ComplaintsforSecured Investment Corp.

• Initial Complaint

  06/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Background: I purchased Lee Arnold's real estate investing course "Reverse REO Specialist Certification" (cost $997.00, invoice# ******) and his software program "SendFuse" ($297.00, invoice# ******) via two credit cards on May 19, 2023, totaling $1,294.00 I first emailed to ask for a refund of my money for their Certification and software on the very day I made my purchase, which was May 19, 2023. When my original login info didn't work, I called and spoke to *****************. It is on this phone call I discovered that the main training event wasn't until July *****. I immediately responded that that wouldn't work for me, and I was going to need my money back, since they had an extremely short 3-day refund policy. She asked if I could at least watch the four modules and see the Rules of 56 before I made up my mind. I told her I would. After completing what ***** had requested, I again requested a refund. Now, she informed me it was too late since it had been over their 3-day return policy. I extraneously disagreed. This has been going on since the end of May. Since I originally requested the refund within an hour of my purchase and taking ******* request to give it a chance, I believe it is only right to refund my two purchases. I did not ever waive my right to a refund! Except for the first module, the other three were only sixteen minutes long and from the contents, they were at least thirteen years old. When I told ***** this, she said I would have to wait until the 3-day seminar - again - July *****th. This was from May 19th, which was two months away and was never mentioned in any of their seminars or sales material leading up to my purchase. I feel extremely taken advantage of with this situation and am requesting my money refunded for the total amount of $1,294.00. My contact information is: (T) ************, (E/M) ********************* I'm located in the Pacific Time Zone. Thank you, ****************************

  Business response

  06/28/2023

  Please refer to the previous response sent to you on June 26, 2023.  We would be happy to provide you with another program of equal value or the Fast Track version of Reverse REO Certification Program which can be completed at your own pace and it is not necessary attend a live web event.

  From: ***********************
  Sent: Monday, June 26, 2023 3:03 PM
  
  Subject: RE: FTC Complaint Letter
  
  I have received your correspondence requesting a return of your investments. I have also reviewed the companys responses and the denial on your return request.
  
  As you know Lee Arnold System has a three-business-day return policy, which acknowledgement is required to process an online order (*****************************************************************************), as well as outlined in your original invoice (I have resent the invoices for you records.)
  
  Except as set forth below, in order to be entitled to a refund LAS must receive your request within three (3)days of your original transaction date. That request must be in writing to ***************************************.
  
  Also, investments into our technology and software products are non-refundable as listed both in the acknowledgement required to process an online order, as well as outlined in your original invoice.
  
  Any portion of your purchase attributable to loan application fees, V.I.P. ticket purchases, or software products (including, but not limited to, SendFuse, GeoBrander, and/or Dealio.pro) is strictly non-refundable and not subject to the 3 day return policy. All sales of these product types are final upon payment and non-refundable.
  
  In review of all emails sent to ***************************************,and other company client-facing email addresses, there is no return request concerning your investments within the return period.
  
  Lee Arnold System also, as you are informed in our calls,records calls, and these are retained for review.  In reviewing calls within three business days of your investment, there is no return requests and subsequent calls indicate you planned on moving forward with your investment.
  
  Since there were no eligible return requests made within the return period, your later request for a return was denied. 
  
  Because we strive to treat all clients equally and fairly,when transactions are conducted within our high standards, we hold to the above return policies for every client regardless of the clients intentions to file government or media complaints. 
  
  We are happy to speak with your concerning your investment and will be happy to move your investment in the Reverse REO Certification Program into any of our other certification programs that better fit you needs.
  
  Yours in Success,
  
  **** ************************** *  ********* ****** ******* * ********  * ************  * * ******************************** ************************************* ***** * ************** ** ***** * ***********************

  Customer response

  06/28/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: As previously stated in my previous emails/phone conversations/complaints, I requested a refund from ***************** on the same day I purchased.  The reason was that the training event wasn't until July 10th, 2023, while my purchase was on May 19th, 2023.  ***** asked that I first review the ************ and the rules of 56.  Therefore, once completed and not satisfied I again asked for a refund in which she replied it was past the 3-day refund period.  Additionally, in neither the sales webinars nor any other sales information was it noted that the training was approximately two months away.

  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  07/11/2023

  As we have conveyed previously, we record all calls, and in reviewing calls with you within  the three-day return period, a request for a return was not made. Your invoice also specified that return requests are to be sent to **************************************** That email address (and our other client facing email addresses) received no requests from you during the return period. 
  
  Also call recordings show you were informed of the dates of the live events by a Confirmation specialist the day of your investment.  You were subsequently given additional access to the Fast Track version of course that *** be completed at any time at your own pace. We are dedicated to your success in the course and prepared to provide our all the training and resources we committed to provided at the time of you investment. 

  Customer response

  07/21/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I told ***** that the event date of July *****th would not work for me, I would need my money back.  Also, you had upsells, e.g., SendFunse and Dealio, that were essential to your program that were upsells.  I am on Social Security and find these added expenses difficult.  I did, however, opt for SendFuse, which was explained to me that was the one - of the two - upsells I needed, since it included the contracts.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Customer response

  08/25/2023

  In regards to my complaint #20243769 against Secured Investment Corp., this matter has been resolved to my satisfaction.  Also, please publish this resolution so the public can see and read it.
  
  If there are any questions, you may contact me at (760) 560-8290 or email [email protected].
  
  Best,
  David W. Kirksey
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  As seen in previous complaints that involve Secured Investment Corp, and in my case - Lee Arnold ***********, these businesses have not been forthright in their presentation and training - and continually try to add on additional costs. I had purchased training for the Brokerage Certification on December 15th for $1497. I reviewed the initial training, and become both suspicious and disenchanted after learning of all of the additional costs involved. I decided to contact them for 2 reasons: I think the program was misrepresented, and I requested a refund for financial hardship - due to being laid off from my tech job at the end of December.Emails were sent one 1/6/23, 1/10/23, 2/1/23, and I called ****** Services on 1/19/23,1/20/23, and 2/4/24 - without any resolution. I did not participate in the Brokerage Certification Classes nor have I received any services from Secured Investment Corp, therefore I am asking for a full refund of the $1497 paid in December. I feel I was scammed by this company.

  Business response

  02/16/2023

  We are sorry you are unhappy with the Broker Certification Program in which you invested. We are unable to refund your payment for the program because you initiated a payment charge back with your payment card provider and as result, we have no payment for this product that can be returned to you.  Your Desired Outcome of this complaint cannot be provided because of your actions.
  
  Our records show you invested $1497 in the Independent Private Money Broker Certification and the Virtual ************************** Class on December 1, 2022. At that time you were sent an invoice indicating the program in which you invested and specifying our long standing return policy:
  . . . in order to be entitled to a refund LAS must receive your request within three (3) days of your original transaction date. That request must be in writing to ***************************************.
  
  We sent via email Broker ************** Study Course, a component of the Independent Private Money Broker Certification Program.
  
  It was not until January 6, 2022, you requested a return of your $1497 payment, well outside the stated return period.
  
  Since you initiated a payment card chargeback on, we have no payment from this order. We unable to provide a return of a payment that we have not received.

  Customer response

  02/19/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  01/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear ***/*****,Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to submit a complaint against the following company:Name: Secured Investment Corp.Address: ****************************. 2nd floor, *********************************** Person in charge: *******************************/ Fund Manager Phone: ************ Back in January of 2022, I invested with the company an amount of $1,000.00 provided I would receive a small monthly amount almost no more than 5 - $6.00, the total amount I received for the entire year around $60.00 give and take. Not to mention the amount would be held in their possession for a full year 'til January 2023. In December 2022, I decided to divest the money and requested that the full amount of $1,000.00 be refunded back to me on or about the expiration date. Unfortunately, they refused to do so with an intent that they would refund the money in 4 quarterly starting April 2023 to January ****. Of course, I strongly refused that illogical/unreasonable offer. So they updated the offer to say the 1st payment of $250.00 to be made in January all the way to October 2023 provided I sign a document to confirm my consent. Again, I am totally refusing to sign the document hence I feel totally uneasy that they want to use my money for their own benefits. I must add that for the past 2 months they caused me too much stress while having health issues with my heart among others.Thank you for your careful attention and forthcoming response. Meanwhile, below is my phone in case you'd like to discuss this issue in more depth. Before I close this message, I'd also like to add that I am currently retired and live on social security income. ********************* ************************************************************ **************

  Business response

  02/17/2023

  As an investor with Circle of *********** III LLC (the Fund), you have requested an immediate and complete divestment of his $1,000 initial investment. However, as outlined below, an immediate and complete divestment of an investors capital is not permitted pursuant to the Operating Agreement and Offering Circular of Circle of *********** III, LLC (the Investment Documents). Instead, all divestments are required to be paid over a minimum of four quarters. Accordingly, you are being divested pursuant the quarterly divestment schedule outlined in the Investment Documents you signed as part of your initial investment.
  
  In signing these Investment Documents, you were fully aware of this divestment schedule when you made your investment. Our correspondence with you indicates you were fully aware that this request contravenes the terms of the Investment Documents. Nevertheless, you have insisted on demanding the Funds administrators violate the Operating Agreement or risk your attempts to inflict defamatory reputational damage. You have expressed directly that you intend to gain leverage by inflicting reputational harm on the Fund.
  
  Secured Investment Corp manages Circle of *********** III LLC to the highest standards, and in doing so, manages its operations strictly pursuant to its Operating Agreement. The Fund is regularly reviewed by internal and external legal counsel, as well as outside accounting firms which perform yearly audits of the Funds operations.
  
  This is not a matter of a misunderstanding of investment terms. You are attempting to coerce a desired result through threats of reputational harm which directly contravenes the Better Business Bureaus rules for the posting of complaints.

  Customer response

  02/28/2023

  Hello ****,
  
  Thank you for the feedback.  In response, what appears to me that Secured Investment Corp continues to deny its responsibility towards its clients.  I strongly believe this company uses unethical and unfair practice to take advantage of its customers just because of the fact that they are still holding on to the money so they can do whatever they please to satistify their hunger.  
  
  In light of the above, I am strongly determined and committed to pursue a legal action against the company to recover the money of $1,000.00 they owe me.  I am confident justice will be served so that will be a ****** to them and others.
  
  Thank you for your help.
  
  Best
  *********************
  ********************* 
  T: ************ 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The 1st trans was $1,497 dated 10/19/22. The merchant listed on the cc stmt was The Lee Arnold System. The $1,497 was to pay for 3 days of upcoming training for Broker Certification. The 2nd trans was $3,500 dated 10/20. The merchant listed on the cc stmt was Secured Investment Cor. The $3,500 was to pay a portion of the Ultimate ******************* Package, including, but not limited to, future training and some software. Both charges were affiliated with & from the same entity, The Lee Arnold System of *********** Investing. These purchases were made during a free all-day "funding tour" on 10/19. I was reassured repeatedly by ***** (the one that processed the $3,500) everything he was saying would be in writing in a DocuSign doc that would be sent the next day via email for my review and signature. I was ****% under the impression and led to believe that I could read through everything thoroughly and ask any questions before I signed & agreed to anything binding. I didnt receive the promised e-docs to review and sign. But emails were sent to me with access to software I was not expecting to receive yet, since I had not signed a contract yet to agree to the Ultimate Package. I hadnt fully paid for this. I haven't had the training yet in order to utilize the software. When I read the fine print on the invoice, I thought surely they didnt consider a portion of the amount I pd to be software cost, since it said in the fine print that it was non-refundable. I cant in good conscious move fwd with this company. I refuse to be associated w/ a company that is deceptive, misleading, manipulative, dishonest, and untrustworthy. Refund requests were submitted in writing on 10/20 & 10/22. On 10/29 Secured Investment Cor refunded $1,003, which leaves a needed refund of $2,497 from them. The $1,497 was for training only & has nothing to do with software, so there should be no issues with refunding this. I haven't opened, logged in, or utilized any of the software.

  Business response

  11/18/2022

  BBB: This is a duplicate to Complaint 18390525. 

  
  As a courtesy, we have returned your entire investment of $4997.00 on the cards you used in payment.  The first return of $1003 was submitted on October 28, 2022 and should already be shown in your statements. A return of $1497 and another at $2549 was initiated yesterday and should be reflexed in your account in 2 to 4 days. 
  
  Since your desired resolution to this complaint has occurred, we request that you inform the BBB that it is resolved.  

• Initial Complaint

  11/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I did the 30k mentorship. I was upsold a 6k VA (Virtual Assistant). I tried to call my contact person to cancel VA. I left voice mails. I got ahold of someone else who told me to email customer c are about cancelling VA. ******** care does not want to cancel/refund my 6k, saying I didnt do it in alloted 3 business days. I have not received VA (Because I told everyone I canceled). Please refund my $6,000.00 I never used this product.

  Business response

  11/10/2022

  We are disappointed you have chosen to not take advantage of the *********** Virtual Assistant program in which you invested on October 11, 2022.    Our records show at the time of your investment you agreed in a recorded Compliance Call  to the detailed terms of the program as well as the terms and procedure to request a return. Our longstanding Return Policy (which is also contained in a previous Fulfillment Training Agreement that you signed) is as follows: 

  
  "Please understand that you may cancel this sale up until midnight of the third business day from enrollment, which begins today. After the third business day all sales are final and there is a no refund policy in place. If you wish to cancel, you must do so by contacting Secured Investment Corp. in writing either by emailing *************************************** or by mailing us a cancellation request to ***************************************************************************************. Please note that stand-alone and package orders of software licenses,including Dealio.pro, GeoBrander and SendFuse, are non-refundable."

  
  Upon your investment in your Virtual Assistant Program, we began fulfillment and selection of your Virtual Assistant. Our phone records show that you actively engaged with us with phone calls and texts asking to move forward with the program between October 13 until October 24. Our records show you had an outboarding call with the VA Program Coordinator on October 25, in which you indicated you were moving forward with the program, and, after a selection process, a trained Virtual Assistant was assigned to you on the same day. 

  
  Our records do not show any return request on this program before the appointment of your VA and we show no return request until you called on 11/8/22 and in a subsequent email.  According to the acknowledged Return Policy outlined above, no return was eligible after midnight October 14, 2022. Since your request was ineligible under this policy we responded with an email explaining the policy.

  
  We are anxious to help you move forward with your *********** Virtual Assistant. If, for some reason, you are unable utilize your investment, we are happy to discuss moving the credit for your unfulfilled investment to other Lee Arnold System opportunities. Please give us a call at Client Success at ************ to get you moving forward.

• Initial Complaint

  07/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I moved to a new location in **********. I was in the process of looking to find a supplemental way to add additional income as I was bleeding dry from an inheritance I recently received from my late sister in 2021 and a romance scam back in 2018 that I was bleeding money (I had notified the romance scam to the ************************). I had no experience in real estate investing, but I was extremely desperate to get money. So I looked at an Instagram advertisement where the Lee Arnold *********** Investment program would help me get money. I talked to a gentleman named **** Vandenwalker regarding my interest in the program, but I wanted further research as I did not want to risk being scammed a second time. I made it explicitly clear to **** that I was hesitant to give away so much money because I did not want to lose money, but I needed money desperately. So for $9,997, **** had me lukewarmly join the program, which I was not interested in, but he pressured me with cunning and desperation. I did take the one-week course, and I was not satisfied because it cut into the time at work I had with my other employer, and honestly, it wasn't very reassuring. More importantly, I felt that there was something fishy because, during the free seminar, I watched some of it on January 8, 2022. The people were extremely pushy and demanded that I have the camera on. I was so tired, and my head was having such a searing headache that I could not watch the whole thing. Still, I was unhappy. But I labored on, and that is where *********************** got me into more programs, and he wanted more money. So on January 27, 2022, I got into another program, but not without pushback. I explained my situation, and they wanted nearly $30,000. At this point, I could not commit because that would cut into my rent, and I still needed money to pay the *** and the *******************.

  Business response

  07/26/2022

  
  We are very sorry to hear about your losses due to the romance scam you experienced four years ago.  It was logical after such a loss to seek knowledge and skills in real estate investment as a vehicle for financial recovery.  After your complete review of our program and our return policy with your ******************** Consultant and our Compliance Officer (on recorded calls) you invested into our introductory Ultimate Broker and Wholesaler Package. After attending the first course in your package (Private Money Broker Certification Program)  you decided to invest in an advanced course (Master Broker) on January 27, 2022. 
  
  You then requested a return on this $19,997 investment within the three-day return periods and we promptly returned your investment. You also requested a return on your original package,which  was denied because you made your return request well outside the 3-day return policy (in which you acknowledged in a recorded Compliance Call and were informed again in a emailed invoice) and that you were completely fulfilled on three of the four major components of the package;SendFuse, Dealio.pro and the Broker Certification (which you completed, passed the exam and received a Private Money Broker Certification.)  A seat was also held for you at the Wholesaling Certification Program on January 31, 2022.  You initiated a PayPal dispute on your charges,but you chose to remove that dispute when we returned your investment in the Master Broker Program.
  
  We are anxious to help you financially recover from the setbacks you endured, the best way we know how: by helping you use your education in succeeding in real estate investing. We are willing reschedule your attendance in the certification programs you attended or were previously scheduled.  We will also extend your use of the software programs Dealio.pro and SendFuse under the terms of your point of investment. We sincerely hope you accept our offer to fully utilize the program in which you invested,and find success in real estate investing.
  
  Please feel free to contact me, ***********************, Director of Client Success at ******************************** or **************. I look forward to speaking with you and helping you again.

  Customer response

  07/27/2022

   
  Complaint: 17515900
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  I explicitly told these parties that I had concerns being a fraud victim, and now they are just turning my back. ********, these are unethical people that do not deserve this money. I am bleeding money, and it won't be long before I run out of money, me becoming homeless, and me perishing from earth. I am desperate for the $9,997. Please, have Secured Investment Corp reconsider. 
  

  This is the scam I was alluding to earlier that I explicitly told **** Vandenwalker and ***********************.

  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩