Curious about this, I did some investigating and lo and behold, I found
a fairly good amount of information online. It seems that the
“representatives” who are involved in these alleged schemes – typically
teenagers or college students working on behalf of the companies– are
presenting themselves as legitimate businessmen offering other
unsuspecting young people an “opportunity” to make fast money and
change their lives forever.Interestingly, one of the companies mentioned is ACN – a legitimate
multi-level marketing (MLM) company that supposedly helped launchComcast ( News – Alert)
years ago. Founded in 1993 and based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, ACN
reportedly offers local calling, long distance, Internet, wireless and
digital phone services to consumers and small businesses in the US,
Canada, Europe and Asia Pacific. It reportedly launched operations in
Europe in 1999 and in the Asia-Pacific in 2004 – and also has offices
in The Netherlands, Sweden, Australia and Poland. It is also reportedly
a member of the Direct Selling Associations in North America and Europe.According to what I’ve read, ACN has been under scrutiny for a while
now because most of its revenues are derived not from selling
telecommunications services (i.e. VoIP), but rather from the fees
collected from new and incoming “representatives.” The company
apparently ran into some legal problems in Australia in 2004 due to its
questionable business practices – and was subsequently investigated by
the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for alleged
breaches of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (particularly with regard to
provisions in the act relating to pyramid schemes). In 2005 an
Australia court reportedly ruled that ACN was operating an illegal
pyramid scheme – however the company appealed the ruling and it was
reversed after an appeals court determined that the alleged
“recruitment payments” did not fall under the definitions of the law.Another company which is allegedly engaging a “VoIP pyramid scheme” is
Grouphone. Once again it is entirely arguable whether the company’s
activities are illegal – and, to be fair, there is no mention of this
company having any legal troubles stemming from its business practices
anywhere online. The alleged scheme they’re running sounds very much
the same as the one previously mentioned. Basically, unsuspecting
parties are led to believe that they’ll make millions – but then the
company takes your money and you learn the ugly truth that it is really
only paying you to find new “representatives” to re-sell its services.
You ultimately come to learn that you can only make really big money
once you reach the top of the pyramid – which is almost impossible to
achieve (in fact, it is reported that more than 95 percent of all the
“sales reps” hired for these schemes drop out of the program after just
a few weeks). Once again the scheme is modeled after the multi-level
marketing approach used by companies like Amway (Quixtar) – so, in that
sense it is difficult to point a finger and say with certainty that the
whole thing is a scam.
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So Quixtar or Amway(A merge of related companies changed the name to Quixtar) has been around 59'..The first MLM opportunity that was legal(Some idiots challeged that and lost big time in the 70's..actually made AMWAY more popular.) There are still people out that claiming its a scheme. Yea get your reseach straigh morons,(Probably most who failed and now want to get back). Do they even know what a pyramid scheme is? Anyways In quixtar your downline can make more money then you if you dont do anything. You can sponsor someone and think your done and you wont make more if the person below works harder then you? Dont believe me? Talk to people who have ACTUALLY worked there or still do, do research from their website not blogs,yahoo based website and all that.Read the federal files, talk to BBB, get familiarized with the 1974 Trade Act and its history. STOP BELIEVING FAILURES WHO HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO!
I've been in ACN for approx. 3 years. I don't attend many of the meetings and I don't work the business very hard, but I can tell you the products are great and I have received a pretty decent residual check every month for a couple of years. ACN recently made changes to the compensation plan and my check went up nearly $300 per month. Call it what you will, but I have the upmost respect for the company. My Voip line is stellar. Very clear, no problems. ACN doesn't piggy back on anyone elses VOIP structure. It rivals any other out there I've come across.
I agree, I'm not a client or associate (yet) but have done my research and this company is solid. Being a member of the DSA is enough for me. When I excel in a direct sales business it's because I decide not to take on the mindset that 95% of those who jump onboard. I feel badly for them, but they're their in every business. They even lurked around the hallways of my previous corporate world. Human beings quit at things, give up too easily, they do it in life, in their jobs, their marriages, their diet programs, excercize and nutrtition plans, SO why do you expect everyone should do well in direct sales? It's work and it's hard at times, but for the very people who love what they do it's worth every moment.
The relationships built and personal development that occurs when you really work it like your business are considered priceless by many. It's a different way to earn your income and those that haven't figured that out will always attempt to give a bad rep.
I wish those that were chasing the get rich quick schemes or those who think they can sail to the top, take heed of the negative claims that "they" all seem to have about an industry that is growing exponentially every day. If you're in a position of doubt it's probably not a form of marketing for you. So move right along and let the leaders that have worked hard to achieve within these companies work with other like-minded individuals that need the guidance to the top.
Do it for the right reasons, you'll know which product and/or services are for you and work the plan to the max. Everyone wants to succeed, and while it may feel alien to be among others that want the best for you, you must utilize your team and the companies support systems as vital tools to help make the work easier.
It's incredible to be able to share my passion for things I love with others. The icing on the cake is that I get paid to do it. Shouldn't you?
I recently signed in June signed with ACN and have now quit. I realized quickly that it's about spending your money for conventions,supplies and for RVP's to hold meetings and charge you for the meetings anywhere from 20.00 to 35.00. It's about loosing friends and business aquaintances who avoid you like the plaque. The person that got me into ACN who signed up in May has exceeded the amount of 7,000 without making a dime to go to conventions and such all the while losing her home. She has a false sense of hope that this is her rescue. She even purchased a new car so she can say she got through ACN. This is destroying marriages and bank accounts. You are told If you don't go to conventions and Sat training you won't succeed. You must pay for those events.You are lied to by REPS who evade telling you that you have to shell out more than 500.00 you have to get points so you have to buy services to qulify as a REP Keep your 500.00 this is not going to happen and don't get screwed over by a friend or should I say, somebody you thought was a friend. This is all about getting people under you at any cost ! and your friends turn into demons and forget all forms of right and wrong. If it sounds too good to be true it usually is.
I was looking into ACN when I found Lightyear Wireless. I was intrigued by a wireless MLM but did'nt like the feel of ACN so thank goodness I didnt join. A google search of Lightyear shows that there is'nt a downside. Everything is up front and on the table. They are on the honesty is best program. Go to http://lywintro.com for the overview and http://wiremore.net to check the replicated site out. Please go over the comp. plan, the phone plans and do what it is YOU do when doing diligence. I am curious to know what you think about this one Tony Bacon 916-501-7011
I checked out ACN and was very skeptical. I was never comfortable with direct marketing and when I was approached about becoming a representative I said “no way”. They said I could save money by getting my services through ACN and I said “fine, show me”. Sure enough they saved me almost 60$/month. All with major carriers like Vorizon, Sprint, Direct TV, etc. I then thought that they might be the real deal. so I attended a couple of presentations. Quickly, I learned that this company was in fact, simply a broker for services people already pay for and save them money because direct marketing saves these companies advertising dollars. It’s not a scam at all, in fact it makes perfect sense! Do you really think all of these major players would be in bed with a scam operation?
This is not to say that it is easy to be really successful-it’s not. You have to stay with it and help your team grow. It’s not a get rich scheme at all, it’s a put in some time now and get payed residual income as your team gets bigger and in a couple of years your retirement is handled. Most people want to see the money the first month they get started and then quit when they don’t. When you attend the avents you actually meet the people who have been in it, hear their stories, see their paychecks. So of course it’s real. ACN is the only company Donald Trump endorses that he does not own and he has offered to buy it on different occassions-remember when he featured ACN on The Apprentice last March? Can you imagine the black eye “The Donald” would have if ACN were a scam? That is why he had his lawyers spend over a year checking it out first. ACN is easily the best direct marketing opportunity I’ve seen. The support it offers, the compensation model, and without a garage full of soaps, juices, or vitamins. They can actually save you money on things you already pay for anyway. So if you have a computer, a TV, a cell phone, or a landline, guess what? It might be worth it to take look. You can either save money with this company or you can work the business and make money-why wouldn’t you?
You guys talking about ACN in a good way sounds like the same company bitches that were pitching everyone the ACN pyramid schemes. You probably just got promoted to ACN’s status of 2nd lieutenant and your supervisor gave your homework of writing a possitive comment on ACN blog sites. The pyramid scheme they do involves the people at the top of the pyramid getting all the money and nothing but regret and humiliation for the people at the bottom.
Of course Donald is pro ACN, he’s paid to feed false hope into the minds of middle and lower class citizens.
My words of advice: There is no such thing as easy money. Dont be fooled by these snakes. Do your due diligence on this company before getting suckered into this scam.