After talking with a lot of our visitors, we’ve received a lot of questions about the video professor program. It’s mostly basic questions like, “Have we ever used it?” “What is our opinion?”, and so on. To be honest, we never really took a close look at their program, and at one point even advertised their lessons on our site. We don’t really see them as a competitor for two very obvious reasons. First, they are enormous, and our training isn’t really the same.  Second, they offer a wide variety of things, but mostly just software related.

Recently we came across some very distressed postings on the internet about how Video Professor charges their clients, and we thought we should shed a little light on the situation. It should be noted that we respect their business very much. They have helped thousands of people, and are easily the largest computer training program out there. That’s something we aspire to be one day. Also, in the interest of full disclosure, we do sell similar training programs. This post is not meant to compare programs, value, or worth. It’s simply just to inform you on pretty slippery marketing tactics.

Part of what makes video professor so attractive to so many people is their affordability and marketing push. Most tutorials are found buried on the internet like ours, but Video Professor was the one that really got it right by advertising on TV. Their pitch is basically as follows, you get a “free lesson” or one for very cheap to try, and if you like it, keep it. The problem comes with what happens after that for most people. What starts out as a neat little offer, can get very expensive very quickly.

Here are a few snapshots from their website. This is where most people get a little confused. Below you will see basically their entire sales process. It is very easy to get signed up. Plus, there is a lot of information contained in some not so easy to find areas about the specifics of the program. This is where it all begins.

Their Free CD's

The site really promotes the free CD’s part of things, and if you read their terms of service, they are not in any way lying. There is a situation where you get the lesson at no cost except shipping. The problem comes in with what they omit. Which a lot of people would still consider lying.

The Free Trial

Below are images of the “hidden” areas. These are the areas that really show you what is going to happen after you give them your credit card. The reason this whole thing works is because they already have your billing information. Then after a few days, they “conveniently” bill you the remainder of the funds. According to their terms of service, “we’ll conveniently bill your credit card just $389.95″. Can you believe it? Nearly $400 hits your credit card, and most people don’t ever take the time to read all the way through certain terms. In a way, it’s our own fault, by our opinion this billing method is a little suspect.

Their Return Policy

The Catch

Imagine we were to offer you our computer repair training program for just one dollar. Wouldn’t most of you jump on that deal? That is exactly it! Most people get excited about the deal, and never really read it all the way through. Sure, I am positive they have to issue some refunds here and there, but most people cannot do anything about it. You are agreeing to it when you buy the product, and there is nothing you can do.

We are not saying it’s worth it or not. Honestly we haven’t really looked at many of their lessons. We do know they help A LOT of people. It’s just when you choose this method to sell your product, a lot of people can get confused. Take this as a lesson with ANYTHING you buy online. Make sure you read the terms and agreement information if there is one. Make sure you know what you are agreeing to.

Just as an FYI:
Needless to say, people who get this stuff either don’t read fine print and are charged, or try to return it. There are hundreds of user complaints about refunds not being paid. 272 complaints to be exact, on RipoffReport alone.

Full Disclosure:
Yes we sell our own computer training series, but it’s not really the same thing. We don’t see ourselves as a competitor in any sense of the term. In addition, this post has nothing to do with their overall quality, just how they do business.