Advocare Ripoff Very bad experience Carrollton Texas
We had been distributors for 4 years and were on top of a large downline, when a large distributor 2 levels above us tried two different times to buy our sponsors downline for a very low price, and wanted our sponsor to also try to talk us into quitting. We all said no. One year later, the corporate attorney sent our sponsors and us a request for a copy of the past 12 months of sales receipts (this is buried in the sales manual and not discussed in training sessions). Neither of us could furnish this as we did not keep them, as we sold products to friends and family only. They terminated our distributorships. We both talked to attorneys and both agreed we had gotten a bad deal. Our sponsors attorney contacted Advocare to complain on their behalf, however, was told that Advocare acted in compliance with the guidelines, and incidently the case would not go to a jury trial as per the dist. agreement all litigation would be handled in Dallas and by arbitration. Futhermore, any attempt at a lawsuit would be met with a "vigorously pursued counter suit" and asked that the attorney would let his clients know the significant costs in time and money defending themselves against such a suit.
This being said:
1. I had a copy, but did not keep, of a letter from Advocare's attorney from a year or so earlier where a large dist. in our downline was being reprimanded for distributing his own sales literature claiming Advocare products cured diseaes such as Parkinson's Disease. This is a major federal regulatory infraction, however he was merely reprimanded and never missed a paycheck.
2. Charlie Ragus would say Advocare NEVER paid for sports endorsemnts, however I was told by a friend who is the Mother-In-Law of one of the top college strength and conditiong coaches for a major college football program (who used some of the products personally), that shortly after Mr. Ragus died, a person from Advocare's corp. office, came to his office and offered to pay him $10,000 and give the University $10,000 of product to endorse Advocare. This would be a direct violation of NCAA guidelines, he declined.
3. Regarding sales receipts, Advocare says in their handbook that requests for sales receipts is only aasked for on a random basis, however we and our sponsors being asked for something most distributors don't use, Advocare knows this and it was mentioned (though of course not in writing), in a top distributors meeting which our sponsors had attended as a way to get rid of unwanted distributors. The large distibutor in our downline, who was mentioned above, had never been asked for sales receipts and had never heard of anyone being requested for theirs.
In our opinions we were selectively cut out, and as Advocare was our sole source of income (on track to make $60,000 that year), we could not afford to sue. If we lost we could have been ordered to pay approximately $100,000 back (the total of what we had been paid over 4 years) plus no telling how much in attorney's fees. We had to let it drop and go on. It sill hurts though, glad I found this site. Bewrae if you join with Advocare, and keep careful records if you grow into a large dist. And most important, make friends of those at the top.
Joe
Tulsa, Oklahoma
U.S.A.
6 Updates & Rebuttals
BabyGirls
Missouri,United States of America
Really? Small business right?
#7Consumer Suggestion
Fri, January 04, 2013
Joe,
as a small business owner (which you are when you are a distributor) why would you not keep records about your sales for tax purposes? Honestly reading your complaint, if you signed a legal binding document without reading it forward and backward and getting legal guidance if you didn't understand it that is something that you did not Advocare, I honestly sold for several companies that did direct sales and all of them I worked with required you to keep sales records and they could be requested at any time.
I do understand that you are frustrated with the company but when you are in business for yourself then you have to be accountable and keep great records of sales and profits for tax purposes. Yes if you are a "distributor" of any product you have to keep up your end of the bargain including keeping all records that might be asked for.
I am going to start selling Advocare and am already planning my record keeping including how to track my sales not only for my records but to know when to follow up with a customer to check about anything that they might need, since I would have a record of what they currently use it will help me suggest products or changes that might help them more.
Larry
Garland,Texas,
U.S.A.
I was terminated too!
#7Consumer Comment
Tue, May 08, 2007
Hi - I am one of those distributors that was terminated as well if you get this Joe contact me through this site and I will get you in touch with an attorney very interested in you situation - There are currently double digit distributors that have been messed around here.
Vickie
Peoria,Arizona,
U.S.A.
advocare works if you work
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, March 23, 2006
I was told by a cousin of my mothers dad, who was told by one of a profootball players wife that he received only products for his endorsements of advocare. then another person told me that his mothers cousin had heard from their brother and the brother said his nephews cousin said you could make money at advocare, so we jumped in and went to work. over six years we have earned a half million dollars and paid off 200,000 dollars of debt so I thank the cousin of my mothers dad for starting this whole thing.
Vickie
Peoria,Arizona,
U.S.A.
advocare works if you work
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, March 23, 2006
I was told by a cousin of my mothers dad, who was told by one of a profootball players wife that he received only products for his endorsements of advocare. then another person told me that his mothers cousin had heard from their brother and the brother said his nephews cousin said you could make money at advocare, so we jumped in and went to work. over six years we have earned a half million dollars and paid off 200,000 dollars of debt so I thank the cousin of my mothers dad for starting this whole thing.
Vickie
Peoria,Arizona,
U.S.A.
advocare works if you work
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, March 23, 2006
I was told by a cousin of my mothers dad, who was told by one of a profootball players wife that he received only products for his endorsements of advocare. then another person told me that his mothers cousin had heard from their brother and the brother said his nephews cousin said you could make money at advocare, so we jumped in and went to work. over six years we have earned a half million dollars and paid off 200,000 dollars of debt so I thank the cousin of my mothers dad for starting this whole thing.
Vickie
Peoria,Arizona,
U.S.A.
advocare works if you work
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, March 23, 2006
I was told by a cousin of my mothers dad, who was told by one of a profootball players wife that he received only products for his endorsements of advocare. then another person told me that his mothers cousin had heard from their brother and the brother said his nephews cousin said you could make money at advocare, so we jumped in and went to work. over six years we have earned a half million dollars and paid off 200,000 dollars of debt so I thank the cousin of my mothers dad for starting this whole thing.