This is an in-depth look at the Real Talk Network and Dave Burke coaching programs that are being sold to consumers over the radio and through in-person seminars in a number of states. If you spend a lot of time examining this group you will probably come to the same conclusion as I have, that, in my opinion, while much of what they say sounds deeply intriguing, it is without support or substance.
In fact there is enough of an element of truth in the claims made that make is seem plausible and believable but that’s just, in my opinion, the keystone of a great confidence game played to separate people from their money. And it appears here that is exactly what is happening.
At the end of my investigation and review I am left with a few deep concerns. First, if this is such a legitimate offer then why are people that are sold a program of help and assistance to break free of debt, sent to collections for a program they either did not signup for or did not want? Second, for a program that is supposed to be based on the power of having Dave Burke and his cronies as your coach, why is the actual coaching time so severely limited?
If you peel all the other issues aside I think the collections issue is the true smoking gun here. By sending people that attended one of his seminars to collections that never utilized the services or even arguably did not sign a contract for services it certainly appears, in my opinion, to be the the true motive of this enterprise is for pitchmen to extract money from people without providing much of a benefit.
Even the contract that is signed, in my opinion, seems terribly unconscionable. People are left with bills owing nearly $3000 for a program or service they have remorse signing up for or want out and have not received any benefit from it yet. The contract used by Dave Burke and the Real Talk Network really does nothing more than lock you in to paying even if you never use any of the coaching services and a week latter want out. “All sales are final.” In my opinion this is not a contract from people that want to help. It is a contract from people that want to snare and trap consumers.

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My Investigation

Dave Burke
Real Talk Radio Network, Inc.
(877) 291-8373
(303) 457-8017
1333 W 120th Ave Ste 113
Westminster, CO 80234-2709
Website: www.gortn.comOriginal Business Start Date: September 2004
Principal: Mr. David Burke, President & CEO – Dave@gorealtalk.com
Customer Contact: Ms. Billi Sue Carwile, COO/Director of Operations
Real Talk Network, Inc was incorporated in Colorado on August 23, 2008.
Here is how this appears to work. People are hyped on a radio show with limited distribution and can be heard over the Internet that Dave and his current cohort Erik Sale put out on his Real Talk Network. The show is nothing more than a sales pitch to promote getting people to attend their “financial freedom” workshop. In listening to the show below I heard nothing of substance, all hype.
In my opinion, the radio spot is a sales pitch to get you to a financial freedom free workshop which is just a sales pitch to get you to signup for future coaching services. In the process you get some purchase Mortgage Accelerator Plus (MAP) software, credit repair services, and a workshop. This coaching program will cost you nearly $3000.
Now all of that sounds okay, doesn’t it? Some dude wants to help you with your finances and you sign a coaching agreement to do so. But the majority of complaints I’m getting from people either never committed to coaching or did not realize they were signing up for a two or three thousand dollar package of, well, we’ll call it “coaching.” Those that signed an agreement or just a registration piece of paper are told they can’t cancel the relationship.
How many legit money coaches do you know of that would not let you out of coaching you did not want and then send you to collections? Or how about a money coach that would bind you in an “all sales are final” contract for coaching services not yet delivered?
So What Do You Get for $3,000?
What appears to be absent from all the pitch selling videos and radio hype about the Real Talk Network Coaching Program is what you actually get in coaching time. The heart of the hype appears to be that the primary benefit is the coaching by Dave Burke and his cronies. But a close inspection of the agreement and contract one signs shows what you actually get, not much. The fluff parts are a workshop, some software and a spreadsheet that’s been given away for free.
Here is where a real problem is created in the fine print of the coaching deal. And you can read the contract and details towards the bottom of this article.
What people are actually paying the vast bulk of their money for at the new $2997 price is:
- Only twelve (12) coaching sessions with Dave Burke or a coach of the Real Talk Network.
- Each coaching session may last up to an hour. But feedback from a current client tells me that the sessions on average are about 15 minutes, with half of that time take with the coach reviewing the spreadsheet sent in by the client.
- These coaching sessions must occur within every ten days from the previous coaching session.
- All coaching must be completed within 120 days, four months, from the signing of the contract.
And That’s All You Get.
So it appears for $3,000 you are getting between 2.5 to 12 hours of total coaching time for your contract price. My vote is the coaching for all students is going to roll in closer to the three hour mark. Meaning that what unsuspecting consumers appear to be actually buying is “coaching” that costs nearly $1,000 an hour from pitchmen.
But by their own admission on the Real Talk website, students won’t get a full 12 hours of coaching.
“Over-the-phone coaching sessions are extremely comprehensive. Students should expect their first few sessions to last about an hour. You can expect shorter sessions after you have these preliminary sessions under your belt. ” –
This is even though the sales presentation slides you will see below say the coaching is “One hour weekly for 12 weeks.”
An argument will be made by Burke and RTN that the software they provide students known as Mortgage Accelerator Plus (MAP) has a tremendous value as well. In fact, it doesn’t and it is based on junk science and hype. Don’t believe me, read this. But if his software is so valuable then why do they give it away for free to people that bring a flash drive to a free seminar as claimed in a video below? “Arrive early and bring a flash drive for a copy of our Financial Freedom Software. $3,500 value for FREE!” – Graphic.
But Here is What the Software Developer Has to Say About Dave Burke
Here is what Norm Bour had to say about Dave Burke and his use of the MAPS software.
At one time Burke was a MAP Affiliate but he decided he didn’t need the product/ program itself, and instead created an overpriced package that we never endorsed or promoted. I totally disagree with his claims and his overly aggressive sales tactics. MAP was always designed to be educational first and was promoted as such. – Source
The RTN Sales Pitch Close
Here is a shocking video that is actually titled RTN Close0317. In fact this is the closing sales pitch to sign people up for the Real Talk Network. The price on the screen appears to be $1997, an older sales price I’ve heard from others. You’ll see that price mentioned in the complaints below.
And at the very end, before the video stops, the guy (don’t know who he is) seems to be talking about a flexible payment or installment payment plan.
I really had to shake my head 0:32 in when the closer starts talking about his father crying in the bathroom. He also mentioned Dave Burke has been doing this since 1997 and that the product includes unlimited coaching, which seems factually not true.
Consumer Complaints About Dave Burke and Real Talk Network
The complaints below are fairly typical of what I’m hearing from many people:
I went to a free real talk network seminar in May of 2009 with a friend. After the seminar they were putting people into groups according to their situations.
My friend and I decided that this is not really “FREE” because they were asking people for credit card information. We decided it’s time to go, on the way out the door we were approched by one of the workers. I told him that I was not able to make a decision at the moment because I need to get my husband’s permission. He told me to fill out the application and put the best time to call us.
I filled out the application, and he called us that same night. My husband told him that he was not intetrested and we did not have any money to pay someone to get us out of debt. That was the last of the conversation.
On November 27th 09, I received a letter from a collection agency stating that I owed 1997.00, I went crazy.
I called the agency, and told them that I was not going to pay. They said the application that I filled out was a contract. I think I was mislead by the coach of Real Talk. We specifically told him that night that we were not interested, nothing else was said. They did not send me a letter, or told me that I signed a contract. I was not told that I could have written a letter to cancel within three days. – Sophia
This truly is a deceptive practice and as I mentioned, this is not an isolated practice by Dave Burke and his Real Talk Network.
I have read 2 articles by you about people trying to do business with this company and getting sent to collections.
This happened to us also. We were not contacted by RTN, just sent immediately to a collection agency. They refused my husband’s calls and the collection agency representative even told us that we shouldn’t do business with them.
This company is unethical and immoral. They just want to build their own wealth at the expense of others. You had mentioned in one the articles that the writer (Stan, I believe) file a suit in small claims court. Is it possible to to get other people in this situation together to file a class action suit? Kelly – Source
But the complaints keep rolling in.
I went to the Real talk “Free” seminar. At the end of the session they asked us to sign up for the program. I told them that my wife pays the bills and would need her on board, because there is work involved in managing your payables. Dave Burke told me to give him a $200.00 refundable deposit to hold a spot if my wife wanted to participate.
My wife was not interested, So I just forgot about it. approximately a year and a half later I got a letter from a collection agency stating that I owed $1297.00 plus $153.00 in interest. I was not contacted by nor did I recieve any goods or services from Real Talk Network. Real Talk Network says that it is out of their hands. The Collection agency has reported to credit agencys, yet they cannot produce a contract. I would STAY AWAY from Real Talk Network, its easy to become debt free if you charge people for nothing. – Chris
Even people that have been roped in by Dave Burke, Erick Sale, his new partner in crime, or Matt Pillmore and John Deckys, his older partners in crime, have some serious issues and unhappiness about the services being provided by Dave Burke and his coaches. More About Matt Pillmore and John Deckys, latter.
In October 2008, I paid $1494 to join a debt free program call Real Talk Network sponsored by Dave Burke. After 3 sessions, I was told they had done everything possible to reduce my debt, which wasn’t much. I was told I needed more income and to get a job to help pay off my debt. Obviously, I all ready knew that a job would help but who can get a job with the recession? Plus, I’m almost 60 years old.
Since about January 2009 to the present, I have contacted the Corporate Office in Westminster, Colorado by phone many times, have sent certified letters and a demand letter requesting a refund with no results. They even changed the requirements for a refund which is not even in my contract. They made it sound so easy to received a refund if you ended up not being a suitable candidate for the program. What a scam? I feel “somewhat stupid” but then when one is in debt, we “hope” for a solution. I’m not quiting because $1497 is a lot of money for me right now. I live in California and I’m not quite sure what to do at this point but would love to hear from you, if you experienced the same with this corporation. Please write, Joy – Source
Another California resident and former military service member, Elan found himself knee deep in the the Dave Burke scam like business pitch.
My name is Elan and I joined Dave Burke Real Talk Network in October and I’m on a $100 monthly payment plan. I have been taken advantage of and he has not gotten my situation better then when I signed up. if anything I have gotten more in debt because of him. i just paid my bills normally like I know how. I have been personally coached by him and at this point I’m positive this company has ripped me off for what i have paid.
When I went to the seminar [in Ontario, California] with Dave Burke, I summarized my current debt and payments that I new about on a piece of paper for both me and my wife. I told them there was no way I could make a lump sum payment of $3,000 dollars. So then Dave Burke himself came and looked at my paper and said we can work something out and he went on saying that we could wipe this credit card out within a month and both car payments within a 5 months or whatever.
So basically I fell for it and I felt like hey this guy makes since and he can really show me how to do this even faster. So he allowed me to write up a contract for payments of $100 per month for one year. Then after that one year if my personal coach sees that it’s okay that I am stable. Then they would automatically charge the rest of the balance, but on the other hand if I was still struggling to make payments, I would continue on the $100 per month plan.
All in all, the service I am paying for is for them to improve my credit score and to coach me and teach me and advise on things I could do or methods that would allow me to pay off more of my principal debt with the money I currently make. Which would therefore accelerate my debt pay off and increase my monthly cash flow. And Well, up to this day i am still on the same page were I started.
I did ask for a refund or to cancel the contract 3 days after I singed up when i came to my senses. And they pretty much said i would not be able to cancel the contract because it was already singed and I would have to follow trough with it. The only way i could cancel it is if I provided proof that I have been laid off or have filed bankruptcy or hospitalized for whatever reason. – Elan
Elan is a hard working guy that just wants out of the Dave Burke Real Talk Network scam, but can’t get out. He’s asked to get out but told he can’t unless he goes bankrupt or is hospitalized. And we already know what the path is going to be if he stops paying because he is fed up, he’ll get sent to Conrad Credit Corporation for collections.
Others have asked immediately for refunds but also told they are not available.
The answer was the same from all–that all sales were final (which was stated on the contract) and that there was no recourse. The receptionist basically hung up on me when I mentioned seeing them in court. – Source
Decided Ive been frauded for 3000 dollars and opted out of contract before two business days. Had paperwork notorized and certified mailed. They said they honor my opt out and would refund my money. its been 2 months now. Every week I call they say the refund is processed just a couple more days. – Source
We provide a 60 day unconditional guarantee provided that you attend at least one Implementation Workshop. If you feel you made a mistake in your purchase we refund your money, DONE. We have never been asked for a refund after attending our workshop. – Claims rebuttal Real talk Network Poster
After signing up with VIP I find out from one of he working at VIP credit experts Mr. Matthew Pillmore that Real Talk Network, INC only work with people that own a home. He told me he well talk with Mr. Burke about my refund. ( This was in early December ) I personally called and left message at Real Talk Network, inc office about a refund with no [response]. – Source
The number of complaints against Dave Burke and Real Talk Network seem like they are growing rapidly. See the many Dave Burke complaints on the RipoffReport site.
And apparently the lack of being able to get a refund isn’t the only problem. Even if you’ve paid for Dave Burke’s services in full you can still find yourself in collections.
Last April, I went to a pay off your debt seminar by Real Talk Network/Dave Burke. I charged $1997 to my Nordstrom Visa. Burke did not disclose thet his secret system is dependent on a decent FICO score and so he could not help me. No refund was offered and I forgot about it. About 3 weeks ago, I get a letter from their collection firm, Conrad Credit Corporation, saying I never paid Real Talk Network the $1997. I finally found proof that the $1997 was paid to Real Talk. Stan – Source
Now once people go to Conrad Credit Corporation for collections they are basically being extorted to pay their way out of a service they never signed up for to begin with.
It seems that we went to the same type of “free” seminar. I too filled out the application without filling in the credit card info. All they had was my name and address but according to the collection agency this was a contract for the RTN service and I was agreeing to pay them for the service. Nowhere on the application does it state that by signing you are entering into a binding contract for service. I ended up negotiating with the collection agency after receiving zero replies from RTN. I left several voice mails and sent them a letter requesting how this information sheet was in fact a contract for services. In order to keep the collection off my credit report I paid the fee necessary to get off the list of RTN “dead beats”. I still haven’t heard anything from the RTN. I did receive a letter from the collection agency stating that my account with RTN was paid and no other chargers would be pending. It cost me $540.00 dollars that I didn’t have to get them off my back. Jim – Source
Apparently Conrad Credit Corporation, acting as an agent for Dave Burke, knows this is a scam and is collecting the money anyway.
The collection company representative told my husband that they are aware of their practices and wouldn’t recommend we do business with them. Kelly – Source
Potentially Illegal Credit Repair
The Dave Burke Financial Freedom strategy is also said to include activities that appear to be nothing more than fee-for-service illegal credit repair. According to one active client I spoke with, a Robin, at Dave Burke’s Colorado office sends or is responsible for overseeing the process to have knowingly accurate but negative credit report items disputed by sending dispute letters to the credit bureaus as part of the “coaching” fee paid for by the client.
All I know is that they just disputed all my negative items for which I received letters from all three credit bureaus and they did not remove anything or make my credit history better. The only thing that improved my credit score was by may paying down my debt on my own and going to www.optoutprescreen.com were I took mine and wife’s information off to stop receiving pre approved credit offers.
That claim about removing your name from the opt-out lists for credit to improve your credit is one Dave Burke and Erik Sale make in the video below.
I contacted Craig Watts, spokesperson for FICO and he confirmed that opting out of pre-screened credit offers does nothing to increase your credit score. “How would/could opting out be reflected on your credit report? If it doesn’t show up on your credit report then it won’t affect your score,” Watts said.
Dave Burke’s and His Cohorts in the Mafia
I’m not sure who is the chicken or who is the egg here but this hyped bunch of nonsense is not the formula used by Dave Burke alone.
Before Dave teamed up with his current co-host, Erik Sale of his radio show that he claims is heard all across the country, but upon checking, many of the stations he claimed it was on were not airing it, he was working with Matt Pillmore and John Deckys on this enterprise. If you watched the first video then you saw Burke mention these guys as his top coaches.
Matt Pillmore and John Deckys – VIP Debt & Credit Mafia
What I can’t figure out is why two of Dave’s top coaches he brags about in his videos have a separate company, the VIP Debt & Credit Mafia, that provide, in my opinion, essentially the same thing. Did they split? Is it a franchise? Did they steal the idea?
Here are Matt Pillmore and John Deckys all decked out in mafia attire on television in Colorado and giving a very similar pitch for their offer VIP Mafia offer.
In the past, John Deckys and Matt Pillmore actually held at least one Real Talk Network seminar and listed Dave as the guy to contact to register. The class is even held in the same building that Burke has his offices. 1333 W. 120th Ave. Westminster, CO 80234 Conference room 112 Source
And at one point the VIP guys and Real Talk Network had a referral relationship.
On October 21, 2008 me and my sister sign up the Real Talk network, INC. service. We made to full payment of $1997.00 each for the membership. that day we was giving instruction that for the next month meeting. On November 11, 2008 the coach looked over my financial statements he told me at I could not get into any of our programs with a low credit score so he told me I needed to call VIP Credit Experts. During that month I call someone from VIP Credit to start working on my credit. That day I called I found out that the cost is $1,000 but for members its only $500.00. – Source
But comments by people online seem to indicate that the lads had a falling out and split or maybe they just franchised the idea.
This is a scam plain and simple! The reason it’s a scam…because they preach this Australian shell game to people that do not have credit, can not get a loan and a looking for a quick fix for their problems. These idiots salesmen of Burkes know this as well but they still sell hard to get their money. Burke has several websites with different names all pitching thier scam. Now one of his diciples John Deckys has created his version of the scam – V.I.P. Mafia…still pitching the same crap! STAY AWAY FROM THESE SCAMMERS!!!!!!!!! – Source
But this video posted by the VIP Mafia on YouYube on November 5, 2009 lists Dave Burke and Real Talk Network in their keywords.

Well the VIP Mafia claims to be part of a company VIP Enterprises, LLC
VIP Debt & Credit Mafia
John Deckys, CEO
Matt Pillmore, President – matt@vipcreditexperts.com, matt@VIPMafia.com
10955 Westmoor Dr., Suite 400
Westminster, CO 80021
phone: (877) 969-2738
fax: (888) 225-3238
CustomerService@DebtAndCreditMafia.com
www.VIPMafia.com
What is interesting about VIP Enterprises is that it was originally organized by Matt Pillmore and a man who I assume is Matt’s father. Poor guy probably isn’t aware of what he’s tied in to here.
John Deckys comes into the picture on VIP Enterprises, LLC in 2006 as the registered agent. The corporate return also lists the principal mailing office as 1202 26th Ave, Greeley, CO 80634, a property that is latter listed as being foreclosed on and associated with Matt Pillmore’s name. Is it just me or does it seem like bad news when the person offering himself as a debt coach for others is recently foreclosed on? – Source
It appears that Dave Burke became associated with Deckys and Pillmore through a real estate background and he even taught a class together with Deckys, “How to Buy Income Properties for Little Down and Cash-Flow Them”, at Your Castle Real Estate which has an office at the same business address where the Real Talk Network corporate offices are located today, 1333 W 120th, Westminster 80234. And coincidently that address is listed as the address of the registered agent for VIP Enterprises, LLC.
The Mafia Continuing the Dave Burke Formula
According to the VIP Mafia Welcome Package the credit repair part of the services sold is probably similar to what Burke is hawking. The VIP material talks specifically about how the VIP Mafia working to improve the credit of clients when they say, “…which identify very clearly the items we are working on to increase your scores quickly.” The material also tells clients they can dispute items on their credit report that may be accurate but where “I do not believe these listings are verifiable.” Now that’s coaching.
Erik Sale – The Apparent New Guy With Burke at Real Talk Network
In this video with Dave Burke and Erik Sale (erik@gortn.com) the pitch is that you can go to one of their workshops and they will show you how to get up to $3,000 of “Free Money” in your pocket. The strategy, in my opinion, is nothing more than putting all of your expenses on a credit card and since the bill won’t be due till the due date after the closing date, you’ll have cash in your pocket that you would have used to pay the bills, now on the credit card. It’s a freaking shell game. It only pushes your obligation out into the future. It is not free money.
Erik Richard Sale comes from a real estate investment background also. He appears to be yet another guy that was involved in buying or flipping distressed properties and when the real estate market went sour he suddenly became a debt elimination coach. He has a company, Salermade Investment Corporation that is a CO & NV corporation and also a site at EZKeyRE.com (erik@ezkeyre.com) that claims to be a real estate investment company.
The guarantee Erik Sale gives or gave at the Financial Freedom Workshop.

Dave Burke and His Legal Troubles
I did find an interesting lawsuit between Real Talk Network Inc v. Deckys, John Paul Et. Al. It appears that on August 2, 2009 Real Talk Network and Dave Burke sued John Paul Deckys, Matthew Thomas Pillmore and VIP Enterprises, LLC. Colorado case 2009CV001383. It looks like a falling out it is then between them. My assumption, the lads took what they learned from Burke and split to start their own thing and Burke got pissed.
While I was at it there are two other cases against Real Talk Network in Colorado. Jamie L. Wing and Rodney Wylie and Judy Wylie. The Wylie case resulted in an unsatisfied judgment against David Burke and the Real Talk Network for $1,500. You would think that with all the money Burke is taking from others that he could at least pay this judgment off and the Wylie’s back.
As I was searching for the case above I came across another one where Dave Burke and his wife Melodie sued Nick Feldman and Reality Financial. CO 2006S000375. I’m not sure what this was about but it does confirm his real estate and mortgage background. Reality Financial was a site listed on realtalknetwork.blogspot.com.

So What’s This All Mean? What’s The Bottom Line
In my opinion, Dave Burke and his merry band of Mafia guys have created a sales pitch to rope people in with promises of secret tricks or credit repair and to help them become “coached” into doing better financially.
The premise seems plausible. Here is how they describe what they are trying to do.
The Real Talk Network of professionals is dedicated to changing the social economics of our country. We are a coaching network that provides critical financial education to families across the country. What we do: Pay off debt in an average of 5-7 years. Our primary mission is to help families get out of debt rapidly, using advanced financial techniques. We provide ongoing coaching support to ensure our techniques are understood and provide a lifetime of empowerment. How we do it: Nationwide events to educate the public; Group Coaching; One on One Coaching at each event; Ongoing access to our network of coaches via phone coaching and web access. We provide free workshops where our listeners can come and receive valuable information and take the next step in their journey towards becoming debt free and building wealth. Source
In my opinion, where my scam labeler comes out is when a group of guys promotes themselves by saying, “Our primary mission is to help families get out of debt rapidly, using advanced financial techniques.” But in reality they appear to do nothing more than enslave people in debt that are unfortunate enough to attend one of the “Free” seminars and put any pen on any piece of paper.
These attendees are then claimed to have entered into an “All Sales Final” contract for services and subsequently find themselves in collections or unable to escape a contract or payment plan for services they don’t want. Some people have had to pay their way out of collections even though they did not have a contract and at least one collection representative said people should not do business with Dave Burke and the Real Talk Network.
And oh yes, Burke takes payment monthly or in lump-sum on your Visa, MasterCard or American Express, putting you further into debt.
I frankly believe the claims about how fast people actually get out of debt are unfounded and that most of their “advanced financial techniques” are not what they seem to be. In this article I’ve shown the Australia Loan HELOC trick, the opt-out removal to improve your credit score and the free money in your pocket pitches they deliver are simply unfounded hype that do not get out out of debt or increase your credit score.
I understand they are planning to branch out into life insurance or are coaching some wealth building strategy that will encourage people to purchase life insurance. Sure sounds like the same insurance scam that got shut down in the late 1980s. The pitchmen were simply making money from selling insurance, all the rest was a sham to get you to buy the insurance.
According to the Real Talk Network website events schedule it has held seminars in the following states:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- California
- Illinois
- New York
- New Jersey
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Washington
There were many cities listed where the seminars were previously held for some of those states above.
If You Feel Like You Have Been Taken Advantage of By Dave Burke and the Real Talk Network
If you feel you have been taken advantage of by Dave Burke and the Real Talk Network and you want to try to get out and/or get your money back then you should contact your State Attorney General Office and file a complaint. In addition you should file a complaint with the Attorney General in Colorado and you should consider finding a local attorney to represent you, give you specific legal advice about what you can to do go after the Real Talk Network and get your money back if you feel you have been defrauded.
The unfortunate reality is that my bet is the money people have paid for future coaching has been taken as income in the month the contract was signed and not escrowed and released as service were performed so funds are not available for refunds.
To File a Consumer Complaint And Try to Try to Get Your Money Back
You can use the links below to file a complaint online or find out how to file a complaint and try to get your money back. I would suggest you do it quickly before Dave Burke files bankruptcy.
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Washington
- Federal Trade Commission
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office Consumer Credit Unit has expressed an interest in learning about the activities of Dave Burke and the Real Talk Network. You can send them a fax to 303-866-5474 or send an email to uccc@state.co.us.
More Information About Dave Burke and Real Talk Netowrk
If you want to stay p[osted about information as it is posted in the comments below, then leave a comment below and check the ‘Notify me of followup comments via e-mail‘ to follow this article for future information.
If You Have the Stomach For It. More RTN Videos and Unsubstantiated Claims Are Below
- “We wipe out all their consumer debt in months.” – Dave Burke
- “100% of the time when we put on this event and the people are engaged their credit card debts disappear, it gets erased in days and weeks. I mean gone! – Dave Burke
- “100% of the time we can wipe out all your consumer debt.” – Dave Burke
- “Real Talk is dedicated to keeping families safe” – Female Voiceover
- “Why do you have to carry $20,000 in credit card debt when we can show you how to get rid of it in a few weeks?” – Dave Burke
- “Make your credit score spike 1 to 150 points.” – Dave Burke
- Anybody out there that could actually use a spike in your credit score within the next 30 to 45 days? – Erik Sale
- “Even if you are paying your credit cards off every single month and you are paying them down to zero there is a good chance your credit score is still taking a punishing blow.” – Erik Sale
- Dave Burke responds, “No there’s actually a 100% chance.”
- This information is not accurate. Not all creditors report the statement balance. Some report on the last day of the month like HSBC, or third week, last Thursday, etc. You can check when your bank actually reports by looking at the last reported date on your credit report. Some cards don’t report the balance till the middle of the next month.
- “We are going to wipe out all of your debt faster than you ever thought possible.” – Erik Scale
- “When I started here I was upside down about $1,100 a month in income and now I’m positive cash flow.” – Man
- “It’s an excellent program and it’s guaranteed so you can’t go wrong.” – Man
- This is the video that shows you how to put “Free Money” in your pocket by not paying your bills till the following month.
- It certainly seems to fly in the face of their above claims that you need to payoff your debt prior to the due date.
- I talked about this video earlier in this article.
- “How to Find $2,400 in your OWN bank account” – Graphic
- This is a similar presentation by a different presenter, in fact the guy in the close video, who is given the same “Free Money” video Dave Burke and Erik Sale did but this is a video from a workshop.
- You will notice a very similar side to one shown in the Erik Sale slide show above.
- “Arrive early and bring a flash drive for a copy of our Financial Freedom Software. $3,500 value for FREE!” – Graphic
- “You’re listening to Real talk with your host Dave Burke. Real Talk is the number one show in America today totally dedicated to keeping families safe.” – Voiceover, Dave Burke
- This is the video where they claim you can increase your credit score by opting out of credit card offers. I discussed the fallacy of this above in the article.
- “Credit card balances gone in days or weeks, not every time, but certainly months or a couple of short years. And no matter what we are going to put you in the best possible financial situation we can put you in based on everything we know.” – Dave Burke
- “We will give you the tools to wipe out your credit card debt in weeks, auto loans in months, eliminate your mortgage in a fraction of the time.” – Dave Burke
- By utilizing Real Talk’s Advanced Financial Techniques and Ongoing Coaching and Support – NOW YOU CAN BECOME DEBT FREE!!! – Graphic overlay
- “And because of that everything rolls up hill. What’s that mean? Well first of all I’ve got all the coaching happening in a place that we can see. I’m not blind anymore. Am I? You call into our corporate office and you are going to get a coach between 12PM and 9PM, Monday thru Thursday. Right? You’re going to get coached over the phone. And guess who’s right behind all those coaches? Matt Pillmore, John Deckys, me.” – Dave Burke
- “That coach has someone that works on getting you guys lines of credit, so they can direct you where to go and what to do.” – Dave Burke
- “I made you a promise here and I’m going to keep it.” – Dave Burke
- “We’re building the most huge call center. I’ve got T-1 lines coming in. We were going to do this over six months, we are doing it in three weeks.” – Dave Burke
- “We are going to seven days a week coaching to, 24 hours a day.” – Dave Burke
The Real Talk Network Contract
[This is the text of the agreement people are asked to sign to get in.]
This is a contract for services and materials for you to receive the Real Talk Network Coaching Program. This program is a service of Real Talk Network, Inc. (“RTNI”) of 1333 W. 120th Ave, Suite 113, Westminster, CO 80234 and includes intensive coaching and cash flow planning procedure that uses the most advanced budgeting tools available to assist you on the path to being 100% Debt Free. RTNI workshops provide one-on-one coaching, lectures about cash flow management techniques, and a personalized action plan that RTNI helps you create. RTNI’s Program will teach you how to maximize every one of your dollars to maintain the lowest possible debt balances, which will reduce your interest costs and get you paying your loan principal(s) down instead of paying high interest charges. The RTNI program will teach you how to eliminate debt so you can begin building real wealth. By signing this contract at the place indicated below and providing the required information accurately, you are agreeing to pay for this RTNI Coaching Program and to follow the advice and instructions provided in the Program in order to obtain its described results. RTNI agrees to provide you with all of the elements and materials of the Program and to teach you how to eliminate debt. I also agree that I have received the RTN program software, which provides me with access to my financial freedom. All sales of this Program are final. RTNI does not provide refunds of any payments after the program is purchased. [Now that’s interesting since several people have been told they could get back their deposit or first payment if they changed their mind after signing up.]
The Real Talk Network Debt Elimination Program Commitment
[This is a secondary document that buyers are given.]
The Real Talk Network, Inc. (“RTNI”) Coaching Programis an intensive coaching and cash flow planning and management system. The RTNI Coaching Program uses advanced budgeting strategies and techniques that greatly accelerate the elimination of debt. The Programs ultimate goal is to coach its students to obtain complete personal debt elimination.
The Real Talk Network, Inc’s Coaching Program Commitment shall include:
- Diligent analysis of its students financial information to determine the best strategies and techniques that can be applied to accelerate the elimination of a particular student’s debt.
- Continued RTNI coach training to ensure the highest level of service and satisfaction to each and every RTNI student.
- Continued product and strategy development to ensure the relevancy and effectiveness of the strategies and techniques utilized to continue the elimination of the student debt loads.
- Eliminating student debt including, but not limited to, credit card debt, auto loan debt, mortgage debt, student loans, collection accounts, charged off accounts, and IRS tax liens.
- A professional and straightforward approach to communicating with RTNI students by explaining to them clearly and in detail what they need to understand about the creation and elimination of debt as it applies to them.
- The best advice possible in making tough financial decisions and connected lifestyle choices. [Lifestyle choices?]
The Student’s Commitment to the Real Talk Network Coaching Program shall include:
- An obligation to himself or herself and RTNI to supply current, accurate and honest financial information to the RTNI to enable RTNI to provide and facilitate successful RTNI coaching.
- Following RTNI protocols as outlined in the “Next Steps / Getting Started” form.
- Following, as nearly as possible, the advice of the RTNI coaches regarding the techniques, strategies, and processes that each student must implement in order to gain the knowledge and ability to accelerate the eliminations of the student’s debt.
- Communicating immediately to RTNI any financial changes or problems that may arise in the student’s life or financial picture to enable RTNI to effectively coach a student through the challenges presented by these changes or problems and continue onward to complete debt elimination.
- Making timely and complete payments to RTNI for contract services rendered and honoring any RTNI installment Payment Plan Contract terms that may have been put in place for the financial benefit of the student. [How is trapping a student in an installment plan for future services they don’t want considered “for the financial benefit of the student”?]
NOTICE OF CANCELLATION
Date of this Contract: __________
You man CANCEL this contract for services, without any penalty or obligation, within THREE (3) BUSINESS DAYS from the above started date of contract.
If you cancel, any property traded in, any payments made by you under this contract, or any negotiable instrument executed by you will be returned within THIRTY (30) BUSINESS DAYS following receipt by RTNI of your Notice of Cancellation.
If you cancel you must make available to RTNI, at your residence, in substantially as good condition as when received, any materials delivered to you under the contract, or you may, if you wish, comply with the instructions of RTNI regarding the return shipment of the materials at your expense and risk.
If you fail to return the materials available to RTNI, or if you agree to return the materials and fail to do so, then you remain liable for performance and payment of all obligations under the contract.
To cancel this contract, email or deliver a signed and postmarked copy of this Notice of Cancellation or any other written notice, or send an e-mail with the cancellation attached to Real Talk Network, Inc. at 1333 W. 120th Ave, Suite 113, Westminster, CO 80234 (E-Mail: review@gortn.com) not latter than midnight of __________, which is three (3) days after the date of this contract as set forth above.
I HEREBY CANCEL THIS CONTRACT:
(Date): __________
(Buyer’s Signature:) __________
The Real Talk Network, Inc. Coaching Program Includes
- One intensive Educational Workshop to be given either in person via a classroom setting, web video, web tutorials, webinars or instructional materials. This Workshop teaches the strategies and techniques used in the Coaching Programs. It prepares the student for beginning a successful journey to elimination of all of his or her debts and increasing their credit scores. [Could this be the credit repair services mentioned previously?]
- Twelve (12), One-on-one phone Coaching Sessions of up to 1 hour in length. [One student told me that the coaching sessions were typically about 15 minutes long with half of the session silent as the coach reviewed the spreadsheet sent to the coach before the session. The agreement does not say the sessions will be an hour long, but up to an hour.]
- All 12 Coaching Sessions are to be completed within 120 days from the execution of the student’s Coaching Program Contract. [So here is what I find odd. The contract says all services must be delivered within 4 months but the installment payment agreement I’m holding in my hand from them for a particular student is for $100 a month for 12 months plus a final payment of $1897 and a plan admin charge of $100. And if the student could not afford the final payment of $1897 then the $10 a month would continue for an additional 19 months.]
- Each Coaching Session must take place within ten (10) days of the previous Coaching Sessions to insure continuity of the teaching and to maximize success. An extension of this 10 day time frame can only be requested in writing or by email and will be granted only in the event of sickness, vacation, or other reasonable cause. However, in any event, all 12 Coaching Sessions are still to be completed within 120 days of the execution of the student’s Coaching Program contract. [One student told me that his coach Dave Burke routinely cancelled his scheduled appointments and pushed them a week out. I wonder how that impacts the ten day stipulation?]
- One (1) customized, written Action Plan that your Real Talk coach(es) will create with student participation to help the student accelerate the elimination of their specific and particular debt. [I think this is the Excel spreadsheet with limited coach notes that is emailed to the student. The copy I saw from a student only had notes like “keep a ledger of all expenses including credit cards and cash”, or “have the date of a purchases.” That hardly seems like a professional Action Plan.]
- If necessary, the RTNI Coaching Program will provide and additional modified, written Action Plan with every one-on-one follow-up Coaching Sessions.
- From time to time, RTNI may, but is not obligated to, provide free educational seminars for its students in areas of cash flow management, debt elimination, and credit management. The student will be notified of the times, dates and places of these free seminars as they may be produced and provided by RTNI. [So if RTNI is traveling all over the country and roping students into contracts, are student expected to travel to attend these free classes? How does that improve their financial position?]
Update: March 13, 2010 – Dave Burke and Real Talk Network Respond and Want Me to Take Down This Article Or Say They Will Sue Me
I received the following statement from Dave Burke and the Real Talk Network through their attorney Berkley Freeman, Jr. and I’m more than happy to reprint it and present their side of the story.
The Real Talk Network Statement
Real Talk Network would like to respond to Mr. Steve Rhode and his “Investigative Report” on Real Talk Network and the Financial Coaching Program and Services the company provides. To begin, Mr. Rhode did not contact Real Talk Network, nor has he attended a Real Talk Network Seminar, nor has he attended a financial coaching session, in order to substantiate any claims or complaints against Real Talk Network. Mr. Rhodes claims that Real Talks program is without support or substance, while he has never attended a seminar nor has he been a part of the Real Talk program. The Real Talk Network coaching program shows individuals how to manage their monthly bills and reduce debt by utilizing certain tools that allow for a significant decrease in the amount paid on interest therefore decreasing the length of time on is in debt and by doing so allows them to pay their debt off sooner. The program teaches students how to obtain certain tools, such as zero percent interest credit cards and lines of credit in order to pay off their high interest debt faster. The program also included credit counseling to help students raise their credit scores, in order to obtain these tools faster. Mr. Rhode also claims that our coaching times are severely limited, Real Talk Network has coaches on staff that coach Monday through Friday 9 am to 9 pm MST and Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 6 pm. Real Talk Network coaches roughly fifty students per day and each student is scheduled for a one hour session. Mr. Rhode also claims that people are being sent to collections without ever signing a contract or utilizing the services. The collection agency utilized by Real Talk Network will not accept a collection without a legal signed contract for payment. It also the students responsibility to contact Real Talk Network for their coaching schedule; which it clearly states on the Real Talk Network Contract. The program contract in no way “traps” clients as it clearly states, per law in several states, that clients have a cancellation period. Once the cancellation period has expired, then a client does not have a refund option for the program. Mr. Rhode also points to an old Mortgage program that Real Talk Network has not utilized in over a year. The Mortgage Accelerator Plus program was purchased from Real Talk Network in 2008 and was only utilized during 2008, for which Norm Bour was paid in order for Real Talk Network to utilize.
As for the Real Talk Network contract, Mr. Rhode has posted an outdated contract. The contract for services includes “at least” 12 coaching sessions that are one hour in length and the coaching sessions are to be schedule once a month. Any coaching’s that are less than an hour, as Mr. Rhode points to a fifteen minute coaching, for which we have no record of this ever happening, does not go towards a client initial 12 coaching’s. The new contract also clearly states that a client who needs more coaching, will get more coaching at no additional charge. Most clients, however, will finish their program within a year. The program is designed to teach students during that year, how to budget their money and obtain tools to pay off their consumer debt. While the program may only last a year, the program gives each student the knowledge on how to sustain their monthly budget in order to continue paying off their debt.
All of the video clips Mr. Rhode has obtained are also old clips that are no longer utilized for the program. The company has moved away from “emotional” video and marketing and moved towards educational information that gives people a true sense of what can be accomplished by utilizing the Real Talk Network program.
The complaints that Mr. Rhode has posted are clients who have been coached, or decided after the cancellation period that they did not want to finish the program and requested that their fees be returned. Since the clients had signed a non-refundable contract, for which it clearly states and for which each client signs that they understand this policy, a refund was not given, therefore these clients have become indifferent with Real Talk Network making claims that are false towards the program and the company. The claims that Real Talk Network sends people to collections without a contract or that the company can not produce a contract are unfounded as previously, the company will not accept a collection account without a legal valid contract signed by the client. Any client who wishes for a copy of their contract are permitted to have a copy, if requested. The company will and has also removed people from collections if they can provide proof that they had cancelled the contract prior to be sent to the collection company.
The credit coaching Real Talk Network utilizes is not credit repair, rather it is credit coaching. The Real Talk Network Coaches obtain the clients credit reports to research if there are any negative reporting’s in order to create an action plan on how to boost a client’s score to better help them to obtain a higher score. This same system is utilized by several other credit counseling companies, such as VIP, former associates of Real Talk Network. Mr. Rhode states in his report that VIP is associated with Real Talk Network, for which the two companies parted ways in June of 2009. Any information on VIP in relation to Real Talk Network is not valid or accurate.
There are several other inconsistencies in the investigate report issued by Mr. Rhode. Real Talk Network does not sell life insurance, all videos being utilized in the report are over a year old and no longer being utilized, Real Talk Network is like any other services company that provides contracts for payments prior to services rendered and allows for a payment plan for better financing options for its clients. In no way are Real Talk Networks sales practices any different that other service companies that have prepaid contracts for services.
Mr. Rhode has taken roughly thirty complaints from clients who signed a contract for services and signed the contract stating clearly what their obligations were financially and as a student in the program. These clients did not follow through with their commitment, and decided to become negative about their situation. Real Talk Network is company that provides services for fees and provides a client with those services per a valid, legal contract. Just as with any other service industry, if the client decided within the cancellation period to cancel, they would have received their fee back and the contract would be cancelled. If the client decides after the cancellation period to cancel, any fees paid prior to the cancellation would not be returned, but no further payments would be taken on the contract after cancellation. If a client defaults on their payment plan, as it clearly states on their payment plan contract, for which Mr. Rhode did not post, a client would be sent to collections within thirty days of the defaulted payment date. What Mr. Rhode did not post, was that Real Talk Network has thirty complaints out of 8,000 previous and current clients.
Real Talk Network invite Mr. Rhode to contact the office to finish his investigative report to obtain a response to these allegations he has posted and to obtain current copies of contracts, marketing materials and videos.
My Observations and Response
In my opinion Real Talk Network does a fabulous job on addressing the contract and their policy in retaining funds and going after people through collections. What continues to perplex me is they feel that complaints are the result of clients that are unhappy about the lack of refunds so why don’t they issue refunds? I’m still stuck on the fact that the company relies upon a cancellation policy to retain funds or enforce collections or payments from consumer that were attracted to the program because they had financial problems and debt to begin with. How is that helping the consumer client?
People who signed up for the services possibly believed that the Real Talk Network services would help them do better financially. But once the time limited cancellation period passes the consumer is locked in, even by the Real Talk Network admission. But why would no refund be issued if services were not yet delivered or delivered in part, even if the consumer cancels after the cancellation period. If the agreement is for coaching sessions and the compensation paid is for future coaching sessions and the coaching sessions are not delivered then how is the company out for services not delivered? If they are not then the funds should be still in escrow, waiting to be earned by the company when services are delivered. Those funds should be readily available for refund.
Real Talk Network in their response labels themselves as a credit counseling company. No recognized credit counseling company I know of accepts advanced fees for consumer services for services like a debt management plan which includes free budget help and ongoing as needed coaching from their credit counselor to get out of debt. In fact a consumer can bail from a mainstream credit counseling program at any time without any additional fee commitment.
Although I have not checked to confirm, I suspect Real Talk Network is not a licensed credit counseling provider in any of the states they operate in.
Their statement about the videos is perplexing to me. The videos I included were online at the time I originally wrote the article and are online still right now. – Source. In fact they have published another video since I originally posted the article on January 10, 2010.
A lot of good people are getting hurt right now, they got blind sided. – Dave Burke from above video.
Real Talk Network claims “All of the video clips Mr. Rhode has obtained are also old clips that are no longer utilized for the program. The company has moved away from “emotional” video and marketing and moved towards educational information that gives people a true sense of what can be accomplished by utilizing the Real Talk Network program.” Do you find that latest video to not be designed to be emotional with the music and message and if they are no longer utilized by the company why are they still online?

At the time of the article the contract I used was that given to me by a current client of Real Talk Network.
The Real Talk Network video posted on June 8, 2009 in which Dave Burke stated 24×7 coaching was going to soon be available.

However, my original statement about coaching time being limited was not about the available hours, but about the length of the sessions. If a consumer is supposed to get an hour session then why was the feedback I was getting that “the sessions on average are about 15 minutes, with half of that time take with the coach reviewing the spreadsheet sent in by the client.”
Real Talk Network states in their response “The credit coaching Real Talk Network utilizes is not credit repair, rather it is credit coaching. The Real Talk Network Coaches obtain the clients credit reports to research if there are any negative reporting’s in order to create an action plan on how to boost a client’s score to better help them to obtain a higher score.”
I’m still confused how that does not wander into murky waters with the Credit Repair Organizations Act that says a credit repair organization is:
Credit repair organization. — The term ‘credit repair organization’–
(A) means any person who uses any instrumentality of interstate commerce or the mails to sell, provide, or perform (or represent that such person can or will sell, provide, or perform) any service, in return for the payment of money or other valuable consideration, for the express or implied purpose of–
(i) improving any consumer’s credit record, credit history, or credit rating; or
(ii) providing advice or assistance to any consumer with regard to any activity or service described in clause (i) – Source
As for the rest of their statements I’d be happy to respond to anything further but don’t want to drag out my response and make this longer than it needs to be. If you want me to respond to anything else in their statement just post your question in the comments section for me to answer.
By the way, there have been four new posted complaints on RipOffReport.com about Dave Burke and the Real Talk Network since I wrote the original article and this update. You can read the new consumer complaints here.
Update: March 15, 2010 – Real Talk Network BBB Rating Downgraded to D
Yesterday I had looked at the BBB rating for Real Talk Network and it was a C-. Today it has been changed to D. The BBB is publishing the following statement regarding the program.
Your BBB has notice a pattern of complaints concerning this company and the company has failed to address the underlying cause of those complaints. Complaints allege the initial seminar lacks information to reduce, eliminate or consolidate debt. The seminars are tools to have attendees purchase their products for $2000, an up front fee, so as not to incur more debt. Consumers state that the company does provide small tips on debt reduction throughout the initial seminar leading the consumer into the purchase of the program software; such as, compound interest converting to simple interest. Consumers report being told there is a money back guarantee during the seminar. They also express difficulty obtaining a refund after they have paid. Consumers are later told that no money back guarantee is in the contract. Consumers allege that after they pay for the program they are given reasons why they don’t qualify and referred over to another program which has additional cost. – Source
There is also a new complaint today on RipOffReport.com about Real Talk Network and Dave Burke. See Dave Burke, Real Talk, 630 KHOW, Real Talk Radio Network, Real Talk Network Dave Burke, 650 KHOW Credit consulting scam is robbery! Internet, Denver, Colorado.
Update: March 16, 2010 – Another BBB Complaint
Just out of curiosity I check the BBB listing for Real Talk Network today and discovered that since yesterday they have had an additional complaint. This brings their total to 80 in the last 36 months with 79 closed in the last year alone. – Source.
Here is how the complaints breakdown as of today.
- 8 – regarding Billing or Collection Issues
- 2 – Failure to correct billing errors
- 1 – Improper collection practices
- 4 – None of the Above – Credit, Billing or Collection Complaint Issue
- 1 – Unauthorized credit card charges
- 19 – regarding Contract Issues
- 5 – Failure to honor a contract or agreement
- 2 – Invalid or false contract
- 11 – None of the Above – Contract Complaint Issue
- 1 – Work performed outside the terms of the contract or agreement
- 10 – regarding Customer Service Issues
- 4 – Failure to provide promised assistance or support for products or services
- 5 – Failure to respond to phone calls or written requests for assistance or support
- 1 – Inappropriate behavior by customer service personnel
- 8 – regarding Guarantee or Warranty Issues
- 7 – Failure to honor money-back guarantees
- 1 – Failure to provide promised written warranty or guarantee
- 1 – regarding Product Issues
- 1 – None of the Above – Product Quality Complaint Issue
- 14 – regarding Refund or Exchange Issues
- 9 – Failure to honor refund, exchange or credit policies
- 5 – None of the Above – Refund or Exchange Complaint Issue
- 16 – regarding Sales Practice Issues
- 2 – None of the Above – Sales Complaint Issue
- 12 – Sales presentation misrepresented the service
- 2 – Sales presentation used dishonest sales practices
- 4 – regarding Service Issues
- 1 – Delayed completion of service
- 1 – Failure to honor service estimate or agreement
- 2 – Improper or inferior service
Update: April 2, 2010 – Real Talk Network Has New BBB Complaint
It had been a while since I went back to check the RTN BBB report and it appears yet another BBB has been filed since I last looked. The current total is at 81 and the new complaint filed was a contract issue. – Source
8 – regarding Billing or Collection Issues
20 – regarding Contract Issues
10 – regarding Customer Service Issues
8 – regarding Guarantee or Warranty Issues
1 – regarding Product Issues
14 – regarding Refund or Exchange Issues
16 – regarding Sales Practice Issues
4 – regarding Service Issues
Update: April 7, 2010 – More BBB Complaints
Current total is 84 complaints. In the last five days three more BBB complaints have been filed.
Here is the current count. – Source
8 – regarding Billing or Collection Issues
22 – regarding Contract Issues
10 – regarding Customer Service Issues
9 – regarding Guarantee or Warranty Issues
1 – regarding Product Issues
14 – regarding Refund or Exchange Issues
16 – regarding Sales Practice Issues
4 – regarding Service Issues
Update May 17, 2010 – TV Investigative Report Airs
WESTMINSTER — The Real Talk Network, owned by Dave Burke, promises to improve your credit and help wipe out your debt in 84 months, on average, if you have a good credit score.
But the CALL7 Investigators have learned a few things about Burke that many of his clients have not been told. And, several former employees and some unhappy former clients of Real Talk Network told 7NEWS the program is not about eliminating your debt, but instead taking your money — at about $3,000 a pop.
“All your debt is going to disappear even if you don’t have any money,” said Burke as part of his radio sales pitch.
Burke buys air time on radio stations in several states, including Colorado. He’s a self-proclaimed financial icon — a guru on the economy.
At seminars, attended by CALL7 Investigators, Real Talk employees promised to improve people’s credit scores. And we were told that if we had a credit score of 680 or above, Real Talk Network would coach us on eliminating all our debt in 7 years. The cost would be $2,000 to $3,000 for coaching sessions.
“I believe they are an unethical company that is taking advantage of people for the economic situation that our country is in right now,” said a former Real Talk Network employee, who asked us not to give his name.
He’s one of half a dozen former employees who contacted CALL7 Investigator Tony Kovaleski, outraged by what they witnessed. He quit Real Talk Network.
“Several clients were encouraged to put the full cost of the program, though not necessary, on to a credit card or pay in cash with the promise that that debt would be eliminated within a short time of coaching.
“However, in my experience, I spoke to several clients that had been through coaching for a year without any results,” said the former employee.
He told 7NEWS, the debt “coaches” underwent minimal training and said the “coaching sessions,” done over the phone, were little more than stringing the client along in order to keep them paying for the service. He also said most “coaching” calls were less than 15 minutes.
“How did that make you feel as an employee?” asked Kovaleski.
“It made me feel dirty and that I was partly responsible for these people’s financial frustration,” said the former employee.
“Has this program saved you any money?” Kovaleski asked Real Talk Network client Ryan McCue.
“Not a dime. Probably cost me more,” said McCue, who had paid more than $2,000 to join the program.
McCue is on a list that now has about 100 clients from 7 states who have formally complained to the Better Business Bureau, with whom the Real Talk Network now has an “F” rating.
“There’s comfort in the fact that I’m not the only one that got taken advantage of. Discomfort that the company’s still getting away with it and still expanding, taking advantage especially in this market,” said McCue.
Many of the complaints accuse the company of overly-aggressive sales tactics. “Was this a high-pressure situation?” asked Kovaleski.
“Absolutely, fast talking, high-pressure and he’s threatening to chase you to your car if you walk out of this seminar and not sign up for it,” said another former client who asked us not to reveal her name because her husband would be mad she paid for the debt elimination counseling.
Other complaints surround a previous contract Burke used with his clients, which promised a money-back guarantee.
McCue told 7NEWS he has not received any money back and doesn’t think he will. The Real Talk Network has revised the contracts to remove the guarantee promise. The contracts previously said “money-back guarantee” but also contained the phrase “all sales final.”
CALL7 Investigators attended a couple of Real Talk Network’s seminars and listened to the sales pitch first-hand and spoke to some of Burke’s employees.
Of Burke, one employee told us, “He’s got finance degrees and economics degrees from USC in California.”
According to records from the University of Southern California, Dave Burke does not have any such degree. USC’s records indicate he attended the school for two years in the 1980s, but did not earn a degree.
Real Talk Network has told 7NEWS the employee who made the statement no longer works for the company, however, an employee of the company made the same claims to us at one of the seminars.
“What’s my hourly rate? $10,000 an hour,” said Burke on one of his radio shows where he claimed to be one of the top financial experts in the country. He’s also told seminar attendees, “Bankruptcy is not an option,” and “Debt is dangerous.”
But public records show Burke filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in 2000. And records show he has federal tax liens for failing to pay more than $200,000 in income taxes to the Internal Revenue Service and the state of Colorado.
7NEWS wanted to ask Burke about the bankruptcy filing and tax liens and made several requests to interview him about the findings of our investigation.
His company sent a certified letter declining an on-camera interview and explaining that the company replaced two executives, hired more staff, implemented an intensive training program for new coaches and is focusing on fewer states.
Since Burke had refused an interview, the certified letter from the company did not address the issues of his tax liens or his bankruptcy filing (ultimately withdrawn). It is unclear if any of the liens have been paid because 7News could find no public filings on that subject and tax officials declined comment. In a letter, an attorney representing Burke wrote: “Mr. Burke is presently working with his personal tax specialist to address certain tax issues from many years ago.”
Staff from 7NEWS met Burke outside his office in Westminster.
“Your system works right?” asked Kovaleski. “How come you haven’t used your system to get rid of nearly $200,000 in tax liens, sir?”
“We welcome the opportunity to meet you at a later time,” said Burke repeatedly.
“You have given people contracts that say money-back guarantee. They have the contracts and you have not given them their money back. Why not give them their money back, sir?” asked Kovaleski.
Despite promising to meet at a later time, Burke and his staff did not return phone calls seeking the interview.
In a letter, Burke’s attorney confirms the bankruptcy filing and the lack of a degree from USC.
Update: May 18, 2010 – Discussion of Dave Burke and Real Talk Network on KHOW
Here is an interesting slam on Real Talk Network by one of the very stations that has broadcast his radio show. This was a brutal discussion. You can listen to the Burke segments below.
Update: July 7, 2010 – San Diego Television Investigative Report.
As you will see in the comments on my story on the new incarnation of RTN, COO Billi Carwile made the statement that Dave Burke will be involved in ICEE and his wife is the owner of ICEE and purchased the assets of Get Real With Dave (Real Talk Network) and that then became the Institute of Consumer Economic Education (ICEE). Carwille says, “Mr. Burke will be contracted by ICEE in a consulting manner to train a new speaker for ICEE as well as continue training for its counseling program.”
Just yesterday a San Diego television station reported the following story about Burke and his business practices. Only time will tell if they become part of the ICEE approach.
- Plastic Pandemic: US Credit Card Debt Surges Nearly 20% in Q1 2021! - May 12, 2023
- The IRS Resumes Collections Notices: What You Need to Know Before It’s Too Late - May 12, 2023
- How Can I Deal With Payday Loan Debt? - May 12, 2023
Picture of Dave Burke and his new BMW. https://getoutofdebt.org/44859/did-you-get-ripped-off-by-dave-burke-this-will-make-you-puke
Well it looks like we might have finally reached the end of Real Talk Network and Institute of Consumer Economic Education. The State of Colorado is reporting the companies are delinquent in renewing their business registrations.
Hopefully now we can all say “The End” to this scam.
Dave Burke and Real Talk Network the subject of Colorado Attorney General announcement he’s put him out of business and collected some restitution funds. See >a href=”https://getoutofdebt.org/29251/dave-burke-and-real-talk-network-get-put-out-of-business-by-colorado-ag”>this story.
John Deckys personally told me you guys were starting your comapny after John was “fired”
FROM CP IN SAN DIEGO,CA…. FOR THE L AST I HAVE BEEN DISPUTING CHASE FOR THE 3497 THAT REAL TALK CHARGED ON THE GROUNDS THAT I DID NOT GET WHAT I PAID FOR. I SAW AN ATTORNEY HE TOLD ME TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE COMPTROLLER OF CURRENCY;, THE ONLY AGENCY A NATIONAL BANK HAS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO !!! SO EVERYONE START COMPLAINING. UNDER THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, CHASE BANK HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO PAY ME MY MONEY BACK ACCORDING TO THE AGENCY. AFTER A YEAR OF WRITING I AM FILING A LAW SUIT IN SMALL CLAIMS AGAINST CHASE BANK FOR NOT HONORING MY RIGHT TO WITH HOLD PAYMENT UNDER THIS ACT. LOOK IT UP. YOU HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTING!!
Yea how does it feel? Just remember Matt and John were doing this same stuff to people like you BEFORE they were fired by Dave Burke! Think of it this way…this scumbag Dave Burke FIRED Matt and John! You’d have to be a pretty big scumbag to be fired from a guy/job like Burke.
Just remember Matt and John are nothing like Burke..yea right!
Matt and John are scammers, plain and simple. Selling the Australian Loan to people that are desperate. Matt never had an formal education in finance,yet he gets on here and preaches how he is taking seminars. This idiot is trying to teach you something will all his vast “seminar” knowledge – no degree, no training, no background working for a reputable financial institution, nothing just more BS!
His partners (John) background is just as shady. He claims many times about his financial background yet he was never more that a person taking orders over the phone. Traded his own account? Did you look at his numbers? If this low level of trading (a couple shares a year) can give you the knowledge to train others then we are ALL financial gurus.
Any time someone says to you “learn the secrets that XXXX does’t want you to know” – then you know for sure it’s a scam!!!!! These highly sought secrets have been hidden from the public for centuries but now these V.I.P. fools have the secrets and you can have them too, just pay to see these clowns in halloween monkey suits – they’ll set you straight!
coming from guys that used to run the scam with Burke, how many people did you guys screw then? Now it’s all Burke this and Burke that..please, you guys are no better than Burke, you just changed you scam tactics…ignorant prospects are what you need to survive and you know it, you feed off the desperate! nice mafia halloween outfits!
Sure!!!! I believe you because you are going to give me some restaurant coupons and wear a mafia halloween costume, it must be legit? By the way didn’t you work for Burke? If you guys are so intelligent then why’d you work for him in the first place. The only reason you came clean about his scam (which you were part of) is because he fired your a$$. You guys used to pitch that same mortgage software as well…just another scammer!
The scammer got scammed, sooo sad! Now said scammer decided to create his version of the same scam – VIP Mafia – it just never stops! When are you going to look into what they (VIP) are now offering? It seems to me that, like cockroaches, you kill one and 10 more appear!
I’d definitely trust someone wearing a Mafia halloween costume with my credit. Same old song and dance my friend!
Response to “Marvin” Real Talk Network has mine and my brothers money also. We filed complaints with the Colorado Attorney General and the attorneys for RTN and anyone else we could find.A recent e-mail I received is as follows:
Real Talk Network – Case No.: 2010CV1131
…
From:
Office of Consumer Fraud
…
Add to Contacts
To:
Dear Consumer,
This informational letter is being sent to you on behalf of the Colorado Attorney General as a result of the complaint you filed with the Better Business Bureau or the Colorado Attorney General’s Office against Real Talk Network or its affiliates.
Our office has filed a lawsuit against Real Talk Network and its affiliates and shall proceed to a five day trial in Adams County District Court beginning August 15th, 2011.
You may view court filings and case information as events occur at the listed web link below.
Please retain this link as our office will continually update the case status as litigation and court dates often change.
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.go...
Go get them…..
Response to “Marvin” Real Talk Network has mine and my brothers money also. We filed complaints with the Colorado Attorney General and the attorneys for RTN and anyone else we could find.A recent e-mail I received is as follows:
Real Talk Network – Case No.: 2010CV1131
…
From:
Office of Consumer Fraud
…
Add to Contacts
To:
Dear Consumer,
This informational letter is being sent to you on behalf of the Colorado Attorney General as a result of the complaint you filed with the Better Business Bureau or the Colorado Attorney General’s Office against Real Talk Network or its affiliates.
Our office has filed a lawsuit against Real Talk Network and its affiliates and shall proceed to a five day trial in Adams County District Court beginning August 15th, 2011.
You may view court filings and case information as events occur at the listed web link below.
Please retain this link as our office will continually update the case status as litigation and court dates often change.
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/RTN
Go get them…..
Hi My name is Joseph S. and I became a real talk client about two years ago. I heard Dave Burke on the AM 830 around 1:oo pm yelling from the top of his longs trying to make a point that DEBT is bad and it is crazy to pay the credit companies all the interest and he and his team can help people to get out to DEBT in short months. So I jumped on it and went to his seminar in Burbank CA, about 2 years ago.
Long story short I have talk to three different coaches and each one has been let go after few short months. I had to call them to see how come I have not gotten any respond from anyone and each time they would say ” Oh I am sorry that person is no longer with us.” It would be months in time to hear back from them.
Last time I talked to GORTN people was few months ago and till now I have not heard anything from them. I asked to get my money back several times they keep on promising me that the person who will be coaching me is great. I can tell you that person was exactly the same like the other two that I talked.
I am very frustrated with Dave Burke and his unethical way of doing business. I know there are thousands of people like me who feel the same (BEING RIPPED OFF)
I hope he can get investigated and pay back every penny he took from hardworking people like me.
Thanks
Joesph S.
Hi My name is Joseph S. and I became a real talk client about two years ago. I heard Dave Burke on the AM 830 around 1:oo pm yelling from the top of his longs trying to make a point that DEBT is bad and it is crazy to pay the credit companies all the interest and he and his team can help people to get out to DEBT in short months. So I jumped on it and went to his seminar in Burbank CA, about 2 years ago.
Long story short I have talk to three different coaches and each one has been let go after few short months. I had to call them to see how come I have not gotten any respond from anyone and each time they would say ” Oh I am sorry that person is no longer with us.” It would be months in time to hear back from them.
Last time I talked to GORTN people was few months ago and till now I have not heard anything from them. I asked to get my money back several times they keep on promising me that the person who will be coaching me is great. I can tell you that person was exactly the same like the other two that I talked.
I am very frustrated with Dave Burke and his unethical way of doing business. I know there are thousands of people like me who feel the same (BEING RIPPED OFF)
I hope he can get investigated and pay back every penny he took from hardworking people like me.
Thanks
Joesph S.
Yea how does it feel? Just remember Matt and John were doing this same stuff to people like you BEFORE they were fired by Dave Burke! Think of it this way…this scumbag Dave Burke FIRED Matt and John! You’d have to be a pretty big scumbag to be fired from a guy/job like Burke.
Just remember Matt and John are nothing like Burke..yea right!
real talk network coaching program cost 3,497 in ontario ca. at the dou bletree hotel on april 13, 2010. can i get my money back. peter 909-261-1644 please reply
real talk network coaching program cost 3,497 in ontario ca. at the dou bletree hotel on april 13, 2010. can i get my money back. peter 909-261-1644 please reply
i got scammed by rtn and want my money back should i contact an attorney.
Dave
WooHooo! Just got a final notice from the dispute resolution center of my credit card. “The merchant’s bank has accepted the claim and the credit is now permanent and will remain on your account.” We feel VERY lucky that we got our money back from these fraudsters. However, the victory is bittersweet as we know how many other people they took advantage of who were not able to get a refund.
I haven’t seen any new posts here in a while, so I just thought I’d share our news.
Hopefully, everyone else that filed a dispute with their credit card company if they used one will have the same results.
WooHooo! Just got a final notice from the dispute resolution center of my credit card. “The merchant’s bank has accepted the claim and the credit is now permanent and will remain on your account.” We feel VERY lucky that we got our money back from these fraudsters. However, the victory is bittersweet as we know how many other people they took advantage of who were not able to get a refund.
I haven’t seen any new posts here in a while, so I just thought I’d share our news.
Hopefully, everyone else that filed a dispute with their credit card company if they used one will have the same results.
I joined just before they were shut down. never got my 1st counceling session.
I called my credit card and filed a dispute. They credited my card back the $500 a couple of days ago. the letter said that Real talk could appeal.
I joined RTN.
Is this fee paid to a scam, shut down by the AG, tax deductible?
I joined RTN.
Is this fee paid to a scam, shut down by the AG, tax deductible?
I joined just before they were shut down. never got my 1st counceling session.
I called my credit card and filed a dispute. They credited my card back the $500 a couple of days ago. the letter said that Real talk could appeal.
If you are reading this comment, stop sending any letters to me!
We had enough!
VIP Mafia – Cash Flow Specialists
Greetings
As you may have heard, RTN was finally shut down by the Attorney General! Unfortunately, many people were hurt, perhaps even yourself. VIP Enterprises wants you to know that we have the deepest sympathy for those who were affected and would like to offer you a FREE trial to help you get back on the right financial track. Simply give us a call at 866-969-2738 to get started!
It is important to understand that the issues surrounding RTN’s demise were not because the concepts and techniques don’t work. On the contrary, they absolutely DO work and we would be honored to show you how. There is a reason VIP has an unblemished history with the BBB; it’s a matter of ethics, execution and results. Call us today at 866-969-2738 to see how YOU REALLY CAN pay off your debt quickly and keep more of the money you make. This is an opportunity for you to experience how a sound financial coaching program should work, first hand, with LITERALLY NO RISK WHATSOEVER.
We look forward to building a strong, long-lasting relationship to help you live the stress-free, financially independent lifestyle you deserve.
Sincerely,
VIP Enterprises
Ready to take control of your finances?
Call VIP at 866-969-2738 today!
VIP is simply the best in the business at maximizing cash flow and helping people become debt-free. We utilize advanced budget management techniques and cash flow strategies to rapidly eliminate debt, accelerate mortgage pay-off’s, and protect credit profiles. To learn how to become debt-free and save tens of thousands of dollars in interest alone, just visit us at: http://www.vipmafia.com
to register for an upcoming seminar or call us at 1-866-969-2738.
Get VIP Connected:
Join Us On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VIPMaf…
Follow Us On Twitter: http://twitter.com/vipmafia
Visit Us At: http://www.vipmafia.com
If you are reading this comment, stop sending any letters to me!
We had enough!
VIP Mafia – Cash Flow Specialists
Greetings
As you may have heard, RTN was finally shut down by the Attorney General! Unfortunately, many people were hurt, perhaps even yourself. VIP Enterprises wants you to know that we have the deepest sympathy for those who were affected and would like to offer you a FREE trial to help you get back on the right financial track. Simply give us a call at 866-969-2738 to get started!
It is important to understand that the issues surrounding RTN’s demise were not because the concepts and techniques don’t work. On the contrary, they absolutely DO work and we would be honored to show you how. There is a reason VIP has an unblemished history with the BBB; it’s a matter of ethics, execution and results. Call us today at 866-969-2738 to see how YOU REALLY CAN pay off your debt quickly and keep more of the money you make. This is an opportunity for you to experience how a sound financial coaching program should work, first hand, with LITERALLY NO RISK WHATSOEVER.
We look forward to building a strong, long-lasting relationship to help you live the stress-free, financially independent lifestyle you deserve.
Sincerely,
VIP Enterprises
Ready to take control of your finances?
Call VIP at 866-969-2738 today!
VIP is simply the best in the business at maximizing cash flow and helping people become debt-free. We utilize advanced budget management techniques and cash flow strategies to rapidly eliminate debt, accelerate mortgage pay-off’s, and protect credit profiles. To learn how to become debt-free and save tens of thousands of dollars in interest alone, just visit us at: http://www.vipmafia.com
to register for an upcoming seminar or call us at 1-866-969-2738.
Get VIP Connected:
Join Us On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VIPMafia
Follow Us On Twitter: http://twitter.com/vipmafia
Visit Us At: http://www.vipmafia.com
What is the latest on Dave Burke & RTN? Was there a hearing on Aug 23? What happened?
Steve,
I don’t know but the bottom line at this point is he is not going to be back in business. If any refunds will be available to past customers the state or bankruptcy court will notify clients.
Steve
wife 09july have tried commet suicide at work world went down hill joined real talk theyhelp orgainzed my finance, was making payments just lost track with medcal tratement real talk took me to collections i want to start paying them 25month my house in to modication since aug09 the bank may work with me with better in school for retraing, should i pay real talk back??
NO! Don’t pay these guys a dime! They owe you your money back. You don’t owe them. You probably will get little if anything returned to you once the ligation completes years from now. But, you don’t want to give them one penny more.
FROM CP IN SAN DIEGO,CA…. FOR THE L AST I HAVE BEEN DISPUTING CHASE FOR THE 3497 THAT REAL TALK CHARGED ON THE GROUNDS THAT I DID NOT GET WHAT I PAID FOR. I SAW AN ATTORNEY HE TOLD ME TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE COMPTROLLER OF CURRENCY;, THE ONLY AGENCY A NATIONAL BANK HAS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO !!! SO EVERYONE START COMPLAINING. UNDER THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, CHASE BANK HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO PAY ME MY MONEY BACK ACCORDING TO THE AGENCY. AFTER A YEAR OF WRITING I AM FILING A LAW SUIT IN SMALL CLAIMS AGAINST CHASE BANK FOR NOT HONORING MY RIGHT TO WITH HOLD PAYMENT UNDER THIS ACT. LOOK IT UP. YOU HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTING!!
This is the website to get more investigation regarding RTN. I’m not happy hearing too much from RTN old coaches, period. What’s happening to a class action or David Burke. Does he wear an orange jump suit? I’d like to know the up date of those info. BUT NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE FROM REAL TALK NETWORK COACH!
Don’t abuse this site ! I would like to know about Real Talk Network up dated court case!!
Hi Everyone:
Are Real Talk’s sites still supposed to be down? If so, why is this one up? http://www.gorealtalknetwork.com/ I just entered it and there it was. As you will see if you enter it on your browser, it seems linked to West USA Realty in Arizona. Who are those people?
You will note that I have not posted here before but I have been checking this site for information from time to time. We are in Calif. and got into the Real Talk program earlier this year. BIG MISTAKE!!!! We were in a totally different situation than most though.
We were interested in the program because of the claims that they could help people pay off their mortgage or home equity loans quickly utilizing Real Talk’s “special banking arrangements” for members only. We did not have any credit card debt, car loans, etc. and had top of the line (800s) credit scores. We have always managed our finances responsibly but when we heard about the program to pay off mortgages and equity lines early on the radio, we were curious. Needless to say, Dave Burke talked a good book! We discussed our personal situation with him and Erik Sale after the meeting and they told us we were perfect for the program as we would have access to the very best loan products they had for ONLY their clients. In fact, in the meeting, Dave told a story about a woman who tried to go directly to the bank they mentioned to do a deal with them and she couldn’t get access to the Real Talk special products, so she came back and went through Real Talk! Total BS needless to say.
After going round and round with their “coaches” (laughable) going over our financial spreadsheet, etc., etc. we kept asking from the very beginning about their “special banking products” but no one could tell us anything about them. They kept kicking us up the ladder to “more senior” coaches since “our situation” was different. In reality, it should have been much easier for them to handle. Finally I was referred to a banker in San Diego (whose name I won’t mention because he was honest with me). I thought when I was referred I was finally getting access to these “special loan products” that would enable us to put the money to work to pay down the mortgage early. In fact, the banker told me that they didn’t have any special deals with Real Talk and anyone walking into their bank could get the same products if they qualified. He quoted me the going rate for people with our good credit which was still much higher than what we’re paying on our 30 year fixed and our variable equity line.
A couple of months into the “program” we started asking for our money back (which we paid in full upon joining). They kept referring us to one person and another from the coaches, to senior coaches, to supervisor coaches, to customer service manager, COO and on and on. We tried to follow their protocol in hopes we would get a refund which we never got. Finally, when no one answered the phones, we figured they’d been shut down which of course, they had.
I’ve filed complaints with everyone I could think of including the Attorneys General of Colorado and California, Better Business Bureau, etc. I don’t really have any hope of getting our money back other than if our credit card company rules in our favor on the dispute I filed.
I just thought I’d finally tell our story since Travis spoke about all the great deals he got for people. If anyone could have gotten access to them, we should have but I don’t believe they existed. Maybe an 8% loan is good to some people, but when you’re paying less than that for your existing loans, 8% doesn’t cut it. Burke and his gang of thieves defrauded a lot of people out of their money.
We let our guard down and now we’re paying for it. Like the old saying goes, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Hey Ls,
Wow sorry for everything that happened and thanks for sharing your story with everyone. Ya I will tell you right now that about 8.25 percent for a personal line of credit is going to be the best you can get. If you had the equity in your home you can look at a variable rate of about 4%. I am so sorry for everything that happened and the hassel you had to go through. Now the only thing I can share with you is why the 8.25% might be better than say a 4% credit card. The idea is that you say you get a line of credit for 16,500 ( which with one bank seems to be the limit with everyone that is approved) but it is at 8.25% and you have credit cards at a lower percent than this. Now lets say you have a four credit cards all about at 4000. You move them all over to this line of credit. The one thing you did right away is pretty much made your debt into one simple payment. Now what did you really do by moving all your debt over to this line of credit right? Well now since the line of credit is maxed out or close to maxed out at 16,000 you move your income through the line of credit like a checking account. So the balance would go up and down through out the month. Everytime you would get paid the balance would go down and everytime you had to pay bills the balance would go up. The idea is your using the income that comes into your life to the best of its abillity. The income dillutes the interest charge of say 8.25% and depending on your positive cash flow and income coming into the household the interest charged can be close to less than 1%. Now this is with a person that has an income of about 16,500 which is not everyone. So lets say you have an income of 10,000 if I had to guess I would say instead of the interest charge of 8.25% it would be closer to 4%. Now if you would like to see the numbers find a excell compounding daily interest extra payment calculater on the web. I had one when I worked there. I had to do the numbers for myself because I know it was not always this 0% line of credit that spoken of.
Once again sorry for everything that happened and I hope you are doing better now.
Travis
Hi Travis:
The only way we’ll be doing better is if we get our money back and I don’t think that will happen.
As I said, the reason we joined RTN was to try to pay down our mortgage and home equity line faster through their “special banking products” that were supposedly for RTN members only which we know now did not exist. Thankfully we were not in a bad financial position and we still aren’t, but many people who joined RTN were. We just thought if we could access a way to do better, we would.
With regard to people using the line of credit to pay down debt, that would still only give them one month float if they put their paycheck into it each month. There are a couple of problems with that strategy. First, if you have a line of credit and you use the whole thing, your debt to credit ratio goes up which can impact your credit score negatively as you probably know. Second, that will only provide that one month float as long as the person has a job. That can be risky especially in this economy when so many are still being laid off as demonstrated in the number of new unemployment claims filed each week which we all hear about on the financial news channels. If a person used this strategy and then lost their job, not only would they have no source of income, but they would also have a huge debt (possibly as big as the credit line or more). That would be a terrible thing to happen. The only way someone can pay down debt is to have excess cash flow that they can put towards it. And, by the way, excess cash flow does not mean paying down one debt and merely moving it to another line of credit (a shell game). The debt is still there and will have to be paid. Whether it is in the form of a “car loan” or “line of credit debt”, it’s still there and can only be eliminated with excess cash.
Also, many people can’t get an equity line of credit because home values have not recovered and probably will not for a very long time. As well, many equity lines were frozen after the big downturn as was ours. Our statement still shows a significant amount of credit available on the original line, but we cannot access it. On the amount we owe on our equity line we are only paying 1.99% right now which is great, but eventually interest rates will go up and we are eager to pay the equity line down before that happens, again, another reason why we joined RTN. We provided all information about our situation including current interest rates, etc. and were still told by Dave and Erik we would be “ideal” candidates for the program.
Moving money around from one place to another and funding your full salary into a credit line you already spent is risky business at best. Just my opinion.
I will report to the court if you don’t stop giving advice.
You seriously need to stop dude! You are violating the restraining order. Keep giving out advice and you will be included smack dab in the middle of the litigation if you are not already.
Travis,
How can i get a hold of you? I like what you are saying.
Roger
Hello, I did check out the website you mentioned and he is no longer affiliated with this realtor. I am in the same boat you are.. i am going to suggestion to you what I am doing.. SUE THE BANK, IF THEY DON’T HONOR THE DISPUTE.. YOU HAVE TO DOCUMENT EVERYTHING AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH THEM REGARDLESS OF THE ENDLESS FRAUD INCLUDING THEIR “SYNDICATED RADIO SHOW” NOT!! TO THE LIES THEY SPOKE OF IN THE SEMINAR AND RADIO SHOW. AS YOU KNOW THERE IS AN ACTIVE LAW SUIT SO THEIR MERCHANT BANK IS NOT RELEASING FUNDS.. HOWEVER I SUGGEST YOU TALK TO A CREDIT CARD DISPUTE, CIVIL ATTORNEY AND THEN FILE A LAW SUIT IN SMALL CLAIMS. i WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STORY ON THE NEWS, i CALLED THEM AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THIS SCAM OF A COMPANY. gOOD LUCK..
Hey T!
Thanks for the opinion and legal advise.
I hope everything is going good for you.
Travis
Hey Stephanie.
So I will tell you everything I would do. First of all I might ask Steve to see what he thinks. Then I would go to: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre13.shtm
Make sure to follow all instructions.
Now since I have experience in credit repair I would make sure that I send the same letter to all three credit bureaus. I would make sure each letter is short and simple but is strong and gets to the point. A little “This account is not my account please remove it from my credit report and send me an updated copy” will do just the trick. Seeing howt hese guys get thousands of letters a day they really do not want to read a novel. Now i realize that there is a good chance they will not just remove this item with the first letter. (Each response takes about 30-45 days) I am going to have to send a letter after each response untill the item is taken off my credit report or they send a letter stating that they have verified the account and they will not follow up with anymore investigations.
Next I would call Conrad Acceptance Corp directly and speak to a manager. I would be very assertive with the converation and tell him to remove my account from their records and the credit reports or further legal action will be taken.
Once again I would follow all the steps mentioned in the website above.
I hope this helps. Now at the same time I want you to realize that alot of companies are just sticklers. I have two credit cards on my credit report that went into collections that were not mine. (Identy Theft). They were both pulled out before I turned 18. I paid the collections off not knowing any better. Funny thing is now I can not even get them remove and all the information is there to state that they are not mine. Some companies are just ridiculous. I figure it will heal with time.
I hope I was able to help a little bit. I wish you the best of luck and I am so sorry this ever even happened.
Stick it to them Stephanie
Travis 🙂
Hey Everyone,
I was one of Dave’s top coaches as well as I was the one who found all of our bank relationships. I wanted to give everyone my in put on what has happened as well as what I thought of Real Talk Network. I will first start off with the good and then I will discuss the bad.
Going into real talk network honestly I was in no place to give anyone financial advise. I had alot of debt pilled up, everything was in collections, 510 credit score across the board, bad place for me. I am now debt free and have a 600 to 620 credit score.
I set in my cubical each day and when I was not on a call I was studying my butt off to know everything about personal finances. I can honestly say I am pretty confident in my abillity today to offer financial advise to anyone. I worked very hard so I could help people.
Now I will start with my job duties. First coaching was getting everyones information in a spreadsheet by discussion details over the phone. I did a credit analysis based on all three credit scoring companies. I did this to determin the student’s debt to income, debt to utilization, what negative items there was, basically everything a bank is going to look at. Focus was always on cash flow. Cash flow pays off debt. Decrease living expenses increases cash flow. I was very direct with everything I told the student to do. ( such as decreasing food cost because the average is lower than what your spending) They would usually do this.
Before any debt was even talked about the goal was for student to be in a positive cash flow or we called it a safe financial place. Once the student was positive cash flow I would look at credit scores. The goal was always to get into a personal line of credit, cd secured line of credit, or a home equity line of credit. By having a line of credit in place the idea was to move as much debt into this line of credit as possible.
This would increase cash flow most of the time. Now once a line of credit was in place it would then be treated like a checking account. Income would flow in and out of the line of credit to pay the least amount of interest possible. Now imagine a line of credit with debt of 5000 and you make 5000. A personal line of credit is calculated like a credit card but usually has an interest rate of about 8%. So by the income flowing through there like a checking account the interest is going to be dilluted like a checking account.
So sometimes if the student makes more than the line of credit it can be comparable to a 0% interest rate because at times that line of credit can be at a 0 balance. Now the big one of course was the home equity line of credit since the variable rates are usually at 4% and I had alot of knowledge with alot of the bank in America and could find good promotions with a teaser rate that then would jump up to 4%.
Anyhow the idea was to use there cash flow coming into there life to dilute interest which increases the ammount of principal being paid down. So the whole idea of the program was increasing cash flow to pay down debt, when debt gets paid down it increases cash flow. Now alot of it had to do with knowledge of different programs as well that can help people with there financial situation.
Loan modifiactions went through NACA and principal reduction programs such as family group financial also helped our students. I was dang good at my job because I worked hard, studied hard, and knew more about finances than anyone else.
Now the bad stuff. EVERYONE IS GOING TO GET A 0% line OF CREDIT. This was one of the problems. Now Dave was lucky and I actually found some banks in California and Colorado that do CD secured lines of credit but at the same time you can not have major collections or a tax lien and usually need 5000 dollars to access one of these. Pretty much you need a 680 credit score 45% debt to income and below 80 % debt to utilization. Now of course I found some tricks such as a bank in colorado that will give anyone with a 680 credit score and the makes a stated household income of 50,000 or more a year a 16,500 dollar line of credit. These tricks made me darn good at my job. At the same time someone with a fixed income and poor credit scores I could not do anything with. “we have special bank relationships” .
Now I was our bank guy. My job was to find the bank product underwriter requirements. I did this through building relationships with Bankers . Usually the bankers would come in and give us everything we neeeded. We did not have special bank relationships though.
The refund policy was bad when I started. This is what I think destroyed the ship. Now I do think there was alot of heavy sales tacktics that when on. At the same time Dave can talk to anyone and make them hinge on his every word.
So to sum everyting up and tell you what I thing of everything. I think that I did help alot of people. At the same time their were some people I just could not help. I very select few but they were still there. The refund policy was horrible. Now alot of this was changing and everyone was getting refunds as requested towards the end.
I felt I was really good at helping people and I loved doing so. There is so much more to this company and what went on but any questions just ask. I am upset just like all of you. I will give anyone financial advise for free because I trully love doing it. If you would like to improve your credit score or learn the 45 day float that Dave always spoke of at the events I will teach you.
I love Steves story and how he has helped so many people.
If you want to apply for any tools such as a home equity line, a credit card, or a personal line of credit let me know and I will tell you who to call and what you need to get it. I want everyone to know I trully love helping people get into a better financial place. I am sorry to all of you that Real Talk Network hurt. If I can offer any help let me know. Thanks Steve and Everyone.
P/s Sorry If I jump around alot in my comment but I was just kinda writing what came to mind.
Travis, Thanks for your candor.
Can you tell me how to get my account removed from collections and my credit reports corrected? My agreement was not to pay until I had positive cash flow. That never happened, but was sent to Conrad anyway. Conrad immediately sent report to all 3 credit bureaus. I filed a dispute with each, but they didn’t care, just took Conrad’s word for it.
I am at a loss as to how to fix this. I had decent scores until this happened and would like to have my good name back. Of course RTN is not going to help me.
Dude are you kidding me? Take advise from you?
Your in your early 20s up until a few months ago, you had no idea about finance or coaching people on it, and all your “education” came from a company just shut down by the Colorado court system. You also have a 600 credit score, and purchased a new car, and I am either guessing someone co signed for you, or your interest rate is insane, and of course you are out of a job, no my bad you still deliver chinese food right?
Quit while you are ahead, one more thing, if and when you give out financial advise again you may want to check with your local court (Adams County in this case) as you are violating the current restraining order placed on all RTN former employees, yeah thats called “contempt of court” which is punishable by law!
I’m surprised at a lot of the things I’m ready. I haven’t had a bad experience at all from working with them. First, yes adding another bill wasn’t what I had in mind, but if they show me how I can get out of debt and (on faith) trust they do what they claim, it will save a lot of stress down the road. However, can add more if it didn’t work.
They charge $3000 if you own a home. If you don’t its on $1000. Also, my membership is for life, not 12 sessions and each session is as long as it takes, not limited to any time limit. The things they told me to do did work to a point, but because of my situation, it was far worst than even they can truly help.
I don’t know, maybe I’m one of the lucky ones and had good people at the location I always went to (Irvine, CA) but I’m shocked to read everything that is here. I haven’t had any bad experiences. I haven’t had a coaching session in about a year and I signed up in 2008. I’m planning on going back soon and pick up where I left off, but I have kids now and that takes more priority than a coaching session at the moment.
For anyone that is reading this, not every location is bad. I haven’t experienced anything to what people are saying here. The plans are plausible and they NEVER told me to go to collections. Even though my debt was too bad to help, they told me to stay away from collections. That they would help me find a way to get out of debt without the need to take that step.
Do your own research and don’t believe everything you read.
On a side note, if things have changed so much since I was last there, I am very disappointed. My personal experience was never bad and I honestly feel bad for the people that have been betrayed by them. I am commented based on my own experiences over 1 year ago, so please keep that in mind when you read it. I will find out for myself soon how different things have become and maybe my stance will change. Time will tell.
Did you get out of debt? In our case, we didn’t even get any service and we canceled then they send us to Collections Co. The worth thing was a year later, they threatened us to pay money. Maybe they used the money of those whom was ripped and helped you!
I don’t believe it! You know the needed to help someone right so that their stories will testify of how good they are which was Not true!
DAVID BURKE IS EVIL and now you CAN’T go and get any help from him cuz he will wear an orange uniform SOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
We’ve been reading your answers to people’s questions about Real Talk misleading people who are already in finacial hardship. We attended one of his free classes and had to sign up for the $100.00 a month for his people to help us get out of debt and like the rest we only get classes now and then. We could teach them to ourselves better than they do. My question is what do we do to get out of paying for a company that isn’t even legitimate? Any help will be apprecited alot.
Place a dispute with your credit card company. If they are unable to conduct business right now they are not folowing through with their contract. They also will not be able to respond to the dipute. If they do not repond to the dispute the credit card company always rules in your favor.
Steve –
My understanding is that the TRO expired. What happens now ?
It was my understanding he was due back in court on July 28 for a followup and it was my belief the TRO was still in effect till at least then. A search of the court records found this information about upcoming events scheduled:
07/28/2010 9:00 AM Preliminary Injunction
07/29/2010 9:00 AM Preliminary Injunction
08/23/2010 7:00 AM Review
Steve
I AM A VICTIM OF REAL TALK RADIO NETWORK TO THE AMOUNT OF 3497. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH EVERYONE AND I AM IN CALIFORNIA.. PLEASE IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING OR HOW WE CAN GET OUR MONEY BACK LET ME KNOW.. I WAS GOING TO PICKET ICEE BUT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL PUT A STOP TO THEM.. PLEASE HELP US..
We got out of the trouble with RTN a while ago but we did struggle because of RTN and CC. We canceled on the phone and RTN called almost a year later that we owed money to them. They threatened us to pay that we never had even one service from them. When we called with RTN, they accepted then they sent us to CC. We couldn’t sleep for a month. CC and RTN even called my company to bother us. There are a lot of elderly people in AZ who were ripped off by RTN and they actually paid money when RTN threatened them. After doing all actions we took, we even called FBI in AZ then they suggested us to contact FBI in Colorado. We told RTN about that then RTN canceled our contract that we never officially made with them. CC called and told us that they will take our account. They played with our emotion and hurt us physically and emotionally. They should pay for that! They called my company at lest three times. RTN and CC called our house every day. Too bad we can join an class action since we didn’t lose any money but what happened to those evil and Satanic action they took!!
We pray that David Burke will be punished what he has done to all the victims through out the states. I wish all the old folks who lost money to RTN will get money back. They probably even don’t know about this website. I called our KKNT radio station and got to know the manager a little and I warned him to be careful what his radio station is dealing with. He appreciated us letting him know about Real Talk Network even KKNT already quit dealing with David Burke already. DAVID BURKE SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY OF WHAT HE HAS DONE IF HE IS A MAN!
Re: TRO
Steve, straight from Colorado AG office, Conrad Acceptance Corporation was specifically notified of the order and is not to collect payments. Also, lawyers for RTN provided documentation in court 7-13-2010 that fund collection had ceased.
Everyone,
O my gosh, got on here this morning and look at all the fire being thrown – this makes my heart heavy, You Guys. My request (to you, Steve), is to start a new thread with the dialect about Matt’s business. From the bottom of my heart, please people don’t sling dirt. The Mafia separated themselves from Burke long ago. Don’t know the entire story, but they are probably licking their wounds from battles also. This thread was suppose to be about Burke/RTN and the victims of Dave, Eric, RTN, et al.
I completely agree with you. I also want to say that Matt I was right there with you trying to fix RTN. You personally put many hours of training and trying to personnally coach people the right way. I know because I was scheduling you left and right. I experienced your training and you do have a lot of knowledgeable information. Things that the average person just does not know. I have never thrown mudd at you or John. For everyone who wants to judge and say why didn’t I quit or tell authorities….. I was waiting to be let go un-justified and I did contact the authorities and the news stations a year ago. In the real world it takes more then one person and it takes proof which is exactly what happen. A case was built. As far as I am concerned this thread is about RTN and I only mentioned Matt when I was associated with another poster. Lets keep the prize in view and focus on people getting the justice they deserve.
I agree. Let’s just keep this about RTN.
For the record, Matt contacted me and asked me to remove his last message. I did and I removed the responses to his comment as well.
Matt has played a very important role in helping to stop the Burke mess and while I can’t divulge what I know, this thread really isn’t the place to attack him in his new venture.
I also totally agree that much of what his company is saying could be misconstrued as being similar to the RTN message. I’ve communicated with Matt about that privately and I mentioned it in my Burke article.
But for the record, I have never received a complaint about Matt or John and while I disagree with them on several issues, they really are not the focus of this article and not a company I’m ready to write about any time soon. I think as long as they maintain a fair and full refund policy, don’t send people to collections, and provide what they say they will to customers, that’s a good enough place to start.
Steve
First and foremost I apologize if I came across defensive in any of my previous posts. It was not my intention and I openly admit this is a very new and discouraging process for me. I want the readers to know that I really do appreciate the variety of posts and thoughts provided here and from the beginning I have looked at this forum as a much needed resource. Our very first reaction was that the subject was finally public and could be discussed openly which in the end might at the very least protect people and allow them to make a more informed decision. I consider all opinions here valuable and believe they will lend towards justice being served.
I also very much appreciate those readers who provide us an opportunity to share what we know and perhaps enlighten some to our unique experience.
As for playing an important part in the revolution, I value the acknowledgement, Steve, but I also want to applaud the role everyone here is playing and I can’t blame people for the pain and anger displayed as a result of each individual experience.
Like everyone here, we too bought into the concept of helping each other evaluate our toughest financial decisions,….managing money together as a team as opposed to trying to figure everything out on our own. ‘In the Know’ brought up a few points about my background which I’m glad were mentioned because it gives me a chance to clarify some of it. Much of the facts unfortunately were not accurate. (such as me foreclosing on a property or someone mentioning that I don’t own property). Both are untrue. It’s possible that s/he is intending to highlight a property that I recently short sold after it quickly lost $185K in value. I decided that my knowledge of FICO scoring would make the choice to negotiate with the bank the right decision. This is a story I openly share with our audience because had I understood the power of teamwork when I bought the place I would have never purchased it. Oh well,…I’ve been guilty of arrogance in the past, what can I say? Ironically I needed coaches to say ‘no’! Bottom-line a lot of Americans are in a similar situation who impatiently or independently took advise from a realtor or mtg broker and bought real estate at its peak. And to those who are faced with similar circumstances I would strongly suggest that the same option be considered. (By the way, I still own an investment property in Morrison at 13308 W Grand Dr. and it will be paid off faster than I ever thought possible as a result of managing my budget differently).
Here’s the deal, like Steve Rhode, I appreciate transparency in others and in myself. I will be the first person to admit that a lack of a formal financial education caused most of the mistakes I made along the way. That is the very reason I put my heart and soul into creating a solution for me and others like me. To prevent that same result for Joe and Jane Consumer who have also been deprived of this information or an unbiased accurate source. Over the past 10 years I became obsessed with learning from those at the top and taking it upon myself to teach to others what I’ve learned along the way. If while practicing what I learn along the way I experience great results personally, then I believe I have an obligation to share that with others. A recommended read to me recently was ‘Love is the Killer App’ which explains that you must be generous with the information you learn in order to properly network. Trust comes from credibility and demonstration of knowledge these days, not from some pitch where your emotions are toys. I love that philosophy. We believe very strongly to this day that teamwork is a much safer and more effective approach than individual problem solving but I want to know as a consumer that the people I work with are credible. When I first recognized a compromise in ethics we quickly took on the challenge of spearheading a full blown attack against Real Talk. This was looked at as a great risk but a moral responsibility. Unfortunately we didn’t have the means to cause any real challenges for Dave but it did result in a temporary protective order and injunctive order being filed against me (as ‘In the Know’ mentions above) and significant time and expenses were required to defend. (By the way, that resulted in the Judge literally laughing the case out of the courtroom).
Needless to say, the efforts of all of us as a group have been exponentially more effective in this matter getting in the hands of the AG. We think the same teamwork concept when making a financial impact is very important being that the banks rules are complex and not designed in out favor. All of us helping each other learn so we can maximize the result of borrowing is a wonderful thing. We know that there is a legit value in that. We are simply providing access to our resources which cost more than I like to think about for a price we think is very reasonable.
Finally, we also believe in only those both willing and able becoming members of our Cash Flow Program. Therefore we quickly remove those who are not satisfied which I’m proud to say is seldom. This program is very easy to under sell and over deliver. Because of that, refund requests are nearly never and always granted. We are not interested in volume. Only results.
Thanks again for hearing some of my thoughts we are very pleased that there is such a large number of people willing to make their voice heard in the matter. I am available to those who would like to discuss the matter further. 720-435-8791.
Respectfully,
MP
VIP
Update
Dave Burke and Melodie Burke in court last Friday to try to get temporary restraining order lifted.
7 News in Denver is reporting:
“In Adams County court on Friday, Burke’s wife Melodie, testified that the couple pays $3,990 a month on their mortgage and $3-4,000 a month on credit card bills.
Those figures fly in the face of comments made by David Burke on past radio programs where he promised potential clients, “All your debt is going to disappear even if you don’t have any money.”
In court on Friday, the company’s former Chief Operating Officer testified that “Real Talk Network,” now called, “Institute of Consumer Economic Education,” dealt with approximately 700 clients a month.
Melodie Burke, who is the company’s Chief Financial Officer, testified that she and her husband are each paid $200,000 a year before taxes. The court determined, after taxes, each brings home about $20,000 a month.
After all the couple’s expenses were outlined to the court, it was determined there was approximately $7-8,000 a month that was unaccounted for and Melodie Burke testified that neither she nor her husband have any retirement accounts, 401k accounts, or mutual fund accounts.
Judge Edward Moss wasn’t buying the math and said, “There’s no indication as to where the other $7-8,000 goes.” He continued, “The court has credibility concerns whether Mrs. Burke was being forthright or concealing where these considerable excess funds were going.”
Also of note, were the couple’s credit card bills totalling $3-4,000 a month. Melodie Burke testified that the credit cards are not used for living expenses, despite that being one of the primary guidelines taught in David Burke’s seminars on debt-elimation.
The irony was not lost on Asst. Attorney General Alissa Gardenswartz.
“Isn’t that what the Real Talk Network tells its clients to do?” asked Gardenswartz.
“Well, if it’s right for them.” said Melodie Burke.
The Burke’s were in court on Friday to request the judge lift the freeze on their bank accounts, allow them to collect money from clients, and allow them to contact clients to explain that the company was shut down by court order.
Judge Moss determined the company could give existing clients copies of the court’s Temporary Restraining Order, the Preliminary Injuction and a letter explaining that the company would vigourously defend against the allegations. He did not allow them to continue to collect money.
As for “unfreezing” the company’s bank accounts, Judge Moss allowed the company access to funds to pay a phone bill and to pay its lawyers.
He also granted access to Melodie Burke’s personal account in which she testified was $10-12,000. Real Talk’s attorney, Billy Jones, successfully argued that her personal account was not the jurisdiction of the Adams County court, at this time.
A hearing the Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction is scheduled for July 28th. – Source
Steve,
Thanks for giving us this further info. Mr. Burke no doubt knows and sees your website. I can only pray that he does and that he might feel the pain in our hearts for the discomfort caused. Putting up with a hard sales tactic by a sales assoc that says “how much can you put down tonight, $1,000?” Thanks, Dave for the fear – what??? A thousand…you mean I am sitting here and you will try to pry every hundred you can out of our cold hands. Also, you really ought to listen to yourself. Get one of your tapes and really watch and really listen. You really could not stop long enough except to slam your hand on the table and utter some profound statement. Oh, the profound comment from Dave Burke. Mr. Burke, you really should get over yourself. Thank you, Colorado Attorney General and all the investigative individuals from either the Atty Gen office and radio who sacrificed their time in this battle. And, Steve Rhodes, thank you for your tenacity and foresight to continue this battle for all of us victims.
Oops, meant to say TV stations (in lieu of radio)
Let’s do some math here. RTN had 700 clients a month and 7 coaches. Now lets assume those 7 coaches work 8 hour days and that RTN remains fully staffed. And, no coach is sick or on vacation during a 20 business day month (5 days a week). (This is fiction of course as our sessions were always being canceled because of someone quiting, being fired or being sick.) Back to the math. 7 coaches working 8 hours a day = 54 coaching hours in a day. Each client gets 1 hour. 54 coaching hours a day X 20 business days = 1080 coaching sessions a month = Dave Burke is going to be spending some time in an orange jump suit! See you in court Burke!
Opps! make that 7 X 8 = 56 for 1120 coaching session a month. My Bad!
I choose not to leave my name and that is my free choice. I do want to say that all inforamtion I have disclosed has been completely and honestly true. I have to say that I gave Dave Burke a simple plan to get him and his business on the straight. He could have easily changed his practices and could have made this a legal and legitamate business. His greed is what truely caused this situation to be what it is. As an ex RTN employee I must say I have learned many great techniques and ways to enhance my credit and or pay off a debt. That is really not what I think is the issue I think that the fact that the laws and rules were not abided by RTN is the issue. I begged them consitantly to change the contract, include a valid refund policy and simply abide by the federal trade commision. Dave Burke did not want to hear me told me I was completly wrong and let me go. I was happy when I was let go but, I am so confident I knew I had to follow this all the way to the end. Matt you know what the laws are if you are abiding by them and not making outrageous claims then good for you.
If you knew that what Dave Burke was doing was illegal, wrong and unethical, why did you not quit and inform the authorities before more people got hurt?
Why are you supporting Matt? These people are dangerous and have only the desire to separate you from your money!
Please, please, please, seek help and advice from legitimate credit advisory services! If you find yourself in a situation where people are asking ridiculous amounts of money ($3000+) to help you get out of debt, get away as quickly as possible!
Steve Rhode is one of many good people that can provide you with the proper information you need to help reduce your debt, most of which are free! Don’t be fooled into thinking that by paying an exorbitant amount of money you are getting something of value. These people (Dave, Matt, John, etc.) will present their product to you in such a way that they make it sound like you are getting a bargain! It’s all bogus! Don’t fall for it!
I think that you need to quit while you are ahead. You cannot make accusations about people you don’t know based on the actions of another. As an ex employee, the things that I was teaching clients are legit and it does work. I saw dramatic changes in peoples lives simply because they were able to follow a budget. And most of the training that is received is training on how to follow a budget and stick to it. Yes, there are ways to manupulate money to work to your advantage and there is nothing illegal about it. I do posses a degree in accounting as well as one in criminal justice. Matt and John are two of the most ethical people I have ever met and they do offer a legitamte service to people. As far as credit repair goes, Yes it is possible to repair a persons credit and I got my training from a lawyer that studied credit repair for years. You are bashing Matt and John for something that you don’t understand but Suzie Orman teaches the same types of practices and I don’t see anyone bashing her on this forum. The things that I am seeing you complain about have to do with ethics and personal morals. Bad business practices yes, but the concept that is being taught really works and there is nothing scam about it. Yes, you can actually use the money that you have to get out of debt. It is the people that don’t follow a budget and live beyond their means or don’t have enough money coming in to cover their bills that are screaming scam. VIP and RTN are two completely different entities with two completely different sets of ethics and morals. And as I stated before you cannot place judgement on Matt and John because of the actions of Dave. Just like you wouldn’t bash Suzie Orman because of the actions of Dave. Matt and John and even Dave truly do want to help people in this economy. Banks don’t teach these concepts because they would lose the money that they make tacking on interest. What will do you do when the credit card companies are no longer in business? Are you able to follow a budget? Or are you one of those people that depends on credit cards to get through life?
Katie you couched me and it was a joke, all you did was complain about couches leaving, overbooked, and did not reveal the thousands of techniques Dave B. claimed to have, and also the relationships he had all over the US. they would hold our hands through the whole process.EVERYTHING HE SAID WAS FRAUDUALENT, I REPORTED HIM AND ERIC AND ALL OF YOU TO THE FCC, HE LIED ON THE RADIO ABOUT BEING SYNDICATED, ABOUT HIS MANY CREDENTIALS, THAT WOULD NOT HAVE TO CHANGE OUR LIFESTYLE, JUST HAVE MONEY.. hELL LARRY HAD NEVER SAT THROUGH HIS SEMINAR.. 2 OUT OF 5 OF MY SESSIONS i WAS STOOD UP.. I AM SUING AND IF I WIN I WILL POST IT AND LET EVERYONE NO HOW TO GET THERE MONEY BACK IF THEY USED A CREDIT CARD. ANYONE THAT WORKED OR HIM NEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING, ESPECIALLY THAT SNAKE ERIC SALE… I AM SUING HIM NEXT FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT. I TOLD HIM IF THIS WAS A SCAM I WOULD FIND HIM.. YOU PREYED ON PEOPLE ALREADY HURTING, ON LIMITED INCOMES, LOSING THEIR HOMES.. IT MAKES ME SICK, I HAVE HAD TO WASTE 5 MONTHS OF MY LIFE ON THIS.
PEOPLE DO NEED TO LIVE WITHIN THEIR MEANS, HOWEVER THAT IS A NON ISSUE HERE DAVE BURKE SAID IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS; ” I WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO CANCEL OUT 22 YEARS OF YOUR MORTGAGE” REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU ARE WORKING OR NOT. YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE MONEY COMING IN..THERE IS AN INJUNCTION AGAINST YOU AND THE EMPLOYEES, I WOULD STAY OFF THE NET IF I WERE YOU.. YOU WERE A HORRIBLE COUNSELOR, NO CREDENTIALS, AND LARRY WASN’T ANY BETTER.. I HOPE YOU ALL END UP IN JAIL WHERE YOU BELONG.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FYI – Matt Pillmore & John Deckys used to work for Dave Burke. John Deckys was Dave’s “right-hand-man”. Dave Burke fired John Deckys about a year ago. 3 months later John Deckys & Matt Pillmore formed VIP Mafia and operate out of an apartment less than a mile from Real Talk Network’s offices. During the housing boom John Deckys & Matt Pillmore were mortgage brokers (helping create the current housing and credit crisis?) John Deckys & Matt Pillmore of VIP Mafia is using the same Australian credit shell game as Dave Burke. I have knowledge of how the system works and have run the scenarios myself. Anyone can do it on their own. However, it is complex and risky, not as “simple” and “risk-free” as advertised by Real Talk or VIP Mafia. This is why Real Talk and VIP Mafia sell so called coaching services. If you miss a single step you will end up in a “credit trap”. Furthermore, Real Talk & VIP Mafia can claim that you did not follow their program as instructed and therefore you are not entitled to a refund. In addition, it is true that both Matt Pillmore & John Deckys of VIP Mafia have foreclosed in over $1.5 million in properties over the last 5 years. I recommend that if you are seeking help with your credit, contact your creditors directly and they will refer to you an appropriate credit advisory and assistance service (most of which are non-profit.) Finally, if John Deckys & Matt Pillmore of VIP Mafia and Dave Burke of Real Talk Network truly have a guaranteed system to get you out of debt, they should offer the opportunity to participate in their course and you pay at the end upon your success!
AFTER ALL YOU STILL BELIEVE THIS GUYS, SCAM? STOP TALKING ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT THIS EVIL WHO PLAY WITH US VICTIMS?
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! NO MORE! PEOPLE STANDS UP AND TAKE A CLASS ACTION!
IT DOESN’T MATTER IF DAVID BURKE DID THIS AND THAT! HE IS TRULY EVIL AND SCAM! AND WE NEED A JUSTICE AND HE SHOULD TAKE HIS RESPONSIBILITIES WHAT HE HAD DONE TO MORE THAN MANY!
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW WE ARE DAMAGED BY HIM PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY!
Al,
Are we starting this campaign? I said we’re in on Class Action Suit? Are you also? Did you lose $$ to wonderful Dave?
How many more will come forward and pledge to a Class Action? We have the lawyer on contingency – just need to come up with $350 filing fee –
What say you?
Chris,
I didn’t lose any more so I can’t lead this campaign. I wish I could. I just want encourage people to take an action!
Thanks.
Chris,
If a class action filing moves forward I would like to contribute the filing fee anonymously. Please provide your phone number and I will reach out to you. Thanks!
My goodness, thanks so much MP! If you please, I may be had at 910 876 7001.
Al & MP,
Al, didn’t’ you pay out anything to RTN? You said “any more”…
MP, thanks.
(and thanks to Chris Livingston)
Yes, it is a scam. The way it works is to get you in a room where the speaker can touch you emotionally. Then when they have you nodding your heads and praising them they hit you with the sign up and payment. If you don’t blindly sign up they will try to get you off in a corner 1 on 1 and rationalize and even intimidate you into signing up. This routine is not new, it has been going on for years and years and years. I am grateful that I was able to see through this and walk away. I don’t care if it is Dave Burke or John Deckys or Matt Pillmore, these people have no integrity and should be stopped!
I’m having a hard time understanding why someone would hide behind an anonymous post but pretend to be united in finding a solution and a common ground to this discussion? Real Talk Employee perhaps?
Personally I have nothing to hide and appreciate and sympathize that most here (including myself) have been severely misled by those in question.
Frankly, I couldn’t agree more about the part discussing people who intimidate people for their own self benefit to do something against their will. Anybody who does such a thing has zero integrity. Plus, let’s face it, someone persuaded against their will is of the same opinion still. The same is true with any form of self improvement (i.e.: quitting smoking or losing weight). All the readers here would agree that people who aren’t committed simply will not succeed.
But for ‘In the know’ to claim that the information being taught ‘is a scam’ is a very poor interpretation because it implies that somehow the concept RTN claims to sell isn’t legit. No question that a company who doesn’t right their wrongs should be on the hot-seat. If Dave Burke was making promises and not delivering, that to me is no different than a scam and I am very confident that after a lot of time, money and heartache, justice will finally be served.
However, an education is not a scam. Thankfully our Country as a whole does not share the opinion that education (including financial literacy) is a scam or we’d be in even worse trouble as a society. I for one am an avid student. Even a seminar junky at times. And nothing bothers me more than a pitch fest followed by a hard close. But when ‘in the know’ makes claims that my partner or I somehow are out to take advantage of people, they ‘know not’ what they say. In fact, at our educational classes we have no hard close. We have no intimidation. We have no pitch. We educate and educate alone. And guess what even those who want to get help they pay no upfront commitment. We allow our students in for 45 days of free trial before they are asked to make a decision. The education is priceless, and we can all benefit from it. Don’t let Dave Burke or anybody discourage you from learning more. The banks are the BIGGER problem here because they have sold us a way of life and a different way of thinking is hard for many to accept. Dave just causes people like us to become even more jaded and lose trust for those around us.
It’s interesting, this same author made mention of experiences both me and my business partner had along the way which we often share in our classes. Most of what was said during that post was untrue however I did buy one piece of real estate that I chose to short sell as a result of a $185K decline in value. Had I only known then what I know now about interest, leverage, cash-flow, these types of mistakes would have NEVER happened. I love that my mistakes can be other’s gains and I am proud to say this information has changed my life. I will do everything I can to pass it to others.
Finally folks, it is no secret that the internet is a source of good and a source of evil. It is a place of truth and a place of opinion. It is a place of support and a place of revenge. Those who know us and the people who surround us know the truth.
We welcome anyone to get to know us. Please call 720-435-8791 if you’d like to get the whole story.
Best to all,
Matthew Pillmore
RE: Matt Pillmore,
As you can see by the court records on Dave Burke, he did not practice what he preached. It appears that Matt Pillmore and John Deckys of VIP Mafia follow suit. My research shows that neither Matt Pillmore nor John Deckys own property. My research also reveals that in 2009, a restraining order was filed against Matt Pillmore, a pretty good reason to stay anonymous. The charges against Dave Burke also state that his coaches had little to no background in finance. As far as my research has revealed, Matt Pillmore does not have a degree in finance. I was unable to find what college Matt Pillmore graduated from, if at all. As soon as I am able to research who the VIP Mafia “coaches” are I will inform the public of what their backgrounds are in finance. I am also curious about who is financing Matt Pillmore and John Deckys. I can only speculate that a trail will eventually lead back to Dave Burke.
I am merely presenting information to the public to make them aware that even though Dave Burke is in the process of being stopped, yet another one of these “financial freedom” schemes pop up right behind him. This time it appears that Matt Pillmore and John Deckys of VIP Mafia are spawn of Dave Burke!
Matt and John are scammers, plain and simple. Selling the Australian Loan to people that are desperate. Matt never had an formal education in finance,yet he gets on here and preaches how he is taking seminars. This idiot is trying to teach you something will all his vast “seminar” knowledge – no degree, no training, no background working for a reputable financial institution, nothing just more BS!
His partners (John) background is just as shady. He claims many times about his financial background yet he was never more that a person taking orders over the phone. Traded his own account? Did you look at his numbers? If this low level of trading (a couple shares a year) can give you the knowledge to train others then we are ALL financial gurus.
Any time someone says to you “learn the secrets that XXXX does’t want you to know” – then you know for sure it’s a scam!!!!! These highly sought secrets have been hidden from the public for centuries but now these V.I.P. fools have the secrets and you can have them too, just pay to see these clowns in halloween monkey suits – they’ll set you straight!
You will need to put a claim/complaint in with the attorney general and the BBB. Everything is frozen at this point so they are unable to do any type of transactions. (merchant accounts have been frozen since I worked there a year ago)Nothing will be done till the criminal charges are completed. Another idea is file with Victims Compensation with the county Real Talk is being charged in.
Hi, I paid my $3500 dollars to RTN in May and have only received one coaching session for a gal named Michelle. Now I find the whole thing is debunked and I want my money back too. Is it possible to get my money back from these scammers?
Let me know
Thanks mark
Mark,
We need to start a Class Action Suit. The filing fee is $350. The more unsatisfied clients we can get to chip in on the filing fee the less it will cost us. If enough people will commit to this we could even get the fee down to $25 or $10 apiece. We are willing to commit – this is probably the only way we will get any money back from Mr. Burke and his scam empire.
Advise if you are willing to commit also, so we can find more individuals who are willing to chip in $10 or $25 or more. Please come on people, I know it is tight all the way around but if you could pay Dave Burke the down payment on his program & whatever you paid per month can you come up with funds to help this Class Action Suit. It appears that the clients won’t have to pay the monthly payments they were paying, so that frees up at least $100/mo for everyone.
Have already sent CO Atty Gen an email & getting ready to send another one about Burke’s agents.
Dave Burke would take any money he could get from you – any down payment – and rope you into those monthly payments. He preyed on people who came to him for help – YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN NOW. If you want any of your money back, please chip in and name on a Class Action Suit against RTN, et al.
Courthouse news reports:
The victims’ agreements commit them to pay for one-on-one counseling sessions, but many of them never received them, the attorney general says. And when they did, they were not from the financial “experts” Burke promised.
One of Burke’s coaches “entire previous work experience consisted of fast-food delivery,” the attorney general says.
Read the full article here.
You have missed what he hs accomplished David wasa ask by the bank to help 100 families facing forclouser in years ago but and by rearranging how the mony was applied all 100 families did not lose their homes.
Also the $3000 or 1 month income is a float using this tech. but only works onc which they do coach you.
I do think the customer service could be greatly improved but if we pay principal and not interest we could afford to realyy purchase our home and not just rent our ome from the banks which is really what is happening if we never own our homes. Better than renting but still not ownership of a product you want to purchase a $300,000 home cost over $700,000 wo wwhat a deal .
I don’t count that is called David Burke accomplishment???? That is Not what he did. That’s done by government bell out money but Not him. Anybody can do it. All the victims know what you are talking about and nothing new!
You have No ideas what David Burke did and Don’t be so naive….
YOU JUST DON’T GET IT!
I believe that Conrad Co. is as guilty as RTN. When we were in the black hole, Conrad Co. called my office I worked a few times and told me to give them a phone number of HR so that they can verify that I was working my company. When I asked them why they needed it? I also told them to send me the reason why she needed my verification and gave her my email address. Of course she didn’t send any email after all. They actually hide their names and did threat me a few times by calling me at my work that shouldn’t have happened due to the consumer protection law. They call my wife at home so many times to bother her. We couldn’t sleep for a month. After we took care of Conrad Co. by sending an official letter and RTN. We also talked to FBI in my state and they suggested us to send our complain to FBI in Co. We send one email to RTN and told them that we will take an action if they still bothered us to pay that we had never gotten their service. Oh, that was the quick move and both RTN and CC called us that they will cancel and take our name and account. CC did the same. We really believed that Conrad Co. should get some punishment by doing dirty works for a long time along with David Burke. I still can’t believe that Conrad Co. is keeping “A” in the BBB grade after all????
Thank you both Steve and Chris!! 🙂
I thank you all people who blogged this site because they gave us ideas and info. so that we had enough courage to fight for this evil acts of both RTN and CC. We feel for many innocent victims and hope and pray that they all get full refund from RTN.
Steve,
Trying to use common sense (which I guess doesn’t always apply in “Law”). I know that people either did not enter into the program (RTN would have them sign “the contract” but the people did not intend to participate in the program, then Burke turned them over to a “collection agency” for non-payment. Intuition tells me that agency would be Conrad. We have no correspondence from RTN but a ltr shows up from Conrad telling us they will be taking the pymt. We had no information from RTN who this was, nor any information from Conrad Acceptance Corp. that this would be reported on credit reports. Now this is being reported by Conrad Credit to the Credit Agencies thus showing up on credit reports.
The perimeters for collection/monies is spelled out in the TRO. Hopefully Conrad Credit will do the right thing on the credit reports.
Your take on this is?
We will just have to let it play out since the TRO is new. I would not be surprised to see the state go for placing the company in receivership.
Steve
This is not legal advice, but it looks like Conrad Credit is not allowed to accept any more RTN money. Oh, darn. I really feel for them.
The TRO is online at http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/press_releases/2010/07/07/real_talk_network_tro.pdf. Paragraph A.1 forbids “soliciting or accepting payment for services of any kind in connection with REAL TALK NETWORK, INC., d/b/a REAL TALK NETWORK and GET REAL WITH DAVE, REAL TALK, LLC, REAL TALK RADIO SHOW NETWORK, LLC, and INSTITUTE OF CONSUMER ECONOMIC EDUCATION, LLC (collectively, “RTN”).” B.2 requires RTN “within five calendar days of the entry of the Order, withdraw from collections any and all consumer accounts that Defendants had referred to a collections agency.” C.2 and C.3 forbid RTN and all its agents to accept any more payments by any means, check or card.
This expires on 16 July, but COAG is certain to get it extended into a preliminary injunction that should hold until trial or settlement, and then a permanent injunction.
Y’all who contacted me, stay in touch!
Chris,
One allegation I’ve heard is that some contracts were sold to Conrad, or factored, and I’m curious how you think a TRO like the RTN one would impact Conrad collecting.
Steve
Al & Steve,
Thank you so much! You both are gems beyond belief. Steve – thanks for forwarding the info to the lawyers about Conrad Credit (aka Conrad Acceptance Corp.).
Al, I truly believe also that Conrad Credit knew what was going on and has acted as an agent for Dave Burke.
Will give you an update regarding Conrad Credit & if they want to RUIN our credit.
Will be forwarding a registered, with return receipt, letter to Conrad with copy of the TRO. This will be fun.
Wait for the fireworks – will advise as develops.
Again, Al & Steve, we give you gold stars for all you have done, and hang in there for us.
Chris, this is what I think that Conrad Co. knew what is going on Real Talk Network for a long time. Usually David Burke let Conrad Co. to take care of the part of collection, Conrad Co. will get a certain percent of the money collected which means Conrad Co. has to deal with this RTN law suit. If I were you, I will write to Conrad Co. official letter saying that the RTN situation with the law suit and ask Conrad Co. not to bother you to collect the money anymore that you will deal the problem with Real Talk Network.
I think RTN will be sued by all victims at the end and David Burke will be sentenced to refund all the money to victims later on and C.C will do the same.
Our problems were solved a while ago but we are still upset to RTN and C.C.
Good luck, Chris and thank you to Steve again!
I’ve already notified the CO attorneys handling the case about the Conrad situation. Al’s advice is good also, let Conrad know the company was shut down and if their client is under a restraining order to conduct business.
I would not be surprised to see the State of Colorado put the company into receivership. And if they do then consumers might be eligible for SOME refund. Don’t expect if there is any refund for it to be a total refund.
Steve
Steve,
Regarding mo pymts: The RTN contract stated the payments were to be paid to RTN. There was never any mention that they were going to finance this via a finance company (Conrad Credit) – we had absolutely no idea – nor that it would wind up on our credit report. This is scary. If we don’t pay it will reflect poorly, but my husband says RTN is not meeting their contractual promise. Yet, now the credit company advanced them the money. If RTN bank accounts are frozen, there is no way for the credit company to forward the money to RTN.
It makes me so mad that RTN was so devious about all this stuff. Do you know the law? It would seem that a company would have to disclose to a client they would be utilizing a finance company. We don’t know if the finance company is acting as their agent by collecting the mo pymt and then sending it to them or if they paid the full fee to RTN. SCAM, scam, scam. We all can’t stand Dave Burke.
We could have paid down a credit card for what we’ve paid – this is truly sick.
I am sure this is quite interesting for you and thank you for your work, concern, etc.
Again, the CO AG needs to know about how Dave Burke was doing this with the finance company.
Steve,
Thanks for all your help with this situation!!!
I didn’t see Conrad Credit Corp. named within the TRO. Do you know how to get info to the Colorado AG quick to add this – as payments for the program go to Conrad Credit Corp. in Escondido, CA (or did I miss this in the scan of the TRO?)
Would your approval be that a client call their bank Friday morning & stop payments to Conrad Credit/RTN – that’s what the plan is tomorrow morning.
Chris,
That is an excellent question. I’ll ask around and see if I can get an official word.
In light of the current situation the fail safe position would be to stop the drafts until we can get some clarification.
Steve
Thank you even much more good news!
Thank you for the great news! Hope and pray that Colorado AG will go after David Burke, the evil one and his followers.
EVERYONE SHOULD GET REFUND FROM HIM. DAVID BURKE CAN NOT AWAY FROM THIS !
THANK YOU STEVE FOR YOUR WEBSITE WHICH HELPED MANY AND MANY VICTIMS WHO LOST WHAT TO DO! YOU ARE THE ONE THE LORD SENT TO US LIKE ANGELS!
THANKS AGAIN,
Real Talk Network Shuttered by Colorado Attorney General
Along with the ICEE, Dave Burke’s other enterprises have been hit with a court approved temporary restraining order and all operations have been ordered to cease and web sites to be removed.
See Dave Burke, Erik Sale, Real Talk Network and Institute of Consumer Economic Education All Sued and Hit With TRO by Attorney General of Colorado for complete details.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15460439
Colorado AG going after Mr Burke.
Read it and weep, how could he get away with this for so long???
Just In
The Attorney General in Colorado has moved to freeze all assets of Dave Burke, RTN, and ICEE and go after organization with potential criminal charges. More to follow.
Here is a link to the recent San Diego ABC News story about RTN and Dave Burke. It is similar to the Colorado news story. It’s not surprising that Dave Burke is changing the name of the company in light of the BBB F rating and all the negative press and internet commentary. Good luck to those still seeking refunds, relief from collection agencies and justice. I am a firm believer that the picketing route can be extremely effective because it hurts them financially, which may be the only way they respond. Thanks again to Steve for his investigation and follow up stories, and to all those who have posted their experiences and suggestions.
http://www.10news.com/investigations/24164906/detail.html
click on the video for the broadcast
My wife and I have been clients of Real Talk Network for the past 6 months. While I don’t have anything really negative to say about the company at this point, I am reserving any endorsement or criticism until I am further into the program. At this point through their coaching, I have raised my credit score by about 60 points. If this company comes through with the zero percent (or even 1-2%) line of credit they talk about, I will begin to be more of a believer. Hopefully I will find out in the next week or so if this is true or just a big ruse to trail me along — yes, I am skeptical.
Interesting note in the mail today from RTN, the reason for my note to you all. In a letter dated 1 July 2010, it appears that the assets of Real Talk Network, Inc. have been sold to The Institute of Economic Education, LLC. Not sure what this will mean exactly, but the letter says that service and programs will remain the same, only with more oversight and an improved website, better training of coaches, etc. Interestingly enough, I found no listing of The Institute of Consumer Economic Education when I Googled the name. If anyone else has information or insight about this company, please let us all know.
Are you really a customer or one of the Real Talk Network trainer???
I don’t really believe what you are talking about! If you have a lot of money and bring this money to that money, of course anyone could bring your FICO up but remember those money RTN is using to bring your credit better is victims money they scammed and stole!! He gathers money from victims and stole a bunch of money from all the victims and put those into your credit to make it better! he needs someone to testify about how good they are but reality is just Scam and Scam!! Be careful what you are getting into! If David Burke pay back all the money he stole from all the victims through out the states then made your Fico number up, we will satisfy but I JUST DON’T TRUST THIS GUY! HE IS EVIL AS A SATAN!
FRAUD, FRAUD AND FRAUD, SCAM, SCAM AND SCAM! JUST WAIT TILL YOU WILL SEE THE TRUTH COMING UP IN A FUTURE NEWS!
Dave Burke changes company name. See my latest article on ICEE.
Steve
I am 3 months into hell regarding thr fraudulent practices of Dave and RTN. I showed up again at a meeting last night in San Diego, and they refused to let me in. I wanted to ask detailed questions and let the attendees know the truth.
Some of his cronies spoke with me to listen to my story. They had the hotel manager come and speak with me 3 times threatening to call the police to remove me. I was peaceful and told them that I did not understand why they would listen to the bullies of RTN. My notes are long and extensive. I want to hire an attorney and was wondering if there was an existing class action lawsuit anywhere.
I you scrolled up, you will find the name, Chris Livingston who is the one collecting the info. from victims for a class action. Contact him!
Good luck! and I totally understand where your feeling is coming from.
Yes, for goodness sakes gimme a call, 910 876 7001, or email, chrisatty@hotmail.com and let’s see what we can do here. I think I have an idea or two.
I wish to share my story to hopefully help anyone who has been taken in by this pie-in-the-sky pitch to pay off one’s mortgage in 84 months time with similar stats to mine: very modest income; $350,000 mortgage; 2nd of $38,000 and a credit card balance of $8000. I share my financial info because “perhaps”, just by some miracle with someone earning a very, very large income with similar debt to mine could possibly pay off their mortgage in the 84 months time that Mr. Burke so repeatedly touts in his seminars. I believe the one most egregious flaw in his business approach of rounding up new clients is that he does not train his counselors to sincerely research each potential client’s financial condition immediately following the seminars to honestly determine if the person’s income and debt ratio would truly fulfill this 84 months mortgage payoff time that is one of his main selling points but instead one is given an extremely brief look at one’s finances continuing the grandiose promises of sure success to secure a signature. This clear sales approach of just signing up as many clients as possible without a sincere financial evaluation to determine if a successful client-company matchup is possible gives the clear impression, if not evidence, that the bottom line of company policy is to convince as many people to sign their binding contracts to make the most money possible off of them without a conviction of delivering on their promises! After signing the contract recently, my three sons ran my financial stats to see if there could be any kind of possibility of paying off my mortgage in 84 months or as the after-the-seminar counselor told me, “You could probably pay yours off in 6 years!” which there clearly was not, we started the request for a refund and cancellation of the contract. After a few weeks of no success and one of my sons doing extensive research on this website to learn of one person getting his refund by picketing out front of one of Mr. Burke’s seminars, we made plans, including making large signs and emailing the scheduler, Mandy Daoud, of our intentions the next day to do just that. Very fortunately, as my son and I walked up to the hotel to see where the best place to picket would be, leaving our signs in the car, out walks Mr. Burke with an assistant. My son and I approached them to tell the story of my being unqualified to reap any benefit from his company and our request for the refund which he readily agreed to. To this day, we are not sure if our email the day before sharing our plans to picket the next day and/or catching him personally in his current overall very negative reputation with the Better Business Bureau of a “F” rating, mounting lawsuits and escalating customer complaints did the trick or, most seriously, if there was a form of “divine intervention”! For you wise praying people, I don’t doubt for a minute that the collective prayers of my sons and myself over these many weeks brought the confluence of these circumstances together for our favor. And my main reason for sharing our story is to hopefully encourage Mr. Burke to have a big change of heart in his dealings with his fellowman by refunding all monies that should be refunded, due to insufficient pre-evaluations of his clients, and to change his whole approach to being one of integrity and sincere concern for his fellowman, truly looking only for the clients that will be able to pay off their mortgages in 84 months, by demonstrating the age-old business approach that this country was founded on as INTEGRITY FIRST AND PROFIT SECOND instead of the “profit first and integrity nowhere” approach he is operating out from now. For those of you still in this quagmire, keep the faith and consider the possibility of picketing, perhaps maybe even a collective effort to really put the pressure on.
Hopefully, it is not too late for Mr. Burke to turn this around and thereby avoid a very bad fall, for it will come sooner or later unless his priorities are righted with the laws of the Universe. Best advice: keep the prayers flowing daily and listen and follow the guidance that comes!
If Mr. David Burke has had the right motive to start the business, he wouldn’t be a place where he is now. Those people who have high incomes and have positive money flow will Not go to him because there are tans of good business finance advisers like Steve. I don’t think he won’t get it and he will continue to do evil to the people like us and he will Not repent his sinful actions. I don’t have any hope on him and ever..
What he did to you and me damaged our lives and HE SHOULD TAKE his responsibilities what David Burke did to us.
I don’t trust this guys and his followers, Period. Scam, Scam, and scam…
Alert for anyone in San Diego
If you want to speak with ABC Channel 10 News Investigative Reporter Lauren Reynolds about RTN and Dave Burke, show up at Dave Burke’s seminar on Sunday 6/13/10 at the Del Mar Hilton . She and her camera person will be there. We will be out there picketing the event to alert others to the truth about this program. We will be on the public sidewalk near the entrance. Come out and show your support for others trying to get refunds, prevent others from making this mistake or share your experience with the media.
The goal is to shut Dave Burke’s program down or force him to drastically change it, regardless of what he calls the program now or what sales pitch he is using. If we all try to stop this program from continuing, maybe we can make our community a better place.
In the next day or so, we will post our entire story, including how we got our refund after showing up at tonight’s event.
Thanks Steve for your excellent reporting and the website on this issue. And thanks for everyone’s comments. It helped us understand we were not alone and it enabled us to figure out a strategy for a refund.
Everyone lives in San Diego should participate this joyous event!!
I wish I live there so that I will be very very happy to participate today!
Show up and show your true feeling to people and We don’t need anymore victims !! Way to go!
Thanks and good luck! I pray from Arizona!
Just got this e-mail from VIP Mafia. Wonder what excuse they will give for not paying the bribe?
From: John “The Godfather” Deckys and Matthew “The Don” Pillmore
Good Times? Really?
Are you still wondering how the heck we are getting people out of debt, showing businesses and average consumers how to increase their monthly cash flows, and yet, you cannot do it yourself? Yes, if you actually understand how your cash flow, budget, credit and debt work every month, then, yes, it is good times, because you are in a very safe place no matter what happens to our economy. And we’re betting $200 that you are not in as safe of a place as you may think!
So here is the ultimate bribe…
We will show you how to pay off over $300,000 in credit cards, auto loan and a mortgage.
We will show you each and every step right in front of your very eyes.
We will leave no stone unturned.
We will NOT sell you some book, tape, CD, DVD or some BS product that will sit on your shelf.
We will show you EXACTLY what we teach police officers and other public servants, business owners, executives, investors, average consumers, educators and students.
We will show you how to properly position yourself for secure and consistent wealth building (and NO this is not get rich quick, sorry, that’s for your late night infomercials 🙂
The $ 2 0 0 Bribe:
We will give you and EVERYONE you register and bring to the event a $25 restaurant gift certificate. We will even give you an additional certificate for each and every person you bring to the event as well (no age limit).
Additionally, if you come to the class and you feel that you wasted your time, we will give you $ 2 0 0, yes that is $200 in restaurant gift certificates! So, don’t you think it might be time to finally see what we are doing? Can you actually imagine what it would be like to see how you can start accelerating the elimination of all your debts, including your mortgage? Wouldn’t it be cool to one day (and sooner than you think) have no debts at all?
Yes, we think so as well…
So, Register online at http://www.DebtandCreditMafia.com
OR
Call 1-866-969-2738 to register.
And again, keep in mind, we have $ 2 0 0 that says you will learn things that you never knew before! Like how to get, live, and stay debt free… Wanna bet? I’ll look forward to seeing if you know enough to snag $200 from two of the country’s leading cash flow, debt and credit educators…
Untill class starts, have a great rest of the week and be safe.
Don’t compare the great business VIP does with bad people. Just because one business chose to provide subpar service hardly means every company does. To believe otherwise is ignorant. I challenge you to come and see for yourself and yes, if YOU don’t believe we are who we say we are and you don’t learn from the incredible content we teach you will get $200 in gift certs. We’ll even pay it if YOUR ethics are in question. The differences between our organizations are significant and evident. We do everything we say we do and we ALWAYS correct our mistakes. This is how WE choose to do business.
Really………..?!
After all we can trust any companies take a big up front money?????
Way to go, VIP–calling your sales prospects “ignorant” and telling them you assume they’ll act unethically.
I am wondering if either of you actually have any personal experience with VIP? If not, then I wonder how you can possibly pass judgments on a company you know nothing about. It is always the easier option to sit back and condemn, than to get up and do some actual research. I read the same reply that you did. You CHOSE to read it in a negative manner because of your prejudice against this company. They are in fact, simply defending themselves (rightly so), against comparisons with a company that offers poor service. There is nothing wrong, and everything right, with that. They did not call anyone ignorant, they simply pointed out the obvious. Judging all in regards to one is, in fact, ignorant. This is something that we have all learned time and time again. It is the same with people. You cannot condemn or condone all because of the actions of one.
I sincerely hope that before posting any other negative comments about this company, you take the time to attend a FREE class. You will realize that the people at VIP are dedicated to helping people, and operating their business in a professional, ethical manner.
If you still have questions once you have been to the class, then by all means, call them. Tell them your concerns, ask them your questions, I am positive that they will address everything you bring to them in a most impressive manner.
coming from guys that used to run the scam with Burke, how many people did you guys screw then? Now it’s all Burke this and Burke that..please, you guys are no better than Burke, you just changed you scam tactics…ignorant prospects are what you need to survive and you know it, you feed off the desperate! nice mafia halloween outfits!
My instinct tell me “Big NO” for Free Class!
Al,
Thought you might enjoy reading Get Real Dave Burke – Your Real Talk Network is Going to End a Bloody Mess.
Steve
Steve,
Thanks, you always make my day and you did it again!
Sure!!!! I believe you because you are going to give me some restaurant coupons and wear a mafia halloween costume, it must be legit? By the way didn’t you work for Burke? If you guys are so intelligent then why’d you work for him in the first place. The only reason you came clean about his scam (which you were part of) is because he fired your a$$. You guys used to pitch that same mortgage software as well…just another scammer!
Steve,
Your reference, at the beginning, the cost is $2,997 for Real Talk Network program. Dave is charging a whopping $3,497 (January 2010 quoted price). And they don’t tell you on the contract that the payments will then transfer to Conrad Acceptance Corp.
What’s wrong here? We would have liked a disclosure of this!!!
Thanks for your continued work regarding this company.
gortn.com has been down all weekend…mz
It’s back up–and still running that video on the front page with the instrumental part of “Voices” in it. >8^( Wonder if Dave Burke is paying royalties to Disturbed like he’s supposed to?
I hope everyone who was damaged his life will come up and take this action. There are more people who were victims of RTN and payed the money RTN asked in AZ.
Everyone will find this website so that they can do something about it!
Burke’s show no longer shows up on Khow’s website,630am in Denver. He use to air saturday from 5pm-8pm. I was not in town so Im not sure if his show aired or aired as his new named show or not. This is getting interesting..tick tock Dave Burke
I think you’ll find this review on his “new” radio show he broadcast in San Diego Interesting. See “Breaking Down the Misleading and Deceptive Financial Sales Pitch From the Get Real With Dave Burke Radio Show.”
Steve
Good news for me!
Word has it subpoenas are on the way. An insider tip told me that RTN ex-employees have received or soon will receive subpoenas from the Colorado Attorney General as part of the ongoing fraud investigation into Dave Burke and Real Talk Network.
UPDATE
Word has it that Real Talk Network is in the process of changing their name. See Get Real With Dave – Problematic Dave Burke Changes His Branding From Real Talk Network.
Shortly after guying the program my mother’s medicare rean out (she lives in an assidted living facility). My wife and I along with my two sisters meedeed to raise aboout 5k ASAp and I requested a refund in order to help accomodate this problem. We had not started the program yet and had not had any sessions so we thought this would not be a problem. After a few futile trys we gave up and decided to just go through we the program. My mother is the real loser on this transaction because of the unexpected debt. These pepple have no heart and goodwill advertising is not a part of their program. They are heartless. We were caught up in the moment but fortunately we are shrewd negotiators and only paid $1200. We only recently investigated and found we could do the same things they are selling for next to nothing. It is no wonder 90-some percent of the people who responded to this website want to have the co. investigated. I DO HOPE IT HAPPENS.
Mchael and Hazlett!
Please take an action by writing BBB and filling complain to State AD.
Send email to RTN and get your money back! Don’t give up!
You should join a Class action with all those victims.
Good luck!
I was just told by an insider in RTN that RTN and/or Burke are paying companies to try to make this article not appear on the internet in search results. Something to hide?
What an evil man he is! Is he using money power to hide his truth?
That money is Not belong to him, the money he stole from victims!!
Freedom and free country! He just needs to STOP!!
See update in my original story above. Look at bottom for “May 18, 2010 – Discussion of Dave Burke and Real Talk Network on KHOW”
Would be interested in having an off-line discussion with you.
You should see what he was doing before he was doing the talk show, he was a morgage broker who took advantage of many people who had never owned investment properties and got them into morgage scams with loose morgage lending guidelines when the lending was gone so was he, and then we heard he was doing a talk show, almost all of these people were foreclosed on.
I guess RTN doesn’t have money to refund to the victims. In our case, CCC has never change our FICO down so I guess each case is different. In other victims’ case, RTN actually did refund by wiring money to their accounts. And they did so now they don’t have money to pay them back. I still think people who didn’t get their refund should go to a class action.
Just some insight don’t trust an emial from Real talk stating they have canceled you or have sent a check to refund your money!!!! I would tell customers that all the time because I truly thought that is what was going to happen. Nope my word ended up no good and I received even more complaints from customers. Also don’t think that just because you did receive a check it is any good. I would bust my butt to get refunds approved only to find out the check we sent was a bad check and bounced in the customers bank! BE VERY CAREFUL!!! Always request a letter from their attorney stating this has been canceled and this check has been issued. Also if you want to contact their attorney Berkely Freeman in Boulder CO.
Steve, Thanks for this website, it has been very informative.
I appear to be in the same situation as a lot of people. I got involved with RTN back in October, 2008. Back then the “contract” was simple. Just name, address and contact info, plus, of course, payment information. The cost of the program was $1997. At the bottom of the only form I signed, was the following: “Our refund policy and guarantee are simple – We guarantee results. We will educate and coach you individually on the steps required to eliminate debt at a dramatically faster pace. Mortgages are guaranteed to be eliminated in 2-7 years. consumer debt in days, weeks, and months. You must follow the steps and actions of your coaching to remain within our guarantee. When we eliminate the debt and interest you pay we have achieved our goal. If we determine, in your first one on one coaching sessions, that our program will not work for you we will provide a full refund. Refunds will ONLY be granted if action steps are followed by our clients and results are not achieved, no exceptions.”
I felt I was a savvy consumer and that I might give them a try. At that point there was no real negative reports about them. I was pretty far in debt, so I was at first hesitant to sign anything at that first “free” session. David Burke personally sat down with me and asked me if I could afford to make payments, that he was unconcerned with the money, that they just wanted to help me. I said I might be able to pay $100/mo. So he quickly wrote that up on my “contract”. I paid $100 using my CC right then.
I live in the Phoenix area and they were having twice monthly seminars/coaching sessions in my area. I began attending as many sessions as possible, but quickly discovered the “shell game” approach was the only help they were going to give me and it was making my financial situation worse. I made sure to do exactly what they said though, so I would not be in violation of the guarantee. In January 2009 I spoke with David Burke at one of the seminars, told him my situation and he actually advised that I send a letter to request a refund, which I did. The next month they stopped billing my CC, so I thought the whole thing was done with.
Like others here, 14 months latter I get a letter from Conrad saying I was sent to collections, and that I must pay $1497 plus interest. I immediately sent a certified dispute letter to conrad. They sent me a copy of the “contract” I signed. I again sent them a certified dispute letter asking under what authority they were collecting. Instead of responding, they put a negative mark on all 3 Credit reporting agency reports (I knew almost immediately because I have credit monitoring).
Thus began a long history of calling RTN to try and get some resolution. I have spoken to Gwen, Brenda, Kayla and others, who have all been very polite and seem to want to help. I even spoke to Carrie Stevens at Conrad (who is very rude and abusive and never lets you finish any sentence). She said they have no power to alter the contract in any way since they don’t own the contract. That they are just trying to collect a debt. I kept being told that “Mandy” was reviewing the matter and/or that it was on Mandy’s bosses desk (Billi, I assume).
While I was writing this, I was surprised to actually get a call from Mandy!!! She said that while they absolutely could not issue a refund, that she would “try” to get Conrad to cancel the contract, since they “owned” it now, and RTN really has no power over them. Seems like Mandy and Carrie and Conrad don’t agree in their view of the collection process here. She said she would call me back tomorrow to let me know what the result was. I guess we’ll see.
At this point, I haven’t filed any complaints, but I have contacted a lawyer. She said if I went to court, that I would probably win. If Mandy doesn’t contact me in the next few days, I will give her once last chance before starting the whole legal process.
Jeremy, when you go up to the beginning of the comments, they said, “older comments” and click there to read Al or other people comments. They will tell you how they succeed to get their refund or made cleared both CCC and RTN. Everyone file their complains and please do so before you pay your lawyers to go long process. They didn’t involve their lawyers but they solve their problems. RTN and CCC are both afraid of authorities so file your complaints with CCC, FCC, Your states District Attorney and etc. I filed all of the complaints files even with FBI. I sent a very simple and letter to CCC and told them that I will deal with RTN directly so don’t call or don’t send any letters. Then I also sent a letter to RTN saying, I sent a letter to CCC, I did cancel your service with RTN ….Then get all the copies you sent both CCC and RTN. I called all the radio station and talked with managers. They stopped their ad. soon after.
then I sent an email to Mondy and told her that I did file my complaints with this and that. If you don’t refund to me, I will take this action.
I was going to ask to broadcast in our TV, and also was going to go to file the complain or talk to Denver, FBI. I also found out that RTN didn’t a right to have any business in our town and let them know about it.
They called right away and did cancel our account. CCC called and cancel their account. Their are people even sending documents to FBI so you should do all. Please read older comments. They will tell you how they succeeded getting their refunds. Hope this will help.
All the FBI addresses and all other info. is above.
Good luck and we all victims pray for you. You can do it and please do file your complaints right away otherwise they don’t do anything and won’t take responsibilities.
You can do it!
Thanks Al! I will do those things. This website has been a great source of valuable info!
Let me know how it went!
Good luck!
An ex-RTN employee also told me “I was dealing with 10 to 100 refund requests a day.” The employe said the requests would be denied and the employee claims when they said people were due a refund if they cancelled within the first 72 hours they say Burke got very upset with the employee.
That sure supports what we’ve all been saying here. It’s just nice to have an insider confirm the refund policy was always a joke.
Steve
People are coming out from all over to blow the whistle on RTN and Dave Burke. Here is an alleged email I was forwarded that was sent out in 2009.
Subject: Goodbye my friends…
Hey All,
Just wanted to say goodbye. Dave let me go out of the blue yesterday. Yep, that’s right, no discussion about taking a pay cut to stay on or even another option to do something else for RTN. I know, crazy, all the sacrifice and what I thought to be friendship with Dave and he didn’t even have the courtesy to speak to me like a man. What a puss quite honestly. Definitely not the actions of a “transparent” CEO.
Now, as you all know, Dave will spin this the way he always does, but the truth is he lied straight to myself over a period of weeks (even when I asked him direct specific questions about the company and me). In the end all he did was justify his actions of lying and being deceitful to me by saying how financially screwed he is. Sorry, buck-o, not a reason at all to screw anyone, let alone a friend (a friend who you came to for support and whose shoulders you physically cried on when you felt the world coming down on you and you needed to know someone had your back no matter what). That was me Dave, remember, remember all those times when I held you up and had your back when no one else could. Well folks, that’s how Dave paid back my friendship with him.
Anyway, enough bitchin on my end. Here’s the transparency that you have been promised by Dave that I know to be factual and some additional info that Billi filled me in on just before I left:
1. RTN is flat broke (actually, in the red) and needs about $250,000 right now just to stay alive
2. RTN has a $20k+ payroll shortfall this payroll (that’s why checks haven’t dropped)
3. RTN is over 1 full payment cycle behind on bills (including radio, so the ability to use radio marking is about to get crushed)
4. Refunds are coming in to the tune of 5 to 10 sometimes 12 or more a day (unbelievable but absolutely true)
5. Lawsuits are being filed
6. BBB complaints have left us with an F rating
7. Charge backs are coming in like crazy
8. Merchant account continue to freeze, get increased reserves and are now getting audited because of continuously poor processing management.
9. People are continuously calling up telling me they are getting double billed (why are they always getting double billed? I asked with no answer… Hmmm… could it be a way to get more money in the bank and buy time) Cynical, no, just calling it the way I see it when there is no other reason given by those who are doing the actions)
10. Old customers are now coming into the office throughout the week hoping to get a check (one lady still hasn’t been refunded since June of 2008!)
11. Dave has said to my face, he “is done and can’t and won’t give anymore”
I know most of you already feel that the wheels are coming off, but, I say these things because I really have appreciated and enjoyed working with all of you and you deserve to hear the truth about what is going on. I don’t want to see you get strung along and lied to like I was, and then have the carpet pulled out from underneath you. So, stay true to yourselves, ask the hard questions, demand real answers and don’t allow yourself to get bamboozled by Dave’s Burkisms and BS (although I did ask the hard questions and demand real answers and Dave just lied straight to my face. So, I guess good luck! J ).
Anyway, I wish you all the best of luck and I will certainly look back on a lot of these times with some fond memories. I hope you all have a great summer and maybe I’ll see some of you around still!
John Deckys
The scammer got scammed, sooo sad! Now said scammer decided to create his version of the same scam – VIP Mafia – it just never stops! When are you going to look into what they (VIP) are now offering? It seems to me that, like cockroaches, you kill one and 10 more appear!
I’d definitely trust someone wearing a Mafia halloween costume with my credit. Same old song and dance my friend!
Watch channel 7 denver investigative report on RTN tonight. 10pm (MTN). The ship is sinking for RTN…If you are not in Denver you can see it on channel 7 news website right after it airs!
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23558579/detail.html
U, thank you for your info. regarding 7news. I’m looking forward to watching that news tonight. When I think about many victims who lost a lot of many for RTN, they all should take him to a class action.
I use to work for Real Talk Network and yes it is a scam! Stay far far away!
Hi, Steve!
Thanks again for leaving this web site open so that we can keep in touch with exchanging our info. RTN should shout down!
My wife and I attended the credit scam seminar last weekend and I was almost snowballed into increasing my credit card debt by $3500 for the false promise that they would coach me out of debt. As an engineer, my only question was what will you do for me and what are the methods employed that will get me out of debt in 5 to 7 years (2 mortgages). Three consultants later, they gave me no defensible answer to my question, while the entire time trying to bully me into signing and paying. DO NOT make the same mistake by going to their scam seminar.
I’ve been accelerating my mortgage payments on my own, and have lopped off 6 to 7 years on my rental property mortgage, while I was living in it. Stay on time with your credid card payments and try to keep the balance below 10 to 30% of tthe credid limit; this will your credit scores up. Finaly, take advanatage of any low % offers form the credit cards you already posses, but be carefull to pay them off and not live off of the credit cards. I’ve been practicing this for six to seven years and have gone from a net worth (w/ no assets) of -$40k to a net worh of $56k which includes two mortgaged properties, $30k worth of pilot’s license and 3 good used vehicles completely paid off. Credit scores in the mid to high 700s currently.
Consult your mortgage broker and they should be able to explain to you how the credit score works and how to get that score up. The discipline part is up to you, and the advice part should be completely free….not $3500.
What will you get for $3500, nothing more than financial snake oil and $3500 further into debt.
I just can’t believe that after getting “F” grade from BBB, RTN is still trying to rip off money in Colorado? I’m sure a lot of people pay money to CCC that they didn’t need to so hope someone will try to bring RTN to a class action for sure.
We were sent to CCC after cancel their service. (We got a threatening phone call from RTN, telling us that we owed $1,972.00 after 11 months later)I still feel that they ruined and damaged my life. And after all they are still doing their business that made me more angry! People we should all get and take him to a class action! So that they don’t ruin people’s lives and RTN, David Burke should take all the responsibilities what they have and had done to our lives.
I was sent to CCC 11/2 years after attending the free seminar. I had given them $200.00 “fully refundable” dollars, to hold a spot if I wanted to join. After getting home I realized it was a bad idea, so just wrot off the $200.00 and forgot about it. CCC contacted me 11/2 years later and threatened to send me to collections for approximately $1500.00. I asked for a copy of the contract(which ended up being a credit card signature for the $200.00 nothing else). They then hit my credit with a hard inquiry and a negative report. After 2 letters from my attorney, they pulled back and eventually sent back my $200.00 and agreed to remove the credit issues from my report. This was about 2 months ago and the credit reports have not changed. In my opinion this guy is a crook. He needs to be stopped and jailed with all of the other crooks.
I attended one of his free seminars recently, and the math he uses is totally bogus. BEWARE, THE PRICE IS NOW $3497.00 and if you cannot pay the full amount they will accept $500 down and payment of $65-100/mo. While listening to his hype one of his statements was that about 3-5% of the people this program will not help, guess that means if you cannot pay the full amount or the down payment the program will be of no use to you. So glad I did not sign up, this guy is a scammer and needs a long prison term. It is really sad to see the number of people that leave there in tears since they don’t have the funds avalilable to get into the program.
Guess what everyone, I check the rating of BBB this morning!
Real Talk Network went down from “D” to “F” and over 95 people complain about RTN.
i’m in bad financial situation,
88K in credit cards, 2 cars payments, 1 home loan $3200
plus my business problems, i owe my creditors about 175k
my house income, $5500 monthly.
Do i have any hope to recovery from this situation.
I signed with real talk network, i think i made a big mystake.
I was so fraid about my situation, i just trying find a help.
Do i have any hope to get out of this financial problem???
Daniel
If I were you, I will consult with Steve but never and never with RTN. You should cancel if you could. If I were you, I will live providently. Spend less than you earn and pay your debt first. Sell your house if you could and buy a smaller house. Reduce entertainment, eating out and other expenses that you can control.
Negotiate lower interest rate or longer credit terms with your business vendors if possible. There is always hope but takes patience to reduce your debt slowly but surely. RTN won’t help and please ask Steve who you can trust.
Good luck!
To RTN, write a formal cancellation letter to cancel your financial advice agreement.
Al, thank you so much! I will keep you posted on my progress!
Cheers!
Please contact channel 7 news investigators Denver at (303) 832-7777 ex 285
They would like to do an investigation into Real Talk Network and need brave victims to step forward. They cannot help unless we make sure our voices are heard. This can be completely confident if you choose but again please call and TAKE ACTION!
channel 7 news investigators Denver at (303) 832-7777 ex 285
Love it!
Hi All,
I signed whatever RTN gave me to sign but threw that away. Never received services from them. Got a letter from CCC saying that I must pay $2,500. Please, anyone, if you have a copy of what they call a contract, could you please email it to me at forumjob@hotmail.com. Conrad wouldn’t send it to me. I feel like I’m stuck!
Tanya,
I have several emails from people inside RTN and former employees of RTN that are disgusted with what has been going on. While I can’t share everything they have said, here is one part that pertains to your question.
“Or if the people are unwilling to sign up at that night events, he then tells his sales team to have them fill out and sign the “Contact information” part of the contract and then he sends those contracts to collections!!! He is literally tricking these people into signing a binding contract. In the contract it states that RTN can send them to collections to collect the money the just signed and agreed to pay to.”
So what you may have filled out may never have appeared to be a “contact” but instead a contact form.
Steve
Hello Steve, thank you for your quick response,
I did agree to sign up at that night event. I changed my
mind next day and never contacted RTN and they never
contacted me until 6 months later I received a letter from
CCC.
I’m wondering though if what I signed is considered
a real contract which can be enforced? If it is I don’t
really know what to do at this point.
I am not interested in their services and am not willing
to now pay over $2,500 to Conrad.
Do you have an advise for me?
Tanya,
Other comments above may help.
Steve
Hi. Tanya!
Here is what we did and worked!
1.Write a simple but clear business formatted letter
to CCC saying that you haven’t receive any service
from RTN and you will deal the matter with RTN
directly. Write to CCC ASAP.
2. Write another letter to RTN and explain that you
had no service and we are Not going to get in a
future. (Simple and business format)
3. File a complain to BBB.
4. File a consumer complain to District Attorney in
your area.
5. Take into a small court if it will be necessary.
6. Call FBI and file a complain to White Color Scam.
Then send e-mail that you did all the action.
In my case, I called and talked to the guy and
canceled but they told us that we have no prove.
Anyway take these actions right away and soon is
better!
Good luck.
Yes like Steve said that if you read all the above
suggestion, there are a lot of answers to your
questions. Don’t get panic and take those actions.
You don’t believe that it will work. Have a hope!
Don’t give up!
Steve,
I sent a complaint to 7news and got email back from the person who works for 7news in Colorado. I gave him this website address.
They told me that they will look closer to RTN.
Thanks,
I got an email from Bob (KKLA)this morning! (
AL,
Real Talk is no longer on our station.
Bob
Bob Hastings
Director of Marketing Solutions
Salem Communications
Tel: 818-662-3720
Fax: 818-662-3751
e: bob.hastings@salem.cc
RTN is still doing seminars at San Diego and Colorado. April 5, 2010, BBB update of the people who filed the complaints went up to 84!
File the complains to BBB and RTN really need to stop and shut their company right now!
Hi Steve,
Just a note to tell you and others that after I filed my lawsuit in January RTN called to tell me they would settle out of court. This happened 4 days before the scheduled court appearance. RTN’s attorney, Berkley Freeman, prepared a Stipulation Agreement which basically returned all my money ($3,497.00). He was very apologetic and helpful and returned the money to me last week. So…the moral of the story is-don’t threaten or waste too much time trying to talk to RTN. File a suit. They will get the message when the sheriff’s deputy delivers a summons to trial.
My sincerest good wishes to all trying to get money back. It can be done.
Jon
Jon,
I’m very pleased to hear more good news. Hope everyone of them will get all the money back so that they can sleep peacefully. Thanks Steve again, we really think the Lord sent you to us all to relieve our burdens from our shoulders.
My husband and I prayed a lot till we really solve the problems but I still want everyone to win this fight!
I checked KKLA radio this morning and they stopped RTN adv. Maybe David Burke is too busy dealing with all the customers or courts cases.
Everyone, please get your money before RTN gets bankrupt!
Thanks again, Steve!
and Happy Easter to Jon!
A company was trying to sell me research services this morning and they asked me for the name of someone I had written about before to use as a research example. RTN came to mind and so they used them as an example of their capabilities. To my surprise the following recent cases came up as recently filed against RTN.
Colorado District & County Courts
CO District & County – Adams
2010C044430
Apollo Credit Agency Inc v. Real Talk Network Inc Et. Al.
Date Filed: 02/25/2010
Real Talk Network Inc – Defendant 1
Luna, Stephen J – Defendant 2
—
Colorado District & County Courts
CO District & County – Adams
2010S000059
Weaver, Derrin v. Real Talk Network Inc
Date Filed: 01/27/2010
—
Colorado District & County Courts
CO District & County – Adams
2010S000066
Danley, Jon Gilbert v. Real Talk Network Inc Et. Al.
Date Filed: 01/29/2010
Real Talk Network Inc – Defendant 1
Sale, Erik – Defendant 2
Steve,
There are actually 6 records of court cases. RTN is Defendent on all but one. You can get them by going to http://www.cocourts.com. It costs $6 to run a search but it is totally worth it. I’d be happy to fax you what I found if you can give me a number.
I would recommend filing complaints federally as well. I am!
Here is Dave Burke’s personal Cell phone number, give him a call directly!!!
(720) 253-6538
Update: I received an email from BBB of Denver today. The State of Colorado Attorney General has forwarded my complaint to BBB. They have sent the complaint to RTN for comment.
Meanwhile, I received a call from BBB of Denver public relations department today. Apparently, 7 News is considering doing a story about RTN and the BBB wanted to know if I would be willing to do an interview with 7 News and if it was ok to send my complaint information to 7 News.
I emailed the link to this forum to the woman I spoke with and she will share that with the reporter that is considering the story.
If you have not done so, I suggest you send a formal complaint to Better Business Bureau of Denver so that they have as much information as possible about the issues consumers have with RTN.
Stephanie,
Glad that you are taking all the actions to let more people know of RTN scam.
We agreed that everyone should do the same till they shut down!
Thanks!
Stephanie,
Did you hear any more updated info. from 7News? I’d like to listen or watch on internet. Are they really going to interview you or someone?
I still see a lot of seminar which are scheduled to have in Colorado and California. I wonder when David Burke will stop and shut his company?
Could you let me know when your interview will go on air?
David,
We already solved our problems with both RTN and CCC. However, we feel like we need to help others by giving out our info. so that everyone can get their refund.
And we don’t want to have more victims in a future so we fell that our mission is to continue to help exchange our info. so that RTN will shut their business.
Thanks for your up dated info. Others could benefit from your info.
Good luck!
>> I’d like to know everyone’s up date! Are RTN giving back refund? Is CCC
>> still giving you hard time?
>>
>> I called KKLA FM yesterday and left the message to call me but so far no
>> response.
>>
>> I saw RTN is schedule to give more scam seminars in California. I can’t
>> believe that David Burke is his scam group still ripping off money?
>>
>> Call KKLA and file the complain, people! We can’t sleep till everyone
>> gets refund. Don’t give up!
I am still in the process of getting my refund from RTN, so I’ll update this web site when my credit card company tells me when my charge reversal has been completed.
As for KKLA, it is a Christian station. When this whole process started, KKLA was one of the first places I filed a complaint against RTN, and I was concerned. RTN is one of KKLA’s advertisers (i.e., revenue).
Like you, Al, I started by leaving a voicemail message (to someone named Bob). A few days later, I got a call back from someone named Victoria. She listened to what I had to say and said she has RTN’s radio ad on CD, and that she will listen to it in her car. About a week or so passed without hearing from her.
At this point, my BBB dispute against RTN was turning out unfruitful, and I had initiated the escalation to arbitration. RTN’s one-hour radio advertisement was key to my case, so I contacted Victoria again via email and requested her if I could get a copy of RTN’s radio ad on CD, offering to pay for all expenses they might incur in procuring such for me. Victoria responded and told me she will mail the CD to me, free of charge. A couple of days later, Mandy from RTN called me and said RTN was going to refund my money.
Nevertheless, I still checked my mail to see if the CD from Victoria had arrived, but nothing. A week later, Victoria emailed me again saying “I just found out we don’t achieve the programs so you will have to go on their web page and listen to it like I did.” I found that response very puzzling. I emailed her back asking what she meant by “we don’t achieve the programs”. That reply of mine was dated 3/22/2010 (two days ago as of this writing), so it hasn’t been that long yet, so I am still awaiting a response. It is also noteworthy to mention that the multimedia content at RTN’s site is not the same as the radio advertisement I heard from KKLA and would be useless to my case.
Whether or not Victoria sent me the CD of RTN’s ad has become irrelevant now, simply because RTN has already agreed to give me a refund. But I am posting this because I read Al’s post, and it seems like he’s just at the stage I was a few weeks ago, initiating a complaint to RTN through KKLA.
I just wanted to share with Al my personal experience with KKLA.
I’d like to know everyone’s up date! Are RTN giving back refund? Is CCC still giving you hard time?
I called KKLA FM yesterday and left the message to call me but so far no response.
I saw RTN is schedule to give more scam seminars in California. I can’t believe that David Burke is his scam group still ripping off money?
Call KKLA and file the complain, people! We can’t sleep till everyone gets refund. Don’t give up!
I think everyone might be interested in a recent post about another group that seems to promote another debt relief program that costs $3,000 to $5,000 with a 72 hour no refund policy. See Living Free and Clear Program Offered by TJ Marrs and Asset Solutions a Scam?
I went to KKLA website and called them but they haven’t respond to my call.
I found the schedule on Sat. that Real Talk Net is still doing their business with KKLA. I sent email to stop adv. like they do here in my state.
Call 818-956-5552 Bob!! Everyone in California call, they might stop the scam adv.
I won’t give up!
I spoke to someone named Victoria from KKLA, and I had asked her to give me a copy of RTN’s radio ad on CD. She at one time told me she had it on CD and was going to listen to it in her car.
When I was actively pursuing my BBB complaint and had to escalate it to arbitration (as well as initiate my Small Claims suit against RTN), I had requested Victoria to send me a copy of RTN’s ad on CD, and she agreed to do so. But she later changed her story — that she didn’t have it, and that I should listen to RTN’s ad at their web site just like the way she did. Really? She went from listening to the CD in her car to now having to go to RTN’s site to listen to the ad? Thing is, the ad in RTN’s web site is not the same as what KKLA aired and would’ve been useless to me. Luckily, RTN had already refunded me my money, and I had already ceased all legal action and had no need for their radio ad anymore.
But this post is not about RTN, it’s about KKLA. They are a Christian station, and I found it extremely disappointing how they could flip-flop like that. I’m just guessing, but it looks to me like they are afraid of losing their sponsors enough to turn a blind eye to the pursuit of righteousness. I say this because I confronted Victoria in my email to her about this point, and she never bothered to answer, or to correct me.
I don’t listen to KKLA anymore. At the very least, I now doubt their morality and ethics. That station preaches God’s word a lot, but it’s beginning to seem to me that they do not care as much in practicing what they preach.
So Al, good luck in communicating with them.
03/21/2010 -Thank goodness I found this website. I heard this man’s pitch while on a drive today. Didn’t hear the whole thing except that he had all these seminars lined up and “only idiots that didn’t care about saving enough money for their children and family members” would not attend. He kept claiming that most of his free seminars were already full and that you needed to call in right away to get a seat and he is only holding these seminars for a limited period of time. Apparently, he is marketing the Denver/Boulder area of Colorado as there are multiple “workshops” taking place. He can be found at the Doubletree Inn in Westminster this coming Friday. Thanks for keeping the public informed of these type of scams.
This is an update to my previous post, 1/19/10. I hope this information will help others affected.
I spoke to Nick Combs at RTN on 1/28. I advised him that I no longer had a phone or internet service (since I still have a negative cash flow). Told him I can’t use the phone for coaching, what alternatives were there. He advised that I could use a friend’s phone or go to a corporate dinner and meet with a coach there. He said there were none on the calendar right now. He could send me a payment plan modification form. That they have a strict policy – no refunds, no cancellations.
I requested the form. It states that the plan can only be postponed up to 90 days, that they will not review the contract unless at least 1 coaching session has occurred, and that I must submit proof of circumstances (bankruptcy, foreclosure, job loss, bank statement). Requests not received within 7 or more days before the payment plan date will automatically be denied.
I learned that Conrad Credit Corp. has reported my “debt” as a collection account to all three credit bureaus.
I spoke with an attorney. She advised me to:
A. Send a certified letter to RTN stating 1)they failed to do what was promised, 2)cease all collection efforts, 3) remove the collection account from the credit bureaus.
B. Send a copy with a letter to Conrad requesting #2 and #3.
C. Send a dispute letter to each credit bureau with a copy of the letter that I sent to RTN. Once they receive a dispute and note it on the credit report, it will not affect the credit score.
D. File a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General.
She commented that since Conrad’s authority with the State of Colorado was terminated, by the State, 10/03/03, they cannot bring a lawsuit in Colorado, unless they get re-instated (not likely due to fees they would have to pay). They can hire someone to bring the suit on their behalf, but that is unlikely for the dollar amount involved.
I’ve done these things. Now it’s wait and see.
I sent Mandy an email today noting that what she had sent me did not have the same language as AL’s about making sure CCC pulled any reports they may have made to credit agencies, and asking the I be given the same assurance by regular mail in 30 days.
Kellia
Hi, Kellia!
yesterday, on March 19, Mandy told my husband that she has been taking care of 30 people when she called my husband, Al at 10:30 a.m. Here is what happened to us. When we read your comment earlier saying that you got an e-mail from Amanda(Mandy), we decided to send an e-mail, saying all the actions we took:
Here is an email we sent to Mandy:
Amanda Daoud,
Regarding our (Al’s) cancelled RTN services.
We attended RTN initial seminar on March 19, 2009 in Hotel Scottsdale Cottonwood in Scottsdale, AZ at 7:30 PM. We called a RTN rep named Jay a few days later (within the legally allowed 5 business days to cancel contracts without penalty) and decided to cancel our application for services and were never told by Jay that we needed to submit a written cancellation letter. We have proof that we never attended any financial counseling sessions.
In order get our cancellation finalized, we have submitted complaints to the following:
KKNT 960 AM General Manager
U.S. Federal Trade Commission
State of Arizona Criminal Investigation Department
FBI Tempe AZ White Collar Crime/Marketing Fraud Dep’t.
Attorney General in Colorado
Better Business Bureau in AZ.
Arizona IRS Criminal Investigation Dep’t.
Arizona Business.gov database and RTN is not listed as having any business licence for AZ.
We need a letter from RTN informing us of the cancelled services clarifying that we do not owe any fees and that our case has been removed CCC. Conrad Credit or RTN hastelephoned my office twice with out identifying themselves. This is also against Consumer Protection Law 804.
If not, we are ready to submit complaints to the Colorado Uniform Consumer Credit Dep’t. (CUCC) and Denver Colorado FBI Mass Marketing Fraud Dep’t. about this case. CUCC states consumers must have 5 working days (cooling off period) to cancel any contracts without penalty.
If our consumer FICO score has had negative reports dubiously submitted by Conrad or RTN, we will take action as advised by Tempe FBI to submit complaints to the White Collar Crime department in Denver Colorado.
My wife has received numerous harassment calls (the first one was a senior aged lady that yelled at my wife threatening her to pay a $900 cancellation fee) and from people (including a man speaking Korean) and other obscene calls we suspect from CCC but they never ID themselves.
We need an apology for all the pain and anguish and sleeplessness caused by RTN over a simple mishandling of this contract cancellation and RTN’s refusal to acknowledge the cancellation.
Please call……….tomorrow (Fri. 3/19/2010) between 9 AM and 11 AM Colorado time if you have further questions.
(signed our names)
We got a call from Mandy and told my husband that they will send an official cancellation email and she told us to make sure that she told us CCC didn’t send reports to three credit bureaus but Mandy will make sure that we will pull our account from CCC. Then we got the official email saying, RTN won’t owe any money from us. Then we got a call from CCC named, Janice told my husband that she needs to confirm our address and CCC account number.
Kellia, when you send another email, state your case briefly and list of government agencies that you filed complaints with which will strengthen your case.
Here is the email we got right after Mandy called us yesterday.
Al,
I am happy to inform you that your contract with RTN has been cancelled and we have pulled you out of collections with Conrad Companies. As of 3/19/10 you have a balance of zero dollars. I will double check with Conrad Companies that this hasn’t been reported to your credit and if it has then I will have them remove it completely. If you have any further questions regarding this matter please feel free to contact me directly. My contact information is listed below.
Thank you for being a part of RTN!
Mandy Daoud
Customer Service Manager
Real Talk Network, Inc.
1333 West 120th Ave. #208
Westminster, Co 80234
Kellia and other victims who are both trying to get refund back or get you officials cancellation emails, please follow do the same and make sure to copy the email to keep it as your prove.
Kellia, CCC probably didn’t send records to CCC but if you want to get more detailed email, you are right to ask that for your prove document to keep.
Good luck!
We were relieved after all but we are still unsatisfied till everyone of victims get refund. We also send Arizona DA a letter with the RTN email and we also told them that RTN admitted their mistreatment of us and they lied about our case. RTN should shut their company. People before they go bankrupt, get your money back, hurry!
Here is email we got after one whole month of misery!
They called us twice and let us know that they called CCC and took our account that had never existed at RTN.
I lost three lbs, sleepless night and struggle. Those who haven’t money back, send email to Amanda who told my husband that she has been dealing with thirty clients today. Send e-mail and insist that you want your money back. She will give your money back…Don’t give up.
We copied the cancel email to keep it as our record.
I am happy to inform you that your contract with RTN has been canceled and we have pulled you out of collections with Conrad Companies. As of 3/19/10 you have a balance of zero dollars. I will double check with Conrad Companies that this hasn’t been reported to your credit and if it has then I will have them remove it completely. If you have any further questions regarding this matter please feel free to contact me directly. My contact information is listed below.
Thank you for being a part of RTN!
Mandy Daoud
Customer Service Manager
Hi everyone,
The email address for Mandy Daoud is scheduler[at]gortn.com.
Steve
We are sick of dealing with this scam. We called but Mandy was gone. They should call us to make an apology.
We even don’t want to spend money for a long distance from Arizona. They should show us a sincere apology !!
Debit Burke should openly make an apology to admit. I know he will change the name of the company and will continue to do the business. I just found out how much citizens here in Arizona were ripped off and some people have just given up for asking for refund which make me upset.
Some one still need to take David Burke down to the justice.
We couldn’t sleep every night since Feb 12. Davit Burke should take responsibilities what he did to us all.
Why don’t they have tall free number? We are not going to call them any more. They should contact us.
We want them to clear the record of CCC and a written letter to prove that we won’t owe any money.
We had enough !!
I just found this in my email:
Kellia Ramares,
I wanted to inform you that your contract has been cancelled with Real Talk and your account has been pulled from collections with Conrad Companies. There is a zero balance owed as of 2/24/10. I tried to call you and left you a few voicemails and I wasn’t sure if you have received them yet or not. When you can, please give me a call just to confirm that you have received this information. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to call me directly.
Thank you for being a part of RTN!
Mandy Daoud
Customer Service Manager
Real Talk Network, Inc.
1333 West 120th Ave. #208
Westminster, Co 80234
3032807284 Office Ext. 117
3034578017 Fax
Has anyone dealt with Mandy Doud? Things are a little fishy still because she could not get through on my phone because I often keep the phone unplugged. I generally stay po very late and I work afternoon and evening and do not want to be awoken in the morning especially by telemarketers. So she hasn’t been able to leave any messages. If she had left a message I would have picked it up.
I will call her tomorrow for a written confirmation that CCC has pulled any negative reports out of my credit report.
Steve, are collectors required to pull any reports they have made once the collection has been pulled? I don’t see why we should have to deal with a mess someone else made.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..The Woman Who Just Might Save the Planet and Our Pocketbooks =-.
Kellia,
That’s good news.
Did you look at your reports yet to see if they reported anything? I would be surprised if they had reported it yet.
Steve
We called Mandy yesterday and there aren’t any call from her yet! Maybe she is too busy for taking care of their business.
They should be busy for returning all money maybe??
Or dealing with all the calls from everyone.
RTN stopped coming to Arizona?? We wonder why?
I just can’t trust RTN and they are still doing their business with citizens. They have to stop their business, period!
RTN is still doing business here in Arizona. I don’t think they have a business license to do that. Now West USA Reality is a sponsor for RTN. We really need to nail down David Burke. what do you think?
They don’t stop making more vistims.
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Steve,
Thank you so much for putting this web site to help us and encourage us to do the right thing. Without your site, we probably didn’t know what to do and we thank to Kellia for helping us moving forward to win this battle.
We haven’t gotten any dispute letter from RTN and we just called Mandy at RTN and she hasn’t apply to our call.
We don’t want to spend money to call due to a long distance.
We haven’t solve our problems of being asked to pay money for no service we never received.
But we can fight till the end and we do it till everyone gets their money back.
“Power to the People”
I am glad to hear that people are getting refunds, but so far I have heard nothing from RTN or CCC and am getting concerned that I and others like me might be left behind. I want acknowledgement that the contract was modified after my first (and only) coaching session to make the money I paid in advance ($500) payment in full. RTN threw me into collections after a year, a total surprise to me after I thought everything was taken care of. I am not seeing a refund. I want my credit reports cleared by CCC of any negative reports they filed.
I called CCC out on their extortionate attempt to get $400 out of me through a non-disclosure agreement, complaining to the Alameda County DA, the FBI office in San Francisco, and last week to the FBI office in Denver. But I have not heard from them.
Attorney Livingston has not replied to my email either, and I wonder if he doesn’t care because I am not seeking a refund.
Is there anyone else out there who’s primary interest is to clear their credit report, not to seek a refund? Are your demands getting any satisfaction?
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..The Woman Who Just Might Save the Planet and Our Pocketbooks =-.
Kellia,
Have you looked at a copy of your consolidated credit report to see which, if any, bureau is reporting this?
Steve
No. Where do you get a consolidated credit report without having to pay for it.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..The Woman Who Just Might Save the Planet and Our Pocketbooks =-.
Kellia,
I went to BBB and found out that you can get free copies of three credit record once a year and I applied on the phone.
Here is an info. below.
“All consumers now can obtain a free credit report once a year through the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.annualcreditreport.com. This can also be ordered toll-free at 1-877-322-8228.”
We are still waiting for the record. They gave us mental grief and wasted many hours of time to contact all the authorities, RTN should pay us money for this hassle.
All consumers now can obtain a free credit report once a year through the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.annualcreditreport.com. This can also be ordered toll-free at 1-877-322-8228.
Kellia,
You can get a free online single bureau credit report from CreditKarma.com.
Steve
Kellia,
I’m just trying to get it off my credit report as well with no success.
Hi Kellia, and everybody for that matter,
Finally got some other work taken care of, and in the process, I figured out a few creative ways to make life interesting for RTN and crew. Anybody who contacted me and I haven’t written back in awhile, and who hasn’t settled with RTN already, I’d sure like to hear from you.
Anybody interested in contact Mr. Livingston to participate in legal action against RTN can contact him at chrisatty[at]hotmail.com
Steve
I called the hotel which RTN hold free seminar. The hotel manager will come me back to hear what RTN did to us.
I’m excited to talk to the manager. Keep moving till we win this fight!
I just filed a Criminal Investigation Complaint form in my state. We want them to check if RTN has a legal license to do their business in my state. I sent all the document with the letter and I sent this morning.
Here is an info. regarding finding out your credit report free once a year! In case you want to know if Conrad Credit sent your fault account report to three credit companies.
Credit Repair Fraud
All consumers now can obtain a free credit report once a year through the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.annualcreditreport.com. This can also be ordered toll-free at 1-877-322-8228.
Please contact channel 7 news investigators Denver at (303) 832-7777 ex 285
We would like to do an investigation into Real Talk Network and need brave victims to step forward.
I have just happened to open BBB web site and found out that BBB rated RTN is “D”. Everyone file the complains. It used to be “C”. What is doing is working!!
Business Licensing Database
CREDIT REPAIR (UCCC)
CREDIT REPAIR CREDIT REPORT DEBT INTEREST RATES
State
Colorado Department of Law
Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC)
1525 Sherman St, 7th Fl.
Denver , CO 80203
(303)866-5474
Fax: (303)866-5691
Any person or business that, for a fee, advertises or claims they can improve a person’s credit record or report is subject to the Colorado Credit Services Organization Act.
Written contracts and disclosures required.
Buyer can cancel contract within 5 working days without penalty.
Complaints should be forwarded to UCCC.
Link: http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/uccc
Federal
U.S. Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington , DC 20580
(202)326-3553
(877)382-4357
Fax: (202)326-3197
The Federal Trade Commission’s Telemarketing Sales Rule prohibits credit repair companies from collecting any advance fees other than those connected with the cost of obtaining credit reports.
Link: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/tsr.htm
Al,
Good catch. Apparently since I wrote my comment yesterday when they had a C- rating they have just been downgraded today to a D rating and have a new complaint against them today with the BBB. Yesterday the BBB was reporting 78 total complaints and today it’s 79.
Interesting. It would be great to get a Colorado legal opinion if the RTN contracts with a three day cancellation clause do not comply with the five day statute required by Colorado since their services do involve credit repair or as they like to call it, “credit coaching” work.
Steve
What i find to be completely perplexing is the entire RTN issue could be resolved it seems if RTN simply adopted a fair and reasonable refund policy to refund fees for services not used and did not send people to collections for services the customer never utilized. Without those basic and fundamental changes in place it certainly appears to me that the Dave Burke Real Talk Network process is designed to kick people with money troubles when they are down. It just seems that targeting a disadvantaged class of consumers with no refund policy for services not used is not a smart business practice and it’s inherently unfair and ultimately indefensible.
We’ll see how this all plays out. If they do sue me for posting my article I welcome the opportunity for discovery so we can see the internal documents on their refund process and statistics on that and depose their past coaches and get affidavits from past customers.
The silly and ridiculous part of all of this is the change I feel they need to make on their refund process is not vindictive on my part but helps them to be a better company. I think they want to fight me to have a pissing contest rather than to change what I think is an unfair policy. How does having fewer angry and upset customers make them a weaker company?
RTN brags they have 8,000 previous and current clients (which I can’t wait to get my hands on the names of) and they have 78 BBB complaints as of today and 77 of those complaints were in the past year. They have a C- rating with the BBB. I ran a debt relief company and had 80,000 – 100,000 clients and had about 3 BBB complaints total over twelve years.
And since Real Talk Network now calls itself a credit counseling company, as a comparison, my friends over at Cambridge Credit Counseling have had about 80,000 past and present clients and have only had 1 BBB complaint in the past three years.
Imagine what great mileage RTN could get to admit their refund and collections policy sucks, embrace change for the better and move on. How do they not get that? That leads me to wonder if the real intention is to trap a disadvantaged class of consumers in a non-refunable sales contract to collect money. Could that be true?
Steve
That leads me to wonder if the real intention is to trap a disadvantaged class of consumers in a non-refundable sales contract to collect money. Could that be true?
The answer is yes if they are grifters just out to make a profit off people in trouble rather than to meet a perceived demand in the marketplace with a legitimate product.
I think that discovery would turn up sloppy if not non-existent bookkeeping.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
Guess what! I got a call from RTN and just got off a minute ago — they’re going to give me my money back!!
After reading all the comments on this site, and given my first-hand experience of being lied to by David Burke, I wasn’t optimistic I’ll ever see my money again. But even with that pessimistic attitude, I knew I had to give this my all for the principle.
I spoke to someone named Mandy, and she told me she will try to get me my refund, and that she’ll confirm this to me tomorrow. I told her everything I am doing (i.e. BBB of CO escalation to arbritration, lawsuit via Small Claims court) will not stop until I get not only her confirmation of my refund, but also from my credit card company (Wells Fargo) that my money has indeed been refunded.
David,
Keep us posted and let others know what the best process is to get a refund once you get yours.
Steve
David,
Glad to hear that you got your money back! And all of the people will get their money back, too. We didn’t pay any money and we didn’t get any service. We canceled within two days and they haven’t even sent us a dispute letter and we got an application form (They call a contract) from CCC with no letter. We don’t know what it meant. We didn’t loose any money but they called us and even my husband work so we are still filling a White Color crime with FBI in Colorado till they sent us a dispute letter. We are still waiting for our credit report to see if CCC did report RTN’s fault report or not then next action is ABC 15 to investigate RTN. (no license no business in here)
Amazing! Me too! Got a call from RTN informing me that my contract with them has been canceled! I am only into them for $200, and I have not called back yet. I only received a message. After I do talk and let them know what I too was about to do, I will let you know the results. My biggest concern is the hit on my credit reports. That MUST be cleared up and deleted or I will still pursue with venom. But it sounds like something has gotten a hold of them. Maybe an FBI criminal investigation? Could be.
Ron Sutton
Ron,
It would be fantastic if RTN has finally seen the light and has modified their refund policy and will stop sending people to collections. If they have I’d love to write something positive about them? Let us all know what happens.
Steve
Steve,
Yes, I have absolutely no doubt that David Burke is a liar and scammer, and I do not say this capriciously. Their radio ads here in Southern California through a station called KKLA (a Christian station, too, at that) state explicitly that they can provide customers with a 0% line-of-credit, how they can show us how to pay our mortgage without interest. The evidence is blatant and unequivocal, and don’t take my word for this, ask for the radio ad from KKLA (which I have done as well because I am escalating my BBB dispute with RTN to Arbritration, and I need it as evidence.)
I went to their sales presentation at the Doubletree Hotel near the Ontario airport here in San Bernardino, CA on 2/22/2010, and I wasn’t sold even after their presentation. On my way out, I asked David Burke point-blank to his face:
“Is this 0%-interest Line of Credit for real?”
David Burke said, “Yes”.
I said, “That seems to be too good to be true!”
David Burke smiled and said, “Yes, I guess it does.”
When I get a direct answer like that from the owner of RTN, I was sold and went in to sign up for $2997. The day my credit coach called me, he told me there was no such thing.
So there begins my fight because they have a No-Refund clause in the contract I signed, and they’re hiding behind that from returning my money.
Just the past Saturday (3/13/2010), I heard David Burke say this to Erik Sale (the other speaker in that ad), “Erik, I know you’re going to be spending the next 2 1/2 hours talking about many things, but what do you have to say about our being able to provide a 0% LINE OF CREDIT, where NOBODY GETS DISAPPROVED?”
Erik Sale said, “YES”.
I couldn’t believe my ears! I thought my conversation with David Burke that night would be useless if David Burke flat out denied it ever took place, but the above conversation David Burke and Erik Sale had OVER THE RADIO BROADCAST is even better!
They are purposely misleading people by advertising falsely, lying outright to listeners that they can provide you a 0% line of credit when there is no such thing! They lie to snare you into signing their contract, and then hide behind their no-refund clause to avoid giving you your money back.
Like one of your posters, I did file a complaint to the FCC and got a letter saying this was not within their jurisdiction. Like your poster, I found this weird considering I stated they aired their ad through KKLA.
David Burke needs to be stopped.
David,
If I were you, I would call KKLA and tell what happened to you due to stopping what David Burke is doing business with RTN. We called the radio station here and I got to talk to the general manager who was very polite and told me that they stopped dealing business with RTN so now we don’t have to listen to those scams talking and adv. Find out the phone number and call KKLA, they probably stopped adv. (They probably don’t know how RTN and David Burke is lies about everything. )
Let us know the result of calling KKLA.
Thanks.
Al, I have already contacted KKLA. Frankly, I was a bit disappointed with my response. KKLA is a Christian station, and I was hoping for a more righteous response, but I haven’t heard from them two weeks after I reported them. In fairness though, I am hoping that they are taking this seriously and just haven’t gotten back to me. I just wrote my contact person there a few days ago to request for a CD copy of the ad RTN was airing the Saturday before I went to their sales presentation.
Also, RTN has been responding to my BBB complaint posts, but I haven’t heard from them ever since I escalated my issue to Arbitration. I am wondering at this point whether RTN will take me up on Arbitration because the evidence against them is so strong. If they do not respond to me soon, I will take them to Small Claim court.
David, I am Al’s wife writing here. When I called and left the message on our radio station, they replied the next day.
The General Manager left the massage on our answering machine and told me to call him back. I told the manager everything what we went through. He told me that they stopped adv. for RTN due to a lot of complain came to his station so everyone should do the same to call KKLA so they will response to you.
I believe that our state has the same Christian station and they are the one stopped adv. for RTN. Just keep trying and all the people live in California should call that radio station. Don’t give up and you should file a small claim court. Good luck and keep in touch. We are preparing to send all the document and all the vivid conversation we had at the free seminary back in March 2009 to explain to FBI in Colorado. Take David Burke down and take him to justice!!
I got a call from Mandy from RTN this morning again, and she has confirmed to me that my refund will be issued and should show in my credit card within the next 7 to 10 business days.
When I first got into this mess, my notion of David Burke and RTN was that they were just out to scam people and ruthlessly grab their hard-earned money. It’s hard not to feel this way when one is lied to so blatantly just to get you to sign a contract (after which you have to fight to get your money back due to a No-Refund clause technicality).
How can they air over the radio that they can show you how to pay your mortgage without interest and get you a 0% line of credit where nobody gets disapproved when there is no such thing as a 0% line of credit?
I always viewed my case as being so clear cut that it should not even have lasted this long. There were 3 to 4 written exchanges in the complaint I filed with the BBB of CO where my issue was never directly responded to at all and inevitably resulted in escalation to arbitration.
I think the clear-cut nature of my case plus the incontrovertible lies in their radio ad is what brought my case to an expedient resolution. It is not very often where a liar provides you with a recording of his lies.
I hope the rest of you get justice as well. I know the pain of the indignance you feel. Good luck to all of you, and take care.
I sent my letter to the Denver FBI yesterday, along with the package of docs I sent with every complaint. I also got back a letter for the FCC saying it was not within their jurisdiction and I should go to the FTC. This despite the fact that I told the FCC that I heard about RTN on KNBR in San Francisco and enclosed the list of radio stations RTN claims to be on, straight from the RTN website. The FTC, as I said earlier, is wasting time sending me broken links to generic publications.
Now that we have the name of someone in the Denver FBI, I suggest that everyone sends a complaint to him. When one individual sees all the complaints, he will know that something is amiss and will route the matter to the right person. Be sure to give the link to this article and to mention that RTN wants it down.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
We are very upset to RTN after reading their lawyer’s statement. They are telling a lie that in our application form doesn’t state that that is a Contract.
We called and the guy called Jay accepted our cancellation then one year later, they called us to pay $ 1997 then the crazy lady told me to pay “$ 900.00” for cancellation fee!
Why ? We didn’t take any coaching or no service and we did cancel with in 3days. They never informed us to write the letter to cancel but Jay accepted our cancellation. Why do they hide and using their selfishness to trick and scam us!!
This lawyer keep saying that they have changed ??? Then what happened to the victims like us that they used old lame application form to trick us? This guy isn’t so smart.
They are always telling a lie. They are truly evil.
Did they even have license to do business in our States?
I had better check and if they were working and doing business,I had better sue for that. Well our document and paper will be sent to FBI tomorrow!!
We WERE and WE ARE Victims and WE don’t fall into this lame lawyers smooth talk evil statement.
FBI, FBI and FBI…Go Class Action! We will win. Even our State District Attorney suggested to sue them!!
When I was reading above article of “The Real Talk Network Contract”, I realized that that wasn’t the one we signed.
Here is ours:
The Real Talk Network Coaching Program is an intensive coaching and cash flow planning process that uses the most advanced tools to get you on the path to being 100% Debt FREE.
Our workshops include one-on-one coaching lectures about cash flow management techniques, and a personalized action plan that we help you create. We teach you how to maximized every dollar to maintain the lowest possible balances, which reduces your effective interest costs and gets you paying PRINCIPAL down instead of interest. Our program walks you through eliminating debt, so you can begin building wealth.
Real Talk Network Coaching Program: $ 1,997
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
__FP PP_Jay__
This is quite different from the one you listed:
They didn’t say this is a contract or at the end signing this contract…???
When I was reading above article of “The Real Talk Network Contract”, I realized that that wasn’t the one we signed.
Here is ours:
The Real Talk Network Coaching Program is an intensive coaching and cash flow planning process that uses the most advanced tools to get you on the path to being 100% Debt FREE.
Our workshops include one-on-one coaching lectures about cash flow management techniques, and a personalized action plan that we help you create. We teach you how to maximized every dollar to maintain the lowest possible balances, which reduces your effective interest costs and gets you paying PRINCIPAL down instead of interest. Our program walks you through eliminating debt, so you can begin building wealth.
Real Talk Network Coaching Program: $ 1,997
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
__FP PP_Jay__
They had a clip board and they also told us that this is an application form to get a coach by …
David Burke makes us sick!
We live in free country and there is no reason to take the article down!! David Burke has a lot of hidden secret so bring him down to justice.
Update
I received a letter through my lawyer from Real Talk Network from their lawyer threatening to sue me if I did not take down my article. They also included a statement about their services which I have posted to the original article under the section labeled “Update: March 13, 2010 – Dave Burke and Real Talk Network Respond and Want Me to Take Down This Article Or Say They Will Sue Me”
Steve
Let RTN sue. Truth is a 100% defense to libel in this country. When they see they are going to have to go to court at a level larger than small claims, they might change the tune they are singing to all of us, including the government.
My letter to the Denver FBI goes out today!
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
Steve,
We are writing to FBI now and send the letter with some document attached to it. I’m not afraid of people. I have a close friend of mine working at FBI so I also talk to him tomorrow and get some advice.
We really need to take the Mafia down!
Are you all filing for a class action lawsuit? Hope so !
Since we didn’t loose money for RTN but they keep telling us that we owe them money that we called and canceled last year March. And they accepted our call we made. Now in our case, they sent our account to Conrad Credit Co. and RTN is asking us to send the prove of cancellation. Well, they are really scam mafia. Call the radio broadcast if you hear the adv. of RTN. I did and talked to the general manager. He told me that they stopped adv. already due to the complaint they are getting and he is glad he did. File the small court, call Wells Fargo back and file the complain and send to FBI.
This morning we called FBI and talked to the agent: We gave Real Talk Network Inc, and Conrad Credit Co. We told the agent briefly what this company is doing. They told us to file the complain and send it to Denver, Co. FBI.
We are going to do today and if you would like to know the info. Here is the info. of FBI in Co.
ASAC: Micheal S. Rankin
Byron G. Rogers Federal Building
1961 Stout Street, Suite 1823
Denver, CO 80294
(303) 629-7171
Those who lives in Co. should talk to the white collar crimes, Mass Marketing Fraud department people directory.
Go Get David Burke ASAP!!
Good Work, AL!
People in Northern California who wish to contact the local FBI can write here:
Federal Bureau of Investigation
450 Golden Gate Avenue, 13th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102.
I addressed the envelope to the White collar crimes division. I don’t really know what they call it but that phrase would give them an idea of what it is I an talking about. However, that was in Mid-February and I have not heard anything. I wonder if it would be best if we all wrote letters to the Denver FBI, since RTN is in their jurisdiction. If the same office got a bunch of letters about the same thing, it might raise their eyebrows.
So I am going to send out a letter on Monday.
The FTC is being stupid. They sent me a link to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that I already have posted hear, and two other links to general consumer publications that did not work. Your tax dollars NOT at work.
Nothing more from the Alameda County DA since they told me they were going to forward it to another department.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
We got a letter from Office of the Attorney General today with Real Talk Network attachment to the letter.
Real Talk Network, Bill Carwile, COO wrote to District Attorney and they told a lie to the D.A.
“We have received a correspondence from you in regards to ……They signed a contract for the Real Talk Network Services on March…” The letter stated that we reported our credit card stolen or lost to the credit company which we never reported and our bank know that. They can prove it. Real Talk Network can lie and lie after all to even District Attorney. RTN lied that we didn’t respond??? We sent a letter and we also told RTN that we called within three days that we want to cancel the contract and they accepted on the phone. They told a lie that we didn’t cancel until they sent our account to CCC. We are very upset that they even can tell a lie to the government office.
They lied through and through.
Has Anyone gone to Rip Off Report.com and read the posts??
You might get a laugh out of RTN reponses…
This is slightly dated but it’s from the horses mouth..
The Subject Matter Experts are members of the Real Talk Network. A network of pre-screened, ethical professionals that operate at an extremely high level .
We are actually very proud of how few people leave our seminars. We receive compliments at every seminar in regards to the quality of the material and the quality of the presentations. If anything, attendee’s may feel a bit overwhelmed after our boot camps.
On the comments made towards the Mortgage Accelerator Plus portion of the seminar:
We (Real Talk’s Mortgage Accelerator Plus) do not offer buy-it-now specials during our seminars. Our price for Mortgage Accelerator Plus is $1,497.00. $1,295.00 for MAP and $202.00 for unlimited access/participation to our Implementation Workshops.
Why do we offer workshops? It is extremely important to us that we do everything in our power to maximize our success rate (helping you achieve your goals). Our workshops provide advanced education in both group and individual settings. Our workshops help Mortgage Accelerator Plus owners understand the techniques of this powerful system and set a plan in motion. We execute – PERIOD! Our track record is a testament to our commitment.
Ronald’s Attorney General statement is false and suggests that Ronald may have a different motive for his original post.
Our guarantee is simple and straight forward:
We provide a 60 day unconditional guarantee provided that you attend at least one Implementation Workshop. If you feel you made a mistake in your purchase we refund your money – DONE. We have never been asked for a refund after attending our workshop.
What I find so funny here about the RTN comments about the Mortgage Accelerator software is the creator of the software, Norm Bour, made a commnet on the site trying to distance himself from the claims Burke was making about the MAP approach.
Here is what Norm Bour said:
You can read the full comments and feedback over on this other article I wrote. Mortgage Accelerator Plus Software and Australian Loan Reduction Money Merge Scheme .
Steve
Breaking News – Attorney Information
Here is the attorney contact information that is interested in representing consumers who feel they have been defrauded by Dave Burke and Real Talk network.
If you are interested in becoming part of a potential class action suit to get your money back then contact:
Chris Livingston, Esq.
2154 Dowd Dairy Road
White Oak NC 28399
Land line and fax 910 866 4948
Cell 910 876 7001
Email chrisatty[at]hotmail[dot]com
Mr. Livingston is an aggressive consumer attorney and is busy with several other cases where consumers have been wronged. Among his current cases is a recent one against a lawyer who sold loan modification services to consumers, took their money, refused refunds and did not deliver the services he promised. He’s going after the attorney and the underlying staff. See Joseph Gembala, Esq. Sued for Loan Modification and Foreclosure Rescue Services.
Anyone interested in being represented by Mr. Livingston should contact him directly.
Steve
Thank you Steve for your info. regarding the class action.
We sent the email to consult with the lawyer for the class action tonight.
I sent an email to Mr. Livingstone, the lawyer for a class action and he gave us a fine advise. In our case we didn’t loose any money but they sent our account to CCC which we never owe any money to RTN. But CCC or RTN called us a quite few times to my house and my husband company. Therefore the lawyer suggested us to contact the consumer protection lawyer to sue CCC and RTN.
We can’t join you but we pray and support anyway we can to bring David Burke and RTN to the justice. I will give all our info and progress to our radio broad cast person I got an email of. Thanks Steve and Mr. Livingstone!
We filed the case to small claims court today and mailed it.
I’m taking different action every day. I called the radio station to stop adv. of RTN (They already stopped it due to the people’s complain.) Please do the same everyone!
Collecting all the info from our back to prove our case, I will continue to do so. Can’t wait to take him to a Class action! Count on me!
Al,
Keep the information and action coming. You are doing what I can’t since I’m not a victim. If you or anyone knows the bank RTN is or was using I would suggest you send a letter to the bank and advise them you are the victim of a scam and RTN is using the bank to launder the ill gotten gains. If you find out who their bank is, post it here.
It’s just a different route to apply pressure to RTN to just do the right thing and let people out of their binding contract and refund monies for services not delivered.
Steve
my check says its wells fargo acct. #2297555043
Bob,
Thanks for the info. Helpful for people to be aware of.
Steve
Just now, I called Wells Fargo and report regarding RTN.
And I suggested Not to deal with this company. The lady was appreciate my phone call. She said that if the class action occurs then they will get notified so hope the class action will move forward…. so that there won’t be any victims in a future. Thanks, Bob for your info.
Back last fall I heard RTN on the radio, but upon slight research I determined it was a scam and did not go to the presentation. At that time, the fee was considerably less than the $3497 RTN asks for now.
My husband & I attended their seminar in mid January in Del Mar, California. I felt it was a fake, holding back talking to a couple of other couples, my husband (impatient) went up to the employees and got the application and filled it out. I really didn’t want to sign up, but we did. The next night, RTN was doing their presentation in Irvine so we went up to talk to them, because I wanted to cancel it. Speaking with who I think was the head, he gave us the “you have three days to cancel” bit, but if we had a couple of minutes to talk to him…and he told us to contact their office in Colorado and we would get a refund. We had already read on the internet the situations, and my consideration was that they weren’t going to give us a refund anyway, and then turn us over to collections as they were doing to everyone else. If you give them your name and address, they are going to bill you. So we went ahead with the agreement.
This company is so low class. Our payment was scheduled for 2-17 which they took, and transferred the account to Conrad Acceptance Company, Escondido, CA without telling us prior. RTN claims they did not have the correct address, he asked me about Del Mar. We’d never lived in Del Mar. They had our phone number (to call for address) – if they were sending out info that we were going to the Acceptance corp (that company financing), then they should have notified us. Consequently, we had $100 taken out on 2-19, and $100 on 3-1 – two weeks later. Received a notice from Conrad they are servicing the billing, but they had the amount for a $100 more, since they’d taken the first payment. The person doing our counseling is pretty much not giving us anything. I could expound on, but you get the point. The stumbling block is getting that “float, 0% interest, business line of credit” they dangle in front of your nose. Last counseling session that was the major line of discussion. The counselor then sent an email shortly after ending the session, and advised we would not be approved for the line of credit with that bank.
It boils down to this company can’t get anything right.
I feel we’ve been sold an empty bill of goods – what a joke. I can’t stand this company and should have never gotten involved with it, even though my husband (for some reason) thought it would help.
I’m in agreement with you. I’ve obtained the info from your site to start contacting Attorney Generals after I see if RTN will let us out of the remaining contract (ha).
Now I am spending extra time chasing down payments, and doing all this research how to get out from under this company without ruining our credit.
Chris
Any consumers who wish to be interviewed for my podcast, please let me know at kelliasworld@yahoo.com so we can set up a time. Again, it would be recorded, not live, and you need give only your first name and state of residence.
Bob Birch, I am really keen on interviewing you because of your direct action activity, which may inspire others to take similar actions.
BTW, Folks might want to take a look at this site http://www.revoltstartsnow.com/
for simple, non-violent ways to revolt against the banksters that created a debt-dependent economy.
Also, has anyone else here started to get unsolicited email from the VIP Mafia? I have. Got one this morning, in fact.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
Especially to AL but may be relevant to others: Here are excerpts of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that some of you might find particularly relevant. Pay particular attention to section 804. Please see an attorney if you can.
THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT
As amended by Pub. L. 109-351, §§ 801-02, 120 Stat. 1966 (2006)
As a public service, the staff of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has prepared the following complete text of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692-1692p.
Please note that the format of the text differs in minor ways from the U.S. Code and West’s U.S. Code Annotated. For example, this version uses FDCPA section numbers in the headings. In addition, the relevant U.S. Code citation is included with each section heading. Although the staff has made every effort to transcribe the statutory material accurately, this compendium is intended as a convenience for the public and not a substitute for the text in the U.S. Code.
§ 804. Acquisition of location information
Any debt collector communicating with any person other than the consumer for the purpose of acquiring location information about the consumer shall—
(1) identify himself, state that he is confirming or correcting location information concerning the consumer, and, only if expressly requested, identify his employer;
(2) not state that such consumer owes any debt;
(3) not communicate with any such person more than once unless requested to do so by such person or unless the debt collector reasonably believes that the earlier response of such person is erroneous or incomplete and that such person now has correct or complete location information;
(4) not communicate by post card;
(5) not use any language or symbol on any envelope or in the contents of any communication effected by the mails or telegram that indicates that the debt collector is in the debt collection business or that the communication relates to the collection of a debt; and
(6) after the debt collector knows the consumer is represented by an attorney with regard to the subject debt and has knowledge of, or can readily ascertain, such attorney’s name and address, not communicate with any person other than that attorney, unless the attorney fails to respond within a reasonable period of time to the communication from the debt collector.
§ 805. Communication in connection with debt collection
(a) COMMUNICATION WITH THE CONSUMER GENERALLY. Without the prior consent of the consumer given directly to the debt collector or the express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction, a debt collector may not communicate with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt—
(1) at any unusual time or place or a time or place known or which should be known to be inconvenient to the
15 USC 1692b
15 USC 1692c6 § 805 15 USC 1692c
consumer. In the absence of knowledge of circumstances to the contrary, a debt collector shall assume that the convenient time for communicating with a consumer is after 8 o’clock antimeridian and before 9 o’clock postmeridian, local time at the consumer’s location;
(2) if the debt collector knows the consumer is represented by an attorney with respect to such debt and has knowledge of, or can readily ascertain, such attorney’s name and address, unless the attorney fails to respond within a reasonable period of time to a communication from the debt collector or unless the attorney consents to direct communication with the consumer; or
(3) at the consumer’s place of employment if the debt collector knows or has reason to know that the consumer’s employer prohibits the consumer from receiving such communication.
(b) COMMUNICATION WITH THIRD PARTIES. Except as provided in section 804, without the prior consent of the consumer given directly to the debt collector, or the express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction, or as reasonably necessary to effectuate a postjudgment judicial remedy, a debt collector may not communicate, in connection with the collection of any debt, with any person other than a consumer, his attorney, a consumer reporting agency if otherwise permitted by law, the creditor, the attorney of the creditor, or the attorney of the debt collector.
(c) CEASING COMMUNICATION. If a consumer notifies a debt collector in writing that the consumer refuses to pay a debt or that the consumer wishes the debt collector to cease further communication with the consumer, the debt collector shall not communicate further with the consumer with respect to such debt, except—
(1) to advise the consumer that the debt collector’s further efforts are being terminated;
(2)to notify the consumer that the debt collector or creditor may invoke specified remedies which are ordinarily invoked by such debt collector or creditor; or 7 § 805 15 USC 1692c
(3) where applicable, to notify the consumer that the debt collector or creditor intends to invoke a specified remedy.
If such notice from the consumer is made by mail, notification shall be complete upon receipt.
(d) For the purpose of this section, the term “consumer” includes the consumer’s spouse, parent (if the consumer is a minor), guardian, executor, or administrator.
§ 806. Harassment or abuse
A debt collector may not engage in any conduct the natural consequence of which is to harass, oppress, or abuse any person in connection with the collection of a debt. Without limiting the general application of the foregoing, the following conduct is a violation of this section:
(1) The use or threat of use of violence or other criminal means to harm the physical person, reputation, or property of any person.
(2) The use of obscene or profane language or language the natural consequence of which is to abuse the hearer or reader.
(3) The publication of a list of consumers who allegedly refuse to pay debts, except to a consumer reporting agency or to persons meeting the requirements of section 603(f) or 604(3)1 of this Act.
(4) The advertisement for sale of any debt to coerce payment of the debt.
(5) Causing a telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called number.
(6) Except as provided in section 804, the placement of telephone calls without meaningful disclosure of the caller’s identity.
1. Section 604(3) has been renumbered as Section 604(a)(3).
15 USC 1692d8 § 807 15 USC 1692e
§ 807. False or misleading representations
A debt collector may not use any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt. Without limiting the general application of the foregoing, the following conduct is a violation of this section:
(1) The false representation or implication that the debt collector is vouched for, bonded by, or affiliated with the United States or any State, including the use of any badge, uniform, or facsimile thereof.
(2) The false representation of—
(A) the character, amount, or legal status of any debt; or
(B) any services rendered or compensation which may be lawfully received by any debt collector for the collection of a debt.
(3) The false representation or implication that any individual is an attorney or that any communication is from an attorney.
(4) The representation or implication that nonpayment of any debt will result in the arrest or imprisonment of any person or the seizure, garnishment, attachment, or sale of any property or wages of any person unless such action is lawful and the debt collector or creditor intends to take such action.
(5) The threat to take any action that cannot legally be taken or that is not intended to be taken.
(6) The false representation or implication that a sale, referral, or other transfer of any interest in a debt shall cause the consumer to—
(A) lose any claim or defense to payment of the debt; or
(B) become subject to any practice prohibited by this title.
(7) The false representation or implication that the consumer committed any crime or other conduct in order to disgrace the consumer.
15 USC 1692e9 § 807 15 USC 1692e
(8) Communicating or threatening to communicate to any person credit information which is known or which should be known to be false, including the failure to communicate that a disputed debt is disputed.
(9) The use or distribution of any written communication which simulates or is falsely represented to be a document authorized, issued, or approved by any court, official, or agency of the United States or any State, or which creates a false impression as to its source, authorization, or approval.
(10) The use of any false representation or deceptive means to collect or attempt to collect any debt or to obtain information concerning a consumer.
(11) The failure to disclose in the initial written communication with the consumer and, in addition, if the initial communication with the consumer is oral, in that initial oral communication, that the debt collector is attempting to collect a debt and that any information obtained will be used for that purpose, and the failure to disclose in subsequent communications that the communication is from a debt collector, except that this paragraph shall not apply to a formal pleading made in connection with a legal action.
(12) The false representation or implication that accounts have been turned over to innocent purchasers for value.
(13) The false representation or implication that documents are legal process.
(14) The use of any business, company, or organization name other than the true name of the debt collector’s business, company, or organization.
(15) The false representation or implication that documents are not legal process forms or do not require action by the consumer.
(16)The false representation or implication that a debt collector operates or is employed by a consumer reporting agency as defined by section 603(f) of this Act.10 § 808 15 USC 1692f
$ 808. Unfair practices
A debt collector may not use unfair or unconscionable means to collect or attempt to collect any debt. Without limiting the general application of the foregoing, the following conduct is a violation of this section:
(1) The collection of any amount (including any interest, fee, charge, or expense incidental to the principal obligation) unless such amount is expressly authorized by the agreement creating the debt or permitted by law.
(2) The acceptance by a debt collector from any person of a check or other payment instrument postdated by more than five days unless such person is notified in writing of the debt collector’s intent to deposit such check or instrument not more than ten nor less than three business days prior to such deposit.
(3) The solicitation by a debt collector of any postdated check or other postdated payment instrument for the purpose of threatening or instituting criminal prosecution.
(4) Depositing or threatening to deposit any postdated check or other postdated payment instrument prior to the date on such check or instrument.
(5) Causing charges to be made to any person for communications by concealment of the true propose of the communication. Such charges include, but are not limited to, collect telephone calls and telegram fees.
(6) Taking or threatening to take any nonjudicial action to effect dispossession or disablement of property if—
(A) there is no present right to possession of the property claimed as collateral through an enforceable security interest;
(B) there is no present intention to take possession of the property; or
(C) the property is exempt by law from such dispossession or disablement.
15 USC 1692f11 § 808 15 USC 1692f
(7) Communicating with a consumer regarding a debt by post card.
(8) Using any language or symbol, other than the debt collector’s address, on any envelope when communicating with a consumer by use of the mails or by telegram, except that a debt collector may use his business name if such name does not indicate that he is in the debt collection business.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
I called the radio station which I heard RTN adv. last year and left the complain on the answering machine then I got the called back from the person. They stopped adv. here anymore but David Burke seemed to target in the people live in Colorado and California.
We will continue to fight till we see the result.
It’s been for a week but we haven’t gotten answers to our letters to Conrad Credit Co and Real Talk Network.
We asked RTN to dispute our money we never owe. We have no service from them and they sent our account to CCC.
We sent an e-mail to KKNT 960 Not to adv. Real Talk Network.
We really need to take a class action. We found out that after we canceled the contract, they tried to take our money out from our bank back in April, 2009. We requested the document from our Bank.
Let’s get David Burke sooner! Class Action!!
I was listening to KKLA, a Christian radio here in Southern California when I heard a company called Real Talk Network say they’d show me how to “pay my mortgage without interest”. I called up the toll-free number
which scheduled me to attend a 3-hour presentation at the Doubletree Hotel near the Ontario Airport in San Bernardino County, California on Monday, 2/22/2010, from 7PM to 10PM.
Erik Sale (the first speaker) started the presentation by highlighting how daily compound interest permeates the lives of all American debts, and how this could cause a $200K mortgage to bloat up to $800K over 30 years. The presentation was sprinkled with verbiage on how they can show us how to pay “0% interest” and ”100% principal” payments, but were followed by “We will get to that later” or “I’ll show how that’s done later on”. It is important to emphasize that these two terms were interchangeably reiterated (sometimes even yelled out, and the speakers had microphones) throughout the presentation. About an hour into the presentation, a second speaker named David Burke continued where Erik Sale left off. This man introduces himself as so blessed a man that what he really wants to do now is to give back to society. Then his presentation ensues with repetitive references to “0% interest” and “100% principal” payments. I remember badly longing to know HOW to do this already.
It wasn’t until almost halfway through the 3rd hour when David Burke made the revelation. He demonstrated by listing three categories of credit tools on the board. First was the typical 30-year fixed mortgage loan. The second was the Revolving Credit typical of credit cards. Then he introduced the “Line of Credit”. He said they have been working out deals with banks who had altruistic goals to help Americans get rid of their debts, and that these line-of-credit “float” accounts had 0% interest. David also said that this was something the banks were more apt to offer only to Real Talk Network customers (implying that the banks somehow assessed them with greater credibility). David Burke demonstrated how all credit card debts and other types of debts could be paid off using this credit line while simultaneously increasing one’s cash flow (i.e., by transferring interest-incurring balances to this account), effectively making payments against this account 100% principal. (It is noteworthy to mention that David Burke, at one point during the presentation, asked every member of the audience their net income per month, and when it got to my turn, I said I was unemployed. I said this to the entire room, and I reinforced that premise to all subsequent counselors I spoke to like Erik Sale and Damien to make sure they knew that).
After the presentation, I still had a burning question at the back of my mind. I sought the assistance of Erik Sale about this 0%-interest “float” account, but he didn’t really enlighten me. As a result, I found myself walking out of the hotel towards my car, ready to go home. That’s when I saw David Burke walking back to the hotel. Seeing that I was leaving, he asked me, “So David, you’re choosing to just pay all that interest?” I told him I couldn’t sign up because I didn’t understand certain things, especially that 0%-interest “float” account.
I asked him, “Is this for real? You can get us a line of credit with 0% interest?” He unequivocally and tersely said “Yes”. Then I told him, “This sounds like it’s too good to be true!” He responded, “Yes, I guess it does.” For the first time, my burning question had finally been unequivocally answered. So I walked back into the hotel with David Burke, and he referred me to another consultant named Damien who accommodated my residual questions and processed my payment that night for $2997 through my Wells Fargo credit card. I left that night feeling excited about the thought of having access to a 0%-interest “float” line of credit where I could gradually transfer my mortgage balance over time.
On 02/26/2010, I was called by my coach (Larry). I told him that I had a high FICO score (789 for Equifax, 785 for Trans-Union), that I had no consumer debt other than my mortgage, and that I was unemployed. I told him all I was interested in was getting access to that 0%-interest line of credit account that was explained during the presentation. To my amazement, Larry responded, “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about with this ‘float’ account.” A brief discourse with Larry reveals to me the reality I’ve been accustomed to all along – that aside from 0% credit cards (for balance transfers), all other credit tools entailed an interest one way or the other. Larry eventually called Erik Sale to talk with me, but it was a waste of time because all he did was persistently attempt to cloud the issue and to sway the discussion to irrelevancies that led nowhere. All of a sudden, new phrases were coming up where the 0% interest highlight became “effect of a 0%-interest”. Erik was also denying that the “float” account they talked about was 0%-interest. So what then was the point of all this repetitive highlighting of 100% principal/0%-interest payments that crescendo to this panacean “float” account when it was an account that charged interest? Also, it turns out that this line of credit required a regular two-or-more-paycheck deposits per period to “spread the amortization table sideways”. But they knew I was unemployed, so why still sell me a tool I am not eligible to use?
I came to the presentation because I wanted to know how I could pay my mortgage without interest. I did not get that. Are they recommending me to transfer my mortgage balance to these 0%-interest credit cards? Who would do such a thing? These 0% credit card balance transfers are not only transitory but would also lead me into a maze of incessant balance transfers from one card to another where I would incur cash advance fees each step of the way. Besides, this is clearly not what they were advertising because credit cards are revolving credit lines, something they made distinct from the third kind of tool they called “Line of Credit”.
I decided to dispute this credit card charge with Wells Fargo, but I was told that depending on the contract I signed, this may not fare out favorably for me. It seems now that Real Talk Network may get away with my money over technicalities. They knew I was unemployed, and that I would not be eligible for this “float” account they were talking about, but they still took my payment anyway. And worse, this “float” account wasn’t even a 0%-interest line of credit. They have no line of credit tool that is 0%-interest.
It would truly be a tragedy if more consumers fell for this type of unscrupulous, unethical, and unconscionable business practice. Are they supposed to get my money anyway due to a technicality that their contract says they do not issue refunds and which I had signed? They falsely (or ambiguously) advertised, and now I am still unemployed, and my savings will be shorter by $2997; if I am to lose my home, it will now be much sooner.
If the law allows a business establishment to exploit citizens by snaring and misleading them and then bank on circumvention of the law via contractual technicalities as their safe haven, what would that say of our legal system?
I have already filed a complaint to the FTC against Real Talk Network, and I have opened up a dispute with the BBB of Colorado. Given my personal experience with David Burke along with what I am reading here, it is hard to think anything of him other than a crook.
If you any of you want to file a class action suit, I’m in.
I called to register to attend one of the real Talk Network seminars in Denver on February 27th, 2010, but after reading all the complaints decided not to go. Does anyone know if they can still send you to the collection agency and try to get money from you even if I didn’t attend the seminar or sign any papers? All they have is my name and address.
Thank you.
AS long as you don’t sign any paper, they can’t do anything and glad to hear that you decided not to attend the free seminar.
Toni,
They are so unscrupulous I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried, but probably not for a while, since there M.O. seems to be to stay quiet for about a year and then spring collections on you.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
We haven’t heard anything from RTN and CCC since we sent letters to them that we won’t owe any money.
But CCC may report to damage our credit record that our problems. Yes, we can fix it but when…
We will join the class action!
W got letters from both Colorado and Arizona DA after we filed the complains that they will take our complains to BBB.
I called FCC and filed the complain so if more people will do, people get more message how evil David Burke is.
Power to the people!! The information I got from our website. thank to provide to help us.
2. FCC The Federal Communications Commission (If you thought Dave Burke was biased or distorted the truth in his radio broadcast(s)) Consumer & Mediation Specialists are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET to answer your questions and assist you in filing a complaint. http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm http://www.fcc.gov Voice: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice TTY: 1-888-TELL- FCC (1-888-835-5322).
I just heard on the radio(KHOW) during the news regarding consumer awareness about companies who promise to elminate your debt. They warned that most companies wanting up front money are scams. Also a normal HONEST company would charge $75 for a service like this. This warning was from the Attorney General I believe. They are listening to your complaints!
Tick Tock Dave Burke,,time is running out…..
Thanks Steve!
We will do that!
Steve,
I just talked to my husband at work and Al got a phone from strange lady, called Julie or Julia and told him to give her a payroll department number. We think they are from either RTN or CCC. He is so disturbed by them calling his work.
He will call the company security to trace the phone call.
He can’t work everyday and mentally distressed.
Please give us advice?
Talk to an attorney licensed in your state for legal advice.
Others have sued the company in local small claims court.
Steve
you don’t know how many people don’t know what to do now.
I went to different website and invited them to come to this site to write their complains. She also wants to sue them.
They had No Service and CCC are asking them to pay money.
I just filed the complain to Colorado District Attorney General. Way to go!
Al,
It would be beneficial for anyone you find to come here and post a comment so that when this breaks into legal action they can be informed. Keep sending them here.
Steve
Steve,
Thank you. They can see my email where I have puut it in the body of they post. But Yes, post it again so that anyone coming to this article or related ones can see it.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
The email address for Kellia is kelliasworld[at]yahoo.com
Are we going to take this to a class action?
I need to file a complaint with the California AG this week — I already filed with the Colorado AG, the FBI, the FTC, the FCC, and the Alameda County DA. I want to send copies comments posted here to the county DA as I think they show patterns and practices of both RTN and CCC.
Then I am going to mail notice to RTN and Penny Lane, the CCC rep handling my file that I have done all this. If anyone would like me to mail the collected comments to the person holding your account at CCC, send me the name of the representative. Then for sure a bunch of them will have notice and maybe CCC will think twice about handling business with RTN.
The next step is then to get very public. I have already mentioned RTN by name one interview I did, where I was the interviewer and my guest and I were talking about “alternative media” for a few moments. But I can do a podcast that is dedicated to the RTN situation and get it out to several places. So anyone who wants to be a part of it, let me know at kelliasworld@yahoo.com You would not have to give your last name or even the city you live in. First name and state will do. It would be a recorded phone interview so you don’t have to worry about coughs, throat clearing, stuttering etc as I edit that stuff out routinely in my interviews. You could even download it and distribute it yourself once I get it up on my blog.
Steve, I would also like to interview you about your report.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
Kellia,
Happy to help and I’d also be happy to post a link to your podcast here when it is completed. Do you want me to publicly post your email address here or how do you want people to reach you. They can’t see your email address now.
Steve
I spoke to a consumer lawyer that handles class action lawsuits and he said that in about three weeks he would have enough time to take on the case of the RTN situation.
For anyone that has paid money to RTN and feels they were taken advantage of be sure you have subscribed to the comments or posted a comment and asked to be notified of followup comments so you will get updates on this breaking situation.
Steve
.-= Steve Rhode´s last blog ..Financial Relief Experts Review =-.
Steve,
That is some great news about the class action suit, my girlfriend and I got duped three weeks ago by Dave Burke and his crooked gang. We paid and haven’t received any services. When my girlfriend called today they couldn’t produce any paperwork supposedly. I’ve been ripped off in the past and I’m tired of it. Please keep me posted on what’s going on cause i’d like to see this stopped forever.
Thanks for your persistance on this matter.
Gary
Please add me to the list for a class action suit. The company has sent me to a collection agency for a contract that they said they had “torn up”. One which no money channged hands and I was not EVER contacted by them in over a year followed only by the collection agency notice. Please keep me posted on progress of class action suit as they say the collection will go on my credit within a week.
Thanks,
Dorothy
Dorothy,
We didn’t get any service whatsoever and they called us in Feb twice then they called my husband work four times without telling who they are and threatened him. The next day of the first call from RTN, they sent our account which we canceled back in March, 2009 to CCC. They also threatened us to pay $1,979.00. They should be arrested by FBI. We filed the small claim court, called the Radio station that we heard adv. at the first time but they stopped doing business with RTN anymore and the guy I talked to tell me to inform them what is going on.
I also filed the complain to two DAs’ Then filed the complaint to BBB. They are so evil. I want to join the Class action, too. and do the same as us. File everything you can.
Steve Rhodes,
All our stories have one glaring fact in common. Everybody got thrown into collections 11 months or more after encountering RTN and without any intervening attempts to demand payment via a regular bill in the mail. Have you uncovered any evidence that RTN is on the rocks and trying to get money any way it can, including this extortion racket?
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
Kellia,
I was told by a former insider that they believed RTN had spent the previous funds from sales and in order to continue to meet obligations they had to continue to make new sales. This is opposed to the funds from sales being escrowed and then taken as earned. In that case if services were not delivered and someone latter wanted a refund the funds would be there.
I am concerned that those that will recover money from this will need to be the first to file legal action against RTN before they go bankrupt from claims. As mentioned in my article, there was a former suit by a client of RTN that was awarded a judgment and as of the date of the article RTN had not paid it so even a successful suit isn’t a guarantee of money recovery.
Steve
Steve,
While money recovery would be great for those who are demanding refunds, I think the bigger harm is the collections issue. People are being harmed by being reported to collections, they are being frightened into paying what amounts to extortion, and will have to exert alot of their own time and effort to sort things out because collectors are quick to report you to the rating agencies. But they leave incorrect information for you fix on y9ur own.
Any word as to a possible class action? That might taking care of both issues at once. The whole class looking for refunds would get some money and the rest of us more interested in resolving the collections issue can be taken care of in the same suit.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Meria Heller on Broadcaster At-Large! =-.
Thank you Kellia,
We are very frustrated that we may have a phone call and email from both RTN and CCC. We couldn’t sleep at night and my husband got sick in bed for two days since RTN or CCC call his personal desk phone at his work. I myself are afraid of hearing phone rings. We worked so hard and bring our FICO number up own our own and now CCC threatened us that they will report to FICO if we wouldn’t pay $ 1970.00 with in 30 days. We are doing to file the complains against RTN to BBB and FTC and even call the Federal Telecommunication place and etc. But till both CCC and RTN give us a relieve letter to that we don’t own any money them, we can’t sleep! We were mental damaged. The thing is we have recieved ANY SERVICE what so ever from them so that made us so upset. In our case, they didn’t take any money from us but they are threatened us by yelling on the phone that we have no prove that we did cancel. They are so evil and got to be out of business and sooner is better.
We will follow up what will happen to them or what kind of answers we will get in the mails from both CCC and RTN.
We filed the distric attoney complain form.
Thank you so much Kellia, you made our days today…
Thank you Steve and Kellia for making us feel hope!
We won’t give up and continue to fight for the right!
But I feel so bad for those people who don’t know about RTN and there will be more victims come later on because of the scam guy and his followers who ruin our normal lives. Let’s keep our hopes up! And continue to exchange our info. to help each other till we put these guys to jail.
I am so happy I found this site.
I could not be any more angry about Real Talk Network. I feel dirty and ashamed at myself for attending a seminar in 2008. I was very hesitant after hearing Dave’s presentation, and looking back should have walked out right away. I was approached by several sales people after the pitch and was convinced to pay 150.00 to get started. I was showed the final numbers if I do decided to move forward but was told the 150.00 was for the information that I was being sent home with. Some paper work a dvd and other garbage. After thinking about the service over the next couple of days I decided that I did not want to use Real Talks Service. I did not ask for my 150.00 to be refunded. I called my “coach” and told him I did not want to pursue the coaching and to please cancel. I never heard back from him.
Two whole years I did not hear a single thing from Real Talk, Not one email, phone call, or letter. Then on Feb. 22, 2010 I get a notice in the mail from Conrad collections billing me for 1,997.00 for services that I never used! They told me I must pay, and not to worry after I pay I can still get coaching. Are they kidding. What part of I do not want your service do they not understand. I am so upset and feel so taken advantage of.
Steve Rhode articulated their scam to perfection by saying the following “By sending people that attended one of his seminars to collections that never utilized the services or even arguably did not sign a contract for services it certainly appears the true motive of this enterprise is for pitchmen to extract money from people without providing much of a benefit.” This is exactly what is happening to myself, and from reading some of the other comments on the web, it also seems to be happening to a lot of other people as well.
I am thankful that people are starting to speak out on this matter and hopefully we can put a stop to these scam artist.
Sam,
Did you know that RTN is Not supposed to do their business in outside Colorado but they came to Arizona to scam us.
Just remember that we all work together and do our part to file a complain and get those scam out!
thanks for the comments.
We’ll send CCC and RTN a letter on Monday. We decided to deal with RTN directly. We told RTN in the letter that we have never got their service and we are not interested in getting one and asked RTN to send a written dispute letter or we will file the law suit. See what will happen.
We are ready to send our local FBI to investigate RTN and depending on how RTN response. RTN violated the law of consumer right to call my husband company and threat him.
Let’ not give up everyone! We have faith and hope that we are right to protect ourselves.
This is the first I’ve heard of cancellation fees. These grifters keep coming up with new ways to extort money,
BTW I mailed complaints to the FBI in San Fran, and to the FTC in DC two days ago. That makes complaints to them plus the Alameda County DA. The California AG is next.
I did an interview for my podcast Friday with an Internet radio Host (Maria Heller) who is going to post it as her free show this week. She’s nation, but based in Arizona. If I get any feedback from that I will let you know.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Results of Jan 30 "Water into Wine" Experiment =-.
Thank you for the reply. Just today Feb. 20, 2010, we received a collection notice for the full $1997.00 fee for the debt reduction services that we cancelled back in March 2009. The letter is from Conrad Credit Corp. and says our account has been referred to Conrad from Real Talk Network for collection. Submit payment to address below (Escondido CA PO Box) or call 760-735-5005. “Unless you notify this office within 30 days after receiving this notice that you dispute the validity of the debt, or any portions thereof, this office will assume the debt is valid, we will proceed with any collection activity that the regulating State laws allow for a proper and reconciled relief of the above stated debt. If you notify this office in writing within 30 days from receiving this notice that you dispute the validity of this debt or any portion thereof, this office will obtain verification of the debt, or obtain a copy of a judgment and mail you a copy for such judgment or verification. If you request this office in writing within 30 days after receiving this notice, this office will provide you with the name and address of the original creditor, if different from the current creditor. In caps, ALL ACCOUNTS ASSIGNED TO US FOR COLLECTION MAY BE REPORTED TO EXPERIAN, EQUIFAX, AND TRANS UNION CREDIT BUREAUS. This is an attempt to collect a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Govern yourself accordingly; Mr. P. Miller Collection Manager 2-18-2010.
Please advise if you can. Thank you.
I listened to the radio on internet and thank you for mention about RTN. We feel a little hope to find the people right you to see the truth in people or company!
Thank you so much!
We went to RTN seminar in March 2009 in Arizona. We didn’t have $2000.00 to pay up front fee and signed up that night for their services (coaching to get out of debt). They got out card account and we were to arrange payment a few days later. After we thought about it and looked online and saw all the complaints lodged about RTN not delivering on their promices, its a scam, etc. My wife called RTN to cancel the services and had to cancel our card account to avoid funds being collected by RTN. We never received any service whatsoever and have no interest in ever using RTN financial advisory services ever in the future. Now, its Feb 19, 2010 (11 months later) and we received a very rough and rude call from RTN collections saying we have no proof of cancellation and we had to pay a $900+ cancellation fee. They asked if we had any proof that we called and cancelled their services. Of course they did not keep any records or documentation of our cancellation request. Then, later in the same day, a female called my work office and asked for my company’s HR department to get verification of employemnt. I asked her to ID herself and the reason she needed verification of employment, and how she got my work telephone number. She did not give her name, or how she got my number, just said she needed verification of employment. I told her to send an email with the request, with reason and company she represented. I am not in any application process for any credit card, not applying for any loan, or changing employment so there should be no one asking for my employment verification. The rude female said “OK, give me your email address then hung up. There has been an 11 month “cool off period”, clearly no service is wanted. RTN just wants to intimidate people to pay an ridiculously high cancel fee. I never received any e-mail request from the rude female.
I signed up for the David Burke Real Talk Network program last Saturday morning. I had told Tim Chervan, who was the closer on this deal, that I was laid off, had no money, and I could not do it right now. Maybe in a couple of months. He got my information, and I thought he was just checking to make sure my card was a good account. He said he would not charge me a thing until I got a job and was working the program, then they would charge me. This was on Saturday afternoon. I left, I did not want the program, and so I called first thing Monday morning and cancelled. I sent the CD back registered mail, never opened, and they are saying that I cannot cancel, and I have to go thru their program.
Do I have a 3 day right of recision? or what can I do about this?
They say I cannot cancel. They’ve done nothing.
Can I sue this company if they send me to collections, which will show on my
credit?
Diana,
The Burke contract I saw said the person had a three business day right to cancel. Based on the experiences of many others I think you should immediately file a complaint with the Attorney General of Colorado and the BBB. You should expect to wind up in collections. It is what has happened to many people.
Others are now suing Burke and some have received refunds or cancellations.
Steve
Isn’t right of recision a state law matter? If your state says you have that, RTN can’t deny you.
BTW, after reading the website of the US district attorney for the Northern District of California, I decided to take decided to take up the site’s suggestion of writing to the FBI. It goes in the mail today. Please join me send them a letter with your story and copies of any documentation you have. If people start siccing the FBI on them, they might come to heel.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Corporate Personhood Should Be Banned, Once and For All =-.
Rod,
Thank you for your email. I become more and more sure each day that these guys won’t be in business for too much longer and are just hanging on to every dollar until the day they file for bankruptcy. I am at least going to try and hasten that day for them with my small claims suit. I also had the same experience with the BBB and they were absolutely no help and accepted an illiterate short response from RTN as a good faith effort to resolve my case. If I win it will be because I did all the heavy lifting myself. If you’re a gluton for punishment and would like to add your testimony during the trial, I would be happy to let you talk about your win/judgment experience. Again, thanks for your support and wish me luck.
Jon
Jon,
Be sure to keep us all posted here on how it goes.
Steve
Will do.
well any luck??
here comes the weekend w/a zillion radio hours of RTN, I cant wait..
I was conned by Dave Burke and his sleazy buddies. They promised me the world at the presentation, Dave even promised me that he would handle my case personally because I was so skeptical of his claims. Well as You’ve probably guessed I got nothing from this crappy company but a bunch of paperwork to fill out and a runaround when I wanted them to either do what they promised or return my money. So what I did was show up at one of their presentations with my little sign asking people to speak to me before they go inside.Well to make a long story short they promised to return my money, release me from the contract and remove me from collections, they haven’t completed any of what they said they would do yet “its only been 7 days since I showed up” I have full intentions of showing up at MANY events if they screw with me any further.If you’ve been burned by these crooks to and need help getting your money back please feel free to email me I’ll be happy to give you all the info on what I did to get there attention.
Tell Tom Martino(The Trouble Shooter) so he can show up with a camera and record Burkes conversation w/you about returning your $. That would be pretty funny..
Well Tom sorry but I’ve already got them to agree to give me everything back. I just got an email fromm the C.O.O. of the company saying that every thing would be completed on mon. If theres anything else you would like to talk to me about please call @ 951 445 1198
Did you really get everything or that was just a fraud?
Bob,
My girlfriend and I were conned by the henchmen crooks on 4 feb 2010 in Denver. I should have listened to my inner voice but like an idiot…….. Anyway please give me some ideas of your attention getting tactics so I can begin. I plan on contacting ALL local T.V and radio networks and complaining about Dave Burke and the RIP-OFF schemes of RTN.
“Keeping Families Safe” what a freakin joke!
Gary Greenwood
Well Gary
HERES WHAT I did. I made myself a little cardboard sign that said “Talk to me about real talk network and save yourself thousands” and I proceeded to walk the sidewalk in front of the Mission Valley Marriot. After a while real talk sent the first Bozo out to tell me I was not going to get my money back and if I put the sign down and came inside they would resume my counseling, well I told him I wasn’t here to negotiate I came here to cost You as much money as possible and to go inside and tell Dave B. that he ripped off the wrong guy this time. Well after a few minutes Bozo #2 came out to tell me what I was doing was illegal and pretended to call someone on the phone told them to call the police, at that time I informed him that I had already notified the police of what I was doing and they told me to call them if there was any problems and they would come out and make sure my right to free speech was protected. GOODBYE BOZO #2. Then You guessed it out comes Bozo #3 and he ask me what they could do to get me to put my sign down. I told him that tonight I’m not leaving until after I scared away as many people as possible but if they gave me a complete refund, an unconditional release from the contract and a written assurance that all collection efforts would cease and any derogatory info. placed on my credit would be removed that I would not show up at any future events, or Dave Burke can come outside and like he promised me “personally handle my business through its satisfactory conclusion”. Well Dave didn’t show ‘BIG SURPRISE’. but I did get a phone call and email from Jay Sanders the next morning saying that RTN is agreeing to do what I ask and not to come out any more. Well I’ve since received a Check from RTN for 1250.00 ‘which is 250.00 short of what I paid to date’. and a conditional release saying that once I cashed the check I could no longer do anything to disseminate derogatory information about RTN. Well I haven’t cashed the check yet because I’m now talking to RTNs lawyer Berkley Freeman about the 250.00 payment they lost and the fact that they don’t know what an “UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE” is per Jay Sanders. Does that sound like the financial geniuses they claim? Well thats my story. I will say that I shared this with someone that went out on Fri. but he let them talk him out of walking and got nothing but the promise of more counseling. So my advise is if you do this STAY OUT THERE remember their just trying to get you out of peoples view so the scam can continue, its all about money with them cost them enough and you get their attention.
Bob,
LOL, brilliant! Good for you. I wonder how RTN would deal with a bunch of people picketing an event. I’d love to post video of that.
Steve
Steve
That was just a brief outline the way these dummies act. It gets way better
Got this note this morning,
[ No Subject ]
…
Mon, February 1, 2010 9:00:36 AM
From:
“Rogers, Tom, DA”
…
Add to Contacts
To: “kelliasworld@yahoo.com”
Cc: “Blazer, Larry, CEPD”
Kellia—–I am sending your letter and your materials regarding the alleged corporate fraud and deceit to Mr. Larry Blazer . He is in charge of our Consumer Fraud Division . I have not spoken to him about this , but I am sure he will read your materials and determine whether we have an interest in following up on this .
Thanks , Tom Rogers
Tom Rogers
Office of the District Attorney, Alameda County
tom.rogers@acgov.org
(510) 268-7552
I plan to send complaint packages to the FCC and FTC this week. Keep the heat on folks. Let’s nail these thieves!
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Corporate Personhood Should Be Banned, Once and For All =-.
While we all should file as many complaints as we have time for individually, our true strength is in concerted action, so I am looking forward to hearing about the class action. It’s true that all too often these days a class action is just a way for lawyers on both sides to get a ton of money for themselves and little for the plaintiffs, such a suit here might get the collectors off our arses, especially if they are joined as parties in the action.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..Corporate Personhood Should Be Banned, Once and For All =-.
I agree. The more individual complaints that are filed, the more likely regulators will step in and try to get money back to people.
Steve
Listend to Dave talk and the radio tonight and we went to his sells pitch. I did not like the manner in the way the pitch was presented and left at the end. The price now of his program is $3495.
When I go out this afternoon, I will be mailing the letter below (with supporting documents and copies to Erik Sale and CCC)
January 27, 2010
Thomas Rogers, Chief Deputy District Attorney
Criminal Division, Office of the Alameda County District Attorney
Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse
661 Washington Street
Oakland, CA 94607
Dear Mr. Rogers,
Enclosed are materials I believe are evidence of attempted extortion disguised as collections. Complaints are mounting in several states over the conduct of Dave Burke and his corporation, Real Talk Network, a Colorado corporation doing business in California, and their collection agent, Conrad Credit Corporation, a corporation with headquarters in Escondido, CA.
Please find copies of my letters to both firms and the extortion note: a purported settlement offer from CCC addressed to “Dear Customer”. The transaction in question took place in Oakland and so I thought you were the appropriate person to contact.
An investigative report on RTN is posted on the Internet at Investigative Report: Dave Burke and Real Talk Network (Real Talk Network, Inc.). Is It a Scam? https://getoutofdebt.org/16566/investigative-report-dave-burke-and-real-talk-network-real-talk-network-inc
I did not include it here because it is 36 pages long. But I urge you or someone on your staff to read it, as it details RTN’s exaggerated, misleading and/or fraudulent claims and CCC’s knowledge of RTN’s unsavory practices. The online report includes comments by several people who were taken in by these scammers, who professed to help people get out of debt and improve their credit scores only to turn the dissatisfied customers over to collections and refuse to answer their complaints. There is talk of a class action lawsuit.
But grifters like RTN and their henchmen like CCC sometimes see litigation as a cost of doing business. They may feel differently about the criminal law going after them. So I urge you to give this matter a look. I am difficult to reach by phone, but if someone in your office emails an interest in following up in this, I will be happy to make an appointment to go to your office. I live not very far away.
Thank you for your attention in this matter.
Sincerely,
(Ana) Kellia Ramares
kelliasworld@yahoo.com
byrnesblogger1@gmail.com
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..MLK wasn’t an athlete, but he understood importance of sports =-.
The extortion note by Conrad Collections offered to settle for $400 and said “This is classified as a non-use settlement in full on your contract balance.” The letter did not define “non-use settlement”. It sounds like they are admitting I did not use the program after the first coaching session when a Vice President (Erik Sale?) took my credit card information and purportedly took it over to the billing people to arrange that my initial $500 payment be accepted as payment in full because of my situation.
However, research on the Internet indicates that the phrase “non-use agreement” means at law a confidentiality or “non-disclosure” agreement. So the collection scum is not only trying to extort money from me, they are trying to make me keep quiet about it. No Way!
BTW, the $1513 reflects the addition of $16 of interest to the original amount. They are not yet trying to get the $100 processing fee for the installment payments. My error in the previous comment.
.-= Kellia Ramares´s last blog ..MLK wasn’t an athlete, but he understood importance of sports =-.
Steve, thank you very much for your investigative report. As a journalist myself, I found it informative and educational. My bad experience with RTN is a variation on the themes you report. I heard several of the radio shows over several months in the summer and fall of ’08 on KNBR — “The Sports Leader” in San Francisco. They repeatedly said on the radio that they helped 100% of the people who came to them. Eventually, I decided I had nothing to lose by attending the free seminar. I needed help because, though I am paying all my bills, the high interest on my two credit cards render my payments ineffective to substantially reduce my debts. I use credit to “extend” my income because my income is so low. I only have part time work as a broadcast tech and I do freelance journalism on the side. I end up paying extra taxes every year because of the freelance portion of my income. I made about $13.3 K in 2008 and that was a good year. Over the years, I have at times paid taxes, utility bills and grocery bills with credit. I don’t like it but I have to sometimes.
At the seminar, at the Airport Hilton in Oakland, in November ’08, we were told that they had hundreds of ways to help people that kept changing as the market changed. There was no mention of needing to be a homeowner to participate—I’m not—although most of the seminar did deal with mortgages. Of course, one had to sign up for the coaching to find out what techniques would work for you. After the seminar, I told a young woman taking sign-ups for the program that I did not have enough balance available on my credit card to pay for the whole thing at once, so I was offered the option of making four installment payments (plus a $100 processing fee). I went along with that even though I knew that as it stood I could not afford the remaining payments, but I was hopeful that they would have a way for me to at least clear enough room on my card to make the next payment and I could move forward from there.
The following month, I went for coaching, having also paid $89 for the recommended membership to My FICO, and about $30 for two credit reports. They did not mention at the seminar than My FICO only gives you one report free and you have to pay for the other two. They did discourage you from getting your credit score free from your bank, saying the banks were not as accurate. I wonder now if RTN has any working relationship with the company that runs My FICO because they are certainly steering a lot of business their way.
I downloaded RTN’s free software, which is nothing more than a spreadsheet, filled in the blanks and reported in December ’08 for the first coaching. The best the coach could recommend was that I pay as much as I could with credit – I had less than $500 available balance at the time– and put the cash I saved that way into extra payments on the card. I was advised that I not try to save any money until I could lower my balance significantly. And he said that the bottom line was that I had to make more money!
He saw that I could not pay for the program so he said he would talk to someone for me. He left the room and came back shortly with a younger man dressed in a business suit who introduced himself to my as a Vice President. I frankly don’t remember his name. But when I read that Erik Sale was a VP, I figured it must have been him. The VP said that they wanted the program to help, not hurt people, and that they were willing to take my first payment of $500 as payment in full, and that if I would give him my name and credit card info on a piece of paper, he would take it to the billing people and tell them not to charge my credit card anymore. He came back shortly thereafter and said it was taken care of and my credit card would no longer be charged. We shook hands and he wished me good luck.
I never went back for another coaching session. I figured I had overpaid for what little information I got but I could live with that. Then in December ’09, fully a year later, I got a letter from Conrad Collections demanding payment of $1497. I called the agency, toldthe representative my story—anyone out there work with someone named Penny Lane?– but as I do not have documentation, she said all I could do was challenge the debt and they would report to the credit bureaus that it was disputed. We got into a shouting match because she was trying to talk me into making some payments allegedly to explain my options and I told her I would not pay a penny and was willing to go to court.
I wrote to both RTN and Conrad laying out the details much as I have here and gave RTN 30 days to withdraw the collection and for Conrad to report to the credit agencies that it was withdrawn and to give me written proof that this had been done. If not, I would begin a series of actions from filing complaints with BBB and state and federal agencies, to going public with my journalistic resources, to going to court if need be. I never heard back from RTN and on day thirty I got a packet from Conrad with a copy of the original contract page and an extortion demand of $400 by noon on 1/29. Interestingly enough, the claim is now $1513, reflecting the addition of the $100 processing fee and “interest”. But they are claiming that they will accept $400 as a non-use settlement agreement and will report to the credit agencies that this satisfies the claim in full. That suggests to me that they know something is amiss, especially in light of another complaint reporting that a representative from Conrad suggested not doing business with RTN.
Steve, I have not had the time to find out what non-use settlement means. Does it mean that they are acknowledging that I did not use the program after that one night?
If RTN thought I still owed them money, why was there no effort to write to me for a year before the collection activity? I have not changed my address.
Where are RTN’s records of the December modification? Is RTN so inept in accounting that no one wrote it down? What happened to my credit card information?
I will not bargain. I will not negotiate. And I will not pay one thin dime. And if more people would stop being afraid of credit bureaus, we all could end the scams of “businesses” like RTN and the extortion of their scummy collection agents. After all, you can write to the bureaus to dispute or correct incorrect information yourself. So for the next three days I will fill out complaint forms to let RTN and Conrad know that I am as good as my word about talking action.
BTW, why would a Colorado corporation choose a California collection agency? What do you know about Conrad? Do they have any special relationship with RTN?
I am willing to be a named plaintiff in a class action. If attorneys for plaintiffs in such a case wish to question me, I can be reached at kelliasworld@yahoo.com I produce a weekly audio podcast and I am willing to do a program on complaints people have about RTN and Conrad (as they relate to RTN). Anyone who would like to tell their story can contact me at the same address. It is time for the people to stop feeling like helpless victims and to start fighting back!
I am a 61 year old man who knows better than to have been pressured into signing one of RTN’s contracts after a high energy, high pressure sales presentation. After thinking about what I had done and after reading the contract I had signed I realized that the presentation and the contract were in conflict. I called to cancel my contract when the office opened the next morning and later drove 30 miles to return their folder and CD. During my call they gave me the run around to one section of their office after another, but finally I was returned to the receptionist who hung up on me when I told her I wanted my money back and would take them to court. I realize now that they are total scammers and the $3,497 will probably never be returned to me unless a court orders it, and then the odds are about 50/50. I am going to take them to small claims court since I have nothing to lose really. I also tried complaining to the BBB, who did nothing to help me. I tried disputing the charge with my credit card and they also declined to help me. I also filed a complaint with the Attorney General of Colorado and they also were unable to do anything for me except refer my paperwork to the BBB. Therefore, there are really few avenues to thwart these guys since they probably pay their lawyers a lot to make them invulnerable to anyone wanting a refund. I also want to point out that the contract I signed in November of 2009, did not have ANY cancellation clause in it like the one in the contract you posted on this site. All I can say is everyone should run from this outfit and if there are enough of us who want to do a class action lawsuit to get our money back or put these guys out of business or in jail, count me in.
Jon,
When you do take them to small claims court, let me know the case information. A class action suit is in the works and I may have more news for you on that next month. Make sure you have subscribed to updates for this article so you can stay posted.
Steve
Steve, you are a God send to all those of us who got succored into Real Talk’s David Burke scam. I very much want to be part of a class action law suit against him. He has ruined my credit that I worked so very hard to bring up the score and was on the verge of refinancing my house which I so desperately need (9% interest!) So please add my name to the list and keep me informed. Thank you so much!
Ron
i got scammed by rtn and want my money back should i contact an attorney.
Dave
Steve,
I filed a small claims suit in Adams County Court this morning against RTN, Inc. and Erik Sale. The trial is set for March 9, 2010 at 8:30 a.m. at the Adams County Justice Center, 1100 Justice Center Drive, Brighton, CO 80601. Thought you might want to know the details.
Thanks.
Jon
Jon,
We also filled a small claims suit in Adams County court regarding their “Money back guarantee”. No one showed up so we won a judgement. Dave of course has a slick attorney who I believe is in Boulder, so he was of course advised not to worry. I also flied a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. They never recieved any reply until the day the judgement papers were served at the RTN office. Then out of the blue, the BBB received a reply that we were given a refund and were trying to collect twice. Of course the credit card company had no record of any refund. They seemed to know the BBB would accept their bogus reply, which they did. The BBB stated the company made a good faith offer to resolve the case, which I did not accept, and they closed the case. So if you expect any help from the BBB, forget it!! If you get a judgment, Dave will laugh at it because when it is served, he has 180 days to reply and after that he’s home free and you have to start all over!! Maybe you will have better luck!!
Rod
I attended an RTN seminar in May ’09. The enthusiasm and hype suckered me in. I was desperate to find a way to keep my head above water with my debt. The seminar gave a brief explanation of how their program works, but no real details. I signed an agreement for $1,997.00 (plus $100.00 for the ‘privelege’ of making payments instead of payment in full at the seminar). The agreement says that I did not make any payments until I had a positive cash flow. The agreement also states that I would save in interest the amount paid for the program. It also states that it cannot be canceled.
The seminar was hyped that folks who attended would receive free software that would teach how to eliminate their debt. This was my main interest for attending. What I received was instructions to go to their website and download a spreadsheet and complete it for the coaching session. It does not contain information except a chart of a comparison between assets, income, monthly expenses and debt. I already know this information.
Shortly after attending the seminar, I experienced a reduction of hours at my job because of the slow economy. My negative cash flow got worse. I assumed that I did not need to make payments, since I still had a negative cash flow.
I was not anxious to proceed with their program. After I learned more about it (which only comes after the contract is signed), I felt like it was a shell game. Borrow here to pay there. You still have debt, it’s just re-arranged. The bottom line is that you still owe and your ability to pay is still controlled by your income. I owe the debt and intend to pay it. I just wanted help to manage it.
They suggested that I borrow from my 401K. I refuse to touch my 401K for any reason. I never received any actual “Coaching” from them, just the spreadsheet that anyone can download by going to their website. My position is that I have never received goods or services from RTN. Since my cash flow has been negative since that time, I believe that I do not owe for their “program”. I forgot about it.
I have never received any contact from RTN but I received a collection notice from Conrad Credit Corp. in December ’09. They billed me for the $2,097.00 plus interest (there is no provision for interest in the agreement I signed). I did a little research with the State of Colorado. Conrad Credit Corp. is a California business. To do collections in Colorado, they must have a license and be registered with the Secretary of State as a “Foreign” entity. The Secretary of State revoked their Colorado Authority on 10/03/03. So even though they do have a collection license in the State of Colorado, they are not authorized to do business here.
I filed a complaint with the Colorado Collections bureau and I sent a letter to Conrad Credit Corp. requesting that they
1) Provide proof that a debt was owed
2) Advising them that they have no authority in the State of Colorado
3) Advising them that their collection letter does not meet the State of Colorado requirements for a toll free phone number to contact them
I received a reply from Conrad in January 2010. They did not address any of the issues I pointed out. They did provide a copy of the contract, and again demanded my payment.
I plan to send them a “do not contact me” letter and see where that goes. They may or may not take me to small claims court.
Any suggestions on how to proceed would be appreciated. Thank you.
Stephanie,
See the section in my article above, “If You Feel Like You Have Been Taken Advantage of By Dave Burke and the Real Talk Network.” You could bargain with Real Talk Network to terminate the debt if you don’t file the complaint. You’ve got something of value to negotiate with, the threat of the complaint to the Attorney General. Send the cease and desist to the collection agency and then negotiate directly with Burke’s office for a letter stating you owe them nothing. Then don’t loose that letter.
Steve
Steve, I am another guy who was succered into David Burke’s Real Talk Network scheme as I am just now finding out.
I made the hour and a half drive to the seminar because of the extreme hype I heard from his radio spots. I have been trying ever so hard to rebuild my credit so I can refinance my house. So much depends on it. Just when I’m ready to to apply with an adequate score (671) I get a report from FICO that my credit score has gone down 65 points!
I just found out that David Burke’s scheme had turned me over to collections for over $3,000! At the seminar I told them that I was not interested because of my situation and that I could not use my credit card for any purchase whatsoever.
The representative pressured me into signing a contract and paying $100.00 a month. I did sign the contract and they do give you a three day opt out. But they cleverly give you your first coaching session on the fifth day.
Since you don’t know what you’re getting until then, no one is really going to opt out. I asked him if my credit report would ever be involved and he told me with confidence, “no way.” The phone coaching sessions were on the days and times that I worked and I could not participate.
I did forget about it as I thought the payments were automatic, thereby, even though I was not getting a product, at least my payments were on time and my credit was not going to be affected. SO I THOUGHT. I just talked to them and they shoved this contract that I signed with them in my face and I am at my wits end because I can not possibly get the loan I so desperately need now. I want to sue them!
Can I sue them? Can I dispute this and win with the bureaus? What course of action do I have?
Ron
Ron,
I would follow the complaint procedure in my investigate report on Burke, click here.
The problem in all of this is going to be the contract but I think it is possible they may forget about the issue if you tell them to drop the matter and you won’t file a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General. Ask them, see what they say and let me know.
Steve
Ron,
I am sorry to hear your unfortunate situation. Honestly, I have heard David Burke say things over the past 6 months that would make any educated FICO specialist shutter. For nearly 5 years now VIP truly HAS had the privilege of studying under one of the creators of FICO, and we really DO have one of the leading credit attorney’s on retainer. If you would like to call me personally I am happy to share my resources and make sure you’re being provided proper advise. Any guidance we provide regarding this matter will be at no charge.
-Matt
Hello Matthew,
It’s taken me a while to get back to you, but I would indeed like to take you up on your offer to call you personally. Conrad is calling me all the time wanting another payment. Thank you for your generous offer. I do need help. What is my next step?
Ron
Ron,
Your next step is to email me any additional details from what you described above and I will immediately forward it to our attorney for his input.
I look forward to offering any guidance possible.
_MP
VIP
John Deckys personally told me you guys were starting your comapny after John was “fired”
I am thrilled that others are finally coming forward and voicing their opinion. Thank you Steve Rhode for your diligence.
Unfortunately there appears to be some confusion. To clarify, in NO WAY is the VIP Mafia, VIP Enterprises,LLC., John Deckys, or Matthew Pillmore related to Dave Burke or the Real Talk Network, Inc. After being aggressively recruited by Dave Burke, our firm immediately severed ties upon being exposed to the truth about Dave Burke.
I am extremely proud of the reputation and transparency VIP continues to maintain. As an organization which is financially backed by AI, VIP is held to the highest of standards and compliance. I am glad to personally speak with anybody who would like further details and as always we look forward to helping anyone in any way at any time.
Please call 877-969-2738 and leave a message for Matthew Pillmore.
Matt,
You are always welcome to comment and add feedback.
Knowing what I do now about the situation, having just received and posted the July Deckys email, it makes the August lawsuit between you guys and Buke clearly look like a wanted separation between you and John Decks from Dave Burke and the Real Talk Network.
Please keep us posted when and if you can.
Steve
Matthew,
Real Talk Network spoke of you in their recent statement to me through their lawyer. See the new section of the article “Update: March 13, 2010 – Dave Burke and Real Talk Network Respond and Want Me to Take Down This Article Or Say They Will Sue Me”
Steve
Here is an email that was just shared with me that explains, a bit, what happened between Burke, Deckys and Pillmore.