When it comes to describing himself, New Zealander Phil Jones drains the dictionary of superlatives. According to Jones, he's successful, he's a multi-millionaire, he's an expert, he's an entrepreneur, he's an author, he's a man of integrity and he's a mentor.
Best of all, if you give Phil Jones $4,995 he’ll also become a magician.
In his advertisements, Jones promises to turn your humble $4,995 into $150,000. At his seminars – which he holds on both sides of the Tasman – Phil Jones urges hopeful millionaires (those who want to be just like Phil) to get in quick. Yes, before they ask some obvious questions.
Such as why doesn’t Jones just turn his own $4,995 into $150,000 and then keep doing it at the same rate? He could turn $49,995 into $1.5 million. And then he could turn $499,500 into $15 million.
But why stop there?
Using his magic formula, Jones could then turn his $15 million into a whopping $450 million. One more roll of his magic dice and he’d turn that $450 million into a stratospheric $13.5 billion.
The reason Phil Jones doesn’t use his own magic formulas to turn himself from a multi-millionaire into a multi-billionaire is simple. Phil likes to help people. He’s a caring guy. He wants to change the world for the better. He wants to educate consumers so that they can generate a better lifestyle for themselves and support charities. Just like he does. What a guy. What a mentor.
With such a noble character, it’s easy to understand why Phil Jones is rather upset that so many apparently respected people don’t share Phil’s opinion of Phil.
Last month, the New Zealand Consumers’ Institute wrote an article about one of Phil’s pals – a guy called Daniel Kertcher. Phil had been urging consumers to attend Kertcher’s seminars on how to get rich trading options. Kertcher’s magical share techniques were even more impressive than Phil Jones’s magical property techniques. “The challenge is to turn two grand into a million,” said Kertcher.
Phew, no wonder Phil Jones, with his passion to help consumers, was encouraging people to pay thousands to Kertcher.
But the Consumers’ Institute were, to put it mildly, rather critical of Kertcher, not just for his share trading activities, but for his past property activities. In a 2001 headline which screamed “Watch out for these people”, the Consumers’ Institute featured a photo of Kertcher together with a story about how he ripped-off an elderly man on just one of his many dodgy Gold Coast apartment deals. In this example, the 69 year-old lost $86,000.
Phil Jones probably knew nothing about Kertcher’s crooked past. After all, why would a multi-millionaire hell-bent on profits read a non-profit magazine for consumers?
And so, it’s only natural that Jones would accuse the journalist of being “unfair”. Rightly so. “Daniel Kertcher is an accredited derivatives adviser, certified by the Australian Stock Exchange,” said Jones. Kertcher is back at the Gold Coast this month. But instead of property investing, it’s share investing. The get-rich promises are the same.
Over the past few weeks, Jones’s critics have come from all directions. An article in New Zealand’s National Business Week, a highly respected publication, is none too flattering about Phil Jones. How rude of the journalist to criticise Phil’s seminar and his methods.
And those personal comments were so unnecessary.
Describing Jones as “a stocky man with unnerving orange eyebrows” was just not, well, politically correct. Even if Jones is a tad on the podgy side, was there any need to mention it? After all, it was a get rich seminar, not a get fit seminar.
And so what if he wears a chunky gold ring packed with carats of diamonds? Isn’t that proof that he is what he says he is – a multi-millionaire? Leave the lad alone.
Jones, quite understandably, was not pleased with the article. He called it “a journalistic joke” and said many of the statements were “extremely misleading”.
And how dare the journalist refer to his seminars as pushing “a get rich quick scheme”. Alright, so the seminar was called “How you can Retire Young, Retire Rich in under 4 years. Guaranteed!” Call that quick? Four years is snail’s pace in the magical world of property spruiking. Henry Kaye can do it in six months. And, besides, Phil Jones has only been in business for a shade over two years. Come on, be fair. As Phil protested, this is “trial by media.”
All this nasty picking-on-Phil stuff. Perhaps, as is common to many entrepreneurs, he’s just misunderstood, that’s all.
So, it’s quite understandable why Phil would be threatening legal action against many of his critics lately. Last month, Phil Jones wrote to one of his critics saying, “It is completely unacceptable that any individual anywhere is treated in this sinister (sic), unfair and unethical manner by someone who seeks to assassinate others (sic) character using lies, falsaties (sic) and deception.” Yea, you tell ‘em, Phil.
Perhaps Phil Jones’s critics have made a terrible mistake. Perhaps he really is a good guy who cares about consumers. And perhaps he is misunderstood.
After all, what’s so bad about targeting Australia’s drought stricken farmers? And wrapping? And charging several thousand dollars to find “great deals” at wholesale prices? Golly, people can buy them at wholesale and, according to Phil, immediately re-sell them at retail prices. What’s wrong with that?
And what’s wrong with threatening critics with law suits? The truth has to be suppressed. Sorry, the falsehoods have to be suppressed.
In fairness to Phil Jones, a respected journalist from a respected publication should do a thorough investigation of his activities.
Or perhaps the regulatory authorities could help Phil by doing their own investigation. Clear his name, so to speak.
As one journalist commented on hearing a recent rumour that Phil Jones is soon to be investigated by the authorities – “We live in hope”.
*Neil Jenman is a real estate authority and author.
