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FIB - Scams 101

Re: Michael Masterson/AWAI....... STOP!!... ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

Posted By: MaaMaw
Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2007, at 9:09 a.m.(pst)

In Response To: Michael Masterson/AWAI Copywriting Course Scam (Jim Wilcox)


When this thread started, I didn't think much about it.

The first post by Jim Wilcox was polite and rational. I was buried in a huge editing project at the time, I didn't have time to get involved, and there really wasn't any reason to because what I saw was a message warning people about more of the same...

some evil, money-hungry jerk making wild-and-crazy promises and delivering nothing in return for your life savings.

Maybe yes... maybe no.

I hate to admit it, but I've only started following the thread over the past couple of days, and what I see is a lynch mob getting more and more vicious (and seemingly hysterical) with each post.

That's perfectly dandy... IF what you're saying is true and you aren't just a bunch of disgruntled wannabes (referring less to Jim Wilcox, who started it all, than to the angry voices that have joined the fracas). No offense, but it does happen.

Here's my problem:

I went to the site expecting to see promises of instant wealth.

Quite possibly I just didn't dig deep enough, but the red flags I was looking for didn't jump off the page and snarf up my eyeballs.

I do see this, and I don't like it:

Imagine...

You begin your day in with a cup of coffee looking out at a year-round golf course across the street. Magnificent white sand beaches and multi-hued tropical waters are jogging distance away.

You see, you can now live where you want. While your contemporaries have white knuckles because they're grabbing their steering wheels too tightly because they're stuck in snow-bound traffic ... you can be golfing, or swimming in 78 degree, coral-lined tropical waters and basking in the warm glow of the morning sun.

This is not fiction. Ordinary people right now, are making this kind of money. They knew nothing about copywriting. They had no prior experience. They had jobs they disliked. And they weren't sure that they could make it as a copywriter.

But they did...

I don't like it because I'm compulsively honest (which is why I'll never get rich in internet marketing or any other kind of marketing), and this kind of mouth-watering picture just ticks me off no end!

But...

Big BUT...

Nothing in that blurb is a lie.

Zippy, Skippy.

It says, "Imagine." It doesn't say, "I promise" and it doesn't say, "You will."

It's true that copywriters are making that kind of money, and it's true that copywriting is a skill that "ordinary people" can learn. (That isn't to say every Tom Dick & Phoebe is going to become great, but I'd venture to guess that a lot of intelligent people with low-paying, dead-end jobs could, if they applied themselves, learn the skill and drastically improve their lifestyle.)

This is not to be construed as an endorsement of AWAI, their course, their bootcamp, or any of their products!!

In fact, the next thing I was going to say is that I know NOTHING about their "bootcamp," and my personal experience with bootcamps and seminars has been very bad. I always advise people to go with NO credit or debit cards and completely EMPTY WALLETS, so they don't empty your wallet for you.

Maybe this is no different...

but maybe it is.

These are the facts:

1. I haven't been to one.
2. I ain't goin' to one.
3. I don't know any of the detractors so I have no reason to believe them. (Again, no offense.)

What I see is an OPPORTUNITY to win back the price of the bootcamp (not a promise, just an opportunity to try).

And regarding the course, I see an Unconditional Guarantee without obvious holes:

Your Unconditional Guarantee in Writing

If for any reason you’re not delighted with your program materials—or you decide that this is simply not for you, for any reason, just return the materials within 30 days of receipt and your entire purchase price will be promptly refunded. At any time after that, you may cancel with no further obligation—you’ll owe nothing!

Does he honor the guarantee? I have no clue and I wouldn't begin to guess.

HOWEVER...

On the first page of the site, I see very positive reviews by some people I trust and respect. Would they lend their name to a scam? (Possibly, if they didn't know it was a scam at the time, but pretty unlikely as far as I'm concerned.)

THIS DOES NOT EXCUSE THE GUY FOR PAST CRIMES, if he has committed any.

But I simply don't have time to track down the evidence right now, and I'm not going to blindly accept what you're howling -- and I sure as hell will NOT allow you to post "MICHAEL MASTERSON CONFESSES" on my board based on a line in his ezine referring to something in a past life (you know who you are).

Once a crook always a crook?

Hmmmm...

Probably.

But like I said, I haven't confirmed his "real identity" or his "past criminal record." My only interest at this point is the copywriting course and bootcamp in question, and you have failed to convince me it's a scam.

Usually, with a true scam, you can find people ranting all over cyberspace.

I keep finding YOUR rants... and they are balanced out by positive reviews and comments.

So I remain neutral at this point.

THEREFORE...

Both sides are well represented in this thread, and all future posts on the subject will be removed...

Unless, of course, you have hard evidence to present -- in relation to the here-and-now and in regard to the copywriting course and bootcamp in question -- but even then, I don't promise it won't be nuked, so you might want to limit your digging-up-dirt time or post it elsewhere.

Why am I doing this?

No, I have not received a "Cease & Desist" order or been threatened with a lawsuit (neither of which has ever caused me to pull back and I'm not about to start now).

Here's why:

1. You haven't convinced me.
2. I don't like the lynch-mob mentality.
3. I don't much like you (excluding the more cool-headed among you) (the "CONFESSION" was what blew the cork off the bottle).

No offense.

Luv,

MaaMaw

$2.95 Trial - Internet Entrepreneur Club - UNLIMITED Mentoring, Site Reviews, Sales Copy Critiques from IMC's EXPERTS

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