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ABOUT THE RIPOFF REPORT BELOW:
Ripoff Report would like to let readers know that Ripoff Report emailed this customer so the member business could make things right with them. When a business joins the Corporate Advocacy Program, Ripoff Report emails everyone from the past so the member business can make things right with them. Of course, everything within reason. In order to confirm that the complaints were resolved, Ripoff Report is copied on all responses so we can insure that the member business did right by their customer. The author of the Ripoff Report below never responded to our offer to help them.
NOW TO THE ORIGINAL REPORT THAT WAS FILED
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Statement from Office Manager:
10/7/16: Dentist and Office Manager attended the first day of meetings at Sterling HQ located at 350 W Arden Ave. Glendale, CA 91203. The following is Office Manager’s statement of the first day:
“We were greeted by Barbara and ushered into the office for an interview with Dan. Dan sat down one-on-one with me and Dr. one after the other. I went first. In our interview, Dan mentioned Scientology for the first time. Up to this point I had not heard one mention of Scientology, nor Sterling’s relationship to the Church of Scientology. Dan asked me if I knew anything about it. I said I had heard mostly negative things and had heard about the documentary ‘Going Clear.’ I asked him what Sterling had to do with Scientology and his response was: ‘Nothing. L. Ron Hubbard is the creator of both the Sterling Management Systems and Scientology, but there is a separation between the secular and religious here at Sterling.’ That statement proved to be utterly false, which I can prove by comparing the materials with which we were proselytized at Sterling.
After the meeting with Dan, we met with Ginny Boehme, a consultant at Sterling. Instead of the discussion we had been promised by Ginny previously regarding numbers, incentive programs, and financial data, we were instead subjected to high-pressure sales tactics and an attempt to pressure us into paying for an additional ‘Executive Management Course.’ As part of this sales pitch, Ginny reviewed the questionnaires filled out by our staff with us. She painted a doomsday, apocalyptic scenario of what would happen to our office and Dr. personally if we did not take the Executive Management Course from Sterling. I have an audio recording of nearly the entire meeting. Ginny’s high pressure sales tactics were unmistakably similar to those employed in industries such as used cars and commissioned retail salespersons. Those tactics have no business in an industry like consulting.
After we refused to sign up for the Executive Management Course, we were ushered into a room to study Scientology masquerading as a management course. This useless course, which was the ‘Essentials of Practice Management’ consisted of studying L. Ron Hubbard’s core principles of the Church of Scientology including ‘clearing words,’ ‘absence of mass,’ ‘too steep a gradient,’ and ‘misunderstood words.’ These teachings, which Sterling claims are ‘secular’ are indistinguishable from the core tenets of the Church of Scientology, as can be proven here in the Handbook of Scientology: http://www.scientologyhandbook.org/study/chapter1.htm. We were treated like children and had to sign out on a sheet of paper to take a restroom break. We were carefully supervised, including through a one-way mirror that concealed a smaller unknown room on one side and the classroom on the other.
We left on Friday (10/7/16) and did not return to Sterling. We have our own religious tradition and did not feel comfortable being unknowingly proselytized into another religion without our permission. I sent an email to Sterling on 10/10/16 informing them that we were cancelling the course and would be requesting a refund, as per our contract with them. I also left a voice message for Barbara Wilson on 10/17/16 to discuss the issue, but as of yet have not received a reply. I tried to call Ginny Boehme 10/17/16 as well, but she refused to take my call. I will continue to reach out and make a good faith effort to resolve this issue with Sterling.” I have called numerous times since then to speak with Ginny, Barbara or Dana, anyone I can to resolve this issue. No one has returned my calls. I received one email from Dana informing me that they would refund one small portion of the fee which is nowhere near what they should be refunding. Dana also attempted to proselytize me again by sending a letter from a Dentist who is a Christian and feels no conflict between the principles of Scientology and his religion.
10/27/16: As of today, Sterling has made no effort to contact us, and all Sterling employees have avoided our calls.
See also for reference:
1) 1991 TIME Magazine cover story: "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" by Richard Behar. He mentions Sterling by name as a scheme intended to lure dentists and other professionals into the trap of Scientology.
2) Dental Consulting Scams: www.dentistrymanagement.com/consulting-scams For a complete breakdown of Sterling's dishonest business practices.