On January 13, I lost my job unexpectedly and went home devastated wondering what I would do now. I saw a e-mail promoting "earn $300/day from home" Even though I knew it was probably too good to be true, being desperate, I ordered the program for $97.00.
As I was going through the information to get started, there was a large box - "Get your one-time free coaching session to get started." I thought it was part of the program and seemed like a good idea since I am completely new at the internet marketing business.
The first person told me I could sign up for coaching sessions if they could determine that I was a good candidate for their course. He asked me a number of questions and using some clever techniques, which I should have recognized if I had not been in such a clouded upset frame of mind over the loss of my job, he managed to get me to give him the amount of credit I had available on my credit cards. He did not ask for numbers, so it seemed harmless to give him that information.
Then, he passed me onto "his boss" to see if I qualified and was driven enough to be "included" in their coaching program. From there it was a very slick, hard sell to get me to sign up for the program.
In hindsight, it is clear that the idea was to lead me (and anyone desperate enough) down "a path of commitment and consistency that would provide financial stability" - exactly what someone in my situation wanted.
When I told them that there was no way that I could afford to buy anything, the man manipulated me into believing that I could "because I could charge the amount with no worries and would be able to pay off the total in just a couple of months through my earnings" (his words). He sounded smart and trustworthy and I bought his promises. He was so good that even though I know better, I fell for the pitch.
I made the horrible mistake of agreeing to pay $7500 for the course, which I thought would put me back on a road of financial stability.
In retrospect, when I think about the course they sold me, I now realize that it was very loosely defined. I should NEVER had moved forward without getting a much clearer picture of what I was paying for - in writing. This man was VERY GOOD at what he did.
I am sick at heart wondering how many other unsuspecting, desperate people he has managed to hook. After doing some research on this, it seems that they charge whatever they think the person's credit card will allow. It could be $4,000, $6,500, $8,500. It is simply a sales scam that takes advantage of desperate people who have the credit to pay for empty promises.
Since signing up, I have received three other "coaching" phone calls to up-sell me on Legal Services, Tax Services and Drop-shipping Services - all between $1,000 - $2,000 each - and all connected directly to the same company, even though they have different names.
Now - here is the worst part. For all that money, I have received practically nothing! I have had a total of four 1/2 hour coaching sessions that provided very little information of value.
The first coach seemed like a nice young man, who was so busy snowboarding that he was difficult to schedule - and when he did manage to schedule an appointment, he was late every time. AND - gave me nothing of value.
Basically the coaching conversation had two parts: Watch the videos online about "Choosing a Niche Market" and "Researching Demand and Competition" - information that I can find on the Internet either free or for a small monthly fee. He offered no step-by-step process to follow, not even a checklist of what to do - or pitfalls to avoid. He also gave me inaccurate information about obtaining and EIN and Reseller's license that cost me almost $200 - money that I did not have to spend, plus the licenses that I obtained cannot be used because I decided to go with an LLC rather than a sole proprietor.
The second part of his coaching was to watch the video on "How to Sell on Ebay, " which would help me make some quick money. I already had people in my life who knew how to do that.
After struggling with the first coach for three weeks, I complained and was given another coach, who was also NOT helpful and finally another - the results have been essentially the same. At this point (5 weeks later), I still have not received any materials to help me start my business.
Because I was not receiving anything as promised - except for completely useless coaching sessions, I decided to research internet marketing training programs online. I have found two, and one in particular, that are legitimate and extremely helpful - for a fraction of the cost.
The company I have chosen gives me everything I need - including step-by-step processes to use depending on which type of internet marketing I want to pursue and all the tools that I need to make each one of them happen - plus actual useful coaching.
The difference between the company I am now using and the complete fraudulent company discussed in this memo is staggering! I would have to work with my current training program for 10 years to spend the kind of money that I gave in one lump sum to the master manipulator at A Coaching Department/Premier Mentoring.
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