MELALEUCA or MELA-PUKE-A
90
Don't Waste Your Time with Melaleuca.com unless you have the time.
Hello,
I was recently pulled into a bit of a MLM/pyramid scheme late last week and wanted to share my full experience with you. The company is called Melaleuca.com. (based on a plant native to Hawaii and other tropical areas). But it is not exotic in company or approach.
Here is the basic set up of their schema.
1. They call you.Now at the time, I had applied to a craigslist ad for a job with a company I hadn't heard of, but it wasn't melaleuca. Somehow, I feel that the filler company was a mechanism to get my information. The actual way this works is that someone you know calls you,this business is about networking so it moves by word of mouth.
2. They talk you up. They ask you probing questions. Since I went all the way to signing up and becoming what they call a Marketing Executive. Its a process they identify as F.O.R.M. which stands for Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Money. There are other aspects they try to trigger you with such as health and environmental aspects of the products. They are trying to figure out where your passion is and they'll push you. the goal is to get you to their manipulative, and badly compiled webcast.
3. You go to the webcast.So if the person is lucky enough to have convinced you to be interested; because at this point they have not told you anything of substance about what this is or what you are doing exactly. When you login to the webcast (now, here's another thing, there are two sites. One that manipulates people who are interested in the products, and one for those who are interested in the money) I got sent to the site for the money. I listened, it was great, I was really impressed with the products and the company mantra.
4. They call you again. They want to follow up with you and answer any questions you have about the presentation and also if you are interested in signing up. If you are they want you to sign up..now, right now. and they help you do it online in a preferred customer membership form. You put in your information, you give them your credit card info. You agree to pay the membership and then agree to purchase either 35 or 75 points worth the product every month. Ok, this sounds complicated, but it's not. Order every month, basically. This is simple if you enjoy the products and actually use them anyway. If you do not order, they send you a backup package equal to those 35 or 75 points, so you still pay.
5. They insist you do "training".Ok, let's say you get through the customer signup process and you are now a MARKETING EXECUTIVE in their pyramid. You go to a site with 6 presentations. The first, second and third, are on how you get paid, who to contact, and how to approach them "like a pro".
6. How you get paid. basically if you enroll 1-7 preferred customers (these are the ones that pay the $25 membership fee each month, and then agree to the 35 or 75 product points) you get 7% of the cost of their purchases. If you enroll 8-19, you get 14%, and if you enroll 20 or more you get 20%. Simple, but tough tough tough to do. Anyone who is sincerely interested in going green or saving money will go to COSTCO or Sam's Club, pay what they want to pay, and the membership is $40 a YEAR, not on a monthly basis.
7. Who to contact. The training insists that you write down everyone you know the name of. They tell you to start with a REFRIGERATOR list. These are the people you love and love you enough, that if you come into their home you could open the fridge and take what you want. Then they tell you to make a CHICKEN list. These are people who you know but would hesitate to ask to consider something like this. And then everyone in between.
8. How to contact them. Use F.O.R.M. (family, occupation, recreation, money) manipulate their minds, find their trigger, say anything to get them to the webcast, to the customer form...it's awful.
I actually asked one person, and it was uncomfortable, she was hilariously smart and said no thanks, even when I tried to explain. I;m glad she shut me down. Your "mentor" will make you feel like you have to move quickly, to make money, and get people enrolled. You will be a nervous bumbling person, not knowing completely what you are asking of your friends and family. My mentor told me that "If I was lucky, I could get a portion of my initial goal income" Big mistake. I cancelled that day.
9. How to cancel. You get the address and send a written letter to them with your information and signature telling them that you are cancelling. Then you fax them a copy to their 888 number. Then you call to confirm that they have received both or one of the notices. It is simpler for me because I have not ordered anything and did not allow them to send me a backup package and charge my account. But they did charge my account for the initial membership sign up and the business kit. Total $31.68. I have to send this back before I get my refund. They will try to tell you that YOU CANNOT refuse the package. YES YOU CAN! UPS is under contract that they have to make one attempt. This means they get to your door and you say no, take it back. This also means they leave it at your door, you call them and say no, take it back. You do not have to pay shipping charges to get this back to Melaleuca.
So this is where the story pauses. I am waiting for this package to get to me so I can send it back. What a saga! if anyone has questions about my "mentor" how they take to you, where they try to send you (some conferences are also a part of this) let me know. I want to help anyone know what they are getting in to!
Don't be a jive turkey, (in this case) DON'T try it!
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I am sorry that you never saw the benefits of the products. I purchased a Pacesetter pack and am enjoying all 73 products sold to me at cost! plus I am also happy that after sharing the business and product store with my friends, acquaintances and family, I am more convinces that everyone can benefit from Melaleuca products. In 14 days I have been blessed to enroll 11 members to the shopping club. I have achieved 2 bonus levels and am expecting my first compensation check to be more than $1100.00. Perhaps you should try again. But to really be a winner you have to believe in what you are undertaking. It sound like you don't like the product, and so how could anyone believe it was worth their time and money? You may have better luck working for someone else.
sorry you had trouble. its rare that there are bad businesses just bad marketers. sounds like you got stuck with one.
i came in for the money but stayed for the product. i made a $400 check for refferring 8 customers,just to catch up with my car pmt.
and by the way the membership is $29 to open an account and evey YEAR after that it is 14.95 fyi. its not monthly. remember alot of people buy a gym membership but if you don't go to the gym and work out your not going to lose weight. is the gym a scam?? NO
My wife and I have been melaleuca customers for 9 years. Awesome company and products I have NEVER heard of or seen any evidence that Melaleuca is a pyramid scheme or scam. We love all the $$ we have been saving and have a healthy clean green home.
i am sorry that you had so much trouble. I have been with Melaleuca since December 1994 and have been a loyal customer that looks forward to the products. I order every month. I have shared the Melaleuca story with some of my friends and I did this when I first began. I did this for 5 years and then got too busy with my job to do presentations. I did not enroll anyone since 2001. However my customers continued to shop every month and I received over 200 monthly cheques without any one of them being late. In the past 15 years the company has paid me over $75,000 of RESIDUAL INCOME. Not bad for sharing my beliefs about the products that I enjoy and want. You are wrong when you say that the membership fee is $25 per month. I dont know where you got that information. Its $29 in the first year, and a lot less for each successive year. Its truly a company that delivers what it promises and yes there is a procedure for cancelling out. I am now deciding to build this as a business as I get ready to slow down and retire from my professional practice. Melaleuca really delivers everything it promises.
- Denzal -
Wow, Im sorry you didn't find ONE advantage to enrolling in Melaleuca. I am an executive director now, and I am IN LOVE with the company. Not only was I able to get out of debt, but the company basically paid for everything that I have now. My car, my home, and i'm even saving up for vacation trips months in Advance. If you want, I can show you all of the benefits that the company offers!
There is so much to this business, its more than just a store, its a healthy way to live!
Hope this helped!
Um, pay $25 dollars A MONTH for membership fees? I'd strongly encourage you to re-check your sources again... NO one wants to pay $25 dollars membership fee monthly, LOL. Not ME! It's $25 dollars YEARLY, compared to Costco $40 dollars YEARLY. And, in an effort not to put your costco membership fees to go waste, you'd go to Costco maybe two times monthly to shop what you need. With this store, I'd order once monthly, saving me time and gas being that I have five children with crazy schedules and work full time. :) Good luck, and please do post if you got your package.
Oh WOW! I had no idea this kind of response would occur. I hadn't heard about Melaluca prior to this experience so I thought that it was just some sort of random bad encounter. Well, I did get the package, I wrote, return to sender on it, and it went back. A few weeks later I got a letter in the mail confirming that the package had returned. Thank you for all of the positive comments, it must have a decent reputation, and maybe I got a really bad sales rep...
Monicaelayne:
I still work for Melaleuca. If you are interested in it, I will GLADLY give you a proper presentation and give examples of WHY This business is so great. Until the end of January, the Membership for the ENTIRE YEAR is only $1! Just one dollar. No Gimmicks! No buying more than what you need. Simple. Its just a store, and you can start working right away!
I'm not sure who gave you all of this wrong information, but I am sorry! There are many people that take advantage of this Company and try to make money on their own, hurting others (like you) in the proces.
My name is Jessica Rangel, and I can give you a presentation and explain to you how Melaleuca works!
Hi, I recently became a customer in December with Melaleuca. By chance I was reading literature on the plant and decided to do some research. I then heard of the company, went online to purchase the products and was referred to a nearby Marketing Executive. After I purchased some products, which I loved, I decided to try to work this as a business. I had nothing to lose and everyting to gain. I enjoy sharing this with my family and friends. Hey we share other retailers with them why not Melaleuca. Sorry for your bad experience.
I am sorry about all you went through, that must have been traumatic! I found Melaleuca by chance and it came to the rescue of my son who suffered from ADHD. If you had asked me 10 years ago if ADD was real, I would have laughed in your face; but I changed my mind shortly after my son was diagnosed. At first, I was just a customer who fell in love with the products which alleviated my son's ADHD symptoms. I was intrigued with the all-natural concept and decided to go obtain a BS in holistic health. Mid-way through my degree, my eyes were opened to a reality most of America does not see. I cannot begin to describe what goes on in the normal health care - pharmaceutical - corporate world circle (corruption, greed, trickery, and cover-ups just to list a few). You should know that companies get rich off of keeping people sick and poor and the rich hold the most power. Cures for diseases are hidden, pushed aside, and purposely forgotten; companies find loopholes in consumer-protection laws; and the super-rich controls which laws are passed. Here is an interesting video you should watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XADBY9-0Io4
Melaleuca is very different. From everything I have experienced over the years, they actually care about their customers and genuinely put in the effort to help people just like you and me. Just recently, I decided to tell other people about my unbelievable journey and actually convinced several people enroll. I didn't do it for the money, I did it to help them with their family's health problems. Being in the holistic health care field, I want to help people become healthy, not because I want to get rich but because I believe that you can't put a price on your family's health.
Wow, look at all the people still marketing to you! I hope you, and everyone who see's this story, will learn from your experience and not join "companies" like this. I implore people tempted to become marketers for Melalueca, or any other direct sales company, to do your research on multi level marketing schemes like this one first: and yes, they are schemes. Fact: to legally not be considered a pyramid scheme according to RICO legisation, a company must sell at least 70% or more of it's products to persons who are not paricipants in the company's compensation program; Melaleuca does NOT meet this requirement. These schemes promise wealth and happiness to those involved, but will simply waste your time and money.
Why so much fuss about this business? Mystified must have a better way of life a also must be a very successful person. Despite all positive responses still insist that all other reviews are to convince monicaelayne otherwise.
It's not unusual for those higher up in a pyramid to think it's a swell idea.
danynguyen 24 months ago
Mela-puke-a = (^_^)