Fellow Canadians, please be aware that there are a lot of Internet Scams out there. I had over $9, 000.00 stolen from me by Internet Sales Institute. This Company takes the majority of the money and gives Thrive Learning Institute only a small portion of the monies they collect. They prey on people not aware of all that's involved in internet sales and website building. They first of all say they are registered with BBB and show you a fake website which they create themselves. They try to get you to set up your Company in the US, which turns out to be a form of tax evasion (CRA would be all over you for this one). They probably give you fake names over the phone because you can't get ahold of them after you pay for the services. The original person who signed you up disappears off the planet after they get your money. They tell you that your tuition fees are tax deductible. This is a lie because I tried claiming the monies with the CRA and was told that Thrive Learning Institute as well as Internet Sales Institute are not legit Companies in Canada and are not registered with them. You CANNOT CLAIM THIS MONEY AS A TAX DEDUCTION.

After you sign up, they wait for 3 days to set up your first coach call. This is to ensure you can't get your money back, not even from your credit card. I had two scheduled coach calls and then it was a 'chase the coach' game after that. Some have a 'whatever' attitude and other don't really know what they're talking about. There 'live chat' was a nightmare experience because you have to wait a long time before they even acknowledge your existence and then their help is minimal, not to mention one coach is chating with several people at one time and they get their info mixed up! I was given someone elses website to build on and after a week or so I called in to find out why the builder wasn't working properly. I was building someone else's website and to make a long story short - I had to start all over again on my own site! It's just one frustration after another. I used to work in law firms for 12 years and I know that I'm not stupid or an idiot. I worked for three months, 5 days a week, for 4 to 5 hours every morning, trying to get as much info from the e-library as possible to make this work. I kept running into walls and the coaches weren't as helpful as Internet Sales Institute boasted. I even took my work with me on holidays because I wanted to keep up with my work.

I actually had an email conversation with someone who works on the same floor, with a totally different company, who was explaining to me that these coaches are just young punks who really don't know what they're talking about and are not well trained. This person couldn't believe some of the stuff that people were being told (lies). This person really opened my eyes that I was definitely being SCAMMED! I had one coach trying to help another coach while I was on the phone with them. He was scolding his fellow worker while I was on the line (not very professional). So was he really concentrating on helping me - NO!

I watched several videos and some of them didn't even work properly. They froze part way through and then you're not able to complete those sections to get your certificate of completion. I think you get the picture!

Please stay away from these Companies! I'm hoping that my horrible experience and telling you about it will save you a lot of money, as well as the frustration I experienced. Those three months can only be described as a nightmare now that I hope I never have to experience again.

I haven't had a cent refunded to date and my husband was basically told that I was an idiot! After conversing with several others who've been ripped off by these Companies I soon became aware that this is their tactic. They string you along until you give up and then they keep your money. Brilliant technique and believe me, I will never fall for that again. I really thought they were legit. Internet Sales Institute (Jacob) has a very smooth talking salesman and all I can say is that he'll one day have to give an account for "every idol word" and that his lies will catch up with him.

PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THESE COMPANIES!!! Beware that they do change their names, so just buy a program from a department store or seek out free website builders online (Godaddy.com isn't very expensive for a domain name and they even have website builders for minimal cost). There are other ways to build a website that won't cost you a fortune.

By the way, some people that try to defend these Companies on this site are actual employees of Thrive or the Sales Institute. Don't be deceived by them. My experience is a true story and I'm really mad at myself for falling for this scam. I apologize to my husband every time this situation comes up in conversation. I wish I would never have responded to this internet scam or took that call from Jacob Hanson (if that's his real name)!