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  • Report:  #839638

Complaint Review: Harvard Risk Management - Internet

Reported By:
Melissa - Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:

Harvard Risk Management
5068 W. Plano Pkwy Suite 300 Plano, Texas 75093 UN Internet, United States of America
Phone:
888-264-4070
Web:
http://www.harvardbenefits.com/contact/
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
I cannot find a single reference in any legitimate paper with reference to Harvard Risk Management, or Legal Shield.  Prepaid Legal, Inc. does feature in the NY Times, but all of the articles are about THEIR securities fraud.  I cannot find a single reference to them that is not a self-generated PR release that is written by the company itself.  There is not a single actual newsprint reference that I can find - anyone else have better luck?

Also, with regard to Kroll, Inc.  Again the same lack of reference occurs.

I also wrote several of the large companies whose logos are featured as "clients," firms such as Iron Mountain.  I have received replies to 5 of the 8 letter I sent.  None claim to do business with Harvard Risk Management , Prepaid Legal, or Kroll, Inc.

I have gone through the recruitment process and received a lot of materials.  Again they are self-generated collateral touting their praises - but there is not a single actual print reference to an actual newspaper citation.

When I asked questions about the "history" of Harvard Risk Management as a company, and cited the Rip Off citations as the only on-line sources I could find - here is what their "field agent" Scott Brooks sent to me:

Links to various information that you will find beneficial in making your decision.
 
o   Link to the the Harvard Agent position overview: www.hrmcinfo.com/preview
o   Link to the Harvard Risk Management Better Business Bureau Rating: www.hrmcbbb.com
o   Link to Harvard Risk Management Website: http://www.harvardbenefits.com/about/
o   Link to the Identity Theft Shield Product Overview by Kroll, Inc. https://www.prepaidlegal.com/newCorp2/legal_plans/idt_shield.html
o   Link to the Family Legal Plan by Legal Shield. https://www.prepaidlegal.com/newCorp2/legal_plans/legal_plans.html
o   Link to information regarding the Rip Off Report extrotion tactics: http://www.reportsripoff.com/edmagedson.php
o   Finally, here is a training link actually taken from our Online Agent Training Program of the CEO talking about Pre Paid Legal and the Harvard Group Marketing Opportunity. http://www.harvardbenefits.com/associate-access/Group_Training_Videos/whygroupintro/whygroupintro.html

These above links are to help prove their case - but notice that they are all self-generated, notice the URL's.

These guys are good - they had me fooled.  But as I investigated the website and saw that the Harvard Risk Management has no actual references to outside sources - and both PrePaid Legal and Harvard Risk Management DO NOT actually explain their past history or corporate structure with any outside references, or much explanation for that matter.  Having a CEO (or an actor posing as one) does not constitute proof of legitimacy.  

I too can write anything on a page.  This is not proof that I am what I write.  I find that companies doing business for 10-25+ years that have NO "honorable" mention in legitimate press sources to be highly suspicious.  Legal Shield - again has articles in the Times - but they are cited as perpetrating a scam themselves.  

I am becoming more and more convinced that this is a scam preying on legitimate citizens, such as myself, who are sincerely looking for gainful employment.  This SCAM wastes precious time, seeks to obtain personal identity information, and if my suspicious are correct - everyone associated with this company and their work should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

I am informing legal authorities about my research and suspicions.  I am not going to become involved with these companies in any way.  I am placing a watch on my own identity information.  

I invite Harvard Risk Management to disprove my statements.  Or to inform the public of actual citations in legitimate media and/or business sources.  By the way - submitting an article submitted by your own company on sites such as Linked In, FaceBook or Internet "news" sites, does not constitute proof.


My advice: Do not do business with Harvard Risk Management, Kroll, or Pre-Paid Legal.


5 Updates & Rebuttals

Very Angry

Bergenfield,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
VERY ANNOYED THAT ANONYMOUS WON'T FESS UP THAT HE OR SHE HAS AN AX TO GRIND

#2Consumer Comment

Fri, February 24, 2012

The initial complaint listed here is about Harvard Risk Management a Broker selling 2 products owned by other companies via Independent Agents NOT ABOUT PPL

Not once have you or your false God Fitzpatrick whose report you liberally quote made any accusations against Harvard.  In fact Fitz doesn't even mention Harvard in his report!

In fact YOU don't even mention Harvard in your venomous rantings against PPL.

YOU HAVE AN AX TO GRIND AGAINST PPL

YOU ARE NOT AN INNOCENT GOOD SAMARITAN PROTECTING THE PUBLIC FROM EVIL DOERS

YOU HAVE AN AGENDA!

You or someone you know probably worked for PPL and couldn't cut it and you or they are actually a disgruntled former employee.

Since you have an ax to grind against PPL you should start a new complaint about them NOT pile on horse manure about a Broker who sells their product.

By the way, call Harvard Risk Management Corp and they will verify that every statement I've previously put in writing about them is accurate.


Anonymous

United States of America
Very humored by "Very Angry"

#3General Comment

Fri, February 24, 2012

Obviously you haven't read the reports.  You should try reading them; you might learn something.  You make reference to Fitzpatrick as being a false God.  Funny how you don't realize that even if your incorrect assumption were correct about him having less than adequate credentials, the fact remains that numbers don't lie.  Are you now going to refer to numbers as "false Gods" too?  You see, I don't know if you have ever heard of this or not, but there is a thing called "mathematics".  2+2=4, 10/5=2 and so on.  Fitzpatrick didn't pull numbers out of his a*s.  He used information from PPL's own financial reports to arrive at the mathematical conclusions that he did.  Instead of attacking the creator of the reports, why don't you focus on the numbers themselves and see if you can find errors?  Suppose a bum on the street found a new mathematical equation that made sense and could be proven mathematically?  Is that new mathematical equation now automatically incorrect because of the mere fact that the creator was a bum on the street?  NO.  Why not?  Because it doesn't MATTER who the information came from as long as his conclusions can be proved mathematically.  Such is the case with Fitzpatrick's reports.  PPL associates love to make stupid arguments and rely heavily on fallacies to defend themselves (i.e. you attacked Fitzpatrick instead of his arguments and the mathematics involved in arriving to his conclusions...Ad Hominem).  Wow.  I'm beginning to think...no, i know now for a fact...that your claims of not being associated w/ PPL are false.  Otherwise, why go through all the trouble?  And me?  I'm merely trying to assist the public in making sound decisions based on FACT.  if anyone reading the reports doubt the mathematics involved in the reports, they could crunch the numbers themselves and arrive at the same conclusions.  Bottom line, regardless of who wrote the reports, the numbers don't lie.  Now, if you still have an issue with the reports, why don't you post specific examples of what you don't agree with?  Chances are you won't find anything wrong with the reports because again...they used PPL's OWN FINANCIAL DATA.  And please, no more fallacies.


Very Angry

Bergenfield,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
VERY ANGRY WITH ANONYMOUS

#4Consumer Comment

Wed, February 22, 2012

I'm not a Harvard Agent nor sell PPL.  The opportunity to work as an Independent Agent isn't  for me.  Sales isn't for me. But the truth is for me.

The PPL opportunity as described to me by Harvard was to SELL SELL SELL PPL memberships to individuals and groups.  Group memberships were to be sold to small and medium size businesses.

No mention was ever made or implied by Harvard about recruiting other members below me to build a pyramid should I join Harvard

According to your false God Robert Fitzpatrick PPL Associates do nothing but recruit others as part of an MLM pyramid scheme NOT sell the PPL product to individuals or businesses. And on those rare occassions when Associates do sell PPL memberships they sell only individual memberships.

NOT what Harvard described to me about the position.  What Harvard described to me was to SELL SELL SELL the PPL product to groups

Fitzpatrick's reports make no mention of Harvard.  His reports only make mention of PPL Associates who work directly for PPL.

I question Fitzpatrick's credentials, expertise and the facts that he has stated in his reports.  Nobel prize winning scientists fake reports and credentials.  The achievement of Cold fusion was faked. Fitzpatrick wouldn't be the first nor the last fake expert.

Plenty of companies get involved in securities fraud.  That does not diminish the value or efficacy of their product or services.

You obviously have a bone to pick with PPL.  Don't know nor care what your issue is with PPL but disclose the truth about yourself rather than hide behind a "holier-than-thou" stance and launching a crusade against PPL using false Gods as evidence of your righteousness.


Anonymous

United States of America
Very angry at "Very Angry"

#5Consumer Comment

Mon, February 20, 2012

The OP is right, Pre-Paid Legal (now Legal Shield) is a scam.  Now before any PPL fanatics go crazy and start regurgitating things taught to them at the brainwash meetings, read the following reports on PPL:
http://www.pyramidschemealert.org/PSAMain/news/PPL.Analysis.2.09pdf.pdf
and
http://pyramidschemealert.org/PSAMain/resources/PPL.FitzPatrick.Report.2008.pdf
The author is Robert Fitzpatrick and if you doubt his credentials on the subject, read his biography on his website (http://pyramidschemealert.org/PSAMain/about/rlf.html) before making any comments.  If, after reading the reports, you still don't understand that its a scam...then may God help you; You deserve to stick with the company and have all your $$$ taken away from you.

Btw, if anybody is wondering just how "lucrative" this business is and are too lazy to read the reports (which is where the following figures came from):
* The Mean Average Gross income of PPL Sales Associates in 2006 = $5.48 per WEEK
* Mean Average after deducting direct costs for PPL "sales tools" = 4.32 per WEEK
(bums make more than that in a DAY)
And here's a really good one:
* % of Associates that could possibly earn a gross income of $40,000 per year = 0.7% (7 per THOUSAND)
Note (also taken directly from the report): If 0.7% of PPL Associates earned $40,000 all others would have to earn NOTHING.


Very Angry

Bergenfield,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
THE TRUTH ABOUT HARVARD RISK MANAGEMENT

#6Consumer Comment

Fri, February 17, 2012

Harvard is a 3rd Party Broker offering 2 legitimate products
for sale owned by independent companies ---  LegalShield and Kroll ID
Theft.

That point was made very clear to me by a Harvard Agent.

Harvard does not offer a job. It offers you an opportunity to become an
Independent Agent affiliated with Harvard. You are in business for yourself.

There is NO COST to become a Harvard Agent, get Trained and Certified to sell their products.

Legal Shield requires Agent membership in order to sell their product and receive a commission for each membership sold.

The job requires effort and hard work like most jobs.  This is no "sit
on your butt at home and wait for tons of money to flow in while you do
nothing" position.  This is no "Get Rich Quick" Scheme. 

There are no short cuts.  Put in the time.   Put forth the effort.  Follow the program and the financial rewards are there.

Want to become your own boss and represent Carvel or McDonald's or Krispy
Creme, etc? Get ready to fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars or
more for a franchise.

Sales is not for everybody.

Working as an Independent Agent is not for everybody.

Commission only income earned is not for everybody.

Being in business for yourself is not for everybody.

Working hard and putting forth an honest effort is not for everybody.

There are plenty of jobs available where loafers can earn a good living with good benefits for doing nothing 40 hours a week. 

Some people prefer being hired drones, ordered about, handed a weekly or bi-weekly check
by an employer and being told what to do, when to do it, how to do it, etc by overbearing bosses.

The complainers who have posted here should not discourage those who have
sales ability, want to sell a legitimate product and be in business for themselves.

If the opportunity isn't for you, acknowledge that fact and move on with your life.

Don't ruin the opportunity for others. 

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