Complaint Review: College Funding Center - Plano Texas

Just in case you've had problems with contacting FTC, I have this address for you. This is the Senior Litigation Counselor handling refunds for those victimized by College Funding Center: Gary D. Kennedy Senior Litigation Counsel Federal Trade Commission Suite 2150, 1999 Bryan Street Dallas, TX, 75201 214-979-9350 (voice) 214-953-3079 He will require copies of specific documentation. I discourage giving out originals, unless it is absolutely mandatory. The FTC toll free number puts poeple on hold for a long time, and the website is so miserably massive, it wasn't easy weeding this out. Please get back to us, if you do not find resolution.

You can call this toll free number 1-800-FTC-HELP, this number is for the Federal Trade Commission. Their website is www.ftc.gov, but it is a massive site, and you need specific information about the pending case. You might consider accessing the site to fill out their online Complaint Form. They have two direct links to the form at the top and bottom of their home page, but call the number as well. The Complaint Form isn't difficult like Tax Papers, but you'll need to have your records at hand for specific questions. Please specify the amount taken, and have all necessary records copied. If possible, please get back to us with progress, because there are others who have been victimized the same.

You can call this toll free number 1-800-FTC-HELP, this number is for the Federal Trade Commission. Their website is www.ftc.gov, but it is a massive site, and you need specific information about the pending case. You might consider accessing the site to fill out their online Complaint Form. They have two direct links to the form at the top and bottom of their home page, but call the number as well. The Complaint Form isn't difficult like Tax Papers, but you'll need to have your records at hand for specific questions. Please specify the amount taken, and have all necessary records copied. If possible, please get back to us with progress, because there are others who have been victimized the same.

You can call this toll free number 1-800-FTC-HELP, this number is for the Federal Trade Commission. Their website is www.ftc.gov, but it is a massive site, and you need specific information about the pending case. You might consider accessing the site to fill out their online Complaint Form. They have two direct links to the form at the top and bottom of their home page, but call the number as well. The Complaint Form isn't difficult like Tax Papers, but you'll need to have your records at hand for specific questions. Please specify the amount taken, and have all necessary records copied. If possible, please get back to us with progress, because there are others who have been victimized the same.

Jeff, I implore you, please review the above comments on the pending FTC suit. You are expending a great deal of emotional and mental effort trying to figure this out when it has already been explained. CFC did not go out of business, nor did they declare bankruptcy. They were shut down by a federal court injunction. This injunction represents the equitable relief portion of a suit brought by the FTC. CFC's assets, as well as the assets of its officers and their spouses, have been frozen. The purpose of shutting down the business is to ensure that they decist in their allegedly fraudulent activities. The purpose of freezing the assets is to ensure that, if they are found liable, money will be available to refund those who have been defrauded. You have filed your complaint with the FTC, which should put them on notice of your interest in the case. There is not much else you can do now, but if you feel the need to consult with an attorney you definitely should, he will be able to fill you in on your rights better than I can. Once you actually go through and do the "leg work" for yourself you will probably find that it takes less time to secure education financing on your own than it did to be coerced into this program. It's not hard! I promise you! Fill out your tax returns by Feb. 7, keep a copy, then immediately fill out the FAFSA and send it in. You can get the FAFSA at any local library. If your child's guidance counselor didn't have a book of scholarships the library should have as well. Also, check on the net for any local community foundations that may offer scholarships. These may not be listed in the national publications, but can be a great source of generous and easy to get scholarships. Good luck!

I have filed a complaint with the FTC and from another post it looks as though at the least the Texas Attorney General is getting involved. Just curious how many other states may get involve. As far as the contract language it states: "The plan guaruntees 100% funding for my financial aid package" "If the parent and/or student is not offered 100% of 'Cost of Education' (including: tuition & fees, room & board, books & supplies, transportation allowance, and miscellaneous personal expenses) in the form of scholarships and/or endowments and/or work-study, and/or tuition reduction and/or government guarunteed loans and/or grants for all full year of post-secondary education covered by this commitment, the parent may request and receive a full refund of the fee paid for "The Graduate" program for the academic year in question" They also stated in their list of services provided that they would provide counselors and test materials for the ACT/SAT exams which they did not. I would have to call and request the test materials (which were no better than the ones I bought at a software store) and then they did not send them and no counselor has ever called my house. They never provided a scholarship database for us to review (you would think here high school counselor would have these but she did not). The bottom line is they promised to provide a service that would take the leg work out of the process for families and they did not. They guarunteed 100% funding or a refund of your money and they have not. The worst part is the way in which they notify parents with a cheap post card and note. It may be a matter of semantics but they did not declare "bankruptcy" but just state that they were going out of business. A lot of stores close their doors and still have the money. So if they have not declared bankruptcy does that mean they still have my money or at least can be held responsible for my refund at the least?

I have filed a complaint with the FTC and from another post it looks as though at the least the Texas Attorney General is getting involved. Just curious how many other states may get involve. As far as the contract language it states: "The plan guaruntees 100% funding for my financial aid package" "If the parent and/or student is not offered 100% of 'Cost of Education' (including: tuition & fees, room & board, books & supplies, transportation allowance, and miscellaneous personal expenses) in the form of scholarships and/or endowments and/or work-study, and/or tuition reduction and/or government guarunteed loans and/or grants for all full year of post-secondary education covered by this commitment, the parent may request and receive a full refund of the fee paid for "The Graduate" program for the academic year in question" They also stated in their list of services provided that they would provide counselors and test materials for the ACT/SAT exams which they did not. I would have to call and request the test materials (which were no better than the ones I bought at a software store) and then they did not send them and no counselor has ever called my house. They never provided a scholarship database for us to review (you would think here high school counselor would have these but she did not). The bottom line is they promised to provide a service that would take the leg work out of the process for families and they did not. They guarunteed 100% funding or a refund of your money and they have not. The worst part is the way in which they notify parents with a cheap post card and note. It may be a matter of semantics but they did not declare "bankruptcy" but just state that they were going out of business. A lot of stores close their doors and still have the money. So if they have not declared bankruptcy does that mean they still have my money or at least can be held responsible for my refund at the least?

I have filed a complaint with the FTC and from another post it looks as though at the least the Texas Attorney General is getting involved. Just curious how many other states may get involve. As far as the contract language it states: "The plan guaruntees 100% funding for my financial aid package" "If the parent and/or student is not offered 100% of 'Cost of Education' (including: tuition & fees, room & board, books & supplies, transportation allowance, and miscellaneous personal expenses) in the form of scholarships and/or endowments and/or work-study, and/or tuition reduction and/or government guarunteed loans and/or grants for all full year of post-secondary education covered by this commitment, the parent may request and receive a full refund of the fee paid for "The Graduate" program for the academic year in question" They also stated in their list of services provided that they would provide counselors and test materials for the ACT/SAT exams which they did not. I would have to call and request the test materials (which were no better than the ones I bought at a software store) and then they did not send them and no counselor has ever called my house. They never provided a scholarship database for us to review (you would think here high school counselor would have these but she did not). The bottom line is they promised to provide a service that would take the leg work out of the process for families and they did not. They guarunteed 100% funding or a refund of your money and they have not. The worst part is the way in which they notify parents with a cheap post card and note. It may be a matter of semantics but they did not declare "bankruptcy" but just state that they were going out of business. A lot of stores close their doors and still have the money. So if they have not declared bankruptcy does that mean they still have my money or at least can be held responsible for my refund at the least?

I have filed a complaint with the FTC and from another post it looks as though at the least the Texas Attorney General is getting involved. Just curious how many other states may get involve. As far as the contract language it states: "The plan guaruntees 100% funding for my financial aid package" "If the parent and/or student is not offered 100% of 'Cost of Education' (including: tuition & fees, room & board, books & supplies, transportation allowance, and miscellaneous personal expenses) in the form of scholarships and/or endowments and/or work-study, and/or tuition reduction and/or government guarunteed loans and/or grants for all full year of post-secondary education covered by this commitment, the parent may request and receive a full refund of the fee paid for "The Graduate" program for the academic year in question" They also stated in their list of services provided that they would provide counselors and test materials for the ACT/SAT exams which they did not. I would have to call and request the test materials (which were no better than the ones I bought at a software store) and then they did not send them and no counselor has ever called my house. They never provided a scholarship database for us to review (you would think here high school counselor would have these but she did not). The bottom line is they promised to provide a service that would take the leg work out of the process for families and they did not. They guarunteed 100% funding or a refund of your money and they have not. The worst part is the way in which they notify parents with a cheap post card and note. It may be a matter of semantics but they did not declare "bankruptcy" but just state that they were going out of business. A lot of stores close their doors and still have the money. So if they have not declared bankruptcy does that mean they still have my money or at least can be held responsible for my refund at the least?

Jeff, please refer to my above rebuttal detailing the current action by the FTC. There is already a de facto class action suit being conducted on behalf of the victims of CFC. If you are still in correspondence with your attorney regarding this matter, you should bring this to his attention and he should be able to help you ensure that you are counted among the rolls to be reimbursed. When I first read your rebuttal I thought the idea of CFC being liable for the cost of your child's education, in addition to the money you paid in, was absurd. Upon further thought I think you make a good point. The most common type of damages rewarded in contract disputes are what are known as "expectation damages." The purpose of expectation damages is to put the party seeking relief in as good a position as he would have been had the other party followed through on their contractual obligation. If you were guarunteed 100% college funding, legally you should be entitled to that amount. The problem is that there are going to be an awful lot of people claiming against the limited assets of CFC and its officers. Also, in all reality, they did not guaruntee that they would give you 100% of your child's tuition costs, only that they would ensure that you received it in one way or another. Further problems arise when considering whatever disclaimers there may have been in the original contract (and if they were smart there were some), and there are numerous other defenses they could raise against having to pay the full cost of your child's tuition. Your lawyer should be able to tell you what you could reasonably expect to recover in a courtroom (certainly you shouldn't put all of your eggs in my basket). Just remember that CFC did not have a line on some secret private or government education fund. They were never able to do anything that you can't do yourself for free. So don't give up hope - the money for your child's education is still out there. Best of luck to you and your child's education!

I enrolled my daughter in this program as well. She is a senior in high school and CFC did nothing in the contract they said they would do to assist in funding and now this. I spoke with an attorney earlier today about this. One thing I brought up to him was the fact that CFC "guarunteed 100%" college funding for our daughter. I guess that most colleges cost around $20,000 a year depending upon where they go. That comes to $80,000 for a four year degree. Therefore CFC not only owes me my refund back but the way I look at it also at least $80,000 for my daughters college funding that they promised. The attorney felt this is a good case to be filed in federal court; possibly a class action lawsuit. If anyone knows of any class action suit or is interested in filing one please post here.

The FTC has a lawsuit pending against this organization. The lawsuit asks first for an injunction preventing CFC from conducting any future business, and a freezing of their assets. It seems as thought this effort has been successful. CFC has been forced to shut its doors. CFC's assets are probably frozen, meaning that at this time they will be unable to issue any refunds. The reason for freezing the company's assets (as well as the assets of its operators and their spouses) is to prevent CFC and its officers from transferring funds which the FTC seeks to use to refund the consumers who were defrauded. The FTC suit amounts to a de facto class action lawsuit, the result of which (hopefully) will be the refunding of the money consumers paid in to the outfit. Individual consumers may be able to file their own claims, but as the assets are frozen this may not be any better than letting the FTC take care of it on their own. It is unclear how the FTC ultimately plans on distributing the funds of CFC if their case is successful. They probably already have client rosters in their possession, and I would imagine that they will create a fund against which individual consumers can claim. They should be sending out letters to the consumers detailing the suit, the consumer's rights, and the procedure for collecting any refunds that may become available. If you are a victim of this scam, you should probably contact the FTC and let them know that you have an interest in this litigation and ask them what you need to do to be eligible for a refund. For those of you who feel that you or your child will be ddeprived of a college education because of the closing of CFC, keep in mind that CFC didn't offer any services that you can't easily do yourself. The FAFSA is extremely easy to fill out, and if you need help with it you can always contact the Dept. of Education or a financial aid couselor (pretty much every college has at least one). As for scholarships, CFC only gave a non-individualized list. The student was left to weed through them, find the ones he may be eligible for, and do the actual application process. You can go to any public library, guidance counselors office, or a myriad of websites and get the same list for free. In fact, most websites will give you an individualized list so you don't have to figure out which ones you are eligible for.