Archive for the ‘scam’ Category
Is ViSalus a Scam? Revisited 2 years later..
If you would have told me that I would be writing a new blog post 2 years later on ViSalus, it wouldn’t have surprised me. What DOES surprise me is that I am now writing this post from an entirely new perspective on ViSalus – as a promoter of the Body by Vi Challenge and the ViSalus business opportunity – representing a very large team of expert web marketers and leaders.
Yep, after researching and monitoring the company so closely, it became blatantly apparent for me to join ViSalus and begin promoting the opportunity – even though I attempted to find anything and everything that remotely resembled a scam and posted here for all to see.
After all of my research, ViSalus did not let me down.
Not only did ViSalus stand up to the false allegations that were directed at them on the unethical scam dot com website, similar to any young company in the notorious “Network Marketing Pyramid Thing” space, but they continued to innovate in every single year since 2006! At the time that I am posting this, ViSalus is experiencing double digit growth in the past 14 months, consecutively.
I know what you’re thinking, “I’ve heard this about every company trying to pitch me in joining. Where’s the proof?”
RIGHT HERE MY FRIEND!
ViSalus was recently featured in the company spotlight of Direct Selling News. One more, ViSalus Sciences CEO Ryan Blair was also featured in the Executive Connection.
ViSalus Body by Vi Challenge has gone mainstream and is currently being promoted by celebrities, professional athletes, doctors, chiropractors, personal trainers, competitive body builders and new entrepreneurs all across North America. With over $100,000 in prizes being awarded to the Body by Vi Champions (consumers who join the challenge and document their transformation), the Body by Vi Challenge is adding over 12,000 new people a month!
ViSalus recently launched a $10 Million Social Media platform that is directly integrated into a ground-breaking business suite which includes, autoresponder, weight management/goal setting/tracking tools, website and traditional marketing creatives and SO MUCH MORE (integrates directly with your Twitter and Facebook accounts)!!
There is so much more information that I could post here, but I would rather tell you in person if you would like to find out first hand what I have witnessed with ViSalus in the past 2 years. By requesting the due diligence report (on the top right), you will receive a total of 4 emails with different aspects of the business opportunity that I have found to be the reality of this business. You will also receive an exclusive opportunity to join our team and begin reaping the benefits of an online family (right around 180 people in our network) of fellow ViSalus promoters who are always willing to help in supporting your growth as a business and as a person. Did I mention you will also have exclusive access to the first Digital Edition of Success Magazine and all the digital media tools that a membership with Success club brings?
Let me refocus on why you came here in the first place.
You are doing your due diligence on the company and wanted to find out if there were any complaints against ViSalus or if ViSalus is a scam. The simple, straight answer is no.
The final allegations that appeared on scam dot com actually stopped in 2007 (aside from completely off topic rants by the admins of the site in efforts to keep the site ranking in the search engines for the company name) and ViSalus has maintained an A rating with the Better Business Bureau all this time. I know the opportunity may sound too good to be true but the reality is that the founders of this company, and the Billion Dollar powerhouse behind ViSalus, have created a long-term sustainable business opportunity where you can count on the checks being cashed and the community there to support and grow with you as an entrepreneur – and not an mlm’er.
I hope to be speaking to you soon, after you have had a chance to review the due diligence report.
If you would like to hear more about what the Body by Vi Challenge is, feel free to call our team line (877) 527-3615 and select option #2. If you recognize the value of aligning yourself with our team and would like to join ViSalus and the Body by Vi Challenge right now, select option #3
It’s that easy. Make the decision.
Take care for now and, if you are a seasoned network marketer, watch the video from Blake Mallen, ViSalus CFO here.
ViSalus Scam search terms:
Why ViSalus is Not a Scam
The following post was provided as a user submitted response to the question, “Is ViSalus a Scam?” …
While the continued growth and profitability of ViSalus Sciences is important, the real goal of the company is to show people how they can make their lives healthier with nutritional supplements. Those who think ViSalus is merely a scam will be sorely disappointed to learn how ViSalus really works.
How ViSalus Network Marketing Works
As a network marketing program, ViSalus trains and issues products to outside distributors who in turn sell the products in a grassroots effort to spread health and wellness to others. For distributors who understand what it takes to sell, ViSalus awards them with promotional offers. The Bimmer Club gets top sellers behind the wheel of a BMW, while the Vi-Cruise vacations to beach resorts show appreciation.
Learning how to sell with ViSalus is excellent preparation for any sales job, as our distributors go through a rigorous training program that deals with education, personal development and honing marketing skills. This kind of free business environment means that individuals are in control of what they can accomplish, keep their own hours and possibly qualify for tax breaks, all while keeping another job.
How ViSalus Works For Everyone Else
Saying that ViSalus is a scam only applies if you think any corporation is a pyramid scheme. Like real estate mogul Donald Trump said, “There’s a CEO at the top and everyone else below…a true network marketing business is the exact opposite of the traditional business model [because it] does not succeed unless it bring people to the top.”
Besides rethinking the way network marketing works, those who doubt the power of ViSalus underestimate the amount of effort and energy needed to succeed in a competitive sales market. Not everyone has what it takes to be a salesperson, which means that the people who are fit for the job need to shut out the negativity that surrounds them. Individuals are as successful as what they put into it. Do not be skeptical about your own success!
It takes a special person to be able to accomplish something as small as a sale and as significant as a change in a person’s lifestyle. With ViSalus and the right combination of ambition and vision, these goals can become a reality. Stop buying into pessimism and start living a healthier, more prosperous life with ViSalus Sciences.
ViSalus Scam search terms:
Is ViSalus Deceiving College Kids? (ViSalus)
Simple answer, No.
The only reason that I started this post was for those who are concerned about the scam headline, “Is ViSalus deceiving college kids?” (that appears in search results when when you Google ViSalus) but don’t notice the dates of those posts. I have the full dialogue regarding this “ViSalus Scam” below for your reference, but there are a few things that I would like to point out that may save you some valuable time in your research.
This post originated 3-22-06 with the final post on 5-10-06 In my opinion it is outdated and no longer relevant as ViSalus continues to grow.
The dialogue in these posts is generated by 3 individuals who slander other companies habitually – in my opinion, they have nothing better to do than create misleading arguments
PathConnect.com is a successful “sister company” of ViSalus and has continued to grow since these false claims of ViSalus deceiving college kids as well
Ryan Blair has become even more successful since the time of these posts and has made many appearances on major networks (search YouTube for Ryan Blair)
Based on that last fact, I would like to point out one of the latter posts that is a direct attack on Ryan Blair and the challenge that was made:
…trust me, this company wont be around 3 years from now.
Looks like they are! LOL and continuing to innovate with the launch of Vi-Net.
If you would still like to read the posts for yourself, here they are:
Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
For those of you unaware of what this is about, Visalus, a health and wellness MLM company, has started a “blog” website at www.pathconnect.com. Among other things, this site has a “we are hiring” page, which reads as follows:
Quote:
At Pathconnect, we are always looking for creative-minded individuals to come on board and contribute to our team.We are currently hiring in the Marketing, Web-design, and Sales departments. We are a rapidly-growing company led by a team of young, energetic professionals. This is an amazing opportunity to work with and learn from Ryan Blair on an almost daily basis while you enjoy our company’s generous perks and compensation structure.
If you consider yourself a hard-working individual who is motivated by success, achievement, and serious money, there is no reason not to apply right now!
We get a number of requests each day from people wanting to come on board and learn from the best. In order to show us why we can’t afford not to hire you right now, please provide a brief answer to each of the following questions.
No resumes!
Please e-mail ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING 7 QUESTIONS to info@pathconnect.com.1. Based on your research of the company, our websites, and this opportunity, what qualifications do you think you have that will exceed our expectations?
2. What is your most impressive accomplishment thus far?
3. What are your top 3 goals for the next 12 months?
4. What is your most valuable asset?
5. Where do you need to personally grow the most?
6. When are you available to start?
Thank you,Human Resources
It is my position that this company is using this blog as a pure recruiting tool for their MLM. I think it is clear from the above quotation that the only job anyone is going to be offered is a career as a Visalus rep (no resumes indeed!). The quote above is designed to make the prospects/college kids think they are only going to be “hired” for this job if they are “special”, when in reality, anyone who wants in is getting in (without pay, of course, only commissions).Blogs like www.myspace.com are fine, and there are TONS of people in the MLM industry on that site trying to build their businesses. But there is no one MLM company behind that site recruiting for their own purposes. And if there was, you can bet NO ONE would be joining. So our friends at Visalus learned a few lessons from myspace:
1) Lot of impressionable young folks spend time on these boards, and they are a great place for recruiting here in the year 2006
2) They (Visalus) could build there OWN version, and use the blog SOLELY to recruit people for THEIR business, thereby eliminating the competition from other networkers on myspace.If this is indeed the case, I believe this is one of the most deceptive practices I have ever seen in this industry, and this company should be BURIED for it.
Other interesting things I’ve seen around here on this: Visalus CEO Ryan Blair gets $500.00 per person for speaking engagements (yeah, right), and one person on the Visalus thread was absurd enough to claim he/she had joined Visalus as a rep “just to see Blair speak for free” (I’m still laughing over THAT claim). And someone on the IGI thread has stated that many of that failed, defunct, rotten entity’s leadership has now moved to Visalus. I cannot verify this, but am waiting to hear from those who know. It has also been claimed that this company is making a concerted effort to recruit “heavies” from other companies in the industry. Again, I have no knowledge of this, but am raising it as a point of discussion in case anyone HAS seen this type of behavior. Finally, it is claimed that Visalus is hitting college campuses HARD and giving away a fee iPod to the student at each college who SIGNS UP THE MOST PEOPLE ON THIS WEBSITE. That, my friends, is a BIG red flag.
If the things mentioned in here are all true — and I do believe the part about www.pathconnect.com is on the money — well, folks, this is a microcosm of EVERYTHING that is wrong with this industry. “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.”
C’mon, folks. Tell me I’m wrong about this. Tell me WHY I’m wrong. Tell me why being a part of this is NOT selling your soul to the devil.
P.S. A key element of the mentor relationship is that the mentor has nothing to gain by helping his/her pupil. This whole thing flys in the face of that credo.
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Sorry Open, i wish that i could tell you that you were wrong…. but your not. Everything about this company is shady to say the least.I guess we can only take solice in the fact that we know it wont be around 4 or 5 years from now. Of course, unfortunately, the leadership… including this Blair fellow, will have moved on to the next “opportunity.”
ugh…. another black-eye for the industry… its company’s like this that make it all the harder for regular guys like me that are just trying to raise a family and make some extra cash in network marketing.
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
I have posted on the Visalus – Too Good To Be True Site and saw that this new place had started. If anybody has any question about how awful this is they should just read Open Questions posting above and especially the ‘We Are Hiring’ page from the pathconnect web site Visalus is trying to hide that it is a Visalus site.This really needs to be gotten out to as many people as is possible because these college kids can be hurt by the thousands. My friend told me one girl – just one girl on one campus got over 1500 students to sign up and she won the Ipod that Visalus said it would give to the person who signed up the most to the path connect site.
This Ryan Blake is telling all of the people in the cities where he is going to get people to sign up in Visalus that they will have thousands of leads that the company will give them but the people listening to him don’t know he is lying about these leads and that these leads are mostly college kids who think they are signing up for a mentor to help them get successful.
This is just about the worst thing almost that I have heard up to now and this information just has to get out.
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
One other key omission in the Visalus “help-wanted” ad above that speaks volumes: if they are REALLY looking for paid employees, how come there is no mention of WHERE these jobs are located? Are we really naive enough to believe that’s not a vital fact? Do companies located in Portland, Maine advertise for help in Portland, Oregon? Nope, they don’t.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
wooooooooooooooooooow…. I agree 100% with you Open Question. The funny part is the “We are currently hiring in the Marketing, Web-design, and Sales departments” part. It’s pretty obvious that they want reps… they’re just saying it in a deceptive way. Someone who didn’t know any better really would think that this was a legitimate job. Pure deception. What a great company.__________________
I do not believe that MLM/Network Marketing is a bad business model. I believe it’s the shady people in MLM that make it LOOK bad. As long as you work hard, run your business ethically, and work with ethical people, then MLM can help you reach your financial goals… whether it’s just to make extra money on the side or a full-time income.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by April47
wooooooooooooooooooow…. I agree 100% with you Open Question. The funny part is the “We are currently hiring in the Marketing, Web-design, and Sales departments” part. It’s pretty obvious that they want reps… they’re just saying it in a deceptive way. Someone who didn’t know any better really would think that this was a legitimate job. Pure deception. What a great company.i know…. and if there was an industry out there that didnt need another black eye, it is network marketing…. looks like there will be another black eye right around the corner with a company like this in the mix!
cscirpoli….if you are reading these posts and arent replying due to shame or embarrassment (which i am guessing that you are)… please feel free to jump in at anytime. there is no reason to be embarrassed, we all make mistakes. look…. it takes a big man to admit that they got sucked in by the company’s “charismatic” leadership and made a foolish mistake by joining a crooked company that obviously has no morals, scruples, or integrity.
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
The really sad part.. aside from the recruiting deception… is that they charge $135 a month for their pill-form vitamins. $135!! I think that’s a bit of a rip-off.__________________
I do not believe that MLM/Network Marketing is a bad business model. I believe it’s the shady people in MLM that make it LOOK bad. As long as you work hard, run your business ethically, and work with ethical people, then MLM can help you reach your financial goals… whether it’s just to make extra money on the side or a full-time income.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by April47
The really sad part.. aside from the recruiting deception… is that they charge $135 a month for their pill-form vitamins. $135!! I think that’s a bit of a rip-off.a total joke…. the only person dumber than one of the suckers that would actually buy those vitamins are the idiots that join the company as a rep…
oh, wait… the reps are the only ones buying the vitamins… all on autoship i’m sure!
what a joke. its a shame…
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Bump it up! This topic makes me sick, and it needs to stay near the top of the heap.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
Bump it up! This topic makes me sick, and it needs to stay near the top of the heap.BUMP!
c’mon people…. we need to get the word out that this company is a deceitful hoax, and that they are using very deceptive business practices…!!!!
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGfranky75
BUMP!
c’mon people…. we need to get the word out that this company is a deceitful hoax, and that they are using very deceptive business practices…!!!!
Anyone who has specific FACTS about what they are doing on college campuses, and how they are using www.pathconnect.com to recruit these kids while hiding behind and corrupting the time-honored practice of mentoring, please do post that information here. Creeps like this have to be exposed for what they are.And where have you gone, cscirpoli??
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
Anyone who has specific FACTS about what they are doing on college campuses, and how they are using www.pathconnect.com to recruit these kids while hiding behind and corrupting the time-honored practice of mentoring, please do post that information here. Creeps like this have to be exposed for what they are.And where have you gone, cscirpoli??
trust me Open, he is here…. he has read every post on these threads. he is just embarrassed and partly ashamed. the simple fact of the matter is he has partnered up with people that have a less than healthy moral compass.i just hope that when he resurfaces, he doesnt play the “i was out building my business” card. i am assuming he will have the integrity to admit that he made a mistake….
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGfranky75
trust me Open, he is here…. he has read every post on these threads. he is just embarrassed and partly ashamed. the simple fact of the matter is he has partnered up with people that have a less than healthy moral compass.i just hope that when he resurfaces, he doesnt play the “i was out building my business” card. i am assuming he will have the integrity to admit that he made a mistake….
I wouldn’t begin to speculate, but I hope that’s not the case. Everyone needs to remember that these guys are PROFESSIONALS at what they do. They know how to handle EVERY objection that is raised, and they are experts at getting people to buy into what they are selling. They have been well-trained and have heard every objection 100 times over. There is no shame in coming back here and saying “they ARE swine, you were right and I was wrong”…if indeed that’s what he is feeling. And if what I wrote at the top of this thread is indeed accurate, then I will lose all respect for him if does not come out strongly against this abortion…because what they are doing is WRONG on every level there is. And anyone defending it needs to check THEIR moral compass, because it ain’t working.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGfranky75
trust me Open, he is here…. he has read every post on these threads. he is just embarrassed and partly ashamed. the simple fact of the matter is he has partnered up with people that have a less than healthy moral compass.i just hope that when he resurfaces, he doesnt play the “i was out building my business” card. i am assuming he will have the integrity to admit that he made a mistake….
Big franky let’s talk about integrity of companies. I know for a fact the founders have let someone in your company off the hook for slamming gas, and phone companies on multiple occasions. Let’s talk about integrity, the only real way to make money in ACN is signing people up. How big are your comma checks and how many customers do you have in your downline. There’s no margine, 1/4% on your customers. Give me a break. and most of your downline will not reside on your 7th level. A friend of mine in ACN figured it out 1 million dollars in billing equals a 15k residual income. That’s over 4000 reps with 6 customers each. That means your basically the only one making any kind of strong residual income. out of 4k reps, about 20 people are making any kind of residual money. The real money came from signing people up and ACN just proved that when they changed the comp plan. So i see you jumping on the bandwagon i just have to laugh… I left ACN because they did nothing when my upline sponsor slammed 300 customer points under my position to boost me to TC so they could hit RVP…Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
I wouldn’t begin to speculate, but I hope that’s not the case. Everyone needs to remember that these guys are PROFESSIONALS at what they do. They know how to handle EVERY objection that is raised, and they are experts at getting people to buy into what they are selling. They have been well-trained and have heard every objection 100 times over. There is no shame in coming back here and saying “they ARE swine, you were right and I was wrong”…if indeed that’s what he is feeling. And if what I wrote at the top of this thread is indeed accurate, then I will lose all respect for him if does not come out strongly against this abortion…because what they are doing is WRONG on every level there is. And anyone defending it needs to check THEIR moral compass, because it ain’t working.
What you wrote is not correct. Pathconnect is a marketing opportunity for Visalus as well as other advertisers. The target age of pathconnect is 35 – 65. Not college kids. They were testing marketability to college kids with the IPOD’s. Seeing how they would take to a mentor based site. The amount of actual Visalus recruiting would be minimal to the actual advertising revenue it could get from the goal specific advertising they are looking to create. It woiuld be like Myspace on steroids to advertisers looking hit people in a certain target market, becuase they specifically know what that person is looking for from their goals. The visalus aspect is actually geared more towards people that are looking for Network Marketing companies, or are actively looking for a business opportunity.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
Big franky let’s talk about integrity of companies. I know for a fact the founders have let someone in your company off the hook for slamming gas, and phone companies on multiple occasions. Let’s talk about integrity, the only real way to make money in ACN is signing people up. How big are your comma checks and how many customers do you have in your downline. There’s no margine, 1/4% on your customers. Give me a break. and most of your downline will not reside on your 7th level. A friend of mine in ACN figured it out 1 million dollars in billing equals a 15k residual income. That’s over 4000 reps with 6 customers each. That means your basically the only one making any kind of strong residual income. out of 4k reps, about 20 people are making any kind of residual money. The real money came from signing people up and ACN just proved that when they changed the comp plan. So i see you jumping on the bandwagon i just have to laugh… I left ACN because they did nothing when my upline sponsor slammed 300 customer points under my position to boost me to TC so they could hit RVP…
Holy crap. I didn’t know your upline did that. There are a LOT of shady people in ACN. I had quite the shady upline myself… which is one of the many reasons why I also got out of the company.and does anyone actually look at the ads on myspace? haha… cause I don’t. I’m there to keep in touch with long-lost friends… not look at advertisements.
__________________
I do not believe that MLM/Network Marketing is a bad business model. I believe it’s the shady people in MLM that make it LOOK bad. As long as you work hard, run your business ethically, and work with ethical people, then MLM can help you reach your financial goals… whether it’s just to make extra money on the side or a full-time income.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by April47
Holy crap. I didn’t know your upline did that. There are a LOT of shady people in ACN. I had quite the shady upline myself… which is one of the many reasons why I also got out of the company.and does anyone actually look at the ads on myspace? haha… cause I don’t. I’m there to keep in touch with long-lost friends… not look at advertisements.
whether they look at them or not, it doesn’t matter, its called branding. You see the name of the company/product, and it’s brands it into your head. Advertising get’s almost no one to buy, but it provides valuable exposure, cause people buy the brand they know best. So when your in the store, whatever name you have seen the most of a particular product you will buy.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
I don’t know, but I can’t even tell you what ads were on there when I looked at my page a few minutes ago. I don’t pay any attention to them at all. I would think that you’d have to at least glance at the ads in order for them to stick in your head.__________________
I do not believe that MLM/Network Marketing is a bad business model. I believe it’s the shady people in MLM that make it LOOK bad. As long as you work hard, run your business ethically, and work with ethical people, then MLM can help you reach your financial goals… whether it’s just to make extra money on the side or a full-time income.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by April47
I don’t know, but I can’t even tell you what ads were on there when I looked at my page a few minutes ago. I don’t pay any attention to them at all. I would think that you’d have to at least glance at the ads in order for them to stick in your head.
April i’m not trying to be rude, but it’s not about what you think in this instance. Its about what pyschologically has been proven. Its about the simple fact that this is a well known form of advertising. And they’ve been doing it for years.Thank about it this way: Say the first name brand that pops into your head.
When i say, what was the most recent movie you thought about seeing?
A:
What is the Laundry detergent you always think of?
A:
What broadband phone company do you know about?
A:
What internet dating website do you hear about a lot?
A:
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
April i’m not trying to be rude, but it’s not about what you think in this instance. Its about what pyschologically has been proven. Its about the simple fact that this is a well known form of advertising. And they’ve been doing it for years.Thank about it this way: Say the first name brand that pops into your head.
When i say, what was the most recent movie you thought about seeing?
A:
What is the Laundry detergent you always think of?
A:
What broadband phone company do you know about?
A:
What internet dating website do you hear about a lot?
A:
I know exactly what you were trying to say… I was sort of messing with you. Although, a lot of that stuff doesn’t work with me. I mainly stick with the brands that I’ve always used or that my family uses… no matter what I see advertised.
When I DO buy stuff that I’ve seen advertised, I’ve seen it in advertisements that I was pretty much forced to view… such as TV commercials and magazine ads in my Cosmo and Parenting mags. I pay absolutely NO attention to the ads on the internet. That might also be because I have dialup and it takes 3 hours for the ads to even load.
__________________
I do not believe that MLM/Network Marketing is a bad business model. I believe it’s the shady people in MLM that make it LOOK bad. As long as you work hard, run your business ethically, and work with ethical people, then MLM can help you reach your financial goals… whether it’s just to make extra money on the side or a full-time income.
Last edited by April47 : 03-25-2006 at 11:33 PM.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
ok sorry, i miss online sarcasm easily![]()
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
What you wrote is not correct. Pathconnect is a marketing opportunity for Visalus as well as other advertisers. The target age of pathconnect is 35 – 65. Not college kids. They were testing marketability to college kids with the IPOD’s. Seeing how they would take to a mentor based site. The amount of actual Visalus recruiting would be minimal to the actual advertising revenue it could get from the goal specific advertising they are looking to create. It woiuld be like Myspace on steroids to advertisers looking hit people in a certain target market, becuase they specifically know what that person is looking for from their goals. The visalus aspect is actually geared more towards people that are looking for Network Marketing companies, or are actively looking for a business opportunity.
You are free to believe what you wanna believe. So am I. What the heck are THOSE guys going to MENTOR anyone on other than MLM?? They are nothing but manipulators. Take a look at the “employment” page and guess how they will use pathconnect.I think you probably have good intentions with this, but you are simply wrong about these guys. It happens. Lord knows it has happened to me.
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
You are free to believe what you wanna believe. So am I. What the heck are THOSE guys going to MENTOR anyone on other than MLM?? They are nothing but manipulators. Take a look at the “employment” page and guess how they will use pathconnect.I think you probably have good intentions with this, but you are simply wrong about these guys. It happens. Lord knows it has happened to me.
Like i said before, I have a policy, innocent until proven guilty. These guys have done nothing to prove they are guilty of anything but trying to build a company. And until they do something un ethical or un-moral. I will trust them.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
Like i said before, I have a policy, innocent until proven guilty. These guys have done nothing to prove they are guilty of anything but trying to build a company. And until they do something un ethical or un-moral. I will trust them.
And like I said before, you trust who you wanna trust. And I’ll stick to my guns with these guys. There is NO WAY their intention with that site is as advertised, and that employment page they have up there is just one clue to that. What they are doing is deceptive and wrong, period.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
What you wrote is not correct. Pathconnect is a marketing opportunity for Visalus as well as other advertisers. The target age of pathconnect is 35 – 65. Not college kids. They were testing marketability to college kids with the IPOD’s. Seeing how they would take to a mentor based site. The amount of actual Visalus recruiting would be minimal to the actual advertising revenue it could get from the goal specific advertising they are looking to create. It woiuld be like Myspace on steroids to advertisers looking hit people in a certain target market, becuase they specifically know what that person is looking for from their goals. The visalus aspect is actually geared more towards people that are looking for Network Marketing companies, or are actively looking for a business opportunity.
Oh, Please! I am in the very bottom of that age range and I don’t buy for a second that 35-65 year olds are looking for mentors. That site is clearly targeting youngsers from 18-28 or so. Tell your little friends at Visalus to try and mentor ol’ mom here and I will straighten them out on a few things. Anyone over 35 looking for a business opportunity is a stay at home mom or clearly desperate to make a living. Charging them $125 a month for blasted vitamins is not going to help their financial situation, especially when we consider that 54% of Mela’s recurits make a whopping $8.67 a month and more than 80% can’t make enough to cover their product purchases. Give us a break!Soaopboxmom
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soapboxmom
Oh, Please! I am in the very bottom of that age range and I don’t buy for a second that 35-65 year olds are looking for mentors. That site is clearly targeting youngsers from 18-28 or so. Tell your little friends at Visalus to try and mentor ol’ mom here and I will straighten them out on a few things. Anyone over 35 looking for a business opportunity is a stay at home mom or clearly desperate to make a living. Charging them $125 a month for blasted vitamins is not going to help their financial situation, especially when we consider that 54% of Mela’s recurits make a whopping $8.67 a month and more than 80% can’t make enough to cover their product purchases. Give us a break!Soaopboxmom
and i also don’t buy for a second that you would ever seek out mentoring. The mindsets of the wealthy and mindsets of the middle class and poor are very very very different. And people in those age ranges would love to seek out mentorship, as well reach out and mentor other people…they just don’t happen to have a convienant avenue to do it.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
and i also don’t buy for a second that you would ever seek out mentoring. The mindsets of the wealthy and mindsets of the middle class and poor are very very very different. And people in those age ranges would love to seek out mentorship, as well reach out and mentor other people…they just don’t happen to have a convienant avenue to do it.
Apparently, they still don’t. And nice generalizations and age prejudice, too. Keep digging the hole deeper…Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
HELP WANTEDAt Mr. Blair’s company, FVA Ventures, Inc., we are always looking for creative-minded individuals to come on board and contribute to our team.
We are currently hiring in the Marketing, Web-design, and Sales departments. We are a rapidly-growing company led by a team of young, energetic professionals. This is an amazing opportunity to work with and learn from Ryan Blair on an almost daily basis while you enjoy our company’s generous perks and compensation structure.
If you consider yourself a hard-working individual who is motivated by success, achievement, and serious money, there is no reason not to apply right now!
We get a number of requests each day from people wanting to come on board and learn from the best. In order to show us why we can’t afford not to hire you right now, please provide a brief answer to each of the following questions.
No resumes!
Please e-mail ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING 7 QUESTIONS to info@pathconnect.com.1. Based on your research of the company, our websites, and this opportunity, what qualifications do you think you have that will exceed our expectations?
2. What is your most impressive accomplishment thus far?
3. What are your top 3 goals for the next 12 months?
4. What is your most valuable asset?
5. Where do you need to personally grow the most?
6. When are you available to start?
Thank you,
Human Resources
FVA Ventures, Inc.
Copyright © 2005 Ryan Blair | All rights reserve
omigosh….. guys this is from Ryan Blairs own website! UNBELIEVABLE…. its just like the pathconnect scam-lie!!!! this guy has absolutely ZERO integrity… note the email address tha tyou are supposed to send your request to be considered for a “job”…. its the same address as pathconnect! how blatant can a scam artist be? so now he is not only a liar, cheat and a thief… he is arrogant as well? (big surprise)…. just read his bio…its a joke! trust me, this company wont be around 3 years from now. unfortunately….ryan blair will be peddling some other hope and a dream to other suckers that have no self-worth so they have to grab onto this clowns lies to achieve a feeling of acceptance! how sad.
c’mon cscirpoli…. you arent going to tell me that this guy is actually hiring are you? with the same blatant “hiring” crap that was on his other deceitful scam? how can you keep defending this giant LIAR?!?!?!!?
ryan blair is deceitful, sneaky, and has no morals! unbelivable!
here is his link so people can see for themselves what a scam artist this guy is…
http://www.rjblair.com/nowhiring.htm
Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGfranky75
HELP WANTED
At Mr. Blair’s company, FVA Ventures, Inc., we are always looking for creative-minded individuals to come on board and contribute to our team.We are currently hiring in the Marketing, Web-design, and Sales departments. We are a rapidly-growing company led by a team of young, energetic professionals. This is an amazing opportunity to work with and learn from Ryan Blair on an almost daily basis while you enjoy our company’s generous perks and compensation structure.
If you consider yourself a hard-working individual who is motivated by success, achievement, and serious money, there is no reason not to apply right now!
We get a number of requests each day from people wanting to come on board and learn from the best. In order to show us why we can’t afford not to hire you right now, please provide a brief answer to each of the following questions.
No resumes!
Please e-mail ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING 7 QUESTIONS to info@pathconnect.com.1. Based on your research of the company, our websites, and this opportunity, what qualifications do you think you have that will exceed our expectations?
2. What is your most impressive accomplishment thus far?
3. What are your top 3 goals for the next 12 months?
4. What is your most valuable asset?
5. Where do you need to personally grow the most?
6. When are you available to start?
Thank you,
Human Resources
FVA Ventures, Inc.
Copyright © 2005 Ryan Blair | All rights reserve
omigosh….. guys this is from Ryan Blairs own website! UNBELIEVABLE…. its just like the pathconnect scam-lie!!!! this guy has absolutely ZERO integrity… note the email address tha tyou are supposed to send your request to be considered for a “job”…. its the same address as pathconnect! how blatant can a scam artist be? so now he is not only a liar, cheat and a thief… he is arrogant as well? (big surprise)…. just read his bio…its a joke! trust me, this company wont be around 3 years from now. unfortunately….ryan blair will be peddling some other hope and a dream to other suckers that have no self-worth so they have to grab onto this clowns lies to achieve a feeling of acceptance! how sad.
c’mon cscirpoli…. you arent going to tell me that this guy is actually hiring are you? with the same blatant “hiring” crap that was on his other deceitful scam? how can you keep defending this giant LIAR?!?!?!!?
ryan blair is deceitful, sneaky, and has no morals! unbelivable!
here is his link so people can see for themselves what a scam artist this guy is…
http://www.rjblair.com/nowhiring.htm
Just another guy who’s figured out how to make “real” money in network marketing: start or buy a company and be a motivational speaker. He’s a just a bit smarter and sneakier than some of the others, it appears.
Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
I joined that sham of a website www.pathconnect.com just to see what would happen. I will report on the experience as it develops. But within FOUR MINUTES of joining, I already had Ryan Blair listed as a “buddy” and had been hit with a ham-handed MLM approach from a Jesus-loving MLM disciple from a DIFFERENT company called Quest International! That led to a run-of-the-mill presentation that seems lifted from, among other things, Rich Dad Poor Dad’s bag of tricks with the quadrant’s etc. Nice.So we’ll see what else develops on this “mentoring” site. I noted that a bunch of the features do not even work as yet, including the ones that allow you to search members and connect with mentors. Just lovely.
Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
I joined that sham of a website www.pathconnect.com just to see what would happen. I will report on the experience as it develops. But within FOUR MINUTES of joining, I already had Ryan Blair listed as a “buddy” and had been hit with a ham-handed MLM approach from a Jesus-loving MLM disciple from a DIFFERENT company called Quest International! That led to a run-of-the-mill presentation that seems lifted from, among other things, Rich Dad Poor Dad’s bag of tricks with the quadrant’s etc. Nice.So we’ll see what else develops on this “mentoring” site. I noted that a bunch of the features do not even work as yet, including the ones that allow you to search members and connect with mentors. Just lovely.
they actually have the same developers that created myspace working on it right, expect the fully revamped version out in a few weeks. They are doing a dry run that’s closed to the public next friday. How do i know that, I met the team that was working on it at the LA office a few nights ago. We were there making some phone calls with the new team. Oh just about 5000$ in volume our first month. Say congratulations.Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
I guess this is the one I should have bumped up. Oh well. The more the merrier. If you expect PathConnect to be accepted as a legitimate mentoring site, REMOVE the phony baloney “Now Hiring” link! It’s just a shady way to get people into the Visalus business, and it s*u*cks to high heavenRe: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
I guess this is the one I should have bumped up. Oh well. The more the merrier. If you expect PathConnect to be accepted as a legitimate mentoring site, REMOVE the phony baloney “Now Hiring” link! It’s just a shady way to get people into the Visalus business, and it s*u*cks to high heavenagreed! hopefully us bumping this up will bring it back to the forefront of discussion…. as it seems things are cooling over at the other mela thread.
Bump!!!!
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Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Bump!!!!! Get back up there where ya belong.Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
Bump!!!!! Get back up there where ya belong.SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT…
If this has been said before, then I apoligize in advance. But…
One of the most used phrases you hear at business opportunity meetings is …
“Get AWAY for your J.O.B” (J.O.B= Just Over Broke) …NO I DO NOT USE THIS PHRASE. It’s retarded.
But, why in the HECK would they put “NOW HIRING”. The first thing I think about when I hear the word HIRING is “JOB”. Defeats the purpose of being in an MLM. Pretty stupid.
Just my opinion.
Much success.
__________________
FYL’s response to ACNs revenue their 5th year in business:Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PowerOfCards
[i][u][b]But, why in the HECK would they put “NOW HIRING”. The first thing I think about when I hear the word HIRING is “JOB”. Defeats the purpose of being in an MLM. Pretty stupid.Just my opinion.
Much success.
I’m sure you know the answer to that one: because MORE PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT IT IF THEY THINK THERE’S A PAYING JOB TO BE HAD. If they put “business opportunity in network marketing” — which is the truth of it — people would recognize them for the rats they must be for using a site like that to build their networking business. They are being deceptive and low class. Period.Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
I’m sure you know the answer to that one: because MORE PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT IT IF THEY THINK THERE’S A PAYING JOB TO BE HAD. If they put “business opportunity in network marketing” — which is the truth of it — people would recognize them for the rats they must be for using a site like that to build their networking business. They are being deceptive and low class. Period.Open,
I know their reason. I’m just trying to say it’s not right.
__________________
FYL’s response to ACNs revenue their 5th year in business:Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
I’m sure you know the answer to that one: because MORE PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT IT IF THEY THINK THERE’S A PAYING JOB TO BE HAD. If they put “business opportunity in network marketing” — which is the truth of it — people would recognize them for the rats they must be for using a site like that to build their networking business. They are being deceptive and low class. Period.
agreed…cscirpoli…where are you? are you hiding on us? :rolleyes:
let me guess… you are busy out there “building your business….”
gag…
hey…. remember you were going to post your checks …. that deadline is fast approaching… where do we stand?
Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PowerOfCards
Open,
I’m just trying to say it’s not right.
Yes, I realize that. And no, it is not right in any way. I HATE it when MLM people use Career Builder and stuff like that to recruit. If it’s not a J-O-B, it has no business being on a JOB board, and those who do that are nothing but a bunch of liars, plain and simple. That’s one of my pet peeves, in case you can’t tell.Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
Yes, I realize that. And no, it is not right in any way. I HATE it when MLM people use Career Builder and stuff like that to recruit. If it’s not a J-O-B, it has no business being on a JOB board, and those who do that are nothing but a bunch of liars, plain and simple. That’s one of my pet peeves, in case you can’t tell.Open,
It is kind of funny if you think about it. You click on “Now Hiring” thinking you are going in to a regular 9-5, only to have someone contacting you saying “YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY ME XXX TO START YOUR EMPLOYMENT”. Man O Man!
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__________________
FYL’s response to ACNs revenue their 5th year in business:Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PowerOfCards
Open,
It is kind of funny if you think about it. You click on “Now Hiring” thinking you are going in to a regular 9-5, only to have someone contacting you saying “YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY ME XXX TO START YOUR EMPLOYMENT”. Man O Man!
Is it me, or can anyone else see these guys sitting around and snickering like Mr. Burns over their brilliant idea to bring MILLIONS of prospects into Visalus by using the pathconnect website? Sickening thought, isn’t it?Re: Is Vis[B]HELP WANTEDalus deceiving college kids?
Just can’t stand to see these guys drop to Page Two. Their big, fat lie of a “help-wanted” page remains on the PathConnect site, as they continue to try and deceive unsuspecting college kids and others.So bump!!!!!!!!!
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Bump!!!!I agree Open. one thing i have learned about these threads is when an MLM’er (in general) in a particular company knows that something is wrong with that opportunity (whether it is shady, deceitful, etc.) and they know that they cant “win” their arguement…or at least prove their point. they dissappear.
they know that they cant back up the ridiculous, embarrassing claims that they made so they just ignore the thread (at least they dont post in it anymore….no doubt they read it) and hope that it goes away.
i’ve seen it here and in the melaleuca threads. its a shame…cuz then an important thread with very scary topics such as this one fades off into the sunset….which is just what the hucksters want…
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
you’re such a sham big franky, you know nothing about Visalus, you have not seen anything about the company, your company affords no opportunity for the average person to make a small residual income on a monthly basis, i know people that are TC’s that aren’t making 500$/month in residual, so don’t give me your scam BS, get off your high horse and why don’t you give us your name, your occupation and let us rip your past apart, and see exactly how much integrity you have, you won’t…cause you are just another anonymous poster, who doesn’t have any proof of any wrong doing. Just something you believe to be unethical, who made you the decider of what is ethical or not?Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
I’m sorry but, as I read this entire thread I can’t help but feel all you MLMrs are like the fleas fighting over the dog.Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
you’re such a sham big franky, you know nothing about Visalus, you have not seen anything about the company, your company affords no opportunity for the average person to make a small residual income on a monthly basis, i know people that are TC’s that aren’t making 500$/month in residual, so don’t give me your scam BS, get off your high horse and why don’t you give us your name, your occupation and let us rip your past apart, and see exactly how much integrity you have, you won’t…cause you are just another anonymous poster, who doesn’t have any proof of any wrong doing. Just something you believe to be unethical, who made you the decider of what is ethical or not?
quite frankly …. i just dont understand this. it isnt the first time you have made this request from me or from others… why does someone have to post their identity and personal info on these threads to satisfy you?read my posts…i am active in ACN. i have been very critical of not only the company, but of many specific “leaders” (top-producers) as well. i have been EXTREMELY critical of network marketing in general. why would i give my idenitity? that would make absolutely no sense. for the comments i’ve made in the past…i probably would have my status deactivated if i didnt have any “connections.”
so get off of this kick about trying to discredit people if they dont post all of their personal info…its ridiculous and it doesnt help your arguement.
your right, i dont know a whole lot about visalus… but what i do know, i dont like. and not you, VOR, of any of the other ryan blair wannabes have been able to convince me, or anyone else, otherwise. what of all these rumors about visalus’ cashflow problems, the shady history of the company that is kept “hidden” (free network), the quack paid-off “doctors” that “endorse” the product, the “mentoring” website, bringing over all of the hucksters from IGI, concentrating their recruiting on the hispanic population and college kids…. why dont you address those issues (there is plenty there to keep you busy!) instead of attacking people because they dont want their personal info all over the net? give me a break…
hey…when you first joined visalus (back in late february, i believe)…you stated to everyone that you would post your checks no matter how much you did or didnt make….you said that we would be surprised! boy o boy…july is right around the corner!!!! looking forward to that!
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGfranky75
quite frankly …. i just dont understand this. it isnt the first time you have made this request from me or from others… why does someone have to post their identity and personal info on these threads to satisfy you?read my posts…i am active in ACN. i have been very critical of not only the company, but of many specific “leaders” (top-producers) as well. i have been EXTREMELY critical of network marketing in general. why would i give my idenitity? that would make absolutely no sense. for the comments i’ve made in the past…i probably would have my status deactivated if i didnt have any “connections.”
so get off of this kick about trying to discredit people if they dont post all of their personal info…its ridiculous and it doesnt help your arguement.
your right, i dont know a whole lot about visalus… but what i do know, i dont like. and not you, VOR, of any of the other ryan blair wannabes have been able to convince me, or anyone else, otherwise. what of all these rumors about visalus’ cashflow problems, the shady history of the company that is kept “hidden” (free network), the quack paid-off “doctors” that “endorse” the product, the “mentoring” website, bringing over all of the hucksters from IGI, concentrating their recruiting on the hispanic population and college kids…. why dont you address those issues (there is plenty there to keep you busy!) instead of attacking people because they dont want their personal info all over the net? give me a break…
hey…when you first joined visalus (back in late february, i believe)…you stated to everyone that you would post your checks no matter how much you did or didnt make….you said that we would be surprised! boy o boy…july is right around the corner!!!! looking forward to that!
I said i would post my checks in 6 months. It’s only been 3… 2nd. You don’t know anything about the doctor, yes the government gives money to quacks that don’t know anything, especially quacks that created degrees at Universities like U of Michigan. What leadership that was directly involved in IGI upper echelon is in Visalus??? Tell me, I haven’t heard any rumors of cashflow problems, just one guy in here, saying it. Other than that, I dont see where you get it from. My very first training, I was told the complete background of the company, including that it came from Free Network. Nothing new or hidden there…The only college kids being recruited right now, is being done so by me, I basically have the youngest group in the company. So here we come full circle, your just going off other people uniformed, unsubstianated claims, very comfortably from your chair. You give no one a clue who you are, which speaks volumes for your integrity. Stop hiding behind a screen, substiatiate your claims, and let us know who you are, for all we know you could actually be someone with a criminal record for fraud…Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
What leadership that was directly involved in IGI upper echelon is in Visalus???
Didn’t sky cover this already numerous times?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
The only college kids being recruited right now, is being done so by me, I basically have the youngest group in the company.
That I don’t believe for a second, and honestly, you can’t be expected to know what kind of recruiting is going on nationwide within the company. Sarnacola and Mallen did nothing BUT recruit college kids, and I can’t believe they are changing they modus operandi now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cscirpoli
You give no one a clue who you are, which speaks volumes for your integrity. Stop hiding behind a screen, substiatiate your claims, and let us know who you are, for all we know you could actually be someone with a criminal record for fraud…
This is just STUPID, Chris. Who franky is, who April is, who I am or who YOU are is simply meaningless to this discussion, and it certainly has ZIP to do with integrity. I really can’t understand why you insist on constantly bringing this up. It is totally irrelevant.AND TAKE DOWN THE HELP-WANTED AD ON PATHCONNECT. You are LYING to people with that ad, same as the low-road MLMers who place ads on CareerBuilder and such. It’s not right, and you are rationalizing if you state otherwise. Any right-thinking person knows it is simply WRONG. That has been my main beef with the company since the beginning, and it remains so. Other than that, Visalus is no different for many other MLMs out there. It is run-of-the-mill, period.
Re: Is Visalus deceiving college kids?
Quote:
Originally Posted by openQuestion
Didn’t sky cover this already numerous times?That I don’t believe for a second, and honestly, you can’t be expected to know what kind of recruiting is going on nationwide within the company. Sarnacola and Mallen did nothing BUT recruit college kids, and I can’t believe they are changing they modus operandi now.
This is just STUPID, Chris. Who franky is, who April is, who I am or who YOU are is simply meaningless to this discussion, and it certainly has ZIP to do with integrity. I really can’t understand why you insist on constantly bringing this up. It is totally irrelevant.
AND TAKE DOWN THE HELP-WANTED AD ON PATHCONNECT. You are LYING to people with that ad, same as the low-road MLMers who place ads on CareerBuilder and such. It’s not right, and you are rationalizing if you state otherwise. Any right-thinking person knows it is simply WRONG. That has been my main beef with the company since the beginning, and it remains so. Other than that, Visalus is no different for many other MLMs out there. It is run-of-the-mill, period.
Says you Open, you are not the king of ethics, nor is franky…there is nothing wrong with posting MLM on Careerbuilder, just because you don’t believe it’s a valid form of creating income doesn’t mean it isnt.. So again, get off the high horse. I mean if that’s your only gripe, then you’re really reaching…as for sky, none of the people he accused Visalus of dealing with are even in Visalus. So stop bumping the thread, and get a life…Re: My visalus nightmare…
This tale has been told many many times, the only part that changes is the name of the MLM. Funny how the same troubles come up again and again, with the only commonality being MLM… What’s that tell you?
Re: My visalus nightmare…
That there are good and bad companies in MLM? Bit like all businesses.
__________________
Network Marketing is about creating sales through a network of distributors and customers. This takes skill. If you dont learn the skills, you won’t create the sales.
Re: My visalus nightmare…[quote=Mike!;991249]This tale has been told many many times, the only part that changes is the name of the MLM. Funny how the same troubles come up again and again, with the only commonality being MLM… What’s that tell you?
I means the same people keep getting recycled mlm..after mlm…after mlm….ect
You know the old saying…”If you do the same thing over..and over…and over…how can you expect different results?
Some people have been at if for a couple of decades…and they still expect a different result….go figure!
Re: My visalus nightmare…The whole story which started this thread has nothing to do with the integrity of ViSalus. It is just one sad Visalus Distributor who was way out of line and unable to be civil and respectful with someone who wasn’t interested or who wanted to warn her about a possible scam.
I can assure you, Visalus is a great company. Time is proving this out as we speak.
Bottom line: a.) The products work. b.) the business works.
There is no such thing as a free lunch or meal ticket or even meal-replacement shake. To be successful, it is necessary to work hard and make sacrifices… of course, having done one’s research.
Also, of course you shouldn’t join if you can’t afford to. That would be foolish. Anyone who is pressuring you to, when you know you won’t have the motivation to really make the system work, is not someone you should join with anyways.
Finally, if you think about it… everything out there that you buy is actually part of a pyramid. Every profitable product has someone or several people at the top who are making a killing, while most of those who work for the company live paycheck to paycheck. The only difference between Visalus or any number of other MLMs is that you have the opportunity to share in the profits, and your profit potential is directly related to your efforts and drive. Not so in the corporate world where, for the most part, it is really all about sucking up and who you know and how to claim credit and deny responsibility etc.
Re: My visalus nightmare…Everyone who sells this product is the same. They make it seem like it’s the best thing to happen to the world. It ‘cures’ any sort of ailment and it’ll make you into a millionaire! Wrong.
My fiance was talked into becoming a “distributor” for this product. They spoke of promises of a BMW and huuuuge paycheques every week.
Well no one seems to be interested in the product and they forgot to mention they would continue to charge our credit card hundreds of dollars per month!
We had a “challenge” party and I honestly felt like it was a cult meeting. There were 5 people there who were Visalus reps and only 2 people came who were interested in the product. Now these 2 people were ONLY interested in the weight loss aspect of the product. They did not want to sell it, yet it felt like the entire meeting was about making money. It hardly focuses on the product actually being able to help you lose weight. This seemed a bit weird to me as they speak so highly of the product’s ability to work wonders.
Every time the video would say something like ‘who wants a free BMW’ or ‘who wants to make a steady income on the side’ the people who were already part of Visalus would raise their hands and say ‘oooo me me! I do!’ At the end of the meeting, the Visalus reps would go up to the others and say ‘So, what product are you going to buy today’. I just felt it was a very pushy approach. If the product is so good, let it sell itself!!
I’ve been taking the product for a couple weeks now and I have actually gained weight so I’m not sure how great it really is. I exercise regularly and eat well, the only difference is I now have a Vi shake for lunch, I take the metabawake pills in the morning and evening, and I have the fat burning drink mix once daily. So all these “fat burners” should be increasing my weight loss, should they not?
I hate pyramid scams…this one seems just like the rest of them.
Re: My visalus nightmare…No offense to you but this is a great product. I became a distributor 6 months ago and it has changed our families life and mine and my husband! We have lost a combined total of 160lbs. If you are gaining weight then something is wrong with what you are doing.
As for the charging “hundreds” of dollars to your credit card…….DUH! You have to actually pay for the product! My hubby and I have been getting ours for free for 5 months now because we have gotten friends and family on it. Thats how it works! But I now also bring in an extra few 1000 a month. And it really it does “cure all”! My dad suffered from high blood pressure and arthritis. I put him on it just for the nutritional aspect of it. And in two weeks he was off his hbp meds and his arthritis was pretty much gone. Its amazing what happens when your body gets the proper nutrition!!
Oh did I mention that I do have a BMW???? Yep thats right! So it does work. This is the best thing that I could have ever done. I work from home and have an amazing life! I am sorry that you feel like you were cheated somehow and I am sorry that its not working for you. Hopefully you can change your mindset and have great things happen.
Originally Posted by fiercee
Everyone who sells this product is the same. They make it seem like it’s the best thing to happen to the world. It ‘cures’ any sort of ailment and it’ll make you into a millionaire! Wrong.
My fiance was talked into becoming a “distributor” for this product. They spoke of promises of a BMW and huuuuge paycheques every week.
Well no one seems to be interested in the product and they forgot to mention they would continue to charge our credit card hundreds of dollars per month!
We had a “challenge” party and I honestly felt like it was a cult meeting. There were 5 people there who were Visalus reps and only 2 people came who were interested in the product. Now these 2 people were ONLY interested in the weight loss aspect of the product. They did not want to sell it, yet it felt like the entire meeting was about making money. It hardly focuses on the product actually being able to help you lose weight. This seemed a bit weird to me as they speak so highly of the product’s ability to work wonders.
Every time the video would say something like ‘who wants a free BMW’ or ‘who wants to make a steady income on the side’ the people who were already part of Visalus would raise their hands and say ‘oooo me me! I do!’ At the end of the meeting, the Visalus reps would go up to the others and say ‘So, what product are you going to buy today’. I just felt it was a very pushy approach. If the product is so good, let it sell itself!!
I’ve been taking the product for a couple weeks now and I have actually gained weight so I’m not sure how great it really is. I exercise regularly and eat well, the only difference is I now have a Vi shake for lunch, I take the metabawake pills in the morning and evening, and I have the fat burning drink mix once daily. So all these “fat burners” should be increasing my weight loss, should they not?
I hate pyramid scams…this one seems just like the rest of them.
Re: My visalus nightmare…What on earth are you talking about???
Unless you are on your upline’s calls and they happen to inject their own flavor of religion into their ‘training’ where are you getting the idea that Team Beachbody teaches people about God or endorses religion in any way?
The only thing that comes remotely close to that would be the workout program called Body Gospel for those out there who like working out to christian music….apart from that, you are mistaken.Also, the $39.95 is the base join fee. You say its crazy to charge $500 to start, but if a person wanted to start with all the cool samples and flyers and forms, etc, they’d need to pay the $600 for a Diamon Pack in Team Beachbody.
Let’s keep things real here and not mislead people.
I don’t know anything about Visalus, but I do know a little bit about Team Beachbody. Tomorrow is my last week of a 90 day program doing Power 90 and I’ve experienced great results, both from the workout program and from the meal plans and shakeology. But none of this had to do with christian teachings.
Anyhow, caveat complete.
On with the Visalus talk…
Quote:
Originally Posted by fdaniels
Wow I am friends with someone on FB and she is promoting this stuff like it is the cure for all cures…really,,,people take control of your health and fitness..I am involved with a MLM Team Beachbody (Tony Horton) P90 x and I have never been happier…There start up fee is $39.95 and 14.95 a month to maintain 2 websites, and you have to maintain a 50 pv point each month…I tried their Shakeology because all it is is pure food…I lost 11 lbs and 9 inches, work out eveyday, and make better choices in what goes into my body…
Just wanted to pass this along. I love this company because they are not afraid to talk about God and helping other people..This girl and I have been bantering about the difference in our businesses and your message just makes me crazy that a company has to have $500.00 to just start up…You shouldn’t have to put that much money into a MLM..to have your own business.
just my thoughts
francine
Re: My visalus nightmare…To DistributorMom:
No I am not doing anything wrong. I’m taking the product exactly as they said to. I’m working out MORE than I have been as well so I should be losing weight/inches like crazy. Instead I have been gaining not only weight (from building more muscle), but I can tell I have gained fat. My face has also broken out since taking the vitamins and the ‘healthy skin/anti aging’ vitamin.
We have sold enough product to people in order to get our next month for free. THAT is why I’m angry that they charged us hundreds of dollars this month again. They said they have refunded the money to my credit card, but I’m still waiting for it.
I’m happy that this product has worked for your family, but don’t try to tell me I’m doing something wrong, because I’m not. It clearly doesn’t work for everyone. I will continue to use it for the rest of the month and see if anything changes.
Re: My visalus nightmare…I won’t bash the company itself, but I will say that there are some distributors who are less then honest with what they tell potential “recruits”. My ex husband got into Visalus about a year ago. He lost 70lbs in the 90 days and got his “free” BMW. He continues to use both of these facts to lure more people in, he has even told some that Visalus will cure diabetes. I’ve researched the company and that “free” BMW only comes if you reach and maintain a certain level – the company will give you $600 a month for car payments, but you have to get the financing on the car yourself. My ex, who could finance a flea, had to have his parents co-sign the car loan for him. He has also gained back most of that weight because he does not follow the general rule of eat right and exercise, he believes the shakes are miracles and he can still eat like a horse. Interestingly he tells everyone how great he is doing, how much money he is “pulling in” and how he “retired” from his full time job (He was fired from his full time job because he was spending too much time doing Visalus). As soon as he lost his job, he applied with the state to get his child support obligation reduced because he was “broke” and couldn’t pay his bills. He has his car insurance revoked for non-payment and a lease termination from his apartment for not paying his rent. Now, I know from experience that this man can not handle money as it comes in, he is just a very irresponsible man. So I can’t say that everyone in Visalus is “bad” or that it’s a cult, or any of that, but I do know that my ex is the type who will hound you like the original poster’s family did to her,and tell you what a mistake you are making for not “getting with him”. The wrapping sure looks pretty, but the package underneath is pretty empty. Just make sure that if you decide to get into this business, that the people you are doing it with are reputable – do your research.
Re: My visalus nightmare…Well here’s an update for all you Visalus preachers. I still have not lost any weight from this product.
My credit card was charged $233 less than 2 weeks after we paid $560 to sign up. This $233 charge was put on my card a month ago. As soon as I was charged, I contacted the distributors above us to have the money refunded. They told us it was no problem, the money will be refunded shortly. We have been asking them on a daily basis where the refund is and they keep saying ‘don’t worry, it’s coming’. Well…yesterday they finally said ‘oh wait…YOU have to call the company yourself to get the refund’. Wow…thanks for letting me know a month later!!!!
So I call the company… they refuse to give me the refund because we didn’t sell enough product within the 10 days after purchasing the $560 worth of product. We sold $1500 worth of product in February, but they just couldn’t wait to charge us more money.
The distributors who signed us up told us they would cancel the auto ship right after we signed up. Since THEY failed to do this, I am being penalized by being charged this extra $230.
DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER! They are money hungry scam artists.
The product will ONLY work if you start eating healthy and exercise. So basically you can eat healthy and exercise without spending $500 on their product and get the same results.
Re: My visalus nightmare…Ok, first, arthritis does not just go away. It’s a degenerative disease of which there is no cure, only ways to manage it. Your dad’s arthritis may have gone into remission, but I highly doubt it went away completely because of Visalus.
And you can get the same benefits of weight loss and feeling better by eating correctly and exercising… and it would also help with the high blood pressure.
It seems that everyone wants the “miracle cure” to lose weight and be healthier, and they want it to work right away. As I stated in my other thread, my ex lost 75 lbs on the 90 day challenge.. but did not maintain a healthy lifestyle after that and gained most of it back (although he still told new recruits he lost 75lbs and how would they know what he looked like 6 months ago?). Another of his buddies in the system lost the weight and kept it off by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It’s all about self control and maintenance, and you do not need a $200 a month shake to do it, but if it helps you and you can afford it, good for you.
I’m happy for you if your lives are better because of Visalus, that’s wonderful. But your thread sounds very “negative” the way you “talk down” to the poster and talk about the monetary benefits. You come off as if to say “you are wrong if you don’t subscribe to my train of thought”. My ex does that alot on his facebook page apparently… at a recent child support hearing he claimed to be broke and the DA had postings from his facebook page where he was bragging about how much money he was making and what a great lifestyle he had and on and on. He out right said on the stand that it was all a marketing ploy to get new people interested in Visalus and that he really was struggling. Now, you can argue that he was lying to get sympathy from the judge, or that he’s lying to people on facebook about Visalus, either way, he is the type of distributor that should be avoided in these MLM companies.
These products may work for some people and may not work for others, so don’t get down on someone because they don’t find the same benefits in the company as you do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DistributorMom
No offense to you but this is a great product. I became a distributor 6 months ago and it has changed our families life and mine and my husband! We have lost a combined total of 160lbs. If you are gaining weight then something is wrong with what you are doing.As for the charging “hundreds” of dollars to your credit card…….DUH! You have to actually pay for the product! My hubby and I have been getting ours for free for 5 months now because we have gotten friends and family on it. Thats how it works! But I now also bring in an extra few 1000 a month. And it really it does “cure all”! My dad suffered from high blood pressure and arthritis. I put him on it just for the nutritional aspect of it. And in two weeks he was off his hbp meds and his arthritis was pretty much gone. Its amazing what happens when your body gets the proper nutrition!!
Oh did I mention that I do have a BMW???? Yep thats right! So it does work. This is the best thing that I could have ever done. I work from home and have an amazing life! I am sorry that you feel like you were cheated somehow and I am sorry that its not working for you. Hopefully you can change your mindset and have great things happen.
Re: My visalus nightmare…
Well said, LadyRed.
The people involved in this company care only about money and gettin more of it. Even the DVD they play during the “parties” to get people to buy the product focus mainly on the money making aspect and not the “miracle weight loss”.
When trying to get the money back that was wrongfully charged to my credit card, none of the visalus people attempted to help us until we put a facebook status smearing the company. As soon as my fiance put that status up, 3 visalus reps called his cell and now one of them is trying to get my refund. I have a feeling they’ll find a way out of getting me my money back though…but we’ll see.
I find it sad that these people promise you the world in order to suck you into buying their product, but once you want something in return they turn their back.ViSalus Scam search terms:
What you NEED to know about ViSalus
ViSalus has created a few incredible waves in the business world and health industry, and with that swell of activity has come some serious negative backlash. The ViSalus mission promotes a positive message of “Life. Health. Prosperity.” While ViSalus opponents are crying “scam.”
So, what is it that you need to know about ViSalus? How about the simple truth?! That’s all anyone can really ask for, and all you hope to know when inquiring about a potential business venture or nutritional supplement. Also, why has there been such an outcry of negativity about a business that is trying to promote better health and overall living? When it comes to ViSalus, here’s what you need to know.
ViSalus is a MLM/Network Marketing Business
In the simplest terms possible, here’s the deal: ViSalus operates on a business model that offers superior nutritional supplements (based on direct product comparisons with major brands) through a distributor and sales force that has the ability to enjoy those products at cost, while selling to others and offering them a similar opportunity in sales. Skeptics and naysayers are immediately put off by the ViSalus business model and marketing strategy (often referred to as a pyramid scheme or pnzi scheme) because they feel such models are unfair, never guaranteeing anything. However, for the individual who is sick of a 9-5, who would prefer to focus quality time to a project as opposed to quantity time, success can be found within a successful corporate structure – look at Avon and Mary Kay.
The Benefits Of ViSalus
Right out of the gate, ViSalus offers incredible opportunity for those who are seeking a healthier lifestyle, as well as those who are interested in residual income. Having access to the ViSalus supplement line at a deep discount is reason enough for some to have an immediate interest.
Unlike other business models that are similar, ViSalus offers something that everyone wants — better health. It’s a product that can be tried, and if enjoyed, it continues to sell itself. In addition, as users become more passionate about the results they’ve experienced, they’re bound to share and by sharing, they may choose to sell.
What You Need to Know About The Negative ViSalus Claims
Are they unfounded? Absolutely. Generally speaking, many of the opponents are simply competitors using negative marketing tactics to persuade potential ViSalus users from even trying the product, much less sharing the ViSalus mission of life, health and prosperity. You’ll have a difficult time finding a ViSalus user that is claiming a disdain for the product they’re actively taking.
Also, every negative comment generated on the Internet, can be deciphered for what it is -a legitimate claim or negative personal experience (these usually end up on consumer complaint boards for governmental agencies), a personal attack or non-factual opinion, or a simple dislike of multi-level marketing businesses and not enough to do. Always ask yourself, what does this person have to gain for slandering ViSalus and saying that “ViSalus is a scam”. Do they provide evidence? Resources to verify their sources with a phone call? Usually you’ll see that their claims of scam were only generated in their own mind based on their own personal perspectives and they have never even been involved in/with ViSalus in any way.
If you’re willing to disregard the pessimistic-pepper-spray of ViSalus Scam claims and continue to look at ViSalus, you’ll quickly see the potential that has been developed by the experienced ViSalus team and speak with those who have already found success, far outweighing the unfounded claims that the company is “too good to be true”. In our research, we have found a proven, dependable resource and knowledgeable team. If you would like to be put in contact with them, feel free to send an email to visalusnutrition (@) gmail (dot) com.
ViSalus Scam search terms:
An Editorial on the “ViSalus Scam”
Each individual looking into ViSalus as a potential customer or a potential team member has plenty on his plate. Hearing the potential offered from ViSalus Sciences and their mission of offering life, health and prosperity sounds wonderful, and the opportunity sounds real; however, when you go to learn a little bit more about the company from the 21st Century “go to” source (the Internet), you find one thing after another that is calling ViSalus a scam, or claiming any number of things about the ViSalus team, their “business model,” or their products. Don’t believe the hype without investigating!
Approaching such claims with wisdom, there’s only one question to ask: What are these claims, and is there any truth to them?
Why ViSalus Scam Claims Are Completely Unfounded
In regards to ViSalus scam claims, you’ll have to look incredibly hard for ViSalus users or team members who have a disdain for the company that is breaking ground in offering better overall health to thousands. In fact, don’t be disappointed when you can’t find one example of someone on the “inside” with negative feelings about ViSalus.
On the other hand, however, you have skeptics, naysayers and presumptuous thinkers who have formed opinions that “ViSalus MUST be too good to be true,” without truly knowing anything about the company, or the ViSalus mission and marketing strategy.
You can find and read anything from negative discussion on the products in message board format, to knocks on the personal lives of the ViSalus Management Team. If there’s anything true about these scam claims, it’s that they are all based on opinion and have no factual foundation. Chances are, these individuals have a problem with another MLM business, and have decided to lump ViSalus Sciences into the group in an effort to “bring down the whole lot.”
Whatever the case may be, the claims are flimsy, emotionally charged opinions that offer nothing solid as evidence to a “scam.” With a little bit of self-education, these same individuals might see that ViSalus may be similar to some businesses they’ve known in the past, but it is, in fact, very different.
How Scam Claims Against ViSalus Are Profitable
Did you hear that right? Claiming a scam can be profitable? There are those who will take the name of any company and use it as a pawn against that same company, claiming that they know how their marketing strategy works, and why it can’t work for every member of the sales team — in this case, ViSalus has drawn the short straw. Instead, they recommend that you subscribe to their manner of running an MLM or Network Marketing campaign, which will in turn be much more successful. In order to learn these methods, do you have to pay? Why, of course you do!
Sticking to the truths offered through a little self-education and research is the wise thing to do. ViSalus certainly may not be a business opportunity for everyone, but you can’t drift from the facts that they offer superior products, and the perfect business opportunity for the right individual.
ViSalus Scam search terms:
Scam Talk
The following is an excerpt (well, maybe a little more than an “excerpt”) from a popular forum for notorious for slandering companies in the network marketing space. The truth is, this forum is over-run by negative people who use the guise of inteligent dialgue in slandering companies, from what we gather, just for fun. It is amazing to read through this forum (not just this thread) but countless others of threads, claiming that avon and sears – yes, even Sears the retail giant – are both scams. They claim that all of these companies are scams yet when asked if they themselves or anyone they knew had found ViSalus to not be everything that they claim to be and they are unable to answer those questions. The reason is, ViSalus is truly a legitimate network marketing opportunity!
Feel free to browse the dialogue below and if you have any doubts on the legitimacy of ViSalus, their products, their company, their business model, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and give EVERYONE an opportunity to respond – not just the ones who live on negative energy and slandering up and coming business opportunities.
The Mega-Vitamin Mega-Myth
FOXNEWS.COM
Monday, March 05, 2007 By Steven Milloy
Another nutrition myth went down the drain this week. It seems that antioxidant vitamins don’t quite live up to their hype.
Researchers reviewing 68 studies on the effect of antioxidants on life span reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week that consumption of beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium, whether singly or combined, did not reduce the risk of premature death.
If anything, the researchers concluded, there was actually a slight increase in risk of premature death among antioxidant supplement takers (with the exception of vitamin C and selenium).
Antioxidants have been hypothesized to reduce the oxidative damage to the body caused by so-called “free radicals.” Some have suggested that antioxidant supplements may reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Such claims helped fuel the growth of the multi-billion dollar nutritional supplement industry.
The researchers didn’t conduct new experimental research. Instead, they conducted a systematic review of the results of 68 studies involving 232,606 antioxidant supplement users, combing their results using a controversial statistical technique known as “meta-analysis.”
The conclusion that antioxidant supplements don’t appear to help you live longer is likely on a sound footing. Even without statistically combining the studies through meta-analysis, it’s fairly clear that antioxidant supplements are ineffective for increasing longevity.
Of the 68 studies examined, 66 studies reported no statistically significant association between supplement use and longevity. The remaining two studies actually reported statistically weak increases in premature death with supplement use.
One strength of this analysis is that longevity is perhaps the most objective measure of health. A potential weakness of the study – at least in terms of putting the myth to bed – is that the researchers didn’t examine whether supplement use reduced the risk of cancer or heart disease – two diseases often touted as preventable by antioxidant use. This shortcoming may enable the supplement industry to keep making unproven claims about antioxidants preventing those two diseases.
The study’s other conclusion concerning the risk of antioxidant supplements increasing the risk of premature death rests on shaky ground, however.
The researchers reported that beta-carotene supplements taken singly, vitamin A supplements taken singly or in combination with other antioxidant supplements; and vitamin E supplements taken singly or in combination with other antioxidant supplements were associated with 6 percent, 16 percent and 4 percent, respectively, increases in risk of premature death among the study group.
Although the three reported increases in risk were statistically significant, this is not likely a reason to fret about supplement use.
All three results are relatively weak statistical correlations that would require large, well-designed, and carefully controlled clinical trials to confirm. But since there’s no apparent health benefit from taking these supplements to begin with, there’s probably little reason to take them or to study them further.
It will be interesting to see what impact this study has on the nutritional supplement industry. A Google search on “antioxidant” produced advertisements proclaiming, “Natural Antioxidant = Better Health”; and “Naturally Remove Free Radicals.”
A search on “beta-carotene” produced, “Reduce Cancer and Disease.”
A “vitamin E” search produced “Feel Strong. Be Healthy” and “You can look and feel 20 years younger than you actually are.”
Then there’s the vitamin C industry that’s been built around double-Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling, perhaps the most prominent promoter of the notion that mega-doses of vitamin C improve health.
In his highly publicized 1970 book “Vitamin C and the Common Cold,” Pauling claimed that taking 10 times the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C reduced the incidence of colds by 45 percent. In his 1986 book, “How to Feel Better and Live Longer,” Pauling claimed that mega-doses of vitamins “can improve your general health … increase your enjoyment of life and can help in controlling heart disease, cancer, and other diseases and in slowing down the process of aging.”
As Quackwatch.org’s Dr. Stephen Barrett points out, “Although Pauling’s mega-vitamin claims lacked the evidence needed for acceptance by the scientific community, they have been accepted by large numbers of people who lack the scientific expertise to evaluate them. Thanks largely to Pauling’s prestige, annual vitamin C sales in the United States have been in the hundreds of millions of dollars for many years.”
While the jury is probably still out on whether typical use of antioxidant supplements pose any sort of long-term health risk, it is possible to overdose on antioxidants, particularly vitamin A. With respect to Pauling and mega-doses of vitamin C, Dr. Barrett says, “The physical damage to people he led astray cannot be measured.”
None of this is to say that no nutritional supplement can have any value under any circumstances. But before falling blindly for claims made by the nutritional supplement industry, you should probably do your own research and check with your physician.
Steven Milloy publishes JunkScience.com and CSRWatch.com. He is a junk science expert, and advocate of free enterprise and an adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255920,00.html
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Another nutrition myth went down the drain this week. It seems that antioxidant vitamins don’t quite live up to their hype.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255920,00.html
‘the myth went down the drain this week’ but the article is dated March 5 2007…is that correct?
it is a good read
thanks
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jebaroo
‘the myth went down the drain this week’ but the article is dated March 5 2007…is that correct?
it is a good read
thanks
New new book to be released later this month:
Vitamin Myth Exposed
by Brian Clement
Publisher: Healthful Communications, Inc.
Pub. Date: May 28, 2008
ISBN: 193375446X
ISBN-13: 9781933754468
Format: Hardcover, 166pp
and another…
The Vitamin Pushers : How the Health Food Industry Is Selling America a Bill of Goods
Stepehn Barett, M.D. & Victor Herbert, M.D., J.D., forward by Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Prometheus Books, Amherst, New York, 1994
Synopsis
Have Americans been conned by the health-food industry into taking vitamins they don’t need? Two distinguished physicians say yes! Drs. Stephen Barrett and Victor Herbert present a detailed and comprehensive picture of the multibillion-dollar health-food industry, which, they charge, has amassed its huge fortunes mostly by preying on the fears of uninformed consumers. Based on twenty years of research, The Vitamin Pushers addresses every aspect of this lucrative business and exposes its widespread misinformation campaign. The authors reveal how many health-food companies make false claims about products or services, promote unscientific nutrition practices through the media, show little or no regard for the rules of scientific testing and evidence, and often skirt the law in their schemes for making quick profits while eluding government watchdog agencies. Drs. Barrett and Herbert counter the phony assertions of health-food hucksters with reliable, scientifically based nutrition information, and they suggest how the consumer can avoid “getting quacked.” They also include five useful appendices on balancing your diet, evaluating claims made for more than sixty supplements and food products, and much more. The Vitamin Pushers is a much-needed expose of a nationwide scam, which will definitely save you money and might even save your life.
“Stephen Barrett may be the most visible face fighting health fraud”– USA Today
and an article..
Science & the vitamin myth
WHY BUY AND TAKE WHAT YOU DON’T NEED—IT MAY HARM MORE THAT YOUR PURSE.
The British medical journal LANCET reported that, “9,000 in every one million users of vitamin supplements will die prematurely as a result of taking something they think is good for them.”
http://skeptically.org/kooks/id11.html
In my opinion it ludicrous for anyone –even the all knowing “tinnitus” (i.e. ringing in the ears) expert Dr. Seidman– to purport know what is necessary to achieve optimal health for everyone. Common sense tells you the nutritional/ vitamin/ mineral requirements for a 10 year old boy are quite different than that of an 80 year old woman… or a pregnant 25 year old… yet Visalus is a “one size fits all” miracle product.
What medical doctor ever told any of you that you were deficient in any of these ingredients… much less all of them? Self diagnosis that leads to self treatment can be costly, ineffective and even dangerous.
Visalus/ Vi-Pak is just one more in a long line of overpriced, overhyped “feel good” junk products whose overriding purpose is to drive money into an MLM.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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In MHO here is part of the problems these people selling these products don’t understand.
4. Third Party Literature
Dietary supplement advertisers should be aware that the use of newspaper articles, abstracts of scientific studies, or other “third party literature” to promote a particular brand or product can have an impact on how consumers interpret an advertisement and on what claims the advertiser will be responsible for substantiating. For purposes of dietary supplement labeling, Section 5 of DSHEA provides an exemption from labeling requirements for scientific journal articles, books and other publications used in the sale of dietary supplements, provided these materials are reprinted in their entirety, are not false or misleading, do not promote a specific brand or manufacturer, are presented with other materials to create a balanced view of the scientific information, and are physically separate from the supplements being sold.
The FTC will generally follow an approach consistent with the labeling approach when evaluating the use of such publications in other contexts, such as advertising. Although the FTC does not regulate the content or accuracy of statements made in independently written and published books, articles, or other non-commercial literature, FTC law does prohibit the deceptive use of such materials in marketing products. The determination of whether the materials will be subject to FTC jurisdiction turns largely on whether the materials have been created or are being used by an advertiser specifically for the purpose of promoting its product. As a practical matter, publications and other materials that comply with the elements of the DSHEA provision, particularly with the requirement that such materials be truthful, not misleading and balanced, are also likely to comply with FTC advertising law.
Example 36: An author publishes a book on the curative properties of an herb. The book title is “The Miracle Cancer Cure.” The book does not endorse or otherwise mention any particular supplement brand. The author/publisher does not sell the herbal supplement and does not have any material connection to any marketers of the herb. As non-commercial speech, the book itself would not be subject to the FTC’s jurisdiction over advertising. However, if a marketer of the herb referred to the book in advertising materials (for instance, by quoting the title and using excerpts to describe the anti-cancer benefits of its product), such references would likely be considered advertising. The advertiser would be responsible for substantiating any claims about the advertiser’s product that are conveyed by these references.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/…/dietsupp.shtm
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Just like always, Skyvoyager messes with the little fish and posts ambiguous articles that have nothing to do with the mentioned company itself.
Anyone who listens to this quack is doing themselves a serious disservice.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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wow… open, i couldnt agree with you more. horrible, simply horrible. and your right, this is the type of thing that gives all MLM’s a bad reputation.
unfortunately, it is common for network marketing companies to “attack” the college age kids. actually, there has been some issues with that in ACN, and actually there have been some de-activations because of it. there were a couple of groups that were living on college campuses recruiting at “career fairs” and the uplines were encouraging these kids to drop out…. what was happening was there were literally houses near these college campuses that would be filled with these kids…. almost liek a cult. as soon as ACN caught wind of it, the uplines that started these practices were deactivated and lost thier positions…. that kind of behavior hurts more than just the company, it hurts the industry (not even mentioning how these poor kids are being hurt!). the thing is, usually the company itself doesnt promote that kind of behavior and tries to snuff it out when it occurs, it seems that in this case, it is actually the company that is promoting that kind of thing!
trying to hide behind the facade of a “career counselor/mentor” is underhanded, unethical, and completely shameful. they are also trying to market this websie like its a pseudo-myspace! wow. it is very sneaky and to me shows a very dark side of the upper management if they are willing to put their reputations on the line to go ahead and sign up for this kind of dishonest marketing ploy. companies like this dont last long, and i dont see visalus being around 5 or 6 years from now with the business being run this way with management like that. i guess only time will tell.
it should be interesting to see Cscirpoli’s take on this. i cant imagine him actually defending it…. definitely anxcious for his take on it though.
After visiting this site and reading about Visalus I went to the BBB to see what I could find, what I found is that after being in busness for three years there are only two complaints about this company. So I ask myself where is all of this infomation coming from? How can someone like myself be able to find out this type of information? I saw the site for the Doctor and I did some research on Ryan Blair but for everything else I am still trying to find valid information instead of word of mouth which can sometimes be distorted. One of the products that I saw was the weight loss product and I noticed that it cost $150 + shipping and handling, some people have paid way more than that at the hopes of losing weight.
If this company is so bad than why is it still allowed to go on? After three years and all the complaints that I have read on the internet why don’t more people complain to the powers that be and end the madness? or just like a lot of people that have hyped up this company the same goes for people that are hyping up complaints? I am just trying to understand both sides of the debate.
http://detroit.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Repor…&firm=05000435
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Because 99% of it is unfounded my friend.
If you are here for longer than 5 minutes, you can see that skyvoyager recycles his same generic posts through each and every thread.
This site is essentially just a breeding ground for people who are bitter because they have been burned in MLM – for one reason or another.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Because 99% of it is unfounded my friend.
If you are here for longer than 5 minutes, you can see that skyvoyager recycles his same generic posts through each and every thread.
This site is essentially just a breeding ground for people who are bitter because they have been burned in MLM – for one reason or another.
Actually most sane people recognize skyvoyager’s posts as dead on the mark regarding facts. It seems to be the peddliers of these get-rich-quick drive a beamer schemes who miss the point. EX my post on Third Party Literature posted above.
You just can’t will these schemes to be real because you invested in them. Get real!
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Will them to be real? That’s laughable…
Yes, at one time I was involved in a Networking company, and big surprise I made money in it. I’m no longer involved however, and haven’t been for quite a good while.
I am open-minded, and I do look from time-to-time, but don’t dilude yourself into thinking something different.
Skyvoyager’s posts are a joke, sad to say it. They are often statistics that are credible, but have little to do with the topic at hand.
If I went into a Ford Mustang enthusiasts website where they were discussing aftermarket performance engines and started posting threads about the importance of various motor oils I suppose in some weird way it would be slightly relevant, but I would get laughed off of them because its not ON TOPIC. Sadly, with these boards that type of logic seems to fly.
If he wants to discredit the company, talk about THE COMPANY don’t post vague messages with outdated links about the potency of various Vitamin C tablets.
I’m going to close this message out with the little smiley guy that spins in circles, because he reminds me of skyvoyager in that way.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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umm, cscipoli, then you DON’T know who the original founder was. Because his name sure ain’t on the website anymore. But he made his money in construction. And his first name rhymes with “neato”.
Get some education before posting your nonsense. The original owner is not Vito, Mr. Neato. Your wires are crossed for sure, just as stated a few posts back. Do you need something to do with your time? I have an excellent opportunity for you to check out if so……
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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This site is essentially just a breeding ground for people who are bitter because they have been burned in MLM – for one reason or another.
Ummm… that’s why it’s called “SCAM.com” ya goober! There are plenty of pro-MLM sites out there where you guys can recruit new cult members
Regarding your “breeding ground of bitterness” comment –the breeding and burning takes place in the world of MLM.. not here!!!! People come here AFTER they’ve been screwed. Still others actually do some due dilligence and avoid being fleeced by the info posted here.
For the record: I have never EVER been involved in any MLM/Network Marketing/Direct Selling/Pyramid or Ponzi scheme in any shape, form or fashion. Rather, I am a vehement anti MLMer and scambuster with a long history of doing just that. People can click on my name and check my postings to see a list of the scams that I’ve fought which are no longer in business as well as one criminal who was just sentenced to prison in April.
I’m not saying Visalus is run by criminals or is even operating illegally. I just think it’s a grossly overpriced, overhyped, “magical mystery product” designed to make a few people rich at the direct expense of others who are misled or deluded into believing all they have to do is “work the plan” and they too will become rich. Sheesh
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Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Sky, you YOURSELF admitted to me that you had close friends and family members who were burned in mlm opportunities in the past.
Don’t act like you don’t have ties to the situation, because you do.
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Sky, you YOURSELF admitted to me that you had close friends and family members who were burned in mlm opportunities in the past.
Don’t act like you don’t have ties to the situation, because you do.
You wrote “this site is a breeding ground for people who are bitter because they have been burned in MLM – for one reason or another.” And I replied that I’ve never been involved in any of these scams. Therefore it follows that I’m neither “burned or bitter.”
The great thing about Scam.com is that anyone can click on my name and read every statement I’ve ever made on here. I have said in the past that I do indeed have a relative who’s a sucker for these things and –after 30 years of chasing various MLM “pie-in-the-sky” scams– he is poorer than ever for the wasted time, energy and money he has thrown down these rat holes.
So how does that make ME “burned and bitter?” Do you think everyone has to be “burned and bitter” to fight against something they are convinced is (at best) highly deceptive if not downright illegal?
Take Chris Hansen of NBC’s “To Catch A Predator” series. Does he as well as the people from ‘Perverted Justice’ and every police officer have to be personally “burned and bitter” in order to have the motivation to fight activity that is obviously wrong?
What’s your point?
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That site is registered to Visalus. Mentor my bobo. I would just respectfully disagree on one thing with OpenQuestion. I don’t think any of these MLM companies is an improvement. I would recommend that one be cautious of all of them. Many of these MLMs target college students, stay at home moms and folks desperate for extra money. Many also openly discourage reps from getting more education, because if they did they would realize what a limited opportunity MLM represents for the vast majority of folks.
I thought that was quite hilarious when I discovered that Visalus’ very own Dr. Quack was already peddling his overpriced vitamins on his own website and blogs. If they were so truly phenomenal than companies would be fighting for the rights to make them and place them on the retail shelves of America. But products that make it out there have to be competitvely priced or clearly superior and more desirable than the run of the mill products. Whole Foods has many products that I feel are worth the extra cost because they are clearly completely different from their lower priced counterparts. So, the fact these products get peddled through the MLM channel tells one exactly what they are…………..
I am going to pick on you for a moment Brenda. You have been with Melaleuca for a good bit of time, but as of yet have not made it your full time job. If it is such a lucrative and stable opportunity why have you not dropped the other job you are working and made it a full time venture for yourself. Is it because you simply can’t make a real living with it? Out of 190,000 folks in Mela as of the end of 2004 I only counted 3000 folks making $15,000 or more per year. Only a handful are making any kind of living with Mela and I believe we can safely say the same will be true for Visalus. I don’t care if Frank V thinks 20,000 make a primary living. I am looking at the actual earnings and I am still not seeing the opportunity with these MLMs. I think Frank’s ridiculous statement just illustrates the point Openquestion made about “There are very, very few companies in this one who are open and honest.”
Soapboxmom
Dang I thouht it would take forever to let the cat out of the bag, Way to go SBM!
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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But in all reality they are all just following the leader.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do…89802739458876
But just how smart are these leaders that they flaunt on stage? http://www.amquix.info/quixtar_britt_stung.html
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Because 99% of it is unfounded my friend.
If you are here for longer than 5 minutes, you can see that skyvoyager recycles his same generic posts through each and every thread.
This site is essentially just a breeding ground for people who are bitter because they have been burned in MLM – for one reason or another.
I have taken ViSalus products and I have enjoyed them. It wasn’t until I became a distributor that I became aware of this site. I am a college graduate with a degree in business finance. I am well educated and I have made investments before but I had never participated in network marketing. If I would have found this site prior to becoming a distributor for ViSalus I would not have signed up. The good news is I did sign up and I am having success. Network marketing is not for everybody. If you are looking for a get rich scheme than you should look else were however, in any network marketing business there is the potiential of making alot of money. Pharmaceutical companies sell products and make money so why can’t Dr. Seidman? Which by the way he has a degree in human nutrition and he is a scientist.
I have purchased products before from different companies and paid more money for the products and they did not work. This product works for me and that is why I support Visalus. Lets take making money out of the equation and just focus on the product, I feel that is worth the price by it self and all of the other perks are bonuses.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I have taken ViSalus products and I have enjoyed them. It wasn’t until I became a distributor that I became aware of this site. I am a college graduate with a degree in business finance. I am well educated and I have made investments before but I had never participated in network marketing. If I would have found this site prior to becoming a distributor for ViSalus I would not have signed up. The good news is I did sign up and I am having success. Network marketing is not for everybody. If you are looking for a get rich scheme than you should look else were however, in any network marketing business there is the potiential of making alot of money. Pharmaceutical companies sell products and make money so why can’t Dr. Seidman? Which by the way he has a degree in human nutrition and he is a scientist.
I have purchased products before from different companies and paid more money for the products and they did not work. This product works for me and that is why I support Visalus. Lets take making money out of the equation and just focus on the product, I feel that is worth the price by it self and all of the other perks are bonuses.
I see you have little interest in the history of scams and Pyramids or you would have looked at my post before your post.
Actually it makes you appear as a person who doesn’t have a clue yet happy to spam this forum, pimping another over priced lotion and potion.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I have taken ViSalus products and I have enjoyed them. It wasn’t until I became a distributor that I became aware of this site. I am a college graduate with a degree in business finance. I am well educated and I have made investments before but I had never participated in network marketing. If I would have found this site prior to becoming a distributor for ViSalus I would not have signed up. The good news is I did sign up and I am having success. Network marketing is not for everybody. If you are looking for a get rich scheme than you should look else were however, in any network marketing business there is the potiential of making alot of money. Pharmaceutical companies sell products and make money so why can’t Dr. Seidman? Which by the way he has a degree in human nutrition and he is a scientist.
I have purchased products before from different companies and paid more money for the products and they did not work. This product works for me and that is why I support Visalus. Lets take making money out of the equation and just focus on the product, I feel that is worth the price by it self and all of the other perks are bonuses.
OK, for the sake of argument… I’ll temporarily dispense with idea that Visalus is a worthless product (I’ll even concede that Visalus Vitamins are about as good as anything comparable out there.. including Flintstone Chewables
or a scammy “get rich quick” scheme.
The question I pose is this: What is the real world, fair market value of Visalus Vitamins? Many will argue Visalus is worth whatever the public is willing to pay. But is that really true in this case? I argue that it >>is not<< because Visalus isn’t operating in a true, free “retail” marketplace. As is true with virtually every MLM (especially consumable/ nutritional MLM’s) their “public”… the people who consume the vast bulk ofthe product.. overwhelmingly consists of the MLM’s membership/ distributors, their immediate families and new recruits who come and go.
How do you prove this? Simple —set some boxes of Visalus/ViPak on a shelf in a major retail store next to all the other suppliments.. price it at what you guys are paying for it.. and see how much actually sells to the non-member public.
The answer is next to none.
So why would anyone pay such overinflated prices –compared to their non-MLM vitamin competitors– for a product that has not been PROVEN “effective” (i.e. the right ingredients in the right dosages for EVERYONE)? Again, the answer is simple.
People reluctantly swallow these high prices as the price required in order to “pay to play” in the Visalus get-rich-quick game.
MLM cults members reason “How can I possibly hope to be successful if I don’t consume the stuff myself? Afterall, I need my own personal testimony of miraculous results in order to recruit others. And how can I possibly hope to be successful if you don’t convert my family, friends and associates?” And after you exhaust all those, you’re told you now need to buy leads, pay for internet advertising, books, tapes, videos, attend rallies, etcccc. (these ‘add-on’ products are the 2nd tier stream of income that flow directly upline from the low men on the totem pole).
“Curiosity” wrote that he likes the products and has made money. Who can argue with that? But I guarantee you the bulk of the money he has made came to him from those other members “downline” from him and not from simply selling the product at retail to the no-member public. Visalus is not really “retailable” and, I believe, fails to comply with the FTC’s “70% rule.”
“Curiosity” also wrote “in any network marketing business there is the potiential of making alot of money.” This is the mantra.. the endless drumbeat of the MLM snake oil salesmen. The key word is “potential”… but what are the real odds of success for the average guy?
Every MLM can quickly and easily post the “actual sales of the average member.” Yet they all refuse to do so because that would unmask their game of delusion and deception.
Yes it’s “possible” for a few people to make money in MLM.. it’s just not “probable” that even half ever will. The vast majority never even recover what they spend in these “businesses” of theirs.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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OK, for the sake of argument… I’ll temporarily dispense with idea that Visalus is a worthless product (I’ll even concede that Visalus Vitamins are about as good as anything comparable out there.. including Flintstone Chewables
or a scammy “get rich quick” scheme.
The question I pose is this: What is the real world, fair market value of Visalus Vitamins? Many will argue Visalus is worth whatever the public is willing to pay. But is that really true in this case? I argue that it >>is not<< because Visalus isn’t operating in a true, free “retail” marketplace. As is true with virtually every MLM (especially consumable/ nutritional MLM’s) their “public”… the people who consume the vast bulk ofthe product.. overwhelmingly consists of the MLM’s membership/ distributors, their immediate families and new recruits who come and go.
How do you prove this? Simple —set some boxes of Visalus/ViPak on a shelf in a major retail store next to all the other suppliments.. price it at what you guys are paying for it.. and see how much actually sells to the non-member public.
The answer is next to none.
So why would anyone pay such overinflated prices –compared to their non-MLM vitamin competitors– for a product that has not been PROVEN “effective” (i.e. the right ingredients in the right dosages for EVERYONE)? Again, the answer is simple.
People reluctantly swallow these high prices as the price required in order to “pay to play” in the Visalus get-rich-quick game.
MLM cults members reason “How can I possibly hope to be successful if I don’t consume the stuff myself? Afterall, I need my own personal testimony of miraculous results in order to recruit others. And how can I possibly hope to be successful if you don’t convert my family, friends and associates?” And after you exhaust all those, you’re told you now need to buy leads, pay for internet advertising, books, tapes, videos, attend rallies, etcccc. (these ‘add-on’ products are the 2nd tier stream of income that flow directly upline from the low men on the totem pole).
“Curiosity” wrote that he likes the products and has made money. Who can argue with that? But I guarantee you the bulk of the money he has made came to him from those other members “downline” from him and not from simply selling the product at retail to the no-member public. Visalus is not really “retailable” and, I believe, fails to comply with the FTC’s “70% rule.”
“Curiosity” also wrote “in any network marketing business there is the potiential of making alot of money.” This is the mantra.. the endless drumbeat of the MLM snake oil salesmen. The key word is “potential”… but what are the real odds of success for the average guy?
Every MLM can quickly and easily post the “actual sales of the average member.” Yet they all refuse to do so because that would unmask their game of delusion and deception.
Yes it’s “possible” for a few people to make money in MLM.. it’s just not “probable” that even half ever will. The vast majority never even recover what they spend in these “businesses” of theirs.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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OK, for the sake of argument… I’ll temporarily dispense with idea that Visalus is a worthless product (I’ll even concede that Visalus Vitamins are about as good as anything comparable out there.. including Flintstone Chewables
or a scammy “get rich quick” scheme.
The question I pose is this: What is the real world, fair market value of Visalus Vitamins? Many will argue Visalus is worth whatever the public is willing to pay. But is that really true in this case? I argue that it >>is not<< because Visalus isn’t operating in a true, free “retail” marketplace. As is true with virtually every MLM (especially consumable/ nutritional MLM’s) their “public”… the people who consume the vast bulk ofthe product.. overwhelmingly consists of the MLM’s membership/ distributors, their immediate families and new recruits who come and go.
How do you prove this? Simple —set some boxes of Visalus/ViPak on a shelf in a major retail store next to all the other suppliments.. price it at what you guys are paying for it.. and see how much actually sells to the non-member public.
The answer is next to none.
So why would anyone pay such overinflated prices –compared to their non-MLM vitamin competitors– for a product that has not been PROVEN “effective” (i.e. the right ingredients in the right dosages for EVERYONE)? Again, the answer is simple.
People reluctantly swallow these high prices as the price required in order to “pay to play” in the Visalus get-rich-quick game.
MLM cults members reason “How can I possibly hope to be successful if I don’t consume the stuff myself? Afterall, I need my own personal testimony of miraculous results in order to recruit others. And how can I possibly hope to be successful if you don’t convert my family, friends and associates?” And after you exhaust all those, you’re told you now need to buy leads, pay for internet advertising, books, tapes, videos, attend rallies, etcccc. (these ‘add-on’ products are the 2nd tier stream of income that flow directly upline from the low men on the totem pole).
“Curiosity” wrote that he likes the products and has made money. Who can argue with that? But I guarantee you the bulk of the money he has made came to him from those other members “downline” from him and not from simply selling the product at retail to the no-member public. Visalus is not really “retailable” and, I believe, fails to comply with the FTC’s “70% rule.”
“Curiosity” also wrote “in any network marketing business there is the potiential of making alot of money.” This is the mantra.. the endless drumbeat of the MLM snake oil salesmen. The key word is “potential”… but what are the real odds of success for the average guy?
Every MLM can quickly and easily post the “actual sales of the average member.” Yet they all refuse to do so because that would unmask their game of delusion and deception.
Yes it’s “possible” for a few people to make money in MLM.. it’s just not “probable” that even half ever will. The vast majority never even recover what they spend in these “businesses” of theirs.
First, I made the initial investment and that was to sample the product myself. After receiving it and having positive results I gave it to some acquaintances of mine. Once they enjoyed the samples and wanted to purchase more, I figured I could profit off of this as well. I have not deceived any college students as a matter of fact that is not my focal group. I approach people that I know that have tried things that did not work for them, and if I am giving them a FREE SAMPLE what do they have to lose? That is how I ended up supporting this company and its products. Yes, there are many vitamins on the market and I have purchased a lot over the years, no-one is going after them for their products for not working! So I asked myself do I listen to a group of people that try and discredit a product, which by the way does work for me, or do I continue to feel better by using a high priced product that works. I have lost a lot of money on products that did not work, so why not spend the extra money for one that does! Your opinions are just that, yours! I am not here to recruit anyone I just want people to know that there is more to this story and all of it is not negative. If you are interested in the company, do your own homework and if possible get a sample from someone they know. If they don’t like it they can move on and tell of their experience and if they like it they can do the same.
Yes this is a MLM but this product works for me. If you had a product that worked which was expensive I would support it just the same. People like things that work so take the MLM out of the equation and just focus on the product and the results.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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OK, for the sake of argument… I’ll temporarily dispense with idea that Visalus is a worthless product (I’ll even concede that Visalus Vitamins are about as good as anything comparable out there.. including Flintstone Chewables
or a scammy “get rich quick” scheme.
The question I pose is this: What is the real world, fair market value of Visalus Vitamins? Many will argue Visalus is worth whatever the public is willing to pay. But is that really true in this case? I argue that it >>is not<< because Visalus isn’t operating in a true, free “retail” marketplace. As is true with virtually every MLM (especially consumable/ nutritional MLM’s) their “public”… the people who consume the vast bulk ofthe product.. overwhelmingly consists of the MLM’s membership/ distributors, their immediate families and new recruits who come and go.
How do you prove this? Simple —set some boxes of Visalus/ViPak on a shelf in a major retail store next to all the other suppliments.. price it at what you guys are paying for it.. and see how much actually sells to the non-member public.
The answer is next to none.
So why would anyone pay such overinflated prices –compared to their non-MLM vitamin competitors– for a product that has not been PROVEN “effective” (i.e. the right ingredients in the right dosages for EVERYONE)? Again, the answer is simple.
People reluctantly swallow these high prices as the price required in order to “pay to play” in the Visalus get-rich-quick game.
MLM cults members reason “How can I possibly hope to be successful if I don’t consume the stuff myself? Afterall, I need my own personal testimony of miraculous results in order to recruit others. And how can I possibly hope to be successful if you don’t convert my family, friends and associates?” And after you exhaust all those, you’re told you now need to buy leads, pay for internet advertising, books, tapes, videos, attend rallies, etcccc. (these ‘add-on’ products are the 2nd tier stream of income that flow directly upline from the low men on the totem pole).
“Curiosity” wrote that he likes the products and has made money. Who can argue with that? But I guarantee you the bulk of the money he has made came to him from those other members “downline” from him and not from simply selling the product at retail to the no-member public. Visalus is not really “retailable” and, I believe, fails to comply with the FTC’s “70% rule.”
“Curiosity” also wrote “in any network marketing business there is the potiential of making alot of money.” This is the mantra.. the endless drumbeat of the MLM snake oil salesmen. The key word is “potential”… but what are the real odds of success for the average guy?
Every MLM can quickly and easily post the “actual sales of the average member.” Yet they all refuse to do so because that would unmask their game of delusion and deception.
Yes it’s “possible” for a few people to make money in MLM.. it’s just not “probable” that even half ever will. The vast majority never even recover what they spend in these “businesses” of theirs.
With any thing that you do there is the “POTIENTAL” to do better. Bottom line the product is good for me and the other people that continue to use the ViSalus products. If the product was not good we would not be talking about it four years later after it went to the public. The complaints I read the most is that ViSalus is a MLM, okay it is but the product works. You, like a lot of other people focus on the MLM and not the actual product. To each it’s on, I enjoy it and I will continue to use it until I find something better.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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First, I made the initial investment and that was to sample the product myself. After receiving it and having positive results I gave it to some acquaintances of mine. Once they enjoyed the samples and wanted to purchase more, I figured I could profit off of this as well. I have not deceived any college students as a matter of fact that is not my focal group. I approach people that I know that have tried things that did not work for them, and if I am giving them a FREE SAMPLE what do they have to lose? That is how I ended up supporting this company and its products. Yes, there are many vitamins on the market and I have purchased a lot over the years, no-one is going after them for their products for not working! So I asked myself do I listen to a group of people that try and discredit a product, which by the way does work for me, or do I continue to feel better by using a high priced product that works. I have lost a lot of money on products that did not work, so why not spend the extra money for one that does! Your opinions are just that, yours! I am not here to recruit anyone I just want people to know that there is more to this story and all of it is not negative. If you are interested in the company, do your own homework and if possible get a sample from someone they know. If they don’t like it they can move on and tell of their experience and if they like it they can do the same.
Yes this is a MLM but this product works for me. If you had a product that worked which was expensive I would support it just the same. People like things that work so take the MLM out of the equation and just focus on the product and the results.
The fact that you said you “I made the initial investment to sample the product myself” is interesting –in a Freudian sort of way. Few people rarely “invest” in vitamins merely to test them for themselves. The word “invest” tells me you went into this with the intention of it becoming a profitable business for you.
Don’t get me wrong, going into business for yourself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However it juuuust might tend to cloud ones ojectivity when it comes to evaluating the very product you’re already intending to sell.
I’m curious, just how do these products “work for you” –and how do you measure that? What are the “positive results” you speak of?
I’ve taken a variety of different suppliments over the years but –other than noticing my pee was a different color– I couldn’t begin to claim any sort of noticable physiological improvement. Any real improvement would happen over such a long time that it would hardly be noticable — much less
dramatic enough to “invest” in as a business. As far as I know the only way to accurately measure real benefits would be through scientific medical testing.
However, I don’t doubt your claims!!! When it comes to simply “feeling better,” the “placebo effect” is every bit as effective and real as any other form of treatment. Remember, “believing is seeing.” I just doubt that the real, medically measurable benefits of Visalus are worth the rediculous price. I’ll bet you the cost of ingredients is PENNIES per pill. The rest is just grease for the MLM machine.
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The fact that you said you “I made the initial investment to sample the product myself” is interesting –in a Freudian sort of way. Few people rarely “invest” in vitamins merely to test them for themselves. The word “invest” tells me you went into this with the intention of it becoming a profitable business for you.
Don’t get me wrong, going into business for yourself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However it juuuust might tend to cloud ones ojectivity when it comes to evaluating the very product you’re already intending to sell.
I’m curious, just how do these products “work for you” –and how do you measure that? What are the “positive results” you speak of?
I’ve taken a variety of different suppliments over the years but –other than noticing my pee was a different color– I couldn’t begin to claim any sort of noticable physiological improvement. Any real improvement would happen over such a long time that it would hardly be noticable — much less
dramatic enough to “invest” in as a business. As far as I know the only way to accurately measure real benefits would be through scientific medical testing.
However, I don’t doubt your claims!!! When it comes to simply “feeling better,” the “placebo effect” is every bit as effective and real as any other form of treatment. Remember, “believing is seeing.” I just doubt that the real, medically measurable benefits of Visalus are worth the rediculous price. I’ll bet you the cost of ingredients is PENNIES per pill. The rest is just grease for the MLM machine.
I am sorry but I can not chalk this up to the “Placebo Effect” because my friends and family were not aware of the benefits the vitamins could provide. I use two of ViSalus’s products. They both are great but I really enjoy the benefits from their weight loss products. I am not jittery and it really does curve my hunger. I have tried many products and none have had the same effect. I am happy with my results and I will continue to support thier products.
I invested in the product because after sampling it I felt good but I couldn’t promote something that I have never taken. This is why I purchased different products. I feel good and I have more energy. The weigh loss program alone is worth more because it works. I have tried many different products and they did not do half of the things that Visalus is doing for me.
Most weight loss programs fail because they do not do what they are intended to do “CONTROL YOUR HUNGER”.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I am sorry but I can not chalk this up to the “Placebo Effect” because my friends and family were not aware of the benefits the vitamins could provide. I use two of ViSalus’s products. They both are great but I really enjoy the benefits from their weight loss products. I am not jittery and it really does curve my hunger. I have tried many products and none have had the same effect. I am happy with my results and I will continue to support thier products.
I invested in the product because after sampling it I felt good but I couldn’t promote something that I have never taken. This is why I purchased different products. I feel good and I have more energy. The weigh loss program alone is worth more because it works. I have tried many different products and they did not do half of the things that Visalus is doing for me.
Most weight loss programs fail because they do not do what they are intended to do “CONTROL YOUR HUNGER”.
Why would anyone buy a product that promised no benefits?
Quote:
I am sorry but I can not chalk this up to the “Placebo Effect” because my friends and family were not aware of the benefits the vitamins could provide.
What convenced them to try the product? Was it the chance to earn Money from the sales of the product they had likey never tried?
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Hello Friend,
Thanks for looking at Visalus!
Join Visalus Sciences & the #1 Visalus Team in the USA!.
We are looking for 5 motivated individuals who want to earn a minimum of $20,000/Month while reaching the top rank in Visalus… “Ambassador”!
This is a must watch video to see how our company can change your life! http://www.visalus.com/opportunity/index.asp
Note: Please watch the above video before we speak, this way you can take notes and ask the questions when we talk!
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Imagine a life where you don’t have to go into an office and spend time away from your family or from the things that you love the most.
Imagine a life where money flows to your bank account, not worrying about how the bills for the month are getting paid, you have a company credit card and even a company paid BMW.
That life is no longer a mere thought, it is here! For most of us, working from our home office while playing with our family is an everyday thing.
To us, life is about fun, personal achievement, and new experiences. From all expense paid cruises and helicopter tours of the grand canyon, to VIP Boxes at sporting events and tailgater parties across the nation, ViSalus offers our consultants many incentives that make this community just fun to be apart of.
On top of all that, the company has a car program that will allow you to drive a brand new black BMW of your choice.
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ViSalus Sciences is more than a company, it’s a cause. The passionate and professional community that has already been attracted to the ViSalus vision is the best testament to who we are and what we stand for.
ViSalus is a company built on a solid foundation and constructed for the long haul. We believe that when you have the right team in place, anything becomes possible.
We are committed to producing unique products backed by legitimate science and continuing to advance our technology innovations to always separate ourselves from the market.
Above all we care about the constant development of our leaders in the field and will always provide the most comprehensive training and support system in the industry.
We are a company built on integrity; a community bonded by a common goal with an uncommon dedication to making positive, lasting change.
We are leaders from every walk of life. From firefighters, to doctors, stay-at-home moms, pro athletes, models, engineers, college students and entrepreneurs.
We are all aligned with the same purpose. This purpose is to help everyone we come in contact with to become successful, be part of our family and reach horizons they never thought possible.
Our National Sales Team and Visalus have aligned themselves as a winning team. We will never quit.
We are committed to making everyone become more healthy and successful.
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Visalus Sciences : Life – Health – Prosperity
Proven in laboratory studies against every industry competitor, you will not find an opportunity with greater integrity or equal scientific innovation.
Combine this with the proven leadership powering the company, a compensation plan worth drooling over, and a training program that will educate ANYONE on how to become a successful entrepreneur, and there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON for not looking!
What is YOUR definition of financial freedom? Not having to wake up to an alarm clock?
Not having to drive in rush hour traffic? Having more money to spend on vacations, your family, yourself?
If a $5,000 check printed off this screen right now, what would you do with it?
Would you get out of debt? Would you buy new clothes? Would you donate to a charity???
You can only answer these questions if you know what your goals are.
97% of the U.S. population never writes their goals down. The 3% of people who do, make up some of the most successful in our nation today.
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Did We Mention The Company Paid BMW?
Since ViSalus Sciences and our National Sales Team are proving every day that it offers the ultimate vehicle for entrepreneurs to have tremendous success, it is only fitting that our entrepreneurs are rewarded in style with the Ultimate Driving Machine: a BMW!
Over 600 people have gone into action to earn BMW’s of their own. Will you be next?
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Sounds Too Good To Be True?
5 People will have the opportunity to be personally coached and work side-by-side with us.
We are ONLY seeking 5 motivated individuals who are:
Dedicated to earning $100,000 per year within one year in a network marketing model and will commit to still being part of this team a year from now (those interested in working toward earning $200k-$300k per year should definitely apply!)
Not looking for a get-rich-quick scheme or one that requires no work – but are looking for a reputable product, a company in it’s initial growth phase, a strong upline, and long-term residual income (You understand that being in at the beginning and at the top is vitally important to more-rapid success)
Committed and Responsible, someone who believes in the benefits of following a duplicatable system, is trainable, understands the concept of duplication and will also follow Corporate Policies and Procedures you accept when joining.
Someone who is prosperity-minded and believes in the universal laws of attraction.
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Why let the sales person and dealership earn hundreds when you could be putting this money in your pocket? For the first time you can actually purchase an extended warranty from someone you trust, YOURSELF.
Save $500 – $1,000 do your due diligence, compare all the other dealer plans, then make your decision which is best for you personal needs.
Good luck,
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I see that most of the posts here are very mean spirited and really ignorant.
I have had to deal with Multiple Sclerosis for the last 20 years of my of my life and i’m only 38.
I used Visalus for 1 month and new that what ever they were putting in the vipak was a miricle for me.
So all you who have nothing better to do than say mlm is a scam and you can buy this at walmart are wrong in every way.
I have used everything, so I know Visalus is a miracle for me.
One more thing, I have no vested interest in saying this, as I am not even working this company.
Peace
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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OK, for the sake of argument… I’ll temporarily dispense with idea that Visalus is a worthless product (I’ll even concede that Visalus Vitamins are about as good as anything comparable out there.. including Flintstone Chewables
or a scammy “get rich quick” scheme.
The question I pose is this: What is the real world, fair market value of Visalus Vitamins? Many will argue Visalus is worth whatever the public is willing to pay. But is that really true in this case? I argue that it >>is not<< because Visalus isn’t operating in a true, free “retail” marketplace. As is true with virtually every MLM (especially consumable/ nutritional MLM’s) their “public”… the people who consume the vast bulk ofthe product.. overwhelmingly consists of the MLM’s membership/ distributors, their immediate families and new recruits who come and go.
How do you prove this? Simple —set some boxes of Visalus/ViPak on a shelf in a major retail store next to all the other suppliments.. price it at what you guys are paying for it.. and see how much actually sells to the non-member public.
The answer is next to none.
So why would anyone pay such overinflated prices –compared to their non-MLM vitamin competitors– for a product that has not been PROVEN “effective” (i.e. the right ingredients in the right dosages for EVERYONE)? Again, the answer is simple.
People reluctantly swallow these high prices as the price required in order to “pay to play” in the Visalus get-rich-quick game.
MLM cults members reason “How can I possibly hope to be successful if I don’t consume the stuff myself? Afterall, I need my own personal testimony of miraculous results in order to recruit others. And how can I possibly hope to be successful if you don’t convert my family, friends and associates?” And after you exhaust all those, you’re told you now need to buy leads, pay for internet advertising, books, tapes, videos, attend rallies, etcccc. (these ‘add-on’ products are the 2nd tier stream of income that flow directly upline from the low men on the totem pole).
“Curiosity” wrote that he likes the products and has made money. Who can argue with that? But I guarantee you the bulk of the money he has made came to him from those other members “downline” from him and not from simply selling the product at retail to the no-member public. Visalus is not really “retailable” and, I believe, fails to comply with the FTC’s “70% rule.”
“Curiosity” also wrote “in any network marketing business there is the potiential of making alot of money.” This is the mantra.. the endless drumbeat of the MLM snake oil salesmen. The key word is “potential”… but what are the real odds of success for the average guy?
Every MLM can quickly and easily post the “actual sales of the average member.” Yet they all refuse to do so because that would unmask their game of delusion and deception.
Yes it’s “possible” for a few people to make money in MLM.. it’s just not “probable” that even half ever will. The vast majority never even recover what they spend in these “businesses” of theirs.
Wow dude, you’ve been hanging around this thread for what 2 or 3 years now? Jesus christ. You need to find a hobby brutha…
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Get a Company Paid for BMW – Anti-Aging Health & Wellness Company is Looking for Experienced Sales Reps Nationwide – Join the #1 Visalus Team in USA & Canada @ www.MyVisalusBiz.com
__________________
Why let the sales person and dealership earn hundreds when you could be putting this money in your pocket? For the first time you can actually purchase an extended warranty from someone you trust, YOURSELF.
Save $500 – $1,000 do your due diligence, compare all the other dealer plans, then make your decision which is best for you personal needs.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Wow dude, you’ve been hanging around this thread for what 2 or 3 years now? Jesus christ. You need to find a hobby brutha…
Lol.. talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I see you’ve been pontificating on Scam.com since 2006 so I’ve got ya beat by a year. Let’s see.. my last post on this thread was in June… so I’ve not exactly been obsessed with Visalus lately. What’s your point?
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I had no direct sales experience and took a look at Visalus when the real estate market went under. I made the jump after 6 months of comparing other companies and product. Visalus had a very good product and the timing to join the company was recommend by outside highly respected business people after they look at the company and Comp Plan. They said there are not very many companies that have a comp plan that simple to run. Needless to say I joined even though the little voice said what are you doing…. We’ll I’m glad I did not listen too that voice. I picked up my Free BMW 6 weeks later with no idea what I did to get there. My upline was across country and I still did it. It only took 35 people (not all Distributors I only enrolled 3 total). So far so good. I hit next position 2 months later which is 2 levels from the top. So as for good chance for Ground floor opp I say Yes. I dont see any one else driving a free car from any other business I checked into. And I also have 6 people under me driving a free bmw. Dont mistake it is work but alot better than anyother one I looked at
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I need some information about this company, they are offering larges amounts of money to recruit people from other mlm…
We just had a bad experience with IGI, we don’t wanna fall again…
please, any kind of information, bad or good…
Thanks…
I had no direct sales experience and took a look at Visalus when the real estate market went under. I made the jump after 6 months of comparing other companies and product. Visalus had a very good product and the timing to join the company was recommend by outside highly respected business people after they look at the company and Comp Plan. They said there are not very many companies that have a comp plan that simple to run. Needless to say I joined even though the little voice said what are you doing…. We’ll I’m glad I did not listen too that voice. I picked up my Free BMW 6 weeks later with no idea what I did to get there. My upline was across country and I still did it. It only took 35 people (not all Distributors I only enrolled 3 total). So far so good. I hit next position 2 months later which is 2 levels from the top. So as for good chance for Ground floor opp I say Yes. I dont see any one else driving a free car from any other business I checked into. And I also have 6 people under me driving a free bmw. Dont mistake it is work but alot better than anyother one I looked at
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
——————————————————————————–
had no direct sales experience and took a look at Visalus when the real estate market went under. I made the jump after 6 months of comparing other companies and product. Visalus had a very good product and the timing to join the company was recommend by outside highly respected business people after they look at the company and Comp Plan. They said there are not very many companies that have a comp plan that simple to run. Needless to say I joined even though the little voice said what are you doing…. We’ll I’m glad I did not listen too that voice. I picked up my Free BMW 6 weeks later with no idea what I did to get there. My upline was across country and I still did it. It only took 35 people (not all Distributors I only enrolled 3 total). So far so good. I hit next position 2 months later which is 2 levels from the top. So as for good chance for Ground floor opp I say Yes. I dont see any one else driving a free car from any other business I checked into. And I also have 6 people under me driving a free bmw. Dont mistake it is work but alot better than anyother one I looked at
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I see that most of the posts here are very mean spirited and really ignorant.
I have had to deal with Multiple Sclerosis for the last 20 years of my of my life and i’m only 38.
I used Visalus for 1 month and new that what ever they were putting in the vipak was a miricle for me.
So all you who have nothing better to do than say mlm is a scam and you can buy this at walmart are wrong in every way.
I have used everything, so I know Visalus is a miracle for me.
One more thing, I have no vested interest in saying this, as I am not even working this company.
Peace
I was bitten by a shark when I was 18. I lost my left leg but was alive. It took me ten years to find visalus, but with just one week of taking the vitapak My leg started to grow back. After just 1 month, my leg had completely grown back. Anyone that says vipak isn’t magical, hasn’t had their leg bitten off by a shark and had it grow back….
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I had no direct sales experience and took a look at Visalus when the real estate market went under. I made the jump after 6 months of comparing other companies and product. Visalus had a very good product and the timing to join the company was recommend by outside highly respected business people after they look at the company and Comp Plan. They said there are not very many companies that have a comp plan that simple to run. Needless to say I joined even though the little voice said what are you doing…. We’ll I’m glad I did not listen too that voice. I picked up my Free BMW 6 weeks later with no idea what I did to get there. My upline was across country and I still did it. It only took 35 people (not all Distributors I only enrolled 3 total). So far so good. I hit next position 2 months later which is 2 levels from the top. So as for good chance for Ground floor opp I say Yes. I dont see any one else driving a free car from any other business I checked into. And I also have 6 people under me driving a free bmw. Dont mistake it is work but alot better than anyother one I looked at
I’m just curious: I’m assuming you received the Bimmer in ’08, since we’re only 2 weeks into the new year. How is the value of the car (about 40K?) going to show as income? Will you receive a 1099 showing it’s full list price, delivered, and have to declare the entire amount as untaxed income for your state and federal tax filings?
Thanks,
Jerry
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I’m just curious: I’m assuming you received the Bimmer in ’08, since we’re only 2 weeks into the new year. How is the value of the car (about 40K?) going to show as income? Will you receive a 1099 showing it’s full list price, delivered, and have to declare the entire amount as untaxed income for your state and federal tax filings?
Thanks,
Jerry
Well since he “Picked up the BMW” after 6 weeks, he must have earned it in about 4 weeks… (i figure it takes a week or two to deliver) And if he had earned it in 4 weeks, I guess he started talking to everyone he needed in week 1 (assuming he gave them each 2-3 weeks to decide to sign up.
Its amazing that he spent six months looking at them, but somehow managed to sign up enough people in just a few weeks to get a car…
But hey, if I can grow a leg in a month, I guess he can have the car delivered after just 6 weeks.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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I need some information about this company, they are offering larges amounts of money to recruit people from other mlm…
We just had a bad experience with IGI, we don’t wanna fall again…
please, any kind of information, bad or good…
Thanks…
Hey, I know those guys personally, and I say they are good people. I felt like they had integrity and were putting together a good deal.
Re: VISALUS – It’s too good to be real!!!
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Lol.. talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I see you’ve been pontificating on Scam.com since 2006 so I’ve got ya beat by a year. Let’s see.. my last post on this thread was in June… so I’ve not exactly been obsessed with Visalus lately. What’s your point?
Lol, yes i’ve belonged to scam.com since June 06, in the last year I’ve probably made at most 30 posts here. Regardless, its just amazing that someone would stick around on one thread for over a year, pontificating like you do…
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