Complaint Review: World Wide Tracers

His websites seem to be parked.

But... what drew me here in the 1st place, was from a gentleman's website, who has already passed away. He employed the services of this Kirk. And Kirk concluded the arrangement in the most vile manner I have ever encountered.  As follows, from the now deceased William Addams Reitwiesner:

"On Monday 29 November 2004, I noticed http://www.adoptionsearchbureau.com, the website of Adoption Search Bureau, P. O. Box 383, Mansfield, TX 76063-0383, 1-800-432-FIND (3463), Phone 817-473-0449, Fax 817-473-0113, a division of Worldwide Tracers, Inc. (103 Broad Street) "You can start your adoption search today for only $200 down and $50 per month or Put your adoption search on layaway for only $50 down." "All Major Credit Cards Are Accepted." "We search until we find who we are looking for!" They provide a specific service, Petitioning The Court, for $380.00. They claim to have a significant history of "Case Precedence", not available to others. No action taken at this time.

On Sunday 26 December 2004, I dropped a query into the mail.

On Tuesday 18 January 2005, I received a glossy twelve-page brochure from them (postmarked 14 Jan), with information about the various services they provide, along with prices. According to this brochure, their Full Search is $795. Because of certain specifics of my case, I instead chose their $380 "Petitioning The Court" service. I filled out their "Confidential Questionnaire" and their "Investigative Agreement" (both of which were included in the brochure), and on Thursday 20 January 2005, I sent them, and a cover letter and a money order for $380, to Adoption Search Bureau.

The very next day, Friday 21 January 2005, I received an envelope (postmarked 17 Jan) from Worldwide Tracers, Inc., the parent company of Adoption Search Bureau. Enclosed was a personal letter from Pat Rutherford, whose job title at Worldwide Tracers is "Director". Because of the specifics of my case, he encouraged me to use their Full Search service, and that they had a good source working in the state I was interested in, but acknowledged that their "Petitioning The Court" service (the one I had already chosen) could be helpful. He referred me to the other pages he sent in the envelope for details. The page which explained their Full Search service said that it was $695. Hunh?

On Saturday 22 January 2005, I wrote to Pat Rutherford, pointing out the price discrepancy, and also pointing out that his website, http://www.worldwidetracers.com/special.html, had at that time a Valentine's Day special offer of $200 off the price of their Full Search, but without specifying whether this was $200 off of the $795 price (thus $595) or $200 off the $695 price (thus $495). I told Mr. Rutherford that until his company got its act together, and decided what they were going to charge me for their Full Search service, I wasn't going to bother with it. Instead, I was going forward with their "Petitioning The Court" service. I asked if he had any customers for whom his company had performed this Petitioning who would be willing to allow me to contact them, or whether this is a "blind faith"-type situation.

On Friday 28 January 2005, I received a thick envelope (postmarked 25 January) from Monda Schoonover of Adoption Search Bureau. This contained more detailed information on petitioning the court. I filled out their "Client Information Worksheet", and on Sunday 30 January 2005 I mailed it back, along with a detailed medical history of the birthfather and his family.

On Tuesday 22 February 2005, I received a leter from Pat Rutherford, in which he doesn't respond to my query for references, but in which he now says that his company does not take an adoption case in the state I'm interested in. Say what?

On Friday 11 March 2005, I received a note from Monda Schoonover, asking for medical details on the birthmother and her family. I send this to her on Monday 14 March 2005.

On Thursday 21 April I received a note from Monda Schoonover acknowledging that my message of 14 March 2005 had been received, and on Friday 22 April 2005 I mailed a large stack of evidence (death certificates, medical documentation, etc.).

Months go by. No response, no reaction, no communication at all from either Worldwide Tracers or Adoption Search Bureau. On Sunday 17 July 2005, after three months of silence, I drop a postcard into the mail, inquiring about the status of my case. No response.

On Monday 1 August 2005 I send an abbreviated version of this timeline (above) to Pat Rutherford and Monda Schoonover. No response. I send another one on Monday 8 August 2005, and another one on Monday 15 August 2005, and another one on Monday 22 August 2005. Later on Monday 22 August 2005, after I had responded to International Locator (see below), I (finally!) received a note from Monda Schoonover (postmarked Friday 19 August) saying that they were waiting for someone else, a third party, to send something in to them. It appears that they had decided to not tell me this, but instead to let me wait until I said something to them. Does this mean that if I hadn't said something, they'd still be waiting?

Because I had not received a firm commitment from International Locator, on Thursday 1 September 2005, I wrote back to Ms. Schoonover, saying that the participation of this third party was preferred (by me), but that if said third party wasn't going to participate, then we'll have to proceed without input from said third party.

On Saturday 1 October 2005, I received an envelope from Monda Schoonover (postmarked 27 September) which contained copies of her messages to the said third party, trying to prod said third party into action. After that, silence. For months. Perhaps they're (again) waiting for me to say something.

It's now January 2006. No communication has been received from either Worldwide Tracers or Adoption Search Bureau for months, and it's been over a year since I initially contacted them. I give up."

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Followup: By August 2006, Worldwide Tracers had noticed his webpage. Below is their reaction. 
========================================================
 
"You really have too much time on your hands. You have a tough case, you should have realized that after the first PI had a tough time with it. Funny thing, we've still been working on your case; I think we can safely drop it now after the slanderous remarks. Have you had any experiences with attorneys? There are about a dozen untruths that can be substantiated by hard copy correspondence; that's not a good thing for you.

Our contract says to contact us every 30 days for an update; I guess you quit doing that.

We've had a good number of people contact us, mostly clients or potential clients who have laughed at you and your "experiences"; their response - "you're not going to put him together with his family are you?" They are
right, it's a good thing we haven't found your family member yet; they would probably sue us for putting you together with them. Thank God for the fickle finger of fate. By the way, we've been in business for 26 years, never come close to going out of business... oh my, more slander...
shame on you.

I've yet to meet anyone as hateful as you; this is usually a sign of very low self esteem. I think it would behoove one of the PI's below to do a microscopic background on you, complete with pictures and post it on the internet. Then, of course, I don't know any PI's that unprofessional and vindictive. I hope you get some help. Case Closed!

Best regards,
Kirk
Kirk Rutherford
Worldwide Tracers
1-800-432-FIND (3463)
kirk@432find.com
www.worldwidetracers.com" 

=================================

Now I ask you, is that crude, or what?  
================================
In conclusion, shortly before William Addams Reitwiesner died, (You cannot see what Kirk/Pat/Monda wrote about William anymore, since their sites are no longer operating under those entities) he ended with: 
=========================================
 
Some time later (after May 2009), WorldWide Tracers added this page to their website. Part of that page (about a third of the way down) refers to me.

The most interesting part of this, from my perspective, is where Kirk Rutherford refers to "our previous conversation" (with the implication that this was a telephone communication between him and me) and to "the emails he wrote to me". The reason this is interesting to me is that every, repeat every, communication between me and WorldWide Tracers/Adoption Search Bureau was on paper and delivered by uniformed government employees (by that I mean the US Postal Service). The only non-paper communication between us was Mr. Rutherford's email blast at me, available here.

Since Kirk Rutherford is, obviously, not a person who would tell fibs or stretchers, this means that those previous conversations and emails must actually have occurred. I wonder who Mr. Rutherford was conversing and emailing with, and why he thinks they had anything to do with me. Oh, well, I guess this will have to remain one of life's little mysteries.
======================================

RIP William.

===============
 evilC

Just to give an example how your company handled my difficult case.  Below you will find an emails between us about six weeks after I became your client and you were paid in full (April 13, 2009). You advertise that often you are able to solve a case with no name and little information.  My adoption was handled through the state.  I gave birth at a maternity home run by the Salvation Army, who referred me to you.  I provided you indept information, court papers, birth records as referenced below in our email correspondance.  You had court docket numbers, the name of the physician, the judge who handled the court proceedings, etc.  In the Spring of 2010, I requested your company to petition the court, a service you provide. I offered my brother, an attorney, who would have filed the court papers with no additional cost to the company or me. Or I would have paid the additional money to your company (you said would be around $450.00 more, for the petitioning process, you refused that service to me. I have the emails to prove it. Until I read your rebuttal the other day, I never knew that you had determined my case was too difficult to solve.  I suppose if I had been getting the updates I requested, I would have learned this earlier or what??  

This is a mean and cruel game World Wide Tracers in playing on the public, Kirk Rutherford, along with your son Jeremy Rutherford and Monda Schoonover.  I don't want another person to be scammed by your company.  

PLEASE READ THE EMAILS BLOW AND NOTE THE DATES AND HOW NICE KIRK IS WHEN YOU FIRST START DOING BUSINESS WITH HIM.  I WAS BEING SET UP FOR THE KILL. THEN GO BACK AND READ HIS REBUTTAL TO ME AND SEE HOW HIS ATTITUDE CHANGES ONCE HE HAS YOUR MONEY AND HE IS ON TO THE NEXT VICTIM.  HOW MANY MORE A PATIENTLY WAITING THEIR TWO YEARS OUT NOT REALIZING THAT IS ALL THEY WILL BE DOING WITH WORLD WIDE TRACERS, IS WAITING!!!!!!


From: Annette 
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 12:28 PM
To: kirk@432find.com
Subject: Re: Case # 
 
Kirk,

I found the folder with my daughters court papers, birth record and correspondence from the courts concerning the circumstances around the adoption with the cause number etc.  If that information will helpful please give me the fax number once again and I will fax it out.


From: Kirk Rutherford <kirk@432find.com>
To: Annette 
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 12:59:42 PM
Subject: RE: Case #

Hi again Annette. Yes, anything you have can serve us at some point. The fax is 817-472-7898. Thanks. Kirk
 

Best regards,
Kirk
Kirk Rutherford
Director
kirk@432find.com
www.worldwidetracers.com
1-800-432-FIND (3463)
 
Worldwide Tracers, Inc.
Since 1980
5904 S. Cooper St.
Ste: 104-77
Arlington, TX 76017


From: Annette 
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 1:46 PM
To: kirk@432find.com
Subject: Re: Case #  

I just sent it but my fax did not provide a confirmation sheet.  Did you get it?

Thu, May 21, 2009 2:07:15 PM
RE: Case
From:
Kirk Rutherford <kirk@432find.com>View Contact
To: Annette 

Got it! Thanks
 
Best regards,
Kirk
Kirk Rutherford
Director
kirk@432find.com
www.worldwidetracers.com
1-800-432-FIND (3463)
 
Worldwide Tracers, Inc.
Since 1980
5904 S. Cooper St.
Ste: 104-77
Arlington, TX 76017
 








 

Kirk, I read your rebuttal and you are a smooth talker.  You look for angles in your explainations that always makes your company look like it is being picked on or dumped on....your in the adoption search business.  You market your company to make people think your success rate far outweighs your failures.  I gravitated towards your because of: 1. the Salvation Army referral 2. Talking up the success your father, Pat Rutherford, had, who I might add is too elderly to be a part of the operation anymore. 3. You advertise his success on the Oprah, Amy Grant show, etc., but I don't see anyone featuring you!  In the beginning you will call the client on the phone, but after 6 months or when request for the updates start you're not accessible anymore.

I ask professionals, like my minister, and people who have been involved in the adoption triad to  read your company profile too see if I read too much into your company advertisement to think you could and would solve my case. Based on how you advertise your service it appears as though it is only on a very rare occassion that you don't solve a case in a year let alone period. I hope I have as much rare luck to win when I play the lottery.  I know that you garentee your search for two years, you are almost home free with my money aren't you (April 13, 2011).

After the first year when the search started taking longer than I anticipated, I requested your service to  petition the court. You refused to extend that service to me, I have the emails to prove it.  I offered the services of my brother, an attorney, who was willing to prepare the petition with no cost to your company, you declined the offer at that time but let me know that was good to know.  You have been irregular in your responses, updates, even declaring one time that you had surgery. Monda even called me to apologize and told me I had a right to expect feedback from your company, that's what I paid you for.  Now you have all but declared that my case will not be solved by your company, that I will be one of those rare statistics your company has from time to time.

Based on the way you have conducted your business with me and reading other Rip Off reports, I see a pattern. You look for words and/or opportunities to take what your customer or client say (I think that is what I am to you) and turn it around to make them the bad guys. Now, based on your rebuttal, I am this poor bitter person who is angry because my case could not be solved like the others, WHAT OTHERS??  This is a cruel and bitter game you are playing with trusting people who depend on your company's promise, expertise and your so called proven track record to deliver if not their loved one, some feeling of assurance that you did all you could to help them.  

Adoption is already an emotional rollercoaster, one that most involved in it never anticipated or believe me, would have re considered if they had a chance to do the whole thing over again.  I started out in this thing alone, I have had to deal with it through the years alone and now you in a few weeks you will leave me, two years later, alone to try a figure what to do next.  This is about more than getting my money, I gave you access my hopes, and dreams in the process because that is the way you hold your self and your company out to be.  I am not going to anguish over you Kirk, not another minute.  I am going to leave the future of World Wide Tracers to God.  I think you bring shame to your fathers name, (Pat Rutherford).  By the way is he even still alive??  You will be have better use off my money than I did giving it to you so just go wrap that silver tongue of yours around a big steak dinner, and take your office assistant, Monda with you compliments of my me, and my daughter since we won't have a reunion to enjoy one.   

I am very sorry that we have not solved your case... unfortunately, it's impossible for us to solve every case that is presented to us. Sometimes the information we are provided is incorrect and other times it just cannot be solved. We're not any different from any other organization or law enforcement, not every case can be solved. However our difference is that we guarantee we will not give up for two years....And we didn't on your case...

You say you had professionals who looked at your case and could not understand why it hasn't been solved. If that's the case... why haven't these "professionals" solved it for you? I honestly don't mind if someone is able to get info that we couldn't and gets the job done. We're not a jealous company, we would just like your case solved. But in spite of your revealing the information on your "professionals", your case was not solved by them.

Finally, we can't please everyone. And with some adoptees and birthmothers, regardless that they are told up front and it is written in the Investigative Agreement they signed, we are going to be the whipping post, the bad guy in whom they take all of their anger out on. I don't know why that is, maybe just frustration over the complexity of the case and realizing that it just may not be solveable. But it's just not right that years of frustration is taken out on us. And it's not right to go to a forum like this to spew your disatisfaction when we only did what we said we would do and it just didn't work out.

I know it can be frustrating when you hear about all of the other adoptions we solved and the successful reunions we've done, yet you were not so fortunate. But that doesn't mean we didn't give it our all... for two years...

I've answered your original complaint and there is really nothing else I have to say. I know you're angry with us for not solving your case, but we never promised that it could absolutely be solved. And because your "professionals" couldn't solve it either, for right now, until new information breaks out regarding your adoption, you are going to have to wait. I hope that in the future there will be information available to provide you with the reunion you so desperately want. But I truly don't believe that trying to ruin our reputation because of your frustration over your adoption and the fact that there is not enough information out there yet to solve it is fair.

Yes, we did take your money when you signed up. That's how it works, you signed the Investigative Agreement stating that you understood and agreed with it, yet now you've forgotten what you agreed to. You paid for a search and you paid for our service to search for two years and we have fullfilled what we said we would do.