A few weeks ago, everyone in our office received a flier promoting the Get Motivated! seminar on Jan. 31st at the Hawaii Convention Center. The opportunity to see Colin Powell, Laura Bush and Joe Montana speak for the ridiculously low price of $1.95 ($9.95 for the whole office) seemed like a deal too good to be true.

Some coworkers asked senior managers if they could attend the seminar. Our company allows time off for professional development training, and pays for part or all of the fees. Not this time. Our publisher shared a story from the Riverfront Times, which sums up what happened at a Get Motivated! seminar in St. Louis. The publicized speakers deliver and motivate, but in between those speakers are sales pitches for programs and more seminars to make you wealthy. Signing up for these extras will give your credit card a recurring charge, but you can avoid it if you cancel quickly. (The company has even gotten a good review regarding consumer complaints on the RipOff Report.)

Other media outlets, including USA Today and Cleveland Scene, also have reported on the company’s questionable practices. The speakers sound like they’ll be motivating, but be cautious of signing anything and read the fine print first. As for me, I’m not keen on sales pitches and any sort-of “get wealthy” programs, so I’m going to sit this one out.

But what about you? Are you planning on attending the seminar? I’d love to hear about your experience.

Update 9:20 a.m., Jan. 23, 2012: I just received another Get Motivated! mailer.

Photos: Jason Ubay