Today we look at the Total Transformation system, which promises to help parents “turn around your child’s behavior” in a matter of weeks. If you have used the Total Transformation program, we would like to hear from you.

About The Total Transformation

Total Transformation was developed by husband and wife team James and Janet Lehman, who both carry advanced degrees in social work. Mr. Lehman passed away in 2010, leaving Janet to carry on as the sole spokesperson of the project. The website and infomercials, which continued to run through much of 2014, do not appear to mention Mr. Lehman’s passing. The program is designed to help unruly children, with the word “defiant” used 8 times on the home page alone.

The official website is TheTotalTransformation.com website was registered back in 2004. Paid programming infomercials have also used the domain stopdisrespect.com. That domain was registered in 2009 and now forwards to thetotaltransformation.com.

The program includes a Jump Start DVD, Parent’s Workshop DVD, 7 audio CD’s, Workbook, “Bonus” audio CD.

It is interesting to note that the website did not show or mention Janet Lehman on the main page until around 2011. As seen in the screenshot below from the website in 2006, James Lehman is the only name mentioned on the splash screen. That’s not to imply that she was in no way involved in the creation of the product, only that her name has gained prominence on the website in recent years.

What is The Total Transformation?

The program teaches “tough love” parenting techniques. The program requires consistency, which may prove challenging to more lenient parents. It also seems better suited for older children than those who are much younger. One would certainly expect different techniques for a 5-year old than a 15-year old.

How much does The Total Transformation cost?

If you order from the official website, the cost is $327, plus $19 shipping and handling, for a total of $346 which is divided into three payments.

The Total Transformation Program Commercial

The TV commercial below last aired on NBC in early November of 2014.

Affiliate Program – Fake Reviews

The Total Transformation system is popular with affiliate marketers. This means that third parties can post affiliate links to the program and be paid a commission. As their affiliate page states:

All you have to do is review our products and recommend them to people you know, or on your website.

Affiliate marketers who stand to profit from The Total Transformation thus offer biased “reviews” in hopes of making money. You will find websites which offer a glowing endorsement of the product, and provide links to buy it at the end of the review. The objectivity of an affiliate review should be scrutinized.

Their Reviews: 48 Pages of Praise

When we first reviewed The Total Transformation in February 2013, we pointed out that the website offered over 50 pages of endorsements of the product, with only 4 and 5 star reviews to be found. We compared this set of reviews to the roughly 33% of reviews on Amazon which gave the product one-star assessments, claiming that the product didn’t work or that customers received  the “run around” when trying to get a refund.

A rep from The Total Transformation commented (below) that after reading this review, they changed their policy on presenting only positive reviews:

Thanks to the Waffles at Noon site we have seen our customer reviews page in a new light. We had originally (mistakenly) seen the reviews page as an opportunity to share the great success customers have had with our program- without seeing the value of sharing the occasional negative review. Like any seller of a product or service; we enjoy sharing our great stories. But we too have occasional customers who are dissatisfied with their experience and critical in their review. We now understand that it’s important for us to share these reviews as well, so parents considering our program will be as informed as possible.

Since then The Total Transformation website began including comments by unsatisfied customers.

Other Reviews of The Total Transformation

As with any product, especially those with an affiliate program, you should be aware that not all reviews may be real. We looked, for example, at one “doctor” who offered a glowing review on Amazon. When we took a look at her profile, however, it was loaded with Clickbank affiliate products, and her profile photo was taken from a stock image library. Suddenly this doctor’s glowing review wasn’t as impressive. Many of  the 5-star reviews on Amazon are by reviewers who only have a single review on the site, which happen to be for this product. This doesn’t always mean the review is fake, but it certainly raises eyebrows.

Google Trends History

The Google Trends graph below shows search interest in The Total Transformation over time. Interest in the program appears to have peaked in January of 2009. Since then, interest has gradually declined, yet still continues to experience peaks and valleys.

Bottom Line

We strongly disagree with the affiliate marketing techniques and spurious reviews used to promote The Total Transformation. We do feel that the product itself may be a good investment if a few criteria are met. We believe the Total Transformation is best suited for teens and also for parents who have the ability to be strong, consistent, and follow through with a plan. Our opinion is that inconsistent or lenient parents, or those with young children, may not find the product to be of much value.

We would also like to point out that book stores have shelves lined with excellent parenting books for a fraction of the cost of The Total Transformation. If you are indecisive, try watching some “tough love” videos on YouTube for free.

Your reviews of The Total Transformation

Have you tried The Total Transformation? Did you love it or hate it? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Did you get the run around when trying to return it? Let us hear from you in the comments below.

Updated January 21, 2015
Originally published February 2013