The ICF Debacle
At this point, this is not a win/win situation for anyone who was in ICF World Homes. I received an email purporting to be from Larry Telford of ICF World Homes concerning a proposed refund for members of the program.
Certainly I would like to see that everyone gets a refund. Personally, I do not see how they can refund everyone as much of the money was taken in, paid out and/or spent. Nothing of real tangible value was produced, at least that I know of.
I just checked and the website is still online. Why is the website still there? ICF is unable to do business and say they stopped paying everyone because of their none-approved status? They even encouraged us to transfer to the new company that was set up offshore and we were promised they would pay the August gain share by the new company.
There is no way of telling just how much was taken off the top. Those at the top likely got paid very well. In my case they took great pains in not paying the gain sharing due to me, concocting stories and ways of avoiding paying what was due under their regulations, which kept changing as did the details on the website.
I won’t detail it all here but I have kept a record. I was told by Head Office that another pay run was coming and that never happened. They paid others but not me. They still owe me long overdue payments. Sour grapes? Not really. I just wanted what was due to me and I also wanted them to pay everyone the same way. They did not seem to appreciate that it was the members that were keeping them going and covering their incomes and expenses for so long.
Their accounting department was obviously not run very well but also they seemed to be selective in who they paid or who they didn’t. I also heard from members who had never received a dime from them. They even had difficulty in finding out how or even if a member had paid them.
They wrote to me almost 9 months later suggesting I had not paid my initial amount. In fact suggesting I had tried to cheat their system. ( I actually overpaid them because I made a test spend to determine which Paypal email address to use) What kind of accounting records they were keeping, I have no idea. My experience alone suggests that there is little wonder that Industry Canada Competitions Bureau shut them down.
Competitions Bureau Contact Info Here.
Any reliable and responsible business would not have opened the doors in the first place without first having had the proper approvals in place. Responsibility rests solely with management and management alone for any business to operate properly and to take the necessary steps to ensure it does.
I will post the email I received, below. Contact information is in the following email and I do suggest you contact them if necessary:
March 16, 2010
My Personal Message to: ICF World Home Customers
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am writing this letter to convey my deepest sorrow that the dream we all pursued, the opportunity to own a mortgage free home, has been stopped now for over 6 months. As the additional letter attached confirms, ICF World Homes is still in a holding pattern, and I cannot honestly tell you when we will receive a reply from the Competition Bureau that would enable us to restart the company.
I feel terrible that the action imposed by the Bureau, not only stopped your dream but affected your quality of life, and for this reason I don’t want you to be further inconvenienced and have taken it upon myself to commence a refund program to all of you, my friends.
My hope is that when I do hear from the Bureau, that I will be able to launch a program that will put us back on the proven path, but until then, I again must say that I am sorry that we could not continue nor been able to restart.
I will inform you when I hear back from Industry Canada.
Remember: Family, hope, love and a debt free HOME.
Yours truly
Larry Telford
ICF World Homes Inc.
311 George St. N
Peterborough, On
K9J 3H3, Canada
Dear ICF Customers,
On March 10, 2010 it was 6 months since ICF World Homes Inc. had ceased doing business as normal, while we awaited approval of our suggested alternatives. Not many businesses can survive for that period of time without any incoming revenue and ICF World Homes is no different.
While my intention was always to fulfill our mission statement and therefore make positive changes to each of your lives, this can’t be done while the business is on hold. At the same time, I presented an amended program on approximately September 17th to the Bureau and we have been waiting for their approval.
The more time that passes, the clearer the realization is for me, that this time has caused too much damage, for ICF World Homes to be able to return to business as normal, even with a few changes. With all the Competition Bureau has on their schedule, it could be many more months or even a year or more, before I hear from them.
The additional letter included, will confirm that I have taken it upon myself not to wait any longer for their communication, and have started the refund process of money back to you.
I am truly sorry for the inconvenience the hold and the waiting have caused, and that the dream that was started could not be completed. I am pleased that many of you did make money and enjoy positive changes to your lives.
The Company’s Mission is still to “provide an opportunity for everyone in the world to have a home” and I will be working tirelessly to create such an opportunity which will receive the approval of the Bureau and the world.
ICF World Homes Inc.
Larry Telford
President
General Emails for Larry may be sent to:
Email: larry@icfworldhomes.com
Email: iamwithyou@icfworldhomes.com
PS
Attached below is the letter to Industry Canada, Competition Bureau.
March 11, 2010
To the Competition Bureau of Industry Canada;
It has been 6 months since our meeting and as per your instructions ICF World Homes Inc., immediately ceased doing business and we awaited your recommendations as to how to refund the money back to the customers.
Within a week of that time we sent a proposal as you requested from us and were instructed to wait until further instructions from the Bureau which we have not received as of this date. I realize that your office is overloaded with problems much bigger than a company that wants to refund money back to its customers, but I could not wait any longer and have started the refund process.
All customers will receive 100% of their money back, less the money they earned while being a customer of ICF World Homes Inc.
You agreed, it was obvious that my intent was never to operate a business that was not within the articles of your office, but the longer I continued to wait for an approval from the Bureau the harder it would be to continue.
I hope that your office will not look harshly upon my decision. I felt it was best to do so without further inconvenience to my customers.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Larry Telford
President
ICF World Homes Inc.
PLAN OF ACTION“REFUND PROGRAM”
March 12, 2010
Below is a description of the refund program.
A) To achieve the maximum efficiency of the refund program, I am combining all individual customers with multiple prepaid homes into 1 prepaid home plan, based on what you had entered into “Home for the World Intl.”, which will represents the value between what the home plans purchased and what you have received. When Homes For the
World Intl Inc., returned all the contracts, they also returned all the names changes you had requested and with that info we joined your homes. One home plan is all you needed to achieve a mortgage free home for your family.
B) Any customer who has received more than the purchase cost of their accumulated prepaid Home Plan (s) will be eliminated from the Refund program. It was not that the multiple home plan sales made any difference to the compensation plan, but that the multiple sales played a major part in taking away the vision and mission of the company.
ICF World Homes Inc. was selling a product a (Prepaid Home). We never advised anyone on how or where to get the money to purchase our product. Therefore, ICF World Homes Inc. hereby declines any responsibility, directly or indirectly arising from, because or in consequence of or connected to the fact that some customers put themselves
in debt so they could buy more home plans. Those individuals put themselves in a position where they were forced to make payments on something that simply was not necessary. To those individuals I promise to do everything in my power to help minimize that stress.
You wanted honesty and I have always been honest. I never expected people to put mortgages on their homes, and I also clearly stated that 1 home was enough. Our program was meant to pay off mortgages, not create them.
Although I am willing to help, it is not my responsibility to support those who over extended their cash flow.
C) Those who have requested a refund and met the criteria of having;
i. Requested the refund with in the 30 day period
ii. Did not transfer to Homes for The World International Inc.
Will receive an immediate full refund.
The Refund Program (not within item (C)):
D) Every month a refund payment is set for the 28th of the month.
E) The refund amount may vary up or down depending on the available funds for each month.
F) All efforts will be made to average a 2% refund payment per month.
G) If the monthly payment is less than $5.00, the amount will accumulate until the refund is $6 + and then paid.
H) All processing fees are non-refundable.
I) Any customer owed less than $5.00 will be removed from the refund program.
J) Each customer will continue to receive monthly refunds until the value of their home plan drops below $5.00. At that point they will have been considered to have received the total refund and be removed from the Refund Program.
Anyone wishing to be included in communications with ICF in the future please send an email to:







