internationalliving.com

BEWARE!

If you enjoy reading a few mildly interesting articles on various parts of the world and possible ways to become an expat, then stick to the online magazine subscription and what the website provides ONLY! Better yet, just use the free IL postcards service to get some flavor of what possibilities exist abroad and then do your own online research about foreign places of interest to you and how to obtain Visas and plan a move overseas or consult your local library. If you are serious about moving abroad, then wisely spend your money visiting the location, and consulting a legitimate global Visa service or law firm or individual consulates here in the USA, not wasting it on fluff services.What we have discovered is that International Living has a multitude of high cost programs on all kinds of investments and services and their main aim is to sell sell sell and get a chunk of your retirement savings, all under the guise that they are trying to save you money and help you live a “richer” life outside the USA. Beware that many of the low-cost countries they champion are not particularly safe or developed, so of course they are cheaper. Just because they can find a handful of Americans who have carved out a niche life in a remote location doesn’t mean it is generally a good life plan. Unfortunately, many of the safe & sane expat locations, such as Portugal, have become so popular that they are becoming just as crowded and expensive as many popular retiree locations in the US. So just know what it is YOU are looking for and be realistic because all of IL’s claims are not that! Their job is to sell you a product (or many), not provide you a better life, so do not be fooled!Most of what International Living provides is unrealistic hype and a sales job! Beware of any of their Free Webinars because they are experts at long convincing commercials aimed at taking more of your hard earned dollars for very little usable substance in return and after you watch any of the Free Webinars, they will email hound you relentlessly to sign up. Many of their offerings willonly divert your time and money away from your original purpose of exploring an overseas retirement.AVOID GETTING SUCKED IN DEEPER AND DEEPER! RESIST feeling like you need to buy more and more from them to get “VIP/Lifetime status” or “take advantage of their best deal ending at midnight” or become a valued “charter member” or join their newest “mentoring” service etc. Most of their books and videos are low quality and you can find similar for free at the library or on YouTube. I could provide detailed accounts of multiple negative experiences we have now had through International Living’s offerings from their website to their recent in-person Denver conference to their real estate arm (RETA) to their many mentoring services and subscription services, not to mention their terrible customer service.BEWARE of the MASSIVE UPSELL and EMAIL BOMBING!DO NOT be persuaded to buy any additional products or programs unless you conduct your own outside massive due diligence and you are prepared to potentially waste or lose your money.DO NOT FALL FOR THEIR REFUND GUARANTEES! I have been lied to 3 times now by 3 different “customer service” reps about a $5000 refund I am due for a program I could not attend. I cancelled over the phone within 24 hours (there was a 30-day cancel period allowed) and was told I would receive my refund in 5-7 business days. Well, that did not happen and it has been nearly a month now since I originally cancelled. Over the weeks, I have spoken by phone to IL’s VIP Team, Concierge Team, Customer Service Dept. as well as sent a detailed email and still no refund. Today I received an email stating it will now be another 7-10 business days before I can expect to see my refund. What a joke!! This is now the 4th time I have been told just to wait a number of days and my money will be returned. Still no refund in sight and no one at IL has been willing to lift a finger to investigate why my refund is never quite processed, which leads me to believe this is simply the way they operate.DO NOT GIVE THESE PEOPLE YOUR MONEY!!! They seem all nice at first, but make no mistake, this is a MARKETING COMPANY, not a company interested in the welfare of retirees. Their business is not to save you money in retirement, but to get you to invest as much as possible in their products and programs, which claim to have all the answers to a low-cost retirement.I am speaking from experience over the last few months as my husband and I have invested time and money into many of IL’s offerings.There are some good people working through International Living, also just trying to make a living, but overall I would recommend a huge dose of caution and recognize from the get-go that this is all about selling! Choose very carefully, if at all.

Date of experience: Oct 05, 2023