Grant Funding Search - "Grant Express" The Grant Express My Search?? Grant Funding Search engages in deceptive practices. Henderson, Nevada

The company named in this report must be the same/related to the disc I just received in the mail yesterday.  The company I got the disc from is "Grant Consultant" ("Grant Training and Resources"), also based in Henderson NV.  The BBB online gives them a rating of F on a scale from A+ (best) to F (run, do not walk, away from these guys). I honestly don't remember requesting anything from Grant Consultants and have not opened the package.  I save company names, URL's and current terms of service before requesting any online offers and I have no record of ordering anything under this company's name.  They could be using another company name (dba) for advertising purposes than the one they use for billing, which may make it harder to stop them from continuing to bill. 

The best resource I have found before this Ripoff site has been the Better Business Bureau online.  You can search for information locally and nationally on any company name, URL, email address, or telephone number even when the company is not a BBB member.  However, the guys who keep changing company names/websites with the same scams may or may not show up, depending upon whether consumers file  complaints with BBB.  If I saw one of their ads under the Grant Consultant name, I would have checked BBB online and not ordered from them. I recommend that you file a complaint with BBB online when you experience any kind of billing abuse, using a link that let's you request they start a file on a business if they do not show up in the BBB database. Friends also recommend Angie's List as a way of getting reliable information before committing to an offer.

You may also want to call your local District Attorney's office and/or State Attorney General's Office, or check their websites for information, if you are being ripped off.  What these businesses are doing, if you have followed the "Terms of Service" and properly canceled your account, is considered bank fraud in some cases.  There are also laws against exploiting the elderly/disabled that may apply.  Keep copies of letters, emails, FAX's and a log of dates of your calls to the company you are trying to close an account or make a complaint with, with names of reps if they will give them.  Your telephone bills may also be helpful. If you have a prepaid cell account, see if you have the ability to track and save the numbers + dates you have called when dealing with the company.

I have had problems in the past with this type of internet scheme and, after having almost $800 hijacked from my bank account about 3 years ago and finally figuring out that electronic payments were being paid to companies for accounts I had closed or opted not to utilize after trials, I called my bank's customer service center. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR BANK STATEMENTS FOR ELECTRONIC TRANSFERS. In that case, almost half of the contested payments were due to a bank error: my old debit card had been closed after it was damaged and replaced with a new one, issued with a new number that had to be activated after the old account was closed. The new card had been properly activated in person at the bank. The bank refunded the charges made against the old card because someone didn't do something s/he should have in the bank database to inactivate the old account number and continued to pay for charges against my account using the old information. 

The charges I had not authorized on the new card were listed and I probably had to fill something out, but I was able to go over my current bank statement over the phone with the bank's customer service rep to stop any future charges by those entities and start an investigation. 

Earlier, but not early enough, my mailman had told me after a case of wine I hadn't ordered showed up on my doorstep, to write "REFUSED" on any unopened packages I hadn't ordered and simply give them back to the mailman or delivery service - no need for me to pay any postage.  I think the wine had been delivered by FedEx, so I called them and explained the situation.  They sent someone out to collect the box, again with no charge to me.  In that case, the wine company called me and asked if the shipment had been sent to the wrong address, or if I was dissatisfied with their product. When I explained that I had canceled the account per their policy and still received another order, she apologized and immediately credited my account for the charges and made sure the account was closed.  Reputable businesses will do that, and I did not include that account in my complaint to the bank.

The bank went after the companies I had canceled who continued to bill, and get paid, before I alerted the bank to discontinue paying them. They recouped about half of the remaining charges, which were credited back to my account, largely because I had not opened the packages and returned them as "Refused" immediately.  These were companies who had figured out that their income stream would be seriously affected if enough people complained about their selling practices, or who had made a mistake, I decided.  All of the vendors were put on notice when contacted by the bank that, if they continued to bill my account, they would not be paid, so stopped sending me stuff and stopped billing me.  Even Video Professor!  But, that's another story.

If you have no luck with getting refunds any other way, you may have to close your bank or credit card account and open a new one.  Keep track of your old account #'s and check your statements for charges made against the old account after the date you closed the account, just in case.  Banks have people working for them and they sometimes make mistakes they are liable for.

Hope this helps. 

After much wrangling I finally secured an email address in oder to file an online complaint with this company. It is support@mysearch4grantsandfunding.com

I informed them, briefly, that I was demanding a full credit, of which I itemized for them. They were to respond within 24 hours of getting my email or I would file a Regulation E claim with my bank.

Regulation E covers Electronic Funds Transfers and more specifically, unauthorized transfers. Your bank will have this form available. You will need a cancellation code from the company and write a short statement of what has transpired.

Every bank is different on their approach to a Reg E claim, though it does seem to hold some sway just in the mention of it. My account was credited, but I didn't get any money to cover my NSF costs. Oh well, I should have been more diligent before giving out my card info.

I hope this information is helpful to someone.

ps: If you haven't been duped by these scammers yet, STAY AWAY.