Business ProfileforG.F. Institute

April 21, 2009 Due to a high volume of customer inquiries, the Better Business Bureau of Kansas City asked GF Institute/LPG to substantiate or modify claims in their advertising. The mailing states that a customer may be eligible for $25,000 in government funds. It also has the word "approved" stamped on the top. In conjunction with the rest of the mailing, these two things have the capacity to make customers believe they have been pre-approved for the reception of $25,000. We asked the company to explain how the $25,000 figure was estimated and suggested the removal of the word "approved" from the mailing to avoid customer confusion. On April 20, 2009, the Better Business Bureau received a response from G.F. Institute/LPG explaining that the $25,000 is the average amount awarded by a grant source, but GF Institute did not provide examples of grant sources. The word "approved" was described in their response as a "marketing technique." The company's response explained that these mailings are only sent to people that have purchased something similar to the product that GF Institute offers. The response stated that the firm's intentions were not to mislead anyone and their mailing may be revised in the months to come. On April 21, 2009, the Better Business Bureau sent a letter to GF Institute stating that, in the BBB's opinion, their response provided an insufficient explanation of the claims in their mailing and that their failure to modify the advertisement does not adhere to the BBB's Code of Advertising.