Complaint Review: Melaleuca - Internet Internet

I am sorry to anyone who has had a bad melaleuca experience. I have been with the company for 2 and half years. Actually, i have moved around on teams and i have also talked to melaleuca about this in detail. you do not HAVE to be on a team, they are just supposed to be there to offer assistance and support. 

one of the benefits to having a team is that there are people who have already tried things and can offer advice. you can train together, offer advice, ask questions, bounce ideas off of each other. Dont like the team? you dont have to work with them. Or message another team and ask if you can work with them. 

just like any company out there, there can be employees that arent the best at their job. I am not going to stop buying my eggs at hyvee because the one of the cashiers loads them side-ways and some break. But i may avoid getting in line with that same cashier the next time i go to shop. see what i mean?

I can say that i work with melaleuca because i care about the health differences that it can give. I will admit, when i started working with the company i was just looking for a way to earn some extra cash as a mom of 2. However, i was a mom of 2 and a house-hold full of health problems. fibromyalgia, hypermobility syndrome, eczema, celiac disease, MRSA infections, weight issues, etc. I did NOT originally join because of some "miracle" with the products, although i did enjoy the idea of more natural products.

Fast forward about 4 months. I am earning a little bit of extra money. I have made some great friends. Some that have joined to work with me and some that havent. But most importantly, our health is so much better. My son's eczema is totally gone, my fibromyalgia pain is a quarter of what it used to be, my whole family can take vitamins now because they do not have gluten fillers and the MRSA that my son almost died from is finally at bay. 

i work totally for the health side now. I talk to people about how it can help THEM. if they dont want a value pack than i say fine and dont push it. If they just want to be a customer? more power to them. If they want to be a serious business builder i will introduce them to other people in the team so they can have other people to rely upon if i am not available, if they dont want be really heavy in the business than i dont push it. 

as far as canceling? i have never had someone have a problem with that. yes, i have had some people cancel, although i have never had someone cancel because they are not a fan of the products. generally the most sure way to do it is to print out the cancellation form, sign it, and then fax it back to them, then call them to confirm that they received it. personally, i would do that with just about anything since technology is not always reliable. 

Oh, and melaleuca is classified as consumer direct marketing, not multi-level marketing. This means its employees set up the online accounts for new customers to go shopping. new customers are able to order whatever they want on the phone or computer and it ships directly to them. Melaleuca then mails paychecks to the employees that helped set up the account. 

I at one time looked for years for a dependable company & found MLMs are without exception going to fail eventually. You rarely make money with them.

However as far as your points go, every one made is generally assigned to MLMs as well. Speaking from BOTH sides of the wheel, It sounds as if you had a bad experience due to not knowing what to expect, which is a fault of presentation. I at one time signed up to make money with Melaleuca- And succeeded to the point of over $900 monthly after 4 months, three of which were AFTER a 1 month trial period of the products- I cannot refer a company whose products are not good.

In order to make money from REFERRING people without selling goods, it is much more likely to succeed if you are excited about the company. The people who I worked with for a couple years on other companies (MLMs, not Referrals) now have two cars paid for, and are flown to other countries by Mel, because they were excited and conveyed it. They also supported their enrollees. You do not have to sell anything, I bought more than one Value & career pack over the years, and it paid off- when I had to stop working from home I got checks for four years over $300-$500 from residual income. Even though all I did was use all natural products that got rid of my allergies, and had other benefits.

You will come into contact with over aggressive people in every company- without exception. To generalize the company over this is an incorrect evaluation, when I talked to people I came upon some that found the separate groups didn't fulfill their needs by either not being aggressive enough, or being too aggressive.  If you are going to try to make money at home TEAMWORK is advantageous in all aspects, unless this is a charge specifically to put down a company that is in competition in your mind.

In regards to price, when I buy cleaners as a rule from them, each bottle makes 4 bottles of cleaners, at maybe half again what WalMart charges, and does as good as or better job.  My enrollees ofter enrolled for the products, and only heard from me about once a year if they were desiring to only be a customer. When they wanted to quit, they either called Melaleuca or I, & I helped them to do so, occasionally they would call later to re-enroll. I am NOT an employee, I joined, and made money referring people about 8 years ago. Though I am not actively (with income intent, other than just once in a while referring people to natural cheaper products) using the company as an income, I still get checks EVERY month, from people referred 8 years ago. I cannot say that about any other company. I don't have to invest any more money, I do just transfer what I used to purchase from local stores to Melaleuca, and am healthier for it due to using natural products.  I kind of sense that their may be animosity from being a competitor, otherwise the mention of all the team names would be a moot point.

In ALL companies where you earn your money at home it pays to (especially if you have doubts, or ar hurried into a decision) do your research. There are company sites to compare all aspects, just use them. What is the point of going to Sam's club and buying a year long membership for $40 when others can buy items at the same price as you? You seem to feel the prices are exorbitant for the goods, yet have never used them from your post, how would you know the value- like buying rot-gut wine, ore top of the line wine, the price may reflect the value better. However the product price comparison in my opinion (as a near decade long user) has easily been lower with better quality, and some at near equal value if you get a sale with coupons otherwise, and don't mind absorbing chemicals. 

If you are indeed a person who has had poor luck with cancelling your membership I would say you are the exception rather than the rule.I enrolled probably over 50-100 people over the years, and have helped cancel memberships for one reason or another with no issues on ANY of them, if they followed easy to understand methods. by mail, or by fax.

I hope you find your way to make money, but understand, no MLM, or any other legal means will do all of the work for you. If you don't invest time, you will fail at anything you do.

Fraud, Scam or whatever people say really doesnt matter. Or maybe, people don't read the out clause or terms and conditions before signing their name on the dotted line. It does not matter. Here are the Facts about Melaleuca, they sold
over a BILLION DOLLARS worth of products, and people must like their products, right?

Pyramid systems have been outlawed in the US a long time ago and they dont sell any products. We are paid just for referring people to Melaleuca and helping them register and thats it! No inventory control, no billing, no carrying of
products. We are paid on immediate commissions with several tiers of bonuses and handsome residual income, how GREAT is that!

They have paid out over 2.8 Billion in commissions to regular people out there in the past 27 yrs. What is really great about Melaleuca is they genuinely want to HELP. This is Very Rare for a corporate identity. Helping people better their health; getting them out of debt; having a good personal life, so too in preserving our environment, is that a BAD goal to have? 

This is more than a business for most of us. You would really have to experience Melaleuca, and when you do, you too would have fallen in love with them just it like the more than 850 thousand families that have joined them. Sorry, but its hard to find sad storys telling lies here. What you will find are peoples experiences in how lives have changed because of Melaleuca. 

A Successful Melaleuca breeds successful people and its not too late to join us.  If you want to succeed and willing to work at it and if you think you are coachable, We Will Help because Melaleuca wants us to.

We are just starting; more questions, give me a call, Tony 408-771-0296.

If NOT, then, Good Luck on your travels and I hope you find contentment!         

I have recently been contacted by a SHALI Team member of this company thanks to my mom... (she gave my phone number out on-line) since I was interested in natural products for my home. 

I received an e-mail with 3 ads at the bottom all about "teams" but with no information at all as to what was being sold "red flag". They all have buttons on the page to click on to "find out more" another "red flag" that I will have to give my information to someone and be contacted.

After agreeing to be contacted regarding the "opportunity" since I was curious and kinda felt obligated to be polite since my mom had already talked to her... I sat through an hour long on-line presentation where me and the person that e-mailed me where on the phone together. I watched video segments of how every day products are unsafe, success stories of people that use the products, and how much "potential" money I could make. 

After the presentation she asked what I liked best and I said that the products are natural. She asked if I wanted to sign up and that if I didn't like the products I could return them with a refund. I told her I need more information as I need to read product labels and so forth and she said "take your time." and let me know she will contact me again soon.

So what's going on in my head is this sounds like a "Quixtar (been there done that)" type of business, so I should definitely educate myself on these products. So I start doing some google searches. Now if you go to Melaleuca.com you won't find a product section to where you can just browse products. I had to go back to google and click on the link underneath the website link that says "products" http://www.melaleuca.com/ProductStore/ProductStore.aspx here you are able to view the products at least and the prices and points you would get for the items. I would've like to see this right off the bat rather than "work at home" ads on an e-mail and a presentation about the business... first... 

Although I am not a consumer or rep of this business there is "obvious" problems... I had to google search the company in order to find out about the "auto-ship". That's insane to require this! I probably spend 100-200 a year on products for my home that this website sells...

To those of you arguing "this is not an MLM".... yes it is.. It doesn't matter how you market the business it's still multi-level... Just WIKI search the term "MLM" it's all there. 

"Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they recruit, creating a downline of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation.[1] Other terms for MLM include network marketing,[2][3][4] pyramid selling,[5][6][7][8][9]and referral marketing.[10]Most commonly, the salespeople are expected to sell products directly to consumers by means of relationship referrals and word of mouth marketing.[1] Some people equate MLM with direct selling, although MLM is only one type of direct selling.[1][2][11]MLM companies have been a frequent subject of criticism as well as the target of lawsuits. Criticism has focused on their similarity to illegal pyramid schemes, price-fixing of products, high initial start-up costs, emphasis on recruitment of lower-tiered salespeople over actual sales, encouraging if not requiring salespeople to purchase and use the company's products, potential exploitation of personal relationships which are used as new sales and recruiting targets, complex and sometimes exaggerated compensation schemes, and cult-like techniques which some groups use to enhance their members' enthusiasm and devotion.[10][12]In contrast to MLM is single-level marketing. In single-level marketing, the salesperson is rewarded for selling the product directly to the consumer.[13]"

I mean seriously to say your business model is not an example of MLM you are clearly in denial... The presentation I watched CLEARLY talked about different levels of selling... director etc... and how much money i could make if I "referred" 8 people and so on... Hello! Are you people not watching the presentation videos to realize this is an MLM.

Anyone notice these products "look" like every day store bought brands... "coughs" brainwashing...
You should do some research into what you're buying, and not just believing people who say these are natural, non-toxic products. I want to read it for myself!

Another problem with this is that the companies list of ingredients is very vague.. Take the Tough & Tender ingredients listed on their website "Biodegradable cleaning agents (nonionic surfectants), solvent, solubilizer, water-softening agent, buffering agent, fragrance, T365 Melaleuca Oil, preservative" This is a pathetic excuse for a list of ingredients... fragrance is a neurotoxin... and what exactly are the preservatives in these products? Natural doesn't mean anything... almost anything "naturally derived" can be called natural even if the end product isn't... 

I bought a bottle of Dr. Bronners Baby Mild Liquid Soap at my local Whole Foods Store. Ingredients are "NGREDIENTS: Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Potassium Hydroxide**, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol * CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENTS ** None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin" Is there any fragrance here? Any funky preservatives? This bottle is ALSO concentrated :)

These ingredients are ALL certified USDA Organic which is the highest standard of natural you can buy! You can't say that about these Melaleuca products that have vague ingredients listed... Are you trying to sell me honest products that work for my family or are you trying to sell me a business model where I can make money... I am NOT required to go to my local Whole Foods every month and buy 35 points (40-50 bucks) worth of product every month, nor do I have to tell 8 of my friends to shop there... I enjoy shopping there because of their commitment to quality and a VARIETY of products I can choose from with knowledgeable staff that is very helpful that get paid for honest hard work.

You CANNOT call Whole Foods or Target, Walmart an MLM because they do NOT require sign up fees to shop/work there, or the recruiting of "new" people in order to keep their job. You don't even have to buy the products they sell to keep your job. Granted ANY business needs to have consistent business in order to stay open, but customers are NOT required to purchase a certain amount of product every month in order for the employees to keep their jobs. customers can come and go as they please :) No these companies don't pay you for using their products but they provide JOBS for people that work there. 

MLM's are NOT jobs or a "sustainable" income because you HAVE to have a regular job in order to support this business.. You can't just sign up or buy products if you don't already have income coming in from your "Job" Without regular paying jobs MLM's would collapse simply because you have to buy something first before you can even see a small paycheck "I've read some first checks were $8) which is not enough to buy everything a household needs every month... granted when you start a job it takes a couple weeks to see a paycheck but they are consistent whether you buy from your own work or not... I don't have to buy from my job to keep getting paid :) but I am offered a discount and our loyal customers are offered coupons and free items yes I said free for spending a certain amount of money every 3 months. Even if they don't spend enough money every 3 months to qualify for a free item they still get coupons sent to them. 

Sorry, but to me this sounds like a joke to me... It seems the Melaleuca advocates act like their products are the ONLY safe alternative to popular store brands and use scare tactics to make you feel like a bad mom if you buy anything from popular stores. sorry, but there are TONS of other QUALITY natural/organic products out there that are 100% honest that I can buy without false hope of "residual" income...

You asked if I was able to find a work at home opportunity that wasn't a scam?

After much research I found the magic formula.  It almost seems that there is one type of job that is legit.  Customer Service or work at home phone rep jobs... Also, other telecommuting, except it may require you already work at the company (such as a senior level exec) and then they allow you to become a telecommuter. 

1)  Go to indeed and search under telecommute, telecommuter and different variations.  sometimes you pick up jobs that mention they DON'T offer telecommuting, because it's a search engine it picks up the word.  85% of what comes up will be spot on, though.

2) There are a few sites dedicated to work at home customer service which is the only legit work at home online.  Half of these opportunities are Independent Contractor work, not W-2 employee work.  Look it up.  There are benefits to hiring you as an independent contractor.  So... when they ask you to pay for your own internet service, home phone, headset, and background check, it's not a scam.  It's their way of cutting costs.  Just keep good records because you'll need it at tax time.  I ended up going through with one of these Big name companies that operate this way.  BUT... pay attention to background check details.they will tell you what they accept- so don't pay the fee if they don't accept felonies and you are a felon.  Don't pay the fee if they don''t accept people with more than $10,000 in debt and you have 80,000 in debt.  You will always do good if you pay attention to who they are looking for and go for the jobs you fit... your background check fee will never be wasted.  These companies are not like regular employers who grill you just to tell you that you won't get hired, as long as you pass the checklist they take you.

*smiles*

here are a few links I'm not sure how updated they are but


Stay away from Arise... I heard they have people pay several hundred dollars for training and fail them because the bulk of money they make is off training class.  SO..you should be able to tell how much is reasonable to pay. Get my drift?  Independent Contractor pays for supplies and a background check.  To pay to get certified sounds like college!  Search the net... if people are saying there was a class of 50 & 2 people passed ......and they see the same job still posted, then Arise is looking for more people to take the class... it's dirty. 

I tell you, I have learned A LOT... lol SO PAY ATTENTION

here are the links: 

(((ROR redacted)))
Happy Hunting!
CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

I was contacted by Internet CEO Moms to consider becoming a member of Melaleuca.  Searching for "Melaleuca Scam" is exactly what I did...and found this post.  Have you been able to find a work at home opportunity that isn't a scam??

A simple internet search on the company name and the word SCAM would have avoided this mess altogether.  The internet is the TOOL you use to protect YOURSELF from these scams. 

that's what I did 8 years ago when I was looking into work at home offers and this is one company that came up during my research and I found thousands of complaints then.