My complaint is against Premier Mentoring, Inc., Exchange Place 172 East 14075 South, Draper, UT 84020 and Armando Montelongo.
Contact person is Nate Gay of the Resolutions Department 888-684-3304 x720
On June 9, 2009 my boyfriend and I attended a "seminar" about how to flip homes put on by Armando Montelongo of "Flip This House" on A&E. This, of course, was a sales pitch. We were promised a 3-day course with Armando. numerous techniques on how to make money flipping houses including using insurance companies' money, access to hard money, and access to their "abundant" inventory of homes that needed rehab. The presenter, I believe his name was Matt Matthews, said there was a complete money back guarantee. We signed up for the course which cost $2, 997. We were promised continental breakfast and lunch each day.
The receipt for the course indicated there would be:
"3-day real estate investing workshop with Armando Montelongo
3 days of live training with Armando Montelongo and his team!!!
Master study course materials, including 5 Wealth Guides and 12 CDs!
"Flip It Now" 5 books series!
2009 foreclosure opportunity course!
6 months of real estate hotline support!"
The fine print on the contract:
Customer Service: If you have any questions about your upcoming workshop, please feel free to contact our Customer Service Department, toll free, at (888) 634-3304.
Fullfillment Policy: It is your obligation to attend any scheduled workshops or training sessions. However, if you do not complete your training sessions within 30 days of the scheduled dates, we will provide you with alternate training materials (via e-mail, CD/DVD, print materials or online access) as fulfillment of your purchase. Any alternate training materials are provided for personal use only and do not constitute a license to duplicate, distribute or sell such materials.
Return Policy: You may cancel this transaction at any time prior to three (3) business days after purchase. To cancel, please call Customer Service to obtain a Return Authorization Code and shipping address. Items must be returned in resaleable condition to receive refund.
I hereby authorize the processing of my tuition payment in exchange for the products and services stated above. By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the terms and conditions described in the Fulfillment & Return Policies.
We attended the training on Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 21, 2009.
There was no food as promised. Over half of the students complained and they finally took us out to lunch on Friday and Saturday.
Armando appeared for about an hour on Saturday "unprepared" and did not teach anything. He only promoted a field trip with him at an additional cost of $24, 000.
At the beginning I asked if the presenter was familiar with Arizona real estate law as I am a member of the Arizona Real Estate Investor's Association (AZREIA) and attend meetings where the local law is reviewed. I specifically asked because the initial presenter in June, Matt, spoke of a process that is illegal here in Arizona (bird-dogging). I was assured the presenter knew Arizona law. I have subsequently learned that other "techniques" they promoted are also illegal here.
Although promised on several occassions, we never received the course materials (Master study course materials, including 5 Wealth Guides and 12 CDs!) We did received Armando's Flip and Grow Rich 5 book series and the 12 supporting CDs for the series.
We never received the 2009 foreclosure opportunity course.
The presenter talked about increasing your credit card limits and reducing the interest rate, goal setting, a couple of examples of loan option wraps, 3 hours on a rental agreement, the annuity he set up for his daughter and how his nanny stole his credit cards. Very little was done on real estate investing.
They promoted their mentoring program for $19, 000 - $24, 000 and a new reality program that Armando is doing.
By Sunday I was furious. Many of the people in the class felt the same way I did. I was again assured by Jordan, one of the instructors, that there was a money back guarantee (which they, of course, now deny). I was yelled at by 2 of the instructors that I was uncooperative (all I wanted was what was promised).
I have since done research on Armando and found several web sites that enumerate on the rip-off of his courses. You can find them by searching on "Armando Montelongo complaints." They refererrd people to the Utah Attorney General and Better Business Bureau. I have since filed complaints with both.
I have left 5 voice mail messages with Nate Gay in the Resolutions department of Premier Mentoring, Inc. that have gone unanswered.