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The following posts have been reprinted in their entirety from posts e-mailed by readers of this website, except that headers, names and locations have been removed. These posts express the opinions and experiences of their authors, and this site publisher makes no representations about them in any way whatsoever.
Re: Equinox Thank you very much for investing your time and effort into this website. I was badly burned by Equinox several years ago, and am very glad to hear of the class action suit against Bill Gouldd. Definitely, I will be revisiting your website to learn of new information. Keep up the fantastic work, Re: Top Secrets I'm looking for any and all informatiuon available on the online opportunity known as top secrets international. All replies are appreciated. Thanks. Re: Quixtar Sorry, I equate "retail sales" as "door-to-door". with Quixtar, they go themselves and all the logistics are handled by Quixtar. For me, it's all the same effort whether it goes to a distrib or a retail customer...... and remember, franchises were a few votes from being outlawed and the DOJ thinks they know what is best for technology consumers, ie, Microsoft if you really investigate a lot of the predictions for e-tailing on the net, we (quixtar) are teh only real, viable, b to c ecommerce model out there. rather than bore you, let me know if you want any details. and my data has changed, as of now, if nothing else happens this year I'll to 150k, so, in all liklehood, it will be more. best regards. Re: Equinox I recently started to work in Equinox, i live in Tampico, Tamulipas in Mexico. I read "One man Story" and when i wanted to see equinox homepage i was surprised equinox closed in USA. Six months ago i enter Equinox page and everything was alright. I don't know what to do i think they managed the same system like in USA. Please help me. I was intrigued by all of the various opinions expressed in your website. MLM and direct selling companies are great for helping the average person achieve greater success in their life. Not all companies are great, so I would advise someone to do all of the appropriate research before joining one. Also this type of business is not for everyone. But that does not mean that a whole website should be designated to putting down these types of businesses. Lots of people have lost tons of money in lots of different types of businesses (that were not MLM) but I have never seen a website that devotes and encourages negativity to those arenas. Did you know that in the 50's and 60's franchising had the same negative misconception that MLM sometimes still faces today? I plainly see MLM at face value. Just another viable way of making money in the free enterprise system. We are lucky as free Americans to have many options in this land of opportunity. Anyway, just wanted to put my 2cents worth into this huge sea of opinions. all my best Re: ForMor Check it out at a private dist. website: P.S. Just like when I read "The Cult Of Free Enterprise" I read your book non-stop for a day and a half! Very Well done and entertaining! How many have you sold? Equinox, Melaleuca I found you site while looking up Equinox.......and it seemed you were a part of that group. I understand how you feel about MLM. And I feel the same. That is why I am no longer involved with them. Melaleuca is a completely different concept. It is consumer direct marketing. Basically I go and do a one time presentation with people and set them up an account with Melaleuca so that they can buy their products wholesale. Everyone buys the products at the same discount. I am not a distributor and never want to be again. I just introduce people to our fantastic consumable products and then set up their accounts. And for that the company pays me well. No inventory, no large investments, no selling,no front loading to reach your monthly volume. And the best part is. Melaleuca is soooooooo confident that people are going to love their products that they have a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like their product you send it back to them and they will refund your money. Nobody gets hurt with this company......that is a VERY important thing to them. Been there had it done to me. I am not trying to change your mind or anything.........just maybe trying to help you understand that there is atleast ONE company out there that isnt trying to make it rich at the expense of it's people. Thanks for writing back, Hope life gives you all the joy and riches you deserve. www.melalueca.com go in and check it out just for fun.......there is no obligation.......just interesting things to learn. God Bless Re: Quixtar Hello, I just found your site and thought it to be very intersting, my wife almost got caught up in the quixtar hype in sept, unitl we went to the convention and it was more like a cult meeting than businesslike...I would like to know, in your opinion, are there any legitimate mlm opp's out there where bhard work could turn into high earnings??? Thanks Re: Skybiz Thank you so much Ruth, very helpful information! I am just suprised that the BBB said they had a good standing, it is so hard to get involved in anything anymore due to fear of being scammed - it is so sad!!! Thank you for your time and info. Re: Equinox After reading the comments from people regarding Equinox, I ask why are people so naive. Of course Bill Gouldd was making money--isn't that why anyone is in business. What I don't understand is why would you say yes to everything; doesn't anyone no how to say NO! I was in Equinox since 1993-I sold product, I recruited people, I talked about my disability and how the products helped me. Let me reemphasize----how the products helped me. And not once during that whole time period did anyone hold a gun to my head and make me do anything! Where something was suggested I didn't agree with---I JUST SAID NO! Thanks to you people who got Equinox closed down---now I can't get the minerals that helped my disability--my daughter can't get the minerals that have helped her asthma. I knew Kale Flagg--did business with him. Yes he did say those things and promote those products. But I felt myself mature enough to make decisions in my life so when I didn't agree I JUST SAID NO. Re: Quixtar Thanks for your response and the timing is ok. It was most helpful to have simply worked through my thoughts by writing them and expressing them to someone who can relate and or understand. Thanks. I don't have any further questions at this time. I have emailed my friend a variety of questions and request for more detialed information. I suspect you are right about not to expect little or no information in return. He did respond to confirm that he got my email and explained that it will take a little bit of time for him to compile the information. He also went as far as to say, "My experience is that the answers that matter are revealed by experience. We learn by doing, that way we save time & effort. There is no "failing." Talk about persistence. After I sent my request for information I did a little surfing and discovered a website / page that outlined questions to ask an IBO / MLMer. My questions were right on the mark. We shall see how it turns out. Thanks again and take care. Re: Equinox I have a story to share that I feel is very important for you to post. I have 4 best friends in my life that I have always felt very blessed to have. Last year, around May 1999, Michelle came home from Florida to spend a week around my college graduation w/ me and our 2 other best friends. Michelle took that opportunity to introduce us to her new "company" and new job that she wanted to give us an opportunity with. As she explained it to the 3 of us (plus my roomate), I was very skeptical. Michelle could sense it and showed a video of the company that she felt would reel us all in. When Jen, Sharon, and I all turned Michelle down to get involved she became upset. I could understand why she wanted to "share the wealth" w/ her friends, but I could not understand why she was mad that we said no. Especially when I said no because I had just gone to college to work in social services, not sales!!! Needless to say, I didn't see her much for the rest of the week, and have not seen her much since as she moved about the south in the Equinox company. I warned her that a company that's supposedly making so much money should not be requiring that she pay for everything included in trainings. I worked for the GAP through college, therefore I knew what the perks of company meetings should be!!! What made me sick to my stomach the most however was the $5,000 investment you remarked on. Michelle told us that she believed in the company so much that she took out a loan and maxed out her credit cards to invest in it. Now I know that was just "standard". Thank you for writing that story. The best way for me to sum up Equinox and what it does, it that it works similar to that of a cult. Hopefully I can get my beautiful (and far too talented to waste her potential) friend back. Re: Equinox I first stmbled into Equinox three years ago when I was fresh out of college, newly married and stuck in a dead end job. I answered an ad in the paper thinking I was interviewing for a marketing position at a new firm in North Carolina. I will always remember the feeling when I finally left that interview (3 hours long and ending with a bad tasting shot of essence) - I felt like the people there understood the pain I felt, the discouragement. I felt like the company was an answer to my prayers. Seven months later, $8000.00 poorer, I grew up. I was one of the lucky ones. I did make a little bit of money by deceiving some of my warm market so my husband and I didn't loose everything. Also, my warm market fogave me so I still kept my friends. But, I don' know if I will ever get over the fact that I was so stupid and naive that I believed the BS that the company spit out continuously. I'm glad they are disbanding. I stil having a hard time believing it though. Bill Gouldd was so good at spinning visions and dreams that even three years later, I can't believe his are over. I would love to know the full story. Why did 4 out of their 5 founders leave in '97? How was Equinox different from all the other MLM's out there? What will Gouldd do now? And, in the end, I wish Bill Gouldd the best, even if he doesn't deserve it. Re: Equinox I just finished reading "One Man's Story" and wanted to thank you for posting it. Back in 1994 I had a friend, I'll call G. who'd gotten involved with Equinox was bursting with excitement. G. thought this was the greatest thing since sliced bread and wanted to share it with all of his friends. He invited some of us to a lecture where I heard Rich Von speak. He was a very charismatic speaker and I was intrigued. After a couple more dealings with this group, I started to feel uneasy. I found Bill Gouldd's taped lectures rather superior and self absorbed and wondered why everyone was in such awe of him. I guess it was the promise of big money. This story that you posted, validated my decision not to get involved with Equinox. Thank you. Re: Equinox to whom it may concern, my wife and i joined equinox in 1995. over the next 2 years we were fortunate enough to recieve some incredible training from Mr Gouldd and the trainers he had with advanced marketing seminars. although we personally were taken advantage of by our sponsor's financially as well as being held back from promotions in the marketing plan, we to this day have no regrets about our involvement with equinox or advanced marketing seminars. my career since i was 20 years old was and still is auto sales. since leaving equinox as an active rep and returning to my profession my income has tripled (at least). we can honestly say that the reason for this increase in our income (by the way clare ( my wife) has'nt worked a job for the past two years) is a direct result of the training we received from AMS. the exciting news is that since returning to the car business i've been able to start my own consulting business and have recently been recruited to become a new car dealer by the end of this year. make no mistake, we lost our butt's,including our home , 1 car , lots of furniture and a few friends along the way with equinox. we even had to file bankruptcy! however due to the training we received from Mr Gouldd, Laurie Rubidge, Phil Townsend, Buck Reed and several others we're enjoying life!! we have three homes now , one in the mountains of tennessee, one on a lake in north carolina and one in southwest florida. we're writing to let people know that even if mlm does'nt work for you, don't waste the training you received. apply the principles of success you were taught on a daily basis in your chosen field and expect your paychecks to increase. if there is any way this letter can get to Mr Gouldd or any of the IMD's we listed above we sure would appreciate it. they are the reason we have what we have today both personally and financially. we just wanted to say thanks. We can all see life however we want to. And I am sure that this company as well as any other has its faults. But I have been involved with many many companies over the last 20 years. And this company comes the closest to being perfect that I have seen. As for someone committing suicide over a misrepresentation.......Suicide is done by someone not in their right mind as far as I am concerned.......and I doubt that Melaleuca was her only problem. Someone has to be pretty down in the depths of despair to committ suicide. I have been close a couple of times in my life. Life is NOT easy........isnt meant to be. It is for us to learn and to grow. And we can either learn and take the good in each of lifes experiences, or we can allow them to literally eat us alive. I choose in my life to take the good from it all, and move on in a possitive direction. I have had more bad happen in my life than most.....and I could choose to let it make me a bitter and angry person. But I do not see what good it would make. It would just serve to make me a miserable person. And that is no way to live. Life is meant to be LIVED......not just endured. I am sorry that you got burned...........but maybe you need to get over it??? Life is life.........and there will always be those that get where they want no matter how many lives they have hurt along the way. But I know that one day they will have to answer for it. In the meantime........I am the only one responsible for ME and my choices....and personally I choose to make good of it......because I like it that way. Ive been bitter..............oh yeah real bitter......Ive been disappointed..........many many times. I have an ex that has made it his lifes job to make my life as miserable as he can. And I could allow that to make me bitter and angry.........but for what purpose........by doing so would give him exactly what he wants.............No way. Hope life gives you more hope and joy Thanks for the input..I have had limited success with a few MLM org's over the years, most successful was maleluca...I have worked on the "inside for KareMor and New Vision and most recently my wife almost got caught in the quixtar hype...I still beleive ion the concpet somewhat and do know people who have experinced remarkable results..I am just unsure if there would not be a better, more profitable way to spend m time. Thanks Again Re: Trek Alliance Found your website while looking for info on Trek Alliance. Do you have any info, or could you point me to some? I was at a meeting last night being pressured to sign up and sell..have a good friend who's doing it. Please let me know about this company Re: Mannatech Dear Ruth, Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Yes, I have been to the Quackwatch and got lots of info on this company from the FDA. However, as you stated, it all seems to be assumptions. Any suggestiong where I should go other than FDA to try and get hard evidence? Is this "stuff" they peddle legal??? It seems their Ambotose has a very powerful drug in it that they do not list on the lable...it is used in diet control and can cause heart attack and stoke...aslo they do not list what they cut the stuff with. Got about 20 pages off the net from the FDA siting this company for mislabeling...also reports from consumers of adverse affects while taking Mannatech products...I seriously don't know which isthe more dangerous...the product or the people selling it... Will let you know what I find....thank you, again... Re: Equinox Dear MLM Survivor, I was once involved in Equinox International. I dumped everything I had and didn't have to make my dreams of financial freedom come true. I attended seminars and even met Bill Gouldd in person. It will take years to recover from my loss. What will happen to Bill? I know that some of his assets are being liquidated, but I was under the impression that he was worth over 700 Million. Was that just another lie? Will he go unpunished? The man has done this before and had legal action taken against him. A slap on the wrist is certainly not enough. Thanks, Re: Equinox I have no problem accepting that Bill Goulld broke the law, if he broke the law.What im trying to distinguish is .Is Bill Gouldd taking the wrap for independent distributors breaking policies and procedures.Because when I started in oct.95 HE MADE IT PLAN AND CLEAR THAT IF YOU LIE , CHEAT, OR STEAL, YOU WILL BE TERMINATED FROM THE COMPANY.He said he had enough of that with the last companies he was with.The guy is an intelligent business man,dont you think he knows the consequenses for breaking the law.Besides it doesnt take a genius to know that you will make longterm money if you treat people fair.I look at time he put in to the products.I think there some dam good products!THERE JUST TO MANY POSITIVES OVER THE NEGATIVES.I also think that the judicial system is not perfect,becauce they put innocent people in prison all the time. Re: Quixtar No, I did not figure it would appeal to you. You are too happy making excuses for yourself and others. BTW- I have already made several thousand in Quixtar and am very profitable, but I would say you are right that our numbers are about like the average failure numbers the SBA keeps on all new business. Have a nice life and thanks again for helping me sponsor that couple. You never did address any of my rebuttals. I guess you just bitch and don't really have any answers do you? Re: Equinox Thank you. Is it too late to get any money reimbursed from Equinox for any unsold products? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Re: Amway/Quixtar Dear Ruth God bless you you have been a great support. My daughter And I are doing ok . Thanks for asking . As for my husband I have given him so much info but he always says this one is different. He went to see a pastor yesturday and the Pastor told he needed some one with a degree in psychology that his problem were more complex then he was able to council . At that piont I thought we were making head he made an appiontment with one of our Pastors that has a degree in psychology. Yesturday he said he wanted to work through and go for counciling toghether for are marriage but today he informed me he would like to see me tommorrow nght after a rally. At that time I told him that I did not want to spend time with him after he has just been under the influence. Hope I was not to hard but I can not stand to be around him after the rallies his vioce change and he is all hyped and he has a strange look about him . Also I told him that he needed to work through his own baggage before we could work through . Guess that is want James Dobson calls tough love, Thank you for all your suppot and info I find it strange but true that most web site on this seem to lead to breaking from cults. I also am find that even though I was not active in his mlm that his thought patterns have affected me and the longer he is gone the more I am able to see it , Mostly I do not have this overwellming discontentment with are belonging and God is in control and if we work hard trust God everything will be alright also I know I can not change any one . Thank you again for your web site because up until I logged on I really did not have any thing to go on just that I thought it was wrong. Thank you and God bless you Re: Rexall Rexall is growing bigger and better each day. The news you have old please update so people know rexall is ok Thanks Re: Quixtar I HAVE READ YOUR ALL YOUR POSTS CONCERNING QUIXTAR AND I WANT TO TELL YOU I APPRECIATE YOUR SITE. I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING INTO THIS "BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY" AND YOUR SITE OFFERS AN EXCELLENT VIEW OF THE OTHER SIDE. ALTHOUGH I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE BEEN TO THE SITE LATELY AND WHAT ARE YOUR UPDATED VIEWS. BEFORE I WROTE THIS E-MAIL I MADE AN ACTUAL PURCHASE AS A CLIENT AND FOUND THE SITE TO BE RELATIVELY SIMPLE TO USE AND THERE DOES SEEM TO BE A LOT MORE AFFILIATE COMPANIES NOW. UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT SPEND A WHOLE LOT OF TIME IN QUIXTAR BECAUSE I HAVE SPENT THE LAST 3 HOURS POURING OVER YOUR SITE AND OTHER SITES RELATED TO QUIXTAR AND MY BUTT IS NUMB. PLEASE SEND ME YOUR MOST UP TO DATES VIEWS AND ANY OTHER UP TO DATE SITES THAT HAVE ACTUAL FACTS AND NUMBERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND EFFORT, AGAIN YOUR EFFORTS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED. |
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