Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

FYI, I also submitted an idea to Harvey for evaluation, that's what the $180 is for, he doesn't guarantee anything but an honest unbiased evaluation, should he like your idea his working with you is a bonus, if you don't mind him taking his cut of the royalties, which he clearly states on his website.

He did not choose to try to license my idea, but he did give me an honest evaluation, which he clearly spent some time on and which I found well worth the money spent. I thought I had done my homework but he showed me examples of similar products ( When you think you've researched it enough, research it some more! )

As for sending him an idea with no patent or patent pending, you both sign a non-disclosure agreement, which, if I'm not mistaken, is a legally binding contract, i.e. you can sue him.

Is this idea dead?, maybe..maybe not, I just wish I had waited on the provisional patent I put on it. I'm glad I didn't have a prototype made. ( I did however, pay to have someone do a 3D CAD drawing, which by the I was very pleased with and it only cost me $30, 'ain't Craigslist wonderful?)

Harvey does seem to be low-tech, but I have 2 ideas which are just that and I plan on giving him another shot. The first idea I'm not sure is even patentable, but it is trademarkable, both I'm going to forgo until I get an evaluation. Why spend money when you don't have to?

I should have this next evaluation by the new year and I'll post the outcome here.

I'm a newbie to this, but I'm having a blast and I'm sure I'll see one of my ideas on a store shelf soon.

Thank, PD

Glad you had a better experience than I did. The quality of the response I received was very disappointing and the overall interaction was extremely unprofessional. I have absolutely no problem spending $180 to get meaningful feedback - even if it is to tell me that the idea is not viable. Unfortunately, that's not what I got.

I wanted to just share my experience with Harvey Reese so far.

I have a patented idea which I have two large manufacturing companies interested in partnering with me and producing. They are both excited about my idea and nation wide manufacturing companies. I read Harvey Reese's book How to License and decided it sounded easier to fit into my life than partnering and doing all of the hard work producing my product.

Before deciding which way to go I chose to send my idea to Harvey for review. I paid the $189.00 and sent all the information and pictures via his money4ideas website.

I requested confirmation on the items sent and the customer service was brief and unprofessional. I was told my "report" would arrive in a few days.

The report I received was completely factually incorrect. It described something completely different than what I sent. It was like they read someone elses submission and sent the very report to me. It also stated no manufacturing company would say Wow! and that no one would actually use this item.....whats funny is TWO companies LOVE it and want to partner financially with me.

It also stated in the report ," The hard truth is that even under the best circumstances, companies instinctively hate signing licensing deals. They hate paying royalties to outsiders.".. Something his site and book failed to mention.Thought maybe you would like to know this fact before you pay for the pipe dream they sell you.

I paid $189.00 and they did not even read the description of my patent. Huge waste of money. I have asked for my money back since they obviously did not read the submission due to the description being completely incorrect and not even close to what I invented and patented. I will let you know what the response to my request for a refund from Harvey Reese. (stay tuned)

I contacted Harvey Reece today. Here is the letter I sent to him, his response and my response back to him.

These are emails after I recieved Harvey Reese Report, which is what he sents to everyone that uses his services. It's simply sections from his book. Will not pertain to any of your submissions. I feel that Harvey Reese Does Not evaulate any of the submission are submitted. His services would be a waste of your Money. Go Find a face to face agent that you can actually go in the office and talk. Harvey Reese May not have as many inventions as he say. If you look him up on the web the address is wrong He has change the numbers around but the real address he does not use. he is a liar, The phone numbers he provide are fax numbers yet he does not offer an option to fax your submission or anything else. The number is a fake out. I got sucked in to him before I dug deeper out of being in a hurry. Please Lets stop his scam. DO NOT USE HIS SERVICES YOU WILL BE VERY DISAPPOINTED, HE DO NOT PUT FORTH NO EFFORT TO OBTAINING ANYTHING FOR ANYONE AND READ CAREFULLY AND SEE FOR YOURSELF....

THIS IS THE LAST AND FINAL EMIAL I SENT TO HIM

In fact Mr. Reese you do claim to try and get a licensing deal that is what you are selling, as an agent. You also claim not to be like the other companies that offer just an evaluation, And you do try and sell your poorly presented books. I did pay you to put forth the effort and I really thank you for admitting that you did not, you are false advertising misleading info. The services you provide and the services you offer are two different things.  Now why don't you ask around. Look Mr. Reese we can go back and forth with this but I will not, so you keep the money and thank you, You seem to believe that what you are doing is OK, well I will Pray for you and your Scams ways and hope that your last submission be your last. As many as I can reach and warn about you I will. If I can sue you even just for principle I will. I will report you to the BBB and any other services that marks you as a do not waste your MONEY!! There are too many people that work too hard for their money and don't need a person like you out there to rip us off. At least with the other companies they you hear the bull because they don't lie about what they use your money for.  And selling you things are their jobs. But for you, you say you are better when in fact you are beneath them because you do the same but give the impression that you are a agent.   Because you are false advertising and scamming folks. I will not fight with you back and forth Thur email,  on this matter. However I would like you to know and feel that you are a piece of SHIT and a thief. Keep the money I hope your buck stops NOW!!! --- On Sun, 1/16/11, Harvey Reese <thereeseco@aol.com> wrote: From: Harvey Reese <thereeseco@aol.com> Subject: Re: I received your report today Date: Sunday, January 16, 2011, 3:24 PM   What I said is absolutely true -- a product such as you describe COULD be made.  That's not the problem.  What you refuse to confront is the simple fact that you do not have an original, exciting new idea - what you're proposing has been done and redone.  You keep dancing around that issue instead of facing it squarely.  Instead you prefer calling me names because you don't like my printing and don't like my address and don't like my phone setup.  This is not a fairyland where companies send out royalty checks just for the fun of it.  You have to give them something of substance - something wonderful that they've never seen or heard of before - something with a great deal of commercial value that will give them a new sources of income.  Your product doesn't do that and it therefore stands no chances of being licensed.  Of course I made no effort to licensee it - why should I?  That's not part of the deal. You paid me for my evaluation - nothing more. You didn't pay me to invest my time and money on a project that I have no confidence in.  That's just common sense. Lots of my own products don't get licensed -- but I don't call those people crooks just because they didn't like my idea or call them scam artists because I don't like the way they part their hair. . It's just business. ideas come and go. None are "my baby"  I move on, and I suggest you do as well.      Harvey Reese Money4ideas.com PS: Check out my newest book: The 12 Amazing Secrets if Millionaire Inventors. Lots of great information. -----Original Message----- From: To: Harvey Reese <harvey@money4ideas.com> Sent: Sun, Jan 16, 2011 3:02 pm Subject: Re: I recieved your report today Mr. Reese, No in no way am I happy with the evaluation because you are very misleading. 1st of all you are not the man you say you are- nor do I believe that you can in fact do what you say you can do... Explain if you see the potential in this idea...   Your evaluation Reply  mailed to me: YOUR WORDS "let me say that you have intelligently presented the idea in your submission material and I there fore believe I have a clear understanding of this product concept in terms of its design and its function. Designing and Manufacturing a product approximating how you envision it would not present any difficulties- and I can see no reason why it wouldn't work, at least in a general way as you intended it to"   Yet you put NO EFFORT into presenting it. When I call you a crook and a scam you say I'm lashing out.   Your Reply to me: "First - you're upset because we made no effort to seek a licensee for your idea."    My Reply to you: No Mr. Reese I am not upset that you did not get me a licensing deal, But I am upset that you put FORTH NO EFFORT of getting a licensing deal, and frankly I don't think you ever do! That's your RIPOFF I will take a wild guess to say you have a file cabinet full of good ideas that people have submitted, and because you do not have the CONTACTS that you claim to have you send all of us the same pages of your book and and call it a day. You do not attempt!!!. You don't even put any thought into what you send out.   So you see Mr. Reese, if you had the Contact as you say. Where do you think we would be now?   The 1st week of the year was a Consumer Electronic Show were you there?     Mr. Reese I have heard that with age comes wisdom, and as a 79 yr old man I would think that you would be smart at least smarter than you are claiming.   Your Reply to My email: Second, you're upset because our phone number and fax number is the same thing.  It is.  Why that should bother you is a mystery.   My Reply to you: And the mystery for my wanted a phone number, is that it shows how much of a crook you really are. As well as the address that you have on your cards is wrong. It should be: *** **ST Not- 614 8th st.    Your Reply to me: And why you should complain about the quality of our photocopies is even a bigger one.  I suppose when you want to complain, one reason is as good as the next.    My Reply: The mere quality of the paperwork you sent to me was garbage. The $189.00 I sent to you you should have at least purchased a color ink cartridge. The evaluation was tacky and gave me the feel that you are a joke, and a Scam. You did not provide me with constructive criticism on my idea you provided me with a general lecture of how to...   So you see Mr. Reese I can't afford to give away money, I will be needing that $189.00 back as soon as possible. Or I this will give me something to do legally.   I have presented the idea to some electronic companies Thur networking and have come to find out that you are not as well known as you say.   You have no integrity and you will be labeled as a ripoff. I would like you to refund my $189.00 Thank you!   --- On Sun, 1/16/11, Harvey Reese <thereeseco@aol.com> wrote: From: Harvey Reese <thereeseco@aol.com> Subject: Re: I recieved your report today Date: Sunday, January 16, 2011, 11:41 AM Hello:   I'm sorry you were unhappy with our evaluation of your idea -- but we feel the best benefit we can provide is to report the facts as we know them to be.  For some inventors, their idea is "their baby" -- and anyone who speaks ill of it, just doesn't understand and is a crook and a charlatan. Others accept the facts staring them in the face and move on to create something better.  You can take whichever road you wish.        First - you're upset because we made no effort to seek a licensee for your idea.  That's not part of our agreement; and nowhere do we say it is. The fee is for our evaluation. period. There is no other promise.   It's only at OUR discretion, if we think the idea is interesting enough, for us to invest our time and money to look for a licensee.     Second, you're upset because our phone number and fax number is the same thing.  It is.  Why that should bother you is a mystery.  And why you should complain about the quality of our photocopies is even a bigger one.  I suppose when you want to complain, one reason is as good as the next.  Anything is better than listening to someone else's critical analysis of your idea.      And finally, yes, we are interested in ideas only -- but they have to be fresh, original and novel  Your own idea clearly would not merit that description.  There are SO MANY similar products,  - and you have not provided us with a prototype or a whit of details to demonstrate how yours is so amazingly unique and better, that it would have been impossible to arrive at any other conclusion.  I've been in this business a long time -- and when I tell you that I would not be successful in finding a licensee for your idea - you can believe it or chose not to.  But  I'm quite sure that if you gave the same details to a dozen people in the business, they'll tell you the same thing.  If you're not willing to accept these facts, but instead simply want to lash out and insult anyone who doesn't find the idea marvelous, that's up to you.  You paid us to evaluate your idea, which we did - fully,honestly and professionally.  Someday I hope you'll reflect and realize that we gave you the truth - which is worth a lot more than the fee we charge.   Sincerely, Harvey Reese Money4ideas.com PS: Check out my newest book: The 12 Amazing Secrets if Millionaire Inventors. Lots of great information.

Having read the thread, this is how I imagine things can be for any firm offering services producing reports on whether it will take an idea or patent to licence, or on chances that an idea or patent is likely licenceable by others:

The firm or individual is making good income (thank you very much) on taking $200 dollars (or whatever) to examine an idea or patented idea.

Only really exceptional ideas are taken on, which means that perhaps 99 out of 100 are not taken on. This figure comes out of everything being seen from the firms point of view. That is fine. It's fine if the customer is made aware of where the firm is coming from when it gives it's response to taking the idea to licensing. This has everything to do with the 1 in 100 figure, or 99 out 100.

The other issue is reporting on whether the idea has merit never-the-less. Not talking here of the 99 out of 100 figure. This is very important for the customer. But, this part of a report that can suffer, or the part that can be not adequately done. Because, soon as it is decided the firm is not interested, there is not much motivation to put much time and effort into this part of the report.  The money is made already on these 99 out of 100 cases.

Obviously, a good firm will try to do a good job on letting the customer know the merits/problems of the ideas that it decides not to take on to licensing. Possibly the key part of the report for many.

My 2 cents.