Former Clients Say Online Marketing Coach Owes Them Thousands for Failed Business Deals – NBC4 Washington

Before the pandemic, Mark King labored in advertising for massive corporations, however the Los Angeles man dreamed of working for himself. 

Then a buddy informed him a few Maryland man nicknamed “Mr. 50K A Day,” who allegedly made massive bucks via internet affiliate marketing on-line. That man, Greg Davis, claimed he might train others how one can generate profits by selling different folks’s merchandise on-line, too. 

King mentioned he employed Davis in early 2020, anticipating he would design an internet affiliate marketing marketing campaign for him that might generate as a lot as $10,000 a day inside six months. The price for his companies wasn’t low cost — nearly $70,000 — and got here with a one-year a reimbursement assure.

“He was the internet affiliate marketing guru,” King mentioned, including, “His assurances had been: ‘We’re going to start out creating wealth shortly.’”

But after hiring Davis, whose firm known as the Legin Group, King mentioned issues went south.

He mentioned not solely did he not make a revenue, however greater than a yr and a half later, Davis has did not return his practically $70,000 funding as their contract requires.

“I really feel prefer it shouldn’t have occurred,” King mentioned. “I’ve made no cash throughout this entire course of. This was a complete failure.”

The News4 I-Team discovered King isn’t the one one who employed “Mr. 50K A Day” to assist launch an internet affiliate marketing profession solely to come back up empty-handed. Through court docket data, on-line opinions and interviews, the I-Team discovered a number of individuals who mentioned they paid Davis hundreds of {dollars} for teaching and to assist arrange an internet affiliate marketing enterprise, solely to obtain little or nothing in return. 

In an interview with the I-Team, the person behind the “Mr. 50K A Day” moniker acknowledged owing King and “fairly a number of” different folks cash, however insisted he plans on repaying them.

“I really feel unhealthy. I do not, , need folks to not have their cash … I do not be ok with that in any respect,” Davis mentioned.

The Prince George’s County man blamed his monetary issues on the pandemic, saying his enterprise tanked final yr as a result of his “foremost marketing campaign” was centered on selling auto insurance coverage, which he mentioned suffered as Americans went into lockdown. He mentioned he’s nonetheless digging out of the backlog. 

“If the pandemic hadn’t occurred, none of this might’ve occurred. We wouldn’t be speaking,” he mentioned.

But the I-Team discovered a number of individuals who say they misplaced cash to Davis previous to the pandemic, together with Floyd Garner, of Maryland, who employed Davis in late 2017.

Asked what he anticipated to be taught from Davis’s teaching, Garner mentioned, “What I used to be purported to be studying was the enterprise, however as an alternative, I obtained the enterprise.”

Records present Garner initially paid Davis $15,000 for a three-month on-line coaching course in internet affiliate marketing and later paid greater than $6,000 in further prices associated to promoting campaigns. But Garner mentioned Davis by no means supplied teaching companies or proof of a advertising marketing campaign.

“There had been income promised, and this was nothing however a loss,” Garner informed News4.

Garner sued Davis for breach of contract, intentional misrepresentation and fraud in 2019 and gained his case, however data present it took additional authorized filings earlier than he was repaid.

Jon Petreeko, of Florida, informed the I-Team he employed Davis for $20,000 in March 2019 to launch an internet affiliate marketing enterprise that Petreeko would finally take over.

Instead, Petreeko mentioned he was offered a “pipe dream.”

“He by no means obtained the enterprise to the purpose the place I can really take it over,” Petreeko mentioned. “He by no means had a bodily product and even digital product that I might even see or go, ‘All proper, I can get on board with this.’ He simply put excuses after excuses.”

Petreeko mentioned Davis has repaid greater than $15,000 of his funding, together with in cryptocurrency, however he’s nonetheless awaiting the remaining.

Though Davis acknowledges he owes many individuals cash, he mentioned he’s had “a whole lot” of shoppers and that many have benefited from his teaching.

He despatched the I-Team plenty of video testimonials from former shoppers he mentioned have made as a lot as six and 7 figures. News4 tried to achieve a lot of them.

Lamont Price, of Baltimore, wrote in a message to News4 that “Greg’s program labored very effectively” for him and was “definitely worth the funding.”

Reached by the I-Team, John Gray mentioned he spent round $2,000 a number of years in the past to take one among Davis’ programs on cost-per-acquisition advertising – one thing he mentioned helped launch his present profession in e-mail advertising.

But requested if he’s earned “seven figures” consequently, as Davis informed the I-Team, Gray laughed and mentioned, “No, no, no, and my tax returns would show that.” 

Before coming into into any sort of teaching settlement, shopper legislation lawyer Michael Ostroff suggested folks to find out whether or not the service is a shopper, private or enterprise transaction, as that stipulates the kind of protections obtainable ought to the deal go sideways.

Ostroff, who represented Garner in his case in opposition to Davis, additionally mentioned would-be shoppers ought to ask myriad questions on what they’re buying and ensure to not pay for all companies upfront.

“The extra you ask questions earlier than you get into it, the extra you will have a written contract, the extra you perceive what’s anticipated of not solely you however the different occasion, the higher off you are going to be,” he mentioned.

The Federal Trade Commission, which tracks on-line teaching packages gone improper, declined to touch upon this story.

But Andrew Smith, the FTC’s former director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, informed the I-Team he “isn’t shocked” by the extent of losses folks like King have reported.

Smith wouldn’t remark particularly about Davis’ enterprise however mentioned, relating to investigating wrongdoing, “From the FTC or the legislation enforcement perspective, what makes the distinction is fake or unsubstantiated earnings or way of life claims.”

Though former shoppers together with King and Garner mentioned Davis gave them assurances they’d flip income by hiring him as their coach, Davis refuted that and mentioned he discloses to his shoppers that not everybody will make massive bucks.

“I didn’t essentially assure that they’d generate profits. I simply mentioned that, like, in the event that they hadn’t made their a reimbursement inside 12 months, then I’d, , refund them,” he mentioned.

Asked about King’s allegation that the advertising marketing campaign Davis was creating for him might yield as much as $10,000 a day inside six months, Davis mentioned, “That was not a promise. It was a goal.”

Still, an arbitrator overseeing King’s case in opposition to Davis with the American Arbitration Association wrote Davis “deliberately misrepresented that he made $50,000.00 per day and hundreds of thousands in complete by internet affiliate marketing” and that “he would offer companies that may instantly generate revenue.”

In September, a Prince George’s County decide additionally ordered Davis to repay King’s $70,000 funding, plus further prices.

King mentioned Davis just lately indicated he’ll repay him however hasn’t but executed so.

Meanwhile, Davis informed the I-Team he’s contemplating shifting on from internet affiliate marketing teaching and is now educating others how one can put money into cryptocurrency.

Reported by Susan Hogan, produced by Katie Leslie, and shot and edited by Lance Ing. NBCLA I-Team reporter Randy McIlwain contributed to this report.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/former-clients-say-online-marketing-coach-owes-them-thousands-for-failed-business-deals/2839625/

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