| ♦ REFRESH to rotate MAAMAW'S CLICKY NOTES thru this space..... Timely Tips, Best of the Boards & More ♦ |
Be sure to visit the Current Message Board when you're finished here. We're very friendly, so don't be shy... just jump right in and post your question. Scams outnumber legitimate biz ops about a bzillion to one, so it's well worth your time. |
| | View Thread | Return to Index | Read Prev Msg | Read Next Msg | |
|---|
FIB - Scams 101 - Ye Olde Archives
Posted By: The Tim <tim@thetimtimes.com> In Response To: Better Universe Movie Club Plus MLM Deceptive - Confirmed Pyramid Scam (Cythia Mayeau)
Friday, 24 June 2005, at 7:59 a.m.
Sorry to hear about your experience. Hopefully you've learned from it without losing the farm. I hate to be blunt (well not really - lol) but here's a bit of introspective analysis FROM YOUR POST.
Hint #1 you ignored:
"Soon after I joined Better Universe I realized that I had just been through a well devised scheme that was very insincere and totally scripted."
Hint #2 you didn't ignore this, but chose to overlook it at the time:
"I figured as long as I was going to make money I didn't care if it was a scam or deceptive, which admittedly was wrong thinking."
Now this is where I get all psychoanalytical on you. You knew it was a scam and it didn't matter so long as you could make some money......until.....
"but when I was asked to downright lie to my family and friends I had to take a close look in the mirror and a closer look at the type of characters I was involved with in Better Universe."
Now I hope you've changed your ethical outlook, (and it appears from your post that you have and if so I applaud you). I merely deconstructed your post because it is (IMHO) pretty typical of how a lot of people think. But it needs to be highlighted that you were willing to lie to people UP TO THE POINT THAT IT INVOLVED YOUR FAMILY, at which time a line had been crossed.
Next time let's hope your ethical feelings extend far enough to encompass a whole 'nuther family. The family of man.
Enjoy.
> I'm a former Better Universe Rep and many other formere representatives
> have been trying to get the word out on the tactics the company is using
> to obtain reps. Many people have lost money due to deception,
> exaggeration, hype and lies from the company and senior representatives. A
> testimony of a representatives experience is below and we hope if it can
> save some people from being lured in by the deceptive promotions.
> I joined Better Universe last year after unknowingly being put through
> "the script" by representatives. I asked questions about the
> company that I could not get answered and I was eventually
> "suckered" in after a few of the representatives called me and
> told me that they would help build my downline right away so I could
> become profitable fast. Soon after I joined Better Universe I realized
> that I had just been through a well devised scheme that was very insincere
> and totally scripted. In fact, the Better Universe actually had the script
> posted at there website for paying members to access and even had scripted
> specific ways to answer questions as well as ways to avoid answering
> certain questions. Admittedly I didn't concern over "red flags"
> at first because my upline representatives, who were so diligent and pushy
> to get me in, also insisted that they would help make me profitable within
> my first couple months. Let me note now that that did not happen. I
> figured as long as I was going to make money I didn't care if it was a
> scam or deceptive, which admittedly was wrong thinking. Eventually I
> signed up enough people within my circle of acquaintances to be
> profitable, which took about 5 months. And when I say profitable I mean
> only by around $16.00. I started out at the Intro Level at $19.95 a month
> and was "automatically" upgraded by the company to a Bronze
> Level in my 4th month at a cost of $49.95 per month. At that $49.95 Bronze
> Level after about 6 months I received my max check of $66.00.....subtract
> my $49.95 membership fee and you are looking at a profit of $16.00. After
> that being the highest check I received it was soon after that I had reps
> in my downline canceling their membership so my checks started becoming
> smaller again and I was becoming less profitable in this venture. It was
> at this time that I raised concern to other representatives in my
> organization as to why so many reps were leaving. I actually knew why
> these reps were cancelling and leaving, but denied it. Those reps saw
> through the tactics and even noted it to me upon leaving and I of course
> played Mr. Optimist. I mentioned to my upline reps that I'd exhausted all
> my efforts promoting Better Universe amongst friends, family and
> acquaintances and it was then advised and/or recommended by numerous
> "upline" reps that I over-exaggerate my Better Universe
> commissions to friends, family and acquaintances or whomever I'd had been
> "working on" in previous months. Keep in mind that these are
> people that I've spoken to only about Better Universe for 7 months by
> phone and through Email. I'd never even seen any of these people face to
> face or met them in person aside from the handful of reps I sponsored
> myself. I saw the deception, hype, lies and exaggeration firsthand from
> others, but when I was asked to downright lie to my family and friends I
> had to take a close look in the mirror and a closer look at the type of
> characters I was involved with in Better Universe. I was already aware
> that I fell into the Better Universe hype, exaggeration and deception, but
> when I was asked to knowingly bold face lie this was a reality check. I
> actually felt sick to my stomach. I admittedly for a brief moment
> conceived exaggerating my pay. I was even advised on how much to
> exaggerate. You might have seen or heard this exaggerated lie from current
> Better Universe reps...."I'm making nearly $1000.00 a month and/or
> I've replaced my entire fulltime income in the first few months or the
> first month" or "I signed up 80 people in my downline the first
> few weeks in the business"....It's all lies. I cancelled shortly
> after this revelation and soon realized that I could not believe anything
> that anyone said within Better Universe. If they were asking my to lie
> then of course they would not have a problem lying to me as was obvious
> they had done in the past. The delusion of a BIG payday superceded my
> rational thinking on what is morally right. I attended a few more Better
> Universe Conference Calls and realized it was all a bunch of deception and
> manipulation going on. I naturally heard representatives on conference
> calls telling potential agents how they replaced their full-time incomes
> as store clerks and laborers in the first couple months......all lies.
> This was all a well devised scheme that was scripted by the company into
> the Better Universe Conference Calls & promotions of the opportunity.
> These lies and deceptive tactics obviously trickled downline from the top
> in the company and have become part of the overall deception being used to
> obtain reps. I got a firsthand look at what the greed of money can do and
> the lengths at which people will go to attain it. If you think this is
> it.....this is just the a small portion of the lies, deception and
> exaggeration being used by Better Universe and reps. Someone asked me
> recently if I just had a vendetta against Better Universe because it
> didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I do not at all....I saw
> things going on within this opportunity that were very wrong and unethical
> and felt it my obligation as a former representative to make sure that
> this information gets out so others do not fall for the deception and are
> able to recognize the clues right away. Some people I know are still
> losing money and have been doing so for quite some time because they've
> fallen into the deception, lies, exaggeration, hype and promises by the
> company, which are all part of a well devised scheme to fulfill the greed
> for fast money and to get rich overnite. Much more to come....I've spoken
> to other experienced marketers and got their sincere opinions. An array of
> "red flags" were noted, which raised concern over the depth of
> manipulation being used by Better Universe and it's reps to obtain new
> representatives.
Sensibility Without The Static
| | View Thread | Return to Index | Read Prev Msg | Read Next Msg | |
|---|
FIB - Scams 101 - Ye Olde Archives is maintained with WebBBS 3.11.
|
| PLEASE READ THIS LEGAL NOTICE CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU FILE A LAWSUIT OR EVEN WASTE TIME THINKING ABOUT IT. It has been done before, but never successfully. In fact, the last dodobird who tried it ended up being ordered to pay more than $77,000 in attorney fees ($65,000+ to my attorneys and $12,000+ to my co-defendant's legal advisor).
If your attorney is worth his salt, he's going to tell you that the expense of filing a lawsuit you can't win is a whole lot worse than any "damages" resulting from messages posted on this insignificant little chunk of cyberspace. NEWS FLASH: I didn't just climb down off that ol' turnip truck yesterday. I'm well aware that expressing a negative opinion, relating one's personal experience, and restating provable facts are all legal in this country and do not constitute libel, slander, or defamation -- so you don't want to play games with me, and you sure don't want to start something you aren't prepared to finish. I don't take threats lightly, and I don't accept bribes (or did you call it a "mutually-beneficial arrangement"?). I'll turn you in faster than you can yell, "ARREST ME, I'M SCUM!!" Do yourself a favor and turn your legal team loose in greener pastures. Although we may, from time to time, monitor or review discussions, postings and the like on the Friends In Business (Scams 101) Message Board, we are under no obligation to do so. We are not responsible or liable for any claim arising from the content of any such discussions or postings or for any error, defamation, libel, slander, omission, falsehood, obscenity, pornography, profanity, danger, or inaccuracy contained in any information contained within such locations on the Site. You are prohibited from posting or transmitting any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, or profane materials or any material that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any law. You are likewise prohibited from posting any false claims against any company or individual. We will fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing us to disclose the identity of anyone posting any such information or materials. By posting messages and/or content on the Friends In Business (Scams 101) Message Board, you give permission for Lesley Fountain/Friends In Business/Shoestring Success Publications to display, distribute and use the posting and content for publication, advertising, promotion, excerption or example. You grant Lesley Fountain/Friends In Business/Shoestring Success Publications complete, perpetual, but non-exclusive rights to use, archive, reproduce, adapt, modify, distribute, sub-license, repurpose, rework, compile, or offer for sale or resale the messages, postings or content appearing on this site in whole or in part, throughout the world and universe, on a royalty-free basis without remuneration. If you cannot accept or agree with the terms of service for this website and discussion board, you are advised not to post on this board. In closing, I would like to remind you once again that it is still legal, in this great country of ours, to express a PERSONAL OPINION, as long as it is presented as opinion and not as fact. And finally, all you scammers out there will do well to remember that TRUTH IS AN ABSOLUTE DEFENSE against charges of libel, defamation, and slander... so if you're operating just a hop, skip, and jump ahead of the law, you might want to think twice before doing anything stupid... (AND SHAME ON YOU!!). |