Thanks Thanks:  0
LMAO LMAO:  0
Dislikes Dislikes:  0
Ignorant Ignorant:  0
Moron Moron:  0
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 65

Thread: The Devastating Effects of MLM

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    The Devastating Effects of MLM

    I want to share the wonderful work of Dr. Jon Taylor:

    http://mlm-thetruth.com/files/Ch9-Vi...LM10-18-10.pdf

    The list of the effects of MLM is long:

    * financial devastation

    * divorce

    * bankruptcy

    * depression

    * foreclosure

    * loss of faith

    * loss of trust in one's fellow man

    and so much more....

    My family lost a dear friend that we considered part of our family. She had been living with us for months as she tried to recover. Tragically, the financial diffculties were the start of a downward spiral that ended in her taking her own life.

    I will continue to blog about MLM and cash gifting schemes in honor of her incredible spirit. I know she would not anyone else hurt by MLM as she was.

    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    MLM debt leads to murder and failed suicide attempt

    Aug.22, 2010 in MLM, Polaris Media Group

    One of the more worrying aspects of the MLM industry is people racking up long term ongoing debts they cannot pay.

    As anyone in the industry will tell you running a MLM business successfully requires an ongoing monetary investment. Leads aren’t just going to fall into your lap and more often then not, be it via direct purchase, advertising or just talking to people – you’re going to be outlaying some money to get them.

    Over time if you’re not successful with your MLM business though, these debts can rack up and cause a world of pain. Without money coming in it can feel like you’re digging yourself into a hole you’re never going to crawl out of.

    Of course many when asked about this many uplines will simply advise their downlines that they’re not trying hard enough, following the business template properly or that it’s simply not their problem.

    So… left out on the cold on your own by an industry that values success and ignores failure, what is the struggling MLM business owner to do?
    For Ellery Bennett the answer lay in murdering his wife and then attempting to take his own life.

    Ellery Bennett started his foray into the MLM business by joining Liberty Leauge International back in March, 2007. After a year of working Liberty League and his corporate job he quit his corporate role in 2008 and solely focused on his Liberty League business.
    Of his Liberty League International business, Bennett stated
    I work for myself and I create the life I want for my family. I have time, freedom and a tremendous lucrative opportunity.
    I live life on purpose, I know what I want, I believe in who I am, this company and the products. Anyone can be successful, it’s a choice, so choose wisely…
    Presumably after some moderate success Bennett remained with Liberty League until late 2009 when Liberty League International changed over to Polaris Media Group (now Polaris Global).

    Bennett’s next MLM venture was then with the LGN Prosperity group where he remained until recently.

    Despite projecting the image of success Bennett appears to have been battling a long term mounting MLM debt as a result of his involvement in the MLM industry. So successful was Bennett at hiding this debt and employing the all-too-familiar ‘fake it till you make it’ mantra that his friends and family had no idea.

    Bennett’s wife however was fully aware of the situation and presumably after years of struggling, finally decided to call it quits and filed for divorce on August 11th, 2010.
    Coupled with his failed MLM business ventures and mounting debt it appears that it all became too much for Bennett. On Wednesday 18th of August, Bennett took the life of his wife and then attempted to commit suicide. Unable to go through with it however, Bennett presented at a local hospital and told authorities that they would find the body of his dead wife in their home.

    Bennett has since been charged with pre-meditated first degree murder.
    Of particular note in this story is Bennett’s involvement in Liberty League International (Polaris Global). Liberty League International were in the personal development industry and offered a flagship 90 day course, Beyond Freedom that is designed to be ‘life changing’.
    One can’t help but question the effectiveness or long term benefits of these programs if the end result is resorting to murder and suicide.

    Secondly is the worrying note found in Bennett’s home indicating that he also wanted to kill his neighbour. Bennett’s neighbour appears to have at some point shown some interest in his LGN business venture but then failed to commit.

    Presumably Bennett had approached his neighbour as a prospect but then became frustrated with his or her lack of committing to the LGN business. Thankfully the indications that Bennett wanted to harm his neighbour left in his letter were never carried out.

    What we have here I believe is the ultimate end result of the faking it till you make it idea that is so heavily pushed onto new MLM recruits joining the industry.

    People no doubt respond to success so in order to be successful you need to project a credible image of success. If you aren’t having that success though then you need to fake it until you are, regardless of what is really going on behind the scenes.
    BehindMLM reader ‘Eye Opener’ described Ellery Bennett as being
    the gentlest person with a kind heart, who loved life, his wife, his daughter’.
    Whether this is true or not I can’t say but it does appear to be the image Bennett chose to project to the world despite his business failure.

    To those in the MLM industry be careful what you’re getting yourself into financially. Debt is debt and it doesn’t go away, nor does it reduce in size on its own.

    And to those already struggling with MLM debt please think about the future and talk to someone.
    Anyone.

    Like any business venture the prospect of financial failure often results in the devastation of people’s lives as they know it. Unfortunately a common theme in the MLM industry that differentiates it is that your personal success if often directly tied into the financial success of your upline.

    Succeed and you’ll get all the support and encouragement in the world. Fail and you’ll more then likely be shut out and kept in the dark, where Ellery Bennett appears to have finally wound up.

    Debt management might seem unachievable but with a bit of persistence and proper planning is viable for anyone. There are far better solutions then killing your wife and trying to take your own life out there.

    Take care people.
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Melaleuca Distributors Sue their Upline
    and the Company




    March, 2000
    Fourteen Melaleuca distributors have sued their upline and the company on charges that have become all too familiar to followers of MLM lawsuits. The crux of this case rests on claims that the company and its representatives knowingly, fraudulently and persistently misrepresented their distributor retention rate.
    Distributor retention is vital to the success of any MLM endeavor, because you have to be able to sponsor new people faster than the old ones quit. In the landmark FTC decision of 1979, Amway testified to a 50% retention rate, which was excellent for the direct sales industry. This means that, in any given year, 50% of the distributor force quits. Anyone wanting to succeed at sponsoring would have to sponsor two for every one they want to keep.
    Melaleuca, on the other hand, represented its retention rate to be a whopping 94.5 percent, according to the plaintiffs' petition:
    "For Melaleuca to have a retention rate of 94.5 percent tells the prospective distributor that the products must be very good for so many people to continue to use them, and that the ability to build and maintain a business with such a retention rate is guaranteed. This was, indeed, the message and representation by Defendants."
    The petition further explains:
    "Plaintiffs were able to build large and successful groups. However, after a time, Plaintiffs each saw their numbers diminishing. Distributor after distributor was being dropped from the active lists. Rather than a positive, upward trend which would be expected as a consequence of the greatest retention rate in the history of multi-level marketing, Plaintiffs saw their numbers either decline or become stagnant, despite new distributors being added all of the time. When asked, Defendants would blame the numbers problem on their own lack of effort and initiative, saying that harder work would bring Plaintiffs back into the same realm as the rest of the company. . ."
    This led to the plaintiffs experiencing
    "a gradual diminishment of their monthly income. Each of these Plaintiffs could not continue to participate in the business which required so much attention and so little in return. As a consequence, these Plaintiffs have disrupted careers and dashed hopes, dreams and expectations."
    James Holton, along with his wife Kim, had been neglecting other businesses in order to focus on the Melaleuca distributorship. They had sponsored a great many family and friends, relying on the company's information. Then the shoe dropped. According to Holton, his upline, the Hagans, admitted at a large sponsoring meeting that
    "At this meeting, the Hagens confessed, for the first time, that the 94.5 percent retention rate was not at all what had been represented. It was not 94.5 percent over time, it was not 94.5 percent per year, the Hagens said. Instead, it was more along the lines of 94.5 percent per month."
    So (according to the complaint), instead of an average attrition rate of only 5.5% per year, as they had been led to believe, the Holtons discovered that the annual dropout rate was really 66% per year -- an enormous difference. Kim Holton, who had sponsored people she cared about, was thrown into a serious depression and eventually committed suicide, leaving her husband and son.
    The petition outlines other distributor plaintiffs complaints of fraud and deceptiveness on Melaleuca's part. Distributors' businesses were terminated arbitrarily, and without just cause. Compensation plans were changed. Promises were never delivered. The plaintiffs, who all had invested significant time and effort and had achieved some measure of success, were left with nothing to show for their effort, while the company had profited considerably.
    Sadly, this case has been tried, and a jury found in favor of the defendants.
    The case was heard in District Court, in Harris County, TX. Texas has recently seen some significant changes in the tort, or personal injury, laws. Certainly there have been abuses in recent years. But if this courtroom climate is any indication, then it would seem that no consumer will be able to successfully sue any business. That's a scary thought. And who is taking credit for this tort reform? None other than Presidential hopeful George W. Bush.
    Anyway, enough of politics. Read the entire text of the pleadings here.

    Home Send E-Mail Read E-Mail Links Read Articles Visit Book Corner
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    19,835
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Quote Originally Posted by Soapboxmom
    My family lost a dear friend that we considered part of our family. She had been living with us for months as she tried to recover. Tragically, the financial difficulties were the start of a downward spiral that ended in her taking her own life.
    As the saying goes:

    "It's all good fun until somebody gets hurt"

    Until somebody has actually seen what can happen when reality bites, then it's all just forum fun and games.

    Unfortunately your friends' story is not an isolated incident.

    It is unfortunate, also that what can happen when vulnerable people fall for the latest MLM "super juice", "magic meat" or "snake oil" is rarely, if ever, made public.
    The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    699px-Pink_Bleeding_heart.jpg


    Those she left behind have the bleeding hearts.

    This is the legacy of MLM.

    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    737
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    I made reference to that "MLM debt leads to murder and failed suicide attempt" blog entry over on scam.com.

    Seems Wil and Doyley were less than impressed.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Qualtoos has a wonderful article about MLM:


    Survival Mode


    After you have made big investments into the MLM program (or maybe several), are strung out on your credit cards, and the program isn't working out, then you will go into what is called "Survival Mode", where you finally give up the (false) dream of big riches with MLM and start trying to figure out how to hold off your credit card companies while getting back to a normal lifestyle.
    Unfortunately, we don't have any special advice to offer. The only thing that we can say is that suicide shouldn't be an option (ex-MLM'ers unfortunately have a very high suicide rate), and that you should simultaneously seek credit counseling, and maybe adult education for re-education for a better job.
    I know, having befriended so many MLM victims, that trying to recover financially is a herculean task and seems insurmountable. The founders and heavy hitters in these scams need to be held accountable for the horrific devastation they cause and I intend to devote my life to doing just that.



    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Quote Originally Posted by Doc Bunkum View Post
    I made reference to that "MLM debt leads to murder and failed suicide attempt" blog entry over on scam.com.

    Seems Wil and Doyley were less than impressed.
    The clueless MLMers on Scam didn't read all of the comments with the article you and I linked. Where was one shred of evidence that bad real estate investments were an issue? Anything to deflect. That guy apparently was ruined by his involvement in Liberty Leauge. A large ticket item scam like that can land the poor unsuspecting rep in tens of thousands of debt. Most folks cannot recover from losses like that. I know many use credit cards, refinance their homes, borrow from college and retirement funds and more to get into these deals. It is completely criminal!

    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    908
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    1

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Quote Originally Posted by Soapboxmom View Post
    My family lost a dear friend that we considered part of our family. She had been living with us for months as she tried to recover. Tragically, the financial diffculties were the start of a downward spiral that ended in her taking her own life.

    I will continue to blog about MLM and cash gifting schemes in honor of her incredible spirit. I know she would not anyone else hurt by MLM as she was.

    Soapboxmom
    Mom, I am very saddened to hear of this and of your loss. This is pretty terrible to have happened to someone who trusted and believed the false words and the lying promises of a scam artist. I know that there is nothing I can say that will ease your pain and grief right now. At least you took her in and tried to help as best you could. Somehow, in some way, the perpetrators of this truly evil act will pay. What goes around, eventually comes around to all of us. I believe that with all my heart. It is just such a shame that your friend felt this hopeless and devastated. Losing everything, is horrible. It is too much for some to bear. She is at least, at rest now from all of this and free from the misery and the pain that must have plagued her so horrifically. I am very sorry. If you need anything, PM me, Mom.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    908
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    1

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Quote Originally Posted by Doc Bunkum View Post
    I made reference to that "MLM debt leads to murder and failed suicide attempt" blog entry over on scam.com.

    Seems Wil and Doyley were less than impressed.
    What else can you expect from that **** hole? There is no moderation there whatsoever and maybe two decent posters left on the MLM forum. It's a total joke and a complete waste of time. You have Heiney, IamAWilly and Chrissie spouting the same exact bullshit and lies that they have been spewing for years and starting duplicate pro MLM threads weekly. Yet, none of them has two shits to rub together for all the years they have been promoting MLM bullshit. They aren't even third rate conmen......just big mouthed, lying losers with no lives and no souls.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    I remember with great joy performing this piece, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem. May it honor my best friend:


    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    19,835
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    It is virtually impossible to explain the devastation to peoples' lives which can result from these frauds and fraudsters until one has the misfortune to actually experience and/or witness the outcomes first hand as has happened so tragically to Mom.
    The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Madoff's wife tells kin Bernie's Ponzi shame drove son to kill self: author

    By LEONARD GREENE, LARRY CELONA and CATHY BURKE
    Last Updated: 10:01 AM, December 13, 2010
    Posted: 1:39 AM, December 13, 2010
    Comments: 96

    His blood is on his father's hands.
    Ruth Madoff is blaming her jailed-crook husband, Bernie, for the grisly suicide of their eldest son, Mark, biographer Jerry Oppenheimer told The Post yesterday.
    The distraught mother believes Mark "would not have died if it weren't for what [Bernie] had done," the author of "Madoff With the Money" said, quoting a family friend.
    "Her wrath is aimed at her husband."
    PHOTOS: MARK MADOFF
    Mark Madoff, 46, hanged himself Saturday with a dog leash from a steel pipe in the living room of his SoHo loft.
    The body was discovered a mere 10 feet from his sleeping 2-year-old son's bedroom, two years to the day after his disgraced father's arrest for the biggest investment fraud in US history.

    Ruth is "totally disgusted with [Bernie] and blames him for her son's death. She thinks this is the end of the family," Oppenheimer said, quoting Madoff relatives and sources close to the family.
    As for Bernie, "family members don't think [he's] going to survive this."
    "It has made him realize what this whole thing has all been about. It's a Greek tragedy."
    The city Medical Examiner's Office yesterday formally ruled Mark's death a "suicide by hanging."
    Neither Mark nor his brother, Andrew -- who had ratted their dad out to authorities after he confessed to the Ponzi scheme -- have been hit with charges in the fraud case, which bilked billions of dollars from investors.
    Still, sources said, Mark had become increasingly despondent over the scandal -- at least some of his four children were among those named in one of a number of lawsuits plaguing the family, and he hadn't spoken with his mother or father in two years.
    And with his last name mud, Mark Madoff -- who once lived like a prince, helping run his father's empire -- had apparently been struggling to find enough work to pay the bills.
    "Mark was broke, and every time we went to dinner with [him and his wife, Stephanie], we paid," one family friend said outside the SoHo pad.
    The pal said he last heard from Mark on Friday evening -- just before the friend and his wife were supposed to have dinner with Mark.
    "But we got a text saying, 'Sorry, I'm not going to make it tonight,' " the pal said.
    Mark was last seen alive at around 6:30 p.m. on Friday walking his pooch in front of the building where he lived alongside celebs like rocker Jon Bon Jovi.
    At around 4 a.m. Saturday, he fired off three desperate e-mails to wife Stephanie -- who was vacationing at Disney World in Orlando with the couple's 4-year-old daughter, Audrey -- and his lawyer, sources said.
    One e-mail declared, "No one wants to hear the truth," and pleaded, "Please take care of my family." Others confessed love for Stephanie and urged, "Send someone to take care of Nick."
    Madoff then wrapped his 3-year-old dog Grouper's leash around his neck and hung himself from the exposed ceiling pipe at the entrance to the home's living room, as baby Nicholas slept nearby.
    Stephanie opened the e-mails at around 7 a.m. and frantically phoned her dad, lawyer Martin London. London rushed by cab from his Murray Hill home to the apartment and discovered Mark's body and called cops. London then called on his own son to pick up little Nicholas as London stayed to talk to cops.
    Funeral arrangements for Mark, who has two children from a previous marriage, were not announced yesterday. It remained unclear whether Bernie Madoff, sentenced to 150 years, would be allowed to attend.
    Friends and relatives gathered at his and Stephanie's Greenwich, Conn., home, where the wife was believed to be with their children. But even in death, the legal mess goes on for Mark.
    Last week, Irving Picard, the court-appointed trustee of seized Madoff assets, sued the Mark and Stephanie Madoff Foundation for $2 million it allegedly received from Bernie and Ruth Madoff's bank account in December 2007.
    Picard also sued the Deborah and Andrew Madoff Foundation for $2 million that Bernie allegedly wired to it.
    A one-man suicide machine:
    Other Madoff-related suicides
    Dec. 17, 2008 — HSBC banker Christen Schnor, 49, hanged himself in a five-star hotel room in London a week after his company said $1 billion of the bank’s money was at risk because of Madoff’s scheme.
    *
    Dec. 22, 2008 — French hedge-fund manager Thierry de la Villehuchet committed suicide in New York City after losing $1.5 billion to Madoff.
    *
    Feb. 10, 2009 — Former military adviser William Foxton shot himself to death near his home in Southampton, England. He could not tolerate the shame of being in financial straits after losing his life savings to Madoff’s Ponzi plot.
    Additional reporting by Jeane MacIntosh, Doug Auer, Rebecca Rosenberg and Reuven Fenton in New York and Ian Batchelor in North Carolina


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    There is blood on hands for my best friend that I buried just two weeks ago after she too committed suicide. I hope these scammers wake up and see the devastation in their wake. Family and friends lives are forever ruined by these schemes. There is no end to the shame and bad publicity. This hideous mess wil be the subject of litigation and scathing press for years to come.

    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    It is tragic for the Madoff family that all these gory details of their family member's suicide had to be made public. Incredibly I am being e-mailed for details about how my friend took her life. Her immediate family and close friends know everything as they should. All I will say is that she did not take her life in our home and it was very well planned out. No one suspected anything as she did everything to put on a normal front. Her financial difficulties were certainly a major factor. Real people and their families get hurt in these uneconomic schemes and I intend to be a voice for change. Law enforcement needs to take much more action to end these schemes that victimize so many good, trusting people.

    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Attachment 150
    Judy Sterling

    • BORN: February 27, 1959
    • DIED: November 18, 2010
    • LOCATION: Garland, TX
    After months of agonizing over this decision, I decided to share more of the story of my friend who took her own life. Insert the name of any high dollar MLM and any serial scammers and you will have much of tthe story. Unfortunately, the victim's family and friends live with the aftermath forever. MLM left her destitute, homeless and hungry. Several truly generous fellow reps did what they could to help though they had lost thousands as well. That is the only light of hope in this whole tragedy.

    Family support for these victims is often non-existent as many people don't understand that the Judy's have been taken and ruined by seasoned professional cons who go from one scam to the next in rapid fire succession. She served in Desert Storm in the Air Force. She held a master's degree in education. She had so much talent and promise. She lost everything and ended up bankrupt due to MLM. Those who were responsible for her financial ruin did absolutely nothing to help her.

    The hole in my heart will never be mended. The pain this has caused my family will never go away. I look in her room and it is empty. Her car no longer sits in front of the house. We won't be sharing the joys of watching our kids get married and becoming grandmothers together. I can only visit her at the DFW National Cemetary and wish our family had been able to give her enough love and hope to recover.

    This is the real truth behind MLM and other scams and I hope others will be spared what we have had to live through. I hope those founders and heavy hitters who put folks in this position will face the iron hand of justice and repent.

    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Judy Sterling was sunk into bankruptcy due to her involvement with Tim Darnell and Jack Weinzierl in Advantage Conferences. She had earned 120 grand in insurance commissions. The stranger owned life insurance program, Hidden Treasures was bogus. The policies were to be resold to investors, so legitimate insuance companies would not underwrite them. Not a penny changed hands and she wasted months of her life hanging on for commissions that would never come.

    Thankfully, she never sold a single spot int the Advantage Conferences pyramid scam, for which she was grateful. Even with a solid business background, military background and masters degree she was among the 98% that lost money in that scam. AC was life changing for many to be sure.

    http://www.realscam.com/f11/tim-darn...wn-judy-s-776/
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Today is the one year anniversary of Judy Sterling's suicide. I hope that everyone will honor her memory and all those harmed by MLM and other scams by donating generously to a legitimate charity. She still has fellow Advantage Conferences' members who are struggling to get back on their feet.



    This is one of the songs Judy requested to be performed at her memorial service. She spelled it all out in pages and pages of painful detail. She had hoped I would perform some of the songs. I simply couldn't hold it together to do so. My heart was too heavy. There will be an empty chair at our table this Thanksgiving. The devastation MLM brings is painfully real.

    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Jack Weinzierl posted this song Judy requested for her service online in years past. I think of her every time I hear it. Certainly He did not want Judy in his presence so soon!



    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Be encouraged and “in courage”

    Posted on 06 November 2011 by Jack Weinzierl

    I know that some of our friends and family are facing foreclosure, health challenges, lost jobs, divorce, etc. I pray that this encourages you, as God has a very special plan for you and the enemy is doing everything he can to keep you from leading a victorious life that will glorify God.

    Worship was awesome this morning… not because of the songs we sang… not because of the talent on stage (and they are talented), but because of who He is. Worship and prayer has been so important to Stephanie and me over the past few years. It kept us focused on His grace and mercy in the midst of some very difficult storms. It kept me focused on all that He has done for us and what He delivered us from… and what He is still delivering us through. We are so thankful!

    Over the past 3 years… we lost two businesses, lost our so-called “dream” home to foreclosure, lost our business reputation, lost friends who believed the lies, lost a church when it closed, lost health temporarily with depression… diagnosed with skin cancer in five places, atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation, $25,000 in legal fees fighting a baseless lawsuit, faced over $700,000 in debt, and several thousand online attacks on me, my family, faith, church and school.

    The enemy did everything possible to take me out… at times wondering if my family was better off without me… if I can be so honest in hopes of helping someone else. Christians often put a good face on, while ignoring serious issues that so many face in private. You are never too low or have fallen too far from God that He cannot heal and restore you.

    I am sharing all this in hope that it helps someone else. It is not easy to go through the storms in life, but continue to praise Him for what He has done, is doing and will do in your life. He has delivered us from some very difficult circumstances… almost everyone of these mentioned above. He did not bring those things to us, but He will use these circumstances to strengthen you and we give Him all the glory. We have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

    Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. He is our encourager, our provider, our healer, our deliverer, our comfort, our victory. He has provided for us in so many supernatural ways and we look forward to sharing…. the rest of the story very soon. Be encouraged… be ” in courage” this week. Pray with someone else you know going through a difficult time. Sow seeds of encouragement (even when you don’t feel like it) and the harvest will be great.

    Remember to be thankful for your many blessings. Most of you reading this make more than $2 a day which is the average pay for 50% of the world’s population. Be thankful that you can worship and pray without persecution and that we serve the only Risen Savior.

    I want to make sure to clarify one thing in my post above. We are not victims. We made several bad choices and decisions and much of what we experienced was due to those decisions. Yes, the enemy will use these circumstances to try to take you out, make you ineffective for the Kingdom by making you feel unworthy and filled with self pity and even hatred, but I thank God for His mercy and grace. I know that I chased the almighty dollar at times vs putting “The Almighty” first. I will contend for the very best, falling short at times, but failing is an event, not who you are. Have a great week friends and look for someone to encourage and love. It may be a matter of life and death to them.
    Judy Sterling told me she went to Jack in 2007 when she had no food and not a penny to her name to purchase any and he did nothing. Nothing except complain about his gargantuan water bill. It was a matter of life and death!

    This is a pretty sick attempt at garnering sympathy. He knows Judy is gone and that Robert F. almost lost his life due to his involvement in Advantage Conferences. Pathetic!!!

    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    171
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Quote Originally Posted by Soapboxmom View Post
    I want to share the wonderful work of Dr. Jon Taylor:

    MLM-TheTruth ::

    Soapboxmom
    Good topic SBM,

    I have a story to share. I was in Amway early 2000's. I sat in functions where the diamond told the audience how long one could put off paying their mortgage and avoid foreclosure. The same diamond also taught how long you could put off the electric company and still have power. It was done in a manner that encouraged downlines to skip rent/mortgages to attend the next big function and to purchase more cd's. After picking up my jaw from the floor, I was thinking WTH? I didn't stay in much longer, especially when this came after a night owl meeting where the diamonds said the family (including kids) could fast a meal so you can buy an additional cd. Afterall, the cd might have the one nugget of information that could turn your business around.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Welcome Luzer,

    Welcome to the forum! That is so truly frightening. Coincidentally, the owner of Advantage Conferences, which lost one rep to suicide and had another attempt suicide, learned the ropes in Amway. Your post explains a lot. Thank goodness you had the good sense to bail and then help others with your story!

    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    3,481
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    2

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Thank you for this information SBM. I had not read this thread before until yesterday. I posted it in my Garden of Friendship Facebook Group. It would do good to post it on my wall also, there are so many people who get taken in by these. If you do it for fun and just enjoy using the products, I have no problem with it but it is hard to keep it under control even with that.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    3,481
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    2

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    HerbalLife got to be a real problem with me as I tried to make a living selling it back in the early 2000's. It was really the feather than sunk the ship for me!!! While these things sound good, you would be better off punching a time-clock and make some real honest money.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    171
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    Quote Originally Posted by Soapboxmom View Post
    Welcome Luzer,

    Welcome to the forum! That is so truly frightening. Coincidentally, the owner of Advantage Conferences, which lost one rep to suicide and had another attempt suicide, learned the ropes in Amway. Your post explains a lot. Thank goodness you had the good sense to bail and then help others with your story!

    Soapboxmom
    Thanks! I hope by sharing my story, some unsuspecting prospect might get the information that their sponsor or upline won't give them freely.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Mars
    Posts
    9,232
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    3

    Re: The Devastating Effects of MLM

    My best friend Judy S. took her own life after suffering horrific losses in MLM 2 years ago today. Once again we will have an empty chair at Thanksgiving.

    The MLM scam that ruined her financially was Advantage Conferences. She was going hungry and in constant fear of ending up on the street. One of Tim Darnell's scamference speakers realized as she drove him to the airport she was unwell and he made sure she had grocery money for that month in 2006 as she struggled heroically after she lost everything in a chapter 7 bankruptcy resulting from her involvement in AC. All those Christian multi-millionaires running around and those promises of great wealth that were made and the reps were in many cases in desperate straights just like Judy.

    Tim Darnell and Jack Weinzierl lived high on the hog on the horrific losses of others. May unrepentant scammers choke on a turkey bone this holiday season. I will never forget! And, I don't believe you will be saved.



    Soapboxmom
    Anyone needing assistance please feel free to use this e-mail in addition to the PM system here to contact me: soapboxmom@hotmail.com

    Dallas College Richland Campus Music Advising Derrick Logozzo / Melissa Logan / Not NASM Accredited / Out of State Tuition Nightmare!

    Love some Bunny! I do!

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •