FRANCHISE WARNING: Mars Venus Coaching

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• I was one of the franchisees that invested $80,000AUD+ . I am not on the list and neither is a large handful of other failed franchisee's. This franchise is the ultimate farce and I recommend anyone to stay away from it. The Australian franchisor Darren Stephens is a crook and when Ross Clenett took him to mediation, he had to do everything in his power to get a settlement otherwise his parents stood to loose their home. Ross got clean however when I went to take on Stephens and Gray, I was informed that they were willing to take me to court to which my legal rep advised me against a lengthy and costly court battle.

  I was in it for 9 months and in that time NOT one single client came through the franchise process, they all came from my lists of individuals that I knew and that were attracted to my style, NOT my franchise. I paid franchise fees for nothing. When I suggested that I wanted my money back for false representation, I was advised to sell the business... "What would I sell?". There was nothing to sell and besides would I bequeath this disaster upon someone else? I don't think so.

  John Gray has some good material but it has NOTHING to do with coaching. They made up something, dressed it up and I bit at it. 6 months later I woke up from the slumber and saw what was really happening. I walked away from the investment and called it a loss however I cannot believe that they still persist with this circus of lies and deceptions.

  I send enlightenment to then so that John Gray can be the truth and instead of asking for franchise money, teach people how to coach for one off fee and then let them have the material. John Gray needs to read about the laws of the universe and then practice them (Reciprocity).

  Email me before you dare look into this dangerous franchise.

• As an ex-Mars Venus Franchisee, I can assure you that this company is a SCAM! Rich Bernstein starts off with forcing you to give $20,000 to $40,000 US for training and a b/s Franchise that isn't actually legal anywhere except in Nevada. Then they give you high financial income expectations, which do not happen!!! In my own case, they stole $20,000 from me, without giving me any Franchise documentation at all. Then they demanded that I pay $1000.00 per month for Franchise Fee's...for a Business I did not even own!! These people are very good with the SPIN selling techniques, and can spin any story and create lies upon lies, just to take your money. I know, it happened to me. Don't be the next victim of Rich Bernstein, Jim Taylor and this fake company of Mars Venus Coaching Franchise!!

• I am interested in becoming a franchisee for Mars Venus, if they are in so much trouble and it is a scam how are they still able to operate, how do they still have frnachisees with them.
  Any advice from past and present fanchisees will be appreciated.

• Please don't buy a Mars Venus Franchise!!! They have a GREAT way of convincing you that the Franchise is a safe secure investment, but the reality is that Rich Bernstein is a crook and steals every penny from his victims. They are only still in business because of the good reputation of Mars Venus, John Grey, and Coaching in general. TRUST me!!! If you are interested in Coaching, the best and cheapest solution is going through another certified coaching school. You will only get burned with buying a Mars Venus Coaching Franchise!!!

• I also was a franchise owner just after Herbie. It put me through the most stressfull time in my life. I was determined to make it work regardless of watching people drop out one by one till there was none.

  I noticed that when someone drops out they just re-sell the books, video, CD's ect to the next person (after you send them back) for another $7,000 of the next franchise sold. I received Herbies ( his name was in them). When I droped out (after needing to sell three houses) I sent them back also, as the contract says, and they would have keeped selling the same litrature over and over for the same price.

  If anyone lasts 12months their lucky. The whole buisness is not disighned for you, It's only desighned for them.

  It also is a fact that it has a 100% fail rate. I have watched it for years now and no one ever succeeds, they always drop out within one to two years with a huge debte.

  Rowan.

• Hi everyone,
  hm, i'am wondering for these posts.
  First for everyone: Go to the homepage http://www.masrvenuscoaching.com and look for the countrys and number of coaches. They are there.
  I was speaking with Rich Bernstein personally every week for one year before I decided to become a coach in the MarsVenus System.
  I passed 7 Days in Training in Las Vegas, one Day personally trained by John Gray. The Training and the System is a really great thing... If you follow it.
  I lost my first Client because i did it my way, not the systemised way.
  The next clients I got because I followed the System.
  I have three Coaches who call me every week for getting me focused.
  But I have to stand up in the Morning and to do the work.
  No one will do it for me. And I have to stay with it.
  No client will call me and come from alone.
  So the first year is certainly the foundation of the future years.
  It is the same like computer Problems... in 80% the system is working, but the Mistake is sitting on the chair before the Computer.
  So please: Everyone who wants to know more about my backround, and my experiences, just call or contact me. I am really sorrowful about people who can't discuss with facts, who are using anonymous insults instead. Poor society.

  I am not hiding behind anonymous posts. I just want to tell the truth.
  So please contact me for getting the right picture of the experience I made.
  Have a nice Day.
  Michael

• Hi everyone,
  hm, i’am wondering for these posts.
  First for everyone: Go to the homepage http://www.marsvenuscoaching.com and look for the countrys and number of coaches. They are there.
  I was speaking with Rich Bernstein personally every week for one year before I decided to become a coach in the MarsVenus System.
  I passed 7 Days in Training in Las Vegas, one Day personally trained by John Gray. The Training and the System is a really great thing… If you follow it.
  I lost my first Client because i did it my way, not the systemised way.
  The next clients I got because I followed the System.
  I have three Coaches who call me every week for getting me focused.
  But I have to stand up in the Morning and to do the work.
  No one will do it for me. And I have to stay with it.
  No client will call me and come from alone.
  So the first year is certainly the foundation of the future years.
  It is the same like computer Problems… in 80% the system is working, but the Mistake is sitting on the chair before the Computer.
  So please: Everyone who wants to know more about my backround, and my experiences, just call or contact me. I am really sorrowful about people who can’t discuss with facts, who are using anonymous insults instead. Poor society.
  I am not hiding behind anonymous posts. I just want to tell the truth.
  So please contact me for getting the right picture of the experience I made.
  Have a nice Day.
  Michael

  Michael Kubina e.K.
  zertifizierter Business & Success Coach
  [contact info redacted]

• I am a certified Mars Venus Success Coach. If you would like to speak with me, just ask Richard Bernstein or Jim Taylor. Both know me, and both coach me on a weekly basis. Either can give you my contact info. You can also contact any one of the certified coaches on the Mars Venus Coaching website. Prospective franchisees who are serious about adding value to the lives of others should demand to hear the truth from actual coaches.

  I have been a Mars Venus coach for about one year. Before joining, I had qualms about the Mars Venus Coaching franchise based on information posted on sites like this one and http://www.ripoffreport.com.

  Nonetheless, I was definitely going to investigate the opportunity to be involved with John Gray’s organization before making a decision. Not taking the steps to learn about the Mars Venus franchise because a few salacious posts throw mud at the organization would be like deciding to never travel to great cities like New York City or Rio de Janeiro because some guide books tell you to be careful of criminal activity there.

  What did I do? I went through the process and held off on making any decision until I met Rich. I wanted to see for myself what the organization was. And I didn’t shy away from the issue. I asked Rich point blank about these allegations, and his responses were more than satisfactory. I also spoke with several Mars Venus coaches about their experience. If you are serious about buying a business, and as a prospective franchisee, this is the minimum due diligence you should be doing.

  It’s important to investigate the statements and promises made by the franchisor. It’s equally important to have a critical eye when reading anything on the web.

  In our new internet world, anyone who has had a bad business experience with a company has the ability to say whatever they want to the whole world. Shared experiences could help you avoid doing business with a bad company, but placing excessive reliance on someone else’s opinions may be imprudent as well. Suppose one customer posts a bad experience at a well-known restaurant that others rave about. Do you try the place out or avoid it altogether?

  Her comments need as much as scrutiny as the investment opportunity.

  Back to my experience. Mars Venus coaching has changed my life, and I am not only a much better person and better coach as a result, I run my own company far more efficiently. I teach successful professionals and CEOs on the very concepts that Rich has been teaching me…EACH WEEK for the past one year.

  There are statements made by people who claim they were wronged by the Mars Venus organization in Australia prior to 2009. Whether those are true or not, I cannot say. I have heard, however, that there were leadership issues, and the dilution of the Mars Venus image and mark was one of the reasons for bringing in a new CEO and moving the operations to the United States.

  From my point of view as current Mars Venus coach, whatever people may have done in Australia several years ago has NOTHING whatsoever to do with the coaching services I deliver to my clients nor the value I get week after week from the coaching I receive from my Mars Venus coaches.

  That leaves Veronica James. That her statements are wildly accusatory is obvious from merely counting the number of exclamation marks she uses. As to the substance, here are some questions you may consider asking yourself when you read her posts:
  - A scam is a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation. What exactly is the scam here?
  - Want to know if the franchise is legal? It’s your choice to rely on Ms. James’s bald assertions or ask Rich for the all important Disclose Document, also called a UFOC. Want to read more on that subject? Check out the Federal Trade Commission website for investigating franchises: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/invest/inv05.shtm#5
  - How a franchisor can steal “every penny” from a franchisee is beyond my understanding. Not getting value for your franchise fee is one thing. Saying that the franchisee took all your money is plain silly. (If you only have about $20,000 to your name, as Ms. James seems to, buying a business that requires you to develop the clients yourself is probably not a smart bet. It’s not too different than having an architectural degree, law degree, or even a medical degree. People don’t start coming to you just because you have a degree or a certification. You need to get out there to let people know who you are and how you can benefit them.)
  - How can someone “force” her to give $20,000? And why would she have given the money without receiving the requisite disclosures? FTC laws prohibit that practice. See the link above.
  - Would you own a business as a Mars Venus Coach? Of course you do. That’s the franchise. How is that Ms. James bought a franchise and didn’t own a business of her own? Think about it. That makes zero sense.

  At the end of the day, one is left to wonder whether Ms. James was ever a part of the Mars Venus organization or if she is simply someone looking to propagate a smear campaign. If Ms. James wants us to trust her, she should provide her contact information and share details as to when she became a franchisee.

  As a prospective franchisee and business owner, you will be faced with the daily challenge of deciding fact from fiction. That process starts now.

• Mars Venus Success Coach wrote "ask Rich for the all important Disclose Document, also called a UFOC"

  FYI The UFOC (Uniform Franchise Offering Circular) hasn't been used since July, 2008. It's been replaced by the FDD (Franchise Disclosure Document).

  MVSC makes good points about doing thorough due diligence and not taking anyone's word for anything at face value - whether an anonymous commenter or a company founder or a franchise salesperson or broker. It's your *ss on the line if you make a mistake so it's your responsibility to investigate before signing your life away.

  However, if MVSC is implying that the FTC polices its guidelines and compliance rules, think again. No one is policing franchising. Even if they made illegal claims and sold you an unregistered franchise, odds are your only recourse will be to fund a private lawsuit with your own $$$ (which you probably won't have).

  Don't go into this thinking there's anyone policing this or that anyone will help you if you get screwed over - unless you're paying their hourly rate. Anyone tells you different is a scheming scammer.

• This is classic Rich Bernstein and Mars Venus Coaching Franchise! As soon as they notice that someone is speaking the truth about the SCAM they are selling, they immediately put up long, overly detailed excuses and LIES!!!!!

  This site, and most others will not allow a post with anyones contact details for privacy reasons, otherwise yes, I would supply my email and phone #.

  What I speak is the truth.

  Mars Venus Coaching Franchise is a SCAM and a waste of your hard earned $$$. Richard Bernstein is a liar and a scam artist who will steal as much of your money as possible, as long as you let it happen.

  Don't be a sheep by following this loser...he is very good at telling lies, making up stories, and getting you to believe the Mars Venus Franchise system works, but it does not work!!!!! You are better off putting the $20,000-$40,000 dollars under your mattress so it will be safe and secure.

  Buying into this company will only make you poor!!! Please trust me.....I know, it happened to me, and it is happening to many others. Rich Bernstein and Jim Taylor of Mars Venus Coaching cannot be trusted, they will steal your money, and you will go broke!!! They use the SPIN selling technique to reel you in and make you feel good and comfortable, then they attack like vipers and force you to send them thousands of dollars. They are cheaters, liars, and scam artists! They should be in jail, but the laws in Las Vegas protect the criminal!

  DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU!!!!!

  Mars Venus Coaching Franchise is a SCAM!!!!!