Boing!Boing! pointed to this long article by a person in Sacramento that starts out being about ugly signs offering a work-at-home scam and ends up being about Herbalife.
After college, my first job was working for a hospital laundry. The laundry had very little handle on its inventory and bought a half-assed system to try to keep better track of it. The whole system was a disaster, and it was my job to get it to work.
I had to work regularly with the manager of the linen facility at a hospital, and this guy was one of those goofballs who it is extremely difficult to fathom how he ever rose to the management level. The guy was a schemer with lots of ideas and wacky business ideas and not a whole lot of brains or persistence to actually follow through.
One of the things he constantly pestered me about was Herbalife. He was constantly telling me about all the weight he was losing as well as trying to get me involved with the MLM scam/scheme. I thought it was inappropriate, but that pretty much summed my view of everything this guy did.
Finally, though, I just wanted to get him to shut up so I agreed to go to his little MLM meeting. If you’ve never been to one of these things, they are really fascinating (but if you’re going to go, do like I do and make sure you don’t bring any form of money with you — I had like five dollars in my pocket, and that was probably to much around these folks).
The entire evening was half revival meeting and half the most manipulative sales pitch you’ll likely experience. The whole idea is basically a scam — there is no way in hell the people like the laundry manager are ever going to get rich. On the other hand, though, the very tiny number of people who are able to convince their friends and complete strangers to throw their money into this are like the sharks of the sales world — there’s nobody better nor more vicious.
The leader of this event looked like a 45-year-old Tom Cruise who was doing too much Herbalife. He was thin to the point of bordering on gaunt. He looked a little bit like a world class long distance runner, except from his skin complexion it was obvious he was probably following a drastic diet to keep his weight low to impress the people he was pitching.
And the guy was slick. Too slick. Con man slick. Michael Douglas in Wall Street slick. He gave some very spirited talk about all the money he had made, the vacations he had taken, the cars he owned, etc., etc. Then, of course, when he’s done he announces some special offer just for newcomers like myself. For something approaching $1,000 we can get $1,500 worth of merchandise to sell, and they start with the nonsensical litany of uplines and downlines or whatever the terminology was.
The cool thing about not having any money with you is you can let the full effect of this hit you. It’s interesting just how easily some people can use your fears and hopes to manipulate you. I could see why people would find this sort of pitch attractive, even though you’d have to be insane to say yes and put up your money.
The sad thing was that while the laundry manager is pulling out all the stops trying to convince me (and, of course, I have to make my decision right now), it’s pretty clear that the big guy is manipulating him. The laundry manager wasn’t a bad salesman but he never was very convincing — and fell hook, line and sinker for the big guy’s pep talks about what a great salesman he was and how determination and drive could make him rich.
Finally, after listening to the pitch several times and refusing several times the meeting is over and I am out of there. Walking out feels like you’ve been trapped in a cave underground for a year and are finally being allowed to see the light of day.
And, of course, I drive straight to the library because now I’m very curious. Of course, this was the early 1990s and by then Herbalife had already had run-ins with various legal authorities over illegal and dangerous ingredients in its products, tax problems by its founder, and all sorts of other issues. It wasn’t a pretty picture.
The next day I have to drive out to the hospital, and while I’m there hand this guy a manila folder asking him if he’s aware of the previous investigations of Herbalife, not to mention all the crap that is in these supplements he’s popping because Herbalife tells him they’re all natural and they’re cleansing his body.
And the color completely leaves his face. For an instant he has this look that is just priceless. This guys’s spent thousands of dollars of his money, persuaded family and friends to get involved, and he hasn’t even done even a cursory investigation of Herbalife. He’s screwed.
But he recovers pretty quickly. He’s hooked. I could have just shown him pictures of his wife with the big guy and he’d still be convinced that Herbalife is going to make him rich. I explain to him that even if I wanted to take Herbalife — which I most certainly do not — I could not because the products were chock full of ephedrine (although, consistent with its business practices, Herbalife never listed ephedrine in the ingredients list).
At which point he turns to me, very sincerely — he’s not trying to insult me at all, he clearly feels sorry for me — and asks, “So you’re just going to have to stay fat?” Which is when it hits me that this guy is totally dominated by his own fears. Fear of being fat, fear of not having enough money, fear of not being as successful as other people, and he’s the perfect sucker for this scam.
I have no idea whatever happened to him. A couple months, later I couldn’t take that job anymore and quit. A couple years later I partially mastered my own weight problems and dropped 50 pounds (and I’ve kept it off) without having to throw hundreds of dollars after unhealthy supplements (it’s amazing what giving up fast food and exercising once in a while will do).
Mark Hughes, who started Herbalife in the early 1980s, was not so lucky. He was found dead in August 2000 in the $27 million mansion that he had bought by suckering people. The 44-year-old apparently had all the money he could ever want but couldn’t kick his alcoholism. He died after a four-day-long binge of drinking alcohol in combination with anti-depressants.
I’m so glad I did research. No joke just 15 minutes ago I got off the the phone with Candce Johnson. I had to send her $199.00 to get stared. You see Im trying to earn money from home, and I was really convinced. So Thank You for finding the time to make this web sit.
i just got off the phone with Roger he wants 299.00 to get started and an additional 24.95 a month for web design tools ect. ,,, he is calling tomorrow at 2pm,,, i will bring up a few things to his attention
ok
Hi Brian,
I was pulled into the Herbalife MLM business and went through the same problems. I am still in the business after 2.5 years but actually took a different turn.
I did my own research and their are pros and cons of the business were these testimony after testimony of all these people making millions, I said ok, not looking to make millions, at least not yet. Thousands would be nice.
My coach was a leech and wanted me to pay $400 to get started and buy $4000 in product to reach a higher level of wholesale discount on the product. I did that and this is what changed me as a distributor.
I thought of quitting and starting my own rant because of the money I lost but developed a strategy to make sure others don’t fall for this. I started recruiting people but would only charge them $100 to start, so basically I don’t make a penny on their start-up kit. Why? So its an introduction of the product, so if they don’t like it, they didn’t lose the farm. I was able to rid my products in 3 months. If you think about it, if I quit, so other person is going to fall for it and lose a ton of money. If I could actually “help” people get started, and really coach them to help duplicate my results, maybe we can get a hold of this problem. Brian, you never have to buy products, its your own decision. I never use any of Herbalife’s tools, I use my own and create most of them through Blogs, weight loss challenges and attraction marketing.
Another problem is the “work from home” signs all over, I don’t do this because I just don’t. Even other distributors don’t understand why they don’t tell their prospects what they are selling (hope that made sense). When I present myself, I am not representing herbalife, I am representing myself, the coach, the network marketer. I want the prospect to know about me, my skills and experience before because it DOESN’T matter what I sell, it matters who is doing the selling. Do you or anyone go to McDonalds because they make the best hamburgers, no your attracted to the name McDonalds. Same with the show Entourage, think about the show’s main character and his group of friends that follow him around like leeches.
I pay $10 a month for a retail and recruiting website, that’s it.
I do believe in the products, lost 30 pounds over a year ago and kept it off. I don’t take every product. I only take the shake, multivitamin, cell activator and energy products. I run a public Weight Loss Challenge in NJ at a local gym. The participants DO NOT have to buy the products. I coach them as a wellness coach not as a Herbalife distributor and I am also a member of the community’s Chamber of Commerce. I really feel there are two sides to the story and yes, there is garbage out there trying to take your money and run. So, please be careful and if you decide to become a distributor or work from home, make sure the coach knows what they are doing and make sure the people around the coach are active and know what they are doing.
I help coach people in any business. I work with another network marketer who does Attraction Marketing training at http://TommysBizIdea.com (this is NOT Herbalife and NOT a business opportunity).
I am just trying to help, Happy Holidays.
Tommy DiPietro
Thanks so much for the info! I really needed another income source, and then am asked to cough up $299! Yeah, that’s what I need, my hopes and fears and base greed preyed upon, and then my problem made worse by having to blow even more of what I do have already?
Every one needs to know how big of a scam herbalife is The money I so called invested was crazy,stupid the $3,000 to be a supervisor advertising. Pti is the other scam that is a training program to do the biss. Some of the stuff they teach you is not what herbalife wants you to do.Like you have to sale so much to stay a supervisor i thought when you bought in to be a sup. you were always going to be a sup.or the 25% you make from dist that you get in to the biss.you have to sale so much to make the 25%.that is just some of the many things i learned the hard way. All i know is i spent a lot of money and i did not make s… what a scam i hope people dont make the same mistake that i made it needs to be advertise so people know how big of a scam that herbalife is
I have to follow up with another comment because of the posts I’ve been reading on numerous forums. When I started my Herbalife business, I started to read this different scam forums to learn what mistakes people were making, so that I wouldn’t make my own. The #1 problem is that your mentor/coach/upline doesn’t really know everything they should know about the business. One of the formulas to success if you were going to start a traditional business is the research you invest into learning about what your going to do. Does that make sense? Ok, I was going to buy a restaurant, inventing $100,000. I am going to research the area my business is going to be, the past performance, the demographics of the area. That type of investment, I am certainly going to do my homework. So, if you are going to start a home business, why don’t you do your homework?
Your going to whine about NOT KNOWING what your getting into when everything is available and right under your nose. I don’t work with a marketing company anymore because I am marketing that system and I am in business for myself, not them. I am active in my community, so I joined the Chamber of Commerce. I work online, so I invested time into myself and branding myself by learning about attraction marketing and building my business on the Internet on a budget. People, learn about it before you do it. If you are reading this, there is NO PROMISE YOU WILL EVEN MAKE A PENNY, YOU MAY EVEN LOSE MONEY. Its up to you, if you don’t have the money, don’t do it. You will have to invest down the road, whether its a website, or an autoresponder, or products for yourself. This business is not a quick fix solution for your financial woes. The number is low that make the business work without have a dime, and those are the same people you see pitching the business over and over and over. I built my business on a budget of less than $500, using http://BudgetingMyBusiness.info
Helen says. Wow thanks for all your experiences ! So just like Rob said I personally think everyone needs to know how successful in Herbalife you can be!
I have been doing the business now for 15 years. I was 29 a mommy of 3 children going to school and happily married. My husband and I had done the college thing graduated. Working the 60 plus hour a week with the communte . I am not afraid of hard work .. Then BANG ! we were hit with the recession . in the 90″s We had worked hard for 12 years owned our own business . People not able to pay invoices etc. This is not a whine session ..For 3 years we worked even harder and the dedt got worse. So .. my first goal was 500.00 dollars extra. around my full-time job and school and young family ..
Now we did not open up a franchise .. we had opened up our own business .. design produce and learn from our failures ..
I was done with my own learning curve .. I wanted to do what I did when I played softball I had hired a batting coach I wanted to improve .. Which I did by the way played on varisty team all through High School and college
So I used the same skills sets when it came to bring in extra money .. Get a mentor who is leverage in with a training system . This creates leverage..of saving me time ..
Did I pay a registration cost . Yes I did .. Hello I pay to register my kids in any program they decide to do.. Or when I went to university .. Heck yes I paid to register.When I married my husband of now 25 years.. got to tell you there was a cost..
Then I started the products.. wow.Brian is one of the fortunate ones .. He cut back, exercised ate right lost weight . I totally agree .. this did not happen for me . after baby number 3 .I was eating right .. I was also doing a exercise program and here is the kicker . I was finishing up my degree in nutrition .My health not a pretty site . My son was turning 3!
So I took the products . lost 40 lbs went from a tight 14 down to a 8. I started to get my vitality back.. Now my success on product was 7 pounds first 4 weeks and 12 inches. Week 5 to week 12 I lost over 26 lbs. What if I had stopped at week 4. Now have kept the weight off for 15 years.
So did the step earned my 500.00 dollars Then I took a percent of each sell and put it back into my business . I just kept doing that .. got up to 2100 dollars still working around a full time job and small children plus being a wife.
I did this for 3 year.. Kept going .. matched my income from my job. Came home to our children full time .
Now my daughter who was 3 when I started is now 19 .. She had a goal in 7 grade . Go to a Ivy league school. She worked hard .. I made sure to have the extra funds for extra ACt classes Extra tutors that we drove an hour to .. She went to public school.. was 1 of 12 accepted at Standford..Wow never would of been able to pay the fees to apply to different colleges. If I had not had the extra funds.!!
What is so interesting to me.. Is that In my Herbalife experience I have always decided how to run my business .. Yes my mentors let me know what is out there .. IN the end it my choice. Just like when I decided to be a mom .. I committed up front do I have bad days as a mom yes . I also have outstanding days! Do I have bad day as a Independent Herbalife Coach Yes .. I also have outstanding days! I just always remember the big picture.
I really do think it comes down to educating your expectations.. And then you need to start whatever the journey is for you .
Thank you very much. I just put $189.99 into the drain with Herbalife, thank GOD I didn’t have the money to become a supervisor, other wise the lost would had been huge.
Thank you for sharing this, it is really a scam, the products taste like cardboard.
Interesting comment about the products. I didn’t know you can actually eat cardboard, I would not know how it tastes, lol. Sorry couldn’t help myself. Again, another person that thinks they worked the business and failed, yet probably did nothing to help build her business.
That is why when I sign up a new team member, we go through all the costs of the business. Start up, supervisor upgrade, websites, merchant account, small advertising budget.
REMEMBER, this is your OWN business, NOT a job. Think of it as if you invested $100,000 in a restaurant, people just don’t take it serious enough. Its not a scam, the coach may be but the business is not.
Open up your mind and pay attention to the details, its right there in front of you.
Tommy
Tommy, could i possbly work for you ?. You sound like a really nice, genuine guy : ) .
Hurts to see when the company I work with has bad press…Been with Herbalife for about 8 years. It is a business not a job so investment is required. BUT here is truth…it costs only about $57 +tax/ship/handling to get registered…all the rest is bunk. Yes, there are scammers out there, that is why you must educate yourself about investing in a home business. No real home business will be successful with out investment, but hundreds and thousands of dollars is NOT good for a new person to spend. I was burned in the past by the fact that I didn’t know what I didn’t know…so I wrote a book about it…get it if you want…do don’t… you decide…go to lulu.com and search “About 10 Things You MUST Know Before Joining an MLM” by Wesley Williams. Herbalife is a viable way to earn real money, but only if you know what to do and know how to keep YOUR eye on YOUR finances…sorry for all who get pissed off at MLM’s like myself…just remember…you also get flyers from food delivery places, and realtors, and cleaners, and politicians, and scouts, and singles groups, and…well, you get the idea. Big ole “sorry” to any who have felt scammed. If you want to vent more, contact me….
Wow the Herbalife fanboys are out in force. Just do some research on the history of this shady company and its founder.
I would have no problem helping you out. Are you already a distributor? If so, we can set up some one-on-one time to review what you have been doing. If you looking to start a brand new distributorship, we can discuss a plan that would work for you. You can click my name and leave a message on my site or call me directly, I am in New Jersey, 908 578-0646.
Tommy D.
Herbalife IS GREAT! 🙂
LIke people have said; Its your own business NOT a job. Make sure you research before, ask questions, use the product. It speaks by its self. All I know is that I’m helping people everyday changing their bad habits, and the greatest reward is watching them see results and feel better!! Herbalife is a train of FULL opportunities, whether you are looking for just a better nutrition or to start your own business, and the train will keep going and growing with you or without you. Its YOUR choice. If you didn’t succeed at this is because you didnt input enough hardwork into it, and if youre just looking for PEOPLES OPINION, PLEASE DON’T LISTEN to these ball of retards talking BS that they don’t know. If youre looking to join, do some real research, learn what it takes, get some real testimonies, its a GREAT opportunity.
I love Herbalife 🙂
@Brian Carnell: Dear Brian:
Thanks for your open comments. I was lured into the Herbalife saga without knowing it was Herbalife at all!! I looked into one of the numerous junk mails I get, filled in a short form, let them have my $49.95 for my “training” packet which was a book and DVD of testimonial after testemonial of my upcoming fame and riches with “the business” and “the product.” When my mentor called on some kind of conference call and began reading from the script with her boss in the background, I was stunned when the word HERBALIFE finally was spoken! I am a current and past business owner so when I asked some hard questions (taxes, inventory costs etc,) the phone fell silent. When I said I would not sell a product I have not tried, I was told they would send samples then click the phone went dead. And oh yeah, they wanted another $149.00. I then researched the product from a HEALTH stand point. STAY AWAY and read for yourself!
Hopefully “Deb” will discover Herbalife is not that great after all……
Herbalife works, in business and it works for your body too. People just need get rid of prejudice that they have. You all people failed, because you were all lazy to do something with the opportunity you we got with Herbalife. Those products can not be sold by it self, you are the ones that should be selling them. Stop whining and start selling, start doing something. In every business you have to invest something to get something, to create something. I never heard about the business that you do not have to invest. And in Herbalife you do not have to invest that much of money, like in other business. I know people in Herbalife that are receiving checks every month from Herbalife, because they were doing something with the money they invested and they are getting a thousands of of dollars monthly.
Brian, I have done all my history and I belive the story I hear in newpapers and on the web not the one Herbalife gives. I know the founder was shady but the company has completely changed, you are living the past. The CEO has done many good things, the company was ranked the #1 MLM company by an independent party. So you rather be on medication which is a harmful CHEMICAL, than possibly try something herbal that can help???
Proud to be a Herbalife fanboy. I am not one of those crazies that is on every product, but I have lost 35 lbs and have kept it off for over 1.5 years.
The MLM opportunity is a business, like a franchise, the only problem is most of the coaching s*cks, some will take your money and run, others quit cause they don’t even know anything and others are looking to sign u up and move to the next person. The marketing company was not for me always advising to spend money, I was over to MLSP and started to brand myself as an expert, creating videos, blogging, writing articles and paying me on different levels.
Joseph was only half write because sometimes people are dupped into it. Yes, they should read between the lines. But let’s face it most of the distributors don’t tell them anything, no coaching, no guidance leads to failure. Unless your someone like me and takes it into my own hands and created http://herbalife.prospectinghero.com.
The only difference in MLM and a franchise is the money you spend. It’s a business, a gamble and Yes You May Lose Money, that is why its called a business opportunity, an opportunity to make money.
Peace,
Tommy D.
The Prospecting Hero
I have always been conservative and would have never tried a home-based business like Herbalife in the past. I am highly educated but am unemployed in a harsh and desperate economy. When I saw the home-based business online, I thought I’d try being more open-minded. So, I ordered the “free package” and paid $9.95 for shipping and handling. Upon ordering, I was not given the option to print a receipt, which immediately alarmed my suspicions. The next day, I received an email and an electronic receipt. My coach called me. I had numerous questions about the company and how it worked (I thought it was training for legitimate, home-based businesses), but she was adament about me reading the package material, writing on page 4 and then watching the DVD. I found the whole thing to be mysterious, elusive and evasive. But, I wanted to keep an open-mind and followed the directions anyway. I thought it was weird how the program requires people to write in the material when they could just use a separate sheet of paper, but I did as I was told. Afterwards, I started to watch the DVD. After 30 minutes of hearing success stories, they finally started to talk about the business, Herbalife. People shared how they bought and sold Herblife and tried it themselves. I knew at that moment that it was a complete scam because you should never have to buy or pay when working with or for a business, and you should not try the products yourself. Plus, in the fineprint, there is a disclaimer that the products ARE NOT FDA APPROVED!!! I have too much integrity to sell anything not FDA approved. I emailed my coach to end the deal. Immediately, I received a rude email from another lady (from Herbalife) telling me to send back the package to avoid a charge (I allegedly agreed to) of $39.95. If you do not return it within 14 days, you are charged about $40.00 bucks. Also, the packaging must be returned in its original condition. Yeah, that’s right and that’s the SCAM! If you write in the booklet (which they require you to do) and return it, it’s considered damaged and you have to pay anyway!!! They make $40.00, and they get their product back. If they make $40.00 off of 10,000 fools like me, they generate $400,000 for doing basically nothing with little materials. Do not fall for frauds like I did. If it sounds too good to be true, it is!!!
Hi Maggie, hopefully you will get to read this.
First of all, it is not FDA approved because it is an herbal supplement. If you go to your pharmacy, grocery store, GNC or Vitamin World, they are also supplements that are NOT FDA approved. The FDA has actually praised Herbalife for the way they run their facilities and said they wished others did the same. A top ranking FDA official is retiring and will be working for Herbalife.
Second, it is a business, so YES you do have to pay. It is just home based, no overhead. The info packages are garbage, I never liked them and I won’t sell them because they are full of information about what other people did or do. And since they can not predict my future it is worthless to me. Very unprofessional that they told you to write in it. When I used to use them, I would tell them PLEASE don’t write in it. I am telling you write now YOU missed the fine print. It is risk free which means 14 days. It is against the law not to have the info available to you and Herbalife is not a scam. It is the #1 rank independently, home business.
The way I do it is give away a FREE DVD, all full of value, yes there is a $10 shipping charge that I DO NOT make a penny on. It is not a business but has a blue print on how step-by-step to successfully run a business with methods included for any business and paid on different streams of income from affiliates. As an example if you click my name you can see some of the value I offer through Facebook training.
You need to keep an open mind and really read into it.
What is the website? I would like to take a look at it.
My goal here is if people are still going to get into Herbalife even with all this negative feedback, I am trying to provide a helping hand and is always available.
Have a good day,
Tommy DiPietro
Wow, I really enjoyed reading this short give and take page. I think most people who wrote did so honestly, not just to toot Herbalife or rip it. I almost got into it this week because of all the reasons others have as well. What almost pushed me over was my coach/mentor. She was such a wonderful and honest person. I really liked her. However, she was only in it for 2 months herself and had made nothing up till this point and had invested $5300. See, she was honest to me. She said she wasn’t supposed to say too much. Now after reading a bit more and doing some research on my own, I told her no and sent back the package (and no, I didn’t write on it as they told me to). I really feel bad for my “coach” now because I think she fell for this scam and will lose a lot of money as well. Tommy, maybe what you are doing is OK, being honest and lowering your fees. But most are not like you, and their technique is obviously deceptive at best. The “write on page 4” thing is proof. How dishonest! The statistics about Herbalife and what a typical person who works hard earns monthly is dismal…something like $200/month if they work really hard. And then the ones that lost so much investments…My coach is a single mom who is struggling to make ends meet. Will she ever get back the $5300 she put in the last 2 months? And to remain at her supervisor status, she will have to keep investing $2500/month. How will she sell that much? Deb and Joseph, you guys have to stop just tooting Herbalife without anything to support it other than it’s the stupid people’s fault for not succeeding. People are out of work and are just trying to do something to survive, and Herbalife is not the answer. And Tommy, again you sound honest and you have stuff to back your statements, but not everyone is a salesman like you. And the ads out there are targeting everyone, not just salesmen. That’s why so many hate Herbalife, and I guess you can include me in that group as well.
I fell for this scam too. Luckily, I only bought the $9.95 into packet and signed up for the $149 package. I won’t do more. My question to you is How do I get my money back that I have spent so far?
Janis
Hi Janis,
I am a supervisor with Herbalife. If you have any questions, just send them to me.
How long have you been a distributor? If you want your money back, it does depend if you been active for over a month.
Contact your mentor/supervisor and ask for a refund. If they don’t comply, contact Herbalife distributor relations.
If your mentor displayed any type of unfair treatment to “trick” you, they acted on their own as an Independent business owner. This has nothing to do with Herbalife. They are a great company, so look at it fairly before you want an assumption.
I hope this helps!
Tommy DiPietro
Every couple years this topic on my blog just explodes with comments (previous years’ debates are missing due to moving from CMS to CMS but will be back here eventually).
Anyway, I was just reading a comment on Facebook from someone else struggling with a different MLM scam. The thing to remember about MLMs — which most of the suckers who lose lots of money never seem to grasp — is that the product is not the vitamins or energy drink or cleaning product or whatever is ostensibly being sold. That product is like the misdirection employed by a skilled magician — look over at the product on the stage so you don’t see the magician palming the coin.
No, the real economic activity in MLMs is churning through fresh recruits. The people who succeed in MLMs are those folks who realize they’re playing that metagame of exploiting people’s dreams of becoming rich or at least financially independent. Clearly that *does* work for a small number of folks (the number has to remain small due to the nature of the pyramid-like nature of MLMs) who are good at that, but for everyone else you’d probably be better off taking the money you’re going to be asked to put into the scheme and taking it to a local casino — the odds of striking it rich are probably actually better there.
The other thing I will frankly never understand about MLMs is the appeal of this whole get-rich-quick nonsense. I always thought the sales pitch was transparently absurd, but clearly it has its attraction. Look, money won’t make you happy, solve all your problems, transform your life — especially when you have to earn it in the shady way MLMs require you to act to be successful.
As Ray Liotta’s character in “Blow” tells his son, “Money isn’t real, George. It doesn’t matter. It only seems like it does.”
Brian,
It is a common habit for you
to judge others. It is really
unfair to form an opinion
based on your limited
information and faulty
perceptions or beliefs on
Herbalife by calling them
pyramid like.
Why should you make a
conclusion about them
especially if you never EVER
experienced it for yourself.
All your statements are based
on assumptions and another
person’s rant who didn’t read
the fine print.
If it was pyramid “LIKE” than
there would be NO product. If
you are lured into the biz opt by a coach who doesn’t send
the product, well that is
different.
Based on your pyramid
analysis, every franchise is a pyramid and anyone that has a
job & is moving up the
corporate ladder with pay
increases and bonuses based on team performance is a pyramid.
Right?
Treat it like a business and not like a hobby. At the end of the day grade yourself.
Would you keep yourself or fire yourself and how will I
improve my previous
performance.
Tommy
Weird you’d accuse me of being overly judgmental when MLM schemes like Herbalife tend toward high pressure sales techniques where potential recruits are treated to high pressure sales techniques designed to forestall any research (“this is a one time deal!” crap).
Fortunately, the Internet lets people judge for themselves. Obviously you can find out a lot about Herbalife by Googling Herbalife MLM and make up your own mind.
One of the resources *anyone* considering getting involved with Herbalife should take a look at is Herbalife’s own report on Average Gross Compensation of U.S. Supervisors (PDF). That really sums up Herbalife much better than I could.
Dear Mr. Carnell:
Thank you for providing a knock out punch to all the Herbalife lovers, Herbalife’s own report on ” Average Gross Compensation of U.S. Supervisor ” woke me up from all the doubts I had regarding how sucessful Herbalife is and how my novice Supervisor blind sided me with all the riches you can make. Brian thanks again for the info., I guess now that the dudes sitting at the top of the Paramid Scam, oopps , Scheme will be pissed at the Supervisor for letting yet another fish got away.
You guys are all confusing, im about to join herbalife, where to from here?
Sandy,
If you would like more information, you can call me directly 908 578-0646 and
I would be glad to help.
I can explain all fees that you would have to pay which include your kit to do business
and what you would have to pay if you became a supervisor, web site costs, merchant account to do credit card sales, marketing system (if you decide to use one) and advertising costs.
If the person recruiting you is tell you all you need to spend is $54.95 and that is it, they
are correct but your business is not going to go anywhere. I start people on a different path by developing their personal skills (not a salesperson method), I am more into investing in yourself.
You can also click on my name above and it takes you directly to my business
blog where I provide free training to all network marketers.
I left my number, so if you are interested in finding out more, let me know.
Have a great day,
Tommy D.
Oh My Goodness!! Herbalife is a scam???? Has anyone told David Beckham who is sponsored by Herbalife and takes their products?? Has anyone told Madeleine Albright, ex-US Secretary of State, who is one of Herbalife’s Advisors??? Has anyone told the NYSE which demands the highest auditable standard of ethical business and financial practices???? Has anyone told the thousands of Olympic Athletes who take Herbalife Products?? Has anyone told the hundreds of medical scientists and doctors who develop and test the Herbalife products, one of whom is a Nobel Prize Winner in the field of Human Nutrition????
These are facts.
Brian you are misinformed and should not publish your opinion on the internet where gullible people can have access to it. Your opinion is not based on the facts.
Uh oh. I have to confess I’ve been worried someone like Julie would show up and really make me look bad by deploying the David Beckham card.
Among other things, David Beckham plays for the LA Galaxy football team. Herbalife is a sponsor of the LA Galaxy, and every time Beckham suits up he puts on the LA Galaxy jersey with Herbalife prominently displayed on the front.
Clearly, this means that Herbalife is an excellent business opportunity. You know I used to think that rent-to-own places were a lousy deal, but since Troy Aikman endorses Rent-A-Center all of my doubts have washed away. And clearly shoe companies would never rely on third world sweatshop labor while being endorsed by LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.
Whew — I’m glad all of this contentious stuff can be resolve so easily whenever professional athletes have taken the time to thoroughly vet these businesses and do the research the rest of us don’t have time for.
In summary, if you are the sort of person who is used to thinking “Herbalife must be a great opportunity or David Beckham wouldn’t work for a team that has an Herbalife corporate sponsorship” then you are going to make a *great* downline. Give Tommy a call, I’m sure he can hook you up.
BTW, anyone considering getting into an MLM scam might consider taking a few minutes to track down the Season 8, Episode 5 episode of Penn & Teller’s “Bullshit” program which did a nice job of pointing out what bullshit such companies are trying to sell you on.
Also nice article on current legal action surrounding whether or not Herbalife is in fact a pyramid scheme that includes a nice summary of some of the facts that have been discussed in this thread, including just how bad of a business opportunity Herbalife is for all but a very tiny # of sales reps (99% of those folks would be better off if they got a part-time minimum wage job): http://pyramidschemealert.org/federal-judge-rules-that-herbalife-can-stand-trial/
This tommy guy is obviously paid to go online for herbalife and do P R for them on forums. Your a douche and I think its sad and pathetic for such a “large” company be so concerned about people sharing their honest opinions about your douche generating a-hole factory that go fishing for helpless victims. Let people think for themselves and get a real job you scum bag.
Oh yeah Herbalife is sending me the big check to post comments on this forum, lol.
No argument there, when people make up their mind about something, no sense trying to make a point about something.
That makes me a bad person that I’ve experienced success with the company. So instead of whining about not making money, I worked at it until I experienced success.
There are many commission only based “jobs” out there, same concept as MLM.
You go to GNC, buy a similar product which does cost MORE money if the ingredients are comparable to any Herbalife product. The people working there can’t answer your questions, no one follows up with you.
Believe what you want, Google my name, that can paint a clear picture for you.
Tommy
Sounds to me like your the only dumbass that kept trying to put a square peg in a round hole and pats himself on the back. I really don’t think that your trying to convince anybody else but yourself. Apparently New Jersey isn’t big enough to contain america’s trash any longer. First its my TV now its the internet. Think about it, you garbage peddler, you’ve already written more on this guy’s website than the dude who created it. Do everybody a favor and be the first guy to overdose on his own B. S. because believe me I don’t need to google your name to get closer to the stink. Take your herbalife and all the useless smut associated with it, such as yourself, and keep it in that refuse pile you call a city, and for the love of humanity do not procreate, maybe God was generous enough to keep “Genius’s” like you sterile, though I doubt it seeing how some of you’s made it on our air waves
I don’t agree with Tommy, but I seriously doubt Herbalife pays *anyone* to go make comments on blogs like this. That would be an absurd waste of time and resources. I don’t think there’s much upside to turning this into a flamewar — people who wind up at this page can make up their minds about Herbalife without needing to wade through a lot of personal attacks.
Brian,
I understand your point and was just responding positively to a personal attack.
I have several comments because the questions are usually directly personally to me and I receive updates to my inbox.
This person has obviously been taken to the cleaners by Herbalife or an MLM because like many, you need to treat it like a business not a hobby.
There are many small business owners that do conduct their business in a similar way, for example, a franchise like McDonald’s.
The difference is you invest more money, so of course you are going to put more of an effort into your business. Are you going to tell them to get a real job?
I have made many contacts from this blog post and help failing Herbalife distributors turn a profit. The amount of money I made from them for my help “$0”.
@Brian – I will continue to post responses, in a positive manner because I do respect your opinion even if I don’t agree.
People can believe what they want especially if they are going to negatively comment and hide behind a wall.
I have learn about some of the negative practices of the opportunity and that is why I DO NOT work with my upline, I don’t believe in taking peoples money to give them a BS piece of paper about how much Joe Schmoe makes.
BTW- Genius’s is not a word, lol.
Tommy
Tommy,
Just to be clear, that comment I posted was entirely aimed at the other poster, not you — I didn’t have any problems at all with your response.
“Tommy’s a douche” and “don’t procreate” are not cogent arguments for or against anything. I pretty much try not to censor any comments, but that troll was annoying.
Brian
Ahh. I am a personal trainer I am currently looking for part-time work and was supposed to be “interviewing” this week for the position of “wellness coach”. I googled the website in the email I recieved which scheduled my interview and researching the website eventually lead me to understand that I would be in essence selling Herbalife. In my opinion pill pushers and wellness coaches are OPPOSITES! Wow, thank you so much for saving my Thursday from being WASTED by these scammers!
Hi all – I also came here because I’m being recruited as a coach. however the person recruiting me told me NO SALES would be involved (only wellness coaching). How is this possible?
Thanks!
@Confused: I believe Mary’s comment is correct…based on a little Googling it looks like a “wellness coach” for Herbalife ends up pushing the Herbalife products as part of the “wellness” plan.
There are several accounts from folks who go to the “wellness coach” recruiting meeting and then get the hard sell to join Herbalife as well, and most of the ads and information online seeking Herbalife wellness coach recruits mention the central role of Herbalife supplements in the “wellness coaching”.
Tommy herbalife is a scam. and here is a list why.
1. Real franchises develop territories so that they don’t make owners compete. (i have seen atleast (30 in my small town)
2. Real franchises interview potential owners and are picky about who they want to represent their business. Herbalife will recruit anyone that can pay the start up fee, I have seen them recruit a borderline mentally handicapped person in my town.
3. Half of the owners focus is recruiting more people under them. My friends were trying to recruit me before i tried the products.
4. Corporate has a deal to ship only with fedex. Any knowledgeable business owner that wants to make profit will order in bulk by freight.
5. A real franchise has a set price for products
6. They call themselves wellness coaches. Thats a term used to describe a person that tells you what to eat, but has no educational credentials. They relay info from corporate, they aren’t dietitians. They read a few brochures and get coached by who ever suckered them in.
7. I have seen 6 friends get suckered in to operating these restaurant things, the few that are still doing it work there asses off and have made little money.
8. they pay doctors to endorse it, I have a feeling they are like the doctors on info mercials pushing diet and boner pills.
9.I have heard every single friend admit that its a pyramid scheme.
10. how many times have they been sued over being a period scheme, yet they won’t change their business formula to something similar of profitable franchises. The only way you can bcome profitable with herbalife is by recruiting, not by just selling the products.
Just a few observations
Jack
I would like to apologize for reason #2 I wrote above. The individual I referred to as “borderline mentally handicap,” in my opinion he has some social communication issues, he is a nice individual and its not fair to make judgements like that about him because I am not a doctor nor family member. This individual is independent and is able to make his own decisions. Also in that statement, I did not mean that herballife would take advantage of a handicap person,(my apologies herballife) but the point I was trying to is that they are extremely focused on recruiting more franchise owners and having others sell the products. I think the owners should focus more on their products. Once again I apologize. Also on #1 i exaggerated a bit, I think it is about 20 franchise owners, and the pop. is around 10,000 to me its a small town.
my apologies for the inaccuracies
jack
I have been with Herbalife for about a year now and I have found it hard work especially in the current climate, like most people, but apart from that I have enjoyed it
Quite entertaining, Tommy said about everything I would have… I was so paranoid and worried it would be a scam, I’m just glad it wasn’t. That $399 I paid to start at a good position scared the crap out of me, but I decided to make it work and after 4 months I make that much a month 🙂
I’m also available to answer any questions… 801-310-5008