N.Y. firm accused of making questionable student aid offers -- The Better Business Bureau in Utah issued a warning on Wednesday about Edifi College Financial Aid Services, an Albany, N.Y.-based student financial aid consultant that's subject to more than 130 complaints nationwide over its alleged deceptive sales practices and dissatisfactory services.

She said her stepson, who attends Mountain View High School in Orem, was among those solicited by Edifi.

According to the complaints, the interview is a sales pitch for the company's services, which charges more than $900 for advice on tips on how to take SATS tests, fill out financial aid applications and how to get scholarships, grants and other financial assistance.

"The Web site is supposed to provide good information about grants, but customers have to pay the $900 first before getting access into the Web site, and then they find the information given isn't any better than what they can get for free," Driggs said. "The sad thing is people who paid for the information really needed the grants."

The Better Business Bureau issued an unsatisfactory report against Edifi after more than 55 complaints were filed in the past year, and more than 130 were filed against the company in the past three years, Driggs said. Of those, more than 50 complaints remain unresolved because the company refused to refund the customers, she said.

iMergent quarterly net profit hit by legal problems -- iMergent Inc., an Orem e-commerce software provider, said its third-quarter net profit was hurt by national and local government inquiries over its business practices, which reduced the number of workshops it could hold to sell its software for doing business online.

The company's net profit dropped to $1.7 million, or 15 cents per share, for the third quarter ended March 31, from $4.7 million, or 36 cents per share from a year ago. Total revenue dipped to $27.6 million from $42.6 million a year ago, due largely to a drop in the number of workshops it held domestically and internationally. During the third quarter, the company held 204 workshops, including 10 internationally. That compares with 320 workshops, including 91 globally a year ago.

iMergent, which in recent months settled complaints with Louisiana over its business practices, is still barred from doing business in California and North Carolina. These two states, which account for about 15 percent of the company's total revenues, had issued injunctions for the company to file as a business opportunity seller. They allege the company is selling business opportunities and therefore, has to register with the state in order to conduct those sales.

The company is still fighting the terms of the injunctions in court, saying it sells tools for businesses but not business opportunities.

Lower-than-expected sales and its inability to do business in California and North Carolina resulted in one-fifth of iMergent's total work force being laid off in December.

"We are adjusting our business model to expand our customer base," said Don Danks, chief executive officer of iMergent in a statement on Tuesday. "However, in light of the fact the economy has not improved, we are narrowing guidance for revenue and net dollar volume of contracts written from our April goal of $127 million to $140 million, to be in the range of $127 million to $132 million."