Chuck Smith's System - Posted by JR Walker

Posted by Jason Fresno CA on August 05, 2005 at 23:32:40:

I had to file a formal complaint with Global Publishing (Ron Legrand) via The Florida District Attorney’s Office and Bank Of America (my credit card). It was a shocking experience- I paid $5,000 for a bookcamp and canceled 3 days latter. I never received anything, nor went to a bootcamp. Legrand’s so-called “30 day return” was just plain illegal. Fortunatly after 3 weeks of faxes, and DA’s office calling me back, I did indeed get my $$ back.

Buyer Beware! I was and still am shocked at my favorite guru’s company “Global Publishing.”

Chuck Smith’s System - Posted by JR Walker

Posted by JR Walker on July 12, 2005 at 10:11:41:

First let me establish that this is intended to report neutrally on the sytem and is not intended to degrade or bolster Mr. Smith’s system. This is just my honest evaluation.

I ordered Mr. Smith’s Quick Cash Ultimate Real Estate Investment System directly from Mr. Smith’s website. I received the package very promptly. The package contained the CD’s in a portable small binder that had a professional appearance. The handbook was somewhat plain. It was a bound copy with a plain white paper front with blue lettering stating the name of the system. Not like the notebook I have seen elsewhere on the internet with a more professional appearance. While it was not as professional looking, it did provide a clean bound version.

The CD sound quality was good on most tracks. A few of the live conference tracks were a little hard to hear, but that can be expected. The usual thing is that several tracks on several CD’s have the audio at the end of track cut off. In other words, you may miss the last few seconds of what Chuck was saying. Ofcourse you can go to the textbook and get the information that was deleted, but this inconvienent for those who primarily enjoy listening rather than reading.

The information on the CD’s and the books was fairly good. Mr. Smith states that his methods are unique and trademarked. These methods are creative. He markets his method of contract assignment as being trademarked at well as other contents in his materials. You yourself can go to http://www.uspto.gov/ and search for his his name. You will find that the US Patent office shows this trademark as dead and abadoned. Below is a copied and pasted result of a search from the US Patent office website.

Word Mark CHUCK SMITH’S REAL ESTATE SYSTEM/PRIVATE LENDERS FOR REAL ESTATE INVESTING/BUYERS LIST BUILDING SYSTEM/NAME CHUCK SMITH
Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 035. US 100 101 102. G & S: Specific Systems used in Real Estate Investing and advertising for same
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 78220767
Filing Date March 3, 2003
Current Filing Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) Chuck Smith Seminars Inc. CORPORATION OHIO 5900 Som Center Rd. Suite 12 Willoughby OHIO 44094
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Other Data The name CHUCK SMITH identifies a living individual whose consent is of record.
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Abandonment Date March 4, 2004

Again, this is only serves to inform you and nothing more. His information in his system is good information. The beginner would benefit greatly from the information. In this system he states that he is a member of the Better Business Bureau and shows advertising of his with their logo. I checked the website of the Better Business Bureau and found Monterey Investments and Chuck Smith Seminars. Neither of which is a member. This is a link to their website and the search result for Monterey Investements (http://www.cleveland.bbb.org/reports/newsearch2.asp?ID=1&ComID=0312000011009473) and this is the search result for Chuck Smith Seminars (http://www.cleveland.bbb.org/reports/newsearch2.asp?ID=1&strBCode=03120000&ComID=0312000039001182&ComName=Chuck+Smith+Seminars).

As I have said, I think that this is a good system with good advice. I honetly did not find any new information that I didn’t already know. I called Mr. Smith’s office and asked to return the product as per Mr. Smiths’s guarantee. The lady who answered the phone was extremely friendly and gave me the information needed to return the system. About three weeks after its return to his office I had not received a refund. I called, emailed, and finally faxed Mr. Smith. I was having difficulty getting a response. (I later found out that Mr. Smith personally handles all returns). Mr. Smith did call and showed genuine concern that I hadn’t received my refund. He asked why I was returning it and I told him that for me I didn’t find anything that I didn’t already know. This was not well received by Mr. Smith. He stated that I was a liar, implied that I was inable of doing anything indicated in his system or that I was a thief and had copied his system. I remained polite and told Mr. Smith that I thought his system was perfectly fine, it was just that “I” didn’t learn anything that I didn’t already know. He then said that I was banned from ever buying anything from him or attending any of his functions, that he didn’t need my “type”. I remained polite and Mr. Smith did refund my money by personally sending me a hand written check. I thought this to be admirable of hime even though he felt that I was that “type” of person. I’m still not sure what my “type” is. Maybe is refers to someone already educated about the various methods of real estate investment. So that anyone does not read something into it, I am positive that he did not refer to “type” as race, sex, or anything of that nature. I am sure that Mr. Smith is a very upstanding business person.

What I can say is that most real estate systems that you can buy provide a wealth of information that may or may not be able to be used in your particular state. Websites like this provide a lot of education. Attend a local Real Estate Investors Assoc. meeting. Listen to free audio’s available on various websites. The public library has many audios available. And don’t be afraid to call an local attorney who does Real Estate. Be honest. Tell him your just starting and ask if he has anytime available that you could pop in and ask a few questions. Many times they will do this for free, especially if their a small office. They do this to be of help and hope that you would use them for your needs when they arise.

Once again, I know some of this post seems negative, but it is the facts. Most of which you can verify for yourself.

Re: Chuck Smith’s System - Posted by JoeS

Posted by JoeS on July 14, 2005 at 09:02:45:

I have never read Mr Smith’s course. But I will say that when I promote my course I specifically tell my students that I am not bringing out some “magic bullet” or “secret system” of real Estate investing, but rather I am thoroughly explaining the time-proven methods that have worked for decades and may be confusing to the new investor. Happy investing.

Join The Club - Posted by Alan

Posted by Alan on July 12, 2005 at 13:15:47:

Well you are not alone. Chuck Smith Spoke at the DC/CMREIG REI Club back in March 2005. Many of the courses purchased by the members had many pages missing from the books and some CD’s were blank. Needless to say many dissatisfied customers which had a difficult time with him clearing up this matter. He stated the same reply to them as he did to you. I was also told he is very difficult to get along with and especially with people of other races. You can gather more knowledge on this website where the people are more honest and ethical.

Re: Join The Club - Posted by Bernie

Posted by Bernie on July 24, 2005 at 22:54:48:

“Join the club is correct.” I believe John T. Reed talked about this on his website that discusses various real estate gurus. The real money is in information marketing. If you really want to get into this real estate bubble market, start going to your public library and doing research on the topic. Also, talk to local realtors in your area. They are the trained people who really know what the market is like in your area. They can also tell you what is legal, and what is illegal. More people have gone bankrupt than you would imagine following the advice of these so called experts. Some have even gone to jail. Best of wishes.