The Curious Case of Non-Binary Influencer, Jeffrey Marsh
Ray of Queer Sunshine or Dubious Cloud of Doom?
UPDATE: Jeffrey Marsh, after their public shaming, has refunded me $1K. This article will remain, however, for future victims of their alleged fraudulent business practices. I have already learned that there is at least one other person who fell victim to Marsh —paying money with no services rendered by Marsh.
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If you’re a non-binary, queer, or a trans person, you probably know who Jeffrey Marsh is. They are a ray of sunshine, truly. Or at least, they appear to be...that way.
So, what is this all about, then? Am I insinuating that they are a filthy criminal? Not so sure about that, but here’s my story.
I had first heard of Jeffrey Marsh on Instagram. I found them to be so delightful, and so lovely, and so uplifting, and most of all, they aligned with my core values: always be kind, always be amazing and always be funny. Jeffrey is this person. Watching them prance about in their dangly strawberry earrings brought me so much joy and always made me laugh. Giggle, really. There was just something about them that made me feel joy and comfort. It wasn’t just Jeffrey’s fun outfits and fashion choices that drew me to them. Obviously. They were sticking up for the voiceless. I really admired their message and delivery.
Cut to May 25, 2021. I was feeling like a reheated burrito bowl of feces. Really low, really depressed, and really in my head about everything. Where was I going with my life, what am I even doing, who am I? Am I non-binary, gay, queer, trans? Who the fuck am I, anyway? Could the strawberry earring-s wearing powerhouse have the answers to my questions? I didn’t know, but I decided to take the plunge and find out. A leap of faith, if you will. I emailed Jeffrey a rather lengthy story about myself and queried if they could help me.
“Hello, Michael! YOU'RE very, very impressive. Your email was so touching, honestly. I have felt exactly the same way. There are many days when I've felt like an open wound myself. I am so booked, and I'd love to work with you. I’m happy to discuss all of this in a session(s). I limit the number of people I work with, so please decide soon. But I do currently have room for you!
Please see my coaching page if you haven’t visited it already: http://www.jeffreymarsh.com/coaching
Then, to book an appointment, make a choice here:
After booking, you’ll receive a confirmation email detailing our next steps!
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Jeffrey”
What happened after that is anyone’s guess. Frankly, I trusted Jeffrey Marsh just because of their sweet personality, and the fact that they had been endorsed by Oprah Winfrey herself.
But Jeffrey was there, asking me to tell them “my story” and I just couldn’t think of what to write back. Jeffrey asked what are “five things that I could use support for” in a life coach? I drew a blank. Not only was I supposed to write five things I needed support with, but I also needed to write 200 words per item that I wanted support with. To me, this was a daunting task. I asked them, “Oh, Jeffrey I don’t know how to answer these questions.” Jeffrey assured me that nothing had to be perfect and to just go with my gut, so that’s what I did.
Keep in mind I had already paid them $1K in advance for the “Premium Package” of 7 Zoom meetings (as of this writing they have doubled their prices). When I wrote them an email, they never replied. Ever. (Before I paid, however, they were prompt and courteous with their replies. Hmm, I wonder why?) But still, I thought “Oh, I see what’s happening here, Jeffrey wants to teach me a lesson, that I need to better articulate myself.” I was giving them the benefit of the doubt!—but when I told friends their response, they were suspicious.
And they were right. Jeffrey didn’t want to “teach me a lesson,” they were simply ignoring me.
So, I emailed them back, asking “What’s going on? Why aren’t you returning my emails? Are my questions out of your scope?”
Welp, no reply from Jeffrey Marsh.
So, I emailed them again, with the proper assignment, asking “is this good enough?” Jeffrey Marsh didn’t reply. At this point, I felt a terrible pang in my gut. Are they ignoring me? Or are they just bogged down with emails? I thought to myself, “either way, this is no way to run a personal coaching business. “
So I asked for a refund.
Once again, no response.
So… I just decided to cut to the chase. I asked Jeffrey Marsh for a refund. You guessed it, no response. I was being ignored by Jeffrey Marsh. The Jeffrey Marsh I loved. I was perplexed and feeling very foolish. My credit card company, once they knew they were a public figure, advised me to write them on their social media accounts, if I wasn’t receiving an email response in a reasonable amount of time. I did that, too. No reply.
How could a New York Times best-selling author be a grifter and a scammer? There’s no way this could be true. They are endorsed by Oprah Fucking Winfrey. This can’t be happening to me.
But it was.
So, dear reader, I ask, what would you do in the situation? What I did was file a complaint with my credit card company, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, file a complaint with the FTC, and file a complaint with The Attorney General of my state. In addition to all of that, I notified LGBTQ+ organizations and publications, including GLAAD and others.
I also —and most importantly— sent messages on social media to some of their associates and friends. Because I didn’t know how many people realized that Jeffrey Marsh is a big ole’ mess. (One very compassionate person responded and said they would look into it.)
Beyond the $1,000 I am out, I’m am also sad and hurt that my trust has been smashed into pieces by the one person I thought was good at heart. A decent heart. A heart that had been through unimaginable trauma but came out successful on the other side. This was my “spirit animal,” I thought.
But, no. Jeffrey is just a trash panda with rabies. (My opinion only, and “allegedly.”)
Yes, I have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau the Attorney General, and the FTC. In addition, I have filed a complaint with my credit card company. But that’s just monetary value. I’m still shaking — to my core — that a trusted LGBTQ voice and alleged: “beautiful person,” who is “Christlike” (self-proclaimed) could be such a cruel and calculating scam artist. They’ve received my emails, they’ve seen my social media posts, and they simply do not care.
I have searched high and low for complaints against Jeffrey Marsh, and I’ve come up empty-handed. There’s no way Jeffrey Marsh hasn’t abused other people, parents, children, and adults like me with their scam enterprise.
I’m asking for other victims of Jeffrey Marsh to come forward and comment on this blog post or shoot me a DM on Twitter (@PopARTDelight). You are not alone.