UPDATE (September 2): The owner of NRU Enterprises has responded to this post in the comments section. Apparently this is part of the Nouveau Riche University which is both a real estate investing course as well as a set of services intended to help graduates of their course succeed. As a business opportunity, I'd say that you need to make your own evaluation. Here's a link to their Wikipedia entry and a CNN Money article to get you started.
Let me state I am making no evaluation of Nouveau Riche University's program as a scam or not. There are plenty of pro and con posts to be found online if you look. My post regarded a telephone solicitation that purported to be for a job interview rather than a meeting to discuss a business opportunity. Unfortunately some businesses do engage in a bait and switch of that type, and when I visited their site, my fears were reinforced rather than allayed. As Mr. Jachter has emphasized that they were contacting people about business opportunities rather than employment opportunities, I consider this matter closed and chalk it up to an improperly trained phone rep.
So, it's Sunday evening, around 7:15, my family and I have just finished Sunday dinner, and the phone rings. It's a guy from "NRU Enterprises" who says he got my contact information off of CareerBuilder. I'm immediately suspicious. I ask why he's calling me on a Sunday evening and he says it's because it's the best time to catch people at home. This isn't sounding good.
I ask what position they're considering me for. He says he can't tell from his boss's notes. Probably "sales or business services," he says. He was just supposed to call me to set up a meeting when I could come in and his boss could explain the various opportunities to me in more detail.
So, using telemarketer techniques (calling at dinner time... on a freakin' Sunday) AND no concrete information on the job opportunity. I'm just going to be so excited they called, I'll commit to getting dressed in my interview best and drive off to wherever to meet with them? I told the guy to have his boss call me during business hours.
Then I finish helping my wife clean up (I cooked dinner, so I got to bug out a bit early) and come upstairs to Google them. There's just their site at nruenterprises.com and something about a Nru Enterprises LLC in Clermont, Georgia. Their site resizes my browser to the size of their template (something I consider arrogant and obnoxious) and the first page says...
You have probably accessed this site because a member of our staff has contacted you about an available position. This site contains a high level summary of our scope and benefits. For detailed information, please contact us to reserve a seat at one of our overview meetings, held in the Seattle metropolitan area.
Reading more, it sounds like one of those real estate infomercials I see on late-night TV. "NRU offers a lucrative opportunity to associates who frequently earn between $10k and $50k per month."
A quick check of the NRU Enterprises site's domain record, and we find that NRUEnterprises.com didn't exist before last month. Normally, that's a big sign of a scam when applied to the financial representative job offers being spammed out of Eastern Europe. It could also mean they're just brand new, but it also means not much of a track record. Additionally, and I've checked their site a few times now, I can find nowhere on their site where they state what "NRU" stands for.
This "opportunity" presents a number of the red flags of a scam.
- Telemarketer contact techniques
- Sky-high promises
- Trying to arrange an interview without even telling you what the job is
- A domain name that's not even 8 weeks old
- And it's difficult at best to find out what NRU means on their site.
Now, I cannot say for sure that this is a scam, but the red flags above suggest that this company needs to be approached with caution. The first thing I advise is don't pay a penny for training. If they're serious about you and making an effort to find good employees for the long term, they'll invest in you. They might say that you pay for the training and then they pay you back after you've reached some milestone (because that proves you're serious or protects them against flakes), but if they need that protection they really need to be more selective, not to charge. If they ask you for ANY money, run the other way.
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Also contacted me, however on the 25th...same scenario and setup for interviews Tues. Wed. and Thurs. Unable to attend because of time conflicts, however, would be interested in the response from someone that does attend.
i got a call yesterday afternoon ( aug. 26, 2008 ) from the assistant. he said the same stuff. resume off net. looks really really good ( yeah, my ego loved it ), etc. the assistant wasn't smooth enough. yeah, i know real estate, but he didn't know how to use a phone hardly. lots of ums, er's, etc. and another site had some stuff on a nru " nouve riche university" (pardon my spelling). i don't want to make anyone else rich fast.
I have attended an interview, and was more than satisfied. I find your website to be a sham. You are a prime example of someone who will never be a multi millionaire. Maybe you should have attended the interview and found the courage as a man, to go and find out for yourself about what they have to offer you. Instead of foolishly jumping to conclusions because you are insecure or for what ever reason you took the pointless time to publish this ridicules site. I was more than happy. You sir are the one who will need luck in this life, soo good luck to you!
Nick,
If I was insecure, I'd never have allowed your comment to post.
A guy tried to get me to come in for an interview without even being able to tell me what job I was supposed to be interviewing for. Then I go to their site and it's long on big promises, but short on details.
You never answered the question of whether they're going to make you pay for classes. You didn't describe the actual job opportunity at all. You only called names and implied I wasn't man enough to go to the interview. Insults and platitudes, but no details.
It's not ridiculous to criticize this company for poor contact techniques, being long on promises and short on details, or looking like a get-rich-quick infomercial. These are all valid criticisms. And since I show up higher in the Google search results when you search for their name than they do, you'd think that they'd engage in some reputation management by clearly and professionally answering these criticisms.
All they have to do to get me to take this down or post an update that says I believe they're legit is prove to me that this is a legitimate job opportunity with no up-front costs that provides a clear and constructive path to making the kind of money they're talking about.
But when I asked their terrible phone guy to have someone call me during business hours with more details, no one did. The ball's in their court.
My call came on Sunday, August 31st and I agree the gentlemen who handles the initial contact had very few details, I honestly thought it was a valid job interview but there were those same "red flags" the call on a Sunday, couldn't answer all my questions regarding the job. I did the internet search and found your website and the one for NRU University not alot of information on them so I thought I'd go and see what they had to say. The next red flag came when I arrived and it was one of those rent a desk places in a strip mall and the person I was told to ask for was not either of the people I met with.
I was given an example of what they do, which is purchasing residential property that is in foreclosure at less than market value and selling it at market either via a wholesale or a realtor, I would of course need training. After this 20 minute presentation they ask if you're interested, I wasn't so they wouldn't tell me anything about salary or if I was expected to pay for the training. I suggested they might want to change their recruiting method as it was somewhat deceptive. Thought I'd share this information so folks can decide if this is something they want to give a try or a pass.
Greg, I recommend in life that you learn how to do comprehensive investigations before you make these sorts of destructive criticisms.
NRU Enterprises is my company -- being recently formed for the purpose of investing in real estate. We are also licensed marketers for Nouveau Riche which is the only comprehensive real estate investor education college in the country. Nouveau Riche currently has approximately 24 thousand associates across the country. Many of my colleagues who market for NR do make income in the range sited and even greater. Not all do but the potential is certainly there. If you had attended an interview, I could have shown that to you.
As a new company, some of our appointment setting people are brand new and may not have developed the kind of eloquence you would like them to have. They did not explain the details to you since they were not yet qualified to present them. However, they referred you to me and if the ball was dropped, I apologize. We try to never let that happen. Since you examined our site (kind of) you may have seen that our correct contact information is posted.
I have no idea what you found in Clermont, Georgia. We have no presence there. We are actually located in Bellevue Washington.
However, NRU Enterprises is the furthest thing from a scam and we are working very hard to make it successful.
If you are really interested in NRU Enterprises, call us at the posted phone number: 360-603-4047, ask for me and I'll fill you in.
Now the ball's in your court. Once you actually learn what we do and how we do it, I hope you'll either have the courtesy to update your site or remove it.
Thank You.
Howard, I'm not claiming that NRU is a scam. What I'm questioning is whether it is the type of job opportunity your appointment setter presented.
It was presented as a job interview and I suspected it might be a bait-and-switch to sell your classes. So my questions are simple...
1: Are the appointments your people are setting intended solely to help you find employees who would work for you and receive a paycheck from you?
2: Is any attempt made to sell classes, or other products or services to people who come in for these interviews?
3: Is there any multi-level marketing component involved in reaching the income levels you describe? If so, is there an investment required to join that?
4: Can someone who comes in and interviews reach these income levels without investing any of their own capital or taking out any loans?
BTW, I went back to Howard's site and still didn't see a mention of "Nouveau Riche University," but now that he's claimed affiliation, here's a CNN Money article on Nouveau Riche University. You can draw your own conclusions as to whether that's a company you'd want to work for.
And just to respond to one of Howard's points: he said, regarding the appointment setter, "they did not explain the details to you since they were not yet qualified to present them."
1: Why are you putting unqualified people on the phone?
2: All I asked was what the job was. He couldn't even tell me in a broad sense. He said it might be in one of four areas, though likely one of two of those. Beyond that, he couldn't say. Forget the fine details. How about just telling me the title or a one sentence summary of the job? That's far from having to "explain the details," yet he couldn't even do that.
I went in for an interview with NRU Enterprises about 2 weeks ago. They called me on my telephone and said I had good qualifications -- real estate experience and sales backround. The guy I spoke with was extremely knowledgeable and professional. I never got the impression that they were misrepresenting themselves in any way....they told me it was a business opportunity, not your typical 9-5 job. These guys have quite a bit going on, they offer a bunch of different real estate investing activities going on and they are looking for partners. I have another interview next week with them, and I stumbled onto this site through a search engine.
Just to make it clear, they have opportunities for absolutely no cost, and they also have real estate education for people like me, interested in becoming real estate investors.
Anyway, hope this helps...I'm going in for a final interview with them to discuss selling their education opportunities with them soon.
As far as whether or not they're a scam...they have an office, with people who are obviously employed and happy, many of which I've personally spoken with and seem to be doing quite well for themselves. This isn't your typical run of the mill sales experience, and they are selective with who they bring in.
Happy Blogging,
William
Greg,
These are legitimate questions. Since you obviously have a sincere and profound interest in our business I invite you to contact me with any questions. I have already forwarded my business and personal contact information to you. In addition, our contact information is on the web site and I will be happy to spend the necessary time so that you have a clear understanding. I also invite you to visit our office in Bellevue and we can show you, in detail, what we're working on. Marketing Nouveau Riche education facilitates our primary real estate investment focus. Current real estate projects include pre-foreclosures and new construction in the Gulf Opportunity Zone (areas impacted by hurricane Katrina).
Regarding your concerns, neither Nouveau Riche nor NRU Enterprises are network marketing concerns. This is not to say that network marketing is any way unethical. We just don't operate according to that model. I also will invite you to attend a Nouveau Riche briefing, which we hold in Bellevue. At that briefing, you will have the opportunity to speak directly to dozens of NR associates and can gauge their experience first hand. I did that myself while I was performing due diligence on Nouveau Riche before partnering with them.
And yes, Nouveau Riche does sell their education to us and our partners. The education is not free to us or to other investors. We make this clear up front.
NRU Enterprises business model involves contacting qualified candidates and discussing our business "opportunity" which does involve marketing, real estate and education. We do not offer candidates a job but prefer to develop "partnerships" with qualified candidates. We make every effort to screen out candidates who must have a salary at the initial contact as this opportunity may not be for them. It appears there was a misunderstanding in your initial contact -- so for clarity, NRU Enterprises offers opportunities which can be lucrative for candidates with the appropriate skills and perseverance. We do not promote "get rich quick" but do promote the concept of "earning what you are worth" and hard work.
Even the CNN Money article describes the high level of success achieved by Ben and Heather Echevarria of Nouveau Riche. We're privileged to work directly with Ben and Heather on a daily basis as do our partners.
I hope I have provided some clarification. At this point, I do not plan any further contributions to this blog. However, I invite anyone of your readers to contact us directly to find out farther about the opportunities at NRU. We will hold nothing back and along with your own due diligence encourage you to make up your own mind based on first hand information. That's always better.
Thanks for the opportunity to participate in your blog.
-- Howard
I attended the interview with NRU Enterprises. The ideas for business opportunity they are executing are out standing. I would have to agree with Williams post. They have several business opportunity's, between NRU Enterprises and the partners that I met at our meeting. I wasn't asked for any money for anything. It shows that they support Nouveau Riche University, this was clear. This is not a requirement to be a partner or to take advantage of any business opportunity they have offered to me as far as I have been informed. I have looked into to the university as well, and I would say you are not educated if you feel that Nouveau Riche University is a "get rich quick scam". I fully plan on attending the University for its next classes. It offers great education from people who have made millions is real estate.
I would also have to agree with William when talking about the assistant that contacted me about my resume. He explained that his boss had interest in the resume, and would like to speak to me at an interview. He sounded very intelligent, and did not make me skeptical about the company at all, or in any way. He did not have to much on the specifics about the company for me when I asked about it, or about any of their opportunities. Nor did I expect the company's CEO's assistant to know. I wouldn't expect someone who's job is to deal with scheduling of a company to preform an interview or know how the interview process works. If he did, then it would be his job to conduct the interviews. It was clear that if I wanted my specific questions answered then I should go to the interview because that is what it was there for. I was very happy with what the company had to show me. I think NRU Enterprises has a bright future in real estate. (It is a shame you won't be a part of the success.)
I think if anyone has any interest in real estate, marketing, or being educated in real estate it is a must to look into NRU Enterprises! Some people in this world simply are not interested in making money to become financial free, and would like to work 8 to 12 hours a day for there whole life. These people will not be interested in NRU Enterprises from what I have gathered in my personal experiences thus far. Otherwise, again I would highly recommend this company.
To close, I would also have to say Greg that I would have to agree with Nick's comment. I would recommend that you look into Nouveau Riche University your self, and get educated so you can put your time into something useful, that won't waste peoples time. I would also say if you are so worried about scams, you should create a website that attempts to criticize these late night info commercials that you speak of. As apposed to an honest company, that is trying to create success for all parties involved!
Again I agree with William,
Happy blogging..
Jason
Greg,
I also received a deceptive phone call on a Sunday afternoon, and I agreed to go in to find out what it was all about after seeing your blog. Unlike possibly most of the people on here, I have a PHD in street smarts and I check out everything as much as I can. When I arrived for the interview I looked for the name of the company on the building, and couldn't find it. When I looked up I noticed that it was an office rental space building. Big red flag for me. I went into the lobby and there were two other people waiting to see Mr. Jachter as well. At that point I knew I wasn't there for a job interview for sure, but I still wanted to see what would take place anyway. Once inside the office with another "applicant" and the person that was explaining their intentions of Real Estate Investing & Marketing to us, I got a real bad feeling about it. And as I listened to this person speak, his "facts" weren't correct. He also seemed to have a story that tied whatever he spoke about to himself and how he's making more money now, but his body language, (lack of eye contact with either of us as he was stating these tie-ins) and hesitance told me he was lieing. They may be legit with a license etc. but their tactics suggest deception, and perhaps dishonesty down the road. I wouldn't do business with them. But, that's just my opinion from the vibes I got from the experience. And I'm very good at spotting "game".
SB,
I can’t agree with the previous post. These guys absolutely know what they’re talking about. They do conduct interviews from shared office space but when I was there I noticed that Marriott was also sharing office space there. Would you say Marriott is a scam then? My interaction with NRU has been highly professional. The “facts” that the NRUE team reviewed with me about short sells checked out with other contacts that I have that are in this business. In fact these other experts were impressed with the strategies and level of detail that the team from NRUE shared. Besides, I like they guys who work there. They bend over backwards to answer all my questions and help me every step of the way in our evolving partnership.
Yours Truly,
Jason
SB,
Pat yourself on the back for having the ability to recognize that these guys are scam artists. NRU is not accredited by anyone in the world. They will try to tell you that they have a ACE recommendation, which is NOT ACCREDITATION. ACE is a lobbying group out of D.C. and if you want to pay their dues you to can be a member and claim that you are accredited. This can be simply verified by calling the US Department of Education and they will tell you that NRU is not a University.
They are a fake, make believe University. They lie to people telling them that they are a University. I have had encounters with these so called students and NRU teachers on several occasions and they have no idea what they are talking about.
Don't be fooled by these hacks. Learn this information for free on you own.