Bought digital training products from company online from USA

eloquentlyannoyed

Hi, I'm hoping you can help, I've answered all questions as per the "way to post a thread" thread so here goes...

• What did you buy?

I bought a training package to help with marketing my business online. There were 2 parts. One being an 'apprentice' level which was basic stuff to get newcomers up to speed and a 'pro' which is higher end training. Apprentice $37 and pro $95.

• When did you buy it?
About 4 months ago - this isn't the problem…

• Where from? (internet or in store - it DOES make a difference)

Internet from a USA company - not able to really find their address on their website easily!


• How did you pay? (cash/cheque/debit card/credit card etc)

Recurring monthly fees by Santander visa debit card.

• What went wrong?

I wanted to cancel the apprentice level as I didn't need it anymore. They cancelled both apprentice and pro level. Then sent me an email, when i enquired about this - saying that -

"It is not possible to have Pro without having the apprentice."

I find this strange as it's like buying a car and then then being told I can't have it unless I take the valeting service as well?!

I really want to know who i can contact to ask questions about this or if any of you have any advice.


• What solution or remedy are you looking for? (Companies may Repair / Refund / Replace)

In the last few months, they have changed the sales video to what seemed to me a pyramid type thing. I was a retail customer. I've noticed the new sales video, it does not even mention being a retail customer but rather a make money online type thing.

I knew it was a company like this for people who didn't have their own products and wanted to use this as a sort of franchise model pointing company owners to some good training for how to market their companies on the internet…

… but now it seems like it is a company selling you on selling their "opportunity" to others who want an "opportunity" so people are just reselling the "franchise" to others who are re-selling the "franchise" and not actually to business owners who could use the product for their own company. If you follow that?!

Kind of like if McDonalds only sold restaurants to people that wanted a McDonalds but didn't sell any burgers so you had loads of McDonalds but no customers and it just went down and down until there wasn't any room left for McDonalds anywhere! Kind of… best analogy I could think of! All very strange to me.

Anyway...

The solution i want is that i bought a ticket to their event for $97 (at the beginning of June) to go and meet up with the co-founders as a member of their scheme - (I'm calling it a scheme, as it seems like nothing more than a product based pyramid now -

although they have a private vacation club which they sell (prob so ftc can't shut them down i'm thinking now!) to go have this event party for their newest launch in Phoenix Arizona - think they are bringing out an entrepreneur energy tea drink or something.

They are not willing to give me my money back for this ticket (there was small print saying we do not give refunds on this) but as it is them that have cancelled my pro membership because they say it isn't allowed to only have the pro membership. I think they should give me my money back due to these unmitigated circumstances - not to mention morals and ethics!

I think there are mitigating circumstances involved as it is them who cancelled my membership to the pro level not me and so I'm not a member anymore and can't actually go to this party anymore anyway as I am no longer a member.

I obviously don't want to do business with this company anymore either obviously!

In a nutshell then…: It's really that they say that i have to keep up the apprentice membership even though it is useless to me now and i don't want it, but i have to keep it in order to keep the pro membership - which was quite useful to me.

I want the ticket money back because i'm not a member anymore as they cancelled my pro membership and so can't actually go to this launch party as I'm not a member anymore.

Hope you followed that and got the general gist lol!

Any advice (phone numbers to call etc) would be greatly appreciated thanks!

tomtontom

Assuming this contract was made under a US jurisdiction, you need to take advice from someone with knowledge of US consumer/ contract law.

InsideInsurance

I am confused, is the amounts for Amateur and Pro training one off costs of occurring monthly fees for continued access?

Its certainly possible for them to conditionally say that you have to buy all tiers and cannot just by one of them. Its the same as some breakdown cover companies that sell UK Only or UK + continental Europe but dont sell stand alone continental Europe. Or similarly at our local gym there is a £10 a month subscription to the tennis/ squash/ badminton courts but you cannot buy that without also paying the gym's subscription fee.


As to the refund of the event ticket, as above, you would need to speak to a legal expert in the state which governs the contract. Generally US consumer law is much less protective than UK and given what this is its probably a B2B contract in which case even here the protection is tiny.

Youre most likely going to have to write it off

eloquentlyannoyed

Hi, there isn't a contract as such, it's monthly pay and you can cancel at any time.

It's recurring monthly payment.

It's not the money for the recurring fees i want back but rather the ticket for an even that i can no longer go to since they cancelled my membership.

There was small print saying no refunds for the ticket but surely that doesn't include if they cancelled your membership because it's impossible to buy one product without having to buy another product...

One product is a blog with a bit of training and the other product is higher end training.

Also, it's a network marketing company/mlm that i was using the products as a consumer rather than as a business opportunity. I'm thinking these types of companies don't need anymore bad reviews or unnecessary spotlights on them!

Thanks for the advice.

InsideInsurance

eloquentlyannoyed wrote: »

I bought a training package to help with marketing my business online.

eloquentlyannoyed wrote: »

i was using the products as a consumer rather than as a business opportunity

You appear to be contradicting yourself. The physical products you bought are irrelevant, this is linked to your membership which as you say you got for your business and thus its a B2B relationship.

For the moneys already paid for access to the marketing training, presumably you already the access and so little grounds even in the UK to ask for a refund after you cancel it at a later date because you dont like having to pay for both tiers to get access to the higher tier.

eloquentlyannoyed

No contradiction - you either use the training to help your business market itself better (ie - as a consumer) or you use the company as a business opportunity and sell the training to other companies who may need the training to market their businesses better (business opportunity like a franchise.)

I was a retail customer rather than a biz opp customer- i meant retail instead of consumer.

It isn't the refund for the training i want back. It is the ticket i bought to go to an event that they are having for the members.

Since i'm not a member anymore, as they cancelled my membership, I can't go to the event and so want my money back.

bris

Makes no difference in this case whether it's B2B or not, it's USA law and to me they have done nothing wrong, the OP wants to cancel because he only wants a package they don't even sell.

You have broke the contract and now are stuck with the ticket, they don't have to refund you as your the one who has pulled out.

eloquentlyannoyed

Makes no difference in this case whether it's B2B or not, it's USA law and to me they have done nothing wrong, the OP wants to cancel because he only wants a package they don't even sell.

You have broke the contract and now are stuck with the ticket, they don't have to refund you as your the one who has pulled out.


No, I already have the package so they do, in fact, sell it. I want to only own one thing and they are telling me I have to own both. Even though I owned only one package before.
Both of these things have nothing to do with each other as they are separate packages.

It is they that have pulled out by cancelling my membership, not me. There is no contract.

lincroft1710

Are you prepared to take a case through the US courts to try to recoup about £57 ($97)? You'll probably lose and even if you did win, the company may not pay up.

Forget it.