Complaint Review: Merelle Worldwide

I would just like to add my two bits to the report I read entitled "Terri Johns and Merelle Worldwide".

I heard about this company (Home Based Business, salaryathome.com) on KFI-AM640 radio, during the Dr. Laura Schlessinger program. Apparently, this company advertises on several well known programs in the Los Angeles area. I have a lot of respect for Dr. Laura, so I thought it would be safe to get involved with this company. The commercial stated that the business was APPROVED by the BBB (Better Business Bureau).

Later I got to thinking, the BBB does not appove businesses, they only take complaints about bad businesses.

I signed up for the information packet, which was just as described in the Rip Off report cited above: lots of general market trend information, and lots of scenarios about people in dire financial straits and testimonials, but nothing specific about the company. There were vague references to "wellness products" and the DVD quoted people saying they had lost weight.

I was contacted the next day by a woman named Becky Bunker, who told me I would have an interview with a Mr. John Isam. (She pronounced it with a short I at first, then corrected herself, pronouncing it with a long I. I thought it strange that she did not know how to pronounce her boss' name.)

I felt rushed because the information packet had specific instructions about what must be done before my interview. The items were not hard to do, but I was surprised because in the enclosed letter, it stated that if there was another decision maker in the household, I would have to have them go through all the "training" materials as well. Since the packet was delivered at 9:40 a.m., and I discovered it on my doorstep at 10:00 a.m., that gave me exactly 2 hours to go over the materials and do their to do list, before I could qualify for the appointment. This was Monday, and the appointment was scheduled for Tuesday at 12:00 pm. If I needed to ask for an extension, I had to give them 24 hours notice, so they could fill my slot with someone else.

I presented the information to my husband when he got home from work, but he was too tired to review it at that time. So I automatically failed to fulfill the requirements. Today, Tuesday, Ms. Bunker called to prepare me for the interview, but I told her that my husband did not want to go through with it. She said she would send me an email with an address to where I was to return the packet, or else I would be charged $39.99. These were supposed to be training materials, but there was no training in the pamphlet or DVD.

I still did no know who the company was or what I would be doing. It was all very mysterious to me. The more I thought about it, the more I got suspicious. My husband suggested I google the name to get more information. The name of the person on the DVD who started the business was only listed as Anthony, AZ. Wouldn't the person who started a business be proud to tell you his name? Then I checked the email and found the name Merelle Worldwide. That brought up several hits claiming that it was a rip off and a scam.

I am just glad I did not get further involved with this company. I will be returning the "training" packet tomorrow. It was a very fancy looking brochure, but had nothing of value in it at all.

Only after reading the report on this website did I find out that this was for selling Herbal Life.

Here is the contact information I have on this company:

Merell Worldwide
804 Port America
Suite 400
Grapevine, TX 76051

John Isam
281-687-8454
john.isam@att.net
salaryathome.com

1-800-258-1638 (recorded audio message)

Becky Bunker
1-978-373-1243 (this is in Massachusetts)

I wonder if these are their real names.

Norma
Wildomar, California
U.S.A.