Just another Pickuppodcast.com weblog

Dear Readers,

We were recently told about a new website that’s sprung up: TheArtofCharmScam.com. On this website, its anonymous creator (who does not say that he has personally taken any bootcamps or received any coaching from AoC) puts forth rhetoric about The Art of Charm being a scam. We found it good for a laugh, and you may too (note: we did not make this website!)

The concerns raised by this nameless critic point towards common questions and misconceptions about AoC and our programs, so we’ll offer clarification, re-state our company’s practices and values, and give a glimpse of where we’re going in the future. Let’s start with the nitty-gritty.

How Do Payment Plans Work?

We began offering payment plan options to make our coaching programs more attainable for everyone. Many of our clients are college students or recent grads, so a “layaway plan” for the program was developed. We suggest $500/month, as this will purchase a week-long program after 8 months. We want the payment plans to work for you, and many students choose payments less than this amount.

What about the $125 Processing Fee?

The problem with payment plans is that things change over time. People change their goals, often become malaise and forget about things which once made them passionate (like improving their lifestyle, dating, and social life.)

Some potential clients are not really sure what they want or need, and can be sold on any number of coaching programs from anyone who sounds credible. Ultimately, these people don’t make good Art of Charm Alumni, and they may be fired as clients… which is all good, until they enact a credit-card chargeback. We won’t bore you with the details of what happens then and why that is problematic for us.

Additionally, we don’t charge interest on our payment plans, but the fee helps to buffer this. Consider the alternative–paying off a credit card with 15-20% APR!

Our solution to these hurdles is threefold: [click to continue…]

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