Summit Group - Thrive Learning Institute I was ripped off for $7,750 for my "new business" under false pretenses Nationwide

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*UPDATE ..Rip-off Report INVESTIGATION: Thrive Learning pledges to resolve complaints & have 100% Client Satisfaction. Commitment to Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Program. Thrive Learning's Educational Program teaches clients principles for a successful business & puts the student first with individual attention and training.

For other victims...

Erik Largin (a racquetball enthusiast, it seems) is not the owner, he is the operations manager. The guy who handles customers. Colton Moody owns the Summit group. Here is the information I've dug up so far:

BBB rates this company as unsatisfactory for over 105 complaints and more than half are not reconciled, mostly for the stuff that I and others swindled by this company have complained about: High-pressure sales tactics, fraud as to the exact nature of our "investments" among a few.

Doing Business As names:

Success Team (the)
Summit Group South
Professional Coaching Group
Grant Partners
Summit Group

Addresses: (first seems to be the most current)

947 South 500 East Ste # 110
American Fork, UT 84003

15 West Scenic Pointe Dr Ste 100
Draper, UT 84020

Phone numbers:

(801) 847-4010
(800) 405-8334 (I know for a fact this one works)
(800) 405-8582 ext 1039 for cole; 1043 for eric
(800) 405-8581
Fax:
(801) 492-4839
(801)-492-0189

link to BBB info (see for yourself):

http://utah.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=139&bbb=1166&firm=13002802

e-mail:
operations@summitgroup.bz
customercare@successtraining.bz

Some of the numbers and addresses may now be broken links or disconnected numbers. I will be testing them out soon. Since 2002, the Summit Group has, one rip-off at a time, been draining the hopefull of their cash, leaving a path of carnage and waste on the internet as well as people's homes and wallets. I would like to see something done about that. There have been over 186 rip-off reports regarding the summit group and their "affiliates" known by different names with the same results each time- heartache and lost dreams. Someone needs to do something about this. If anyone has ANYTHING they can contribute, I'd be very thankful. I WILL have my money back one way or another, plus some if this goes too much further.

Response to Mr. Jeremy Hutson's complaint

On 5/27/08 Mr. Jeremy Hutson was contacted by our representative about joining our internet business coaching program. Like all of our clients, Mr. Hutson was given the details as far as how Thrive learning institute would work with him and what would be expected from Mr. Hutson as well. He was explained that our goal would be for him to start making a return on his investment within 30-90 days from starting the program. We provide a warranty of service where if the client does his/her part we would coach them and provide services for as long as necessary until they are profitable. This is something that we take seriously as we know that investing money into the starting of the business is never comfortable and we want our client to feel assured that if they did their part we would definitely do ours.

On that date Mr. Hutson signed a retail installment which provided him with additional funds for his business. Again, it was explained to him in detail what this was about and what the terms of the loan were. Before he signed anything he was made aware of the monthly payments and the length of the loan. In BOLD LETTERING the cancellation policy is explained in the retail installment. A client can cancel within 3 days to rescind the enrolment of the program. After that the agreement goes into effect as well as the warranty of service as explained above. It is correct that the funds from the credit card were not taken from Mr. Hutson's credit card until after the 3 day cancelation period because some people do change their minds within that time frame and it is easier for the funds to not be captured at all then to have to issue a refund. Mr. Hutson did not call to cancel within those first three days.

We are aware of the progress Mr. Hutson has achieved in working with Thrive since he has started and I know that a representative from Thrive will soon post all that he has done which is above and beyond the 5 to 6 phone calls he claims he received. We are still more than willing to work with Mr. Hutson in helping him recover the cost of his investment. When I spoke with him earlier this month I offered that and he turned it down. I even offered to waive a couple of month's worth of monthly payments from the retail installment and have the coaches at Thrive work with him in a concentrated manner and again he refused. When I tried clearing some of the misunderstandings he had he became angry. The offer still stands for Mr. Hutson that we will work with him for as long as necessary until he is profitable in his business. All he needs to do is call me.

Alex S
Momentum Marketing
Customer Service Manager

Response to Jeremy Hutson's Rip off report

Jeremy Hutson's relationship with Thrive Learning Institute initially began on the 30th of May 2008 when he had a welcome call to initiate him into the program. This call is designed to explain to Mr. Hutson how the training works, to understand where his experience is online, and to give him some initial assignments to start making money online.
The notes for that call are as follows.
Has never had his own business. He works in the oil field right now. He has worked a lot of construction, etc. He wants to put in a few hours each week and pay his bills. He wants to start a band and go on tour and leave his online business to function itself. Has his own eBay account - never sold anything and hasn't used it for like 3 years. He has a PayPal account. He wants to get started on eBay.

assignments:
- look into getting a legal business set up - watch getting started videos
- get his eBay account back up and running
- watch eBay videos
- find a few items around the house to sell on eBay
- look on cheapstingy and Amazon and find some things to sell on eBay
The next contact was on the 30th of May 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
Jeremy jumped on the chat station and had a few questions about getting his business registered, since he would be moving in the next month or so. I told him to set up a PO Box in Texas (where he'll be moving to) so that he would have a physical address to register with.

He also had a few questions about what he could sell on eBay, since he and his girlfriend didn't have anything to spare. I told him about cheapstingybargains.com and how to make a profit on eBay with it that program. He liked it a lot, especially since it wouldn't cost him any money. He also had a question about linking his credit card to his PayPal account. I wasn't sure if he could do that or not, but told him it might be possible. He was confident that it was.

The next call was on June 6th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
I had appt. with him this morning. I talked to a gentleman and he said that Jeremy was still sleeping. I left a message with this man for Jeremy to call me back.

I also sent the following:

Hello Jeremy

I had an appt. with you this morning to follow up with you on our welcome call. I talked to a gentleman and he informed me that you were still asleep. If you could please give us a call back, at 866-334-3672 ext. 2005, we would greatly appreciate to hear how you have been doing with your assignments, etc.

I hope to speak with you soon Jeremy

Brigg

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Consultant, Team 1
Thrive Learning Institute
(866) 334-3672
team1@thriveli.com

The next call was on June 6th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
He was on his way to work. He will get in touch with us Monday. Very happy with the service he is getting.
The next call was on June 6th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
He tried to sell a TV on eBay but didn't check the completed listings - so it didn't sell probably because his price was too high. We didn't talk about completed listings too much last time because he didn't have his login to eBay. He also hasn't set up a business because he is moving to Texas in a month and doesn't think he can transfer his business to Texas.

He tried to sell a TV on eBay but he has no feedback and his price was not competitive. I showed him completed listings and we discovered that you just couldn't really make any money off of this product.

we also looked at dropshipper directories.

assignments:
- keep looking for cheapstingy and Amazon prime
- find some things around the house to sell on eBay
- look for niche markets - dropshipping niche market and product sourcing
The next call was on June 6th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
Purpose of Call/Feedback: had questions about niche
Assignments done : doing research on niche
New Goals: Download Benchmark 1 from elibrary check off the assignments as you have completed them
Approximate Date of next Call: 6/12
The next call was on June 9th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
Purpose of Call/Feedback: got business lic today -
Assignments done : wants to know if he has paid another $3200
New Goals: get touch of dropshipper - wants to do stainless steel too
Approximate Date of next Call: 6/16
The next call was on June 11th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.

Had a bunch of questions and needed help moving forward on the niche/supplier research. Went over everything with him and he is much more comfortable now.
The next contact was with emails from him on June 11th 2008. They read as follows.
This is Jeremy Hutson. I was assigned to Team 1, and have been trying to get a feel for what you guys are trying to guide me through, and so far have been a little leary but have been spending much time (mostly in vain, thanks to my inexperience) working on my assignments. Well, I can't seem to get a hold of anyone on the phone, so I've decided to send you guys an e-mail.

We have a problem involving my credit card. It seems the "soft charge" you used to check my card actually went through as a purchase, so my $4,500 credit card now is overcharged by $4,840. I have tried to get a hold of Cole and Eric, the two people that initiated me into this program, but I have as of yet been unable to reach them via telephone to resolve this issue. This issue needs to be resolved right now. Furthermore, I have not been able to find out where this "loan money" for $3,200 that I was supposed to receive is being directed to, and so far, everyone I've talked to about this doesn't seem to know what I'm talking about. Like I said, this needs to be taken care of immediately. You guys are supposed to be helping me help myself, and I've been doing everything in my power to stay in touch, ask questions I'm not sure about, and spend as much time as possible getting my personal e-biz on its feet. There are too many people out here being screwed for me not to watch my money like a hawk and expect situations like this to be handled quickly and professionally. With that said, I do apologize for any rude or cold attitude I may have sent with this letter, but after spending all day wondering where my money has gone and being unable to contact anyone about it, I'm rather upset. I would appreciate a call tomorrow after 11 a.m. Mountain. Thanks, Jeremy Hutson

My number is (575) 605-5274

I recently sent you guys an e-mail about my credit card information, and I finally got a hold of Cole, and this situation has been resolved. Please disregard my previous e-mail as I i did not understand the terms that Thrive was sending me. I do hope we can continue to have a productive business relationship in the future and I apologize for the forwardness and rudeness of my last e-mail. My money and where it goes is very important to me. I would like to know where all the money I'm putting into this is going when you have a chance to contact me and explain to me what you guys are doing with it. I do have several questions about the drop shippers that you guys will be putting me in contact with. Anyhow, again, sorry for being rude or unprofessional recently. I am confident that, given the chance, I can make you guys a success testimonial out of what we are working with. I just want to know everything I can about the biz, what you guys are doing, etc. because the only real way to be successful for life in anything is to truly understand the nature of what you are doing.
The next call was on June 12th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
Purpose of Call/Feedback: irons / pro skate board - special designs
Assignments done : http://www.freekeyworddiscovery.com/search.html
https://www.google / walked through them with him
New Goals: get details for special designs
Approximate Date of next Call: 6/19
The next call was on June 19th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
called to follow up. was at work. He will call us later when he gets off.
The next call was on June 25th. The notes for that call are as follows.
He called in and had a problem with his tax id and ein. I went over it with him and it seems he has a EIN but no tax id. I told him the proper way to acquire one and made sure he was working on his assignments. he will keep working on them but had to go.
The next call was on July 3rd 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
Called and left message
The next contact was on July 11th 2008. It was by email it reads as follows.
Hi Jeremy,

We are very sorry that we have not been able to get in touch with you recently. We hope that you are doing well and you are still excited about creating your successful online business.
How it's your work coming on the previous assignments given? We would love to hear if you have any questions, comments, concerns or great stories that you would like to share. Please keep
us informed on your progress and work.

When would be a good time for us to contact you? Please let us know your most available time so we can contact you again. You can either call us, respond to this
email or also use the Thrive Learning Live Chat feature that we offer. Any one of those lines of communications would be wonderful.

Again, we hope that you're doing well and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

All the best!
The next call was on July 14th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
He doesn't need an EIN number, since he's in New Mexico. He wanted to call us to let us know that he's still alive. He's been really busy lately.

He's got a niche picked out and has found a dropshipper. He's gotten all the information from them for wholesale prices. He'll be going to work on determining his price points and brainstorming a domain name. He's a little worried that he hasn't gotten that much done since signing on with us, but that's because of how busy he's been.

His dropshipper wants to see a website first, but Jeremy is confident that they're good to work with (he's been conferring with them for the past two weeks). So I told him to start brainstorming ideas for a domain name and to call us back before making his purchase.

Assignments

- determine price points
- brainstorm 3-5 domain names
- call back prior to registering domain
The next contact was on July 17th 2008. It was by live chat and reads as follows.
Anne says:
Jeremy,i 'm sorry we got disconnected
4:25:48 PM
what were some of your ideas?
4:26:24 PM
Jeremy Hutson says:
It's ok. Hang on and I'll run the list by you. I was supposed to get 3 but I got more.
4:27:18 PM
Anne says:
ok
4:27:19 PM
good
4:27:50 PM
Jeremy Hutson says:
By the way it's for a pro skateboard store.
4:28:01 PM
Anne says:
ok
4:28:58 PM
Jeremy Hutson says:
skateboardheaven.com; skateboarderheave.com; super-duper-skate.com; super-skateboards.com; skateboards-etc.com; skateboard-sale.com
4:29:20 PM
skateboarderheaven.com was what the second one was supposed to say.
4:29:22 PM
Anne says:
skateboardheaven is my favorite
4:29:40 PM
Jeremy Hutson says:
I liked it too, tbh.
4:30:08 PM
Anne says:
that is the easiest to spell and remember
4:30:39 PM
Jeremy Hutson says:
Ok, so that would be the best overall?
4:30:50 PM
Anne says:
I think so
4:32:52 PM
Jeremy Hutson says:
Ok, so what? Go back to Godaddy.com (or another domain name provider) and get it registered?
4:33:28 PM
Anne says:
ya I would register it at godaddy
4:37:26 PM
Jeremy Hutson says:
Ok, then. sounds good. I'll get right on that. Here's my situation, though. My dropshipper wants to see my domain site to be double sure that I will be selling skateboards only. It's kind of a term of them providing dropshipping sales for me. Now as I understand it, I will get this, need to link it to my store, and give them the address. With that in mind, will my site be available for them to see, though it doesn't have any products on it?
4:38:42 PM
Anne says:
They can go to your website address and see it once you connect your domain name
4:38:48 PM
but there just won't be anything on it yet as far as products
4:38:51 PM
unless you put them on
4:39:51 PM
Jeremy Hutson says:
Right, well, I can't do that until they allow me access to their site, which will become available after all this is done. So I guess I could put something there to let them know that it's my store.
4:40:21 PM
Anne says:
Ya, connect the domain name and we can even find some images and build the homepage around some product images from Google or something
4:40:23 PM
so it looks good
4:40:26 PM
Ya, connect the domain name and we can even find some images and build the homepage around some product images from Google or something
4:40:23 PM
so it looks good
4:40:33 PM
we can put a moch homepage together
4:41:48 PM
Jeremy Hutson says:
ok, understandable. I'll start grabbing pics once I get the domain registered. Actually, they have pics on their site itself, which I may be able to simply save to my computer so they know it's my site.
4:42:00 PM
Anne says:
I would just do that
The next call was on the 17th of July 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
He called and wanted to know how to link his webpage to his domain. I took him through it quickly and he seemed satisfied.
We emailed him again on the 24th of July 2008. It reads as follows.
Hi Jeremy ,

We have been trying to get in touch with you over the last week. We wanted to check up on your progress and make sure that you don't have any questions for us. If you can please get in touch with us the first chance that you get so we can further help you with your online business. It is important that you take advantage of the time that you have in our program, and proactively contact us when you need help. You can either call us, 1-866-334-3672 ext 2005, respond to this email or also use the Thrive Learning Live Chat feature that we offer in the elibrary. Any one of those lines of communications would be wonderful.

We hope that is all is well and that you can find the time to contact us soon.

All the best!
The next attempt was on August 1st 2008.

Jeremy Hutson-
"VM box is not set up yet" Message
Let ring 8 times on mobile and no answer
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Hi Jeremy,

We have been trying to get in touch with you over the last week. We wanted to check up on your progress and make sure that you don't have any questions for us. If you can please get in touch with us the first chance that you get so we can further help you with your online business. It is important that you take advantage of the time that you have in our program, and pro actively contact us when you need help. You can either call us, 1-866-334-3672 ext 2005, respond to this email or also use the Thrive Learning Live Chat feature that we offer in the elibrary. Any one of those lines of communications would be wonderful.

We hope that is all is well and that you can find the time to contact us soon.

All the best!
Andrew
The next call was on August 8th 2008. The notes for that call are as follows.
his supplier wants to have a card on file with a good limit so that they can start working with him he wants to have the merchant account company call him so he can start setting that up, he is going to start watching the builder videos so he can be used to using it.
We emailed him again on the 20th of August 2008. It reads as follows.
Hi Jeremy,

We are very sorry that we have not been able to get in touch with you recently. We hope that you are doing well and you are still excited about creating your successful online business.
How is your work coming on the previous assignments given? We would love to hear if you have any questions, comments, concerns or great stories that you would like to share. Please keep
us informed on your progress and work.

When would be a good time for us to contact you? Please let us know your most available time so we can contact you again. You can either call us, 1-866-334-3672 ext 2005, respond to this
email or also use the Thrive Learning Live Chat feature that we offer. Any one of those lines of communications would be wonderful.

Again, we hope that you're doing well and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

All the best!

As you can see we have provided Mr. Hutson with ample amount of time and training from our institute. We have worked with him for some time now helping him get his online business started. We teach correct principles, but it is up to the clients to implement them into their own business.

Moreso...

I found out that upon trying to cancel, that I had three days to cancel, though they waited to take that money out well after 3 days so I wouldn't have a chance to call them on their bluff. I spoke with the summit group and they didn't have much to say (expected). I found out recently that everything provided at the Thrive Learning Institute is available on the internet for free. So what exactly was I paying for? 5 or 6 calls (which I made toi them) telling me to get on their site and watch their videos that were unclear as to how to do anything?

And they made promises that there would be programs that would allow them to take over my computer screen and show me everything I need to do as well as others to do various other things to simplify this process of making money and researching niches and product types. I never saw any of this stuff. Exactly what did I pay for? I am contacting the BBB and their local chamber of commerce. I learned that their HQ is in Utah, so I'm gonna try to get my money back. I'm also waiting on my ripoff revenge book to see if it can help me recoup my expenses as well. Wish me luck.