WARNING! ASG JET TRAINING is a fraud!

[cdn_guy]

WARNING! ASG JET TRAINING is fraud!
(ASG=American Support Group. http://www.asg-jet.com)

Here is what I’ve concluded. Below that is the story on how, based on my experience.
I would seriously advise against sending any money to this company!
(But of course, you can find out for yourself!)

1) The company is based out of some guy’s apartment in the Netherlands.
(do you know any major international air carried based out of someone’s house?)
2) They will not answer any legal questions.
3) You can not contact them on the phone. (They discourage it).
4) They will not give any pilot references.


I’ve been looking at different places to continue my training; now that I’m done with my commercial license and multi-IFR. I’ve been looking at places similar to Comair, where you pay for your training and they hire you afterwards. There’s quite a few of these places in the states so I’ve been calling around etc. trying to find which one suits my needs. Most of these places seem totally legitimate. Usually I end up talking to one of the training pilots or someone who’d normally handle inquiries. Typically very polite and helpful, after which they usually fed-ex all sorts of registration forms, legal docs, visa applications etc.

HOWEVER!
This one company I found through AvCanada, called “ASG-American Support Group,” seemed very illegitimate.
Here’s why:
1) I’ve contacted them several times over the past 3-4 months, as I was expecting to finish my license around this time and wanted to continue training. My questions were never directly answered AND the important information surrounding Visa’s, location of the facility, and the most important part: the GUARANTEE that you’ll be employed after you finished your training was all written in broken English! I understand that English isn’t everyone’s first language, so I didn’t discontinue communications. However, if I can’t understand the most important part, I’m reluctant to sign a cheque for $40000. (USD)
Follow me?
2) Anyways on the 28th of this month I was calling a couple more schools in the states to confirm that I’ll be meeting with them between the 21st and 25th of next month. (Just driving down, checking out the facility, meeting some people who are in the program, etc. All of the schools encouraged that). I figured I’d give this ASG a call, because I’m already going down there, so why not check out the facility? I call the business number on the website and some guy answers the phone in his sleep! I asked him if that number was for ASG and he said yes. Then he starts chewing me out for phoning at such an odd hour! (12:30noon central). I said, “I’m sorry, but I thought you were an international company and I expected a receptionist or phone directory to answer and give me a North American contact number.” Apparently this business is the “4th largest jet operator in the United States,” but the head office is based out of some guy’s apartment in the Netherlands!!! Does this not seem like a fraud to you!?
Does a normal business in North America run out of somebody’s apartment in the Netherlands?!???? (Is Air Canada really based in some guy’s apartment in Yugoslavia?)
3) After that conversation I emailed the website again, thinking MAYBE this could be a mistake. (I’m an optimist…) I asked “I couldn’t understand the information you sent to me. I tried to contact your company via phone and ended up waking somebody. Are you based out of someone’s house!?!. If you are, this makes me nervous!”
Finally, I got a very long, non-generic reply that went like this:

“When I read in an add "Only applications through our website will be accepted" I will abide this request and would not have the nerves just to call.
It also states that our office is in The Netherlands. As excellent pilot you probably have never heard about any time differences in the world at all. You just pick up the phone and call as you probably do always what you like and what you think you should do.”

Please note that I never received anything saying they only conduct communications through their website AND in one of my emails it said “if you have any further comments feel free to contact us.” And it had his phone number on the signature. I don’t think a legitimate company will discourage phone calls! (none of the other places did…. actually, I think most of the places called me first, after I emailed them.)
There’s more to the email I received, but it basically just says that I’m an idiot for calling and that I’ll never make anything of myself… thank you ASG!

That pretty much sums it up…
If anybody has any questions about what I said, please feel free to contact me at cdn_guy2ca@yahoo.ca.
I promise, I wont call you an idiot if I said something unclear.

Cheers,
Brook