Register For Counseling

CLIENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), the business and technology extension service of The University of North Carolina, is pleased to have you as a client. We would like to advise you of certain rights and responsibilities you have as an SBTDC client.

Your Rights
You have a right to expect prompt, courteous, and professional counseling services and to be advised if the SBTDC is unable to provide services within the time frame required.

You have a right to feel comfortable that all information shared with the SBTDC and any of its resources (staff, students, faculty, and consultants) will be held in strictest confidence and will not be used to the commercial or other advantage of any staff member, consultant or other resource of the SBTDC or by any third party. You also have the right to expect that your client status with the SBTDC will remain confidential and that no public use of your name or business identity will be made without your prior approval. Please note, however, that the SBTDC is funded in part by the state of North Carolina, the US Small Business Administration, and other public and private-sector agencies and organizations. Limited information with respect to your client status (name, address, nature/scope of service, and amount of service) may be provided to those public agencies which fund the SBTDC or which are responsible for auditing the financial and program performance of the SBTDC.

You have a right to feel secure that no fee will be charged by the SBTDC or its resources for the general business counseling services which are provided to you and that no fees may be paid to or accepted by the SBTDC consultants for their services. The SBTDC does, however, charge fees for specialized services such as strategic action and leadership retreats, other educational services, market research, publications and subscriptions. Also, no recommendations will be made as to the purchase of goods and services from any individual or firm with whom any SBTDC staff or its resources have any financial, familial, or personal interest.

Our Role
The SBTDC counsels and assists owners of small, medium-sized businesses and to those starting up a business. We will not make business decision or judgments for you, although we will make recommendations and suggestions as appropriate. These will be based upon our best efforts to apply the experience and resources then available to us to your case in order to assist you in making your own business decisions.

The counseling services which are provided to you are part of the commitment of The University of North Carolina to respond to the growing needs of the business community. They are not intended to compete with, replace, or be a substitute for services which are available from the private sector. Clients whose needs can be fully and affordably met by private-sector practitioners or firms will be encouraged to use these resources.

Your Responsibilities
You will be expected to cooperate with the SBTDC in its ongoing efforts to assure the quality and effectiveness of the counseling services which it provides. In this respect, the SBTDC asks all clients who receive counseling assistance to complete a written evaluation of the services provided. Also, all clients who receive five or more hours of assistance will be asked to complete a brief, “impact” assessment one year following the year of initial service. Finally, clients may receive direct inquiries from the US Small Business Administration and other public-sector agencies with respect to the services provided by the SBTDC. Your response to all of these inquiries is important to us and will be greatly appreciated.

Limited Liability
In consideration of the SBTDC furnishing you with free counseling and technical assistance, you agree to waive all claims against the state of North Carolina, The University of North Carolina (and its constituent institutions), North Carolina State University (host institution), the SBTDC, its staff, or any other resources employed by or used in connection with these services.

You also agree to waive all claims against the US Small Business Administration and other public and private-sector agencies and organizations which provide funding or other support to the SBTDC. However, no waiver of liability is intended against any licensed professional attorney or accountant providing assistance to SBTDC clients in their professional capacity.

We welcome you as a client and encourage you to call on us if you have any questions or comments regarding your rights and responsibilities or with respect to our services. You can do so by calling the SBTDC Executive Director from anywhere in North Carolina toll-free (800/258-0862).