My son is a career soldier (SSG) who is currently serving in Japan. Last week I got an 2 emails; the first asking me to inquire at the bank about a charge ($189.95) to his ATM card that he didn't remember. 7 minutes later he sent a second email asking me to cancel his card. The charge was from Video Professor with whom he has never done business.
I did some research on the Internet and found that this company has many, many claims of fraud. One site (
www.ripoffreport.com) had 270 complaints of incorrect billing and dishonest practices. There are several other sites that claim to report fraudulent practices by this company.
At the time that my son discovered this bogus charge he was TDY and didn't have the ability to contact the US by phone (which is why he asked me to cancel his card - I am listed on his account).
I have since been able to talk with my son. He affirmed that he has never done business with Video Professor and has never received any of their instructional CDs. Moreover, in attempting to trace this problem he has discovered two different "Video Professor" web sites. One that is linked to the 800 number in the ATM card charge, and another that is returned by Google.
John Scherer (the founder and CEO of Video Professor who offers the 100% satisfaction money back guarantee) denies the charges of fraud. He claims 100% satisfaction or your money back. Several complaints mention that shipping and handling are not refunded and you have to pay for return postage. Moreover, If you actually order the "free" (+S&H) CD lesson, you get an additional CD. If you take the time to read all of the included paperwork in the package, you will learn that an additional lesson has been provided and that you have 10 days to return it or you will be charged (you guessed it) $189.95. By the time most people get their credit card bill, it is past the 10 days.
When I looked at my son's ATM card charges, I found another charge for $9.95 from Video Professor 17 days previous to the $189.95 charge. This looks a lot like the 10 day scam, except that my son had never heard of Video Professor before this and has never received any CDs. He is in Japan and Video Professor TV commercials do not run on Armed Forces TV - Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard commercials run on Armed Forces TV. I know that for a fact. That's what I watched on my son's TV in my recent visit.
My son thinks that there are two "Video Professor" web sites; one legitimate and another bogus. But that doesn't explain all of the problems (repeat billings with no product, refusal to refund money, "magic" billings with no previous contact) with Video Professor.
If anyone really wants to learn about computers and computer software, I would recommend a community college near you. It's less expensive and you get to ask questions of a real person who actually knows the subject matter. A much better deal.
Anybody out there have any experience with Video Professor? Is it a scam? It certainly is in my son's case.