Menu
Grant Master Deluxe Edition

Grant Master Deluxe Edition review: False Claims to Find Grants 35

B
Author of the review
8:36 pm EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

This company is a chameleon that hides behind the offer of a CD that will help consumers find government grant money. Once you use your credit card or bank account number to pay for the "free" CD handling charge of 2.99, the company attaches two "companion services" and bills monthly under two different company names for 7.95 and 9.95.

Fortunately, telephone numbers on my credit card statement worked, so I was able to call. However, the service reps only offer to stop the billing. Asking to speak to a supervisor to request a refund will probably result in a disconnect or a loooonnnnngggg time on hold.

I am yet to speak to a supervisor after two calls, but I will continue to contact this company until this issue is resolved to my satisfaction.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

35 comments
Add a comment
G
G
Gran-Gran
Alto, US
Dec 17, 2007 12:00 am EST

Have called these people three times asking for money back in my account and/or to stop charging me , it is putting my credit over limits every month. Why will they keep charging every month for one CD, its no good anyway.

R
R
Robert M. Kern
,
Nov 19, 2008 11:42 am EST

they were only authorized to take out A one time fee for postage that totaled less than $3.00 the last two month they have taken out $34.99 each month causing my checking account to be over drawn

B
B
Brenda
,
May 02, 2008 7:35 am EDT

Like everyone else says the CD does not work, your login never works. They have now taken $39.95 for something called: Easy Grant Finder and an additional $7.95 for Business Funding, out of my bank account.
There was never any mention or any info or terms that stated there were hidden charges. Next step report them to the BBB!

S
S
Sharon Chacon
,
Mar 29, 2008 10:22 pm EDT

Just found a charge to my Credit card for $39.97 for something that is utterly useless and is impossible to contact the company. The publisher's website says to not contact them regarding this. They have NOTHING to do with them. WHAT? How do I get a refund for this trash?

H
H
Harvey Ferguson
,
Feb 08, 2008 12:00 am EST

I just got through going through my checking account and found that $39.95 had been deducted from my checking account without my permission. This is nothing but a scam.

G
G
GARY WHITWORTH
,
Dec 07, 2007 12:00 am EST

the grant master cd people gharged me 30.00 dollars fot the cd and when i got the cd it was broke so i asked if thay would replace it thay said no. i asked why it was 30.00 dollars when thay said it was only like 4.00 dollars for shiping thay said it was for some bull crap so i am getting a laywer and going to take it to there ###

G
G
George Voller
,
Nov 26, 2007 12:00 am EST

Grant Master is scamming, collecting money, and not delivering---Their CD`s for Grants does not work. They had better refund my money and NOT CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD A PENNY MORE. I PAID FOR THE SHIPPING, I`LL ACCEPT THAT -- BUT IF THEY TAKE ONE MORE PENNY, EVERYONE BETTER LOOK OUT. YOU FOLKS SHOULD SCREEN YOUR SELLERS A LOT BETTER!5

F
F
furious in Ga
woodbine, US
Jun 13, 2009 2:19 am EDT

I too found unauthorized charges from this same company. I was looking though my account online and there were 2 charges of 38.84 pending on my account from grant masters.i immediately called the company and i too, could barely understand a word the lady on the phone was saying.She just kept repeating that i had signed up for their so called program.I told her that i had no idea who the company was and that i hadnt signed up for it.She finally (half an hour later) gave me a cancellation number. I then called the bank to get it all straightened out.They removed the pending charges and told me that i had nothing to worry about since they had cancelled it and the company had given me the cancellation number. Two days later, i check on my account and i find 4 charges from grant masters (38.84, 38.84, 1.17, 1.17). So i then call my bank back and im furious at this point...They investigated the company and the charges. My bank ended up cancelling my debit card to stop the fraudulent charges. I finally got my money back over a week later.

J
J
J. Black
,
Nov 28, 2008 2:52 pm EST

Grant Master is a rip off! I read the fine print and agreed to the 39.95, got the disk, but found it useless to me. Other charges have been appearing on my banking statements directly linked to and from the same source as the monthly fee. Like many of you, I called the number listed above. The number does not reach a person! I got a text message with information stating that I needed to reply "Y" for information on the number I dialed and that I "would be charged 9.95/month+std msg fees for 20 look-ups/month"! This tells me that this is a shady business that needs to be put out of business. Lesson learned = Don't sign up for anything that requires a monthly fee that will be automatically deducted! How can I reach them to cancel without spending MORE money?

R
R
Ryan
,
Nov 20, 2008 4:03 pm EST

I apologize for any misunderstanding regarding the services you've been receiving from our company. There are no commitments with the free product. However, there is a bonus free trial period to membership websites that accompanies the free CD and we do our best to disclose this as it is stated 4 times throughout the ordering process - on the sales page, the order page, the confirmation, it is then also explained in the 1st paragraph of the Terms and Conditions of the offer. We offer the trial periods to give our clients a chance to use the service and see the value of it for themselves before they are billed for it. The trial periods are free for 7-30 days from the order date depending on which bonuses apply. We would not have charged you had you called customer service and canceled during the trial period. It is not our desire to bill clients who do not want the membership after the free trial offer. That is why we have the Terms and Disclosures posted on the sales site directly above or below the "Ship My Kit" Button depending on the site you order from.

Here are the Terms and Disclosures that are located directly below or above (depending on the site you order from) the "Ship My Kit" Button. Also the first paragraph of the Term & Condition refers you to Terms and Disclosures on the sales page.

For your security, all transactions on this site are protected with Secure Sockets Layer encryption. By clicking “Ship My CD”, I am ordering the Grant Master CD™ and trial membership for $2.29 S&H, after the seven day trial I will be charged $39.95 a month thereafter if I do not cancel. I also agree to the fourteen day and twenty-one day bonus trials to Express Business Funding™ and Network Agenda™ for $7.95 a month and $9.95 a month thereafter, should I choose not to cancel. I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy / Terms and Conditions. Charges will appear on credit/debit statements as “GRANTSEARCHASST”. For questions, call [protected].

For customer service you may call [protected] and they'll be happy to assist you.

The Information on our Grant Master CD is general information that you can find for free on the internet. We have gathered the information and put it on an easy to access and navigate CD for your PC. This saves our clients the time and let’s face it frustration of having to search out this information on their own. That is why our Grant Master CD is free and you only pay $2.29 for the Shipping and Handling. Along with the Grant Master CD you receive a 7 day free trial to our Grant Resource Center. This is our members website were you will be able to learn the entire process on how to write and submit a grant proposal. It is easy to start utilizing the Grant Resource Center by simply watching the tutorial videos that explain how to access all of the features on the site. Our team of writers headed by acclaimed Grant expert Dr. Porter provides a monthly cover story that provides the newest information on grants and grant related topics. We also provide a quarterly news letter that provides in-depth information on current trends in government and private funding. As well as the latest financial advice on how to find and manage grant money. You will be able to search grants through multiple grant sources. You can search for Federal, State, and Private Grants you can also search for Scholarships. Another exclusive feature of our Grant Resource center is that you can enroll in the Grant A Day program where a Grant is given out daily. In three easy steps you can apply for the Grant a Day program and you will be eligible for it as long as you are a member of the Grant Resource Center. Here is the link to our testimonials site http://members.ravenmediainc.com/granttestimonials/ were you can read what some of our successful clients had to say about our program. Another feature we offer is our live one on one chat representatives. They are available to answer any questions you have along the way. All these features and more are designed to help you be successful in locating, applying for, and receiving a grant. The information that is offered through the Grant Resource Center website is more extensive than what other companies sell in coaching programs that cost a thousand dollars or more. So we feel that we are offering our clients the best value in the industry. We offer all this for a reasonable monthly fee of $39.95. Ordering our Grant Master CD also includes two fast action bonuses. The first fast action bonus is for Express Business Funding (EBF) which has a 14 day free trial. This program is designed to help customers through each step necessary to obtain a loan for a small business. This includes researching and putting together a business plan, presenting that plan to the SBA, filling out a loan application, and anything else that may be needed along the way. After the trial period, it is a reduced monthly membership fee of $7.95 because you are already a member of another of our programs. The second fast action bonus is a 21 day free trial for Network Agenda an affiliate company. That offers an online date book service that will allow you to keep track of your daily schedule and will even send you reminders to your email and or cell phone. After the 21 day free trial the service is $9.95 a month membership fee. We offer these trial periods to give our clients a chance to use our service and see the value of it for themselves before they are billed for it.

If you are another customer reading this and you can contact our customer service department at [protected] and they will be happy to assist you. If you've already tried our customer service department and feel like you weren't treated fairly please contact me ASAP and I will address your concern immediately. Please email me at ryanr@wskc.org or call us directly at [protected] and I would be happy to address your concerns ASAP.

Sincerely,
Customer Service Administrator

M
M
Maria C. Cheaz
,
Nov 04, 2008 9:43 pm EST

Their add said pay only $2.95 so I pay with my credit car. Then they today they charge 39.95 to my acount. They said I was suppose to read in the condiction and term something about the free 30 day try out. They never said anythting about the cd costing $40.

B
B
Brenda Hill
,
Oct 19, 2008 11:34 pm EDT

I too ordered the broken do nothing CD i just for the first time treid to use the cd and NOTHING happened.Here i sit needing the $$ like everyone else and here i have a cheap do nothing disk. I think we should be able to get all the money and the money for our time trying this back.Guess i wil know better next time . The only thing this cd gave me was a headache it made my computer sound like it was scretching. Good luck getting your money back! There address was 2620S.Maryland Parkway
Suite #969
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Funny how they called me yesterday and said they would ship it and i got it today humm all the way from las vegas 1 day to arrive should have known

A
A
Addy
,
Oct 14, 2008 6:48 pm EDT

I just found out this was a scam. I got online to find a customer service number to call to return my unopened CD. I realized I had been charged $49 when I consented to $2.99 for shipping. I feel pretty dumb right now.

S
S
Stephanie
,
Oct 11, 2008 3:10 pm EDT

i was just charged the 39.95 also and bounced a check that i wrote out for something else. i just called the phone number someone provided above and i argued with the guy. he offered to refund my money by my next bank statement. i barely understood the representitive and he gave me two different confirmation numbers. all i know is i better get my money back! i'm furious!

M
M
Mary Bass
,
Sep 25, 2008 12:53 pm EDT

I talked to a young man named Christopher, who agreed to cancel my membership and cancel the 3 charges and then I told him that I wanted a refund and that this cd was useless and totaly misrepresented and I feel that this company should be investigated, at which time he offered to refund the $39.95 and gave me a refund code.I then asked about the $7.95 and $9.95 and he gave me a refund code for them-the refund code is the same for the cancellations-I guess I wil know when my bank statement arrives next month!He was very nice, although hard to understand and I don't trust these people-I am embarrassed that gave them my card number when I caution people all the time not to do that.

S
S
shabir
,
Sep 11, 2008 7:55 pm EDT

tota l crap Biggest scam ever heard and dseen on the internet .
we recieved their claim to be free cd, never knew tht the trial day starts on day of sign up without recieveing a cd from the company, when recieved the cd they charge us for service tht they do not give us. total disaster, we call them to cancel the membership but they still chsarge the account and say they can not hear me on phone when i ask for refund my money. oh well ###ING COMPANY

J
J
Jen
,
Sep 11, 2008 4:00 pm EDT

I should have read all this before I fell for the scam. I don't usually get sucked into these things, but I called the customer service number today and ripped the guy a new one. He said I'd be refunded, so we'll see what happens.

V
V
Van
,
Jul 31, 2008 8:24 pm EDT

They did the same thing to me. I'm really disappointed in allot of the people in this world today all they care about is money ( the root of all evil) But you watch their day will come and they will get hit hard for the stunt they are pulling on people now.

J
J
Jan Engelman
,
Jun 27, 2008 10:15 pm EDT

I'm almost afraid to send this email. Is it hidden somewhere on this page that I'll be charged $29.95 for sending an email?

How do you sleep at night working for this company?

What a crock of ###!

I hope everyone does as I am and going directly to the Better Business Bureau site and reporting you for the scam that you are.

DO NOT CHARGE MY DEBIT (you're lucky I used debit) CARD ONE MORE CENT!

I made the phone call to cancel your NOTHING service. Here is my effing confirmation # CVM6914331. Unfortunately, I have now read everywhere on the internet what rip off artists you are.

A
A
A Disgruntled Rube
,
May 24, 2008 4:19 pm EDT

I agree. I was never really expecting the free(lol) CD to include that much good information as it actually costs a little to have it shipped to me. I had noticed the 39.95 charge in my pending transactions only the day before the disk came, and I was like those ###! I immediately called my bank and they are investigating the company. I also tried calling the company customer service line directly and I could immediately tell it was some "outsourced company" because I had a very difficult time understand the girl I talked to. I saw on one of these boards they are in Belize...lol. I had a very difficult time following the agent who was "assisting me" I think she said her name was Sally, and I am pretty sure she said she would be autorizing a refund of the full 39.95 and I would also be seeing it within 5 business days. Like others I will believe it when I see it. I called my bank back and told them I know they will be researching this themselves, but I've been researching it on my own, and this company appears to be very very shady. Lol. I listed my name as a Disgruntled Rube cuz that's what I feel like. I hope I get my money back. Gas is 4.04 a gallon here in So Cal.

C
C
chris
,
Feb 28, 2008 11:22 am EST

or deposit the money and keep it

C
C
chris
,
Feb 28, 2008 11:20 am EST

do not deposit that money.. thae company is located in belize and is a scam. you might have much bigger problems if you do OR check with an attorney

C
C
chris
,
Feb 28, 2008 11:16 am EST

no, they ask you to create one to allow you to order off the site, but because its in the ordering of the 'free' cd, we didnt realize it. there is nothing to access, but if you try to get mastercard to reverse it, they can show that you enrolled, see, by creating your ID and password.
shady
they also say you recieved an email outlinging your enrollment and cancelation instructions, which you most likely didnt get. then, they can show that you opened it on a certain date, because they have your email address.

their phone numbers are posted. call and cancel ASAP and dont expect a refund. They are located In Belize and you'll never get it.

C
C
chris
,
Feb 28, 2008 11:08 am EST

Grant Master [protected]
Network Agenda [protected]

they will probbly change these numbers once they know thier posted. Your credit card company also has contact numbers.

They are located in Belize and abide by those laws, so your only hope is to cancel but your stuck with past billing.

J
J
janette
,
Feb 21, 2008 11:42 pm EST

I have a question for anyone willing to advise me. My sister paid for the cd paid the 39.95 fee and applied for a grant.Less than 2 weeks ago, today she got a check in the mail for 4,970.00,and as long as she deposits it and they said let it clear, she has to send back 3,150.00 then she gets the rest and in 3-5 business days she is to get a check for 34,000.00 for home repairs. Sounds to good to be true so it must be right. IS THIS A SCAM. I'M TRYING TO HELP SISTER BEFORE SHE MAKES A BIG MISTAKE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME craftjanette@yahoo.com thanks janette.

S
S
Suzi Cyr
,
Feb 21, 2008 6:43 pm EST

SCAM! Same thing happened to me - but they had taken 2 monthly charges of $39.95 from my bank account before I had gotten around to going over my bank statements to discover it! You think you're getting a CD of grant info and 'you only have to pay $1.99 for this shipping and handling' and that's how they get access to your account. When I called to get it refunded, at first they only offered to reimburse part. I escalated the call to put it nicely and am to get all of it (waiting 3-5 business days to see if this really happens). The gal I talked to tried to make me believe it was all in the Terms and Conditions when I agreed to get the CD. I looked into it and there is NOTHING about a $39.95/month membership. And if I had gotten the CD and found out there was, I would have cancelled before they charged me! It is simply a group of people who don't have enough going for themselves to earn money - they are preying on people who are already needing funds (looking for grants). It's DISGUSTING!

S
S
Sam in Denver
,
Feb 05, 2008 7:23 am EST

I signed up for what I was told was a FREE Grant Master CD and that I would only be paying s&h. I read the policies and procedures document and read though everything on my email receipt. There was no mention of having to cancel the "Free Trial Membership" they were so gracious to offer.

I had spoke to one of the CSR on the phone, because they hounded me until I answered. I told her that I only want the CD and nothing else.

After receiving the CD I notice a 39.95 charge from the same company on my bank account. When I called the CSR told me that the "Membership" information was in on the order page and that I had to cancel my "Free Trial Membership" or that I would be charged monthly. NOTE: it is not part of the p&p document or on the email receipt, but instead fine print on the website, which I almost missed, except she pointed it out to me:

"Terms and Disclosures. By submitting this form I am ordering the Grant Master™ Software and trial membership for one dollar and ninety-nine cents, after the seven day trial I will be charged thirty-nine dollars and ninety-five cents a month thereafter if I do not cancel. I also agree to the fourteen day and twenty-one day bonus trials to Express Business Funding™ and Network Agenda™ for seven dollars and ninety-five cents a month and nine dollar and ninety-five cents a month thereafter, should I choose not to cancel."

The company rebuttals that state that this information is on the policies and procedures and the email confirmation are incorrect. This information only appears in one place and you have to enter your personal information to find it again.

This is a ripoff and should not be allowed to continue in this way. If they had this information in the p&p and in the confirmation email, as they stated, it would have been disclosure, but this is more than a little bit sneaky.

F
F
Faith Hutchens
,
Jan 17, 2008 7:05 am EST

I found a number on my bank statement:
[protected] call and cancel. I don't know how to get the money back they already charged me but at least they'll stop.

F
F
Faith Hutchens
,
Jan 17, 2008 6:05 am EST

I've been having the exact experience! I feel dumb for ever giving them my credit card number. So does anyone know how to cancel it?

S
S
sheri catus
,
Jan 12, 2008 5:12 pm EST

they got me too, ask for a user name and password? when did they provide this to you?
i'm embarrased i fell for it!

J
J
Jason Wilcox
,
Jan 10, 2008 2:52 pm EST

How do you get these people to stop chargeing your credit card. I am tired of paying money to them for nothing.

J
J
Jason Wilcox
,
Jan 10, 2008 2:46 pm EST

This thing is a total rip off. I have been get charged for I don't know how many months and I am just now figuring out what it is. I hope they finally canceled my membership witch I never signed up for.

V
V
Vicky
,
Jan 01, 2008 7:55 pm EST

Does anyone know the phone number to contact Grant Master company?

K
K
K goode
,
Dec 31, 2007 4:24 pm EST

HOW CAN I GET BSM/SBM AND NETWORKAGENDS.COM TO STOP UN-AUTHORIZED DEDUCTIONS FROM MY CRDEIT CARD...?

J
J
Jonathan Wagner
,
Dec 25, 2007 11:47 pm EST

These guys are annoying me.
$4 for a disc that does exactly what the grant websites do [and some info is way outdated] $39.95 membership fee that was canceled, and I still get charged for AGAIN and two other fees: $7.95 and $9.95, that they never said a word about!