I paid $600.00 to American Hypnosis Clinic which guaranteed for life, for me to be hypnotized to help me stop smoking. I did stop for some months then started smoking again. I looked up AHC on the internet and found out that they were out of business and the original(I believe)manwho started the program is offering to give me a discount on treatments.

I think this is wrong but I don't know what to do about it.

Does anyone have an answer? This was a nationwide program.

Hello l:

Sure, I have an answer. Sue him.

But, first you need to do a little investigation.. If his company was/is a corporation, and your agreement is with the corporation, and not HIM, you need to sue the corporation.

It, however, may have declared bankruptcy, or it may have NO assets. For your purposes, it doesn't matter. You won't collect.

The above is the most likely scenario, but if it wasn't incorporated, you need to sue him personally, and that's going to be hard if he doesn't live in your state...

A class action lawsuit ain't going to happen.

excon

Thanks, excon. I had no idea what to do. Guess I just have to suck it up and realize I was had.

Hi guys,

My name is Larry Volz and I began the American Hypnosis Clinic, Inc. in 2002.

I had seen what great results can happen with hypnosis and was frustrated by the fact that people didn't know how to find reputable hypnotists and that hypnotists who were great with helping individuals tended to be lousy at self-promotion.

So I put together a business that grew from my one little office to a nationwide network where we did all the advertising and screened the therapists and got feedback from the clients to make sure they had the best care we could give them.

We were in business for four years and hoped that we would be in business forever and we gave lifetime guarantees being idealists and optimists that were doing well. It was the American dream.

Unfortunately, later it became the American nightmare. Our economy took a downturn and our advertising stopped bringing in enough clients to pay for itself. Within six months we had no way to pay our hypnotherapists or our creditors and my wife (at the time) and co-owner of the company took my entire life savings so I had no buffer to try and keep it afloat as we tried to fix things. Soon-after she sued to take the business amidst an ugly divorce and I had no choice to let it go since she had literally taken every penny I had. She took over full ownership of the business and ran it the last year until she realized she couldn't fix it either.

In the process both she and I lost our housess, our car, our marriage, our livelihoods.

We have both had to start over and it's taken us years. Now I run a small private practice from other people's offices and make a decent living for my kids and I and help people change habits one on one and entertain on the side. But I am not rich, never was, and never will be. I don't have resources to provide therapy to the clients of 195 different therapists or provide refunds from money that went to my ex-wife, lawyers, advertisers and therapists.

It is a shame that big businesses go under, but far from being some nameless rich bastard or scam artist out to get anyone, I really did want to help people.

So understand that suing a company that no longer exists and has nothing to give would be fruitless and, as I've put in writing, as ex-CEO I am sorry it went down the way it did.

I'm sorry you lost your money and I'm sorry the company I founded failed you. All I can do now is serve individuals the best I can and move on.

Although I can't afford to service the thousands of clients who have lost money, I have tried to give what I can by offering therapy for those local to me at $75 an hour, which is half of my normal rate and what I need to break even and pay my rent and for my assistant and something towards my own bills. If I had unlimited time and money I'd take everyone for free, but I cannot. It's all I can do.

For those of you who are not near me, if you really want to quit smoking or succeed with hypnosis at another goal, please don't let this experience sour you on hypnosis. For those who are psychologically ready to succeed it is statistically proven to be the best method available bar none.

Best of luck to all of you.

Larry Volz,
Ex-CEO of American Hypnosis Clinic

Hello Larry:

Thanks for telling us that. I now recommend that she DOESN'T sue you.

You'll come back.

excon

Thanks excon. I appreciate that.

I kind of feel like I have come back. I'm just running a small therapy office where I help people one on one and entertain on the side and am enjoying a simpler life now.

All the best to you!

Lar