Apply Knowledge LLC
Also known as: Apply Knowledge Institute, Coaching Department.
The FTC alleged that Apply Knowledge and related defendants sold work-from-home kits and business coaching with false earnings claims. Settlement orders restricted the defendants, and the FTC made refund distributions in 2019 and 2021.
Resolved. Refunded, settled, ceased operating, or the claim did not hold up. Kept for the record.
Identity
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- Registrations
- FTC v. Apply Knowledge LLC (FTC case 132-3121, 2014)
- Jurisdictions
- United States (federal)
The FTC alleged a business coaching scheme used false earnings claims
Apply Knowledge LLC, also doing business as Apply Knowledge Institute and Coaching Department, was among the companies in a work-from-home business coaching operation. The FTC alleged that the operation first sold kits costing $37 to $99, then sold coaching that generally cost $3,000 to $12,000. Consumers were told they could earn thousands of dollars a month by establishing online businesses.
According to the complaint, most buyers did not receive a functional online business, earned little or no money, and ended up heavily in debt. The FTC also alleged misrepresentations about likely earnings and the nature of the services, along with violations of the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
A 2016 settlement prohibited Ken Sonnenberg, Apply Knowledge LLC, eVertex Solutions LLC, and Supplier Source LLC from making unsupported earnings claims and imposed a $500,000 judgment against the companies. A 2018 order resolved claims against other key participants and banned them from selling business coaching programs and investment opportunities.
The FTC mailed more than $2 million in refunds in 2019. In 2021 it sent 10,749 consumers checks totaling more than $25.6 million, funded through a settlement with a payment processor that handled payments for the operation.
What is not established
The documents describe complaints, stipulated settlement orders, and refunds. They do not describe findings reached after a trial.
Sources
Every claim above rests on one of these. Open them and check.
- Enforcement action February 24, 2014
- Enforcement action March 2, 2016
- Enforcement action April 30, 2018
- Enforcement action October 7, 2019
- Enforcement action December 8, 2021
- Enforcement action December 8, 2021
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First recorded February 24, 2014 · Last updated December 8, 2021