Market America Unfranchise Scam

When I say “Market America” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For most, the phrase following Market America is SCAM, complaints, or sucks. In fact, Google is well aware that Market America is a scam too. If you start typing in the phrase “Market America,” the number 1 suggestion is Market America SCAM. There is a reason why Google suggests Market America Scam. SCAM is suggested because it is the phrase most frequently searched in conjunction with Market America.

That so many people search the exact phrase Market America Scam is a testament to the fact that the Market America UnFranchise business “opportunity” is a scam and sucks compared to other MLM opportunities, which is why there are so many complaints. Instead of Market America Unfranchise, it is has become Market America Scam. In fact, did you know that the exact phrase “Market America Scam” is searched in Goolge 5400 times a month, and “Market America Unfranchise” is searched a mere 720 times per month. That means Market America is branded as a scam 7.5 times more than it is associated with Unfranchise. Market America and Scam are virtually synonymous. I am a website marketer/ SEO writer for hire and have much knowledge and experience optimizing websites for search engines.

The reason for my complaints and thinking “Market America scam,” is because Market America Unfranchise pays very poorly for your efforts, and in times of a recession, and even when the economy is good, people do NOT want to pay an arm and a leg for vitamins, antioxidants, and energy supplements they can just as easily buy at the dollar store. Do not waste your time with the Market America cult. Market America is a scam and waste of money. I say Market America scam because you pay for nonsensical training to sell their over priced products for a very poor commission. Sure, some people have made some money with Market America, but they should start asking themselves how much money they would have made in a company that offers far better commission rates and marketable products.

Market America has often been referred to as a scam. There are numerous reasons why many people believe market america is a scam. This article will explore these reasons from a website perspective. Consider that people who join market america do not actually own the website www.MarketAmerica.Com. Rather, market america essentially loans their distributors a replicated portion of their website with a reallllllllyyyyyy long and confusing URL. If people simply go to marketamerica.com, you will earn absolutely nothing from the sales generated. So all the talk and selling and putting the word out about MA is useless and a waste of time if people do not go to your specific URL, for example www.marketamerica.com/Your-Specific-URL-that-Noone-Wants-to-Type-in-because-it-is-a-lot-easier-to-just-go-to-the-corporate-version

When you pay money, oftentimes as much as $1-$5 for pay-per-click advertising to market “your” products, people click the ad, decide if they want to buy, and likely come back at a later time. However, when they return, they are not going to type in your long and unmemorable website portal. Why would they? They don’t care about your commission, and probably do not even know that you earn commission at market america.

So where do they wind up? You guessed it, marketamerica.com corporate site. Based on your ads, your word-of-mouth, and your time, energy and efforts, you earn $0 commission for promoting OPC 3 isotonix, or whatever you decided to market. There are literally 100s of thousands of market america distributors, and they are all selling the same exact products. Why would I spend even an extra second to type in your MA URL? How does that help me?

Here’s the unadulterated, no BS lowdown and one of the reasons why there are so many Market America Complaints:

Out of every 100 people to get into a MLM program:

– 98 will lose money. Some will lose a LOT of money.

– 1 will break even.

– 1 will actually make more than they invested. (But almost always no where near the touted possible returns.)

Once an MLM plan hits the web and starts a campaign blitz, the opportunities to be that 1 person out of a 100 are almost nil.

Are you sure this is the route you truly want to take?

I’ve written for a good number of MLM sites.

The ONLY ones who made any money were the ones who created the MLM offer in the 1st place.

Notwithstanding how great the copy is (and I write exceptionally great copy) the market is so saturated with hopefuls wanting to cash in on the offer, no matter how hard they try, they never meet their goals.

If you are determined to throw your money down it will become a bottomless pit.

Market America Unfranchise in all probability won’t make you a dime – but at least you’ll know you’ve given it the old college try.

The web is a fantastic place to make money for inexperienced entrepreneurs, but only for those who have a under-utilized market niche or those helping others to achieve their financial success. I’m afraid polo shirts really don’t fall into a saleable category. (Check e-Bay to see what others are selling them for. If you can beat their prices, then by all means sell on e-bay. I’ll be an inexpensive way to get your feet wet with online commerce.)

Market America Complaints

Here is a true story I was sent recently:
It is about how a personal friend that I know and trusted chose Market America over our friendship, a scenario that plays itself out all too often in the Market America Scam.

It did not take long before I had my own Market America complaints. I have a friend named Alex. He was always working and partying hard. Every weekend, he was always out club hopping one after the other. Until he met his current girlfriend Connie Chan. I didn’t meet her for a long time because I was busy with work and life as well. But from what I heard about her through my group of friends, it wasn’t good.

I am not the type to judge because who am I to say if he is happy or not. But everything I heard about her was negative and there were many market america complaints. I finally met her at a friend’s wedding, and yup, everything that I heard about her was true. I didn’t care for her, but as long as my friend was happy, then I was happy for him.

I had heard through the grapevine that he started a “new business.” I was too busy to talk to him about his business, but also felt that if he wanted to tell me, he would have. But we were both busy with our lives but I was happy to hear that he wasn’t going out club hopping anymore and focusing on getting his life straightened out and actually focusing on a future.

Well, I finally ran into Alex one day at a group gathering and had a chance to talk to him about his business. He didn’t tell me the name of it, but our other friends heard him talking to them about it and they didn’t like it. Thought he was wasting his money traveling to Florida, North Carolina, and spending money on products. I didn’t know what his business was, so I wasn’t going to tell him he was doing something wrong and share my market america complaints.

So I asked him how things were going. He said that they were going well and that he is more motivated right now in his life than any other time in his life. That was good. I encouraged him to do what he was doing and stick with people that motivated him.

About a month later, he called me up, saying “Billy, since you’re an experienced business man, I wanted to meet up with you to get some marketing ideas from you to help generate my business.” I thought, sure, why not? Since I have been a business owner of two small businesses, dealt with the ups and downs of running a business, marketing, payroll, etc. I wouldn’t mind helping a friend with the pitfalls of a new business owner. That sounds good; no Market America Complaints there.

He asked me to meet up with him and I told him because of my work schedule, that I could only meet him either at my office or close to my house due to my work schedule. He was really persistent about me meeting him at his “office” where he and his business partners meet up at. For weeks, I canceled because I just didn’t have time to drive out of the way to since my time was short. So he asked me one day, as a friend, can you make some time to meet me here so I can introduce you to my business partners and get your feedback on how I can market my business? If people were up front there would not be so many Market America Complaints.

What was I supposed to say? No to a friend that is asking for help? So I told him that I will make the effort to meet with him. I finally met him at the “location” of where he said he has his business meetings. When I got to the address, it was a residential address. I called him and asked if I had gotten the wrong address. He said no and said that he was inside, and coming out to get me. Then the Market America Complaints began.

To my surprise, I guess this should have been my first warning. But it was just like a typical MLM meeting, where all these people were so excited to meet you, with big smiles and tell you how excited they were to have you join them. I didn’t feel good already, but as I friend, I was going to just go there to get some ideas to help a friend out. Market America Complaints are rampant.

I told him I had about 30 minutes because I needed to get home. It was already 8:30. He knew that I go to bed at 8:30pm and get up at 3:30am. So not only was I tired from working, but my eyes were so heavy, I was falling asleep. I didn’t leave the “meeting” until 10:45pm.

The “meeting” was not a meeting at all and this is one of the reasons people have lots of Market America Complaints. Once I sat down, his gf, Connie tried to get me to sit in the front row. Why? I wasn’t there for anything but to listen to how I can help a friend. Everyone there was all too nice, too eager to introduce themselves to me and ask me what brought me there. I didn’t want to say much because I already didn’t feel what Alex was doing was for me. But as a friend, I was there to try to help him.

So I sat through this 2 hour “meeting” hearing about how it is the right time, and I have this great opportunity to help me now, but also, set up my grandchildren’s income for the future. Blah Blah Blah. So Alex’s business was Market America, a unfranchise business opportunity. They have a fancy website that they sell most major brand stores products and if you have people buy through your site, you get credit which turns into income for you.

Market America Complaints

I thought it was a good idea, but personally, I wouldn’t want to take the time to type in www.marketamerica.com/alexanderwang and then click on target to buy something from Target. I would just type in Target.com and go there directly. Or any other site. Getting someone to type out that long URL wasn’t appealing at all and I felt Alex was going to be running up a hill with that one. But since he invested so much time into it, I wanted to try to help him out. Also, they talked about how Market America has their “own line of products from health and beauty, weight loss supplements, etc.” Products such as OPC 3, pycnogenol and other products that were supposed to be really good for you. I didn’t listen too much more since I tuned out and was figuring what was the best way for me to excuse myself without making my friend look bad.

Market America Complaints — Meetings

After that meeting, I knew that what he was doing wasn’t for me. One, I didn’t have the time, two, I didn’t like the people that were “leading” the team, three, they were too cheesy.

I told Alex that they concept was good, if someone had the time to devote on recruiting but also, they had to believe in the products they were selling. Alex said he really loved the products and that after trying them, that they have changed his life and he is healthier for it. I was happy for him and did not yet have any Market America Complaints. That wasn’t what I was interested in. I thought the concept of having a central site to steer people to to shop and you get credit for it, was great. Generating traffic and interest was something that I have been researching for a while, so the concept, I understand very well and liked it. The part about recruiting and getting people under you. That wasn’t what I liked because most people, when they hear of MLM or you get someone in and they are under you, and so on, they run. Which is what they were trying to do. The only reason I stayed and punished myself to listening to their horrible presentation skills was because I was enduring it for my friend.

Market America Complaints…another meeting

For weeks after the initial “meeting” I attended, Alex was contacting me asking me what I thought. I was honest with him, I thought it was a good concept (web traffic) and that I would be interested in that but not now. I was too busy with work and family that I couldn’t see myself spending the time and money each month for something that I didn’t have time for.

Alex explained to me, that only reason why he asked me to go to the meeting was because he believes in this MA so much that he has his entire family in it. He told me that if this was a scam, why would he get his family involved? I didn’t know why. But I wasn’t sold because of the people he was working with. Conceptually, I thought it can work, but will it with the people he was with? I didn’t think so.

So this is where he pulls out the wild card. He explained to me, Billy, I understand your feelings, but the way MA teaches people is NOT the way our team does it. See, MA teaches you to bring in two people under you, and train them so they can bring in two more people under them, and then grow your legs.

Market America Complaints

He CLEARLY explained to me that they have a “Chinese” way and that MA teaches the “American” way. I didn’t understand. So he explained that the “Chinese” way is that they put every new person that signs up, under the newest person, to build their leg. Anything that they purchase, goes up 100% to the up line. So he gave me an example. If 10 people sign up, under the “American” way, there would be 10 new Business Development Centers, each having to bring in two people under them. Under the “Chinese” way, if 10 people sign up and purchase a Business Development Center, they would put all 10 people under one leg (private) to build up that leg. And all the new people that they signed up had to do was just work on their right (public) leg.

Market America Complaints Fraud

Well, since he insisted that this was the best way, and that they will build up one leg for me and all I had to do was build up my other leg (public leg), I was interested. I figured that if they were going to add people under my private leg, I could add people under my other leg over time.

After 3 months of joining, and numerous notifications from Alex that they have signed up “x” number of people and how excited they were. I asked “how many people had you added under me then?” He hesitantly replied, “well, it is against policy for us to add people under you, and that it is your job to get people under you yourself.” I was shocked, and told him that wasn’t what he told me how they worked and the “Chinese way.” After 3 months, and ordering $1,200 worth of products that tasted horrible, I told him that I wanted to cancel and get my money back. At first, he said just go ahead and call MA customer support and they will refund me my money. I thought about it, and thought, why don’t you guys buy the products back since you claim you love it so much and how great they were. Why would you tell me to send it to them instead of your group buying these great products back yourself? He didn’t have an answer for me. He just said to call MA support. So much for being a friend. Share your Market America Complaints.

Market America Unfranchise Complaints

After contacting MA support, they told me that I had to ship the remaining products to them. My remaining products were products of their popular drink, OPC 3, which they all claim is the next best thing. I didn’t think so.

So MA tells me that they will give me a refund, but will charge me a 10% – 15% restocking fee, as well as paying for shipping the contents back to them. The contents I shipped back were plastic bottled drinks of their famous OPC 3 drink. When MA received the shipment, they sent me a letter saying that they would not be able to refund me my money for the returned products because of damage goods.

Market America Complaints — Market America Unfranchise

So not only did my friend lie to me about how they help new people that sign up, but he left me hanging but turning his back on me as a friend, and told me to just deal with MA with any issues that I had with them. When dealing with MA’s customer support, not only did they tell me to spend more money on shipping the products back to them, but when they received them, they said that the plastic bottled contents arrived “damaged” and deemed no longer usable and issued me a non refund letter. So not only did I lose out on potential minimal refund, they cheated me out of that as well with the false claim.

Market America Unfranchise Complaints

I confronted my ex friend, at this point, and he told me that he doesn’t feel he needed to refund my money, that it if I had any problems with MA that I should contact them directly and not him.

So after this experience, I am glad that I found out that MA will make people blind and lie and scam others just so they can sign them up to make enough BV points to qualify for that “residual” income.

Market America Complaints — MarketAmerica Unfranchise

I regret ever wanting to try to help my friend market his business by going to this fake “meeting” but overall, I feel really sad for the people that get caught up in the MA game and that they are afraid to admit that they can’t get out and the only way they can make any income, small that it is, is by lying and deceiving people about how great their products are and how great they are. I guess they think that they can lie and scam people and that people will just sit back and take it and walk away.