The Ariix Scam
What is Ariix? Ariix is a nutritional company that operates under the network marketing model. It was just started by several former executives of another nutritional company name Usana (Fred Cooper, Jeffery Yates, Mark Wilson, and Riley Timmer). These guys were the ex C.O.O, C.F.O, VP of Sales and Finance for Usana so for them to leave and start their own rival company is sort of a big deal, at least for Usana. So, the Ariix scam, is it actually one? Let’s look at this logically.
These guys were bringing in tons of money from Usana from their salary and stock options. Why would they go and throw that all away to start a scam? It doesn’t make any sense. Since there are actual products involved, Ariix isn’t a scam but it is a multi-level marketing company. Yes, they claim to have great products and a unique compensation plan like all other MLM’s but the downsides of network marketing as a business is still there. Recruiting is involved. Having to sell high priced products is involved (some vitamin packs are $100 and up). Having friends and acquaintances potentially think you’re part of some cult or scam is still involved. It’s just the nature of this industry.
Looking at the stats, very few MLM companies survive past the 5th year. What chance does Ariix have to survive? Well, seeing that it’s being run by folks who ran Usana, a company that has been around since 1992, the chances are probably good. Not only that, many distributors from Usana are switching over to Ariix. But wait, isn’t MLM all about the product as so many of them claim? Makes one wonder.
Of course, these things don’t mean that you should join Ariix. Before you jump in, consider if network marketing as a profession is a right fit for you. It’s not for most people and that’s why so many people fail in this industry. When it comes down to it, it’s about sales, marketing, and networking. Unless you truly believe in the products and the management team behind the company, you’re going to have a hard time succeeding or even looking at anyone in the eye while pitching them a dream.
Because this company is still on the ground floor, it’s likely that many of their reps will use the whole “get in early while you still can” tactic. Take your time and do your due diligence no matter what kind of time limit you’re told. Make sure your decision of whether to join or not is your own and is based on logic and not emotion.
The success of Ariix is yet to be seen since it’s still new but if the people running this company are taking out what didn’t work at the previous company and are applying what worked best to this new company, then they’ll probably be around for a while. Since it’s still so new, you probably won’t be finding any Ariix reviews up for a while so we’ll just have to wait and see how this all plays out.
Let me know your thoughts and experience with this company.
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Mike | August 9th, 2011 #
There are two types of businesses in the world of MLM. There are those companies whose passion is producing high quality products and MLM is just how they market and sell their products. These are solid legitimate companies. You could probably put Avon, Tupperware, Usana, etc into this category.
Then there are the companies whose primary purpose is making money and the product is secondary to make it legal (Without a product, then it is an illegal pyramid). Of course all companies need to make money, but these companies the product is secondary and only a means to the end. Take one of the exotic juice for example: Watch a presentation and it is primarily focused on the business plan, income, etc, and the product is secondary. I’ve heard it from a high ranking executive at one company who said “You can buy a similar juice from Costco fro $4.00 a bottle (the MLM sells for $40/bottle) which is basically the same as ours, but the product makes our company legal.” If you see a lot of hype around the money, then suspect this type of company. Also ask if you would buy the products at the price they are offered if there was no income opportunity involved?
I’ve watched the Ariix presentation and the products are covered in about 3-4 minutes, the rest of the 40 minutes was the pay plan and the money you can make. I also have a friend who works at Usana, he said there had been tension in the hallways between Fred Cooper and the founders. Mr. Cooper was wanting to take the focus off of the products, make them cheaper and drive more to the bottom line and put more into the compensation plan. Making more money is great, but for Usana the core value of the company is the highest quality products without compromise. That was probably the seed that started Ariix.
So is Ariix a scam? I don’t know, but I suspect from the direction Fred Cooper wanted to take Usana, but wasn’t allowed to, is probably the direction Ariix will go. Lots of focus on the income opportunity and copy cat me too products with probably inferior ingredients, but at a high price. Usana’s multi retails for about $50/month. Ariix’s for $99/month. That extra $49 can pay a lot of commissions and put a lot into the company coffers. But can they get pure customers, with no interest in the comp plan, to pay $99/month for products they can get for say $50 from Usana, Douglas Labs, Life Extension, and a few others? If not, then you have a thinly veiled pyramid which will eventually crumble.
Like you say, time will tell. There are 4,000 MLMs out there are each year 1000 start up and another 1000 close.
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Maureen Bell Reply:
January 21st, 2012 at 3:49 pm
We found the same thing. Very troubling for Ariix. We also learned that Mary Dee and Deanna Latson had joined the company as employees and based on their troubled pasts this was a terrible sign. Their products are anything but clean and now they have key people to match, plus they rip people off with pricing and poor product quality. When I found out about Latson, Mary Dee and the way Fred Cooper and Tim Sales left Usana high and dry, it was game over for me. I wanted a refund but my sponsor told me that they would not give me my money back. Is this true?
Money, money, money!!!!!! What a scam arrix is…run!!!
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loyal Reply:
April 12th, 2012 at 9:35 pm
you obviously didnt attend any ariix seminar if ur saying all of this .Its ignorant people like yourselves that give MLM a bad name. ~ you throw dirt youll be losing alot of ground HA!~
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Kai S. | August 12th, 2011 #
I agree with you Mike. I didn’t realize Ariix sells their multi-vitamins for that much more than Usana. It’ll be interesting to see just how many real customers they can get. My guess very little compared to the amount of distributors.
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Richard | August 15th, 2011 #
Mike.I have used Usana for 12 years.Only just taken on the business side last couple of years. I always maintained the Products come first and I would still use them for life even if no comp plan was around. They are so good that ALL our family have had major benefits in health restored. Especially my wife who had stage 4 cancers and reversed without chemo or any medications .A major lifestyle change and high doses of Usana saw the cancer reverse in 7 months. Our personal testimony no one can refute. I would never have trusted any other Nutritionals. The proof is in the pudding.
Like Agel ,Arrix is based on making money and with inferior products ,will go the same way as the others.Especially as Fred Cooper was getting Arrix together while he was in Usana behind their backs.this is total lack of Integrity and Karma has a habit of hitting back .Always has.
Even Dr Ray Strand gave a “story” explaining why he has left the Advisory board of Usana .By the way his wife was cured of CFS when introduced to Usana products .Even as a Doctor he could not cure her. Yet his story was poorly written and now we find he left to join the Ariix team. Strange bedfellows indeed. Any fool can see its only the money angle and if the products dont stack up ,it will go the way like all the other fly by nighters.Especially when integrity is involved.
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Kai S. Reply:
August 15th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Thanks for the input Richard. I’ve read similar miracle stories from other nutritional companies such as Herbalife as well. Vitamins aren’t meant to cure anything so corporate is careful about not making wild claims but hey, your experience is your experience. You’re a true customer, someone who will buy the products regardless of compensation, and people like you are needed to improve the company’s reputation. Too bad you’re in the minority.
I take it that many Usana distributors are against Ariix seeing that they’re taking many Usana distributors.
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Richard | September 3rd, 2011 #
+Taking Usana customers into Ariix is not a major problem .The way I see it ,they were failing anyway due to not doing the business properly. besides the Products are No1 in the World.So if they still could not “see” this ,how will they progress in another company with inferior products ? If they are only after the quick buck,then they will again fail. MLM success needs HARD work.Self Development is essential.In the end it’s the person you become and the thousands you help along the way. So going for the money will ensure the same results they got previously. Nothing.
By the way corp. may make no claims about “cures” but using chemo etc is well known to be a shortened journey in life with a terrible quality to boot.
Our experience with top quality Nutritionals was the opposite . Many more are now experiencing similar results. No miracle there. Well ,not from my perception.
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Kai S. Reply:
September 4th, 2011 at 2:44 am
The high profile reps of Usana that moved over to Ariix were making a lot of money. That’s hardly failing at all. Since these people have huge downlines, having that many people go with them doesn’t exactly give existing Usana reps more confidence in the company.
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Jay | October 7th, 2011 #
I joined ariix and after 3 weeks i had my money refund. I paid $1200 in reg fee and $100 a month. Tell me can i get a regular people on that kind of price? I dont think sooo..
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Kai S. | October 7th, 2011 #
Really depends on who you target and how you present the opportunity. I’m not a fan of MLM but you can argue that a $1,200 investment with $100 a month in operation fees is quite cheap to start and run your own business. Also, isn’t the $1,200 mainly for products and not just reg fees?
Well, now you know how they really make money in this company… by recruiting people and getting them to buy these packages. Sure beats selling a bottle of $30 vitamins to some old lady.
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Tina Le | December 18th, 2011 #
This is my experience with Ariix.
My friend (Tin) invited my other friend and I to join this company approximately a month ago. He had me dressed up professionally and we finally arrived at a house at around 8:00 PM. The first half of the presentation was about the products, their benefits, and their comparison to other companies especially Usana. They proudly stated, “Our products pretty much have the same benefits as Usana, but who wouldn’t love cheaper prices?” The other half of the presentation was about the compensation plan. They quickly talked about pay line, power line, and bonuses. (I became really interested and excited.)
After the presentation, the Senior Director sat with me to asked me several questions about my goals, what is my major in college right now, etc. basically trying to figure out my “hot spot” (something that is considered a “hot spot” could be a life long goal to help people, family etc. ) He told me how Ariix is about caring and helping people reach their dreams. After that, he pulled out an application, asking me what packages I want to purchase. He asked me for my debit card number and from there he told me it was for a down payment of $40.00 and also the packages for the products which range from:
$450 – Normal Package
$720 -Silver
$1200 – Gold
At that moment, I was like, “Wait, what?” You said you were helping me reaching my dreams of providing a stable income for my parents, now you’re asking me to get money from my parents? The entire notion became ridiculous to me. The Senior Director suggested that I should tell my parents that I want to take a class on Business and not mentioned about the company at all. (I became suspicious.)
The next day I went to training and two Senior Directors presented a speech on their life story and how to recruit people. Their life stories were very persuasive and inspiring. However, as I look at it now, it became really fake. One of the Senior Directors spoke about her life experience. She told everyone that she had a difficult time with finances. Here’s the thing, she also informed us that her parents are scientists. Okay, so..scientists make a lot of money. What are you talking about?
Another senior director also talked about his college experience. He stated that he worked really hard all through high school and college and that he struggled with studying and staying in a relationship. Well, when I checked his Facebook, he looked darn happy in very picture especially there was a photo of his girlfriend wearing only bra and underwear.
I also went to another training on the same week even though I was determined that this company was a scam. They convinced me once again and I was lured into the company. I lied to my parents and purchased the silver plan. The next morning, I talked to several friends, trying to figure out their hot spots. As I talked to them, I realized how this is not me as all. Considering I’m not the kind of person to convince my friends into joining a company just for my own advantages. They too will be in the same situation as I am and they too will struggle to find people who are not rich and have dreams of providing a stable income for their parents. Moreover, what will they think of me as a person?
On that same day, Tin informed me that I should recruit people quick to make the Team Lead or else I will have to pay monthly fees for the products. As a college student, I do not have money to waste each month on products I do not have faith in.
Since my friend is new to the company, Tin offered to help her out and bring me to the company. He loudly stated that I will be under my friend and told my friend that he will only help her this one time. After I purchased the package, he placed me under him instead. It’s ironic because he said that this company was about trust and how everyone got everyone’s back. I questioned, “Then why did you stab my friend in the back?” From my perspective, he was out to help himself. Moreover, the night when I bought the silver package, Tin had to present a speech. He decided to talk about his struggle with basketball in high school. From what I know him in person, he is not what he said he was in the presentation. He smoked weed all through high school, not a motivated kid who wanted to learn basketball. Plus, he told everyone that he has a huge bill to pay off because he broke his leg. However, he bought a Mac worth $2000 and I wondered, “Why can’t he pay his medical bills with that money?”
My other friend and I decided to quit the company. A few days later, the products arrived and I asked Tin how I could return it. He didn’t seem to want to help me in whatsoever. But he did because I made him. Before that, he had his brother called and yelled at me because I called the company a scam. I didn’t know practicing my freedom of speech would somehow violate his belief that this company is a multi-billion company. At the beginning of the call, he calmly explained that the company believes in 100% customer service and Ariix does not want anyone to spread rumors about the company. When quitting the company, I knew that I wouldn’t tell this to anyone because it would just seem immature of me to talk bad about a company (even if I do not believe in it). However, it was extremely immature of him to yell at me and imply that I was a failure/quitter.
That is why I decided to write this long message. I believe that most of the people in the company are untrustworthy and only there to help you just because they want you to do good so it will boost their incomes. I also believe that the company is not out to help people at all. They strongly claim to help people but I can strongly see that the company is mainly about money, money, and money.
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Kai S. Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Tina,
Thanks for sharing your experience. To be fair to Ariix, it is a business opportunity and therefore, the cost shouldn’t be much of a surprise. However, what you pointed out is something that happens in all MLM companies and is part of the reason why the industry as a whole has such a bad reputation.
There are people in MLM who run their business ethically. They don’t exaggerate or make up lies. Of course, there are others who will do things they normally wouldn’t all because of the money and recognition from their MLM peers. The tricky thing is that many people, including your friend I’m sure, didn’t intend to deceive you. To them, they see stretching the truth to get you in as doing you a favor because if you end up successful and rich, the lies will be worth it. I do have to say that the whole putting your friend under him thing was a douchebag move.
I’m not fond of the MLM industry but saying that “most” people in the company are untrustworthy makes it too easy for Ariix reps to argue against. They might say judging an entire group by the actions of a few is like being prejudice or racist or something.
By the way, forget what your friend said about you being a quitter/failure. That’s what many MLMers say to prevent people from leaving the company. If your goal is to financially support yourself and your family and you find another way to do that, then you’ll be a success. You’ll only be a quitter if you stop pursuing that goal. The path you take doesn’t matter; what matters is that you ultimately reach your destination.
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Tina Le | December 18th, 2011 #
I agree with everything you said in your reply.
Thanks for the advice.
You’re very wise and kind with your words.
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Rod | January 6th, 2012 #
Hi All,
Tina, sorry to hear about your experience with Ariix… I truly feel the team you worked with did not give the genuine support you needed, and if the individuals you mentioned are not logical and ethical then I truly believe they will not get far in this business and or life. Ariix is a mlm company, just like Avon and Amway… Ariix is not a scam. With Ariix being in pre-launch I understand there are many skeptics on this ground floor opportunity. I feel that many individuals who start up with Ariix do not understand the significance of the different packages. I’m not here to persuade anyone to join Ariix. But Ariix is a financial vehicle and there are different ones out there, not just Ariix. People mentioned Ariix is a copy cat of Usana, but was Usana the first health supplementation company? Something to think about… Ariix is the first company I know that has a bill of rights to protect its distributors… Whether you feel Ariix will fail or succeed here’s a link to answer some of your questions! Ariixchannel.com
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Kai S. Reply:
January 6th, 2012 at 7:50 am
The thing with MLM is that the company doesn’t have much control over how individuals run their business and because of this, all it takes is a few bad apples to ruin a company or industry’s name.
As for people who are not ethical not getting far with an MLM business, depends on your definition of ethical. It’s a common practice in MLM to not reveal what you do to potential recruits until you can have them talk to an upline, see a presentation in full, or attend some meeting. Some would call this practice unethical.
People link Ariix and Usana together because Ariix is basically run by ex-Usana people. As for Ariix’s success, I’m sure they will make a ton of money. As for most people joining Ariix, I don’t know.
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Rod | January 6th, 2012 #
Just a little information on the price difference and similar ingredient listings between the two companies…. Ariix Optimals (Vitamins and Minerals) $99.93 vs. Usana HealthPak $132… you be the judge!
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Kai S. Reply:
January 6th, 2012 at 7:56 am
Okay, and how many of those have you sold to the marketplace?
Is it safe to assume that Ariix’s Total Health Pack which sells for $285 has way more stuff than Usana’s Healthpak since you’re not using that in your comparison?
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Rod | January 6th, 2012 #
The magnitude of the ingredients involved in the Ariix optimals $99.95 are comparable to the Usana Health Pak $132 not Essentials $51.
If you want to compare with the products involved in the Ariix total health pack lets break it down… With each product lasting 28 days…
Total Health Pack includes
Vitamins and Minerals (Optimals)
Omega Q (Omega 3 hybridized with CoQ -10)
(2) Vinali’s (Grape Seed extract and vitamin C)
Rejuveniix (An all organic coffee and energy replacement rich of anti-oxidants)
Total: $285
Usana equivalence
Usana HealthPak (Core supplements including the essentials) $132
BiOmega (Omega 3) $23.94
CoQuinone 30 (CoQ10) 45.54
Proflavanol C100 (Grape Seed extract and vitamin C) $46.74 x (2) = $93.48
Rev3 Energy Surge Refill 28pk (Alternative to crash-and-burn energy drinks) $63.54
Total $358.5
All figures are from their respected website…
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Kai S. Reply:
January 6th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Thanks for clarifying. So Ariix products cost about 25-35% less than Usana. I guess that means Ariix reps should have a much easier time selling vitamins to the marketplace compared to Usana reps.
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Bev J. Reply:
April 29th, 2012 at 11:30 pm
The independent Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements ranks over 1600 products. USANA’s main products are ranked #1 (5 Gold Star standard and editors choice) whereas Arrix is ranked a 3. So you be the judge, which is better?
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Kai S. Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
And what independent, non-biased guide would that be?
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Andrew | January 31st, 2012 #
I ended up buying the gold pack and I was wondering if anyone knows how to return it for a refund?
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Kai S. Reply:
February 1st, 2012 at 12:19 am
My guess is that you can just call the company and they’ll let you know what to do.
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Tom Baker | February 18th, 2012 #
There’s something very spooky about this whole group at Arrix. If you know the real story about Tim Sales then you know that he would do or say anything for a profit. Word is, Usana is close to bringing a massive lawsuit against them. If true, they could own Ariix, Cooper, Sales, Wilson, And Latson in short order.
Ariix dumped their crappy products on the Asian market and their u.s. results are going nowhere. They are so heavily in debt that if things don’t pick up you will see more and more departures like the big ones of late.
Should be interesting to watch. If you worked ar Ariix would you trust any of these top people, after what they did to Usana?
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Kai S. Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 12:24 am
Where did you hear about the possible lawsuit? How do you know Ariix is in debt? Which “big ones” departed the company recently?
Just need to make sure these aren’t just rumors to hurt the competition. If these statements are true, then it would be interesting to see how things unfold.
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Jim | February 19th, 2012 #
Things aren’t making sense. You buy some product then come on this site to ask how to return it? Pretty bogus! You’re obviously lying. Next,..top people left USANA because they were failing?? Who are you trying to baffle besides yourself ? And,..the person who said they paid a monthly fee with ARIIX?? You are lying too. And the person who talked about how she was treated by ‘someone’ then critisized a ‘company’ for these guys’ behavior?? That’s like saying Ford is a bad company because someone driving their car ran into me.
I was just researching this ARIIX co. & looks like they must be doing something right for all of you to be making false accusations about them.
Top officers of a good co. don’t leave unless there are problems within the co. The time, money, and huge amount of work wouldn’t be worth the effort unless you were in your 20′s.
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Kai S. Reply:
February 19th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
You should stop researching and just join Ariix if you haven’t already.
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Jim Reply:
February 20th, 2012 at 11:51 am
Why? Are you suggesting people should join any opportunity that comes along w/o researching it?
Help me find the truth & I may join them.
I was trying to research Rob’s claims on pricing & apples to apples. That isn’t so easy.
What is all in USANA’s HlthPak & ARIIX products do not look to be the same. I’ll have to go back but Usana’s hlth pak I thought said was much less then $132. I’ll look again but,..
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Jim Reply:
February 20th, 2012 at 11:53 am
Sorry !!
It was $132. Shame on me.
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Kai S. Reply:
February 20th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Just sounded like you were defending the company a bit too strongly, calling people liars, so I thought you were already a rep actually. Sorry about that. Carry on with your research.
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Jim | February 20th, 2012 #
I did request some info & answers to some questions from a rep. I found on line for ARIIX & they responed that they were busy but could contact me in the next few days. We’ll see. I did see Multi’s & Minerals from U.were $51 & ARIIX were $99 though I believe ARIIX had a few more ingredience Who would be willing to break the ingredience down so we can compare costs accurately?
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Dino | March 7th, 2012 #
A friend brought me to an Ariix meeting. While I found it interesting. I could not help but think that is is a cult ,and a Pyramid scheme. After reading the comments about them,it reinforces my feelings about them. It is also obvious to me that people of Ariix have responded on this page. Expected. Low quality product to me is the bid deal breaker. Won’t sell what i don’t entirely believe in. At the meeting, I felt like they were rushing people to join because they are going to be launching big soon ,and that this is the time to get in on a big opportunity.
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Kai S. Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 1:36 am
Network marketers overuse the “get in early” tactic. I know Ariix is still in their launch phase or just had it but older companies will say the same thing as well only instead of saying the company is about to launch, they say something along the lines of the team/organization in this city is about to explode so get in before that happens. The point of course is to get people to sign up now rather than give them time to go home to research and think about it.
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Dino | March 9th, 2012 #
Thanks. Feeling rushed, to me is not a good sign. if it is a real opportunity, there is no need to hurry up ,and join. Leaves one with suspicion. There may be no problem with the company ,but feeling rushed is an uncomfortable feeling. If the company is groundbreaking opportunity as they make it sound,then time is of no essence. The comparisons I’ve heard to companies like Herbal Life leaves a bad feeling to me. Thanks for replying Kai.
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Bev J. Reply:
April 29th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
I agree. I believe in network marketing because I’ve been able to retire from my full time job and work from home. I make more now and work less. However, I know from experience that my income is only strong if people believe in the products and the company. I want people to stay for the long haul – not to just sign up. So I never pressure anyone and I encourage them to do their due diligence. I am not with Arrix. I know people who joined them and was curious about the company–thus my google search.
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Kai S. Reply:
April 30th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
That’s great to hear and encouraging people to do their research before joining is the right thing to do. You’re one of the good ones. I know how it feels to be able to not have to work for or answer to anyone and work from home, doing things on my own schedule. It’s definitely a great feeling. Plus, in my business, I don’t have to go around recruiting people and having random people think I’m a scammer and have to constantly defend what I do. I don’t know how you do it but kudos to you.
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Ron Lorenzo | March 10th, 2012 #
I won’t claim to have a wealth of knowledge about Ariix or its management, but what I can claim is that it’s a situation I would prefer to never be in again. Like most people who have posted here, I was coerced by a friend into checking out this “great new opportunity” to help me to financial success. Of course, because I am loyal to my friends and trust them, I agreed to check it out. When I got there, the first thing that took me by surprise was that we were not actually meeting in an Ariix owned or operated building. With an alleged “track record” of success the CEO & President are supposed to have, you’d think it would be a piece of cake to at least lease out a semi-permanent space for this upcoming “big deal” of a business Ariix claims to be.
Secondly, I was startled by how cult-like the whole environment was. Literally everything the Ariix speaker said was met with phrases like “oh yeah!”, “that’s right!” or “that’s the truth!”. I mean, the guy could have said the sky was red and everyone there would have agreed with him, no questions asked. Once the meeting was over, my friend directed me to some guy who was apparently a big shot at the company. He initially was very friendly and interested in getting to know me, but his pleasantries eventually changed to abrasiveness when it came time for me to decide whether or not I wanted to sign up for one of their “packages”. He kept asking me what my goals were and how I planned to reach them. When I told him I wanted to further my education, he then proceeded to downplay my educational goals, and instead insinuated that Ariix was THE way to accomplishing my financial aspirations.
What made matters worse was the fact that when I told him I needed more time to fully understand what I may be getting myself into, he then basically told me that there was no “logical reason” for me not to join, and that I’d just be wasting my time by waiting before I signed up. He essentially used all the goals I’d told him I had, and made it seem as if I would not accomplish them without Ariix.
After that ordeal, I decided Ariix just isn’t right for me. Not only are the representatives pushy, abrasive, and recruitment oriented, but I just can’t see myself calling up my circles of friends and trying to persuade them to join a company who sells products I don’t believe in. In my humble opinion, their whole idea of “creating your own team” is just a way for them to get more people to peddle their products, while putting them under the illusion that they have their own business.
To conclude, I’d like to make clear that I am not trying to encourage or discourage anyone from joining Ariix. There are some people who may really do well with a Network Marketing company like Ariix. All I’m doing is giving my honest account of my experience, and sharing some questions I had to ask myself when faced with the decision to join this company:
1)If Ariix is such an excellent opportunity, then why are the representatives so adamant about people signing up after just one presentation? In a company that is projecting such phenomenal success, why do its representatives apply so much pressure to sign up?
2)Do you see yourself as someone whose good at selling products in an economy as bad as the one we’re in?
3)Can you see yourself working with (and becoming like) people who behave the way I explained in the second paragraph?
If you answered ‘No’ or ‘Not Sure’ to any of these questions, you may want to re-evaluate whether or not this is right for you.
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Kai S. Reply:
March 11th, 2012 at 3:48 am
Thanks for sharing your experience Ron. I’ve read plenty of comments on other sites and forums about Usana reps using phrases like, “that’s right” and “that’s true” during presentations and seeing that most of the people who are currently in Ariix are ex-Usana members, the continuation of this method isn’t surprising. From what I understand, the point of having their reps say those words like robots is to create a positive atmosphere as well as to stir up some excitement in order to increase the chances of people signing up. Get people pumped up so they buy more on emotion rather than logic.
The reason some of them are so pushy is because they know letting potential recruits go home and do research on the company or even talk to people who hasn’t seen the presentation is likely to discourage them from joining. When people are desperate to recruit and build their team in order to make money, some will go a bit far and say things like school sucks, jobs suck, so if you don’t join, you’re an idiot (just not stated that bluntly of course).
The key for this to work is to have the reps truly believe in the opportunity. That way, they’ll feel it’s okay to be pushy and even stretch the truth if necessary because if they can get the person to join and it changes the person’s life for the better, then no harm done. It’s like how some religious people push their beliefs down other people’s throats thinking that it’s okay because they’re just trying to “save” non-believers’ souls.
I don’t know what goes on during Ariix’s trainings but I’m sure a lot of it is belief building. I’m not saying that any of this is wrong. I mean if a person truly believes in an opportunity, it would only be natural for them to want to share it with everyone they know.
Of course the question to ask is how they came to have such strong feelings towards those beliefs. Was it through their own experience and research or was it a result of going through some carefully orchestrated process designed to get people to think a specific way about the opportunity?
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jams davis | March 13th, 2012 #
Arrix, what a scam and joke, dont fall for it.
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loyal Reply:
April 12th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
do your research shut up ignorant people!
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Wendy Northcut | March 16th, 2012 #
I too joined Ariix based on pressure from a friend. I have been to two meetings so far and whoever used the word “spooky” to define this group and “cult-like” seems to be hitting the nail on the head. My friend knew that my recent divorce left a void in my life, so she probably thought she was doing me a favor. Uh-huh.
At one meeting a guy by the name of “Bobby” continued to follow me around, and whenever I would look back he was checking me out, again in a spooky, stalker kind of way. His wife was there and everything! I think they both worked for Ariix, and all I can tell you is that it gave me the heebie jeebies.
Why they allow drinking at these things, I will never know, but he must have been putting them back pretty good.
On top of this, the whole thing felt staged. Just nothing real about it at all. When the whole Usana questions came up, they tried to move on quickly but one guy just would not let it go. From what I have learned they jumped ship from Usana to start Ariix, which can be a tricky way to start a company when it is only about getting paid. I mean, can you really trust them?
My guess is that this is just about the money and the people that work there will do anything to sell this product…which made me sick to my stomach. I have taken good, clean vitamins all my life, and let me tell you, this is just not quality stuff.
At the end of the day, I tried to return everything but it was just too big of a hassle. I think that is what they are hoping for.
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Kai S. Reply:
March 16th, 2012 at 10:40 am
Thanks for sharing your experience Wendy. It looks like you experienced a different type of meeting than what most of the other people have experienced. Drinking? That’s a first. As for Usana reps jumping over to Ariix, many of them didn’t really have a choice. Some of the leaders were forced to for various reasons and once they jumped ship, their downline naturally followed them. I’m still unclear of what really went on to cause the VP and other high execs to form the new company. It could be just because of the money or it could be something else and since I don’t know for sure, I’ll just remain neutral on that subject.
As for returning the product, yes, the hassle keeps people from doing it but it’s similar to those mail-in rebates. People either forget or don’t bother with it. I don’t know what package you got but that’s at least a few hundred dollars which is supporting a group of people you find cult-like.
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Tom Baker | March 16th, 2012 #
Thanks for sharing Wendy. My wife and I know some of these people from another company and their actions against that company were without conscious. The “Bobby” that you mentioned must be Bobby Bell, the husband of Mary Dee, although they seemed to have kept different names for legal reasons. There is something “off with these two and the stories continue to pile up about strange liasons and long nights.
From what my wife told me, this experiment is not working and Dee, Deanna Latson and at least two other add-ons are on their way out. Latson is the phoniest person that we ever met, she has NO real medical background, yet she is their product expert? I mean, come on. This is how you take down Usana, with people of this caliber? I think not.
We heard again just this week that Ariix is doing business in countries where they have no legal right to do so, and if you want to really screw up a new company, this is exactly how you do it. It’s one thing to ship products for NFR (not for resale), but it’s another thing to aggressively ship products into countries when you have not been approved or taken the necessary legal steps. This has Mark Wilson’s name all over it!
It is industry knowledge that they bought more than $500,000 in chemically filled product that Usana would never touch and then dumped it on the Asian market. Guess they thought the Asian community would not notice. BIG MISTAKE!
With the money (other people’s) that Ariix has spent to date, they better make this work, and fast. Usana has deep pockets and you have to know they are taking note of every step that they take. IF this rumored lawsuit actually takes place then I would not want to be in Ariix shoes. This could be one fun story to watch for a very long time! You know what they say, what goes around comes around. Would that ever be true with this cast of characters.
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Ras | March 21st, 2012 #
Ariix is not listed in the better business bureau!
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missy | March 25th, 2012 #
I would like to know, how can I get a refund from Ariix? I was also kind of pushed so hard by a friend to join and I should of search before. Big mistake.
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Kai S. Reply:
March 25th, 2012 at 9:32 am
There should be a customer service number on your receipt. This is a toll free number I got from their website:
(855)462-7449
Hours: M-F 9A to 6P MT
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doug | April 10th, 2012 #
It has been very interesting to watch the progress or decline of this company. There are so many stories of questionable behavior on the part of the team at ARIIX you have to seriously wonder whether or not they know what they’re doing. From an entrepreneur’s perspective, there are red flags everywhere including the fact that they have been having numerous problems paying commissions out in a timely manner. In fact, their CFO Jeff Yates was on one of their videos apologizing for the problems.
Their Founder Fred Cooper is in desperate need of cash! He has his Lamborghini for sale in Salt Lake, his wife’s car wash was foreclosed on, and they have been hitting everyone in SLC up for money to invest in this scheme. The bottom line is that they have a myriad of problems and if you’re looking for a secure place to invest your time and money, I would seriously look elsewhere!
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Kai S. Reply:
April 10th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
Can you backup your claims about the Lambo for sale and the foreclosed car wash? I just want to make sure these statements aren’t just made up.
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doug | April 12th, 2012 #
Here is the vehicle at a dealership in Layton Utah. You can contact the dealer at 866-286-9219
Link to Lambo Info
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Kai S. Reply:
April 12th, 2012 at 8:57 pm
I replaced the info you put with the link I found on the car. How do you know it’s his?
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doug | April 13th, 2012 #
Call the dealership….and by the way, how many do you think are in Salt Lake City let alone Layton near where he lives…..
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Jon Styre | May 2nd, 2012 #
I’ve been a distributor with Usana since 1995, seen a lot of changes and new faces. At first I was sad to see Fred Cooper and a few of the others leave. I was surprised that Tim Sales “a friend to USANA” had put his name back in the recruiting hat. But with all of that said, USANA is a better company now. Intregrity has always been at the top of Usana’s list. The people that have come and gone (in some cases let go) did so for good reasons. Usana was not hurt by the small exodus and will never be threatened by Ariix as a competitor. Proof of the growth and financial well-being can be found in Usana’s 2012 first quarter earnings report.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/usana-health-sciences-announces-record-200700528.html
As far as Ariix and some of my old friends… I wish them well.
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Kai S. Reply:
May 2nd, 2012 at 4:50 pm
My guess is most of the people who left Usana to join Ariix are in North America which would help explain why both the number of associates and preferred customers declined.
“During the first quarter of 2012, net sales in the North America region decreased 2.3% to $58.6 million, compared with the first quarter of the prior year. The number of Active Associates in North America declined by 7.2%, compared with the first quarter of 2011.”
Looks like there’s a lot of recruiting and promoting going on in Asia. I guess that’s good news if you have teams there.
“Net sales in the Asia Pacific region increased by 14.3%… This improvement was due to strong sales growth in the Philippines, South Korea, and Greater China.”
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Jon Styre Reply:
May 4th, 2012 at 7:00 am
I agree 100% about the decline in NA. Usana lost several large downlines with the loss of a few leaders. We are seeing a rebound in NA as well as the continued growth in the newer markets has been outstanding. With the opening of France and Belgium recently that puts Usana in 17 countries, we are doing well.
Again, I don’t know anything about ariix as a company, but I do wish them well.
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doug Reply:
May 7th, 2012 at 9:30 am
They didn’t lose large downlines…..They lost about 6 leaders that weren’t building actively anyway. Do the research and look for their teams. And to assess the ones leaving as the reason for the decline in associates and customers is ridiculous. Do some more research on other publicly traded companies in the same space. There is a decline overall and USANA’s is one of the lowest compared to the real competition. Ariix is a private company and don’t share their numbers, or at least real numbers. These guys were Officers at a public company and were building another one on the side for two years. They had fiduciary responsibility to the company, the employees, the associates, customers and stock holders and they broke that trust in a big way. How can you possibly trust people who clearly broke SEC rules, acted with malice, and lied to everyone’s faces as they built a new company? There are serious questions to be asked and they don’t ever seem to answer them.
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Kai S. Reply:
May 7th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Don’t followers follow their leaders? Besides, leaders rarely actively build. They leave the hard work to their downline, the ones not making much money yet. So you’re basically saying that those 6 leaders leaving had NOTHING to do with the sales and associates decline Usana had in North America and that the decline was due to an overall decline in the market? So it’s just a coincidence that the first year Usana had a decline in associates happened to be during the time some key leaders left for another company?
I took your advice and looked at one other company I had in mind, Herbalife.
“North American region had another strong quarter posting almost 26% net sales in local currency net sales growth and 23% growth in volume points each compared to the prior-year period. New distributors increased 17% in the quarter and Average Active Sales Leaders increased 19% in the North American region compared to last year’s first quarter results.”
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doug Reply:
May 8th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
So how’s your Ariix business doing Kai? looked like the launch in LA was light in attendance….Curious where you are building and how you’re doing.
Kai S. | May 8th, 2012 #
@Doug: How could you possibly think I’m in Ariix? I’m not part of any MLM company. I’m an internet marketer, not a network marketer.
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