2 Aug, 2018 → by ClaimboUser568086
Be VERY careful dealing with this company..They FALSELY advertise IMO..This is my unbaised review as a customer of theirs..

1

I purchased this online course the other day, because I am an eBay seller looking to expand my business. I saw the course being advertised, and I thought it might be a good investment. As an experienced seller, the thing that was most intriguing to me was the "Overstock Vendor List" that was advertised which was provided with the course.. For someone like me with a lot of experience already selling online? The advertising about getting a list of the actual vendors "Amy" used to run her business was priceless. Certainly made the course well worth $500, even if nothing else in it was useful at my experience level.. I noticed that they offered a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, and the exact wording of the ad was: "The "Bonuses" (Vendor and Lender list) are available in week 4 of the course..." So I did a little a quick mathematical calculation, and it seemed to me I was covered...Because the ad "seemed" to indicate that the "bonus" material was given to customers inside the 30 day return window. I don't know about you, but for me? I like to evaluate all the included things that come with a "Course" like this before I make a decision if it's good, and worth a $500 price tag...ESPECIALLY when it has a $500 price tag.. So, trusting that the advertising would line up with what would be delivered? I placed the order and started with the course. First off I will tell you this - If you already have an established eBay account, business, and have any online selling experience? 85% of this course is not for you. You will literally skip through more than 2/3rds of it. 10 - 15% could be used by sellers of any level, and I will give them that I learned a bit (and I mean a "bit") from the videos contained... I wouldn't call the course totally useless if you are an experienced seller, but I will tell you it's not worth anywhere near $500 for people who even already have a basic understanding of eBay and Amazon, an account set up already, etc.. For me, I got through the videos in less than a day. Because I had to skip over so many of them that were useless to me.. So, naturally once I had finished the video course very quickly, I in a very friendly manner contacted customer service; And let them know I was done with the course already because of my experience, etc. I wanted to know when exactly the "Bonus" information would be given to me (which at this point was the only thing that would justify a price tag any longer of $500 for this course)..And I asked if that time line could be sped up given my situation as an experienced seller...? What I wanted, as anyone would want, was to evaluate the FULL COURSE, and everything contained that I paid for. From a consumer standpoint, I think anyone would want this; To know exactly what they paid for and have access to it.. The people who run this company however? Don't seem to think that we should as customers.. I was quickly told that there were no exceptions to the release of the Vendor information I paid for, even though this was a request made often by sellers like myself, but that this information was released automatically by their "system" in week (4) of the course. They were sorry but they couldn't change that. This position automatically threw up my "scam" spidey sense...Because now I was being asked to wait at least (3) more weeks to get what I paid for #1..And that meant I had to wait that time also to fully evaluate this course(?)... And wait a second, isn't there only a 30 day money back guarantee?? I was quickly seeing a problem here... I then asked, with a lot of skepticism already brewing, what the EXACT date would be that this Vendor information would be released? And if it's release would be inside of the 30 day return window..??? (pretty good question right?) To this it was replied that I signed up on the 28th, and I was writing the email on the 31st...So about 3 days had elapsed already from my purchase...So the info would be released in 29 days from this day of my writing......Hmmmmmmmmm...So 33 - 34 days after my purchase... I immediately saw a problem with that (obviously), and voiced it: "So that means you don't release the full course till after my 30 Day return window is over????".. I also went on to explain that I did not think that was the right way to do things, and I felt that this also went against their advertising..Their advertising did NOT state that the vendor list would be released AFTER the 30 day window for a return had elapsed.. To the contrary it was worded ambiguously enough to make a potential buyer BELIEVE at least that they would receive that information within the 30 days (if you read the ad you will see what I am talking about), and be able to make a final purchase decision in that time frame... Let's call a spade a spade here and state the obvious: The vendor list is the most valuable information contained in the course hands down..IF in fact it is was advertised, and really is what they claim it is..Big IF there...It's something any customer would want to evaluate as soon as possible.. So I voiced these concerns, as I think anyone would, but I was willing to make a concession because I did not want to walk away from this transaction thinking I had uncovered a scam, etc, and honestly I wanted what I paid for... I told them I would abide by their rules, and wait the additional 29 days to get the full information I paid $500 for (which was ridiculous in and of itself)..But that I wanted to make sure that when the time came of that delivery? That I would still have the option to get a refund, if in fact I found that Vendor list to be less than what was advertised...I wanted that stated in writing, so that no one would could say that was never told to me... I also made it clear that I was aware there were "scam" buyers out there, who might just take this info and get a refund and run..But I assured them that was not the case at all, and I was simply an experienced seller who needed that information to make sure the course was worth it for me. I flatly told them that as long as that list was as advertised in the Ad (Amy's ACTUAL list of overstock vendors she used to make millions of dollars of sales online), then the course would be well worth what I paid. I simply needed to review it and know what I was getting, and what I paid for. Since this was going to be delivered outside the window of my 30 day return agreement? I just wanted an assurance that I would still have protection, and that they STOOD BEHIND the entire course, not just the video portion (which frankly wasn't very spectacular).. I wanted the option open to request a refund AFTER I had evaluated the course in it's entirety, and saw exactly what I had paid for... As a consumer, you would think this a more than rational, and more than a fair and reasonable request..I fully expected a simple, "Yes we have no problem with that, as we know what we are giving you is valuable information that all of our customers have loved in the past. No problem. We are confident what we will deliver is as advertised sir, and we will stand behind it at any point".. That in my mind would have been the response from any reputable company, who stood behind what they were selling, and were delivering information that lined up with their advertising to consumers. Unfortunately, this is not that company. My email I sent was quickly forwarded to who I guess was the "manager" of sorts, to "deal" with me (a consumer who was apparently asking too many of the "right" questions, and saw some glaring discrepancies with their advertising and practices).. This individual went on a literal 3 page "tirade" of how reputable they were, how they had never had a customer complaint, how valuable the list was, and basically how dare I "accuse them of being scammers"...There were pages of "double talk", yet not one simple answer as to whether they would stand behind their vendor list, and give me a day or two to evaluate it. Everything was done to directly avoid that question (including pretending not to have even read it, and telling me they would not deliver the course "earlier" and break their policies...???? Never asked that a second time, but OK...) Essentially the response I got was that they fully expected to be taken at their "word", and anyone daring to question this could basically take a walk... I was pretty stunned by this position, especially from a company who I just paid $500 to...Not $50 mind you, nor $100...No, this was a $500 purchase, for which I was already being asked to wait 30 full days to get my full purchase... And now they were asking me to take them at their word that the most valuable piece of their course, was in fact what they claimed it was...And to agree to receive the most important part of my purchase? AFTER my time for a refund ran out... But hey? Can't you see how honest they are??? (lol)... So, I wrote back and reiterated that I was not accusing them of being "scammers", but I simply, again for the umpteenth time of saying it; just wanted to make sure I could evaluate the full course, BEFORE deciding if I wanted to keep it.. They were stating over and over again how great the vendor list is, and how they've never had a "complaint" etc? So I simply asked them as a formality then to stand behind that claim, and give me the peace of mind and assurance of knowing that I could request a refund if I didnt feel that was the case.. I also told them I really did not think there was going to be a problem with the list, but I had to protect myself, as $500 is not an amount I could throw away right now. So I had to be careful how I spent it... Basically I had to plead with these people to simply do the right thing here, and stand behind their advertised product... Frankly I could not believe I was actually going through all of this just to get an "affirmative" that they would do so...I did not write this however, and I was extremely polite..I was trying to make this work for both parties, because I am a very reasonable person. When I woke up the next day, I was absolutely shocked to see that they had refunded my money - along with a message now stating something completely different... Namely that: "The vendor list we give out is a "Gift" and it has to be earned by "students" who take the course seriously..We do not assign it any "monetary" value, as it is offered "outside" the course as "gifty kind of bonusy present" that we decide who gets..." A message exactly along those lines, with almost those exact words... So now I had wasted a full week of my time with this "course", and was now not even going to get what I paid for after all, basically because I asked "too many" questions, and wasn't worthy of my "gift" (which of course I had not paid for anyway with my $500, as it had no "monetary value").. To add insult to injury, they refunded my paypal purchase with their bank account - which takes an additional 5 days to clear...Nice I made also the big mistake it seemed on calling them out on a very questionable at best policy, and in my opinion? Possibly uncovered here yet another internet scam... Maybe not a complete scam in traditional terms..But certainly there is something very not right here... When a merchant would rather REFUND a customer, than agree to stand behind what they are advertising? And they have to concoct a very elaborate, deceptive return policy charade/game, in order to make sure they deliver the most valuable part of their "course" OUTSIDE a customers return window??? Ladies and Gentleman..You can draw your own conclusions from this; But to me? There's a serious problem there. I actually purposefully boxed them off in this way when I saw what they were doing with the return policy shennanigans - to see what they're responses would be to my requests to stand behind their full course after final delivery of ALL parts...And as you can see, they very miserably failed... It was a pass fail test: Yes we will stand behind our product (PASS).. No we wont sorry (FAIL)... And I'm sorry but the "refund" in my mind only made matters worse, it DID NOT let them off the hook here (As I think they hoped it would)..In my mind this needed to be reported to the public. There are 3 things you should definitely keep in mind in conclusion before buying from this company: 1) This video course is NOT for anyone beyond the most inexperienced seller. It is not going to have much if any value for you if you already have an eBay account, or have any online selling experience. If you are a complete newbie at online selling? This might be for you...However I have no way of evaluating the entire course and what they give you beyond the "videos", so I can't even say this for sure... 2) This company engages in very purposefully ambiguous, and borderline false advertising. They lead you to believe you will receive vital information with which to evaluate the quality of the course over all, within your returnable window. However once a purchase is made? They then reveal that this information will be given to you AFTER that window expires according to their "terms". You can draw your own conclusion from that kind of "policy" and why they have it..... 3) This company has more stories than Dr. Seuss when it comes to their "vendor list" they claim to provide and that is a key part of their advertising. In the initial advertising it's touted as a part of the course (however labelled as a "bonus") which you get for your $500 purchase... Then it quickly becomes "not part" of the course, and is delivered outside your return window ("pay no attention to that "bonus" we promised you...the video course is what really matters!").. Aaaaand of course it then finally magically "morphs" into a "gift" you must "earn" as their little humble "overstock apprentice" student.... Be a good little apprentice? Let your return window expire, and shut up about it? And dont ask too many questions about that? And maybe they'll give you your "gift"... But then again maybe not, because you might not take the course "seriously" enough for them, or you might displease them in some other way...(mainly by protesting about their very questionable "policy terms") In which case your "gift" will be withheld, and you'll lose your precious time and money, and will have to go find your own vendors and vet them yourself... After all, your "gift" was never really part of the course to begin with, and has "no monetary" value (in their own words)... Basically how this breaks down is: You buy the course. Wait the 30 days until your return window expires. Then you are given the "vendor list"...At this point, if you try to initiate a return because you are not happy with that? Or you feel it is not as advertised? They can say to Paypal or any merchant credit card provider that: "Hey, they had 30 days to evaluate this and they kept the course..We're sorry they weren't happy with the "Bonuses" we gave them as gifts, but those arent part of the course anyway...This isnt fair to us..Blah blah blah..." And you know what? They could possibly win a dispute on those grounds...Not 100%, but they would have a shot... Am I saying that's what they do? I don't know, I didn't get that far with it...But I can tell you this: It definitely looks like something like that is being set up here. There's almost no other conclusion to be drawn in my opinion. So...While I am making no direct recommendation here, I'll simply let the truth speak for itself.. (I have all of their email to me saved if anyone ever wished to see them). Personally I do not do business with companies that engage in practices like these, and mislead consumers in anyway... But what do I know...I've only been buying and selling online professionally for over 10 years...Maybe I am actually the bad guy in this situation, and was being "unreasonable"... You be the judge Either way, Good luck out there, and I hope this review helps you to make the right decisions for yourself in regards to this company, and your future business dealings in general. Be safe.
Helpfull? 0 votes

Post your comment:



Do you want to help? Probably you've just been in a similar situation, know the solution and want to help? Perhaps you are just a kind person who has advice on the merits. Please write your comment — you can do a good breed.

If you are actual Representative of Overstock Academy you can contact the user using the comment form and help resolve the situation. The user can always mark his complaint as "resolved". Maintain your brand image, it is FREE.

Copyright © 2023 CLAIMBO.COM. All rights reserved.