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Dun & Bradstreet Small Business Coercion, Strong Arming, and Blackmail

 

The Letter of Coercion and Strong Arming

I received a letter from Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp last week, stating:
"You are receiving this notification because the following D&B Supplier Evaluation Risk rating is currently noted for your business as follows:"

" Batiste Technical Services LLC: Supplier Evaluation Risk rating range of 7-9.
The D&B Supplier Evaluation Risk rating may be used by businesses to assess the risk of doing business with suppliers. A rating of 1-3 demonstrates the lowest risk of financial stress over the next 12 months while a 7-9 rating demonstrates the highest risk with an increased likelihood that a supplier may be unable to pay its bills or may cease operations over the next 12 months.

A change in the Supplier Evaluation Risk rating can happen frequently on your business and may be caused by several factors including a changing in your payment behavior, number of creditors, or outstanding account balances reported in your D&B business credit report. Your Supplier Evaluation Risk rating can be purchased by companies evaluating your creditworthiness."

3.8 Years ago, I started Batiste Technical Services LLC (BTEKS), offering services based on my professional history and my individual knowledge base, in the area or Database Administration, Software Technical Support & Development, Marine Military Aviation Technical Support & Data Analysis, Web Site Design, and Logistical Support.

It's my knowledge base, history and skills that larger contracting companies like Raytheon Technical Services, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and others, being paid between $75k to $200k per year, for my services, pending on the job requirements. 

It's these large companies that my specific business is designed to challenge, primarily because I am the one they would hire as an employee, and as an employee, I'm paid 1/3rd of the money that the government pays these large businesses for my services, so, I chose to become a business with the intentions of providing my knowledge and skills as a business sub-contracted to perform the same tasks.

Since Raytheon & Innova Systems capitalized on my skills of instructing others in technical fields, it's my business goal to provide the same type of training to other technically minded individuals as employees of BTEKS.

Business History & Attaining Contracts

One of the toughest realizations that I had to learn as a business owner was that "I had no business history", and my individual skills and knowledge isn't applied to my business history, thus, getting contracts has subjected my newly opened business, the same affects of a man 25, just filling out a application for a home mortgage without any credit history what so ever. No Contracts

Being one that does not cry foul and complain, I came up with the idea to create business history while providing a living example of what my "business" is capable of producing. 

Today, I have two products on line, which display a plethora of skills sets required to design from concept, test and implement.  The two products that I produced, had I worked for Raytheon, would have required these skill sets and people:
Program Manager, Configuration Management, Website Designer both static and dynamic, Database Designer and DB Administrator, DB Supporting Staff, Data Entry Specialist, Application Testers and Application Validators, Graphic Designer, Technical Writing & Instructional Material Designer, Marketing Manager, Sales Manager, System Administrator... etc..

These Skills were applied in the design, development and implementation of a website, first of its kind, the BB&N Cosmetology Directory "www.bbandn.com" with an estimated value of $300k to $400k in design development costs, with the potential to generate an estimated $1.5 million to $5 million annually.

Dun & Bradstreet Coercion & Blackmail

I hadn't listed my business for an entire year before I received a letter from Dun & Bradstreet, with the standard;
"who we are and send us money and we will add you to our directory"

I had no intentions of joining any group or organization which will list by business based on my having to pay to be part of their database, and to this day, I haven't provided Dun & Bradstreet with any information associated with my business interest. I know the value of my information to them, and I know the value of me and my knowledge, and I therefore, refuse to give them any information regarding my business.  They can attain all they need to know of me the same way that all others can.

Shortly after receiving the letter, I received a call from a Dun & Bradstreet rep who explained who they were and asked for my credit card info to charge $200 plus to add my business info to their database..., I respectfully informed the rep, I had no intentions to request to be part any Dun & Bradstreet business listings.

Dun & Bradstreet Coercion & Strong Arming Technique

So, here we are years later, and all of a sudden, I get a letter, a letter that I construe as an attempt at Coercion & Strong Arming me into providing my business information to Dun & Bradstreet, or I will be listed in their database as a "Risk.., per the 7-9 Rating System". 

I read the letter, made a call, challenged the rep... inquired as to their system that they used to determine my business 7-9 risk rating. The Rep responded that their rating system is based on factors such as business location, type of business that I have compared to other businesses in my location that offer the same type of services, and the information that I added to their database.

I rebutted with a question.. "how could you assess my business when you don't have any specific information associated with my business, such as my present financial status, any business transactions or any past or current contracts"?

Dun & Bradstreet's Rep responded...." that's why we need you to update your business infor".
My response: I disagree, Dun & Bradstreet has already assessed my business based on insufficient information, and it appears that this negative assessment is fraudulently generated in an effort to force me to pay Dun & Bradstreet money to add my business info, or be subjected to a negative business assessment, which Dun & Bradstreet will sell to any business that is willing to pay Dun & Bradstreet to access my specific business credit rating, based on Dun & Bradstreet's assessment generated by insufficient information but represented as a "credible" rating by Dun & Bradstreet."

This conversation went on until I concluded that the rep had no idea of what he was talking about, other than the document that he was given to read from, so I asked to be transferred to who has any control of the decision making process.

The Second conversation was with a rep... started with my having to brief that rep on my previous conversation than asking the rep how is it that I was being assessed negatively when Dun & Bradstreet didn't have any required information that ought to be the minimum information required to provide a valid assessment?

The Second rep responded, initially after my briefing.., stating that the letter that I received was not a Dun & Bradstreet assessment, it was a fraud, and that I should ignore the letter. 

I refused, read the letter to the rep, and once again challenged the rep that it was in fact a letter from Dun & Bradstreet, at which time, the rep said that the letter was from another area of Dun & Bradstreet and that I will need to provide them with the info required in order to provide a better business assessment. 

I, again, challenged the second rep...."Wrong answer, I asked the first rep to transfer me to someone with decision making authority, and thus far, you have informed me that the letter was invalid, then you say that I should pay and provide the info to get a good rating, and now your suggesting that your office isn't associated with Dun & Bradstreet, the same company that sent me this letter".

I concluded the conversation with the second rep, because it was apparent that the 2nd rep had no knowledge other than what she was supposed to read.

My Conclusion:

Dun & Bradstreet is attempting to blackmail, coerce and strong arm my business into providing it with the required monies to upload my business information in order to receive a decent or good business credit rating.

My current Dun & Bradstreet rating has nothing to do with any validated information associated with any present financial information, business transactions, business contracts of the past, present or future business contracts associated with Batiste Technical Services LLC.

My current Dun & Bradstreet rating is based on zero information that I provided them, and their intent to send me a threatening letter with the full intentions of coercing my business into providing them with payment and information in trade for a decent business credit rating.

Dun & Bradstreet fully understands that they are used by a lot of businesses that request information on specific businesses and these businesses value their rating system, thus, using a 7-9 rating against my small business is a direct threat to me and the negative assessment is a detriment to my business future, which is why I received this threatening letter with the negative business rating.

It's Blackmail, Strong Arming & Coercion.

I refused to be Blackmailed into paying for a good business rating by Dun & Bradstreet.  I refuse to associate with Dun & Bradstreet, and I refuse to add my business history to their database.

I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau, and the Consumer Protection Services to discuss this matter in an effort to charge Dun & Bradstreet with "Fraud & Coercion".

One thing that I know for sure, I'm not the first business that has been threatened in this manner, and I won't be the last. 

Dun & Bradstreet has assessed my business on insufficient information because I refuse to join their team, and for that reason, my business is being negatively assessed, which can directly affect my business ability to gain government, or state contracts, as well as provide a negative assessment of my business to anyone who may ask for information associated with Batiste Technical Services LLC.

I construe the report as an act of coercion, with threatening intentions, and I construe the current assessment of Batiste Technical Services LLC by Dun & Bradstreet as "Fraud"

 

In My Opinion

ASMFMB
6/17/2012

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