Nightmare experience with Brian Gibbons whom I hired as a coach

Nightmare experience with Brian Gibbons whom I hired as a coach

Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes

I am posting this to save anyone else from the hellish experience I had with Brian Gibbons. I am re-disputing it because while American Express was in my favor they said that 'stripe' the payment processor was not and Brian also was not willing to refund me, so they asked me to re-write my case so they can have a closer look. If they still won't refund me I will have to get my lawyer involved. 

I have all the supporting documents, emails, text exchanges, screenshots etc for any skeptics. I realize this is my first time posting and Brian has been on BP for years. He also comes highly endorsed here which was partly why I hired him. I learned early on that, as a re investor he considers himself 'the best of the best in the nation' as he would say or text this on a near daily basis, reminding me of how fortunate I was that he chose me to start a company with.

To give a more clear picture, this is an excerpt from Brian's response to my request for refund:

"Yes it has not been 12 months on your contract yet, and you are well over 100 hours of my time (maximum on the contract) for me to assist your REI business. The reason I gambled with my time with you is I thought both of us could build a company together regarding lease options and land contracts in the midwest where these seller financing tools are common place. And I did this without a JV agreement in place. I have been working to get "boots on the ground" in OH, MI, IN, PA and a few others. I am using my contacts with BP and other sources to get these affiliates signed up.....Regarding refunds, see my website: "Please follow training as taught. Conditional Money Back Guarantee is provided at time of signing up for 12 month 1 on 1 training. Any request of refund must be supplied with evidence that student followed the training for 12 straight months and was not successful in recouping their training educational fee through successful transactions."

In my response, the last email sent, I listed all the abuses endured and bad business practices. He ignored it along with my request for him to take down website he created for 'our company' using my intellectual property and I never heard from him again. Thus I began the dispute process. 

This is what I just sent to Amex:

"Per our coaching agreement, it was to be approximately 2 hours per week, 52 weeks for a total of 100 hours for $7000. Brian said that once I went over that, it would be $700 for increments of 10 hours worth of coaching. Not only did Brian never indicate that I was over my hours, he never charged me any additional $700 fees, this was because the additional hours over 100 were not in the context of coaching. Once he saw I was a go-getter, he proposed the idea that we form a company together. After this we spoke everyday making plans for a national company, creating content for videos and teaching others to do real estate investing.

Please see where he indicates this in his email (attached)- "The reason I gambled with my time with you is I thought both of us could build a company together regarding lease options and land contracts in the midwest where these seller financing tools are common place."

This was his time, which, as he said he ‘gambled’ and was not part of our coaching agreement. Also I made no money during my time working with him which is addressed as part of his refund policy. There were many reasons I could not continue as a coaching student with him and I should not be made to wait until July for a refund based on the outlandish abuses and immoral business practices that took place during the 2 months from September - October when we were operating as a company. I will list them here one by one:

1. When we first formed our company, the agreement was, I would find and qualify the prospects and he would close the deals. We would split the profits 50/50 once we got paid from a buyer. Then about a month in he started encouraging me to close the deals. I said 'Ok but in those cases I would keep the full profit.' He said 'No, it's still 50/50.' I told him that wasn't fair and not what we agreed to. He said if he found and closed a deal we'd split that too. Except he was not looking for or talking to prospects, at all, so that would NEVER happen. I believe his ulterior motive in forming this company was to profit off of my efforts.

2. On Nov 6 I asked him in writing (please see attached my final email to which he never responded) to please take down the website with my LLC (apparently he made a second one too, a support site, which I was unaware of). See attached screenshots from December 25th, they were both still up. Looks like as of today there is an ‘account suspended' message. That is MY intellectual property, he has/had no legal right to keep it up when I asked for it to be taken down. This goes to show the level of blatant disregard he has for me.

3. His deals were unethical and only my name was on the contracts, not his. We had two deals which fell through. The first, when I informed him it was priced $75,000 over market value based on the comparables, he said 'Since its a lease option, someone will accept it. Either keep the price as it is or dump Shirley.' (Shirley was the seller, and those were his exact words). If a house does not appraise for the purchase price the buyer will not get a loan, thus will not be able to buy. Being that this was a house with no updates at all, it would NOT appraise for that price and thus would never sell (the seller was hoping to sell within two years if possible). I told him I was uncomfortable with both those options and took it upon myself to price it accordingly ($75,000 less, so that it was right at fair market price).

4. The second deal, per Brian's instructions I explained to the seller that the purchase price would be based upon appraisal price, whatever that was once the buyers were ready to purchase. He was very happy with that arrangement. Then Brian got on the phone to close it and offered him a whole new deal (without discussing with me first). He said both the rent and the purchase price would be raised 3% per year. This was a very expensive house and Brian priced it $16,000 over appraisal price of $388,000 (appraisal attached), thus the price would go up $12,120 per year (please see purchase contract attached) On average it takes 2-3 and sometimes much longer for a buyer to be ready to purchase. The only way an arrangement like that works is on a very inexpensive house in a down market. This was an expensive for the area ($404k) house and an up market. Again, only my name was going to be on the contract, not Brian's, and not only did I not believe we would find a buyer to agree to that, it's unethical and just bad business practice. The seller was now very excited and readily agreed to Brian's new offer. I had to call him back several days later after losing sleep over it and let him know I could not in good conscience keep the pricing structure Brian offered, and Brian was not interested in having his name on the contract. Thus the seller became exasperated and rescinded on the deal (after getting the contracts notarized).

5. Brian would yell, swear at me, and call me 'dingbat' nearly everyday. One day I was on the phone non-stop from 10am-5pm searching for a property management company to help find a buyer for the 1st house. Not a single person i spoke with was interested since it was a lease option, i called every company i could find. Several hours into it i called Brian to let him know the status to which he responded- 'You're just lazy! Stop ****ing around and get to work!' Finally that evening I told him I was tired of all the abuse. At first he said 'I'm not abusing you' and i let him know its not ok to yell, swear at me and call me names. To which he responded 'Ok you're on your own, I'm done. Not kidding.' This was in the middle of the second deal (before the seller rescinded) and I had no idea how to do the final closing with the contracts etc., I was devastated. The next morning he changed his mind and completed the paperwork.

6. The following week when I finally found someone to find a buyer for the first deal, Brian did not want them to see the contracts he used (which was a big red flag for them, they’ve been in the business for awhile and that was a first), so he insisted on sending them snippets of it. They were supposed to go to the house on a Sunday so that Saturday he was going to forward them the parts of contract he wanted them to see. He never did. I told him they needed them by Sunday morning, he said it would be there in their inbox at 7am. It wasn't (he sent it later that afternoon). They ended up having to cancel the day as a result. So i told them to use their own contracts going forward. He was so angry at me for that that he threatened to call and tell the seller this company was engaged in illegal acts, which was completely untrue. That would have killed the deal I worked so hard to find and he knew it.

It was odd that he would be so negligent in getting them the paperwork in the first place because he would say to me on a regular basis 'If you say you're going to do something and you don't follow through, you'd better be dead or unconscious.'

7. If i was 2-3 minutes late to a call with him he would give me a very long lecture (once it was 45 min to be exact and other times he would refuse to take my call, even in cases when I was finishing up a call with a prospect) about how i would never be a successful business leader. He was a real stickler for time. However, my first appointment to go see the seller, he was so late getting the contracts to me, wouldn't let me fix them myself even though his computer was not working and mine was..i could've fixed them in 10 minutes. I kept saying 'Brian PLEASE let me do it, i need to leave!' And he would yell 'Shut up! Just shut up and let me do this.' By the time he finished I was going to be 45 minutes late, to my FIRST appointment. I was a total nervous wreck, it was one of the worst days ever. He stayed on the phone with me while I drove trying to calm me down as I was a basketcase.

...................

All in all, working with Brian made me dread real estate investing and especially dread working with him. I didn’t mention how he would go through contracts line by line with me, yelling at me the whole time as I would read each line and he would edit. I foolishly endured this kind of treatment from him daily. And I have most of the texts to back all of this up as that was our main method of communication besides phone.

Aside from all the unprofessionalism, bad business practices, verbal abuse, and wanting half the profits for 100% of my work and efforts(!?!?), technically and according to his refund policy, I am absolutely owed a $7000 refund. He never indicated we went beyond our coaching hours nor did he charge for additional time as he does past the 100 hour mark. And again, that is all because we went from coach/student to co-company owners- upon his suggestion when he realized I am very good on the phone and not afraid to make cold calls. If I were to make money between now and July it would have nothing to do with him nor be a result of working with him. Which is one more reason why I should not have to wait until the 12 month mark to be refunded.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter."

1Reply
68 views

Most Popular Reply

Investor · Wichita, KS · Member since 2017 · 584 posts · 813 votes
7y

I have no idea why I am weighing in on this thread but here is what an unbiased outsider thinks. I realize you are upset about a number of things, let me acknowledge that emotion first before attempting to rationalize a bit. Okay, moment passed, deep breath here we go. I do think @Jay Hinrichs knows what he's talking about. I'm sure you have met plenty of people successful in all markets though Jay is undoubtedly informed when he says current conditions aren't ideal, the guy has been around the block. As far as you being upset with how this guy treated you on an emotional level, I think there were plenty of warning signs in the 19 minute video on his page. He told you he was going to call you lazy and I took from the video he was going to push you hard in a perhaps uncomfortable manner, he used a curse word in his video even. I'd say he was fairly transparent there. Now, as far as the money. He does state very clearly that a refund is possible. It sounds like from your post your relationship did evolve to a bigger level than a normal coaching mentor relationship. I can see why he wanted that, you do seem rather bright from your post, well written. With that being said I am sure you did learn a lot from the guy, you said yourself you might carry on and land a deal but you are not into splitting with him as you are doing all the work. I have a master's degree and have learned from plenty of difficult teachers in my day, I've learned how to teach a subject and how not to. I will admit none of them ever hinted at a refund at any point in the process. I've never been the type of person to want something for nothing. I do think you have gained something in this experience. His time is worth something too though, perhaps not $7 grand in your specific situation but I don't think his time is worth nothing either. Hopefully you guys can reasonably settle this partnership, and I'm glad to have served as a sounding board. No need to pay me, my time is free on this site today.

See this reply in the discussion

17 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Specialist · Paradise Valley, AZ · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    7y

    @Brian Gibbons - any thoughts?  

    Brian Gibbons

  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    7y

    well lease options are good in down markets kind of tough in hot markets. so this lack of success does not surprise me but i cant comment on how you he dealt with you on a one on one.. it seems once a year there is a post like this.

    so i have to assume he has a fair number of students throughout the year that are happy and for sure you cant please everyone in the real estate training business that is for sure.

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Jay Hinrichs , if you re-read what I wrote the lack of success had nothing to do with the market being up or down and yes, Brian has many great reviews here which was why I chose to hire him. 

    On another note, I know several people who specialize in and do well with LO and SLO in any market. 

  • Investor · Wichita, KS · Member since 2017 · 584 posts · 813 votes
    7y

    I have no idea why I am weighing in on this thread but here is what an unbiased outsider thinks. I realize you are upset about a number of things, let me acknowledge that emotion first before attempting to rationalize a bit. Okay, moment passed, deep breath here we go. I do think @Jay Hinrichs knows what he's talking about. I'm sure you have met plenty of people successful in all markets though Jay is undoubtedly informed when he says current conditions aren't ideal, the guy has been around the block. As far as you being upset with how this guy treated you on an emotional level, I think there were plenty of warning signs in the 19 minute video on his page. He told you he was going to call you lazy and I took from the video he was going to push you hard in a perhaps uncomfortable manner, he used a curse word in his video even. I'd say he was fairly transparent there. Now, as far as the money. He does state very clearly that a refund is possible. It sounds like from your post your relationship did evolve to a bigger level than a normal coaching mentor relationship. I can see why he wanted that, you do seem rather bright from your post, well written. With that being said I am sure you did learn a lot from the guy, you said yourself you might carry on and land a deal but you are not into splitting with him as you are doing all the work. I have a master's degree and have learned from plenty of difficult teachers in my day, I've learned how to teach a subject and how not to. I will admit none of them ever hinted at a refund at any point in the process. I've never been the type of person to want something for nothing. I do think you have gained something in this experience. His time is worth something too though, perhaps not $7 grand in your specific situation but I don't think his time is worth nothing either. Hopefully you guys can reasonably settle this partnership, and I'm glad to have served as a sounding board. No need to pay me, my time is free on this site today.

  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @M Marchand:

    @Jay Hinrichs , if you re-read what I wrote the lack of success had nothing to do with the market being up or down and yes, Brian has many great reviews here which was why I chose to hire him. 

    On another note, I know several people who specialize in and do well with LO and SLO in any market. 

     then why are you not working with them.. LO and SLO are highly regional  investment schemes.. in some regions it will work in todays market even  in others its a long shot at best.. and what I see is you run into a lot of properties that sellers are just trying to unload on folks and there is marginal to no TRUE equity.. which in my mind is not the way to invest..  

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Jay Hinrichs My post is not about what I am doing or not doing now, it is specifically about my experience with Brian Gibbons.

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Jonathan R. I appreciate your input. 

    I don't remember seeing the video on Brian's page before signing up with him, but even if I had it wouldn't have deterred me as I am not afraid of being pushed and I am not allergic to curse words. What I DO take issue with is outright abuse. I held back in my post as to not go on forever. First off, when he told me "You're just lazy! Stop ****ing around and get to work!" It was in the middle of my calling every possible property manager I could find. I didn't take a break to eat, I was frantic (7 hours straight I spent in total). There was nothing more I could have done. Although he had told me to 'get dressed up and drive to the largest property management group in the town where house was located, an hour away from me, and they'll for sure do it.' That was absurd advice as it would've taken two hours away from the all places I could call during that time, and when i did call them every single one said specifically 'we don't work with LO.'

    I also neglected to mention I had question him on wanting me to go door to door to ask if anyone knew someone who wanted to buy a house and he screamed at me at the top of his lungs for 10 minutes.

    Look, someone who tells you "if you don't follow through on what you say you're going to do, you better be unconscious or dead" then drops the ball on something as big as getting contracts sent when they say they will and before it's too late (as he did), then refuses to take responsibility (he refused to discuss it when I questioned him "let's just move forward, what other questions do you have" was his response), that's a poser. Or whose such a stickler for time he freaks out if I'm a couple min late for our call (finishing up w prospect was no excuse as far as he was concerned "Our relationship is more important than 10 prospects" whatever the fvck THAT'S supposed to mean) and then makes me 45 min late when i was scheduled to be 15 min early for my first appointment to sign a seller up, messing with his computer when I could have had them done in no time, but woudn't let me- that's a mental issue.

    I did not sign up for military training. And him telling me he wants half of what I make whether he does any of the work or not?? That's a scam artist.

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Jonathan R. the other thing I would say is as a complete newbie I didn't expect to have more sense about how structure these deals than someone whose coaching me and been at it for 32 years. 

    His wanting to keep the price of the first house 75k above fair market or 'dump her' was confounding at best. And I'm convinced that he lost the second deal because the guy was very enthusiastic to do LO after I explained it to him and made him the first offer (based on Brian's instructions.. i wasn't crazy about tying the purchase price to a new appraisal when TB is ready to purchase, nor were 5 other investors I checked with, but I realize that's debatable). Seller was ecstatic when Brian got on the phone and made him a whole new offer of raising the already very high price 3% per year (amongst the more expensive in the state and in an up market). He was understanding but obviously upset and rescinded when I let him know I wasn't comfortable with it and why. That was 10k down the drain for us and then he ended up just getting a regular renter and staying a landlord which he didn't really want to do as he was moving out of state. Brian did a disservice to all of us with that one. 

    I don't believe Brian is operating on all cylinders and after all that I definitely want a full refund. I should mention too that of his abundant materials he was so proud of and shared with me, about 10% were great (he's made some great videos for sure and had a few very helpful handouts), the other 90% was junk, non-related (much of it was for realtor's) and his dropbox files were literally like sorting through a hoarder's attic. No order whatsoever (he said he was going to fix that, but by that time I was done). God knows where he got it all, he didn't even know where when I asked him for full size pics for website.. he mentioned he had thousands, yeah, almost all except a handful (6 to be exact) were miniature thumbnail size. 

    I suspect he wanted to form a company with me 1. to profit off my efforts and 2. I can only think he liked me beyond a coaching student as he spoke several times of flying out to 'train' me, which on the one hand I was flattered that he'd want to fly out for me, but on the other hand, what could he teach me in person that he couldn't relay in our countless calls (some were several hours long, all business) or over skype?

  • Investor · Wichita, KS · Member since 2017 · 584 posts · 813 votes
    7y

    @M Marchand Of everything you have stated above what hit me the most was that this experience has made you dread real estate as a whole. I really have no idea personally how to execute and profit as a third party in an LO or even have a clue what SLO is (I Googled it but it abrevieted other stuff :) ). I am a buy and hold guy myself, only been at it a couple years but am rocking and rolling with 4 paid off low cost rental properties, I‘m not rich, just been hustling around and being creative by using my resources. So, I don‘t know the real estate niche you have been focused on, I‘m 100% focused on a different niche. I do think as an investor it would be cool to understand to the degree you do the niche you have been focused on, perhaps I could apply it sometime in life. You have a tool in your tool belt that I don‘t have. That tool cost you $7k. If it were me I‘d take it across the chin and move on. Perhaps you can use that tool you now have to recoup your investment and profit later heavily from it. Investing in your mind is a great investment. Now, it‘s all about an economics term I learned as an MBA, “opportunity cost.” Is your time better spent on this niche or another? As far as real estate as a whole is concerned, you’re in the right arena.

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Jonathan R. once again I appreciate your thoughtful response. The only part I don't agree with (due to the nature of all that transpired) is taking it across the chin and giving up on getting a refund. I'm not in a position to do that (which Brian knows full well) so I'll at least give it my best shot. 

    But I'm happy to report my interest in it has very recently been rekindled, I just found I was starting to dread getting on the phones and questioning how i got myself in such a bad spot even up till a month ago. SLO is Sandwich Lease Options (a potentially risky strategy but could be a good one done right). Buy and Hold's have caught my interest in the best few weeks and I definitely welcome a conversation with you on the matter(s). :) I love to network and would like nothing more than to find my bearings and get my RE Investing practice off the ground. I know the potential is there and am fascinated with the endless possibilities in this realm, it's such a creative field. I'm heading out for a bit but will message you, would like to hear more about what you do and share whatever I can, albeit limited lol.

  • Investor · Wichita, KS · Member since 2017 · 584 posts · 813 votes
    7y

    @M Marchand if you click on my profile and scroll down to the bottom it will show you all 200 some conversations I have ever had on this site. The reason I mention this is because the one right before this one (Jan. 1) I pretty well lay out my crazy ride to get to where I’m at today. Been at this less than two years, again not rich, but having a blast. The title of the post was something like “finish my basement or...?” After you read my involvement in that string feel free to pm me and I’d love to offer any kind words I can to help bring you out of your “bad spot.“ This site has an amazing wealth of knowledge available to you for free. I would encourage you to not get shiny object syndrome with real estate, pick a niche or two and become the best at it. Though, sometimes the business may require us to pivot, be ready for that. I think a niche like you have learned and buy and hold can work great together. Buy and hold is slow growing wealth accumulation. You may be able to make a few bucks doing LO or SLO and roll those profits into long term buy and hold. Best of luck.

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Jonathan R. much appreciated! :)

  • Specialist · Paradise Valley, AZ · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Jay Hinrichs:
    Originally posted by @M Marchand:

    @Jay Hinrichs , if you re-read what I wrote the lack of success had nothing to do with the market being up or down and yes, Brian has many great reviews here which was why I chose to hire him. 

    On another note, I know several people who specialize in and do well with LO and SLO in any market. 

     then why are you not working with them.. LO and SLO are highly regional  investment schemes.. in some regions it will work in todays market even  in others its a long shot at best.. and what I see is you run into a lot of properties that sellers are just trying to unload on folks and there is marginal to no TRUE equity.. which in my mind is not the way to invest..  

     HI Marni, I don't know Brian so I don't have any vested interest one way or the other. What I can say is that I only do Subject To, Lease Options, Contracts for Deed, Owner Financing, Wraps & Owner Carrybacks. Needless to say it is a pretty narrow niche of the marketplace and difficult for people to understand the nuances sometimes. So I know what is involved and what it takes. I don't do any of that fancy stuff like beg banks for money to buy a property. 

    That being said, I want to add a couple of thoughts: 

    1.) You recognize that LO's are specialized and require a bit of training and I commend you for making the phone calls. That is the hardest part for most people. You will be successful if you continue.

    2. I'm betting that your written agreement determines what recourse you have.

    3. I checked and apparently Brian has not posted since Dec 12, 2018 so it is likely that he, (like I was) was/is on vacation and hasn't seen your post or been available to comment or respond.

    4. It is always necessary to have a new written agreement when the relationship changes. You should have or did get a new agreement outlining the new arrangement. If you did not, then it's "he said, she said" and it doesn't get any more difficult than that. Those arguments are almost impossible to litigate. Lawyers love them because they mean large legal bills.

    5. Oftentimes someone will say one thing and the other person will hear something different or infer information that wasn't said or intended. When I work with someone on a project the agreement also states what isn't part of the agreement. It's too late for you for that now, but this is written assuming someone in the Bigger Pockets sphere will benefit from the advice.

    6. Yes, it's only fair for Brian to have his say and post his understanding of the agreement. You made some pretty heated comments and they are either true, not true or misunderstood. Again, this isn't to support you or Brian, since I don't know either of you. I simply know what is required for good mentoring and successfully doing lease options.

    Clearly there was a communication breakdown and the best way to resolve that is for Brian to contact you directly

    Disclosure: I don't mentor (any longer) I do sell Turnkeys - I don't know the parties involved 

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    @Mike M. 

    1. Thank you! The calls have always been my favorite part. I just like talking to people and they like me (yay me!).

    2. Agreed. That would be his refund policy and I believe, based on that and his admitting via email we went from coach/student to company mode, I'm eligible. His website (and mine/ours which he refused to take down) is suspended right now but he emailed it to me too so I have it in my possession.

    3. Could be. Tis the season. :)

    4. Luckily he indicates all this in his email.. "The reason I gambled with my time with you is I thought both of us could build a company together regarding lease options and land contracts in the midwest where these seller financing tools are common place. And I did this without a JV agreement in place." 

    One of my dearest friends is a lawyer and has already been alerted, he advised me to re-dispute it and then he'll step in if necessary.

    5. Fortunately I have almost all of this in text messages as that and phone was our main means of communication (including the texts with his threats, see email below). I also have screenshots, documents, and our final email exchange.

    6. Agreed. Though I tried to state it all as factually as possible and leave the emotion out of it. Some pretty bizarre things happened and were said so I can see how it could come across as heated. If he hadn't forced me to re-dispute I likely wouldn't have documented my experience here with you all, though I felt [very] guilty for not warning other potential clients and knew I should probably write this either way. So now that my back is against the wall, here we are. 

    7. 100%, and I tried to handle it that way. However, my last email to him went unanswered, which speaks volumes. Since we're on the subject, here it is (names changed for privacy).. fwiw, one thing i got wrong- i was on the phone for 7 hours, not 6 (10-5):

    11/6/2018

    Hi Brian,

    It was actually being called dingbat more times than I could count, getting yelled at regularly, told I was 'lazy' and to 'stop ****ing around and get to work' during the 6 hours straight I spent on the phone trying to find a prop manager to handle the Smith's house, threatening to call Jane and tell her the company I brought in was doing illegal activities (before you even had the facts, turns out they're not) which of course would have killed the deal after I had worked on it for a month+, reading me the riot act for just under an hour if I was 1-2 min late for a call (even though you made me 45 min late for my appt. with the Smith's messing with the contracts, when i could have done it in 5 min because my computer was working fine and yours wasn't..i kept offering and you kept saying 'shut up'), telling me to shut up all the time, not sending the contracts to the Evergreat folks as you said you would, then refusing to take any responsibility for it or discuss it at all even though according to you if I don't follow through w what I say i'm going to do I better be dead or unconscious. Lastly, the pay structure with JB was so completely confusing he ended up pulling out. When I told you I felt I was being abused and all the yelling and name calling was inappropriate your response was 'Ok I'm done', followed by 'not kidding' in the middle of finishing JB's contracts. I believe you are a poser, bipolar and narcissistic (always claiming to be the best of the best, even though the contracts for both deals were riddled with errors we had to amend, which ended up being incredibly embarrassing, then telling me to 'fix it Marni').

    Kindly take down the website associated with my LLC and any ads you have up to find a prop manager for me. Flushing that 7k down the toilet would have been a better use of my time than the endless hours spent just to be verbally abused and completely discouraged from doing this business.

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    I just want to add one more thing. Everything was fine for the first two months when we had a strictly coach/student arrangement. Brian was great. Very encouraging, full of good ideas, I felt I had made a good decision in hiring him. He started referring to me as his favorite student and made me feel special. 

    Although he's big on some pre-internet tactics such as door knocking to ask if people had friends or family interested in buying a house, and wanted me to go to realtor's and mortgage lender offices to make connections with them rather than call, some might argue these are still effective tactics. Not so sure about the door to door thing (i'm in a city where you can't even get a fixer upper for 400k, one of the most expensive in the nation), but i do think going to offices (which i did) is a smart move.

    Things only started getting weird after he proposed we start a company. And even then there were many high points. He could be the nicest person on the planet at times (otherwise I'd of been done much sooner). He could also switch in the same day, phone call, or text exchange. He would go from calling me a dingbat or some other derogatory name to telling me how great I was all in the same hour. Classic Jekyll and Hyde behaviour. 

    What alerted me to the fact that he could be dealing with real mental issues was not just using the wrong contract for our first deal and making a multitude of errors on it (which I, the rookie discovered and alerted him to), but when he wanted to go through it line by line, he'd have me read it to him while he fixed the error, and every line he'd be yelling to either read him the whole line, or just tell him the item. "Marni, I don't need the whole line, just tell me the item we're editing!" "Marni, I need the whole line! Read me the whole line!" It went on like this for an hour. I knew then that something was terribly wrong. When he wanted to go through the second sellers contract the same way I flat out refused. 

    So all this to say there was alot of good along with and bad as is usually the case in life. Towards the end he did become unhinged and it was getting worse by the day. He still wanted to write up a JV contract for us on the final day we spoke and I said 'no way'. Then he offered to start the coaching all over from the beginning (12 months, 2 hrs per week), I thanked him but declined. I sincerely hope he gets the help and/or medication he needs. He's just a good person with issues. And who doesn't have issues?

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    I will update this thread once I get a resolution to this dispute. Brian can cancel the [second] dispute at any time, knows he did and said these things (hasn't responded here since I can back it all up), and yet continues to let the dispute stand. That speaks volumes.

  • Member since 2019 · 11 posts · 2 votes
    7y

    According to Amex, @Brian Gibbon's argument is that I did not complete the 12 months of coaching therefore I am not entitled to a refund. Besides all the abuse documented above and as mentioned he insisted that anything I earned whether I did all the work or not would need to be split with him 50/50 since we were 'business partners'. I would have to be certifiably insane to agree to an arrangement like that or continue with him for the 12 months just to hand over my hard-earned money.

    I am re-disputing it (3rd time) and Amex seems to be equally perplexed with the decision yet have no power with Stripe apparently, the payment processor he uses. At this point I will post this on Ripoff Report and anywhere else I can find to help protect others from this predator. 

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.