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The Mariann Browne emails, from Nov. 2003
Here is a sample of an email exchange I had with an herbalife distributor. I used to spend much more time painstakingly addressing every issue and concern herbalife distributors had, but I gave that up after a year. Now I try to simply summarize the problems I have with Herbalife. |
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I don't know if you remember much about your article on Herbalife in
October 2002. I was just wondering if anything had changed since
then. I've got something interesting to let you know of in regards
to the company itself.
-Mariann Browne |
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I am constantly finding out new stuff... it is probably the #1 thing I get
email about.. both positive and negative.
Nobel Prize doctor, UCLA lab, Monster.com postings, new sign rules. Is it
one of these things?
-Rob |
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Do you get a lot of testamonials from people involved with herbalife?
I've found out a lot of things from the internet like news postings and
stuff like that. I remember seeing the news report on Whitney and
Goldengate buying into Herbalife. I guess, from what the article said,
they made the largest one-time investment ever in that venture....I think
like 700 miillion or something. It sounds like, with all the
scientists and stock companies choosing Herbalife, there seems to be more
than a scam going on. My doctor is not an Herbalife fan but, when I
asked him what the most important thing to him was, in regards to being a
doctor, he said it was his reputation. I guess, at least some doctors,
like that nobel one think highly of it. Did you ever find anything
about Dr. Heber or huber or something like that? I forgot how it was
spelled so I couldn't look it up, but apparently he's the number one
nutritionist in the world, is that true? Just a few questions I guess
and mostly comments. Well, let me know what you think and thanks for
responding so quickly.
-Mariann Browne |
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Herbalife makes lots of money. But that doesn't make them a good company, nor does it mean that the average distributor makes money.
I don't think herbalife portrays themselves accurately. I think they thrive on hype and secrecy, which is the opposite of what other companies do.
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What about the people who have lost weight/gained weight or gotten off
$1000's of dollars of medication per month? (I
can give you their names, phone-numbers and list of their doctors and
maybe they could even tell you their bank account. I talk with them
one-on-one each month in seattle and watch some people "get the
idea" and others don't.) What about the personal
experiences people keep having consistently with Herbalife. Why would
a company make any money at all, if it was a scam, and why would it be
around for 23 years and going strong? It's just like this to me, if
you haven't ever been involved in it, tried it for yourself, then you can't
say anything about it. You may not like some things, just like I don't
like things about other businesses but, until I'm in their shoes; until I'm
walking their line I cannot say it doesn't work. Let me tell you
about myself. I'm a christian and very critical about money and the
things it can do to people, but I am 25 years old and working 40 hours a
week at a job teaching drop-outs. It's a great! I love helping
people, but I hate the fact that I am working hard for people who make money
off of me. The better I do, the better they do and the better the
company, right? Well, I'm supporting someone else who gets to tell me
how I spend my day, how I talk to people, who I talk to, what I talk to them
about and if I do a good job, well great! But that's all I get.
No raise, no extra days off, not bonus, and no promotion.
In the mean time, my future is dependant on someone else. I have a degree in general studies, and can't go back to school because I can't afford it, but they won't give me a raise until I do. These people are teachers, trainers; people who are not mean and out to get other people but, they way the system is set up, there is no way for me to ever support my family (with the basics) with this job. My husband was told he was over-qualified for jobs he applied to and, in turn, couldn't get a job easily.......now why is it that he did the "right" thing or went the track everyone else did and came out with way more experiences and because of that, he's not able to get a job? Are you, by any chance, in favor of people starting their own business (not talking about herbalife, but things like people owning their own craft stores and such)? If you are, could you tell me the statistics on how many new businesses start and fail or never make it off the ground. Ask T. Harv Eker, he started 12 and they all went down the drain. These were legitimate businesses and they failed, so what is the real ratio on distributors of herbalife here? Now, I've been "in" Herbalife for a year but wasn't "sure" that I wanted any part of the business.....too unstable for me right? Well, my hours got cut to 20 last month....talk about instability. I didn't have any other choice to pay bills except this Herbalife thing. Well, I worked (and I made a detailed account of what I did) and maximum of 5 hours for three weeks and made $1500 dollars. I put some of it back into Herbalife and got a free laptop. All in 15 hours.........and I didn't "have - to" spend any money....but I wanted to get some money back. For the work I did in October, I got an extra check from Herbalife for $263.68. Okay, just so you know, I'm not angry or upset, and yes I talk alot. I looked up people on the internet that were negative towards Herbalife because I think a balanced perspective is always necessary in order to stay in reality. I know, for sure, that there are lots of people who "start" herbalife and "fail". What I'd like to know is, who trained them in the business or on the products or were they trained at all (you're supposed to trained and not left out in the cold). If they were trained what did they physically do about it. My problem was my mind. I coudn't grasp the whole thought that I, myself, could make any money at this. But what got to me were the people I put on the products themselves. They were all getting dramatic results and they weren't just about weight loss. These were people who were living day-to-day on prescription medication and were forced to be on it or, in some cases, die. Now, they didn't take any convincing because they got results in the first 5 days. I stuck with them and most people have saved $300 or more dollars just because their doctor told them they didn't have to buy any more drugs. Well, now that I've talked your ear off, you probably won't write back and that is okay. Again, you are you and I am me.....we are both allowed to express opinions. But, make sure (and so will I) that your opinions are based on facts instead of just experiences or millions of unwanted signs posted. Thank you for your time, it was much appreciated. Mariann Browne Washington State |
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Hi Mariann,
As you can probably imagine, I've had this conversation before, and there is a simple series of questions that should illustrate my position fully: 1. Do you think most people that try distributing herbalife lose money or make money? -Rob |
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Well, considering that the trillion dollar industry going on
today is the Wellness Revolution (Paul Zane Pilzer), I would say that most
people make money, but, like always there are mindsets (like how to work for
themselves) that people have to get around and other things, but, if I
can.....which I have no self-determination at all, than others can too, and
the market, considering the obesity epidemic, is definitely not saturated
anywhere.
Mariann Browne |
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| I didn't write back. | |
the herbalife story from April 2002 | Home | Contact Rob |
Jan. 4th, 2003.