Complaint Review: Trek Alliance

Very perceptive, Pete.

If you look at the dates on the rebuttals, you'll find that all of the Grand Haven posts are from 2003 and earlier. I'll let you draw the logical conclusion.

And, for the record, I have NEVER been in Quixtar, or any other pyramid scheme for that matter (save for a brief "vacuum" gig in the 90s, but I was smart enough to jump that ship before it left the shore).

Very perceptive, Pete.

If you look at the dates on the rebuttals, you'll find that all of the Grand Haven posts are from 2003 and earlier. I'll let you draw the logical conclusion.

And, for the record, I have NEVER been in Quixtar, or any other pyramid scheme for that matter (save for a brief "vacuum" gig in the 90s, but I was smart enough to jump that ship before it left the shore).

Very perceptive, Pete.

If you look at the dates on the rebuttals, you'll find that all of the Grand Haven posts are from 2003 and earlier. I'll let you draw the logical conclusion.

And, for the record, I have NEVER been in Quixtar, or any other pyramid scheme for that matter (save for a brief "vacuum" gig in the 90s, but I was smart enough to jump that ship before it left the shore).

Very perceptive, Pete.

If you look at the dates on the rebuttals, you'll find that all of the Grand Haven posts are from 2003 and earlier. I'll let you draw the logical conclusion.

And, for the record, I have NEVER been in Quixtar, or any other pyramid scheme for that matter (save for a brief "vacuum" gig in the 90s, but I was smart enough to jump that ship before it left the shore).

If it sounds too good to be true--it usually is. Anyone who falls for a pitch to get into the sales game, when sales is not their forte, deserves what comes their way. The MLMs are greedy? What about those who jump to join them? Face it--those dollar signs dancing in your brain are what lures you in. After the 'get rich quick' scheme fails, it's time to cry 'Oh, poor me! They won't give me a break.' You were the one who was gullible enough to grab onto a so-called money maker. No one held a gun to your head and said you'd better--or else.

My degree was paid for by academic scholarship--and flipping burgers! Even at age 18 I was level-headed enough to know my $$ was needed to pay for a shared dwelling, realizing I couldn't go into debt in order to make all the money MLMs promised. I didn't have penny one for speculation. The 'evils' of MLM have long been known. It's nothing new on this planet.

Timothy/Tim, do you commute between Grand Haven MI and Valparaiso IN? Or do both of you have law degrees?

By the way, I'm not, nor have ever been, an employee at any of the mentioned companies. And never would be.

You would have made some great points, but for the fact that the TRUTH belies each and every of your foundational premises.

1) The average American worker earns roughly $45,000 per year. The average IBO earns roughly $1400 per year. So, if you could, explain to me how it is that being an IBO is better than having a job?

2) The $115 per month average belies the argument that success is probable in Quixtar. Note that I said "probable," and not "possible."

There will be successes. The system would not perpetuate itself if there weren't some people making money. I know that you're not intersted in "fancy numbers" (except for when giving a PV/BV analysis?), but consider this: if 1% of the sales force is earning $100,000 per year, then the other 99% is averaging about $400 per year ($33/month, $9/week).

And you ask if my employer exploits ME? What about the 6 figure earning upline with 99 downlines earning an average of $9 per week? How is THAT not exploitation? At least my employer pays me enough to get by, and then some. I don't know anybody who can live off of $9 per week, money that they'll probably throw away on some Kiyosaki garbage anyways.

3) If you think that your clients are getting a good deal by by buying through Quixtar, then you are severely mistaken, and I feel sorry for your clients! Quixtar products, and products sold through the partner stores, are grossly overpriced. I actually did a price comparison, and found Quixtar products to be, on the average, 30% more expensive than the same products sold in a supermarket.

4) You rely heavily on the "all businesses are pyramids" argument (or a variation thereof). In doing so, you are committing the logical fallacy called "equivocation," where two things that have the same name are assumed to be the same. MOST (not all) businesses have a pyramid shaped organizational structure. The difference between reputable, ethical businesses and pyramid schemes, however, lies in the distribution of risk, not in the flow of income. Let me explain:

In the standard business, the employee works and gets paid based on his time. He risks losign his job if he can't perform it, or if the company doesn't succeed, but he gets paid while he's there. As such, the risk of loss associated with a hire that may or may not work out lies primarily with the company, not the employee. The risk of loss increases as you approach the top of the pyramid.

In pyramid schemes, on the other hand, the risk of loss is greater the closer you get to the bottom. If the recruit can't cut it, or if the system is set up so that he WON'T cut it, HE absorbs the majority of the loss. His direct upline also loses out to a lesser degree because of the effort put into indoctrinating the new recruit. The farther away you get from the failed recruit, the less the loss that is absorbed. The top of the pyramid is completely unaffected.

And this is where the danger lies. Because of this system, it is in the best interest of the company to promote mass recruiting without regard to ability. The inevitable result is that the people who come in are those who are too naive to run away. They are deceived into thinking that Quixtar is the key to a wonderful lifestyle. But, in the VAST majority of cases, Quixtar is nothing but a waste of time and money.

You see, basic logic defeats your arguments. This is probably why Quixtar defenders are so few and far between on this site. The system is logically indefensible.

Do any of you have a Job? How much money are you making and who makes money off of you? Does your employer exploit you every day so that they can make money? The point is Everybody makes money off of you. Period end of discussion. So I suggest you become a bag lady/man and move out to the desert, start fasting and hope you die a quick death because you will never escape from people making money off of you. And no there is no difference in things.

Do people make money off of the CD and educational books? Yes. Did Zig Zigler become a millionaire by selling fire extinguishers? No. But nobody complains about him making all the money.

Last time you walked into Wal-Mart did they make money off of you? Yes. Did you complain that you had to drive all the way there to get there products, stand in line and then drive all the way home. In which 2 places made money off of you. Wal-Mart and the Gas Pumps.

The economy would not function if nobody made any money and we would all live in a communist country and eat bread soup every night for dinner.

I retail a product from the website, which saves people money and I make a good retail profit off of it. Also I can move mass quanities of the product. People love it and they keep coming back for more. I really don't care about all of your fancy #'s and BS about how you can't make any money at this. That's probably because I have made a nice amount of money at this by just retailing one product. You do the math. Doesn't mean I didn't work my butt off getting corporate clients, but now that I have them and I have kick ace products they won't go back to getting their products from anywhere else. So what's the problem. Maybe the problem is that people forget that this is a product moving business. You move product you get paid. It's really that simple. So who cares if it's Amway or Quixtar. What it is is a connection to products I otherwise would never have been able to get ahold of.

I don't really listen to my upline because most of them are focused on getting new IBO's. That's not my focus. I focus on the products and how the products can make my downline money. I plan on creating a New Revolution in the way that this idea is product oriented. That is how this originally started out. I teach my downline the way it's suppose to be taught. Move products make yourself money in retail as your group grows if you make money that way to, great but don't focus on that.

As for the Cd's, I do get them and if someone makes money off of me for that then that's ok by me. They are less than what I would pay for them at borders and I like the fact that I can send them back if the speakers suck or I don't like the book.

I've made my money back plus more and I like the opportunity. For all of you who bash. Keep bashing I really don't care. Because if you ever decide to have a discussion on anything. I'll smoke ya every time. May not seem like it here but these are just typed words.

I challenge you to go here: www.quixtar.com and click on the Quixtar Facts link at the bottom of your page. Study up on what has been going on. I don't think they could get the Golden Reel award for being a Pyramid scheme or what ever all these other people are calling it. Quixtar Newsroom is the link.

Have a comment for me: Send them through this website: www.wichitaeventsdj.com

Note: Please don't use the bit about how I'm brainwashed...you don't have a leg to stand on in that argument. I'm quite an intelligent and street smart human being, thank you. Also, if you want to use the regurgitate argument you need to think about all the stuff you regurgitate every day. It's all been fed to you and all you do is regurgitate. He shoots, he scores! Come on people use your heads, instead of trying to push it off on someone else.

P.S. Solution: It takes one person to start a Revolution. If all of these complainers actually just took the time to figure out the right way of doing things and started doing them, it would take less time to fix the problem than it took for me to write this rebuttal. All they have to do is teach people the right way. Start it and keep it going. It's not easy but it can work. If you don't like something in an organization then change it. The right rules and regulations are at your finger tips; you just have to read them and then start the changing process. Be the leader of a New Revolution and make a name for yourself as the one who changed things. That's what I do and the word is starting to spread. My team loves me and how I help them make money. That's why I'm their leader. I do it the way it's supposed to be done. Truth, Honesty, Respect.

Mike, you stole my thunder. Therefore, I'll give a historical perspective.

In the late 90s, as a result of the bad name Amway had garnered itself over the years, and the liability inherent in operating a pyramid scheme, the founders of Amway dissolved the North American outfit and created two new entities: Quixtar and Altacor. Quixtar is Amway on the web, plain and simple. Altacor is the holding company that owns Quixtar and the overseas Amway divisions that are still in operation.

DeVos and VanAndel are now protected by two layers of corporate liability protection, and the hope is that it will take a few decades for Quixtar to get Amway's bad reputation. Long and short: QUIXTAR IS AMWAY! Same people, same products, same scheme.

My response to the "thousands testifying to this": What about the MILLIONS who would testify otherwise? The lottery "works" for the people who win it before they have wasted too much money on tickets. But, as with the lottery, for those who spend thousands to make hundreds (and worse, those who spend thousands to make nothing) it can hardly be said that the system "works."

But it is working for some, and Mike hit that nail right on the head. The income in Quixtar is not made through the normal operation carried on by the IBOs. The money is in the tools. Don't believe me? Try this: come up with any viable (or even unviable) business plan. For example, say that you can recruit four new IBOs and two new customers every month; that each of these people will spend $200 per month on Quixtar products; and that your recruited IBOs replicate this plan on a monthly basis in perpetuity.

Now, take a look at the compensation scheme, make sure you REALLY understand the PV/BV system, and make sure you REALLY understand that the commissions of all of your downlines are subtracted from your bonuses.

Now, work your hypothetical plan in conjunction with the compensation scheme. I did just that with the scheme I laid out above. My finding: after 8 months of operation I had a network of hundreds of people purchasing huge volumes of Quixtar products. Unfortuntely, in my best week I would have made $170 putting in at least 40 hours. If you need help, that is LESS than MINIMUM wage.

The most startling result of my analysis was that, at a certain point, all of my bonus commissions were completely consumer by my downlines. I had built this massive network and could make NO money from it. So, then, where does one who reaches this point make their money? From those B.S. motivational materials, that's where.

Listen, if you are involved in any kind of enterprise that needs to keep proving its worth to you, then you need to walk right out the door. If the enterprise is making you pay for the privelage of being convinved that you are doing the right thing, then you need to RUN right out the door.

Truth, truth, TRUTH.

Mike, you stole my thunder. Therefore, I'll give a historical perspective.

In the late 90s, as a result of the bad name Amway had garnered itself over the years, and the liability inherent in operating a pyramid scheme, the founders of Amway dissolved the North American outfit and created two new entities: Quixtar and Altacor. Quixtar is Amway on the web, plain and simple. Altacor is the holding company that owns Quixtar and the overseas Amway divisions that are still in operation.

DeVos and VanAndel are now protected by two layers of corporate liability protection, and the hope is that it will take a few decades for Quixtar to get Amway's bad reputation. Long and short: QUIXTAR IS AMWAY! Same people, same products, same scheme.

My response to the "thousands testifying to this": What about the MILLIONS who would testify otherwise? The lottery "works" for the people who win it before they have wasted too much money on tickets. But, as with the lottery, for those who spend thousands to make hundreds (and worse, those who spend thousands to make nothing) it can hardly be said that the system "works."

But it is working for some, and Mike hit that nail right on the head. The income in Quixtar is not made through the normal operation carried on by the IBOs. The money is in the tools. Don't believe me? Try this: come up with any viable (or even unviable) business plan. For example, say that you can recruit four new IBOs and two new customers every month; that each of these people will spend $200 per month on Quixtar products; and that your recruited IBOs replicate this plan on a monthly basis in perpetuity.

Now, take a look at the compensation scheme, make sure you REALLY understand the PV/BV system, and make sure you REALLY understand that the commissions of all of your downlines are subtracted from your bonuses.

Now, work your hypothetical plan in conjunction with the compensation scheme. I did just that with the scheme I laid out above. My finding: after 8 months of operation I had a network of hundreds of people purchasing huge volumes of Quixtar products. Unfortuntely, in my best week I would have made $170 putting in at least 40 hours. If you need help, that is LESS than MINIMUM wage.

The most startling result of my analysis was that, at a certain point, all of my bonus commissions were completely consumer by my downlines. I had built this massive network and could make NO money from it. So, then, where does one who reaches this point make their money? From those B.S. motivational materials, that's where.

Listen, if you are involved in any kind of enterprise that needs to keep proving its worth to you, then you need to walk right out the door. If the enterprise is making you pay for the privelage of being convinved that you are doing the right thing, then you need to RUN right out the door.

Truth, truth, TRUTH.

Mike, you stole my thunder. Therefore, I'll give a historical perspective.

In the late 90s, as a result of the bad name Amway had garnered itself over the years, and the liability inherent in operating a pyramid scheme, the founders of Amway dissolved the North American outfit and created two new entities: Quixtar and Altacor. Quixtar is Amway on the web, plain and simple. Altacor is the holding company that owns Quixtar and the overseas Amway divisions that are still in operation.

DeVos and VanAndel are now protected by two layers of corporate liability protection, and the hope is that it will take a few decades for Quixtar to get Amway's bad reputation. Long and short: QUIXTAR IS AMWAY! Same people, same products, same scheme.

My response to the "thousands testifying to this": What about the MILLIONS who would testify otherwise? The lottery "works" for the people who win it before they have wasted too much money on tickets. But, as with the lottery, for those who spend thousands to make hundreds (and worse, those who spend thousands to make nothing) it can hardly be said that the system "works."

But it is working for some, and Mike hit that nail right on the head. The income in Quixtar is not made through the normal operation carried on by the IBOs. The money is in the tools. Don't believe me? Try this: come up with any viable (or even unviable) business plan. For example, say that you can recruit four new IBOs and two new customers every month; that each of these people will spend $200 per month on Quixtar products; and that your recruited IBOs replicate this plan on a monthly basis in perpetuity.

Now, take a look at the compensation scheme, make sure you REALLY understand the PV/BV system, and make sure you REALLY understand that the commissions of all of your downlines are subtracted from your bonuses.

Now, work your hypothetical plan in conjunction with the compensation scheme. I did just that with the scheme I laid out above. My finding: after 8 months of operation I had a network of hundreds of people purchasing huge volumes of Quixtar products. Unfortuntely, in my best week I would have made $170 putting in at least 40 hours. If you need help, that is LESS than MINIMUM wage.

The most startling result of my analysis was that, at a certain point, all of my bonus commissions were completely consumer by my downlines. I had built this massive network and could make NO money from it. So, then, where does one who reaches this point make their money? From those B.S. motivational materials, that's where.

Listen, if you are involved in any kind of enterprise that needs to keep proving its worth to you, then you need to walk right out the door. If the enterprise is making you pay for the privelage of being convinved that you are doing the right thing, then you need to RUN right out the door.

Truth, truth, TRUTH.

Mike, you stole my thunder. Therefore, I'll give a historical perspective.

In the late 90s, as a result of the bad name Amway had garnered itself over the years, and the liability inherent in operating a pyramid scheme, the founders of Amway dissolved the North American outfit and created two new entities: Quixtar and Altacor. Quixtar is Amway on the web, plain and simple. Altacor is the holding company that owns Quixtar and the overseas Amway divisions that are still in operation.

DeVos and VanAndel are now protected by two layers of corporate liability protection, and the hope is that it will take a few decades for Quixtar to get Amway's bad reputation. Long and short: QUIXTAR IS AMWAY! Same people, same products, same scheme.

My response to the "thousands testifying to this": What about the MILLIONS who would testify otherwise? The lottery "works" for the people who win it before they have wasted too much money on tickets. But, as with the lottery, for those who spend thousands to make hundreds (and worse, those who spend thousands to make nothing) it can hardly be said that the system "works."

But it is working for some, and Mike hit that nail right on the head. The income in Quixtar is not made through the normal operation carried on by the IBOs. The money is in the tools. Don't believe me? Try this: come up with any viable (or even unviable) business plan. For example, say that you can recruit four new IBOs and two new customers every month; that each of these people will spend $200 per month on Quixtar products; and that your recruited IBOs replicate this plan on a monthly basis in perpetuity.

Now, take a look at the compensation scheme, make sure you REALLY understand the PV/BV system, and make sure you REALLY understand that the commissions of all of your downlines are subtracted from your bonuses.

Now, work your hypothetical plan in conjunction with the compensation scheme. I did just that with the scheme I laid out above. My finding: after 8 months of operation I had a network of hundreds of people purchasing huge volumes of Quixtar products. Unfortuntely, in my best week I would have made $170 putting in at least 40 hours. If you need help, that is LESS than MINIMUM wage.

The most startling result of my analysis was that, at a certain point, all of my bonus commissions were completely consumer by my downlines. I had built this massive network and could make NO money from it. So, then, where does one who reaches this point make their money? From those B.S. motivational materials, that's where.

Listen, if you are involved in any kind of enterprise that needs to keep proving its worth to you, then you need to walk right out the door. If the enterprise is making you pay for the privelage of being convinved that you are doing the right thing, then you need to RUN right out the door.

Truth, truth, TRUTH.

Anony from Bangladesh,

You're absolutely 100% spot on. I'm tired of hearing people spout the rubbish that Quixtar is a branch of Amway. People who think that are simply ignorant, too lazy to learn the truth or both....quite the contrary...

QUIXTAR IS AMWAY!!!!!!

You see? Not a branch of Amway, Amway itself.

I was there when we went through the name change.

I was there when we went through the changes in ordering procedures, and how to use the new site.

I was there when Bill Britt said "Amway is...er, I mean Quixtar is...the #1..."

As for "thousands testifying to this..." those must be the thousands that make up to two-thirds of their income by selling the motivational tools, not from selling the Quixtar products. I won't even get started on the math of this, but I assure you if you start crunching numbers for the number of tapes sold WEEKLY in your diamondship multiplied by the number of people in your diamondship, multiplied by the cost of the tapes, you'll come up with some pretty staggering figures. Thing is, you had no idea that your direct profits from the sale of these tapes to his own organization, did you? Sad but true. I dare you to tell your upline you want to stop buying the tapes and will just start borrowing his. yeah right...

Quixtar is a joke. You will not make money unless you are willing to do things others are not. By that I mean shame yourself, manipulate others, and participate in idolotry.

All this crap is so many lies... For one QUIXTAR is not a branch of amway...there you go stating ignorant opinions u know nuthing about!!! Secondly it worksss.thousands can testify to this....all u who say it doesnt are just LAZY ignorant fools...Seems like all these so called no it all people are designed to do is hate on people making more money than u. get a life worry about urself and not others who are making a good and sensible living...cant wait to hear the dumb replies to this one!!!!!

In response to Jordan's comments: >>Quixtar is the #2 E-tailer online. #1 in health and beauty sales and so many people are financially free due to this business.
This is pure unsubstantiated hype, doubtless passed along after attending some convention or other.

The actual #1 E-tailer is Amazon.com followed by Dell.com and further down the list are reputable companies like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc.

The actual leaders in health and beauty e-tail sales are eve.com, avon.com, mothernature.com, drugstore.com

Quixtar does not even appear on the top 20 listings in either of these categories. So when you hear a "come on" like this that's too good to be true, it likely is. Especially when these fantastic sales claims involve a company you know little or nothing about. A few minutes of simple research can save you a lot of time and money.

check them out on sites like http://ecommerce.internet.com/research/stats
or cnet.com or in the wall street journal

Normal people have a real problem with Trek Alliance's recruiting practices. I agree with the first poster here and anyone who is warning people about what a fraud this company is. 1%, if that, of TA employee's actually make any money. I have chatted recently with a few employees over aol IM who flat out ADMIT they are not making much $$$ but having fun. Obviously these people have not been in this business that long, otherwise they would run and never look back. There is no excuse for the poster of the first message to get screwed like he did. If the company was so good to work for, and everyone made tons of $$$, why do these vultures CONSTANTLY hound legitimate job sites looking up people's resumes and call them for an interview, NOT disclosing this is MLM. It appears for everyone 1 person that gets hired, 5 quit. How many people have been with this company for over a year? Again, I'm willing to bet less than 10% because people eventually wise up and leave. But not before another sucker has been recruited.

Anybody that has been in sales has been contacted by these crooks. That should tell you something. I stupidly wasted half of a Saturday about 2.5 years ago. I had no idea it was a MLM otherwise I would have never showed up. They talked to us from 830-12 with NO bathroom break, because they knew most of us would leave during it. Some f*g named DJ Barton talked to us, bragging about his boat and Mercedes. ANYTIME you have a group interview, that is a red flag.

What a joke. I hope Uncle Sam shuts these bastards down.

Yes I work for Corporate America I took this job thankfully rather than accepting TA's offer. I am in sales with a company that is quickly moving up on Fortune 1000 and we are very close to cracking the 500. I make good $$$ get paid a base, commission, bonus, a bunch of other spiffs, and get good benefits. I have now been here 2.5 years and would rather work for Corp America than any rip off MLM like Trek Alliance.

My boyfriend, of course also being in sales, has had the same Fortune 500 sales job for 10 years, was looking for a change, posted his resume on a job site and of course was contacted by these people who suckered him into wasting a Saturday. As soon as he saw it was a group interview he was suspicious but stayed anyways, and left disgusted he was not told my the guy who called him, it was a MLM.

If anybody called you under the name Trek Alliance, Equinox, Rocky Mountain Marketing, hang up the phone.

Trek Alliance SUCKS!!!!!!!

Normal people have a real problem with Trek Alliance's recruiting practices. I agree with the first poster here and anyone who is warning people about what a fraud this company is. 1%, if that, of TA employee's actually make any money. I have chatted recently with a few employees over aol IM who flat out ADMIT they are not making much $$$ but having fun. Obviously these people have not been in this business that long, otherwise they would run and never look back. There is no excuse for the poster of the first message to get screwed like he did. If the company was so good to work for, and everyone made tons of $$$, why do these vultures CONSTANTLY hound legitimate job sites looking up people's resumes and call them for an interview, NOT disclosing this is MLM. It appears for everyone 1 person that gets hired, 5 quit. How many people have been with this company for over a year? Again, I'm willing to bet less than 10% because people eventually wise up and leave. But not before another sucker has been recruited.

Anybody that has been in sales has been contacted by these crooks. That should tell you something. I stupidly wasted half of a Saturday about 2.5 years ago. I had no idea it was a MLM otherwise I would have never showed up. They talked to us from 830-12 with NO bathroom break, because they knew most of us would leave during it. Some f*g named DJ Barton talked to us, bragging about his boat and Mercedes. ANYTIME you have a group interview, that is a red flag.

What a joke. I hope Uncle Sam shuts these bastards down.

Yes I work for Corporate America I took this job thankfully rather than accepting TA's offer. I am in sales with a company that is quickly moving up on Fortune 1000 and we are very close to cracking the 500. I make good $$$ get paid a base, commission, bonus, a bunch of other spiffs, and get good benefits. I have now been here 2.5 years and would rather work for Corp America than any rip off MLM like Trek Alliance.

My boyfriend, of course also being in sales, has had the same Fortune 500 sales job for 10 years, was looking for a change, posted his resume on a job site and of course was contacted by these people who suckered him into wasting a Saturday. As soon as he saw it was a group interview he was suspicious but stayed anyways, and left disgusted he was not told my the guy who called him, it was a MLM.

If anybody called you under the name Trek Alliance, Equinox, Rocky Mountain Marketing, hang up the phone.

Trek Alliance SUCKS!!!!!!!

Normal people have a real problem with Trek Alliance's recruiting practices. I agree with the first poster here and anyone who is warning people about what a fraud this company is. 1%, if that, of TA employee's actually make any money. I have chatted recently with a few employees over aol IM who flat out ADMIT they are not making much $$$ but having fun. Obviously these people have not been in this business that long, otherwise they would run and never look back. There is no excuse for the poster of the first message to get screwed like he did. If the company was so good to work for, and everyone made tons of $$$, why do these vultures CONSTANTLY hound legitimate job sites looking up people's resumes and call them for an interview, NOT disclosing this is MLM. It appears for everyone 1 person that gets hired, 5 quit. How many people have been with this company for over a year? Again, I'm willing to bet less than 10% because people eventually wise up and leave. But not before another sucker has been recruited.

Anybody that has been in sales has been contacted by these crooks. That should tell you something. I stupidly wasted half of a Saturday about 2.5 years ago. I had no idea it was a MLM otherwise I would have never showed up. They talked to us from 830-12 with NO bathroom break, because they knew most of us would leave during it. Some f*g named DJ Barton talked to us, bragging about his boat and Mercedes. ANYTIME you have a group interview, that is a red flag.

What a joke. I hope Uncle Sam shuts these bastards down.

Yes I work for Corporate America I took this job thankfully rather than accepting TA's offer. I am in sales with a company that is quickly moving up on Fortune 1000 and we are very close to cracking the 500. I make good $$$ get paid a base, commission, bonus, a bunch of other spiffs, and get good benefits. I have now been here 2.5 years and would rather work for Corp America than any rip off MLM like Trek Alliance.

My boyfriend, of course also being in sales, has had the same Fortune 500 sales job for 10 years, was looking for a change, posted his resume on a job site and of course was contacted by these people who suckered him into wasting a Saturday. As soon as he saw it was a group interview he was suspicious but stayed anyways, and left disgusted he was not told my the guy who called him, it was a MLM.

If anybody called you under the name Trek Alliance, Equinox, Rocky Mountain Marketing, hang up the phone.

Trek Alliance SUCKS!!!!!!!

Jordan... are you of the opinion that 99 out of every one hundred people have bad attitudes that prevent them from achieving success in life? Statistics show that more than 99 percent of Amway, AKA whatever it's called now, agents lose money in a given year. So, extending your premise, 99 percent of society has a bad attitude. I don't think this is true, and I don't think you do either.

What you have done is assert a logical statement that is unsound (or invalid, I can't tell which, either way its indefensible). You claim that bad attitude is the CAUSE of failure, when the more likely case is that bad attitude is the RESULT of failure. If you had dreams of wealth and instead found yourself in the hole, wouldn't you have a bad attitude too?

People who profit from exploitative industries are apt to assign individual blame for the failures of their exploitees, but a touch of perspective usually shows that this blame is misplaced. (For a great illustration of this phenomenon, watch "Roger and Me")

There is a host of reasons why so many people fail in their relationships with MLMs, and to be honest, individual apathy is likely one of them. MLMs, to put it very crassly, are bottom feeders that prey on people who are in such dire straits that MLM sounds like a good idea. The very same personality traits that prevented their success before MLM may also contribute to their failure within MLM. The parent company must share culpability here, however, as they usually make no effort to ensure that the people they recruit are capable of performing the job. Sales requires a certain personality and certain skills. When you hire indiscriminately for sales positions, many of your hirees will fail. The parent company profits from these failures, but the faiures usually end up much worse off financially than before they ever heard of Amway et al. And, like I said before, what type of attitude do you expect these people to have? Should they be happy that they are throwing their money, time and personal relationships away?

Personal apathy and bad attitude can only explain away so many failures. The workforce outside MLM is living proof that most people are willing to work very hard to achieve success if they believe that the work they perform is likely to produce success. Most people leave MLMs because they do not feel that the work they put into MLM will ever produce success for them. This is not what I would call not "dreaming big enough" or having a bad attitude, I would prefer to call it realism and responsible financial thinking.

By the way, the company formerly known as Amway IS a pyramid scheme, and the brass admits to this (although they avoid the word "scheme"). Moreover, it is most likely an illegal pyramid scheme. An illegal pyramid scheme is one wherein more than 30 percent of the income comes from within the organization. Some reputable sources, including former Amway executives, estimate that as much as 85 percent of the company's revenues come from the sales of motivational materials to distributors and product sales that never make it to an end consumer, meaning that distributors are pushed to purchase more product than they can expect to sell.

Unfortunately, VanAndel and DeVos will likely never have to answer for creating the world's largest pyramid scheme. Business maneuvers and the creation of Altacor, Van and Des' holding company that owns the majority of Quixtar, have largely shielded them from liability. Also, in the West Michigan area where these two reside and their companies are headquartered, defaming the VanAndel or DeVos names would be a cardinal sin, and no politician in his right mind would ever seek any kind of investigation of them.

Jordan... are you of the opinion that 99 out of every one hundred people have bad attitudes that prevent them from achieving success in life? Statistics show that more than 99 percent of Amway, AKA whatever it's called now, agents lose money in a given year. So, extending your premise, 99 percent of society has a bad attitude. I don't think this is true, and I don't think you do either.

What you have done is assert a logical statement that is unsound (or invalid, I can't tell which, either way its indefensible). You claim that bad attitude is the CAUSE of failure, when the more likely case is that bad attitude is the RESULT of failure. If you had dreams of wealth and instead found yourself in the hole, wouldn't you have a bad attitude too?

People who profit from exploitative industries are apt to assign individual blame for the failures of their exploitees, but a touch of perspective usually shows that this blame is misplaced. (For a great illustration of this phenomenon, watch "Roger and Me")

There is a host of reasons why so many people fail in their relationships with MLMs, and to be honest, individual apathy is likely one of them. MLMs, to put it very crassly, are bottom feeders that prey on people who are in such dire straits that MLM sounds like a good idea. The very same personality traits that prevented their success before MLM may also contribute to their failure within MLM. The parent company must share culpability here, however, as they usually make no effort to ensure that the people they recruit are capable of performing the job. Sales requires a certain personality and certain skills. When you hire indiscriminately for sales positions, many of your hirees will fail. The parent company profits from these failures, but the faiures usually end up much worse off financially than before they ever heard of Amway et al. And, like I said before, what type of attitude do you expect these people to have? Should they be happy that they are throwing their money, time and personal relationships away?

Personal apathy and bad attitude can only explain away so many failures. The workforce outside MLM is living proof that most people are willing to work very hard to achieve success if they believe that the work they perform is likely to produce success. Most people leave MLMs because they do not feel that the work they put into MLM will ever produce success for them. This is not what I would call not "dreaming big enough" or having a bad attitude, I would prefer to call it realism and responsible financial thinking.

By the way, the company formerly known as Amway IS a pyramid scheme, and the brass admits to this (although they avoid the word "scheme"). Moreover, it is most likely an illegal pyramid scheme. An illegal pyramid scheme is one wherein more than 30 percent of the income comes from within the organization. Some reputable sources, including former Amway executives, estimate that as much as 85 percent of the company's revenues come from the sales of motivational materials to distributors and product sales that never make it to an end consumer, meaning that distributors are pushed to purchase more product than they can expect to sell.

Unfortunately, VanAndel and DeVos will likely never have to answer for creating the world's largest pyramid scheme. Business maneuvers and the creation of Altacor, Van and Des' holding company that owns the majority of Quixtar, have largely shielded them from liability. Also, in the West Michigan area where these two reside and their companies are headquartered, defaming the VanAndel or DeVos names would be a cardinal sin, and no politician in his right mind would ever seek any kind of investigation of them.

Jordan... are you of the opinion that 99 out of every one hundred people have bad attitudes that prevent them from achieving success in life? Statistics show that more than 99 percent of Amway, AKA whatever it's called now, agents lose money in a given year. So, extending your premise, 99 percent of society has a bad attitude. I don't think this is true, and I don't think you do either.

What you have done is assert a logical statement that is unsound (or invalid, I can't tell which, either way its indefensible). You claim that bad attitude is the CAUSE of failure, when the more likely case is that bad attitude is the RESULT of failure. If you had dreams of wealth and instead found yourself in the hole, wouldn't you have a bad attitude too?

People who profit from exploitative industries are apt to assign individual blame for the failures of their exploitees, but a touch of perspective usually shows that this blame is misplaced. (For a great illustration of this phenomenon, watch "Roger and Me")

There is a host of reasons why so many people fail in their relationships with MLMs, and to be honest, individual apathy is likely one of them. MLMs, to put it very crassly, are bottom feeders that prey on people who are in such dire straits that MLM sounds like a good idea. The very same personality traits that prevented their success before MLM may also contribute to their failure within MLM. The parent company must share culpability here, however, as they usually make no effort to ensure that the people they recruit are capable of performing the job. Sales requires a certain personality and certain skills. When you hire indiscriminately for sales positions, many of your hirees will fail. The parent company profits from these failures, but the faiures usually end up much worse off financially than before they ever heard of Amway et al. And, like I said before, what type of attitude do you expect these people to have? Should they be happy that they are throwing their money, time and personal relationships away?

Personal apathy and bad attitude can only explain away so many failures. The workforce outside MLM is living proof that most people are willing to work very hard to achieve success if they believe that the work they perform is likely to produce success. Most people leave MLMs because they do not feel that the work they put into MLM will ever produce success for them. This is not what I would call not "dreaming big enough" or having a bad attitude, I would prefer to call it realism and responsible financial thinking.

By the way, the company formerly known as Amway IS a pyramid scheme, and the brass admits to this (although they avoid the word "scheme"). Moreover, it is most likely an illegal pyramid scheme. An illegal pyramid scheme is one wherein more than 30 percent of the income comes from within the organization. Some reputable sources, including former Amway executives, estimate that as much as 85 percent of the company's revenues come from the sales of motivational materials to distributors and product sales that never make it to an end consumer, meaning that distributors are pushed to purchase more product than they can expect to sell.

Unfortunately, VanAndel and DeVos will likely never have to answer for creating the world's largest pyramid scheme. Business maneuvers and the creation of Altacor, Van and Des' holding company that owns the majority of Quixtar, have largely shielded them from liability. Also, in the West Michigan area where these two reside and their companies are headquartered, defaming the VanAndel or DeVos names would be a cardinal sin, and no politician in his right mind would ever seek any kind of investigation of them.

Jordan... are you of the opinion that 99 out of every one hundred people have bad attitudes that prevent them from achieving success in life? Statistics show that more than 99 percent of Amway, AKA whatever it's called now, agents lose money in a given year. So, extending your premise, 99 percent of society has a bad attitude. I don't think this is true, and I don't think you do either.

What you have done is assert a logical statement that is unsound (or invalid, I can't tell which, either way its indefensible). You claim that bad attitude is the CAUSE of failure, when the more likely case is that bad attitude is the RESULT of failure. If you had dreams of wealth and instead found yourself in the hole, wouldn't you have a bad attitude too?

People who profit from exploitative industries are apt to assign individual blame for the failures of their exploitees, but a touch of perspective usually shows that this blame is misplaced. (For a great illustration of this phenomenon, watch "Roger and Me")

There is a host of reasons why so many people fail in their relationships with MLMs, and to be honest, individual apathy is likely one of them. MLMs, to put it very crassly, are bottom feeders that prey on people who are in such dire straits that MLM sounds like a good idea. The very same personality traits that prevented their success before MLM may also contribute to their failure within MLM. The parent company must share culpability here, however, as they usually make no effort to ensure that the people they recruit are capable of performing the job. Sales requires a certain personality and certain skills. When you hire indiscriminately for sales positions, many of your hirees will fail. The parent company profits from these failures, but the faiures usually end up much worse off financially than before they ever heard of Amway et al. And, like I said before, what type of attitude do you expect these people to have? Should they be happy that they are throwing their money, time and personal relationships away?

Personal apathy and bad attitude can only explain away so many failures. The workforce outside MLM is living proof that most people are willing to work very hard to achieve success if they believe that the work they perform is likely to produce success. Most people leave MLMs because they do not feel that the work they put into MLM will ever produce success for them. This is not what I would call not "dreaming big enough" or having a bad attitude, I would prefer to call it realism and responsible financial thinking.

By the way, the company formerly known as Amway IS a pyramid scheme, and the brass admits to this (although they avoid the word "scheme"). Moreover, it is most likely an illegal pyramid scheme. An illegal pyramid scheme is one wherein more than 30 percent of the income comes from within the organization. Some reputable sources, including former Amway executives, estimate that as much as 85 percent of the company's revenues come from the sales of motivational materials to distributors and product sales that never make it to an end consumer, meaning that distributors are pushed to purchase more product than they can expect to sell.

Unfortunately, VanAndel and DeVos will likely never have to answer for creating the world's largest pyramid scheme. Business maneuvers and the creation of Altacor, Van and Des' holding company that owns the majority of Quixtar, have largely shielded them from liability. Also, in the West Michigan area where these two reside and their companies are headquartered, defaming the VanAndel or DeVos names would be a cardinal sin, and no politician in his right mind would ever seek any kind of investigation of them.

Please, do you not realize how many times we ALL have heard that same response you JUST gave. ...That remark has been used by practically every MLMer out there.

Now, first off, I won't comment on Quixtar, because I was never a part of it, BUT I was a part of Trek Alliance, which is/was also an MLM. ...All this talk of not having the right attitude/motivation/belief does nothing but make me laugh now.

If you wanted to see someone who gave their ALL (yes, that includes motivation, belief, attitude, etc.), you should've met me when I was Trek Alliance. I gave everything I possibly could have. YES, EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING. I think the only thing that I did not give up was my car, WHICH I WAS EVEN WILLING TO SELL, simply so I could afford to go to more EP's (trainings). Thank God I didn't. ...Of course, the only thing that I got from my whole experience with Trek, was that there are EVIL, GREEDY, AND VERY MANIPULATIVE people in this world who will do anything they can to get your money. YES, and that includes lying, bullsh**ing, and taking your money without asking (if you want to know how they did it, I'd be happy to explain. I got Heather Hromoho on tape - yes, ON TAPE - explaining the situation).

In MLM, it does not not matter how much of your life/passion you give. It's a matter of much your life/passion you want to SELL OUT. Trust me, because I almost did, and they almost RUINED my financial life forever. I trusted them with everything, and they did nothing but take it from me. ...And if you say that it was not their fault, then the word TRUST means nothing to you. ...However, don't get me wrong, I do take the blame, because I was wrong to trusting them. ...TRUST IS BIG FACTOR IN LIFE.

Please, don't waste your time in here, because nobody in this "chat-room" is going to believe a word you say. We have all seen the lies, manipulations, and the strings attached, ...and have already heard the bullsh** comments (you just gave) 1,000,000 times. ...So, save it.

Sincerely,

I am replying because I really think it's funny that broke minded, non-dreamer's have to put their failure's in a rip off repport.

Quixtar is the #2 E-tailer online. #1 in health and beauty sales and so many people are financially free due to this business. Most people I have seen go through a point in this business where they do not have a lot of money. But they build their business on faith.

The reason people fail in this business is simply because they quit to soon or they do not listen or have faith in themself. Many people do not have a dream big enough and they think it's a pyramid or a get rich quick scheme.

Then when they realize we drive market share to fortune 500 companies, and we get paid on volume. people that simply do not have faith in themelves and have a bad self image quit.

Then they blame their failure on a company, when their bad attitude is the real reason for their failure.

I am replying because I really think it's funny that broke minded, non-dreamer's have to put their failure's in a rip off repport.

Quixtar is the #2 E-tailer online. #1 in health and beauty sales and so many people are financially free due to this business. Most people I have seen go through a point in this business where they do not have a lot of money. But they build their business on faith.

The reason people fail in this business is simply because they quit to soon or they do not listen or have faith in themself. Many people do not have a dream big enough and they think it's a pyramid or a get rich quick scheme.

Then when they realize we drive market share to fortune 500 companies, and we get paid on volume. people that simply do not have faith in themelves and have a bad self image quit.

Then they blame their failure on a company, when their bad attitude is the real reason for their failure.

I am replying because I really think it's funny that broke minded, non-dreamer's have to put their failure's in a rip off repport.

Quixtar is the #2 E-tailer online. #1 in health and beauty sales and so many people are financially free due to this business. Most people I have seen go through a point in this business where they do not have a lot of money. But they build their business on faith.

The reason people fail in this business is simply because they quit to soon or they do not listen or have faith in themself. Many people do not have a dream big enough and they think it's a pyramid or a get rich quick scheme.

Then when they realize we drive market share to fortune 500 companies, and we get paid on volume. people that simply do not have faith in themelves and have a bad self image quit.

Then they blame their failure on a company, when their bad attitude is the real reason for their failure.

I am replying because I really think it's funny that broke minded, non-dreamer's have to put their failure's in a rip off repport.

Quixtar is the #2 E-tailer online. #1 in health and beauty sales and so many people are financially free due to this business. Most people I have seen go through a point in this business where they do not have a lot of money. But they build their business on faith.

The reason people fail in this business is simply because they quit to soon or they do not listen or have faith in themself. Many people do not have a dream big enough and they think it's a pyramid or a get rich quick scheme.

Then when they realize we drive market share to fortune 500 companies, and we get paid on volume. people that simply do not have faith in themelves and have a bad self image quit.

Then they blame their failure on a company, when their bad attitude is the real reason for their failure.

This comment goes out to Reese of Dallas Texas. You know, I read these rip-off reports all the time. I come here to check out companies to see if they're legit before I go and just throw my money away to people like you.

And there's always someone on here pooring out their heart, telling people how NOT to put their trust, livelihood, nor energy into something as DECEITFUL as the above story. Then an idiot like you gets on this thing and tries to defend a bunch of criminals. And you cause desper-ate people who NEED MONEY AND AN EXCUSE to say to themselves "it's not a scam", to make the same mistake this young lady did.

You've got the nerve to sit there and make her story look incredible, when you can CLEARLY see that she seriously cheated out of her money.

If you have all the time in the world to type out a letter just to say "oh, well, if you had a bad sponsor, I feel so sorry for you" bleeding heart CRAP then why don't you do 1 of the 3 things:

You can either help her get her money back from her former swindling sponsor and get her credit up to par. (You know what I mean, like a real "bleedin' heart" would do.)
OR

Since you're doing so well and you SO under-stand her story that you were just MOVED to write her some words of encouragement while defending MLM CRAP, then why don't you do this--WHY DON'T YOU GIVE HER BACK THE 1250.00 + interest she lost and fix her credit. Can you do that?!
OR

How 'bout this, maybe you can pay for an attorney for her, guaranteed to get her money back for her and erase her bad credit history.
If you can't do 1 of those 3 things for her, then why don't you just shut up. It's people like you that change the mind of a desperate heart. You need to think before you speak.

All this I know, because I was there in the
"toilet", too. At the same age, making the same mistake. Being mislet by an herbalife rep, who just like you, gave excuses about MLM and MISLED ME, (someone desperate to change her life, who didn't know any better) to give nearly $600 to some leech like you and then I got took. $600 isn't much for some people, but a 4 years ago, it was my whole month's salary.

So for anyone who's ever lost money in MLM. Why don't you do that girl and me a favor and put a cork in it. You and your bleedin' heart could never understand how she feels because #1. you were probably hired by trek or equinox or amway to write a false statement to cover themselves and #2. You're not walking in her shoes.

Darn, I was hoping Rich Con ... oops ... Von and Kale Flagg would have just taken their ill-gotten gains from Equinox and gone away, but their greed compels them to continue to entice more honest and hard-working folks to part with their cash via Trek Alliance.

Judging by the description given above, Trek is nothing more than a clone of Equinox ... from the ads making one believe they are offering actual paying jobs, to the high-priced and absolutely worthless "training weekends," to the pressure to go into debt to purchase inventory, the tactics are the same. I myself was an Equinox rep for 2 1/2 years ... until I broke my own "MLM addiction." My suggestion, shortly to follow, will offer advice on how to break yours.

But let me just mention that, as for their enticing in people who are unemployed, experiencing financial problems or, like you, young and (no offense meant) inexperienced in business and financial matters, this practice is so common in the MLM racket in general they even have a name for it. They call it "fishing in the toilet." In other words, if you're desperate for a job, for income or have limited resources, they consider you "in the toilet." Ordinarily, people like Rich and Kale would cross the street to avoid even being near a "low life" like you (their opinion) ... however, they've found that while a lot of those they entice in this way leave in disappointment and disgust, just enough of them will "take the bait" and cough up the little bit of money they do have, go into debt, ruin their credit, etc., and make it lucrative for themselves.

In his rebuttal, Reese made the point that there are many, many good, decent, kind, caring, honest people in network marketing, and he's absolutely right. There were some wonderful people in Equinox as I'm sure there are currently in Trek Alliance. From your own polite, courteous reply, Reese, I'd be willing to bet you're one of them. But that's precisely why you'll never see YOUR picture in their monthly magazine as one of Trek's top money earners. My first step in breaking free from MLM came when an MLM "pro" (although not from Equinox) explained to me in an unguarded moment that to be successful in MLM you have to follow this formula: you have to (1) know what day of the week/month each and every one of your downline receive their paycheck, welfare or disability check, (2) BE THERE WAITING on their doorstep with an ORDER FORM for them already made out, and (3) NOT LEAVE until you have their check in your hand. And, as he put it, "you gotta be able to do this even if you can see their kids are barefoot 'cause they can't afford to buy shoes for them, or are crying because they're hungry and their parents can't afford to feed them. YOU have to make sure YOU get paid first. If you can't do this, you don't belong in network marketing." Much like our former rep pointed out in the discussion above, with the upline Brian pressuring her to take out a loan to buy more product.

Well, I realized right then and there that I couldn't do that ... hmmm ... maybe because I have a CONSCIENCE???? So I got out of Equinox just a month before the roof crashed in on them and they declared bankruptcy.

But no, Trekkies and MLMers ... I didn't just go back to the "40 years and a watch deal" ... I started my own REAL business, one that's REALLY mine. In my own business, I'm free to purchase products, supplies, etc., from whomever I choose ... from whatever supplier or vendor gives me the best value and/or service. With MLM, you're stuck ... you gotta buy THEIR products exclusively, at whatever (exhorbitant) price THEY set. I sell my products anywhere and using any legal and ethical method I can. As our student/rep above pointed out, Trek (and other MLMs) restrict where and how you can sell THEIR products ... in other words, you're really not in business for yourself like they say you are. In MLM, you're basically no more than a very poorly paid salesperson for THEM.

Another thing Equinox always liked to harp on in their presentations was "how difficult" or "impossible" it is to start a business of your own. Well, folks, from first-hand experience, I can tell you it's not hard at all, even if you don't have a Harvard MBA. Your bank, your community economic development center, SCORE, and others will help you every step of the way. For FREE! There are also accountants, business consultants, and so on who will help you set up a business for quite reasonable fees.

I found everything I needed to design, develop and produce my own products from two books I bought at Barnes and Noble, three or four afternoons researching at the public library, and several evenings gathering FREE information from the internet. Here's a tip: buy a copy of Jay Conrad Levinson's GUERILLA MARKETING for $16.95, or read it for free at the library. You'll learn more about marketing a product and successfully selling it to people by reading the first chapter of Levinson's book than you will by attending FIFTY of Rich and Kale's $250-plus "training weekends."

I love having my own business, one that's REALLY my own. And I don't have to lie to people, twist their arms to become reps or beg friends and family to pay $12 for a $1.69 bottle of shampoo, either. I can sell my products at a fair price, and whatever profit I make is MINE, not Rich and Kale's. No, my business hasn't made me "rich," although last week I did set a new record for income made in a single day ... $1,600 ... more than I made in any 6 month period with Equinox. Most importantly, I can sleep at night.

To Whom it May Concern:

I recently read your article on the Trek Alliance rip off. First of all, I would like to apologize for the way that you were treated in this situation.

If that gentleman was your sponsor he treated you very unfriendly and without respect.
Secondly, I am aware of many bad claims about the Quixtar group and would like you to know that not everyone in this particular business group is devious and out to rip you off.

I have been in the business for about 3 years now and have made a great profit from this experience. My sponsor, has also recently acquired a higher "Pin" in this organization as well. I always offer people chances to purchase other items to help them in their business but that is totally their choice and have quite a few that do not do that and I do not harm them by forcing it down their throat or anything along those lines.

I believe that every person has the right to free will and the ability to use it. I have run across several people in this business who do not have the best business practices and their businesses show for it.

The best way to get what you want out of life is to choose how you do it. If you do choose something like this business you must be smart and not fall blindly into it and do everything immediately.

In all things in life, slow and steady wins the race. I would offer any chance of rebuttal from the author of this argument or of others who have been affected by this business.

Sincerely,