How To Get A Refund From A Real Estate Coaching Program
By Duncan Wierman on Aug 19, 2010 in Gurus Exposed, Recommended Resources
For the individual who has encountered a shady real estate coaching program, you might feel like you have wasted not only time, but your hard earned money as well. Because of this, you should attempt to get your money back, and this can be done through an easy to follow process. You are entitled to get a refund from these organizations, and you must begin by looking out for yourself.
Many of the real estate coaching programs will have a timeframe that you can request a refund of your money. This is important to note if you have a contract in effect. While it might be a fair amount of time such as 30 days, others might have less than 3 days.
When you are doing this process, make sure you document every contact you have with them. Because of the nature of these businesses, date everything and make a copy of the stamped envelope you send them the information in. If possible, fax documents and save a copy of the send report. If they try to contest anything you will have further proof that you did indeed request your refund in the specified timeframe.
If you used your credit card, and they refuse to refund your money, you have the ability to file a claim against them. For most credit cards you have a 2 – 6 month window that allows you to dispute these charges depending on the issuing bank. Be careful if you have used your debit card, some banks only have a 30 day dispute period from the date of your last printed statement. Contact your card issuer to begin the process of filing a dispute, the contact number is normally on the back of your credit card.
Things to do when you can’t get a Refund
There will be times when a company or individual won’t work with you. In these cases your only option might be to take additional measures to get your money back. Because the coaching is normally a scam, you can take legal matters.
Begin by contacting your State Attorney General. This individual will handle most scams that occur in their state as they try and protect those who reside there. Most people will find that when the Attorney General sends a demand letter to the company you are fighting with a refund quickly follows. In some cases the business is so shady you have to take another set of steps.
Take the time to report the real estate coaching program to other companies online. This will allow others to avoid the company while you are able to get advice from other users about getting a refund. Your word of mouth will damage the amount of fraudulent funds this individual can collect from others, and in no time you have helped to shut down an illegal practice that is preying on others. If a company sees you list them on one of the websites, they might contact you for a refund in an effort to have this listing removed as well.
The Better Business Bureau is another great place to go. They will help to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. In most cases you will find that they can become a mediator for the refund, and if left ignored, they will fail a company. Many consumers turn to this company to help them decide if they are willing to do businesses with them. A complaint can be done directly from their website.
You will also have the option to contact a consumer Fraud department. These companies are designed to shutdown fraudulent companies that are taking advantage of people and providing services that aren’t legal or ethical. Different states have a different department to report to. Check into who handles these complaints and file on online report.
When you have tried all these options, sometimes having the Police Economic Crimes department step in can help. Your local department can handle these cases in your local jurisdiction and can help you to start seeking the relief that you need.
You will need to file a police report, and should have all your documentation in regards to contact and everything else ready for the police. Be sure you only provide factual information and take the time to explain everything to the officer you are working with. If they need additional information, be sure to provide it. Most importantly, don’t be embarrassed about being scammed. Many people that prey on others have the gift of charm. No one will look down on you for being a victim. Instead, they will only try to help you get reimbursed.
If all else fails, you can attempt to file a court case in small claims court. Be sure to have all your documentation ready as the judge will need that as well. An attorney will be able to help you to go through the process.
Remember that getting a refund from these companies can be difficult at times. But if you are persistent you help to take action in shutting them down and prevent them from harming others in the process.
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September 2nd, 2010 at 3:09 pm
@Toesheeka Dredden
It seems the new entity is Dandrew Capital, whom DCF included this week as a “free” bonus to persons burned by Karen vs. DCF Goldrush.
Anyone familiar with Sal B./Dandrew Capital?
Are they legit, of course Sal’s credentials sounded impressive on the webinar — former Goldman Sachs, etc.
But, has anyone actually dealt with Dandrew, or know someone reputable who has had experience with, what I assume is DCF’s replacement for Karen — negative or positive?
Thanks for fact based responses….
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:04 pm
I just posted about this on the Karen Hanover you got suckered post..
Yes, he is teaming up with Dandrew.. but its sure is not what they promised you when you bought CFG – the two are night and day .. This is trying to be a quick fix to the product failure issue.
Sal is reputable and runs a smaller hedge fund buying notes and small bulk reos. I have dealt with him and his team. Actually I have some deals in to them to analyze now.
September 5th, 2010 at 9:49 am
@Dandrew Legit?
I’ve been a student with Dandrew since December 2008. Yes, Sal B. is the real deal. The education is real and so is his team.
I own his REO course and his Commercial Course. Both are worth every penny I paid for them. They train their students well and treat them well. I have a full-time day job, so I couldn’t get enough time to call banks, so I became a Dandrew commercial student.
I have to say, I now know more than a lot of commercial brokers about commercial real estate and I also know how to deal with banks.
There are bi-weekly training calls that are NOT sales pitches. Sal himself if almost always on the call. The agenda varies, but usually includes going over issues the students are having, what the deal flow is looking like, what the commercial and REO markets are doing, some good training nuggets and a Q&A session at the end. That’s EVERY 2 weeks and it’s FREE to his students.
They also have a monthly continuing education class where they go through a particular deal….or teach a new approach to something, deal structuring, etc. That’s usually a white board session with SAL. It’s Great Stuff! Those are also ONLY available to his students and they are FREE. These are not pitch fests, they are training!
They are serious about what they do and know that the better they train their students, the better deals the students will bring.
When you submit a deal, it get’s reviewed by Sal first! If he likes it, he assigns it to an analyst, with you cc’d on the e-mail so you know, then you work with directly with that analyst on the deal. No, it’s not a call center in India! The analysts interact with you via phone and e-mail and tell you what’s good, what’s bad, what else they need, etc. You learn from each deal submission.
I know the analysts by name and have dealt with each of them. I’ve also dealt directly with Sal on numerous occasions to include conference calls with me, the Dandrew analyst assigned to my deal, the seller’s broker and the seller.
Yes, these guys are legit. They offer very few products for sale because media is only a small portion of their business…it helps them get and train students to bring in more deals. The products they do sell are to boost your business again….so you can bring in more deals. Yes, they DO Deals!
If you purchased the Commercial Gold Rush junk, do yourself a favor, pay the buck (yes, it is only a buck…no monthly fee, etc. I confirmed that with Sal when I saw this blog yesterday).
I confirmed it with Sal because someone I recently partnered with had purchased the junk CGR course…she’d stopped her payments for the CGR and put Karen and DC on her spam list, so she had not seen the offer to go into the Dandrew Triage. I told her about it, sent her the link and she joined. It’s real, and it’s only one dollar. It looks like all of the training will be delivered online. I was teaching her with my Dandrew Materials, now she’s a full Dandrew student for much less than I paid!
I have nothing to gain in telling you all this. I get nothing except competition from encouraging others to join Dandrew, but I too have purchased junk courses…. Give it a try, you will NOT be sorry.
If you know of others who purchased CGR and haven’t heard about the special deal Dandrew is offering, please do them a favor and pass on the info.
If you join, you will be a DANDREW student and NOT a Commercial Gold Rush Student. I don’t think you’ll ever have to deal with DC again….
Sal’s very protective of his students, I’m sure he will make it abundantly clear as to who’s student you are.
I copied the link again in case anyone needs it.
LINKED REMOVED BY DUNCAN _ AS KAREN CANNOT SAY I AM AN AFFILIATE. CONTACT SAL DIRECTLY
Best of luck to everyone.
September 5th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Thanks Dana & Duncan.
Your information has been most helpful.
September 6th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
@ Lisa Ahern
I got hold of the lawsuit and the agreement between them. Makes for good reading
http://duncanwierman.com/images/karen-hanover-lawsuit-1.pdf
September 8th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
@Duncan Wierman
Dear Duncan, as a fellow veteran and former CGF “sucker”, I appreciate your service to our country and your service here. I am in the throws of trying to get a refund (via my credit card company) for the CGF program and appreciate any documentation that supports my claim of getting scammed. A copy of their Jt Marketing Agreement and subsequent lawsuit is proof positive that the buyers of CGF program all got screwed. Please accept this commendation for a job well done then and now.
September 9th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Thanks Dana
Rather than seeking a Goldrush refund, we’re going to give the triage addition a try,
–since we signed up for CFG through the Attorney X special, so between the chance to partner with the commercial programs of Dandrew, DCF, or attorneyX, one will hopefully prove worth the investment.
Best of luck everyone, and hopefully something positive can come out of this for all of us , who continue to work diligently at it.
September 9th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
@Dandrew Legit
My pleasure. I can’t speak to the Attorney X program, but if you follow Dandrew, take it seriously and focus your efforts, I think you’ll be pleased with the results.
Cheers,
Dana
September 29th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Hello Duncan or Richard,
Thanks for DC And Karen info.
Question I have is : How do I get a refund for money I paid in full plus the Online-access charge they made that I was supposed to get it free for 3 months? – I have send their support team many emails but never got any positive replies except they were describing what I get in the CGR system, but it is just that the original CGR product not exist anyway!
I have spoken to my Credit card Co and they will take it up with vendor.
I want to file a complaint with the State Attorney general and i need some info. on what to term this complaint as and where (which state i need to file it in. I think, DC Fawcett’s co. is a Nevada co with foreign co status in Florida).
It will be a great help to know if any one else has done that.
DC’s Corporation ‘Neighborhood Solutions, Inc’ is a Nevada Co and registered as a ‘foreign Co. in Florida.
My Issue!
They never delivered the service!
1) I could’t go to their seminar (system dropped my name off – Although it said (each time I resubmitted) that I cannot resubmit as I was already registered. In the end they offered me to go to their Oct 10 Commercial Gold Seminar where I’ll be with a smaller group but with the same training by DC and Karen.
2) In August they ‘Split’ so now the Oct 10 Gold Rush seminar does not exist.
3) Both started sending me ‘umpteen’ emails to ‘sign-on for their individual substitutes and I don’t want them because i don’t need them.
I paid in full for the original Commercial Gold such product – and I did not get the service I Paid for.
I don’t want the substitute.
How do I get my money back! ie: Paying for something that I did not get.
I lost my 30day refund time because their support system perhaps could not handle my reservation and i was alter offered to go in their Oct 10 seminar (Now that CGR seminar does not Exist).
Any guidance will help me a lot,
Thanks and God Bless you both.
September 29th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Hi CGR Suckered – This article may help you:
http://www.duncanwierman.com/blog/recommended-resources/how-to-get-a-refund-from-a-real-estate-coaching-program/
Fortunately you used a credit card! Dispute The Charge – Services not received.
We also posted how to file a FTC complaint telephonically at http://www.duncanwierman.wordpress.com
Also posted another bit of evidence to discredit her denials of not being part of the LLC response to the lawsuit…
September 29th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
@CGR Suckered:
I suggest you post byour question at Duncan’s other blog post since there is a lot more information and ideas being exchanged on how to recover money stolen by Karen Hanover and DC Fawcett:
http://www.duncanwierman.com/blog/in-the-news/karen-hanover-suckered-1000s-commercial-short-sale-launch/comment-page-16/#comments
Those two are truly parasites of society.
October 25th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I AM A FASTRACKER THAT GOT FRAUDED OUT OF OVER 30 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM KAREN HANOVER. AFTER SHE RIPPED ME OFF AND REALIZED THAT MY POSTINGS WHERE BRINGING IN MORE FASTRACKERS THAT GOT FRAUDED TOO SHE HAD I BELEIVE HER BROTHER POSE AS AN FBI AGENT AND THE FBI’S REAL PHONE NUMBER CAME UP ON MY CALLER ID. I CALLED BACK THE AGENCY TO FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST THE AGENT THAT TRAMATISED ME OVER THE PHONE AND I WAS THEN INFORMED THAT IT WAS NOT A REAL AGENT.
I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH A REAL FBI AGENT FROM THE OFFICE THAT KAREN HANOVER HAD SOMEONE POSE AS AN AGENT AND THEY ASKED ME TO COME TO THEIR OFFICE. THEY SAID THAT THEY BELEIVE SHE USED A SERVICE CALLED SPOOFED AND THAT IT WAS ILLEGAL TO POSE AS AN FBI AGENT AND THAT THEY WANT TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION OUT HERE IN CALIFORNIA ON KAREN HANOVER.
IN THE MEAN TIME ANY OTHER FASTRACKERS OUT THERE NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO PLEASE MAKE A COMPLAINT AT YOUR LOCAL FBI AGENCY AND THE FBI AGENT OUT HERE WILL RETREIVE ALL THE COMPLAINS WHERE EVER ELSE THEY ARE FILED. WHEN I GET BACK I WILL LET YOU ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
BLOG ABOUT YOUR STORY I KNOW I HAVE TALKED TO OVER 20 OTHER FASTRACKERS AND NO ONE ELSE IS BLOGGING. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED WITH ALL THE SUPPORT YOU WILL RECEIVE FROM SOME WONDERFUL PEOPLE THAT CARE.
OTHER THAN THAT CALL ME IF YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM MANY MANY OTHER FASTRACKERS THAT HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF BY KAREN HANOVERS FRAUD. AND ALSO PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH SEAN CARPENTER AS WELL. HE IS ASSOCIATED WITH KAREN HANOVER AND I WILL BRING ALL OF HIS INFORMATION AND CONTACT TO THE FBI AS WELL.
CALL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR IF YOU NEED TO TALK TO OTHER VICTIMS K. XO REBECCA 714-523-1546
November 1st, 2010 at 2:53 pm
After talking with Rebecca, I too contacted the FBI. They are sending all claims to the Long Beach Office. Their phone number is 562-432-6951. $30,000 later I realized that she was a Scam Artist. I have been involved with other Coaching programs and have nothing but nice things to say about them. When they scheduled a webinar,it happened. When there was a Conference it was provided in a very professional manner. Support questions were responded to by the next day. Five months after signing up with her I have actually been on only one conference with her and other Fastrackers. I have asked for my money back due to “failure to perform” on her part. Of course I have NOT received my money back. Thanks to Rebecca, Venessa, and others we now have a movement for a class action suit.
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:22 am
@Lynne:
I’m not sure how many are reading this blog. Duncan has a different blog where it seems that there are a lot more Fastrack victims so it may help to post there as well at:
http://www.duncanwierman.com/blog/in-the-news/karen-hanover-suckered-1000s-commercial-short-sale-launch/
November 16th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Although you have some really good methods I can personally testify to this one. I’ve contacted Lisa Madigan’s who is the Attorney General. Her office is slow when it comes to responding if you get even a response at all. She’s almost leaving a message crime does pay. The only time she jumps and that’s when Michael Madigan (Lisa Madigan’s Father) was getting fingers pointed at for some possible fraud that I’ve read on the internet in the past.
I have received some great help with the FBI.
Blogging and other notification are good to warn someone but if you don’t return the persons money or legally punished what good does it really do?
November 17th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Can you tell me where we can find Lisa Madigan and how to contact her?
December 2nd, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Begin by contacting your State Attorney General. This individual will handle most scams that occur in their state as they try and protect those who reside there. Most people will find that when the Attorney General sends a demand letter to the company you are fighting with a refund quickly follows. In some cases the business is so shady you have to take another set of steps.
LOL GOOD LUCK WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
Take the time to report the real estate coaching program to other companies online. This will allow others to avoid the company while you are able to get advice from other users about getting a refund. Your word of mouth will damage the amount of fraudulent funds this individual can collect from others, and in no time you have helped to shut down an illegal practice that is preying on others. If a company sees you list them on one of the websites, they might contact you for a refund in an effort to have this listing removed as well.
ALL THE GURUS ARE PARTNERED WITH EACH OTHER THIS WILL HAVE NO AFFECT ON THEIR PRACTICE!
The Better Business Bureau is another great place to go. They will help to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. In most cases you will find that they can become a mediator for the refund, and if left ignored, they will fail a company. Many consumers turn to this company to help them decide if they are willing to do businesses with them. A complaint can be done directly from their website.
THE BBB HAS NO GOVERNMENT AFFILIATION WHAT SO EVER SO BASICALLY ITS A HUGE REVIEW SITE WITCH MOST OF THE COMPANIES DONT EVEN REGISTER FOR!
You will also have the option to contact a consumer Fraud department. These companies are designed to shutdown fraudulent companies that are taking advantage of people and providing services that aren’t legal or ethical. Different states have a different department to report to. Check into who handles these complaints and file on online report.
SAME AS YOUR BANK SITUATION!