Mainland consulting firm's tactics leave local business owner fuming

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

Small-business owner Bob Freeman got a series of unwanted telephone calls and a visit from an Illinois-based consulting company and finally armed himself with a trespassing notice last week in the event representatives showed up again, as they said they would.

Bob Freeman, president and CEO of Mr. Sandman Inc., shows off the product that got him started in business — sand. He is now a supplier of a variety of products needed by sandblasting contractors. During the past three months Freeman says he has been called repeatedly by a consulting company, even after making it clear he was not interested in its services. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

The overwhelming number of complaints — 267 — fell under the category of "customer service issues," according to the national Better Business Bureau. Some 248 of those complaints have been resolved and the bureau considers IPA to have made a good faith effort to resolve the remaining 19.

"The majority of complaints alleged dissatisfaction with the IPA's service and/or high-pressure sales tactics and/or very aggressive collections," according to the bureau.

There have been no complaints against IPA with the state Office of Consumer Complaint.

Freeman, president and CEO of Mr. Sandman Inc., an industrial equipment and supply business, got his first call from an IPA representative about three months ago offering its business consulting services for $900.

"I wasn't really interested," he said.

Then he got a second call from a woman who "guaranteed results," Freeman said. "She said, 'If you don't think it's worth that money, you don't have to pay us a dime, and it's all over.' "

He said he might be interested in a visit after the New Year and then got a third call from a man who set up an appointment.

Before the appointment, Freeman researched the company and was discouraged by the volume of complaints he saw and what he read in Internet chat rooms.

The next day, Freeman asked the IPA representative to leave and asked that he not be contacted again.

"The next day, I got another call, and I said immediately that I don't want to do business with you, and I don't want to be called again. A couple of days later, I got a call from somebody else for a total of probably seven or eight calls since the guy came here."

Last week, he got another call.

"The guy said, 'We'll be there at 9:30 tomorrow morning.' I said, 'If you show up, you will be trespassing. I don't want any of your people on my premises.' He said, 'See you tomorrow at 9:30.' "

The representative never came.

IPA's managing director did not return telephone calls. Another company official, who would not identify himself, said he could not respond to Freeman's allegations.

Bill Bates, who described himself as a publicist for IPA, said the company does not have a permanent office in Hawai'i but for the past five years has been regularly sending "our very best people, the top 10 percent" for two-week trips from Seattle and Los Angeles.

"We send people from the states to Hawai'i all the time," Bates said.

IPA, Bates said, is the world's largest consulting business working with small and medium-sized firms. It works mainly with manufacturers, contractors and distributors and has little dealings with tourism-oriented businesses, Bates said.

Although Freeman has not been contacted since, the experience has left him fuming.

"They keep calling and calling," he said. "What they don't tell you is that they never stop bugging you."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8085.