Coaching Institute - False Representations And Unethical Practices Paired me up with a coach who was in real estate for only 1 year before quitting and then becoming a coach! Draper Utah

We wish to respond to just a few issues and then move on:

First, yes, Carol did complete her assessment. And yes, we did read it. Never in our contract or our seminars do we promise to place clients with coaches who have more real estate experience than them. Our promise/guarantee is that we can help you use your technology to its fullest extent. This does not require a coach with more real estate experience than you. It requires a coach that is technologically advanced and knowledgeable of the real estate field. It requires a coach who can motivate and teach others to use the tools available to them. That simple.

Secondly, Carol's issues with Promoter Online should be addressed to them. Yes, she signed up through Coaching Institute. However, her contract clearly outlines the terms for products received from third-party vendors. Coaching Institute's contract agrees to supply coaching services. Although, when we became aware of Carol's issues with Promoter Online we happily called them for her.

Third, Carol needs to read her contract. She is correct in stating there are two options for the Top Producer Letter Marketing system. The first option is for clients who do not have the Top Producer system at all the letter marketing system is included when purchased. The second option is just the letter marketing system! However, this option is for clients who ALREADY have Top Producer and just want the Letter Marketing system installed!! It is clearly stated underneath this option that this is pre-installed in Top Producer.

And finally, Coaching Institute freely admits to partnering with Promoter Online and yes, we are on THEIR website. However, Carol was alleging that we provided her information to another company that we supposedly partner with, Real Estate Promoter. As stated before, Coaching Institute has not and does not partner with Real Estate Promoter. Our company information and logo is on their website, however, they placed it there without the permission of Coaching Institute and we have been working diligently to have it removed. In fact, we were told that it would be removed today. We do not and have not partnered with Real Estate Promoter. End of story.

And again, Carol is correct. One of the best parts of our company is our guarantee. How many companies do you know that give you an open-ended guarantee? Not too many. Take a car guarantee or warranty it runs out after a certain amount of time and/or mileage. How about your home or auto insurance? Submit a couple of claims and your monthly rate increases significantly. We offer the same guarantee, for the same price, for as long as it takes for you to succeed. Now that's what I call service!

So I see that the Coaching Institute has responded to my complaint.

Without rehashing every detail, I'd like to address a few points made in their rebuttal.

First, I filled out a 16 page assessement that was required by the Coaching Institute. The purpose of this assessment is to determine my goals and find out about my present experience. I spent at least 2 hours filling out that assessment -- and they are now claiming there wasnt enough information on that assessment to pair me up with a coach? Perhaps if they had read the assessment (that they designed) in the first place they would have read one simple sentence which indicated that I have been in real estate since 2004. I explained how much money I had earned and went into extreme detail about my goals! -- And still I was paired up with a coach that had LESS real estate experience than me!!! (Incidentally, the coach was supposed to go over the assessement with me and never did.)

Secondly, their response to my assertion that I was never provided with a website is that in short, it was my decision not to move forward with the website. Wrong! Coaching Institute has associated itself iwith a company that does not follow up! A company that contacted me to obtain my credit card info and never called me again. Given CI's inability to deliver on OTHER promises, this was but ONE disappointment amongst many. It wasnt until I cited this as one of the reasons for demanding a refund that CI contacted the website company to try to repair the damage. At that point, I DID choose not to move forward with the website.. but againt that was because of the other screw ups on CI's part. I didnt wish to waste any more of my time. I just wanted my money back.

Thirdly, CI claims that the software which I never received is an item that is available only to those who use a specific program called Top Producer and that its only because I dont have Top Producer that they havent sent me the software. They also claim that this fact is stated on the contract. Well, that's also a misrepresentation. The contract offers two options: One is to purchase Top Producer with the letter marketing software pre-installed and the other is to simply purchase the lettter marketing software. I selected the latter option based on representations made by CI's sales rep whom I told I did not have Top Producer and I did not wish to purchase it. I only wanted the letter marketing system.. the contract does NOT specificaly state that the Top Producer program is REQUIRED to run the software, it only says that its available for purchase together (Preinstalled) -- and separately. Whoeer wrote the contract doesnt have a very clear grasp of the English language.

Lastly, CI claims that they did not provide my info to a third party. Well, in the course of correspondence between CI and myself, they have also stated that they have no relationship with this "third party". Funny thing is that if you visit this "third party's" website, you will see the Coaching Institute listed as one of their partners. As for the 'email' that I received from that third party.. I havent provided it to CI because I've saving it for my formal court complaint. They'll have ample opportunity to review it during discovery.

But the best part of this company is this: Their "Guarantee"! You see they guarantee to keep working with you until you reach your goals (so long as your goal isnt to cancel). So what this really means to the consumer is that no matter how incompetent they are, or how many times they fail -- if they pair you up with a coach that isnt helpful to you, they'll keep pairing you up with another one, and another one, and another one. Nevermind its a waste of your time and you've already come to the conclusion that this is a scam, they wont stop wasting your time until YOU get tired of working with them. Then they can say it was your decision to walk away (and their decision to keep your thousands of dollars).

Incidentally, I had two 1/2 hour coaching sessions before realizing this was a joke -- and even though they didnt send me the software (which I paid for) and I've only used up 1 hour of their "coaching time" -- while the contract provides for a year's worth of coaching, they have refused to give me ANY money back . Does that sound fair? Well that's what $3,800 got me!

Stay away from this company!!!! Dont let this happen to you too -- because remember you wont know what kind of coaching you'll get until you actually get your coach.. and by then, its too late to ask for a refund if you're dissatisfied. I WIILL NEVER AGAIN PAY IN ADVANCE FOR SOMETHING WITHOUT AN ASSURANCE THAT I CAN GET A REFUND IF IT DOESNT MEASURE UP TO MY EXPECTATIONS.

Coaching Institute has made every effort to accommodate Carol according to the provisions she agreed to in the Business-to-Business Agreement she signed. Carol's concerns indicate that Coaching Institute failed to live up to our side of the contract. We refute these statements with the following facts:

Coaching Institute employs professional coaches from all walks of life. All of our coaches are extremely knowledgeable in various areas and have years of real world experiences behind them. As she stated, our website proudly boasts that our coaches have an average of 20 years experience. We have not misrepresented this information whatsoever. Clients in our program are required to submit an assessment of their personal and business goals. Coach assignment is based on the information clients divulge in these assessments. The more in-depth the assessment is, the better match the coach will be. Our goal is to keep the client with the initial coach throughout their entire program. However, after a session or two, the coach or the client can request that a different coach be assigned based on the information gathered from the sessions. In Carol's case, this was the exact scenario. Her assessment did not contain enough information to absolutely match her with the correct coach from the beginning. Coaching Institute made a good faith effort to place Carol with a more seasoned coach, however, Carol chose to use this as an excuse to try and withdraw from her program.

Carol's next allegation is that Coaching Institute failed to provide her with her Letter Marketing System. On the face of the contract she signed, Carol placed an x in the box next to the Letter Marketing System over 600 campaign & follow up letters. The Letter Marketing System is pre-installed in Top Producer 7i; this is stated on the face of the contract. Top Producer 7i, is a Technology Marketing and Contact Management software program. However, as Carol does not have an active Top Producer account, we were not able to import the letter marketing system. This is something beyond the control of Coaching Institute and a personal choice made by Carol. She states that our representatives never pointed out that she needed to have Top Producer in order to run the letter marketing system again this is clearly stated on the face of the contract and Coaching Institute representatives urge all clients to read and understand their contract BEFORE signing. If Carol neglected to familiarize herself with all terms and conditions on her contract, we fail to see how this is a deficiency of Coaching Institute. As a real estate professional Carol should be well versed in contractual dealings.

Next, on the face of the contract Carol signed, she placed an x in the box next to the Promoter Online Lead Generation System. Promoter Online is a third-party business that offers Coaching Institute clients special pricing and a trial offer for those interested. We provide contact information only for those clients who expressly voice an interest in their products. Carol did so in writing, on her contract. She was provided the opportunity to utilize Promoter Online's website services as part of her One Touch Marketing Total Business Building Package. She would have thirty days to determine if it would work for her business and to assess the value of Promoter Online's guarantee that she would see a $25,000 return for her annual investment of less than $3,000. During that time, Promoter Online pays search engines to optimize the placement of her website thereby driving visitors to her homepage. If Carol decided not to use Promoter Online's services, she is not required to keep this service to participate in her Total Business Building Package. Coaching Institute fulfilled its contractual obligation to Carol by providing Promoter Online with her contact information. If Promoter Online failed to re-contact Carol after her initial conversation with them, we fail to see how this is our responsibility. However, in the interest of providing exceptional customer service, when Carol contacted Coaching Institute regarding this situation, Coaching Institute contacted Promoter Online on her behalf and requested that they contact her.

As to her next complaint that Coaching Institute provided her information to Real Estate Promoter instead of Promoter Online, we adamantly refute this claim. Coaching Institute has not, and will not, provide a clients information to any vendor without the clients' explicit permission. Carol states that she has an email from Real Estate Promoter corroborating this claim. In previous conversations with Carol, Coaching Institute has requested a copy of this email and we will address this situation immediately. To date Carol has not provided us with this information so we can only assume that this statement is only another action to try and circumvent her contractual obligations. Carol also states that Coaching Institute's response to her indicated that we have no connection with this other company, Promoter Online. And that if you visit the Promoter Online website, Coaching Institute is listed as one of their partners. We believe Carol has confused the lines between Promoter Online and Real Estate Promoter. Coaching Institute partners with several companies, including Promoter Online (whom we continue to work with) to offer our clients the most value for their money. The companies do not have any affiliation with each other; all of these relationships are strictly business related.

As to her statements regarding the complaints filed with the Better Bureau Business of Utah. This is correct. We have had about 70 complaints filed against us. Considering the fact that we also have thousands of clients and thousands of testimonials ascribing to significant life changes through our program, we consider this a pretty good record. You can probably research just about any company that has been in business for any length of time, and services clients, and find a complaint about them somewhere with someone.

Bottom line, Coaching Institute offers a written guarantee to each and every one of our clients stating that we will continue to work with you until you succeed, provided you do your part as well. We stand behind our guarantee 100%. However, in order for our program to be effective it must also be completed. Carol has not completed her program and continues to thwart our efforts to assist her. Coaching Institute has a 94% success rate this alone speaks for itself.

Our philosophy is that failure is not an option.