Than Merrill - Wealth Builders Seminar

Than Merrill - Wealth Builders Seminar

Investor · Covington, LA · Member since 2012 · 517 posts · 317 votes

opps meant to put "FORTUNE Builders"

I just left the Fortune Builders Seminar in New Orleans, La. It was the free 2 hour seminar. I did some quick research before hand to find out how much the classes would be that they were going to offer at the end (no one does anything for free and you have to be naive to think something can be learned well in a couple hours.) so I was well aware that there was going to be an "up sell" involved. $197 seemed like a reasonable amount of money so I figured I would attend the free seminar and if I liked what they were saying and if it looked like there would be value in learning their system I would spend the $197 to do the 3 day class.

My background: I have very little experience in flipping houses. I was the investor side of a partnership with a contractor, building spec homes until about 4 years. After we stopped building I started buying properties at tax sales. The tax sales only happen once a year so I am looking for something else real estate related that I can do year round. While I have a general knowledge in real estate, I don't know much about REO's, foreclosures or wholesaling so I'm thinking their course would be a good foundation for me to build on. With 3 full days of classes I hope I learn a few things.

Has anyone else attended one of Than Merrill's 3 day classes? I hear the next up sell is the mentor program for $40,000.

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Curt DavisBusiness Member
Flipper/Rehabber · Memphis, TN · Member since 2008 · 5k+ posts · 2k+ votes
14y

I think its great when someone can recognize they need the expert advice from someone offering coaching. Coaching can be great but costly. If someone wants someone to take them by the hand and teach them that should come with a price, but how much is that time worth? There is no question that they ( Fortune Builders ) know what they are doing but personally, when you pay $25k-$40k for coaching to have a few 30 minute calls per week for x amount of months, that to me is not real coaching. I tell you what, here are 2 bits of free advice from me that a certain late night infomercial scammer is charging $3,500 for:

1. Build a buyers list
2. go find property.

Now I just saved you $3,500!!

Good luck

Curt Davis - KAIZEN Realty538 Reviews
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  • J ScottPro Member
    Moderator
    Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 18k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Antony Robinson:
    Hey I'm glad that you had some success. Tell me how many people you've "helped", you actually done deals with? And the fact that you have people from across the nation joining your forum is excellent! But how are  helping people in each state? States have different rules and regulations. Unless you have some extensive knowledge on the law in each state. Ok, you use the old book, audio, and webinar/seminar modules like the other gurus. Look dude I thought this forum was for the public, I didn't know you used this forum to generate leads. If I interfered, forgive me. But don't  insult my perspective! Good Luck

    I don't own this forum.  And I make absolutely no money here as a Moderator or contributor.  All the moderators and contributors here are purely here based on their desire to give back...they are all unpaid.

    As for how many people I've helped, based on the feedback I've gotten, the number is likely in the hundreds or thousands.  And again, all unpaid.

    Anyway, I see you're located in Roswell -- I've done over 100 deals within driving distance of you.  If Renatus has helped you so much, why don't you tell us about a few of the deals you've done in Atlanta.

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  • J ScottPro Member
    Moderator
    Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 18k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Antony Robinson:
    Originally posted by @J Scott:
    Originally posted by @Antony Robinson:

    The company is called RENATUS. I gave you the company because I like your approach.  lol.

    J Scott has no people skills. 

    Perhaps no people skills, but I know BS when I hear it...

    Some of us have been around long enough to remember Renatus when it was Nouveau Riche and before that, Nouveau Riche University -- the companies have many of the same high-level people involved, including Jim Piccolo and Bob Snyder...

    And regarding Nouveau Riche executives, this is from Wikipedia:

    Lastly, Renatus is a network marketing company, so your claim of not being compensated by the company for your referrals is suspect, at best.  

    Not to mention that your LinkedIn profile indicates that you do "real estate marketing."

     Wikipedia? Are you serious? That's your research? And you call yourself an investor

    Maybe you haven't used Wikipedia before, but if you take a look, you'll see that it links to original sources.  Here's the source of the quote above:

    http://www.azcc.gov/Divisions/Administration/news/...

    Is that source good enough for you?

    Btw, as an internet marketer, I'd think you'd have realized by now that BiggerPockets is highly ranked by search engines.  All the ridiculous stuff in this thread will be showing up prominently every time someone does a search for your name.

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  • Rental Property Investor · Tucker, GA · Member since 2015 · 11 posts · 1 vote
    11y
    Originally posted by @J Scott:
    Originally posted by @Antony Robinson:
    Originally posted by @J Scott:
    Originally posted by @Antony Robinson:

    The company is called RENATUS. I gave you the company because I like your approach.  lol.

    J Scott has no people skills. 

    Perhaps no people skills, but I know BS when I hear it...

    Some of us have been around long enough to remember Renatus when it was Nouveau Riche and before that, Nouveau Riche University -- the companies have many of the same high-level people involved, including Jim Piccolo and Bob Snyder...

    And regarding Nouveau Riche executives, this is from Wikipedia:

    Lastly, Renatus is a network marketing company, so your claim of not being compensated by the company for your referrals is suspect, at best.  

    Not to mention that your LinkedIn profile indicates that you do "real estate marketing."

     Wikipedia? Are you serious? That's your research? And you call yourself an investor

    Maybe you haven't used Wikipedia before, but if you take a look, you'll see that it links to original sources.  Here's the source of the quote above:

    http://www.azcc.gov/Divisions/Administration/news/...

    Is that source good enough for you?

    Btw, as an internet marketer, I'd think you'd have realized by now that BiggerPockets is highly ranked by search engines.  All the ridiculous stuff in this thread will be showing up prominently every time someone does a search for your name.

    Any researcher know that Wikipedia isn't a good source. And you want me to prove to you that I'm an investor. Ok, lets make a deal. If I show you the deals I've done, along with the comps and ROI. You will have to be one of my lenders for my next deal. How's that sound?

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  • J ScottPro Member
    Moderator
    Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 18k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Antony Robinson:
    Any researcher know that Wikipedia isn't a good source. And you want me to prove to you that I'm an investor. Ok, lets make a deal. If I show you the deals I've done, along with the comps and ROI. You will have to be one of my lenders for my next deal. How's that sound?

    Perhaps you missed it, but I provided a link to the original source above (indicating the fraud) -- the State of Arizona Corporations Commission.  Is that not a reliable source?

    As for lending you money, I've lent money to -- and partnered with -- about a dozen investors in the Atlanta area.  Try spending some time on this site adding value and proving that you have been (and will continue to be) successful in this business, and I'd certainly consider working with you.

    You're welcome to send me information about previous deals as well...

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  • Flipper/Rehabber · Spring Hill, FL · Member since 2014 · 234 posts · 132 votes
    11y

    Yup, I'll say it again....this smells bad, looks bad and it's at this point becoming comical!  

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  • Rental Property Investor · Tucker, GA · Member since 2015 · 11 posts · 1 vote
    11y
    Originally posted by @J Scott:
    Originally posted by @Antony Robinson:
    Any researcher know that Wikipedia isn't a good source. And you want me to prove to you that I'm an investor. Ok, lets make a deal. If I show you the deals I've done, along with the comps and ROI. You will have to be one of my lenders for my next deal. How's that sound?

    Perhaps you missed it, but I provided a link to the original source above (indicating the fraud) -- the State of Arizona Corporations Commission.  Is that not a reliable source?

    As for lending you money, I've lent money to -- and partnered with -- about a dozen investors in the Atlanta area.  Try spending some time on this site adding value and proving that you have been (and will continue to be) successful in this business, and I'd certainly consider working with you.

    You're welcome to send me information about previous deals as well

    Oh yeah, I'm going to be on this site a while being that I've made new friends. 

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  • Real Estate Investor · Mesa, AZ · Member since 2014 · 73 posts · 24 votes
    11y

    I had somebody contact me about Renatus. Did my own research and didn't find anything good about it.

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  • Rental Property Investor · Tucker, GA · Member since 2015 · 11 posts · 1 vote
    11y
    Originally posted by @Kelley B.:

    I had somebody contact me about Renatus. Did my own research and didn't find anything good about it.

     Hey Awesome. I've been involved in the training for about 8 months and It works for me. I'm not asking if it's a scam or not, I actually know what it is, and its history. I'm just suggesting a program that worked for me versus the guru systems. 

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  • Real Estate Investor · Mesa, AZ · Member since 2014 · 73 posts · 24 votes
    11y

    @Antony Robinson, good to hear that it's working for you. I'm just not really into MLM systems.

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  • Rental Property Investor · Tucker, GA · Member since 2015 · 11 posts · 1 vote
    11y
    Originally posted by @Kelley B.:

    @Antony Robinson, good to hear that it's working for you. I'm just not really into MLM systems.

     I'm not interested in any MLM sytems either. 

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  • Real Estate Agent · Falls Church · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    11y

    I can't believe I just read through all these comments lol....@Anthony Gayden I have to give you credit for being persistent haha. 

    This thread is just comical at this point.

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  • Forest Hills, NY · Member since 2015 · 21 posts · 2 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Val Csontos:

    I just Googled on "Renatus Scam" this is what came up: 

    ComplaintCompany has misleading information on their website as well as with their employees.On April 26 I agreed to become an affiliate with Renatus after responding to an ad to learn how to become a real estate investor. After replying to the ad I was instructed to attend a 15 minute webinar about the company. The webinar was about being an affiliate, a marketer, or real estate investor. Before you can become a part of the company you have to pay $125 for the affiliate program. According to the company which is stated on their website:You share the education with others and get paid when they purchase an Essentials or A.I.T. Course.* Get paid $1,000 to $6,850 per qualified sale. * Get paid twice a week. * Checks are mailed directly to you. * To become an Affiliate and market the Renatus education courses, sign up as an Independent Marketing Affiliate (IMA) today! No purchase of any product is required for participation in the marketing opportunity.Once I become an affiliate there were weekly and daily webinars on how to make money with the company. Whenever an affiliate markets the Renatus education they only get paid $125. In order to received commissions of $1000 to $6850 the affiliate will have to purchase an education course. The education courses range from $1997 to $14997. If an affiliate purchase the $1997 they can only obtain commission of $1000 and in order to obtain commission over $1000- $6850 an affiliate would have to purchase course from $4997 to $14997. This information and compensation plan was misleading and not explained thoroughly in the beginning. On May 6 I ordered the Essentials course for $1997 only paid $399 and financed the remaining balance. When I reviewed the on-demand course I was not satisfied with the quality and up to date information provided. At this time I wish to obtain a refund of $125 for the affiliate program since the provided information is false. An affiliate can only obtain commission of $1000-6850 when they do purchase the Renatus product. Also, I wish to obtain a refund of $399 for the Essentials course.Desired SettlementI wish to obtain a refund of $125 for the affiliate program since the provided information is false. An affiliate can only obtain commission of $1000-6850 when they do purchase the Renatus product. Also, I wish to obtain a refund of $399 for the Essentials course.Business' Initial Response Contact Name and Title: *** ****** CEOContact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXXContact Email: ***@myrenatus.comTo whom it may concern,******* ******* enrolled to become an Independent Marketing Affiliate with Renatus on 4-26-13. She attended our National Conference in Layton, Utah on 5-3-13 and spent two full days in training learning about our products and compensation plan. At this event we explained in detail what it takes to earn income with our company as an affiliate. We explained that there is no product purchase required to participate in our income opportunity. The only requirement is to pay $125 application fee which gives each affiliate the right to earn income from marketing our products. It also gives them an online business center with marketing training, commission reports, order entry tools, FAQs, Compensation plan videos and written comp plan explanations, etc. To earn income individuals must market and sell our educational products. Their first 3 sales are passed ** their trainer as compensation for training them. Once they have completed 3 sales they will earn $1,000 on each personal sale that they make there after. It doesn't matter whether they purchase a product or not. ******* has incorrectly explained how our affiliate plan works. She has attended follow up training's and webinars where it was explained in detail. I do not believe that she was mislead or confused on the matter. When I met her at our National Conference she tearfully expressed appreciation for the opportunity we have created. She lined up for a video testimonial so that she could express her excitement and share her thoughts on the company web site, she shared a room with one of our leaders at the event and expressed again how excited she was to be involved. Following the National Conference she went home to North Carolina and decided to purchase our Essentials Course. She placed the order on 5-6-13 and began to view her classes. She studied Creative acquisitions, Real Estate Red Flags, Real Estate 101 and The Deal of the Decade. All of these classes are current and up to date in content. The instructors are seasoned real estate investors. ***** ***** teaches 3 of the classes she viewed. ***** has used the techniques he teaches to acquire over 300 properties for himself. Obviously, the content is valid and applicable when acted upon. I do not believe that her complaint is accurate and that her justification for a refund has merit. She signed the IMA agreement, purchased the product a couple of weeks later, attended our National Conference, attended training's, interfaced with our marketing team and never once expressed dissatisfaction or confusion to anyone. Not once did she attempt to contact the company to voice a complaint through an email, a phone call or communicate through our online customer support system. Instead, she chose to blindside the company by filing a complaint through the Better Business Bureau. Had she been willing to contact the company we would have worked diligently to work with her. As protocal when an issue of this nature arrises I personally contact those who were involved with the customer. ****** ***** is the affiliate who worked personally with *******. The following is her email reply to my inquiry, "Good afternoon ***,I hope all is well with you and your family. ******* ******* first exposure trough *****'s online system the week of March 25th. I tried to reach out to her to follow up with her and I never received a response. As a result, I sent a recording of the follow up session where ***** details the compensation plan for her review. April 25th she sent an email expressing she was recently laid off and she wanted to pursue the opportunity available with Renatus. She joined myself and ***** *** on a three-way call to go over any additional questions she may of have at that time. Over the same weekend, i sent her the IMA and educational links and she signed up. Afterwards, she signed up and attended the national conference where she also attended ******* ******** opportunity meeting and stayed after to talk with ******* ***** regarding financing her education. The week after the conference she called and said she placed her order for her essentials. I called her a week later to make sure her classes turned on and she said they have and she begin viewing the classes. I reached out to her again on May 31st to remind her to sign up for RAIS and her response was she already did last week. To my knowledge she told me she was talking a break from Renatus because she was becoming overwhelmed with the various systems, emails and other life stressers. I do recall her mentioning that someone got a hold of her credit card information in Utah and charged purchases in California. I'm not sure if they had anything to do with her recent actions or not. Please let me know if you need anything."Best regards,****** *****I have attached the purchase agreements ******* signed. Both agreements require a signed acknowledgment of our refund policy. *******'s rescission period has passed *** she failed to follow Renatus Policy when requesting a refund. This coupled together with her failure to contact the company directly, the inaccurate statements about being misled and her reference to outdated course content, lead me to believe that this is more about financial hardship than anything else.I will not grant a refund based on her complaint, but if she will contact me personally to discuss the real issue at hand I will consider a refund if she can demonstrate financial hardship. I can be reached through our customer care number at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Ask for me and they will transfer her to my office.Sincerely,*** ******Renatus CEO - See more at: http://www.bbb.org/utah/business-reviews/real-esta...

     Dewey, Cheetum, & Howe? LOL

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