Small Business Finance Center (SBFC) review: fraud 99

Hello everyone, I would encourage you to look at this youtube video that warns people about the misleading business tactics of the Centre for Small Business Financing. Share it with others so that more people don't fall victim to their deceitful ways.

Here is the video, by the way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLxDPuPsaps

I have a copy of their funding guide and found that several Canadian funding sources are missing. They claim to have the most complete and up to date guide available. Are they not suppose to update their guide and website database for their clients? For example, I found this one funding source from Google called Inceptive Grants and is not listed by them. How can a company claim to be most 'up to date' if they can miss such an easy funding source?

I had called in a few weeks ago and they the person had got me into purchasing their information for 2 installments of $97 dollars. I just recently saw on my credit card $350 and in the mail they advised that another $339 will be charged in a month. I'm calling them right now this is just freakin crazy. They portrayed their site almost identical to a government website, I am a web designer and even I got suckered into this. I'm calling them now to have them refund my monies. This is crazy.

After the "you need to give us 2 payments of $300 "pitch I say "I want to talk to my wife about it first". They give the " I'm sure she'd agree with your decision, will that be Visa ?" I knew this isn't how a reputable firm would behave and said "I'll get back to you after I talk with my wife about it first" and he ends the call with " Well call us back when you're a bit more serious about it". A little too scamy for me.

If you are a customer and would like to make a complaint with them I would suggest going directly to their office. 420 Richmond st. W 2nd floor Toronto, On

It's actually 460 Richmond st. W

Im looking into getting my own company under way and at first didn't even believe the government had money out there. I did a search for government business money and the centre's site kept coming up. I asked around about them and googled them which brought up this complaints board thread. After reading this I was worried they were a scam so I emailed some of the companies their site lists as former clients and nearly 20 got back to me. Some were not happy with the product because there company couldnt' find any funds and some suggested other ways to find funding and also made themselves available to answer any questions I had about opening a new business, which was super nice of them but several also had good things to say and explained how the company pointed them towards the money they got. Even most of the ones who didn't like the product still said the company was legitimate and not a scam. Some people here may have problems with the copmany based on their posts here but the emails I
got from the former customers make it clear to me its not a scam.
Sending out the emails was definiately worth my time too because one
of their customers offered to mail me their stuff so long as I paid
the postage.

I was just about to look into this more, so it is a "scam" after ALL? Please let me know as i have not paid anything yet.

Okay i was just about to look into this. I have not paid money but a guy named Josh Reid just called me. Please give some advice, why isnt it good? Pro;s and Con;s please

for me the cons were that I found out the information is all provided publically and I could have found it all on my own if I had plenty of time to look around. I didnt have lots of time to look though so this puts everything in one place. I didn't deal with Josh so I am just assuming you're talking about the same service as I was asking about (their funding program directory.) Having talked to some of their previous clients who got money, my impression of some of the complaints here is they are crying scam because they just weren't able to get money but I would probably be pissed if I spent money on something like this only to find out the government doesn't give money for businesses like me. That's why i asked some of their successful customers first instead of just trusting some of the people here who complain its a scam because the people I talked to had needs that got funding. So, pro: it's helpful for getting all your research in one place but con: it's not a magic ticket for funding.

for me the cons were that I found out the information is all provided publically and I could have found it all on my own if I had plenty time to look. I didnt have a lot of time to look though so this puts everything in one place. I didn't deal with Josh so I am just assuming you're talking about the same service as I was asking about (their funding program directory.) Having talked to some of their previous clients who got money, my impression of some of the complaints here is they are crying scam because they just weren't able to get money but I would probably be pissed if I spent money on something like this only to find out the government doesn't give money for businesses like me. That's why i asked some of their successful customers first instead of just trusting some of the people here who complain its a scam because the people I talked to had needs that got funding. So, pro: it's helpful for getting all your research in one place but con: it's not a magic ticket for funding.

sorry for the double post but ididn't think it went through the first time

i got scammed also they said they were a branch of the government when asked and when they call it comes up as csb financing which when googled comes up as Canada small business financing. they record there phone calls but it takes nothing to manipulate the recording to serve them. I am calling tomorrow to get a refund of the $350 which if i don't get i will be calling every branch of the government as well as media. it's not the money it's the principal and the sick feeling knowing i got scammed even after taking measures. This is stealing from people trying to put something back into there community. i don't need to pay them money to use there website to get a link to the actual government website.

Trevor Byrne - Go to his house and ask for your moeny back. Maybe then he will stop scamming people.

OK, for everyone out there looking to purchase a ### product from Centre for Small Business Finance or Small Business Finance Centre or whatever they're calling themselves these days I have some advice for you: Don't.

Don't be an idiot. You're paying a lot of money for FREE information - nothing a 5 minute Google search can't do for you. The whole purpose of the business is to capitalize on lazy, ignorant people.

Want grants/loans programs? Go here: http://canadabusiness.ca/eng/program/search/ - this site is run by the govt of Canada and has a nifty little search engine to find programs you're eligible for. It's that simple. AND IT'S CANADA--WIDE! DO NOT waste your time with Mr. Byrne + Co.

PS they're not really located at First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Suite 5700 Toronto, ON, M5X 1C7 - it's simply a virtual office. The real office location is 640 Richmond St. W., Toronto, ON M5V 2R2 2nd Floor. Go visit them in person M-F 10am-6pm.

Sorry, 460 Richmond St W.

Government information resources like the one you link to have limitations. Typically, they do not include all government-backed programs not provided directly by government sources, for example. Also, resources they do list are not updated as regularly as you'd expect because each funding department maintains their own separate websites and do not necessarily communicate with each other in a timely manner (if at all.) Such is the cost of relying upon a government bureaucracy to keep you accurately informed.

The Centre's information resources cover local, provincial, and federal small business funding sources that are offered Canada-wide. Our information resources are more detailed, and allow for more ACCURATE searches than what is available via the link you've provided. Unlike most government sites, we offer customer support to help people with their search, which has helped entrepreneurs locate funding they would have otherwise missed. You'll not get that level of devotion and assistance from the government website you posted.

And it's entirely off-side and disrespectful to call people who need help finding government funding lazy, ignorant, or idiots. Talking to thousands of entrepreneurs, this does not describe most people with the drive and innovation to start up their own business in the first place. Simply put, sometimes people merely need help, and that's what the Centre provides.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the facts: the Centre offers a service that has helped many people over the years. In the last four years alone, the Centre has helped small business owners across Canada obtain nearly $9 million in funding, and that's just the clients who have bothered to contact us to inform us of their success.

I'm certain these successful applicants would not consider themselves "lazy" and "ignorant, " or an "idiot, " and are happy our services led to the funding they received, especially since many of them spent a great deal of time unsuccessfully looking for funds before contacting us.

But, by all means, don't take my word for it:

"We came to the CYBF through the Centre for Small Business Financing."
- Neil Prakash

"We contacted the Centre for Small Business Financing …They provided a lot of advice on starting a company and creating a business plan … They also connected us with government grant programs and loan programs."
- Julie Folk, Adrenaline: Regina Sports

"I had no idea that this support for small businesses was available. If I didn't learn this from the Centre for Small Business Financing, nothing would have been done."
- Khawaja S, Synergic Sourcing

"I thought, there's got to be something out there for small businesses, but it's very time consuming to research it on your own. So the Centre for Small Business Financing was very helpful."
- Tammy Buss, Buss Financial Group

"With the Centre for Small Business Financing, we tried to find a possibility to get money to encourage environmental best practices in agriculture. We were able to obtain two amounts from the Prime-vert program."
- Nancy Couture, Ferme René Lacasse & Fils

"I waited for a month. I called every week to see what was going on with the loan. And nothing was happening. So, feeling very discouraged, I contacted the Centre for Small Business Financing for some help in finding funding."
- Jodie Featherling, Dogs Gone Wild

"But I knew it was going to be very expensive, and I didn't think I'd be able to afford it. But then through the Centre for Small Business Financing, I realized there were government programs."
- Shelley Morris, UC Baby

"So I contacted the Centre for Small Business Financing again, and discovered that Aboriginal Business Canada (ABC) would pay up to 50 percent of a project and up to $100, 000 … It's great to have access to the Centre for Small Business Financing. It's phenomenal."
- Kevin Patterson, Fraser Valley Métis Nation

"The CFSBF's role in this process was in exactly what it has to offer, a place to find an extensive collection of information related to current funding programs offered by different levels of government. I came to the CFSBF through a random chance, searching the internet. The people at the CFSBF that I spoke to were friendly, polite and helpful. If not for them, I might well have spent a great deal more time and energy before finding the BEAM program, assuming I would have found it eventually, which I may not have."
- James Barber, In A Jam Courier & Delivery Service

"We looked into different options of getting loans or grants. And through the Centre for Small Business Financing we learned about the program."
- Foozieh Ostowari, Diverse Sports Physical Therapy

"I contacted the Centre for Small Business Financing first. And this grant was one of the first ones I learned about. So it was a pretty easy process actually."
- Amanda Dougan, 3D Ultrasound Abbotsford

"Even after you do some research on your own, they [the government] have them so hidden that it's worth the extra money. Everything's laid right out for you." (Speaking of the CFSBF's services)
- Wade "Smokey" Prest, Prism Powder Coating & Custom Paint

"It was a gold mine. We contacted several programs and found a winner with Community Futures, who worked closely with us to further develop our business plan." (Speaking of the CFSBF's services)
- Chris Carter, Spectacle Lake Lodge

"Never quit. The grants and loans website allowed us access to a number of sources. Innovation Factory was in the city we are based, and we never would have found out about it without the help of the Centre for Small Business Financing."
- Adam Benish, Playmaker Brothers Productions Inc.

"I recommend doing it. It gives you a chance to look at all the prerequisites and stuff like that, instead of trying to search through a government website or any of these other companies. You guys made it easier for us." (Speaking of the CFSBF's services)
- Adam Vieira, Vieira Farm

"The information [is] all there, rather than having to search through every government site trying to find grants." (Speaking of the CFSBF's services)
- Richard Hanshaw, Lucky Point Technologies

"[It is] so hard to get a loan... so it was a good thing I heard about the Centre for Small Business Financing" … " Additionally, the Centre for Small Business Financing was the tool for me to get the additional funds that I needed for the business."
- Anne Corpuz-Bacalso, Anne B. Accessories

"I love doing research and I had been looking for a long time for the right thing for me, so having it all in one volume just consolidated my search so much more easily I was able to just concentrate on that and finding the right source rather than being all over the map looking for things. So it was very helpful."
- Alison McIntosh, Entrepreneur

"They helped me right from the get-go, and I would recommend them highly to anybody. Although I didn't have to use very many links on their database -- I seemed to strike gold very quick on. I was very impressed with all of the information that you can get online, so I appreciated that opportunity." (Speaking of the CFSBF's services)
- John Bennie, Entrepreneur

"Through The Centre For Small Business Financing we were able to locate the perfect financing program to use."
- Dustin Van Damme, Entrepreneur

"I think the Centre is THE place to start. Depending on what phase your business is at, they're sure to point you in the direction you need to secure any available government funding."
- Jim Priebe, Canadian Roots Radio

"We did some comparisons between the CYBF (Canadian Youth Business Foundation), and the Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), and the disability one, and we were able to compare them all through the Centre's resources and then see which ones were the best for us in what we needed the money for."
- Julie Audy, Expanding Imaginations Child Car

"I would like to thank the Centre for Small Business Financing for all their help. Especially because I do not have a computer and everybody tried so hard to help me get all the information I needed, and more."
- Julia Peisley, Entrepreneur

"[The] (CFSBF) was crucial to our funding by CBDC and CYBF. It was through the CFSBF site that we were able to apply for the loans."
- Walter Munoko, Tiny Explorers Daycare

"It [the Centre for Small Business Financing] gave us a real sense of what was out there." … Use all the resources available to you! ... This is where the CFSBF is really useful as it compiles all of the resources for you! It saves you precious time!"
- Jeff Cressman, Adonai Sheep Farm

"It was easier to find the funding through CFSBF since all the options were consolidated into one tool." … "Use a tool that consolidates [government funding] options since it reduces the time to search."
- Haim Sechter, DataAppeal

"Without access to the CFSBF database. I imagine it would have taken me a very long time to find CYBF's program -- it [the database] definitely helped me to know what was out there in a more comprehensive way than I would have been able to see anywhere else online."
- Roslyn Bergen, the Sweet Side

“We came to learn of the various public lending agencies through the CFSBF. We found their resources online initially and then ordered their small business financing guide.”
- Brandon Lowen, Sumobin Mobile Storage

“... I wouldn't have found this funding option if we did not use their resources.”
- Sarah Di Sefano, On the Move Media Inc.

“After searching through the funding and grants available on the Centre for Small Business Financing site, I came across the CSMFA and applied at my local Bank of Montreal.” … “Funding for small business owners is difficult to find. The CFSBF site is an excellent place to start looking for funding.”
- Nicole Vaillancourt, Summit Physiotherapy

“I would not have found out about the funding if not for the CFSBF.”
- Stephen Brooker, Stephen Brooker Building Ltd.

“The CFSBF just helped single out what programs was best for us. That saved a lot of valuable time!” … “If we did not use CFSBF we would have probably needed to go to multiple creditors to obtain the funds.”
- James Squire, Georgian Bay Well Drilling and Water Treatment Ltd.

“The CFSBF helped us understand the process of applying for government grants and guided us into the right direction." … "We came across the CFSBF while looking for government grants online; they were very friendly and helpful."
- Nav Saini, DRAM Innovations

Regards,
Steven Trustrum
CFSBF Content Manager

My apologies for the double post. I didn't think it went through the first time due to all the website addresses.

A point of clarification to address; after doing some research, I've found that the user posting here as "pissedofff" is posting the same complaint elsewhere as "jennpnc" and "Jennifer Ponce." Having tracked that down, I had a name I could look up in our records.

Jennifer Ponce received a full refund on March 29, 2012, a week after her post here.

After submitting proof that she did indeed receive funding from the government (because that is a condition of this refund: you have to scan and send us proof. Just sending an email from the funding agency saying you've been accepted is not sufficient.) In fact, she conducted a success story interview with us about her experience. You can see it here:

http://www.grants-loans.org/articleview.php?id=660&t=graphic-designer-betters-her-bc-business-with-14400-in-government-funding

In complaints she made on other sites she said "But here is the kicker, I signed up for a bc government loan which i was approved..." However, the paperwork she sent us on her government funding was regarding a self-employment benefits program, which is not a loan.

Also, it's worth noting her account was opened with us 16 days before she received her funding, and in turn received her full refund for her success and did an interview with us. That means after only being a client for 16 days, she got the money she needed thanks to our services. I can't say why she brings up the loan, why she says she was quoted a wrong price, etc., but her original post here clearly doesn't jive without what she was telling us.

Yes, this actually means one of the posters in this thread that the anti-CFSBF posters are rallying around as "proof" the Centre is a "fraud" is actually a successful client we helped to get government funding.

Go figure.

I have learnt a few things with dealing with this company. ... Always search for reviews! Before dealing with a company that has access to your credit card!
Stupid me signed up, wow 750 bucks! My guts knotted up and knew that was stupid! But I spent hours and hours, and did find finance for a bookkeeping course, funny as they didn't know they were on this database, and told me that it had to be a scam! So went though it, finished, went through four emails of answering the same questions and writing a testimonial, finally I got my money back! ... Now not finished yet! ! Apparently, when you sign up you also accept 2 months of free magazine, and then after that is 24.97 a month! ! I never accept magazines, and have never received any of these so called magazines! So called them, number not in service, found their number of the BBB compliant forum! Of all places! Left a message, emailed them, got an email back in French, called yet again, got hung up on. Called again! Wow! Called my credit card company... I really hope this is finally the end!

BEWARE! Now they are tricking people to do some work for them for free. Offering serious salary and talking about "being a boss for yourself". Well I agree at first even I got sunk into that fairytale but when it came to "trial project" I got surprised that it might take WEEKS! ORLY? Funny thing is they "offer" compensation for "trial". IRL you the only thing you get is being dumped after you submit what you've done.

Check this out http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/dusan-ceko/15/856/111 says "Current position as Marketing Director at IMA Of Canada" well when you Google it http://imacanada.ca/about-the-ima-cc/ima-cc-2012-board-of-directors/ says nothing about Mr. Dusan Ceko. Guess what? Because he most likely never were a member of the board.

If you try to find any connection between his Linkedin profile and Consumer Centre Inc you end up with nothing. Why? Because you need to look legit to get new customers for their fraud scheme.

*update* I emailed Mr. Trustum my complaint, didn't have much faith, but he gave me a quick response, and also I was reimbursed promptly. :)

Take care services can be found for free on the government sites. the sellers you make a sale on pressure and does not give you the choice to take an informed decision. ! The price it is so expensive for a service that can be found on the Web

Marc,

The Centre's services do not claim to provide anything you can't find on your own. What we do is gather it all into one place so it can be searched through more easily and faster. If you **subjectively** don't feel that time and frustration saved is worth the cost, it is always in your hands not to buy annual access to our services. **Provably**, however, there are clients of ours who obtained government funding and feel differently, however, as a quick visit to our website will show.

As for not having a chance to make an informed decision, I'm afraid I can only point out that if you were talking with one of our representatives, you would have been doing so on the phone. If nothing else, you can say "I have to think about this" or just hang up. Our representatives do not possess any special powers that force people to reach for their wallets against their will. Indeed, if we're calling you in the first place it's only in response to you taking the initiative to contact us first because we do no cold calling whatsoever.

This company rip people off. I tried to cancel my registration and have my payment refunded but all I got was a generic email response. I didn't even access their database and use their services. I even emailed Steven Trustrum and all he did was email my request to their customer service which gave me another generic email response.

I try very hard to work with people who contact me directly to resolve issues, but I cannot do so if you don't follow up to let me know you're not having any progress through the usual channels (as I did with Jocelynne, above.) Seeing as you have not done so, and not mentioned when this occurred, I can only assume you contacted me on Monday (my most recent email of this nature), so I will go look into it for that person and hope it is you (if your initials are M.W., they've tried calling you and emailing you with no response.)

If you have a phone number you prefer to be reached at (and may not be the one you gave us for our records), you can email that to me to give to customer support.

(I'll try this again seeing as how my first post didn't seem to appear a day later)

If you contacted me and I passed your information along to customer service, but you didn't hear from them, you should have tried emailing me again so I could push it along. Clearly, by responding to you the first time, you know that I am accessible, and this very scenario helped out Jocelynn above. I'm fairly certain I know who you are (initials MW?), but I won't email that person without confirmation because I need to know who I am trying to help out in order to provide the correct details to customer service, and to possibly provide them with an alternative email or phone number. If you are MW, customer service has indeed tried emailing and calling you before you posted here, but you did not reply. Please check your spam folder and phone messages, or email me directly (or message me through here with contact details.)

(I'll try this again seeing as how my first post didn't seem to appear a day later)
If you contacted me and I passed your information along to customer service, but you didn't hear from them, you should have tried emailing me again so I could push it along. Clearly, by responding to you the first time, you know that I am accessible, and this very scenario helped out Jocelynn above. I'm fairly certain I know who you are (initials MW?), but I won't email that person without confirmation because I need to know who I am trying to help out in order to provide the correct details to customer service, and to possibly provide them with an alternative email or phone number. If you are MW, customer service has indeed tried emailing and calling you before you posted here, but you did not reply. Please check your spam folder and phone messages, or email me directly
(or message me through here with contact details.)

My name is Bob Weir I am based in New Zealand and doing all I can to get the equivalent website in New Zealand shut down. He has misrepresented a lot of people on the site (who gave no permission to be included) indicates, very deceitfully, what funding small businesses can gain. We have a social media campaign in progress trying to spread the word. Any guidance on how we can find this guy and take hime to task would be appreciated.

Bob Weir

I purchased the program that involved a binder with a listing of the various gov. programs and at one time I did receive the promised updates. I moved and due to working in the Oil Fields I did not use the programs however after coming home and moving I need the updates after 10 years and no one will talk to me or send me the promised updates. I have a lot of money in this company and feel quite bitter that they will not address my issues. Also I mailed a letter to their address on King St. In Toronto and it came back deliverable. This seems to have turned into a real scam and I suggest that everyone that does not get some reasonable satisfaction get on social media and give details about this company. The company I am writing about is SBFC Small Business Finance Center. I ordered my binder from Ottawa address at that time. Remember hit them with social media the more the better.

Back again, I did get a call from these rascals and they have discontinued the hard copy of the programs the problem with this is I purchased an expensive program that has ended with NO update lists to work with. The man I talked to was of NO help and just kept saying that they binder program had ended but my payment was made for this program. I suggest that they provide the service on line if in fact they are as reasonable as they pretend to be.
It also appears that it is a front for trying to get a customer to pay huge sum of money to have a so called consultant prepare a business plan in order to get a grant with money up front and NO guarantee of any form of success. I would suggest that anyone thinking along these lines of financing to avoid these scam artists.

Do a google search of this company and you will come up with many many negative reviews, all of which are instantly trolled by Steven Trustrum, the question is... Why is this company so aware of every complaint board on the Internet?

My own personal issues with CFSBF aren't so much the product, you pay a fee for a simplified method of seeing grants and loan options, and that's exactly what you get. My issues come from the shady method of selling the service. The salesperson I spoke to went on a long rant about how they now require a deposit of $350.00 for services that would be fully refundable after funding was secured, it made sense that they wouldn't want to work for free and they implied that their fee would come from the government grant.

Several weeks later I recieved a letter confirming that I had paid the initial money and the second installment of $297.00 would be withdrawn in 30 days... This was not discussed on the "recorded" phone conversation and was not agreed on. This is irrefutably a scam, up to the surprise billing it seemed a legitimate service, but your actions have shown otherwise, I have actually achieved funding from this program but at this point feel there is no chance of seeing my initial $350.00 refunded as promised.

Approval of loans and grants has become a key problem among small business owners. With the ever increasing competition form big businesses, finding grants for your business is not easy. I applied for funds with agencies that Small Business Finance Center suggested and was approved. This was a surprise as I had tried with different lenders and no avail. They saved my business and my livelihood.

Just signed up today and I realized it was a complete scam after I logged in.
I asked for the money back right away because this is different than what I have been told, and they told me i can't after i logged in.
I called 5 min after i logged in and told them to keep the first charge but don't change me the second instalment because their site is completely useless.
They said they can't do that because i logged in, and logging in means I have agreed to their terms.

Im in the process of reporting them as a fraudulent business, and there is no way they are taking my hard earned money for the useless database. I would find much more informative sources on google for free than on their database.

Stay away from this site.

If you have tried the site of Small Business Finance Centre, you will know that all of these are not true. Try visiting their site at www.grants-loans.org and you will know that they are truly a one helpful site here. I have used their platform and it helped me a lot in finding a loan for a very important cause. It gave me not one headache but they have guided me on whatever I need and gave me the right steps to take. You cant get that from any other site but from them. This site has been a great help for me and my family.

If it seems to be a fraud for you, visit their site at www.grants-loans.org and see for yourself. I would be glad if this site can help you and everyone else. To those who are struggling on their current business, spare your time and effort in finding the best or the most appropriate agency to loan to. Because Small Business Finance Center can give you and guide you on every step of the way until you get your loan. Try and be amazed with their platform.

Having trouble with funding your business can render you to shut it down. This problem is common among small businesses as they have little benefits in terms of borrowing. It is with this that I have turned to Small Business Finance Center for financial information on reliable loans. They are not only reliable but provide a list of lenders with affordable terms of borrowing.

I'm not really sure about the experiences that many of these other people had, but I know that when I used SBFC, they were nothing but helpful and polite. My wife and I decided to start a small cafe back in 2013 when both of us lost our government jobs. She was a teacher at a low SES school district that was subject to budget cuts, and I have worked for the municipal clerk's office for the past 10 years until we too suffered layoffs. That was when we both decided that it was time to pursue our lifelong desire to run a small cafe together. With much hesitation and reluctance, my first impression of SBFC was that it was extremely overwhelming and too much information all at once. To be honest, I didn't know where to look when I first found their website. However, I called the number at the top of the page, and was greeted by a representative who helped me find my way through the system. The most surprising thing was that SBFC was so full of resources that they connected me to grants and applications that I didn't even know we would qualify for. I am very thankful for their help, and hope others find their services to be as beneficial to their small businesses' success.