John Beck

John Beck: We really do try to find some good things to say about each of the "gurus" we review. But in the case of Mr. Beck, that is difficult, to put it kindly. We have been in contact with Mr. Beck, an attorney who objected to this review. We told him to provide any evidence that any statement here is untrue, and we would be all to happy to correct the record. That was in 2005 and we are still waiting for him to provide any legitimate rebuttal.

Unfortunately, many who come here have already been convinced by Mr. Beck's infomercial, and have come here not to learn the truth, but to validate their belief in the man. Those unfortunate people will ignore the facts and proceed to try the John Beck program. And, like many before them, they will later be angry with themselves for having been duped, and wish they had kept an open mind when they visited here. So, a word to the wise - please keep an open mind. While it is true that we (IntelliBiz) have our own real estate program, this comparison site is designed to only present the facts, so you can make an informed decision, and not suffer the same fate as so many others.

The Bad: Once you order, he charges your card an additional $39.95 every month thereafter. Since this charge is not described clearly up front, it comes as a surprise to many. Some of his customers have posted complaints on the Internet and elsewhere to indicate Mr. Beck's program is shy on enough details to make it work for many people. To overcome that little "oversight", John Beck charges several thousand dollars for his consulting. A VERY steep price, indeed. Anyone with that kind of money lying around probably does not need John Beck.

What is ironic is that tax lien investing is quite simple, and does not require expensive mentoring of any kind (we know from professional experience investing in tax lien certificates). But Mr. Beck seems to work hard at making it sound harder than it is, hoping the customer will buy into his mentor program. Here is a program on tax liens and deeds that is more comprehensive, includes free coaching, and is far less expensive.

The Better Business Bureau gives John Beck an "F" rating, with complaints ranging from deceptive marketing practices, unauthorized credit card charges, misrepresentation, and false advertising concerning the offer's actual ability to generate profits as advertised. Many complaints allege the quality of mentoring services provided was not as represented (see below), or did not meet their expectations. Clients complain that mentors are inexperienced, unprofessional, or unavailable when needed. Others report services consisted of one phone call a week, that mentoring services provided by the company taught them very little, or they were unable to apply the materials for practical usage. In other cases, complaints included: difficulty obtaining refunds; non delivery of merchandise; or that the company fails to honor their money back guarantee. Several complaints allege that after the initial purchase, the company re-contacts buyers by phone and uses high pressure sales tactics to sell additional high priced mentoring services.

Tax Lien investing is not all that complicated. Our own program includes all the necessary information to successfully invest in tax liens and tax deed sales. And, with over 35 years experience, we can tell you that investing in tax liens is no more complicated than buying a used car. People like Mr. Beck only make it appear complicated, to convince you that you need their program and expensive mentoring. Such deceptive practices are wrong. Period.

NOTE: It would appear that Mr. Beck either farms out his mentoring (which is very expensive) to "Mentoring of America", or owns that company. This company is to be avoided at all costs. It has been alleged to drain credit card balances, and provide little, if any, mentoring of any value. In his own website, nowhere on his pages about "Mentoring of America" does it make the statement that the mentors are actual investors. Why would he not make that claim? The only reason we can think of is that it would be dishonest - that his mentors are not investors. They are, in all likelihood, simply trained telephone operators. And this seems to be the basis of many of the complaints filed with the BBB. Again, "Mentoring of America" should be avoided at all costs.

In visiting John Beck's website, we looked over the so-called "testimonials". As expected, the testimonials are all attributed to people with a first name and last initial, and no address, making it impossible to verify - something like "John F., California". (A better program, "The Simple Man's Guide to Real Estate" has testimonials that include full names and addresses so they CAN be verified. Examples here)

For more info from other sources, just Google "John Beck Scam", or simply visit his own website, with open eyes (look for what is NOT there. Does he say his mentors are real estate investors? Can the testimonials be verified? Can anything be verified? And if so, why is his record at the BBB the worst that we have ever seen?).

There are some good "gurus" out there (like Ron LeGrand, and Bill Vaughn). But John Beck certainly is not one of them.

If you are truly interested in really learning how to make money in tax liens, tax sales or real estate in general, yet pay under $70 and receive the benefit of free, unlimited coaching, "The Simple Man's Guide to Real Estate"^®, is worth considering. Written by Bill Vaughn, the man who developed most modern "flipping" strategies in the '70's, and who originated the "reverse mortgage" in 1988 (which has since been adopted by many banks), the program is comprehensive, simple and their personal coaches are actual, practicing investors who volunteer (it's free) on a not-for-profit basis to help others.It is the only low cost program found that provides free, unlimited coaching from actual investors. And the instant download (full version) allows you to start immediately. It's worth a look!

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