number to pay for the services.On December 30, 2015, she reached out wanting us to develop a form she could use when pitching her services to the government. We explained what we could and couldn’t do to help her do business with the government. She paid of us to show her where to locate opportunities and how to set up alerts (which we did for her) so she would know immediately when an insurance-related opportunity was made available. We also built her a federally formatted website. This website was included in the services she purchased for $1,950. Other services included her SAM Registration, access to information about available contracts, a CAGE and DUNS number, and access to a dedicated case manager. Robert, her acquisition specialist, was also available to her at her leisure. If, as she claims, she cancelled her services within 48 hours of signing her contract, then that would have caused us to stop all work on her account. She did not ask us to cancel her contract within 48 hours, which she claims is the case.Between December 30, 2015, and February 18, 2016, she was in touch with us 21 times regarding the website we built for her. This website includes the information a procurement officer needs to know when deciding whether or not to issue her (or any other contractor) a contract. We developed a capability statement for her (kind of like a business resume) and explained how to use this with federal buyers. We also gave her access to templates and forms she could use when initiating communication and following up with federal buyers. We also gave her contact information for federal buyers. If, as she claims, she cancelled her services within 48 hours of signing her contract, then that would have caused us to stop all work on her account. She did not ask us to cancel her contract within 48 hours, which she claims is the case.Between February 18, 2016 and October 11, 2016, we were in touch with her 42 times regarding her website (which included making changes that are outside the scope of her contract with us); current bid opportunities; how to structure bids to the government (a service outside the scope of her contract, but her sales rep felt bad for her because she hadn’t had luck winning a contract); specific information about vendors in Alexandria, Virginia; and how to better target her NAICS Codes (which lets the government know the types of products and services she makes available). As I've noted above, if, as she claims, she cancelled her services within 48 hours of signing her contract, then that would have caused us to stop all work on her account. She did not ask us to cancel her contract within 48 hours, which she claims is the case.On October 22, 2016, we reached out about renewing her contract and her SAM Registration. The Registration is good for one year. If you don’t renew your Registration, then it expires and you no longer can do business with the government. You also may face payment delays for work you’ve completed.On October 27, 2016, she said she wasn’t sure she was going to renew. If, as she claims, she cancelled her services within 48 hours of signing her contract, then that would have caused us to stop all work on her account. She did not ask us to cancel her contract within 48 hours, which she claims is the case. We certainly wouldn't have reached out about renewal, and we certainly wouldn't expect a client who had cancelled to say "I'm not sure about continuing."On January 6, 2017 she asked us for a refund (more than one year after signing her contract). By this point, we had not only provided all of the services for which she paid, but we had also delivered additional services for which she hadn't paid. We stand by our claim that our goal is to help government contractors succeed. She hadn't succeeded, and while that may be because she is offering a niche service, we also wanted to make sure she had the tools she needed to succeed, even if she hadn't paid us for them.Between January 6, 2017 and January 20, 2017, we reached out to her three times, trying to figure out why she wasn’t happy with the services we provided.On January 20, 2017, we learned she had filed a complaint with our local Revdex.com.On January 26, 2017, we invited her to a free bid training session. She did not respond to this email, and we don’t believe she called in to the session. She could have called in anonymously, but we don’t believe so.We haven't had contact with her since. The only claim we made to her is that she needs a SAM Registration to do business as a federal contractor. This is true. We told her that she could find information about available contract work related to insurance in FBO. This is true. We told her that we couldn’t guarantee she would win a contract, but that she’d at least have the tools she needs to do it. This is true, and we provided her with these tools.We believe this is a case of her not being happy that she didn’t win a contract and wanting her money back. And had we not provided the services for which she paid, then I could maybe see issuing her a partial refund, but we fulfilled the terms of our contract with her. I’ve also attached the contract she signed. The contract spells out the services she bought and how much she paid.I believe this responds to her concerns, and clearly spells out the steps we took to help this client succeed as a government contractor. Please let me know if I can provide you with any other information to help you resolve this case. For example, if you would like a list of every contact we had with her for the duration of our relationship, I'm happy to provide it to you. There is enough information in the notes we keep for each client contact that I felt attaching it violated your request that we not include information that could identify her and/or her company -- but I am happy to send it to you.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I entered into a contractual agreement with Robert R[redacted], and US Federal Contractors for assistance in helping me prepare the necessary paperwork to bid on the health insurance for Ghana.  After providing Robert with the attached RFP for health insurance he advised that I needed to be enrolled with his company for his assistance.  I have also attached a copy of an email that clearly states that in order to help me in my search for government contracting opportunities they put together a listing of specialists.  The information states that this list is for contractors who have been previously awarded contracts in my specific industry.OPM states that they (OPM) do not solicit insurance agents and/or brokers in assisting with the insurance needs of federal employees.  I was lied to, and I want my refund of $1,956.
Regards,
[redacted]