Have you ever had anyone from Herbalife inform you of a potential problem you may encounter upon consuming soy on a regular basis?
Did you know that most diet powdered products contain soy?
If you answered no to either one of these questions, then you may want to read my earlier post: Soy May Hasten Osteoporosis…. and here’s an article posted on a US Government website titled, Effects of soy protein and soybean isoflavones on thyroid function….
When I first discovered the Online Business Systems website, I thought the opportunity they portrayed to be very professionally distailed; therefore I was quick to give my credit card number for the $9.95 US Funds… charged for shipping me a decision pack. After all, their website clearly showed me that they were registered members of the Better Business Bureau. Their website assured me, their decision package, as they called it, would be jam-packed with detail enough for me to make my decision as to whether I wanted to join them to make money from home.
Heck, this opportunity was presented to me only a few months before being forced out of a job (early retirement), with no prospects for re-employment. So, when I came across this… what I thought to be a “great offer” …yeeeeeaaah! You can bet I was anxious to get started.
When their package finally arrived… albeit the old style decision package… I was furious for their purposeful non-disclosure of the company’s name. I immediately telephone the numbers that were handwritten in the back of the decision package.
On my second attempt to contact someone, finally a lady picked up the receiver. I told the lady point-blankly that I was upset with their not stating WHO the company is. My immediate thought was that this had to be Amway… but alas, it was… Herbalife? Go figure!
I was shocked at what I perceived to be a reputable company, masking their business in such secrecy. Hello? This SHOULD have raised a big, red flag for me… but, nooooo… I took bait! Truly, I thought it would be awesome… to be able to help those with weight problems, to gain their self-confidence back again. It would feel so good to be able help others, making this a win-win situation, for a change… OR… so I thought.
After all, Herbalife products have a good reputation, don’t they? And, I learned that REAL live doctors actually head up the research on all of their products. Impressive, huh?
Most of us out here looking for a real honest to goodness means of earning a living, really have to remember; starting your own business IS a costly venture, no matter how THEY want to “slice it” for us.
When you don’t have any extra cash to lend to an idea… and, in fairness… $3,000 to start your very own business is NOT that expensive… BUT, without a great, safe product (regarding Herbalife’s meal replacement and protein powders), no matter how terrific a business plan may be… you really have nothing. That’s what makes ANY sum of money invested… wasted money.
Here is what it cost me for the better part of 3 months (click on the image for a closer look):
So, a Merchant Account will cost you $75 to accept Visa and $35 to accept MaterCard… MONTHLY, whether you use it or not. Oh! And, if you sign a contract covering a term like, say, 3 years (that was THE only option available when I signed up!)… and you decide to quit for ANY reason BEFORE the 3 years has passed… well… you pay a penalty cost, determined by “the Merchant Account” at the time the account is terminated. Believe me, it WAS a hefty charge for me! So you can add another $400 to the total shown in the screen print above, because that’s what it cost me AFTER this screen print was taken and published here.
And here were my profits (click on the image for a closer look):
This is real money I could have used to live on after my job ended in September 2009.
Having then been diagnosed with osteoporosis (detailed in an earlier post titled “Soy Consumption May Hasten Osteoporosis…“), and learning what I did regarding soy protein… well, by November 11, 2009, I terminated my Merchant Account, and requested a bill be sent to me for any remaining funds owing. This was followed by my emailed resignation to The Online Business System (OBS).
Having been left with several unsold Herbalife products that I couldn’t use, and a box of OBS paraphernalia I no longer needed, I decided to place an advertisement on Craigslist. Here’s the ad I used:
$1,000 worth of Online Business System paraphernalia FREE
4 decision packages (1 BRAND NEW style), 6 new binders for distributors… AND 7 seminar tickets… plus paraphernalia.
(click on the image for a closer look)
Someone flagged my ad within a few hours of posting it, and even though I reworded the title for each posting… I tried 3 different times… each time my ad got flagged. Craigslist automatically deletes flagged ads to protect against anyone running an illegal advertisement. What was so illegal with my ad? Hmmm, could it be that OBS monitors what is being said about them online? Well… that’s my bet!
There were a few interested distributors who emailed me, having seen my ad BEFORE it was flagged. To each and everyone who requested details, I sent an emailed response of:
You get all that is pictured above FREE when you buy my unused/unopened (sealed) Herbalife inventory listed below (click on the images for a closer look):
All this for ONLY $500… plus shipping.
If you live close by… you can save yourself the cost of shipping by picking the package up. Now, hows that for one sweet deal?
Disappointingly, as soon as the distributors discovered they could have the $1,000 worth of OBS paraphernalia for free IF they purchased the remaining unsold Herbalife products from me for only $500… well… they all slipped away into silence.
Truly, I do not understand their reasoning. Inspection of the products would have been “a given.” The products remained sealed and all expiry dates were way off at the time I offered these products for the super, discounted price. My asking price was WELL below what any of the distributors would have to pay for these products from Herbalife …and, not one of them made me a counter-offer.
Needless to say… the OBS paraphernalia went in the recycle box (though the dvds went in garbage), and the unsold Herbalife products were disposed of in an environmental-friendly fashion.
Related posting: Soy Consumption May Hasten Osteoporosis…
You want to know what, this is a superb great write-up thank you
Thanks for saving ME thousands of dollars in lost money. I nearly signed up for this dream myself Trish. If you hadn’t posted this, I can only imagine how long it might have taken me to learn the very same lesson you did. Certainly appreciate your sharing this!
Sorry to hear of your rather costly lesson learned. Thanks for sharing this. Network marketing has seen it’s day, hasn’t it!
I discovered your blog on Google and checked out a couple of of your early posts. Keep up the outstanding posts! Just added your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader.
Thanks,
Diane
Whoever is reading this, just know that this information above is totally inaccurate. The costs have been doctored up and there is no $1000 paraphernalia fee. On top of this everything from Herbalife even the marketing materials from OBS is 100% refundable up to a year later. The fact that this lady sold nothing and did nothing is no ones fault but her own. The products are great, they sell easy with just a little bit of effort and the company takes good care of us. There are over 30 million customers on the products in 80 countries and in business for 32 years with over 5 Billion in annual sales and growing very fast still. Think about the facts, before you believe some naysayers rant
The information in this post is 100% accurate though you may feel free to ignore it Shawn.
I feel really sorry for distributors who have been bilked in the past, as I was… and, poisoning customers, as I was near “poisoned” when consuming Herbalife’s protein drink. Details of which are posted here: http://www.trishparr.com/soy-consumption-may-hast… …and, please, do read the linked resources, and the comments posted below the article so you will read for yourself, I am NOT the only one who feels this strongly about soy protein beverages that are being “pushed” now a days as being healthy.
If what your claim is true, that the paraphernalia from Herbalife is now totally refundable when returned by distributors choosing to leave the business, well then HALLELUIAH; it sure is about time. However, back in 2009, my up-line, who was based in of Saskatchewan, informed me that NOTHING they had me purchase was refundable; thus this post.
I also felt it important to warn others to truly RESEARCH these products before offering them to others as being healthy to consume, thus the linked article shown above.
Thanks for following up on Shawn’s comment like you did Trish. Because you responded that comment as you did, I feel your credibility was easily restored. And I agree with your suggestion to thoroughly research any product before signing up to sell it. Two thumbs up!
Wow, thank YOU for the heads up!
It’s a really nice to find truthful information regarding Network Marketers like this. Thanks for posting this Trish!
You're very welcome Sanjuana. Just so long as no one signs up to sell this stuff blindly like I did. Their name made me trust them… but, not anymore. Forearmed is forewarned!