Ecommerce Consulting, LLC/Ecommerce Learning
Complaint 260557 Details

Scammed by Ecommerce Consulting!
I am a disabled American. I was looking for part time computer work that I could at home. On May 3, 2013 I was contacted by a man named Tim Nelson. He offered me the opportunity to make money on line by selling products on eBay. He indicated that it would require 10-12 hours of work each week. I would receive 1 on 1 coaching calls to show me the ins and outs of selling on eBay for the first 10 weeks. Then I would have access to coaching for the next 6 months to help me out as my business grew. He said that he, himself, was making between $3,000 to $8,000 on line from his stores/ecommerce websites. Once trained, I was to have access to suppliers/dropshippers who would acquire the products and ship to my customers. He indicated that he would need my cell phone number to call me when there was a “hot product” out and to list it. He gave me a pep talk about launching a business and having the right mentality to be accepted into their program. I explained my motivation and ambition to him and he said that I was accepted into the program. He said the cost would be $6,500 and there was a three day money back guarantee. Since he did not want the cost of the course, coaching and resources available on the website to be an upfront burden, he offered to have his secretary call my credit card company and request a balance transfer that had 0% interest for a year. This was important so he offered to send me checks to pay off the minimum payment 2% of $6,500 for the first two months while I was being trained and slowing making money. There was a four-way call on the phone initiated by his secretary that was between him, his secretary, myself and the bank when I agreed to the terms. Since he offered to pay the minimum payments on the tuition for the first two months it sounded like I would be making at least $3,000 a month by the time my most intense training and coaching was complete and I would be able to pay off the loan quickly. He had me look up the BBB website (even though they did not have BBB approval) and showed me that they had an A- and that any and all complaints were minor and resolved. He also showed me a website for a source of products to choose from and to sell.
Tim gave me his extension and email to keep in touch and hopefully share a success story for him to share for PR. I was also scheduled to speak with Mr. Kevin Handren, the VP of Operations on May 6, 2013. In the meantime I was sent instructions by email for accessing the educational website, and downloading software and setting up accounts with eBay and PayPal. This kept me busy all weekend. Mr. Handren called as scheduled, congratulated me and said that I should expect to be making money within the first 14-21 days of coaching and if this were not the case they would set me up with better coaching. My first coaching call was set for May 7, 2013. It was quite basic and introductory, the coach instructed me to go through the first 5 eBay lessons and do the associated assignments. I thought this would set me on a profiteering pathway.
The next day, I took a bad fall, I was in tremendous pain but I just thought it was a sprain or some pulled muscles. Finally, the pain became unbearable. I called my doctor’s office to get X-rays. Since this was Friday afternoon, I couldn’t see him until Monday. I emailed, both, Tim and my coach about my misfortune. I attached my homework and said I would have to cancel my coaching call for the upcoming week. X-rays confirmed that my hip was badly fractured. Immediate surgery was planned. However, preexisting health conditions delayed the surgery pending two blood transfusions and further testing. The pain was horrible. Much to my dismay a surgery could not be done. I was on total bed rest and pain meds . I emailed Tim (May 17, 2013) from the hospital explaining my situation and asked to discontinue the course. I also asked to be reimbursed for the unused portion since I would be in rehab for 6-8 weeks with unpredictable access to the internet and in no condition to met the demands of the course. He never responded. I forwarded the message to my coach on May 20, 2013 since I was transported home that day to get belongings to take to rehab. I called my coach that day and he said that the only thing he could do was to arrange to have the coaching put on hold since he had no control over the adminstration. I agreed to this but was very dissatisfied because my health was my number one priority. I then called Mr. Handren about reimbursement. He said that it was past the 3 day right to rescind and my only option was to put my coaching on hold for a year. I pleaded with him and told him that I was unable to go out to garage sales and estate auctions because of my physical disabilities. He minimized my dismay by saying I could use drop shippers. This really insulted me because there is only a 10-15% profit margin using these middlemen and they have very negative reviews on eBay. They often run out of stock, have uncompetitive pricing and variable shipping and return policies all of which are problematic with establishing a favorable profile on eBay. I would have to sell at least $65,000 of products to make back the $6,500 that I spent on the course. I was led to believe that I would be able to make $3,000 - $8,000 a month with only 10-12 hours a week from my computer at home. Now, as I am becoming more familiar with eBay, I see it proves to be a very competitive environment. Everything on the ecommerce consulting website can be learned from the eBay website itself. In fact, there are eBay courses readily available for under $60 and even a DVD for $10. I was so naïve when I signed up and I was determined to boost my self-esteem and generate income. I did not realize I was that they were taking advantage of me. Besides my chronic health condition, I am now crippled and desperately in need of home health care. I paid a very high price to realize that I am a victim that is now in pain, unable to walk and in debt.
I tried to call Mr. Hansen on July 13,2013 and could only get through to his secretary. She inquire as to the nature of my call and I explained to her that my condition has worsened and I would really like to discuss the possibility of some reimbursement with Mr. Hansen. She reiterated the three day policy. She said Mr. Handren was very busy and she would call me back in 10-15 min to schedule a time to talk with him. When I asked her what other students paid for the course she could not answer and indicated she would need to look up my agreement as if there was no set fees. I never received a call back.
ADDITIONAL COMPLAINTS FILED WITH THE BBB are located at: http://www.bbb.org/utah/business-reviews/training-programs/ecommerce-consulting-in-sandy-ut-22244087/complaints