The 5LINX Agony Pt A

Back in mid 2011 another time when Real Estate investing was hot, a facebook friend and successful Real Estate Entrepreneur asks me for a ’’favor’’ and sends me a video link ... business opportunity presentation. It basically said a technological change was sweeping itself into society and if you’re not part of it, you will be left behind and it will ’’only’’ cost $249 to be a part of this revolution.    The name of the revolution? 5LINX.

’’Getting paid on utility bills you’re already paying anyway’’ and you can also earn income everytime a person pays a bill. Sounds really goon on paper, but its such a sleazy and sneaky way to present a pyramid scheme. 

Also, you earn commissions to refer other affiliates / promoters / distributors into the deal.  The excuse phrase used to justify this trick .... ’’Save money on your current utilities and showing others to do the same’’ That psychological approach is sneaky.

My friend promised ’’In 3 short months, your financial life will change!’’  It definitely did.  But the change was not for the better, it was for much worse.

The truth is .... 5LINX is an affiliate company itself.   It doesn’t own any products except GlobaLinx (Video Phone) which costs $24.95 + Tax ....... (Skype offers same features & costs much less) RED FLAG!!  Paid the $249, then I needed to pay for a premium of membership, another $50, and the permission to promote electricity (another $45), mandatory to add GlobaLinx ($24.95), add the company replicated affiliate website (50) ...... Cost Of Entry is = $369!! Not $249!!!  (lets work with this for now)

At The time, the company paid $750 if you enrolled 2 affiliates AND twenty customer points within 30 days.  Sounds like an abundance to time to do all that, but reality soon kicked in.  You gotta place order for more utilities and services that you know you just won’t use .... I didn't need AT&T U-Verse Internet package, didn't need GlobaLinx, already had cable with Comcast, and myCricket phone was satisfactory.  Yes Cricket! All of that was so you can gather customer points, all of which came with a cost, and were really time consuming and rather tiring.  Worst of all,  the commissions on the bills came in teenie weenie, itsy bitsy, pinch – poor twenty / thirty cent commissions, and the rest goes to the company.   Very Annoying.

The real money came from recruiting people into the scheme.  At the time the company paid $50 per enrollment for the first three enrollees, then it goes to $200 per enrollment after that.  That’s just unethical !!!!

That’s the thing, the focus in the training calls ... recruit recruit recruit more ’’Business Partners’’ ...... because ..... ’’This is the best business / income opportunity on the planet’’ ..... Well only the naive would fall for that joke.

Taking the trainings also counted towards your qualification requirements that means, even if you successfully enroll people, and you still have registered services through them (customer points) you will still lose commissions.  You will not be qualified for any earnings in that pay period.  Oh Yes. YOUR MONEY IN BECOMES THEIRS!!!

The trainings were filled with sleazy peddling tactics.   Call up your closest friends and your dearest family members and ask them for a ’’favor’’ .... ask them to ’’help you out’’ ..... beg them to ’’try your services’’  ........  coz after all ’’you never know who is looking for an opportunity’’  ..... ’’They may just like it and sign up’’ Probability?  LOL.

This is not running a business, this is GLORIFIED PAN HANDLING.  
This was all too familiar.  Been down this anal road far too many times. ’’Make a list of 100 family members etc etc’’  so if you truly don’t know anybody (many people actually dont).... you’re out of luck, and as far as uplines are concerned ’’you’re just making excuses’’  ANNOYING !!!!

Followed that senseless plan again (about the 13th time) and practically EVERYONE I approached (Including the most passionate Church people) were avoiding it!  They all ducked & dodged like it was flying gorilla poop!  

I don’t do recruiting (and frankly, I don’t know it, not my personality, not my thing) and I was far behind on customer points so long story short, a lot of money went out and very little came in. Typical of MLM, Isn’t that right?

The only earning was $47, a result of ONE person, who was unfamiliar with network marketing (and its shenanigans).   She had heard about it as a source of ’’additional income’’ The intention was to register her as one of my enrolled customers, but she decided to join the deal.  

After all, I did ask her ’’for a favor’’ a favor cost her about $450 which she NEVER did earn back from the company.  She later on called in and cancelled everything, and warned me NEVER EVER TO BRING that kind of nonsense to her ever again.  How does an apology make up for this grief?  

That is yet another bridge burnt, and permanent scar from joining 5LINX or MLM. Its just luck to still have her as a friend to this day.  Heck her job (that she supposedly hates) does what 5LINX WOULD NOT DO!  Pays the bills!!  It’s amazing to see grown people cheer leading loudly for a company that does NOTHING for you except take and take.

The Rest Of The Story Pt B Right Here.