Worcester firm PSE Publications, produces and sells educational books and VHS/DVDs to secondary schools, had a bad experience of Business Link.

Its products mainly deal with subjects such as sex, drugs, alcohol, bullying and citizenship. It has a turnover of £160,000 and employs seven people.

In early 2006 the firm approached Business Link in Worcester to see if it could obtain some financial support for a plan to sell in part electronically over the internet, and to get approval as a curriculum online supplier. At the same time it was looking to develop some business training material for entrepreneurs.

PSE's proprietor John Fisher was asking for half of the £30,000 project cost.

Straddling the Business Link reorganisation, this was his experience:

"These plans were presented to Business Link who said we needed to have a consultation with a business consultant who would benchmark us and establish our suitability or otherwise for support.

"This process took place over a couple of days and the reports were eventually completed in November. The project was to be presented under the heading 'diversification' for which matched funding was available on an ongoing basis - subject to budgets.

"In January I received a letter saying that we had been provisionally approved.

"However, while this was going on, Business Link was busy shedding staff, and moving to Dudley to become Business Link West Midlands.

"Amy Burgin (his original contact and client account manager at the then Business Link West Mercia) and whoever took over from her were all made redundant before I could get an address to send information requested in the January 25 letter.

"In February I obtained the name of one Andrew Cooper who appeared to be responsible for the Birmingham Business Link, and, even though he too changed telephone numbers before I got to talk to him, I explained what had happened and he said to send the papers and it would be sorted out.

"Two weeks later I had heard nothing and called him. He had obviously not opened the email but promised an answer in ten minutes. The answer was that he was passing it on to David Blackmore.

"I sent David Blackmore the same information on April 13, and heard nothing. Then I got a call from someone called Jason who told me there would be no funding as Business Link had had their money withdrawn by the Government, though there was funding for diversification.

"I was a bit surprised and decided to talk to the chief executive at Business Link (by now the reorganised version). I called and asked the receptionist who was the chief executive. She said she didn't know but would ask her friend. Her friend didn't know either, but they knew people with titles like head of Gateway and head of Brokerage.

"I decided this would be a waste of time and instead would write to the chief executive of Advantage West Midlands."

Since then Mr Fisher has had another bash.

"I phoned up and was passed to another consultant. He said my application would likely be approved subject to how many others were also seeking the money available.

"He said it would take three weeks - that was a month or so ago. But it was all very vague."

Mr Fisher says he still aims to pursue his case. He told The Birmingham Post: "I raise this with you as it occurs to me I may not be an isolated case but one of many in the West Midlands who have no way of contacting each other or know each other's plight.

"I believe that Advantage West Midlands/Business Link should pass on Government/EU funding in such a way as to benefit the community they serve.

"My business has wasted management time in the preparation of two reports, we have had meetings with consultants and suppliers to ensure that we all comply with the Business Link guidelines and we have held up a project which we hope will substantially boost our business for nearly a year while Business Link wastes time re-structuring itself."

And he charged: "How much worse would the West Midlands be without Business Link at all - after all, Worcester had a very grand Business Link in Castle Street, then it was downsized to a tin shed on Blackpole Trading Estate, and now there is nothing?"

•  This is the reply to his complaint which Mr Fisher received from Advantage West Midlands chairman John Edwards.

"Thank you for your letter of April 16 regarding the poor experience you have received from Business Link.

"I understand that you approached Business Link West Mercia in October last year to seek help with your website and online trading capability. Following a diagnostic by the Business Link adviser Chris Bargman (another Business Link West Mercia official) an action plan was developed with you mapping out how you could address the development areas identified.

"Unfortunately, the funding received by Business Link West Mercia to help subsidise the type of consultancy project suggested in your action plan had been fully utilised, and they made the mistake of saying to you that our new regional Business Link would be able to help fund your project after it was launched last month.

"I can fully appreciate your frustration as you had quite clearly been led to believe by the business adviser that you might be successful in obtaining consultancy grant support and on that basis you had then gone on to progress getting quotes in from the different supplier companies.

"I can only apologise for this - Business Link West Mercia were entirely wrong in giving you any impression that there would be funding going forward for such support via the new Business Link West Midlands.

"We decided to restructure the Business Link service in the West Midlands from April as it had faced a number of criticisms over the years about the quality and consistency of the service offer across the region.

"We expect Business Link West Midlands from this April to offer a much higher calibre of business advice and access to the quality support that businesses need.

"The service offer has been moved towards one of higher quality advice, linking the experience and skills of the adviser to the business that they are asked to help, and through a newly developed supplier register helping businesses find high quality consultants that can provide value for money and tailored support of the business.

"What we have also decided is to move away from unilaterally providing subsidies for consultancy projects and it is for this reason our new Business Link West Midlands has been unable to help fund your project.

"The new adviser who contacted you though was selected because of his web design background, and I understand he did offer to spend time with you to help you actively pursue your web and online trading development, but this you turned down.

"I appreciate that you will find this unsatis-factory and will feel that your time has been needlessly wasted, and I can only apologise once again for you having been given misleading information.

"I would however ask you to give the new Business Link a chance to support you in taking your business forward; I think you will find support you receive will be much improved."

- Yours sincerely, John Edwards

>> 'How Business Link helped us'
>> Business Link described as 'a disaster'