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NY50something
Forums Member
Joined: 27 Jan 2009
Posts: 2
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#81 · Posted: 27 Jan 2009 12:14
I'm not an idiot but I fell for this one big-time, I whole-heartedly admit these hoodlums are very dangerous because they are very clever. I've not done a thing with them yet other than post charges to my credit cards and send off the verification/acceptance email and don't intend to either if I can help it.
How binding is that acceptance? Please advise!
I'm normally a very cautious individual, don't usually fall for something so easily, I wish to hell I had seen this online thread before the fact.
Now I'm pissed and if this had been an individual, I would have already taken a baseball bat to him/her!
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enoughalready
Forums Member
Joined: 25 Jan 2009
Posts: 8
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#82 · Posted: 28 Jan 2009 01:24
It is now end of January. How have you made out as far as getting a refund? There are certainly a lot of us out there and I'm sure that there will be many more. They need to be stopped. Anyone who is in the same situation needs to put in a complaint with the BBB in Utah, the Federal Trades Commission, put a post on the complaints board, this board and also with Rip Off Report. With this company you send done an online form and they respond back to you within a couple of days. The more negative attention that is brought to the company, the better. I have done all of the above here in Canada and I continue to do it until I get my money back.
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My Story
Forums Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2009
Posts: 4
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#83 · Posted: 28 Jan 2009 10:43
I have filed a Rip Off report and put a complaint in with BBB in Utah + have written many many emails showing Thrive Learning Institute how they have failed me in the contract thus given suffiecient cause for a refund. They told me that they will NOT issue a refund, however they are prepared to continue working with me until a period of one year is complete.
The thing is why would I want to continue working with a company who have not given me the guaranteed unsurpassed service.
It is really frightening that there are companies out there that seem to have this ability to rip people off with no repercussion.
Since I reside in the UK It is really difficult to know which authorities to approach and try and get this operation shut down.
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used and abused
Forums Member
Joined: 4 Dec 2008
Posts: 45
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#84 · Posted: 28 Jan 2009 17:59
I just wanted to give an update on where I am currently at with getting my money back and what I have been able to find out up to date. I was able to get my money put back on my credit card by disputing it.I was advised by the RCMP to do this. It has been exactly a month and they did not try to charge back, though they did charge me the monthly fee which I also disputed. I then cancelled my credit card for fraudulent charges. I was never sent a contract so there is nothing but my initial telephone conversation with them. I did request this from them as proof of how they had conned me....but have received nothing from them. This was in response to my complaint with the better business bureau of Utah, which by the way thrive is a member.
The RCMP did an investigation and told me that there is no question thrive is scamming people but they have covered their butts legally so that they cant be arrested for fraud and shut down. They encouraged me to go online and report thrive with phone busters and sites like this as this is the only means for the public to be aware of what thrive is all about.
You could also contact a lawyer like I did, but that would be costly. Small claims court would be another course of action and you would win by automatic default if the party you are suing does not show up....and very likely they wouldn't. But you would not be able to get your money back if you are in Canada because thrive is in the states and apparently THAT makes a difference on collecting.
I would also suggest calling a lawyer and finding out what can be done concerning a class action lawsuit.
There is a lawyer in Illinois who was able to find a loop hole in the law and filed a cease and desist order against thrive or any of their affiliates and associates selling to anyone in that state. He was interested in my story and I sent him an email. If anyone is interested, his email address is : [email protected]
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NY50something
Forums Member
Joined: 27 Jan 2009
Posts: 2
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#85 · Posted: 31 Jan 2009 13:22 · Edited by: NY50something
First of all, I apologize if I offended anyone in my 1st post to this board. I was angry, ranting and raving, etc. I work hard for a living and have built what I have with a lot of effort so I suppose this whole bloody thing just got to me more than usual. Whatever it is, I shouldn't have been talking about taking baseball bats to anyone, silly of me.
An update on my particular situation with Thrive: I did what "used and abused" had already mentioned, cancelled the charges to my CC by dispupting them. I've reported the events to my bank as fraud. I'm right now working on putting out complaints to BBB, phone busters, this site, ripoff.com, etc. and also to state/federal authorities. I'd agree that a class-action lawsuit is a good idea. For my own circumstances, I'm prepared to go to small claims should that be necessary. At this point, I'm getting somewhere 5-10 calls a day from Thrive to arrange a "coaching session". They call constantly and repeatedly but am ignoring them. I'm determined to put these jerks where they belong: BEHIND BARS. Got a certified mail of the email contract that we agreed to. "Used and abused", thanks for providing the details on the Illinois lawyer, I'm going to check with him and others as to just how binding such a contract is.
Another scam to watch out for is CBCS, check this link: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=cbcs+collections+scam. Please be careful with that one as well. They will call you saying they are collecting on an account that supposedly you owe a debt on. Verizon, Comcast, etc. are favorites "clients" of theirs, always accounts that are so old you likely will not remember off-hand the circumstances involved. Best advice, read this: http://www.mcgath.com/cbcs.html. What I find most odd about the whole thing is that now they are also suddenly in contact following our incident with Thrive.
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My Story
Forums Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2009
Posts: 4
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#86 · Posted: 31 Jan 2009 14:01
NY50something: I'm right now working on putting out complaints to BBB, phone busters, this site, ripoff.com, etc. and also to state/federal authorities.
Would be grateful for the contact links of the state/federal authorities that you mention. At this point I believe I have exhausted all other avenues that I know of from the UK to try to get my money back to no avail. I will make it my mission to try and have Thrive Learning Institute stopped in robbing other people of their hard earned cash.
I entered the world of internet marketing to try and improve my families quality of life by supplementing our income... instead here I am with all this debt. I guess Thrive Learning Institute/Vanuity LLC/Shanklin International are laughing all the way to the bank.
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fillmore
Forums Member
Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 9
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#87 · Posted: 4 Feb 2009 08:31
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/securities/administrative_actions/2008/ october/onlinedata_o2cd.pdf
This address sends you to the Order to Cease and Desist from the state of Illinois.
It may take each state getting involved legally to get these guys. The bad news: they just moved into British Columbia taking out full page ads in the local news papers and hosting their greet and meets in large hotel ball rooms. (I wonder who's money they are using to pull that off?) HHMMMMMMMM
I think that there needs to be a national lawsuit for them to cease and desist. Unfortunately they just drop one name and headline under a new one. Even the company the contracts are written on has changed names since my experience with Thrive Learning; 9/08 to 12/08.
But, everyone needs to file a complaint at : www.ripoffreport.com, www.complaintsboard.com, www.bbb.org, www.ftc.gov.
Write a complaint to the BBB in Utah and let them know of your experience. The other address goes to the Federal Trade Commission.
But, overall, I truly believe that national media attention is what it is going to take before some one listens and state laws are changed and the loop holes these scumballs are sliding through are closed up and these bad business practices are halted.
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used and abused
Forums Member
Joined: 4 Dec 2008
Posts: 45
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#88 · Posted: 4 Feb 2009 09:33
The document I read had contact information at the bottom. I contacted Mr. Schripsema by telephone and he gave me his email address which was what I posted. I clicked on the link you posted and that is not the original document I saw, so it would seem that he has put something new on there .
I did use the email address to send him my info.
I really wish there were laws in place to stop this kind of fraud, but as you mentioned, they seem to know what they are doing when it comes to outsmarting the legal system. A lawyer who is willing to take them on with a national lawsuit, seems to be the only recourse at the moment as I can see.
I have submitted my complaints to all sites that you have mentioned and none of them seem to really care one way or the other. The Federal Trades Commission told me I would have to wait months, possibly up to a year, for them to get back to me on my complaint....What good is that going to do???? The BBB has expressed to me that I must basically come to some sort of compromise with them or they close the case. If you check out the complaints against thrive , you will see that they have closed all but the most recent cases, making it look as though the cases were resolved. I contacted them about this via telephone and was met with a very rude representative .
Concerning rip off report....that one really got me going. There investigation into thrive only revealed thrive to be the one of the most upstanding companies around and there is an entire page praising thrive to a point I had to stop reading it as it turned my stomach....I am pretty certain there is some sort of association going on there as well!!
Has anyone besides me read this, by the way ??
I certainly am not saying to not complain on these sites. On the contrary. If thrive has them sitting in their back pockets they will only look stupid if they keep getting complaints as these sites have indicated to me already that they are of no help. This site, work at home forum, seems to be the only true indication of how deceitful thrive is. i am sure there may be others I dont know about , but the ones that have been mentioned continuously in these threads at present dont give me a whole lot of hope.
i am frustrated that they are getting away with this as everyone else is....but I only get more frustrated when I see no solutions in these threads. I liken thrive to the mafia organizations and at this point can only hope somebody much smarter than me will one day outwit them and post something positive.
But I do believe in carma and that thrive will one day reap what they have sown.
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used and abused
Forums Member
Joined: 4 Dec 2008
Posts: 45
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#89 · Posted: 4 Feb 2009 09:52
Just a p.s. here,
I went back and checked out the links. The link Fillmore provides does take you to the actual document. I clicked only part of the link, which was on my email. That took me to an official site for the state. I apoligize if The email adress does not go directly to the lawyer, but I am quite certain that is the one he gave me. I spoke to him initially over the phone as I indicated in the last post. I got that number from the bottom of the cease and desist document and was directly connected to him. It may be worth the money to call as i did. Here is the number: 618-253-2007
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IMarketer
Forums Member
Joined: 9 Apr 2008
Posts: 51
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#90 · Posted: 4 Feb 2009 17:04 · Edited by: IMarketer
The only positives about Thrive, I found on ripoffreport.com, were rebuttels made by a Thrive representative.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/370/RipOff0370882.htm
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IMarketer
Forums Member
Joined: 9 Apr 2008
Posts: 51
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#91 · Posted: 4 Feb 2009 17:08
Ripoffreport.com is a place for people to leave complaints.
They do not actually investigate companies.
"Concerning rip off report....that one really got me going. There investigation into thrive only revealed thrive to be the one of the most upstanding companies around and there is an entire page praising thrive to a point I had to stop reading it as it turned my stomach....I am pretty certain there is some sort of association going on there as well!!"
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used and abused
Forums Member
Joined: 4 Dec 2008
Posts: 45
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#92 · Posted: 4 Feb 2009 18:55
Hello again,IMARKETER. Glad to see that you are still following.
When I go to rip off report and click on the paragraph at the top of the page in bold letters starting with the asterisk and then ' UPDATE....RIP OFF REPORT INVESTIGATION:...', it takes me to the actual report which says it is written by Ed Magedson: founder of rip off report. I am not sure how else to take that, except that Rip Off Report is endorsing them.
Are we looking at the same page?
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used and abused
Forums Member
Joined: 4 Dec 2008
Posts: 45
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#93 · Posted: 4 Feb 2009 19:11
Here is the link to the page I saw.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/390/ripoff0390334.htm
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IMarketer
Forums Member
Joined: 9 Apr 2008
Posts: 51
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#94 · Posted: 5 Feb 2009 08:15
used and abused,
You seem to be right.
I never saw the link to that page.
Did not know they did investigations. It does sound like someone was boughtoff.
I guess I'll have to rethink my belief in the legitimacy of ripoffreport.com.
But I still believe Thrive is a ripoff.
used and abused: Hello again,IMARKETER. Glad to see that you are still following. When I go to rip off report and click on the paragraph at the top of the page in bold letters starting with the asterisk and then ' UPDATE....RIP OFF REPORT INVESTIGATION:...', it takes me to the actual report which says it is written by Ed Magedson: founder of rip off report. I am not sure how else to take that, except that Rip Off Report is endorsing them. Are we looking at the same page?
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fillmore
Forums Member
Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 9
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#95 · Posted: 5 Feb 2009 09:25
on the ripoffreport site I read a posting which stated that TLI (Thrive Learning Institute) is actually a fictious name and they operate under JC Residual, LLC so I searched for them yesterday and found this:
www.veromi.com/BusinessDetailPg00001363.aspx
which lists JC Residual, LLC as operating under The Summit Group, LLC which is listed as their fictious name. Oh, and there are many more. MANY. In many different states under many different names. They are also listed as owning Sport Clips in Utah, a place to get your hair cut while watching a game, and a home sales company; Summit Cabin LLC who Im sure will sell you swamp land while claiming it to be a mountian full of gold.
Managing names on those companies are: Celia Garcia, Peter O. Garcia, and Steven Hillman with business addresses in Miami, FL.
And for a fee you can buy more info about this company which never lists the Thrive Learning Institute as its name but lists; at my last count 18+ different company names all listed as fictious and in all states minus IL.
Yes, ripoffreport does endorse TLI so you have to think.... who got to Ed.
Try onlineBusinessBureau.com. too
Oh and did anyone actually hear back from anyone who had any success from Thrive LI? I havent. I hear the employees pretending to be customers and leaving comments all over the place stating that their experiences are fantastic and I see the blogs and ads all over the web stating again how wonderful Thrive LI is and its the best global coaching company on the planet and all that crap. But has any one any proof at all.......a website to view? A bank statement? A doctored photoed? Just kidding but really anything? Anyone?
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fillmore
Forums Member
Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 9
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#96 · Posted: 5 Feb 2009 10:35
https://www.onlinebusinessbureau.com/Companyrating.cfm?Company_ID=1838234
address to file complaint with OlineBusinessBureau.com
Listed as : Thrive Learning LLC
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fillmore
Forums Member
Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 9
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#97 · Posted: 5 Feb 2009 10:54
Thrive Learning ads on current.com:
http://current.com/search/items/loc/false/q/thrive+learning/r/0/s/1/v/1/start/0.htm
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used and abused
Forums Member
Joined: 4 Dec 2008
Posts: 45
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#98 · Posted: 5 Feb 2009 11:29
I have seen lots of those ads everywhere.
But no surprise there that with the kind of money thrive is making, they can take out lots of ads.
I have had a couple of very odd things happen the last couple of times I tried to go to ripoff report that i wanted to mention in case anyone has any insight.
I had to double check my info after imarketer suggested i was wrong, lol....you never know...so i went back to the site.Three times my internet closed down....really odd but some fluke I figured.
So finally I get on there after trying several different routes and made sure my info was correct.That was yesterday.
Then today I got curious wondering how many complaints may have been filed since i originally checked them out months ago....and my internet shut down again, coincidence????
Again I found a roundabout route to get to their site. I can not find any complaints at all about thrive....can somebody else check this out and let me know what you find.
Also some insight about why my internet closes down when i go to their site.
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fillmore
Forums Member
Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 9
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#99 · Posted: 5 Feb 2009 13:07
I checked it out.........went to ripoffreport.com and found no complaints; not even the ones I wrote.
Heres the link:
http://ripoffreport.com/reports/0/390/ripoff0390334.htm
I have no idea why your PC would do that. I know I was having problems running explorer so I switch to firefox and got better security. Sorry I cant help you with that.
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used and abused
Forums Member
Joined: 4 Dec 2008
Posts: 45
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#100 · Posted: 5 Feb 2009 13:08
I am still curious as to find out if anyone can still see the original complaints against thrive on ripoff reports, but I did find a couple of sites that remove bad reports from anywhere on the internet, including this forum and bury them so deep in the search engines that no one can find them....what will we do then???? Start another one, I guess just as thrive does.
These companies also will write professional looking ads to promote your site.
I assume rip off report does the same thing. So for a fee they have promoted thrive.
The names of 3 of these sites are:
Ripoff Report Removal.com
RepArmor.com
RemoveYourName.com
I definately think fillmore has a point about media attention to this subject, considering the internet and scams are not going to go away.
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