Hello,
I felt compelled to share my experience paying approx USD970 for this so-called "Make Money Online Seminar" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the hopes of averting future victims from wasting their hard earned money.
I am one of those participants who paid and attend his "Make Money Online" instruction program.
The seminar and company is manned by one single person - the instructor himself, Alan Cheong. I have attended his "free talks" a few times in which he advertises in the local tabloids from time to time.
Sometime this year, I was taken in by the beautiful picture that he paints - you start earning thousands of dollars a month after joining his so-called "Internet Biz-Partner Development Program". Wow, that sounds really cool! My seminar colleagues and I had the impression that we were going to make money online together with Alan.
Alan Cheong turns out to be much a better salesman in his pre-sales talks than he is at teaching, after you have coughed up your money. He dresses immaculately, giving attendees the impression that this was going to be a professional training program - NOT!
His free talk previews are lengthy, they last for 3.5 solid hours and he starts by rolling off outdated video clips of e-commerce, home Internet business, yada, yada... For twenty minutes or so before he starts to speak.
Many of the people who came are senior citizens who don't know much of the Internet, let alone e-commerce and online business. Or clueless people who were drawn to his fancy sugar coated persuasion that they could be as successful as he was.
Before the seminar ends, he would quote a training free of approx USD1,428 if participants pay via credit card in monthly installments but offers to slash it to USD970 if they sign up for the training and pay in full - there and then. He has wireless access credit card machines for this purpose.
The training program is divided into two parts - the theory part and the hands-on part. The theory seminar was done at a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur for three consecutive days, from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. That's right - Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
His hands-on practical training was conducted at his small office in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. It was further divided into two sessions.
My colleagues and I noticed that what he taught us was severely outdated - the online business that he was preaching was based on Yanik Silver's sales letter business, circa 2001.
Business on the internet evolves quite rapidly and we were disappointed that his training material were not only very thick, they were more like reference material with hardly useful and outdated techniques.
By the third day, participants were beginning to show strain from the 3-day back-to-back seminars. On the last day, he wasted out time by conducting silly motivational games that corporate staff undergo at motivational seminars.
The scope presented in Alan's training program was too wide. He covered many things, selling on eBay, copyrighting eBooks, creating sales letter, email address harvesting, drop ship sales, etc.
In the end, many participants did not have a clue as to how actually make money - and unlike in his free talks, Alan did not reveal how he made his alleged fortune on the Internet.
It is my belief that he used to make some money in his earlier years and when his income dropped, he thought of a smart idea - teach people "how to make money online" for a steep fee.
The "Internet Biz-Partner Development Program" turned out to be a total hoax. Alan left the participants to fend for themselves. While he did "assure" that anyone who needs his help is welcome to see him at his office, he actually despises having to re-coach slow learners.
One of my co-attendees overheard him making fun of an elderly woman who regularly came to his classes (previous students were made to sit at the back of his small training room). That's ironic because he assured us of his continued support after the training program. Yet, he chastises people who happen to be slow learners.
And now, here's the gem.
In his newspaper ads, he would place a photo of himself and below his picture are these very words:
"How I made US$15,561.49 in less than 1 week". (It has now been re-edited to: ""How US$15,561.49 was made in less than 1 week"), probably because he was afraid of litigation due to gross misrepresentation.
You can see his sales pitch here: http://www.12makemoneyonline.com/freetalk.htm
Sometime later, I contacted him to ask him how he made that amount of money in the first place. He quickly brushed me off, saying that he "claimed no such thing". Alan admitted that it was actually Yanik Silver (the Internet guru) who earned that money.
I learned that in the earlier days, Alan would place Yanik Silver's photo in his newspaper ads. Crowds flocked to his seminar, thinking that they would be meeting the Man himself - Mr Silver. To their disappointment and anger, there was no Yanik Silver but instead, Alan Cheong.
He later replaced Yanik's photo with his own in future ads.
What irked me was the impression that he brought upon victims like me. A newspaper advertisement with his photo on it and the figure USD15,561.49" is very misleading to people. Readers would see his face and the amount and assume that it was HE who made that money in the first place.
Alan makes no promises of success and he is not confident enough of his training program to offer a money-back guarantee. The greatest irony is that after he has taken your money, you are no longer relevant to him. Alan has spoken of plans to expand his "seminar business" to Australia, Taiwan and Singapore. Hah! He's only looking for more victims outside Malaysia for sure.
I have spoken to some fellow participants who were displeased with the quality of the training but none were brave enough to come forward. Alan on the other hand, refuses to address an angry mob - he tells us to see him privately, one-on-one (so that he has the advantage of brainwashing individuals with his outspoken skills).
The training material is still with me, with along with a CD ROM chock full of obsolete eBooks, virus-loaded software and "how-to" tutorials that were probably good eight years ago.
I have lost my money and most importantly, I have lost my respect for Alan Cheong and my hopes of making money the way he portrayed in his free talks.
To anyone who is thinking of signing up for his program, DON'T. I will bet you that he will make more money out of you than you would after signing up for his rip-off seminar.
Attend his free talks if you want to and observe his used car salesmanship prowess.
Malaysia unfortunately does not have a Better Business Bureau like in the U.S. And our Consumer Protection laws are mostly weak and laughable. I doubt I can ever get my money back. The sum of USD970 is equivalent to two months' wages for most middle income Malaysians.
I found this usacomplaints.com website by chance, studied it and I thought this is my only recourse to warn potential victims of this slick fraudster.
BTW, the "Internet Biz-Partner Development Program" never materialized. He never offered anyone to become his business partner or to profit from his networks. All false claims, empty promises.
What's in it for Alan? Lots of money from the seminar fees from you. What's in it for you? Probably nothing. I'm sure that 7 out of 10 participants never even recouped their investment in this rip-off seminar.
In closing, I think 12makemoneyonline.com should aptly be renamed 12losemoneyonline.com. I doubt he is getting rich by his own Internet business, but by selling his seminars.
You have been warned!
Yours respectfully,
John C.
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
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