Complaint Review: John Beck's Amazing Profits Free & Clear Real Estate - Provo Utah
- John Beck's Amazing Profits Free & Clear Real Estate 406 W 5050 N Provo, Utah U.S.A.
- Phone: 800-266-5664
- Web:
- Category: TV Advertisements
John Beck's Amazing Profits Free & Clear Real Estate RIPOFF SCAM LIES BEWARE Provo Utah
*UPDATE Rip-off Report Investigation: John Beck Pledges To Resolve Complaints. - commitment to 100% customer satisfaction - Consumers can feel confident & secure when doing business with John Beck.
*Consumer Comment: Thanx for your posting
*Consumer Comment: Thanx for your posting
*Consumer Comment: Thanx for your posting
*Consumer Suggestion: Why All The Hidden Disclosures? What's Up With All The Fine Print? What Are These Inbreeds Hiding?
*Consumer Suggestion: Consider This ...
*Consumer Suggestion: John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial
*Consumer Suggestion: John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial
*Consumer Suggestion: John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial
*Consumer Suggestion: John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial
*Consumer Suggestion: Apologies To Tim.
*Consumer Comment: My non-conclusions
*Consumer Suggestion: John Beck's Band Of Crooks.
*Consumer Suggestion: FTC Contact Information.
*Consumer Suggestion: a non existent debt in regard to the credit card company but unless the merchant authorized the credit
*Consumer Suggestion: Fraudulent and desperate businesses like John beck's, often "fish" for alternative means of compensation, in hopes to catch consumers on some kind of loophole in the law
*Consumer Suggestion: Misinformation has once again been provided
*Consumer Suggestion: Information Regarding The John Beck Scam.
*Consumer Comment: i also have been scammed they charged my credit card $3,700.00 and the instructor did not even know my area.
*Consumer Suggestion: Sheesh! This is my point...and I do have one... I am not a shill for John Beck
*Consumer Suggestion: General FTC Information.
*Consumer Suggestion: Expertise In Frivilous Litigation.
*Consumer Comment: I'm a shill? not my fault that the legal system does not protect people who are scammed by the likes of JB
*Consumer Suggestion: Hi Mike Evans! ..that's what happens, when a tag team of shills come forward in attempt to "discourage" and "intimidate" victims from taking action.
*Consumer Suggestion: Mediation And Arbitration.
*Consumer Suggestion: John Becks program is fraudulent period!
*Consumer Suggestion: John Becks program is fraudulent period!
*Consumer Comment: Breach of Contract
*Consumer Comment: Breach of Contract
*Consumer Comment: Breach of Contract
*Consumer Comment: Breach of Contract
*Consumer Suggestion: a gross error to assume anything
*Consumer Suggestion: Tid Bits Regarding Mentoring Scams. Shill puppets are not ideal candidates
*Consumer Suggestion: Each and every one of you have raised some really valid points, but I would have to disagree with some of them
*Consumer Suggestion: Fair Credit Billing. lingering myths and misconceptions..
*Consumer Comment: even more about ...Credit Card Disputes
*Consumer Comment: Joan's rebuttal was exactly correct, please don't ignore it!
*Consumer Suggestion: Congratulations Mark, For Not Falling Victim To This Scam!
*Consumer Suggestion: Congratulations Mark, For Not Falling Victim To This Scam!
*Consumer Suggestion: Congratulations Mark, For Not Falling Victim To This Scam!
*Consumer Suggestion: Congratulations Mark, For Not Falling Victim To This Scam!
*Consumer Suggestion: Document everything in writing
*Consumer Suggestion: Document everything in writing
*Consumer Suggestion: Document everything in writing
*Consumer Suggestion: Document everything in writing
*Consumer Comment: Thanks Rip-off report!
*Consumer Comment: Good job Rick and Tracy!!
*Consumer Suggestion: John Beck, Just One More Of Utah's Infamous Crap!
*Consumer Suggestion: Warning: John Beck's Programs Are Fraudulent!
*Consumer Suggestion: Ulterior Motive?
*Consumer Suggestion: disputes are won for a variety of different reasons. Fraud with most credit card disputes, do not cover fraudulent activities by fraudulent businesses, but rather only fraudulent transactions
*Consumer Comment: Update to all... assemble all the proof you have of this compnay not keeping their promise to you for the money you had paid them..
*Consumer Comment: Info about Credit Card Disputes
*Consumer Suggestion: Warning: John Beck "Mentoring" Is A Total Scam!
*Consumer Suggestion: Class Action Anyone? Mentoring sounds good in theory, thus makes for a good con, comparable to that of fortune telling, faith healing and envelope stuffing.
*Author of original report: Head is Spinning Trying to Find the Parent Company to this FRAUD
*Consumer Comment: Different Names, Same Corrupt Co. practices
*Consumer Suggestion: BE SMART WITH YOUR MONEY .. all the books must of been written in a code, cus it all made no sense to me.
*Consumer Suggestion: Definitely A Fraudulent Collection Agency!
*Consumer Suggestion: Definitely A Fraudulent Collection Agency!
*Consumer Suggestion: Just Another Desperate Menuever By A Fraudulent Business.
*Consumer Suggestion: BBB Membeships Prove Absolutely Nothing About A Company!!
*Consumer Suggestion: Collect This!! (Exposing My Weenie) John Beck's Free and Clear Program is definitely not legitimate. not many legitimate work at home opportunities available
*Author of original report: John Beck Turning Us Over to a Collection Agency - Is there no end to this?
*Consumer Comment: Nice to know we're not alone
*Consumer Suggestion: Mike Evan's! Where are you?
*Author of original report: We Won and You Can Too! Thank You American Express!
*Consumer Suggestion: Where Are You Mike Evans?
*Consumer Suggestion: I feel your pain. definitely without a doubt fraudulent and nothing but a scam
*Consumer Suggestion: Fraud Alert!! Fraud Alert!! Fraud Alert!! FraudAlert!! Fraud Alert!!
*Consumer Suggestion: Getting More & More Desparate Aren't We? Yeeeah!!!
*Consumer Suggestion: Getting More & More Desparate Aren't We? Yeeeah!!!
*Consumer Suggestion: Getting More & More Desparate Aren't We? Yeeeah!!!
*Consumer Comment: MY HEAVENS!
*Consumer Comment: MY HEAVENS!
*Consumer Comment: MY HEAVENS!
*Consumer Suggestion: Tracy- you should read this! American Express refunded money after finding that JOhn Beck's program was a scam.
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Hello All,
We've (Rick and Tracy)have been screwed by the John Beck Mentoring Program - Maybe if enough of us get together, we can get them - We sent the following to the BBB of Utah with less than desired results.
The purpose of this letter is to warn consumers of the following advertising SCAM:
Purchased the John Beck's Free and Clear Real Estate Program advertised on television. The advertisement guarantees that anyone can buy real estate for Pennies on the Dollar. Received the package, which was mostly a compilation of Real Estate websites (foreclosures, etc.). All information easily obtained on the Internet.
We were contacted by their mentoring institution (Mentoring of America, LLC) and told that if we signed up for their mentoring service we could learn even more about purchasing real estate, expedite the money making process and get assistance with setting up our own business.
My husband and I signed up for their mentoring service on 02/14/04 at a total cost of $3000 with the promise of 100% ROI of our initial investment within six months.
We agreed to 21 mentoring sessions with Matt Thomas. Seven sessions were to be instigated by Matt and the other 14 were to be instigated by us. We agreed to a weekly day and time for Matt to contact us. We received four mentoring sessions and then did not hear anything from Matt or the mentoring institution.
Attempted to contact our mentor on 04/15 & 04/20 with no response
Attempted to contact the mentoring institution @ (johnbeckmentoring@yahoo.com) with no response
Submitted a formal complaint on 04/28, 05/04 and 05/10 with no response
Was contacted on May 17th by Dave Johnson who passed us on to a manager
John Cluff (Manager) contacted us (he had never heard of Matt Thomas). We explained that we were dissatisfied with their service due to lack of response on their part and the quality of information they had provided regarding purchasing properties. Mr. Cluff convinced us that we would receive all of our mentoring sessions plus additional free sessions due to our issues with the first mentor. He also told us that this new mentor was very familiar with our area in the Pacific Northwest and guaranteed our satisfaction.
The new mentor (Barry Henline) called once. Mr. Henline told us he called for our second appointment. This is a lie. We were home at the scheduled time and we have voice mail and an answering machine.
Contacted John Cluff on 06/11/04 who feigned ignorance and told me he would call me back in 20 minutes. I never heard from him again
Sent a final complaint on 06/15/04 requesting a refund due to a second breach of contract on the part of the mentoring institution.
Registered a complaint with the Utah Better Business Bureau, complaint number 22004063.
We have been denied a refund. Mentoring of America, LLC state our facts are invalid and unsubstantiated and that we agreed all sales are final. They also provide information about the shipment and delivery of their product materials. We do not dispute the receipt of their worthless materials. They are obviously attempting to deflect from the real issue, which is that we purchased a service that has not been delivered. We are prepared to go to litigation in an attempt to recover our money. My husband and I were duped and we're sure that there are others out there like us. We don't want to see this happen to anyone else.
Tracy & Rick
Tracy
Lake Oswego, Oregon
U.S.A.
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This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 07/30/2004 11:17 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/john-becks-amazing-profits-free-clear-real-estate/provo-utah-84604/john-becks-amazing-profits-free-clear-real-estate-ripoff-scam-lies-beware-provo-utahup-101369. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content
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#76 Consumer Comment
Thanx for your posting
AUTHOR: Marcy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, March 12, 2006
I was watching John Becks infomertal and it seemed to me that this information he is trying to sell would be considered public record. So I decided to run an online search to see just exactly he was selling and if I could get the same information for free. Then I came across your ripoff report.
Truthfully it's not much of a suprise to me that the information he is selling is just a listing anyone could get from the government. I am glad to know though that his "support" was also a scam as I might have bought into it with the desire to have someone who claims to know what they are doing help me get started.
Thanks again and good luck!
#75 Consumer Comment
Thanx for your posting
AUTHOR: Marcy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, March 12, 2006
I was watching John Becks infomertal and it seemed to me that this information he is trying to sell would be considered public record. So I decided to run an online search to see just exactly he was selling and if I could get the same information for free. Then I came across your ripoff report.
Truthfully it's not much of a suprise to me that the information he is selling is just a listing anyone could get from the government. I am glad to know though that his "support" was also a scam as I might have bought into it with the desire to have someone who claims to know what they are doing help me get started.
Thanks again and good luck!
#74 Consumer Comment
Thanx for your posting
AUTHOR: Marcy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, March 12, 2006
I was watching John Becks infomertal and it seemed to me that this information he is trying to sell would be considered public record. So I decided to run an online search to see just exactly he was selling and if I could get the same information for free. Then I came across your ripoff report.
Truthfully it's not much of a suprise to me that the information he is selling is just a listing anyone could get from the government. I am glad to know though that his "support" was also a scam as I might have bought into it with the desire to have someone who claims to know what they are doing help me get started.
Thanks again and good luck!
#73 Consumer Suggestion
Why All The Hidden Disclosures? What's Up With All The Fine Print? What Are These Inbreeds Hiding?
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, January 08, 2006
Hey there V,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Suing the networks that air fraudulent Infomercials would be rather difficult, because they implement hidden disclosures that protect them from any liability.
Some of these hidden disclosures are, but are not limited to, "the preceeding program has been a paid advertisement", "results are not typical and may vary", "we do not endorse", "does not relect the views", etc, etc.
Any and all businesses that find it necessary to conceal such information in fine and blurry print are scams and it's not just a matter of my opinion.
It would not cost a business more to make such disclosures legible and to print and display such information the same size as any and all unsubstantiated earning claims.
A very painful lesson for all that have gotten scammed by John Beck.
Until next time take care V cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#72 Consumer Suggestion
Consider This ...
AUTHOR: V - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, January 07, 2006
With all the talk about lawsuits flying, has anyone ever thought of not only suing John Beck personally and his company, but also the network stations that are allowing his infomercial, and the "actors" in the infomercial?? It seems to me that any litigation filed with the networks would at least suspend his nefarious activities until it is worked out in a court of law. Just a suggestion ....
#71 Consumer Suggestion
John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, November 05, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
WARNING: Ignore any and all rebuttals in favor of John Beck's Mentoring Institute, Mentoring of America, or whatever else these bands of imbreeds are currently refering to themselves as.
John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial, and continuing on by a team of crooks, that attempt to peddle bogus "mentoring" from boiler rooms across the U.S.
My horrendous experience with this scam company is definitely not just a matter of my word (experience), vs. their word (excuses and attempt to convince many other would be victims, that their "mentoring" truly does exist.)
The John Beck Mentoring Institute truly is fraudlent. They may continue to send shills on their behalf as long as they wish.
They may also continue to ignore me in hopes, that I someday just go away, but shilling and nonsense rebuttals, that disprove absolutely nothing about the many complaints against them, only helps reinforce the many reports against them.
There's nothing Real about John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring", except false sense of learning, what they so fraudulent misled one to believe, they would learn about Real Estate.
What one receives for his or her investment, which just so happens to cost what his or her "available credit" happens to be.
1. A bunch of bull$h!t software, that could be worth no more than $5.00 or so each. $15.00 total.
2. The "mentoring" is nothing but a joke, but hey, it's a scam remember?
Your "coach" will phone you haphazardly, in attempt to "convince" you, that the program is real, just long enough until your rights to dispute the fraudulent service expires.
The information you'd receive, in the event you fell victim to their scam, could very easily be sumed up in a half page manual.
3. Their "3 day right to cancel", is a huge crock and just another part of their elaborate scheme. Once they've conived you into their web of deceit, you will immediately find out thereafter, just how difficult to near impossible it is to get a hold of their customer service within the "3 day right to cancel".
4. Their recorded conversation is just a trap! A deceptive means to fool would be victims into believing, that their company must be legit for recoring ones agreement.
This recorded agreement is kept by John Beck's fraudulent company to later be held against someone, even if in fact, someone never disagrees
to enrolling.
5. When someone finally realizes, that they've been duped by this fraudulent company, they will also find out just how difficult it is to get a hold of their "coach" or someone in customer service. Thought it was difficult in the begging?
The absolute worst run around one will ever encounter in his or her lifetime. But hey, it's a scam remember?
6. Here's the fun part. Getting refunded. By the time a victim realizes, that they've been taken, they'll already have been near beaten by this fraudulent company, because fraudulent companies like John Beck's are set up in such a way, that they have everything set up to their advantage.
At least long enough to where they would still have made humongonoid profits, if and when they're eventually shut down by the FTC.
There's a lot more details regarding this scam, but unfortunately I am running out of time here.
Until next time, which you know means very soon, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. $9.8 million!
P.S.S. Class action lawsuit anyone?
#70 Consumer Suggestion
John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, November 05, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
WARNING: Ignore any and all rebuttals in favor of John Beck's Mentoring Institute, Mentoring of America, or whatever else these bands of imbreeds are currently refering to themselves as.
John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial, and continuing on by a team of crooks, that attempt to peddle bogus "mentoring" from boiler rooms across the U.S.
My horrendous experience with this scam company is definitely not just a matter of my word (experience), vs. their word (excuses and attempt to convince many other would be victims, that their "mentoring" truly does exist.)
The John Beck Mentoring Institute truly is fraudlent. They may continue to send shills on their behalf as long as they wish.
They may also continue to ignore me in hopes, that I someday just go away, but shilling and nonsense rebuttals, that disprove absolutely nothing about the many complaints against them, only helps reinforce the many reports against them.
There's nothing Real about John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring", except false sense of learning, what they so fraudulent misled one to believe, they would learn about Real Estate.
What one receives for his or her investment, which just so happens to cost what his or her "available credit" happens to be.
1. A bunch of bull$h!t software, that could be worth no more than $5.00 or so each. $15.00 total.
2. The "mentoring" is nothing but a joke, but hey, it's a scam remember?
Your "coach" will phone you haphazardly, in attempt to "convince" you, that the program is real, just long enough until your rights to dispute the fraudulent service expires.
The information you'd receive, in the event you fell victim to their scam, could very easily be sumed up in a half page manual.
3. Their "3 day right to cancel", is a huge crock and just another part of their elaborate scheme. Once they've conived you into their web of deceit, you will immediately find out thereafter, just how difficult to near impossible it is to get a hold of their customer service within the "3 day right to cancel".
4. Their recorded conversation is just a trap! A deceptive means to fool would be victims into believing, that their company must be legit for recoring ones agreement.
This recorded agreement is kept by John Beck's fraudulent company to later be held against someone, even if in fact, someone never disagrees
to enrolling.
5. When someone finally realizes, that they've been duped by this fraudulent company, they will also find out just how difficult it is to get a hold of their "coach" or someone in customer service. Thought it was difficult in the begging?
The absolute worst run around one will ever encounter in his or her lifetime. But hey, it's a scam remember?
6. Here's the fun part. Getting refunded. By the time a victim realizes, that they've been taken, they'll already have been near beaten by this fraudulent company, because fraudulent companies like John Beck's are set up in such a way, that they have everything set up to their advantage.
At least long enough to where they would still have made humongonoid profits, if and when they're eventually shut down by the FTC.
There's a lot more details regarding this scam, but unfortunately I am running out of time here.
Until next time, which you know means very soon, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. $9.8 million!
P.S.S. Class action lawsuit anyone?
#69 Consumer Suggestion
John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, November 05, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
WARNING: Ignore any and all rebuttals in favor of John Beck's Mentoring Institute, Mentoring of America, or whatever else these bands of imbreeds are currently refering to themselves as.
John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial, and continuing on by a team of crooks, that attempt to peddle bogus "mentoring" from boiler rooms across the U.S.
My horrendous experience with this scam company is definitely not just a matter of my word (experience), vs. their word (excuses and attempt to convince many other would be victims, that their "mentoring" truly does exist.)
The John Beck Mentoring Institute truly is fraudlent. They may continue to send shills on their behalf as long as they wish.
They may also continue to ignore me in hopes, that I someday just go away, but shilling and nonsense rebuttals, that disprove absolutely nothing about the many complaints against them, only helps reinforce the many reports against them.
There's nothing Real about John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring", except false sense of learning, what they so fraudulent misled one to believe, they would learn about Real Estate.
What one receives for his or her investment, which just so happens to cost what his or her "available credit" happens to be.
1. A bunch of bull$h!t software, that could be worth no more than $5.00 or so each. $15.00 total.
2. The "mentoring" is nothing but a joke, but hey, it's a scam remember?
Your "coach" will phone you haphazardly, in attempt to "convince" you, that the program is real, just long enough until your rights to dispute the fraudulent service expires.
The information you'd receive, in the event you fell victim to their scam, could very easily be sumed up in a half page manual.
3. Their "3 day right to cancel", is a huge crock and just another part of their elaborate scheme. Once they've conived you into their web of deceit, you will immediately find out thereafter, just how difficult to near impossible it is to get a hold of their customer service within the "3 day right to cancel".
4. Their recorded conversation is just a trap! A deceptive means to fool would be victims into believing, that their company must be legit for recoring ones agreement.
This recorded agreement is kept by John Beck's fraudulent company to later be held against someone, even if in fact, someone never disagrees
to enrolling.
5. When someone finally realizes, that they've been duped by this fraudulent company, they will also find out just how difficult it is to get a hold of their "coach" or someone in customer service. Thought it was difficult in the begging?
The absolute worst run around one will ever encounter in his or her lifetime. But hey, it's a scam remember?
6. Here's the fun part. Getting refunded. By the time a victim realizes, that they've been taken, they'll already have been near beaten by this fraudulent company, because fraudulent companies like John Beck's are set up in such a way, that they have everything set up to their advantage.
At least long enough to where they would still have made humongonoid profits, if and when they're eventually shut down by the FTC.
There's a lot more details regarding this scam, but unfortunately I am running out of time here.
Until next time, which you know means very soon, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. $9.8 million!
P.S.S. Class action lawsuit anyone?
#68 Consumer Suggestion
John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, November 05, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
WARNING: Ignore any and all rebuttals in favor of John Beck's Mentoring Institute, Mentoring of America, or whatever else these bands of imbreeds are currently refering to themselves as.
John Beck's entire program is fraudulent from beginning to end, beginning from his fraudulent Free and Clear infomercial, and continuing on by a team of crooks, that attempt to peddle bogus "mentoring" from boiler rooms across the U.S.
My horrendous experience with this scam company is definitely not just a matter of my word (experience), vs. their word (excuses and attempt to convince many other would be victims, that their "mentoring" truly does exist.)
The John Beck Mentoring Institute truly is fraudlent. They may continue to send shills on their behalf as long as they wish.
They may also continue to ignore me in hopes, that I someday just go away, but shilling and nonsense rebuttals, that disprove absolutely nothing about the many complaints against them, only helps reinforce the many reports against them.
There's nothing Real about John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring", except false sense of learning, what they so fraudulent misled one to believe, they would learn about Real Estate.
What one receives for his or her investment, which just so happens to cost what his or her "available credit" happens to be.
1. A bunch of bull$h!t software, that could be worth no more than $5.00 or so each. $15.00 total.
2. The "mentoring" is nothing but a joke, but hey, it's a scam remember?
Your "coach" will phone you haphazardly, in attempt to "convince" you, that the program is real, just long enough until your rights to dispute the fraudulent service expires.
The information you'd receive, in the event you fell victim to their scam, could very easily be sumed up in a half page manual.
3. Their "3 day right to cancel", is a huge crock and just another part of their elaborate scheme. Once they've conived you into their web of deceit, you will immediately find out thereafter, just how difficult to near impossible it is to get a hold of their customer service within the "3 day right to cancel".
4. Their recorded conversation is just a trap! A deceptive means to fool would be victims into believing, that their company must be legit for recoring ones agreement.
This recorded agreement is kept by John Beck's fraudulent company to later be held against someone, even if in fact, someone never disagrees
to enrolling.
5. When someone finally realizes, that they've been duped by this fraudulent company, they will also find out just how difficult it is to get a hold of their "coach" or someone in customer service. Thought it was difficult in the begging?
The absolute worst run around one will ever encounter in his or her lifetime. But hey, it's a scam remember?
6. Here's the fun part. Getting refunded. By the time a victim realizes, that they've been taken, they'll already have been near beaten by this fraudulent company, because fraudulent companies like John Beck's are set up in such a way, that they have everything set up to their advantage.
At least long enough to where they would still have made humongonoid profits, if and when they're eventually shut down by the FTC.
There's a lot more details regarding this scam, but unfortunately I am running out of time here.
Until next time, which you know means very soon, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. $9.8 million!
P.S.S. Class action lawsuit anyone?
#67 Consumer Suggestion
Apologies To Tim.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, November 05, 2004
Hey there Tim along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Tim dog, I apologize for ever doubting your sincerity in what seemed to be a battle for the truth. You seem like a very perseverent person and sincere in helping others.
My information like yours, had been gathered from a variety of different sources. I am not a lawyer however, and do not play one on TV. LOL. In no way should any of my postings ever be taken as legal advice.
I would never suggest, nor recommend someone do what I myself was not willing to do. Thank you very much for your continued efforts in this campaign.
Until next time, take care Tim along with Everyone else cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless. Keep in touch.
#66 Consumer Comment
My non-conclusions
AUTHOR: Tim - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, November 04, 2004
Reid, aloha from Indiana...
I have spent a great deal of time researching this issue. Probably too much time, as other obligations have gone unattended. I have searched high and low to find REAL legal authority that would either support my position or yours. My goal was to figure out what the law actually is, so that we sould settle this based o real law, not what you or I think the law is or should be.
I have scoured a 600,000 volume law library. I have searched comprehensive websites that contain virtually every federal and state appellate case, as well as all federal and state statutes. I have conferred with people who teach this stuff for a living. My results? Nothing. Absolutely nothing either way.
What does this mean? Most likely, it means that this problem is so simple that it is "below the radar" of the reported cases, academic knowledge, and even the codified law. The question of WHY it is so simple is not a simple question to answer. Here are a couple of possibilities:
1) My theory: by successfully pursuing a credit card refund based on the quality of the product the consumer "frustrated" JB's ability to collect the money owed. JB was under no obligation to defend themselves to AmEx when the dispute related to quality and not a billing error. As such, JB was free to acquiesce to the refund without surrendering his right to payment under the underlying contract. Therefore, JB is free to pursue collections and litigation without falling under your characterization of "frivolous." A frivolous lawsuit is one that is conducted purely to harrass the defendant; either there is no real chance of winning, or the payoff on victory is so small that the lawsuit is obviously designed for annoyance.
I would assume that this would be treated the same way as a stopped check. The merchant can't get payment via that particular check, but he is entitled to payment nonetheless.
The info you received from the FTC is not necessarily reliable for a host of reasons. They may have assumed that the problem was a billing error, which would place this under the gambit of the FCBA (a dispute as to the quality of the product is not covered by the FCBA). Also, the character of the law is not such that a fairly complicated legal question can be answered by a simple call to a toll free number. The law is vastly complex, and there could be authority that runs absolutely counter to the FTC advice.
Disputes as to the completion of terms of a contract, under our system, simply cannot be resolved by a third party intermediary. To allow such a regime would run counter to the freedom of contract embodied in the Constitution itself. Such disputes can only find ultimate resolution in a court of law.
2) Your theory (or at least my version of it): By acquiescing to a refund via the credit card, JB forfeited his right to payment under the contract. If he did not want to give such a refund, he was free to dispute it, even if it ultimately ended up in a courtroom. By not disputing it, and by giving the refund, the contract was rescinded and the consumer owes nothing. Any ensuing collection activity or litigation is frivolous because JB has already said that he is not entitled to the money.
Both theories make sense, and I would imagine that if this argument played itself out in a motion to dismiss, these are the exact arguments that the lawyers for each side would make. How a judge would decide on it is beyond me. But I am by no means prepared to concede to your theory absent some real authority that tells me it si correct. Without such authority, I revert to my understanding of basic contract principles, which would say that my theory is correct.
Either way, my initial advice, the crux of my first rebuttal, is unaffected. Regardless of whether you or I are correct, our reporters must not ignore this situation simply because they think it is already resolved. Here is the danger in that: if the consumer is served with a notice of a lawsuit and ignores it he/she will ultimately lose this disupute, regardless of whether the law is in his/her favor. When you don't show up to defend yourself against legal action a default judgment will be entered against you, regardless of whether you would have won had you ahown up. Legal defenses must be raised by the defendant. In the defendant's absence the judge will ONLY go by what the plaintiff says, and will render judgment in favor of the plaintiff; the judge will not look to whether the plaintiff actually has a case, he will simply enter a judgment based solely on the plaintiff's argument. This is how our system works. The judge will not defend you in your absence. The system assumes that if you don't defend yourself, then you don't have a defense. Furthermore, default judgments cannot be appealed (except for on technical grounds like lack of jurisdiction) because there was no error in the process.
So then, this argument about what the law says is largely academic at this point. Hopefully, however, it has provided our reporters with some valuable info as to how to clear this mess up.
One last thing Reid... "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) is pretty much the law of the land. There are several defenses and excuses that can undermine the validity of an otherwise valid contract but, generally, a contract that is fulfilled will not be tampered with simply because the buyer is unhappy. This is unfortunate, but necessary.
#65 Consumer Suggestion
John Beck's Band Of Crooks.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, October 31, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Ok, obviously my mind works a little differently than most others, according to Joan that is, who seems so desperate, adamant, but most of all stubborn to get her ludicrious point across.
To end this ridiclous rebuttal fest, which is turning out to be a total farce, due to such ridiculous suggestions, I'm going to say you are right on one thing Joan.
People may choose to go to court and sue others for a variety of different reasons, but as far as John Beck's fraudulent business is concerned, it would be the reach of all reaches.
EXAMPLE OF A LAWSUIT, THAT WOULD BE COMPARABLE IN IT'S FRIVILOUS NATURE: Ever heard of it being legal to sue the very person, in which you've attempted to rob the home of, but got hurt in the process of doing so?
I will end this rebuttal by once again stating, if it were true, that John Beck and his hired "hit men" collection agency were legitimate, they would definitely have no problem coming forward in the public to resolve these reports.
In closing, I challenge them to serve me with the required court documents, for I know without a doubt, that their progam is fraudulent and that they have absolutely nothing on their side, but frivilous lawsuit attempts and a crooked collection agency, that "chases" ERASED and NON-EXISTANT debts.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#64 Consumer Suggestion
FTC Contact Information.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, October 31, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
If you have been conned by the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute, or any of the other fraudulent "mentoring" scams, call the FTC to file a complaint.
Consumers Can Tell It to the FTC - Toll-Free
A product you bought through an Internet auction months ago still hasn't been delivered. A newspaper ad offers "Guaranteed Loans," but requires a fee up front. A fabulous prize offer comes in the mail, but requires a fee before you can claim it. A scholarship service promises easy money for college - as long as you send in a check. Sound familiar?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says even wary and sophisticated consumers face a barrage of fraudulent offers every day. The FTC ought to know: last year, the agency logged in over 380,000 complaints from consumers.
The FTC has made it easy for consumers to report a fraud to the law enforcement agency through a toll-free Consumer Help Line, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The line is staffed by counselors from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
According to Howard Beales, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, the toll-free number offers consumers a two-fer. It makes the agency more accessible to consumers who want to report a fraud, and it makes their valuable complaint data available to law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada. "That's important because fraud has moved beyond the front porch to cyberspace and all points in between," Beales said.
Consumer fraud complaints to the FTC are entered into a database that is available to nearly 630 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada. They use it to spot fraudulent activity, trends and wrong-doers - and stop them.
"Through the toll-free Help Line, consumers can get helpful information on the spot," Beales said. "Obviously, the FTC can't intervene in individual disputes, but consumer complaint information is crucial to the enforcement of consumer protection laws. The information that consumers get on a particular issue also lessens the likelihood that they'll be scammed again. Education is a powerful consumer protection."
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
I sincerely hope, that you are able to use this service in some way. Oh, and while you're on the phone with an FTC associate, be sure to inquire of your rights as a consumer to dispute charges.
Also, be sure to inquire regarding any and all legal remedies, that can be taken by fraudulent businesses "after the fact".
Until next time, take care cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#63 Consumer Suggestion
a non existent debt in regard to the credit card company but unless the merchant authorized the credit
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, October 31, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
JOAN STATED: Once again, false information is being provided. It depends on how and why you "won" the dispute. It is NOT a non existent debt...except in Reid's mind. It is a non existent debt in regard to the credit card company but unless the merchant authorized the credit and has no plans to pursue it further, it IS a debt. My best advice to all of you is to contact a lawyer and not believe everything you read on a message board especially by someone that only chooses to hear what he wants to hear and may not even be asking the right questions.
RESPONSE: Bull caca! Joan if there's anyone here providing false information, it's yourself. How many people do you suppose, have been suid by the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring scam company and lost?
Zero according to my knowledge, because they have nothing! No such contract "clauses", that would assure them a court victory, the point in which you seem so adamant to get across?
What in the world are you talking about? Again, you have never been scammed by the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute, have never had a fraudulent collection agency harrass you, but yet, feel compelled to give erroneous advice?
I choose what I want to hear? The FTC must also enjoy hearing the same thing.
What part of "erased" debt do you not comprehend? No debt to chase! NON-EXISTANT! Why in the world would any company, that was able to prove their progam true in a "simple" credit card dispute, seek compensation by other means? What you're saying is totally contridictive and preposturous.
1. Consumer wins dispute.
2. Dispute is "dismissed".
3. Consumer rightly get's all of his or her money back.
4. No "debt" exists to chase.
If the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute decided to take someone to court and obtain the money by way of "technicality", he would be doing so out of desperation.
If collecting monies from scam victims, through fraudulent means such as collection agencies and the likes, were legitimate and as easy as you suggest, every victim would've been contacted by one.
Again, if John Beck wishes to take me to court and pursue the money it's all good with me, but had his "mentroring" institute been legitimate, he would definitely without a doubt, been willing and able to prove it in our dispute.
Better yet, check out the Federal Fair Credit Billing act which I've provided, and you will finally see, that it's the consumers right to dispute "quality of service", therefore the burden to prove otherwise lays on the shoulder of the business in question.
If said business is unable to win a favorable decision, or simply decides to pull out to seek compensation through another means, that's their prerogative, but until they do so, the debt is no longer. ERASED! Can you say erased?
Yeah, just hire a lawyer as Joan suggested. She says it like it's the easiest thing in the world to accomplish.
So who's providing erroneous information here, myself who has been through all the nonsense, or someone with a very shady agenda?
Joan, have you contacted the FTC yet? Do yourself a favor and do so, before providing consumers more erroneous information.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#62 Consumer Suggestion
Fraudulent and desperate businesses like John beck's, often "fish" for alternative means of compensation, in hopes to catch consumers on some kind of loophole in the law
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, October 30, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
As Carl has suggested, keep all pertinent documents, that has proven, that it was the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute, that breached the contract if anyone.
IMPORTANT: The fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute cannot and definitely would not bow out of a credit card dispute and seek another means of compensation.
Fraudulent and desperate businesses like John beck's, often "fish" for alternative means of compensation, in hopes to catch consumers on some kind of loophole in the law, or technicality of some sort.
Once a consumer sucessfully wins a dispute by proving, that he or she has been scammed and has gotten reimburt, the debt is erased.
This is according to the Federal Fair Credit Billing Act, which governs and applies to credit card transactions, therefore I would imagine, that these rules are not "erroneous" as Tim suggests.
There's no longer a debt to be collected, therefore any "collection" agencies, that attempt to collect on a NON-EXISTANT debt, are just as fraudulent as the fraudulent business in question.
Still need convincing? Contact the Federal Trades Commission and inquire.
Here's an interesting article, that I've stumbled across, that may clear up some, if not all of the misconceptions regarding legitimate, not so legitimate, and flat out illegal credit collections. ENJOY:
Debt Collection -- Know Your Rights
If a consumer uses credit cards, owes money on a personal loan, or is paying on a home mortgage, she is a "debtor." If a consumer falls behind in repaying her creditors, or an error is made on her accounts, she may be contacted by a "debt collector." As a business owner you should know that in either situation the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that debt collectors treat the consumer fairly by prohibiting certain methods of debt collection. Of course, the law does not forgive any legitimate debt the consumer owes. This article provides answers to commonly asked questions to help you collect debts following the guidelines of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
What debts are covered? Personal, family, and household debts are covered under the Act. This includes money owed for the purchase of an automobile, for medical care, or for charge accounts.
Who is a debt collector? A debt collector is any person, other than the creditor, who regularly collects debts owed to others. Under a 1986 amendment to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, this includes attorneys who collect debts on a regular basis.
How may a debt collector contact the consumer? A collector may contact the consumer in person, by mail, telephone, telegram, or FAX. However, a debt collector may not contact the consumer at unreasonable times or places, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. (the consumers time zone) unless the consumer agrees. A debt collector also may not contact the consumer at work if the collector knows that the consumer's employer disapproves.
Can the consumer stop a debt collector from contacting her? A Consumer may stop a collector from contacting her by writing a letter to the collection agency telling them to stop. Once the agency receives the consumer's letter, they may not contact the consumer again except to say there will be no further contact. Another exception is that the agency may notify the consumer if the debt collector or the creditor intends to take some specific action.
May a debt collector contact any person other than the consumer concerning your debt? If the consumer has an attorney, the debt collector may not contact anyone other than the consumer's attorney. If the consumer does not have an attorney, a collector may contact other people, but only to find out where the consumer lives and works. Collectors usually are prohibited from contacting such permissible third parties more than once. In most cases, the collector is not permitted to tell anyone other than the consumer and the consumer's attorney that the consumer owes money.
What is the debt collector required to tell the consumer about the debt? Within five days after the consumer is first contacted, the collector must send the consumer a written notice telling the consumer the amount of money she owes, the name of the creditor to whom the consumer owes the money, and what action to take if the consumer believes she does not owe the money.
May a debt collector continue to contact the consumer if the consumer believes she does not owe money? A collector may not contact the consumer if, within 30 days after the consumer is first contacted, the consumer sends the collection agency a letter stating the consumer does not owe money. However, a collector can renew collection activities if the consumer is sent proof of the debt, such as a copy of a bill for the amount owed.
What types of debt collection practices are prohibited?
Harassment Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse any person. For example, debt collectors may not:
use threats of violence or harm against the:
person
property
reputation
publish a list of consumers who refuse to pay their debts (except to a credit bureau)
use obscene or profane language
repeatedly use the telephone to annoy someone
telephone people without identifying themselves
advertise your debt
False statements Debt collectors may not use any false statements when collecting a debt. For example, debt collectors may not:
falsely imply that they are attorneys or government representatives
falsely imply that you have committed a crime
falsely represent that they operate or work for a credit bureau
misrepresent the amount of your debt
misrepresent the involvement of an attorney in collecting a debt
indicate that papers being sent to you are legal forms when they are not
indicate that papers being sent to you are not legal forms when they are
Debt collectors also may not state that:
the consumer will be arrested if she does not pay the debt
they will seize, garnish, attack, or sell the consumer property or wages, unless the collection agency or creditor intends to do so, and it is legal to do so
actions, such as a lawsuit, will be taken against the consumer, which legally may not be taken, or which they do not intend to take.
Debt collectors may not:
give false credit information about the consumer to anyone
send the consumer anything that looks like an official document from a court or government agency when it is not
use a false name
Unfair practices Debt collectors may not engage in unfair practices in attempting to collect a debt. For example, collectors may not:
collect any amount greater than the consumer's debt, unless allowed by law
deposit a post-dated check prematurely
make the consumer accept collect calls or pay for telegrams
take or threaten to take the consumer property unless this can be done legally
contact the consumer by postcard
What control does the consumer have over payment of debts? If the consumer owes more than one debt, any payment made must be applied to the debt the consumer indicates. A debt collector may not apply a payment to any debt the consumer believes she does not owe.
What can the consumer do if she believes a debt collector violated the law? The consumer has the right to sue a collector in a state or federal court within one year from the date she believes the law was violated. If the consumer wins, she may recover money for the damages she suffered. Court costs and attorney's fees can also be recovered. A group of people also may sue a debt collector and recover money for damages up to $500,000, or one percent of the collector's net worth, whichever is less.
Where can the consumer report a debt collector for an alleged violation of the law? Report any problems with a debt collector to the State Attorney General's office and the Federal Trade Commission. Many states also have their own debt collection laws and a local Attorney General's office can help determine the consumers rights. If you have questions about the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or your rights under the Act, write: Correspondence Branch, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C. 20580. Although the FTC generally cannot intervene in individual disputes, the information you provide may indicate a pattern of possible law violations requiring action by the Commission. To obtain a free copy of Best Sellers a listing of all the FTC's consumer and business publications write to: Public Reference, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C. 20580.
(Online Women's Business Center, Dallas, TX, 8/97)
Hope you enjoyed this information. Always remember, that fraudulent collection agencies (leeches) enjoy nothing more, than clinging to fraudulent businesses, attempting to collect on debts which do not exist. Why wouldn't they?
Free shot at "commissions" from the timid.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#61 Consumer Suggestion
Misinformation has once again been provided
AUTHOR: Joan - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, October 30, 2004
Re4id says:
"Once a consumer successfully wins a credit card dispute, the transaction has been erased, the debt no longer exists, and there is no money owed. Of course, like Tim has suggested, John Beck is at liberty to pursue whatever course necessary to collect on this non existant debt."
Once again, false information is being provided. It depends on how and why you "won" the dispute. It is NOT a non existent debt...except in Reid's mind. It is a non existent debt in regard to the credit card company but unless the merchant authorized the credit and has no plans to pursue it further, it IS a debt. My best advice to all of you is to contact a lawyer and not believe everything you read on a message board especially by someone that only chooses to hear what he wants to hear and may not even be asking the right questions.
#60 Consumer Suggestion
Information Regarding The John Beck Scam.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, October 30, 2004
Hey there Eddie along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Thank you Joan, for once again joining the party. You like my "long winded" posts don't you? LOL. Hey, somebody's got to warn the public about the John Beck "mentoring" scam.
I've agreed to tackle this responsibility, since the day, that John Beck had the nerve to show his decrepid face on my telivision screen. I never break a promise.
As for you Eddie, you're going to have to suffer a while, like the rest of us have and go through a "long winded" dispute.
As if this isn't bad enough, once you have sucessfully won your dispute and have received a credit back to your account, the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute will probably attempt to collect monies, through a fraudulent collection's agency.
I'm sorry Joan, but the simple fact of the matter is, that once a dispute has been resolved in the consumer's favor, the debt has been erased, therefore there is no debt to be collected. NON- EXISTANT! Dismissed! Kapoot!
Don't believe me? Contact the FTC and inquire regarding credit card disputes. John Beck along with all the other scam companies, have the exact same opportunity to prove their business's worthiness as consumers do, in a dispute.
Leveled playing field. Any collections recovery and or litigation "after the fact", would be frivilous and possibly even futile. PREPOSTUROUS!
Eddie, sorry to say, that you may have possibly exceeded the duration in which to dispute the charge(s). You must definitely report your situation to the Federal Trades Commission as soon as possible. Contact them immediately.
Bottom line is, don't ever allow intimidation to cause you to pay any collection agency, that's attempting to collect on a NON-EXISTANT debt.
Until next time, take care Eddie along with Everyone else cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#59 Consumer Comment
i also have been scammed they charged my credit card $3,700.00 and the instructor did not even know my area.
AUTHOR: Eddie - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, October 29, 2004
he keep on telling me to move to arizona so i can make some money!
anyways i got the phone number of an pffice in the city of alameda in california.
the address is 1024 regent st, there bussiness line is (510)523-1267, fax is (510)523-1292 and there personal home number is (510)523-1331.
the reason i em giving there phone numbers is if enough people call then and demand our money back we might get our money!
#58 Consumer Suggestion
Sheesh! This is my point...and I do have one... I am not a shill for John Beck
AUTHOR: Joan - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, October 29, 2004
Reid, your long winded responses to others (and to yourself!) are tiresome. Much of what you posted about your rights regarding disputes is on the back of everyone's credit card statements every single month. Those rights are not as black and white as they may seem and the multitude of variables that affect your rights is overwhelming. I'm sorry if that sounds mean but I am sure that I am not the only one you lose somewhere after your first few sentences. I am not a shill for John Beck. As I clearly said, I do not know how legitimate they are. My only reason for posting was to clear up the misconceptions regarding "winning" (if you want to call it that) a credit card dispute and using that as a legal defense if they take you to court.
There is also a huge difference between personal responsibilty and "deserving". Never did I say anyone "deserved" what they got when they signed up. There is something in the law about "failure to use due care". This is used in a variety of ways. If you leave the keys in your car, and leave the car running...and it is stolen, your insurance company will not pay. If someone stops short in front of you and you hit their car, you are at fault. If you go to an area that is clearly unsafe and flash a wad of money and are robbed, you are out of luck. Did you deserve it? No, but you have to take some responsibility for what happened. Being an educated consumer is the responsibility of every adult that takes part in any transaction. The "rape" reference was inappropriate but since you brought it up, why do you think that counsel for a rape defendant brings how the victim dressed, previous behavior and the setting into a case? Did the victim deserve it? No-NO ONE deserves it but was there any possible way that a victim could have prevented what happened? A jury and the judge looks at these things and makes decisions based on that even if it seems unfair. The justice system is not always fair but that is all we have at this time.
I am not going to go point by point to defend my postings and rebut your responses. I will just repeat that you could win but you could also lose; sometimes you just have to choose your battles and that most of the time, the only people who "win" in class action suits are the lawyers. I have nothing to gain by this posting.
#57 Consumer Suggestion
General FTC Information.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, October 29, 2004
Hey there Tracy, Rick, along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebutal finds you in good spirits and health.
I've just contacted the FTC regarding successful disputes, and what rights merchants have over possibly collecting after the fact.
Basically as Carl has suggested, just make sure to keep accurate documents as to the outcome of your dispute and remain proactive, meaning check all of your credit card statements, etc, etc.
Once a consumer successfully wins a credit card dispute, the transaction has been erased, the debt no longer exists, and there is no money owed. Of course, like Tim has suggested, John Beck is at liberty to pursue whatever course necessary to collect on this non existant debt.
At this point, I wouldn't put anything past this con artist, and all the other bogus "gurus" for that matter.
The majority of claims or attempts to collect such non existant debts, are nothing but empty threats. If John Beck or any of his colleages wish to discuss "mentoring" scams and the fraudulent means in which they're peddled, he is more than welcome to contact me.
The fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute has all of my contact information.
Again here is general info regarding your rights as a consumer.
Fair Credit Billing:
Have you ever been billed for merchandise you returned or never received? Has your credit card company ever charged you twice for the same item or failed to credit a payment to your account? While frustrating, these errors can be corrected. It takes a little patience and knowledge of the dispute settlement procedures provided by the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA).
The law applies to "open end" credit accounts, such as credit cards, and revolving charge accounts - such as department store accounts. It does not cover installment contracts - loans or extensions of credit you repay on a fixed schedule. Consumers often buy cars, furniture and major appliances on an installment basis, and repay personal loans in installments as well.
What types of disputes are covered?
The FCBA settlement procedures apply only to disputes about "billing errors." For example:
unauthorized charges. Federal law limits your responsibility for unauthorized charges to $50;
charges that list the wrong date or amount;
charges for goods and services you didn't accept or weren't delivered as agreed;
math errors;
failure to post payments and other credits, such as returns;
failure to send bills to your current address - provided the creditor receives your change of address, in writing, at least 20 days before the billing period ends; and
charges for which you ask for an explanation or written proof of purchase along with a claimed error or request for clarification.
To take advantage of the law's consumer protections, you must:
write to the creditor at the address given for "billing inquiries," not the address for sending your payments, and include your name, address, account number and a description of the billing error.
send your letter so that it reaches the creditor within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed to you.
Send your letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you have proof of what the creditor received. Include copies (not originals) of sales slips or other documents that support your position. Keep a copy of your dispute letter.
The creditor must acknowledge your complaint in writing within 30 days after receiving it, unless the problem has been resolved. The creditor must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles (but not more than 90 days) after receiving your letter.
Date
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Account Number
Name of Creditor
Billing Inquiries
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing to dispute a billing error in the amount of $______on my account. The amount is inaccurate because (describe the problem). I am requesting that the error be corrected, that any finance and other charges related to the disputed amount be credited as well, and that I receive an accurate statement.
Enclosed are copies of (use this sentence to describe any enclosed information, such as sales slips, payment records) supporting my position. Please investigate this matter and correct the billing error as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Your name
Enclosures: (List what you are enclosing.)
What happens while my bill is in dispute?
You may withhold payment on the disputed amount (and related charges), during the investigation. You must pay any part of the bill not in question, including finance charges on the undisputed amount.
The creditor may not take any legal or other action to collect the disputed amount and related charges (including finance charges) during the investigation. While your account cannot be closed or restricted, the disputed amount may be applied against your credit limit.
Will my credit rating be affected?
The creditor may not threaten your credit rating or report you as delinquent while your bill is in dispute. However, the creditor may report that you are challenging your bill. In addition, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants who exercise their rights, in good faith, under the FCBA. Simply put, you cannot be denied credit simply because you've disputed a bill.
What if...
...the bill is incorrect?
If your bill contains an error, the creditor must explain to you - in writing - the corrections that will be made to your account. In addition to crediting your account, the creditor must remove all finance charges, late fees or other charges related to the error.
If the creditor determines that you owe a portion of the disputed amount, you must get a written explanation. You may request copies of documents proving you owe the money.
...the bill is correct?
If the creditor's investigation determines the bill is correct, you must be told promptly and in writing how much you owe and why. You may ask for copies of relevant documents. At this point, you'll owe the disputed amount, plus any finance charges that accumulated while the amount was in dispute. You also may have to pay the minimum amount you missed paying because of the dispute.
If you disagree with the results of the investigation, you may write to the creditor, but you must act within 10 days after receiving the explanation, and you may indicate that you refuse to pay the disputed amount. At this point, the creditor may begin collection procedures. However, if the creditor reports you to a credit bureau as delinquent, the report also must state that
you don't think you owe the money. The creditor must tell you who gets these reports.
...the creditor fails to follow the procedure?
Any creditor who fails to follow the settlement procedure may not collect the amount in dispute, or any related finance charges, up to $50, even if the bill turns out to be correct. For example, if a creditor acknowledges your complaint in 45 days - 15 days too late - or takes more than two billing cycles to resolve a dispute, the penalty applies. The penalty also applies if a creditor threatens to report - or improperly reports - your failure to pay to anyone during the dispute period.
An important caveat
Disputes about the quality of goods and services are not "billing errors," so the dispute procedure does not apply. However, if you buy unsatisfactory goods or services with a credit or charge card, you can take the same legal actions against the card issuer as you can take under state law against the seller.
To take advantage of this protection regarding the quality of goods or services, you must:
have made the purchase (it must be for more than $50) in your home state or within 100 miles of your current billing address;
make a good faith effort to resolve the dispute with the seller first.
The dollar and distance limitations don't apply if the seller also is the card issuer - or if a special business relationship exists between the seller and the card issuer.
Other billing rights
Businesses that offer "open end" credit also must:
give you a written notice when you open a new account - and at certain other times - that describes your right to dispute billing errors;
provide a statement for each billing period in which you owe - or they owe you - more than one dollar;
send your bill at least 14 days before the payment is due - if you have a period within which to pay the bill without incurring additional charges;
credit all payments to your account on the date they're received, unless no extra charges would result if they failed to do so. Creditors are permitted to set some reasonable rules for making payments, say setting a reasonable deadline for payment to be received to be credited on the same date; and
promptly credit or refund overpayments and other amounts owed to your account. This applies to instances where your account is owed more than one dollar. Your account must be credited promptly with the amount owed. If you prefer a refund, it must be sent within seven business days after the creditor receives your written request. The creditor must also make a good faith effort to refund a credit balance that has remained on your account for more than six months.
Suing the creditor
You can sue a creditor who violates the FCBA. If you win, you may be awarded damages, plus twice the amount of any finance charge - as long as it's between $100 and $1,000. The court also may order the creditor to pay your attorney's fees and costs.
If possible, hire a lawyer who is willing to accept the amount awarded to you by the court as the entire fee for representing you. Some lawyers may not take your case unless you agree to pay their fee - win or lose - or add to the court-awarded amount if they think it's too low.
Reporting FCBA violations
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces the FCBA for most creditors except banks. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Until next time, take care Tracy, Rick, along with Everyone else cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#56 Consumer Suggestion
Expertise In Frivilous Litigation.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, October 29, 2004
Hey there Tim along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Thanks for responding to my rebuttals. You seem to be well versed in this area. I apologize if I have offended you in any way.
Joan on the other hand, rubbed me the wrong way, when implying, that it's the consumers fault (my fault), for falling victim to what should never have been advertised in the first place.
Tim, you were absolutely right when stating, that it's not your fault for the severe lack of business policing. I am slowly beginning to see your sincerity and interest in helping others.
Tim- Using your expertise in frivilous litigation, it would be appreciated if you would explain to our entire audience, what any lawsuit by the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute would be for.
Please post in plain lingual and break it down, if all possible. Your postings are great, however I sometimes get lost in all the legal lees? LOL
Bottom line here is, If the John Beck Mentoring Institute wishes to play games with me, while flooding our court system with much more frivilous fluff than ever, they're more than welcome to contact me to set up an appointment.
They have my full contact information. My only hope is, that they do so while they're still in business. LOL. Just like I knew they eventually would, they're now "fishing" for reasons to file litigation.
Joan, where are you? I apologize for the rape victim example. It was totally uncalled for. If you were being sincere in your postings, I would like to invite you back to this discussion.
At the time, it just seemed a little strange, how two people sharing the exact same information and opinions, also shared the perfect timing.
Until next time, take care Tim, Joan, along with Everyone else cause I care Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
TO ALL VICTIMS: Let's make sure to keep this discussion on going, as to keep everyone informed about the scam and it's whereabouts.
In case you haven't already done so, go to classaction@ripoffreport.com to express your interest in a class action lawsuit against this fraudulent company.
#55 Consumer Comment
I'm a shill? not my fault that the legal system does not protect people who are scammed by the likes of JB
AUTHOR: Tim - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 28, 2004
Let me preface this by dealing with the animosity that I have encountered.
I am by no means a shill. The Editor can attest to that. I am as convinced that this is a scam as the rest of you, possibly more so because I understand the legal reasons why this program doesn't work. Also, I don't fault anyone for signing on to a scam program. In my opinion, the culpability here lies solely with JB. He fraudulently convinces people that he is selling a money-making-machine and coerces people to throw away far more money than they can afford.
If you desire an emotional rant about how much I hate scam artists, I can give you that. Instead, I am trying to impart some valuable advice in the hopes that you will not adhere to faulty notions of how the law works and thus put yourself in a worse position than you already are.
It is not my fault that the legal system does not protect people who are scammed by the likes of JB, and just because I tell you what the law is does not mean that I agree with it. If you would prefer emotional rants that are devoid of any valuable advice then by all means ignore me (and Joan). If that is the course you decide to take, then best of luck to you.
Reid...
First off, a "shill" does not willingly concede that the outfit they represent is a scam. Joan and I both did this. Joan's take on it was a little different from my own: she was of the opinion that you get what you deserve when you sign on with something that is so OBVIOUSLY a scam. This I cannot agree with, but there is merit to the argument nonetheless.
Now then, neither Joan nor myself are attempting to dissuade anybody from seeking whatever remedies may be available for our reporters' unfortunate involvement in this scam. Quite the contrary, I would very much like to see ultimate resolution in the favor of our reporters.
HOWEVER... innaccurate legal analyses do nobody good in this situation. One of the primary purposes of this website is advice. Solid advice on how to resolve a bad consumer situation, or even advice as to the potential difficulty of resolution is highly constructive. Emotional rantings that have no basis in the law of consumer transactions, though they do have a place and purpose here, are rarely constructive and can often cause more damage than they seek to alleviate.
Case in point: When Rick and Tracy, after having received a refund from AmEx, announced that collection actions were being taken against them, you urged them to ignore the situation because the credit card company had already resolved the issue. As much as you would like to stand by the validity of this claim, and point to irrelevant law in support of it, the fact remains that your assessment of the situation is erroneous.
If the purchaser in a contract "frustrates" the deal by complicating the payment process, the seller's acquiescence to non-payment in one form does not preclude his right to seek payment altogether. Once our reporters sought a refund through AmEx, JB was under no duty to defend his program under threat of complete forfeiture of his right to receive payment. There are a host of conceivable reasons why JB would acquiesce to the refund and seek payment through collections. Whether the hypothetical reasons set forth by Joan and myself are refutable, which they certainly are, is completely beside the point.
The ONLY important points are thus:
1) Our reporters had a valid contract with JB whereby he would provide certain services and our reporter would pay for them.
2) Our reporters have not paid for these services. The refund by AmEx amounts to non-payment and nothing more.
3) With payment still outstanding, JB has a right under the law to pursue collections and, ultimately, litigation.
4) Absent a valid contract defense or excuse WHOLLY SEPARATE FROM the AmEx refund our reporters, unfortunately, will not win this fight.
With that in mind, here is a NOVICE analysis of probabilities of success.
First, Tracy asserts that the contract was in fact breached by JB. If her rebuttal is accurate, I think a court would probably agree. The question then is whether this would vitiate the contract as a whole, or only insofar as pertaining to the individual failings. In other words, the missed appointments could have one of three effects: they could have no effect (based on external circumstances not known to us); they could be viewed as a partial breach, thus entitling the victims to partial rescission; or, the best case scenario, they could be seen as a frustration of the contract as a whole. If a court were to find that JB's failings substantially impaired the value of the contract as a whole, he may throw out the whole thing, thus entitling you to the refund you have already received.
Second, there is also the possibility of a warranty action. Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure if warranty actions are available in pure service contracts (i.e. contracts that are not for the sale of goods - "how to" videos and books don't count as goods unless the problem is with the actual tape or paper). If a warranty action is available, you could try to convince a court that the infomercial that prompted you to sign on constituted an express warranty. This would be a tricky argument to advance, however, and you would certainly need a lawyer for it. If successful, however, this claim could result in a complete rescission of the contract.
There are a host of legal issues surrounding this dilemma. Your best bet is to hire a lawyer. You may want to preempt any legal action by JB by taking them to court before they file suit against you. They will counter-claim of course, but at least you resolve the situation quickly.
Again, I am not trying to disparage anybody. I am simply trying to give the best advice I can, with the limited knowledge of consumer law that I have. What I say may seem a bit harsh, and I apologize for that, but I am trying to impress a very important point on you: DO NOT rest on your laurels and think that the AmEx refund is the end of this tale because, in the eyes of the law, until you prove that you don't owe this money in a courtroom, you still owe this money.
Reid, I admire the research and time that you have put in to exposing this fraud. Keep up the good work. But remember (and I could do well with this advice as well), brevity and conciseness are important in getting your message across. Consider this: how much of my rebuttal did you skip or just glance over?
Best of luck to all of you!
#54 Consumer Suggestion
Hi Mike Evans! ..that's what happens, when a tag team of shills come forward in attempt to "discourage" and "intimidate" victims from taking action.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 25, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Thank you Tracy for coming forward to address this situation. I was beginning to believe, that this "discussion", about the John Beck scam was starting to go south.
I guess that's what happens, when a tag team of shills come forward in attempt to "discourage" and "intimidate" victims from taking action.
It's all good now though, for I stand behind an open invitation for the fraudulent John Beck team to serve me up with them court papers, which Mike Evans threatened me with.
I only hope, that they are brave enough to invite me into their robbery parlor (court) on this website, where everyone's able to witness their fraud and frivilous lawsuit attempt first hand.
I'm afraid, that if they mail me the invitation, it may accidentally get lost through the mail, or my dog may accidentally use it to wipe his a$$. Nevertheless, the entire details of any and all frivilous lawsuit attempts, by this fraudulent company will inevidibly end up here anyways.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. Hi Mike Evans!
#53 Consumer Suggestion
John Becks program is fraudulent period!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 25, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Disregard any and all rebuttals, that even hints discouragement of consumers disputing credit card transactions.
John Becks program is fraudulent period! As I've mentioned many times in the past, John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring" company has absolutely nothing on nobody, so for him to even consider a lawsuit regarding contract dipute, would be preposterous.
There's no such thing, as preparing a contract in such a way as to "legally" extort money. There's also no such clause, that could be implemented in a contract, by anyone engaging in fraudlent activities, that would ensure them of a court victory.
I'm not suggesting, that it hasn't been attempted before in the past, as I'm sure it has. The millions upon millions of frivilous lawsuits, that continue to flood our court system, demonstrates the weakness of the laws which govern fraud and possibly even our judicial system.
John Beck's fraudulent company, sold me on a bogus "mentoring" program, through the use of blatant misrepresentation, deception, false pretences and very misleading sales pitches.
John Beck's fraudulent company, failed miserably to live up to any of their claims to make me "successful", and even had the f%ck!ng audacity to literally "BEG" my credit card company to reverse the charges in their favor.
My experience is not an isolated incident, as the many unacknowledged, unresolved and accumulating complaints against this scam proves.
Now if anyone from John Beck's fraudulent company wishes to discuss this situation with me, they're more than welcome to contact me.
They know how to get a hold of me, but insist on not doing so. Gee, I wonder why? Oh, and by the way, my time comes with a very heafty pricetag. The cost of my time, depends on the amount of available credit Mike Evan's has on his credit cards... and then some. LOL
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. I am dead serious. Let's go to court and see what happens.
#52 Consumer Suggestion
John Becks program is fraudulent period!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 25, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Disregard any and all rebuttals, that even hints discouragement of consumers disputing credit card transactions.
John Becks program is fraudulent period! As I've mentioned many times in the past, John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring" company has absolutely nothing on nobody, so for him to even consider a lawsuit regarding contract dipute, would be preposterous.
There's no such thing, as preparing a contract in such a way as to "legally" extort money. There's also no such clause, that could be implemented in a contract, by anyone engaging in fraudlent activities, that would ensure them of a court victory.
I'm not suggesting, that it hasn't been attempted before in the past, as I'm sure it has. The millions upon millions of frivilous lawsuits, that continue to flood our court system, demonstrates the weakness of the laws which govern fraud and possibly even our judicial system.
John Beck's fraudulent company, sold me on a bogus "mentoring" program, through the use of blatant misrepresentation, deception, false pretences and very misleading sales pitches.
John Beck's fraudulent company, failed miserably to live up to any of their claims to make me "successful", and even had the f%ck!ng audacity to literally "BEG" my credit card company to reverse the charges in their favor.
My experience is not an isolated incident, as the many unacknowledged, unresolved and accumulating complaints against this scam proves.
Now if anyone from John Beck's fraudulent company wishes to discuss this situation with me, they're more than welcome to contact me.
They know how to get a hold of me, but insist on not doing so. Gee, I wonder why? Oh, and by the way, my time comes with a very heafty pricetag. The cost of my time, depends on the amount of available credit Mike Evan's has on his credit cards... and then some. LOL
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. I am dead serious. Let's go to court and see what happens.
#51 Consumer Comment
Breach of Contract
AUTHOR: Tracy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 25, 2004
Hello All,
First, Thank You Reid for your diligence in this matter and your comments back to Tim and Joan.
Although, not as verbose as Reid, it's very simple, John Beck is in Breach of Contract for not fulfilling their contractual obligation.
Beck breached or did not honor their contract with us on three separate occasions.
Beck first entered into agreement with us for seven coaching sessions in February of 2004. Of these coaching sessions, they only bothered to participate or complete four of the seven sessions. Beck again in May of 2004 entered into agreement as a resolution to their failure to honor their first contract. They once again failed to uphold their end of the contract. We did not hear from them until we demanded our money back. Once again, Beck, in June of 2004, offered three more mentoring sessions. And true to form, Beck failed to uphold their end of the agreement. They again, did not contact us for these sessions.
It's obvious, Beck entered into each of these contracts never intending to fulfill their agreement.
I could go on for pages about how they intentionally deceived us by assuring us that these methods could be used in Oregon (they can't), gave us bogus phone numbers, were completely unavailable, etc. but that would take all day.
Perhaps idealistic but I do expect businesses to act ethically. Beck has not acted ethically or with integrity in any of our dealings with them. Will we win? Who knows. Unfortunately, justice does not always prevail. But, we WILL continue the fight.
In the meantime, hang in there everybody and God Bless!
#50 Consumer Comment
Breach of Contract
AUTHOR: Tracy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 25, 2004
Hello All,
First, Thank You Reid for your diligence in this matter and your comments back to Tim and Joan.
Although, not as verbose as Reid, it's very simple, John Beck is in Breach of Contract for not fulfilling their contractual obligation.
Beck breached or did not honor their contract with us on three separate occasions.
Beck first entered into agreement with us for seven coaching sessions in February of 2004. Of these coaching sessions, they only bothered to participate or complete four of the seven sessions. Beck again in May of 2004 entered into agreement as a resolution to their failure to honor their first contract. They once again failed to uphold their end of the contract. We did not hear from them until we demanded our money back. Once again, Beck, in June of 2004, offered three more mentoring sessions. And true to form, Beck failed to uphold their end of the agreement. They again, did not contact us for these sessions.
It's obvious, Beck entered into each of these contracts never intending to fulfill their agreement.
I could go on for pages about how they intentionally deceived us by assuring us that these methods could be used in Oregon (they can't), gave us bogus phone numbers, were completely unavailable, etc. but that would take all day.
Perhaps idealistic but I do expect businesses to act ethically. Beck has not acted ethically or with integrity in any of our dealings with them. Will we win? Who knows. Unfortunately, justice does not always prevail. But, we WILL continue the fight.
In the meantime, hang in there everybody and God Bless!
#49 Consumer Comment
Breach of Contract
AUTHOR: Tracy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 25, 2004
Hello All,
First, Thank You Reid for your diligence in this matter and your comments back to Tim and Joan.
Although, not as verbose as Reid, it's very simple, John Beck is in Breach of Contract for not fulfilling their contractual obligation.
Beck breached or did not honor their contract with us on three separate occasions.
Beck first entered into agreement with us for seven coaching sessions in February of 2004. Of these coaching sessions, they only bothered to participate or complete four of the seven sessions. Beck again in May of 2004 entered into agreement as a resolution to their failure to honor their first contract. They once again failed to uphold their end of the contract. We did not hear from them until we demanded our money back. Once again, Beck, in June of 2004, offered three more mentoring sessions. And true to form, Beck failed to uphold their end of the agreement. They again, did not contact us for these sessions.
It's obvious, Beck entered into each of these contracts never intending to fulfill their agreement.
I could go on for pages about how they intentionally deceived us by assuring us that these methods could be used in Oregon (they can't), gave us bogus phone numbers, were completely unavailable, etc. but that would take all day.
Perhaps idealistic but I do expect businesses to act ethically. Beck has not acted ethically or with integrity in any of our dealings with them. Will we win? Who knows. Unfortunately, justice does not always prevail. But, we WILL continue the fight.
In the meantime, hang in there everybody and God Bless!
#48 Consumer Comment
Breach of Contract
AUTHOR: Tracy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 25, 2004
Hello All,
First, Thank You Reid for your diligence in this matter and your comments back to Tim and Joan.
Although, not as verbose as Reid, it's very simple, John Beck is in Breach of Contract for not fulfilling their contractual obligation.
Beck breached or did not honor their contract with us on three separate occasions.
Beck first entered into agreement with us for seven coaching sessions in February of 2004. Of these coaching sessions, they only bothered to participate or complete four of the seven sessions. Beck again in May of 2004 entered into agreement as a resolution to their failure to honor their first contract. They once again failed to uphold their end of the contract. We did not hear from them until we demanded our money back. Once again, Beck, in June of 2004, offered three more mentoring sessions. And true to form, Beck failed to uphold their end of the agreement. They again, did not contact us for these sessions.
It's obvious, Beck entered into each of these contracts never intending to fulfill their agreement.
I could go on for pages about how they intentionally deceived us by assuring us that these methods could be used in Oregon (they can't), gave us bogus phone numbers, were completely unavailable, etc. but that would take all day.
Perhaps idealistic but I do expect businesses to act ethically. Beck has not acted ethically or with integrity in any of our dealings with them. Will we win? Who knows. Unfortunately, justice does not always prevail. But, we WILL continue the fight.
In the meantime, hang in there everybody and God Bless!
#47 Consumer Suggestion
Mediation And Arbitration.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 25, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
I have posted some information for all, that may be interested in mediation or arbitration. I've recently conducted a google search and happened to stumble across a very interesting website.
I sincerely hope, that Everyone benefits from the information provided. If you have fallen victim to the John Beck scam, dispute the charges with your credit card issuer, before considering mediation or arbitration.
__________________________________________________
You've just bought a product that breaks. You try to return the product or have the company fix it, and that doesn't work. You talk to the salesperson; you ask to speak to the manager; you write letters to the company's complaint department_and still you're not satisfied with the company's response.
Maybe it's time to try a dispute resolution program. Dispute resolution programs are an increasingly popular way to settle disagreements. They also can be quicker, less expensive, and less stressful than going to court.
Many businesses and private organizations, as well as public agencies, offer dispute resolution programs. State and federal courts may encourage you to try to resolve your problem through dispute resolution before you file suit.
MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION:
Two popular types of dispute resolution techniques are mediation and arbitration. Through mediation, you and the other party try to resolve the dispute with the help of a neutral third party (sometimes called a mediator). In the course of informal meetings, the mediator tries to help resolve your differences. The mediator does not make a decision; it is up to you and the other party to reach an agreement. The mediator is there to help you find a solution to your problem.
In arbitration, you present your case before an arbitrator, who makes a decision about the case. Sometimes an arbitration panel rather than one arbitrator decides the case. You and the other party may be able to select the arbitrator beforehand. Arbitration is less formal than court, though you and the other party may appear at hearings, present evidence, or call and question each other's witnesses. The decision may be binding and legally enforceable in court.
WHERE TO FIND DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROGRAMS:
The following kinds of organizations will help you find out what dispute resolution options are available in your area: government entities, such as local or state consumer protection agencies, state attorneys general, small claims courts, and some local court systems; local nonprofit dispute resolution organizations; local bar associations; and local law school clinics.
CHOOSING A DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROGRAM:
You may want to contact several different dispute resolution programs to find the best one for your needs. The following questions may help you compare programs.
* Is the dispute resolution program voluntary or mandatory? Many dispute resolution programs are completely voluntary; the decision to use them is yours. Courts in more than 20 states, however, may order both sides in consumer cases to try arbitration or, in some cases, mediation.
* What procedures does the program use? If you choose mediation, you probably will have to attend meetings. If you use arbitration, you probably will have to appear for hearings. Some programs begin with mediation and, if no decision can be reached, progress to arbitration. Other programs resolve disputes on the basis of written submissions, without your needing to appear at meetings or hearings.
* Does the program allow you to help select the mediator or arbitrator? Many programs provide you with lists of eligible third parties (often called "neutrals"). You then can choose who will help you settle the dispute. Some states have specific requirements for neutrals. Ask the program administrators for the ethics rules. Most
programs make sure that neutrals are not personally involved in the dispute and will not benefit from the resolution.
If you use a dispute resolution program that begins with mediation and, if needed, proceeds to arbitration, try to avoid using the same person to act as mediator and arbitrator. (For example, you might decide to omit or change some information in arbitration that was previously presented during mediation.)
* Is confidentiality important to you? Find out if the program guarantees confidentiality. Mediation is normally confidential; arbitration sometimes is.
* How neutral is the program? To get a sense of the program's neutrality, ask who pays for it.
* What are the costs? Some programs are free. Others charge a flat rate or by how much a consumer can afford.
* Is the decision binding, meaning that both parties must accept it? Mediation is nonbinding. Arbitration may be binding on the company, both parties, or neither. If the arbitrator's decision is nonbinding, you can reject it and try other avenues, including, in some areas, small claims court.
* Be sure you are willing to accept the possible outcomes from the dispute resolution program you choose.
PREPARING FOR A DISPUTE RESOLUTION FORUM:
Once you enter a dispute resolution program, the process will progress more easily and effectively if you are well-prepared. Here are some ways to better prepare your case.
* Know and follow the program's rules. Make sure you meet all the preliminary requirements. (For example, it's usually a good idea to try first to resolve the problem with the company involved.)
* File your claim promptly. The earlier you submit your claim or written statement and have the meeting or hearing, the less likely you are to forget important details.
* Outline the important facts of the case. You'll need to be able to tell when and where you bought the product, what the specific problem is, and what you've done already to try to resolve the problem.
* Document your claim. Collect receipts, repair orders, warranties, cancelled checks, contracts, or any other papers that document your case.
* Find out if witnesses are allowed. If the program allows witnesses to appear or submit statements on your behalf, make sure you know what the witnesses will say. If they are to appear in person, make sure they know where and when the hearing is. If they are to submit statements, make sure they know the appropriate deadlines and addresses.
* Get information from the other party. If the program allows, ask for documented information from the other party before the meeting or hearing.
* Know what you want the company to do. Go into the dispute resolution process with a preferred solution in mind. Decide, for example, if you would prefer the company to allow you to return the product for a refund, exchange it for a new product, fix the product at the company's expense, or refund your expenses (including any repair costs). At the same time, allow room for flexibility. You may have to compromise.
PRESERVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO COURT:
A dispute resolution program may fail to settle a problem, and you may want to take your complaint to court. Make sure you preserve your opportunity to litigate. Some jurisdictions limit the time period in which you may sue. If you use a dispute resolution program to settle your complaint, know well in advance when your right to litigate your dispute expires. You also may be precluded from going to court if you enter into an arbitration program that is binding on both parties.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For an expanded discussion of the dispute resolution process and a list of mediation and arbitration programs, send for a free copy of Road to Resolution: Settling Consumer Disputes. Write: Public Reference, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580, or call (202) 326-2222.
If you have complaints or comments about nationally government-run programs, write: Correspondence Branch, Federal Trade Commission,
Washington, DC 20580. For concerns about privately-run programs, write: National Institute for Dispute Resolution, 1901 L Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036, or call (202) 466-4764.
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modified from 8/93 Federal Trade Commission material
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Brought to you by - The 'Lectric Law Library The Net's Finest Legal Resource For Legal Pros & Laypeople Alike.
http://www.lectlaw.com
__________________________________________________
Thank you very much, for taking the time to review my newest rebuttal. Interesting stuff eh?
Until next time, take care all cause I care Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#46 Consumer Suggestion
Tid Bits Regarding Mentoring Scams. Shill puppets are not ideal candidates
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, October 24, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Well, Real Estate "mentoring" programs are nothing but ridiculous scams, I think we've already determined this.
MENTORING SCAM:
Understand, that the vast majority of work at home based businesses are nothing but useless garbage, whether it be advertisements in magazines, Infomercials, newspaper classifieds, etc, etc.
Most businesses, that sell "opportunities" profit from just that,selling "opportunities"! "Business in a box" if you will. Nothing but clever schemes (gimmicks)being perpetuated over and over again.
"Gurus" are a good example of businessmen often selling "businesses in a box". Successful "gurus" have the exact same amount of hours in a day as both you and I.
IMPORTANT: Real Estate investing involves a lot of time. Any successful "guru", would have absolutely NOTHING TO GAIN for sharing his or her Real Estate Knowledge with the public.
THE SCAM: Here's where the scam lies. As mentioned in the preceeding paragraph, any and all successful "gurus" wouldn't have the time, nor interest, in "mentoring" others to success as so often fraudulenty claimed.
Fraudulent third party marketing companies are often establised, by using the names of "gurus" as endorsements. Credible or not, reputable or not, it doesn't really matter. I personally, haven't heard of most of these old decrepid donkey's, prior to seeing them on the Infomercials.
These old decrepid donkey d!cks, are very often seen peddling their programs "wealth building information" via Infomercials and sometimes even through "seminars". The scams are still the same however.
Decrepid donkey d!cks are at liberty to use whatever sales pitches deemed necessary. Misrepresentation, deception, fraud, extortion, duress, threats are all inclusive.
Sure, they may seem pleasant and professional in the beginning, while trying to milk one out of his or her life savings, but as the many unacknowledged and unresolved complaints shows, their demeanor eventually changes.
The cost of fraudulent/fairy tale "mentoring" prorams are directly proportional to ones available credit, ranging anywhere from $1,500.00-$10,000.00 for the exact same materials and "mentoring".
This fact alone, proves that "menoring" programs are scams, but there's far more humor to the scam. Real Estate "workshops" normally have standard fixed prices, thus makes "workshops" seem more legit.
CONTRACTS: Recorded agreements are nothing but traps, as these fraudulent companies do not record all the fraudulent sales pitches used, but only ones agreement to enroll. These tape recorded contracts will later be used against their victims.
Their written contract are heavilly filled with clauses in their favor. John Becks written contract in particular, does not stipulate the exact terms and conditions of the agreement, refund policy, arbitration, etc, etc.
SHILLS: Shills are people that pose as "success stories" on fraudulent companies behalf. Truly successful people, would definitely not have the time to galavant on the Internet and post ridiculous rebuttals.
As a matter of fact, the probability of someone even stumbling across a consumer advocacy site by chance, is slim to nada.
Legitimate businesses, that have a history and pattern of related complaints and had nothing to hide, would no doubt, come forward and acknowledge them in the public eye. Managers and supervisors are ideal candidates for accomplishing this.
Shill puppets are not ideal candidates for acomplishing this feat, and actually have a tendency to make their business look even worse than it has prior to them coming forward to post their excuses and irrelevant commentary.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
NOTICE: Interested in a class action lawsuit against this fraudulent company, or just shedding some light on your story? Go to classaction@ripoffreport.com to express your interest.
#45 Consumer Suggestion
Each and every one of you have raised some really valid points, but I would have to disagree with some of them
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, October 24, 2004
Hey there Carl, Joan, Tim, along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Each and every one of you have raised some really valid points, but I would have to disagree with some of them. Below are the statements made and my response to them. I have separated them, as to not confuse the many readers.
TIM: This outfit may have ceded to a refund via AmEx for a number of reasons.
RESPONSE: Very true. This statement cannot be argued.
TIM: They may want to maintain their good standing.
RESPONSE: Not true. This company is obviously not in good standing.
TIM: They may realize that it is easier to fight the consumer alone than to fight the consumer and Amex.
RESPONSE: Not true. Credit card issuers remain somewhat nuetral third party mediators. Merchants do not fight both consumers and credit card companies simultaniously during disputes.
TIM: The potential may have been greater if AmEx was still involved.
RESPONSE: Not true. No one is at a disadvantage in a credit dispute. The same thing cannot be said about a court of law however, and the many frivilous lawsuits prove it.
_____________________________________
JOAN: Thank you thank you thank you Tim...YOU "GET IT"... unlike some of the responses posted.
RESPONSE: Not exactly sure who this comment was in reference to.
JOAN: I am not making any judgements about this business, I was just trying to clear up an incorrect assumption. And yes...(to whomever said they cannot make you go to court if you have proof...yada yada yada) they CAN make you go to court. I have heard that their contracts (like most contracts) have a lot of small print and they are very carefully constructed with lots of very expensive legal advice, specifically to ensure that they do win in a court of law.
RESPONSE: Joan, for someone who has not encountered John Beck's fraudulent program personally, you sure seem to know a lot about his "contract", "small print", and secret agenda to take legal action against all victims, that exercise their right as consumers to dispute quality of service.
You stand correct, when stating they can take you or anyone to court, but the fact that they take someone to court does not justify their program, or make what they are selling legitimate.
Besides, their contract does not contain small print, which would guarantee them victory in a court of law. I know, I signed it and made absolutely sure to keep a copy of it.
JOAN: Calling your credit card company to tell them of threats made (after your money was refunded) will do you no good at all-they are not your parents and they do not care once the dispute is over...nor should they care!
RESPONSE: Joan, you seem almost compelled and fixated on having the public believe, that credit card disputes are a bad idea.
One cannot possibly help to wonder, if you are an employee of John Beck's or perhaps even a credit card company. You seem very adamant and determined in "tailing" all rebuttals, that favor your opinions. Creating diversion maybe?
JOAN: I wonder sometimes... what happened to personal responsibility? No one lives in a vaccuum...you read about these things in newspapers, on the internet, in magazines, there are stories on TV news every day about these types of scams and the red flags are everywhere! Any time ANYONE tries to force a decision concerning money ...IT'S A RED FLAG! Anytime something sounds too good to be true...IT IS!
RESPONSE: Again, are we diverting from the real issue here? Implying that it's the consumers fault for being taken by illegal criminal activities, is no different than blaming rape victims for their encounters. Wrong place, wrong time maybe? Should've known, (red flag).
Typical shill tactic, commonly used to possibly diverge the attention of future would be victims from the real issue at hand.
Must be legal to shoot someone dead, as long as I've established an agreement and acceptance in writing. If my victim decided to run away, I am at liberty to pursue legal action against him, for he was at fault for falling for my blatant misrepresentaion, deception and so fourth.
Make sense?
JOAN: It is a gross error in judgement to believe that just because your credit card company refunded your money...for whatever reason...you will win in court.
RESPONSE: You stand correct on this. Consumers that win a dispute should just take their money and be happy. If fraudulent companies like John Beck's, insist on going to court to pursue frivilous litigation, so be it. I'll even let them pick the time and the place.
JOAN: In fact, this could end up costing a lot more than you already lost, because I would bet that somewhere in that small print, there is something that says...if you default on payment and we have to take steps to collect (or something like that terminology) you will pay us court costs if the judgement is in our favor. It's a crapshoot...russian roulette...whatever you want to call it...you could win but you could also lose....bigtime.
RESPONSE: Here we go again, "small print"? There is no "small print" that would ensure John Beck of a lawsuit.
_________________________________________
Thank you very much to all, that have responded to my rebuttals. My only hope is that they were all genuinely sincere. Please continue to post any and all information and suggestions as they come along.
Until next time, take care Carl, Joan, Tim, along with Everyone else, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. In case you haven't already done so, go to classaction@ripoffreport.com to express your interest in a class action lawsuit against this fraudulent company.
#44 Consumer Suggestion
a gross error to assume anything
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, October 23, 2004
Hey there Tim, Joan, Carl, along with Everyone else.
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Excellent points, however, I have to disagree with several points stated. I will start with statemements made by Tim, then will proceed with Joan, as to not confuse readers.
TIM: This outfit may have ceded to a refund via AmEx for a number of reasons.
RESPONSE: I, nor anyone else, can disagree with this statement.
TIM: They may want to maintain their good standing.
RESPONSE: C'mon Tim, you don't honestly think this is a possibility do you? I mean, the words "good standing" and John Beck obviously do not go together and everyone knows this by now.
TIM: They may realize that it is easier to fight the consumer alone than to fight the consumer and AmEx.
RESPONSE: This sentence is a total contradiction to everything, that both you and Joan have been trying to contradict. Credit card companies would definitely not stand behind a consumer, as they remain nuetral third parties in disputes. Merchants do not fight both consumers and credit card issuer during a dispute.
TIM: The potential may have been greater if AmEx was still involved. Whatever.
RESPONSE: We've already established, that there's no truth to this statement. 1. Credit card issuers remain nuetral. 2. Credit card disputes are not made public.
JOAN: Thank you thank you thank you Tim...YOU "GET IT"... unlike some of the responses posted.
RESPONSE: Not really clear as to who this statement was in reference to.
JOAN: I am not making any judgements about this business, I was just trying to clear up an incorrect assumption. And yes...(to whomever said they cannot make you go to court if you have proof...yada yada yada) they CAN make you go to court. I have heard that their contracts (like most contracts) have a lot of small print and they are very carefully constructed with lots of very expensive legal advice, specifically to ensure that they do win in a court of law.
RESPONSE: Sure seem to know a lot about John Beck's contract, for someone who didn't fall for this scam. The contract in which I've signed, contained no small print, that would ensure John Beck of a legal victory.
JOAN: Calling your credit card company to tell them of threats made (after your money was refunded) will do you no good at all-they are not your parents and they do not care once the dispute is over...nor should they care!
RESPONSE: True statement. It does consumers no good to call their credit card company complaining about anything, after he or she has already won their dispute.
JOAN: I wonder sometimes... what happened to personal responsibility? No one lives in a vaccuum...you read about these things in newspapers, on the internet, in magazines, there are stories on TV news every day about these types of scams and the red flags are everywhere! Any time ANYONE tries to force a decision concerning money ...IT'S A RED FLAG! Anytime something sounds too good to be true...IT IS!
RESPONSE: Joan, please do not imply, that it's the consumers fault for falling for advertisements, which should not have been placed or aired in the first place.
It's the same as suggesting, that a woman deserved to have gotten raped, just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Should've known better, red flags.
JOAN: It is a gross error in judgement to believe that just because your credit card company refunded your money...for whatever reason...you will win in court.
RESPONSE: True. It is a gross error to assume anything at this point. Consumers should just take their refunds and be happy. Of course continue warning the public about the scam including every detail.
JOAN: In fact, this could end up costing a lot more than you already lost, because I would bet that somewhere in that small print, there is something that says...if you default on payment and we have to take steps to collect (or something like that terminology) you will pay us court costs if the judgement is in our favor. It's a crapshoot...russian roulette...whatever you want to call it...you could win but you could also lose....bigtime.
RESPONSE: Again, the emphasis here seems to be on "small print"? Joan, do you know something we don't? You seem very adamant and determined to get this point across.
Thanks for your rebuttals. I truly hope and pray, that they're sincere. Any comments and or sugggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Until next time, take care Tim, Joan, Carl, along with Everyone else cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#43 Consumer Suggestion
Fair Credit Billing. lingering myths and misconceptions..
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, October 23, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Below I have posted some information regarding credit card disputes. Again, this information is not to be considered and or taken as legal advice.
Hope this helps to clarify most of your questions and concerns and finally puts an end to any and all lingering myths and misconceptions.
Fair Credit Billing
Have you ever been billed for merchandise you returned or never received? Has your credit card company ever charged you twice for the same item or failed to credit a payment to your account? While frustrating, these errors can be corrected. It takes a little patience and knowledge of the dispute settlement procedures provided by the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA).
The law applies to "open end" credit accounts, such as credit cards, and revolving charge accounts - such as department store accounts. It does not cover installment contracts - loans or extensions of credit you repay on a fixed schedule. Consumers often buy cars, furniture and major appliances on an installment basis, and repay personal loans in installments as well.
What types of disputes are covered?
The FCBA settlement procedures apply only to disputes about "billing errors." For example:
unauthorized charges. Federal law limits your responsibility for unauthorized charges to $50;
charges that list the wrong date or amount;
charges for goods and services you didn't accept or weren't delivered as agreed;
math errors;
failure to post payments and other credits, such as returns;
failure to send bills to your current address - provided the creditor receives your change of address, in writing, at least 20 days before the billing period ends; and
charges for which you ask for an explanation or written proof of purchase along with a claimed error or request for clarification.
To take advantage of the law's consumer protections, you must:
write to the creditor at the address given for "billing inquiries," not the address for sending your payments, and include your name, address, account number and a description of the billing error.
send your letter so that it reaches the creditor within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed to you.
Send your letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you have proof of what the creditor received. Include copies (not originals) of sales slips or other documents that support your position. Keep a copy of your dispute letter.
The creditor must acknowledge your complaint in writing within 30 days after receiving it, unless the problem has been resolved. The creditor must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles (but not more than 90 days) after receiving your letter.
Date
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Account Number
Name of Creditor
Billing Inquiries
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing to dispute a billing error in the amount of $______on my account. The amount is inaccurate because (describe the problem). I am requesting that the error be corrected, that any finance and other charges related to the disputed amount be credited as well, and that I receive an accurate statement.
Enclosed are copies of (use this sentence to describe any enclosed information, such as sales slips, payment records) supporting my position. Please investigate this matter and correct the billing error as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Your name
Enclosures: (List what you are enclosing.)
What happens while my bill is in dispute?
You may withhold payment on the disputed amount (and related charges), during the investigation. You must pay any part of the bill not in question, including finance charges on the undisputed amount.
The creditor may not take any legal or other action to collect the disputed amount and related charges (including finance charges) during the investigation. While your account cannot be closed or restricted, the disputed amount may be applied against your credit limit.
Will my credit rating be affected?
The creditor may not threaten your credit rating or report you as delinquent while your bill is in dispute. However, the creditor may report that you are challenging your bill. In addition, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants who exercise their rights, in good faith, under the FCBA. Simply put, you cannot be denied credit simply because you've disputed a bill.
What if...
...the bill is incorrect?
If your bill contains an error, the creditor must explain to you - in writing - the corrections that will be made to your account. In addition to crediting your account, the creditor must remove all finance charges, late fees or other charges related to the error.
If the creditor determines that you owe a portion of the disputed amount, you must get a written explanation. You may request copies of documents proving you owe the money.
...the bill is correct?
If the creditor's investigation determines the bill is correct, you must be told promptly and in writing how much you owe and why. You may ask for copies of relevant documents. At this point, you'll owe the disputed amount, plus any finance charges that accumulated while the amount was in dispute. You also may have to pay the minimum amount you missed paying because of the dispute.
If you disagree with the results of the investigation, you may write to the creditor, but you must act within 10 days after receiving the explanation, and you may indicate that you refuse to pay the disputed amount. At this point, the creditor may begin collection procedures. However, if the creditor reports you to a credit bureau as delinquent, the report also must state that
you don't think you owe the money. The creditor must tell you who gets these reports.
...the creditor fails to follow the procedure?
Any creditor who fails to follow the settlement procedure may not collect the amount in dispute, or any related finance charges, up to $50, even if the bill turns out to be correct. For example, if a creditor acknowledges your complaint in 45 days - 15 days too late - or takes more than two billing cycles to resolve a dispute, the penalty applies. The penalty also applies if a creditor threatens to report - or improperly reports - your failure to pay to anyone during the dispute period.
An important caveat
Disputes about the quality of goods and services are not "billing errors," so the dispute procedure does not apply. However, if you buy unsatisfactory goods or services with a credit or charge card, you can take the same legal actions against the card issuer as you can take under state law against the seller.
To take advantage of this protection regarding the quality of goods or services, you must:
have made the purchase (it must be for more than $50) in your home state or within 100 miles of your current billing address;
make a good faith effort to resolve the dispute with the seller first.
The dollar and distance limitations don't apply if the seller also is the card issuer - or if a special business relationship exists between the seller and the card issuer.
Other billing rights
Businesses that offer "open end" credit also must:
give you a written notice when you open a new account - and at certain other times - that describes your right to dispute billing errors;
provide a statement for each billing period in which you owe - or they owe you - more than one dollar;
send your bill at least 14 days before the payment is due - if you have a period within which to pay the bill without incurring additional charges;
credit all payments to your account on the date they're received, unless no extra charges would result if they failed to do so. Creditors are permitted to set some reasonable rules for making payments, say setting a reasonable deadline for payment to be received to be credited on the same date; and
promptly credit or refund overpayments and other amounts owed to your account. This applies to instances where your account is owed more than one dollar. Your account must be credited promptly with the amount owed. If you prefer a refund, it must be sent within seven business days after the creditor receives your written request. The creditor must also make a good faith effort to refund a credit balance that has remained on your account for more than six months.
Suing the creditor
You can sue a creditor who violates the FCBA. If you win, you may be awarded damages, plus twice the amount of any finance charge - as long as it's between $100 and $1,000. The court also may order the creditor to pay your attorney's fees and costs.
If possible, hire a lawyer who is willing to accept the amount awarded to you by the court as the entire fee for representing you. Some lawyers may not take your case unless you agree to pay their fee - win or lose - or add to the court-awarded amount if they think it's too low.
Reporting FCBA violations
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces the FCBA for most creditors except banks. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Hope that this information was helpful. Do take Carl's advice and document everthing when possible.
Until next time, take care gang cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#42 Consumer Comment
even more about ...Credit Card Disputes
AUTHOR: Joan - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, October 22, 2004
Thank you thank you thank you Tim...YOU "GET IT"... unlike some of the responses posted. I am not making any judgements about this business, I was just trying to clear up an incorrect assumption. And yes...(to whomever said they cannot make you go to court if you have proof...yada yada yada) they CAN make you go to court. I have heard that their contracts (like most contracts) have a lot of small print and they are very carefully constructed with lots of very expensive legal advice, specifically to ensure that they do win in a court of law.
Calling your credit card company to tell them of threats made (after your money was refunded) will do you no good at all-they are not your parents and they do not care once the dispute is over...nor should they care!
I wonder sometimes... what happened to personal responsibility? No one lives in a vaccuum...you read about these things in newspapers, on the internet, in magazines, there are stories on TV news every day about these types of scams and the red flags are everywhere! Any time ANYONE tries to force a decision concerning money ...IT'S A RED FLAG! Anytime something sounds too good to be true...IT IS!
It is a gross error in judgement to believe that just because your credit card company refunded your money...for whatever reason...you will win in court. In fact, this could end up costing a lot more than you already lost, because I would bet that somewhere in that small print, there is something that says...if you default on payment and we have to take steps to collect (or something like that terminology) you will pay us court costs if the judgement is in our favor. It's a crapshoot...russian roulette...whatever you want to call it...you could win but you could also lose....bigtime.
#41 Consumer Comment
Joan's rebuttal was exactly correct, please don't ignore it!
AUTHOR: Tim - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, October 22, 2004
Reid, Tracy and Rick, other interested parties, pay heed... Joan made a very im[portant rebuttal above, and I think it has been largely overlooked.
The crux of Joan's rebuttal was that the decision of whether or not Tracy will ultimately have to pay for this B.S. program does not lie with AmEx, but with a court of law.
Reid, I think you misinterpreted Joan's rebuttal. Joan's point was NOT that the determination of whether this program is a scam needs to be made in a court of law. Joan's point was that Tracy and Rick are not necessarily out of the woods yet. The fact that AmEx refunded their money may be relevant to a judicial determination, but it is by no means an absolute defense.
This outfit may have ceded to a refund via AmEx for a number of reasons. They may want to maintain their good standing. They may realize that it is easier to fight the consumer alone than to fight the consumer and AmEx. The potential for negative publicity may have been greater if AmEx was still involved. Whatever.
The bottom line is if John Beck decides to pursue collections, or ultimately litigation, the fact that AmEx refunded the money is not determinative. Having your credit card refuse payment or gain a refund, in all likelihood, has the same effect of placing a stop-payment on a personal check. For all intents and purposes you haven't paid, but that doesn't mean that you don't have to pay.
Absent ceased collection activity, and to remove this blight from a credit report, the ultimate determination will have to be made by a court of law. AmEx is not a court of law, and is by no means a substitute for one. Just because AmEx decided you didn't have to pay, and just because John Beck ceded to such a decision, doesn't mean a judge will find the same way.
BUT, the fact that J.B. ceded to AmEx is a point in your favor. Like Carl (who knows far more about this than I do) said, keep as complete a record as you can. Do everything you can to convince the collection agency that you do not owe this debt, be it because J.B. acquiesced in refunding your money or because the whole thing is fraudulent in the first place.
If, however, you are unable to convince the collection agency (which will be difficult because they have purchased this debt and will take an actual economic loss if they can't collect from you) then you may find yourself served with a notice of a lawsuit.
If you are served with said notice, DO NOT rest on your laurels and think that just because AmEx refunded you that you are in the clear. If you do not show up to defend yourself against any legal action a default judgment WILL be entered against you. If this happens, any defense you may have had is out the window (save for some highly technical defenses that would probably not apply).
Unfortunately, if judicial action is taken against you, I have serious doubts as to your probablity of success. The purpose of the law is not to protect people from their bad decisions. As long as J.B. delivered what he promised, even if "what he promised" turned out to be pertty much worthless, you have to live up to your end of the contract (pay what you agreed to).
As for the issue of a company using one name as a "corporate" name and another as a "business" name, there is nothing wrong with this, and it happens far more often than you may think. For example, Taco Bell and KFC are just "business" names. The corporation that owns the non-franchise units is "Yum Brands." With franchise owned stores the corporate name will ALWAYS be diiferent than the name on the sign. When I was a kid I worked for a Taco Bell. At that time the corporation was Pepsi Food Services Inc., and the franchise owner was Hospitality Properties Inc.
Not that Taco Bell is the model of integrity, but even the businesses with the highest levels of ethics and morality will probably have a different name on the sign than they do on the tax forms.
Rick and Tracy, best of luck to you. I hope that this rebuttal isn't taken as a shill-report. I am as convinced that this is a scam as anyone else. I just want to make sure that our reporters don't put too much stock in the AmEx refund and end up screwing themselves. Reid, keep up your railing against this fraud, just be careful not to gove inaccurate legal advice.
#40 Consumer Suggestion
Congratulations Mark, For Not Falling Victim To This Scam!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 21, 2004
Hey there Mark along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Sorry to hear, that you to, almost got taken by what's comparable to the "NIGERIAN SCAM" out here in the good old United States Of America.
F%ck!ing Real Estate "mentoring" or telephone/correspondance "mentoring" in general, is a bunch of bull$h!t. Sounds great in theory, and thus, allows the scam to thrive.
Just a bunch of hypes and scams! Businesses don't know you personally, your skill level nor your background, so why in the world would they want to "mentor" you or anyone else to success as they so fraudulenty claim?
Why haven't the people, that answer the phones (order takers)for these fraudulent and fairy tale selling businesses found success themselves?
The cost of John Beck's "mentoring" scam is directly proportional to ones available line of credit. How convenient is that? Too bad every business didn't find the same convenience in pricing their goods, using this same method. LOL
I'd finally be able to get the car of my dreams for about $6,400.00, what it nearly cost me for John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring" dodo.
I'm really glad Mark, and thought it was really funny, that you and your wife were able to give this punk a good laugh in his ear. Didn't it seem strange Mark, how these thugs turned on you for simply not being interested in their "mentoring"?
They probably went from somewhat professional to beligerent in three seconds flat. I'm happy to see however, that you can now rest assured, that John Beck's programs are nothing but garbage and you have not lost a thing but not enrolling.
Until next time, take care Mark along with Everyone else cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#39 Consumer Suggestion
Congratulations Mark, For Not Falling Victim To This Scam!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 21, 2004
Hey there Mark along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Sorry to hear, that you to, almost got taken by what's comparable to the "NIGERIAN SCAM" out here in the good old United States Of America.
F%ck!ing Real Estate "mentoring" or telephone/correspondance "mentoring" in general, is a bunch of bull$h!t. Sounds great in theory, and thus, allows the scam to thrive.
Just a bunch of hypes and scams! Businesses don't know you personally, your skill level nor your background, so why in the world would they want to "mentor" you or anyone else to success as they so fraudulenty claim?
Why haven't the people, that answer the phones (order takers)for these fraudulent and fairy tale selling businesses found success themselves?
The cost of John Beck's "mentoring" scam is directly proportional to ones available line of credit. How convenient is that? Too bad every business didn't find the same convenience in pricing their goods, using this same method. LOL
I'd finally be able to get the car of my dreams for about $6,400.00, what it nearly cost me for John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring" dodo.
I'm really glad Mark, and thought it was really funny, that you and your wife were able to give this punk a good laugh in his ear. Didn't it seem strange Mark, how these thugs turned on you for simply not being interested in their "mentoring"?
They probably went from somewhat professional to beligerent in three seconds flat. I'm happy to see however, that you can now rest assured, that John Beck's programs are nothing but garbage and you have not lost a thing but not enrolling.
Until next time, take care Mark along with Everyone else cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#38 Consumer Suggestion
Congratulations Mark, For Not Falling Victim To This Scam!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 21, 2004
Hey there Mark along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Sorry to hear, that you to, almost got taken by what's comparable to the "NIGERIAN SCAM" out here in the good old United States Of America.
F%ck!ing Real Estate "mentoring" or telephone/correspondance "mentoring" in general, is a bunch of bull$h!t. Sounds great in theory, and thus, allows the scam to thrive.
Just a bunch of hypes and scams! Businesses don't know you personally, your skill level nor your background, so why in the world would they want to "mentor" you or anyone else to success as they so fraudulenty claim?
Why haven't the people, that answer the phones (order takers)for these fraudulent and fairy tale selling businesses found success themselves?
The cost of John Beck's "mentoring" scam is directly proportional to ones available line of credit. How convenient is that? Too bad every business didn't find the same convenience in pricing their goods, using this same method. LOL
I'd finally be able to get the car of my dreams for about $6,400.00, what it nearly cost me for John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring" dodo.
I'm really glad Mark, and thought it was really funny, that you and your wife were able to give this punk a good laugh in his ear. Didn't it seem strange Mark, how these thugs turned on you for simply not being interested in their "mentoring"?
They probably went from somewhat professional to beligerent in three seconds flat. I'm happy to see however, that you can now rest assured, that John Beck's programs are nothing but garbage and you have not lost a thing but not enrolling.
Until next time, take care Mark along with Everyone else cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#37 Consumer Suggestion
Congratulations Mark, For Not Falling Victim To This Scam!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 21, 2004
Hey there Mark along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Sorry to hear, that you to, almost got taken by what's comparable to the "NIGERIAN SCAM" out here in the good old United States Of America.
F%ck!ing Real Estate "mentoring" or telephone/correspondance "mentoring" in general, is a bunch of bull$h!t. Sounds great in theory, and thus, allows the scam to thrive.
Just a bunch of hypes and scams! Businesses don't know you personally, your skill level nor your background, so why in the world would they want to "mentor" you or anyone else to success as they so fraudulenty claim?
Why haven't the people, that answer the phones (order takers)for these fraudulent and fairy tale selling businesses found success themselves?
The cost of John Beck's "mentoring" scam is directly proportional to ones available line of credit. How convenient is that? Too bad every business didn't find the same convenience in pricing their goods, using this same method. LOL
I'd finally be able to get the car of my dreams for about $6,400.00, what it nearly cost me for John Beck's fraudulent "mentoring" dodo.
I'm really glad Mark, and thought it was really funny, that you and your wife were able to give this punk a good laugh in his ear. Didn't it seem strange Mark, how these thugs turned on you for simply not being interested in their "mentoring"?
They probably went from somewhat professional to beligerent in three seconds flat. I'm happy to see however, that you can now rest assured, that John Beck's programs are nothing but garbage and you have not lost a thing but not enrolling.
Until next time, take care Mark along with Everyone else cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#36 Consumer Suggestion
Document everything in writing
AUTHOR: Carl - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 21, 2004
You have received a number of fine suggestions on this matter. My only suggestion is that you documentation your communications in writing, but send them using a method that provides delivery confirmation. I find that USPS priority mail with delivery confirmation is quicker and cheaper than certified mail. Fax is even better if you can convince them to give you the number.
When dealing with any collection agency, always dispute the debt it writing. Dispute it early and dispute it often. You must notify them in WRITING if you want to invoke the no-contact rules under the Fedearl Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Also, monitoring your credit report and promptly dispute any bad marks in writing.
#35 Consumer Suggestion
Document everything in writing
AUTHOR: Carl - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 21, 2004
You have received a number of fine suggestions on this matter. My only suggestion is that you documentation your communications in writing, but send them using a method that provides delivery confirmation. I find that USPS priority mail with delivery confirmation is quicker and cheaper than certified mail. Fax is even better if you can convince them to give you the number.
When dealing with any collection agency, always dispute the debt it writing. Dispute it early and dispute it often. You must notify them in WRITING if you want to invoke the no-contact rules under the Fedearl Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Also, monitoring your credit report and promptly dispute any bad marks in writing.
#34 Consumer Suggestion
Document everything in writing
AUTHOR: Carl - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 21, 2004
You have received a number of fine suggestions on this matter. My only suggestion is that you documentation your communications in writing, but send them using a method that provides delivery confirmation. I find that USPS priority mail with delivery confirmation is quicker and cheaper than certified mail. Fax is even better if you can convince them to give you the number.
When dealing with any collection agency, always dispute the debt it writing. Dispute it early and dispute it often. You must notify them in WRITING if you want to invoke the no-contact rules under the Fedearl Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Also, monitoring your credit report and promptly dispute any bad marks in writing.
#33 Consumer Suggestion
Document everything in writing
AUTHOR: Carl - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 21, 2004
You have received a number of fine suggestions on this matter. My only suggestion is that you documentation your communications in writing, but send them using a method that provides delivery confirmation. I find that USPS priority mail with delivery confirmation is quicker and cheaper than certified mail. Fax is even better if you can convince them to give you the number.
When dealing with any collection agency, always dispute the debt it writing. Dispute it early and dispute it often. You must notify them in WRITING if you want to invoke the no-contact rules under the Fedearl Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Also, monitoring your credit report and promptly dispute any bad marks in writing.
#32 Consumer Comment
Thanks Rip-off report!
AUTHOR: Mark - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, October 20, 2004
As we were awaiting a call back from one John Beck's closers, a Jason Wyatt, we checked your website. And are we glad that we did! Since we have rather good credit our cost of mentoring was going to almost twice of what we saw reported on your site...$5325.00. Then we told him that there was no way we would invest this type of money for "mentoring" and that any such help should already be included, Jason became rather upset and told us that we were no longer quailified for this valuble program and that June, who pre-qualiified us, was in big trouble because his time was too valuable to waste on people like us... My wife and I both gave him a hardy laugh right in his ear and hung up the phone!
Thanks Again,
#31 Consumer Comment
Good job Rick and Tracy!!
AUTHOR: Stephanie - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, October 19, 2004
I'm happy that you won! I am still battling with USAA Visa and Discover Card. As you said Reid, no lawyer would touch my case either. That attorney that wrote the nasty-gram to John Beck did just that and nothing more. It's funny how she threatened that my husband and I would pursue litigation, yet she fails to tell me that neither she nor any other attorney in her law firm would take my case until after the fact. There's Prepaid Legal Services for you. That's another scam to beware of. Reid did you ever get your money back? Regardless of how long it takes, I'll do anything I can to really screw John Beck and his accomplices. That's what they are, criminals. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME EVERYBONE. :-\
#30 Consumer Suggestion
John Beck, Just One More Of Utah's Infamous Crap!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
INFOMERCIALS ARE SCAMS!
I had been eating with my best friend, and he had brought up a very interesting observation. Networks stand neutral from any and all endorsements or claims made in legitimate commercials, produced for legitimate businesses.
Infomercials on the other hand, especially fraudulent ones, often contain some kind of stipulated disclaimer by the networks, "does not support the claims of", "this has been a paid advertisement", "income results have not been verified", "results not typical and may vary" or some other type of bull$h!t.
Misleading and deceptive from the get go. If all of these negative disclaimers weren't bad enough, they often appear for only a few short seconds and in FINE (hidden print). Why all the bull$h!t?
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
NOTICE: In case you haven't already done so, go to classaction@ripoffreport.com to express your interest in a class action lawsuit against any one of John Beck's fraudulent programs.
#29 Consumer Suggestion
Warning: John Beck's Programs Are Fraudulent!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 18, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal, finds you in good spirits and health.
WARNING: Anything that can be proven "behind closed doors", can and definitely would be proven in a simple credit card dispute.
Credit card companies would NEVER just "take the money back" as Joan has suggested, therefore any business, that pulls out of a simple credit card dispute to take consumers on one on one, without a doubt, has an ulterior motive for doing so, crooked attorney, crooked judge, etc, etc.
Credit card companies claim to be on the consumers side, but there is absolutely no indication of this, and their outrageous actions proves otherwise. Credit card companies remain a nuetral third party at best, in all dispute encounters.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. Seeking any and all class action attorney and or media company, that would be interested in taking on John Beck's fraudulent company and uncovering his scam.
If interested please go to classaction@ripoffreport.com to express your interest. Thanks again.
#28 Consumer Suggestion
Ulterior Motive?
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 18, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Always remember, that anything and everything that legitimate businesses can prove "behind closed doors", can and definitely would be proven out in the open, unless that is, the business has ulterior motives.
Ulterior motive: Negative conotation. Lying beyond what is evident, revealed or avowed, especially being concealed intentionally so as to deceive.
Sound familiar anyone? LOL
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. In case you haven't already expressed your interest in a class action lawsuit against this fraudulent company, go to classaction@ripoffreport.com and do so as soon as possible.
#27 Consumer Suggestion
disputes are won for a variety of different reasons. Fraud with most credit card disputes, do not cover fraudulent activities by fraudulent businesses, but rather only fraudulent transactions
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, October 17, 2004
Hey there Joan along with Everyone else,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
In response to Joan's rebuttal above, which I feel are very weak excuses for credit card companies at best.
Joan's rebuttal: Let's take it case by case.
REBUTTAL: Several have commented that if the credit card company refunds your money, the business was fraudulent. Credit card companies are not a court of law.
RESPONSE: It's very safe to say, that a business is fraudulent and or has participated in fraudulent activities, if they are not willing and or able to prove complaints against it false or to the contrary in the public eye.
It doesn't take a court of law to determine this, for the actions of a fraudulent company speaks for itself. If they beg to differ, they can serve me up with papers and attempt to frivilously sue me, for what they've been unable to prove out in the open.
In the case of fraudulent John Beck's "mentoring" program, they have literally begged to have the charges reversed in their favor.
REBUTTAL: You may win a dispute for many different reasons, most of which have nothing to do with how legitimate the business is. If a business doesn't respond...you win. If a business responds but the response is "insufficient" because of a technicality that has more to do with the business' contract with the credit card company than whether you are "right", you will win.
RESPONSE: True, disputes are won for a variety of different reasons. Fraud with most credit card disputes, do not cover fraudulent activities by fraudulent businesses, but rather only fraudulent transactions, which mostly involves "identity theft" and the likes.
When someone shows interest in disputing charges, they're often instructed to check the box pertaining to "quality of service", when in actuality, have been sold a product or service through blatant misrepresentation, deception, false or unsubstantiated claims.
These items alone, constitutes fraud, regardless of whether or not credit card companies choose to "turn a blind eye". You are correct Joan, when stating people win disputes when response by company is "insufficient", and when someone's disputing John Beck's program, the company's responses are far beyond "insufficient".
REBUTTAL: In this situation, the business figured that American Express would take the money back anyway and probably decided to issue the credit and fight you directly. None of these things will protect you when the business decides to go after you...it just means that the credit card company is out of it and the dispute is now between you and the business...period...end of story. It is then up to the customer to prove "fraud" or support their position in a court of law.
RESPONSE: Not true at all. Any and all legitimate businesses, that had nothing to hide and could without a doubt, prove a dispute false or to the contrary, would definitely not withdrawl it's defense.
It makes absolutely no sense for any legitimate business to withdrawl from a dispute and attempt to seek compensation through another means, unless that is, they had something to hide, couldn't defend themselves in the public eye, or decided, that they were going to attempt to frivilously sue someone.
If a business can't prove inacurracies and discrepancies in an "open dispute", it sure as hell can't prove them "behind closed doors".
REBUTTAL: As far as the "other" business name, many business have a corporate name and another name that they use to the public.
RESPONSE: Sorry, didn't quite understand this paragraph. Like an alias?
In closing, as stated on the front page of this website. Any legitimate business, that has nothing to hide, would most certainly have no problem coming out in the open to lay it all out in the open. Plain and simple, no if and's or but's and definitely not just an opinion.
Businesses, just like people, are fully responsible for their own reputations.
Now, If the fraudulent John Beck "Mentoring" Institute wants to hash things out "behind closed doors" for any reason, as so many fraudulent companies often do, either themselves, or Mike Evan's knows how to get a hold of me.
As for you Joan, thank you very much for coming forward to educate the public, with an explanation on how disputes work.
Until next time, take care Joan along with Everyone else cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. In case you haven't already done so, go to classaction@ripoffreport.com to express your interest in a class action lawsuit against John Beck Mentoring Institute, and the toilet paper their selling.
#26 Consumer Comment
Info about Credit Card Disputes
AUTHOR: Joan - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, October 17, 2004
Several have commented that if the credit card company refunds your money, the business was fraudulent. Credit card companies are not a court of law.
You may win a dispute for many different reasons, most of which have nothing to do with how legitimate the business is. If a business doesn't respond...you win. If a business responds but the response is "insufficient" because of a technicality that has more to do with the business' contract with the credit card company than whether you are "right", you will win.
In this situation, the business figured that American Express would take the money back anyway and probably decided to issue the credit and fight you directly. None of these things will protect you when the business decides to go after you...it just means that the credit card company is out of it and the dispute is now between you and the business...period...end of story. It is then up to the customer to prove "fraud" or support their position in a court of law.
As far as the "other" business name, many business have a corporate name and another name that they use to the public.
#25 Consumer Comment
Update to all... assemble all the proof you have of this compnay not keeping their promise to you for the money you had paid them..
AUTHOR: Evon - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, October 17, 2004
When researching a company and obtaining the information needed to file a case in court, the best thing to do is to get as much information on the company in question as possible...By this, I mean, assemble all the proof you have of this compnay not keeping their promise to you for the money you had paid them..As well as the fact that once money has been refunded by a credit card company or other source, then there should be no reason to purse the case any further...I suggest to anyone being bothered by threats from the EPN collection agebcy (or otherwise) to turn the matter over to your local news channel and/or write them a letter stating that you are no longer responding to their claims for action against you or your credit (if that is the case)..They CAN NOT make you go to court if you have ANY kind of proof of your refund of money..Get the proof of refund and takr it to court with you and/or send it to the credit/collection agency if need be.
Word to the wise, these reports have found me questioning the validility of all companies advertising on info-mercials...Just check them out first before buying into their promises..If it sounds to good to be tru, it probably is.
#24 Consumer Suggestion
Warning: John Beck "Mentoring" Is A Total Scam!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, October 17, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Continuation of tips, that PROVE John Beck's materials are fraudulent:
8. Infomercial contains much fine print, which is nothing, but an attempt to elude disclosing material facts about the program. As a matter of fact, John Beck's fraudulent Infomercial fails to mention anything about "mentoring" in the first place.
9. John Beck "mentoring" program does not have a professionaly designed website. How legit is that?
10. Does not acknowledge and rectify consumer complaints, but instead attempts to sweep the many complaints against them under the rug.
11. Does not conduct business using professional and legally binding contracts, but instead insists on "recorded agreements", which they later attempt to use against their victims. Nothing but traps into what they believe are legally enforceable and binding contracts.
The beauty of John Beck's fraudulent lure and trap scheme, like the many other fraudulent "mentoring" programs like it, is the fact, that no matter what the outcome, the fraudulent company have not received payment from their victims, but rather money from credit card companies.
After all, they're the retardo ones, that insist
on allowing charges to go through to fraudulent businesses, even after someone has proven a company fraudulent.
Credit card commercials, that give consumers the impression they are looking out for consumers best interest are all full of $h!t! Fraud protection? A little false advertising maybe? Goes well with aiding and abetting in fraudulent activities doesn't it?
12. Unsubstantiated income claims. Full of $h!t claims!
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
ATTENTION: If you are a victim of the John Beck scam, or any other fraudulent moneymaking Infomercial gimmick, and would be interested in participating in what could very well become the largest class action lawsuit ever, go to classaction@ripoffreport.com and express your interest.
#23 Consumer Suggestion
Class Action Anyone? Mentoring sounds good in theory, thus makes for a good con, comparable to that of fortune telling, faith healing and envelope stuffing.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, October 16, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
There simply aren't any "gurus", that could or would "mentor" anyone to success. If there ever was a legitimate "guru" with a secret pool of knowledge, which so many "claim" to possess, believe me, they would be practicing it themselves, as opposed to selling how to "information".
Mentoring sounds good in theory, thus makes for a good con, comparable to that of fortune telling, faith healing and envelope stuffing.
Here's just a few tips that PROVE john Beck's programs are fraudulent.
1. His Infomercial alone. Contains much deception and misrepresentation.
2. The cost of his fraudulent "mentoring" is directly proportionate to ones available credit.
3. Attempts to use a three day right to cancel as part of their marketing ploy. They simply don't answer their phones during the three day right to cancel, or will simply proceed to give you the run around.
4. Does not conduct business using traditional, standard, legally binding contracts, but instead chooses to "tape record" agreements, which they will later attempt to use against you.
Funny how they choose NOT to "tape record" all of their fraudulent sales pitches and unsubstantiated claims.
5. Do NOT honor money back guarantee. Their 30 day money back guarantee for the fraudulent Free and Clear program (lure into their fraudulent "mentoring") is full of $h!t.
The program often takes up to three weeks or possibly longer, (regardless if one pays for rush delivery) to arrive at his or her doorstep.
How the f%ck do they expect one to review the materials, and get it back to their bull$h!t company in one week? Just one more dicrepancy regarding their scam.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE: Guarantees, that products or services, that's been offered, accepted and agreed upon, are delivered or rendered accordingly. Also ensures consumers, that no deception or misrepresentation has occured in advertising, and that company is willing and able to live up to their claims.
John Beck's website along with his fraudulent Infomercial takes fraud to another level, in that they not only emphasize money back guarantees, but actually "guarantees results". "Guaranteed results" pertain to ones income potential. SCAM O RAMA!
6. "Mentors" you in absolutely nothing, but on how to twiddle your thumbs. In other words, delivers nothing of value in exchange for ones enormous "available credit". TOTALLY FAILS TO LIVE UP TO ANY OF THEIR CLAIMS!
My "coach" knew about as much as my ten year old couisin regarding real estate investing.
The fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute even has the f%ck!ng audacity, to attempt to turn the blame on you, as to why you've not become successful using their fraudulent "mentoring".
7. Threats of lawsuits are very common. Lawsuits used by the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute, or any other lure and trap scheme "mentoring" programs, are nothing but intimidation scare tactics.
The truth is an absolute defense against any and all frivilous lawsuits. You know I speak the truth, for if I didn't, someone from this imbreeding grounds would have come forward by now and defend this company and their materials, but they have not.
That's all for now, but there's a whole lot more comming.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. Go to classaction@ripoffreport.com to express your interest in a class action lawsuit against the John Beck program.
#22 Author of original report
Head is Spinning Trying to Find the Parent Company to this FRAUD
AUTHOR: Tracy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, October 07, 2004
Hi All,
As I wrote before, My husband and I have been turned over to a collection agency for getting our money refunded by American Express. If we don't settle by October 17th, they will put the charge on our credit as a collection. As someone mentioned in this EMail train, this collection agency IS a legitimate company:
EPN
746 E 1910 South
Provo Utah, 84606
1-801-223-9996 x534323
Blake Spencer
I contacted American Express and asked them to send me a letter stating why they had decided to refund our money and this is where it gets REALLY interesting. American Express says they DIDN'T refund our money the MERCHANT did. So Beck refunded our money and then turned us over to a collection ageny?!?!! OMG! The Company Name that shows on our refund letter is H C G INC. This is the company who deemed it appropriate for us to get a refund. Has anyone heard of this name? The information I sent American Express included Beck and their address in Provo and I can't find any information on H C G INC but feel we will need this for court real soon.
#21 Consumer Comment
Different Names, Same Corrupt Co. practices
AUTHOR: Tom - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, October 05, 2004
I filed a ripoff report under Financial Super Stars/Tax Lien Sales Certificates. The experiences I have seen under the John Beck company is very similar to experiences with the Financial Super Stars. They may have changed names and offices, but their dishonest operations are the same.
They operate out of different home offices, but funnel their business deals through Orem, Provo or Salt Lake City, Utah. They contact people anxious to make money with a home business. Then they sell their high priced information. Then the useless info and materials are next to impossible to return or refund.
One recourse is to try disputing the credit card charge with the card company. The scam people will inform you of the waste of time due to their contract. Try it anyway!
Most of their useless information could be accessed on the internet for free. They take in as much money as possible and run and hide after that. Denying refunds and returns are the standard operating procedures for these scam and sham firms. Search out Financial Super Stars to read my report from California.
I have seen how utterly useless it is to rely upon the BBB for reference. Check out the real life experiences of those reported on www.ripoff.com.
I hope that the word will spread to shed light on these white collar crooks. They hide under changing names and changing products. Their weak point seems to be the central point of contact of the sites in Utah.
Perhaps the lenient laws for fraud and corrupt business practices in Utah are fertile grounds for these shoddy operations to continue.
Watch out for the different names of operations of originating offices. The common items to beware are their locations in Utah. Spread the word by telling of your personal experiences in the ripoff report. Shed some light on these crooks and save some other hard-working person from suffering the financial loss. FIGHT BACK!
#20 Consumer Suggestion
BE SMART WITH YOUR MONEY .. all the books must of been written in a code, cus it all made no sense to me.
AUTHOR: Drew - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, September 28, 2004
hey tracy and friends
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Wow, im amazed to hear about all the people who are angry at mr. beck. Now I too HAD ordered the "free and Clear" system from mr. john beck, and all i Got was a bunch of books, a VCR tape , and a CD-ROM disc.
First, all the books must of been written in a code, cus it all made no sense to me. In to skimming the heap of "information" on my lap, i Come accross the book where it lays out the state code and laws with a website and to my suprise, florida dose not pay on tax leins!
Now here is where I was Smart, it says if you open the tapes and cd-rom, you void your money back!!!
Right there i packed it up, Taped it up, Put a return label on it
And Got MY Full Refund Back!!!!! (minus $10 for S&H)
The whole menturing scam is where they really stick it to you. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.
And to think, I was going to filthy rich!!!
BUT!, I used a little common sense, I have been ripped off in the past, and I will not let it happen again! Here are a couple of steps, I took
#19 Consumer Suggestion
Definitely A Fraudulent Collection Agency!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Below I have posted the rules that govern debt collection. These rules have been compiled from only one out of MANY websites that list them. I have acknowledged one rule in particular, which the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute's "colllection" agency (EPN) has violated.
Debt Collection rules:
There are very specific rules regulating what debt collection agencies can and cannot do when attempting to collect unpaid debts. Most of these regulations are set forth by states under various consumer protection laws as well as the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Falsely accuse the debtor of fraud or other crimes
Use or "threaten" to use violence or other criminal acts (ruin ones credit) to collect the debt
Threaten arrest of the debtor, or threaten to repossess or seize property of the debtor without proper court proceedings
Make collect telephone calls to the debtor without disclosing the true name of the caller before the charges are accepted
Harass the debtor or the debtor's family with frequent communication, by calling anonymously, or making frequent or continuous calls
Use profane or obscene language
Mail any documents to the debtor that falsely appear to be from a court or other official agency
Misrepresent the amount of the debt or falsely claim that legal action has been taken.
Debt collector limitations
The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act also governs debt collection practices, specifically regulating those collectors who work for professional debt collection agencies and attorneys hired to collect debts. In addition to state law the federal act also provides that collectors cannot:
Communicate with a debtor before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
Call the debtor at work if the collector has reason to know that the debtor's employer does not permit such calls
A consumer who disputes a debt should send written notice to the debt collector detailing the nature of the dispute. The debt collector must then provide the consumer with information on how to contest the debt, and, upon request, must assist the consumer in completing the necessary forms.
The debt collector must respond to a consumer's request within 30 days after receiving the written notice of the dispute, and must correct any improperly reported item.
A consumer who feels a debt collector is using improper, harassing, or fraudulent collection methods should notify the collector in writing that he or she wants to stop all further contact from the collector.
The consumer should keep a copy of the letter and mail the original to the collector by certified mail. A consumer also may seek a civil injunction and damages against a collector, and/or may report violations to the Office of the Attorney General to determine if civil or criminal actions may be taken against the collector.
Disclaimer: These rules are a result of a cut and paste submission and should not be considered legal opinions or advice.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
Remember: ANY and ALL legitimate ("REAL") businesses, conduct business on an up and up basis. ANY and ALL legitimate businesses would definitely not have a problem laying it all out in the open.
#18 Consumer Suggestion
Definitely A Fraudulent Collection Agency!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Below I have posted the rules that govern debt collection. These rules have been compiled from only one out of MANY websites that list them. I have acknowledged one rule in particular, which the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute's "colllection" agency (EPN) has violated.
Debt Collection rules:
There are very specific rules regulating what debt collection agencies can and cannot do when attempting to collect unpaid debts. Most of these regulations are set forth by states under various consumer protection laws as well as the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Falsely accuse the debtor of fraud or other crimes
Use or "threaten" to use violence or other criminal acts (ruin ones credit) to collect the debt
Threaten arrest of the debtor, or threaten to repossess or seize property of the debtor without proper court proceedings
Make collect telephone calls to the debtor without disclosing the true name of the caller before the charges are accepted
Harass the debtor or the debtor's family with frequent communication, by calling anonymously, or making frequent or continuous calls
Use profane or obscene language
Mail any documents to the debtor that falsely appear to be from a court or other official agency
Misrepresent the amount of the debt or falsely claim that legal action has been taken.
Debt collector limitations
The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act also governs debt collection practices, specifically regulating those collectors who work for professional debt collection agencies and attorneys hired to collect debts. In addition to state law the federal act also provides that collectors cannot:
Communicate with a debtor before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
Call the debtor at work if the collector has reason to know that the debtor's employer does not permit such calls
A consumer who disputes a debt should send written notice to the debt collector detailing the nature of the dispute. The debt collector must then provide the consumer with information on how to contest the debt, and, upon request, must assist the consumer in completing the necessary forms.
The debt collector must respond to a consumer's request within 30 days after receiving the written notice of the dispute, and must correct any improperly reported item.
A consumer who feels a debt collector is using improper, harassing, or fraudulent collection methods should notify the collector in writing that he or she wants to stop all further contact from the collector.
The consumer should keep a copy of the letter and mail the original to the collector by certified mail. A consumer also may seek a civil injunction and damages against a collector, and/or may report violations to the Office of the Attorney General to determine if civil or criminal actions may be taken against the collector.
Disclaimer: These rules are a result of a cut and paste submission and should not be considered legal opinions or advice.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
Remember: ANY and ALL legitimate ("REAL") businesses, conduct business on an up and up basis. ANY and ALL legitimate businesses would definitely not have a problem laying it all out in the open.
#17 Consumer Suggestion
Just Another Desperate Menuever By A Fraudulent Business.
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, September 27, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
EPN is without a doubt, a fraudulent collection agency, comparable to that of a strong arm syndicate. Although this may appear to be a strong assumption, no legitimate collection agency would ever threaten to ruin someones credit.
A legitimate collection agency threatening to ruin someones credit, is no different, than a consumer threatening to ruin someones business and or merchant account. Also, the fact that EPN is even associated with a company, that has been proven fraudulent many of times in the past, raises much doubt.
If any of you ever get a call from EPN, do the following.
1. Ask them if it would be OK for you to tape record the entire conversation for "quality assurance purposes". Any and all REAL agencies would definitely not find it a problem. If they say no, tell them to f%ck off and die.
2. Ask them why it is everyone, that won a dispute against the fraudulent John Beck program don't receive a call from them, and why EPN picks and chooses their victims. Intimidation maybe?
3. Tell them to take it up with your credit card company, for it was them, that ultimately decided the outcome of your dispute. Any REAL collection agency would know this.
4. Notify them, that you are going to report the harrassment to government law enforcement and the nuisance bureau, and any attempt to f%ck with your credit, will be evenly matched with the same force to take their fruadulent entity into the ground.
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#16 Consumer Suggestion
BBB Membeships Prove Absolutely Nothing About A Company!!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, September 26, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Never allow a BBB rating to pursuade your decision, or cause you to believe, that a company or business is legitimate, or even ethical for that matter.
My words, or anybody else's words, are just as good as anything the BBB can say about any one particular company. In other words, the BBB's "rating" whether satisfactory or unsatisfactory proves absolutely nothing about a company.
BBB memberships are paid for not something that's earned, so what does that tell you about the BBB? Who are they more likely to be protecting in this situation?
Do you know how many complaints the BBB collects, before they actually decide to take action against a company? All the while, wanting consumers to believe, that their "paid" memberships are comparable to that of a seal of approval. F%CK!NG MEANINGLESS B^LL$H!T!!
So you never have to assume, that a company is REAL, just because the BBB says so. This "collection" agency has all the making of a strong arm syndicate. Gee, I wonder why they have not pursued everyone that has won a dispute against them, but instead chooses their victims? LOL
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#15 Consumer Suggestion
Collect This!! (Exposing My Weenie) John Beck's Free and Clear Program is definitely not legitimate. not many legitimate work at home opportunities available
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, September 26, 2004
Hey there Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Evon is absolutely right. There are not many legitimate work at home opportunities available. Sad but true. John Beck's Free and Clear Program is definitely not legitimate.
Evon is also correct about obtaining the reason for your successful dispute in writing. Upon winning your dispute, you should have already gotten an explanation, but in case you haven't, I would call and request one.
In my case, I have received a letter stating:
Based on the merchant's response and the facts of your case, we have issued credit(s) for the disputed charge(s). Because we value you as a customer, we have issued courtesy credits for any related finance charges and fees. The adjustment(s) will appear on the above-referenced account within seven days.
Politically correct way of saying fraudulent! Throughout my entire dispute, the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute, have not been able to prove a d**n thing that I've stated, false or to the contrary.
Instead, they've kept insisting, that I have enrolled into their program and literally begged MBNA to reverse the charges in their favor. F%ck!n' p!$$ed me off even more.
I have NEVER denied enrolling into their program, so their attempt to use this in their defense, was clearly just a desperate attempt to steal my money.
Never be intimidated by any collection agency. Legitimate collection agencies would definitely be aware of the fact, that the situation is clearly out of the hands of the consumer, once their credit card company has issued them a refund.
He who gives, can take away!
Easy come, easy go! LOL
Until next time, take care Everyone cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#14 Consumer Suggestion
Tracy- you should read this! American Express refunded money after finding that JOhn Beck's program was a scam.
AUTHOR: Evon - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, September 24, 2004
I signed up for email updates to find out when anyone responded to comments made on this site.
First off, I suggest that everyone do the same. Second, I did some investigation on EPN (the company in question) and their true nature of business. According to the BBB report, this company is REAL.
I suggest that anyone contacted by this company (EPN) reply to thier inquiries and fast! In tracy's ordeal, American Express refunded her money after finding that JOhn Beck's program was a scam.
If you have had your money from this program refunded by your credit card company, request that your credit card company send you the reason for their refund in writing.
Also, make sure to tell the credit card company about EPN and it's attempts to collect the refunded money from you.
#13 Consumer Suggestion
Getting More & More Desparate Aren't We? Yeeeah!!!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, September 24, 2004
Hey there Tracy,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Call American Express immediately and notify them about your situation and the verbal threat to ruin your credit. Threats seem to be common practice of this fraudulent entity.
I myself, have been threatened by the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute, only it was to be sued as opposed to having my credit ruined.
Contact the nuisance bureau immediately and explain to them, that you are now being harrassed by a fraudulent company, only because the fraudulent company did not appreciate the outcome of a dispute.
Next, contact the "collection" agency and politely explain, that you wish to never again see their office number appear on your phone. Notify them, that they are to severe and discontinue all contact immediately.
Any attempt to contact you, will result in fines imposed by the nuisance bureau. Also, notify law enforcement about the threats made.
Once you win a dispute, the situation is entirely out of your hands. Tell Bozo, that if he is not satisfied with the outcome, to take it up with American Express and not harass you.
The John Beck Team had much time, and many chances to prove themselves during the dispute. The fact they can't and didn't is no fault of yours.
Until next time, take care Tracy, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#12 Consumer Suggestion
Getting More & More Desparate Aren't We? Yeeeah!!!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, September 24, 2004
Hey there Tracy,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Call American Express immediately and notify them about your situation and the verbal threat to ruin your credit. Threats seem to be common practice of this fraudulent entity.
I myself, have been threatened by the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute, only it was to be sued as opposed to having my credit ruined.
Contact the nuisance bureau immediately and explain to them, that you are now being harrassed by a fraudulent company, only because the fraudulent company did not appreciate the outcome of a dispute.
Next, contact the "collection" agency and politely explain, that you wish to never again see their office number appear on your phone. Notify them, that they are to severe and discontinue all contact immediately.
Any attempt to contact you, will result in fines imposed by the nuisance bureau. Also, notify law enforcement about the threats made.
Once you win a dispute, the situation is entirely out of your hands. Tell Bozo, that if he is not satisfied with the outcome, to take it up with American Express and not harass you.
The John Beck Team had much time, and many chances to prove themselves during the dispute. The fact they can't and didn't is no fault of yours.
Until next time, take care Tracy, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#11 Consumer Suggestion
Getting More & More Desparate Aren't We? Yeeeah!!!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, September 24, 2004
Hey there Tracy,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Call American Express immediately and notify them about your situation and the verbal threat to ruin your credit. Threats seem to be common practice of this fraudulent entity.
I myself, have been threatened by the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute, only it was to be sued as opposed to having my credit ruined.
Contact the nuisance bureau immediately and explain to them, that you are now being harrassed by a fraudulent company, only because the fraudulent company did not appreciate the outcome of a dispute.
Next, contact the "collection" agency and politely explain, that you wish to never again see their office number appear on your phone. Notify them, that they are to severe and discontinue all contact immediately.
Any attempt to contact you, will result in fines imposed by the nuisance bureau. Also, notify law enforcement about the threats made.
Once you win a dispute, the situation is entirely out of your hands. Tell Bozo, that if he is not satisfied with the outcome, to take it up with American Express and not harass you.
The John Beck Team had much time, and many chances to prove themselves during the dispute. The fact they can't and didn't is no fault of yours.
Until next time, take care Tracy, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#10 Consumer Suggestion
Fraud Alert!! Fraud Alert!! Fraud Alert!! FraudAlert!! Fraud Alert!!
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, September 24, 2004
Hey there Tracy,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spirits and health.
Once you win a dispute, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. The next time you receive a phone call from one of these genetic imbreeds, ask them exactly how they plan on ruining your credit.
Then politely explain to this product of incest, that by attempting to deliberately ruin your credit, he may very possibly ruin his company's merchant account and or entire fraudulent business in the process, for you'll be reporting the entire incident to American Express.
If you'd rather not even deal with this fraudulent company any further, immediately contact American Express and explain the entire ordeal, including any and all verbal threats made by them to ruin your credit.
I have left a recorded message on Mike Evans phone stating my intentions to report them to the nuisance bureau, but have decided not to, because I sort of enjoy their week harassment and feeble threats.
I posses the "give me a reason to do something I'll regret later" mentality.
Definitely do report threats of any nature and degree to law enforcement and American Express and be absolute sure to demand this fraudulent company discontinue all contact.
Notify the nuisance bureau of their harassing and threatening phone calls and that you are not the only victim of their fraud, extortion, threats, and harassment.
Explain to imbreed, that if he is not happy with the outcome of the dispute, he should take it up with American Express himself. Then explain to him, that you wish to never see a number coming from his office ever again.
I wouldn't worry about it to much. Now that you have won your dispute, it is clearly out of your hands and any attempt to deliberately ruin your credit would be illegal.
If this company had anything legit about them in the first place, they would have been able to prove it during the long dispute, for they had much time and many chances to do so. Legitimate businesses NEVER resort to such ridiculous threats.
Until next time, take care Tracy cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. Fkn Cnt Mike Evans still owes me big time... as I'm starting to feel it again.
#9 Author of original report
John Beck Turning Us Over to a Collection Agency - Is there no end to this?
AUTHOR: Tracy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, September 23, 2004
I knew I spoke too soon when I said we won because we got our money back from American Express. I got a call yesterday from Blake Spencer with EPN supposedly a collection agency working for John Beck. They have threatened to ruin our credit if we don't pay. Has anyone else received a call from these people? I have a suspicion that this is not really a collection agency but is in fact John Beck and his satanic minions at work.
Here is the information:
EPN
746 E 1910 South
Provo Utah, 84606
1-801-223-9996 x534323
Blake Spencer
I'm at my wits end, if they put this on my credit report I don't know what I'm going to do. I've spent nearly two years trying to get me and my husbands credit cleaned up.
#8 Consumer Comment
MY HEAVENS!
AUTHOR: Evon - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, September 16, 2004
First of all, I would like to say I am glad to hear of anyone who has gotten money back from their purchase of this program, and Thank goodness for American Express!
I did not have the plesure of buying this program through American Express, and instead had to use my bank card to purchase the program. However, at the same time, I also did not (thank goodness) pay for the so called "mentoring" services.
If when I saw this infomercial on TV, I had been aware of this program being a scam, I would not have had waisted my money.
Everyone who has said that this program is a scam, is correct! This program has done nothing for me, and they do not advertise the entire truth of the matter. I was lead to believe that I need only pay for a tax lien on a house and then that house would be mine FREE & CLEAR.
Obviously, this is one big joke! There is no program I have found yet (or very few) that allow a person to make money from their home and still give them the support and information they need up front.
#7 Consumer Comment
MY HEAVENS!
AUTHOR: Evon - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, September 16, 2004
First of all, I would like to say I am glad to hear of anyone who has gotten money back from their purchase of this program, and Thank goodness for American Express!
I did not have the plesure of buying this program through American Express, and instead had to use my bank card to purchase the program. However, at the same time, I also did not (thank goodness) pay for the so called "mentoring" services.
If when I saw this infomercial on TV, I had been aware of this program being a scam, I would not have had waisted my money.
Everyone who has said that this program is a scam, is correct! This program has done nothing for me, and they do not advertise the entire truth of the matter. I was lead to believe that I need only pay for a tax lien on a house and then that house would be mine FREE & CLEAR.
Obviously, this is one big joke! There is no program I have found yet (or very few) that allow a person to make money from their home and still give them the support and information they need up front.
#6 Consumer Comment
MY HEAVENS!
AUTHOR: Evon - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, September 16, 2004
First of all, I would like to say I am glad to hear of anyone who has gotten money back from their purchase of this program, and Thank goodness for American Express!
I did not have the plesure of buying this program through American Express, and instead had to use my bank card to purchase the program. However, at the same time, I also did not (thank goodness) pay for the so called "mentoring" services.
If when I saw this infomercial on TV, I had been aware of this program being a scam, I would not have had waisted my money.
Everyone who has said that this program is a scam, is correct! This program has done nothing for me, and they do not advertise the entire truth of the matter. I was lead to believe that I need only pay for a tax lien on a house and then that house would be mine FREE & CLEAR.
Obviously, this is one big joke! There is no program I have found yet (or very few) that allow a person to make money from their home and still give them the support and information they need up front.
#5 Author of original report
We Won and You Can Too! Thank You American Express!
AUTHOR: Tracy - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Hi All,
I have great news finally. I filed a dispute with American Express in August (six months after we originally got scammed by John Beck's fraudulent company). I went through a lot of work and heartache trying to go through the company itself to get our money back but as ALL of You know by now that won't happen.
American Express has acknowledged that John Beck's is a fraudulent company and we are being reimbursed for our full amount of $3375. Woo, h*o!!!! Justice prevails.
The only suggestion I can give is to get your dispute in with your Credit Card company as soon as possible. I suspect, this fraudulent company will be filing for bankruptcy as the major credit card companies get a hold of this and start attempting to get their money back. Although, I see that weasel Beck is still running his commercials. Lesson learned! No more infomercials!!!
Good Luck with your disputes and God Bless
#4 Consumer Suggestion
Where Are You Mike Evans?
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Hey Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you all in good spirit and health.
To say that the fraudulent John Beck Free and Clear program is a bad company would be a huge understatement.
The John Beck Free and Clear program is a flat out scam!! The John beck Free and Clear program is nothing more than a well disguised trap, where a non-existant service is the cover. Why do you think complaints against this fraudulent company never gets acknowledged and or resolved?
I have been scammed by this company and challenge anyone from it to come foward and post a full explanation and to prove, anything that I have stated to the contrary.
They won't because it's impossible for them to do so, otherwise, they would have succeeded in the credit card dispute. Instead, I rolled them over like bowling pins.
Every single complaint against this fraudulent company, at every public forum, falls on deaf ears and goes unacknowledged and unresolved.
The only positive messages that mean anything at this point, are ones posted by victims of the John Beck Free and Clear scam whose issues have been resolved.
Frudulent company and it's various locations:
John Beck Mentoring Institute
P.O. Box 3685
Burbank, CA 91504
Mentoring Office: 888 909-8168
Facsimile: 818 767-3400
John Beck Free & Clear
12843 Muscatine Street
Arleta, CA 91331
www.family products.com
This website guarantees results / I guarantee the only results that you'll see is a long dispute battle with them.
John Beck
2089 E. Fort Union Blvd
Salt Lake City, UT 84121
818 767-3300
888 568-5065
800 396-9977
800 538-2002
888 461-9029 or visit the website @ http://67.105126.40/john beck/. This website actually states "Guaranteed results".
BEWARE: Guaranteed results, could just as well mean guaranteed failure, as opposed to guaranteed success.
Stay "free and Clear" from all of these companies, for the only "Amazing Profits" that will come about, are the ones going straight into these thieves pockets.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to read about my bad experience. I only hope that you head the warning and spread the word.
Until next time, take care cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
#3 Consumer Suggestion
Mike Evan's! Where are you?
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, August 02, 2004
Hey Everyone,
I hope that this rebuttal finds you in good spitit and health.
Want to have some fun during the dispute process?
Here's what I do for fun. I wrote down as many numbers from the fraudulent John Beck mentoring Institute, as I possibly could, I frequent various payphones, I phone as many "PAID", "THIRD PARTY MARKETING" companies as I possibly can, make them go through their entire sales pitch, than later simply tell them about the many complaints on this website.
Example: "My god, you're trying to rip me off, aren't you?" Look at all these reports! What are you folks going to do about them?
There is nothing funnier and more self gratifying, than the long pause you'll encounter, after you've caught one of the salespeople off guard with one of these calls.
You see, fraudulent companies have to pay for any and all toll free charges, so I make them pay and think twice about running their scam by me and the beautiful island in which I reside.
Could you imagine what it would cost them, if only a few thousand people did this daily, for only a couple of weeks?
Fraudulent companies would start to disipate one by one, for fraudulent businesses like the John Beck Mentoring Institute would not be as profitable as they are now.
Fraud costs consumers millions and millions of dollars, and are obviously tremendously profitable for crooks, so let's all start making it very expensive for them as well.
If you get a refund from this fraudulent company that's great, but if that's all everyones after, scam companies like the John Beck Mentoring Institute will never go away. There's even a slight chance of yourself, or a loved one falling for the same crap again later in the future.
So whatever you do, don't ever settle for just a refund in the amount of the extortion attempt, but rather factor in all costs that's related in the recovery of your monies.
Sure the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute will more than likely ignore all requests, however, if enough people do this, at very least, the pressure will start to accumulate.
Right now as it stands, all of these complaints are just complaints and probably has a very minimal affect on the amount of people we are saving from falling for the fraudulent John Beck mentoring Institute.
We need to start doing more to warn the public about the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute and their fraudulent infomercial.
I will definitely be back to post more ideas on how to have fun with fraudulent companies, such as the John Beck Mentoring Institute.
Until next time, take care cause I care, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless.
P.S. Hey there Mike Evans, you f#ck!ng b*****d!! Let me no if you're ever planning to visit Hawaii. I would love nothing more, than to meet you. I want to be your friend and also collect some, if not all of my $9.8 million. C'mon Mike, you owe it to your company.
I would also love for you to meet a couple of my friends nicknamed "silver" and "bullet", so that we can all start making money together. LOL.
Always remember: He who laughs last, laughs the hardest!
#2 Consumer Comment
Nice to know we're not alone
AUTHOR: Tracy & Rick - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, August 02, 2004
Hey Reid,
Thanks for your response and suggestions and I apologize if I got you all wound up again :)
I am going to try to contact the Attorney General for Utah and California, some local media here in Oregon and well as contact our credit card company (what the heck, it can't hurt to try) - I will also continue to follow up with the BBB. Normally, I would let something like this go but it's a big chunk of change and I'm so very tired of unethical business practices. Plus, they (Mentoring of America, LLC, apparnelty they have changed their name again) seems to be enjoying this. Oh, and their front line is STILL calling to get us to sign up for their mentoring program!!! How STUPID. I told the last guy who called that I was going to get my money back because this so-called business was a crock and he said "You wanna bet!". Rick and I are very angry and we don't really expect to get our money back but do want to warn people against this SCAM.
Thanks again Reid and we welcome any more information and suggestions you or anyone out there may have!
#1 Consumer Suggestion
I feel your pain. definitely without a doubt fraudulent and nothing but a scam
AUTHOR: Reid - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, July 31, 2004
Hey there Tracy and Rick,
I hope that my rebuttal finds the both of you in good spirit and health.
I'm really sorry to hear, that you and your husband have been scammed by this fraudulent company.
If you've paid with a credit card, there may be a slight chance of recovering your investment, however, it appears you may have exceeded the window in which to do so, which is exactly what this fraudulent company wanted.
The John Beck "mentoring" crap is definitely without a doubt fraudulent and nothing but a scam. The fact that myself and a few others rolled them over in credit card disputes and obtained refunds, proves beyond all doubt, that their program is flat out fraudulent.
One never wins a dispute by chance, but rather must prove a company and their offer fraudulent. Credit card companies however, choose to title such disputes "quality of service". I on the other hand, am a realist and don't wish to disguise FRAUD.
I like many, have been scammed by the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute and if the name that you've posted (Mentoring of America, LLC) is correct, it doesn't surprise me, that this fraudulent company once again changed it's name.
Recovery through small claims court may be an option, however, "class action" sounds a whole lot better at this stage. Contact as many deceptive trade attornies in your area as you possibly can and see if he or she would be interested in taking your case.
Some news exposure would also be nice. I have emailed several local and national news companies, but to no avail. Most of them receive floods of emails on a daily basis and cannot possibly respond to all emails.
It will take the cooperation of more than just myself, to get any exposure (serious attention) on this fraudulent company and the many like it.
This fraudulent company must be stopped. Their failure rate definitely without a doubt, far exceeds their succces rate, but a$$hole Mike Evans bull$h!ted me and told me otherwise.
This f#ck!ng a$$hole boasted a 96% success rate and I like many others believed him. If this were true, there would be absolutely no way I would have won my dispute. FRAUDULENT!!
This fraudulent company kept on submitting ridiculous items on their behalf. Items such as receipts, invoices, signed contract, etc, etc, all of which, have absolutely nothing to do with a "quality of service" dispute.
This fact alone clearly demonstrates an act of desperation. I have never denied enrolling in their fraudulent program, so for them to even attempt to submit items of zero relevance, only proves this is a scam.
Someone now owes me $9.8 million for all the $h!t I've been through.
I am well aware, that I will possibly never receive a dime from this fraudulent company, not even a simple apology. I don't give a rat's a$$ though, for I am far beyond just a refund at this point.
No one from this fraudulent company will ever come foward to defend this fraudulent company, because they simply can't, and this fact alone is worth far more than anything I, or anyone else could possibly ask for.
I am willing to stand behind the two of you 100%. If you have any questions and or concerns, definitely do post them through the rebuttal box... and I will respond to them as soon as time permits.
Anyways, I am through ranting for now, but as I have promised, will definitly be back to rant some more at a later time. Be sure to check out my many reports, regarding the fraudulent John Beck Mentoring Institute.
Until then, take care Tracy and Rick, Aloha from Hawaii and God Bless. Keep in touch!
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