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Reported on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 7:59 PM

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This business has not been accredited by BBB.

Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation.

To be accredited by BBB, a business must apply for accreditation and BBB must determine that the business meets BBB accreditation standards, which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints. BBB Accredited Businesses must pay a fee for accreditation review/monitoring and for support of BBB services to the public.

Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of F

Click here for an explanation of BBB Ratings.

Reasons for this rating include:
• Number of complaints filed against business
• Failure to respond to complaints filed against business
• Number of complaints filed against business that were unresolved
• Number of serious complaints filed against business
• Length of time business has taken to resolve complaint(s)
• Government action(s) against business

The company requests customers with complaints or concerns directly contact Lola at (817) 633-3300.

Complaints to the BBB in this reporting period have been filed against UAC, D&L Map Service, Hometown Productions, Premier Map, Premier Impressions, Fanfare Sports Marketing, Scoreboard Sports Marketing, and PrimeTime Advertising.

For the current three-year reporting period, the company has received approximately 284 complaints. Complaints allege the company billed for orders not placed; misrepresented its affiliation with a school, chamber of commerce, or other civic organizations; harassing and deceptive sales calls; non-receipt of product and poor quality product; and refusal to remove from calling lists. It should be mentioned that the majority of complaints to the BBB report multiple complaint issues. For example, a customer may complain they received a bill for an order not placed, the product received was poor quality, and the business refuses to remove them from the solicitation call list.

BILLED FOR ORDER(S) NOT PLACED
In the current three-year reporting window, the BBB has received approximately 91 complaints from consumers reporting the company has billed them for orders not placed. A few customers reported being billed for multiple orders not placed. When customers contact the company to dispute the charges, company representatives state an order was placed and cite a date of birth or mother’s maiden name as “Proof” that an employee of the business placed the order.
Although some customers admit providing personal identifiers, other consumers deny ever providing identifying information to the company. When customers insist no orders were placed, company employees indicate the company will make negative reports to credit bureaus and take collection and legal action. Many clients that paid money for orders not placed to avoid collection action, received additional bills for subsequent orders not placed.

Several customers allege receiving sales calls but did not place an order with the company. However, after receiving the sales call, the customer received the “Order Confirmation” sheet.

COMPANY RESPONSE TO BILLED FOR ORDER(S) NOT PLACED COMPLAINTS
On or about April 10, 2006, the BBB was notified by CEO Tom Gildenblatt that Hiram McBeth was general counsel for the company. Beginning in or about April 2007, Mr. McBeth took over the responsibility of responding to complaints forwarded by the BBB. His response to the BBB regarding such allegations is, “An internal investigation has been conducted related to the subject matter…Please be advised that this account is cancelled and has been taken to a $0 balance.”

SALES TACTICS
Another common complaint lodged is that the company misrepresents itself as affiliated with a school, chamber of commerce, police department, fire department, local newspaper, or other civic organization to generate sales orders. During the sales presentation, customers are led to believe if a purchase is made, all proceeds will benefit the school or other civic organization being claimed by the sales representative. Some complainants report the representatives identified themselves as students of the local school to make a sale. Believing that placing an order will go to benefit a school, civic organization, or will be distributed by the civic organization, an order is placed. Later the consumer finds out the school received little or no proceeds and the business was not affiliated with the organization as claimed.

In response to BBB complaints that the company misrepresented its affiliations, attorney Hiram McBeth denied any wrongdoing by the company. In a few of his responses to the BBB, McBeth supplied copies of “Distribution Agreement(s)” and “Partnership Agreements” signed by chambers of commerce, civic organizations, and schools as evidence his company acted in compliance with the agreement and the organization was aware that the company was selling advertising. Based on review of a Distribution Agreement, it appears that prior to selling maps and magnets to businesses, sales representatives approach the local chamber of commerce, police department, civic organization, etc., ask if they can provide free maps and/or magnets at the location for the community. If the organization agrees, the representative produces a Distribution Agreement to be signed. The Distribution Agreement form states, in part, “This DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT shall in no way be considered as an endorsement of the map and no persons name will be used in the sales presentation. However, Hometown Productions will mention that the free maps can be obtained at your location.” Based on the Distribution Agreement, the civic organization is led to believe it will simply be a pick-up site for free maps of the county and magnets with emergency numbers listed.

Partnership Agreements appear to be contracts between the business and a school. According to a Partnership Agreement provided to the BBB by the company, a representative approaches a school and offers “FREE” spirit items. If the school agrees to receive the “free” items, it enters into a “Partnership Agreement” and selects up to four free items and the quantity of each item it would like. The agreement also states, the business “will call on businesses in the community to coordinate sponsorship of the selected items, providing companies with targeted marketing outreach. Support will make the spirit items available to the school affiliated organization cost free with the understanding the school, organization, club, group or its registered agents will keep 100% of the PROFITS from the sale of selected items to assist with fundraising activities. Many consumers and school districts did not receive the items and/or proceeds or the product was of poor quality.

Other complaints center on company representatives contacting a business to verify and update information. According to customers, sales representatives act as if they are verifying the company’s contact information but are using the verified information to place an order. The customer later receives a bill.

Finally, customers complain company representatives call stating they are advertising vendors the company has worked with in the past. Believing they are ordering a product from a company with whom they have a previous working relationship, they place an order.

POOR QUALITY AND NON-RECEIPT OF PRODUCT
Poor quality and non-receipt of products are another common complaint lodged against the company. Specific complaints include maps with parts of the city missing; major roads missing; maps with the wrong state listed; businesses listed on maps for another county; multiple mispellings and customers’ business names, telephone numbers, and location information missing or misprinted on maps, magnets and other advertising materials, etc. Other poor quality complaints include receiving a product with another company name listed.

In addition to poor quality products, customers complain of non-receipt of ordered products. Despite not receiving the product, the invoice appears as do calls to collect money.

SUMMARY
Complaints against the company include billing for orders not placed, misrepresenting its affiliation with civic organizations, deceptive sales calls, non-receipt of products, and poor quality products. To date, the company has not eliminated the underlying causes of customer complaints.

ACADEMIC ASSETS
ADCOM UNIVERSAL
ALL AMERICAN SPORTS
ALL STATES MEDIA INC
AMERICAN MEDICAL DIRECTORIES
CUSTOM SPORT PUBLICATIONS
CUSTOM SPORTS
CUSTOM SPORTS PUBLICATIONS
D & L Map Service
FANFARE SPORTS MARKETING
GILDENBLATT ENTERPRISES INC
GRAPHIC IMPRESSIONS
HIGH SCHOOL PRODUCTION
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS PROMOTION
HISTORICAL MAP
HOMETOWN PRODUCTIONS
MIRROR MAP CO
MULTI MARKETING CORPORATION
MULTIMEDIA
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
PREMIER IMPRESSIONS
PREMIER MAP
PRIME TIME ADVERTISING
PRIMETIME ADVERTISING
SCOREBOARD PRODUCTIONS
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SPORT
THE WEEKEND FISHERMAN
U S MEDICAL DIRECTORIES
US MEDICAL DIRECTORIES
WEEKEND FISHERMAN

Universal Adcom's corporate headquarters is located at 2921 Avenue E, Arlington, TX 76011. In addition to its Arlington, TX-based corporate headquarters, the company has six regional sales offices across the country. Per Universal Adcom, there are over 200 sales and marketing representatives employed at the regional sales offices. According to the company’s website www.universalad.com, UAC describes itself as a “full-service telemarketing, graphics, and production corporation.”

1861 Brown Blvd #760, Arlington, TX 76006, Tarrant County
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(817) 633-3300
(817) 633-3300, x310
(866) 433-6516
(817) 633-5142 (FAX)

The company's size, volume of business and number of transactions may have a bearing on the number of complaints received by the BBB. The complaints filed against a company may not be as important as the type of complaints, and how the company has handled them. The BBB generally does not pass judgment on the validity of complaints filed.

Number of complaints processed by the BBB
    in the last 36 months: 289
    in the last 12 months: 128

ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTIONS
The BBB is not the sole source of complaints against the company. In addition to complaints to the BBB, many consumers have made complaints to attorney general’s offices in their respective states. As a result, several Attorney General offices have investigated the business' practices, deemed the practices to be unfair and deceptive, and have issued Cease and Desist Orders. Moreover, several lawsuits have been brought against the business for its deceptive business practices.

According to BBB records on June 3, 1999, the Alabama Attorney General’s Consumer Affairs Section filed a lawsuit against Tom Gildenblatt and the following companies of which he is an officer, director or owner: Multimarketing Corporation, Custom Sports Publications, Gildenblatt Enterprises, INC., D&L Map Service, Texas High School Publications, Weekend Fisherman, Historical Map Society and National High School Sports Promotion. The lawsuit against Gildenblatt alleged he violated the Alabama Deceptive Trade Practices Act. In his response to the BBB, Jim Gildenblatt, Senior Vice President of the company, denied all allegations and wrongdoing set forth in the lawsuit.

According to records in the BBB file on October 15, 1999, Georgia’s Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs, issued a Cease and Desist Order which stated in part, “I believe your firm is engaging in the following unfair and deceptive acts or practices:
• Selling advertisements by falsely representing that the purchase of advertisements would directly benefit schools, school athletic departments, or other school entities.
• Through the use of telemarketing, selling advertisements by falsely representing that the purchase would directly benefit schools.
• Misrepresenting a connection or affiliation with approval of schools.
“It is in the best public interest that I hereby order you and/or your firm to immediately cease and desist from conducting business in violation of Georgia’s Fair Business Practices Act.”

An excerpt from an Arkansas newspaper in December 2002 reads, “Seventy-six high schools across Arkansas will share a $25,000 settlement with a company accused of selling advertising to promote athletic teams but never giving money to the programs….According to the state, Multi-Marketing Corporation of Texas- doing business as Custom Sports Publications and Premier Impressions LLC of Missouri- used deceptive trade practices. The attorney general’s office said the companies sold advertising to Arkansas businesses for school-sports calendars and gave the impression that the schools would receive a portion of the proceeds.”

On November 24, 2008, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Affairs sent a letter to the BBB advising it is looking into the business practices of D&L Map and DBAs and requested a copy of all Illinois consumer complaints.

The company was invited to respond to these government actions on February 26, 2009. To date, the BBB at Fort Worth has received no response.

The BBB has no information regarding Ad Reviews at this time.

The company met with the BBB in October 2009 to discuss their rating in addition to their pattern and volume of complaints. The company agreed to provide size documentation, a plan of action to address cause of complaints, answers and documentation for unanswered and unresolved complaints, a response to government actions, and documentation regarding dba's listed in their report.

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ID: A1020830
Report as of: 2/9/2010 7:59 PM

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