Wasden
BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline) - Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden announced a settlement on Thursday with a company selling services assisting consumers in running their own Internet-based businesses.
The Boise-based Accelerated Mentoring LLC, previously known as Internet Sales Institute LLC, sells Internet-based training, personal coaching and software that aides consumers in establishing e-commerce businesses.
The settlement resolves complaints that Accelerated Marketing allegedly made false claims about the amount of money consumers could make by investing 10 to 15 hours a week in an online business. Wasden's office alleges that Accelerated Mentoring was paid between $1,200 and $17,500 to teach the operation of work-at-home businesses. Seventeen consumer complaints were made to Wasden's office about the company.
The settlement prohibits Accelerated Mentoring from stating a specific amount of money consumers can earn if they buy products from their company. It also requires the company to maintain a privacy policy for customer information.
Under terms of the settlement, the company must disclose the material terms of a customer's purchase and comply with the Idaho Telephone Solicitations Act, including the federal Do Not Call law. The settlement requires the company to give customers at least three days from receipt of their written contracts to cancel their purchases.
The company was also alleged to have failed to register as a telemarketer with the Attorney General's Office, though it is now registered as required by the settlement. The agreement prohibits the company from collecting on outstanding debts for purchases made while it was not registered with Wasden's office.
The settlement terms apply to the company's future business activities and those of its owner, Clancy Yohman of Boise.
Accelerated Marketing, which did not admit to any wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement, paid Wasden's office $10,000 for investigative expenses and legal fees.