Complaint Review: Chesapeake AllianceTrek Alliance - Glen Burnie Maryland

Moving to the Balitmore area in August of 2000, and a college graduate out for a year, I was here a month before I was contacted by Chesapeake Alliance by Phil Stripling after they yanked my resume off of Monster.com. It was first off weird having an interview at 6:30 at night, but I was like, what the heck...I had just moved out here, was living with my boyefriend and his family, and needed a job so I could move out ASAP. Being from the Midwest, I was not familiar to the setting with the loud music, and being suffeled around from person to person, but they seemed to take an intrest in me, so I was excited.

Even after the presentation I was pretty excited about what I saw. I didn't buy the Starter Kit until the 2nd visit, but by that time I was in, I wanted to live the dream they were talking about. I looked at my parents and knew that I had to have a different life than them. My dad was laid off, and my mom went back to work while my dad went back to school. This was not the life I wanted and Trek Alliance seemed the route for me.

Within the first month alone I spent at least $5000 between the starter kits and 2EP's I attended. Even though I didn't have the money, heck I had $1000 in my pocket when I turned up in Maryland, they pushed me to get loans and up the credit on my credit card to get the Business in a Box. They all promised me they would help me sell my product, making me a believer in the product, and to others, so that way I would get my money back, I guess to show me that is really does work.

Well guess what, that didn't happen. In fact nothing happened. I went to the EP's, called 30 people a day, placed ads, gave out oodles and oodles of samples, and you know what nothing! They wanted me to recruit my warm market, but the only person I knew was my boyfriend, and when I first told him about it, he knew right off it was a scam. In other words I should have listened to him in the first place.

By November, after not recruiting ANYONE, and going to Orlando on my last EP, I ended up having to get a job as a waitress to help pay for my debt. I had maxxed out the credit cards, and was really scared. Did they care? Hell no, instead they just lead me around, and used me...in fact they took one of the BIB I bought and used it for themselves, since I couldn't take it home with me, since the boyfriend and his family hated what I did. Even through all that I still remained. Why? Because it was my goal to succeed. I wanted to retire my parents and in the end, they refianced their house to pay off my debt.

I had to work 50-60 hour weeks to pay down the credit cards in the beginning...also saving up enough to move out...All this stress made me and the boyfriend break up.

I still tried doing it on a part-time basis, but when it came up to renewing my distributorship, I said forget it. In 12 months my profit was nothing. I had over $9000 in debt. That is when my parents helped me out, paid off all my debt, and any remaining product I actually sent back...I never wanted to hear the name Chesapeake Alliance or Trek Alliance again.

But the story does not end there...i

t is now a year later, and I still have not received all of my refund. For months I was lead around calling person after person, leaving messages, that I taped and documented. Finally I actually talked to the woman, Lindsay Wood, who acually does the refunds, and I quote, since I have every single e-mail she has ever sent me, you will receive your refund in 30 days. That was in Dec. 2001. It is now August 2002, and after fighting with them and writing numerous letter, and e-mails, I was supposed to receive the rest of my refund from supposed damaged product (crock of s**t) and a water filter that was used...duh you tell us to flush it when we first receive it, and of course I am still waiting. I hate this company. At first I didn't but for a year I have been lead on a wild goose chase.

Most people would just give up, but not me....I will fight for my money cause guess what it is mine... For all those with glowing reviews about this company write me please cause I will argue with you till the cows come home. Give it time, and end the end, you will be in the same boat I was in. For an update I am going back to school, getting my Master's in Education and a real job. I have been debt free for a year, and in fact saved up quite a sum (this was at least the best learning experince for me, it taught me the value of money). I still waitress, but I make a ton of money, work when I want, take off on vacations when I want, and have a life...

I still plan on retiring my parents, oh any by the way I don't plan on working till I am 70 either...have a good day!

Melissa

Baltimore, Maryland

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