In September I signed a service agreement with Phillip Trout and his company Get-A-Mentor (aka Apprentice Mentor Association). The services to be provided involved Get-A-Mentor aligning me with a movie director for mentoring in the filmmaking business. The initial fee was $350 with an additional $8100 fee once I selected a mentor and began training. The service agreement stated the entire fee of $8450 was fully refundable if I elected to exit the program before accepting a mentor.
However, once I applied with my $350 fee, I received notification that in order to expedite my processing, I should pay the entire fee of an additional $8100. That additional fee was paid on September 21.
Mr. Trout does not ever meet with you and in retrospect, I understand why. Several weeks of filling out papers, a few phone calls and emails passed before I was given the name of a director to contact. I contacted that director and met with her. She did not have much time to spend with me at the first meeting and we agreed to meet again. Before the second meeting, she dropped out of the program citing scheduling conflicts.
Mr. Trout, after several more weeks, put me in touch with another individual in the movie making business. However, Mr. Trout did not know this individual nor his qualifications or status. It took several weeks to get this individual to contact me. Once contacted, I met with him and we both agreed the fit was not correct due to this individual's involvement with the financial end of making movies rather than directing movies.
Three and a half months had now gone by with no results. I informed Mr. Trout on January 5 of my desire to terminate my involvement with Get-A-Mentor and requested my refund as per the service agreement. The service agreement stated that a refund would be issued sixty (60) business days after notification. I received an email several days later from Mr. Trout stating my refund would be issued as per the service agreement.
Just two days before the end of the sixty day money back period, Mr. Trout left a message on my cell phone asking if I would consider another try with a mentor from my so-called wish list. I called him back and left a message that I would not consider any more efforts. Several days later Mr. Trout emailed me acknowledging my message and that my refund would be issued as per the agreement.
When the refund did not show up on time I began calling Mr. Trout to verify the refund had been sent. He did not answer any calls and a message was left each time on his recorder. Ten days later I received an email from Mr. Trout advising me that all refunds had been suspended due to the recession. This failure to refund money as per the service agreement is a well-documented ploy of Mr. Trout's, having used it in 2004 and 2006.
I filed a complaint with the Los Angeles Better Business Bureau on April 13. Mr. Trout responded to the complaint with lies and misrepresentations about what had transpired.
In summary the program is a complete scam. Over a six month period there was little, if any, efforts on behalf of Mr. Trout to fulfill his obligations under the service agreement. Once I terminated the agreement, no refund was available. This man continues to advertise hoping to suck in additional clients into the scam. Do not make the mistake I made. You will be taken.
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