Investors United School Of Real Estate Misleading Consulting Contracts Baltimore Maryland

I signed up with the Investors United School of Real Estate in Baltimore MD,which touted itself on being the first actual school for Real Estate Investing in the country and hailed the moto 'You Earn While You Learn' and after reviewing their website and personally visiting the school from Northern New Jersey.

I met with the CEO and President Charles & Ian Parrish to discuss my expectations in personal mentorship and training. I was told by the CEO Charles Parrish after speaking with him about my personal situation and coming from New Jersey that he would work with me personally and even call his real estate contacts in New Jersey to help me get started.

I then signed up on May.9,2007 with Colleen Parrish (CFO) by putting $2,500 as a down payment and monthly payments of $420 which would begin on June.20,2007 for 36 months for a tuition total of $15,127.21. I felt confident that I would be able to payoff my tuition quickly with my hard work and Charles Parrish working with me personally.

I begin to attend the weekly classes and follow the steps I was told to do ,but when I had questions relating to locating properties via public records.Ex:NJ-Landlord-Tenant Court in Maryland its called Rent Court and they have different procedures to acquiring the name and addresses of property owners which I spoke with Charles Parrish about his response was I didnt know what I was talking about and left it at that.

Also when I tried to send him a Property Data Form to review about a possible purchase he never responded back but had someone else call me back. The problem was I was being told one thing in classes by the instructor and told by (Pres)Ian Parrish something else and then later being told to work specifically with a Scott Miles who is a Resident Instructor. Now I was scheduled to meet with him on 5/16 and 5/23 for a 'FAST START' Orientation which was supposed to cover Locating Property Owners,Filling out the Property Data Form etc..

I met with the instructor on 5/16 but he never showed up on 5/23 to teach that class and the school had someone else show up to teach me Win2Data which is the computer system used for locating property information within the Maryland Area and being that I'm from New Jersey it wasnt relavant to me.

After trying to put some deals together on my own and needing someone to guide me and at least putting in a phone call once a week to see how I'm doing and if I'm having a problem in any area. The above were a few examples of the disconnect I felt with the school overall and I then began to see this school wasnt what I was looking for in terms of being organized and providing you with the one on one personal training I was looking for.

When I met with Colleen Parrish with my written resignation and request for refund of $2500 down payment,she told me that It wasnt school policy to refund the money and that the administrative fee was $2,500 and non-refundable.She then called her son in Ian Parrish who repeated the same thing but said he would be willing to buy back the books I received for $295 and I should be happy with that -'CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT'-I then asked them to show me in the contract where it states an 'ADMINISTRATIVE FEE' being $2500 and being non-refundable,the son (Ian Parrish) responded it didnt have to be in writing.

I told them I just wanted my $2500 refunded so I can go about my business plus my wife just was laid off as myself was already and that we had 2 children and really needed the money.It was to no avail.I was shocked at the hostile attitude I wa met with from Colleen and Ian Parrish.They were totaly unsympathetic to my personal situation. I told them I myself wasnt happy with the servces offered at Investors United but I in no way will say people wouldnt benefit from the school.

Just let this be a word to the wise.Before Signing up with this school ask for in writing the school's success rate and if you are not satisfied what is their refund policy in detail.The lesson learned is 'Everthing that Glitters Aint Gold'

Thank you for investing the time to do your homework about our school - "America's 1st and only brick-and-mortar school for real estate investing."  In doing your research, you will find that IU is celebrating 30 years in business in 2010.  Recently, we were awarded an A+ Rating by the Better Business Bureau - higher than most area universities.  We have also received Citations for good work in the community by the Governor of Maryland and the Mayor of Baltimore.

You can check out some of our many reviews, endorsements, and testimonials here:
http://www.InvestorsUnited.com/Endorsments.shtml

And if you are seriously considering a formal real estate investment education, be sure to take a moment to download our free Consumer Guide entitled "6 Vital Questions to Ask before Investing in a Real Estate Investing Course."  http://www.InvestorsUnited.com/6VitalQuestions.shtml

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My name is Ian Parish and I serve the school as President.  My original 2007 response to the complaint by Mr. Keith Byrd no longer appears on this Web site, so I am posting my response again.

My goal as President is to ensure the success of our school by building a solid foundation of successful students.  I care about the success of every one of my students, so I am deeply disappointed by the situation with Mr. Byrd.  I hope that Mr. Byrd will contact me directly to continue our conversation in a more positive light.

The heart of the matter is that Mr. Byrd applied, was accepted, and enrolled in our school without having first asked permission from his wife, Mrs. Byrd.  After attending classes and using our resources for a period of time, Mr. Byrd was pressured by his spouse to return money he used for tuition, so he invented issues with the school to attempt to obtain a refund.  Mr. Byrd was not entitled to a refund because he did not follow the few simple terms of our written refund policy.

Now to address each of Mr. Byrd's "issues":

The first issue Mr. Byrd brought up was that he contacted our CEO to ask a question about investing, but he received a return call from our Resident Instructor.  Our Resident Instructor is an accomplished, credentialed real estate owner and investor, and his job is to provide professional and timely guidance to Members in need.  Our CEO was taking an appointment when Mr. Byrd called, so rather than making him wait our Resident Instuctor contacted Mr. Byrd to answer his question immediately.

Mr. Byrd also brought up the issue of receiving inconsistent answers to a question.  On separate occasions at his request, Mr. Byrd met with various staff members including me, to ask our opinion of how best to get started as a real estate investor.  Each of us pointed to the menu of prospecting methods that were taught and reviewed in our Orientation, and each of us highlighted our preferred prospecting methods.  Each of us explained to Mr. Byrd that he would have to select and implement one or two of the methods explained.

Another issue, Mr. Byrd asserted that a certain instructor did not show up for the Resource Center Orientation.  His assertion is accurate, but misleading.  That specific instructor was not scheduled to teach that Orientation, however the scheduled instructor arrived on time and conducted the Orientation as planned.

Mr. Byrd also brought up the issue of feeling disconnected and not receiving weekly phone calls from an Investors United instructor.  IU instructors are available seven days a week to take calls and e-mails from Members and even to fund transactions when appropriate; however, never was it promised or indicated that instructors would call each Member on a weekly basis.  Such is an unreasonable expectation for any institution of higher learning.  Also unreasonable was Mr. Byrd’s expectation of immediate assistance when he arrived at the school without an appointment and outside of normal “Mastermind Workshop” hours.

Another issue raised by Mr. Byrd had to do with organization at the school.  Our program is extremely organized.  New Members are guided verbally and in writing to 1) attend orientation, 2) attend classes, and 3) stay in weekly contact with our Resident Instructors for regular, personal coaching.

Mr. Byrd complained about the school’s refund policy as well.  Refunds are offered under the terms of our short, written Guarantee (and in cases of death or incapacity.)  According to the Guarantee, if Members attend the majority of classes, make offers, and meet with our instructors regularly and do not earn at least their tuition, they are entitled to a refund.  Mr. Byrd was not entitled to a refund because he had not completed his courses or made any offers.

When Mr. Byrd approached our CFO, Colleen Parrish, about the refund, Mrs. Parrish explained the situation and encouraged him to follow through with the program, to stay in contact with our instructors, and to make regular offers - sound advice and his best course of action.  Mrs. Parrish also offered Mr. Byrd the alternative of a leave of absence and special tuition accomodations.  In short order, Mr. Byrd became aggressive and verbally abusive.  Mrs. Parrish called me to diffuse the situation.

I offered to release Mr. Byrd from the balance of his financial commitment to the school and I also offered to buy back Mr. Byrd’s used textbooks.  Mr. Byrd indicated that none of our gestures were acceptable, he voiced several vulgarities, and he left the campus.  A few days later, Mr. Byrd informed me of his post on RipoffReport.com and offered to retract his complaint in exchange for a refund.

Mr. Byrd’s inappropriate and threatening behavior to our staff, his failure to honor his agreement with our school, and his attempt at blackmail provide insight into his character.  In spite of his contempt and, frankly, our Admissions oversight, we made a commitment to Mr. Byrd when we accepted his application for enrollment and I will work with him to the best of my ability if his tuition is brought current.

Finally, I wish to note that Mr. Byrd is correct about one point - do your research before applying to our school, learn about our credentials, read our Guarantee, and meet our Members.  There is a good reason why IU has been around 30 years and why we still say, "You will succeed, guaranteed."