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  • #2193056

    Company info?

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    by evmafau ·

    I’ve been looking for a new job and came across this company “Tech Pros Group” that says they’ll train you for 3 months and you’ll walk out with 3 Cisco and 4 MCSE certifications and they’ll place you in a paid internship for a year.

    Has anyone heard about this company? They’re located in California, so maybe someone on that coast (I’m in Florida) has worked with them or got some dirt on them?

    Thanks

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    • #3109130

      Sounds Fishy

      by bfilmfan ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I’d check with the Better Business Bureau in whatever city they are located in.

      Frankly 7 certifications in 3 months sounds massively fishy.

      • #3165979

        Glad to see othes questioning this

        by vwgti94 ·

        In reply to Sounds Fishy

        I too received an email from Peter Frivadi with the attached pdf application file.
        – The fishy part – When I used my debit card for the $95 processing fee they had a problem with reading one of my account numbers and a women contacted me asking me to read my credit card # to her. She contacted my on my cell phone and I was able to obtain her # (626-367-2232).. after I got off the phone with her I was a little suspicious so I waited an hour and called back the number, when the person picked up the phone it was very unprofessional; rather then getting a normal business greeting like “hello this is so and so from the tech pro group” I got a “hello” and when I asked if this was the application processing center for the tech-pro group she was like “umm yes yes this is” it was a little fishy.
        I sent an email back to Peter Frivadi asking him if my application had been processed and instead of him responding back to me a women replied to my email stating that my application had been process and the paper work would be given to Peter Frivadi by the end of the day.
        Peter Frivadi did contact me that evening to schedule my phone interview. When we spoke he asked he if I was aware of the cost of the 3 months of training camp. I told him that from reading the application I know that there are exams and lab fees that are my responsibility to pay but I was not aware of the cost of them. When he broke down the cost of everything I was a bit shocked.
        The cost he gave me is the same as what has been mention in the pervious emails around $2,475 not including the lodging or exams fees. When I talked to him about finical aid he was very quick to mention that they are not a “School” and therefore do not provide a finical aid program.
        There are 20 exams he told me that cost $125 each and the lodge $29 a day, so with everything it roughly comes out to be about $7,500. I did read that the education is about 25,000 which will be paid back to them once you land a job ( ? of your fist month paycheck and then 19.95% for a year). Doing some quick math – let say that you get placed in a job making 65,000 a year .. They receive $2,700 from your first month ( my numbers do not included taxes) after that 19.95% around $13,000… So to add up everything 2,700 + 13,000 and the cost of the camp 7,500 = 23,200 (they do say the program cost about 25k – however I’m not sure if this is irrelevant or just my way of justify the cost of everything).

        My only lead to investigating this company is to come up with some specific questions to ask Mr. Frivadi or try to contact Microsoft and find out if heard of this company and if they are affiliated with them in anyway. Once again it seems fishy that he can not give any references and if this is not a scam if does seem like something I would be interested in just would like more background info.. If anyone knows more please let me know .. Thanks ( my email vwgti94@aol.com)

        • #3155494

          Official Response from Tech Pros Group

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Glad to see othes questioning this

          THIS POSTING WAS UPDATED AS OF 8/01/2007

          I was recently notified that there was a discussion thread on Tech Republic regarding Tech Pros Group by various techies with questions regarding the validity of their internship service. Upon reading the discussion thread, I was quite impressed with the questions that are being asked and fully understand the legitimate concerns some techies might have about Tech Pros Group and its internships.

          This discussion thread is of direct interest to me on both a personal and professional level. As you can see from my profile, I have been a member of Tech Republic for approximately 7 years and have enjoyed the camaraderie of interacting with other Tech professionals. What you may not know is that I also happened to work at Tech Pros Group.
          As a fellow Tech Republic member and as the Vice President of Business Relations at Tech Pros Group, I want to make sure that fellow Tech Republic members have accurate information regarding the various internships being offered by Tech Pros Group.

          We at Tech Pros Group take great pride in the internships we offer. The internship commitment is both serious and long term by both the individual and Tech Pros Group. For this reason, it is extremely important that any prospective candidate who desires to apply for the program do so only after fully understanding what is involved and is prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to be successful in the internship program.

          As many of the other Tech Republic members have already stated, you should never jump into such a serious commitment until you have done your homework. If you?re really serious about making a long term commitment, take the time to check us out. In fact, I would encourage all prospective candidates to visit us in California or at least send a friend or relative to visit. Historically, over 90% of candidates who visit us in person apply for the internship. For individuals who cannot make the trip to Irvine, California, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I have listed my cell phone number along with my e-mail address on my profile. Feel free to contact me with any qualitative questions you may have regarding the internship programs.

          On the flip side, you shouldn?t assume that something is a scam just because its sounds like a great opportunity. Please think about the industry you are choosing to join. Our industry is full of stories that may sound unrealistic but are completely true. Individuals starting multibillion dollar companies out of their garage (Apple) and dormitories (Dell) or unemployed grad students becoming multibillionaires in just 10 years (cofounders of Google are worth over 20 billion dollars each).

          On a smaller scale, there are countless individuals with less than 5 years of experience making over $100,000 per year while many individuals with over 20 years of proven experience are unemployed or struggling to make $60,000 per year. What?s the difference between the two groups? One of the key differences is being at the right place at the right time with the right knowledge, experience and certifications. Individuals with knowledge and certifications relating to in-demand large scale enterprise technologies will command higher wages than individuals with knowledge and certifications in outdated technologies and/or technologies for smaller scales (small businesses). A good example is that a level 1 Cisco Engineer with less than 3 years of experience will earn twice as much wages than a senior PC technician with over 20 years of experience.

          Secondly, good work experience has nothing to do with the number of years and has everything to do with what you did during those years. In fact, 1 year as a network engineer working for a good consulting company will give you more experience than 5 years as a network administrator working for 1 company. The network engineer during his/her 1 year work experience will have handled over 20 complex networks. Responsibilities the engineer would have handled would encompass a variety of technologies (NOS, messaging, enterprise backup, firewall, routers, switches, etc.) and include various levels on responsibilities from design, installation, configuration, administration, troubleshooting, and general break/fix. The network administrator working for 1 company will only have been exposed to just 1 network. In addition most of his/her days will be spent handling a series of recurring administration tasks. The more complex responsibilities such as full scale implementations and troubleshooting are usually outsourced to consulting companies or are only handled on rare occasions.

          Tech Pros Group offers a comprehensive LAN/WAN engineer internship that includes 18 weeks of remote enterprise LAN/WAN training (valued at $12,000 ? based on standard remote training rates for enterprise LAN/WAN training) and attendance at a 7 day LAN/WAN engineer camp ($7,995 ? based on boot camp style enterprise LAN/WAN training rates -visit http://www.globalknowledge.com or http://www.ascolta.com to verify rates) plus a 1 year paid internship ($30,000 escalating up to $72,000) as a LAN/WAN engineer working for a quality Microsoft/Cisco partner. During the 1 year, you will acquire concentrated experience to include handling a minimum of 20 LAN/WAN networks on a wide variety of technologies and responsibilities. Upon completion of the 1 year internship, you should qualify for positions making a minimum of $65,000 to over $95,000 per year.

          So What Are The Considerations?

          1. Highly competitive 2 stage application process ? All qualified candidates who are accepted for stage 1 will receive 6 weeks of remote LAN/WAN training that is designed to give you foundation in LAN/WAN technologies. During your 6 week training period, you will be assessed on your technical skills. Only the top 30% of the individuals accepted during this stage will be allowed to interview for stage 2. If you are in the top 30%, you qualify to apply for stage two of the LAN/WAN engineer internship. Approximately 35% of the candidates who apply for stage 2 are accepted. Upon acceptance you receive 12 additional weeks of remote training culminating in a 7 day LAN/WAN engineer camp held at our corporate facility in Irvine, Ca.
          2. Very demanding internship ? The internship is an engineer level internship with a consulting company that provides enterprise level LAN/WAN services to professional and large scale companies. A typical intern will be working 50 to 60 hours per week to include evenings and weekends. All candidates will be given 1 month to ramp up in their position. Beginning the 2nd month, all candidates will be expected to handle a limited amount of engineering responsibilities on their own. Within 3 months, all candidates will be expected to handle the full range of responsibilities that are expected of a LAN/WAN engineer.
          3. Hard Costs ? Application, Registration and Exam Fees ? All training costs of over $20,000 are included for FREE as a benefit of the internship. This includes all materials, lodging and meals during the 1 week camp. Please note that there is an application fee of $95 (fully refunded if you are not accepted) plus registration fees of $295. Also note that you will be responsible for exam fees. These exam fees are hard costs and are paid directly to the testing providers including Microsoft and Cisco. There is approximately $2,000 in exam fees paid throughout the 18 week training process.

          Additional Clarifications based on false information from other Postings on Tech Republic:

          1. Do I have to attend a 3 month camp and pay materials and lodging fees of $5,000? ? Tech Pros Group has replaced the 3 month camp with 18 weeks of remote training and a 1 week camp. In addition, materials and lodging fees are now included as a benefit of the internship. You will not have to pay for these fees.
          2. Do I have to pay a percentage of my future income after the internship? ? Previously, all candidates who successfully completed the 1 year internship would also be required to pay a 19.95% of their future income for 1 year. This policy has been eliminated. IF YOU SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE 1 YEAR INTERNSHIP, YOUR OBLIGATION WITH TECH PROS GROUP IS FULLFILLED.
          3. Do I have to sign a contract that requires me to pay $25,000? ? All candidates who are initially accepted will receive 6 weeks of remote training. During this period, there are no employment or professional services contracts that you will be required to sign. The purpose of this 6 week period is for both you and Tech Pros Group to get to know each other. At any time during this period, you can part ways with Tech Pros Group with no obligations. If you desire to continue on to stage 2 of the LAN/WAN engineer internship, you will go through an extensive interview process including a full background check. If you pass and are fully accepted, you will be offered a professional relations contract (Internship). This is a binding contract that commits you to work for us for 1 year. In return, Tech Pros Group invests over $20,000 in training. If you follow through on the 1 year internship, there are no additional obligations. If you receive our training and decline our internship, you will be expected to pay for the training investment we made in you.
          4. Is Tech Pros Group registered with the BPPVE? ? The BPPVE was the state governing body for vocational schools for the State of California. This agency no longer exists as of June 30, 2007 due to the fact its regulations were outdated and confusing. Prior to June 30, 2007, all vocational schools were required to register with the BPPVE. Tech Pros Group is not a school and therefore was not required to register with the BPPVE.

          I want to thank the other IT veterans of Tech Republic for their qualitative input. I?m sure the many individuals new to information technology appreciate your comments and input. If you would like more information about our company, please feel free to contact me via phone or e-mail. I look forward to your correspondence.

          For more information regarding the LAN/WAN engineer internship click the following link: http://www.techprosgroup.com/Forms/LANWAN_Engineer_Internship_Disclosure.pdf

          Steve Copeland

        • #3138306

          Tech Pros Fraud Exposed

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Official Response from Tech Pros Group

          THIS POST WAS UPDATED AS OF NOVEMBER 13, 2007

          I?m writing this post in response to the posting that was recently posted above. My response is a personal response as a long time member of Tech Republic and a fellow information technology professional. Please note that I am a Director working at Tech Pros Group. Also note that this is not an official response from Tech Pros Group but a personal response as stated earlier. If you are wondering why Tech Pros Group is not officially responding to this posts; it is due to the ridiculous/extreme nature of the posts. If you would like a more thorough understanding of Tech Pros Group, the services it offers along with facts regarding the allegations; give us a call or visit our website.

          In regards to the post made above, I am both shocked and saddened as to the length in which certain individuals will lie, deceive and/or mislead good techies regarding the services Tech Pros Group offers. These individuals have made statements that are either completely false or at least misleading regarding Tech Pros Group. If one were to take the time to read the various posting made by these individuals on this site along with other sites referenced, an intelligent individual will realize how passionately biased and outright false the information being displayed are. I based my observation on personal knowledge on how incorrect the information. Unfortunately for individuals who are trying to determine whether Tech Pros Group is a ?real? organization with real services. It may be difficult to determine how valid or invalid the information is.

          As an experience reader of internet blogs and posting, let me provide some suggestions:

          1. Be careful of individuals who use ?anonymous? or pseudo names to express ?facts?- The use of anonymous or pseudo names is common in the blog/posting world. It allows individuals to express their opinions and observations while maintaining privacy. This allows individuals who may not normally express their view to express them more freely. Generally, this is very positive and is invaluable to the freedom of speech that all Americans cherish. One of the best parts of being a member of Tech Republic is the open forums they offer. Unfortunately, some individuals with a personal agenda use this as a tool/weapon to push their own biased agenda. These individuals have no interest in freedom of speech, helping others, for even the truth. They?re use of one pseudo/anonymous names is not only limited to one name but many. They will take factual information and twist it to such a level that the factual information presents an opposite conclusion. Others will just outright lie, knowing that many decent individuals will not take the time to verify those lies. For this reason, always verify the logic of any statements made on the internet and if you plan to make an important life decision, verify those statements by talking to the opposing parties and third party sources.

          2. Business ?terrorists? – After reading a particular blog on the Internet, I realized why I was so upset about what is being said. As Americans, we are extremely concerned about passionate, cause oriented, extremist. These are individuals who proactively commit extreme acts that they would normally never do but will do because it?s for a ?cause?. On an international level, this includes damaging property, hurting and even killing innocent individuals. In regards to the internet and the business world, it can include making statement that can hurt or ?kill? a business. Examples include mentioning to people that a particular restaurant is infested with bugs or a teacher is a pedophile or a doctor is working without a license. These individuals will make statements that they know will receive a reaction to hurt or kill their target. What is amazing is the type of individuals who take these actions. One would think that these are individuals who truly have been wronged by the organization they are attacking. In many cases, it?s just the opposite. They can easily be individuals who owe money to the company they are attacking and are trying to walk away from their obligations. Even worse are individuals who are actually competition to the particular organization that is being attacked and are using the first group to eliminate their competition. Along with these two groups are individuals who are just looking for a cause and latch on to one to fulfill their own unresolved personal issues. These individuals have no association with the organization and are not even sure of the validity of the accusations but jump in because they want to be part of something. To these individuals, eliminating the target is just a game and they will use whatever method possible. The final group is individuals who truly feel that they have been wronged by an organization. Their personal stories range from true experiences to exaggerations of real experiences (unfortunately even they start to believe their own exaggerations) to magnify the situation. The problem with some members of this group is that even if the business entities they are not happy with make adjustments to correct the problem, they will never acknowledge the positive changes and assume just the worse. For all these reasons, the information provided by these individuals will not represent the current state of the target business.

          3. Be careful of moderated blogs ? The accuracy and quality of moderated blogs are as good as the moderator. Some of the best blogs in regards to insightful information about a company, service or situations are moderated. On the other hand, moderated blogs can have some of the most biased inaccurate information you can find. The reason for this is that the moderator controls the comments that people are allowed to post. These results in a blog that promotes a specific agenda and all comments that are on the blog reinforce that agenda. The worse part about this situation is if you try to post comments that are contrary to the moderator agenda, it will either never get posted or get posted in a manner that negates your contrary posting. To determine the quality of the moderator, one should ALWAYS read the other blogs that the moderator has. That will give insight into the type of person the moderator is.

          If you are truly serious about considering the services offered by Tech Pros Group and just want to ensure that the services are real, take the time to do full research. Don?t just read some biased blogs. Visit our website http://www.techprosgroup.com or give us a call.

          Any serious candidate wanting to contact me directly can reach me at scopeland@techprosgroup.com for call me direct at 949-701-8668

          Take care and good luck in your information technology career.

          Sincerely,

          Steve Copeland

          Here are some other posts I made that relates to Tech Pros Group and the LAN/WAN engineer internship

          Explanation as to Why There Are Negative Postings On This Thread
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2355985

          Post Clarifying the LAN/WAN Engineer Internship
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2036944

          General Response To Post Comments
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2360542

          Cisco/Microsoft Partner Information
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2357779

          Tech Pros Group?s Better Business Bureau Rating
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2360544

          Response to as to Whether this Discussion Thread Should Exist
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2357075

        • #3139260

          Copeland is at his last breath…

          by alameh ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Fraud Exposed

          Clean it up Copeland; this is what you do best. Notice that you are the only one standing up for this company. Why is that? Let me guess, maybe because they pay you? I know, I know, under this entry miraculously a student will come forward stating how this company has helped them. How could you defend a company that has hurt so many people? The reason people post anonymously is because we have been manipulated and harassed to the point that students are scared to give real information, because we have been threatened with a lawsuit, are manipulated into signing contracts that prohibit us from giving our honest opinion about this company (I am sure Mark Tran will vouch for me, oh, I forgot, Mark can no longer say anything about the company because he signed a confidentiality agreement, and was threatened with a lawsuit and forced to take his blog down).
          This company is taking money from people who are already struggling, but are trying to better themselves by getting an education so that they don?t have to lie, cheat, still, or take advantage of other people to earn a living. Maybe the predator should look to the pray for a lesson on morals and how to treat your fellow human beings. I only wish I had someone to warn me before I sunk all my money into this school, training program, what ever. I hope this helps someone make the best decision for his or her future.
          If there is no investigation by the Orange County District Attorney (DA), there should be and will be. No one is getting away from this.
          This is not an attack this is merely the truth.

        • #3139246

          I have never had my point proven so quickly

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Copeland is at his last breath…

          The Truth (64 of 64)
          Clean it up Copeland; this is what you do best. Notice that you are the only one standing up for this company. Why is that? Let me guess, maybe because they pay you? I know, I know, under this entry miraculously a student will come forward stating how this company has helped them. How could you defend a company that has hurt so many people? The reason people post anonymously is because we have been manipulated and harassed to the point that students are scared to give real information, because we have been threatened with a lawsuit, are manipulated into signing contracts that prohibit us from giving our honest opinion about this company (I am sure Mark Tran will vouch for me, oh, I forgot, Mark can no longer say anything about the company because he signed a confidentiality agreement, and was threatened with a lawsuit and forced to take his blog down).
          This company is taking money from people who are already struggling, but are trying to better themselves by getting an education so that they don?t have to lie, cheat, still, or take advantage of other people to earn a living. Maybe the predator should look to the pray for a lesson on morals and how to treat your fellow human beings. I only wish I had someone to warn me before I sunk all my money into this school, training program, what ever. I hope this helps someone make the best decision for his or her future.
          If there is no investigation by the Orange County District Attorney (DA), there should be and will be. No one is getting away from this.
          This is not an attack this is merely the truth.

          Post edited on 09/30/06

          Posted by: joecu123@… Date: 09/30/06

          joecu123@…
          Networking / LAN Administration
          No location specified
          Member since: September 2006

          Why so defensive, Steve? (54 of 64)
          Clean it up Copeland; this is what you do best. Notice that you are the only one standing up for this company. Why is that? Let me guess, maybe because they pay you? I know, I know, under this entry miraculously a student will come forward stating how this company has helped them. How could you defend a company that has hurt so many people? The reason people post anonymously is because we have been manipulated and harassed to the point that students are scared to give real information, because we have been threatened with a lawsuit, are manipulated into signing contracts that prohibit us from giving our honest opinion about this company (I am sure Mark Tran will vouch for me, oh, I forgot, Mark can no longer say anything about the company because he signed a confidentiality agreement, and was threatened with a lawsuit and forced to take his blog down).
          This company is taking money from people who are already struggling, but are trying to better themselves by getting an education so that they don?t have to lie, cheat, still, or take advantage of other people to earn a living. Maybe the predator should look to the pray for a lesson on morals and how to treat your fellow human beings. I only wish I had someone to warn me before I sunk all my money into this school, training program, what ever. I hope this helps someone make the best decision for his or her future.
          If there is no investigation by the Orange County District Attorney (DA), there should be and will be. No one is getting away from this.
          This is not an attack this is merely the truth.

          Posted by: techdeck@… Date: 09/30/06

          techdeck@…
          Database Administration
          Nowhere, MO
          Member since: January 2005

        • #3139216

          point not proved

          by alameh ·

          In reply to I have never had my point proven so quickly

          i was too lazy to type, but want to bring to everyone’s attention of some other point of view.

          ever notice, steve copeland is the only person that would spew propaganda about his company.

          make you wonder why.

          if a company has a positive reputation, then stuff like this would never be written.

        • #3139067

          TechDeck: That’s logically fallacious.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to I have never had my point proven so quickly

          You point here seems to be that one who protests his innocence is, by definition, guilty.

          If one uses the same logic, it can be said that one who accuses is therefore a liar.

          Unless and until you have facts, I would suggest that you hold your tongue; and then, if you speak, offer facts, and only facts.

        • #3138961

          This is called

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Copeland is at his last breath…

          Deflecting the issue and Techdeck, Joecu123 or whoever you want to call yourself this evening, you are good at it.

          i was too lazy to type, but want to bring to everyone’s attention of some other point of view.

          This is your main defense for pointing out and making sure you posted everywhere I had posted.

          You point me out as the only person defending my company.

          You have a point there and if you read the site you so have so eagerly promoted. Do you wonder why?
          My Character has been slain; lies told about me, I have been libeled.
          I don?t have too many people I would want to subject to the kind of venomous and personal attacks you have at the most participated in and at the least promoted.
          Is my company perfect?
          No I am not naive enough to think any company is perfect.
          Is my company good?
          Yes it has helped a lot of people. It is not for everyone. It wasn?t meant to be.
          So TechDeck, I have to stand up and say something because anytime someone has defended it they have fallen under the same attacks aimed at me.

          If you are so for a different point of view as you claim, you should be asking for the positive posts. You instead slam and then retreat back to your cyber hideaway of anonymity or deny that you posted it.
          If you have no vested interest in it why would you call me Steve?

        • #3138941

          former student

          by joecu123 ·

          In reply to This is called

          You know, when you are the front man for a company that is taking advantage of innocent people, what do you expect, cookies and roses? I am not the same person as TechDeck, although I do appreciate the fact that he/she understands what is going on and is on my side. I am indeed a former student. I know about the candy bowl, the refrigerator that is only for sodas, and oh, I almost forgot, the none technical work day (nothing more then free manual labor from the students. They have the current student setting up apartments for the next group of victims, I mean students. ). I also know who you are. I do not have anything against you personally, but if you choose to be the spokes person for a company that is screwing people over then what do you expect, kind words and a smile? I cannot just be quiet and let someone else go through what I have been though. If you don?t want the negative attention you are getting, then maybe you should just back off. If the negative things that are being said about the company that you represent are not true, then you have nothing to worry about, but unfortunately you and I both know that they are, that is why you are so relentless in your attempts to defend it. This is the truth.

        • #3140249

          joecue123: Just the facts, please.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to This is called

          While you are clearly disgruntled, you have so far failed to present any facts which even remotely suggest any wrongdoing on the part of Tech Pros, let alone that alone that their’s is a “scam.”

          Your cause would be best served by presenting relevant material facts, not unsupported allegations. To do otherwise serves only to diminish your claim.

        • #2623584

          Important to Know

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to This is called

          This is Steve Copeland. As you may already know, I am the VP of Business Relations at Tech Pros Group and also a member of Tech Republic since 1999. As an executive at Tech Pros Group, I do not usually respond to discussion postings on the Internet regarding Tech Pros Group. This is due to the fact that Tech Pros Group did not believe in responding to discussions between fellow professionals in information technology. In fact the last time a response was made by me was approximately 6 months ago relating to an accusation that I post using aliases. Please see my response dated March 2007.

          We feel that forums are a good venue to conduct discussions regarding matters of importance to professionals in the information technology industry. Whether they are discussions regarding new technologies, changes/shifts in the direction of the IT industry, opinions on standards and policies that relate to IT or services/products offered by a specific company such as Tech Pros Group that may be of interest to an IT professional.

          These discussions between fellow professionals can especially be insightful to individuals who are new to the industry, technology or service and are seeking the input of others before making an important decision.

          The positive impact of these discussions is based on the assumption that all parties involved are fair-minded and factual with a desire to seek the truth. When one examines this discussion thread, there are a number of positive examples of fair minded statements. Unfortunately these positive examples are interspersed with a large number of posts made by individuals who have no desire for the truth. What they desire is to push their negative agenda regarding Tech Pros Group. What makes the situation worse is when anyone provides a fair counterpoint to their statement, they individuals respond with defamation, ridicule or outright accusations of wrongdoing.

          To help ensure that this forum continues to focus on facts and fair minded statements, Tech Pros Group will take a more proactive approach to responding. The following are my responses to some of the allegations. Let me apologize for the lengthiness of the response. Unfortunately, there were a number of allegations that needed to be responded to and I wanted to ensure that they were responded to in a clear and concise manner.

          CLARIFICATION OF ALLEGATIONS BY INDIVIDUALS ON THIS POST
          I am writing this response to clarify some allegations regarding myself, Tech Pros Group and our services:

          1. DOES TECH PROS GROUP ACCEPT ANYONE FOR THE LAN/WAN ENGINEER INTERNSHIP? ? Tech Pros Group always had and continues to have a strong policy for consideration for the LAN/WAN engineer internship program. This policy is described in disclosure documents to prospective candidates interested in our service. Unfortunately, the mistake Tech Pros Group previously made was that our determination for a candidate?s acceptance was primarily based on the candidate?s verbal statements and not on any background check conducted by Tech Pros Group. Through the past two years, we?ve learned that many individuals exaggerated their qualifications or just have an unrealistically high view of their qualifications. This resulted in Tech Pros Group accepting candidates who were not qualified. Tech Pros Group has learned from our past mistakes and now has a two stage process service for consideration into the LAN/WAN engineer internship. Acceptance into stage 1 is relatively easy. As long as you meet the basic qualifications and there are spots available, you will be accepted. We do this because the 1st stage is actually a long two way interview process. During stage 1, all candidates have the opportunity to ?check us out? and Tech Pros Group has the opportunity to verify each candidate?s ability. Candidates accepted for stage 2 will go through a thorough background check process including criminal, education, professional and credit. Less than 25% of the candidates in stage 1 are accepted for stage 2. The best part about this process is that candidates who are not accepted are able to part ways with Tech Pros Group with no additional obligations. Click here to see LAN/WAN engineer disclosure document for full details http://www.techprosgroup.com/Forms/LANWAN_Engineer_Internship_Disclosure.pdf
          2. IS TECH PROS GROUP BEING INVESTIGATED FOR FRAUD BY THE DA OFFICE? – This statement was initially made over 1 year ago by a number of individuals. In fact, as of 6 months ago, there were even multiple statements stating that Tech Pros Group is being closed down for fraud. Tech Pros Group takes these allegations seriously and initiated communication with the District Attorney?s office at the time of the initial allegations. The DA confirmed that there were no investigations and even expressed empathy for Tech Pros Group for the defamation that we are receiving.
          3. ARE THERE LAWSUITS AGAINST TECH PROS GROUP? ? As stated by Mr. Oliver Asato and his associates in this discussion group, Tech Pros Group has engaged in lawsuits in court with 4 individuals who were part of the old LAN/WAN engineer internship service. As of today, 3 lawsuits have been resolved in favor of Tech Pros Group, a fourth lawsuit is currently in superior court and is projected to be resolved by the end of this year. One of the lawsuits that Tech Pros Group won is with Mr. Oliver Asato. Interestingly, Mr. Asato conveniently forgets to mention this fact. Furthermore, the other 3 lawsuits that were either won in our favor or in superior court were coordinated by Mr. Asato based on a collection of erroneous information. Mr. Asato attended the court hearing in each of these lawsuits and essentially represented these individuals. Mr. Asato regularly sends inflammatory and defaming e-mails to past candidates of Tech Pros Group encouraging them to sue Tech Pros Group. Mr. Asato even has a website that encourages anyone and everyone to sue Tech Pros Group and provides a step by step process for initiating a lawsuit. In spite of this, only 4 lawsuits have occurred as shown above with 3 judged in favor of Tech Pros Group and the 4th lawsuit currently in superior court. Please note that Tech Pros Group has serviced over 1,000 individuals. The 4 lawsuits represent less than 1% of the candidates who experienced our service. All 4 lawsuits were initiated by candidates who received the service in 2006 prior to the 2 stage screening process as described above.

          WHY ARE SOME INDIVIDUALS DEFAMING TECH PROS GROUP SO PASSIONATELY?
          This would be a question I would ask. To say that these individuals are all bad and are just out to get Tech Pros Group would be as accusatory as these individuals claiming that Tech Pros Group is a fraud. As in any situation, there has to be a logical motive to most individual?s actions. The following may provide some insight into these actions:

          1. INADEQUATE QUALIFICATION PROCESS FOR ACCEPTANCE ? As stated previously, over 50% of the candidates who were accepted in 2006 did not belong in the LAN/WAN engineer internship service. This represents almost 200 individuals. Upon realizing this Tech Pros Group modified its services to include a direct placement assistance option to accommodate these individuals. Using this alternative service a majority of the candidates found employment in information technology in a position that paid on average 25% more than they received prior to receiving our service.
          2. AVOIDANCE OF FINANCIAL OBLIGATION ? Candidates who found employment had a financial obligation to Tech Pros Group that ranged from $10,000 to over $25,000. The more you benefited from this service the more you owed Tech Pros Group. This is due to the fact that our fees were tied to a percentage of your future income. As stated above, the average individual received a pay increase of approximately 25%. The irony of this situation is that Tech Pros Group has had the most difficulty in collecting from individuals who received the most benefit due to the fact that they owed Tech Pros Group the most money. Their justifications for not paying, ranges from inadequate training, inadequate placement assistance, did not receive internship and invalid contract due to not being an authorized school to not working in information technology. Aside from contract validity, every other point can be fairly argued by any individual. In fact, one can make a compelling argument that most colleges, universities and tech schools are inadequate. The problem with this argument is that Tech Pros Group?s contractual relationship with these past individuals was specific to placement. If you are working, you owe Tech Pros Group. Even if every one of those arguments is true, does it really matter if the individual is working in information technology? Especially if prior to our service the individual either had no prior experience in IT, or is an IT professional who has been out of work for over 6 months or is a working individual who has received a pay increase of over 20%. Most organizations and individuals would consider that as success. The majority of the individuals making these claims fall into one or more of the above mentioned success categories. Due to a passive collection policy, over 30% of working clients from 2006 have not paid their obligations to Tech Pros Group. PLEASE NOTE: As of June 2007, candidates who apply and successfully complete the LAN/WAN engineer internship ARE NOT obligated to pay a percentage of their future income. Their obligation is complete with the successful completion of the 1 year internship.
          3. COORDINATED GROUP ACTION AGAINST TECH PROS GROUP ? A small number of individuals who are avoiding their obligations from 2006 has grouped together and has taken slanderous and defaming actions between 2006 and the first half of 2007. This included coordinated e-mail campaigns toward past clients, calls to the local District Attorney?s office, calls/emails to federal/state agencies, calls/ to organizations such as the BBB and included discussion forums such as the one on Tech Republic, Cert Cities and Redmond Magazine. To these individuals credit, they did an effective job. During this same period Tech Pros Group had to make a decision. Do we respond to the smear campaign or focus on improving our services to eliminate future problems? Unfortunately, we could not do both due to our limited resources. Tech Pros Group made the choice to improve our services to eliminate future problems and have spent the past year doing just that. As of October 2007, we are proud to say that the majority of the issues that created this situation have been addressed. Due to the positive changes we have continued to grow in spite of this smear campaign. In fact, the amount of clients we handle each month increased from approximately 30 candidates during the month of October 2006 to over 200 candidates during the month of October 2007. Now that we have addressed these issues, Tech Pros Group plans to focus its efforts on addressing both the collections issues from 2006 and addressing our image on the internet to ensure that it accurately matches who we are today.

          DISCUSSION SUMMARY
          Discussion forums such as this on Tech Republic can be an information source to IT professionals needing 3rd party information prior to making a serious decision. This statement is true as long as all parties are fair minded, focused on facts and not opinions and are respectful of fellow IT professionals even if their statements are opposite. Tech Pros Group supports all individuals including Mr. Oliver Asato, Drewblood80 and anyone else who may have a negative opinion of Tech Pros Group to continue posting. We only ask is that if you truly care about your fellow IT professional as you claim you do, focus on facts that are relevant today and stop promoting false, misleading or outdated information. It is very obvious to any informed person (person who is aware of the many recent improvements) reading your comments that you either are not up to date on the many positive changes at Tech Pros Group or are just choosing to ignore and hide them with false statements. Please allow this forum to truly be an OPEN FORUM FOCUSING ON FACTS and not accusations.

          We encourage your support on this and as part of giving our support on this matter, we offer an open invitation to every interested individual to visit us in Irvine, California and physically see for yourself what is true and false. This includes Mr. Asato and his associates. To arrange a meeting, please feel free to call or e-mail me at the contact information in my profile.

          Take Care and Best Wishes

          Steve Copeland
          VP of Business Relations

        • #2623530

          Good for you!

          by dr dij ·

          In reply to This is called

          As IT pros we’ve generally been wary of ‘creative’ education arrangements. However public institutions as you mentioned often do not teach the subjects / knowhow needed by industry, or with the intensity needed to become useful to companies quickly. I remember chatting with unemployed friend, telling them they could learn what they wanted but would be 4 or 8 hours a week for 18 weeks, when they could take a 5 day class instead.

          I recall just a few years ago that Pasadena City College was still teaching a computer curriculum that consisted of Fortran, Cobol. To their credit, many other institutions do a pretty good job of maintaining relevance.

          Bootcamps have that intensity but are dependent on the right curriculum / teachers. And very expensive. We were also wondering since internships are sometimes linked with immigration scams / fraud.

          Changes to your program sound great. You’ve eliminated the main source of complaints the one year later collections and source of students not complying with your terms.

          Many here have questioned both sides: you shouldn’t have signed the agreement if you…

          or: enuf people are complaining there must be some truth…

          I mostly pointed out that 25% after taxes is even more BEFORE taxes, and ALOT of money, which you indicate you’ve discontinued.

          In the end, under your new system, if you give students perceived value and treat them well you should do fine without complaints.

          It sounds like you have them do real projects as interns. In the end, if you are what you say you are, you have setup a new paradigm for training. Or perhaps re-instated an old one of apprentices. Triumph of free markets that you have the freedom to do this, make money and provide a valuable service.

          IT is unique in that it requires both on-the-job training and outside the job learning ahead of time and on your own time to some extent due to constant change and new technologies.

          I’m not a LAN/WAN guy, am more into development, tho I have dabbled years and years ago in PCs for a small while and keep up somewhat with network security issues. So I’m not vaguely interested in signing up for your program.

          However I do live extremely close by in Santa Ana / NB area, if you’d like I’d be happy to drop by some time if you’d be willing to give me a short tour. I’d post what I find in this forum. Let me know via peer mail if you’re up to this.

        • #3140107

          Fact Three: definitely NOT true in my case

          by eddie n ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Fraud Exposed

          “FACT THREE ? You do not have to pay Tech Pros Group until you are working, whether through Internship or placement. This is verified by some of the negative comments stating how they have to repay income percentage payment now that they are working.”

          Not in my experience, Steve. Back in May of this year, I saw a posting from Tech Pros Group at CareerBuilder. The posting described two programs that TPG was holding: a “LAN/WAN Intership” (sic) and a “MCSE/CCNP Workstudy & Placement”. It was implied in the posting that no money was required up front, and that after the training was completed, then I would be placed in a job.

          I signed up at the site and included my resume so that I would (in their words) “receive priority program placement”. Eventually I received a phone call from someone at TPG (he had a French accent, I will try and retrieve his name).

          He told me that I would have to pay three thousand dollars up front for the training, which was to be held in Irvine CA. (Which begs the question: If I had had three thou, then what was I looking for a job for then?) Oh, yes: he also said that then at the end of the training period, although I would be given a paid internship in New York, TPG would collect half of my first months’ salary up-front, and then 20% of the gross of the rest of the year’s salary up-front as well.

          When I told him that I did not have a place to stay in Irvine, he told me that TPG would provide a place to stay, at a cost. When I told him that the posting had implied that no money would be brought forward, he then started attempting to do a hard sell of the program, trying to get me to send money right now or else the position would be occupied.

          I told the fellow that I wanted to know how long they’ve been in business and he said “Since 2004.” To which I replied that then you should have at least two batches of former interns, and that could he please give me the email addresses of one of them so I can ask him what he thought of the program? He told me that he could not because “if someone is on the payroll of a company, the HR dept will not allow that info to be divulged” and that “Oh, you know, the person under internship is our employee and we can’t divulge such information…”

          I told him that that was a crock, since if I had gone through a program like TPG supposedly ran and it had done me good, I would be more than willing to be a character reference for the program. After all, I wasn’t asking for the person’s home address, just an email or maybe a phone number so I could personally ask them for their opinion of TPG.

          I decided that, if TPG was not a scam, it definitely was not going about things properly, and hung up on the fellow.

          Since then, I have gone through another training program, closer to home, on a payment plan which I do not need to start paying for until 2008; by the time I complete the program, I will have eight industry certifications (including CCNA and MCDBA); and, by the time I successfully complete the first exam, they will also find me a position. A much better deal than what Mr. Hard-Selling Francophone Director of TPG was trying to shove down my throat. (Yes, he claimed he was a director of Tech Pros Group.)

          So, I will not say that Tech Pros Group is a scam, per se. But I will say that, at least around May 2006, TPG had some serious issues to tackle if they wanted to make people not think that something about them is fishy. On the evidence of my May 2006 experience, I would not recommend Tech Pros Group to anyone serious about getting certifications, a job, or both.

          My $0.02.

        • #3280980

          Facts different from my experience

          by pizzaisgood ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Fraud Exposed

          This has been what I have expereinced, and my opinions are based on that expereince.

          FACT ONE – Tech Pros Group is a real organization that not just a fabrication of the Internet.
          In fact there are countless confirmations on the Internet from individuals who attended our camps.
          This includes individuals who are working based on the training they received from Tech Pros Group
          and are trying to avoid paying on their commitments.

          Tech Pros Group is real. They call it an organization, but it is a school. They’re
          individuals who are working based on their training. However, in my experience, I was looked
          upon negatively when employers saw that I was a student of Tech Pros Group. They did not
          share the opinion of their training being equivalent to 5-7 years of real world experience.
          I thought this was important because employers are going to being supplying my paycheck,
          not Tech Pros. I removed them from my resume, and sure enough things got better.

          FACT TWO – The quality of training provided by Tech Pros Group ranges from being on
          par with other organizations if not better. This has even been stated by sources that
          have a negative agenda with Tech Pros Group.

          The training is average, not bad.

          FACT THREE ? You do not have to pay Tech Pros Group until you are working,
          whether through Internship or placement. This is verified by some of the negative
          comments stating how they have to repay income percentage payment now that they are working.

          False. For example, you have to pay them an application fee of $95 plus materials and lab access fees of $2,475 This is their
          way of charging you tuition to attend their school. Another example, students who are not offered
          internships will have to sign a buy-out contract. This buy-out contract forces you to start
          the payment process immediately. Before your group has even had a change to pack,
          1st payment is due. If you don’t find employment after a few months, you are still forced to pay
          them. This is not a WIN-WIN situation in my opinion.

        • #2515111

          INTERNSHIP

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Fraud Exposed

          Where on you site has anyone had a Internship if there is such a thing?

        • #2515073

          Internship

          by lawrence532003 ·

          In reply to INTERNSHIP

          This may come as a surprise but I completed the program 3/2/07 and I am already working as an intern at a Consulting company as a Network Engineer working at municpality. I am real excited about the work and have no problems with any aspect of the TechPros Group LAN/WAN Engineer Program.

        • #2515788

          fess up

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to Internship

          you are very lucky and did most of it on your own. Tell us about the rest of your class. I work there so tell the truth!

        • #2515763

          Hi Copeland

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Internship

          Intresting!!!!! So I guess your internship is going well; You are up kinda late dwelling on this thread considering you have to work in the morning. What did you say previously about not trusting people who USE alias’s.HuMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM????????
          Coincidence that you happened to check on this thread so soon after I posted it. That internship must be keeping you REAL busy. Just because we fell for your trap doesn’t mean we are stupid. So do you sleep well at night? Wonder who will hire you next? I bet Henchmen are in high demand now. Good luck.
          P.S. Why dont you let Eric do his dirty work? Money must be good huh? It will catch up soon.
          BE REAL,
          Mr. Blood

        • #2515757

          Municpality??or???Municipality??????HummMMMM

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Internship

          Municipality-urban area
          a community under municipal jurisdiction
          By the way this is where you work huh,There no such Place. I love how you are not even good about being full of it.
          Mr. Blood

        • #2515740

          Whats really going on?

          by cpuguy949 ·

          In reply to INTERNSHIP

          You guys are obviously pissed at soemthing can one of you email me I am thinking of going there cpuguy949@yahoo.com

          Adam

        • #2514942

          Hello Copeland

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Whats really going on?

          Amazing Huh? How did I know? I know your type. So I will act like this is a real person that wants to know about TPG for the rest of this thread.
          Well the truth is Adam, I had all intentions of going through the internship and paying the %20 back. The reality is I didnt get to work with a engineer and get the “On the JOB” training that is needed to be sucessful in this field. The internship is FAKE just as you are.Oops sorry. If you couldnt get a clue from this thread it might not be a good career move, but you might fit in (They feed on your type). It is very unfortunate this thread wasnt booming till after my research and my check with the BBB(which was decent at the time), or I would have never attended and would be happy in my previous state (Post TPG). Now, I am working some bulljive job so my children don’t starve.

          So Steve.
          Please let me know if this answers your question. Is the fog clearing?
          So thanks for the nice hard kick in the rear.

        • #2514940

          Before you go, do your research cpuguy949

          by pizzaisgood ·

          In reply to Whats really going on?

          There are important things you should know about them if you are thinking of going…..Enough said.

        • #2515565

          can you read???

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to Whats really going on?

          I believe you already are (as employed), so sober up man and stop being so obvious. You are one of two things, an employee of TGP and a lier, or you are one of those who believe the world is flat

        • #2514905

          Internship – Unhappy with Tech Pros Group

          by mroliver21 ·

          In reply to INTERNSHIP

          Hi Drew,
          I don’t know if you are on my email list, but if you aren’t email me and I’ll put you on it.
          Sincerely,
          Oliver Asato
          MrOliver21@netzero.net

        • #2514871

          My Friend

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Internship – Unhappy with Tech Pros Group

          I already am. lol
          Thank you for your support.
          Mr.Blood

        • #2616092

          Save your Money stay away from TECH PRO’s

          by nbspartan ·

          In reply to Internship – Unhappy with Tech Pros Group

          YOu get better education at Cisco Academy….. they are selling you on a dream.. Steve is great pitch man I seen it first hand…. what else do you expect from salesman!!!

          Stay AWAY you have been warned..

        • #2516999

          To be clear

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to INTERNSHIP

          When I post, and I have, I post under my full name and stand up for all to see. I will continue to post that way. I do no need to hide under fake names and personal attacks.

        • #2516861

          all is clear…

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to To be clear

          Here is what is clear Mr Copeland. You and TPG are a fraud and the law is coming!!! I think it’s a good idea that you keep running off at the mouth like you do. Every word is being recorded so keep up the good work. The only sad part about all of the attacks, from all these people, is that they are all true.

        • #2516826

          Clarity vs Honesty

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to To be clear

          Come on man. Do you really think any of us believe that you didnt make those post? It has you written all over it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
          So how come there is still an advertisement for a internship when there clearly is none?
          That is really the question of countless people? JUST ADMIT IT! THERE IS NO INTERNSHIP, AND THE ADAM CHARACTER YOU MADE IS A FAKE, JUST LIKE YOU. So please we just need honesty, not clarity, we are all very clear on what is going on.

        • #2517325

          Municipality

          by lawrence532003 ·

          In reply to To be clear

          Anyone who focused on my spelling and not what I stated is clearly not seeking the truth. If anyone questions who I am just send me an email at (YAHOO) and I will respond by giving you my new work email address at the city where I work.

          The reason I persist in replying to these untruths is because I believe in what Techpros is doing NOW and how I benefited from the program.

          I may have had some desktop experience but others canidates who were in my group (Jan) had the same and many had more experience than me.

          All I will say is that I got everyting I wanted from this program including certifications including CCNA and an internship with a consulting firm doing work for the CITY of ……..

          What else need I say except please don’t judge me on my spelling.

        • #2517238

          ABSOLUTELY CORRECT

          by stoptpg ·

          In reply to INTERNSHIP

          Drew,
          You are right there are no internships, training or job placement. There is a whole lot of holding the hand out wanting to get paid for doing nothing and providing absolutely no services.

          As for posts…don’t put it beyond copeland and company to solicit members of classes to post positively because they have done it…they approached my class.

          STOPTPG!

        • #2515566

          absolutely correct is absolutely correct

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to ABSOLUTELY CORRECT

          You are so right. I find it astonishing that anybody can defend what they do in any way. I went through the program and then worked there.
          The place has a negitive undertone created from so many people realizing they made a mistake. The FRAUD is a CHOI masterpiece with Copeland as a mouth piece. Well! the end is near!!!

        • #2524951

          Wow…

          by boxfiddler ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Fraud Exposed

          you are really into redundancy in language, aren’t you? My eyes glazed over just reading that first paragraph, and frankly I’m not likely to take the rest of it seriously.

        • #2513484

          cautious about signing up..

          by fingermix ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Fraud Exposed

          After readign your document, i finally decided to google you.

          i would like you to give a detailed FACTED BASED RESPONSE TO

          ALL QUETSIONS AT THE FOLLOWING SITE :-

          http://t906echrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2102

        • #2497176

          inconsistancy

          by rjrich3540 ·

          In reply to Glad to see othes questioning this

          I was presently accepted into the internship program and everything that I experienced so far has been above board with nothing hidden. I believe in the fact that you only get out what you put in!
          I have also found that the person who said that they called 636-367-2232 to reach tech pros is sadly mistaken. All of their numbers begin with the area code 949.

          Rickey Rich.
          IT Specialist
          DoD

        • #2515228

          a fool and his money!!!

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to inconsistancy

          how can you be so stupid? You will get what you deserve. A sucker is born every day and the day you were born was no exception. I worked there, i know the place. i feel sorry for you!!!

        • #2539539

          Reponse re: TPG and Eric ChoiI

          by nelson_rebecca ·

          In reply to a fool and his money!!!

          I attended the same program as well as my husband Hayse in May 2005-July 2005. We were offered positions with Mr. Choi’s company after 23 days of completing the program. (Mr. Choir knew our backgrounds very well.) Long story short, we discovered ALOT of false business practices and did a little more research and ended up leaving. (This following our selling everything we owned and paying Mr. Choi close to $12,000 including airfare, car rentals, dining/entertainment, etc.) I have confirmed with the Orange County Clerk of Court that a class action has been filed. The attorney is Douglas J. Campion out of San Diego. I am in the process of filing a personal law suit to recover the money I paid Mr. Choi as well as the damages it caused me. (Moving across country from the East Coast to the West Coase it QUITE pricey!) Please DO NOT do business with this company. AND if you would like to email me direclty you can do so at nelson_rebecca@yahoo.com. I am looking to find those who were in the program with me and Hayse at the same time (Sandra, Dustin, Lance, Brian, a guy from Texas and a guy from New York along with several others…)

          Thanks.
          Rebecca A. Nelson
          Accountant
          Legal Assistant

        • #2524962

          on the way!!!

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to Reponse re: TPG and Eric ChoiI

          about time!!! way to go! all others out there that have been defrauded need to follow your path.

        • #2530939

          Finally somebody steps forward

          by rjrich3540 ·

          In reply to Reponse re: TPG and Eric ChoiI

          I would have almost ended up in the same place as yourself and after checking into the company pulled out just in time. Thank God for your stepping forward and exposing this company for what it really is and I hope it serves to keep others from going through what you went through.
          I hope everything goes well with the class action suite and you find all the others whom you are looking for.

        • #2616093

          TechPros is same as ICTP

          by nbspartan ·

          In reply to Reponse re: TPG and Eric ChoiI

          TechPros is another version of ICTP might of moved location from anaheim to irvine.. but it’s the same model.. get your money tell you that they have internship programs they don’t exist.. you are better off going to Junior College.. save your money..

      • #2631033

        Discussion or is this a witch hunt ?

        by j-mart ·

        In reply to Sounds Fishy

        Some of the posting on this forum is quite
        possibly very suspicious, coming from often
        new and obscure persons. I have no problem
        with the opinions of posters who have
        filled out profiles, some I agree with,
        some I do not, but they back their opinions
        up with the conviction of identifying
        themselves and not hiding behind a blank
        profile. I challenge those that have strong
        opinions to quit hiding, have the guts to
        fill in your profile for us all to see. I
        admit to being slack myself in this area so
        I have gone and filled out my profile, I
        hope it may be of assistance in deciding
        how much of what I say may be a load of old
        garbage

    • #3109049

      Some Red Flags –

      by mickster269 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      1. Do they ask for money up front? How much? Does it include the price of taking the tests?

      2. Do they have references? Can you contact those references?

      3. What paid internship? Where? How much does that pay?

      4. Where did you find this company?

      • #3109033

        If it sounds too good to be true

        by jamesrl ·

        In reply to Some Red Flags –

        It probably is….

        I would not only want to talk to references who have taken the course(who could be friends or former instructors etc), but even better companies who have hired people for the internships. That would be most enlightening, and more difficult to fake.

        James

    • #3109024

      BBB

      by tink! ·

      In reply to Company info?

      The BBB (http://www.bbb.org) currently lists them as a reputable business. But they’ve only been around since 2/1/2004. They are considered reputable because to-date there are no complaints filed with the BBB. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people complaining. A lot of people don’t know how or to whom they should complain.

      They have been a member of the Irvine, CA Chamber (online directory) since 2005.

      So…as of right now they are standing on good ground, but being that they are still relatively new there’s plenty of time for them to go downhill.

      • #3138223

        Tech Pros Group withdraws from BBB because of F rating.

        by pizzaisgood ·

        In reply to BBB

        This is what is on the BBB’s website (http://www.bbb.org) when you look up company info for Tech Pros Group.

        Nature of Business:
        This company’s business is providing computer consultation, career development, corporate enterprise network training and placement services.

        We believe this company is required to be registered with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education as a school and post the required $25,000 bond. As of October 25, 2006, we could find no evidence of registration.

        For information on registration as a vocational school, contact the Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education program. To verify registration, you can visit http://www.bppve.ca.gov or call (916) 574-7720.

        Companies offering education are required by California law to register with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Vocational Education (BPPVE) as a school. As part of the registration requirements, the school must provide information about its courses, instructors, students, and other information to maintain their registration. In addition, the school is required to provide specific cancellation notices to students. In this case, the notice would provide for cancellation from the fifth business day following your first class session. Failure to provide the notice may mean that your cancellation right may still exist until you are provided with the proper written cancellation notice and it expires.

        Some complainants allege that they were led to believe they would receive an internship if they purchased the courses but failed to receive any. Other students complain they were due refunds for deposits and other fees, but failed to receive them after completion or withdrawal from the program. A few customers said that the instruction was not sufficient or the course was more like a self-study course.

        The company generally responds by stating they perform according to their agreement, offering internships or placement assistance, and in some cases they reply stating they disclosed the nature of the offer prior to the student engaging their services. In other cases, the company contends that the student did not fulfill their agreement and are not due any refund. In a few cases, the company indicated that the customer owed them tens of thousands of dollars for fees and other services.

        This company advertises internships and contract hire opportunities for LAN/WAN engineers and managers. In reality, the company is actually selling vocational learning services to prepare students for certification exams. Review of their website lists three possible ways to be placed: internship, comprehensive placement, and self-placement. The latter two options are not a direct employment offers as their advertising would suggest you to believe. The website also claims that upon placement, you pay back for the service you receive through a percentage of your future income; however, some students complain that they are required to make deposits and payments to the company before placement. For the foregoing reasons, we believe that the company?s advertising is misleading as it is not consistent with a typical offer of employment

        RATING F

        We strongly question the company?s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law?s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company?s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices.

        • #3138175

          BBB gave this company a AA rating back in May.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Group withdraws from BBB because of F rating.

          As I then noted, “[i]… means nothing more than that the company’s been in business for more than a year, and the BBB has no record of any complaints filed with item.

          In this case, the BBB rating is not owing to the presence of positive factors, but rather than the absence of negative ones.[/i]”

          Obviously, since then, their knowledge of Tech Pros has increased significantly, and is of a nature not favorable to Tech Pros.

          [i]Trust, but verify.[/i]”

    • #3253719

      Reply To: Company info?

      by gpastorelli ·

      In reply to Company info?

      Sounds way fishy, there aren’t even 4 MCSE certs unless they count the Security and Messaging designations, without countin those there are only 2 which can still be obtained (2000 and 2003).

      • #3142653

        Way more than 4 Microsoft Certs

        by caedjar4 ·

        In reply to Reply To: Company info?

        A certification is achieved through the taking of various tests and labs. Microsoft Certifications from just a Systems Admin/Engineer perspective can be broken down into the following pieces(each one consisting of its own certification:
        MCP – Microsoft Certified Professional
        MCSA 2000 – Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator on Windows 2000 Server
        MCSA 2003 – Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator on Windows 2003 Server
        MCSE 2000 – Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer on Windows 2000 Server
        MCSE 2003 – Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer on Windows 2003 Server
        That is 5 certifications not including the designations for Security and Messaging(which would be 4 each(MCSA 2000 +Security, MCSA 2003 +Security, MCSA 2000 +Messaging, MCSA 2003 +Messaging, MCSE 2000 +Security, MCSE 2003 +Security, MCSE 2000 +Messaging, MCSE 2003 +Messaging)
        Adding those in, you’ve got 13 Microsoft certifications. Now tack on that Microsoft is changing their certification programs to prepare for its launch of new Server and Workstation platforms and you’ve got even more to look at:
        MCDBA – Microsoft Certified Database Administrator, MOS – Microsoft Office Specialist, MCDST – Microsoft Certified Desktop Technician, etc. There are Over 20 Microsoft Certifications, so to claim that they can help you attain evena few of these is just a drop in the bucket for someone who is ambitious.
        I took the time to earn my certifications and I’m darn proud of them, so to hear you claim that there are only two of them insults my hard work.
        I have my MCP, MCSA 2000/2003 +Security, and my MCSE 2000/2003 +Security and I’m currently working towards my +Messaging, which I hope to achieve in less than a month or so. Good luck to all of you looking to get Certified, as it isn’t easy, but its certainly worth it.

    • #3101362

      also saw this job listing

      by rival178 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I too am courious as to how this compnay works. Has anyone talked to anyone who has completed this class, or know if this is a legit offer….

      matt

    • #3158134

      BBB gives this company a AA rating

      by diabloflip ·

      In reply to Company info?

      Check it out: http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=13218660

      I already applied, turned in the application, and if I get accepted after this interview coming up I’m goin balls out 😀

      • #3158125

        Which means nothing more than that …

        by deepsand ·

        In reply to BBB gives this company a AA rating

        the company’s been in business for more than a year, and the BBB has no record of any complaints filed with [i]item[/i].

        In this casbe, the BBB rating is not owing to the presence of positive factors, but rather than the absence of negative ones.

        It still pays to do your own research, rather than relying on the BBB alone.

      • #3158000

        How did it go?

        by zonne ·

        In reply to BBB gives this company a AA rating

        How did the interview go? How soon did you hear something after the application? Where is the interview? Are you truthfully going for it? Also curious where you live at for consideration options that applied, such as the fact that I live in Georgia it is a long way to Irvine for me.

      • #3232076

        Tech Pros Group

        by thien247 ·

        In reply to BBB gives this company a AA rating

        Any luck with the application?

      • #3212567

        how is your training going

        by harrisw51 ·

        In reply to BBB gives this company a AA rating

        hello,

        i am in the application process as well. can you please let me know how is everything going. my email is harrisw51@gmail.com

        Really appreciate your help,

        Harris

    • #3158124

      Well, a review of info. available online shows …

      by deepsand ·

      In reply to Company info?

      essentially nothing, other than:

      1) It’s a new company, with no track record yet.

      2) It’s own site make no reference to certifications, only interships.

      3) Given that the entire program requires 15 months to complete, there are probably very few who have yet completed it and who would therefore be able to provide feedback regarding it.

      I would urge due diligence.

      Seek info. from their local Chamber of Commerce. And, do check with the CA State Dept. of Consumer Affairs.

      Above all, do [b]not[/b] rely on any verbal promises. If it’s not in writing it’s meaningless.

      Good luck.

      • #3158007

        hmmm

        by zonne ·

        In reply to Well, a review of info. available online shows …

        I received an email from this company as well. I am currently thinking about applying, and as well I live far away in Georgia. I sent them an email with several long questions that require answers. They are things such as, housing, food, references, backing out opportunities with no reprecussions, etc. I will come back and post the answers so that people can see it.

        Mark

        • #3158005

          Internships physically located where?

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to hmmm

          While their web site plays up their California location as being in an area well suited for such, there seems to be no mention of opportunites for internships coast-to-coast.

        • #3158002

          Sites

          by zonne ·

          In reply to Internships physically located where?

          Well according to the email I received there are opportunities in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas. According to job sites that have this application, there are links to all sorts of cities:

          http://jobs.collegerecruiter.com/js/jobsearch/jobs.asp?typ=d&ref=&cid=472714&co=Tech%20Pros%20Group&career=&state=&statename=&city=&area=

        • #3157988

          I also noticed that, while the search engines found many links …

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to Sites

          to such sites, the sites themselves seemed to be devoid of any listings or other info. re. this company.

        • #3139093

          Right Link?

          by dawgit ·

          In reply to Sites

          That link is to site with general info, I don’t see any mention of this “School”.

        • #3158003

          I did notice

          by zonne ·

          In reply to hmmm

          I did notice that the address on the BBB site and the email is different from the one on the Irvine Chamber of Commerce?

          Chamber of Commerce:
          http://www.irvinechamber.com/communityinfo/WebSite/cw_1269.htm

          BBB site:
          http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=13218660

          May be nothing but thought I would post it.

        • #3157989

          And, it may be of import.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to I did notice

          BBB records are, to my understanding, [b]not[/b] part of a shared data base. Therefore, if one runs afoul of a particular BBB office, it is possible to remediate your image by “moving” into the area covered by another one.

        • #3139092

          BBB & CoC….

          by dawgit ·

          In reply to I did notice

          Two different, seperate, organizatins. One is supposed to be independent of the businesses, (BBB) and the other is membership (the business joins it) orientated (the CoC) for the benifit of the business comunity.

    • #3157734

      Me Too

      by blakepratt ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I really want to take part in this training / internship but also can not find any real info on their success or the success of their participants. I did see the same high rating on the BBB and did ask for references. I think it is only fair to be able to get feedback from people who have gone through the program. Even just the ones who have completed the 3-month train, as I feel that that would be the most difficult part. This is what Peter Fravaldi wrote when I asked for references:
      “The candidates who successfully completed the 3 month camp are currently working in the internship; they have been assigned to Microsoft/Cisco solution partners throughout the US under our payroll, which means that they are employees of Tech Pros Group, Inc. We do not give out a list of our employees and their personal information, our Human Resource Department would not allow it.”

      With the cost of the training + test fees + living for 3 months in Irvine I?m estimating that this is going to run me around 6G’s.

      At this point I am really afraid to try it, but feel that if it is for real, I really want to go.

      Hope we can find someone who has been through it.

      • #3157325

        more info

        by blakepratt ·

        In reply to Me Too

        I have asked a few questions and this is what i have learned:
        Q:
        what percentage of people make it through the training and on to the internship?
        what type of refund policy do you offer if i decide to leave?
        under what grounds would i be asked to leave the training, and then what refund policy do you have?
        what type of feedback do you hear from your students regarding the speed and intensity of the training?

        A:
        4 out 10 candidates are successfully completing the prep camp and moving to the internship. The prep camp is extremely challenging; this is a general feedback. You would be asked to leave if you cheat on your exams; there would not be any refund. If you decide to leave, you would owe us for the training received (prorated).

      • #3139090

        Wait a min…….

        by dawgit ·

        In reply to Me Too

        You “Pay” them, and they farm you out as ‘cheep’ labor, and they get paid for that too?????? Is that correct????? I don’t see that as any kind of tech education, a leason in how to suffer maybe, but not an education worth any money. If you want expirance, and “GOOD” training, with a the possiblity of Certs,…. Join the US Millitary.!. -dawgit

    • #3157165

      If this is a scam…

      by shawn633 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      …I have to give these guys credit. It does sound tempting. I think I have them though; I too received an email from Peter Frivaldi with a convincing .pdf attachment. I get suspicious becase they ask you fax them sensitive credit card information to them. They don’t even give you the option to send a check. I will reply to Mr. Frivaldi and keep you posted.

      Cheers,
      Shawn

      • #3157148

        Request for card payment only [i]not[/i] suspicious behavior.

        by deepsand ·

        In reply to If this is a scam…

        1) Contrary to public opinion, check fraud is still the kind most prevalent.

        2) Any merchant who is adhering to both his merchant agreement and fraud prevention guidelines will require [b]all[/b] of the following information in order to both authorize and capture a card transaction:

        a) The [b]Name[/b] of the card holder, as it appears on the card;
        b) For a [i]credit[/i] card, the [b]billing address[/b] of record; [b]or[/b], if [i]debit[/i], the [b]statement address[/b] of the underlying demand account;
        c) [b]Account Number[/b];
        d) [b]Expiry Date[/b]; and,
        e) 3-digit [b]CVC[/b] on Signature Strip, required for VISA, MasterCard & Discover cards, optional for AmEx; for American Express, the 4-digit [b]Panel Code[/b] from front of card, in lieu of CVC.

        Any merchant involved in a card-not-in-hand transaction who fails to secure such information is either taking an unnecessary risk, or involved in questionable card transactions.

      • #2822615

        What happened with yiur suspicious

        by etofach ·

        In reply to If this is a scam…

        What happened with your suspicion?
        My son is checking to make a course at the Professional Services company that Peter Frivaldi
        is their Vice President,
        Something with CISCO Switches.
        I just want to know if every thing was OK their
        Thnaks

    • #3166124

      The Response I received

      by nlynah ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I received the following from Peter FRivaldi, I hope that this helps. He also advised that I think this over carefully before completing my application. I want to do this, but I can’t afford it. I’m in the process of looking for work now and this is way out of my saving comfort zone.
      **************************************************

      The 3 month camp will require you to use extensive hands-on materials. The network administrator guides are: Network Infrastructure ($395), Network Client Services ($295) and Exchange Server Administration ($295) for a total of $985. In addition, you will need the assistance of numerous LAN/WAN implementation guides. Due to the high cost of these guides, you will be able to borrow them for free during the periods that the guides are needed.

      The 3 month camp includes a high concentration of real on-the-job hands-on training that requires access to over $50,000 worth of Cisco and Microsoft enterprise equipment. For this reason there is a lab access fee of $995 for 3 months of enterprise lab equipment access.

      During the 3 month camp, you will have the opportunity to take up to 20 exams. All candidates will have access to our cert prep materials to prepare for all exams needed. The certification prep materials access fee is $495 for 3 months. Also note that all Microsoft/Cisco exams cost $125 each to take. This fee is to be paid directly to an authorized Microsoft/Cisco Testing center at the time of exam scheduling.

      Your total cost, due upon confirmation of acceptance, is $2,475 which covers your hands-on training materials ($985), lab access ($995) and certification prep materials access ($495) fees.

      If you need lodging, refer to the following OPTIONAL living accommodations (for 83 nights) information below:

      Tech Pros Group, Inc offers a limited number of lodging for internship candidates. All internship candidates will receive lodging at a reduced rate of $34 per night. Please note that this is a subsidized rate. We are able to offer this reduced rate through dormitory style lodging and your active involvement in supporting, administering and maintaining the facilities. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A SPECIAL RATE OFFERED ONLY TO INTERNSHIP CANDIDATES. THERE ARE A LIMITED NUMBER OF LODGING SPOTS AVAILABLE AND WILL BE OFFERED ON A FIRST COME BASIS. Following is a list of what?s included:

      Shared/Private Room: 1 – 4 Person rooms. Bed linens, pillows, blankets, towels not provided.

      Kitchen Accessories: Full Cooking Utensils, Plates, Cups, Knives, Forks, Etc.

      Technology Resources: 24/7 access to computers, high speed internet access.

      Transportation: To/from airport and local travel around the community.

      Gym access: free weights, fitness equipment, etc…

      Your only lodging option available is: 1 – 4 Person Room ($34/Night for a total of $2,822).

      LODGING WITH TECH PROS IS NOT MANDATORY.

      • #3166122

        So, that’s $5297 + up to $2500 for exams. + food & transportation, …

        by deepsand ·

        In reply to The Response I received

        just for the 3 mo. “boot camp?”

        Yes, that is a bit pricey.

        Absent guaranteed job placement upon successful completion of training, in the area of my choice, I’d have a hard time justifying such an outlay of capital.

      • #3144169

        Did Any one Applied.. See My Story….

        by bulqaas ·

        In reply to The Response I received

        Hi to u All.

        • #3144158

          if respond..

          by bulqaas ·

          In reply to Did Any one Applied.. See My Story….

          if any one gets any info..or share any idea/info.. send email bulqaas@hotmail.com

        • #3145063

          Get phone Call from Tech Pros

          by bulqaas ·

          In reply to Did Any one Applied.. See My Story….

          I was called yesterday from Tech pros, the guy called Steve Copeland Director of Placement Services, complaining what I have posted on the web, we were talking about an hour discussing about the company’s profile and what is going on around about the company. Soon later Pitter called me about the same thing after talking we agreed to send one of my families live in CA to see the company and meet the students, I hope this will bring the fact of the company and what/how they conduct their business.

          I hope it works as my thoughts is? and get the opportunity

        • #3144948

          Updates From Tech Pros

          by rthargrave ·

          In reply to Get phone Call from Tech Pros

          Greetings,

          I too have been contacted about this program. Any information you can provide on the validity of this company or program would be greatly appreciated…. While the certifications are nice, I’m more interested in the internship / job placement opportunities. I really don’t wanna throw 8k down the drain…..

          Bob

        • #3155621

          Do What

          by tbitter ·

          In reply to Get phone Call from Tech Pros

          Are they paying for your family to see the company before hand? What was the interview really about? Did it really test your skills or was it just BS questions? Do you have any update about the company and how they work(good or bad)?

        • #3155463

          Tech Pros Group

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Do What

          THIS POSTING WAS UPDATED AS OF 8/01/2007

          I was recently notified that there was a discussion thread on Tech Republic regarding Tech Pros Group by various techies with questions regarding the validity of their internship service. Upon reading the discussion thread, I was quite impressed with the questions that are being asked and fully understand the legitimate concerns some techies might have about Tech Pros Group and its internships.

          This discussion thread is of direct interest to me on both a personal and professional level. As you can see from my profile, I have been a member of Tech Republic for approximately 7 years and have enjoyed the camaraderie of interacting with other Tech professionals. What you may not know is that I also happened to work at Tech Pros Group.
          As a fellow Tech Republic member and as the Vice President of Business Relations at Tech Pros Group, I want to make sure that fellow Tech Republic members have accurate information regarding the various internships being offered by Tech Pros Group.

          We at Tech Pros Group take great pride in the internships we offer. The internship commitment is both serious and long term by both the individual and Tech Pros Group. For this reason, it is extremely important that any prospective candidate who desires to apply for the program do so only after fully understanding what is involved and is prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to be successful in the internship program.

          As many of the other Tech Republic members have already stated, you should never jump into such a serious commitment until you have done your homework. If you?re really serious about making a long term commitment, take the time to check us out. In fact, I would encourage all prospective candidates to visit us in California or at least send a friend or relative to visit. Historically, over 90% of candidates who visit us in person apply for the internship. For individuals who cannot make the trip to Irvine, California, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I have listed my cell phone number along with my e-mail address on my profile. Feel free to contact me with any qualitative questions you may have regarding the internship programs.

          On the flip side, you shouldn?t assume that something is a scam just because its sounds like a great opportunity. Please think about the industry you are choosing to join. Our industry is full of stories that may sound unrealistic but are completely true. Individuals starting multibillion dollar companies out of their garage (Apple) and dormitories (Dell) or unemployed grad students becoming multibillionaires in just 10 years (cofounders of Google are worth over 20 billion dollars each).

          On a smaller scale, there are countless individuals with less than 5 years of experience making over $100,000 per year while many individuals with over 20 years of proven experience are unemployed or struggling to make $60,000 per year. What?s the difference between the two groups? One of the key differences is being at the right place at the right time with the right knowledge, experience and certifications. Individuals with knowledge and certifications relating to in-demand large scale enterprise technologies will command higher wages than individuals with knowledge and certifications in outdated technologies and/or technologies for smaller scales (small businesses). A good example is that a level 1 Cisco Engineer with less than 3 years of experience will earn twice as much wages than a senior PC technician with over 20 years of experience.

          Secondly, good work experience has nothing to do with the number of years and has everything to do with what you did during those years. In fact, 1 year as a network engineer working for a good consulting company will give you more experience than 5 years as a network administrator working for 1 company. The network engineer during his/her 1 year work experience will have handled over 20 complex networks. Responsibilities the engineer would have handled would encompass a variety of technologies (NOS, messaging, enterprise backup, firewall, routers, switches, etc.) and include various levels on responsibilities from design, installation, configuration, administration, troubleshooting, and general break/fix. The network administrator working for 1 company will only have been exposed to just 1 network. In addition most of his/her days will be spent handling a series of recurring administration tasks. The more complex responsibilities such as full scale implementations and troubleshooting are usually outsourced to consulting companies or are only handled on rare occasions.

          Tech Pros Group offers a comprehensive LAN/WAN engineer internship that includes 18 weeks of remote enterprise LAN/WAN training (valued at $12,000 ? based on standard remote training rates for enterprise LAN/WAN training) and attendance at a 7 day LAN/WAN engineer camp ($7,995 ? based on boot camp style enterprise LAN/WAN training rates -visit http://www.globalknowledge.com or http://www.ascolta.com to verify rates) plus a 1 year paid internship ($30,000 escalating up to $72,000) as a LAN/WAN engineer working for a quality Microsoft/Cisco partner. During the 1 year, you will acquire concentrated experience to include handling a minimum of 20 LAN/WAN networks on a wide variety of technologies and responsibilities. Upon completion of the 1 year internship, you should qualify for positions making a minimum of $65,000 to over $95,000 per year.

          So What Are The Considerations?

          1. Highly competitive 2 stage application process ? All qualified candidates who are accepted for stage 1 will receive 6 weeks of remote LAN/WAN training that is designed to give you foundation in LAN/WAN technologies. During your 6 week training period, you will be assessed on your technical skills. Only the top 30% of the individuals accepted during this stage will be allowed to interview for stage 2. If you are in the top 30%, you qualify to apply for stage two of the LAN/WAN engineer internship. Approximately 35% of the candidates who apply for stage 2 are accepted. Upon acceptance you receive 12 additional weeks of remote training culminating in a 7 day LAN/WAN engineer camp held at our corporate facility in Irvine, Ca.
          2. Very demanding internship ? The internship is an engineer level internship with a consulting company that provides enterprise level LAN/WAN services to professional and large scale companies. A typical intern will be working 50 to 60 hours per week to include evenings and weekends. All candidates will be given 1 month to ramp up in their position. Beginning the 2nd month, all candidates will be expected to handle a limited amount of engineering responsibilities on their own. Within 3 months, all candidates will be expected to handle the full range of responsibilities that are expected of a LAN/WAN engineer.
          3. Hard Costs ? Application, Registration and Exam Fees ? All training costs of over $20,000 are included for FREE as a benefit of the internship. This includes all materials, lodging and meals during the 1 week camp. Please note that there is an application fee of $95 (fully refunded if you are not accepted) plus registration fees of $295. Also note that you will be responsible for exam fees. These exam fees are hard costs and are paid directly to the testing providers including Microsoft and Cisco. There is approximately $2,000 in exam fees paid throughout the 18 week training process.

          Additional Clarifications based on false information from other Postings on Tech Republic:

          1. Do I have to attend a 3 month camp and pay materials and lodging fees of $5,000? ? Tech Pros Group has replaced the 3 month camp with 18 weeks of remote training and a 1 week camp. In addition, materials and lodging fees are now included as a benefit of the internship. You will not have to pay for these fees.
          2. Do I have to pay a percentage of my future income after the internship? ? Previously, all candidates who successfully completed the 1 year internship would also be required to pay a 19.95% of their future income for 1 year. This policy has been eliminated. IF YOU SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE 1 YEAR INTERNSHIP, YOUR OBLIGATION WITH TECH PROS GROUP IS FULLFILLED.
          3. Do I have to sign a contract that requires me to pay $25,000? ? All candidates who are initially accepted will receive 6 weeks of remote training. During this period, there are no employment or professional services contracts that you will be required to sign. The purpose of this 6 week period is for both you and Tech Pros Group to get to know each other. At any time during this period, you can part ways with Tech Pros Group with no obligations. If you desire to continue on to stage 2 of the LAN/WAN engineer internship, you will go through an extensive interview process including a full background check. If you pass and are fully accepted, you will be offered a professional relations contract (Internship). This is a binding contract that commits you to work for us for 1 year. In return, Tech Pros Group invests over $20,000 in training. If you follow through on the 1 year internship, there are no additional obligations. If you receive our training and decline our internship, you will be expected to pay for the training investment we made in you.
          4. Is Tech Pros Group registered with the BPPVE? ? The BPPVE was the state governing body for vocational schools for the State of California. This agency no longer exists as of June 30, 2007 due to the fact its regulations were outdated and confusing. Prior to June 30, 2007, all vocational schools were required to register with the BPPVE. Tech Pros Group is not a school and therefore was not required to register with the BPPVE.

          I want to thank the other IT veterans of Tech Republic for their qualitative input. I?m sure the many individuals new to information technology appreciate your comments and input. If you would like more information about our company, please feel free to contact me via phone or e-mail. I look forward to your correspondence.

          Steve Copeland

        • #3155433

          Cost, cost, cost…

          by curiousgeorge ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Group

          mr. copeland,

          yhank you so very much for your informative reply. i too am
          interested in applying to this program and am still just a bit
          confused as to what prices are being covered in the comission
          from our first paycheck and year internship. i know that the app
          fee of $95 is out of pocket for sure, but are the room and board
          fees and material and lab access fees also up front costs, or can
          these be on some type of payment plan? also, how do you
          collect the commission fee of 19.95% and the first half of our
          checks? do you send a bill to the participant after the
          internship, or is it worked out with the employer to snatch it
          directly from the check before we get it, like taxes? also, what
          happens should a person not complete the year-long internship?
          how is the cost of the camp handled? a person could definitely
          be serious about participating in this opportunity, as i am, but
          may unfortunately discover that this is not the right occupation
          for them.

          so basically, what are ALL the upfront costs versus the costs at
          completion? lastly, 20 different certification exams are
          OFFERED, but surely not many can attend class, study for, and
          take ALL 20. what is the avg number of certifications a student
          takes there? can the cost of these exams be paid for over time?

          got any past students willing to speak to their experience during
          the camp and their success after the internship?

          that’s all for now. i’m very glad that you have spoken on behalf
          of your company. thank you.

        • #3270126

          Questions

          by tbitter ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Group

          How many cert. do you have to pass to stay in the program? It seems odd if you have to pass all cert. just to stay in. Studying 14 hours a day and doing the hands on lab work, When do you sleep? How much money is needed up front to start the program? If we are unsatisfied with the program will we get our money back or some of it?

        • #3110857

          Accepted to program

          by vacat22 ·

          In reply to Questions

          I have barely any experience in communications, and already after 1 interview I was accepted into the program!!!! The interviewer basically gave me the answers if I didn’t know them. This makes me believe that something is fishy. If there are thousands of applicants and only 32 spots why was it so easy for me to get accepted? As soon as I was accepted I was asked to pay about $5,000 without an onsite tour or interview. If this is such a great program they would offer some kind of scholarship or assistance. Wouldn?t hiring companies offer assistance to this ?great program? which basically trains future senior employees??? Why would I give away $5,000 without seeing anything first hand? Hypothetically, if I authorize them to charge 5k on my card. Next, I fly myself out to California. What if I go to the site location and it is an empty office building? I would feel like a total idiot. Without any testimonials from current or past interns, employer list and contacts anyone would be an idiot to give them a dime.

        • #3139673

          What about the fraud investigation just recently launched?

          by alameh ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Group

          Tech Pros Group is being investigated by BPPVE and Orange County’s District Attorney’s Office for fraud.

          The person in charge of Tech Pros Group’s case at BPPVE is Fred Lopez, and his phone number is 916-574-7758.

          Anyone with any information about Tech Pros Group is urged to call.

        • #2498192

          The End is near!!!

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Group

          You are a willing part of a fraud. What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. Be careful what you print because it could all come back to you later. Make Eric speak for himself for once. Tech pros group has its days numbered and you should get out now.

        • #2497808

          End is Near

          by mroliver21 ·

          In reply to The End is near!!!

          Hello John,

          Please email me MrOliver21@netzero.net
          I can’t put this data on the net.

          Oliver Asato

        • #2625824

          applying

          by blazerfreak_00 ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Group

          I was actually contacted by a recruiter from Tech Pro because they saw my resume online. They than sent me an application and a disclosure statement to me via email. This information was sent to me late Tuesday evening and I was told I had until Friday to decide. I called the recruiter and asked for more time to decide so I could look through the information and was told if I still wanted to be considered for the program that I needed to have my application in by Friday. I feel 3 days is not enough time to make a major decision like this and I explained this to him. If this company only wants seriously committed individuals it seems to me they would allow more time in the decision making process. You said in an earlier post not to rush into this decision but this is exaclty what this recruiter was doing to me so I guess I loss that opportunity.

        • #2616091

          STAY AWAY..

          by nbspartan ·

          In reply to applying

          IT’s same scam that ICTP was pulling they log into monster and do search on resumes.. they are praying on your dreams.. You didn’t lose that opportunity you saved your money..

          The recruiters get paid a commission if they get you sign up they make healthy commission of your dreams.. trust me.. you can walk in the door get into any program.. they just care about money not you..

        • #2475347

          Tech Pros Group Scam

          by it-guy92104 ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Group

          I went to your company site (http://www.techprosgroup.com/main.php)and viewed the phoney Cisco endorsement image you guys display with the Cisco Partner url of “http://tools.cisco.com/wwchannels/locatr/partnerdetail.do?country=us&begeoid=315057&siteid=1261307″, then I plugged that url into a browser and Cisco says…”The Page You Have Requested Is Not Available”.
          You’re a SCAM!!!!

        • #2475234
        • #2550208

          Better Business Bureau

          by flowcom ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Group

    • #3111817

      I was very interested in the Internship

      by msierra1407 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I was also one of the people that almost applied, but after reading this forum, I’m having second thoughts. 3 month Crash course may not be enough for ME to learn & earn all those certifications. I may try to study on my own and slowly earn each one.

    • #3211054

      sounds fishy

      by ricochet_008 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      The thing that bothers me about this internship is “based on the breakdown of the people who posted here” the cost for this so called training camp. It is difficult to believe that they can provide certifications like that in only 3 months. And without any proof of their service at that. still, $5,000 is a big amount and if you don’t pass the certification then what happens? do they actually refund you the money? I dont think so. you will have wasted 5K and your time doing their training and getting nothing.

      • #3207540

        What happens is,

        by pumibr ·

        In reply to sounds fishy

        What happens is, you get charged per day for the time you used the camp. No, you DO NOT get your money back; in fact you end up owing the company money.

      • #3214239

        The scoop

        by nytechster ·

        In reply to sounds fishy

        It’s hard to fail tests when you get an answer pool for all the possible questions. There is no teaching involved. You just get Certkiller or TestKing and 2 days of lecturing. The lab time is the only thing worth going for but then a bunch of bs costs are thrown on here and there and you end up paying for books that all come on a cd, technical administration from people that are only former students, and cert preps that cost $20 online. But you learn nothing except how to docture your resume. But most companies won’t take someone without experience, and a 3 month camp doesnt count as experience. But you can go ahead and give it a shot.

        • #3212745

          Is Tech Pros Group an Employment Scam?

          by alameh ·

          In reply to The scoop

          This guy seems to have a lot of detailed information about them:

          http://www.tian.cc

        • #3214919

          Wary

          by ecb4_2000 ·

          In reply to Is Tech Pros Group an Employment Scam?

          I was just about to submit my app! I figured, with 15 years in the field, and a considerable amount of ‘hands-on’ in many of the areas of study, certs would be the direction toward further, rapid advancement. I saw this Tech Pros program and said WOW! Great concept!
          New Horizons,(they say they’re one of the biggest IT trainers in the country) is promoting a VERY similar program, complete w/internship and placement EXCEPT they want ALL their money upfront via LOANS or Monthly payments, to the tune of cir. 16-20K for an equivalent list of certs.
          What worries me MOST about Tech Pros is that I have seen NO current or former students or employers come to its defense after scathing attacks, ridicule and skepticism on several boards I’ve read in an attempt to determine their credibility. Is this in fact a case of “If it’s too good to be true…”!?!? Help me out here. I’ve read the Pro Tech official response but…

        • #3140078

          New Horizons is pretty good, but…

          by eddie n ·

          In reply to Wary

          Soon after my experience with Tech Pros Group, I was turned on to New Horizons. They also have a comprehensive program, but the whole student loans/upfront payment thing stymied me since no one I knew was willing to be a co-signer for the loan. They also have branches nationwide, which is a good thing as well.

        • #3141341

          New Horizons is a good program

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to New Horizons is pretty good, but…

          Yes, they expect payment up front.

          They also have free retakes of the courses. I take the class, go back to work and play with it, and then do the retake. It sinks in much better that way and you get a lot more out of the second time around.

          I have also taken classes in Canada at TriOS. They were really good.

        • #3141254

          research first

          by kiltie ·

          In reply to New Horizons is pretty good, but…

          I know that not all NH centers are like those decribed in this link, see all the pros as well as cons in the comments/Other Stories link

          http://www.newhorizonssucks.net/

          The author has some valid complaints, and states that his grievance was eventually resolved, but keeps the site to let people be informed, he allows positive as well as negative comments, so in my mind that is a very good thing.

          My comment: Check them out before commiting onself, as the franchises vary around the world.

        • #3141215

          I was a “club member”

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to research first

          And then some of the classes I got the membership over would be canceled because of low enrollment.

          While I understood that it isn’t their fault if no one wants to sign up for Lotus Freelance, it is still their problem that they sold me a membership to take that and other classes.

          Resolution? Allowed me to have a free year in a alternate membership group.

          Yes, at work we use the Lotus SmartSuite instead of MS office. Seems like we are about the only ones in the whole world though. I took the MS classes, and then learned the Lotus applications on my own and then turned around and was the in-house instructor. A hat I don’t wear as much anymore, but it is still my hat.

          End of story, I was satisfied with New Horizions, as was my bud who has taken their technical classes as well.

        • #3141198

          oh, jd, please keep that post title!

          by gadgetgirl ·

          In reply to research first

          “I was a “Club Member””

          NOW WE HAVE YOU!

          You [b]are[/b] “[i]one of THEM[/i]!!!

          [b] [u] [i] YOU’RE A CLUB MEMBER!!! [/b] [/i] [/u] :p

          couldn’t resist, sorry, sorry, sorry….

          Nah.

          Mae/Shell/Tig – [b] OVER HERE!!! [/b]

          😉 ]:)

          GG

    • #3231779

      TECH PROS GROUP

      by getcertifiedwithoutregret ·

      In reply to Company info?

      TELL TECH PROS GROUP TO FAX THEIR CONTRACT TO YOU BEFORE YOU GO TO CALIFORNIA . NEVER GO THERE WITHOUT SEEING THE CONTRACT FIRST. WHY?

      Whether you qualify for internship or not, the TECH PROS GROUP will use the contract you signed against you and to harass you because it says there that you owe TECH PROS GROUP 20% of your salary, IT job or not for a year. There’s actually no guarantee of internship or a job. Even if you qualify for internship, you will end up finding your own job. It is you who will look for a job for yourself and pay Tech Pros Group. This is how they operate . Since you have no experience, the certifications are nothing. Tech Pros Group wont be looking for internship or job for you and yet they will harrass you to pay them $24,000 for staying in the camp- ridiculous.

      Dont give to Tech Pros Group your SS No., copy of your license, or have yourself photographed by them. You will be surprised about the hidden charges once you get there. They will say that each day will cost you $300.00 excluding your apartment cost. You are actually paying for the training and not for the internship.The intership ad is a TRAP TRAP TRAP. Once you get there, you will be forced to sign the first document, they will offer you a self-placement contract instead of internship. You have to find your own job and they get 20% of your salary for a year. That is TOTAL RIPOFF. All of these ugly things will be revealed only once you get there.
      A lot of graduates are fighting for their rights against Tech Pros Group. Get hold of their contract first. THEY HAVE 2 CONTRACTS, one they will have you signed on the first day and the second just before completion. Never sign any of those .Ask them HOW MUCH DO I OWE YOU IF I DONT QUALIFY FOR INTERNSHIP ?
      Tech Pros Group will harass you to sign a BUYOUT CONTRACT worth $12,000 if you quit. You will not be learning anything because they say they are not a school and they will let you just memorize all the answers for the test. What they are teaching are basic Microsoft and Cisco stuff you can get by yorself even in your own state without being pinned or obligated to pay them another $24,000 from your salary. That amount does not justify the training you get. Most are career training. Keep away from Tech Pros Group. There are a lot of complaints against them.

      SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 WARNING!!!!!!
      HIGHLIGHT NEWS ABOUT TECH PROS GROUP:
      DO A SCHOOL SEARCH ON BUREAU OF PRIVATE AND POSTSECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FOR ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA IN THEIR WEBSITE AT http://www.bppve.ca.gov

      TECH PROS GROUP IS NOT LISTED ON THE DIRECTORY OF INSTITUTIONS. ILLEGAL THAT IS!!

      IN THE SCHOOL CLOSURES SECTION, YOU CAN SEE ICTP WHICH IS THE FORMER NAME OF TECH PROS GROUP.
      THEY JUST CHANGED THE NAME ICTP INTO TECH PROS GROUP.

      PLS. DO A LOT OF INTERNET SEARCH TO FIND THE RELEVANT AND UPDATED POSTINGS. GOOD LUCK IN YOUR CAREER SEARCH!!

      • #3232082

        well.

        by mickster269 ·

        In reply to TECH PROS GROUP

        there you go.

        • #3232057

          Inside information

          by romster16 ·

          In reply to well.

          First and foremost, I will start by mentioning I am NOT a Tech Pros employee. Also, nobody is holding a gun to my head, forcing me to write this post. So set all paranoid thoughts aside and read on.

          I started my training with Tech Pros on May 29th, and this is my last week with them. When I started, I did not have ANY certifications, just a few years of IT experience. The opinions below are my own opinions, not the ultimate truth. Proceed with caution.

          The program is NOT perfect. Show me a perfect program, and I will sign up for it. Are they THE BEST? I don?t know about that either, since I don?t know all there is to know about the IT business.

          There are many things that need changing and improving at Tech Pros. They?re actively changing many aspects of the program. Some things we were told eleven weeks ago are no longer valid. However, the changes are made to accommodate existing situations, not to exploit of rob people of their money. Again, this is my personal opinion.

          Some people are surprised by Tech Pros? accounting practices, because charges show up on your credit card without notice. Well, that?s not true. If you pay attention to what they tell you and read the documents you sign, you know when and why you?re being charged.

          Someone mentioned cheating on certification tests by memorizing answers. Come on, what are certifications, really? They?re a piece of paper or a line on your resume meant to impress some recruiting manager who doesn?t know any better. How many other companies roll out paper certified in-DUH-viduals who shouldn?t even be allowed near a computer? What Tech Pros offers is hands-on training. There are labs you need to go through, and tests at the end, to make you understand where you stand. There are now tests even before the training, to see where candidates are before the labs. There are written tests and mock interviews, to prepare you for the real world.

          If you?re expecting Tech Pros to get you a job while you sit on the couch watching Oprah or Springer, you?re in the wrong place. Walk away. If you?re one of those people who likes to scheme in the shadows and cowardly splash mud from the cover of anonymity, don?t waste your time. If you?re willing to learn new things and do the work of finding your own job, Tech Pros is the place for you. Nobody at Tech Pros will hold your hand, coddle you and make sure you get the job of your dreams with no effort on your side. Get real!

          Again, I?m not advertising the program. But before you get scared by a ?sour grapes? case, do the research yourself. Give them a call (the website SUCKS!) and find out for yourself. Sure, some forums about Tech Pros were shut down, but not because of Tech Pros inside information, but because of vicious and cowardly personal attacks. Post an honest reply without personal attacks, and it won?t be removed. I bet mine won?t be removed.

          There are figures being thrown around on some online posts. Again, I?m not the ultimate authority on this, but the only people who can give you figures are Tech Pros employees. What I can honestly write in this post is that I am leaving Tech Pros program owing them less than 20% of my income for the next year. Does that mean I got conned into paying $25,000 for the training? I sure hope so, because that means my job pays $125,000 a year!

          So ask Tech Pros for figures, don?t read it on some forum. Sure, Tech Pros charges money for their services. They are a BUSINESS, that?s what they do! They are not a charity!

          As I mentioned before, Tech Pros is not a perfect program. But after spending eleven weeks in the program, I can tell you they?re not a scam either. What you get out of the program is proportional to what you put in. If you give them your money and then sit on your behind, you just wasted your money. Then you?ll probably think Tech Pros is a scam and attack them anonymously on forums. If you make the most of your time in the program, you?ll get results. I?m getting A LOT of interviews after posting my updated resume on job websites. It?s just a matter of time before I get a job. Will my salary match the figures quoted by Tech Pros eleven weeks ago? Who cares?! The reason I signed up with Tech Pros was to get some training and a good job in IT.

          I am not a singular case at Tech Pros. Neither are the people who throw mud at Tech Pros nor the juveniles who make personal attacks from the shadows of anonymity. Like me, there are other people who went through the training and learned a lot from the program. Several people got CCIE certifications, and now have awesome jobs. Sure, the ?exit strategy? (i.e. getting a job after completing the training) needs some improvement (especially on the internship side), but nobody forced me into an internship or individual placement option. If you are a quality individual, you will get the choice of internship or placement. If you?re whining about having to do the work and end up not qualifying for the internship, then you have no other choice. Who would want an airline pilot who couldn?t get through flight school?

          I made my own choices, and you should make yours too. But make sure they are informed choices. Get it from the horse?s mouth, not from a jockey who fell off. Why do people always believe the negatives over the positives?

      • #3232047

        Unbiased Opinion of Tech Pros

        by bella ·

        In reply to TECH PROS GROUP

        I am currently towards the end of my training program with Tech Pros and am from the east coast.

        Certain people seem to have many misconceptions about Tech Pros, and they seem to be spreading the misconceptions to others. I am not going to try to sell you into coming to Tech Pros, but I will attempt to clarify to you that The Pros is not a scam.

        Though some people may be very critical of Tech Pros, they don?t understand what Tech Pros is actually offering (or perhaps they are simply pissed off as a result of their own actions and need someone else to blame it on). Tech Pros offers an environment for people to become Microsoft (if not Microsoft and Cisco) certified as well as for improving their hands-on skills for Microsoft and Cisco, which greatly helps the inexperienced. Tech Pros also offers career workshops and mock interviews to improve job hunting and interviewing skills.

        Some may believe that Tech Pros will simply hand you a job, which is not true. They assist you in acquiring the skills necessary to land a job. As with recruiting agencies, the most Tech Pros can do is help you get an interview. The rest is up to you.

        Tech Pos gives you three options: internship, self placement, or settlement. I?ll explain each of these options in a bit more detail.

        Internship: In order to be on the internship track, you must fulfill all of the requirements, which include completion of all required tests and achieving certain scores on two exams created by Tech Pos. The requirements are in place so that Tech Pros knows that the candidates on the internship track know their stuff. Being on the internship track guarantees that they will find interviews for you, but again, it?s up to you to actually get the job.

        Placement: People on the placement track either chose placement over internship or didn?t fulfill the requirements of being on the internship track. Being on the placement track allows candidates to work closely with a Tech Pros employee who assists you in finding a job. Placement allows candidates to learn valuable job hunting skills. It isn?t forced upon you, and it is in fact the track that I willingly chose, though I was qualified for the internship track.

        Settlement: Choosing settlement means that you have the option to leave the program whenever you want, and you are charged a prorated fee for the services provided to you. Also, you don?t get the benefits of placement, which among many things includes the career workshops.

        Some people may believe that they teach you to ?cheat? on the certifications in order to pass them. However, this is not true, especially for Cisco certifications. Being paper certified, as you should already know, doesn?t mean anything. It?s only a way of making yourself more attractive to whichever company you apply for. It doesn?t necessary mean that you know all the skills, which is why Tech Pros puts more emphasis on the hands-on training than on certifications. And, for Cisco certifications, it?s impossible to simply memorize the answers in order to pass the tests! It requires days and days of constant studying; in other words, you really have to know your stuff.

        Many people are also commenting on having to pay Tech Pros for their services. Well, why wouldn?t you have to pay for their services?? Their business is to train individuals with the skills necessary to find a job in IT. So if they provide such services to you, doesn?t it make sense to pay them for it? We should keep in mind that Tech Pros is not a charity. The reason they make you sign contracts is to ensure that free-loaders don?t simply take off without paying after receiving their services. Signing contracts, by the way, is not a new phenomenon?

        The three month program offered by Tech Pros is fairly new and is continuously improving. You can?t expect Tech Pros or any other business for that matter to be completely perfect. People who come to Tech Pros and put in effort to get a job do in fact a job. However, those who come to Tech Pros expecting a job to simply be handed to them with no effort whatsoever find that (not so surprisingly) that’s not how the real world works. Rather than basing your decision on some negative and extremely biased comments left on blog sites, I suggest contacting Tech Pros and inquiring about the program. I can promise you that there will be no brainwashing.

        • #3209574

          Be real

          by nytechster ·

          In reply to Unbiased Opinion of Tech Pros

          You do realize you have just used tesking to get through all your certs, which doesnt cut it in the real world. You are liable for decertification and really dont know much. Anyone that gets their CCIE is retarded. You cannot cheat your way through exams and expect to know what youre doing on the job. Its one thing to be paper certified its another to not even know the content of your certs.

        • #2644503

          Center your chi funkers

          by ben_hankemeier ·

          In reply to Be real

          I tend to be biased towards positive outlooks.

          If getting your certs through “tesking” gets you moving in the right direction in order to gain “real world” experience then it is obviously a positive and the feelings that accompany positive experience can never be short sold.

          If by the time someone discovers you “tesked” through your certs you have had sufficient hands on experience how is it that you would become “decertified”?

          Chicken or the Egg?

          Most people who are unqualified for a job fail.

          Like the sink or swim addage. Lets consider you get a job you aren’t truly prepared for…… GOOD FOR YOU. Now learn it as quickly as possible because people who consistantly fail get downsized.

          There is another perspective that I am capable of presenting provided you are inhuman enough to need it.

      • #3138305

        Tech Pros Fraud Exposed

        by stevecopeland ·

        In reply to TECH PROS GROUP

        THIS POSTING WAS UPDATED AS OF 11/06/2007

        I was recently notified that there was a discussion thread on Tech Republic regarding Tech Pros Group by various techies with questions regarding the validity of their internship service. Upon reading the discussion thread, I was quite impressed with the questions that are being asked and fully understand the legitimate concerns some techies might have about Tech Pros Group and its internships.

        This discussion thread is of direct interest to me on both a personal and professional level. As you can see from my profile, I have been a member of Tech Republic for approximately 7 years and have enjoyed the camaraderie of interacting with other Tech professionals. What you may not know is that I also happened to work at Tech Pros Group.
        As a fellow Tech Republic member and as the Vice President of Business Relations at Tech Pros Group, I want to make sure that fellow Tech Republic members have accurate information regarding the various internships being offered by Tech Pros Group.

        We at Tech Pros Group take great pride in the internships we offer. The internship commitment is both serious and long term by both the individual and Tech Pros Group. For this reason, it is extremely important that any prospective candidate who desires to apply for the program do so only after fully understanding what is involved and is prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to be successful in the internship program.

        As many of the other Tech Republic members have already stated, you should never jump into such a serious commitment until you have done your homework. If you?re really serious about making a long term commitment, take the time to check us out. In fact, I would encourage all prospective candidates to visit us in California or at least send a friend or relative to visit. Historically, over 90% of candidates who visit us in person apply for the internship. For individuals who cannot make the trip to Irvine, California, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I have listed my cell phone number along with my e-mail address on my profile. Feel free to contact me with any qualitative questions you may have regarding the internship programs.

        On the flip side, you shouldn?t assume that something is a scam just because its sounds like a great opportunity. Please think about the industry you are choosing to join. Our industry is full of stories that may sound unrealistic but are completely true. Individuals starting multibillion dollar companies out of their garage (Apple) and dormitories (Dell) or unemployed grad students becoming multibillionaires in just 10 years (cofounders of Google are worth over 20 billion dollars each).

        On a smaller scale, there are countless individuals with less than 5 years of experience making over $100,000 per year while many individuals with over 20 years of proven experience are unemployed or struggling to make $60,000 per year. What?s the difference between the two groups? One of the key differences is being at the right place at the right time with the right knowledge, experience and certifications. Individuals with knowledge and certifications relating to in-demand large scale enterprise technologies will command higher wages than individuals with knowledge and certifications in outdated technologies and/or technologies for smaller scales (small businesses). A good example is that a level 1 Cisco Engineer with less than 3 years of experience will earn twice as much wages than a senior PC technician with over 20 years of experience.

        Secondly, good work experience has nothing to do with the number of years and has everything to do with what you did during those years. In fact, 1 year as a network engineer working for a good consulting company will give you more experience than 5 years as a network administrator working for 1 company. The network engineer during his/her 1 year work experience will have handled over 20 complex networks. Responsibilities the engineer would have handled would encompass a variety of technologies (NOS, messaging, enterprise backup, firewall, routers, switches, etc.) and include various levels on responsibilities from design, installation, configuration, administration, troubleshooting, and general break/fix. The network administrator working for 1 company will only have been exposed to just 1 network. In addition most of his/her days will be spent handling a series of recurring administration tasks. The more complex responsibilities such as full scale implementations and troubleshooting are usually outsourced to consulting companies or are only handled on rare occasions.

        Tech Pros Group offers a comprehensive LAN/WAN engineer internship that includes 18 weeks of remote enterprise LAN/WAN training (valued at $12,000 ? based on standard remote training rates for enterprise LAN/WAN training) and attendance at a 7 day LAN/WAN engineer camp ($7,995 ? based on boot camp style enterprise LAN/WAN training rates -visit http://www.globalknowledge.com or http://www.ascolta.com to verify rates) plus a 1 year paid internship ($30,000 escalating up to $72,000) as a LAN/WAN engineer working for a quality Microsoft/Cisco partner. During the 1 year, you will acquire concentrated experience to include handling a minimum of 20 LAN/WAN networks on a wide variety of technologies and responsibilities. Upon completion of the 1 year internship, you should qualify for positions making a minimum of $65,000 to over $95,000 per year.

        So What Are The Considerations?

        1. Highly competitive 2 stage application process ? All qualified candidates who are accepted for stage 1 will receive 6 weeks of remote LAN/WAN training that is designed to give you foundation in LAN/WAN technologies. During your 6 week training period, you will be assessed on your technical skills. Only the top 30% of the individuals accepted during this stage will be allowed to interview for stage 2. If you are in the top 30%, you qualify to apply for stage two of the LAN/WAN engineer internship. Approximately 35% of the candidates who apply for stage 2 are accepted. Upon acceptance you receive 12 additional weeks of remote training culminating in a 7 day LAN/WAN engineer camp held at our corporate facility in Irvine, Ca.
        2. Very demanding internship ? The internship is an engineer level internship with a consulting company that provides enterprise level LAN/WAN services to professional and large scale companies. A typical intern will be working 50 to 60 hours per week to include evenings and weekends. All candidates will be given 1 month to ramp up in their position. Beginning the 2nd month, all candidates will be expected to handle a limited amount of engineering responsibilities on their own. Within 3 months, all candidates will be expected to handle the full range of responsibilities that are expected of a LAN/WAN engineer.
        3. Hard Costs ? Application, Registration and Exam Fees ? All training costs of over $20,000 are included for FREE as a benefit of the internship. This includes all materials, lodging and meals during the 1 week camp. Please note that there is an application fee of $95 (fully refunded if you are not accepted) plus registration fees of $295. Also note that you will be responsible for materials and exam fees. These exam fees are hard costs and are paid directly to the testing providers including Microsoft and Cisco. There is approximately $2,000 in exam fees paid throughout the 18 week training process.

        Additional Clarifications based on false information from other Postings on Tech Republic:

        1. Do I have to attend a 3 month camp and pay materials and lodging fees of $5,000? ? Tech Pros Group has replaced the 3 month camp with 18 weeks of remote training and a 1 week camp. In addition, materials and lodging fees are now included as a benefit of the internship. You will not have to pay for these fees.
        2. Do I have to pay a percentage of my future income after the internship? ? Previously, all candidates who successfully completed the 1 year internship would also be required to pay a 19.95% of their future income for 1 year. This policy has been eliminated. IF YOU SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE 1 YEAR INTERNSHIP, YOUR OBLIGATION WITH TECH PROS GROUP IS FULLFILLED.
        3. Do I have to sign a contract that requires me to pay $25,000? ? All candidates who are initially accepted will receive 6 weeks of remote training. During this period, there are no employment or professional services contracts that you will be required to sign. The purpose of this 6 week period is for both you and Tech Pros Group to get to know each other. At any time during this period, you can part ways with Tech Pros Group with no obligations. If you desire to continue on to stage 2 of the LAN/WAN engineer internship, you will go through an extensive interview process including a full background check. If you pass and are fully accepted, you will be offered a professional relations contract (Internship). This is a binding contract that commits you to work for us for 1 year. In return, Tech Pros Group invests over $20,000 in training. If you follow through on the 1 year internship, there are no additional obligations. If you receive our training and decline our internship, you will be expected to pay for the training investment we made in you.
        4. Is Tech Pros Group registered with the BPPVE? ? The BPPVE was the state governing body for vocational schools for the State of California. This agency no longer exists as of June 30, 2007 due to the fact its regulations were outdated and confusing. Prior to June 30, 2007, all vocational schools were required to register with the BPPVE. Tech Pros Group is not a school and therefore was not required to register with the BPPVE.

        I want to thank the other IT veterans of Tech Republic for their qualitative input. I?m sure the many individuals new to information technology appreciate your comments and input. If you would like more information about our company, please feel free to contact me via phone or e-mail. I look forward to your correspondence.

        Steve Copeland

        • #3139259

          Why so defensive, Steve?

          by alameh ·

          In reply to Tech Pros Fraud Exposed

          Clean it up Copeland; this is what you do best. Notice that you are the only one standing up for this company. Why is that? Let me guess, maybe because they pay you? I know, I know, under this entry miraculously a student will come forward stating how this company has helped them. How could you defend a company that has hurt so many people? The reason people post anonymously is because we have been manipulated and harassed to the point that students are scared to give real information, because we have been threatened with a lawsuit, are manipulated into signing contracts that prohibit us from giving our honest opinion about this company (I am sure Mark Tran will vouch for me, oh, I forgot, Mark can no longer say anything about the company because he signed a confidentiality agreement, and was threatened with a lawsuit and forced to take his blog down).
          This company is taking money from people who are already struggling, but are trying to better themselves by getting an education so that they don?t have to lie, cheat, still, or take advantage of other people to earn a living. Maybe the predator should look to the pray for a lesson on morals and how to treat your fellow human beings. I only wish I had someone to warn me before I sunk all my money into this school, training program, what ever. I hope this helps someone make the best decision for his or her future.
          If there is no investigation by the Orange County District Attorney (DA), there should be and will be. No one is getting away from this.
          This is not an attack this is merely the truth.

        • #3139139

          Techdeck and lawsuits

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Why so defensive, Steve?

          A lawsuit for defimation is something you would only need to be concerned with if what you are saying is a lie.

          As a fairly new member, that is hiding behind an alias, it would seem that you are being less forthcoming than Steve. I have never spoken with Steve, so I can’t vouch for him, but I do see that he is standing up tall for all to see.

          If you were taken advantage of, where is YOUR lawyer and where is YOUR lawsuit against them?

          If you are not taking any action legally, then it would see it is you that is failing to stand up and be counted.

          We have his direct email and phone number, where are yours? Something about your posts just doesn’t ring true.

        • #3139089

          just call BPPVE and ask for Ray and Eric Choi

          by toto ·

          In reply to Techdeck and lawsuits

          you know, it does nobody any good for people to arguing over the forums.

          why not just call BPPVE and ask them about Ray Choi (CEO of defunct ICTP) and Eric Choi (CEO of Tech Pros Group), and see what BPPVE would say.

          I mean, all the postings here are seems to be so biased on one side or another.

          BPPVE’s website is http://bppve.ca.gov/

          and phone number is (916) 574-7720.

          I think it would be best for both the believers and non-believers to call BPPVE to get a clear picture, instead of have war of words over here.

          don’t you all agree?

        • #3139062

          Link offers no data re. “Choi.”

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to just call BPPVE and ask for Ray and Eric Choi

          If you’ve some facts to offer, please state. They are here in short supply.

        • #2532846

          Didn’t close down Choi…closed ICTP

          by stoptpg ·

          In reply to Link offers no data re. “Choi.”

          Eric talks about owning ICTP during his first day of lecture…ICTP was closed by the BPPVE…the BPPVE is investigating Tech Pros Group, and that came from BPPVE…connect the dots and don’t forget to include the BBB’s rating and justification for the rating…it’s really not that hard to figure out…ask Tech Pros the hard numbers on how many actually get internships and jobs through them…but be weary of their facts! I called Jesus Jaime at the BPPVE and he told me they were under investigation, he heads the enforcement section.

        • #3139046

          Then what is the point of a discussion

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to just call BPPVE and ask for Ray and Eric Choi

          if we don’t discuss?

          All I did was point out that one person stepped up to the table, the other hid behind a screen.

          Another complaint I read was that “writing a novel” to support a side is an indicator of guilt. If someone is making charges, you list them all and one by one, you answer them all.

          Now if someone would bring to the table more than an “I think they are bad”, it would add weight to the post.

          I did some googling and see many different places that have their advertising, but I don’t see the masses of complaints.

          And it is very valid to ask someone if they personally have been ripped off, where is their lawyer to take them to court? The only reason I can see is they don’t have a case.

          Care to add anything? I did go to the bppve site, but didn’t see anything there to indicate a problem.

          I must have missed where someone got an email back from bppve and posted it for all to see?

          I also find it hard to believe that if there IS an investigation that they would discuss it.

        • #2467564

          I got screwed by ICTP, Before they opened Tech Pros Group

          by jurkovichr9 ·

          In reply to just call BPPVE and ask for Ray and Eric Choi

          They owed me money that I never received. They kept delaying the payments, and they sent notices that they will have to change the payment structure to smaller payments. Then they went bankrupt. They kept stalling until it went under. Many students got screwed over big time!

        • #2623931

          ICTP Back from the Dead – Be Very Frightened

          by mroliver21 ·

          In reply to I got screwed by ICTP, Before they opened Tech Pros Group

          Hello Jurkovich,
          My name is Oliver Asato. You will see my postings about Tech Pros around the net.

          I talked to one person from ICTP who stated that he worked for them, they owed him lots of money, and ICTP closed down without paying him.

          Tech Pros hired a guy named Daniel who was very good at IT (ex TPG students know this guy), and screwed him out of $20,000.

          I have a lot of data on TPG, but not much on ICTP. Could you email me at MrOliver21@netzero.net. I could really use your data.

          I have a court case coming up against TPG in the next few weeks. My buddy and I beat them in court in late August 2007. Now we need to trounce them in the appeals trial.

          Sincerely,
          Oliver Asato

        • #3139064

          Why so Offensive, TechDeck.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to Why so defensive, Steve?

          For one who has an [b]empty TR profile[/b], and [b]offers no facts[/b] to bolster your claims, it would behove you to either show both yourself and some facts, or else be silent.

        • #3140274

          Always good to see

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Why so Offensive, TechDeck.

          that someone else sees the same problem with an agruement as I did. Lets me know that while it doesn’t prove I am sane, it at least shows I might be right! 😀

          While the services offered sound like they are targeted for the lazy, it doesn’t sound illegal.

          It makes me think of “Take this pill, no diets involved, no exercise or effort on your part, and you will look as grand as I do!”

          Just the facts Ma’am! It does seem like someone has multiple accounts here in this discussion. I wish TR would step in when several accounts, all from the same IP address, are making libel claims.

        • #3140241

          Spot on.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to Always good to see

          While I’ve no hard evidence for such, I suspect that what we have here is a simple case of unfulfilled expectations, not unlike that of a failed romance, with one party holding the other wholly responsible.

          A dream stillborn is hard mourned, but the death of one smothered in the cradle even more so.

        • #3140210

          Shattered dreams

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Spot on.

          When you offer and easy sell of “pay us and you will have mega certs”, what happens to the lazy people that go for this when they realize they STILL have to RTFB and LEARN something. Wow, what a concept.

          That or someone got the braindump approach to getting mega certs, not realizing that passing a cert test does not equal to any ability to work in the field.

          Lots of highly certified, unqualified techs out there.

        • #3140077

          I respect your opinion

          by joecu123 ·

          In reply to Spot on.

          First of all I respect your opinion. And I know you are just trying to play the devil?s advocate, and that?s ok. But I am not lazy, I am educated, I have always had a job. You don?t know anything about me, the students who attend this program, or the company. You don?t even know my reasons for joining the program. It is obvious that I would not pay thousands of dollars just to brain dump all day. I know how to memorize answers and pass exams. So, by spending thousands of dollars, obviously I was looking for something more. The certifications are only eye candy for employers. The only way to really learn is to get in there and do it, get hands on, real life on the job experience. That is what I signed up for, that is what I was told I would be getting.
          Have you even seen the contracts? You should visit this website: http://www.tian.cc/2006/08/is-tech-pros-group-employment-scam.html .
          Now, at the very least this company has some questionable business practices otherwise there would not be an investigation launched by BPPVE. Is what they are doing illegal? Well, that will have to be proven by the D.A. And I feel that it will be. But one thing I do know without a doubt is that what they are doing is dishonest and wrong.

        • #3141308

          Devil’s Advocate? Hardly.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to Spot on.

          I simply have a strong bias toward [b]verifiable facts[/b], and an equally strong aversion to [b]un-substantiated claims[/b].

          Without the former, there remains but the latter.

        • #2517523

          ol jd

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to Always good to see

          I guess that all the trouble TPG is now must make you feel kind of stupid now, right? Facts are TPG has lost court cases, has an F rating from the BBB, has the bppve, and OCDA on them. You know JD, fraud is fraud, even if you refuse to see it.

        • #2534305

          Need assistance

          by stoptpg ·

          In reply to ol jd

          J,

          We need your knowledge can you email me at stoptpg@yahoo.com?

          Thanks

        • #2961698
    • #3232036

      Simple point

      by tony hopkinson ·

      In reply to Company info?

      They are selling you a ticket to easy street, get the certs get the job. Come to california the streets are paved with gold.

      None of this getting your hands dirty doing stuff in the real world, not getting burnt by mistakes, not a dedicated long term continuing effort to improve yourself, but a quick fix. Buy a good lokking degree from a diploma mill, it will be just as convincing and probably a lot cheaper.

      Course that’s some of my bias, I’ve always thought they should print certs on softer paper so they would at least be of some use.

      There are good reasons for this attitude.

      Certs are How, not What, not When and not Why, just how.

      Above all, the original idea of certification was that your current skills met a certain standard, ie you were proving what you already knew, effectively an accreditation. They aren’t that now are they.

      You could achieve the same thing with an operating procedure and someone who could read and figure out where the on button is.

      HR love them, as an experienced professional, I consider them wasted space on a cv. That’s not to say they are a waste of time, after all most places you won’t get to be grilled by someone like me, until you’ve convinced the IT incompetents in HR that you should be allowed to take up my valuable time.

    • #3276987

      Loook!!! Day ‘R Real Scams…..

      by rashosm ·

      In reply to Company info?

      WOOOOOOW?.. look t dam,
      DO u believe all those posted on 8-9-06, ‘r da real students grad. from Techpros?. (I don?t think so)
      Let me tell u dis… It’s only one person with registered w/ diff. names tryin 2 induce U 2 join?. (SCAM… thought u were more smarter than u actin now)
      Why did day write all 4-5 articles in just one day with new names?? except Tony.

      SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM…..

      • #3276979

        for the brainwashed

        by rnhd ·

        In reply to Loook!!! Day ‘R Real Scams…..

        Via the bppve.ca.gov, the CEO of tech pros, along with his brother (partner) are banned from collecting monetary payments from consumer groups in the state of California. Also, they are not allowed to advertise.

        -The horses mouth

      • #2489894

        The Truth Will Set You Free

        by lawrence532003 ·

        In reply to Loook!!! Day ‘R Real Scams…..

        I have yet to find any truth in any of the negative statements made regarding the Techpros Group. My experience with Techpros has been a great experience. I now have five Microsoft Certification and Cisco CCNA. The 14 hours a days hands-on labs have been ideal for me. I’ve been able to practise over and over again the materials that were outlined for us to cover. The exam taking was made so much more simpler by the methods useed in the handouts. I have great job possiblities and am excited regarding what the future will hold. I have personally found that what I was told prior to being accepted into the LAN/WAN program is true. I believe Techpros has kept their word to me regarding what I could expect if I did the work. I’ll have no problem forfilling my end of the contract (by paying the agreed payment schedule) because I have gotten from the Techpros Group what expected.

        • #2493684

          Tech Pros Group – What You Should Know

          by mroliver21 ·

          In reply to The Truth Will Set You Free

          The final decision on whether one should do business at Tech Pros or not is up to the individual.

          But if you are given incomplete and misleading data, you can make decisions that you would not normally make. Please see the websites http://techprosgroupirvineca.googlepages.comand
          http://techprosgrouplegalissues.googlepages.com/home
          Sincerely,
          Oliver Asato
          MrOliver21@netzero.net

        • #2506166

          Absence of proof fallacy.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to The Truth Will Set You Free

          That you may have no proof of wrongdoings on the part of TechPros does not constitute proof that there are and/or have been none.

          Based on all of the information presently available, it seems that you may have indeed been one of the more fortunate ones re. your expereinces with this business.

          Good luck for the future.

        • #2515113

          THE TRUTH

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to The Truth Will Set You Free

          REALLY???????????? I think you are getting paid for this thread. The truth is that there were many lies told during the “workshops” given by Eric like “OH, you will know more than seasoned professionals and be able to do an Admin job better than someone with years behind them”. OH HERE IS A GREAT ONE. “WE TAKE PRIDE IN OUR INTERNSHIPS THAT WE PROVIDE”. Please let me know the truth on that statement and I will be set free????????????? Oh, I did QUALIFY for the internship (If there was one). I believe they told people who they thought could get jobs on thier own they had the internship and to those who might have had a harder time NO INTERNSHIP. Dont cross the Cope path, that is automatic disqualification.Little message for the Top Dawgs “HELL BURNS” and when you make a living off of robbing people who try to improve thier careers, that is where you go. When I started TPG they had a good rating on BBB and after I was going there it went down to an F. I am also sorry to all old employees who was Brain washed. SO Please let me know about the TRUTH???????????????????????????????
          MR. Blood

        • #2515782

          OK!

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to THE TRUTH

          The truth is that you were scamed and that is what they do. Anyone who says otherwise is not be trusted. You mention lies, yes all lies. I used to work there and i know the truth. The truth is FRAUD. The truth is you are a victim. They have no internships with anybody. Investigate the facts and become part of the solution. The number of individuals officially complaining is now over 140 and growing.

      • #2482249

        As I live and Breath !!!!!!!!!!!

        by lawrence532003 ·

        In reply to Loook!!! Day ‘R Real Scams…..

        I?ve been reading some of the posting at Techrepublic.com regarding Techpros Group and there is one thing that concerns deeply me. The posting by someone named Rashosm that seems to be saying that I don?t exist. Well I do exist and I participated in the training from Jan/Mar2006. I replied to some of those posting because they contradicted my experience with the Techpros Group.
        When I completed the training I was offered an internship and the training I must say was the most intense experience I?ve ever had. We built networks running Active Directory using DNS and DHCP settings; setting up Exchange Servers running Webmail using Outlook Web Access protocols. We set ISA server and a great deal about TCP/IP experience that I now use on a daily basis. The training may have been in a laboratory but through the lab classes, lectures and hands on I?ve learned enough to handle world life scenarios.
        I am now a full time employee after six months as an intern and I am doing nothing but networking. I have begun the contractual payment phase of this program and though I didn?t want to pay out 20% a month of my salary, I?d do it again to get to where I am today. I?ve made my initial ?50% of my first monthly salary? payment and because I love what I do it didn?t bother at all.
        If anyone believes that I am a fake just send me an email at my old email account lawrence532003@yahoo.com and I will reply from my new Exchange email domain account, Revelation-Computers.com that I have built at home on my own and you?ll see that I am for real just as Techpros Group is for real.

        • #2480111

          Ha Ha Ha Ha

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to As I live and Breath !!!!!!!!!!!

          Come on Steve this is such a pathetic cover up. He actually speaks your language too? So you made an Exchange domain copying a “Real” business Franchise http://www.revelationcomputers.com/services.htm
          that does PC repair!!!!!!
          But why would someone like you do PC repair if you are in the LAN/WAN field??????????????
          You took one of your VM machines set it up with a Exchange server, added your MX record for the public to see and WOW, the scam continues. Funny how you just so happened to start checking this blog when I said something on how FAKE you are (STEVE). And again you are up at 10:30 at night worrying about this blog when you have a Internship/Whatever (dream). Come on dude own up to it!!!!!
          Ha ha ROTFLMFAO,
          Mr. Blood

        • #2479914

          Please see my post

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Ha Ha Ha Ha

        • #2479862

          Again you are welcome

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Ha Ha Ha Ha

          I am still not convinced and I know this is your language (meaning the way you talk), I don?t care when you made the profile. All the REAL ex-students know what goes there
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2102568
          and why not answer the REAL questions that I posted
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2361872

          If Lawrence was so busy with his internship why would he be looking at this forum at 1am on a Thursday night when he had an internship he had to be at the next morning???????? It sounds a lot like you trying to cover up a scam, stressing in the middle of the night.
          You are again welcome for the many posts I have made; because I have no doubt in my mind there is no such thing as Lawrence or the INTERNSHIP. I am sure Lawrence really cares that much about a forum that just started blooming again and likes to check it periodically, and just so happened to look at it a day after I said something about HIM (you). I am so sure.
          Thanks again,
          Mr. Blood

        • #2473487

          How Wrong You Are !!!

          by lawrence532003 ·

          In reply to Ha Ha Ha Ha

          Here I go again writing to convince someone that I am here in Central Los Angeles working for a consulting company in Anaheim as a Network Engineer. I have purchased a domain named revelation-computers.com not revelationcomputers.com as you said in your post.
          I have spent a good amount of money purchasing a new computer and software to set up my own domain running exchange. Evidently you have some twisted dislike for Techpros Group and it has created paranoia within you that you just cannot believe anything.
          Why would I respond to your ridiculous postings? The answer is simple Steve called me and asked me too. Why don?t you call Steve Copeland and have him arrange a three-way telephone conversation. I am sure you can get Steve?s number from telephone information. You need to check and verify your facts before you put them out for people to see. I don?t believe you really care one way or the other whether people go to Techpros or not. You seem hell bent on just spitting out negativity for no valid reason.
          The reason I am taking time out now to write this reply because you have insulted me with your have-assed check on who I am and that my friend is unacceptable.
          Call Steve Copeland and put this whole vendetta you have to the test. I think you won?t because it would prove beyond any doubt that I attended Techpros Group got trained and am now working and for some reason you want the contrary to be believed.
          I am setting up a website so I can start my own business. I currently have private clients that I fix their computers and for a good price I might add. I want to expand that business and using new technology I want to assist clients remotely.

        • #2482090

          zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to How Wrong You Are !!!

          Steve you are putting me to sleep, I am not going to call you because I don?t want to listen to your lies any more than I like reading them. Your domain doesn?t work; (so far for the training) send a link ok. None of your classmates listed you as being in there class. Please just stop. The reason I write here is let people know what I KNOW about TPG and so they can make up their own mind. I wouldn?t spend my time doing this if it wasn?t something I believe in. As far as I am concerned the money they got off of me pays for the training I got. The ?lab fees? and the $95 application fee, or whatever is enough for the little bit of training I received. I know of people who got a job, but they had prior experience in the field, and all of them could have done it with out TPG. With that said, I think the thing that is messed up about TPG is that they would get as many people in as possible, teach them ?BASIC? Active Directory, OS features, how to install ISA (if you can install any software you can do this), Exchange ( again if you can install any software you can do this). Did some basic adding users and basic Cisco (if you were cool enough to get to that point.) There was a lot of wasted time and money taking certifications that they didn?t teach you about and you couldn?t back up because all the questions were remembered. THIS is why they don?t have companies willing to hire their student upon leaving. I heard that someone from IBM visited one time and said ?All I see is a bunch of ?paper? certified students?. Well that is accurate. I have very little positive to say about my experience, matter of fact what is listed above is about it. I strongly believe that this company is robbing people of hard earned money that had hopes of getting something they never received.
          If you were so great why don?t you have a testimonial?
          Why doesn?t anyone have one?
          Most of what Eric Choi does is spit out numbers on how much people can make per year.
          He likes to do this to get people excited and until you leave you don?t know how untrue that is.
          One more thing.
          If a company says they want someone with 5 years of experience that is what they want.
          They don?t want someone who went to some pathetic training course and remembered questions to a test. So stop telling your students that.
          So come correct,
          Mr. Blood

          P.S. I am sure Steve can find someone to get on the other line to act like you. No suprise!

        • #2644348

          Jan – Mar Group

          by lawrence532003 ·

          In reply to Ha Ha Ha Ha

          Hey Dude,

          Tought I’d send you a update about my domain.

          https://revelation-computers.com

          I work full-time but I do some work on my own.

          Lawrence

        • #2645476

          WOW

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Jan – Mar Group

          You can do PC repair
          I’m impressed
          NOT

        • #2643960

          My Sincere apology

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Jan – Mar Group

          To you Lawrence
          I am very sorry for accusing you of being fake I know how Steve is and I know he would do something like that and the language you used sounded so much like him.
          So you have my sincere apology,
          God Bless,
          Drew

        • #2480042

          One more thing????

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to As I live and Breath !!!!!!!!!!!

          Where are all the Testimonials if you were such a great canidate that got placed???????? Those people are the same since before I went there. Are there no others? They say a company?s website tells about the company, well this holds true the website is still the same and very poor!!!!!! I am sure Steve will react to this too! If you need help I have been learning web design too!!!! But I am not serious about I.T. so you might want to look somewhere else!
          Entertainment at it’s finest. I am glad you like my post STEVE
          8)
          Mr.Blood

    • #3276977

      Beware of the Tech Pros Group Internship!!

      by getcertifiedwithoutregret ·

      In reply to Company info?

      This is just a warning for young IT professionals here in Tech Republic against Tech Pros Group. Do your homework first. Dont just grab the Tech Pros Group sweet promises. If you do, it’s your biggest mistake.

      There is no real lectures at Tech Pros Group camp. Learning is minimal. Memorizing is maximized.
      Lab instructors are former students without experience.
      Two people share a computer with each other instead of one-to-one.
      You are only doing a basic virtual pc vmware for the lab.
      Cisco lab is all access server setup and not real hands-on. No lectures.
      You get copied DIY lab guides and copied Certkiller pdfs to memorize for $2,400 .
      Only 10/30 will go to cisco.
      The 20 other will redo Microsoft virtual lab.
      Most sessions are career development nonsense seminars. ( 300.00 per day)
      They promise in ad that their 2 month training is equal to 5-6 years IT experience. Your guess is as good as mine.
      Not all will get the internship contract.
      The internship contract is actually a SELF-PLACEMENT contract to find your own job.
      Internship is not guaranteed.
      After all is said and done, you will find your own job, IT-related job or not and give the 20% of your salary in one year for not finding you an internship or a job !! It’s all not worth it!!Everything is broken promises that will make you look like a fool!!

      SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 WARNING!!!!!!
      HIGHLIGHT NEWS ABOUT TECH PROS GROUP:
      DO A SCHOOL SEARCH ON BUREAU OF PRIVATE AND POSTSECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FOR ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA IN THEIR WEBSITE AT http://www.bppve.ca.gov

      TECH PROS GROUP IS NOT LISTED ON THE DIRECTORY OF INSTITUTIONS. ILLEGAL THAT IS!!

      IN THE SCHOOL CLOSURES SECTION, YOU CAN SEE ICTP WHICH IS THE FORMER NAME OF TECH PROS GROUP.
      THEY JUST CHANGED THE NAME ICTP INTO TECH PROS GROUP.

      PLS. DO A LOT OF INTERNET SEARCH TO FIND THE RELEVANT AND UPDATED POSTINGS about Tech Pros Group in Google or MSN search.

      • #3276772

        Do you happen to have…

        by mickster269 ·

        In reply to Beware of the Tech Pros Group Internship!!

        …a keyboard where the “caps lock” key works?

      • #3203793
        • #2497159

          Is Tech Pros Certified?

          by rjrich3540 ·

          In reply to Info

          If Tech Pros is such a scam how could they make it on such a ligitimate employment website such as Careerbuilders.com? And how could they be Microsoft/Cisco gold certified.
          A very astonishing partnership!

        • #2510847

          get a clue!!

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to Is Tech Pros Certified?

          the fraud is much bigger than just what is done to the students. you are a FOOL to mess with these guys

        • #2515468

          Ask the BPPVE about TPG and ICTP!

          by stoptpg ·

          In reply to Is Tech Pros Certified?

          Anyone can post a job on careerbuilder.com or hotjobs.com (where they were before) but do you notice how they aren’t on Dice?

          As for Microsoft/Cisco partnerships…take a look into what they require for partnership. The question that should be asked is do they employ any MCT’s if not why not? The answer is because all the instructors/subject matter experts/technical experts were candidates hired right out of a class just after they got their certs. So the point is…they have about 5 minutes more experience than you do!

          And if a candidate isn’t quite ‘technical’ enough they might ask them to be a recruiter instead! So is recruiting for TPG job placement or internship LOL, just want to know the repayment plan?

          Any more questions?

        • #2515453

          Hopefully this helps!

          by stoptpg ·

          In reply to Is Tech Pros Certified?

          1. follow this link:
          http://directory.microsoft.com/MPRD/PartnerProfile.aspx?RowKey=e0bcbd07-13ad-4703-a13e-e7272aac626d&LanguageDropDown=173&SearchGroup=SolutionsAndServicesRadio

          If it doesn’t work it tells you that they have 11 MCP’s and 75 M$ among them. See #3 below to find out what it really means.

          2. All it means is that they have enough certified people to attain gold partner status and they are registered…they also provide some kind of service related to M$.

          3. However read what M$ has to say about it’s partners…
          The partners listed in the Microsoft Resource Directory are part of the Microsoft Partner Program, however Microsoft does not endorse any of the partners or their software, solutions, services and training listed on this site. Microsoft disclaims any and all liability arising out of your use of the partners, software, solutions, services and training listed on the site. All software, solutions, services and training are provided ?as is? and without warranty unless provided by the authoring partner.

          That came from the M$ web site.

      • #3203792
      • #2631921

        Thank You

        by jmac1869 ·

        In reply to Beware of the Tech Pros Group Internship!!

        I got a call from a representative from Tech Republic, promising me all kinds of degrees and one on one training. I was going to call him back tomorrow and enroll. I am so glad I read your post. There will be no phone call or email sent to Tech Republic by me because of your warning. I do thank you.

        • #2543366

          You seem to be confusing …

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to Thank You

          Tech [i]Republic[/i], which is where you posted this missive, and Tech [i]Pro Group[/i], which is the subject of this discussion.

    • #3139688

      Fraud investigation launched against Tech Pros Group

      by alameh ·

      In reply to Company info?

      Tech Pros Group is being investigated by BPPVE and Orange County’s District Attorney’s Office for fraud.

      The person in charge of Tech Pros Group’s case at BPPVE is Fred Lopez, and his phone number is 916-574-7758.

      Anyone with any information about Tech Pros Group is urged to call.

      • #3138286

        Tech ProsFraud Exposed!!

        by stevecopeland ·

        In reply to Fraud investigation launched against Tech Pros Group

        I?m writing this post in response to the posting that was recently posted above. My response is a personal response as a long time member of Tech Republic and a fellow information technology professional. Please note that I am a Director working at Tech Pros Group. Also note that this is not an official response from Tech Pros Group but a personal response as stated earlier. If you are wondering why Tech Pros Group is not officially responding to this posts; it is due to the ridiculous/extreme nature of the posts. If you would like a more thorough understanding of Tech Pros Group, the services it offers along with facts regarding the allegations; give us a call or visit our website.

        In regards to the post made above, I am both shocked and saddened as to the length in which certain individuals will lie, deceive and/or mislead good techies regarding the services Tech Pros Group offers. These individuals have made statements that are either completely false or at least misleading regarding Tech Pros Group. If one were to take the time to read the various posting made by these individuals on this site along with other sites referenced, an intelligent individual will realize how passionately biased and outright false the information being displayed are. I based my observation on personal knowledge on how incorrect the information. Unfortunately for individuals who are trying to determine whether Tech Pros Group is a ?real? organization with real services. It may be difficult to determine how valid or invalid the information is.

        As an experience reader of internet blogs and posting, let me provide some suggestions:

        1. Be careful of individuals who use ?anonymous? or pseudo names to express ?facts?- The use of anonymous or pseudo names is common in the blog/posting world. It allows individuals to express their opinions and observations while maintaining privacy. This allows individuals who may not normally express their view to express them more freely. Generally, this is very positive and is invaluable to the freedom of speech that all Americans cherish. One of the best parts of being a member of Tech Republic is the open forums they offer. Unfortunately, some individuals with a personal agenda use this as a tool/weapon to push their own biased agenda. These individuals have no interest in freedom of speech, helping others, for even the truth. They?re use of one pseudo/anonymous names is not only limited to one name but many. They will take factual information and twist it to such a level that the factual information presents an opposite conclusion. Others will just outright lie, knowing that many decent individuals will not take the time to verify those lies. For this reason, always verify the logic of any statements made on the internet and if you plan to make an important life decision, verify those statements by talking to the opposing parties and third party sources.

        2. Business ?terrorists? – After reading a particular blog on the Internet, I realized why I was so upset about what is being said. As Americans, we are extremely concerned about passionate, cause oriented, extremist. These are individuals who proactively commit extreme acts that they would normally never do but will do because it?s for a ?cause?. On an international level, this includes damaging property, hurting and even killing innocent individuals. In regards to the internet and the business world, it can include making statement that can hurt or ?kill? a business. Examples include mentioning to people that a particular restaurant is infested with bugs or a teacher is a pedophile or a doctor is working without a license. These individuals will make statements that they know will receive a reaction to hurt or kill their target. What is amazing is the type of individuals who take these actions. One would think that these are individuals who truly have been wronged by the organization they are attacking. In many cases, it?s just the opposite. They can easily be individuals who owe money to the company they are attacking and are trying to walk away from their obligations. Even worse are individuals who are actually competition to the particular organization that is being attacked and are using the first group to eliminate their competition. Along with these two groups are individuals who are just looking for a cause and latch on to one to fulfill their own unresolved personal issues. These individuals have no association with the organization and are not even sure of the validity of the accusations but jump in because they want to be part of something. To these individuals, eliminating the target is just a game and they will use whatever method possible. The final group is individuals who truly feel that they have been wronged by an organization. Their personal stories range from true experiences to exaggerations of real experiences (unfortunately even they start to believe their own exaggerations) to magnify the situation. The problem with some members of this group is that even if the business entities they are not happy with make adjustments to correct the problem, they will never acknowledge the positive changes and assume just the worse. For all these reasons, the information provided by these individuals will not represent the current state of the target business.

        3. Be careful of moderated blogs ? The accuracy and quality of moderated blogs are as good as the moderator. Some of the best blogs in regards to insightful information about a company, service or situations are moderated. On the other hand, moderated blogs can have some of the most biased inaccurate information you can find. The reason for this is that the moderator controls the comments that people are allowed to post. These results in a blog that promotes a specific agenda and all comments that are on the blog reinforce that agenda. The worse part about this situation is if you try to post comments that are contrary to the moderator agenda, it will either never get posted or get posted in a manner that negates your contrary posting. To determine the quality of the moderator, one should ALWAYS read the other blogs that the moderator has. That will give insight into the type of person the moderator is.

        In regards to Tech Pros Group, I want to personally address the statements made about the company I work for and the good people that work there:

        Question 1: Are we being investigated by the Orange County District Attorney (DA)?
        Answer: The answer is NO. Just out of curiosity, I personally called the DA office to ask about the investigation. They not only denied any investigations, the individual I spoke to felt bad that there was such a smear campaign toward Tech Pros Group.

        Question 2: Is there an investigation by the BPPVE about Tech Pros Group?
        Answer: The BPPVE (Bureau for private and postsecondary and vocational education) is a sub agency that is part of the Consumer Protection Agency of California. The mandate of the agency is to protect California residents against education fraud. This means that they want to ensure that when an individual pays tuition for training related services prior to services actually being rendered, the BPPVE wants to ensure that California residents actually get those services that they paid for. Tech Pros Group, as an organization that provides training services along with other services would normally fall under their jurisdiction. The reason we do not is that we do not charge for training services before it is offered. In fact, we only collect our fees when the individual that took our service attains employment. Only then do we start receiving payment. As of this moment, we are the only private organization out there that ties our revenues directly to our candidate?s success. In regards to statements of investigations by the BPPVE there are a number of individuals who are working due to the training received through Tech Pros Group and are trying to renege on their contract. These individuals have complained to the BPPVE about Tech Pros Group with the hope that they may not have to pay on their obligations. It is my understanding that they are trying to determine if Tech Pros Group falls under their jurisdiction. Tech Pros Group is committed to following any and all the rules of the state they reside in and plan to proactively work with the BPPVE to resolve this matter.

        Questions 3: Are we an unlicensed school of the BPPVE?
        Answer: As stated previously, we do not fit into a school that needs to be licensed. Training is a service we provide. We do not use government resources such as grants and government supported loans. In fact, we don?t even use private education loans. Furthermore, we do even charge for our training until our training results in placement. For this reason, we do not have to be a member the BPPVE. It is my understanding that Tech Pros Group has communicated with the BPPVE on this matter and to ensure that we are in accordance with an organization that would not fall under their jurisdiction.

        Facts regarding the Tech Pros Scam. The facts below are information that even individuals who have a negative agenda will agree with:

        FACT ONE – Tech Pros Group is a real organization that not just a fabrication of the Internet. In fact there are countless confirmations on the Internet from individuals who attended our camps. This includes individuals who are working based on the training they received from Tech Pros Group and are trying to avoid paying on their commitments.

        FACT TWO – The quality of training provided by Tech Pros Group ranges from being on par with other organizations if not better. This has even been stated by sources that have a negative agenda with Tech Pros Group.

        FACT THREE ? You do not have to pay Tech Pros Group until you are working, whether through Internship or placement. This is verified by some of the negative comments stating how they have to repay income percentage payment now that they are working.

        Based on these facts, how is this ever a scam? We are a real organization that provides real training that most likely will result in placement. Do we have a 100% placement ratio? NO. But, then again, who does. No matter how hard we screen our candidates there will always be approximately 10% – 20% of our candidates who will not be working. Unfortunately, when these candidates do not land a job, Tech Pros Group does not benefit even though the training service has been provided. Traditional training organizations benefits financially whether the candidate is working or not.

        If you are truly serious about considering the services offered by Tech Pros Group and just want to ensure that the services are real, take the time to do full research. Don?t just read some biased blogs. Visit our website http://www.techprosgroup.com or give us a call.

        Any serious candidate wanting to contact me directly can reach me at scopeland@techprosgroup.com for call me direct at 949-701-8668

        Take care and good luck in your information technology career.

        Sincerely,

        Steve Copeland

        • #3138272

          The Truth

          by joecu123 ·

          In reply to Tech ProsFraud Exposed!!

          Clean it up Copeland; this is what you do best. Notice that you are the only one standing up for this company. Why is that? Let me guess, maybe because they pay you? I know, I know, under this entry miraculously a student will come forward stating how this company has helped them. How could you defend a company that has hurt so many people? The reason people post anonymously is because we have been manipulated and harassed to the point that students are scared to give real information, because we have been threatened with a lawsuit, are manipulated into signing contracts that prohibit us from giving our honest opinion about this company (I am sure Mark Tran will vouch for me, oh, I forgot, Mark can no longer say anything about the company because he signed a confidentiality agreement, and was threatened with a lawsuit and forced to take his blog down).
          This company is taking money from people who are already struggling, but are trying to better themselves by getting an education so that they don?t have to lie, cheat, still, or take advantage of other people to earn a living. Maybe the predator should look to the pray for a lesson on morals and how to treat your fellow human beings. I only wish I had someone to warn me before I sunk all my money into this school, training program, what ever. I hope this helps someone make the best decision for his or her future.
          If there is no investigation by the Orange County District Attorney (DA), there should be and will be. No one is getting away from this.
          This is not an attack this is merely the truth.

        • #3139249

          Kinda proves the point doesn’t it?

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to The Truth

          The Truth (64 of 64)
          Clean it up Copeland; this is what you do best. Notice that you are the only one standing up for this company. Why is that? Let me guess, maybe because they pay you? I know, I know, under this entry miraculously a student will come forward stating how this company has helped them. How could you defend a company that has hurt so many people? The reason people post anonymously is because we have been manipulated and harassed to the point that students are scared to give real information, because we have been threatened with a lawsuit, are manipulated into signing contracts that prohibit us from giving our honest opinion about this company (I am sure Mark Tran will vouch for me, oh, I forgot, Mark can no longer say anything about the company because he signed a confidentiality agreement, and was threatened with a lawsuit and forced to take his blog down).
          This company is taking money from people who are already struggling, but are trying to better themselves by getting an education so that they don?t have to lie, cheat, still, or take advantage of other people to earn a living. Maybe the predator should look to the pray for a lesson on morals and how to treat your fellow human beings. I only wish I had someone to warn me before I sunk all my money into this school, training program, what ever. I hope this helps someone make the best decision for his or her future.
          If there is no investigation by the Orange County District Attorney (DA), there should be and will be. No one is getting away from this.
          This is not an attack this is merely the truth.

          Post edited on 09/30/06

          Posted by: joecu123@… Date: 09/30/06

          joecu123@…
          Networking / LAN Administration
          No location specified
          Member since: September 2006

          Why so defensive, Steve? (54 of 64)
          Clean it up Copeland; this is what you do best. Notice that you are the only one standing up for this company. Why is that? Let me guess, maybe because they pay you? I know, I know, under this entry miraculously a student will come forward stating how this company has helped them. How could you defend a company that has hurt so many people? The reason people post anonymously is because we have been manipulated and harassed to the point that students are scared to give real information, because we have been threatened with a lawsuit, are manipulated into signing contracts that prohibit us from giving our honest opinion about this company (I am sure Mark Tran will vouch for me, oh, I forgot, Mark can no longer say anything about the company because he signed a confidentiality agreement, and was threatened with a lawsuit and forced to take his blog down).
          This company is taking money from people who are already struggling, but are trying to better themselves by getting an education so that they don?t have to lie, cheat, still, or take advantage of other people to earn a living. Maybe the predator should look to the pray for a lesson on morals and how to treat your fellow human beings. I only wish I had someone to warn me before I sunk all my money into this school, training program, what ever. I hope this helps someone make the best decision for his or her future.
          If there is no investigation by the Orange County District Attorney (DA), there should be and will be. No one is getting away from this.
          This is not an attack this is merely the truth.

          Posted by: techdeck@… Date: 09/30/06

          techdeck@…
          Database Administration
          Nowhere, MO
          Member since: January 2005

        • #3139215

          that does not prove anything

          by toto ·

          In reply to Kinda proves the point doesn’t it?

          it could be the second person was too lazy to type up, and copy/pasted someone else’s comment in his reply.

          copy/paste, people do it all the time.

          if steve copeland’s company is truly great as his claims, then there is no need for him to write a freaking novel to defend it.

          personally i don’t know anything about whatever the company he is with, but if someone that is so vigorious of defending their business, usually there are some skeletons in their closet.

          that is just my personal opinion.

        • #3139058

          Logically fallacious.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to that does not prove anything

          You state the [i]if someone that is so vigorious of defending their business, usually there are some skeletons in their closet.[/i]

          That’s merely the “absence of proof constitutes proof of absence” fallacy.

          By the same logic, it can be argued that those who remain silent are quilty, and that those who accuse do so falsely.

        • #3138962

          But evidently…

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to that does not prove anything

          It?s okay to write a novel to defame it?

          Making allegations that are untrue, contacting people that are employed by my company, and taking the steps to defame and slam it any and every chance they get.

          Not everyone needs my company for certifications, and to that point not everyone can handle the pressure of my program, but there is very little fact provided and a lot of opinions.
          The majority of which are then completely changed 3 post later by the same people.

          The problem is Toto if you don’t know anything about the company I am with why then would you take the time to defame it?
          Did you bang your head on the keyboard and miraculously it typed the words tech pros group into the search?
          I find it ironic that the majority of postings that are negative are on a site moderated by someone who has a vendetta for some reason against me.
          To make the point even more Ironic is the fact this moderator HAS NEVER RECIEVED SERVICES FROM MY COMPANY.
          Of course I am going to defend it. As would you if you were blindly attacked with no provocation.

        • #3138939

          Truth

          by joecu123 ·

          In reply to But evidently…

          You know, when you are the front man for a company that is taking advantage of innocent people, what do you expect, cookies and roses? I am not the same person as TechDeck, although I do appreciate the fact that he/she understands what is going on and is on my side. I am indeed a former student. I know about the candy bowl, the refrigerator that is only for sodas, and oh, I almost forgot, the none technical work day (nothing more then free manual labor from the students. They have the current student setting up apartments for the next group of victims, I mean students. ). I also know who you are. I do not have anything against you personally, but if you choose to be the spokes person for a company that is screwing people over then what do you expect, kind words and a smile? I cannot just be quiet and let someone else go through what I have been though. If you don?t want the negative attention you are getting, then maybe you should just back off. If the negative things that are being said about the company that you represent are not true, then you have nothing to worry about, but unfortunately you and I both know that they are, that is why you are so relentless in your attempts to defend it. This is the truth.

        • #2536605

          The truth!!!

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to that does not prove anything

          For those of us who know mr copeland, we laugh at his attempt to sound so professional. I have worked with him, i have worked with eric choi, and i know the lies and frauds that are a part of TPG. Steve, your very presence is a lie. eric, what a mess you have made of so many lives.

        • #3139061

          Are you and TechDeck Clones?

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to The Truth

          Or, do you just like to mimmick each other.

          Kindly explain the [b]identical[/b] posts.

          And, I note with some curiously that your profile, like that of TechDeck, is wholly barren.

        • #2510843

          The truth!!!

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to Tech ProsFraud Exposed!!

          I was there, i know you, and i know Eric, and i know what goes on. I know it all from what is said and done when no students are around. Do not evade the simple fact that this company is a fraud and always has been a fraud. The recent court cases have said as much. Please, if anyone believes this guy you are making a big mistake. Facts are facts!!!!

        • #2510781

          The Truth

          by mroliver21 ·

          In reply to The truth!!!

          John,
          Please contact me. I can’t put my data on the net, but you might have a key that I am looking for.
          Sincerely,
          Oliver Asato
          MrOliver21@netzero.net
          http://techprosgroupirvineca.googlepages.com/

    • #3140097

      Is there a desenter that has been around more than a year?

      by jdclyde ·

      In reply to Company info?

      Is there a decenter that has been around more than a year?

      From the get go, this “discussion” has seemed like a hatchet job, and not a very good one at that.

      The original poster is in Florida wondering about a training center in California, and wants dirt on them. Why would evmafau CARE about this company, and how did he/she/it hear about them in the first place?

      Was he/she/it planning on moving to California with a macon in his heart to get the certs? doesn’t sound like it.

      And then most of the people that just happen to come along are all experts on being stupid and getting taken in by the criminal masterminds there? Does the person starting up all these accounts really think we are as stupid as he/she/it was?

      Again, we hear a lot but are not told anything. Exactly WHAT happened TO YOU PERSONALLY that was illegal? I don’t care about what you heard someone else cry about. What have YOU personally seen?

      If it is illegal, why did you not call the cops?

      Where is YOUR lawsuit?

      Whinny a$$ t1tty babies. put up or shut up.

      • #3140067

        don?t participate

        by joecu123 ·

        In reply to Is there a desenter that has been around more than a year?

        Ok, now you are being a “Whinny a$$ t1tty” baby. If you have a problem with this discussion” then don?t participate in it.

        • #3140054

          The problem

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to don?t participate

          is that people are making a lot of noise, but not actually saying anything.

          People that work in tech should be used to having to support and statements.

          The regulation web site says nothing, and I don’t see anything but one persons site that is against the company.

          I am not defending the company, but it is your responsibility as the accusor to be laden with the burden of proof. That is how things work, you know. If you would like to start supporting your case, now would be as good a time as any.

      • #2515224

        feeling stupid now????

        by johnsonceh ·

        In reply to Is there a desenter that has been around more than a year?

        look at the facts, and listen???? all is coming to pass. you defend TPG, you defend fraud. The facts!!!!!!I worked there, and from the inside, you are the perfect candidate. The one we used to laugh at…

    • #3140039

      A few blog entries

      by jdclyde ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I agree that this is far from not only a smoking gun, but they haven’t even provided a body yet!

      I really am surprised that TPTB are allowing this discussion to go on, as it could get them caught up in legal problems that are not their concern.

      A boot camp that gives useless certs. Nothing new here.

      • #3140022

        Yep

        by tig2 ·

        In reply to A few blog entries

        Eddie- who has been with TR since 2002, interviewed them at length and made a decision to not participate in the program. He provided a detailed analysis of his conversations and left it at that. I knew I liked that guy!

        This whole thing has gotten a tad wearisome. We are no longer discussing anything. More of a flame fest, in my opinion.

        I agree with you- the thread should be pulled. It is getting out of hand and I am concerned that people are crossing the line in the effort.

        • #3139991

          TiggerTwo, thanks for the vote of confidence! :)

          by eddie n ·

          In reply to Yep

          I always say that, in an online discussion that generates heat, one should strive to change that heat into light instead.

          When it comes to anything you want to spend your hard-earned money on, the Romans said it best:

          CAVEAT EMPTOR

      • #3140018

        What’s new?

        by eddie n ·

        In reply to A few blog entries

        “A boot camp that gives useless certs. Nothing new here.”

        It may not be new, but that doesn’t make it right either 🙂

        You can read my experience with Tech Pros Group above. I too did my due diligence via Google searching 🙂 and after talking with Mr. Hard-Sell, I decided not to go in for it.

        Your mileage, of course, may vary.

        • #3141343

          Right, wrong, left and right

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to What’s new?

          Why are casinos so popular? Lazy people trying to get something for nothing.

          Why are the lotteries so popular? Lazy people trying to get something for nothing.

          Why are brain dump boot camps so popular? Lazy people trying to get something for nothing.

          The weak have always been prayed on by the strong, and now it is the weak minded and lazy that are being prayed upon. Making themselves a victom does not earn my sympathy, and again, the burden of proof for wrong doing is in the hands of the accuser.

          I have taken training courses, and they were not cheap. But they were hands on learning, not brain dumps.

        • #2631046

          One thing I have found

          by j-mart ·

          In reply to Right, wrong, left and right

          Often the easiest way to a successful
          outcome to any goal always has a
          requirement for effort, the short cut
          method will always leave you short of
          attaining your objective. Also
          all “Nigerian Bank Schemes ” Require
          someone who is silly enough to not see
          something as being too good to be true.

        • #3141307

          Your approach is what is new.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to What’s new?

          Unlike others, you simply described your own personal experience, without speculation as to the inner workings and hidden mechanisms of Tech Pros.

          In short, you provided facts, only facts, and only those personally known to you, as opposed to hearsay.

          Unfortunately, none of the above Tech Pro detractors have as yet seen fit to do the same, which eventually leads a reasonably prudent person to doubt that their claims have merit.

    • #2486399

      Tech Pros Group – What You Should Know

      by mroliver21 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      • #2483036

        Most informative; and, cautionary.

        by deepsand ·

        In reply to Tech Pros Group – What You Should Know

        Obviously, there have been more than a few developments in this saga since this thread began.

        As per usual, if it sounds too good to be true, … .

        • #2496272

          WARNING

          by johnsonceh ·

          In reply to Most informative; and, cautionary.

          I was there, i know what goes on and its fraud. Look at the BBB, Ask the BPPVE what Tech Pros is all about, they know. How many people have to warn you guys that this company should not even be in business. If the BPPVE was really what it represents themselves to be, they would shut these guys down. how stupid can people be?

    • #2500419

      Dear, Company info

      by rjrich3540 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I have just had a resent experience with Tech Pros Group and they promise more than they deliver.

      • #2498488

        I agree

        by pizzaisgood ·

        In reply to Dear, Company info

        I’m surprised people still sign up with them. The BBB gives them an F rating. They are not licensed by the state. They are being investigated by the BPPVE and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. That’s enough red flags for me. You can get the same type of training and certifications with any other school out there & they won’t try to take 19.95% of your salary for a year. We all know about the “internships” trap by now.
        They are such a small and under-funded school, it’s just a matter of time before they pull a ICTP move and declare bankruptcy.

    • #2497553

      don’t think anyone has mentioned this

      by dr dij ·

      In reply to Company info?

      If you DO sign up and pay your 20%, you’ll be actually paying ALOT MORE. Since you have to pay this out of AFTER TAX money, you have to earn 30 to 50% more than the mentioned figure.

    • #2524952

      Cliche though it is…

      by boxfiddler ·

      In reply to Company info?

      If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

    • #2588194

      The facts

      by eternalwander1979 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      Ok everyone, lets look at the facts.

      1. If Steve Copeland is in such a high position in such a prominent company, would he have time to go around to blogs and opinion sites, trying to fight against naysayers and people who have negative commentary on Tech Pros Group? No.

      2. If this is such a prominent company, would they really care what a bunch of people on a site has to say about them? No. Look at Microsoft, they dont go around like this, they dont care, everyone knows what they are, and what they are about in business(I mean this in a non-biased fashion, to avoid confusion).

      3. Look at his typing style. Notice the lack of grammar, capitalization, etc. Is this really how an executive addresses issues in writing? No.

      4. If Steve Copeland on here is the real Steve Copeland, and is who he says he is, why is it the same reply appears on other blogs and forums verbatim? If he’s at such a high level in a company, can he not be intelligent enough to make argument without mindlessly replying in the same fashion? Run a search on Tech Pros Group fraud and you’ll see more than enough examples from “Steve Copeland” to see my point.

      5. If this isnt enough proof I dont know what is.
      http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=13218660

      This is the link to the BBB report on Tech Pros Group. Notice the rating for the company is F, for failure.to be exact, the F stands for the following: “F We strongly question the company?s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law?s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company?s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices”. This is direct from the BBB rating explanation site,
      http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/RatingExplanationPage.aspx?CompanyID=13218660&sm=#RatingExperience Nothing you can say Steve can justify or explain away that.

      Might as well face it folks, this company doesnt care about you or have your interests at heart. They are only after your money. As for what you said “Steve” about anonymous users on blogs and forums, maybe it didnt occur to you that people do this anonymously because they dont want to get sued in a sue-happy society by a fraud and a scammer.

      • #2588191

        it also appears

        by dr dij ·

        In reply to The facts

        that their promises about getting a job are hard to keep and they don’t keep them. this is an unusual thing for a company. You don’t goto UCI and expect a guaranteed job. It’s based on your performance.

        It is also quite a huge amount. 25% of your income after taxes is closer to 30 or 40% depending on tax bracket.

        The reason that there are so many bad training places is that training is so subjective. The good training places are either chains or affiliated with or authorized by large companies to teach their product, e.g. Cognos training, or are large well respected institutions.

        I don’t think you can get quite as much as you think out of his responses tho. Ideally such places would welcome people to come take tours, talk to students, see the ‘training materials’, etc.

        In the end, there are a heck of alot of other companies that have known better reps, it is a heck of alot of money, and there are a heck of a lot of cheaper ways to get the same education.

        Sign up for the acm, http://www.acm.org
        about $100 a year and 1000+ hardcore IT courses from major provider element-K.

        the IEEE (www.computer.org) computer society also has thousands of courses from skillsoft.com also available for $100 approx per year. Mindleaders also had good courses but about twice the price of above but still cheap. really hardcore IT courses at bizlibrary.com, they mail you the training CDs but more expensive, about 90/mo. Take as many as you want, one cd at a time. like Netflix!

        and of course local places like newhorizons. we send people there to learn excel. not perfect, as jd mentions but can be a good deal.

    • #2609955

      Thank You

      by gmmcusn ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I would like to say Thank to most of you for your comments in the thread. I was contacted by TPG last week and have been concidering their program over the weekend. I have had a BS in IT since Feb ’04 and haven’t been able to land a job in IT so far and have been considering this type of training the get certified, hoping that would improve my chances.

      There was no mention of owing them a percentage of my pay in the paperwork they sent me. If any of the negative comment I’ve seen here are true then TPG is not for me and I thank all of you for the discussion.

      Chuck Taylor

    • #2616089

      Move On.. Don’t even consider them as school..

      by nbspartan ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I live in Orange County.. I have some experience with this people not this company but they spawned from previous company.. google.. ICTP Scam you will know what i’m talking about..

      If you want to try some IT SKills go to your local JC and check out their IT classes you might have better luck..

    • #2606025

      Techpros.group . watch out

      by sandypants ·

      In reply to Company info?

      my husband was laid off from a big company, and is at an age where it is difficult to find work in IT that will support our bills. The ad and response from techpros.group was hope. But once I looked over the PDF print out. I became sick. This is the most unprofessional and phoney looking come on I have yet to see. When asked what major city would be the live camp. They couldn’t even tell us a city in CT. Back in the 1990 my husband and I lost our retirement money on a very similar scam in Oklahoma city. To get guaranteed training and position in a Government job. Same thing. Give money, get a crappy looking document. no reference. no exact company back ups. Just their word. DO NOT DO IT. If Microsoft is behind it then they would know about it. Just look at the grafics on the document, Fuzzy,l imperfect and why a pdf file and a fax with the info. Where is the color booklet and who are the ocmpanies they are doing the internship for? Why a copy right of 2007> Who are these people and why is there only one name on the document. What cities are they doing this in? Where are the ligament testimonies . How are they backing there claim. In todays technology, an industry like this would be highly technical and professional and be connected to Microsoft or an other company of repition. Beware.
      beware of evil people taking advantage of those who are in need of hope.

    • #2479288

      I paid them $95 couple of days ago

      by acapetalaz ·

      In reply to Company info?

      After reading all the comments. I’m so confused about the whole thing.

      • #2472126

        Mr. Confused

        by mroliver21 ·

        In reply to I paid them $95 couple of days ago

        Dear Mr. Confused,
        Go to my websites http://techprosgrouplegalissues.googlepages.com/home and http://techprosgroupirvineca.googlepages.com/ . These websites will give you an idea of how Tech Pros Group operates.

        For added information go to the County of Orange Superior Court website https://ocapps.occourts.org/CivilPub/Login.do and enter Eric Choi (the owner), Ray Choi (the owner’s brother) Tech Pros Group, Tech Mentors (the company’s former name) and International Consortium of Technology Professionals (ICTP-the former company that went bankrupt in 2003)

        If you are still confused after all this data, email me MrOliver21@netzero.net.
        Sincerely,
        Oliver Asato

        • #2624490

          What happened with you??

          by shkembar ·

          In reply to Mr. Confused

          MrOliver21,

          I’m writing because i’m curious of what happened with you? did you take legal action with TPG? If so what was the result? I’m kind of skeptical of your blogs after I saw that you closed down a forum discussion because of adversity.

      • #2624343

        Try

        by azdbacks2451 ·

        In reply to I paid them $95 couple of days ago

        You might as well try it out. I have had a few back and forths with Mr. Asato and he is a very disgruntled illogical man who is only out to get Tech Pros Group because he lost a case against them when the judge stated his contract had to be upheld and he had to pay them the money for the services based on there old program. So the only way he will get out of the contract is to shut them down and he is trying to do that with his illogical statements. Be smart and continue with the program.

    • #2624526

      WHY

      by azdbacks2451 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I am seeking information from Mr. Asato and all he is doing is slandering people and he shuts down the forums before anyone questioning him can respond. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO HIDE MR. ASATO???

      • #2624513

        Do us all a favour

        by tig2 ·

        In reply to WHY

        Take the fight to another forum. This thread is going on two years old. Let it die.

    • #2624484

      Aren’t they being investigated for fraud?

      by big ole jack ·

      In reply to Company info?

      I’ve seen this same question posted on TR before and many have stated that this Tech Pro Group is run by a conman and fraudster.

    • #2625039

      NOTICE TO MR. ASATO

      by azdbacks2451 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      This is to question Mr. Asato as to why my questions were deleted from the mcpmag.com forum and the topic was promptly closed? What are you scared of with my questions? Why can’t you answer them? What do you have to hide that you have to result to deleting my questions and closing the topics not allowing a curious prospect to inquire as to your motives? And the DA did no investigation because there was no evidence that Tech Pros Group had to register as a school because they are not one and no evidence that they are a scam or taking peoples money.

      • #2624904

        Oliver Asato Replies

        by mroliver21 ·

        In reply to NOTICE TO MR. ASATO

        Hello Azdbacks,
        My real name is Oliver Asato. What is your real name and email?

        You sound very much like Steven Copeland (an exec at TPG who is struggling to keep his dying company afloat).

        You sent me an email today (22Oct07) and you started it with one name (Brandon Morales) and finished it with another name (Joseph Vansuch).

        Copeland makes mistakes like that.

        The truth of the matter is that TPG makes promises (you will get an internship or you will be placed in an IT position) when they really have no ability and little intention to do it.

        When a hiring company does a little bit of research on the net about TPG, they come across the Better Business Bureau website and go to the link below. http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=13218660
        After seeing the above data, do you really think someone wants to do business with TPG?

        TPG has hurt too many good people just to satisfy someone’s greed. As a concerned citizen, I need people to know the truth. If after looking at all the data someone wants to do the Tech Pros Program, that is fine with me. I just don’t like it when they are promised one thing and only get a headache.

        Sincerely,
        Oliver Asato

        • #2630153

          Goodness let it go already

          by dp71772 ·

          In reply to Oliver Asato Replies

          My name is Darrell Payne and I am truly not a blogger but this is ridiculous. I was a candidate at Tech Pros and an employee and I can’t believe this thread is actually still going.

          Tech Pros Group’s entire business plan as changed and “my honest opinion” it have changed for the better.

          My suggestion to anyone who is interested is to check it out for yourself make the call to the company, go to the BBB, weight your options, and make an informed, educated decision about what is best for you and your situation.

          I am now in Chicago, with my family and working as a system engineer, so I made the right decision by going and staying there as an employee for a while.

          It can not be said enough. TECH PROS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE WHO THINKS THEY SHOULD BE IN “IT”. If you are not ready technically, the screening process should weed you out and you will not be out of any considerable amount of money. If you are not right professionally, that will be a little more difficult to identify but hopefully you don’t get accepted.

          I left California 2 months ago and there were improvements being made on a weekly basis in favor of the candidates so I am sure that trend is continuing. There are both good and bad with the program but I want you to name one environment where that statement is not true.

        • #2628622

          Darrell Payne You are misleading…

          by mroliver21 ·

          In reply to Goodness let it go already

          Hi Darrell,
          I just got an email from some poor guy who is paying TPG over $12,000 and what did he get out of it? Only certs which are worthless unless you really know IT.

          Last week I got an email from a guy who was accepted after something like a 30 minute phone interview and he had to accept the “special offer” in a few days or he would miss out. TPG will accept almost anyone. Anyone reading this can prove it to themselves – give TPG a call and state that you are interested in their service and they will jump at you with a “must buy now” offer. Give BS credentials (poor ones) and say you have lots of $$ and see what happens.

          Steve Copeland (an exec at TPG) would like to see this blog close down so that others will not know what really occurs.

          Today I got contacted by some guy who TPG is sending to a collection agency. The guy never got what he thought he was enrolling for. Most people who do the TPG training refuse to pay per CA Education Code 94877 which does apply to TPG no matter what they say.

          Be honest Darell Payne, you know very well that TPG is highly misleading in their advertising.

          Sincerely,
          Oliver Asato
          MrOliver21@netzero.net

        • #2631165

          TPG, beyond understanding

          by rjrich3540 ·

          In reply to Darrell Payne You are misleading…

          I was a candate for the TPG internship and bailed out just in time. They recently contacted me again. I have reported them to careerbuilders.com. But I see that they are srill advertising. I would just hate to see others loose thousands of dollars.

        • #2623585

          What’s Important to Know

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Darrell Payne You are misleading…

          This is Steve Copeland. As you may already know, I am the VP of Business Relations at Tech Pros Group and also a member of Tech Republic since 1999. As an executive at Tech Pros Group, I do not usually respond to discussion postings on the Internet regarding Tech Pros Group. This is due to the fact that Tech Pros Group did not believe in responding to discussions between fellow professionals in information technology. In fact the last time a response was made by me was approximately 6 months ago relating to an accusation that I post using aliases. Please see my response dated March 2007.

          We feel that forums are a good venue to conduct discussions regarding matters of importance to professionals in the information technology industry. Whether they are discussions regarding new technologies, changes/shifts in the direction of the IT industry, opinions on standards and policies that relate to IT or services/products offered by a specific company such as Tech Pros Group that may be of interest to an IT professional.

          These discussions between fellow professionals can especially be insightful to individuals who are new to the industry, technology or service and are seeking the input of others before making an important decision.

          The positive impact of these discussions is based on the assumption that all parties involved are fair-minded and factual with a desire to seek the truth. When one examines this discussion thread, there are a number of positive examples of fair minded statements. Unfortunately these positive examples are interspersed with a large number of posts made by individuals who have no desire for the truth. What they desire is to push their negative agenda regarding Tech Pros Group. What makes the situation worse is when anyone provides a fair counterpoint to their statement, they individuals respond with defamation, ridicule or outright accusations of wrongdoing.

          To help ensure that this forum continues to focus on facts and fair minded statements, Tech Pros Group will take a more proactive approach to responding. The following are my responses to some of the allegations. Let me apologize for the lengthiness of the response. Unfortunately, there were a number of allegations that needed to be responded to and I wanted to ensure that they were responded to in a clear and concise manner.

          CLARIFICATION OF ALLEGATIONS BY INDIVIDUALS ON THIS POST
          I am writing this response to clarify some allegations regarding myself, Tech Pros Group and our services:

          1. DOES TECH PROS GROUP ACCEPT ANYONE FOR THE LAN/WAN ENGINEER INTERNSHIP? ? Tech Pros Group always had and continues to have a strong policy for consideration for the LAN/WAN engineer internship program. This policy is described in disclosure documents to prospective candidates interested in our service. Unfortunately, the mistake Tech Pros Group previously made was that our determination for a candidate?s acceptance was primarily based on the candidate?s verbal statements and not on any background check conducted by Tech Pros Group. Through the past two years, we?ve learned that many individuals exaggerated their qualifications or just have an unrealistically high view of their qualifications. This resulted in Tech Pros Group accepting candidates who were not qualified. Tech Pros Group has learned from our past mistakes and now has a two stage process service for consideration into the LAN/WAN engineer internship. Acceptance into stage 1 is relatively easy. As long as you meet the basic qualifications and there are spots available, you will be accepted. We do this because the 1st stage is actually a long two way interview process. During stage 1, all candidates have the opportunity to ?check us out? and Tech Pros Group has the opportunity to verify each candidate?s ability. Candidates accepted for stage 2 will go through a thorough background check process including criminal, education, professional and credit. Less than 25% of the candidates in stage 1 are accepted for stage 2. The best part about this process is that candidates who are not accepted are able to part ways with Tech Pros Group with no additional obligations. Click here to see LAN/WAN engineer disclosure document for full details http://www.techprosgroup.com/Forms/LANWAN_Engineer_Internship_Disclosure.pdf
          2. IS TECH PROS GROUP BEING INVESTIGATED FOR FRAUD BY THE DA OFFICE? – This statement was initially made over 1 year ago by a number of individuals. In fact, as of 6 months ago, there were even multiple statements stating that Tech Pros Group is being closed down for fraud. Tech Pros Group takes these allegations seriously and initiated communication with the District Attorney?s office at the time of the initial allegations. The DA confirmed that there were no investigations and even expressed empathy for Tech Pros Group for the defamation that we are receiving.
          3. ARE THERE LAWSUITS AGAINST TECH PROS GROUP? ? As stated by Mr. Oliver Asato and his associates in this discussion group, Tech Pros Group has engaged in lawsuits in court with 4 individuals who were part of the old LAN/WAN engineer internship service. As of today, 3 lawsuits have been resolved in favor of Tech Pros Group, a fourth lawsuit is currently in superior court and is projected to be resolved by the end of this year. One of the lawsuits that Tech Pros Group won is with Mr. Oliver Asato. Interestingly, Mr. Asato conveniently forgets to mention this fact. Furthermore, the other 3 lawsuits that were either won in our favor or in superior court were coordinated by Mr. Asato based on a collection of erroneous information. Mr. Asato attended the court hearing in each of these lawsuits and essentially represented these individuals. Mr. Asato regularly sends inflammatory and defaming e-mails to past candidates of Tech Pros Group encouraging them to sue Tech Pros Group. Mr. Asato even has a website that encourages anyone and everyone to sue Tech Pros Group and provides a step by step process for initiating a lawsuit. In spite of this, only 4 lawsuits have occurred as shown above with 3 judged in favor of Tech Pros Group and the 4th lawsuit currently in superior court. Please note that Tech Pros Group has serviced over 1,000 individuals. The 4 lawsuits represent less than 1% of the candidates who experienced our service. All 4 lawsuits were initiated by candidates who received the service in 2006 prior to the 2 stage screening process as described above.

          WHY ARE SOME INDIVIDUALS DEFAMING TECH PROS GROUP SO PASSIONATELY?
          This would be a question I would ask. To say that these individuals are all bad and are just out to get Tech Pros Group would be as accusatory as these individuals claiming that Tech Pros Group is a fraud. As in any situation, there has to be a logical motive to most individual?s actions. The following may provide some insight into these actions:

          1. INADEQUATE QUALIFICATION PROCESS FOR ACCEPTANCE ? As stated previously, over 50% of the candidates who were accepted in 2006 did not belong in the LAN/WAN engineer internship service. This represents almost 200 individuals. Upon realizing this Tech Pros Group modified its services to include a direct placement assistance option to accommodate these individuals. Using this alternative service a majority of the candidates found employment in information technology in a position that paid on average 25% more than they received prior to receiving our service.
          2. AVOIDANCE OF FINANCIAL OBLIGATION ? Candidates who found employment had a financial obligation to Tech Pros Group that ranged from $10,000 to over $25,000. The more you benefited from this service the more you owed Tech Pros Group. This is due to the fact that our fees were tied to a percentage of your future income. As stated above, the average individual received a pay increase of approximately 25%. The irony of this situation is that Tech Pros Group has had the most difficulty in collecting from individuals who received the most benefit due to the fact that they owed Tech Pros Group the most money. Their justifications for not paying, ranges from inadequate training, inadequate placement assistance, did not receive internship and invalid contract due to not being an authorized school to not working in information technology. Aside from contract validity, every other point can be fairly argued by any individual. In fact, one can make a compelling argument that most colleges, universities and tech schools are inadequate. The problem with this argument is that Tech Pros Group?s contractual relationship with these past individuals was specific to placement. If you are working, you owe Tech Pros Group. Even if every one of those arguments is true, does it really matter if the individual is working in information technology? Especially if prior to our service the individual either had no prior experience in IT, or is an IT professional who has been out of work for over 6 months or is a working individual who has received a pay increase of over 20%. Most organizations and individuals would consider that as success. The majority of the individuals making these claims fall into one or more of the above mentioned success categories. Due to a passive collection policy, over 30% of working clients from 2006 have not paid their obligations to Tech Pros Group. PLEASE NOTE: As of June 2007, candidates who apply and successfully complete the LAN/WAN engineer internship ARE NOT obligated to pay a percentage of their future income. Their obligation is complete with the successful completion of the 1 year internship.
          3. COORDINATED GROUP ACTION AGAINST TECH PROS GROUP ? A small number of individuals who are avoiding their obligations from 2006 has grouped together and has taken slanderous and defaming actions between 2006 and the first half of 2007. This included coordinated e-mail campaigns toward past clients, calls to the local District Attorney?s office, calls/emails to federal/state agencies, calls/ to organizations such as the BBB and included discussion forums such as the one on Tech Republic, Cert Cities and Redmond Magazine. To these individuals credit, they did an effective job. During this same period Tech Pros Group had to make a decision. Do we respond to the smear campaign or focus on improving our services to eliminate future problems? Unfortunately, we could not do both due to our limited resources. Tech Pros Group made the choice to improve our services to eliminate future problems and have spent the past year doing just that. As of October 2007, we are proud to say that the majority of the issues that created this situation have been addressed. Due to the positive changes we have continued to grow in spite of this smear campaign. In fact, the amount of clients we handle each month increased from approximately 30 candidates during the month of October 2006 to over 200 candidates during the month of October 2007. Now that we have addressed these issues, Tech Pros Group plans to focus its efforts on addressing both the collections issues from 2006 and addressing our image on the internet to ensure that it accurately matches who we are today.

          DISCUSSION SUMMARY
          Discussion forums such as this on Tech Republic can be an information source to IT professionals needing 3rd party information prior to making a serious decision. This statement is true as long as all parties are fair minded, focused on facts and not opinions and are respectful of fellow IT professionals even if their statements are opposite. Tech Pros Group supports all individuals including Mr. Oliver Asato, Drewblood80 and anyone else who may have a negative opinion of Tech Pros Group to continue posting. We only ask is that if you truly care about your fellow IT professional as you claim you do, focus on facts that are relevant today and stop promoting false, misleading or outdated information. It is very obvious to any informed person (person who is aware of the many recent improvements) reading your comments that you either are not up to date on the many positive changes at Tech Pros Group or are just choosing to ignore and hide them with false statements. Please allow this forum to truly be an OPEN FORUM FOCUSING ON FACTS and not accusations.

          We encourage your support on this and as part of giving our support on this matter, we offer an open invitation to every interested individual to visit us in Irvine, California and physically see for yourself what is true and false. This includes Mr. Asato and his associates. To arrange a meeting, please feel free to call or e-mail me at the contact information in my profile.

          Take Care and Best Wishes

          Steve Copeland
          VP of Business Relations

        • #2631188

          The Horse is not DEAD, just bloody.

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Oliver Asato Replies

          Wow,
          Been a long time. Well the many Faces of Copeland is still alive. I just dropped in to see if there has been any activity and well I guess people still haven?t learned. Anyone thinking about going to TPG should know by the 2 years of threads going on here. It might not be a good idea. THE INTERNSHIP IS FAKE. There might have been some changes, but the posting is still on Career Builder and has leaked to Indeed.com.
          They will take ANYONE. There were people in my session that didn?t have a CLUE about I.T. NOT A F$#@KIN CLUE and were in there just to finance there scam. It wasn?t just the students who got the shaft, the employees got it too. IF you have any sense in your mind just stay away. Mr. Asato is very right about EVERYTHING HE SAYS. IF anyone of you goes to TPG then you know Copeland. He will use fake logins to convince people on this thread it might be something to try. Well that is all I have to say about that. You will learn something at TPG (depending on what you have done before), but not what you expect to learn coming out. I remember asking some of the INSTRUCTORS to explain something in Exchange to me and I couldn?t get a straight answer out of all 3 of them. I was told there was instructor led classes, but the instructors were all ex-students and really didn?t know any more than we knew after leaving the training.

        • #2631179

          Beat it more

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to The Horse is not DEAD, just bloody.

          Just went to check out the website, which hasnt changed (so far for the business plan being changed), but I noticed there was Checkpoint and Citrix on their website which they dont teach you anything about.
          Darrell (really Steve Copeland) was right when he said “My suggestion to anyone who is interested is to check it out for yourself make the call to the company, go to the BBB, weight your options, and make an informed, educated decision about what is best for you and your situation.”
          With the exception of making a call to the company (unless you want hours of crap feed to you) This is the best advice he has.
          Poor Horse,
          Drew

        • #2630337

          Where is Cisco In all This?

          by mrfinity ·

          In reply to The Horse is not DEAD, just bloody.

          As a newly certified CCNA I am job hunting and I found TPG on Career Builder – seemed like a dream come true, exactly what I hoped to find but caution prevailed and I wound up here. They have a Cisco Premier Partner logo – I find it disconcerting that these people claim that in 3-4 months you will have 12 certifications and Cisco with it’s hard ass rep is sitting still for it – should I begin to question my Certification? I took all 4 semesters of the CCNA course and will graduate with an Associates in December and I worked my tail off to do it – I am taking several MCSE courses right now and cannot believe anyone could pass and comprehend the material in such a short time. I am heading to the Cisco forums now to ask what the hell does a Cisco Premium Partner do simply pay a fee?

          If this is something they let stand I will begin to think my two years of study and hard work were a joke and my cert completely meaningless.

          By the way here is a list from the PDF from TPG

          TECHNICAL CERTIFICATIONS YOU WILL ACQUIRE THROUGH THE TRAINING
          Certified LAN/WAN Engineer (CLWE)
          Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP)
          Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP)
          Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
          Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
          Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA)
          Certified Microsoft Network Administrator (CMNA)
          Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
          Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) – Security
          Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) – Messaging
          Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE )
          Microsoft Certified Systems Admin (MCSA) – Messaging

          I know several MCSEs and not one had the cert in less than a year and most took about 18 months – I will say I could have passed my Cert in May but decided to take it slow since I wouldn’t be graduating until now.

          I ask again have I been swindled by Cisco?

        • #2623689

          To: mrfinity

          by rjrich3540 ·

          In reply to Where is Cisco In all This?

          Cisco certs are very valuable. It is TPG that has no value.
          I am on the same course of study as yourself (CCNA 1, 2,3, &4) all thru a local community college. You would have to be genius and have a photo genic memory to be able to obtain all the certs. in the time line that is offered by TPG. TPG is also Microsoft Gold certified, in which I contacted Microsoft and they were not able to five me a straight forward answer. I recieved a list of comapanies and some schools that offer internships that are microsoft gold customers.
          It is also good that you are taking your time to do your test for Cisco cert. My instructor did not pass it on his first try. It is like studying for the Bar exam.

        • #2623661

          Where Is Cisco – redux

          by mrfinity ·

          In reply to To: mrfinity

          First I don’t know about Microsoft but Cisco has a hatred for people cramming with exam questions. I have determined that these people are NOT listed as Cisco Premium Partners (This info from a company that is (Coleman Technology Group) and someone I know and trust – (my brother)) So with this thread dating back to January 2006 why hasn’t Cisco or Microsoft stepped up and dealt with this? I am guessing a simple letter to the hosting company from ethers legal dept would at least remove their name and log from the site. As long as these legit companies are listed they seem to be approving this company – web sites have been removed for far less – has anyone does a whois search to discover the hosting company.

          The ad I saw never mentioned California but instead an internship in Birmingham, Al – very close to me. Certainly anyone claiming to pass the 12 certs listed in my first post is ether a total 200+ IQ genius or a liar – guess which one I think they are?

          I have found nothing that would lead me to someone at Cisco who could shed a light on this but I have seen a link to an attorney suing them.

          This thread has been active 22 months – has anyone had any luck contacting Cisco – or Pearson Vue (not sure Microsoft cares long as the name is spelled correctly) I am off to class (oddly enough Administering Microsoft Windows XP)

          One more time with feeling

          WHERE IS CISCO? WHY HAVEN’T THEY STEPPED UP TO STOP THESE PEOPLE FROM DEVALUING MY CERTIFICATION?

        • #2623583

          To Answer your question regarding Cisco

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Where is Cisco In all This?

          Mrfinity,

          In regards to your question above; the following is an answer from Tech Pros Group. I hope this assists in clarifying your situation. Best of luck in your Information Technology future.

          The four semester CCNA course you took was probably from a school that is authorized by Cisco as a Cisco Networking Academy. The Cisco Networking Academy is a special program launched by Cisco in 1997 (click here to visit website: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/academy/About.html ). This program targets students attending high schools, colleges, technical and vocational schools. The goal of this program is to provide students a broad foundation in Cisco internet technologies and is moderately paced to match the semester/quarter curriculum system of educational institutions. Cisco also offers a similar program targeted at seasoned IT professionals (click here to visit global knowledge, the #1 corporate partner for Cisco Training, CCNA 1 week boot camp course information – http://www.globalknowledge.com/training/course.asp?pageid=9&courseid=10416&catid=206&country=United+States ) The following are differences between the two programs:

          1. DIFFERENT TARGET MARKET – The Cisco Network Academy 4 semester CCNA program is designed for an individual with minimal to no background in information technology and is still deciding if information technology is even a career choice. The 5 day CCNA boot camp is designed for IT professionals who already have a general understanding of networking and Cisco technologies.
          2. SEPARATE TRAINING GOALS – The Cisco Network Academy course spends a large amount of time (first 3 semesters) covering a broad range of general networking and Cisco foundation concepts. In fact, the majority of the hands-on training on actual routers usually occurs during the last semester. Generally a small percentage of students complete all four semesters and successfully pass the CCNA exam. Even a smaller percentage walk away with hands-on proficiency. This is due to the fact that this program is designed more to give the students exposure and conceptual understanding and less revolved around certification passing and hands-on proficiency. If you pass the CCNA through the Cisco Academy you represent a small group of individuals and your result is commendable. The 5 day CCNA boot camp is primarily designed to help you pass the CCNA exam and secondarily designed to give you hands-on proficiency equivalent to what a CCNA is supposed to know.
          3. CCNA CERTIFICATION SUCCESS RATE ? Less than 10% of individuals who attend the 1st semester of the 4 semester Cisco Network Academy successfully complete all 4 semesters and attain their CCNA. Over 70% of individuals who attend the 5 day boot camp successfully achieve their CCNA.
          4. PROGRAM COSTS ? Cisco Network Academy courses range from as little as a few hundred dollars for all 4 semesters at a 2 year college to a few thousand dollars at a technical school. The 5 day boot camp costs a little over $3,000 at most corporate training facilities.
          5. SUMMARY ? The 5 day camp produces better results due to the pre-requisite knowledge level of the individual attending the camp (general LAN and Cisco knowledge prior to camp attendance), combined with the seriousness of each candidate (when a person pays $3,000 for 1 week of training they take it very seriously) attending the camp along with the intensity of the training ( 10+ hours per day) and the focus of hands-on and certification preparation versus conceptual learning.

          TECH PROS GROUP TRAINING SUMMARY
          Tech Pros Group?s style and method of training is more similar to corporate training. The minimum requirement for acceptance is an individual who has an IT related bachelor?s degree or 2 years of IT experience or equivalent. This means that we assume that all prospective candidates have pre-requisite conceptual knowledge in local area networks, wide area networks to include Microsoft and Cisco networking.

          Tech Pros Group also divides its training into 3 separate categories: Conceptual learning, real world hands-on training and certification preparation. This is due to the fact the training for conceptual learning, hands-on learning, and certification preparation require very different methods of studying. For this reason, to successfully achieve this goal, one has to study for each area separately. All candidates receive resources for all three categories of training. Even though Tech Pros Group provides resources for conceptual learning, they are designed more as a review and reinforcement of their existing knowledge. For this reason, this portion of training represents less than 20% of the training offered. Over 50% of the training is focused on hands-on learning that relates to what is actually used in the real world. Most training organizations teach you hands-on skills that may or may not be used in the real world. In fact, less than 25% of labs learned in many educational institutions are used in the real world. Over 70% of the hands-on training offered by Tech Pros Group can be applied in the real world as an engineer. The remaining percentage is focused on certification training designed to get you certified.

          Tech Pros Group?s method of training requires that all candidates first solidify their conceptual and hands-on knowledge prior to preparing for and taking any certification exams. Prior to 2007, candidates were given more flexibility in how they studied. This resulted in many candidates who passed certification exams but could not back them up with hands-on and conceptual knowledge. Beginning with the year 2007, Tech Pros Group became stricter in its training structure. As of October 2007, candidates are not allowed to take certification exams until they have demonstrated conceptual knowledge and hands-on proficiency through qualitative written and hands-on exams.

          NATIONWIDE CORPORATE TECHNOLOGY TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS
          The following are links to a number of corporate training organizations authorized by Cisco. These organizations can get you certified much faster than most colleges and universities. The negative is that they are very expensive (approximately $2,000 to $5,000 per week). Click here to get a full listing for Cisco Authorized Learning Partners: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le31/le29/learning_training_from_cisco_learning_partners.html

        • #2623527

          Really Steve? …REALY?

          by mrfinity ·

          In reply to To Answer your question regarding Cisco

          According to all my research you are not Cisco partners – by the way you sling long boring text around it seems you are obfuscating – The look I get when I show your pdf files around is one of stupfication – complete and total disbelief – I don’t care what your background is you could not possibly learn and apply the knowledge base of the 12 stated certs – I know about the 4 part CCNA I took it – I know about boot camps – I went to one – I know about CCNAs because I have one and am underway with my CCNP and it will take a lot longer than a few week even if I did nothing but that – I have spent my day checking on you people and the overwhelming consensus is this is a scam.
          As I said I have had several professional (read legitimately certified) view your pdf and claims and to a one they laughed. CCNP, MCSE, CCIE and just for fun a Java programmer with a masters degree – quit blowing sunshine up peoples nether regions – there are lawsuits, investigations and an F rating from the BBB –

          Funny I submitted a resume and by your alleged qualifications I qualify yet after 3 business days no call – my guess is you figure you can’t swindle the real deal

          Hey I hear prison is fun be sure and write when you get there.

        • #2623521

          Oh Steve, Why You Won’t Believe It But…

          by mrfinity ·

          In reply to Really Steve? …REALY?

          … I followed your link to Cisco learning partners – went through all the steps – selecting USA – California – Irvine and I can’t believe it – I really can’t because right there on the Cisco website – I mean right there on the page – TechProGroup – you won’t believe it … ready… wait for it… this is gonna blow your mind – TechProGroup is NOT listed – gosh what a surprise – I am stunned – how could this be – how, how, how – Could it be because you are a LIAR Steve, hmmm could that be it? Or maybe those B*st*rds at Cisco just want to make you look bad?

          I don’t know if this will link and bring up the page but here it is anyway

          http://tools.cisco.com/E-Learning-IT/LPCM/pub_jsp/lplist/LpcmLPListDetails.jsp

          I like the way ‘tools’ starts the link cause that is what you are Steve a complete and total tool.

          Thanks for the helpful link Steve – really seem to clear everything right up.

        • #2629293

          Sorry but my name is Darrell

          by dp71772 ·

          In reply to The Horse is not DEAD, just bloody.

          Drew Blood or whatever your name is;

          It is pretty convincing to someone who don’t know any better or who don’t have any affiliation with the company to believe that I am Steve Copeland but I going to help you and any other person make a rather obvious distinction.

          I am a 35 year old African American who lives in Chicago.

          Steve is a 36 year old Irish guy who lives in Irvine

          I am a former student and employee

          Steve is a current employee and was never a student.

          I have dread locks

          Steve don’t.

          I have been meaning to type a testimonial and send in to Tech Pros but my schedule have been hectic but after reading this I will make time over the Thanksgiving weekend.

          Hopefully for those who take my advise and perform the due diligence they will be able to tell the difference between Steve (Irish) and me, Darrell (Black). Maybe you can get someone to walk you through the difference as well.

        • #2633476

          Darrell is real

          by pizzaisgood ·

          In reply to Sorry but my name is Darrell

          He is real. There was a period of time when TPG had pictures of their employees on their website. He was there and it was his actual picture.

          I would like to say your welcome to Steve since he likes it when I post! I will try to post more Steve, but been busy.

          Happy Turkey Day!!
          (oh yes, there will be some pizza too)

    • #2623587

      What is Important to Know

      by stevecopeland ·

      In reply to Company info?

      This is Steve Copeland. As you may already know, I am the VP of Business Relations at Tech Pros Group and also a member of Tech Republic since 1999. As an executive at Tech Pros Group, I do not usually respond to discussion postings on the Internet regarding Tech Pros Group. This is due to the fact that Tech Pros Group did not believe in responding to discussions between fellow professionals in information technology. In fact the last time a response was made by me was approximately 6 months ago relating to an accusation that I post using aliases. Please see my response dated March 2007.

      We feel that forums are a good venue to conduct discussions regarding matters of importance to professionals in the information technology industry. Whether they are discussions regarding new technologies, changes/shifts in the direction of the IT industry, opinions on standards and policies that relate to IT or services/products offered by a specific company such as Tech Pros Group that may be of interest to an IT professional.

      These discussions between fellow professionals can especially be insightful to individuals who are new to the industry, technology or service and are seeking the input of others before making an important decision.

      The positive impact of these discussions is based on the assumption that all parties involved are fair-minded and factual with a desire to seek the truth. When one examines this discussion thread, there are a number of positive examples of fair minded statements. Unfortunately these positive examples are interspersed with a large number of posts made by individuals who have no desire for the truth. What they desire is to push their negative agenda regarding Tech Pros Group. What makes the situation worse is when anyone provides a fair counterpoint to their statement, they individuals respond with defamation, ridicule or outright accusations of wrongdoing.

      To help ensure that this forum continues to focus on facts and fair minded statements, Tech Pros Group will take a more proactive approach to responding. The following are my responses to some of the allegations. Let me apologize for the lengthiness of the response. Unfortunately, there were a number of allegations that needed to be responded to and I wanted to ensure that they were responded to in a clear and concise manner.

      CLARIFICATION OF ALLEGATIONS BY INDIVIDUALS ON THIS POST
      I am writing this response to clarify some allegations regarding Tech Pros Group and our services:

      1. DOES TECH PROS GROUP ACCEPT ANYONE FOR THE LAN/WAN ENGINEER INTERNSHIP? ? Tech Pros Group always had and continues to have a strong policy for consideration for the LAN/WAN engineer internship program. This policy is described in disclosure documents to prospective candidates interested in our service. Unfortunately, the mistake Tech Pros Group previously made was that our determination for a candidate?s acceptance was primarily based on the candidate?s verbal statements and not on any background check conducted by Tech Pros Group. Through the past two years, we?ve learned that many individuals exaggerated their qualifications or just have an unrealistically high view of their qualifications. This resulted in Tech Pros Group accepting candidates who were not qualified. Tech Pros Group has learned from our past mistakes and now has a two stage process service for consideration into the LAN/WAN engineer internship. Acceptance into stage 1 is relatively easy. As long as you meet the basic qualifications and there are spots available, you will be accepted. We do this because the 1st stage is actually a long two way interview process. During stage 1, all candidates have the opportunity to ?check us out? and Tech Pros Group has the opportunity to verify each candidate?s ability. Candidates accepted for stage 2 will go through a thorough background check process including criminal, education, professional and credit. Less than 25% of the candidates in stage 1 are accepted for stage 2. The best part about this process is that candidates who are not accepted are able to part ways with Tech Pros Group with no additional obligations. Click here to see LAN/WAN engineer disclosure document for full details http://www.techprosgroup.com/Forms/LANWAN_Engineer_Internship_Disclosure.pdf
      2. IS TECH PROS GROUP BEING INVESTIGATED FOR FRAUD BY THE DA OFFICE? – This statement was initially made over 1 year ago by a number of individuals. In fact, as of 6 months ago, there were even multiple statements stating that Tech Pros Group is being closed down for fraud. Tech Pros Group takes these allegations seriously and initiated communication with the District Attorney?s office at the time of the initial allegations. The DA confirmed that there were no investigations and even expressed empathy for Tech Pros Group for the defamation that we are receiving.
      3. ARE THERE LAWSUITS AGAINST TECH PROS GROUP? ? As stated by Mr. Oliver Asato and his associates in this discussion group, Tech Pros Group has engaged in lawsuits in court with 4 individuals who were part of the old LAN/WAN engineer internship service. As of today, 3 lawsuits have been resolved in favor of Tech Pros Group, a fourth lawsuit is currently in superior court and is projected to be resolved by the end of this year. One of the lawsuits that Tech Pros Group won is with Mr. Oliver Asato. Interestingly, Mr. Asato conveniently forgets to mention this fact. Furthermore, the other 3 lawsuits that were either won in our favor or in superior court were coordinated by Mr. Asato based on a collection of erroneous information. Mr. Asato attended the court hearing in each of these lawsuits and essentially represented these individuals. Mr. Asato regularly sends inflammatory and defaming e-mails to past candidates of Tech Pros Group encouraging them to sue Tech Pros Group. Mr. Asato even has a website that encourages anyone and everyone to sue Tech Pros Group and provides a step by step process for initiating a lawsuit. In spite of this, only 4 lawsuits have occurred as shown above with 3 judged in favor of Tech Pros Group and the 4th lawsuit currently in superior court. Please note that Tech Pros Group has serviced over 1,000 individuals. The 4 lawsuits represent less than 1% of the candidates who experienced our service. All 4 lawsuits were initiated by candidates who received the service in 2006 prior to the 2 stage screening process as described above.

      WHY ARE SOME INDIVIDUALS DEFAMING TECH PROS GROUP SO PASSIONATELY?
      This would be a question I would ask. To say that these individuals are all bad and are just out to get Tech Pros Group would be as accusatory as these individuals claiming that Tech Pros Group is a fraud. As in any situation, there has to be a logical motive to most individual?s actions. The following may provide some insight into these actions:

      1. INADEQUATE QUALIFICATION PROCESS FOR ACCEPTANCE ? As stated previously, over 50% of the candidates who were accepted in 2006 did not belong in the LAN/WAN engineer internship service. This represents almost 200 individuals. Upon realizing this Tech Pros Group modified its services to include a direct placement assistance option to accommodate these individuals. Using this alternative service a majority of the candidates found employment in information technology in a position that paid on average 25% more than they received prior to receiving our service.
      2. AVOIDANCE OF FINANCIAL OBLIGATION ? Candidates who found employment had a financial obligation to Tech Pros Group that ranged from $10,000 to over $25,000. The more you benefited from this service the more you owed Tech Pros Group. This is due to the fact that our fees were tied to a percentage of your future income. As stated above, the average individual received a pay increase of approximately 25%. The irony of this situation is that Tech Pros Group has had the most difficulty in collecting from individuals who received the most benefit due to the fact that they owed Tech Pros Group the most money. Their justifications for not paying, ranges from inadequate training, inadequate placement assistance, did not receive internship and invalid contract due to not being an authorized school to not working in information technology. Aside from contract validity, every other point can be fairly argued by any individual. In fact, one can make a compelling argument that most colleges, universities and tech schools are inadequate. The problem with this argument is that Tech Pros Group?s contractual relationship with these past individuals was specific to placement. If you are working, you owe Tech Pros Group. Even if every one of those arguments is true, does it really matter if the individual is working in information technology? Especially if prior to our service the individual either had no prior experience in IT, or is an IT professional who has been out of work for over 6 months or is a working individual who has received a pay increase of over 20%. Most organizations and individuals would consider that as success. The majority of the individuals making these claims fall into one or more of the above mentioned success categories. Due to a passive collection policy, over 30% of working clients from 2006 have not paid their obligations to Tech Pros Group. PLEASE NOTE: As of June 2007, candidates who apply and successfully complete the LAN/WAN engineer internship ARE NOT obligated to pay a percentage of their future income. Their obligation is complete with the successful completion of the 1 year internship.
      3. COORDINATED GROUP ACTION AGAINST TECH PROS GROUP ? A small number of individuals who are avoiding their obligations from 2006 has grouped together and has taken slanderous and defaming actions between 2006 and the first half of 2007. This included coordinated e-mail campaigns toward past clients, calls to the local District Attorney?s office, calls/emails to federal/state agencies, calls/ to organizations such as the BBB and included discussion forums such as the one on Tech Republic, Cert Cities and Redmond Magazine. To these individuals credit, they did an effective job. During this same period Tech Pros Group had to make a decision. Do we respond to the smear campaign or focus on improving our services to eliminate future problems? Unfortunately, we could not do both due to our limited resources. Tech Pros Group made the choice to improve our services to eliminate future problems and have spent the past year doing just that. As of October 2007, we are proud to say that the majority of the issues that created this situation have been addressed. Due to the positive changes we have continued to grow in spite of this smear campaign. In fact, the amount of clients we handle each month increased from approximately 30 candidates during the month of October 2006 to over 200 candidates during the month of October 2007. Now that we have addressed these issues, Tech Pros Group plans to focus its efforts on addressing both the collections issues from 2006 and addressing our image on the internet to ensure that it accurately matches who we are today.

      DISCUSSION SUMMARY
      Discussion forums such as this on Tech Republic can be an information source to IT professionals needing 3rd party information prior to making a serious decision. This statement is true as long as all parties are fair minded, focused on facts and not opinions and are respectful of fellow IT professionals even if their statements are opposite. Tech Pros Group supports all individuals including Mr. Oliver Asato, Drewblood80 and anyone else who may have a negative opinion of Tech Pros Group to continue posting. We only ask is that if you truly care about your fellow IT professional as you claim you do, focus on facts that are relevant today and stop promoting false, misleading or outdated information. It is very obvious to any informed person (person who is aware of the many recent improvements) reading your comments that you either are not up to date on the many positive changes at Tech Pros Group or are just choosing to ignore and hide them with false statements. Please allow this forum to truly be an OPEN FORUM FOCUSING ON FACTS and not accusations.

      We encourage your support on this and as part of giving our support on this matter, we offer an open invitation to every interested individual to visit us in Irvine, California and physically see for yourself what is true and false. This includes Mr. Asato and his associates. To arrange a meeting, please feel free to call or e-mail me at the contact information in my profile.

      Take Care and Best Wishes

      Steve Copeland
      VP of Business Relations

      • #2623518

        Oh Stevie Boy

        by mrfinity ·

        In reply to What is Important to Know

        You have my resume – as the holder of a CCNA and an Associates diploma in IT with a qpa of 3.97 certainly I qualify – why hasn’t my phone rung? Why is there no e-mail – I know it works as I received several today – the internet gotta love it.

        Oh and Steve I will say this if you got me a job at 50k or more 20% of year one is more than fair – and I can defiantly hold a job been working a long time – never so much as a bad evaluation or reprimand – but Steve the real question is why couldn’t my brother find any reference to your company as a Cisco partner – he is the real deal selling over 75 million dollars of Cisco equipment this year – better yet why didn’t your own link lead to a page with your company listed as a Cisco learning partner?

        Well gotta go my 3.97 doesn’t maintain itself and I have an MCSE program to complete – a real one I can point to and be proud of not some quickie cert that isn’t worth toilet paper.

        • #2475271

          Cisco/Microsoft Partner Status Clarification

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Oh Stevie Boy

          Dear mrfinity,

          You?re correct in stating that Tech Pros Group, Inc. is not a Cisco Learning Partner. If you read my previous posting, you will notice that I never stated that we were. The purpose of the link to the Cisco Learning Partner was to present individuals on this discussion board an alternative training option that is officially authorized and supported by Cisco that will get you certified faster.

          The training offered by these learning partners is particularly ideal for seasoned IT professionals looking to attain proficiency in a specific technology topic. As you should already know, the information technology industry is fast paced and constantly changing. Professionals currently working in information technology must regularly upgrade their technical skills to keep pace with the changes. To stay current with technologies; professionals need a way to upgrade their skills quickly. The Cisco Learning Partners offer topic specific training designed by Cisco that can potentially get you hands-on proficiency in a specific technology area and help you get certified in various Cisco certifications at an accelerated pace.

          In regards to Tech Pros Group, Inc., we are not a Cisco Learning Partner and do not desire to become one. This is due to the required usage of Cisco topic based curriculum as a Learning Partner. The training that Tech Pros Group, Inc. provides is designed to develop individuals to perform the duties of a LAN/WAN engineer specializing in Microsoft and Cisco technologies. To accomplish this, our hands-on training labs simulate actual responsibilities that an engineer would perform. This includes a broad range of installation, configuration, administration and troubleshooting activities. To accurately simulate real world situations; our labs must integrate multiple technologies. For example, to properly setup a LAN/WAN environment one must conduct activities that may include router installation, switch configuration, Windows 2003 server setup, Active Directory implementation along with installation and configuration of various network applications ranging from messaging, database, network fax, VOIP, firewall and backup to name a few. For this reason, topic based training offered by Cisco Learning Partners does not properly prepare an individual to perform the broad set of technical responsibilities of a LAN/WAN engineer.

          In regards to our partnership status with Cisco and Microsoft, let me provide some clarifications:

          Microsoft Gold Partner Status ? As you may already know, the Microsoft Gold Partner is the highest level of partnership status an IT consulting company can attain with Microsoft. To attain this partnership level a company must demonstrate technical proficiency to handle large scale enterprise clients. This is demonstrated by the technical qualifications of the company combined with quality references from its corporate clients. Tech Pros Group has been a partner with Microsoft for almost 2 years and achieved Gold Partner status as of a year ago. As of October 2007, we officially reconfirmed our status as a Gold Partner for another year.

          Cisco Certified Premier Partner Status ? Similar to our relationship with Microsoft, Tech Pros Group became a partner with Cisco approximately 2 years ago. Our initial status was that of a Cisco Registered Partner. As the relationship developed, our status quickly escalated to Certified Select Partner and eventually to Certified Premier Partner as of July 2006. The escalation of our partnership status to Certified Premier Partner was based on the technical qualifications of our company. Unfortunately, Cisco has a secondary requirement that Microsoft does not have. The secondary requirement relates to the reselling of Cisco equipment. As a Certified Premier Partner, Tech Pros Group must sell an adequate volume of Cisco equipment. Based on an annual review of our sales volume conducted in July 2007, Tech Pros Group did not qualify for renewal due to inadequate sales volume. During our discussions with our channel account manager and the regional CAM director, not only were we offered Cisco learning partner status but once our sales volume increased, renewal would be a fast and easy process. Since you have a brother who works for a Cisco partner, I?m sure you can validate this statement.

          The business model of Tech Pros Group focuses primarily on developing future IT professionals to work for IT consulting partners and corporations with large networks through internships and placement assistance. The secondary focus is to provide consulting services to other IT consulting companies and their clients. Unfortunately, this does not involve the actual selling of networking hardware and software. Tech Pros Group, Inc. plans to expand its consulting services in 2008. We are also reviewing the possibility of reselling network hardware and software. Our decision on this matter will determine if and when we will become a Cisco partner again.

          Thank you for pointing out the certified partner logo mistake on our website. As of this morning, the Certified Premier partner logo has been replaced with a generic logo linking to Cisco?s home page. If you are wondering why we have these logos and links, it is designed to reflect the key technologies that Tech Pros Group specializes in. The technical skill set of Tech Pros Group meets the Premier Certified Partner status. In fact, Tech Pros Group should achieve the skill set to meet Cisco?s highest partnership status of Gold Partner by the 4th quarter of 2008. Receiving this status will primarily be determined by our decision to resell Cisco equipment. I hope this clarifies our partnership status with both Cisco and Microsoft.

          We at Tech Pros Group understand the seriousness of the LAN/WAN engineer internship service and are passionate about ensuring that all candidates are well informed of our services prior to making any decision. For this reason, we send all prospective candidates a comprehensive disclosure form. Furthermore, candidates are not even allowed to apply for this service until they have a serious conversation with a Tech Pros Group representative. This is a recent policy designed to ensure that only well informed and qualified candidates apply for this service.

          I am again attaching a link to the LAN/WAN engineer disclosure form. Please note that the application form on the last page of the disclosure specifically states that an individual must have an authorization number from a Tech Pros Group representative to apply.

          http://www.techprosgroup.com/Forms/LANWAN_Engineer_Internship_Disclosure.pdf

          In regards to your personal situation with Tech Pros Group, you state that you contacted Tech Pros Group over 3 days ago and no one has yet to respond back to you. Please note that Tech Pros Group receives over 5,000 resumes each month. We strive to respond to each inquiry in a timely manner. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of resumes, it can take a few days to over a week to respond to each resume.

          In regards to your qualifications, the minimum requirement for consideration is an IT related bachelor?s degree or 2 years of information technology experience or equivalent. The information you provided on your post stated that you have a CCNA plus an associate?s degree with no mention of work experience. If this is true you would not meet the minimum requirement to be accepted for Stage 2 of the LAN/WAN engineer internship based on our stated requirements.

          Tech Pros Group understands that there are talented individuals who do not meet our stated requirements who may still be successful in the LAN/WAN engineer internship. For this reason, you should still receive an e-mail and a phone call from a TPG representative. During the phone call, if you can demonstrate your intelligence as reflected in your high GPA and passion for IT; you may receive consideration for stage 1. As stated in my previous post, stage 1 of the LAN/WAN engineer internship is designed as a long two way interview. During this stage, you as a candidate can use our service to see if it is a right fit and Tech Pros Group uses the opportunity to measure your skills to determine if you qualify. If either side chooses not to move forward, there are no additional obligations between you and Tech Pros Group.

          Mrfinity,
          Since you did not meet the minimum requirements (as stated by your post), you would need to demonstrate a more superior level of technical skills during stage 1 than your counterpart who meets the minimum requirements. If you still have not received a response from Tech Pros Group and desire assistance from me on this matter, feel free to contact me directly. If not, take care and best wishes.

          Steve Copeland

        • #2466848

          You gotta love the passion of the LIEs

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Cisco/Microsoft Partner Status Clarification

          To Mr. Infinity/ Steve Copeland
          You are more than qualified for TPG if you can follow simple labs and remember questions for certifications you are in. The thing is there were many people who attended in the session I was in who didn?t know ANYTHING even about an Operating System. I also strongly agree with Jimmy.Christ when he said this thread is very important for people who research I.T. related subjects. I went to work for a company called SMS.ac until I found information on what type of business they ran and decided against. You know how I found out about dirt on the company?????? Hummmm forums and Google. In case you didn?t know it Steve you are in a business which is involved with fraudulent activity. Let me clarify this for you:
          1. You (or your company) offer a FAKE INTERNSHIP TO PEOPLE as advertisement for a BOOTCAMP.
          2. Tell students the CERT PREP is what companies do to get their employees certified who don?t want to spend the time studying, because they already know the material.
          3. I love this one: Eric Choi would tell us how upon leaving we will know more than most SEASONED PROFESSIONALS!!!!!!!!! (You know the Tech Republic would LOVE THAT ONE.)
          4. Teach students how to stretch the truth to seem like they have more experience on their resume than what they actually do.
          5. Told me and probably others there were INSTRUCTOR led Classes. (In which the Instructors are ex-students who don?t know much more than we do upon leaving)

          I am sure there is more just don?t have the time to think about it.
          So as Steve?s post was prior ?What is important to know? This form is here for I.T. related scam which the community involved in this industry should be informed about. Informed because it is INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, that is why we are in business to keep information available for people?s questions.
          So Steve how is cpuguy949 (I know it was you), which was one of your aliases, funny when you say you only post under your name. Also funny that 949 is the area code you are in. Just like Lawrence who didn?t have a problem with TPG in ANY WAY WHATS SOEVER. That wasn?t you either, I know you look at everyone of these posts because you responded to my post http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2186848 , or Lawrence did at 1am when he had an internship that was keeping him busy.http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2186897

      • #2473971

        Dear Mr. Copeland

        by tig2 ·

        In reply to What is Important to Know

        The only reason I am not reporting your post as sales spam is the various real accusations that you are defending. So I am asking politely that you choose to disengage from this.

        The thread and the length of time it has been around tends to discredit any individual fighting in it.

        Tech Republic is not enriched by this discussion in any way. Real information regarding your organization can be easily found on Google. I would suggest that anyone looking for information use that resource.

        We are a forum of IT professionals. We are not a boxing ring. We are not a forum for your business to advance itself in.

        Please choose to be the bigger man and not engage in this. Let’s stop this silliness.

        Thank you.

        • #2474975

          We Agree

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Dear Mr. Copeland

          Dear TiggerTwo,

          You have our full agreement and support on this matter. Tech Pros Group does not support the idea of selling business services using public forums designed for quality dialog between professionals. For this reason, we have restrained from responding for over 1 year.

          Tech Pros Group also does not believe that this discussion forum should be used to push a negative agenda on an individual or an organization. This thread was initiated almost 2 years ago. During this period, numerous accusations of wrongdoing have been made toward Tech Pros Group by individuals whose goal is not to inform but to incite negativity and defame Tech Pros Group. As I stated earlier, these posting range from misleading to completely false statements and are mostly written in a vulgar, inappropriate manner.

          I, as a fellow Tech Republic member and an executive of Tech Pros Group, have waited patiently for almost 2 years. During this period, I only posted a few times about a year ago. My decision to post at that time was due to the extreme nature of the accusations. Since that period, I have restrained from responding because many fair minded professionals such as yourself, deepsand, and jdclyde to name a few, took action in moderating this discussion board with your postings.

          Unfortunately, this discussion board is again being used to mislead and defame. We cannot continue to stand idle as these individuals continue to make such inflammatory statements. Especially in light of the fact that many neutral individuals viewing this discussion board interpret our silence as validating their accusations.

          In summary, I agree with you that this is not the proper forum for this discussion and support any actions you or others may want to take with Tech Republic to discontinue this thread.

          Until that time, we will respond to any accusations in a professional manner using factual information and not unsubstantiated opinions.

          Thank you for your valued input,

          Steve Copeland

          Below are links to other relevant posts I have made

          Post Clarifying the LAN/WAN Engineer Internship
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2036944

          General Observations about Blogs
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2102093

          Explanation as to Why There Are Negative Postings On This Thread
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2355985

          General Response to Post Comments
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2360542

          Cisco/Microsoft Partner Information
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2357779

          Tech Pros Group?s Better Business Bureau Rating
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2360544

        • #2466820

          I am sure you do

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to We Agree

          I am so sure you do agree because this forum is used to tell The TRUTH about what REALLY goes on and the reason you stopped replying is because you cannot handle people talking about what REALLY goes on.
          I am sure you would like this thread ended, but if it did, there is still the TRUTH out there and it will catch up to you.
          I think this is a great place to post, why not? I am sure Tigger would like to know what REALLY GOES on there at TPG if he care,s and if he doesn?t he wouldn?t have been posting on this forum. I use all sorts of forums as stated before for INFORMATION. If I am trying to find out how to troubleshoot error codes in software or investigating a potential business I look on forums through Google. I was unfortunate this topic wasn?t going on till AFTER I started going to TPG, which tells you how valuable this posting is.
          We are not trying to mislead or defame in anyway we are here to INFORM, to Clarify (as you like to say) for people to read and make their own decision. When I went to go work for SMS.ac I did research on the company and found a lot of dirt. Now I took that and made my own decision not to mess with them. SOME of it could have been misleading, but it is funny when A LOT of people have something negative to say about a company. We are fortunate for the Internet, so we can do our research and make our own educated decisions.

        • #2474953

          How are Poo and Roo?

          by jimmy.christ ·

          In reply to Dear Mr. Copeland

          First off that?s the worst board admin name I ever heard. If you aren’t a board admin then maybe consider that a thread almost 2 years old may have relevance to those using it. Going through this thread the only thing lacking is real flame war name calling. Frankly anything that has this much history without breaking ‘Godwin?s Law” is practically unique.

          I submit if this post alerts anyone to what seems an obvious scam then it has a great deal of relevance to the users of this forum and certainly adds to TechRepublic. Why are you trying to quell a discussion, what about it offends you, how does it cause you pain? Who forces you to read it? Do you have an OCD (compulsive) need to check the post several times everyday and ending the discussion is the only way to deal with it; or are you simply a pal of this Steve person?

          You are correct – this is all over the net and many of the links lead right here, seems to speak highly of the users that they are still continuing this. One person saved seems to be what that is all about. Why would you want to prevent that? Do you have an interest in TechProGroup?

          Speaking of Google, that is how I found this forum and imagine my surprise to see the age of the first post and then see it very active.

          As for me I responded to what seemed to be a legitimate offer for an internship near me. I met the qualifications, exceed them actually. Imagine my surprise to discover that it was an offer for almost another year of training

          6 weeks remote training : 2 week background check – 12 weeks remote training : 1 week lan/wan : 8 weeks training : then 2-24 weeks waiting on a job ::: so 47 weeks before I get a job : wow where do I sign up?

          Here is why I am angry, I am searching for a job and these nimrods mislead me and wasted my time. There is no job and it shouldn’t be advertised as one. If TPG is so above board I challenge them to say we offer Xweeks of training that may lead to and Internship and not advertising a local Internship. If they are legit this is exactly what they would do. Funny the e-mail said I could click on the Microsoft or Cisco logos for more information on their partnerships but all it did was load a new logo on a new page.

          I might also question why the background check isn’t preformed before anything else? I have applied for jobs that require background checks and security clearance and believe me when I tell you this; they don’t wait 6 weeks after beginning a business relationship with you. It is funny but I do not believe any person has mentioned this. Seems odd but maybe they really need the $95 application fee. Surely this remote training cost nothing having been cost recovered ages ago.

          I wonder how many people don’t understand one simple thing, if it sounds too good to be true then most likely it is

          I have the pdf so please don’t say it ain’t so, should I post it on free webs so you can see for yourself. I took me most of the evening to read this thread so please don’t mistake my new status here a not being informed on this subject. Judging from the complete forum and the size of the site in general this thread is nothing but a flyspeck.

          Look Tigger you may be a fine person but Jimmy calls B.S. on you. Nothing infuriates me more than the stifling of speech and discussion. I cannot find the exact wording I want but I simply see false motives behind your post. Personally I commend the people posting here and TechRepublic for having a forum like this.

          Please go back to what ever thread you wandered away from or back to your day job as a censor.

        • #2474241

          Very bad form, and ill considered.

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to How are Poo and Roo?

          1) TT is [b]not[/b] a “board admin;” neither is she in any way attempting to act as a “censor.”

          2) If you re-read her post carefully, she was suggesting the Mr. Copeland’s post, while understandably self-serving, also seemed to be quite at odds with publicly available facts.

          3) Her mention of “spam” was a reference to the “Report as Spam” link that attaches to each post; and, that she considered Mr. Copeland’s post to be worthy of consideration as a candidate for its use.

          4) TT is a long time member here, one who is both well known and respected by those who frequent these haunts. In the future, before you make unwarranted attacks against another, you would be well advised to first both learn something about them, and [b]very carefully read[/b] what they have written that seems to grounds for offense.

          I suggest that an apology to TT is in order.

        • #2474223

          Crawl back under the rock you came out from

          by j-mart ·

          In reply to How are Poo and Roo?

          For someone who pretends to be a professional whithout the balls to even identify yourself and only contribution you have made is this garbage. Its about time we killed this pointless forum with its ragged collection of guttless whingers going over and over the same old rubbish and none of them with the courage of their convictions to let us know thier real identities

        • #2474759

          So it Goes

          by jimmy.christ ·

          In reply to Crawl back under the rock you came out from

          I have responses to some personal attacks on me below but first to the latest lies of Big Steve & TPG

          The Cisco and other IT organization logos on the TPG group home page are presented as if they (TPG) are part of these partner groups – no where does it say that these are alternatives to consider. NO they are presented to give a false impression of a professional alliance with these companies. If there was any truth to the statement then it would be clearly stated on that page. This is yet another disingenuous method to obscure the truth and how little regard TPG has for truth.

          In answer to why the background check is preformed so late in the game – I forget the Carney term but it is to tighten the noose on the rube. So far you have $95 invested and six weeks of this online education (I?m sure everyone does very well). Now at your own cost you pay a background check and increase your total commitment – you then travel (at your own expense) to S. Calif where you invest several more weeks of your time –
          The next step is the inevitable contract where you sign away 20% of your income ? I will still say for 72k 20% of year one is cheep but who will value these quickie certs I don?t know what really Happens to the rubes but my guess is the next year they owe 20% of any job even McDonalds

          Now here is Steves next lie ? he says MrFinity is not qualified however quoting from MrFinitys own post

          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2356092

          ?You have my resume – as the holder of a CCNA and an Associates diploma in IT with a qpa of 3.97 certainly I qualify?

          MrFinity also went on to say he was working on a MCSE ? but Steve says he is not qualified ? In the ad I found it seems he qualifies

          ?Tech Pros Group is currently interviewing college graduates and sharp entry level techs for LAN/WAN Engineer Internships.?

          Seems a guy with a 3.97, a CCNA and studying for an MCSE might be a ?sharp entry level tech?

          To be fair TPG has pulled the Cisco partner logo (wonder how that really happened?) But still claims Microsoft Gold Partnership, seems Pearson Vue is also MIA – — sorry I didn?t take a screen shot ? if anybody has one ship it to me at g-mail just put a dot . between my names. It still seems that TPG is presenting itself as associated with these groups ? where does it say these are alternatives to our program on the page — or any other page?.

          I urge you look at the add and see if it isn?t misleading ? if it doesn?t seem to be offering OJT and not what it really is ? a hack bootcamp of questionable repute

          http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?ipath=EXSH&siteid=cbsimplyhired&Job_DID=J8D4TH6F6ZNYJBBKN7K&cbRecursionCnt=3&cbsid=55100b6038f940ebb41d7888c7a31787-248069030-J0-5

          The add is carefully written ? they really do say what Steve claims but the wording and presentation are such that the reader is misled

          Now for j-mart
          Well when everyone else post their name, address and phone number – they will get alot of phone calls – are you such a n00b that you haven’t been to other boards to see screen names are everywhere. Give my real name??? Why not just open my front door with a sign that says take all you want. By the way judging from your post j-mart just how drunk were you when you posted it ? or did you flunk remedial English?

          Now for deepsand
          I understood exactly what the spam comment referred to – I didn’t just teleport to the thread reply box. It seems odd to me when tough questions are being asked that some level headed person comes to the fore to diffuse things (I’ve seen that game run before) Not only did I read her post I just reread it and I think you are seeing a different post than the one I read. I hold to my position that a thread running this long has extraordinary value and it will most likely continue as long as the people at TPG continue to post their misleading ?Internship? ad on the net. I located it almost 7 times today and I was not looking for it. I?m sorry you think I am a meanie but in my opinion Tigger has problems with deep discussions and cannot handle it when there is ill will expressed (women do not like conflict ? didn?t know Tigger was a girl but it does explain a lot ? and yes I like women ? have a mom, a wife and a daughter ? not one likes any kind of conflict ? not in a womans nature ). Also as I said any post running this long without a violation of ?Godwins Law? is unique ? I imagine when people do use Google and come here to find this thread still active they are draw in and informed more so than a thread dead for months. If you think this is rough you aren?t long for the real world. My first boss wasn?t happy until he had chewed someones ass for breakfast ? and what he had for lunch ? you don?t want to know. I stand by my initial assessment of some kind of OCD regarding having to check this post on a regular basis. I am sure she can take it but maybe I could offer you a tissue?

          Finally Drew Blood
          Bro you are fighting an uphill battle and I admire you for it ? I can see your very real anger and frustration. Remember at some point these people will be completely exposed ? when that happens just smile and walk away ? put the whole thing behind you ? there are 1,000,001 scams in this world and everyone bites at sometime ? don?t be ashamed you were taken be proud you (and many others on this forum) fought back and continue to fight back against these hucksters.

          Just for S&Gs go up to the 18th post in this thread and ask yourself who would hire this illiterate moron as a SysOp of any sort.

          Does any one really read these long post ? I know Steve Copelands just bore me into a trance.

          So if you are still here you will have noticed a lack of ? on possessive nouns ? I know most peoples usage is like this ?Steve?s? but my old grammar teacher hated that and swore it was only used for
          ?Steve is? not belonging to Steve ? so if this is bothersome to you please direct all your vitriol toward hell and Ms Gladsy Taylor the meanest teacher I ever had (and at least one woman who loved conflict)

        • #2474594

          [i]Argumentum ad hominem[/i]

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to So it Goes

          Firstly, when responding to anyome’s post, including mine, kindly have both the courtesy & courage to respond directly, rather than burying such in a reply to another.

          Secondly, your attack against TT was wholly unjustified & inappropriate. To make matters worse, rather than realizing & admitting such, you here attempt to defend it by way of [i]argumentum ad hominem[/i].

          Have you no shame?

      • #2474602

        $7.5 million – winner takes all

        by mroliver21 ·

        In reply to What is Important to Know

        Hello Tigger,

        This is Oliver Asato. I have done the TPG training and I have been up against them in court 4 times now. I know what is happening.

        I am sorry that this discussion seems like a bunch of miserable brats who can?t play in the sandbox together, but TPG is a real situation that is badly affecting unwary individuals. Without this discussion board, TPG would just take and take, picking off one unsuspecting college student after another.

        The reason this thread persists is that there is a big lie going on here. Either myself or Copeland is lying. Maybe both of us are full of it. I am going to try and back up what I write with evidence, and whoever reads this, you will need to decide for yourself what the truth is.

        First off, here is the link to the BBB in Southern CA: http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=13218660 . Copeland can only give excuses for this negative report.

        Regarding posting ones real name on this website: There was a gentleman by name of Mike Bostok who sent an email to an acquaintance. That email would up on a discussion board and TPG sued for defamation. Go to https://ocapps.occourts.org/CivilPub/Login.do and under ?Person? enter ?Eric Choi? (the owner of TPG). Look for case Number 06CC11062 . TPG lost this case. This cost Mike about $10,000 in court and attorney fees just to defend himself.

        Eric Choi has threatened to sue me for defamation as well, but the likelihood of him losing again is very high and his attorney ? Carol Gefis (carol.gefis@oswald-yap.com) cannot afford to have the reputation of a losing attorney. Just as a note, every one of my ?inflammatory? emails is sent Ms. Gefis as the whole TPG affair is a serious one. Responsible people cannot idly sit by and watch others be mislead.

        Regarding small claims court cases:
        I encourage individuals to follow the law and enforce their rights. This is a responsibility of all citizens in a democratic nation.

        I have been involved in 4 small claim cases against TPG.
        Steven Washington vs. TPG ? won
        Oliver Asato vs. TPG ? lost
        Steven Washington vs. TPG on appeal ? lost
        John Sagenes vs. TPG ? won.
        John Sagenes vs. TPG on appeal ? to be determined.

        We lost because we emphasized ?fraud? in the complaint. We won because we emphasized particular legislation.

        First off, Copeland will insist that these laws do not apply to him, but per Maxine Waters School Reform and Student Protection Act of 1989 Education Code 94852:
        c) “Educational service” means any education, training, or instruction offered by an institution, including any equipment. TPG offers educational service so these laws apply to them.

        And from Education Code 94850
        b) The Legislature finds and declares that students have been substantially harmed and the public perception of reputable institutions has been damaged because of the fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair conduct of some institutions?

        And from Education Code 94877
        (a) If an institution violates this article ?in connection with an agreement for a course of instruction, that agreement shall be unenforceable, and the institution shall refund all consideration paid by or on behalf of the student.

        The full text can be found at http://law.justia.com/california/codes/edc/94850-94882.html. It gives an individual a full understanding of his legal rights. If you have a beef with TPG, I recommend that you study it and get yourself an attorney.

        Realize that the above sections basically mean that TPG cannot take me to court to collect their $25,000 out of me and I certainly don?t pay for misrepresentation. Also it can?t collect from any other ex TPG student even if that student got a rare internship. They can?t even legally report a person to credit bureaus. TPG has NO LEGAL RECOURSE as they are an illegal entity. Get yourself an attorney if you have questions.

        TPG has recently gotten people to agree to putting $10,000 ++ on their credit cards in a month to month manner. It is a bit more difficult to get a credit card to stop payment. But if the student?I can?t write this. Email me at the address below and I will give you the data.

        What is the motive behind Copeland continuing his postings ? there were about 300 students in 2006 that did the TPG training. Each of them got a bill of $25,000. A little math will tell you that this is $7,500,000 in one year.

        I hope that this gives you an idea of the gravity of the situation. In this posting, I have not discussed the student who was having his first child and was banking on TPG to get him that high paying job. The service woman who left the army after 15 years to do the TPG program and got nothing (she?s back in the army now). The list goes on and on.

        Message to J-mart from New Zealand: It would be to Copeland?s and TPG?s benefit for this discussion board to close down. Why are you so interested in seeing it shut down? A guy from Moscow Russia, told me to continue. Another from the Fiji islands did the same.

        Sincerely,
        Oliver Asato
        MrOliver21@netzero.net

        • #2475753

          The TRUTH cuts deep there Buddy

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to $7.5 million – winner takes all

          I would like to see Steve answer the post of us recently or even better if Eric Choi would step in and say something. This is exactly what happened a year ago when the pressure was on and he stopped responding. When FACTS come out like these, it is hard to BS your way out of it. I know my post and this post will be read shortly if not already and I would like to see the ?To Clarify? post on these subjects to see what he comes up with. I heard StarBucks is hiring and has good health insurance!
          Please don?t put us to sleep with the long posts and the unrelenting elaborate BS, just be to the point, close your business and do something real. Maybe you should go repent too.
          God Bless,
          Mr. Blood

        • #2475484

          This is still going on?

          by pizzaisgood ·

          In reply to The TRUTH cuts deep there Buddy

          Hey Steve Copeland is back! Alright I’ll visit here more often. I get so thoroughly entertained at reading his posts. They are probably the best out there.

          As for me, I never paid TPG. Not in over 16 months and they never bothered me.

          My attorney said that they couldn’t because they aren’t licensed by the state. He also advised that if they did to refer to him. I noticed that they only have 2 suites now? No more suite 130?

          Steve Copeland is back baby!

        • #2475485

          Response to MrOlivers’ Misinformed and Misleading Info

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to $7.5 million – winner takes all

          To Mr. Asato

          Mr. Asato presents himself as a crusader whose goal is to help individuals wronged by Tech Pros Group. Furthermore, he claims to present himself as a fair-minded individual who is only seeking the truth with the hope of helping the public from getting ?scammed? by Tech Pros Group.

          If this is the case, why does Mr. Asato continue providing information that is outdated, misleading or just false? The following are some examples:

          1. MR. ASATO STATES THAT TECH PROS GROUP PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND SHOULD BE APPROVED BY THE BPPVE ? He references a citation from an education code monitored/regulated by the BPPVE, a California state regulating agency. Mr. Asato conveniently forgets to mention that the BPPVE was closed down effective July 1, 2007. This was due to the fact that this code is outdated and required major changes. Mr. Asato also forgets that the BPPVE is primarily designed for vocational schools and that there are hundreds of corporate and professional training organizations that are not approved by the BPPVE and are operating legally with the BPPVE?s awareness. This includes a large portion of Cisco and Microsoft learning partners including Global Knowledge (with over 6 locations in California) and Ascolta (with over 4 locations in California including their corporate headquarters).
          2. MR. ASATO REFERENCES MIKE BOSTOK AS A CREDIBLE EXAMPLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL POSTING WITH HIS REAL NAME ? Mr. Asato is correct in that Mike Bostok is an actual individual who made a posting on another website. What Mr. Asato forgets to mention is that Mike Bostok is the owner of a computer training school called laptop training solutions located in San Diego, CA and that closed down in 2004. Mr. Bostok also owns another school in the Southern California region that is currently open. A portion of the training (approximately 30%) that Tech Pros Group includes as an internship benefit is offered through Mr. Bostok?s school for approximately $10,000.

          Based on this fact, one has to question his question is motivation for his postings. Mr. Asato mentions a lawsuit between Tech Pros Group and Mr. Bostok. This lawsuit was resolved out of court and cannot be discussed due to the settlement agreement. What was addressed in court was related to which court had jurisdiction with this lawsuit, California or Arizona. This is due to the fact that one of the individuals involved in the lawsuit lived in Arizona. Tech Pros Group requested the California courts and the defendants requested the Arizona courts. Tech Pros Group lost over the jurisdiction argument and the case was scheduled to be handled in an Arizona court prior to the case being settlement. Following are some articles regarding Mr. Bostok and Laptop Training Solutions:

          http://badbusinessbureau.com/reports/0/075/RipOff0075054.htm

          http://www.sandiegocomputertrainingschools.com/Laptop_Training_Solutions_2.html

          http://dwb.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/10417821p-11337457c.html

          3. MR. ASATO BREAKS DOWN THE COURT CASES ? Mr. Asato separates the small claim case and its appeal. Mr. Asato doesn?t bother mentioning that when an individual or business wins the appeal, the initial ruling in the small claim case is reversed. Mr. Asato actually listed only three cases. Two of which were lost between small claim and its appeal and the third case that is currently in appeals. Mr. Asato doesn?t bother to mention a 4th case that was coordinated by Mr. Asato. This case was lost by the plaintiff due to the fact that he did not even attend his own trial.

          In regards to why Tech Pros Group lost the initial case in small claims. One must understand the dynamics of small claims court. A judge in a small claims court has a limited number of hours to handle many cases. For this reason, if the case is complex in nature and the plaintiff is an individual and the defendant is a business; the courts generally rule in favor of the individual versus the business. Due to the fact that if the individual loses, he/she has no other recourse and if the business loses, that business can appeal. Tech Pros Group lost twice in small claims due to this reason. The first loss was appealed and reversed in favor of Tech Pros Group and the second loss is currently waiting appeal. If Tech Pros Group wins this appeal, all 4 court cases would have been ruled in Tech Pros Group?s favor. Final statement regarding this matter; if Tech Pros Group is a scam and our contracts are invalid, why would a superior court judge rule in our favor 3 times?

          4. MR. ASATO PRESENTS HOW GRAVE THIS SITUATION IS ? He uses general examples of individuals who were tremendously wronged by Tech Pros Group with no mentioning of their names. Mr. Asato further emphasized the gravity using high dollar amounts culminating to $7,500,000. Tech Pros Group does not presume that every relationship it had with a candidate resulted in employment in Information Technology (IT). In fact, Tech Pros Group, Inc. acknowledges that approximately 10 to 20% of the candidates who received our service may not have received employment in IT. Please note that this means that over 80 to 90% did receive employment. That is a ratio that most organizations would be proud of. In fact, the government regulation in regards to vocational schools is 70%.

          If there was an individual who proactively sought employment in IT in coordination with Tech Pros Group, and did not receive employment, Tech Pros Group will not seek payment. His/her financial obligation with Tech Pros Group would be void. The only individuals who still have a financial obligation with Tech Pros Group are individuals who are working in IT. Most neutral parties would not look these individuals who benefited from Tech Pros Group?s service as victims.

          SUMMARY:

          Mr. Asato continues to ?shout fire? based on outdated, misleading and false information. Mr. Asato ?defends victims? who have utilized the services offered by Tech Pros Group and received employment in IT. As stated previously, many of these individuals even received compensation that were significantly more than what they were receiving prior to joining Tech Pros Group. Tech Pros Group has stated and continues to state on this forum that if there was an individual who worked proactively to seek employment in coordination with Tech Pros Group and did not receive employment, Tech Pros Group would waive any obligations they had with us. If you fit into this category, give us a call and explain your situation and see what our response will be. Obviously, it would not benefit Tech Pros Group to make this statement and not back it up.

          Unfortunately, it is our understanding that the group of individuals that Mr. Asato represents falls into the first category versus the second category. If this is not the case, we would be happy to hear from them.

          Mr. Asato, if you truly care about the truth as you state you do, take the time to see Tech Pros Group for who we are today and present current information that is not misleading or false.

        • #2475483

          TECH PROS GROUP AND ITS BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU RATING

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to $7.5 million – winner takes all

          A number of individuals have referenced our F rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as validation of their negative accusations. The following are examples of other companies with F ratings. Please note that each company listed is recognized within their respective industry as having a reputation that ranges from good to excellent.

          GOOGLE Rating: F
          http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=100048501
          MERCEDES BENZ of Laguna Niguel Rating: F
          http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=13129083
          SAKS FIFTH AVENUE Rating: F
          http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=13160444
          CITIBANK Rating: F
          http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=13126432

          The F rating is the lowest possible rating a company can receive from the BBB. How does Tech Pros Group along with the above mentioned organizations have a rating of F? The following is a link to an article about the BBB and its practices that may provide you with a better understanding:

          http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=103107_better_business_bureau_complaint.htm

          SOME FACTS ABOUT THE BBB

          1. The BBB is a franchise like system – Each region of the United States is separately owned and operated by a BBB franchise. For this reason, the operations and standards of each BBB greatly vary.

          2. AAA to F rating is a local rating system – The BBB?s AAA to F is not a national rating system. In fact, only Southern California along with a small number of BBB?s nationwide use this rating system. Even within the group that uses that rating system, the determination for the rating varies. Visit: http://www.bbb.org and look up a company in your city to verify the rating system for your area versus the Southern California BBB.

          3. The Southern California BBB?s rating system is at best suspicious or worse inaccurate and biased ? How does a company such as Google with only 2 complaints have an F rating while a company such as Gateway Computers with over 1,700 complaints has a B rating. Click here for gateway?s BBB rating (http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportPage_Expository.aspx?CompanyID=13101021 ).

          4. Tech Pros Group and the Southern California BBB have an adversarial relationship ? See our explanation below

          TECH PROS GROUP AND THE BBB HAVE AN ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP

          Tech Pros Group believes and supports the concept of the Better Business Bureau (BBB). For this reason, it became a member of the Southern California BBB from 2005 to October 2006. During this period, Tech Pros Group?s rating with the BBB began with an A and escalated to an AA, the 2nd highest rating a company can receive from the BBB. From June to October 2006, our rating declined from a AA rating to an F rating. The F rating is the lowest that a company can receive from the BBB.

          The drop in our rating was based on two factors. The first factor is the effectiveness of a defamation campaign conducted by a small group of past clients of Tech Pros Group from 2006. See my posting http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2355985 This negative campaign initially reduced our rating from a AA to a B.

          The second reason is due to Tech Pros Group disputing the reduced B rating with the national BBB. As stated above, the BBB initially reduced our rating to a B without verifying the validity of the complaints. The BBB regularly does this due to the limited resources it has to verify accusations. Tech Pros Group initiated communications with the national BBB regarding this matter. The national BBB provided sympathetic words to our situation but reiterated that they are limited in power in regards to changing a rating system that is local to the Southern California BBB. In response to our action, the Southern California BBB dropped our rating from a B to an F. To validate and substantiate this low rating of F, the Southern California BBB took the verbal accusations of wrongdoing from the complainants and listed that information as fact on our BBB profile page.

          Tech Pros Group believes in the idea of the BBB as a resource for examining the credentials of a business one may be working with. Unfortunately, the information provided by the Southern California BBB is inaccurate. Furthermore, the management of the Southern California BBB has repeatedly ignored our request to adjust the incorrect information regarding Tech Pros Group. As part of our recent effort to ensure that our reputation on the Internet matches who we are today, Tech Pros Group is reviewing its legal options regarding the BBB and plans to take appropriate action during the first quarter of 2008.

        • #2475994

          Pizza is unhealthy for you, so is bad training.

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to TECH PROS GROUP AND ITS BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU RATING

          I noticed that you and Citi Bank share one thing in common, A lot of complaints where Google only has 2 unanswered. I wouldn?t be concerned about my BBB rate if I was Google anyways. A nuke could hit and the only thing that would be here is Cockroaches and Google.
          But you are not Google, you are like Citi Bank, (which I would never do business with again) because they are a bunch of scamming Bankers like yourself. You never responded to my post. How is Lawrence doing with his internship that has him checking this post at 1am? So the BPPVE didn?t have enough Government funding to be properly staffed and had to shut down. What?s new? The Government SUCKS. I write to the Legislature and get some bullshit auto reply that doesn?t have anything to do with what I wrote. Kind of like you replies. You still beat around the bush dude, who cares about the Mercedes Rating? THEY ARE MERCEDES. Maybe someone didn?t like the maintenance they were receiving. Auto Mechanics can be crooks too no matter where they work. You are talking about one location in California that has a bad rep as a dealer. It wasn?t MERCEDES INC. that has an ?F? rating. Your company had around 36 complaints (which should have been more, but most people are too lazy to fill them out). THE DA of Orange County did send ME a letter saying they were looking into your company too for false advertisement and fraudulent acts. Maybe they are short on Government funding too. Or have too many bigger fish to fry, and you are hanging under the Radar.
          The fact still remains you offer an internship and have people complete 12 cert exams so they get all these MSCE and Cisco Certifications, by using CertKiller or Pass4Sure, and there you go. Now you have Students with Certs they don?t know how to back up, because the only thing they know how to do is basic Active Directory works and Basic Cisco commands which is real out dated. So then you spend a day prepping them up with what you are best at, teaching them how to bullshit around technical questions, and there you go send them on interviews and hope they get at least 30,000 a year so you can take your 6000/yr times 30 students (If they all pay) and BAM. Most of these people didn?t know anything before they came in and know only what they learned when they leave (which is nothing, because you do the same labs over and over for 3 weeks) because the REAL WORLD the AD is already set up. You didn?t teach anything about A ?stub DNS? server or How to set up a WPAD script. I actually asked one of your instructors ( if that is what you call them), how to set it up so the IE would automatically detect proxy settings and they couldn?t tell me. We didn?t learn anything about SUS servers, which I am sure all the Tech Republic people would agree is HIGHLY USED in the Field. Your instructors are LAME, they are EX-students, and they don?t know S^#! Your program is worthless. Your people are PAPPER Certified.
          When I was sending out my resume there was a really nice Consulting company near me and when he saw YOUR NAME ( TECH PROS GROUP) HE LOOKED AT ME AND said “Tech Pros Group HUH?” and LAUGHED AT ME. DOES THAT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU???????? YOUR COMPANY IS A JOKE TO THE INDUSTRY. I CAN NOT SPELL IT OUT ANY CLEARER.
          Love that Pizza though,
          Mr.Blood

        • #2475858

          Pizza is good for you… Steve Copeland has the best posts!

          by pizzaisgood ·

          In reply to Pizza is unhealthy for you, so is bad training.

          Drew,

          I had the similar thing happen to me.

          Way back when, a consulting company recognized my resume format and asked me if I had ever attended TPG.

          I was shocked because I had to take TPG off my resume. When previous interviewing managers saw them on my resume, the negative comments and opinions were to much for me to handle.

          So I took them off. Bam! Next interview I got the job! I was honest & told them that I omitted TPG from my resume.

          Steve Copeland has the best posts anywhere on the internet. You can’t deny that.

          Enjoy pizza!!!!!!

        • #2475791

          Pizza and Resumes

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Pizza is good for you… Steve Copeland has the best posts!

          I took EVERYTHING off my resume, and when asked I just say I did self study with VMware. Motorola interviewed me just to see what I had to say about TPG, the guy wished me luck and never called me back. I told him the training was OK and explained what we did and told him about the internship SCAM. He asked if I thought I was paper certified, and I said half and half. Because I have been studying like CRAZY to OWN up to my MCSE 2003 and realize how many HUGE gaps were left out in BASIC training from the TPG experience. If they had spent more time teaching REAL STUFF and not teaching how to REMEMBER questions to Certifications the turnout would be better.
          I Personally think Steve?s Posts are OK, Kinda long and boring like his Lectures, and not much viable substance, but interesting. I really wish he would reply to my post and see what he will come up with for what I have to say, or Eric Choi. You know they both are writing these posts together though.
          OH by the way pizza is good, but it is very unhealthy.
          Mr.Blood

        • #2481115

          THANK YOU FROM TECH PROS GROUP

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Pizza is unhealthy for you, so is bad training.

          Tech Pros Group would like to thank individuals such as drewblood80, pizzaisgood and related individuals for posting on this forum.

          We understand that there are many individuals considering Tech Pros Group and the LAN/WAN engineer internship as a possible option for launching their career in information technology. We also understand that this is a serious decision and should only be taken with a full understanding of its benefits and sacrifices. What many individuals may not understand is that the LAN/WAN engineer internship is not for everyone. The ideal candidate for this service is a recent college graduate or an entry level tech with a minimum of 2 years of experience who is logical, intelligent, professional and serious about a career in information technology.

          An individual who fits this profile would view the many posts on this forum seriously and use their logic and intelligence to separate fact from fiction. He/she will appreciate the thoroughness of our post and our focus on presenting facts that are relevant to the LAN/WAN engineer internship and Tech Pros Group.

          This same individual would not appreciate vulgar, unprofessional language or unsubstantiated accusations. In addition, the level of communications represented by many of individuals such as drewblood80 and pizzaisgood further diminishes their posting value.

          For this very reason, we would like to thank drewblood80, pizzaisgood and related individuals for posting on this forum. In fact, we encourage you to continue posting. Your posts assist Tech Pros Group to qualify prospective candidates. Any individual who chooses not to apply for our service based on your posts would not be an individual we would consider as a quality candidate.

          In fact, the only disappointing part about these posts is that these individuals state in their post that they went through our service. As I stated on my previous posts, Tech Pros Group did not do a good job of screening our candidates in 2006 and the first half of 2007. This resulted in Tech Pros Group accepting candidates with varying skill levels and professionalism. Unfortunately, this includes some of the individuals who are now posting on this discussion board.

          Tech Pros Group wants to inform the individuals reading this post that there were also many quality professionals who completed our service. To their credit, they took full advantage of the service offered to them and attained quality positions in the LAN/WAN industry. We are also proud of the quality of individuals who are now filtering through our 2 stage application process and look forward to their continued success.

          If you are a quality individual serious about getting started in information technology and is seeking quality information to determine if Tech Pros Group is right for you, feel free to read my other posts and decide for yourself if we are the right partner in your success.

          Post Clarifying the LAN/WAN Engineer Internship
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2036944

          General Observations about Blogs
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2102093

          Explanation as to Why There Are Negative Postings On This Thread
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2355985

          General Response to Post Comments
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2360542

          Cisco/Microsoft Partner Information
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2357779

          Tech Pros Group?s Better Business Bureau Rating
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2360544

          Response to as to Whether this Discussion Thread Should Exist
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2357075

        • #2481110

          For all that is good and holy, LET IT DIE

          by jmgarvin ·

          In reply to THANK YOU FROM TECH PROS GROUP

          Jesus man…ENOUGH. Stop…just stop. We get the point, now let this damn thread die.

        • #2482306

          It still needs another 3100 or so posts to match the now purged …

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to For all that is good and holy, LET IT DIE

          [i]EL (Evolution Lie)[/i] Discussion.

        • #2479906

          You have our agreement…….

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to For all that is good and holy, LET IT DIE

          Dear jmjarvin,

          You have our full agreement on this matter. Please see my post to TiggerTwo as linked below:

          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2357075

        • #2481076

          Priceless…..

          by pizzaisgood ·

          In reply to THANK YOU FROM TECH PROS GROUP

          See Above ^^

        • #2482352

          You wanna see something funny????????????

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Priceless…..

          At the bottom of the Thread under sponsored links, they are all about SCAMS!!!!!!!
          Go Figure.
          8)

        • #2482308

          Links below re. “scams” are Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads, …

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to Priceless…..

          and are dynamically served up, in this case, owing to the content of the Discussion containing words that match the keywords that the advertisers are bidding on.

          If you watch the PPC links that are displayed in other Discussions, you’ll notice that they change with the content of the Discussions.

          These particular ads are published by Google, under their AdWords program.

        • #2480104

          For everything else there’s Copeland!!!

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Priceless…..

        • #2480897

          Your Welcome and I will continue, but will you ……………….

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to THANK YOU FROM TECH PROS GROUP

          Own up to what really goes on? Your Quality people would consist if someone who is na?ve, and anxious, but unaware of the repercussions of what he/she is getting ready to go through. If you want a way to ?launch your career? This is not the place to go. If someone has a college degree and some years in the field already, I would suggest going through the self paced MCSE program using VMware. UNLESS you want to just have a meaningless Certification that looks good on paper and does you no good because you took the EASY way.
          Now to the QUALITY individual:
          Before attending TPG I was making 42000 a year as a Supervisor in a World WIDE CORPORATION. Okay! I was interested in an ?Internship? where I would take a small pay cut at first, but would be doing something I want to do. Well, I was expecting an ?Internship?, which there is no such thing as. Where I would be working for a consulting company, with an engineer, where then I would learn something. Mr. Choi would tell us most people don?t take the internship because they find a better job that pays more upon leaving. THIS WAS A LIE. There is no such thing as a ?LAN/WAN INTERNSHIP? this is something Steve has made up in his mind and loves to talk about. It is fake. I still have not gotten a straight answer on how Lawrence (or Steve?s fake intern) is doing. http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2186897
          Please OWN UP TO IT! I know it was you.
          Now to the Logic and intelligent and serious about a career in I.T. section:

          1. Do you think it is logical and intelligent to advertise an Internship when there is not one?
          2. Do you think I wasn?t serious about a career in I.T. when I had taken online classes that taught me most of the stuff before I attended your training?
          3. Do you think someone who reads all of this and sees all the fictitious material you post here would consider doing business with you?

          Now you were right whoever reads this (I sure hope they do), before deciding to join you?re ?shortcut? training I would hope they have enough logic and intellect to make their own decision. I wish this form was this heavy before I made my decision to go to CA and spend money on a SCAM, with the hopes of working for a CREDITABLE, STANUP COMPANY.

          Now to the diminishing of character:

          1. Do you think after being called out about the Cisco Logo and the FAKE INTERN character you made up?
          2. The Citrix and Checkpoint on your website (you didn?t even train people about).
          3. The Numerous times through out this post you have been called out and no longer responded to the REAL deal facts by me and have never tried to explain.
          ?You didn?t teach anything about a ?stub DNS? server or How to set up a WPAD script. I actually asked one of your instructors (if that is what you call them), how to set it up so the IE would automatically detect proxy settings and they couldn?t tell me. We didn?t learn anything about SUS servers, which I am sure all the Tech Republic people would agree is HIGHLY USED in the Field.?
          Don?t believe the HYPE.
          Your character is in great standing!!!!!!!
          If you are a Quality individual and want to read more of my post and save your self time, money and lack of embarrassment please read all responses to Steve?s post.
          Why else would I want to ?waste? my time writing all these forums?

          I am sure someone who doesn?t go to your training because of these posts you wouldn?t want anyways, because you prey on people who are IGNORANT. So you can take there money and feed them lies.
          That is it for now; I need to get back to work.
          Where I at least have a respectable job.

          May GOD have mercy on your soul,
          Mr. Blood

        • #2479863

          Take the legitimate route

          by rjrich3540 ·

          In reply to Your Welcome and I will continue, but will you ……………….

          After finding out that TPG is a scam, without having to spend money to find out. I enrolled at my local community college, and am taking the CCNA course taught by people with at least a Masters Degee and a CCNP. All for under $1000.00. Started in the Fall and will finish in the Spring, were I will be ready to test for my Certification. I feel blessed that I didn’t have the bad experience that others had.

        • #2637840

          I want to thank you and the others that discovered this

          by filetofsoul ·

          In reply to Your Welcome and I will continue, but will you ……………….

          Thanx to all that have exposed TPG, for what it is. The lawsuits, the BBB ratings, have made me steer clear of them like other scams I’ve become familiar with listed below.

          The Nigerian emails of money left by a dead relative.

          Thai girls asking for money in email for sick family members.

          I have worked in the IT industry since the late 70s. I’ve been jobless for the last 9 months, after my job got outsourced after 23 years of service. Schooling is good, but if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I believe TPG relates to my last sentence.

          Oh BTW, I used an anonymous email address, because I don’t want my legit email box filled with hate mail. And I can block addys as well as domains from a Yahoo one.

          Hats off to you Drewblood, Mr. Oliver, and a few others. I believe you are looking out for your fellow IT techies.

        • #2480884

          Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to THANK YOU FROM TECH PROS GROUP

          Do you think having the students remember questions to Certifications is a legit way to get people certified to the FAST TRACK to an I.T. career?

          Why don?t you teach the students more of what they ACTUALLY need to know when going out into the field instead of teaching them how to maneuver their way around questions they don?t know how to answer?

          Will your students really know more than SEASONED PROFESSIONALS upon leaving your BOOTCAMP? If not why did Eric tell us that?

          Why do you promote an Internship when there isn?t one?

          Why did Eric have all his employees transfer their name to the apartment lease before terminating them?

          Why do you tell people you have instructors when they are really ex-students who don?t know what they are doing?

          Why did you not teach about SUS servers, DNS stub servers, WPAD scripts (when we learned about ISA) and the many other technologies necessary for success in the LAN/WAN world?

          If you are so Professional why do you wear Jeans and Jerseys to work, smoke, and cuss?

          Why do the people at the Pearson VUE office tell you to stay in the exam for at least 15 minutes so no one catches on?????????

          Why were there people in my session who have never even worked on a computer before?

          What happened to Lawrence? http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2186897
          I know it was you who posted this

          When you are done with these I have more. Thanks for your time. I am happy you like my posts, I like yours too.

          Best regards,
          Mr. Blood

        • #2479920

          Thank you again for posting?.

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          Dear drewblood80,

          Thank you again for another irrelevant post. Your continued and inaccurate accusation that I am Lawrence532003 speaks volumes. If you had taken the time to examine his profile, you would see that this individual has been a member of Tech Republic since 2004. That would be 1 year prior to Tech Pros Group?s existence.

          So thank you again for this post along with the many posts you made during the past 24 hours. Please continue your derelict use of the English language to express your conspiracy theories and uninhibited personal attacks towards myself and anyone else questioning your postings.

          To individuals reading this post, please see my post below for clarification regarding my initial statement on this post:

          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2361324

        • #2479855

          One more Question/ What would be cool

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          Did you ever respond to Dr. Dij???
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2356105

          I think it would be interesting to give him a short tour of the cert Prep area and the Instructors maybe talk to some of the students and see what type of people you have there. Maybe you can show him the pass4sure program and see what he thinks of it!!!! It would be more interesting if he was in the Networking world, but I am sure he would like to see where one of your INTERNS works too. This might take a while considering you would have to make one up. But hey, you would get an unbiased opinion.
          If your scared say your scared.
          Again you are welcome,
          Mr. Blood

        • #2473473

          He might have but I haven’t seen it

          by dr dij ·

          In reply to Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          Not sure my email on TR is correct. I can’t find my email address under ‘my profile’ and think I turned off most of the email addresses at the domain I was sending it to (was getting 800 spams a day).

          I’m pretty mellow, I don’t have an agenda. I haven’t prejudged Steve before seeing the place. It’s easy to drop a bundle on training in the IT industry. e.g.:

          Just got a email ad from SDN for sets of 4-5 CDs that show video of 3 to 5 day conferences for SAP. Each one is $995 and there are 10 or so available. Only you can tell if they would be useful to you. That would be $10k or so for all of them (ok they bundle all for $5550) but you get my point.

          I don’t know if that would settle it, some might claim I didn’t dig deep enuf because this is not my primary field or how much can you see in a short tour.

          Anyway post here if you want and I’ll contact you privately to arrange. Not today tho, Friday is casual day and I’ve got a black t-shirt with a huge (ok I think he’s friendly but people say that of their pit-bulls) alligator.

        • #2473423

          Dr. Dij

          by stevecopeland ·

          In reply to Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          I have tried to contact you via Tech Republic but have not been successful in doing so. Please send me an email with your contact information and we will schedule a tour shortly. My profile has not only a link to message me but my personal email address as well.
          Thank you for the objectivity and offer to tour our facility.
          Steve Copeland

        • #2482116

          SAP

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          I used SAP for like 3 years and it is a great program, if it is implemented properly. The SAP developers can make HUGE bucks if they know what they are doing (I have heard 100-300 an hour) You can spend about 300 for a days worth of training and people are paying it because it is in VERY high demand.
          I remember whenever we would have some of the Distributors come tour our facility we had all of our Production scheduled to run easy product and the place looked sparkling clean and the next week when the tours were over out came the harder Product runs and the place was back to its normal mess. With that said I would still like to see an unbiased opinion of this fellow and make sure you get a tour of the test prep software, and the pizza! It is the greatest!!!
          Till next time,
          Mr. Blood

        • #2482114

          Steve did you know…………………?????????????????

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          you still havnt answered questions that everyone is waiting for here.
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5218-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2361872
          TGIF,
          Mr.Blood

        • #2482017

          I’ve emailed Steve

          by dr dij ·

          In reply to Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          Drew – there was definitely a problem with TR email – lists my defunct email and can’t find to change it.

          I’m sure he’ll setup something.

          Steve –
          I can drop by Mon or Tues; Am giving a talk in Long Beach on Wed AM so might have some time after during the day.

          Whatever you can show me is fine but the more you show me the more people on TR will be convinced.

        • #2482672

          Meeting with Steve

          by dr dij ·

          In reply to Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          Drew –

          (and anyone else)

          I’m going over to meet with Steve and let him show me what they do over there.

          Not this Wed. as holiday but the next week.

          He’s explained some of the changes they’ve made to reduce dropout / failures and make students happy but I think will wait till I’ve been over there to say anything.

          Anything reasonable anyone wants me to ask / see?

        • #2481383

          RE: Meeting with Copeland

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Answer THAT and stay fashionable!

          I have a very simple one, just look at the way they get their certifications, with Pass4sure or Certkiller and see what you think of it! Also see if you think the students would be able to leave after the training and get a job making between 40+ a year.
          That is it. I know it will be a good show he will be putting on so I am pretty sure he will not be wearing his normal jeans and jersey attire.
          Mr. Blood

        • #2473667

          I know Lawrence…

          by mroliver21 ·

          In reply to THANK YOU FROM TECH PROS GROUP

          I know Lawrence does not exist. How?

          Since I started posting and emailing people about the problems with TPG, they have been emailing me back with the email addresses of all their classmates.

          Lawrence is not on the list. Also, I don’t see any Lawrence on the TPG “Candidate Testimonials” list on the TPG website. Take a look now as it will probably change soon.

          This is another made up post by Copeland.

          Just to let you people know, these last few weeks, I am getting more emails and phone calls from people wanting to know more about TPG, or wanting to know the legalities of NOT paying TPG (just read & understand “Maxine Waters Educational Reform Act” and all will be clear).

          To you people who post: TPG is feeling the pressure of your communication. Thank you and keep it up. Just don’t go too far in what you write.

          Sincerely,
          Oliver Asato
          MrOliver21@netzero.net

        • #2481991

          Hello From Lawrence

          by lawrence532003 ·

          In reply to I know Lawrence…

          Hey dude I attended Techpros from Jan/Mar. I got an internership job through them staring March 7th. I am curently a full time for employee forthat same company. I’ve been a member of TechRepublic since March of 2004. What is with you people just email at lawrence532003@yahoo.com and I will email yu back from email account I’ve had since 2004 I’ve for years.

          Duh!!!!

        • #2481377

          Hey Lawrence?????????

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to I know Lawrence…

          Lawrence, I know someone in the Jan – Mar 2007 group. It was a small group less than 10 people. So you should know who JF is. If you are real, tell me what the guys name is.
          Mr. Blood

        • #2644498

          Make 7UP Yours….

          by ben_hankemeier ·

          In reply to THANK YOU FROM TECH PROS GROUP

          Having the ability to seperate fact from fiction isn’t always the right answer in my opinion.

          I am thoroughly please with the answers that Tech Pros Group is providing here on Tech Republic. However, I have perspectives that could possibly benefit more people. Consider this from the above post:

          “This same individual would not appreciate vulgar, unprofessional language or unsubstantiated accusations. In addition, the level of communications represented by many of individuals such as drewblood80 and pizzaisgood further diminishes their posting value.” – Copeland

          I agree that a professional should be able to differentiate fact from fiction especially when concerning unsubstantiated accusations, but I do not agree that creative, ‘vulgar’, or semi-professional language immediately entitles someone to be unqualified for anything at all.

          It is actually the lack exercise of these functions (i.e. right side of the brain) that many otherwise progressive professionals are demonstrating. It is the left-handed creative individual that normally has no desire to become an “IT professional,” but it the left-brained super computer that would never take a chance and trust themselves and others whole-heartedly. Indeed, simply quarintening (spelling) such cynicism simply for the sake of success at any endeavor is exactly what the next stage is in professionalism for just such individuals.

          Alas, I know this from experience. Some people require right-handed soggy biscuit contests until they tire of their own benevolence.

          Its a hard pill to swallow.

          Rabbit holes n such.

          Next Tech Pros Group MasterMind
          <----------- This guy WOOT.

      • #2633710

        Open Letter to Ex TPG Students

        by mroliver21 ·

        In reply to What is Important to Know

        I sent this email to over 300 ex TPG students.

        TPG?Unfinished Business

        Hello Folks,

        I was hoping to tell you that the company has shut down, but they are still kicking and screaming.

        This email is important to some of you as Copeland has started sending out collection letters to various students going all the way back to 2006. 3 students have contacted me so far.

        In late August 2007, John Sagenes and myself took TPG to small claims court and we won. In prior cases, I had been pushing ?fraud?, but the winning formula is to push the ?Maxine Waters Educational Reform Act which can be found at http://www.bppve.ca.gov/reform_act/index.html Article 7.

        It starts out with:
        ?b) The Legislature finds and declares that students have been substantially harmed and the public perception of reputable
        institutions has been damaged because of the fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair conduct of some institutions?

        Copeland states that the law does not apply to TPG because blah blah and blah. The law DOES APPLY TO TPG. Per section 94852:
        ?The following definitions and provisions apply to this article:
        (c) “Educational service” means any education, training, or instruction offered by an institution, including any equipment.?

        The law futher reads:
        ?(a) The Legislature further finds and declares that students have been harmed by some institutions because of the financial
        improprieties and mismanagement of those institutions, their failure to fully disclose the student’s financial and contractual obligations, and their failure to have sufficient resources to
        provide the promised training.

        If TPG sends you a collection letter, in my opinion (I am not an attorney, so anything I state in the email is an opinion) you have a few options:
        1. Yawn loudly and throw it in the trash (actually save it).
        2. If you are more concerned, read and understand the above legislation.
        3. If you are really really concerned, get yourself an attorney and have him read the above legislation and tell you what it means. An attorney is far cheaper than $25,000 or even $11,000.
        4. If you are a jellyfish and have no backbone whatever, pay TPG $25,000 and send another $25,000 to me just because I need to drive a car just like Choi?s Mercedes.

        Honestly folks, I wish you well. Have a happy Thanksgiving.

        Sincerely,
        Oliver Asato

        PS: If you want to increase the pressure on TPG, tell your story on Tech Republic http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2037014 and sign it with your real name and give a real email address. John Hancock didn?t worry too much about speaking his mind.

        • #2633083

          Hey Steve we are still waiting…………..

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Open Letter to Ex TPG Students

          for the answers to these questions.
          http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2361872

          Notice he stopped responding the same he did last year when he couldn’t think of a cover up!!!! Just like a politician.
          Oh BTW,
          You know who I am already
          Mr. Blood

        • #2637414

          Hey Steve next time you post………….

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Hey Steve we are still waiting…………..

          you can answer these questions you never answered because you are afraid.

        • #2644496

          Mental Evolution….

          by ben_hankemeier ·

          In reply to Open Letter to Ex TPG Students

          Part of my experience having FAILED at quite a few educational persuits is learning to find the good in something. I realize that you are trying to help others who have suffered from the same malady as you have, this is good.

          This also means that somewhere you have already accepted that failure is not due to others but due to yourself. However, not enough introspection on your part has been applied. Lets say you are one step away from realizing your “enlightenment.”

          Could you imagine everyone achieving success at Tech Pros Group? Why or why NOT?

          Could you imagine having done anything differently? (Lying would only create personal suffering)

          Who benefits from candidates succeeding at Tech Pros Group? (this is not multiple choice)

          Finally, provided you are open and honest with YOURSELF, you would easily be able to see why the horse is actually getting FED by incomplete thoughts.

          I tend to ride horses and let them graze of their own volition…. considering the whole “leading a horse to water” bit

          I am speaking from personal experience. The only person you can hurt is yourself. It only takes one to hurt yourself. It takes TWO willing parties to create a victim-aggressor relationship.

          I believe the holy diver has spoken.

          “you can see his stripes but you know he’s clean”

        • #2644494

          One more thing….

          by ben_hankemeier ·

          In reply to Mental Evolution….

          If you figure out the “seemingly” illogical post that I just created you may be inclined to apply it to other situations in your life.

          Possibly…. Court Cases.

          Winning and losing is of no consequence to individuals who posses 7.5 million dollars.

          The road less traveled here is not winning anyway. It is GROWING.

          Be Human.

          Next Tech Pros Group Extrodinaire
          <--------- This guy

        • #2645475

          Save the words for Webster

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Mental Evolution….

          And you are saying what?
          Do you talk like that always?
          I was successful before TPG and am successful now so if you want to be a shrink you are in the wrong business.
          Weirdo

          Probably just another one of Steve?s toys

          Uh how about this one Webster.
          FAKE INTERNSHIP STILL BEING ADVERTISED ON CAREER BUILDER
          Look it up!

    • #2644343

      Message has been deleted.

      by maniacman ·

      In reply to Company info?

      • #2644325

        Dr. Dij needs to post his findings and then the thread should die

        by jmgarvin ·

        In reply to Message has been deleted.

        NT

        • #2644302

          Sorry, forgot

          by dr dij ·

          In reply to Dr. Dij needs to post his findings and then the thread should die

          to mention. we agreed to setup meeting within a week or two now that new year has started.

          I am kind of a positive guy so even if it was bad in past if has improved I’m likely to give a positive revu. I’m not going there to cut him down. I’ll post what I see however so you can judge yourself. Because I’m not highly critical, some of you may not be satisfied.

          I’m also in the middle of a whole bunch of stuff with a huge show coming up in Feb but I certainly would like to meet with him and see the place.

        • #2644288

          I don’t think it matters

          by jmgarvin ·

          In reply to Sorry, forgot

          As long as you post something…God make this thread die, PLEASE 😉

        • #2645531

          Did someone summon me?

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to I don’t think it matters

          In lieu of death, might I suggest a thorough hijacking of the thread?

        • #2645464

          LIGHT THE GRAIL SHAPED BEACON!

          by jmgarvin ·

          In reply to Did someone summon me?

          Yes, hijacking…BRILLIANT!

          Perhaps we should each post a line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

        • #2645461

          better idea

          by jaqui ·

          In reply to LIGHT THE GRAIL SHAPED BEACON!

          just ignore the thread. :p

          that will kill it faster than anything else.

          it’s much to late for the spam button to do any good. 🙁
          [ saw one post in a 20+ post long thread I hit that on, the whole thread ran away within 3 minutes… sorry but seeing an ms product key in a post it was reflex to click it ]

        • #2645455

          Or, how about we …

          by deepsand ·

          In reply to LIGHT THE GRAIL SHAPED BEACON!

          insert posts at randomly selected places, which in turn refer the reader to another randomlu selected post within this discussion.

          For example, see http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=188794&messageID=2189958

        • #2645432

          ~lmao~

          by jaqui ·

          In reply to LIGHT THE GRAIL SHAPED BEACON!

          I didn’t even follow the link, the thought of it.. cross linking the thread with itself randomly.. sooner or later we will have a post that links to a post that links to a post … nauseatingly hilarious.

        • #2647943

          Visit in Irvine?

          by buffalocomputer ·

          In reply to Sorry, forgot

          Did you ever take your planned tour?

          I can see that the vast majority of bad press started in 06, and is continued by ‘students’ from that ‘graduating class’. Not much NEW info.

          Looking forward to your post.

          Thanx!

      • #2644072

        Lawrence is Real

        by mroliver21 ·

        In reply to Message has been deleted.

        I had stated earlier that Lawrence was one of Copeland’s creation.
        I am wrong! I talked to him for about 30 minutes and this is what he said:
        1. Lawrence is 57, and has experience in IT. 2. He got a job from TPG and he directly attributes his success to them. 3. The intense training and the support of the other students helped him. 4. He does not know what happened to the other 19 students he studied with and thinks that maybe 2 or 3 of them got jobs. 5. He would like prospective candidates to know that the internship is not a gaurantee and that TPG expects you to have a high score before allowing you on the internship. Nowhere is this mentioned in the contracts or literature.
        Lawrence is an honest man and told me what he thought. He did not appear to be someone who Copeland could intimidate into saying what he did.
        Lawrence is the second person that has contacted me who has gotten a job from TPG. The other person who got a job from TPG is suing them in the Orange County Superior Court. If you have gotten a job from TPG, contact me. I’d like to know what you think.
        Sincerely,
        Oliver Asato
        MrOliver21@netzero.net

    • #2644054

      Rape is a Crime

      by mroliver21 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      Many years ago, I was fast asleep when suddenly the night air was filled with the shrill cries of a woman in desperate trouble. I had two choices: 1. Put my pillow over my head, go back to sleep and pretend I didn’t hear anything, or 2. Grab my baseball bat and do battle. Being a little guy, chances of me getting my ass kicked are high. The proliferation of guns and gangs make life very dangerous. So what do you do?
      Well I picked up my baseball bat and I did battle and guess who won?
      I know what TPG does. A highly nieve person sees TPGs advertisements and gets all excited. They arrive at TPG and proceed to get f… Rarely does TPG get any of their candidates a job or an internship, despite their advertising.

      Copeland is trying to stop this thread as he doesn’t want people to know what is really going on. You guys who want this thread to shut down are basically siding with Copeland. That’s OK. I have many people backing me, many more than Copeland. Please relize that this thread is not a joke.
      Sincerely,
      Oliver Asato
      MrOliver21@netzero.net

    • #2656220

      I’m so glad I came across this forum

      by bdub360 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      wow…I always wondered if I should have attempted this offer from TPG but now after reading all the “mostly” slams, I think i will just stick to plan A and go to a local community college for an AA degree in data networking and telecommunications.

      • #2457214

        anyone have any updates on this company?

        by susancampbell415 ·

        In reply to I’m so glad I came across this forum

        I responded to one of their postings on careerbuilder.com and got an application from them. I am researching this to see if they are for real or any good. I have about 21 credits toward a networking associates degree from a community college in Florida and so would like an easier way but dont know if this is the answer. If anyone has any recent info on this company I would be grateful. you can email me at spiritualsuze@yahoo.com

        • #2458669

          Something to think about…

          by junk ·

          In reply to anyone have any updates on this company?

          Since, they are not an accredited school, anything you do at their place, does not go anywhere towards a real degree. You will get something akin to a certificate of completion. So once you finally get established along your career track and your work requires upper level degrees, you will have your 17 credits, if they are even transferable at that time, with no degree. This WILL hold you back at some point in my opinion. Get an accredited degree, and its yours to build on at any time.

        • #2563182

          With all due respect! Can you READ??????

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to anyone have any updates on this company?

          http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/24027/page/4
          and this whole site is dedicated to people who have been there and done that. I would find something other than TPG for your education resources.

    • #2569625

      TPG Has New Name

      by mroliver21 ·

      In reply to Company info?

      As expected TPG has changed its name to lanwanprofessional.com . Check it out.

      I hope most of you continue to post your experiences with TPG on the net. Eric Choi is living in a nice multi million dollar house because of the $$ you gave him.

      I’ll be putting up a new website with a bit more bite to it. You are quite welcome to do the same.

      Sincerely,
      Oliver Asato
      MrOliver21@netzero.net

      • #2571511

        Opinion of current student… phase one complete.

        by crizzam ·

        In reply to TPG Has New Name

        I am writing as a person who has just completed phase one training and was perusing the web to get more information before entering phase two. I was disappointed to see so many negative comments, but I can understand where they come from. I think I can break down the complaints in to two sections: Pre 2007 and Post 2007. In the pre-2007 complaints, it appears that even TPG admits to some flaw in candidate selection process. Complaints are likely valid and who knows to what degree there was negligence or even malicious intent? I’m not going to go too much in to this era, because I have no experience in it. I can speak to the 2008 experience with TPG.

        I felt that they were upfront about how they would get their money and what fees would be expected to be payed out of pocket by me. I did not feel misled. The training materials and labs I worked on were average. Nothing too special, but there was some good stuff in there. I can’t say that I didn’t learn anything, because I did. More to the point, the program gave me structure and motivation to get it together and bang out a lot of tests. Here brings up an interesting point.

        Some people have commented that they felt they did not get a solid foundation and then in the same breath said the labs were too much to do in the time given. I can personally say the labs were not hard to complete in the time allotted and they did add to the overall training. Six weeks of instruction is not going to make ANYONE and expert in the field, but remember, this is a program to get people ready for an entry level position in a company. I think, at times, the expectations of those dissatisfied have simply been due to unrealistic expectations as to what they felt the program would give them in terms of hard skills. I.T. is HARD. It’s not going to come overnight and this program is a fast track and best suited for those who already have at least one year of real world experience (per their marketing).

        I don’t care to debate anyone elses experience, I’m simply going to say that mine was okay. I would say that TPG does sometimes seem a bit disorganized and does seem a bit fuzzy when it comes to discussing the “internship and placement” process. As for my future with TPG, I feel that I will not pursue phase two, but I am glad that I did do phase one. It was, in a sense, a guided mentorship for me and helped motivate me to jumpstart my certification process. The biggest reason for me not going to phase two is not the money, because I would pay 19.5% of my annual income for one year, IF I felt that they were going to go out of their way to represent me and help me secure a kick-ass job after training. I feel that this is probably the softest part of their service, and unfortunately, the core of the sales pitch. I guess each person just needs to take an objective look at what they expect to get from such a program. I think that for the money I spent, in total, it was worthwile and I would recommend Phase one to anyone who wants to get their MCSA/MCNA certifications in eight weeks and has around a grand to throw at it.

        In conclusion, I feel that each candidate will likely get out of the program close to what they personally put in to it. TPG will not turn C- motivation in to A+ results. You gatta do the work, you gatta take it seriosly. I do, however, recognize a soft spot in the companies presentation of the internship and placement process and can believe that others have had a hard time after finishing the program. I think for the amount of money that they are taking (which is significant), they should already have strategic partnerships with partner consulting companies ready to scoop up successful candidates. The fact that this key component is missing probably speaks a little to the quality of the training program as well as a lack of execution in this area of their business model. Sorry to those who felt they got “Robbed”, but my experience has been that they are pretty straight shooters and not the frauds that some would have you believe.

        Regards,
        Mike Cram

        • #2568402

          About phase one

          by zeoten ·

          In reply to Opinion of current student… phase one complete.

          Hi. I emailed lanwanprofessionals my resume recently. They emailed me a 16 page application. I decided not to apply.

          I was wondering about how much money you payed in total for phase one. In the application it says a total of $495 (for materials) for stage1. I also see that there are miscellaneous fees: $95 for application, $295 for registration, and $49 for shipping and handling. Did they make you sign any type of confidential agreement? Did they try and coerce you into stage2? Since you opted out of phase2, did they try and make you pay anything else?

          If you would like to email me privately, you can do so at zeoten AT gmail DOT com

        • #2910757

          Are you Kidding me?

          by drewblood80 ·

          In reply to Opinion of current student… phase one complete.

          So have you gotten a job????
          You are still in the brainwashed stage.
          It is ok. Just wait.
          You will find out later how much was left out.
          I went in 2006.
          Mr. Blood

      • #2961694
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